MCF's Year in Review 2K6

It's hard to believe that yet another year is almost behind us, is it not? As I sit here, I can't help thinking how hard it is to type with my index finger bandaged up. I rinsed the metal lid from a peanut container and decided to roll it up and fold it so no one got cut when I threw it in with the recyclables. Cuts from thin metal are worse than paper cuts. They go deeper and don't hurt as much, and you might continue working before realizing, “Oh, I'm losing blood here.” It’s ironic that I’d cut myself while trying to prevent that very thing.

2006 was a year full of similarly improbable and ironic injuries, mishaps and disappointments. Some were chronicled, while others I kept filed away in my brain, never to be opened. I'll probably take a more personal look back at my 2006 tomorrow. 2006 had a lot of great moments too though, and surpassed 2005 in some ways. Last year I chose some very subjective “bests”. This year I'm more accurately describing my picks as “favorites”.

My favorite new movies were Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Casino Royale, Superman Returns, X-men: The Last Stand, Over the Hedge, Mission Impossible III, Borat, Saw III, and Monster House. Through Netflix, I probably average about 200 movies a year, so it's understandably hard for me to narrow down my favorite old movies that I've finally seen. The top three most recent standouts though are The Apartment, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Magnolia.

My favorite new television show is, without question, Heroes. I've also enjoyed 30 Rock. The only other new show I started watching was Day Break which, alas, has been canceled. I did add both The Office and Battlestar Galactica to my regular rotation, and I'm extremely glad I did. I'm now completely caught up with The Office, I'm working my way through the first two seasons of Galactica, and I've seen all of Galactica's third season thus far. My favorite returning shows were How I Met Your Mother, Prison Break, Lost, Scrubs, My Name is Earl and Supernatural. I can't wait for 24 to return in January. I'm also looking forward to the concluding episodes of The Sopranos.

I can't really list any favorite moments in politics or sports, because I don't follow either all that closely. It's probably one of the many reasons I never have anything interesting to say at parties but, as Darrell would say, “F' it.”

I haven't read any new books, and I'm still reading The Dark Tower, the final in that series and now nearly three years old. Similarly, I haven't read many new graphic novels or trade paperbacks, so I'm not up on the major sagas that took place at the two major comic book publishers. I suppose I may have to get to Infinite Crisis and Civil War at some point.

My favorite internet games have been Dragonfable, Dice Wars, and Tower Defence, all of which have proven far more addictive than they should be. Surprisingly, I don't think I picked up any console games this year, though there are at least four I had my eye on.

Finally, there's the Blogosphere. Last year, I gave everyone on my blogroll an award. While I'm not doing that this year, rest assured that if I link to you and read your words regularly, you're all my favorites. That being said, I am going to list my ten favorite posts from this year, in no particular order:

”MCF Revealed!”
Newcomer Otis comes frighteningly close to discovering my secret identity.

”Intergalactic Planetary”
Janet offers a teacher's perspective on the demotion of a planet, one of 2006's more significant developments.

”My Art Final Project”
One of the first things Wendy does after returning to blogging is share some charcoal renderings...of toilets.

”Non-Geeks Need Not Apply”
Darrell gives his opinion of the legitimate trailer for the most anticipated comic book movie of 2007, and shows off an awesome figurine.

”Silly Moving Story #1”
When Lorna moves, will the tale of her lost cat have a happy ending?

”Survival of the Fittest Ex-New Yorkers”
My old friend Rey and his wife do battle with horrendous insects in their new home in the woods.(Honorable mention goes to ”The Battle of Dogwood Tree or Robin-Home Defense”, in which Rey and his son later face off against some angry birds as they continue to adjust to life in the country--it was tough for me to pick just one of his war narratives.)

”Or is Your Entire World Just Crashing Down All Around You?”
The Fifth Column's Schad tackles the year's biggest meltdown on stage.

”Video Blog Wednesday”
Waterfalls and mountains abound in a scenic vacation compilation from film industry professional Jeff(Honorable mention to his Empire original and special edition comparison).

”Wonder Woman Day”
Swanshadow became one of my regular reads this year after I discovered his impressive collection of original comic book art(this year's highlighted in his most recent post). I chose this collection of the gorgeous Amazon, but it was hard to narrow down just one post. I liked the pictures but stayed for the words too, and he writes some of the best obituaries on the internet. There are plenty of cheerier tales as well, from heroic children to televised Heroes.

” To Buffalo, Niagara, and back again...”
Real-life pal and relatively new blogger B13 shared a massive and impressive collection of breathtaking photos from a trip he and his wife took upstate this Summer.

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It really was a great year of reading, and don't feel bad if you weren't included in the list of highlights above. I know there are countless posts I've missed even from the bloggers I included, and it's impossible to recall everything from 2006. I wisely didn't list any of my posts, as I did that already on my blogiversary. I hope everyone keeps up the good work and continues to provide great words and pictures for me in 2007! I’d also like to thank Rey for the MCF artwork in the graphic at the beginning of this post.

Tune in tomorrow, when I take one last look at my 2006...