500!!!!

I JUST FINISHED MY 500th BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!

John's gonna buy me a cupcake to celebrate.

No novels or traditional fiction made 5 stars this year. I am a non-fiction lady. Quite a few made 4 or 3 stars though including the Tunnels and Hunger Games series', and some short story compilations like Machine of Death.

I read many books on architecture and history, exploration and cooking, art and fashion and design. Many many books on home remodeling and design. Many graphic novels.
More than half were written by women.

I wished I hadn't started Sweep, it's not worth the energy.
I was very disappointed by Midnighters by Scott Westerfeld, The Death of Bunny Monroe by Nick Cave, The Best American Comics 2009, The Field Guide to Cookies, and almost all of the books about Slow Cookers.


Some Favorite Books of 2010 in no particular order:
Best Ugly: Restaurant Concepts and Architecture by Avroko
Extreme Hotels by Krols, Birgit
Ghostopolis by TenNapel, Doug
Wary Meyers' Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs
XS Future: New Ideas, Small Structures by Richardson, Phyllis
Delilah Dirk and The Treasure of Constantinople by Cliff, Tony tony_cliff
What on Earth Evolved?: 100 Species That Changed the World by Lloyd, Christopher

The whole list of books read this year is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/654803-manintheboat?shelf=2010

Upstairs Bathroom Art

I'm working on 4, maybe 5 pieces of art for the upstairs bathroom. This is my first set on tile. Embracing the scab-colored tiles and grout, I'm working in light orange and dark red with a little bit of yellow. I've finished 2 and they are really strange. Nothing like I've done before.
I've always pushed aside the description of my art as collage, even though by definition that is what I do, because collage sounds so unstructured and undeveloped, whereas my art adheres to a strict form. This set is so collage. Photos tomorrow.

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I baked Sun Dried Tomato Bread. Yeast, honey, milk, sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato oil, salt, whole wheat flour, white flour.

I had some bell peppers and a pineapple, but didn't want to make Thai. I settled for Sweet and Sour Chicken and it was quite nice. I included baby corn. http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sweet-and-sour-chicken-iii/Detail.aspx

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We found some splendid manhole covers at the steel yard but the rule of the house is, "If you can't lift it, you can't have it."
The older Pointer is getting older. I don't think he peed on the car tires this time.

Best Music I found in 2010

My other resolution last year was to Find New Music. I didn't get to see many shows per employment issues, but I kept a Twitter specifically for tracking music (and animation).
These were my favorites:

I Say Fever by Ramona Falls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0ohgZFVqc
(if you click on nothing else, watch this one, turn it up loud)

Marching Song by Esben and the Witch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP0Nv_ivTaw

October by Broken Bells (click interact) http://www.brokenbells.com/october/journeys/

Many Moons by Janelle Monae http://youtu.be/LHgbzNHVg0c

Matmos and So Percussion play the cactus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee4wCvEGZF8&feature=player_embedded

Le Chat Noir
http://lechatnoir.bandcamp.com/album/deadwood

Weapons VII by Son Lux http://vimeo.com/12614728

Ólafur Arnalds - Hægt, kemur ljósið http://youtu.be/QY4NZuOFebU

Hit 'em up style by the Carolina Chocolate Drops http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKTXJUYiAT4

Ghost and the Witness by Earl Greyhound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIzuHSw-Bs4&feature=related

Rabbit Habits by Man Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHuUpA6YUwA (go listen to a bunch of Man Man while you are at it).

Chris Garneau- Dirty Night Clowns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ewhQg5zvX4

Sixteen by The Heavy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfB_sT3mHHo

Gay for Johnny Depp- Shh, Put the Shiv to My Throat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrlkKIxynCw

(and to end on the saddest song and I can't believe I'm jumping from Gay for Johny Depp to The Antlers but there you go)
Kettering by The Antlers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLm2gInV4A

That was my 2010.
No What What in the Butt.

wait wait.. ONE MORE
16th & Valencia Roxy Music- Devendra Banhart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOIpoJZcbgI