Well, it's been 363 days since I moved all of my previous web existances over to my newly-bought wakingslow.com domain, and, I am still, in the words of Justin Timberlake, "lovin' it." For a look back at the year's highs, lows, favorites, and hateds, click on the More.
Highlight of the Year:
Being taken by my best friend, Al, to New York City, as her guest after she qualified as a finalist for the MTV Video Head contest. Getting to spend several days staying in a suite in Times Square, and getting to go to the VMAs (!), and TRL, and briefly spend time in a green room with Newlyweds Nick and Jessica was, well, amazing, as was watching her win the big $25,000. Getting to spend a spontaneous several days with my best bud, from whom I'm separated by all of Pennsylvania and half of Ohio was even more amazing. You can read about the trip in the September Archives.
Highlight of the VMAs:
Admittedly, the 2003 VMAs may be considered lackluster in comparison with some others, but I was there, so I remember it fondly, and I think my favorite performance from the evening was by Beyonce, buoyed by watching Queer Eye's Jai explode out of his seat in glee during "Crazy in Love."
Favorite Invention of the Year:
The iTunes music store. Being able to buy music digitally without guilt, and without having to sort through incomplete tracks to get it is a phenomenal invention. Even better, being able to easily obtain one song from an album at a time is a perk for people like me, who often love individual songs and don't want to buy full albums. And, at 99 cents, you can get two songs for the price of a small coffee at Starbucks. The songs? Last your whole life. The coffee? In and out in a morning.
Favorite Pop Songs of the Year:
Not to be confused with my favorite folk-rock songs (my favorite genre of music):
"In Da Club" - 50 Cent (infectious!)
"The Way You Move" - OutKast (I'm a heretic! I like it better than "Hey Ya!")
"Low" - Kelly Clarkson (shut up!)
"Crazy in Love" - Beyonce (the horns!)
"Plug it In" - Basement Jaxx (thanks to Max's Best of 2003 mix)
"Cry Me a River" - Justin Timberlake
Pop Songs from 2003 I Never, Ever Want to Hear Again:
"Unwell" - Matchbox Twenty
"Invisible" - Clay Aiken
"So Yesterday" - Hilary Duff
"Fallen" - Evanescence
"The Game of Love" - Santana/Michelle Branch
Favorite Films Seen in 2003:
Finding Nemo, Spirited Away.
Life-Changing Acquisitions in 2003:
Tie between the iPod and the TiFaux. In all honesty, I think the TiFaux has been more of a life changer. Being able to condense the TV I watch into smaller, more productive periods of time has just been plain awesome.
Resolutions for 2004:
Read more.
I hope everyone has a great 2004, and thanks for visiting wakingslow.com. I appreciate it.
I know it's been a while since I've reported on a book, but I am back in the groove now, and finished a couple over Christmas.
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo, was marvelous. I really, really enjoyed it. Much like The Sweet Hereafter, it's about a small town. It's full of characters, and with the exception of one character who I thought Russo left hanging a little bit, they are all pretty well developed and well-rounded. More than anything, I was impressed by the excellent job Russo did portraying a realistic father-daughter relationship. Splendid.
HBO is currently adapting the novel into a movie, and you can see casting here. I especially like Dennis Farina as Walt.
A great piece from Slate about those TD Waterhouse ads with Law and Order cast members reflecting the economy as a whole. Very cool.
Other than The Truman Show, aka "Jim Carrey's attempt to be a serious actor," I had never seen a Jim Carrey movie. Not Liar Liar, not Ace Ventura, not Dumb and Dumber, nothing. I dislike his brand of comedy. Physical, over-the-top comedy just turns me off. However, I sat down and watched Bruce Almighty the other day because a) my friend and I were in the mood for something non-taxing and b) it was time to at least observe the Carrey oeuvre.
Well, it was pretty dumb. And Carrey was very, very annoying. His character was thoroughly unlikable, start to finish, and I find watching Jim Carrey to be sort of like watching someone who is socially inept at a party. Everyone knows that there's something a little off about him, but no one wants to speak up. Apparently some people find this hilarious, but I digress.
Bruce Almighty is a simple little movie about God going on vacation (why, and where, we're not entirely sure) and leaving Bruce, played by Carrey, with God's powers, which, unlike anything we've ever seen in, say, the book of Jeremiah, include giving his girlfriend (played by Jennifer Aniston) bigger breasts and having great sex. Ooookay.
Aniston was good though, in a limited role, but I generally like her, so this is no surprise. I think schlocking around in this movie was a step down after her nuanced turn in The Good Girl, but I think she maybe just wanted to be in a blockbuster.
In any event, it was a pretty empty movie. I've decided that I much prefer a God who chooses a relatively sensible and perceptive teenage girl (cf: Joan of Arcadia) as an assistant, than a selfish, crude middle aged television reporter.
This link takes a look at product mentions in songs this year. All of them, except for one song by Good Charlotte, are rap or hiphop. An interesting addition to the zeitgeist. [via gawker]
I usually stay away from posting the results of random online quizzes I take, but I coudn't resist the Muppet one.
You are Kermit the Frog.
You are reliable, responsible and caring. And you
have a habit of waving your arms about
maniacally.
25th Hour has the dubious (for me) distinction of being the first Spike Lee film I've ever seen, and the first film with Edward Norton in it I've ever seen (I even checked the imdb to be sure). It's excellent. I really liked the film--it was overall pretty gripping (although there were a few slow moments) and very well-acted, and I appreciated the post 9/11 NYC setting. It didn't do very well in it's theatrical run (about a year ago), but do yourself a favor and rent it.
Okay, the embarrassment is the fact that I'm going to admit that I watched the most recent installment of 'The Bachelor.' Shut up. Everyone knows that the West Wing sucks now, and with the TiFaux, I can fast forward through all the dramatic pauses and whatnot.
So, that now said, I'm rather excited that Meredith is going to be the next bachelorette. She seemed, for the genre, pretty sensible, and totally snarky, and very Un-Trista. Hopefully she won't disappoint me.
This is a picture from the trip to my grandma's. I've probably ridden/driven that road one hundred times, but I had never taken a picture before. Grandma lives in north central Pennsylvania, in a rural section of the state dubbed the "Endless Mountains" by the tourism powers that be. It really is gorgeous.
This is a picture from my MTV-funded trip to New York City in August for the VMAs. We were able to make time for a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, and for the first time in my experience, it was a clear enough day to really see all over. Click on the picture for a larger image.