i wanna grow up to be a debaser

With 2004 in the rearview for almost a month now, it is time to look back on it and smile. Or frown. Either way, it's time for me to talk about what I liked and disliked about the year gone by.

First the movies. I saw quite a few last year, but not many really grabbed me. Spider-Man 2 was fun, The Village wasn't groundbreaking but it was an interesting take on the utopian society. Saw was a ok (except for the acting) although one cannot help but compare it to the far superior Se7en. The Grudge was shit. I absolutely loved I (Heart) Huckabee's, it was by far the best of the year for me. Garden State was a fantastic vehicle for Zach Braff and should really be a launching pad for his career as well as an enjoyable movie. The Manchurian Candidate was highly enjoyable. Overall it was a good year but not extraordinary.

Next there is music. 2004 gave the public nothing groundbreaking musically. It was actually a pretty bleak year for music. I did not buy a single CD that was released last year; the only one I even considered was Modest Mouse (which I will still get sometime). A few other bands got critical acclaim, such as Franz Ferdinand and The Killers. I didn't care much for what I heard of FF but the Killers seemed ok. Melissa bought it and she seems to like it.

Last year did, however, open up some doors musically for me. I discovered some amazing bands from the past like My Bloody Valentine, Medicine, Sonic Youth, Lush, The Pixies, The Shins, and Mazzy Star among others. As much as 2004's releases sucked, my taste grew and I feel it was a good year for music personally.

I started reading in earnest again in the summer of 2003. Last year I read the last two novels in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. They were amazing, as I knew they would be and a fitting end to possibly the greatest 4000 page novel of the last twenty years. I also read Salam's Lot and The Stand, so I am up on my King. Doug Adams' The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy was an absolute delight. My current love affair is with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is a remarkable work and I highly recommend it to everyone except hardcore Christians.

By the way, I finally got my glasses from The Evil Empire. I am dead sexy now, people have been telling me so everyday since I got em, especially Melissa. I rock.