Ranking 2011
Well folks, it’s time for the annual end-of-the-year tradition of ranking the year here at thesecondchance. Although only a tradition of three years thus far (2008, 2009, and 2010), I find it to be one that serves as a journalistic entry of the patrons here, if not an epic event in its own right. So stop in and rank the year while not forgetting to place your drink order. Feel free to skip any question/category that you wish. I hope the year has served you well while also hoping the next might serve you even better. Cheers.
Questions/Rankings:
1. Better or worse year than last?
2. Positive personal or national highlight of the year (pick either or both)
3. Negative personal or national lowlight of the year
4. Favorite sports moment
5. Least favorite sports moment
6. MOVIES
a) Best
b) Worst
c) Most anticipated movie(s) of 2012
7. TV SHOWS
a) Favorite show you started watching this year.
b) TV show you watched the most this year.
8. MUSIC
a) Best album
b) Most disappointing album
c) Best concert
d) New artist you discovered (that you like or dislike)
e) The artist or album you are listening to at the end of 2011
9. BOOKS
a) Best
b) Most disappointing
c) New author you discovered
d) Book on your nightstand or shelf next in line to be read
10. Favorite or hated new fashion trend
11. Most notable political development (good or bad)
12. TECHNOLOGY
a)Most frequented website/app
b)Newly discovered website/app others need to know about
13. DRINKS (you can choose among alcoholic or non-)
a) Favorite newly discovered
b) Most frequently consumed when having a good time
14. Top resolution for new year
15. Pick for BCS championship winner – LSU or Alabama?
16. What do you anticipate the most about 2012?
17. Toast proposal
posted by thewalrus at 1:21 AM
6 Comments:
Here's a list of the questions if you want to copy and paste for convenience. My answers are posted in the next comment.
1. Better or worse year than last?
2. Positive personal or national highlight of the year (pick either or both):
3. Negative personal or national lowlight of the year:
4. Favorite sports moment:
5. Least favorite sports moment:
6. MOVIES
a) Best:
b) Worst:
c) Most anticipated movie(s) of 2012:
7. TV SHOWS
a) Favorite show you started watching this year:
b) TV show you watched the most this year:
8. MUSIC
a) Best album:
b) Most disappointing album:
c) Best concert:
d) New artist you discovered (that you like or dislike):
e) The artist or album you are listening to at the end of 2011:
9. BOOKS
a) Best:
b) Most disappointing:
c) New author you discovered:
d) Book on your nightstand or shelf next in line to be read:
10. Favorite or hated new fashion trend:
11. Most notable political development (good or bad):
12. TECHNOLOGY
a)Most frequented website/app:
b)Newly discovered website/app others need to know about:
13. DRINKS (you can choose among alcoholic or non-)
a) Favorite newly discovered:
b) Most frequently consumed when having a good time:
14. Top resolution for new year:
15. Pick for BCS championship winner – LSU or Alabama?
16. What do you anticipate the most about 2012?
17. Toast proposal:
3:34 PM, December 30, 2011
1. Better or worse year than last? Better
2. Positive personal or national highlight of the year (pick either or both): Finishing my first year of teaching (personal) and the development of the Occupy movement nationwide (national)
3. Negative personal or national lowlight of the year: Personal negative lowlight would have to be both my lack of writing this year (this will definitely change) as well as the new evaluation system put in place for teachers in TN (this will hopefully change). National negative lowlight, as far as my memory serves me at the moment, might be the national and international natural disasters that hit in the spring
4. Favorite sports moment: The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. One of the most remarkable comeback stories in the history of sports. (See World Series Game 6).
5. Least favorite sports moment: Albert Pujols choosing money over legacy
6. MOVIES
a) Best: Didn’t get to watch many but I loved The King’s Speech (I’m still dying to see Moneyball, Hangover 2, and the new Sherlock Holmes)
b) Worst: Fast Five (no, I didn’t actually watch it, precisely because it looked like the worst movie ever)
c) Most anticipated movie(s) of 2012: It appears that next year will be epic: The Dark Knight Rises (looks orgasmically good), The Raven, The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, Spiderman, The Hobbit, Great Gatsby, Les Miserables, Taken 2 (go ahead and mock me but I thought Taken was a suspenseful ride despite its constant demand for suspending disbelief)
7. TV SHOWS
a) Favorite show you started watching this year: Unfortunately, none, but CBS’ Person of Interest looks…well, interesting. I’m still mad I haven’t taken the time to see HBO’s Treme yet.
b) TV show you watched the most this year: House DVD’s
8. MUSIC
a) Best album: Nothing stands out above the rest to me. Thrice’s Major/Minor managed to be an excellent album musically while also being rather forgettable as a whole. Same thing for Thursday’s No Devolucion. And both bands disbanded this year. Shit.
b) Most disappointing album: Again, nothing was great this year, but none of the albums I bought were terrible either. The fact that Bush made a terrible reunion album was less disappointing than it was expected.
c) Best concert: I saw a LOT of great shows this year but U2’s show takes the cake (my first time seeing them). Thursday/Taking Back Sunday was also an amazing show.
d) New artist you discovered (that you like or dislike): Manchester Orchestra – absolutely love this band
e) The artist or album you are listening to at the end of 2011: Chevelle’s Hats Off to the Bull
9. BOOKS
a) Best: Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River
b) Most disappointing: Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle
c) New author you discovered: Just heard about Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding so I’m gonna look into that
d) Book on your nightstand or shelf next in line to be read: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (re-reading for class)
10. Favorite or hated new fashion trend: As long as it remains acceptable for women to wear boots and guys to wear plaid, I will remain perpetually happy…and acceptable.
11. Most notable political development (good or bad): Iraq War “ending” and that whole Osama dying thing (more symbolically notable than actually notable)
3:35 PM, December 30, 2011
12. TECHNOLOGY
a)Most frequented website/app: Twitter
b)Newly discovered website/app others need to know about: Yes, hell froze over and I got an iPhone this year. For those of you interested in craft beer, download the Untappd app. It’s fun like whoa.
13. DRINKS (you can choose among alcoholic or non-)
a) Favorite newly discovered: I’ve developed a hobby/interest in craft beer so this should be noted. Best beers of the year: Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout, Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale, and Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA
b) Most frequently consumed when having a good time: For the first year ever at thesecondchance, Captain and cokes took a back seat to craft beer.
14. Top resolution for new year: A personal project called “The System” (it needs a pretentious title for motivational purposes), which includes a heavy dose of writing.
15. Pick for BCS championship winner – LSU or Alabama? Roll Tide
16. What do you anticipate the most about 2012? The System
17. Toast proposal: To the ever-evolving process of self-improvement. Cheers.
3:35 PM, December 30, 2011
Enjoyed your second chances thoughts. I think when it is just us commoners we sometimes even miss the notice of a second chance beginning to go right. So much of everyday life is rather unremarkable. Whew! That seems a bit dark, but it isn't meant to be. We often live on auto pilot, and it takes some doing sometimes to pay attention to our relative progressions or regressions. It can be amazing when we pay attention!
3:39 PM, January 16, 2012
1. Better or worse year than last?
Yes…
2. Positive personal or national highlight of the year (pick either or both):
Personal – half marathon
National – a cat missing for 5 years from Colorado found in New York and returned home… that’s all I got, but it’s pretty amazing.
3. Negative personal or national lowlight of the year:
Personal – my aunt being diagnosed with cancer; and my sister's dog Ginger passing away
National – the various and tragic natural disasters
4. Favorite sports moment:
World Series game 6! The entire Series was incredible.
5. Least favorite sports moment:
Jerry Sandusky…..
6. MOVIES
a) Best:
Incendies
b) Worst:
?
c) Most anticipated movie(s) of 2012:
The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit
7. TV SHOWS
a) Favorite show you started watching this year:
None…
b) TV show you watched the most this year:
House
8. MUSIC
a) Best album:
Taking Back Sunday
Also, I probably should have bought Tom Waits’ and PJ Harvey’s albums… I hear good things.
b) Most disappointing album:
So, I bought The Black Keys record, and some of it is fantastic, but not yet sure it lives up to the major hype it seems to be getting.
c) Best concert:
If I may indulge, here are two: Dashboard Confessional (Chris Carrabba solo tour), and, Manchester Orchestra. Both at the Cannery. Both incredible.
d) New artist you discovered (that you like or dislike):
…I didn’t really have “a” favorite, but here are a few I “discovered” and like: Young the Giant, Atlas Genius, The Black Keys (despite my comment above), Deadmau5 w/Jack White, Gotye.
e) The artist or album you are listening to at the end of 2011:
Manchester Orchestra
9. BOOKS
a) Best:
The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
b) Most disappointing:
Bossypants (although admittedly I did laugh out loud many, many times)
c) New author you discovered:
none stand out as memorable…
d) Book on your nightstand or shelf next in line to be read:
The Brothers Karamazov
10. Favorite or hated new fashion trend:
What is with the handlebar moustache…
11. Most notable political development (good or bad):
Global protests.
12. TECHNOLOGY
a) Most frequented website/app:
sigh… Facebook
b) Newly discovered website/app others need to know about:
Pinterest; and Instagram and all the amazing iPhone photo apps out there.
13. DRINKS (you can choose among alcoholic or non-)
a) Favorite newly discovered:
Black IPA. And apparently I now like Jack & Coke…
Oh, and I have to mention Schlafly’s summer Blueberry Cider. Sooo good.
b) Most frequently consumed when having a good time:
Beer… And fireball. Often one in each hand simultaneously.
14. Top resolution for new year:
Personal improvement
15. Pick for BCS championship winner – LSU or Alabama?
…a little late here, but would have gone with Bama anyway. What a game!
16. What do you anticipate the most about 2012?
Positive change. And, living beyond the end of the Mayan calendar.
17. Toast proposal:
To doing what makes each of us happy and fulfilled.
Thanks for doing this post each year, Walrus. It’s nice to take some time to reflect on the past year, as well as to think toward the year ahead. Keep writing! Cheers.
11:19 PM, January 31, 2012
Thanks for the post goose! And you're welcome - this thread is always a favorite of mine.
7:43 PM, February 01, 2012
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