The reckoning, part 2.

The movies. Oh how I love them. I saw seventy-one movies this year, most with the historian, but a number with various of my kids and a friend or two. Here are a few small confessions:

1. In the "going out" scheme of things, I can imagine little else that is as good as the movies. Even when there's something that's as good as the movies, or even better, and we go out and do that thing, I feel a little twinge of regret for the movie-going we missed.

2. I would rather--so much rather!--see a movie-movie than a documentary. (I said it was a confession, okay? I know, it's not right.) I like to be told a story.

3. I like movie stars.

4. But really, I just love a story, told by actors. They don't have to be movie stars.

5. And if a documentary has a story in it, it's good, too.

6. There are some really, really good documentaries. I know this.

All of the above having been confessed, by me, I offer the following list of noteworthy movies:

• Youth in Revolt
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Maid
• Shutter Island. I defend this choice. Stylistically, I thought it was a knock out, and I also thought it held up, emotionally.
• The Ghost Writer
• Greenberg
• The Runaways. So sad it's hard to even stand it. But the performances are great, and the mood and atmosphere are excellent. Its narrative is more implied than told.
• The Secret in Their Eyes
• The Red Riding Trilogy
• Police, Adjective
• Please Give
• The Beaches of Agnes. Please note: documentary.
• Inception
• Toy Story 3
• Winter's Bone
• Despicable Me
• The Kids Are All Right
• Get Him to the Greek. My son-in-law takes issue with this, but I assert that (a) this was foul but funny, and (b) Russell Brand is beyond in this role. BEYOND.
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I love love loved this.
• Cyrus
• Get Low
• Animal Kingdom
• The Town. If, as my friend asserted, Ben Affleck was a bit too well-fed to be fully persuasive in his part, he at least kicked ass, full stop, in directing this movie (did you like how I did not stop when I said "full stop" there? That's because the "full stop" was a metaphor.).
• The Social Network
• Howl. A truly beautiful performance by the polymath James Franco.
• The Fighter. Stands up there with most of the great boxing movies. Maybe not Raging Bull. But that's okay.
• Tangled
• Megamind. While I'm at it, I'm just going to go ahead and say Will Ferrell is hilarious in this, and he was also hilarious in The Other Guys. Yes: hilarious.
• Fair Game
• Tiny Furniture. Weirdly understated. Maybe too understated. But still good.
• Hereafter. Just saw this. Thought it was elegant and meditative and beautiful, if not perfect.

I have been thinking this year that the movies haven't been all the good, but this list is not a bad list. So, 2010 in the movies, hold your head up. Nice job.

Here are some 2010 movies I am yet hoping to see, some of which are already here and so I am a little panicky that I might miss them, and some of which won't arrive in the SLC until 2011: True Grit; The Illusionist; Somewhere; Blue Valentine; Another Year; Biutiful; The King's Speech; Rabbit Hole; that documentary about Phil Ochs; Black Swan (seeing this tomorrow with my daughter, for her birthday!); Casino Jack; I Love You Phillip Morris; and The Company Men.

In conclusion: the movies! a great blessing in a time of trial, and also the activity of choice, most of the time, if we're honest with ourselves. And we're nothing if not honest. Most of the time. I'm speaking for myself here, of course.

Best of 2009.

Of course it's a partial list, I know that!

Technology: What technology made my heart sing this year? I'm so glad you asked:

• my new iMac, which is ineffable.
• Mac Book Pro: it's better than bad, it's good!
• Various software and freeware: Final Cut Express and Screenr, Spezify. Fun for everyone.

Live Music: My most memorable live shows included

• Regina Spektor
• The Pretenders
• Benny Green (jazz)

Los Angeles: Part one of the Los Angeles Project took place, formally, this past October. Highlights included:

• Mulholland Drive, the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains, Topanga Canyon
• The fishermen: at Royal Palms beach on a choppy, brilliant Sunday; off the Hermosa Beach pier on a Saturday night
• The Getty. Creamy and delicious.

The West: Most of our trips this year were in the west (the rest of the west, aside from California). Each of these trips was splendid in its very own way:

• Wyoming: South Pass, sunny both ways, and the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone and environs.
• Montana: Bozeman and Red Lodge (or Red Cloud Lodge, as I like to call it)
• Seattle, to visit the historian's daughter, partner, and new baby boy.
• Idaho: of course. For all the reasons, and more.

Retreats: Leaving one's home, in order to retrench, renew, recuperate, refresh, which I/we did par excellence in

• Idaho, all summer, practically. I hope we get to do it again.

Reading: This year, I read--aside from the never-ending pile of detective novels and police procedurals--and loved:

• The City & the City, China Mieville
• To the Lighthouse, V. Woolf
• Gilead, Marilynne Robinson

Movies: I already named some of my favorite movies of the year in my annual premature list:

• The Hurt Locker
• Bright Star
• Eternal Moments
• Summer Hours
• A Serious Man. To the above, I add
• Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is fantastic.

Fashion: this year I am enjoying wearing

• raw-edged ruffles, with a little
• sparkle, preferably all in
• gray.

Triumphs: things we conquered this year included

• the mice (a provisional victory)
• last semester (a definitive victory. I've recently decided this.)

Perhaps it goes without saying that the first eight months of 2009, during which I was on sabbatical or it was summer, were peerless: I wrote, I read, I made movies. I don't know if these months were, taken as a whole, the best of the best. But they were amazing. They were excellent.

Forecasts for 2010:

• In 2010, I plan to take better care of myself.
• I will make more music, and
• I will make more video essays.
• I will enjoy all my beloveds--family and friends--because they are my beloveds.
• In 2010, I will write more poems, and
• I will invite more people over.

Most of all, I want to remember 2009 as a year in which I loved and spent time with my family, loved and spent time with my friends, made many and varied verbal and visual artifacts, traveled, and cherished the lucky life I have. My life is full of blessings, and you, dear readers, are a part of that. Here's to you in the new year, happy, healthy, and full of sass. Bless.

Best of 2008, series two.

Transportation.

1.  TRAX and bus pass.

2.  awesome bike.

Consumption.

1.  (books) the library, the library's robot, self-checkout.

2.  (books) Google Book.

3.  (music) e-music.

Technology.

1.  web cam.

2.  the hope of a Mac in 2009.

3.  iPod shuffle (for walking).

Awesome songs for walking.

1.  "Paper Planes," M.I.A.

2.  "Gamma Ray," Beck.

3.  "You're Supposed to Be My Friend," the 1990s.

Travel.

1.  Seattle (Koolhaas library, Olympic Sculpture Park, the historian's daughter and partner, rain rain rain).

2.  Dublin (Ireland, come on! and, of course, the Scotlands).

3.  Boston/Maine/Provincetown (wild ocean, college daughter, rain rain rain).

4.  NYC (NYC, come on!)!

Communication.

1.  two conversations with Running Son in Malaysia.

2.  weekly conversations with the Scotlands (now, with video chat!).

3.  my cell phone, which I value far more than I ever thought I would.

4.  Google chats with my brother.

5.  blogs (almost all of my kids have 'em).

Family life.

1.  evenings at home with the historian.

2.  frequent breakfasts and lunches and occasional dinners and movies with my daughter the make-up artist and her darling boy.

3.  hanging out with singing son's family--they live right around the corner.  Now, with darling baby!

4.  Trips with all and sundry to the holy land (Idaho).

Art.

1.  Visiting the MOMA (bonus: with Dr. Write!).

2.  Getting to work on my manuscript(s) in Idaho and at an undisclosed location downtown.

3.  Seeing Yeats' papers.

4.  Seeing Francis Bacon's studio.

Best of 2008, series one.

Culinary breakthroughs.

1.  using coconut milk in both the cake and the icing for a coconut cake (or cupcakes).

2.  brittle.  

3.  the multiple desserts dessert course.

Life-altering practices.

1.  daily walk with the dog.

2.  reading more books of all kinds.

3.  foreign detective novels.

Christmas.

1.  visiting grandchildren Christmas morning.

2.  making peace with my cooking/baking overkill.

3.  candles everywheres.