As last year wound down, I started compiling a list of things that made my year nice. These are not new things, necessarily. Rather, they are things either newly discovered (or re-discovered) by me. Things that I wholeheartedly recommend!

I should clarify that this is specifically a list of things. I have not included intangible, soul-feeding moments like seeing my children smiling on Christmas morning, or stepping in dog crap in the middle of the night. Barefoot. Which would, incidentally, not have made the list if I had extended it to include such things. It’s a paradox, and I mention it only to be confusing.

Without further ado, the list!

1. Left 4 Dead games on the xbox.

   I am, historically, a wimp. Despite my deep love for the concept of ZOMBIES, I have actively avoided experiencing them in any media format. Until now! One brave night, I tried the Left 4 Dead demo, despite heart palpitations and dizzying sweats, and I survived! Many many hours of glorious co-op later, I can say that this changed my life. Seriously. Scary is not really that scary.

2. Birdy Nam Nam by Birdy Nam Nam

   For weeks after downloading this, it was the only music played in our car. It is an epic vinyl collage that genre-hops as effortlessly (and nostalgically) as DJ Shadow’s seminal Endtroducing. You don’t have to buy the album, but you absolutely, positively must watch my no-contest hands-down favorite internet video of the year: BIRDY NAM NAM - THE PARACHUTE ENDING.

3. Dexter

   One of the best shows ever. You’ve probably already seen it. It might even convince you to consider cutting someone into pieces. Don’t do it.

4. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

   Hey, what’s that unique hoppiness? It’s not hops, it’s rye! That is an imaginary conversation I had with myself. While this is not the only rye beer out there, it’s certainly one of the best and it’s probably relatively easy to find in your market. Another excellent rye beer for which to be on the lookout is French Broad Rye Hopper.

5. Pimento Cheese

   I’ve been eating pimento cheese sporadically for many years. (I should have started this blog post with that riveting sentence). Unfortunately for me and the cheese, our love was never spoken aloud, and we just didn’t hang out very much anymore. This year, boy howdy, did we hang out. I will boldly declare that without economic limits on pimento cheese access, it would kill me and I would love it. Best ways to eat it: A) on toasted ciabatta B) on GreenLife’s Southern Belle Panini. 3 cheers for pimento cheese!

6. Skitch

   Read about this great screencapture program on their site. I will just say this: once you get in the Skitch mindset, you will be amazed at how many problems throughout the day can be solved with a little image-grabbing.

   I just made and uploaded this image in seconds while I was sitting here!
   

   So that is my list. It is incomplete. Who cares!