2010?

I wrote this a couple weeks ago but forgot to post it. I hesitate to even post it... but I hate leaving posts as drafts. Anyway.

What I loved in 2010:
1. Queen and Mr. Mercury-- like by a lot. I literally only listened to Queen everyday all day from about May to October. I ordered 7 studio albums online and was able to collect and memorize around 120 songs. My favorites, in order of when I loved them, have been: "Don't Stop Me Now " (which started the craze, mind you), "Too Much Love Will Kill You," "Let Me Live," "Made in Heaven," "I Want to Break Free," "Save Me," "Cool Cat," and finally, I settled on "Sail Away Sweet Sister," a little known track title from the 1980 album that I'm absolutely in love with and could still listen to all day. There are about 10 seconds of that song that are pure beauty, and when I listen to it, I repeatedly rewind and listen to that part.
2. "Speechless" by Michael Jackson. It's on the 2001 album, and I am embarrassed to say that it took me until this summer to discover it. And there is hardly any song, ever, that is more beautiful than this one.
3. "Just a Dream" by Nelly. This song dominated my listening for a week. I listened to it on repeat every time I sat down to do, well, anything. It was good to have some Nelly back in my life. Seriously.
4. "Teenage Dream," as featured on Glee. I'm aware that the message of this song isn't exactly pure. But I was instantly addicted to this man's voice. Instantly.
5. Robert Downey, Jr. You remember this one? I watched all of his movies that are not rated R this summer. Mostly with Lynne, but a lot of it was on my own. And I discovered a new movie that I love love love. "Heart and Souls." It is incredibly heartwarming and good for the soul.
6. The BYU 66th Ward. This should actually go at the top. I was obsessed with these guys this summer. We spend every day together. Planning and doing all sorts of stuff. I would always want to go home to St. George and visit my family, and I did on some weekends, but I also dreaded going. Every time I left Provo I missed all sorts of stuff that I wished I had been there for! We had so much fun together, me and my wardies, that I never wanted to leave.
7. Oh my goodness, Adam Lambert. I already loved him from American Idol the year before, but I didn't fully recognize his oddities and talents until For Your Entertainment settled into its home in my iTunes on March 3, 2010. That. man. can. sing. It still shocks me.
8. Lee DeWyze. My love for the guy has come full circle this year. It began in March when I finally started paying serious attention to this last season of American Idol. Lee's version of "The Boxer" stole my heart, and then I found "Beast of Burden" (which is now one of the top played songs in my iTunes). I bought all of his American Idol songs, and then this Thanksgiving, I bought his new album, as I'm sure you are all aware. 
9. Say Anything. It's a teenager drama, made in 1989. Starring John Cusack. Love that guy. This movie is cheesy and ridiculous, but also quite beautiful. I mean, there are certain moments and elements that just kill me. It's the classic boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again movie, but it's powerful. I watched it twice in a row and then my favorite parts probably 10 times. And then I just bought the movie on Amazon for $3.
10. Holy cow, 30 Rock and Community. Thanks a lot, Paul, for getting me hooked on these shows that have consumed way too much of my time. I'm not a TV watcher, and it took that boy like 2 full years to convince me to watch these 2 shows. But heck, a lot of laughter has come of that fateful decision. 
11. THE HUNGER GAMES. Can these books seriously be real? The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (not Mockingjay so much) are some of my favorite books ever. I like need to investigate them for inherent magical power or something, because they are dangerously ADDICTING. Books like that are way too fun to read. I can't even handle it. Finding books like The Hunger Games and reading them is a breathtaking experience, really. I read The Hunger Games on New Years Day. Yes. I spent the entire first say of 2010 absorbing that book, obsessively. I finished that night and thought I would probably die if I didn't start the second one immediately. And then I dreamed about it. For days. It was so all-consuming and stressful and amazing. I actually started a secret book blog because of my need to talk about this book. To rave about it for no one to hear.
12. The Ocean. Yep, this year I fell in love with something so obvious and amazing as the ocean. We went to San Diego in August, and I fell in love. I just stared at it and swam in it and became all poetic and tried to find words to describe the awe I felt. I wrote about it in my journal for like a week. I couldn't describe what I wanted to. But I kind of crave the ocean now. 
13. I had a distinct realization, this year, of my love for novels that are character driven. Like some modern stuff-- F. Scott Fitzgerald and some Hemingway. Some specific examples of this year, actually, are "A Separate Peace" and "The Chocolate War." I am fascinated by reading about people. I love to see how they react to things and what motivates them. I want to know what they care about and why. And sometimes I get bored with a novel if that doesn't happen. I am a stickler for character development, unless the novel is so fast paced that I don't have time to care (exhibit A: The Hunger Games). Both of the novels I mentioned above are young adult novels that I had to read for my adolescent literature class. And I loved them both. Probably too much. Strangely enough, both books are about all boys' schools. And some of the boys are nice, and some are evil. And the reader has to figure out if the evil is justified and if the evil characters are pitiable. Anyway, it's interesting. And this year, I love character-driven novels.
14. The year has closed off, music-wise, with the new Michael album. Track 6, "Best of Joy," is worth the whole album. I do have to say that when I first bought the album and listened to the whole thing, I was very worried that some of the songs actually may not be Michael (you probably remember the controversy. I wrote about it like a month ago). I got sick to my stomach while listening to it and did some more research on the issue. I played clips of songs that I was positive were Michael for some friends, and then played the ones I was unsure about. They agreed that he sounded different. However, I have now decided that the songs are all authentic and real. If not the Michael Jackson Estate, who can I trust to be the authority on the man? No one. So I submit. 
15. Shopping in general. I loved it before, but the term "shopping" has taken on a whole new meaning. I love online shopping. Why would I go to a store without knowing exactly what I want, when I can figure that out online first? Why? I love shopping in Park City. I love those outlets and buying nice nice clothes for super cheap. I love shopping with Lene and Sarie. They are really good at buying stuff and then convincing me to buy stuff. I just like to wear new clothes, okay?
16. Provo in the summer time. Best friends of ever, perfect sunshine, the moon pool, fireworks, San Diego, paradise.


Of course, I loved other things, like BYU basketball and football, but that is not new and unique to 2010.