Wrapped!
Okay, so the four Friday Fives for December share the title "Wrapped" and, together, constitute a mini- "year in review." I'll answer them all in this post, so make sure you're in a comfy spot and have a beverage or a snack -- it'll take you a few minutes!
The December 6th questions are music-related. As is usual for me -- but probably odd, for a musician? -- I had a hard time with them. I just don't think I use music in my life in the same way that other people do. Nevertheless, here are my answers.
Friday Five for December 6th (Wrapped, pt. 1)
1. What's the best song you heard for the first time in 2024?
Hmmmm. I don't tend to listen to new (or any) pop music; relatedly, a lot of my new-to-me musical discoveries aren't songs, but classical pieces. Even now that I'm forcing myself to think about it hard, none of the hymns, B'way tunes, or even Randy Rainbow parodies I heard for the first time this year is crowding to the front of my consciousness, begging to be chosen.
Okay, I have one. At a recent Baltimore Symphony concert of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn music, I heard "Lush Life" all the way through for what I think was the first time in my life. I'm not sure whether this ought to be an embarrassing admission -- on the one hand, I'm 63, so the whole genre is technically before my time; OTOH, a middle-class, mid-century American upbringing meant that all such things were available -- to anyone with ears to hear -- via TV variety shows and the "crooner" LPs in one's parents' collections. And I did pay attention to precisely this sort of music, but somehow ... nope. "Lush Life" slipped by me. I'd heard *of* it, but until last month it was just a title. Turns out, I can now testify, it's one of the all-time great songs. Here's Sarah Vaughan doing it full justice.
2. How would you summarize 2024 in one song lyric?
Easy: "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
3. Where did you hear the best live music of any kind, performed by musicians of any age or talent?
This is not easy to answer in a year in which I heard Max Raabe & the Palast Orchester, the Hillbilly Thomists, an amazing assemblage of talent at a Djangofest in Baltimore, *and* the above-mentioned Ellington concert (not to mention saw a couple of Broadway musicals). Though it's almost indecent to call out a "best" from among the ones I named there, I'm gonna go with Max Raabe & co., whose latest tour I caught at the Lincoln Theatre in D.C. back in March. His whole act ('20s & '30s dance band music done utterly "in the style of") is delightful -- nay, exquisite. And it still comes across as fresh, though the group has been doing it for decades. Every person on stage is ace at his or her instrument(s), and yet somehow the ensemble exceeds the sum of its parts -- possibly because the performers are clearly having as good a time as the audience.
4. Whose music did you listen to most?
I bought all four of the Hillbilly Thomists' CDs after hearing the band live in August, and I listed to them a lot. I reckon they win in this category.
5. What was the most compelling music-related news or event of 2024?
Another hard one. The music news is dominated by pop celebrities, and I just can't make myself care about most of them (not out of deliberate snobbery, I hope ... it's truly a lack of interest in their product). But, okay, I've got something: Wicked. When the film of a Broadway musical does boffo box office (and is actually a good movie!) in this day and age, that's gotta be good news for people who like what I like. Therefore, I've found the whole Wicked phenomenon pretty compelling.
The December 13th questions cover a more general mix of "best-ofs." I'm never very good at picking just one of anything, but I'll try to keep my short-lists short.
Friday Five for December 13th (Wrapped, pt. 2)
1. What were your favorite TV series this year?
This will skew unfairly toward things I saw in the second half of the year, but Imma say ...
I've already said I liked Wicked (a delightful surprise). Pixar's Inside Out 2 was probably an even better movie (besides being that rare sequel which I enjoyed more than its predecessor). And rounding out the top three, Saturday Night was very well done, IMO, and it checked a lot of my personal boxes.
3. What was the most memorable meal you had this year?
I had some fancy meals in NYC in January, the nicest of which may have been at Pietro's on 43rd St. Then again, when you have so many nice meals close together (as one does during a BSI Weekend), it becomes hard to sort them in memory. This one was Italian, I can say with confidence, and there was plenty of alcohol to go with all the courses. :-)
4. Who made you laugh most this year?
Seth Meyers. Besides faithfully watching his TV show (mostly the next day on YouTube, but it counts!), I binged the whole archive of the weekly (and still-going) "Family Trips" podcast that he and his brother delightfully co-host, AND I saw him live in April doing his latest stand-up routine (now available as a Netflix special called Dad Man Walking ... which, yes, I watched despite already having seen the act).
5. When were you the farthest from home this year?
Ummm, the "where" was NYC, and I went up in January (for the BSI Weekend), May (for a Sherlock Holmes luncheon), and July (for a quick visit with my boys to catch an Orioles game -- which we won in a rout -- in enemy territory).
The December 20th questions are more serious in nature ... and so are my answers. Sorry, but this is not the most upbeat part of the post. :-)
Friday Five for December 20th (Wrapped, pt. 3)
1. What was especially good for your mental health this year?
I started therapy again. I did a year back in 2017-18 (pretty much coinciding with the academic year), after which my much-loved counselor retired (no, I did not break him!). This time I have a female therapist, and I feel like we're a good fit.
2. What was especially good for your physical health this year?
Nothing. After two years of stellar behavior, I fell off the dieting wagon and gained all my lost weight back. (This happened pre-therapy, I feel compelled to add.) According to my latest bloodwork, all my diabetes and hypo-thyroid indicators are back in the red zone.
3. What did you learn this year?
First, that I am getting too old to maintain my current work schedule (you know, the one I barely "maintained" in my prime). Also, that I live in a horrible country (this is just from looking at aggregate data, i.e., election results). OTOH, on the positive side, I've been learning from happy experience that life *feels* nicer in pleasant surroundings (such as the ones my expensive home improvements have wrought).
4. As this year ends, what's trending to make you optimistic about next year?
Nothing. I mean, I am an inherently optimistic person, but current trends are not giving me any help at all.
5. What's better now than it was twelve months ago?
As alluded to above, my home is much nicer, both cosmetically and in terms of infrastructure. That's what happens when you break down and spend the money!
The December 27th questions are, like the 13th's, a mixed bag. Enjoy!
Friday Five for December 27th (Wrapped, pt. 4)
1. What's the best thing you read this year?
As usual, I didn't have a great reading year. My life is so full of obligations that when I relax, it's generally with the tube and not a tome. That said, I quite enjoyed the novel Bachelor Girl by Kim van Alkemade, which I think I read in late Spring. A story set in early 20th-C. NYC and featuring lots of baseball history, it kind of hit my imagination in the sweet spot. And when two of my sons and I then visited Yankee Stadium in the summer and perused all the historical material on display, it was that much more interesting to me.
2. What was your best purchase this year?
Have I mentioned that I spent a *lot* of money this year on home improvements? All expenditures were worthwhile, but I think the most appreciated item has definitely been the new toilet. :-) We *were* using a 1984 model, and it more-or-less "worked" (if you were prepared to jiggle the handle a lot). Now we've got a low-flow, high-pressure 21st-C model. Mind you, I didn't get the Cadillac or BMW of potties -- it's more like, oh, a Honda Civic-level loo. But it's sooo much nicer than what we were living with. In the words of those Charmin bears, these days we are "enjoying the go."
3. Which cloud had a silver lining this year?
Nope, I can't think of any. Silver linings I mean. There were certainly plenty of clouds -- and, to be fair, there were also some nice aspects to existence. But, at least as far as I can recall, none of those came ironically coupled. I mean, Trump won -- find me the good in that! My son can't find a job, and it's only increased his depression. Any silver lining there? I gained weight, and my bloodwork came back with "URGENT" stickers all over it. No "up" side evident.
4. When in 2024 were you happiest?
Right after the Democratic convention, when Kamala fever was running high and we on the left thought we actually had a decent shot at this thing.
5. What would you like more of, and what would you like less of in 2025?
LESS: I would like less Trump, which is gonna be tough since he will be back in the White House.
MORE: I would like to see more kindness and compassion and concern for our world. Guess it had better start with me.
The December 6th questions are music-related. As is usual for me -- but probably odd, for a musician? -- I had a hard time with them. I just don't think I use music in my life in the same way that other people do. Nevertheless, here are my answers.
Friday Five for December 6th (Wrapped, pt. 1)
1. What's the best song you heard for the first time in 2024?
Hmmmm. I don't tend to listen to new (or any) pop music; relatedly, a lot of my new-to-me musical discoveries aren't songs, but classical pieces. Even now that I'm forcing myself to think about it hard, none of the hymns, B'way tunes, or even Randy Rainbow parodies I heard for the first time this year is crowding to the front of my consciousness, begging to be chosen.
Okay, I have one. At a recent Baltimore Symphony concert of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn music, I heard "Lush Life" all the way through for what I think was the first time in my life. I'm not sure whether this ought to be an embarrassing admission -- on the one hand, I'm 63, so the whole genre is technically before my time; OTOH, a middle-class, mid-century American upbringing meant that all such things were available -- to anyone with ears to hear -- via TV variety shows and the "crooner" LPs in one's parents' collections. And I did pay attention to precisely this sort of music, but somehow ... nope. "Lush Life" slipped by me. I'd heard *of* it, but until last month it was just a title. Turns out, I can now testify, it's one of the all-time great songs. Here's Sarah Vaughan doing it full justice.
2. How would you summarize 2024 in one song lyric?
Easy: "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
Click to view3. Where did you hear the best live music of any kind, performed by musicians of any age or talent?
This is not easy to answer in a year in which I heard Max Raabe & the Palast Orchester, the Hillbilly Thomists, an amazing assemblage of talent at a Djangofest in Baltimore, *and* the above-mentioned Ellington concert (not to mention saw a couple of Broadway musicals). Though it's almost indecent to call out a "best" from among the ones I named there, I'm gonna go with Max Raabe & co., whose latest tour I caught at the Lincoln Theatre in D.C. back in March. His whole act ('20s & '30s dance band music done utterly "in the style of") is delightful -- nay, exquisite. And it still comes across as fresh, though the group has been doing it for decades. Every person on stage is ace at his or her instrument(s), and yet somehow the ensemble exceeds the sum of its parts -- possibly because the performers are clearly having as good a time as the audience.
4. Whose music did you listen to most?
I bought all four of the Hillbilly Thomists' CDs after hearing the band live in August, and I listed to them a lot. I reckon they win in this category.
5. What was the most compelling music-related news or event of 2024?
Another hard one. The music news is dominated by pop celebrities, and I just can't make myself care about most of them (not out of deliberate snobbery, I hope ... it's truly a lack of interest in their product). But, okay, I've got something: Wicked. When the film of a Broadway musical does boffo box office (and is actually a good movie!) in this day and age, that's gotta be good news for people who like what I like. Therefore, I've found the whole Wicked phenomenon pretty compelling.
The December 13th questions cover a more general mix of "best-ofs." I'm never very good at picking just one of anything, but I'll try to keep my short-lists short.
Friday Five for December 13th (Wrapped, pt. 2)
1. What were your favorite TV series this year?
This will skew unfairly toward things I saw in the second half of the year, but Imma say ...
- Star Trek: Lower Decks - the most hilarious (and easily the most Star-Trek-y) of all ST series, this animated show aired its fifth and final season this year ... but why? Five more wouldn't have worn out the premise, IMO.
- Loudermilk - less delicate than my sensibilities usually seek out, but so worth the occasional blush and/or cringe, this rude yet tender tale of a man (and his friends) in recovery is currently streaming on Netflix.
- Nobody Wants This - Kristen Bell plays another of her trainwreck-y characters whom one can't help cheering for, this time as she finds unlikely love with a rabbi. Can it work? (Not in RL, it wouldn't. But if I wanted RL, I'd watch the news.)
- Candice Renoir - Acorn TV has now acquired all ten seasons of this charming (if sometimes infuriating) police procedural, plus the two TV movies! Time to put on those subtitles (assuming you aren't French) and give it a try.
I've already said I liked Wicked (a delightful surprise). Pixar's Inside Out 2 was probably an even better movie (besides being that rare sequel which I enjoyed more than its predecessor). And rounding out the top three, Saturday Night was very well done, IMO, and it checked a lot of my personal boxes.
3. What was the most memorable meal you had this year?
I had some fancy meals in NYC in January, the nicest of which may have been at Pietro's on 43rd St. Then again, when you have so many nice meals close together (as one does during a BSI Weekend), it becomes hard to sort them in memory. This one was Italian, I can say with confidence, and there was plenty of alcohol to go with all the courses. :-)
4. Who made you laugh most this year?
Seth Meyers. Besides faithfully watching his TV show (mostly the next day on YouTube, but it counts!), I binged the whole archive of the weekly (and still-going) "Family Trips" podcast that he and his brother delightfully co-host, AND I saw him live in April doing his latest stand-up routine (now available as a Netflix special called Dad Man Walking ... which, yes, I watched despite already having seen the act).
5. When were you the farthest from home this year?
Ummm, the "where" was NYC, and I went up in January (for the BSI Weekend), May (for a Sherlock Holmes luncheon), and July (for a quick visit with my boys to catch an Orioles game -- which we won in a rout -- in enemy territory).
The December 20th questions are more serious in nature ... and so are my answers. Sorry, but this is not the most upbeat part of the post. :-)
Friday Five for December 20th (Wrapped, pt. 3)
1. What was especially good for your mental health this year?
I started therapy again. I did a year back in 2017-18 (pretty much coinciding with the academic year), after which my much-loved counselor retired (no, I did not break him!). This time I have a female therapist, and I feel like we're a good fit.
2. What was especially good for your physical health this year?
Nothing. After two years of stellar behavior, I fell off the dieting wagon and gained all my lost weight back. (This happened pre-therapy, I feel compelled to add.) According to my latest bloodwork, all my diabetes and hypo-thyroid indicators are back in the red zone.
3. What did you learn this year?
First, that I am getting too old to maintain my current work schedule (you know, the one I barely "maintained" in my prime). Also, that I live in a horrible country (this is just from looking at aggregate data, i.e., election results). OTOH, on the positive side, I've been learning from happy experience that life *feels* nicer in pleasant surroundings (such as the ones my expensive home improvements have wrought).
4. As this year ends, what's trending to make you optimistic about next year?
Nothing. I mean, I am an inherently optimistic person, but current trends are not giving me any help at all.
5. What's better now than it was twelve months ago?
As alluded to above, my home is much nicer, both cosmetically and in terms of infrastructure. That's what happens when you break down and spend the money!
The December 27th questions are, like the 13th's, a mixed bag. Enjoy!
Friday Five for December 27th (Wrapped, pt. 4)
1. What's the best thing you read this year?
As usual, I didn't have a great reading year. My life is so full of obligations that when I relax, it's generally with the tube and not a tome. That said, I quite enjoyed the novel Bachelor Girl by Kim van Alkemade, which I think I read in late Spring. A story set in early 20th-C. NYC and featuring lots of baseball history, it kind of hit my imagination in the sweet spot. And when two of my sons and I then visited Yankee Stadium in the summer and perused all the historical material on display, it was that much more interesting to me.
2. What was your best purchase this year?
Have I mentioned that I spent a *lot* of money this year on home improvements? All expenditures were worthwhile, but I think the most appreciated item has definitely been the new toilet. :-) We *were* using a 1984 model, and it more-or-less "worked" (if you were prepared to jiggle the handle a lot). Now we've got a low-flow, high-pressure 21st-C model. Mind you, I didn't get the Cadillac or BMW of potties -- it's more like, oh, a Honda Civic-level loo. But it's sooo much nicer than what we were living with. In the words of those Charmin bears, these days we are "enjoying the go."
3. Which cloud had a silver lining this year?
Nope, I can't think of any. Silver linings I mean. There were certainly plenty of clouds -- and, to be fair, there were also some nice aspects to existence. But, at least as far as I can recall, none of those came ironically coupled. I mean, Trump won -- find me the good in that! My son can't find a job, and it's only increased his depression. Any silver lining there? I gained weight, and my bloodwork came back with "URGENT" stickers all over it. No "up" side evident.
4. When in 2024 were you happiest?
Right after the Democratic convention, when Kamala fever was running high and we on the left thought we actually had a decent shot at this thing.
5. What would you like more of, and what would you like less of in 2025?
LESS: I would like less Trump, which is gonna be tough since he will be back in the White House.
MORE: I would like to see more kindness and compassion and concern for our world. Guess it had better start with me.