The Year's Best.

Forget that Ebert fellow.

Forget that silly "Top 20" on your iTunes homepage. I mean, are you really going to trust a list that rotates Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift as the best songs week after week? Come on.

And Oprah's Book Club? That was so last year. [Oprah I didn't mean it, it was nearly a persuasive tactic, I still love you].

In fact, in honor of you, let us take a look at my favorite ThiiiIIIIIIngs of these last 365 days/12 months/8760 hours/525,600 minutes (thanks to 'Rent' I didn't even have to calculate that last one):

The Tunes.

1. 'Dog Days are Over' Florence + The Machine: I was a little late on Florence + The Machine, but when I first saw her, it was during an amazing performance on the Music Television...they were actually playing music and not bad reality television. Her striking red hair should be an indicator of what her voice is capable of, but it isn't. This woman has pipes like no other and her album is appropriately titled "Lungs." Her voice doesn't quit.

"And I never wanted anything from you. Except everything you had and what was left after that. Oh!"

2. 'Sailing to Nowhere' Broken Bells: A collaboration of a local Portland favorite of mine, 'The Shins' and Danger Mouse of 'Gnarls Barkley' fame, I heard this band for the first time toward the end of the year and was pleasantly surprised to see them in concert a few weeks later with a friend of mine with an extra ticket :). They delivered. I love it when you can go to a show and feel the music not just in bass, but in the performance of the musicians. I feel my entire system alter to keep time with this song. I wish it was as lengthy as "Hey Jude" or "American Pie" with just the beat. Oh well, listening to it on repeat works just as well.

"Running in circles, a mouse on the table, I try to feel. I just don't."

3. 'No More' Eminem Feat Lil Wayne: The beat comes from the popular "Haddaway" song made famous from the "A Night at the Roxbury" sketch on SNL. Eminem and Lil Wayne both have such unique voices that breaks up the mundanity that rap can be. It is a bit profane, but they did a clean version on SNL and it was still just as awesome.

"I'm alive again. More alive than I have been in my whole entire life."

4. 'Power' Kanye West: I don't really care for Kanye as a person due to the douchey things that he has done and the ignorant comments he continues to make, but he has a talent. And that is spittin mad lyrics (yes, I just said that). Oh well, guess you can't have it all.

"I'm livin in the 21st century doin something mean to it. Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it."

5. 'Creep' Scala & Kolacny Brothers: If you saw the first trailer for 'The Social Network' this was the song. This is a beautifully haunting cover of Radiohead's classic hit. The 'Brothers' ' outstanding arrangement with the sweet melody of the piano accenting the voices of this all girl's choir will give you chills. The good kind.

"I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul."

The People (Real & Fictitious).

1. Ty Burrell/Phil Dunphy: If you haven't started watching 'Modern Family' by now, you must hate life and not enjoy laughing. You're probably also the awkward one at work that fake laughs during the coffee cooler conversation. No but seriously, I highly advise that you tune in Wednesday nights. Ty Burrell, who happens to be a native Oregonian, plays the hilarious "cool" dad of a family of 5. You can't help but love him, laugh at him, feel sorry for him and then secretly wish your future husband acts exactly the same way.

2. Jimmy Fallon: My not-so-secret late night crush not only has the best band in late night (The Roots!) but has the best show no doubt. Jimmy captures the true elements of a variety show using his talents in song, humor and athletic competition. I mean, who else can slow jam the news with Brian Williams and challenge Betty White to Beer Pong? That's what's up.

3. Tina Fey/Liz Lemon: If I could have someone else's life, it would probably be Tina Fey's. We already have the same initials, so we're almost there. I admire Fey for her talent first as a writer and secondly, her ability to deliver such written brilliance. What a woman. She deserves all the success.

4. Jon Stewart: I just love listening to him talk. The fact that he's funny when he talks is everything one wants and needs in this life really. Before his book 'Earth,' I hadn't done the whole audiobook thing, but I feel like I had the complete experience listening to him rather than just reading his words. Simply wonderful. I hope I get back to NYC sometime soon so I can go to a taping of 'The Daily Show' again...after my trip to 30 Rock to see Jimmy Fallon and maybe run into TF in the halls. It could happen.

The Films.

1. The Social Network: The first scene of this film is intense, hilarious and awkward, which basically describes it in its entirety. The movie sets Zuckerberg up as the intelligent antagonist who we should be hating but by the end, you are so blown away with Eisenberg's performance that you in fact shamefully, kinda like Zuckerberg.

Take-Aways: Keep your friends close. Your real friends. Not the randoms on Facebook. While you're at it, delete the ones who you are uncertain of who they are and what the origins to your so-called friendship are. If you have to call your friends for confirmation in a conversation that goes something along the lines of, "Was that the guy that sat behind me in Physics?" Do not accept the friend request. We are using the term "friend" a bit loosely.

Oscar Worthy: Jesse Eisenberg, prepare your Best Actor speech. Hopefully they allow more characters than those pesky limited status updates.

2. The Black Swan: I'm still wrestling with what went on in that theater. This film was insane. Unlike other psychological thrillers (ie: Fight Club) where the different characters existence are made clear, this one is not. It leaves the viewer with the opportunity to decide what really occurred and what was only an act of cerebral games.

Take-Aways: Don't lose yourself and transform into a bird. Especially one that looks like it has been covered in oil like that one episode of 'Saved By The Bell' with the oil spill. Poor Becky.

Oscar Worthy: I've forever been a fan of Natalie Portman and I think she brought it. She made us uncomfortable but also created an understanding of the desirous place her insanity came from. Best Actress: Done.

3. The Fighter: This film based on true events shows the solidarity of family...ghetto fabulous family, but kin no less. Micky, the younger of the two brothers, is a struggling boxer with all the pressure on him from his family to be a success. Micky relies on his crackhead brother to train him while his managing-mother's concern for his career seems to be influenced by the fact that Micky supports the family. There's street fights. Jail Time. Some ass kicking.

Take-Aways: If you haven't learned it from Whitney already, crack is whack. Just looking at how unattractive a normally attractive Christian Bale looks when he is simply pretending to be on fake crack, is DARE program enough for me. Just say no.

Oscar Worthy: Bale. Let me preface this with saying, I am not usually the biggest Bale fan in the slightest. But his character Dickey made you feel every emotion from disgust and hate to sadness and joy, which is an incredible task for someone playing a has-been fighter turned crackhead. I hope you pick up your Supporting Actor statue, but spare us from using your creepily annoying 'Batman' voice. Adams might also be looking at Supporting Actress because she was kind of a badass. Go girl.

4. Inception: I already devoted an entire blog to how spectacular this movie is. So read that here: http://relentlessreflection.blogspot.com/2010/07/bravo-nolan-bravo-reflections-on.html

Take-Aways: Don't be content with the wonder or be confused to know if your dream could exist within a dream. Within another dream. Also, purchase a spinning top if you ever need to discriminate between the two. Or three.

Oscar Worthy: I just really want Leo to get an Oscar already. How many Oscar winning movies must one be in before they individually get recognized?! That being said, this wasn't his best performance by any means and if he's against Eisenberg, I'm going to have to go with Jesse. Nolan better go home the gold, no doubt. It was kind of this year's 'Avatar' but Nolan and co. actually created the sets.

5. The Kids Are Alright: Firstly, I must mention that this is a Sundance film which makes me incredibly happy. I love it when a well-written story still is able to be told and well-received, even in the absence of special effects that are implemented by a program on the computer.

Take-Aways: Life is complicated. It's even more complicated when you're a lesbian who used sperm from an anonymous donor and then your child wants to find the sperm responsible for his existence. And then your lesbian mom sleeps with said sperm donor. Wait, why couldn't they just do it the old-fashioned way in the first place if coitus was inevitable?

Oscar Worthy: I'm always in Annette Benning's corner, but she will be beat out by Amy Adams (if nominated) or at least, should be.

And there ya have it. I tell no lies.

Set your DVR, alter that Netflix queue and tell Regal Cinemas I sent you.

Happy New Year, folks!

Moments: The Twenty-Ten Edition

My greatest fear is inevitable; the moment will pass and I will still be here, reveling in its magic.

2010 was filled with such moments. And THE moments of all moments.

I remember my first [well, one of] moment of 2010. I was in the back of a cab that was driving around in circles. No, this memory was not induced by a champagne toast; I have other witnesses to attest to this occurrence. He was literally driving in a circle.

My year was kind of like this. Having directions, the GPS was set, yet I wasn’t quite sure where I was going or what would happen. And I had my friends along for the ride, laughing at the hilarity of all situations. And there were many. Far too many to list in a blog and complicated with “insideness” that would probably just irritate you. Unless you are one of these people.

January.

[Egyptian Theater-Downtown Park City, Utah]

Park City. This trip will go down in the books as one of my favorites in this lifetime. And yes, I can confidently say lifetime…presuming that I’ll live an average-aged life to mid 80’s [or so, if I’m feeling really ambitious]. The atmosphere alone can make one fall in love with this locale. Jon Gosselin even tried to kill my Polygamy Porter buzz by stealing my cab, but the snow-packed streets had already warmed the heart of this one.

Memorable Moment(s): In a long weekend with one of my favorite girlfriends, Sarah, I saw 6 independent films, all awesome (how often do you get SIX for SIX!?), asked the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt a question about his dark film ‘Hesher’ in a Q&A after the film, and brushed elbows with a little known star I like to call Adrian Grenier. No literally, I turned to find the restroom and there were his curly locks, 7 inches above my stocking-capped head. And to think, the entire vision I had of what Sundance would be like came from his show…’Entourage.’

Full circle.

February.

[Pacific Ocean - Seal Rock, Oregon]

Newport. I’ve made a tradition of visiting this coastal town annually every February since I hit my 252nd month [that's 21 years for those of you measuring life in years] for their amazing Seafood & Wine Festival. It never disappoints. This year, my book club or better known as BRB, the Book Reading Babes, rented a house and made a weekend of it. We already have our place for February 2011 booked.

Yum to the Vin-O!

March.

[The Best French Toast in the universe- Cafe Nola, Bainbridge Island, Washington]

Seattle. The first of 4 trips I would take to our Northern neighbor in 2010 was to have a girl’s weekend. One of my great friends, Carey, flew out from New York to unite with us Pacific Northwesterners.

Memorable Moment: Café Nola. Located on Bainbridge Island just a ferry ride west of Seattle, this adorable eatery is the crafter of the best French Toast I’ve ever consumed. If you know me, you know I don’t speak lightly of “favorites” and I usually find it incredibly difficult to discern between numbers 1 and 7. There are no doubts here. We applauded after the meal.

Do yourself and your mouth a favor and make reservations.

April.

[Love Park - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]

Philly. My lovely friend Allison moved East to pursue her Doctorate in PT and I decided that spring time would make for a nice visit. My other adventurous pal, Megan, also happened to be residing on the East coast at that time in Boston and we decided that the city of brotherly love would make for a great rendezvous.

Memorable Moment: I’d been on the ground about 2 hours and had just dropped my bags off with Allison. I was looking for the set of Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper’s movie [obviously] and stumbled upon LOVE park. Funny. When you’re looking for other things, love just sneaks up on you.

Also, reenacting Rocky with Megan on the infamous steps of the Art Museum…without ever watching Rocky. Don’t judge. I know, it’s almost as bad as being a die-hard-poo-talking Oregon fan and never stepping foot on the Eugene campus. I digress, we’re talking about good things here…

June.

[Archery Summit Vineyard artwork - Dundee, Oregon]

Wine Country. Park City Sarah [For which she will be called the duration of this blog] and I have quite the affinity for grapes [preferably fermented] and try to experience as much of Oregon wine country as possible. So to celebrate my 26^th year she planned an extravagant tour of wine country.

Memorable Moment: Sitting on the patio of our first vineyard stop, Archery Summit, closing my eyes and just breathing that fresh Oregon air. What an invigorating feeling.

Oh, I also got a tattoo.

July.

[La Playa del Amor - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico]

Cabo. The best friend, her roommates and I planned a summer vacation to our Southern brethren. Well I guess Americans use the term, “brethren” conveniently. You know, when we want to enjoy its beautiful rays we say, “brethren”; when they want to enjoy the opportunity of our land and what’s left of employment we say, “illegal immigrants.” Flip-Flop.

We stayed in a marina-side resort in the heart of Cabo and filled our tummies with Mexican food, our skin with melanoma, and our livers with, well, with adult beverages.

Memorable Moment: I took a little glass bottomed-boat ride to Lover’s beach or “La Playa del Amor” if we are using the native tongue, and it rivaled some of the beaches I experienced in the Mediterranean. Uh May Zing.

Mama K’s Wedding. One of my great college gal pals, Mama K married her OSweetheart in the most luxurious affair of the year. I had the incredible honor of serving as one of her maids and giving a toast. For some reason, I can never hold it together when I’m discussing emotions and began crying in the first sentence. I think it went well.

[Waterfront - Downtown Portland, Oregon]

Memorable Moment: Right before Mama K took center stage, we were anxiously awaiting the phone call to summon us down to wedding headquarters. By “we” I mean the bridesmaids. Mama K was as calm as ever. The phone rang, she stood up looking ever-so glamorous, and we followed our girl in tow to marry her guy. What a wonderful day.

August.

[Fountains at the Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada]

Vegas. Park City Sarah and Allison [Philly] and I decided we needed a get-a-way to reunite. The three of us met serving as loyal tour guides of the great Oregon State University back in 2004. During that time, we took a beach trip to Lincoln City and cleverly dubbed it “BT ’06”-Beach Trip 06. We needed something to top such an adventure. [For those of you who aren't Oregonians, Lincoln City is about 2.5 hours away from where we lived. You now see why the adventure was necessary]

We named this one VT ’10. And my did it blow BT ’06 out of the water.

Memorable Moments: Vocally assaulting the Bellagio (by Bellagio, I mean whoever was in front of the Bellagio in earshot) for daring to play a Faith Hill song during the upscale fountain show that usually plays the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Elton John, meeting Italian friends and eating at the Brazilian Steakhouse, Samba.

The other moments are meant to stay in Vegas. And will. Until my aforementioned death in my mid 80’s.

Crater Lake.

[The Lookout - Crater Lake, Oregon]

I found myself troubled with my Oregon identity and being able to label myself as an Oregonian with never setting foot on arguably the most famous of Oregon soils. Crater Lake. So it was decided! I woke up one day, called my friends Chris and Lisa, and asked if they’d be down for a brief camping trip to the landmark of all Oregon landmarks.

Memorable Moment: The drive seemed to be taking forever. You know one of those ones where you’re so ridden with excitement that every time you see a sign mentioning the name of your destination you think you’re almost there and should see noticeable definitions of the place any minute now? The are-we-there-yet syndrome was kicking in at full notch and just when I thought I couldn’t stand it another moment, into clear view came Crater Lake. I nearly jumped out of the moving automobile that I was operating, to run to it.

All good things come to those who wait.

September.

School started and thus, ending my adventures. I did sneak in one last jaunt of summer freedom to Seattle :).

October.

[Waiting for the shuttle that would never come - Corvallis, Oregon]

Homecoming. I planned a little reunion trip to our college town with my college pals. Yes, I know, now that I teach and “spend” a lot of time there, what could I possibly need a reunion for? Basically, I arrive when class begins and depart when it ends. I don’t “spend” random time there. And it is a completely different experience being an instructor compared with being a student and not being surrounded with your closest network of friends.

Memorable Moment: Tailgating and revisiting our pedestrian roots that we grew so familiar with in our undergrad years.

November.

[The Cutest Baby Feet Ever]

Olivia. I’m not certain if the memory is still so vivid because of its recency or if I will be able to recall it with so much emotional clarity in years to come. I hope I will be able to. But what I will always keep with me is the knowledge of how incredibly much my world transformed and the growth of my heart on November 13^th 2010.

December.

[Mount Hood, Oregon]

[Deschutes Brewery - Bend, Oregon]

Bend. We took a quick trip to Central, OR with New York Carey, Shayna and her boyfriend Josh to Carey's parent's abode. It snowed immensely, we made snow angels, and visited Oregon's breweries. I've been to Sam Adam's in Boston which is arguably one of the more popular national breweries. I realize the popularity of their [mediocre] beer. But they have nothing on Deschutes.

And still…Olivia.

Memorable Moment: Watching that girl grow. My oh my.

The Rituals. Even with these amazing adventures, my year would be unfulfilled without ‘True Blood’ Sundays in the summer with Park City Sarah and Jenn, that transform into NBC Thursdays or Glee Tuesdays [accommodating to schedules] with S, my phone dates with my favorite East coasters, the daily and vital chats with the best friend, the monthly BRB meetings discussing our latest good read and the necessary Happy Hours with good friends.

The 'iDo's' & 'iWills.'

[Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm - Pleasant Hill, Oregon]

And to the Farber's [see July], McBride's McDonald's and Starr's, I'm in adoration of your strong bonds with your now spouses, and your oh-so-different nuptial gatherings were blissful. Whether in the fanciness of downtown Portland, the beachside of Otter crest or in the midst of a farm on a clear and perfect Oregon summer's night, I wish you eternal joy.

To those three mighty special women who have been such prominent people not only in my 2010, but in my life [Nicole-20 years of friendship, Kristen-we are going on 17 years I believe and JGonz-we're working on 7], I am elated for your engagements. More so, I am glad your guys understand and appreciate the true unique beauty of not only the outside, but of your hearts and minds. Mazel Tov, my friends. He should've and did put a ring on it.

I revel in all these memories; the large and momentous to the routine and random that intervene the ordinary. That’s where the inside jokes are made. That’s where life resides.

There’s no telling what this next year will bring, but I will be sure to buckle up. After all, safety first. And no one wants a ticket.

Even if I am just driving around in circles.

I see London, I see France...

I see London, I see France, TSA can see your underpants.

So what, who cares? Guess what? We all have the same anatomy.

[Yes, I just used a classic childhood taunting-rhyme to talk about a very adult issue. And it couldn't be more fitting.]

If I hear one more person complain about their privacy being violated due to a body scanner or pat down at an airport, I am going to suggest they google '9-11' footage and watch how easily life crumbles into nothing but a pile of rubble when we resort to the power of metal detectors alone.

I bet the families of those 3,000 people would've loved to have such a technology as they could be enjoying a meal with the person who occupied that now empty seat that haunts their dining room table.

TSA isn't coming into your homes and performing an unwarranted strip search on you. That would be unlawful. Rather, you are choosing to fly. No one is making you travel. Just as no one made you eat that last piece of holiday pie that put a couple more LB's on your waistline that you are now embarrassed for Huey the TSA guy to see via a body scanner. Hey, maybe this will make Americans get back into shape! This would also prevent the unwanted rollover of skin fat from the patron of middle seat 10B. And you thought you were lucky scoring a window seat. Life's funny that way.

I think TSA is onto something bigger here...[pun intended] maybe, just maybe, they have a plan to cure Americans of obesity one body scanner at a time.

Feel violated and don't want the "man" (or TSA woman who has some serious man-features going on) to see the hot-xrayed-version-of-your-bod??

Solution: Get in a car and take a road trip. Hop on an Amtrak or Greyhound. Take a Carnival Cruise...although I hear power isn't guaranteed and you could potentially be lodging next door to a murderer.

So how about you stay at home and the rest of us travel. That way, you can keep that super-secret-anatomy that no one else in this world has, away from TSA and you won't lengthen the wait time of the already congested security checkpoint line with your ridiculous protests.

That's what Michael Scott and I call a win-win-win.