Man, what a difference a week can make.

Now, I’m leaving for New Orleans next Saturday at about 4:00AM and will be spending New Year’s Eve there. Long story how I suddenly fell into the money, but all that matters is I’m really happy about it.

And, I just found out today that we are finally getting cable modems to our section of town. No more dial-up access for me! Thank God.

Since we’re so close to the end of the year, I thought I’d go ahead and be like every other website or magazine in the world and list my favorite things of 2001. Of course, mine will include some standard listings (best movie, best album) and a few others that aren’t mentioned in Newsweek.

Best Movie of 2001: Memento
Just…wow. Words cannot describe. Which means that it won’t win any Oscars.
Honorable Mention (and would probably move up after I see it a few more times): Lord of the Rings

Best New CD of the Year: Stone Temple Pilots “Shangri-la-dee-da”
STP has done it again. They’ve come out with a CD that completely shatters the standard definition of modern rock. The only way I can describe it is to say if The Beatles were all still alive and still recording music, this is the CD they would have made.
Honorable Mention: Gorillaz “Gorillaz”

Best CD I Purchased This Year That Didn’t Come Out This Year: Miles Davis "Birth of the Cool"
This was The Year of Jazz for me. I don’t know what hit me, but somewhere around February or so, I just really got into the sound. And when I downloaded a bunch of songs from Miles Davis, a trumpet player like I was, the ones that really stuck with me all ended up being on the same CD – Birth of the Cool. I highly recommend checking it out.
Honorable Mention: Green Day “Warning”

Best Movie I Purchased This Year: The Godfather Trilogy
Yes, there were quite a few movies I picked up this year and even some that were better DVD’s, but this is The Godfather for Christ’s sake. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the first two, but they blow me away every time I watch them. And to finally have them on DVD, well, that seals the deal.
Honorable Mention: Tie between Citizen Kane and Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Favorite New Song of the Year On An Album I Didn’t Buy: Sum 41 “Fat Lip”
It got the crap played out of it, but it was punky, fun, and catchy as hell.
Honorable Mention: Nothing. I was mainly listening to talk radio all year.

Best Time Out With Friends Up Until I Go to New Orleans: Green Day in concert
You have no idea what this meant to me. I’d been waiting for that night for seven years and it finally came.
Honorable Mention: Cub game at Wrigley Field

Best Lap Dance of the Year: Maria
What is it with me and Latinas?
Honorable Mention: Maria (the third time)

Best Book I Read: "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
Basically, the book that got me back into writing fiction. I just got it out the other day when I found out I was going to New Orleans – read the first 20 pages out loud. God, I love that book.
Honorable Mention: Blackhawk Down (Can’t wait for the movie)

Best Movie I Rented That I Had Never Seen Before: With a Friend Like Harry…
A French film that was just absolutely brilliant. Sort of a “Hand That Rocks The Cradle”, but, frankly, much more demented. I need to get it on DVD, but its like $30. Damn foreign films…
Honorable Mention: 2000 Maniacs (Cheesy, ‘60’s exploitation fun)

Best Magazine Subscription: Maxim
Babes and fun articles about stuff guys care about, all for about $10 per year. What more could you ask for out of a magazine?
Honorable Mention: Skeptical Enquirer (though at $30 per year, I think it’s going to get dropped in 2002)

Best New Television Show: "Family Guy" on Fox
It’s not exactly new, but it got cancelled for a while and is now back on, so I’m going to count it as new. Great show, everyone should watch it so they can be offended at least once during the week.
Honorable Mention: 24 (mainly because that’s the only new show I’m watching and if it doesn’t pick up soon, I’ll probably drop it)

Best TV Show I’m Still Watching: West Wing
If you’re not watching this show, there’s seriously something wrong with you.
Honorable Mention: Tie between The Simpsons and The Sopranos

TV Show I’m Happiest About Not Watching Anymore: Friends
I just got really sick of it all. I’ve heard this is a great season, but – blah – who needs it?
Honorable Mention: Survivor

Best Investment in Something Frivolous: Netflix
This is a website that lets you rent as many DVD’s as you can watch in a month for $20 (but you can only have 3 at a time checked out). I have been exposed to so many great films that I would have never had the chance to see here in the suburban wasteland of Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos. Best $20 per month I’ve spent in a long time.
Honorable Mention: Premium content and a CD every month in my mailbox from Heavy.com – all for $6.95

Best Investment in Myself: GIS classes
Well, it hasn’t paid off yet, but I know it will someday.
Honorable Mention: Eating Healthier and Working Out

Worst Day of the Year: September 11
Duh.
Honorable Mention: The day I had to drop $200+ to put a new alternator and battery in my car.

Best Haircut of 2001: Only had one, so I guess that’s it.
Honorable Mention: N/A

Best Cultural Discovery Since Moving to St. Louis: St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM)
Just a damn cool place. Tons of tribal art, which I absolutely love.
Honorable Mention: Tie between The Backstreet Jazz and Blues Club at Westport Plaza; and The Big Bang on The Landing

Best Townie Bar: McGurk’s Irish Pub
Authentic Irish music, O’Fallon Gold (our tasty local brew) on tap, they’ll let you smoke pipes or cigars, and it’s quiet enough you can actually talk to people without having to scream. Am I getting old or what?
Honorable Mention: P&R Lounge. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard a fat, bearded red neck sing “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. Classic.

Best Talk Radio Show Now That I Can’t Get Roe and Gary on WLS: Art Bell Coast to Coast (AM550 12:00 – 4:00AM)
Where else could you hear people who claim to be time travelers, to have been attacked by ghosts, to have been married to aliens and to have found Atlantis in their backyard? Hilarious, interesting and scary all wrapped into one.
Honorable Mention: The Dave Glover Show (97.1FM 4:00 – 7:00PM)

Best Newly Acquired Bad Habit: Smoking a Pipe
I used to think there was nothing better than smoking a cigar, but then I discovered the wonders of a pipe. Not a crack pipe mind you, a tobacco pipe.
Honorable Mention: Four-way tie between Fortel’s Pizza, Pantera’s Pizza (no connection with the band, sadly), Talayna’s Pizza and Little Caesar’s (I’ll bet all you IL people are jealous. Pizza. Pizza.)

Best Big Purchase of 2001: My leather satchel
It’s too big to be a briefcase; too big to be a purse. Basically, it’s what I use to carry all my writing stuff, books for class, and miscellaneous crap whenever I’m on the go. I love that thing.
Honorable Mention: Portable CD player for my car

Friend I Miss the Most: Travis Teausant
I see almost all my friends online regularly, but Travis is a rarity. He’s had some rough times over the last 18 months and I’d love to hear from him more often, but it just doesn’t happen. I should try to fix that in 2002.
Honorable Mention: Larry, my pet fish

Funniest Thing I Heard in 2001: “Donda bahnder by the wooden bus” by Justin Kingston
Drunk-ass JK trying to tell us where he parked.
Honorable Mention: “I told you they were Mexican” by our Hooter’s waitress after the (Mexican) cook screwed up my order.

Best Website I Checked Daily in 2001: FARK.com
Just go there now.
Honorable Mention: CHUD.com

Best Bad Habit I’ve Broken: McDonald’s
I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a Quarter Pounder
Honorable Mention: Buying toys

Best New Addiction: Writing
I swear that’s all I do anymore.
Honorable Mention: Comic books (after a two-year layoff)

Best Comic Book of the Year: 100 Bullets
Modern crime noir at its best.
Honorable Mention: the Tom Strong lineup of titles (genius)

Best CD I Downloaded and Only Have in MP3 Format: Ben Folds Five “Whatever and Ever, Amen”
Yeah, I know, where was I when this was popular in 1998? I’m wondering that myself.
Honorable Mention: Bare Naked Ladies “Maroon”

Favorite Space Monkey Entry: Pascal’s Wager (4.4.01)
I had a lot of fun with this one and I know it’s sparked more conversation among my friends and I than any other article. And that’s what SMX is all about.
Honorable Mention: What Constitutes A Man? (5.2.01)

So there you have it – some of the ups and downs of my year. It was an interesting year to say the least and one that I can only hope will pale in comparison to 2002.

I’ll see you next week! Until then, have a Merry Christmas.

Space Monkey X