Did I Say That?

So this is it...

The "cultural" part of my year in a list:

• Album of the Year (in alphabetical order):
  • Acda en De Munnik - Liedjes Van Lenny
  • Ayreon - The Human Equation
  • Lisa Loeb - The Way It Really Is
  • Nightwish - Once
  • Within Temptation - The Silent Force
• Song of the Year:
  1. Lisa Loeb - Fools Like Me (The Way It Really Is)
  2. Ayreon - Day Twelve: Trauma (The Human Equation)
  3. Acda en De Munnik - Noem Me Oud Verdriet (Liedjes Van Lenny)
  4. Counting Crows and Bløf - Holiday In Spain (Holiday In Spain)
  5. Within Temptation - Angels (The Silent Force)
• The Best Songs In The History Of The World... Ever of the Year:
  1. Meat Loaf - For Crying Out Loud
  2. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
  3. Bløf - Twee Koude Handen (live unplugged)
  4. Lana Lane - Secrets Of Astrology
  5. Jim Steinman's Tanz Der Vampire - Die Unstillbare Gier
• Live Release of the Year:
  1. Meat Loaf - Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra DVD
  2. Lana Lane - Return To Japan
  3. Dream Theater - Live At Bukodan
• Live Version of the Year:
  1. Meat Loaf - For Crying Out Loud (Bat Out Of Hell Live)
  2. Erik Norlander ft. Kelly Keeling - Mariner (Stars Rain Down)
  3. Dream Theater - Hollow Years (Live At Bukodan)
• Musical Live Performances of the Year:
  1. Tanz Der Vampire, 2004-04-24, Neue Flora, Hamburg, DE
  2. Bløf en het Metropole Orkest, 2004-10-29, Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
  3. Lana Lane and Erik Norlander, 2004-09-17, Het Kasteel, Alphen a/d Rijn
  4. Cher, 2004-06-30, Ahoy', Rotterdam
• Worst Concert of the Year:
  1. Björn Again, 2004-06-30, Ahoy', Rotterdam
• Books I've Read This Year (in chronological order):
  1. Anne Rice - Interview With The Vampire
  2. Stephen King - The Dark Tower V: Wolves Of The Calla
  3. Stephen King - Insomnia
  4. William Golding - Lord Of The Flies
  5. Thea Beckman - Geef Me De Ruimte
  6. Dan Brown - The DaVinci Code
  7. Richard Curtis, et al - Blackader, The Whole Damn Dynasty (1485 - 1917)
  8. Dan Brown - Angels And Demons
  9. William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
  10. Douglas Adams - The Salmon Of The Doubt
  11. Stephen King - The Bachman Books
  12. Stephen King - The Dark Tower VI: Song Of Susannah
  13. Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet Of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy I)
  14. Stephen King - The Dark Half
  15. Stephen King - Needful Things
  16. Stephen King - Eyes Of The Dragon
  17. Stephen King - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
  18. Stephen King - Cycle Of The Werewolf
  19. Stephen King - The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
  20. From The Borderlands: Stories Of Terror And Madness
  21. Jonathan Stroud - The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy II)
  22. Stephen King - Bag Of Bones
  23. Dan Brown - Digital Fortress
  24. Ian Cadwell & Dustin Thomason - The Rule Of Four
• The Best Books I've Read This Year:
  1. Stephen King - The Dark Tower V: Wolves Of The Calla
  2. Stephen King - Bag Of Bones
  3. Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet Of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy I)
  4. Stephen King - The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
  5. Richard Curtis, et al - Blackader, The Whole Damn Dynasty (1485 - 1917)
• Things I've Discovered In 2004:
  1. That, although his books are fun to read, Dan Brown is a paint-by-number writer. I've read three of his books this year, and structurally, they're virtually identical.
  2. That, although The DaVinci Code is the most popular of mr. Brown's books, I prefer Angels And Demons by more than a few miles.
  3. That, based on the pervious points, I don't get what the hype concerning The DaVinci Code is about. I mean, if you think it's the best book, like, ever, you definatly need to read a lot more.
  4. That my shoesize isn't that extravagant after all.
  5. That when I decide that I should take a break from reading Stephen King's books back to back, I read six of them. Back to back.
  6. That Stephen King is my favorite writer this year. 11 of the 24 books I've read this year were written by hime. That must mean something I guess.
• Things I Really Want To Do In 2005:
  1. Getting higher on the ladder
  2. Read more good books

• Things I Really Did Of my "Things I Really Want To Do In 2004" List:
  1. Graduate
  2. Reading more good books

• Things I Really Want To See In 2005:
  1. Meat Loaf's "first annual final world tour" in The Netherlands
• Things I Really Saw Of My "Things I Really Want To See In 2004" List:
  1. A new album by Within Temptation
  2. Tanz Der Vampire in Hamburg
• Joke of the Year:
  1. Seriously, like, the other day, I was sitting in this bar, and then this priest, this reverend and a fuckin rabbi walk in. The barman sees them come in, and he's all like, "Say, this must be a fuckin joke, right?!"

Additions, corrections, and the rest of how much my life wasn't that exciting this year will have to wait until next year. Finish it off in style, have a good one, and I'll see ya later.

Quick update

Nothing substancial, just a quick update to check some update stuff out.

Just following orders.

Yesterday, I was told to write here something, but for the love of all that's bright and shiny, I can't remember what. So, happy everything and I'll see you later.

In case you haven't noticed...

...it's that time again. And for the last couple of years I've seriously become to dislike most of it.

Christmas.

Just don't get me started. It's not that I really mind the obligatory food-fest, since I don't mind that. Food's good. It's just that I can't stand the genuine phoniness of it. The "Oh it's Christmas so let's be nice for each other" thing. The lights, trees and all that commercial crap. That goddamn "Do They Know That All I Want For Last Christmas Time Is You (Merry Christmas Santa Baby) (PS: War Is Over)" song. All those hypocrites that suddenly feel the need to attend church. The compulsory "gezelligheid" (and you gotta be Dutch to really get that).
Well, thank you very much, but I don't need that. Can we skip it next year?

And for the people who-just like me-dispise the music, here's some suggestions:

• Spinal Tap - Christmas With The Devil
• King Diamond - No Presents For Chrismas
• South Park's Mr. Garrison - Merry Fuckin' Christmas
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra - well, anything actually

In case you haven't noticed
There's festive things to do
So let's all rejoice for Jesus
Merry Fuckin' Christmas to you

This Thursday's Thoughts

Although I know that he supposedly left last monday, this saturday I'll still be celebrating St. Nicolaas' death. And yes, when you put it that way, it sounds kinda creepy, but December 6 is not his birthday, it's the day he died.

But that's completely besides the point. Today I made a huge leap forward on the poem I'm supposed to write. And I think it might be my best one, like, ever. It's witty, sharp and on top of that - it rhymes too! After last years sonnet, the form I chose this year is the so-called Interlocked Rubaiyat, which follows the AABA BBCB CCBC ... ZZAZ pattern. Which does not mean that I'm going to write 26 Rubai. Just about as much as I need to get the point across. I might post it somewhere eventually.

And another thing, I received an actual comment on this blogthingie! From Arie, who said that there is no way for him to comment on all this, ehm, talk. Well, there is, actually. You could mail me. And if you don't want to do that, you can send some thoughts or stuff you're disagreeing with to one of my IM-adresses. MSN, ICQ, whatever. And if you don't want to that either, I have a working doorbell.
I don't have a comments functionally on this blog, and I don't think I'll be adding one anytime soon. Talk to me.

Nomination

Hereby I want to nominate this morning's action for the "Stupid Action of the Year Award".

Let me be the first to ask,

Why, for fuck's sake, did I wake up at four-thirty in the morning, take a shower, and then realise I could've slept another three hours?

Why?