101 Things I Enjoyed in 2024
Shawn dusts off an old series, right as year-end list season heats up
For each of the past two years, I’ve posted a list of the 101 things I enjoyed over that window of eligibility on my personal site. While you could say most subjects we write about for Even Better qualify as “one for us,” this one really qualifies, since I consider it a way of cataloging where my taste and life were in a given year. But my hope is you find something to try, consider, nod your head along (or shake your head in disbelief) with on this list. Better late than never, I suppose, so let’s look back on some ancient history.
The 2024 New York Mets
Francisco Lindor’s go-ahead HR in the insane, see-saw game 161 against the Braves to clinch a playoff berth
Pete’s go-ahead HR to take the Brewers series
Lindor vanquishing the Phillies via grand slam
Sean Manaea becoming a new franchise hero and one of my guys
Juan Soto signing
“OMG”
A minor game in the larger picture, but witnessing a midseason comeback against the Pirates (Chapman implosion/watching him and Diaz warm up next to each other) from behind the bullpen. One of the few Mets wins I’ve ever seen in person, and the best
Hovvdy — Hovvdy
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
The Beast
Cassandra Jenkins — My Light, My Destroyer
Starting this very website, which debuted by covering that event
Listening to every U2 record pretty much exclusively in the month of January
Branching out to more Iris DeMent albums
Revis “Caught in the Rain”
Costco guys having the Chappell Roan arc (light 2023 exposure, 2024 overexposure)
Costco guys showing up on Hasan’s stream (was not watching live, don’t worry about it) I can’t explain why, but this little moment seemed more revealing (and endeared me more to this family) than anything else I’ve seen. People seem to be almost wishcasting a dark chapter for them, but I don’t know. We’ll see! Enough with the songs though.
Hawk Tuah (phrase divorced from context and referring to a person as Hawk Tuah only)
THAT’s what Hawk Tuah means? Why, getting an idea for a movie? Club Random
ELO at the big arena
Magdalena Bay kind of making music like ELO
Porter Robinson at the small arena
“Knock Yourself Out XD”
Watching most of Veep
The Traitors US and Australia
Phaedra’s star ascent
Phaedra pronouncing Parvati’s name like poverty
Evil Does Not Exist
Juror #2 in theaters after much strife
Bowling the highest score of my life with the name Juror #2
Watching more Clint, including the remarkable 15:17 to Paris
Resolve 2023 resolution to hit a ball over the fence
Hitting upwards of 1000+ balls during most people’s workdays
Pounders baseball
Scratching the surface of GBV
Scratching the surface of XTC
Eating at La Mona Rosa in Vegas, months before the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives would do the same
Seeing Floating Weeds on 16mm
Park Place Pub introduces smashburger
Watching Inland Empire about 3 feet away from my TV
Rohmer month (My Night and Maud’s and Pauline at the Beach reigning supreme)
Taking it up a notch with Fred Wiseman
The second annual De PalMay
Realizing Carlito’s Way is up there with the best
Realizing Redacted is up there with the best
Watching a lot of critically maligned classics (Spanglish and Dr. T and the Women among them)
LCJ continuing to do his thing (and build out the LCJ Collection)
Seeing Spoon win be back over after a shakier live show in 2022
Joyce Manor at 123 Pleasant Street in WV
George Clanton at Spirit
Creed playing what they claim is their best-attended headlining show ever in Hershey
Feeling the room almost collectively gasp at Sidney Gish’s star power
Mark Wahlberg taking an ice bath in front of a poster for The 400 Blows
This reaction image of Stephen A Smith on Hannity (wasn’t a great omen, so it goes)
“Diet Pepsi”
Realizing that, obviously, soda can make it easier to stay awake in movies
Assorted Alec Baldwin moments
Seeing M. Night Shyamalan boost his normie moviegoer credibility (with a pretty divisive movie)
100%ing his movies from Sixth Sense and beyond
Local Legends
Calling Matt Farley on his publicly available phone number after the movie
Playing that card game Coup a couple times
Finishing more books than the year prior (not an accomplishment)
Making one of them Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s The President Is Missing
Getting much of the eclipse experience without needing to drive
Baby nephew
2-3 months of the year when it wasn’t necessary to always be applying to jobs
Walking 7 miles per day while working at a national grocery chain
Getting discounts to two companies I otherwise would have no business shopping at with no money in This Economy
Announcing to a room of not-online co-workers that O.J. Simpson was dead
Person, Place or Thing with no sound/captions-on at the gym
Keeping the tab open on my phone to apply to Person, Place or Thing all year (but never doing it :/)
Wild Pink
Oso Oso
Father John Misty
The Cure
…all returning to approach or match past career heights
Eating some of the worst pizza on earth at the beach in Delaware, and then finding a Google review for the place that opened with “I guess the worst meal of your life has to be somewhere”
Monitoring the Google reviews of a new central PA bagel place, with 2013-era Instagram decor, that totally melts down in the replies of any negative review
Kennywood corn dogs (and feeling so ill I had to leave the line for a ride after eating one)
Watching a jet pack performance by the Nerveless Nocks at Kennywood
Trying more seafood (oysters)
Limited edition Ritz fudge covered crackers
Doing cartwheels and crawling like lizards in pool
Being one year away from Avatar: Fire and Ash
Buying into the hype of Challengers
Not buying into the hype of pretty much any other major 2024 releaseEasing off the pressure to catch up on things you don’t care about (culture writer brain disease)
Making loose plans to publicly screen movies in 2025, and putting it in writing here to hold myself to it
This photo of my dog, which aligns her ear with every time ending in 7 when set to your background:
A little too Mets heavy for my liking. But really came back around at 101.
Had to stop reading at number 1