First up: books. This year, I started in 31 books, and finished 28 of them. I stole the idea of keeping track of when I read those books from Art Garfunkel.

1. Stephen King — 11/22/63 (2011-11-12—2011-12-26)
2. Joseph Campbell — The Hero with a Thousand Faces (2011-10-29—2011-12-24)
3. Mary Haley Bell — Whistle Down the Wind (2011-10-27—2011-10-28)
4. Monaldi & Sorti — Versluiering (2011-10-19—2011-10-24)
5. J.R.R. Tolkien — The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (2011-10-05—2011-10-18)
6. J.D. Salinger — The Cather in the Rye (2011-09-24—2011-10-04)
7. Kevin J. Anderson — The Key to Creation (Book Three of Terra Incognita) (2011-09-09—2011-09-23)
8. Jonathan Friesen — Rush (2011-09-05—2011-09-08)
9. Mitchel Scanlon — Fifteen Hours 2011-08-29—2011-09-05)
10. Penn Jillette — God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales (2011-08-25—2011-10-07)
11. Gerard Reve — De avonden (2011-08-07—2011-08-29)
12. Joe Hill — Horns (2011-08-01—2011-08-11)
13. Jordan Sonnenblick — Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie (2011-07-30)
14. Michael Scott — The Warlock (Book Five of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) (2011-07-25—201-07-29)
15. Carlos Ruiz Zafón — The Prince of Mist (2011-07-13—2011-07-22)
16. Neil Gaiman — Anansi Boys (2011-07-05—2011-07-11)
17. Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (2011-06-04—2011-07-05)
18. F. Scott Fitzgerald — The Great Gatsby (2011-05-27—2011-06-03)
19. Neil Gaiman — Neverwhere (2011-05-16—2011-05-26)
20. Aldous Huxley — Brave New World (2011-04-17—2011-05-15)
21. Jeffery Eugenides — The Virgin Suicides (2011-04-09—2011-04-17)
22. Niels Aalbers — Doorbraak! Zero Budget Marketing op internet (2011-03-20)
23. Justin Cronin — The Passage (2011-03-18—2011-04-09)
24. Nescio — De uitvreter / Titaantjes / Dichtertje / Mene tekel (2011-02-28—2011-03-17)
25. Terry Pratchett — The Witches Trilogy (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad) (2011-02-11—2011-08-07)
26. Gibson, William — Neuromancer (2011-02-07—2011-02-28)
27. John Green and David Levithan — Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2011-02-01—2011-02-11)
28. H.P. Lovecraft — Against Religion: The Atheist Writings of H.P. Lovecraft (2010-12-29—2011-02-05)

Currently, I'm still reading two of the other three (Christopher Paolini's Inheritance and Anne Frank's Diary), and I'll pick up Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes again when there isn't a brick of book waiting to be read. Plus, I already read that one in Dutch, so I'm in no hurry.

The books I would recommend are Horns by Joe Hill, 22/11/63 by Stephen King, either of the Neil Gaiman novels. Feel free to skip the Monaldi & Sorti one.

On to music then. According to my Last.fm profile, these are the artists I played most:

1. Meat Loaf (282)
2. Bløf (255)
3. Daniël Lohues (232)
4. Dream Theater (216)
5. Solo (175)
6. Bruce Springsteen (168)
7. Within Temptation (122)
8. Boudewijn de Groot (119)
9. Jim Steinman (109)
10. Acda en de Munnik (108)

The top four all released new albums this year, and apart from the first one, they're all quite good. In March I 'discovered' Michiel Flamman's work, which explains Solo. In fact, if I would add the plays for Flamman's solo record, he'd be in second place. Boudewijn de Groot probably should have been higher, 'cause apparently, I didn't quite make it to the end of the box set with all his albums yet.

But speaking of new albums, my favorites:

1. Bløf — Alles blijft anders One hell of a record. It's loaded with songs with big, strong hooks. It's hard to pick a best track, but I'd probably go for either Wachten op de dag or Hou vol hou vast.
2. Daniël Lohues — Hout moet After doing four albums completely by himself, Lohues asked two friends to play along. The songs are as good as ever, but just a tad more uptempo, like the first single, Prachtig mooie dag.
3. Dream Theater — A Dramatic Turn of Events The first album with Mike Mangini, after Mike Portnoy left the band. As a result, it's less metal and more prog. There are no real stand-out songs, it's all good, and I'm quite looking forward to their show in Zwolle.
4. Eefje de Visser — De koek Singer-songwriter with electropoppy touches. Afdwaalt is fun.
5. Within Temptation — The Unforgiving The two preceding albums didn't really stick. This one does. Catchy pop songs with a heavy edge. Even some you can dance to.

Honourable mentions go to Symphony X (Iconoclast), Opeth (Herritage), Lorrainville (You May Never Know What Happiness Is) and Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony. If I would make a list of my favorite old albums that were new for me this year, I'd probably include James Taylor's Greatest Hits, J Perkin's Exhibit (especially part A is gorgeous) and all Solo albums.

This year, I saw 36 shows on stage. I think that's a new record. First, the musical acts I saw:

1. 2011-12-21 — BLØF + Ed Struijlaart, Paradiso, Amsterdam
2. 2011-12-18 — Charlie Dée, Stadsschouwburg (kleine zaal), Almere
3. 2011-12-12 — Lorrainville, Hedon, Zwolle
4. 2011-11-18 — Hanson + Meiko, Paradiso, Amsterdam
5. 2011-10-28/29 — "Vampyyrien Tanssi", Seinäjoki Kaupungingteatteri, Seinäjoki, Finland
6. 2011-10-21 — Dotan + Anneke van Giersbergen, Tom Pintens & Krause, De Kelder, Amersfoort
7. 2011-10-09 — Eefje de Visser + Laura Arkana, Hedon, Zwolle
8. 2011-10-01 — mr. a balladeer, "Save Your Drama for Your Mama", Stadstheater, Zoetermeer
9. 2011-09-30 — Brooke Fraser + Cary Brothers, People's Place, Amsterdam
10. 2011-07-21 — De Parade: Het Monica da Silva Trio + Hade, "Part One", Moreelsepark, Utrecht
11. 2011-07-19 — Orkest van het Oosten, Consensus Vocalis, Jan Willem de Vriend (conductor), Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano), Annemarie Kremer (soprano), Wilke te Brummelstroete (alto), Marcel Reijans (tenor) and Geert Smits (bass), Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, KV. 453
    • Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
12. 2011-06-11 — Torenpop: Memphis Maniacs + Dazzled Kid + Handsome Poets, Eemplein, Amersfoort
13. 2011-06-05 — Singer/Songwriter Sunday: Rachel Louise + Yori Swart, Podium-cafe De Vorstin, Hilversum
14. 2011-06-02 — Neal Morse, Hedon, Zwolle
15. 2011-05-27 — Rush, Ahoy', Rotterdam
16. 2011-04-24 — mr. a balladeer (lunchconcert), Stadsschouwburg, Utrecht
17. 2011-04-16 — Cortez, Velvet Amersfoort (instore Record Store Day)
18. 2011-04-13 — Acda en De Munnik, "Ode II", Carré, Amsterdam
19. 2011-03-31 — Het Monica da Silva Trio, De Lieve Vrouw, Amersfoort
20. 2011-03-28 — Solo, "This is Solo", Theater Kikker, Utrecht
21. 2011-03-26 — Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Beethoven's Last Night", Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
22. 2011-03-16 — Devin Townsend Project, Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht
23. 2011-03-12 — The Steel Breeze (Pink Floyd tribute), De Schuur, Hoogmade
24. 2011-03-09 — "We Will Rock You" De originele musical van Queen en Ben Elton, Beatrix Theater, Utrecht
25. 2011-03-05 — Daniël Lohues, "Hout moet", Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
26. 2011-02-28 — BLØF + Handsome Poets, Paradiso, Amsterdam
27. 2011-01-26 — Charlie Dée, "A Tribute To Joni Mitchell", De Vorstin, Hilversum

Not a bad show between them. The most memorable were Hanson (pure entertainment and joy), Solo (I went in completely blank, and halfway through the show I wondered why I hadn't listened to them before), Beethoven's Ninth (the melody of the choral part wouldn't exit my mind for a month), Charlie Dée in Almere (very, very intimate) and the Finnish Dance of the Vampires.

The other half of the list contains the comedy and plays.

1. 2011-12-30 — Dolf Jansen, "Als ik het niet do doet niemand het", De Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
2. 2011-12-19 — Het Nationaal Toneel, "Midzomernachtsdroom", Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam
3. 2011-11-22 — Lebbis, "Branding", De Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
4. 2011-11-05 — Brigitte Kaandorp, "Cabaret voor beginners", De Flint, Amersfoort
5. 2011-08-16 — Orkater, "Richard III", Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam
6. 2011-07-21 — De Parade: De Elite, "Once Upon a Time in La Mancha" + Rob en Emiel, "Close Up!", Moreelsepark, Utrecht
7. 2011-05-14 — Claudia de Breij, "Hete vrede", De Flint, Amersfoort
8. 2011-02-10 — Brigitte Kaandorp, "Cabaret voor beginners" (try-out), Theater Harderwijk
9. 2011-01-03 — Zuidpool, "Lucifer", Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam

For the first time I kept a list of museums I've visited, and I've seen quite a lot of great art, including Wim T. Schippers' Pindakaasvloer.

• Kunsthal, Rotterdam (2011-01-28, exhibits on Edvard Munch, Wim Oepts and a photoseries on Voodooby Gaël Turine)
• Palacio Real de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (2011-04-07)
• Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, Madrid, Spain (2011-04-07)
• Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain (2011-04-08, temporary exhibits: Chardin, The Young Ribera, Nero and Seneca)
• El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain (2011-04-08, temporary exhibit: Heroines)
• Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid, Spain (2011-04-09)
• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2011-05-15)
• Kunsthal KadE, Amersfoort (2011-12-01, Märklinworld exhibit)

Despite a week in Spain, short trips to Germany and Finland and a week of doing nothing at home, I still managed not to spend all my vacation time. Oh, well, there's always next year. In 2011, I spend at least one night in the following places, and on multiple occasions in those marked with a *.

• Amersfoort *
• Noorden *
• Barcelona, Spain
• Madrid, Spain
• Berg en Terblijt
• Emmerich am Rhein, Germany
• Den Haag
• Helsinki, Finland *
• Seinäjoki, Finland

If you're reading this, there's a good chance that you know of my List of 100 Things. Here's a roundup of the items I crossed of this year:

• #6: Climb the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren in Amersfoort.
• #15. I did not shave at all for at least a month.
• #67. Books I've read from my list of 40 booksto read before my 40th birthday: Neuromancer, De uitvreter / Titaantjes, Brave New World, The Great Gatsby, De avonden, The Catcher in the Rye, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
• #73: See a play by Shakespeare (Richard III, Midsummernight's Dream)
• #74: See Beethoven's Ninth in concert.
• #88: Museums visited in Amersfoort: Kunsthal KadE
• #94: Visit the Prado in Madrid, Spain.

So, uhm, anything else? Oh, yes: mind your fingers and see you on the other side.

1. Dream Theater (77 plays)
2. Bløf (67)
3. Meat Loaf (51)
4. Eefje de Visser (42)
5. Daniël Lohues (41)
6. Claudia de Breij (39)
7. Porcupine Tree (37)
   Solo
   Roosbeef
10. Within Temptation (33)

Dream Theater has a new album out, A Dramatic Turn of Events, their first after the departure of Mike Portnoy. It's a pretty solid album, and they'll be playing in Zwolle on February 1st, 2012, and I'll be there.

One of my colleagues made me check out Eefje de Visser. She sings electro-pop songs in Dutch, and does so quite nicely. She's playing in Zwolle next week. And guess what, I'll be there too.

Finally, Roosbeef got a new album out too. It's called Omdat ik dat wil and you should check out the first single Twijfelaar. They'll be playing in Zwolle in three weeks time, but I kinda sorta have other plans.

1. Daniël Lohues (134 plays)
2. Bløf (104)
3. After Forever (84)
4. Simon & Garfunkel (80)
5. Meat Loaf (61)
6. Evergrey (60)
7. Within Temptation (59)
8. Dio (55)
9. Rush (54)
10. Claudia de Breij (48)

Daniël Lohues, Bløf, Evergrey and Within Temptation all released a new album, and the first two are my favorites of the year so far. Also, Last.fm only tracks what songs I play at home, on my PC. If it would also track what I play elsewhere, Bløf would have won this by a landslide. Filling up your mp3-player with just their music will do that. (If you wonder why I keep posting these stats when I know they're not very accurate or complete, all I can say is: that's a valid question. I don't have much of an explanation beyond 'I like lists and stats.' Sorry. Deal with it.)

Anyway: the first twelve songs on the list of most played songs are not entirely surprisingly the twelve tracks found on Daniël Lohues' Hout moet album, with six plays. The new tracks from mr. a balladeer's Aside ep follow with four plays.

1. Dio (101)
2. Bruce Springsteen (96)
3. Star One (73)
4. Dans der Vampieren (68)
5. Heart (65)
6. Acda en De Munnik (59)
7. Daniël Lohues (56)
8. Porcupine Tree (50)
9. Meat Loaf (47)
10. Skik (43)

And while I know it must be getting boring, there's no list for the most played tracks. First place is a 22-way tie between the tracks of Star One's Victims of the Modern Age, those of Meat Loaf's If I Can't Have You EP, and a couple of songs from Dans der Vampieren.

Yesterday I also noted that these lists don't include anything I play on my mp3-player. If they did, some things would have been radically different. For example: one time I loaded it with every project Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Stream of Passion, etc.) released. Another time I put as much of Bruce Springsteen's discography as would fit on it. If those songs were scobbled—that's what submitting your plays to Last.fm is called—well... those charts wouldn't be quite the same. But as long as I don't have an mp3-player that supports scobbling it's a moot point.

The List of Favorite New Albums of the Year

1. mr. a balladeer — Sorry, Kid.
   (No contest. Absolutely gorgeous.)
2. Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One — Victims of the Modern Age
   (Although I've heard it all before, this is one damn fine, near-perfect album.)
3. Daniël Lohues — Allennig IV
   (Again, a very fine collection of songs.)
4. James Labrie — Static Impulse
5. Apocalyptica — 7th Symphony
6. Lunatic Soul — Lunatic Soul II
7. Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique — Live in Europe
8. Charlie Dée — Husbands and Wives
9. Jon Oliva's Pain — Festival
10. Meat Loaf — Hang Cool Teddy Bear

(honourable mentions: Maiden United — Mind the Acoustic Pieces, Spock's Beard — X, Hanson — Shout It Out)

The List of Favorite Songs of the Year

1. mr. a balladeer — What the World Needs Now Is a Killer Storm
   
2. Jon Oliva's Pain — Living on the Edge (ogg vorbis, ~7MB, right click & save as…)
3. Dio — All the Fools Sailed Away (YouTube)
4. Prince — Gold (YouTube)
5. Meat Loaf — Prize Fight Lover (official download)

Best New Version of an Old Songs

• Anne Van Opstal & Hans Peter Janssens — Totale Duisternis
  (ogg vorbis, ~7MB, right click & save as…)
  (It's probably just me, but "Total Eclipse of the Heart" never gets old.)

Most Ill-adviced Song from an Aging Rocker

• Meat Loaf — California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl)
  (ogg vorbis, ~7MB, right click & save as…)
  (Sure, the lyrics are dumb as a doorknob, but hey, it's tons of fun.)

Reissue of the Year

1. Bruce Springsteen — The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story
   (This is how high the bar now lies.)

The List of Favorite Albums I Discovered This Year

• King Crimson — The Court of the Crimson King
• Claudia de Breij - Samen wakker worden, ergens heen, lekker eten en weer slapen
• Air — The Virgin Suicides

The List of Performances I've Seen in 2010

• 2010-12-29 — Dolf Jansen "Oudejaars 2010" with mr. a balladeer, De Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
• 2010-12-16 — The Serious Collectors, Zwolle
• 2010-11-23 — Wende, Nieuwe Luxor, Rotterdam
• 2010-11-18 — Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique + Yori Swart, De Vorstin, Hilversum
• 2010-11-06 — I am Oak, Velvet Amersfoort (in-store)
• 2010-11-05 — mr. a balladeer, Camping de Freek, Hoogmade
• 2010-10-29 — Delain, Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht
• 2010-10-22 — Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique + Bart van der Lee, Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht
• 2010-10-15 — Jon Oliva's Pain (DVD shoot), 013, Tilburg
• 2010-10-03 — mr. a balladeer, Hilversum (living room concert in the attic)
• 2010-09-18/19 — "Dans der Vampieren", Stadsschouwburg, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2010-09-10 — Slagerij van Kampen, private performance, Driebergen
• 2010-08-18 — Wende (DVD shoot), Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht
• 2010-07-24 — Ricciotti Ensemble, "Pinocchio in Love", Belgenmonument, Amersfoort (Theaterterras)
• 2010-06-30 — Devin Townsend Project + Anneke van Giersbergen, Dynamo, Eindhoven
• 2010-06-12 — "Misery, een 'Feel Bad' musical" (showcase), Het Werkteater, Amsterdam
• 2010-05-29 — Wende, "Chaos", Koningklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
• 2010-05-07 — Mika, Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
• 2010-04-17 — Anne Soldaat & Maurits Westerik (GEM) + Blaudzun, Velvet Amersfoort (record store day)
• 2010-04-02 — mr. a balladeer + TUDUDUH, Amsterdam (living room concert)
• 2010-03-29 — Acda en De Munnik, "Ode", Beatrix Theater, Utrecht
• 2010-03-28 — Daniël Lohues, "Allennig IV", Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
• 2010-03-05/06 — Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's "Whistle Down the Wind", The Mayflower, Southampton, UK
• 2010–02–13 — a balladeer, "Bye Bye Now, Bambi Woods", Theater Castellum, Alphen aan de Rijn
• 2010-02-09 — Acda en De Munnik + Metropole Orkest, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
• 2010-01-26 — BLØF (acoustic), Beatrix Theater, Utrecht

The List of Concerts I Didn't See Even Though I Had a Tickets

• 2010-11-19 — Wende, Stadsschouwburg, Utrecht
  (Due to a fire in Utrecht there were no trains going in or out.)
• 2010-12-10 — Brigitte Kaandorp, "Op naar De Kuip!", Tivoli, Utrecht
  (A few days earlier I broke a rib. Going wouldn't have been smart.)

Favorite Gigs of the Year

1. 2010-11-18 — Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique + Yori Swart, De Vorstin, Hilversum
2. 2010-08-18 — Wende (DVD shoot), Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht
3. 2010-03-05 — Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's "Whistle Down the Wind", The Mayflower, Southampton, UK
4. 2010-10-03 — mr. a balladeer, Hilversum (living room concert in the attic)
5. 2010-09-19 — "Dans der Vampieren", Stadsschouwburg, Antwerp, Belgium

(Honourable mentions: all other living room concerts by mr. a balladeer and the a balladeer gig, Anneke in Utrecht, Devin Townsend for the intensity, and Mika for the fun.)

The List of Artist I Listened to the Most According To Last.fm

1. Meat Loaf (336)
2. Bløf (283)
3. Porcupine Tree (276)
4. Bruce Springsteen (275)
5. Daniël Lohues (260)
6. Dio (237)
7. Melissa Etheridge (236)
8. mr. a balladeer (222)
9. Acda en De Munnik (214)
10. a balladeer (180)

(This list does not include what I played on my mp3-player while travelling. And yes, that makes this list pretty pointless.)

The List of Books I've Finished in 2010 (in reverse chronological order)

• Ron Currie — God is Dead
• John Green / Maureen Johnson / Lauren Myracle — Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances
• Jonathan Stroud — Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon
• Stephen King — Full Dark, No Stars
• Strunk & White — The Elements of Style (3rd Edition)
• Isaac Asimov — Second Foundation
• Isaac Asimov — Foundation and Empire
• Kevin J. Anderson — The Map of All Things (Terra Incognita: Book Two)
• Isaac Asimov — Foundation
• Michael Scott — The Necromancer (Book Four of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
• Jonathan Stroud — The Ghost of Shadow Vale
• Guus Kuijer — Waarom kinderen wel cowboytje, maar nooit jezusje of mohammedje spelen (pamflet)
• Guus Kuijer — Hoe een klein rotgodje God vermoorder
• J.M. Barrie — Peter Pan
• Edgar Allen Poe — Spirits of the Dead: Tales and Poems
• Terry Pratchett — Mort
• Neil Gaiman — American Gods
• Stephen King — Blockade Billy
• Philip Pullman — The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
• mr. Harmen van der Wilt — Smalende godslastering verboden? Onderzoek naar de geldigheid van de argumenten voor afschaffing op het verbod op smalende godslastering
• H.P. Lovecraft — The Road to Madness: The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft
• Vladimir Nabokov — Lolita
• Rich Wilson — Lifting Shadows, The Authorized Biography of Dream Theater (revised second edition)
• Neil Gaiman (et al.) — Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman — Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
• Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine — Last Chance to See
• Eoin Colfer — And Another Thing… (Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Part Six of Three)
• Franz Kafka — Het proces
• John Green — Paper Towns
• Klaas Hendrikse — Geloven in een God die niet bestaat: Manifest van een atheïstische predikant
• Terry Pratchett — Carpe Jugulum
• A.J. Jacobs — The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

Favorite Books (Fiction)

1. J.M. Barrie — Peter Pan
2. Philip Pullman — The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
3. Ron Currie — God is Dead
4. John Green — Paper Towns
5. Jonathan Stroud — Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon

Favorite Books (Non-Fiction)

1. Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine — Last Chance to See
2. A.J. Jacobs — The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
3. Neil Gaiman (et al.) — Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The List of the Books That Were So Tedious I Didn't Bother Finishing Them

1. William H. Calvin — De rivier die tegen de berg opstroomt; Een reis naar de oorsprong van de aarde en de mens

The List of Places Where I've Spent the Night this Year

• Amersfoort
• Noorden
• Southampton, UK
• Bakkeveen
• Houten
• Antwerp, Belgium
• Tilburg

The List of Museums I've Visited This Year

• Cavalerie Museum Amersfoort (2010-01-15)
• Naturalis, Leiden (2010-01-29)

New Favorite Website of the Year

• recensiekoning.nl

Favorite Words of the Year

1. Uitfaseren
2. Crapdammit

The List of Things I Really Should Stop Saying or Do Before I'll Never Get Rid of 'Em Again

1. CTRL+SHIFT+[insert random word here]
2. De tering
3. Developing HTML for email.

The List of Things That Need to Go the Way of the Dodo

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 7 and down
2. Microsoft Outlook versions 2007 and up
3. 'Exclusive' bonus tracks with albums

Favorite Photo of the Year

• Sorry, Kid.

The List of Things of Which I Found Out That They Don't Work, Like, at All

• Horoscopes. They are crap.

That's it. For now. Website stats will follow next year, as will everything else I find worth telling. Finish off the year whatever way you like, and have a good next one.

Find a new job. Stat.
Check. On March 1st I started at wehkamp.nl, and I'm having lots of fun.

Cross off at least 6 items of my 100 things list.
Sorta kinda close enough. As you might have expected, I've been keeping a list, and this is what's on it:

• #22: Books read of my list of unfinished books: iii. Spirits of the Dead
• #50: Make a list of 40 books to read before my 40th birthday.
• #67: Books I've read from my list of 40 books to read before my 40th birthday: Der Prozess, Lolita, Peter Pan, The Elements of Style
• #69: Run Linux as primary operating system on every computer I own.
• #88: Visit all museums in Amersfoort: ii. Cavalerie Museum

One might quibble if those partially completed tasks should actually count towards this goal, but since I make up the rules as I go along, I say they do. So that's 5 out of 6, with another one nearing completion (#15), which isn't bad.

For the past 27 months I've seen at least one concert or play or something each month. Let's see if I can keep up with that schedule for another 12 months.
Check. 39 months and counting.

1. Alice Cooper (103 plays)
2. Porcupine Tree (89)
3. a balladeer (80)
4. Bruce Springsteen (72)
5. Rush (67)
6. Carole King (66)
7. Meat Loaf (65)
8. Hanson (60)
9. mr. a balladeer (51)
10. Daniël Lohues (50)

Alice Cooper wins by a landslide, but that was to be suspected after working my way through a 4 disc, 81 track box set.

1. Hans Peter Janssens & Anne Van Opstal – Totale Duisternis (9 plays)
   Hans Peter Janssens – Ontembare begeerte
3. a balladeer – Swim With Sam (8)
4. a balladeer – Sirens (6)
   a balladeer – Fortune Teller
6. Prince – Gold (5)
   Iron Maiden – El Dorado
8. Alice Cooper – Feed My Frankenstein (4)
   Meat Loaf – You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
   a balladeer – Blank
   a balladeer – Herbst
9. a balladeer – Robin II
   Daniël Lohues – Elk mens die hef zich 'n kruus te dragen (radio versie)

Those two tracks in first place are from a promotional single for Dans der Vampieren, the Belgian production of my favorite musical, which I will be seeing in two weeks.

Anyway, the list. (The books I've read are bold, those waiting to be read in italics.)

1. J.M. Barrie - Peter Pan
2. Samuel Beckett - Waiting for Godot
3. Ferdinand Bordewijk - Karakter
4. Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita
5. Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass
6. Italo Calvino - If on a Winter's Night a Traveller
7. Joseph Campbell - The Hero wth a Thousand Faces
8. Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote
9. Hugo Claus - Het verdriet van België
10. Erich von Däniken - Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past
11. Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo
12. Mark Dunn - Ibid: A Life
13. Erasmus - Lof der Zotheid
14. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
15. Anne Frank - Het Achterhuis
16. Jostein Gaarder - Sophie's World
17. William Gibson - Neuromancer
18. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - Die Leiden des jungen Werthers
19. Brothers Grimm - Fairytales
20. Joseph Heller - Catch-22
21. W.F. Hermans - De donkere kamer van Damokles
22. Homerus - Iliad / Odyssey
23. Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
24. Franz Kafka - Der Prozess
25. Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book
26. H.D. Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover
27. Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
28. Herman Melville - Moby Dick
29. John Milton - Paradise Lost
30. Alan Moore / David Lloyd - V for Vendetta
31. Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
32. Nescio - De uitvreter / Titaantjes
33. Gerard Reve - De avonden
34. J.D. Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye
35. Bram Stoker - Dracula
36. Strunk & White - The Elements of Style
37. Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer / The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
38. Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five
39. Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
40. Marion Zimmer Bradley - The Mists of Avalon

And in case you're wondering why, I made this list just because I can. I read a lot anyway, so I might as well make it a little bit challenging by adding some some classics and books that are (at least slightly) outside of my comfort zone to the mix. Also, I was way too late to make a list of 30 books to read before I turned 30.

Eventually, I'll either integrate this list in my 100 Things list, or put it on a separate page. Until then, I'll keep crossing off those books I've read here.b

1. Daniël Lohues (136)
2. Bløf (110)
3. mr. a balladeer (106)
4. Melissa Etheridge (97)
5. Acda en De Munnik (93)
6. Van Dik Hout (89)
7. Savatage (83)
8. Bruce Dickinson (73)
9. Meat Loaf (70)
10. Wende (65)
11. Bruce Springsteen (64)
12. Porcupine Tree (62)
13. Simon & Garfunkel (61)
14. a balladeer (60)
15. Bon Jovi (59)
    Metallica (59)
17. Arid (54)
18. Trans-Siberian Orchestra (49)
19. Clint Mansell (48)
    Dio (48)

Somehow, I'm not at all surprised. For some time know I noticed my preferences shifting towards the more mellow, wussy music. With an occasional barrage of heavy shit, of course.

Making a list of my most played songs of the last three months is a bit pointless: 9 songs in the top ten come from mr. a balladeer's excellent Sorry, Kid.—which is, so far, my album of the year. (The other song is Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique's quite enjoyable cover of Papillion.)

Music

• Album of the year
  1. Jenny Owen Youngs — Transmitter Failure
  2. Delain — April Rain
  3. Daniël Lohues — Allennig III
  4. Muse — The Resistance
  5. Wende — No. 9
• Song of the year
  1. Daniël Lohues — Geleuf allen' nog in de maone (download .ogg *)
  2. Het Monica Da Silva Trio – Philip Freriks ik ben je bitch niet (download here)
  3. Yenny Owen Youngs — Transmitter Failure (download .ogg *)
  4. Carl Sagan - Glorious Dawn (feat. Stephen Hawking) (video)
  5. Henk Westbroek en Goddess of Desire — Satanklaas (previously?)
• Cover of the year
  • Anneke van Giersbergen with Agua de Annique feat. Niels Geusebroek — What's the Reason? (Silkstone cover) (video)
  • Nailpin — Fistful of Ideals (Heideroosjes cover) (video)
  • Dream Theater — Stargazer (Rainbow cover) (video)
• Fist-pumping feel-good theme song of the year
  • Jenny Owen Youngs — Last Person (video)
  • Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique — Hey Okay (video)
  • Mika — We Are Golden (video)
• The "I don't understand why I didn't check their stuff out earlier either" department
  • Grof Geschut
  • Melissa Etheridge
  • Joni Mitchell
• Live performances (and other cultural events) I've attenended this year
  • 2009–01–21 — Wende, De Flint, Amersfoort
  • 2009–02–09 — BLØF (acoustic), Beatrix Theater, Utrecht
  • 2009–02–12 — Anneke van Giersbergen with Agua de Annique and special guests Niels Geusebroek, Marike Jager, Sharon den Adel and Kyteman, Melkweg, Amsterdam
  • 2009–02–14 — a balladeer + Charlie Dée, P60, Amstelveen
  • 2009–02–21 — Daniël Lohues, "Allennig III", Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam
  • 2009–03–25 — Acda en De Munnik, "Acda en De Munnik Spelen", De Flint, Amersfoort
  • 2009–04–10 — a balladeer + Charlie Dée, De Kelder, Amersfoort
  • 2009–04–18 — Lebbis, "Hoe laat begint het schieten?", De Flint, Amersfoort
  • 2009–05–31 — Jon Oliva's Pain + Masterstroke + Age of Evil, De Boerderij, Zoetermeer
  • 2009–06–05 — Stream of Passion + Autumn, 013 (kleine zaal), Tilburg
  • 2009–06–13 — Torenpop: De Staat + Heideroosjes, Amersfoort
  • 2009–06–27 — Krezip (afscheidsconcert) + Gem, Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
  • 2009–07–11 — Making Strange Theatre Company, "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot", The Space Upstairs at the Project Art Centre, Dublin, Ireland
  • 2009–07–12 — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  • 2009–08–07 — Wende & JeugdOrkest Nederland, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
  • 2009–08–27 — a balladeer, Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, Amersfoort
  • 2009–08–29 — Amersfoort in Vervoering: a balladeer (Marinus solo) + Markowski + Joosk, Burg. Brouwerplantsoen, Amersfoort
  • 2009–09–26 — Delain, Tivoli De Helling, Utrecht
  • 2009–10–09 — Roemer van der Steeg, "Ik ben geen kernfysicus" / Nina de la Croix, "Alles kan kapot", Theater de Lieve Vrouw, Amersfoort
  • 2009–10–30 — Van Muiswinkel & Van Vleuten, "Heren, het allerbeste!", De Flint, Amersfoort
  • 2009–11–13 — Wende, "No. 9 Clubtour", Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht
  • 2009–12–05 — Charlie Dée, "A Tribute To Joni Mitchell", Theater Bellevue (kleine zaal), Amsterdam
  • 2009–12–13 — "Tanz der Vampire", Ronacher, Vienna, Austria
  • 2009–12–23 — The Bald & The Beautiful, Velvet Amersfoort (instore)
• Concert of the year
  1. 2009–07–12 — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
     A glorious, joyous and life re-affirming celebration of rock and roll.
  2. 2009–11–13 — Wende, "No. 9 Clubtour", Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht
  3. 2009–04–10 — a balladeer + Charlie Dée, De Kelder, Amersfoort
  4. 2009–12–05 — Charlie Dée, "A Tribute To Joni Mitchell", Theater Bellevue (kleine zaal), Amsterdam
  5. 2009–12–13 — "Tanz der Vampire", Ronacher, Vienna, Austria
• Artists I listened to the most in the past 12 months, according to Last.FM
  1. Dusty Springfield
  2. Bløf
  3. Bruce Springsteen
  4. Daniël Lohues
  5. Acda en De Munnik
  6. Meat Loaf
  7. Dream Theater
  8. Charlie Dée
  9. a balladeer
  10. (tie) Porcupine Tree
  11. (tie) Rush
• Tracks I listened to the most in the past 12 months, according to Last.FM
  1. Daniël Lohues – Geleuf allen' nog in de maone (17×)
  2. (tie) Charlie Dée – Big Yellow Taxi (14×)
  3. (tie) Charlie Dée – A Case Of You
  4. (tie) Carole King – It's Too Late
  5. (tie) Roosbeef – Te Heet Gewassen
  6. (tie) Charlie Dée – Little Green (13×)
  7. (tie) Jenny Owen Youngs – Led to the Sea
  8. (tie) Roosbeef – Onder Invloed
  9. Bruce Springsteen – The Wrestler (12×)
  10. (tie) Bløf – Vandaag (11×)
  11. (tie) Dream Theater – A Rite of Passage
  12. (tie) Melissa Etheridge – Like The Way I Do
  13. (tie) Grof Geschut – Moe
  14. (tie) Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream

Literature

• Books I've read this year (in reversed chronological order)
  • John Green — Looking for Alaska
  • Stephen King — Under the Dome
  • Terry Pratchett — Nation
  • There's Probably No God: The Atheist's Guide to Christmas (edited by Ariane Sherine)
  • Richard Dawkins — The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
  • Stephen King — Carrie
  • Kluun — God is gek: De dictatuur van het atheïsme
  • Michael Scott — The Sorceress (Book Three of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
  • Kevin J. Anderson — The Edge of the World (Book One of Terra Incognita)
  • John Green — An Abundance of Katherines
  • Terry Pratchett — Pyramids
  • Carlos Ruiz Zafón — El Juego del Àngel (in English: The Angel's Game)
  • Stephen King — Misery
  • Jonathan Stroud — Heroes of the Valley
  • Warren Zanes — Dusty in Memphis
  • Jonathan Stroud — The Leap
  • Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures From the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Edited by Ted Thompson, with Eli Horowitz)
  • Guus Kuijer — Het doden van een mens
  • Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves — InterWorld
  • H.P. Lovecraft — Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft
  • Mary Shelley — Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus
  • Daniël Lohues— Zes jaar vrijdagmiddag (columns)
  • Terry Pratchett — Equal Rites
  • Stephen King — Just After Sunset (Stories)
  • Neil Gaiman — Odd and the Frost Giants
  • Bas Haring — Kaas & de evolutietheorie
  • Charles Darwin — On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
  • Michael Scott — The Magician (Book Two of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
  • Neil Gaiman — Fragile Things
  • J.K. Rowling — The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Favorite books of the year
  1. Stephen King — Under the Dome
  2. Jonathan Stroud — Heroes of the Valley
  3. Terry Pratchett — Nation
  4. John Green — An Abundance of Katherines
  5. H.P. Lovecraft — Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft
• Favorite non-fiction book of the year
  • Bas Haring — Kaas & de evolutietheorie
• The "This was the first and last time I read anything by this asshat" award
  • Kluun — God is gek: De dictatuur van het atheïsme

Odds and ends

• Favorite website of the year
  • xkcd.com
• Favorite word of the year
  • Godverkutjes
• Least favorite word of the year
  • Ontvrienden
• Places I've spent the night this year
  • Amersfoort
  • Noorden
  • Antwerp, Belgium
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Reutum
  • Sinderen
  • Vienna, Austria
• Reasons why, this year too, tall people rule harder than the short ones
  • It's genetic.
• Things I got a bit wound up about this year
  • Religious idiotery. Which includes Lying for the Lord™, religious figureheads acting like crybabies, discrimination because the supposedly holy book mandates it, condoning the rape of children, etc.
  • Geert Wilders, his single issue and complete lack of constructive ideas.
  • Internet Explorer
• Things that, as fas as I'm concerned, may go extinct in 2010
  • Kamervragen
  • De Wereld Draait Door
  • Internet Explorer
• Best photo I took this year
  • Prikkeldraad
• Things I'm planing to do in 2010
  • Find a new job. Stat.
  • Cross off at least 6 items of my 100 things list.
  • For the past 27 months I've seen at least one concert or play or something each month. Let's see if I can keep up with that schedule for another 12 months.
  • And still: don't mess with perfection.

* You should be able to play Ogg Vorbis files in any decent media player like Foobar2000, Winamp or VLC.