This was 2008

Well 2008 has come and gone and what better way to look back then to wrap it up with a blog. Music...

In 2008, I attempted to find new music. It didn't have to be the cool, new band, as long as it was cool and new to me. I really got into the Acid House Kings, like a lot! They were sort of a new Camera Obscura for me because they're from northern Europe and play catchy songs. I also grew to love the music of Albert Hammond Jr. Upon my first few listens I was unimpressed but the more his songs shuffled onto my ipod, the more I was taken away by it. 

Albums from 2008 that bought and liked

10. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

9. Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling

8. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

7. Spiritualized - Songs in A & E

6. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology

5. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

4. CSS - Donkey

3. Nada Surf - Lucky

2. Albert Hammond Jr. - Como te llama?

1. The Kooks - Konk

Music I enjoyed but wasn't necessarily new:

The Acid House Kings - Sing Along with the Acid House Kings

Allen Clapp - Something Strange Happens

Blanket Music - Nice

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of this Country

Doves - The Last Broadcast

Donovan - The Essential Donovan

Van Morrison - Moondance

Bloc Party - Intimacy (This is new but didn't make it onto the list)

Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst (Just started getting into this lately)

The Verve - Forth (This is also new and didn't make it onto the list but deserves a mention)

Honorable mention goes to Living Language - my French language CDs, which taught me the very basics of the French language. I've recently stopped trying to learn French since I have a lot of books to read for work at the moment, which brings us to...

Books I read in 2008 in the order that I like them:

10. The Secret Life of Bees by Mae Scott (didn't like, stopped reading, sorry Kate!)

9. My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

8. Dreaming in French by Meghan McAndrew

7. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

6. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips

5. The Counterlife by Philip Roth

4. Emma by Jane Austen (still working on) 

3. Everything (A Book about the Manic Street Preachers) by Simon Price

2. Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick

1. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl edited by Otto Frank 

TV Show watched in their entirety by Kerry and Bill

1. My So-Called Life

2. Twin Peaks

3. Freaks and Geeks

4. Undeclared

As well as many many episodes of Friends, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Human Giant, The Office, Ugly Betty, and 30 Rock. In 2009, we plan on watching in their entirety Arrested Development, Soap, and Carnivale.

Highlights: In 2008, I became the associate editor of a book club something that still amazes me. I've only been there 5 months but I'm really enjoying my new job.  Others...in no particular order...

Superdrag/Nada Surf show

Apple Picking

J&S's New Year's Eve Party

M&J's Halloween Party

Going to Dublin and Prague with Liz and Patty

Bill's family cruise

Being forced to read more

Visits from Kate

Trip to Boston with Bill

Comedy shows Bill took me to, esp. Kristen Schaal, Aziz Ansari, Arj Barker, Patton Oswalt, Stella

Bill getting called a retard by Michael Ian Black

Boggle

I think I was really stressed out during 2008 mostly due to self-inflicted to do lists and expectations but looking back I can see that it was a good year with a lot of great moments. It was filled with tons of annoying things but this is New York, there's so much crap everywhere and it can be difficult to sort through. I hope to do a better job in 2009. The best times I've had this year were without a doubt hanging out with my friends, being stupid and laughing. I should begin to prioritize differently as a result of this revelation. The very best thing about 2008 was of course spending it with my amazing boyfriend Bill, who I can't wait to live with in 7 weeks! 

QPB myspace and blog

I'm in charge of maintaining and updating the QPB myspace page along with the blog. If you're interested in books and have a myspace please add us and talk to us. It would make my day!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=404473877

Supergrass?

Who would've thought that Gaz Coombes' brother Charly's music would sound just like Supergrass?

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=44705685

It's good in a 'oh here are some supergrass songs I've never heard' sort of way. The last song is sort dancy and funny. He's the same age as me and has been in several bands already, one of which toured with Oasis. He also made a rockumentary and will make a short film about Supergrass' American Tour. I saw one of the shows in New York and it was incredible. They are amazing and everyone should love them! But people usually don't know anything more about them than Caught By The Fuzz or Pumpin on your Stereo.

To real friends...

zots and crambles

i felt like yesterday was the beginning of a long sunday, like it was the beginning of another busy week of running around. i got dropped off at bill's in jc but we had tickets to see stella in brooklyn and then labyrinth at the sunshine in manhattan. i honestly felt like there wasn't enough time and that it would be too much for one night. but it turned out to be one of those things where not letting my crankiness get the best of me made all the difference and we ended up having a really good night. also, because we were late and rushing around a really funny thing happened. 

we left late and then we had to stop on the way because there was a lost dog and i made bill call the number on his tag. the number didn't work though so we ended up just letting him go. this of course majorly bummed me out. i got over it during the train ride although the weekend train goes to hoboken before heading into the city which was annoying. then we got to 14th and had to walk two avenues to union square. here, we waited for the R train for a long time. then a Q train showed up and the announcement said it was local so we got on. we sat there for a bit until bill realized that it wasn't going to our stop so we got off before the doors closed. turns out, the R train wasn't running. we had few options from union square and were running out of time. bill wanted to get a cab so we went outside and hailed one down. the cabbie said he wouldn't go to brooklyn but then changed his mind. i was slightly concerned about the fact that he had an earphone in his ear but not enough to  get out i guess. there was traffic so it was slow going through the city. all i could think was how awful it would be if we went all that way and missed the show. but we got there about 2 minutes to 8. when we went inside the only seats left were in the front row. it was so tight in there that we were actually resting our feet on the stage. 

stella were practicing material for their tour, material that they didn't know at all and had to read from scripts. we were their guinea pigs. at one point, they made up a song where they would all snap their fingers and would take turns saying, "zots" "crambles" "zots" "crambles." the joke was that they would pretend that david wain was messing it up even though he wasn't and one of the michaels said "i bet we could pull anyone out of this audience and they could do a better job than you." and then he pointed right at bill and said "how about this guy." so bill went up on stage blushing and smiling. it was funny. they made fun of his name for about 10 min and then went into the song. when they were done michael ian black went "even that guy could do it right and he's a fuckin' retard." i was so proud. it was very awesomes. 

labyrinth was of course phenomenal, especially seeing it with so many of my friends. so tired afterward though and not happy to come home to the power not working in my half of the apartment...we had to go to the bathroom by candlelight.

New blog/David Bowie in Tights

Starting this blog to copy Liz and Patty and to have a place to write, mostly though to copy Liz and Patty. This blog will be different however because instead of being an illustration blog it will contain words and the occasional picture. No time to write a lot now because Bill and I are going to see Stella in Brooklyn and then off to the Sunshine Theater to meet up with my friends for Labyrinth. Last night we watch the making of and now I feel duly prepared for an awesome Jim Henson-filled experience.