MY BEST OF 2012
I’ve never done a Best Of The Year list before, but I guess it’s never too late to start!
THE BEST PHOTO I’VE TAKEN THIS YEAR.
I’ve taken better quality pictures, but for sheer human interest this one goes to the head of the list. My six-month old great-niece on her first visit to the Saint Louis Zoo with only a safety glass window between her and an orangutan who I am sure is offering her some of his/her leaves. Makes you wonder why humans can’t put their differences aside.
BEST NEW SOFT DRINK I’VE TRIED THIS YEAR
There’s nothing new about A & W Root Beer. It made its first appearance back in 1919, and that’s what’s good about it. But just drinking it brings back my days of yesteryear. When we lived in the city my family didn’t own a car … you didn’t need one. But when we moved to the suburbs in the mid-fifties we got the teal blue Chevy. Then every Sunday my father would take the family to different part of the state. The only constant was the stop at a A & W Drive-in for a frosty mug of root beer. My dad always carried an empty A & W gallon jug in the car for a from the tap fill-up to take home with us.Yes, I like Saint Louis’ own Fitz’s, but A & W brings back the memories.
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Oh, boy, a really tough decision to make here! Thanks to R. R. Martin I only finished 18 (17 Kindle and 1 print) books this past year and the top three I enjoyed most were …
A complicated coming of age novel that comes about when a mother walks out leaving her 17-year old son to raise his 6-year old brother. Moving, with a lot of smiles and a few tears.
The ultimate comic caper novel involving a not very straight band of hopeless burglars as they attempt to retrieve an anatomically explicit photo of a wannabe congressman before it becomes public. Rob Byrnes has really mastered the art of the comic caper with this one.
And 
There is no way you can read this book with smiling, giggling and outright chortling. A delightful tale of life in suburbia in the craziest suburb you’ll ever come across.
My best of the year was Strange Bedfellows. It actually had me laughing out loud while riding on the MetroLink.
MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR
My selection was made from the films that I actually saw during the 2012 calendar year.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, The Avengers, John Carter, 21 Jump Street, Mirror Mirror, Wrath Of The Titans, Dark Shadows, The Watch, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, ParaNorman and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
My fav … 
Okay, I like the Gollum 
BEST NEW TV SERIES
It’s tie for me …
An interesting take on updating Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
And …
Having a hunky hero doesn’t hurt either!
BEST ENLARGEMENT OF A CLASSIC ART MUSEUM
You got to admire an architect who builds an addition to a magnificent century old building … and then makes it disappear with the landscaping.
And finally, Best Bastardization Of Classic Art Masterpiece …
Go on, you know you want to laugh.
Notice that I refrained from all references and results of political campaigns and elections.
Posted on December 31, 2012, in MY LIFE AND WELCOME TO IT and tagged architecture, art, Best of 2012, books, movies, parody, photos, TV series. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
... a somewhat unknown or perhaps imaginary actor, writer, director, producer, photographer, friend, brother, uncle and all round good fellow that you really should get to know because he lives with that most glamorous fourpaw Mademoiselle Renee. (Mlle. Renee for short)
I remember taking our daughter for a ‘baby’ A&W root beer.
The amazing thing is to find something in your old age that tastes as good as what you remembered.
There was one trip we used to make when I was a kid that always involved a stop at an A&W in a small town in Georgia.
That last one absolutely made me laugh. I’ll have to remember to show it to Tom.
I find it interesting that A&W is now one of the Schweppes beverage lines coming out of Plano, Texas. Formerly known as Dr. Pepper Inc.