Year in Review

(Updated)
Good morning everyone,
I thought I would take a moment to write the longest post of the year barely before the year disappears. It's hard to believe that 2004 is almost over and 2005 and the year of the Demon looms next. What a ride it has been.

First of all, this is my favorite week of the year to listen to KEXP. The whole week they basically run through the best songs of 2004 and tomorrow starting at 10 am they do their official countdown. This is a great opportunity to hear some music you missed out on because you were either creating IPOD playlists or busy trying to understand the state voting recounts. I would like to fully endorse THE ARCADE FIRE album as well as the new NEKO CASE record. The former is now in my top five of the year and the latter is an amazing display of vocal power that would make any other female singer in the country jealous. Also, The JUNIOR BOYS have a decent electronic record out (think Postal Service meets break beats) and about half of the new MUSIC record is great. I have not yet purchased the FUTUREHEADS or TV ON THE RADIO but I have liked what I have heard. Tune in tomorrow at 10:00 am at www.kexp.org or click here to see what the individual KEXP DJ's top ten albums were for 2004.

Also, for those of you who are Garden State Soundtrack fans you might be interested to know that KEXP was instrumental in getting Zero 7, The Shins, Postal Service, Coldplay, and Iron and Wine radio airplay. In fact, most of these artists songs on the sound track came out between two and three years ago. I remember discovering Zero 7 on the New Years countdown 2001-2002. Rachelle and I heard Waiting Line and we both agreed it was a "must purchase".

Also, to expand a bit on The Arcade Fire think Talking Heads meets the multi-instrumentation from the latest Modest Mouse record with some Interpol guitar and occassional INXS bits. We have not stopped playing this CD for over a week straight. KEXP has been playing them for a few months now and according to Snyder the END has jumped on the bandwagon as well. Listen for them on the countdown today.

No, KEXP is not paying me for this commercial.


Looking forward to the new HAD record in February...frow what I am told there will be a large CD release party that you will all be invited to.

So I have finally decided what my favorite two movies were for the year. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was my favorite followed by Before Sunset. I am hoping Jim Carrey finally gets his OSCAR nod for ESOTSM. This movie is more amazing with each additional viewing because you will notice something new each and every time.
Also, Rachelle and I both loved The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. If you enjoyed Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and the Royal Tenembaums you will surely enjoy Wes Anderson's latest flick. I had a goofy grin on my goofy face for two hours.

Having fun watching the Supes? Me too. However, I really prefer to see Antonio Daniels and Luke run the point. Murray is NOT a point guard and makes terrible shot decisions too. I know he is rusty but I liked our other previous rotation assuming Daniels comes back healthy. Go Supes. (This has now been addressed here)

Congratulations to Scott and Megan and Jeremy and Carrie on their engagements. We are very excited for the weddings next year and we wish you the best of luck in married life.

God, how could I forget this. Everyone is obviously aware of the recent Tsunami in Asia and you have seen the destruction and suffering on TV. You can make a donation to the American Red Cross here. So far the Red Cross has raised 18 million to help out the victims of this unbelievable disaster.

Thanks again to everyone for making Cabin Fever 2004 a big success. Look for the Fever to continue next summer near the end of July or early August. Currently a biking portion of the relay race is already on the agenda and I am open to more suggestions as well. Perhaps we will actually make this one an event where strength or fitness training is a good idea. Or we can always drink more beer. Or both.

Finally I would like to create a goal for this website. I am hoping with your help that we can make this page a vital bookmark or home page for not only us but our immediate friends as well. I would like to double or triple the number of contributors and increase the readership ten fold. I know this seems like a lot, however, with a traditional pyramid scheme in place we can attract many more visitors.
Starting next week I would like everyone to try and post one item per day. Sports, movies, politics, urban planning, local news, music, businees, and techonology items are all wonderful. Then please forward this link to ten friends and encourage them to comment. Also, if you know anyone that can contribute every day (I am looking for 8-10 more) please let me know and I will send them a password. It would be great to see many new posts each day that will keep everyone interseted in KICKED IT IN THE SUN.
Thanks everyone for your help with this. I really appreciate it!!!!


(if you are a new reader and would like to contribute please let me know)

P.S. My sister Shelby gives amazing Christmas gifts each year and this year we were fortunate to receive a Passport Unlimited card. This card gives you unlimted 2-1 at dozens or restaraunts around the Seattle area. We have already used it twice and we are excited to visit many spots we have never been to. Find out more info here. Thanks again Shelby!

Anyone have any year-end comments or wishes? Post them below. Cheers!