Best of 2011 - Music

Yeah, I know; "Skip, January is almost over and you're just posting your best albums of 2011?"  What can I say?  My bad.

Can I say in my defense that I got some fancy pants headphones for X-Mas that completely altered my "Best of 2011" list?  Seriously, the speakers I was using on 12/24 made what I was listening to sound like mud.  The addition of the headphones completely altered my list.

Oh, are you curious now?

Monday Munchies - Popcorn, Indiana - Drizzled Cinnamon Sugar Kettlecorn

When I was a kid one of my favorite breakfast treats was cinnamon toast.  My mom would sometimes make it for me and it was always awesome.  There was something about the buttery goodness mixed with the cinnamon that just made for perfect mornings.

One day I wanted some, but Ma Serpico didn't want to make it.  So I tried my hand at it.  I'm pretty sure I've still got nodes of cinnamon in my sinus cavity. I didn't realize that when it comes to spice a little goes a long way.

Random

I Don't Get Fleet Foxes

I like to think of myself as an open minded guy.  I'm down to try new things and I'm always on the lookout for music.  I love getting recommendations from friends and family.

I've gotten a few recommendations recently that have panned out.  My cousin recommended both Robyn and St. Vincent and I was impressed.  Unfortunately I didn't feel that way about Fleet Foxes.

Bonus Track Flimflam

So, tonight was goofing off and looking for music from Breaking Bad's fourth season to add to my collection.  I went to the Breaking Bad site and scoped out the detailed list of a) the music b) the scenes it was in and c) where to buy it.

Naturally this lead me to iTunes where I fell down a rabbit hole of music.  But once I managed to regain my senses, I was struck by how angry I'd become.  And it was all because of bonus tracks.

Wild Pitch Wednesday - The Mixtape Project

Six seems to be my magic number.  Six is the hours of sleep I've had in the past day.  Six is also the number of hours before I'm supposed to meet up with Jay1 to do a little bit of brainstorming.

Yet, here I am writing this.

Why? For you.  Because you need something to read.  And because you're so good to me.  And because you deserve it.

That's right, it's time for Wild Pitch Wednesday.  I hope you're sitting down.  If not, you totally should be.

Monday Munchies - Rold Gold Peppermint Dipped Snowflakes

Sorry about my absence, but life tossed me a wicked curveball which kept me too preoccupied write much last week.  Basically the time I'd usually spend writing was spent sleeping as a result of exhaustion.

But let's start this week off on a good note, shall we?

I honestly can't think of a better way to start things off than with a tasty snack.

Sunday Morning Quarterback - Daniel Radcliffe & Lana Del Ray

Welcome to my first post of the year and the first thing I've posted that wasn't just a youtube clip since March.

I've actually been dying to write one of these.  Skip Serpico and I came up with this idea a long time ago but since he's generally taken responsibility for the blog over the last year and and a half,  I haven't posted much of anything. The one time actually attempted to write this column he beat me too it.

Lucky for me he missed SNL last night. 
Bear with me, I'm rusty.

Resolutions 2012

Look, I know it's the 10th, but when you're looking at ways of improving yourself over the next twelve months, I've found that it's best not to rush things.  You don't want to end up with lame resolutions like "lose weight" or "go to the gym."

So I held off on painting myself into a corner of mediocrity and instead opted for painting myself into a corner office with a secretary and a view.  Boom!  Suck on that, squares!

Sunday Morning Quarterback – Charles Barkley & Kelly Clarkson

Jay1 and I were just talking about the period of SNL that we both sort of consider to be the golden age. We’re huge fans of the Carvey/Myers/Hartman/Nealon/Miller/Hooks/Lovitz (and others) era. To us it felt like SNL was one show that consisted of like 20 different shows. There was Massive Head Wound Harry, Sprockets, Lyle the Effeminate Heterosexual.

We loved them all.

In some ways this week’s episode of Saturday Night Life, featuring Charles Barkley & Kelly Clarkson, harkened back to that era of the show.

Preview - House of Lies

Mad Men is an award-winning show that critics love to gush over.  2011 saw the first two Mad Men clones churned out by network television.  ABC and NBC offered up Pan Am and The Playboy Club, respectively.  Only Pan Am is still on the air.

With Showtime's House of Lies, starring Don Cheadle, we have another show rife with Mad Men's DNA.

Monday Munchies - Häagen-Dazs Limited Edition Cranberry Pumpkin Spice

It's pretty well established that I love ice cream.  Not only do I keep my freezer stocked, Louis C.K. style, but I also frequently write about ice cream for the blog.  Plus there are easily half a dozen different flavors I've tired that weren't quite blog material.

So it should surprise no one that when I saw Häagen-Dazs' fancy purple lid advertising Cranberry Pumpkin Spice, I quickly grabbed up two pints.