. Favourite Things of the Year

Favourite Album 
Adventures in Your Own Back Yard by Patrick Watson

Dreamy folky rock pop.  Like Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainright or Antony and the Johnsons without the histrionics.

Favourite Movie
Sleepwalk With Me

Mike Birgbiglia's one-man show transformed into a movie about a struggling stand-up comedian with doubts about his relationship and a sleepwalking problem.  It's not Batman.

Favourite Book 

Fairy Tales frrom the Grimm Brothers by Philip Pullman

A new translation by the guy that wrote The Golden Compass.   Read these stories out loud to each other before bed.  Stop when one of you falls asleep.

 

Favourite Video Game
Journey

Float around the desert in a poncho with no arms and an ever-expanding scarf.  If you play online you may be joined by strangers, so don't play online.

Favourite Co-op Video Game
Borderlands 2

Kill the bad guys, steal their stuff, sell your old stuff, kill more bad guys, steal more stuff, etc.  If you play online your friends may distract you from the pointlessness of it all, so do play online.



Favourite Card Game
Cards Against Humanity

Apples to Apples for mean drunks.

Favourite TV Show
Andrew Marr's History of the World
 

An eight part history of civilisation, dumbed down for idiots like us, with low-budget dramatisations of key historical events.  It could have been awful, and maybe it was.  But we loved it.  Especially Andrew Marr's ears.

 

Favourite Christmas Special 

Dr Who - The Snowmen

 

New Tardis, new side-kick, Ian Mckellen, Richard E. Grant, and an army of killer snowmen.  Best episode in ages.

 

Favourite Christmas Card
Bigtop Design

We didn't get around to making Christmas cards this year due to several unforseeable events and generally being a bit crap. Sorry.  The one above is by our old (really very old) friends James and Amy (left and centre right).  Go here to see previous years.



Favourite App
Find My Friends

Make sure your friends are where they're supposed to be at all times.  Watch as they move from place to place.  Hours of fun.

Favourite Comic Book
Goliath by Tom Gauld
 

The story of David and Goliath from the giant's point of view.  Tragic and darkly funny.  Not a lot of action, but plenty of pensive waiting around.  

Favourite Podcast
Stop Podcasting Yourself
 

Still the very best podcast to listen to while you're cooking Sunday dinner and having a beer.

 

Favourite Beer
Pliny the Elder.
 

Still the very best beer to drink while you're cooking Sunday dinner and listening to Stop Podcasting Yourself. 

Favourite Bar
Southern Pacific Brewing
 

A big warehouse with trees inside, and lots of seating, and crispy brussel sprouts with apricot and orange glaze.  And good beers.  And whiskys.

 

Favourite Whiskey
Glenfarclas 30 Year Single Malt
 

This was our favourite Drink by the Dram from the whisky advent calendar.  Rich, dark, spicy, and rubbery on the tail, apparently.

 

Favourite Whiskey Shop
Cask
 

To be honest, I've never been.  But Nif says this place is great, and I believe her.  Lot's of whisky and whiskey cocktail stuff.  And a ladder.

Favourite Olive
Castelvetrano

Milder than your average olive.  Buttery, maybe?  Apparently 2009 was the year of the Castelvetrano olive.  So I'm only three years behind the curve.  That's pretty good for me.

Happy New year!