"Oh, history involved itself"

Oh what the heck, I've got to get some of this down before 2010, right?

I'd say these are my favorite 10 songs of the decade, based primarily on iTunes playcount along with a few of those that really are my favorite but don't always get played the most.

Honorable Mention:
Closer -- Joshua Radin (2006)
To Run -- Josiah Leming (2008)
Indiana -- Jon McLaughlin (2006)
William Fitzimmons (I love most of his songs, so none in particular rise to the top)

The List:
10. Yesteryear -- Rosi Golan (2008)
9. Look After You -- The Fray (2005)
8. Skeleton Key -- Margot & the Nuclear So and So's (2006)
7. The Minnow and the Trout -- A Fine Frenzy (2007)
6. Slow Show -- The National (2007)
5. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay (2008)
4. Flume -- Bon Iver (2008)
3. Jolene -- Ray LaMontagne (2004)
2. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois -- Sufjan Stevens (2005)
1. The Blower's Daughter -- Damien Rice (2003)

I just couldn't -- and in most cases still can't -- get enough of these songs. For the top 10, I've spent about 58 hours listening to these songs on iTunes since I got my iPod in 2006. But I generally listen to the CDs in the car, so that's nowhere close to the real number.

Several of these are from the last 2-3 years...it'll be interesting to see if I'm still listening to them a few years from now.

"How they resemble one another"

A decade gone. I want to opine on what a decade ending means. I want to list my top 10 favorite albums of the last 10 years. I remember what I did at the close of the last decade. It was December 31, 1999. Lisa and I had professional pictures taken at Wal-Mart. We had a sketch drawn at the Mounds Mall. We watched Bicentennial Man at the movie theatre. Then I think we went to an all night party with the North Anderson Youth at Cross Street gym...although I'm kind of thinking that may have been 1998. But the other stuff was 1999. And it seems like a long time ago...but then ten years have passed quickly. It's hard to imagine that another decade could bring so much change and then I'll be 36. To think about the people I didn't know in 1999...many of my best friends today that I didn't meet until I moved into Myers Hall a couple of years later.

So anyway, perhaps I will capture additional thoughts during this decade's waning days. I noticed the other day that one of the first things that happened in the year 2000 was I scored my 1,000 high school basketball point that January. I have two basketballs in the garage...mementos for 1,000 and 2,000 one from the year 2000 and one from 2002.

A rambling jumble of thoughts before bed. (Wow, bed's a lot earlier than it was circa this time in 2005.)

"Yuletide by the fireside"

If you're worried about Global Warming, you'd better...

Maybe I'll make this into a t-shirt next year.

"With the wild wolves around you"

Well I finally turned the corner and started working on some accounting problems. I'm looking at a balance sheet right now. I'd spent the last week reading, and it was time to start working through some stuff. Now that I've got that rolling, should be off and running.

Right now, I'm really enjoying Bon Iver, and I just found a sweet live show that is available to download for free here:
http://radiomilwaukee.podbean.com/2009/10/12/bon-iver-live-at-the-riverside/

Go to the web site and you can stream it or click on the "download" button underneath the player. The first song is Flume, which is my favorite Bon Iver song, but this is an unbelievable version.

I've also been listening to William Fitzsimmons and David Gray a lot recently. All good music for the depths of fall.

Christmas...here we come...hooray.

"On to the next chase"

I started my new classes on November 30. Since that time, I've found it incredibly difficult to study. Last term I was really moving. I'm finding it challenging to get back into the swing of things. First Quiz is on December 18 over approximately 8 chapters in accounting. I got my book today. However, 7 of those chapters are review of undergrad. Unfortunately, that was many moons ago.

I'd rather watch Christmas movies and shop for people...

"A glimpse you let me see"

I'm looking forward to the weekend...it's been just an OK week. Trying to get back into the swing of new classes...minus one of the books that I need. (Woops!) So my Saturday will be spent working ahead in the other class, I guess. We'll see how it all shakes out over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow morning we have a conference call in our "Great Lakes" market with the CEO. That should be interesting. I don't think I've heard her talk to any group smaller than the whole US, so this will be a group about 5% as big as our whole country...if that makes sense. I'm kind of tired.

Highlights:

• The fireplace works
• Hanging out with my sister on Tuesday
• The house is so nicely decorated
• Listening to William Fitzsimmons while sleeping on the bus
• mondaytuesdaywednesdaythursday!!FRIDAY!!
• Footie pajamas
• Christmas is coming

Lowlights:

• Starting classes again...yeah it was only one week off, but it was so great
• Losing HBO (Lisa had negotiated 2 or 3 free months and we got like 8, so I guess I can't complain)
• Heating issues in the house
• The dog refuses to use her new stairs to get on the bed