People always do 'Best Of' lists to end the year, so I figured I'd add mine.
Favorite Albums of 2009 (in no order):
'Swoon' by Silversun Pickups
'(a)spera' by Mirah
'Glasvegas' by Glasvegas
'Dark Was The Night' by various artists
'Mean Everything To Nothing' by Manchester Orchestra
'Armistice' by MUTEMATH
'It's Blitz!' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
'The Hazards of Love' by The Decemberists
I listen to these albums over and over again. I'm not saying they're the best, I just love them.
Favorite Songs of 2009:
'My Girls' by Animal Collective
'Help I'm Alive' by Metric
'Hearning Damage' by Thom Yorke
'Percussion Gun' by White Rabbits
'Osaka Loop Line' by Discovery
'Two Weeks' by Grizzly Bear
'Hell' by Tegan and Sara
I specifically went for my favorite songs that werent' on my favorite albums...I could easily add 2-3 songs from each of those albums. Interesting that quite a few of these songs are electronic...seems like everyone went in that direction this year.
Concert of the Year: (Tie) The Decemberists @ Merriweather Post Pavillion (6/8), Sunny Day Real Estate @ 9:30 Club (9/30)
The grand scale of The Decemberists show and the joy of seeing an entire concept album brought to life made for one hell of an evening. Seeing my favorite band of all time reunited after 10 years apart, playing as if they'd never left, would normally win every time. But I'm reasonable, so it's a tie.
NHL Player of 2009: Quintin Laing
Laing played in only 1 game for the Caps last season, was +1, lacerated his spleen and was expected to miss a ton of time. Instead, he came back quickly to help Hershey win a Calder Cup. Then he made the Caps out of camp, already has a career high for goals in a season, caught H1N1 (and only missed a few games), then broke his jaw blocking a shot. Q might not be anywhere near the best player in the league, but his 2009 is the stuff legends are made of.
Beer of 2009: Rogue Captain Sig's Deadliest Ale
Because I figure if I don't come up with something new, I'll keep repeating '(tie) Dogfish Head Alehouse 75, Rogue Dead Guy' every year.
Game of 2009: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers, Game 7, 4/28
Having random, OBVIOUSLY non-hockey fans asking about that night's game while on the Metro, was surreal. The raw emotion after Sergei Fedorov's 3rd period goal is something I've never seen. 18000+ people screamed at the top of their lungs for the final 5 minutes and errupted at the final horn. 'Unleash The Fury' was the loudest singular moment of my life. The smile lasted for days.
Ok, fine...the real Game of 2009 was the Championship game of the NCAA Frozen 4. BU scores 2 goals in the final minute to tie the game, then scores in OT to win. Seriously!? It's THE BEST HOCKEY GAME I'VE EVER SEEN. I was sitting next to my buddy Greg, a Miami of Ohio alum...it was the first time I've ever witnessed a man's heart break right in front of me. I was worried for his safety after the game. I'm still not sure I'll ever see him smile again. It was that type of comeback game.
Weekend of 2009: May 15-17th
This was the weekend of the Lebatt Blue Adult Hockey Tournament at Laurel. It ended well, as we won all 4 games we played, including the championship game in which I managed to score the game-winner. It was the first tournament championship I'd even been a part of. But the wins paled in comparison to how the weekend started: having my wife deliver lunch to me at work and telling me that I'm going to be a dad. That smile still hasn't gone away.