Favorite songs of 2009

Dan inspires me to keep my list going, even if it's not as well thought out as his. Here's a slew of songs I listened to a lot in 2009, in no particular order.

1. "Poor Boy" from Blind Pilot's 3 Rounds and a Sound.
2. "Bracket, WI" from Bon Iver on the Dark Was The Night compilation album.
3. "All My Friends" from Broken Social Scene's To Be You and Me.
4. "Banshee Beat" from Animal Collective's Feels.
5. "La Llorona" (The Crying Woman) from Beirut's March of the Zapotec.
6. "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" from Andrew Bird's Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs.
7. "Black River Killer" from Blitzen Trapper's Furr.
8. "I Wish I Was The Moon" from Neko Case's Blacklisted.
9. "Easier" from Grizzly Bear's Yellow House.
10. "Levelland" from James McMurtry's Where'd You Hide The Body.
11. "Just Breathe" from Pearl Jam's Backspacer.
12. "Rome" from Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
13. "Fake Plastic Trees" from Radiohead's The Bends.
14. "You Really Gotta Hold On Me" from She & Him's Volume One.
15. "Family Tree" from TV on the Radio's Dear Science.
16. "Vincent O'Brien" from M. Ward's Transfiguration Of Vincent.
17. "Heart Skipped A Beat" from The xx's XX.

2009: (Nearly) final mileage check

I'll have about four more days on the bike in what should be a crazy end to 2009. With those rides, I'll fall far short of my goal for the year (3,500; too ambitious, clearly) but still hit a respectable 2,700 miles. Still, it was about 600 miles more than last year.


View Larger Map

Best single day was a 70-miler (a metric century) in August. In 2010 I will hit 100 miles in a day.

Worst single day was getting hit by a van (just lightly, but still scary) in, oh, I think it was June or July.

Hottest single day came in late July, when it was nearly 110 but in one stretch of North Portland my computer topped out at more than 120.

Coldest single day came last week when it was a bone numbing 12. Thankfully, it was a dry cold.

Next year, I'll aim for 3,000 as my goal.

Breaking Down Oregon's Win - ESPN Video