Pithy Title Here

If you cannot tell, I really struggled with this one this year. Time was the primary factor. As evidenced by my complete inability to hit double digits on blog posts this year. And this particular entry writes itself in good years. And that's factor 2 - This was not 2009 when the world was bursting with amazing music. Nor was it even last year, which wasn't the be-all-end-all of groundbreaking music, but there were some albums that were really just on the floor amazing. That's not to say there wasn't some good stuff out there this year. I'm just not sure there was anything transcendent. Also, I'm going to skip the honorable mentions entirely as, on reflection, they weren't really in the running for my top 10 (Apologies to The Ting Tings, who came the closest). Also, as always, this list is subject to what I managed to hear. I seek out a lot of new music, but then end-of-year lists come out and I see I missed some things. Japandroids and Kendrick Lamar

I have been awful at blogging this year, a side effect of a lot of travel and a busy life at home. I'm sure all six of you readers have been suffering in absence of material. :-) Some posts write themselves, though. This is one. In 2007, weary of the same holiday music being played every-freaking-where, I tossed together a few songs that made the holiday season a bit more listenable. With a nod to the irreverent, I strung together songs from The Dandy Warhols, Save Ferris, Blink-182 and more. Really, it was just a fun thing to have and share with a few friends. Since then, it's become something of an annual rite, though, I have to admit, there is a finite number of Christmas and Hanukkah songs by indie-type bands and a smaller number yet that I think people might want to hear more than once. Still, that number included 11 for this year. I don't think this year's mix hits the lofty heights of last year's mix , but it's still a good set. As always, the songs

When I get in my car, I am doing (statistically) the most dangerous thing I will do all day. Most Americans have a car. Even if freeways are clear, it's rare to take a drive without seeing someone drive in a dangerous way. And when mistakes happen at 70 MPH, they can happen with grisly results. Perhaps, because of just how much we drive as a country, we have become numb to horrific accidents. A fiery pileup on the interstate is fodder for traffic reports and the local news chopper. We hear about the wreck, we change our driving route and go about our days. We don't dwell on it. We accept that if we want to drive, there are risks. There are drunk drivers. There are conditions we cannot control. We accept the dangers of driving as a necessary evil and we accept some regulation and enforcement of safe driving practices. In other words: we are accountable. There are dangers, we know them, we may try to prevent them, but we know the consequences of the car culture we have create

More than a few things have been afoot in the three months since this blog was updated. Shame on me, I suppose. The sad part: it hasn't been from lack of topics. From rants to travel to travel rants and whatnot, I'm often hit with ideas. I should make a note to write them down (which, incidentally, jotting such a reminder would require I have some sort of habit of writing these sorts of things down anyhow). All I've been up to is working like crazy, traveling a bunch (including to Prague) and moving from a downtown apartment to a lovely craftsman-style house in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. One thing this has changed is my commute. No longer do I walk out the front door, hang two rights and, voila, end up at work. Instead, I am among the masses riding the bus into town. I will always love the time I got to walk to work. But I forgot how much I enjoy mass transit.

I have a lot of opinions on ratings-dependent 24-hour news channels. It's an election year and you'll be able to read any number of blog posts about how one network or another is biased toward the left or right. This post isn't one of them. At least there are several 24-hour news channels. In sports, it took the launch of NBC Sports Network (the converted Vs.) in January to provide the latest alternative to ESPN. I say alternative here because it really wouldn't be accurate to say "competitor." ESPN is not a cable network anymore. It is a brand name (it licenses lord knows how many products, a smart business move that probably rakes in millions every fiscal quarter). It's branding was so strong it was enough to eliminate ABC Sports in favor of ESPN on ABC. The Sportscenter theme is probably more recognizable to the population than any Bon Iver song. You cannot compete with ESPN. But, if you're a sports fan, at least one that doesn't focus on

This week, I am heading to Vegas for the 5th Annual Social Media Conference put on by Ragan Communications. This will be my third trip to this event. I keep going because social media is evolving so quickly. There is always something new to learn. I also like this event because, on two previous trips, there were few pat-yourself-on-the-back presentations. Not a lot of "look how good we are at social media." Instead, it has tended to turn into a forum... lots of discussion that turns out to be constructive. A lot of people realizing that while many have established best practices, we all still have a lot to learn from one another. Since last year's event, we've seen the launch of Google+. We've also seen Pintrest come out of nowhere and, seemingly, take all the buzz G+ hoped for. And this little thing called Timeline launched from Facebook. While I am sure the discussion will hit on all of these, the topic I am hoping to bring up - either in a session when it&

Wherever you live, you're likely used to the stereotypical questions that come from others upon hearing where you live. Live in Atlanta? "How about that heat?" Maine? "How's the lobstah?" Denver? "Do you ski?" Seattle, comes with more than a few stereotypes. The first question after "So, you don't mind the rain?" is usually, "Gee, but you guys have some great coffee, huh?" Stereotypes are rooted in truth. It cannot be disputed that it rains here with some frequency. But stereotypes are also oversimplifications, so it won't surprise you to hear that while it rains, you rarely need an umbrella. Similarly, the coffee stereotype is something that amuses me to no end. I find it hard to believe Seattle is any more caffeine-addled than other U.S. cities. And while there may be a coffee shop on every corner, it's not so dissimilar to New York, Chicago or any other major city when it's usually a Starbucks on every b