ust went back and checked and it seems I started writing my year-end retrospective in 2007. Seven years of looking back at my year and seeing what I’ve done and read and listened to. It’s nice to have a record for posterity, don’t you think? And since today is the last day of 2014, this week I can start formatting 2014 into a book for print. One more green-spined book to add to my collection of printed obiter dictums!
Family & Personal Highlights of 2014
- Being promoted to Senior Corporate Graphic Designer at work
- Martin breaking his arm
- Karin being asked to become a district referee, one year early
- Anders’ ski trip in the Czech Republic
- Karin passing her moped driving license test
- Making it through an entire year soda-free
- Martin joining the writing staff of his school IB newspaper
- Visit from John & family and trip to Vånevik
- 3 week trip to Toronto and Michigan
- Liz’s BIG birthday
- Trip to US including Thanksgiving with Sarah’s family and mom
In 2014, I read 93 books, the same amount as last year, and though I’m halfway through two more, neither one will be finished today. Looking at the list, it seems I did a LOT of re-reading of old favorites.
Best Books of 2014 (in no particular order and not including re-reads)
- Impulse by Steven Gould
- Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Gulp by Mary Roach
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
- We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
- One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
- Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
As usual, I didn’t keep track of movies at all, though Martin convinced me to watch How to Train Your Dragon recently and I loved it, and its sequel. Computer animation is amazing. Also, I confessed to having liked Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie. Oh! And Edge of Tomorrow.
Best Musical Discoveries of 2014
- Nina Gordon
- Jenny Lewis
- He is We
- Holly Brook
- Walk Off the Earth
- Savoir Adore
- Priscilla Ahn
- Emm Gryner
- Hafdis Huld
- Anette Olzon
- Dala
- MoZella
- Hayley Sales
- Kate McGill
- Lissa
Some manageable goals for 2015
- KEEP walking
- Trip to somewhere WARM for Karin
- Fireplace and great room renovation
We are spending New Year’s Eve with our friends Barbara & Paul. We celebrated with them last year as well, but this year it is only the 4 of us plus the kids. Karin would probably have been with Alex but since he’s in Gambia and since we won’t let her spend it with friends on her own, she’s stuck with us for at least one more time.
Martin has only requested that he not be forced to participate in Barbara’s mandatory Wii Dance competition…I’ll support him in that desire since I don’t want to do it either. We are bringing a double deck of cards in the hopes of instigating an evening of Colorado Crazy Eights instead…wish us luck! Either way, it will be an evening of laughter, fun, good food and fireworks. I hope everyone who reads this has a fantastic end to the year, as well. Here’s to 2015!