2010: Looking Ahead
From a certain angle, 2009 was a good foundation for a great 2010: I had my largest freelance contract (both in scope and dollars); I went to one day of WorldCon, heard James Morrow read and walked right past Neil Gaiman; I became an infrequent GeekDad contributor; I participated in an award-winning game design; I spent four fantastic days at GenCon with Scott and Dave, and met Bill, Ben, Brandon, Jason and Steve from the Open Design crowd; I saw the Colts play the Vikings in a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium; I brought the kids to a comic book convention in Montreal; my third Blogathon attempt was the most successful yet; I painted my bedroom with expert assistance from Ben and Naomi; I started a great new job; I bought a piano; I attended my fifth Montreal International Game Summit; I started taking advantage of the free gym privileges at work; and I took the kids on our first long roadtrip as a trio.
So, what would I like to see happen in 2010? For one thing, I’d like to recover from all the expenses incurred in 2009, which means that it’s going to be a hardcore Buy Nothing, Steve all the time, or until I land another lucrative contract. Sure, this will put a crimp on the dating front, there’s nothing for it. To help keep me motivated, I’m using a second trip to Gencon as bait: If I can save up the cash for the flight/hotel/registration and hit a pre-determined debt target, then I’ll go. If not, I’ll just have to save more for next year.
Cutting down on the clutter is going to be another priority for 2010 – especially now that I’m decluttering for three. I foresee many boxes of toys and and used clothes dropped off at the Salvation Army.
Finally, I’m cutting back on other extracurricular activities to concentrate on the piano. My best intentions didn’t last the first six weeks. I’ll have to do better if I’m going play at dinner parties!
2009: One Hell of a Year
It’s fair to say that 2009 hasn’t been my favourite year. The impending divorce took me completely by surprise, and I’ve been a long time in dealing with it. Add in the deaths of my grandmother and Aunt Edna, an initially unsuccessful transition back to the 9-to-5 work routine, and figuring out how to manage joint custody (hint: the times without the kids are the hardest), well…the title of this post says it all.
So I’m especially grateful to all my family and friends who’ve offered me their unconditional love and support in whatever form I’ve needed it at the time – from heartfelt conversations to a beer to random messages to electronics goods to a hug to creating a semblance of normalcy with an evening of good gaming. Even when I haven’t seemed to appreciate it, I have.
Thank you.
I’ll remember 2009 for the good, not the bad. I’ll remember 2009 because of each one of you.
Monthly Naomi Photo
I love how Naomi smiles after her first sledding wipeout of the season.
She’s a thrillseeker! My hair goes gray just thinking about it. [grin]
2009-in-Review: Comics
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
TPBs
- 100 Bullets: Vol 13 – Oh, how weak the ending! Dizzy should show more backbone. Worst TPB of 2009
- Ex-Machina: Vol 7-8
- Powers: Vol 12
- Sandman Mystery Theatre: Vol 7
- Sleeper: Season 1 & 2 – Noir so thick you need a flashlight to read it. A solid foundation for Criminal and Incognito. Best TPB of 2009
- Walking Dead Omnibus 1
- Winter Men – This collection of underemployed Soviet super-soldiers kept me turning pages. The language and pacing was unlike anything else I’d read. Kudos. Surprise of 2009
Singles & Series
- Astro City: Astra Special 1-2
- Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three
- Caped
- Dead Run
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – This rating might be unfair, because the series isn’t finished and the experiment was noble, but a verbatim illustration of the novella doesn’t work for me at all. Worst Series of 2009 (tie)
- Fall of Cthulhu: Apocalypse
- Fall of Cthulhu: Nemesis – a terribly dull way to end the Fall of Cthulhu series. Worst Series of 2009 (tie)
- Incognito
- Incorruptible
- Irredeemable – This is the first book that I read, no matter how many others are in the pull list that week. It’s a little too short (put in backups instead of previews, at least), and it’s veering a little too close to Falling Down territory, but Mark Waid is doing a fantastic job of showing how to shatter the fragile ego of a superman. The trick will be making the supporting characters all the more interesting as the villain becomes unknowable. Best Series of 2009
- Mr. Stuffins
- Unknown
- Unthinkable
- Wednesday Comics – The writers and artists rose to the occasion to fill every inch of the newsheet with exciting, digestible comics entertainment. Not as kid-friendly as it should be (I’m looking at you, Batman and Wonder Woman), but still a delight. Surprise Series of 2009
2009-in-Review: TV Shows
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
- Ashes to Ashes: 1-2
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 4. There were four outstanding episodes, and they were all in the second half, and they all echoed the tension and despair and quiet heroics of the first two seasons. Everything else was terrible plotting and mistaken characterization. Thank the Lords of Kobol that Katee Sackhoff couldn’t quote “All Along the Watchtower” with a straight face during the finale – I might have thrown my TV out the window. Worst Show of 2009.
- Being Erica: Season 1-2
- Being Human – The premise really did seem horrible – a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire as housemates – but casting and writing are everything. This series is unpredictably funny, scary and moving. Surprise Show of 2009
- Burn Notice: Seasons 1-3 – The world needs more spy comedies. I love everything about this show, from Bruce Campbell, to Jeffery Donovan’s voice overs and oddball accents to, especially, Gabrielle Anwar’s Fiona. Best Show of 2009.
- Chuck: Season 2
- Dexter: Season 3
- Friday Night Lights: Season 3
- Glee: Season 1
- Life on Mars (UK): 1-2
- State of Play
- Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles Season 2
- The Border: Season 2
2009-in-Review: Music
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
- Anjulie
- BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge – Everything I like about music, from acoustic version to inappropriate cover versions, is found on these four albums. There’s a little too much Coldplay and Kings of Leon, but I can’t stop listening to the good stuff. Prompted at least three other album purchases. Best Album(s) of 2009.
- Black Kids – Partie Traumatic – Discovered “I’m Not Going to Teach Him How to Dance with You” on an Urban Outfitters free album. Quirky videogum pop. Surprise Album of 2009.
- Brazilian Girls – New York City
- Explosions in the Sky
- Gabriella Cilmi – Lessons to be Learned
- Garfunkel & Oates – Music Songs
- Hollerado – Record in a Bag
- Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart
- Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
- Julie Doiron – I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day – This is the only album I hadn’t backed up before the great hard drive crash! D’oh!
- Kanye West – 808s and Heartbreak
- Kathleen Edwards – Asking for Flowers
- Kathleen Edwards – Back to Me
- Maza Meze – Hypnotika
- Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts
- Pamplemousse – they don’t have an album, but their free tracks and videos are killer.
- Paramore – Brand New Eyes
- Serena Ryder – Is It OK?
- Sky Larkin – The Golden Spike – Another Urban Outfitters referral (and am I ever annoyed that they’ve started restricting distribution to US customers of iTunes.
- Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
- Suzie McNeil – Rock ‘n Roller
- Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
- The Lonely Island – Incredibad – If the track was on SNL, it was good. If not, it was terrible. Comedy albums are a tough sell, unless you’re Garfunkel & Oates. Worst Album of 2009
- The Watson Twins – Fire Songs
- Tragically Hip – We Are the Same
- White Lies – To Lose My Life
2009-in-Review: Books
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
- Batman Unauthorized, edited by Dennis O’Neil
- Comics Creators on Spider-Man, edited by Tom DeFalco
- Comics Creators on The Fantastic Four, edited by Tom DeFalco
- Comics Creators on The X-Men, edited by Tom DeFalco
- Dayworld, by Philip Jose Farmer
- Dayworld Rebel, by Philip Jose Farmer – Even a repeat reading can’t save this book. I’m hoping the third volume is an improvement. Worst Book of 2009.
- Reaper’s Gale, by Steven Erikson
- So Say We All: An Unauthorized Collection of Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica, edited by Richard Hatch – Covers the first two seasons of the series, before the potential was squandered. Favorite Book of 2009
- The Man from Krypton: A Closer Look at Superman, edited by Glenn Yeffeth
- The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel and Firefly, edited by Joy Davidson, PhD
- The Psychology of Superheroes: An Unauthorized Exploration, edited by Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD
- Webslinger: Unauthorized Essays on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, edited by Gerry Conway
- You Do Not Talk About Fight Club: I Am Jack’s Completely Unauthorized Essay Collection, edited by Read Mercer Schuchardt – It’s great to read a book where so many people got the joke of the book and movie. Surprise Book of 2009
2009-in-Review: Games
Filed under: CCGs, Games, Hobby, RPGs, Video, Year in Review
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
No Best/Worst/Surprise here – I’ve played too few games across too many genres to to compare.
- Battlestar Galactica (Board Game) – I love the task resolution system, which heightens paranoia and forces players to make bad guesses about who they accuse of being Cylons.
- Dune CCG – Finally gave the game a try. By far the most abstract of games – I feel as though I’m fiddling with dials on a switchboard, or moving pawns on a battlemap – which is probably the perfect approach to the wheels-within-wheels world of Dune.
- Guitar Hero (PS2) – Finally jumped on this bandwagon – I need more songs to mangle!
- Pathfinder RPG – The prize of my first GenCon trip. The title page is covered with autographs, which is a classy move from a classy company.
- Race for the Galaxy (Card Game) – The breakneck pace of technology and conquest moves a little too quickly and randomly, but it’s a game I can play five times in a night and not get bored.
- Star Wars Lego II: The Original Series (PS2) – Ben’s favourite game, and I can’t say I blame him.
2009-in-Review: Movies
Welcome to my abbreviated media consumption recap for 2009!
- Astro Boy – Who doesn’t love robots?
- G.I. Joe – So. Many. Dramatic. Flashbacks. Plus, the movie features the most logical voice-activated weapons system ever.
- Inglorious Basterds – Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent are the reasons to see this film will move/scare/impress you. Brad Pitt is the reason you’ll laugh.
- Moon – Extraordinary work by Sam Rockwell. Best Film of 2009 (tie)
- OSS 117: Rio ne repond plus – Better-filmed, but the ignorant jokes are less innocuous than in the first film.
- Quantum of Solace – The last film I saw with Dina. Oddly appropriate.
- Star Trek – Fantastic reboot – I hope the creators travel down original paths from here on out. Best Film of 2009 (tie)
- The Invention of Lying – Even Jennifer Garner and the bevy of guest-stars can’t save this failed sketch. Hands-down, Worst Film of 2009
- Up – Another Pixar film about alienation, depression and despair, this time with a hot air balloons and a talking dog. Dull for kids until the talking dog appears. Heartbreaking until then.
- Watchmen – I can’t stop talking about the book, and I don’t think I can stop talking about the film. Beautifully flawed.
- Where the Wild Things Are – Feels like a fever dream I had as a child – vivid and anchored in the moment. A story about a calmed temper tantrum.
- Zombieland – This film had me at the first rule of zombie apocalypse survival and didn’t let go. Once the title credits rolled, I was lost in hilarity. Surprise of 2009.
The Second Phase of Christmas
A sedate Boxing Day turned into a fun impromptu evening with Jon and Tanya – the second phase of Christmas got off to a great start.
I picked up the kids the morning of the 27th and drove down the foggy but iceless highway to Ottawa for a Wark family celebration – there were gifts and meals and good times aplenty. Naomi fell in love with her pair of Polly Pocket cars, while I helped Ben build his first Vader Tie Fighter.
After dinner, Uncle Patrick and Aunt Joanna (i think we figured out that Patrick is my second cousin once removed, but that might have been the wine talking) came over for a visit and shortly thereafter, the kids collapsed. Ben had just lost his first tooth, so I slipped a loonie under his pillow.
The next morning, Dad had to go to work, so the rest of us breakfasted on pancakes and bacon (yum!) and then went to visit Scott’s condo for the first time. Naomi surprised us all by grabbing my camera and documenting the entire visit. There were a lot of extreme closeups.
After lunch, I met my friend Laura at the Children’s Museum in Hull, and we watched the kids have run running through the installations. Ben loved operating the crane at the loading dock, and Naomi enjoyed both shadow puppets and sitting on the fake camel, all decked out in Bedouin finery. In fact, if there was a costume, Naomi wanted to wear it. Regrettably, she had burned through my last pair of batteries, so most of those transformations have not been preserved digitally. Well, that’s what memories are for.
Naomi fell asleep five minutes into the drive home, and Ben held out for a full thirty. They were sufficiently refreshed to enjoy their bath and story time, and then I chased them off to bed no too much later than usual.
The Second Phase of Christmas ended with the first episode of the new season of Dexter. Fun!