Jason Toney

The Big Post of Life Lists (2005): 12 after 12

"Independent (Ah ah ah ah)" - Ashford & Simpson, Stay Free

Without explanation, my favorite 12 albums of 2005:

1. Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
2. M.I.A. - Arular
3. Common - Be
4. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
5. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
6. Dangerdoom - The Mouse & The Mask
7. Kanye West - Late Registration
8. The Decemberists - Picaresque
9. Eisley - Room Noises
10. Amos Lee - Amos Lee
    
11. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
    
12. John Legend - Get Lifted

Albums that might make the cut after more thoughtful consideration: Slim Thug's Already Platinum, D'Nell's First Magic, Gilles Peterson's Brownsville Digs America, Death Cab for Cutie's Plans, The Game's The Documentary

2005 release that will probably make my 2006 list: Mary J Blige's The Breakthrough

Speaking of Brand New

There's a line (the last line of the song) that bugs me in Rhymefest's Brand New:

"Even he know 'Fest laying it down cuz this just an old beat he had laying around"

Doesn't 'Fest say in the chorus:

"I don't want it unless it's brand new."

even going so far as to call West out by name - "Kanye, I don't want it unless it's brand new!"

Rappers contradicting themselves...it never gets old. I do love 'Fest saying that he's "wack-tose intolerant" though. That's some funny shit.

32 Books in 52 Weeks (aka I suck)

"And you're walkin' away/and you try to get through/but you've got another life/from the lies they told you/and you try to do it right/and they all will see you/if you try to steal the beat (ohhh!)/the beat will steal you" - Broken Social Scene, 7/4 (Shoreline)

Before we discuss my suckitude, goddamn I love that song. "It's coming, it's coming in hard"

So, yeah, I was woefully unsuccessful in my 52 in 52 goal. I fell 20 books short. I haven't really read anything since October and having difficulty getting through the RFK biography and the last book in the Dark Tower series proved to be my downfall.

That said, I'll be trying again. But I don't think I'll necessarily be bringing all my lapsed books from this year onto my new list. We gotta do it brand new.

I don't want it unless it's brand new.

Anyway...

I suck.

2005, a retrospective

"This is...the point when I need everyone to get on the dance floor" - Jermaine Dupri on Mariah Carey, It's Like That

I'd been thinking long and hard about how I wanted to sum up this year then Amandarin posted the questions:

1) Was 2005 a good year for you?
Meh. I think I walked through 2005 in a fog. There's been way too much death, the spectre of death and the dealing with death in the last 2 years, really. My nearly constant optimism has been severely challenged and I spent a whole lot of this year sad, feeling unaccomplished and maybe a tad depressed. It is probably why I haven't written here much at all. So, no, 2005 wasn't the best.

 

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
Going to SXSW was probably the most spectacular but I also loved going to Louisville to MC a celebration. Jeez Louise, when I look back, this year feels so long.

 

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
The entire first two weeks of August.

4) Where were you when 2005 began?
In a house on Curson getting kissed, drinking hypnotiq and watching a lot of people doing silly things.

5) Who were you with?
Anna, Felicia, Lauren, Jess, Tracy and a cast of dozens.

 

6) Where will you be when 2005 ends?
at The Temple Bar getting my funk on to  Breakestra.

7) Who will you be with when 2005 ends?
Anna, Felicia, The Lovely Miss Mahoney and only LA's sexiest multiculti crowd.

 

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2005?
I can't remember my resolutions from last year and I don't even want to look.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2006?
To be more present in the lives of those I care about.

10) Did you fall in love in 2005?
For the first time in a long time...No.

 

11) If yes, with whom?
N/A

12) If yes, do they know?
N/A

 

13) Are you still in love with them?
N/A

 

14) Do you regret it?
N/A

15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2005?
Nope.

16) Did you make any new friends in 2005?
Yes.   

17) Who are your favorite new friends?
The fine folks in the cult of tae bo and my parents. We're definitely transitioning to friendship successfully.

 

18) What was your favorite month of 2005?
Maybe March. October was pretty good too.

19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2005?
Sadly, no.

20) How many different states did you travel to in 2005?
Three: Texas, Kentucky and New York

21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005?
Define "Lose"? The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is not for the blog I don't think.

22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Yes. Very much.

23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2005?
I've thought hardest about Syriana, Crash, King Kong, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire and Batman Begins. Syriana probably wins out. But this year was really all about TV on DVD.

24) What was your favorite song from 2005?
Common - It's Your World, Parts 1 & 2

25) What was your favorite record from 2005?
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi, M.I.A. - Arular

26) Did you see any concerts this year?
Yes, several

 

27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2005?
Both Sleater-Kinney shows I saw this year were excellent (and particularly liked them at South By with Wayne Coyne sitting on the side of the stage enjoying their set from an excellent vantage point) and Coachella rocked as usual but I think I liked the Spin Finals with Common, Kweli and Kanye killing it best. I didn't see nearly the number of shows I have in the past this year. That will be remedied in the new year.

 

28) did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2005?
Not all at once but yes, very regularly. There was one incident that we just won't talk about.

29) did you do a lot of drugs in 2005?
No. Didn't do any.

30) Did you hope for something you didn't get in 2005?
Yes. Sadly.

31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Yes, but see question 28. We're not going to talk about it.

32) What was the biggest lie you told in 2005?
"I'm good. I'm good."

33) What was the worst lie someone told you?
I don't know. I don't much keep track.

34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2005?
Yes. The second half of this year I was very neglectful to a hell of a lot of relationships. 

35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2005?
I don't know. Karmically I think it all evens out. Maybe I treated myself badly this year.

36) How much money did you spend in 2005?
A lot which would've been okay if I had been working while I was spending much of it.

37) What was your proudest moment of 2005?
Looking out at our blogging while black audience and seeing a packed house.

38) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2005?
Hmmm, I don't know. I actually tend not to be embarrassed much lately.

39) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be?
I'm not much for changing the past but I would've stayed in Austin for the entirety of SXSW.

40) What are your plans for 2006?
To be boundless energy.

1) Was 2005 a good year for you?
Meh. I think I walked through 2005 in a fog. There's been way too much death, the spectre of death and the dealing with death in the last 2 years, really. My nearly constant optimism has been severely challenged and I spent a whole lot of this year sad, feeling unaccomplished and maybe a tad depressed. It is probably why I haven't written here much at all. So, no, 2005 wasn't the best.

 

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
Going to SXSW was probably the most spectacular but I also loved going to Louisville to MC a celebration. Jeez Louise, when I look back, this year feels so long.

 

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
The entire first two weeks of August.

4) Where were you when 2005 began?
In a house on Curson getting kissed, drinking hypnotiq and watching a lot of people doing silly things.

5) Who were you with?
Anna, Felicia, Lauren, Jess, Tracy and a cast of dozens.

 

6) Where will you be when 2005 ends?
at The Temple Bar getting my funk on to  Breakestra.

7) Who will you be with when 2005 ends?
Anna, Felicia, The Lovely Miss Mahoney and only LA's sexiest multiculti crowd.

 

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2005?
I can't remember my resolutions from last year and I don't even want to look.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2006?
To be more present in the lives of those I care about.

10) Did you fall in love in 2005?
For the first time in a long time...No.

 

11) If yes, with whom?
N/A

12) If yes, do they know?
N/A

 

13) Are you still in love with them?
N/A

 

14) Do you regret it?
N/A

15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2005?
Nope.

16) Did you make any new friends in 2005?
Yes.   

17) Who are your favorite new friends?
The fine folks in the cult of tae bo and my parents. We're definitely transitioning to friendship successfully.

 

18) What was your favorite month of 2005?
Maybe March. October was pretty good too.

19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2005?
Sadly, no.

20) How many different states did you travel to in 2005?
Three: Texas, Kentucky and New York

21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005?
Define "Lose"? The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is not for the blog I don't think.

22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Yes. Very much.

23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2005?
I've thought hardest about Syriana, Crash, King Kong, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire and Batman Begins. Syriana probably wins out. But this year was really all about TV on DVD.

24) What was your favorite song from 2005?
Common - It's Your World, Parts 1 & 2

25) What was your favorite record from 2005?
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi, M.I.A. - Arular

26) Did you see any concerts this year?
Yes, several

 

27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2005?
Both Sleater-Kinney shows I saw this year were excellent (and particularly liked them at South By with Wayne Coyne sitting on the side of the stage enjoying their set from an excellent vantage point) and Coachella rocked as usual but I think I liked the Spin Finals with Common, Kweli and Kanye killing it best. I didn't see nearly the number of shows I have in the past this year. That will be remedied in the new year.

 

28) did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2005?
Not all at once but yes, very regularly. There was one incident that we just won't talk about.

29) did you do a lot of drugs in 2005?
No. Didn't do any.

30) Did you hope for something you didn't get in 2005?
Yes. Sadly.

31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Yes, but see question 28. We're not going to talk about it.

32) What was the biggest lie you told in 2005?
"I'm good. I'm good."

33) What was the worst lie someone told you?
I don't know. I don't much keep track.

34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2005?
Yes. The second half of this year I was very neglectful to a hell of a lot of relationships. 

35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2005?
I don't know. Karmically I think it all evens out. Maybe I treated myself badly this year.

36) How much money did you spend in 2005?
A lot which would've been okay if I had been working while I was spending much of it.

37) What was your proudest moment of 2005?
Looking out at our blogging while black audience and seeing a packed house.

38) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2005?
Hmmm, I don't know. I actually tend not to be embarrassed much lately.

39) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be?
I'm not much for changing the past but I would've stayed in Austin for the entirety of SXSW.

40) What are your plans for 2006?
To be boundless energy.

The Somewhere Around Halfway There 101/1001 Report

"Won't you come a little closer, baby?" - D'Angelo, (Untitled) How Does it Feel?

So, I haven't been keeping up with updating this. Now, with about 16 months left until I need to have completed these tasks, let's take a look at where I am.

I've completed 38 of the 101 tasks, leaving me with 63 things to do.

Sigh.

Even bigger sigh, I'm woefully underperforming in the "fun" category. Time to get on the hustle.

Complete list after the jump.

Holiday Notes

"So here it is, Merry Christmas, Everybody's having fun." - Slade, Merry Xmas Everybody

Anybody else getting killed by spam in their gmail accounts the last day or so? It was fine this morning but now the spam is back. I might have to turn off my gmail notifier if it stays this annoying.

Nip/Tuck: I very much enjoyed watching the season finale for all it's suspenseful trickery but, really, all the unnecessary (or maybe necessary to make it work) bait & switch and exposition to explain The Carver was simply not cool. I hate when TV writers cheat like that -- giving the audience scenes that only serve to further the subterfuge rather than to tell the story or to provide solid character context -- and it bugged the fuck out of me while watching. That said, the Matt stuff all season was superbly done and I wish they would have focused more on his journey.

Project Runway: Okay. Santino must go. Everyone on the show except Chloe and Nick is nuts but Santino is particularly nuts. I'm not sad to be losing Daniel Franco's soft-spoken zenitude but I thought Santino deserved to hit the road. That was totally a producer's influence on who stayed. Nick is now my favorite to win. Oh, and after all the SNL Lazy Sunday Short saturation of the last week, Daniel Z reminds me too much of Andy Samberg. It makes me distracted as I start thinking about things that are Crazy Delicious.

You love today's get fuzzy.

I'm listening to last.fm tag radio right now. The tag? christmas. I own no christmas music.

I love my nintendo DS except that it is too small for my hands (my thumbs start to hurt). Mario Kart DS is no joke, though. I get up on that wifi and kick ass. (okay, I don't but I'm trying).

I'm ready for the weekend.

This was published with performancing for firefox. Best extension ever.

The Big Post of Life Lists 2005: The Singles

"Be the author of your own horoscope." - Lonnie "Pops" Lynn on Common's It's Your World, Parts 1 & 2

The rules: one song, one artist. Must have been released in 2005 or late enough in 2004 to warrant inclusion here.

1. Common - It's Your World, Parts 1 & 2 (featuring Lonnie "Pops" Lynn): I listened to The Corner more than any other song this year (according to last.fm, probably over 150 times in all its forms) but the most striking song on Be is the final track. I simply adore all 8 minutes of it and have taken to quoting parts of it as advice to friends on a pretty regular basis.
2. Mariah Carey - It's Like That:  I could discuss all parts of The Emancipation of Mimi all day. Stay The Night is the best produced song (kanyeezy production), Shake It Off has the best remix (with the Jigga man and Young Jeezy and a sick sick beat) and We Belong Together has the best (and one of the most incredibly intricate of all time) vocal performance but It's Like That goes off like an explosion in my ears. You should see me in Tae Bo when this song hits. That second chorus? Oooh wee.
3. Gorillaz - Dirty Harry: This is, hands down, the best track on a very good Gorillaz album and the most solidly hip hop of  all of them. And, this is the year of the beat and that kids chorus and hand clap is killing me all the time.
4. The Perceptionists - Memorial Day: "Where are the weapons of mass destruction?" indeed. Told from the perspective of a US soldier questioning his government while fighting in Iraq, it was striking in 2004 as part of that political compilation issued by URB and is still relavent and compelling today. There are other gems on this album but we'll discuss another day.
5. Camp Lo - Gotcha: I don't think a new Camp Lo album was ever released this year but Gotcha reminded me of why I liked Camp Lo way back when with that Luchini track. Just hot hot stuff right there.
6. M.I.A. - U.R.A.Q.T.: Sanford and Son sample?! Shut the fuck up, Diplo!
7. Amos Lee - Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight: simple and slow. I went with more traditional jazz this year than my usual nu-jazz/downtempo tendencies but Amos Lee's album and this song, in particular, felt like a nice meld of the two. Soulful and jazzy but fresh. Play that with some coffee and the morning paper  at the kitchen table or in your favorite chair.
8. Kanye West - Bring Me Down (featuring Brandy): I was tempted to put Heard Em Say (which I didn't like initially but now love) or We Can Make it Better but this still consistently brings a smile to my face and puffs my chest out a little bit when I hear it. Y'all can't bring me down!
9. Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl: I think I listened to Everything, Wilderness and Entertain more but Modern Girl is the choice cut on their incredibly strong and incredibly hard rockin' major label debut.
10. Maximo Park - Grafitti: "I'll do grafitti if you'll sing to me in French." I just love that line and love MP's sound. I know other bands (read: Bloc Party) got more play this year but Maximo Park was my favorite UK import hands down.

Others: Bow Wow - Let Me Hold You Down, Death Cab For Cutie - Summer Skin, The Decemberists - Angels,  Slim Thug - Diamonds (Manny Fresh remix), Platinum Pied Pipers - Act Like You Know (featuring Jay Dilla), Beck - Earthquake Weather,  Game - Hate it or Love It, John Legend - I can Change (featuring Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley - Beautiful (featuring Bobby Brown), Missy Elliott - Can't Stop, Dangerdoom - Crosshairs, Esthero - We R in Need of a Musical Revolution, Feist - One Evening

Get Amp'd

"Here's the plot: give it everything you got. Make moves then your life will truly improve" - The Perceptionists, 5 O'Clock featuring Phonte

We're drinking champagne over here so you should go over to amp'd, drool over our phones and see why I'm psyched about my new gig.

Now to make my little part of this project not look and act like ass.

Age Appropriate

"I taught the weeping willow how to cry." - Johnny Cash, Big River

Proof that I'm getting older: Hot Bad Back Action!

Monday evening when I should have been heading to Trivia to do battle with Jason Patric, I was instead passed out on the Chair Bed hopped up on pain killers. Who knows how I actually got home from Tae Bo after spending ten minutes outside the World Tae Bo Center unable to walk or site or cry.

There's no crying at Tae Bo.

I hobbled back in to class to get my things, told one of the concerned that I had injured my back and then slowly shuffled to my car.

There is crying in one's own vehicle.

And screaming and cursing and attempts to figure out how to lay down and drive at the same time.

That last one is not recommended. Particularly when you live less than a mile from the largest police station in the valley.

So, now I'm taking the week off from punches, kicks, squats and all manners of activity that might recreate that sad car experience.

According to the doctor, my lower back is a little arthritic. Arthritis?!

Where's my cane?

Question of the day: What is your social networking tool of choice and why? As noted, mine is last.fm. My sister's is facebook. She explains:

i have neglected livejournal and myspace because facebook allows you to
creat groups about anything you want, you can write things to your
friends "wall", you can post lots of pics, and you can advertise for
parties.

What say you?

Chart Attack! The Skull Island Edition

"Things will never be easy for you or for me." - Mary J. Blige, Free (Interlude)

My most listened to tracks for the week ending Sunday, December 11th:

I believe all these tracks are currently in my drive time mix on my iPod (Drive Time is a random selection from 5 different playlists that feature the 125 most played songs in iTunes, the tracks I've added to my iTunes library in the last month that have been rated high enough, a list called "the sprinkler" which features songs I like that I haven't listened to in the last 4 weeks, the best songs from my underappreciated list -- which comes from my weekly recommendations from last.fm --, and a best of list from one of my favorite artists. Last week it was Kelis for the first part and then switched to Ghostface on Thursday). I listened to a ton more tracks music that aren't currently in my iTunes by spinning my last.fm radio stations at work. But enough about my music tracking geekery.

We have other things to discuss.