Best of 2006: Blog Extravaganza!

Rather than going to a drunken, riotous party (or any party at all for that matter) I have decided to write in my blog the best things about 2006. This is partly to keep me from moping because my sister went home today, but also to hopefully start a tradition that will make me try to actually remember good things that happen to me, because at the moment I'm pulling a blank; though I know good things MUST have happened to me. My year wasn't that horrible. One particularly good thing I can recall is coming home to Gilpatrick House after my studies abroad. It seems like such a long time ago that I can barely believe it was 2006, but I know it must have been.

If there has been any good in my time at Denison during 2006, then it has predominately come from Gilpatrick and the people living there. It was the perfect place for me to come back to in order to ease slowly back into the American lifestyle. A cozy Victorian style house could almost make me believe I hadn't gone so far from my life in France. I even recall upon entering seeing a 3D puzzle model of Notre Dame chathedral, that although it was not intended to, made me feel particularly welcome. Later I would make friends with the puzzlemaker, Becky, and monopolize her window seat for the better part of the fall semester. It was in Gilpatrick that I first played Dread Pirate, the best board game ever, and found a group of peers that, like me, preferred board games and snacks to drunken revelry. A group of my fellow Gilpatrikians: Ishani, Brian, Becky, Sam, Louvie and Bethany (the only non Gilparikian but she makes a lovely cake) were also the first to ever throw me a surprise party which had to be the highlight of my summer.

Outside of Gilpatrick I have had at least one incredible experience in 2006 that I have already documented in this blog; that is finding Lucy, my childhood friend and former next door neighboor. I think this may also be the most and only truly incredible thing to happen to me this year.

I fear 2006 may have been the year of mediocrity for movies. I can only think of one that I was truly inspired to watch again and perhaps might even recommend for others. It's A Good Woman which is based on an Oscar Wilde play called "Lady Windemere's Fan." As I'm a fan of Wilde's work, particularly his satire, I could at least enjoy the story of the play. The acting of the vetran actors was also quite good. Although I felt as if Scarlett Johansson 's done better, and her acting seemed a bit flat. But maybe it's just the character that I didn't like. I don't think the innocent, somewhat whiny girl suits her personality. Anyway, there were plenty of really good characters to make up for it.



Books are far easier for me to keep track of than movies because I keep a list of every book I read, and I start a new list each year. My 2006 list has 36 books on it (12 of which are audiobooks and 2 of those audiobooks were just me listening to the last two Harry Potter books again). However, I'm proud that one of the books is a novel in French. Sure, as a French major it should be more than one, but I did mostly poetry this year.





































*Anyway, because of this list, I can also confidantly say that the best books I 've read this year are the Tiffany trilogy by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany's my hero, and I'd like to grow up to be just like her, except that she's younger than me. The first two (The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky) have an obscure vocabulary word each that Pratchett makes a joke of throughout the book. The latest (Wintersmith) doesn't continue this trick, but I still remember laughing out loud while reading it, which is mostly what I ask for in a book. The second book had a character I disliked vehemently, but you're supposed to dislike her, so I suppose that's fair. In the third book Tiffany's 13 and does subcumb to a little bit of teen angst, but she does so in admirable moderation. And you have to love the Feegles: little blue, mini-Scotsmen that live in hives and for brief shining moments can even make me believe I can speak with a Scottish accent. The Wee Free Men is actually going to be made into a film (I heard by the director of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi) and slated to come out 2008. I sincerely hope they do a good job, but of course the book will always be better.

Well, that's all for 2006 that I can dig out of my foggy ol' brain at the moment. Though, I'm personally terrified of what 2007 will bring with my imminent graduation I wish everyone else a wonderful New Year and can only hope I get by myself.