Just like the tacky decorations in my neighborhood are a sign that Christmas is around the corner, the ubiquity of Top-10, End-Of-The-Year style lists is an unmistakable reminder that one year is about to blur into the next. I generally like the lists more than the decorations because they tell us something about ourselves. In their outrageous claims- Top 10 Best Books! 100 Best Songs! Top Gay Cars! - we glimpse the things that matter to us. At rednoW these include music, film, and literature.

Because these yearly catalogues are less an objective standard of “the best” and more an indication of who we are, then perhaps I can be indulged another list. Thinking over the past twelve months a few different stories rise to the surface. In many ways these stories are nonsensical. Stories that cut against the normal and typical. Stories of mercy and courage and surprise.

And so here they are, in roughly chronological order, my Top 10 (Surprising) Stories of 2007.

I like rhythm and routine. I like knowing the plan. Better yet, I like making the plan. My friends and family could tell you some of the neurotic symptoms of this type of personality, but one of the benefits is the margin that allows for reflection. Rhythm and routine generally allow for time to look around, pay attention, notice how things connect.

It's been a month at least since I've had that kind of margin. I'm currently experiencing the type hectic pace that is probably normal to a lot of people, but that quickly makes me aware of how much I like being in control. There's probably a lesson somewhere here... I'm just too busy to learn it.

So in the spirit of the busy, hectic, and unexamined life, here are a few of the random things that have caught my eye during the past few weeks.

Raul Gutierrez is a Mexican-born photographer who grew up in east Texas and lives in New York City. His portfolio includes photos from all around the world. This shot, Confirmation Dress, comes from Mexico. Gutierrez's work favors people in motion, caught up in their regular activities. As you look through his photos you quickly realize that "regular" is determined greatly by where you live.

 

Last weekend a couple of friends and I met up with an acquaintance from the west coast. The coffee shop where we met is one of many stores making up one of the ever-present strip malls in our town. I wasn't thinking about this landscape until our new west coast friend pointed out that it would be hard for him to know that we were having our conversation in the Midwest and not Seattle. The chain stores surrounding us could be found in most every city in the USA and made it tough to know out location.

I've found plenty of reasons to be depressed about the general state of affairs of life on planet earth lately. I won't bother you with the details...let's just say that the hoopla over Britney's comeback performance at last week's MTV awards didn't help. Every day seems to bring more ridiculous stories of a member of the human race engaging in some absolutely inane behavior. Not even the sports page in my Sunday paper offers me a respite from the insanity.

Can I get a witness?

But this isn't a post about the collective stupidity of our species. No, this is a post about why- despite evidence to the contrary- there remain some good reasons to grin. Here are people, stories, and art that allow me to hope. The following are probably not going to show up in CNN's Most Popular Stories; which at this moment contain these headlines: Baggy Pants Crackdown Goes National, Man Dies After 3-Day Gaming Binge, and the earth-shattering Older Women and Younger Men, Can it Work?

Lord help us all.

Last week Maggie and I spent three nights in a small house on a very lonely section of the northern Californian coast.   We'd started our trip in Seattle, been to the Puget Sound, spent a night outside of Portland (after paying homage to Powell's Bookstore and Fabulous Jackpot Records), and after driving a bunch of hours along the foggy Pacific on Highway 1 finally reached our cottage in the middle of nowhere.  The ocean in front of us, redwood forests and vineyards behind us, and more stars than we'd seen in a long time above us.  Not a bad way to spend a few days.

On Sunday I drove into Chicago with a friend to see the new Michael Moore documentary, Sicko . I briefly reviewed the film for rednow so there's no need to say much here. One thing I didn't mention about Sicko in my review was where it debuted. According to John Horn at the LA Times,

Hollywood loves to hold movie premieres in unusual places — on aircraft carriers, in Disneyland, inside Alcatraz. Michael Moore decided to unveil his new healthcare documentary, "Sicko," in a locale few studio executives have ever visited: skid row.

Take a look...

Last week's post had a lot of words, maybe too many words. So today I'm limiting the words and just linking to a few images and sounds.

On July 7, Live Earth will brodcast The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis from all 7 continents. Get it? 7/7/07 on 7 continents. So if you're in New York, you could see Kanye West and Fall Out Boy among others. If you happen to be in Sydney you could catch Wolfmother and Jack Johnson. If you can't make it in person (London, Johannesburg, Rio de Janerio, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hamburg are the other venues. The Antarctica location hasn't been advertised just yet.) you can watch the whole deal streaming live at at MSN . So, what to make of Live Earth? Should we be excited or cynical?

OK, stick with me on this one. This week I bumped into this simple little music video for M. Ward's Chinese Translation from the 2006 Post-War album. This video reminded me of the video for Duke Special's Freewheel off of Songs from the Deep Forest, also released in 2006. Why did the video from the guy from Portland remind me of the video of the guy from Belfast? I'm telling you, stick with me on this one.