WOCKA

WOCKA

WOCKA

Having been beaten to the punch by lambertman, I present to you, without comment, my top twenty songs of the last year.

But before I do that, I realize that because I never update this gosh darned thing anymore, I never posted my top songs from 2008. Last year kind of failed and I was only able to manage 17 songs, so here is that chart:

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
2. Death Cab for Cutie - Cath...
3. Matt Nathanson - Come On Get Higher
4. Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire
5. Secondhand Serenade - Fall For You
6. Apocalyptica (feat. Adam Gontier) - I Don't Care
7. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
8. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
9. Incubus - Love Hurts
10. Coldplay - Violet Hill
11. Rhianna - Disturbia
12. The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid
13. Fall Out Boy - I Don't Care
14. Weezer - Pork and Beans
15. Flobots - Handlebars
16. Innerpartysystem - Don't Stop
17. Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Yes, M.I.A. and Rhianna both crash landed my countdown. Turns out it was a harbinger of things to come this year, because here is the top twenty of 2009:

1. Owl City - Fireflies
2. Rise Against - Savior
3. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
4. Rise Against - Audience of One
5. Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
6. The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain - I'm On a Boat
7. Green Day - 21 Guns
8. Green Day - Know Your Enemy
9. Kanye West - Heartless
10. Muse - Uprising
11. Cage the Elephant - Ain't No Rest For the Wicked
12. The Killers - Spaceman
13. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
14. Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain - Blame It
15. The All-American Rejects - Gives You Hell
16. Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day
17. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
18. Seether - Careless Whisper
19. Anberlin - Feel Good Drag
20. The Offspring - Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?

And a recap of the #1 songs through the Aughts:

2001: Lifehouse - Hanging By A Moment
2002: Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
2003: Evanescense - Going Under
2004: Maroon 5 - This Love
2005: Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Going Down
2006: My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
2007: Fall Out Boy - Thks Fr Th Mmrs
2008: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Tags: music, top songs of the year

So I bought this package of egg noodles a month or two ago.

I'm not sure when I'm going to use them or what I will make with them or why I even bought a package of egg noodles but this is neither here nor there.

They sit in the pantry on the third shelf up from the floor. They sat there, untouched, since the day I bought them and placed them there. I tend to keep this door to the pantry open, for no apparent reason other than it's not really in the way of anything. I would pass by this package of egg noodles daily and think to myself that I should make something with them one day.

This evening (aka just now) I passed by the package of egg noodles and noticed something different. There were considerably fewer egg noodles in the package, which was still exactly where I had put it once I returned home from the supermarket after buying it. In fact, there were probably 95% fewer egg noodles in the package. I grab them, and the package is ripped open, nearly empty. There are no loose egg noodles in the pantry. Spontaneous combustion of an egg noodle package has been ruled out.

I become moderately creeped out.

A quick inventory of the rest of my place finds that everything else is exactly where it was left. The crap that's mildly messy is still here, mildly messy. Nobody cooked anything or took anything from the fridge. The rest of the pantry contents are completely intact. Everything else is exactly where I left it. The valuables that are left out (laptop, computer, digital camera, 360) are still here. I appear to have been hit by a robber who wanted egg noodles. And nothing else.

I'm completely at a loss for an explanation.

Tags: food, random, stupid crap, this actually happened
Now Feeling: weird

I wasn't as enamored with More Information Than You Require than I was with John Hodgman's last book of complete world knowledge, The Areas of My Expertise but that was probably because I first found AoME via the audiobook. I was eagerly awaiting the audiobook form of MITYR and it was released a couple of weeks ago.

It's definitely better than the book but AoME is still the superior volume. It's as dry as ever, and there isn't really any Big Funny but there is more Jonathan Coulton interaction which is always good, as well as cameos by several other well-known names (among them Paul Rudd, Zach Galifinakis, Rachel Maddow and Sarah Vowell as Chuck D.), with mixed results.

The audiobook also has the full audio edition of Today In The Past, the "page a day" calendar (also available for free as a podcast with each date released...that day) as well as a live reading of the 700 mole-man names, which is funnier than AoME's 700 hobo names because it's done live in front of an audience.

This is the Mets' entire season in one swing. I don't blame Frenchy, either.

So, where's all the Dollhouse discussion? I don't want to hear any whining when it's cancelled after next week's episode.

This is made of win. (And all true.)

Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist/windbag Jay Mariotti unceremoniously quit his job the other day. A former colleague provided the following goodbye message.

http://deadspin.com/5043228/roger-ebert-gives-jay-mariotti-a-strategically-placed-thumb-on-his-way-out-the-door

I was watching the MSNBC coverage and when Obama came out with his wife, they were smiling and waving and then they hugged and he gave her a peck on the cheek. Then it looked like they gave each other a fist bump before Michelle left the stage.

I thought for a minute "did they just do that?"

And, yeah they did. And I realized how fucking awesome that was and why I want him as my President. It's one of the greatest moments I've ever witnessed happen live.

The prompter thingy is in the way, but here's an otherwise great picture

In Plain Sight is really good. And it's been pointed out to me that Marshall has the same vocal inflection as Randall from Clerks. This actually makes it more awesome.