Favorite Movies of 2011

Remember how I said that I'm a big reader and how I always have my nose in a book? Well, that statement is semi true. When my nose isn't in a book, you can probably find me glued in front of my TV watching a movie. Movies have been something I've enjoyed since I was little - some of my most vivid memories are visiting the movie theater where my mom worked and hanging out in the back offices.

I've always been around movies, and grew up with a big appreciation for them, and that appreciation has carried over into adulthood. Anything having to do with the film industry - I'm interested in it. Box office, production, directors, you name it - I want to know it. That said, I generally watch movies when they hit DVD, mainly because I'm poor and can't afford to drop $15 at a theater to see something that will be on DVD in two months, anyway. (Hear that, movie theaters? Drop your prices.)

That said, trying to cut down my list of favorite movies from 2011 was difficult! I don't generally see comedies, as my sense of humor tends to fall on the dry side of things and mainstream comedies usually make me roll my eyes at their stupidity (I'm just going to try to sound as pretentious as I can in this blog post... let's see how many followers I can lose.). Horror movies are my favorite, with drama, sci-fi, and anything based on a comic book coming in after.

Sadly, 2011 was lacking in decent horror movies (I can think of two that I really enjoyed), but was lousy with superheroes and book adaptations! Take a look at my favorite movies of 2011.

Favorite Books of 2011

This just in: I'm a reader. I love to read, I read all the time, and sometimes I even review books on Daemon's Books! I have piles of books all over my house both that I've purchased for myself and some that I get from publishers to review. While this is an AMAZING perk to my job, it also requires me to invest in a new bookshelf.

Since I do read so much, I come across the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly. I primarily like to stick to horror or fantasy novels, however I will (literally) ready anything that is put in front of me. 2011 was a great year for books, and I honestly cannot thank Daemon's Books enough for the opportunity to read things that I would never pick up on my own. There is one thing that I've learned is that "never judge a book by it's cover" is actually very true! And now - my favorite books of 2011.

Favorite Albums Of 2011

To kick off my "Favorites of 2011" posts I decided to start with the area that would be the most difficult for me. I work part time in a record store where I process online orders. As I package the CDs, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of music that I will never be exposed to in my life. I'm constantly listening to and looking for new music, but generally I'm behind the times when I find an artist that I like. For example: I literally just discovered Elvis Costello about a month ago and could kick myself for not listening to him sooner. If not for my co-worker playing a mix CD that happened to have a few of Costello's songs, I never would have been exposed to his songwriting. That would have been really depressing as he has skyrocketed into my top five artists.

But enough about Costello. Instead, let's talk about my favorite albums of 2011.

Favorite Things of 2011

This December I'm going to compile a list of my favorite things of 2011. This will be movies, books, songs, albums, TV shows, actors, I'm going to make a list.

Said list will include links to these specific products as well as reviews and reasons why you should go out and buy the item right away. I'm doing this for several reasons.

Insomnia Can Bite Me

It's 12:30 in the morning on December 5th. While this doesn't seem overly late to some, suffice to say I am normally at least tucked under the covers by 10:30. Because I'm a 90 year old woman, apparently. However, here I sit, on my love seat, my cat curled up next to me with the light from the Christmas tree glowing in the corner. Truth be told, life could be a lot worse.

Musings

I went a date yesterday with this guy I met over the internet. I discovered a few things about myself. I feel like there's something wrong with me. I talked to this guy and liked him through email and text messages, but when we met there was no "spark". And it got me thinking - are my expectations too high?

I obviously understand that I can't base entire relationships on looks. That's not the right thing to do. But when I don't have an ounce of attraction towards the person I'm with - should I just suck it up and deal with it since he's a "nice" guy? I decided not to. Mainly because it felt like a waste of my time and his - he liked me, but I didn't feel romantic feelings towards him.

I can't pin point exactly why, without coming back to he wasn't my type, and I didn't find him romantically attractive. He texted me about an hour after our date to say that he had a great time and I actually replied with the "let's be friends" speech. He said right away that he knew that was coming and that he had enough friends.

So I feel like a complete jerk, but at the same time at least neither of us are wasting the other's time... right? When did I become the girl that said someone wasn't  cute enough to date? I'm NOT that girl. And while I talk to friends and family about this and they all assured me that I wasn't being a bitch about this, I feel like I am. I feel like with all of the changes that I've been going through in the last several months, that parts of me are changing DRASTICALLY.

I don't think this is a bad thing since I'm aware of it, but that it could potentially be problematic. Eh, what do I know?

Ringer - Maybe We Should Get A Dog Instead - Episode 8 Review

I love seeing SMG back on TV.  The only thing better would be if she were slaying vampires.  But my review for Ringer is up on www.daemonstv.com.  Take a peek!