"It's been a long December and there's reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last." ~counting crows

*This post has been edited (twice) because I'm a forgetful idiot.*

I know I recently used that opening quote, but it's only appropriate so often and I feel like I should make use of it while I can.

Okay, it is time for my favorite albums of the year. I'm not saying the best albums of the year because it's completely subjective; these are just the albums that impressed me. Those 'Best Of' lists published by different organizations usually bug me because they're missing some of my favorites, but my list is probably missing someone else's favorites. (I'll probably get called out for not having TV on the Radio on my list, but I just couldn't get into their album. And I've seen them live and that didn't really make me a fan, either.)
I couldn't narrow it down to 5 albums this year, so I listed 10 11 12 (crap...I had 10 but I forgot one two and can't decide which to remove now, so my list has 11 12). They are in a vague order but I don't feel comfortable numbering them. The first three are my three favorites and the rest are somewhere close to the correct descending order (depending on my mood). So without further ado, here you go (click on the album cover to go to it's page on amazon.com):

Claire's 10 11 12 Favorite Albums of 2008
1. Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight
2. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
3. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
The Killers - Day & Age
She & Him - Volume 1
(You can't really blame me for leaving out She & Him the first time because it was released in March, which was a long time ago.)
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
(This one was released in January, so I think it's even more excusable that I forgot it.)

"We are the theatre, they are the people—dressed up to be seated, lookin’ upwards and dreamin’. We’re the projectors, we’re hosting the screening. We’re dust in the spotlights, we’re just kinda floating." ~the hold steady

I love doing nothing. I finished two books yesterday. That's all I did. It was wonderful. I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the Pulitzer Prize last year, and I absolutely loved it. I cried, even though I knew how it would end. It's such a detailed portrait of a family whom I felt like I knew after reading it. There was a lot of Spanish in the book and I understood some of it (I was proud of how much I understood). It's about a Dominican family, so I felt like I could relate because I recognized pieces of my students' lives in it (my students are Dominican). I highly, highly recommend it.

I also read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (he is such a talented writer). It was funny and heartbreaking and a really quick read. It won the National Book Award. I laughed aloud often and didn't want it to end but didn't want to put it down at the same time. It's his first book for young adults and I hope he writes more, because some eighth graders at my school read this and loved it (and kids at my school don't like to read).

Hm, apparently yesterday was my day for reading award-winning books with really long titles.

I'm leaving you with this video just because I'm in the mood. Chess is my favorite musical (and I am familiar with a loooot of musicals). I collect Chess recordings, and I have a lot (when I narrow my iTunes music library to "Chess," I have over 400 songs, from various sources: the Danish cast, the Swedish cast, different London casts, different American casts...). Anyway, this is a good recording of Judy Kuhn as Florence singing "Nobody's Side." Judy Kuhn is awesome, even though I'm still not sure whether I prefer her or Julia Murney as Florence.


Something to look forward to: I'll post my list of the year's best albums tomorrow. I've been thinking about it.

"I want to roll around like a kid in the snow. I want to re-learn what I already know. Just let me take flight, dressed in red, through the night, on a great big sled. I want to wish you merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho." the killers

Merry Christmas!

My arrival yesterday went okay. My mom and I seem fine now, after some arguing and lots of crying. Last night my mom, brother, and I went to the 11:00pm church service. My mom played in the bell choir and my brother read a passage. I got to see lots of church friends whom I haven't seen in a long time, and it felt good to be there and spend time with them. My family and a few other families with kids around the ages of my brother and me are pretty close, so it felt like a big family reunion because we were all there. It was extra special because after the service, as we walked out of the church at 12:30am on Christmas morning, my friend's boyfriend stopped on the church steps and proposed to her. We (all the families) were gathered around, her family members had cameras out (they knew), and it was an incredibly sweet moment. She said yes, of course. I've known her since we were both really little and I'm so happy for her. My mom knew he was going to propose for at least a week and she managed to keep it a secret, which is impressive for her. My friend Alex and I stood together, happy for the friend we've had for many, many years, and also very aware of the fact that we're grown up now. Neither of us is anywhere near ready to settle down, but those around us are; another church friend who is our age (well, a year older than I am), is pregnant right now. It's very weird to think about.

My family and I had a wonderful Christmas morning. we sat around eating homemade cinnamon buns and opening presents. The best gift I received was tickets to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway (starring Lauren Graham, my favorite actress). I also got a great new digital camera. I'm looking forward to seeing my aunt, uncle, and cousins who are coming from NYC for Christmas dinner with us. The family of the girl who got engaged last night is joining us for dessert, so we'll have a nice gathering. I have a lot to be thankful for.

My family this morning (I think we might also be using this as our Christmas photo; we're a little behind schedule with that):

"Strung out like some Christmas lights out there in the Chelsea night. Strung out like some Christmas lights out there in the Chelsea night. Strung out like some Christmas lights out there in the Chelsea night. Strung out like some Christmas lights out there in the Chelsea night." ~ryan adams

I don't have much to say. I'm glad today was the last day of school for awhile because it's been crazy lately. I'm heading home to NJ tomorrow (Christmas Eve). I'm not looking forward to Christmas as much as I usually do. I've been in a funk lately. My mom and I haven't really been talking. I don't want to have to deal with her. Maybe we'll be fine, I don't know. I'm afraid it's going to be weird. It'll be a really hard Christmas without Josie. I'm afraid I'll start crying when I don't see her stocking hanging over the mantle, where it's been the past 15 Christmases. It will be our last Christmas in this house where I grew up (my parents are moving to Colorado), and that also makes me sad. One nice thing is that I'll get to see my brother. He spent the semester abroad in Scotland so I haven't seen him in a long time. Still, right now I don't know how I'll get through more than a week at home.

Some pictures I've taken recently:

A (freezing) wintery New York evening near my apartment (I love the lights that decorate Columbus Ave):

The tree at Rockefeller Center:

The view from my classroom window today (yes, it is in Manhattan; we're in Washington Heights across from a park):

It's going to rain tomorrow and wash away all the snow.

"It's been a long December and there's reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last." ~counting crows

I suppose it's a little early for this, but I'll post it now anyway and amend it later if necessary. It's time for my list of the best films of 2008. Obviously I can only list movies that I've seen. The one movie I still want to see that might make my list is Revolutionary Road. But here's my current list (along with their trailers):

1. Slumdog Millionaire

2. The Wrestler

3. Frost/Nixon

4. Milk

5. Doubt


Maybe later I'll go back and add commentary about each film, but I think I've written something about all of them already. I highly recommend each one, but it was incredibly easy to choose a favorite. Seriously, go see Slumdog Millionaire if you haven't already.

On an unrelated note, snow hit the city today. Lots of snow. It started during school, and by the end of the day only half of my class remained because their parents came throughout the day to pick them up due to the storm. It looked beautiful, but I really don't like snow. I hate trudging through it and I hate when it turns to slush and fills the streets and sidewalks.

I ushered at a show tonight, Prayer for My Enemy. It was not a fun trip getting there, but I enjoyed the show (and of course I can't complain because I saw it for free). The acting was particularly strong (the play stars the very talented Tony winner Victoria Clark and Tony nominee Jonathan Groff).
Tomorrow night I'm ushering at a play about which I'm particularly excited. It's The Cripple of Inishmaan, written by my favorite playwright (Martin McDonagh). I'll report back about it.