It's the end of the year, and as we humans always seem to do, we make lists of our favorite things.  So, here's mine:

1. Favorite Headline: (right before Thanksgiving) Terror Turkey Explosions Rock Istanbul

2. Favorite Rude Comment By a Famous Person: Barbara Walters to Martha Stewart, "Why do you think the whole world hates you?"

3. Least Suprising Celebrity Death: Strom Thurmond

4. Most Suprising Celebrity Lost Child Reunion: Strom Thurmond's Love Child, Essie Mae Washington-Williams

5. Best Album of the Year I haven't Heard Yet: Lucinda Williams World Without Tears.  I just haven't gotten around to opening it yet.

6. Biggest Sports Disappointment: Cubs Loss in the Playoff Series to that one team....y'know...the new one.

7.  Deepest Entertainment Disappointment: No on-stage fist fights between Simon and Garfunkle

8.  Best Month for Political Strides Forward: December: Ashcroft out of the CIA scandal investigation, Bush hears "No...you can't just decide who's an enemy combatant and who isn't and detain them for months without charges" and Big Money can't look into my computer to see if I'm stealing or not. (I'm not...I'm too poor to buy blank discs)

9.  Coolest Audio Experience: Hearing my Daughter Hazel Laugh for the first time.

10. Second Coolest Audio Experience:  Hearing my son say after hearing Frank Zappa's Florentine Pogen, "Dad, that's my new favorite song! Can you play it again?"

11.  Best Show (music): Robbie Fulks at Daveys Uptown Rambler's Club

12.  Best Studio Recording: Rufus Wainwright, "Want One."

13. Best reason to move to a tropical island with no TV: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez

14. Other best reason to move to a tropical Island with no TV: TV

15. Best Greatest Hits Record: REM, In Time

16. Best Movie that was NOT part of a series: Pirates of the Carribean

17. Best Reason to Be Grateful that the Consequences of Our Words are NOT Swift and Severe:  This Discussion Board.

Hit the reset button, tomorrow is just another day. We don't have to repeat today.

PRH