I Miss Surfing

The post’s title makes me sound way cooler than I am or ever will be. No, this is not going to be a post bemoaning when I had to move from California beaches and give up my burgeoning career as a teen pro surfer. I’ve never lived in California, never been on a surfboard, and never been called Gidget.

What I miss is surfing television channels. I dropped cable television in 2011. It was the right choice at the time and, for the most part, still is.

It’s sad though because I remember flipping through the channels back in my cable days or scanning the onscreen guide and laughing in delight when I spotted one of my surf-stopping movies.

We all have them. Something that when you come across it, you stop what you’re doing and watch the rest of the movie, no matter how much of the movie is left.

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

Following up on Wednesday’s post, I wanted to let you in on the books and movies that I truly, deeply regret finishing—nay, I regret starting them in the first place, and I regret not abandoning them.

Let my list of 5 serve as a warning for you. Avoid these pieces of so-called entertainment. And don’t feel forced to finish something that’s utter crap.

2012’s Top Books and Movies

The start of the new year means another annual Small Pond feature: a look at my favorite books and movies from the previous year.

As always, we start with numbers. 2012 saw new highs for both books read (96) and movies seen (43). June and December tied for most books read, with each at 13. December was my movie-watching month at 11 movies.

In no particular order, here’s what I liked last year. Check out the links and think about adding these books and movies to your 2013 to-read and to-watch lists.

84th Academy Award Nominations

In spite of having watched 31 movies last year, I didn’t see very many on their first release so it’s hard to work up excitement for this year’s Oscars. And unless ABC runs the ceremony live on its website, I won’t be watching it either. This is what happens when you decide to save money by cancelling cable/satellite television. Oops.

I may make a slight attempt to get to the theaters to see some of the nominated films and performances. I’d like to see War Horse at any rate. Nothing else has jumped out at me as a must-see in the theater. If you’ve seen any of the nominees and consider the theater experience critical to appreciating the movie, let me know in the comments.

Without further ado, here’s a list of some of the nominees. For other categories, check out the Oscars website.

2011’s Top Books and Movies

It’s that time again. What did I read or see this year that made an impression?

First, the stats: 73 books read and 31 movies watched. It’s a record-setting year for books, not so much for movies. July saw the highest number of books read at 17.