It is December 24th and that means Christmas Sweater Day

With the year 2007 wrapping up, I thought I would post a nice little review of the year 2007 and a preview for what will happen in 2008.

Music: I think this was a mediocre year for mainstream music. Sure there are some catchy hits by Timbaland, Kanye West, et cetera but this was a banner year for the quasi indie/mainstream bands. I really enjoyed the albums by The Shins, Amy Winehouse is a budding star, Arcade Fire was brilliant, The Arctic Monkeys rocked, and how could you not love Radiohead's In Rainbows? As for 2008, obviously the new Weezer album is what I am most looking forward to listening to. One name to watch out for is Ingrid Michaelson. A woman at work got me hooked to her. She has a lot of talent and I think she will become 2008's Feist. Listen to Michaelson's "Men of Snow" or "Take me the way I am" to get a taste.

Movies: As usual, this year had many good and many bad movies. Some movies I absolutely loved were August Rush, and Waitress. I thought the graphics alone in Transformers made it worth a rental. As far as upcoming movies, I am most looking forward to Juno. Yes I know it is out in limited release but I can't wait until this movie expands to more theaters. I have heard so many good things. I am also looking forward to the new Michael Ian Black movie, Run Fat Boy Run, and there is a new documentary about John Lennon which is already getting great reviews. I haven't seen the film version of The Kite Runner. That is high on my list. And I know it won't happen for a few years but I am thrilled that Peter Jackson has agreed to do The Hobbit.

Books: How could I not start out by saying how much I loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was everything I wanted. For non-fiction, I really loved reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. I hope I have not cursed him. I also read Howard Dean's and John Kerry's autobiography shortly before they lost in their own respective races. There is very little that Barack Obama says that I disagree. I also admired his optimism and his book had a lot of great behind the scene stories with President Bush, Karl Rove, et cetera. Maybe my favorite book of 2007 was The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini. I must warn you though. This is not an uplifting fun read. Although absolutely brilliant, the story is incredibly sad in a touching beautiful way.

Politics: In general, I was very disappointed by my elected politicians. The Democrats despite having the majority in both chambers of congress, failed to produce one single, major piece of legislation on my top ten wish list. I fear that their inadequacy might come back in 2008. What am I looking forward to in 2008??? The induction ceremony of Barack Obama. The Iowa Caucus is only in nine days! I can't wait. My favorite politician of 2007 -- Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Life: Every day is better then yesterday. "Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest."-Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas everyone!