2013 Year End Recap
2013 Year End Recap
My annual list of the things I've done in the past year - 2012 - music I've listened to, books I’ve read, movies and TV shows I’ve seen, places I've gone to, things I've experienced, web sites I've frequented, etc.
Music
• Bon Jovi - Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
• Fitz and The Tantrums - Pickin’ Up The Pieces
• Fitz and The Tantrums - More Than Just A Dream
• Lita Ford - The Bitch Is Back…Live
• Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction [CD Upgrade]
• How To Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion
• Michael Jackson - Thriller (Special Edition)
• Karmin - Hello
• Katy Perry - Prism (Deluxe Edition)
• Lady Gaga - Artpop
• Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
• Orianthi - Heaven In This Hell
• Orianthi - Violet Journey
• Pretty Maids - Motherland
• Queen - Greatest Hits I & II (Double CD set)
• Rush - Caress of Steel [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Hemispheres [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Hold Your Fire [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Moving Pictures [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Permanent Waves [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Rush [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Signals [CD Upgrade]
• Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
• Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
• Various Artists - Thriller: A Metal Tribute to Michael Jackson
• Vixen - Vixen
• Vixen - Rev It Up
• White Stripes, The - Icky Thump
• White Stripes, The - White Blood Cells
Books
• Apocalypse Codex, The - Charles Stross
• Bourne Imperative, The - Eric Van Lustbader
• Cult Vegas: The Weirdest! The Wildest! The Swingin'est Town on Earth - Mike Weatherford
• Generation of Swine. The Gonzo Papers, Volume 2: Tales of shame and degradation in the ‘80’s - Hunter S. Thompson
• Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls - David Sedaris
• Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
• The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics - John Pollack
Magazines
• Time
• Wired
DVDs
• 300 (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Departed, The (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Hobbit, The I. An Unexpected Journey
• Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The (expanded edition)
• Z Rock, Season 1
• Z Rock, Season 2
Movies - Seen in theaters, on cable, or rented
• American Hustle
• American Me
• Argo
• Bait
• Behind the Candelabra [HBO original movie]
• Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The
• Bourne Legacy, The
• Cinema Verite
• Cliffhanger
• Cloud Atlas
• Conjuring, The
• Dark Shadows
• Descendants, The
• Devil
• Django Unchained
• Earthquake
• Elysium
• End of Watch
• Face Is Familiar, The
• Flight
• Grown Ups 2
• Hangover III, The
• Heat, The
• Hysteria
• I, Robot
• Identity
• Identity Theft
• Impossible, The
• Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The
• Irresistible
• Island, The
• Jack Reacher
• Life of Pi
• Lost In America
• Magdalene Sisters, The
• Magic Mike
• Man on a Ledge
• Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth
• Notebook, The
• Now You See Me
• Oblivion
• Olympus Has Fallen
• Pacific Rim
• Pain & Gain
• Perfect Score, The
• Pitch Perfect
• Prisoners
• Prometheus
• Reign Over Me
• R.I.P.D.
• Rock of Ages
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Star Trek: Into Darkness
• Taken 2
• This Is 40
• Three Stooges, The
• U-571
• We’re the Millers
• White House Down
• World’s End, The
• Wolverine, The
Documentary Films
• Casting By… (Profile of Casting Director Marion Dougherty)
• King’s Point
• Rock ‘N’ Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
• $ellebrity
• Sunset Strip
Films too “painful” to get through
• Freedomland
• Les Miserables
• This is the End
What I’m Watching On TV This Season: (season, syndicated reruns)
(Network shows)
• 30 Rock
• 666 Park Avenue
• Big Bang Theory
• Breaking In
• Chuck [Final Season]
• Community
• Crazy Ones, The
• Dracula
• Family Guy
• Grimm
• Hawaii Five-0
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Middle, The
• Modern Family
• New Girl
• Nikita
• Office, The
• Once Upon A Time
• Simpsons, The
• Sleepy Hollow
• Stevie TV
• Vegas
• Whitney
Cable Shows, original series
• Archer
• Bates Motel
• Best Week Ever
• Burn Notice
• Covert Affairs
• House of Lies
• Mad Men
• Soup, The
• South Park
• Strike Back
• Strike Back: Origins
• True Blood
• Venture Bros.
• Warehouse 13
• Watch What Happens Live
Select Episodes of TV shows
• Secret War: “The Real 007”
Reality Shows
• Bad Ink
• Face Off
• Fangasm
• Fast Foods Gone Global
• Hardcore Pawn
• Heroes of Cosplay
• Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis
• Kitchen Nightmares
• Millionaire Matchmaker
• Million Dollar Decorators
• Mystery Diners
• Naked Vegas
• Oddities
• Oddities: San Francisco
• Pawn Stars
• Pitch, The
• Property Envy
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
• Restaurant Stakeout
• Shark Tank
• Storage Wars
• Top Chef
• Top Chef Masters
Syndicated Re-Runs (Cable)
• Everybody Loves Raymond
TV & Cable Documentary & Informational Shows
• 101 Weapons That Changed The World
• The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us
• All You Can Eat
• America’s Secret Slang
• Art Of…, The
• Bizarre Foods America: “NYC Overnight”
• Cheating Vegas
• CIA Black Ops: Special Activities Division
• Dark Fellowships: The Vril
• Deadliest Tech: Special OPS
• Delta Force: Tier 1
• Extreme Survival Bunkers
• Fandemonium
• Foreign Special Ops
• Halloween Craziest
• How Sex Changed the World
• I Married A … (S1, Ep.2)
• Making of: The Wolverine
• Marine Force Recon
• Modern Marvels: Mega Snack Countdown
• Nazi Temple of Doom
• Pioneers of Television: Superheros
• That’s So ‘80s
• Rangers Lead The Way
• Real Flying Tigers, The
• Secret Societies of Hollywood
• The Shadow Military
• Superheros: A Never-Ending Battle
• Ultimate World War II Weapons
• World’s Busiest Train Station
One-Offs
• Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles
Shows on network & cable that I stopped watching
• 30 Rock [SERIES ENDED]
• 666 Park Avenue [CANCELLED]
• Burn Notice [SERIES ENDED]
• Nikita [BECAME TOO MELODRAMATIC & TROPEISH]
• The Office [SERIES ENDED]
• Parks and Recreation [STOPPED WATCHING]
• Vegas [CANCELLED]
• Whitney [CANCELLED]
TV Show #FAIL - Shows too painful to get through
•
Podcasts
(NPR Content)
• KCRW’s Le’ Show (Harry Shearer)
• On The Media
• Nerdist, The (select episodes)
• NPR Columns: Sunday Puzzle Podcast
• NPR Programs: Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
• NPR Culturetopia Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour
Restaurants
• Alcapulcos
• Azu (Mystic, CT)
• Bella Costa
• Border Cafe
• Charley’s
• Chateau, The
• CJ’s Northside Grill
• Dairy Queen
• Deluxe Town Diner
• Dunkin Donuts
• El Oriental de Cuba
• Fireplace, The
• Five Guys Burgers and Fries
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• Fuji Steakhouse
• Go Fish (Mystic, CT)
• Harrow’s Chicken Pies (take-out chicken pot pie)
• Hash House A Go Go (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• IHOP
• JP Licks
• Ken’s Steakhouse
• Kowloon
• Legal Seafood
• McDonald’s
• Mel’s Commonwealth Café
• Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream (Mystic, CT)
• Newbridge Café
• Not Your Average Joes
• Papa Razzi
• Pinkberry
• Pizzeria Uno
• Rodizio Grill - The Brazilian Steakhouse
• Ryles Jazz Club
• Shake Shack
• Sophia Italian Steakhouse
• Spalla’s Chicago Italian Beef
• Trattoria San Pietro
• Virgil’s Real Barbecue (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
My annual list of the things I've done in the past year - 2012 - music I've listened to, books I’ve read, movies and TV shows I’ve seen, places I've gone to, things I've experienced, web sites I've frequented, etc.
Music
• Bon Jovi - Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
• Fitz and The Tantrums - Pickin’ Up The Pieces
• Fitz and The Tantrums - More Than Just A Dream
• Lita Ford - The Bitch Is Back…Live
• Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction [CD Upgrade]
• How To Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion
• Michael Jackson - Thriller (Special Edition)
• Karmin - Hello
• Katy Perry - Prism (Deluxe Edition)
• Lady Gaga - Artpop
• Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
• Orianthi - Heaven In This Hell
• Orianthi - Violet Journey
• Pretty Maids - Motherland
• Queen - Greatest Hits I & II (Double CD set)
• Rush - Caress of Steel [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Hemispheres [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Hold Your Fire [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Moving Pictures [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Permanent Waves [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Rush [CD Upgrade]
• Rush - Signals [CD Upgrade]
• Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
• Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
• Various Artists - Thriller: A Metal Tribute to Michael Jackson
• Vixen - Vixen
• Vixen - Rev It Up
• White Stripes, The - Icky Thump
• White Stripes, The - White Blood Cells
Books
• Apocalypse Codex, The - Charles Stross
• Bourne Imperative, The - Eric Van Lustbader
• Cult Vegas: The Weirdest! The Wildest! The Swingin'est Town on Earth - Mike Weatherford
• Generation of Swine. The Gonzo Papers, Volume 2: Tales of shame and degradation in the ‘80’s - Hunter S. Thompson
• Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls - David Sedaris
• Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
• The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics - John Pollack
Magazines
• Time
• Wired
DVDs
• 300 (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Departed, The (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Hobbit, The I. An Unexpected Journey
• Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The (expanded edition)
• Z Rock, Season 1
• Z Rock, Season 2
Movies - Seen in theaters, on cable, or rented
• American Hustle
• American Me
• Argo
• Bait
• Behind the Candelabra [HBO original movie]
• Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The
• Bourne Legacy, The
• Cinema Verite
• Cliffhanger
• Cloud Atlas
• Conjuring, The
• Dark Shadows
• Descendants, The
• Devil
• Django Unchained
• Earthquake
• Elysium
• End of Watch
• Face Is Familiar, The
• Flight
• Grown Ups 2
• Hangover III, The
• Heat, The
• Hysteria
• I, Robot
• Identity
• Identity Theft
• Impossible, The
• Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The
• Irresistible
• Island, The
• Jack Reacher
• Life of Pi
• Lost In America
• Magdalene Sisters, The
• Magic Mike
• Man on a Ledge
• Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth
• Notebook, The
• Now You See Me
• Oblivion
• Olympus Has Fallen
• Pacific Rim
• Pain & Gain
• Perfect Score, The
• Pitch Perfect
• Prisoners
• Prometheus
• Reign Over Me
• R.I.P.D.
• Rock of Ages
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Star Trek: Into Darkness
• Taken 2
• This Is 40
• Three Stooges, The
• U-571
• We’re the Millers
• White House Down
• World’s End, The
• Wolverine, The
Documentary Films
• Casting By… (Profile of Casting Director Marion Dougherty)
• King’s Point
• Rock ‘N’ Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
• $ellebrity
• Sunset Strip
Films too “painful” to get through
• Freedomland
• Les Miserables
• This is the End
What I’m Watching On TV This Season: (season, syndicated reruns)
(Network shows)
• 30 Rock
• 666 Park Avenue
• Big Bang Theory
• Breaking In
• Chuck [Final Season]
• Community
• Crazy Ones, The
• Dracula
• Family Guy
• Grimm
• Hawaii Five-0
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Middle, The
• Modern Family
• New Girl
• Nikita
• Office, The
• Once Upon A Time
• Simpsons, The
• Sleepy Hollow
• Stevie TV
• Vegas
• Whitney
Cable Shows, original series
• Archer
• Bates Motel
• Best Week Ever
• Burn Notice
• Covert Affairs
• House of Lies
• Mad Men
• Soup, The
• South Park
• Strike Back
• Strike Back: Origins
• True Blood
• Venture Bros.
• Warehouse 13
• Watch What Happens Live
Select Episodes of TV shows
• Secret War: “The Real 007”
Reality Shows
• Bad Ink
• Face Off
• Fangasm
• Fast Foods Gone Global
• Hardcore Pawn
• Heroes of Cosplay
• Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis
• Kitchen Nightmares
• Millionaire Matchmaker
• Million Dollar Decorators
• Mystery Diners
• Naked Vegas
• Oddities
• Oddities: San Francisco
• Pawn Stars
• Pitch, The
• Property Envy
• Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
• Restaurant Stakeout
• Shark Tank
• Storage Wars
• Top Chef
• Top Chef Masters
Syndicated Re-Runs (Cable)
• Everybody Loves Raymond
TV & Cable Documentary & Informational Shows
• 101 Weapons That Changed The World
• The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us
• All You Can Eat
• America’s Secret Slang
• Art Of…, The
• Bizarre Foods America: “NYC Overnight”
• Cheating Vegas
• CIA Black Ops: Special Activities Division
• Dark Fellowships: The Vril
• Deadliest Tech: Special OPS
• Delta Force: Tier 1
• Extreme Survival Bunkers
• Fandemonium
• Foreign Special Ops
• Halloween Craziest
• How Sex Changed the World
• I Married A … (S1, Ep.2)
• Making of: The Wolverine
• Marine Force Recon
• Modern Marvels: Mega Snack Countdown
• Nazi Temple of Doom
• Pioneers of Television: Superheros
• That’s So ‘80s
• Rangers Lead The Way
• Real Flying Tigers, The
• Secret Societies of Hollywood
• The Shadow Military
• Superheros: A Never-Ending Battle
• Ultimate World War II Weapons
• World’s Busiest Train Station
One-Offs
• Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles
Shows on network & cable that I stopped watching
• 30 Rock [SERIES ENDED]
• 666 Park Avenue [CANCELLED]
• Burn Notice [SERIES ENDED]
• Nikita [BECAME TOO MELODRAMATIC & TROPEISH]
• The Office [SERIES ENDED]
• Parks and Recreation [STOPPED WATCHING]
• Vegas [CANCELLED]
• Whitney [CANCELLED]
TV Show #FAIL - Shows too painful to get through
•
Podcasts
(NPR Content)
• KCRW’s Le’ Show (Harry Shearer)
• On The Media
• Nerdist, The (select episodes)
• NPR Columns: Sunday Puzzle Podcast
• NPR Programs: Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
• NPR Culturetopia Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour
Restaurants
• Alcapulcos
• Azu (Mystic, CT)
• Bella Costa
• Border Cafe
• Charley’s
• Chateau, The
• CJ’s Northside Grill
• Dairy Queen
• Deluxe Town Diner
• Dunkin Donuts
• El Oriental de Cuba
• Fireplace, The
• Five Guys Burgers and Fries
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• Fuji Steakhouse
• Go Fish (Mystic, CT)
• Harrow’s Chicken Pies (take-out chicken pot pie)
• Hash House A Go Go (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• IHOP
• JP Licks
• Ken’s Steakhouse
• Kowloon
• Legal Seafood
• McDonald’s
• Mel’s Commonwealth Café
• Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)
• Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream (Mystic, CT)
• Newbridge Café
• Not Your Average Joes
• Papa Razzi
• Pinkberry
• Pizzeria Uno
• Rodizio Grill - The Brazilian Steakhouse
• Ryles Jazz Club
• Shake Shack
• Sophia Italian Steakhouse
• Spalla’s Chicago Italian Beef
• Trattoria San Pietro
• Virgil’s Real Barbecue (Mohegan Sun casino, Uncasville, CT)