Top Albums of the Year

This year has been a good year for music. Here are my favorite albums of the year, in no particular order. Keep in mind, I am not a music critic. I don't know how to write a bout music at all.

Noisettes Wild Young Hearts
It is sort of funky. It is sort of soulful. It is a lot of fun. The lead singer, Shingai Shoniwa, has a fantastic voice that reminds me 1960s soul music. Great for working out, cleaning the house, or dancing to. I especially like this at work because it makes the day go faster.









The Decemberists Hazards of Love
I love The Decemberists. Have for years. So it was no surprise when this was near the top of my list. Another home run for the quirky rockers. This one tells a story, sort of a rock opera, through the whole album. While there is a single, it is better in the context for the whole thing. Good stuff.








Yeah Yeah Yeahs Blitz!
Another upbeat, fun album. Which I think is my theme for this year. Great vocals. Fun beats. I'm clearly not a music reviewer.











Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Up From Below
This is some fantastic and trippy stuff. I think they are hippies, or hippie fakes or something. And they, all 12 or something of them, are out to change your mind about something, I think. I'm not exactly sure what this one is all about, but I like it a lot. There is sort of a retro feel, but all original.








Jeremy Messersmith The Silver City
A wonderful album from a local favorite. This album is just wonderful. Almost every song is about transportation in some way, which I love. His voice is beautiful. There is a nice mix of tempos and styles. Probably my most listened to album of the year.









Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I saw they are called "French Electro-Rockers." I like that. It is danceable pop music. There is electronics. There is rock. There is high men's voices. I like it.












Noah and the Whale The First Days of Spring
This thing is sort of beautiful. The music spoke to me somehow. It is a real clean sound. At one point a whole orchestra comes in and it is fantastic. A really wonderful listen.

Failures all around

I'm not going to be able to read 4 books this month. I haven't even read one yet this month.

I also haven't been running.

I haven't lost weight.

None of my financial or spiritual goals have even been started.

So, I've decided to reevaluate. I think I'll be changing some goals as of the new year for ones more exciting to me. I'm keeping that 4 books a month for 6 months goal because it interests me and is a challenge I want to accomplish. I think I'll be getting rid of that swimming a mile goal because I don't have access to a swimming pool.

So, thoughts on new goals to add? What should I be focusing on the next year and a half?

Win Something For Me

See that sidebar over there? The one about winning Truffle Bliss? Go over there and win the Truffle package for you and me. You enter to win and then put me down as who you would give the second package to and we may both win. Wouldn't that be awesome? Or, if you are on a reader, click here to enter.

5K Failure

Yesterday, I attempted the Reindeer Run 5K. I ended up walking about half of it.

I think a couple factors were at play. First, I started out way too fast. I was keeping up with people that I now realize were going much faster than my 15min/mile pace. Probably more around a 12min/mile. Secondly, I didn't have Jeff. I think running with Jeff keeps me going more than I wanted to admit. He's always pulling on his leash, which keeps me going and keeps my mind off my running. Third, and I don't know why this is, but my last few runs have been bad. On the day before Thanksgiving I ran an awesome run around Lake Nokomis, about 2.7 miles. All three of my runs after that were terrible. Either I had to walk parts of them or I was barely moving I was running so slow.

But, try try again. I'm considering running a New Year's Day run, but that seems inconvenient. I've been having some serious leg pain, so I may take the week off and reassess after that. I think I'll walk what I would have run this week. I'm really wanting to try a half marathon, so I want to keep running, but this leg pain cannot continue. It keeps me from walking down stairs like a normal person.