It's the end of the year as we know it, and I feel fine.
So, another year over, more or less. I flutter off to the UK tomorrow, and figure this is as good a time as ever to edit my top 10's for the year. I also not my entries into LJ have been very low as off late. I have no idea why. I still like writing an occasional journal. Must be the exciting busy life I lead, or the fact I spend time writing another blog and a line a personal journal that all my words are used up.
The other blog is Victoria, In Person, a food and drinking type of thing, mostly related to Victoria. So less relevant to most (all?) of the people who read this journal. But there we go.
So, music wise, the top 10 artists I have been listening to are, according to Last.FM :
1. Against Me!
(I seem to have an addiction to listening to the "Eternal Cowboy" and "New Wave" when working out or walking home after a beer).
2. Carter USM
(I got hold of most of the back catalogue on MP3, so had to have a re-listen. I still like it).
3. Rise Against
(I consider Rise Against a guilty secret. I really like them, but think they are far to serious to really love. Seems I listen to them lots anyways)
4. Chumbawamba
(The last album, The Boys Bands Have Won, was 20 tracks long, and fantastic. Definitely gone to a folk sound, and the agit-pop punk has disappeared).
5. Amanda Palmer
(Who killed Amanda Palmer was my favourite album of 2009, especially by an singer I'd never really heard before. Also, Neil Gaiman is a lucky fellow).
6. Mega City Four
(Much like listening to Carter USM, this was due to getting the back catalogue on MP3. Still love Wiz and the boys. Indie 1992).
7. Swervedriver
(You can listen to Swervedriver, or you can listen to the Silversun Pickups. Or you can listen to both).
8. Minutemen
(Going back to 80's. But 80's I like not 80's I hate. Hard to describe, but the title music to Jackass was taken from "Corona").
9. NoFX
(Really? They must come on random shuffle a lot. Still "Best God in Show" is worth a listen)
10. Abra Moore.
(Ah, Abra Moore gets played a lot as she's the first track on my ipod and I occasionally just knock it on to listen to anything but the monkeys screeching in my head. I mean the outside world).
Games, Games, Games.
This year was slightly less manic on the boardgame front. I'm pretty sure I spent less this year, and I played 359 games in total. However, there were several monster boardgames played, including 7 Ages, which is still set up in my spare room after about 20 hours of play (and another 10 to go, roughly).
1. Race for the Galaxy
(Card game, was my favourite last year too)
2. Tichu
(Bridge-like card games of trick taking)
3. Dominion
(Another card game where building your deck of cards IS the game)
4. Steam
(Railroad building game, a brain stretcher, but not overly long)
5. Battelore
(Miniatures boardgame, which mainly involved playing with a good friend rather than my gamer friends)
6. Pack & Stack
(Very simple, fast game which involves packing tetris pieces on a truck. Silly).
7. Agricola
(Farm building in the 14th Century. Yes that is game theme, yes it is interesting. No really.)
8. Le Havre
(Harbour town building, and resource collection and conversion. Actually more interesting than Agricola as a game)
9. Roll through the Ages
(Yahtzee-style game based on building a civilisation. )
10. Chaos in the Old World
(Wonderful game based on Warhammer's Chaos Gods, with dice rolling, cards, miniatures and bargaining. Best new game of the year, just not played it enough times).
That's the charts. Maybe a more considered post later. Or maybe not.
The other blog is Victoria, In Person, a food and drinking type of thing, mostly related to Victoria. So less relevant to most (all?) of the people who read this journal. But there we go.
So, music wise, the top 10 artists I have been listening to are, according to Last.FM :
1. Against Me!
(I seem to have an addiction to listening to the "Eternal Cowboy" and "New Wave" when working out or walking home after a beer).
2. Carter USM
(I got hold of most of the back catalogue on MP3, so had to have a re-listen. I still like it).
3. Rise Against
(I consider Rise Against a guilty secret. I really like them, but think they are far to serious to really love. Seems I listen to them lots anyways)
4. Chumbawamba
(The last album, The Boys Bands Have Won, was 20 tracks long, and fantastic. Definitely gone to a folk sound, and the agit-pop punk has disappeared).
5. Amanda Palmer
(Who killed Amanda Palmer was my favourite album of 2009, especially by an singer I'd never really heard before. Also, Neil Gaiman is a lucky fellow).
6. Mega City Four
(Much like listening to Carter USM, this was due to getting the back catalogue on MP3. Still love Wiz and the boys. Indie 1992).
7. Swervedriver
(You can listen to Swervedriver, or you can listen to the Silversun Pickups. Or you can listen to both).
8. Minutemen
(Going back to 80's. But 80's I like not 80's I hate. Hard to describe, but the title music to Jackass was taken from "Corona").
9. NoFX
(Really? They must come on random shuffle a lot. Still "Best God in Show" is worth a listen)
10. Abra Moore.
(Ah, Abra Moore gets played a lot as she's the first track on my ipod and I occasionally just knock it on to listen to anything but the monkeys screeching in my head. I mean the outside world).
Games, Games, Games.
This year was slightly less manic on the boardgame front. I'm pretty sure I spent less this year, and I played 359 games in total. However, there were several monster boardgames played, including 7 Ages, which is still set up in my spare room after about 20 hours of play (and another 10 to go, roughly).
1. Race for the Galaxy
(Card game, was my favourite last year too)
2. Tichu
(Bridge-like card games of trick taking)
3. Dominion
(Another card game where building your deck of cards IS the game)
4. Steam
(Railroad building game, a brain stretcher, but not overly long)
5. Battelore
(Miniatures boardgame, which mainly involved playing with a good friend rather than my gamer friends)
6. Pack & Stack
(Very simple, fast game which involves packing tetris pieces on a truck. Silly).
7. Agricola
(Farm building in the 14th Century. Yes that is game theme, yes it is interesting. No really.)
8. Le Havre
(Harbour town building, and resource collection and conversion. Actually more interesting than Agricola as a game)
9. Roll through the Ages
(Yahtzee-style game based on building a civilisation. )
10. Chaos in the Old World
(Wonderful game based on Warhammer's Chaos Gods, with dice rolling, cards, miniatures and bargaining. Best new game of the year, just not played it enough times).
That's the charts. Maybe a more considered post later. Or maybe not.