Like a lot of you, 2010 was an up and down year for us. But, just when I had it pegged as a total write-off, it drunk-dialed me y'all and we hooked up again.
I don't know how I'll feel about it when I look back years from now, but for the time being I'd give it a 79 on the American Bandstand rating system. It had an OK beat, but it was a real bitch to dance to.
Not to get all Debbie Downer on you, because there were bright spots illuminating the way. And if they weren't actual bright spots, they did give us something to poke fun at (and God knows we love our snark at The Brief). So, I invite you to climb in the Boomer Brief Delorean and set the clock back 12 months. Let's look in our rearview mirror before we head out to the future.
Best Excuse for Moving Into a Cave without TV or Wi-Fi
Mid-term campaigns. Dallas' wet/dry election. Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. British Petroleum. Lindsay Lohan.
Best Reason to Move Somewhere with Excellent Cable Reception
The Texas Rangers. CLAW!
Best Trip for Wine Lovers
If you even pretend to like wine, you should run to Yountville, CA - stay at the Yountville Inn and visit the Hill Family Estate (not related, but I've begged them to adopt me) Tasting Room and enjoy a glass of their fabulous Clarke Vineyard Syrah. I'll be looking for your thank-you note in the mail.
Best Home Cooking
Charlotte's Tortilla Soup. If she doesn't share this recipe with you, I'll get it out of the lockbox and tell you about it.
Best Dog that Stepped on a Rainbow
R.I.P. Spike. Hope there are plenty of Norwegian Roof Rats for you to chase in doggie heaven.
Best TV Shows You Aren't Currently Watching
Breaking Bad. Modern Family. Castle. Nobody does "bad" better than Brian Cranston on AMC's Breaking Bad. From ax-wielding assassins to meth-addled messes, this show has it all and it's All good. Network TV has a couple you should be watching. Modern Family is a weekly trip to dysfunction junction and who doesn't like Ed O'Neil?. Castle's Nathan Fillion is a mystery writer with the highly implausible gig that lets him tag along on real NYPD murder cases - yeah, I know it's goofy, but it is after all network TV. I'm surprised how well the premise works and (thank you, Becky Elder) now Charlotte and I are hooked.
We loved Crazy Heart, An Education, The Ghost Writer, It's Complicated and Up in the Air. All of 'em had a sense of humor and some even had a very big heart. Any of these would make great additions to your DVD collection.
Best Movie You Didn't See
Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer (Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan). It's a taught political thriller that'll keep you guessing until the WTF ending.
Best Excuse to Go to Bed Early
Jay Leno. Hey NBC, do you really think Baby Boomers laugh at this guy's jokes? Really?
Best Reason to Own a Gun - or Cannon chuckacabra
Our neighborhood chupacabra, which I have formally named "Chuck" as in our "Chuckacabra". I'm just saying that if you don't see a post from me for a couple of weeks, send help with armor-piercing ammo.
Best Gadget to Get before You Die
Charlotte and I switched from our crappy Motorola dumb-phone to the iPhone in 2010. All I can say is Best. Decision. Ever.
Best Fast Food
Mike and Terri Jutras put us on to Cliff's Star Grill in Grapevine (it's in the Stacy Furniture Building just off Hwy 114). Ok, it's not technically "fast food" but the service is snappy and the food (a little bit of everything, but with a nice Italian influence) is wonderful. Now, don't all of you head over there at once, or we'll have to find a new place and Mike Jutras will stake me to a tree and ask Tommy Mann to call in the Chuckacabra.
Best Reason Not to Stay Home Next Year
The oil is gone and BP left a pretty big tab, but do yourself a favor and check out the Redneck Riviera. This little slice of heaven stretches from Biloxi, MS to the Florida Panhandle and it's about as laidback as you can get. The locals are friendly and you won't need any TARP funds to pay for the vacation. Our favorite place is Kiva Dunes in beautiful Gulf Shores Alabama. Roll Tide!
There you have it Boomers. Now go out there, find your "Best" and tell me about it. I'll put it on next-year's list if Chuckacabra doesn't get me.