01.13.05 - 9:30 p.m.

Notes for best of 2004, if I ever get around to it� the problem is only music critics are listening to new stuff all the time. The rest of us (me at least) are going backwards and forwards simultaneously. A lot of the stuff I heard/saw/read for the first time this year came out earlier than 2004. Anyway�

Music (albums):

Erlend �ye � DJ Kicks � perfect party musik
Kanye West - College Dropout � we listened to this a lot
Slack album (Jay-z + pavement) � smart on jayz�s part to release all the acapellas; he knew the time
Dizzee � Showtime � much better than first
Streets � Grand don�t come for free � madness redux
Madvillainy � still think vaudville villain is his best
Theodore Unit � 718

Music (singles):

Masta ace � �wutuwanko�
Kanye � thru the wire, jesus walks
Franz Ferdinand � dark of the matinee (on the train from duesseldorf to amsterdam)
Slack album � 99 problems here, zurich your shoulder
Future heads � �meantime� (driving fast down 101)
Beanie Sigel & Dirt McGirt - When you hear that (ratatat remix)
Furac�o 2000 - 'meng�o 2000 pt1'
MF Doom - Change the beat (Inhumanz remix)
M.I.A. & Diplo - 'Pop', 'U R A Q T'
Air � �Surfing on a rocket�, �alpha beta gaga� (love that banjo)
Ghostface � �Beat the clock�
Keren ann � �Sailor and widow�
Wiley � �reason�
Modest mouse � �bury me with it�, �float on�

Comics:
Homestarrunner (cheat commandos, peasant's quest... these guys are in a league of their own)
white ninja

Movies / DVDs:

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
The Wire, Season 1
The Office � Christmas Special
The Incredibles

Video games:
Katamari Damacy (also wins "hardest game to describe to friends")
Burnout 3: Takedown

Music blogs:

SF/J � the new yorker gets hip (madvillain piece was nice, what a thing to see in the august pages of NY!)
Blissblog � way ahead of the curve on grime (defined the curve, really)

Misc-
Bogdan Raczynski's "renegade platinum megadance attack party" video

Places I visited in 2004

Kauai
Duesseldorf / Amsterdam
Israel / Dahab
Miami

Parties in 04

Anon salon � blah
Slide ranch � blah
Zamora
Pinhole fundraiser
Blasthaus 9th anniversary

Cali hikes:
Tilden
Sugarloaf

Music I discovered & liked in 04 even though it didn�t come out in 04

McSleazy � �making plans for vinyl�
Tiga � Man Hrdina (still my fave dj)
Beck � Sea Change
MF Doom � �Hey!�
Soda Stereo - �En la ciudad de la furia�
Depeche Mode � �Nothing�
Devin tha dude � �I can�t quit�, �Mo fa me�
Talk Talk � all their hits & later stuff too; what a voice

Ditto for games:

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Advance Wars
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (blah)
KOTOR
Warioware

Classes taken
-scuba (open water certified)
-welding (intro to sculpture)
-judaism

Things that happened:

EA moved from Walnut Creek to Redwood City
Threw out all cd cases
Nick moved into the Armory
My bike got stolen
We moved into a new apartment (& painted it)
Bought a car
Shipped Sims2
November 3rd
Pistons beat Lakers
Tried my first oyster
Cos quit his job, went to Red Bull Music Academy
Got down to a 6 minute mile
Rode a Segway

Shows/DJs seen:

Neko Case & Her Girlfriends
Erlend �ye
Of Montreal
Jill Scott
Zap Mama
Sufjan Stevens
Metro Area
Asylum Street Spankers
Michael Mayer

Movies/dvds seen:

Network
Word Wars
Stop Making Sense (talking heads video)
The Corporation
Farenheit 9/11
After Sunrise
Dreaming In Code
Manchurian Candidate
Midnight Express
Scarface
Sideways
Spiderman 2
Spun (cynical cash-in bullshit, worst movie I saw this year?)

Temporary obsessions:

Math � all those math books! Riemann hypothesis
Video games & art � speed runs, Myfanwy�s super mario mod, etc�
Deep sea diving, giant squid
Boggle / Settlers of Cataan

Ubiquitous in sf:
Kid Beyond
Hearts - beautified the city, loved discovering new ones

Books read (these are the ones I remember, there�s probably others I forgot):

Blindness
Windup Bird Chronicles
Israel: the Embattled Ally
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Amsterdam
Atonement
Insanely Great
The Vanishing Elephant
Gulag
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Clumsy
Unlikely
Box Office Poison
Hand to Mouth
Permanent Midnight (again)

Misc:
Mitch Hedberg�s comedy stylings

Worst of 2004

Joanna Newsome � ugh
Half-handed cloud
Jerk who stole my bike
November 3rd (on such a different level that it�s ridiculous to include it in this list)
United losing my luggage
EA moving, having to buy a car & commute
Losing my Ecco loafers
Resfest turning into ad-fest

ODB RIP