Year in review

2011 was not without its challenges.  There's the perpetual job drama, which has been going on for five years over the same point of contention.  I had some concerns about my health.  While I waited longer than I should have to get them checked out, my fears were basically overblown.  I felt pinched for time quite often, but in most cases it was because I was making time to exercise, which has made me feel better, and doing things I enjoyed.

All in all, it was a pretty good year that saw it's share of firsts.  I visited New York City not once but twice and couldn't have had a better time.  I finally attended the Toronto International Film Festival and managed to see a film from one of my favorite filmmakers several months before I would have been able to otherwise.  Plus, he and the main cast were in attendance.  Although my favorite team wasn't playing, I attended a World Series game.  I saw Paul McCartney in concert


On top of that I went to my fair share of ballgames and made my annual trips to film festivals in Cleveland and Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.  On two occasions I got to see my favorite singer, who doesn't play in this part of the country regularly.  I even meet her and her husband, who she was performing with, after one of their shows.  I met and renewed acquaintances with several folks I've known online.  My parents moved to a home that is unquestionably the nicest place they've ever lived and are a solid ninety minutes closer, which makes visiting, especially at the holidays, easier to do. 

I know it is often easier to complain and focus on how things are not how one wishes for them to be.  I'm certainly susceptible to dwelling on what I'm dissatisfied with and worrying about stuff I can and can't control.  So it's important for me to look at last year and appreciate the ridiculous amount of treasured experiences it gave me.  I didn't expect a significant number of those things to come to pass.  Whether 2012 can equal or surpass 2011 is irrelevant.  I had a very good year.  Now let's see what this new one will bring.

In the stream

Something that came across the Twitter feed and made me laugh...a lot:

I suppose what one finds funny says a lot about the individual.  This very short piece--"E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying To Give Out Over the Phone"--made me laugh like a maniac and then laugh harder the more I thought about it and reread it.  Seriously, I'm shaking with laughter having just read it again.  So there's some insight into what makes me tick.

Something that came across the Twitter feed and made me almost tear up:

A pair of Canadian teen girls are trying to draw attention to their school and its impending closure, so they sang a Neko Case song, posted it on YouTube, and got the artist's attention.  I'd ignored it but for some reason followed the latest link and their performance, which features excellent use of reverb from the stairwell.



It compares respectably to the great, haunting original.

A little night music

Several years ago I found it helpful to listen to music when trying to go to sleep. Particularly good was an ambient music program on the local NPR station. Echoes, which is described as a "two-hour music soundscape" on its website, is tailor-made for such purposes.  I don't mean that as a slight against the music on the show, even if it what appears on it isn't what I'd likely listen to during more wakeful parts of the day.  It is good for passive listening, especially when trying to relax.

I hadn't listened to the show in a long time, but last week, for whatever reason, I tuned it in on the clock radio by my bed.  I'd been trying to get the classical music station, but its move to a new frequency appears to mean I can't pull it in where I live.  As I scanned down the dial, I landed upon the show I used to turn to for winding down.

It's been a stressful couple of weeks, so listening to Echoes has been good for attempting to clear my mind as I try to get to sleep.  The only problem is that the show runs from 10 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Fridays.  Typically it's unusual for me to hit the sack before 12 a.m., but I'm making an effort to curl up with the radio by 11:30.  (Let's face it, I could stand to get to bed earlier, especially on weeknights.)

Depending how I set the sleep timer, I'll drift in and out of BBC news.  On the weekend I've ended up hearing radio drama, which was actually kind of interesting, and what is the public radio version of a Saturday night dance party mix.

I hadn't engaged in this old habit of falling asleep to the radio.  I think I did it fairly often growing up too, although the music was surely livelier.  Honestly, sometimes it probably ends up keeping me awake longer.  Still, it's kind of nice, and if it improves my sleeping habits, it can't be a bad thing.