The End of a New Beginning

A new decade is upon us, but it's the year 2009 that stands out in my mind. I wanted to state my favorite items of the year because that's what I do. This is my list of top whatevers:

ALBUM: Set Your Goals - This Will Be the Death of Us. It sets itself up for perfection by blending in a style of punk music to kick the shit out of pop music. An outsider might compare their music to pop-punk legends New Found Glory, but this album set a new mark that will be hard to be reached by their superiors.

MOVIE: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Brad Pitt looked good even as an old, withered dude. It was amazing they created a three hour movie out of a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The movie never felt too long, like so many did this year (i.e. "Transformers 2" - worst movie of 2009). It followed a love story so compelling it would make Nicholas Sparks jealous. If you didn't see it, you missed out.

FOOD: Jack's Special Salsa. The ingredients are amazingly blended together to leave you wet without making a mess. I'm assuming it's not made in New York City, but like it matters where it's made. As long as it tastes good, it makes no difference what country it comes from...unless it's from the Soviet Union.

BOOK: Harry Potter. I finally put away my adult pride and dedicated one month to read the entire series. It was an amazing, magical experience that only an english teenager could put me through. I'll admit the movies cover a lot of what people need to know, but the books give a better perspective about each character and setting.

That sums up my 2009. The best of everything. Now, it's time to move into 2010 with hope of something better in the media world...

2009 Came to an End

I hope this one year old massaging my feet isn't considered child labor. "I swear officer, I was babysitting one minute and the next minute he wants to massage my feet."

The beach of Half Moon Bay in November. What the #@*! were we thinking?

Minnesota Bridge is falling down, falling down...to soon?

The House of Horror in Farmington, UT

Blood, Blood, and More Blood

Cormac McCarthy has created a depressing style of literature that you can't even categorize it. Books, movies, and music classify themselves in genres to popularize their content; however, McCarthy seems to avoid that popularization at all cost.

Recently some of his books have caught fire with the general population, "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men," but it's not like he intended for it to happen. It seems that his style of writing is targeted more toward dragging your soul to the depths of a bottomless pit of mutilated corpses, so it makes the reader contemplate finishing his books. So my question is: Why does anyone enjoy reading his books?

Well, I enjoy reading his books because it takes me away from the Hollywood ending, over-the-top, very predictable novels, which are generally addicting. Reading one of McCarthy's books helps me escape the generalization of the literary world, and "Blood Meridian" is his most astonishing piece of literature that shouldn't be overlooked. It will make you cringe by some of the descriptive mutilations you'll read, but you'll enjoy each death like it'll be your own experience with the Grim Reaper.

McCarthy deserves praise for his accomplishments, but it's not like he'll enjoy it or take credit for anything he's done. He's an author that does the work because he enjoys it and it's all he has to do in his old age. And for that I am so thankful.

Q.F.T.

Thank God (Gosh?) the United States can take credit for having one of the best directors of all time, Quentin Tarantino. England has Guy Ritchie. Brazil has Fernando Meirelles. Spain has Guillermo del Toro. But luckily the United States has Quentin Fuckin' Tarantino.

Currently, critics are considering Tarantino's new film, "Inglorious Basterds," his greatest film ever; however, I still recognize "Pulp Fiction" his everlasting masterpiece. I'll admit that I loathed "Pulp Fiction" when I first saw it, but that was before I had a higher-IQ level than an Alabamian. The second time I saw the film it was like a clear picture describing everything I've been missing out on. Forget baptism by fire to begin a new life, I'll take the submersion by QT's films any day.

Granted, a viewer must listen to the dialogue closely in Tarantino's films to understand what's going on. It takes patience, but he fills in the gap of entertainment by plugging in a lot of violence, fuck words, and soothing music. For a moviegoer who hasn't seen one of his films, "Kill Bill" (1 and 2) is your best option to start with. Followed by "Pulp Fiction," and then finish things off with his new classic, "Inglorious Basterds." The Fiction will give your stomach a slight break between the scenes with buckets of blood being splashed across your screen.

So grab some popcorn, a beer, and a trashcan to puke into and enjoy a film that you won't find anywhere else than from Q.F.T.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

The big debacle in the state of Utah is which University football team do yoU root for - Utah Utes or byU coUgars. It's very misleading to a stranger in regards to this rivalry, bUt we the fans take this "Holy War" very serioUsly. People lose families, jobs, or lives over this football game. Each year a team is crowned victorioUs and the losing fans have to deal with the harassment Until the next game is played. Which brings me to my first point - I am Utah fan.

I know my team lost in overtime this year and they've lost three of the last five games; however, this was oUr rebUilding year and this was "yoUr BCS year." UnfortUnately yoU lost two games again, so I gUess the qUest for perfection will have to come next year or the year after or the year after that...

So this brings me to my next point - byU fans can only talk aboUt what's happening now in each program after they beat the Utes and they always bring Up, "What has yoUr team done for yoU lately?" Let me go ahead and explain...

My team has gone Undefeated twice in the last five years and has won two BCS bowl games. My team has won eight straight bowl games dating back to 1999. My team hasn't had consecUtive losing seasons since the late 90's. My team has the best total win percentage against BCS teams in the coUntry since 2000. My team has matched every win with byU over the last ten years in the rivalry (they're both 5-5). So byU, I woUld like to ask a qUestion, "What has yoUr team done for yoU lately?" YoU've gone to the same bowl game the last five years. YoU're 3-4 in bowl games since 1999. YoU haven't beat a single, good BCS team since Lavell was aroUnd (Oklahoma finished 7-5 and Notre Dame finished 6-6 back in 2004). And yoU had three consecUtive losing seasons jUst a coUple of years ago.

So my last point - byU fans soUnd just like the old Ute fans when it was okay to lose every game dUring the season, bUt if they beat byU then the season was a sUccess. YoU've lived off winning 10 or more games the last foUr seasons, bUt yoU coUld never make it over that hUmp - the Las Vegas Bowl. I know what my team has done for me lately, bUt it appears yoU still don't have a clUe what yoUr team has done for yoU lately.

Jesus H. Christ is a Rock Star, Again

Have you ever wondered what happened in over 30 years to one of the most popular dudes on this planet? Jesus Christ, from age 1 to age 30, has a total of one passage giving account to his childhood. How in the hell can Jesus Christ only have one passage about his childhood? The worst part about the passage, it's not during the time of teenage puberty, hormones, rage, and depression.

Unfortunately, Christ's story is very short in the New Testament: he was born in a manger, was a genius at 12 years old, performed many miracles as an adult, died in a painful way, rose from the dead, and then he was gone. Personally, I've often wondered where any storytellers were for that long period of nothingness. It's not like it would be hard to find a kid who can heal the sick or is claiming to be the Son of God. Luckily, his childhood pal, Leviticus (a.k.a. Biff), has been resurrected to tell Christ's story again and that's what the book is blessing us with today.

Released in 2003, this amazing piece of literature has been bringing people to tears in both positive and negative ways. Christopher Moore will blow your mind away with some of the stuff he discovered about the missing years of Jesus Christ. Whether it's about a prostitution experimint, what the "H" stands for, or how Christ knows Kung Fu, it's sure to leave you questioning what truly happened over 2000 years ago.

If you absolutely love Jesus and were offended by the idea of "Hamlet 2," then stay away from this book and continue reading the New Testament; however, if you love history, adventure, and humor, you have to read this book. Life and religion pulls us all down in many ways, so pick up a copy of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore and I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

The Unique Taste of Boulder

Beer is looked down upon in my state, so a good beer is very hard to come by. Luckily, as I was cruising through my small selection of beers at the State Liquor Store, I noticed something at the corner of my eye. I saw the label of a bottle and it looked like it already had one too many drinks. Obviously, I couldn't resist the extraordinary label that was beckoning me to partake of the contents inside.

Drinking from the "Beer of Life" was a great decision. The taste is very unique because it leaves a dry, hoppy feeling in your mouth. The look has a dark, orange tint, but the weight is as light as a feather. The percent of alcohol is decent (according to American standards), standing at 4.85% by volume. And, having a label that looks like it stepped out Jimi Hendrix's bus will guarantee you to be the life of the party.

I won't consider Hazed and Infused my favorite beer of all time, but I recommend it to all beer-lovers needing a change from the norm. Share the moment by yourself or with a friend. Enjoy the lasting memories when it was cool to smoke candy cigarettes in grade school, because Hazed and Infused will take you back to the days when it was cool to skip school and take hits on your friend's beanbag while playing Donkey Kong on Nintendo.

For more information, please visit the brewery's website at http://www.boulderbeer.com/