The Coolest Stuff I Came Across in 2007 (Off the Top of my Head)

The Orlando Magic – They are awesome now. I don’t care if they’re only third in the Eastern Conference: Howard, Turkoglu, and Keyon are gonna take it to tha Heece (as Prasad would say). If nothing else they’re going to go to town on the Knicks on Wednesday, and I’ll be in attendance to witness it first hand.

The New England Patriots – I really want the Celtics to crash and burn, but the Patriots are just really great. I kind of latched onto the whole New England sports bandwagon at the end of the Summer, since my two roommates are from Mass. and have been hardcore fans of the Sox and Pats since before it was cool. I’d love to see a perfect season in my lifetime, and you can’t hate them too much, since they still kind of have something to prove, having lost the Superbowl last year. Highlights of the season included a fantastic dropped lateral that miraculously resulted in a deep pass from T-Brad. In addition, Junior Seau is the perfect name for a linebacker.

In Rainbows by Radiohead – ‘Nuff said.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami – This is an old book, but I just read it a couple of months back. It’s basically just a really heartfelt adolescent coming-of-age story for introspective, slightly bitter college students like me. It’s a little romantic, sure, but everyone’s gotta feel sometime. If you’re interested, check the archives for my original review.

Live at Massey Hall 1971 by Neil Young – The second installment in the Neil Young Archives series, it’s an official bootleg that documents probably the most inspired phase of Neil Young’s artistic career. Sure, On the Beach, didn’t come around ‘til 1973 or ‘74, but in ’71 Neil Young’s entire body was twitchin’ with what Crazy Horse producer David Briggs would call “the Spook.” If you ever get a chance to listen to this, or better yet, pick it up for yourself, check out “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” “Love in Mind,” “On the Way Home,” and “Ohio.”

Rap – It’s actually pretty cool, if you look in the right places.

The Office (US) – I was a fan of the UK version, but over the last year and a bit (season three) I really got into the US version. Seasons two and three are basically perfect and ought to be watched on DVD with all the deleted scenes. Season four not so much. Dwangela? Jam? I liked it better when the tension was there, to be honest, and it’s probably for the best that the writer’s strike has probably ended the show for good.

I’m sure there were more cool things, but I want to maybe eat some cookies now.

A merry Christmas to all…I insist.