Notably New in 2008

Few roller coasters have excitement and disappointment rivaling 2008. I confess that dusting off my post-graduate degree in Mountaineering and Hermitology was a temptation I resisted exactly seven times. The drops and dips are like children—uninteresting if they're not your own. So here are a few things that went very right in 2008.


Best Album born from an Uptight NYC University – Vampire Weekend

Dripping into the public consciousness with the release of their self-titled album, this group of Columbia-bred musicians mix so many ideas into their music that I feel I'm witnessing the creative process of a multi-possessed Paul Simon. My favorite from the album that is still in frequent rotation? Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.




Most Maniacally Depressing Bad Guy of whom I Wish There Were More - The Joker

I caught Dark Knight on a weekday trip to SLC when I had a few too many canceled meetings in a single afternoon. Stuck in one spot with a three hour gap, my iPhone yelled that I could catch the movie at exactly that time. (God bless technology.) "No problem," I thought, "I'll just watch this flick to reset my frustration and show up to my next appointment ready to work." Apparently I hadn't seen the trailer.

Two hours later I stumbled out of the theatre physically shaking and astonished that I could love the involvement of darkness and myth. The genius of Mr. Ledger's performance isn't that he made The Joker sympathetic; rather he convinced me that The Joker was more intent toward his objective than any other villain I've seen.




Most Ignored Car that we will come to Wish We Hadn't - 2008 M3 Sedan

Despite a waiting list longer than ten long things for the coupe, BMW apparently couldn't move the four-door variety M3 fast enough to avoid offering ridiculously low financing to anyone with a pulse, à la Ford Motor Company. The 2008 M3 sedan will stick in BMW's memory as a classic told-you-so that we, the enthusiast, will regret for years to come.

You see, after the E36 sedan failed to sell in sufficient numbers BMW pulled the option for the E46 and we missed out on a generation of four-dour sleepers. For years, the Letters section of Roundel lit up with complaints about our gracious German overlords neglecting our tastes. Fences were mended, the M3 sedan returned, and we, the consumer, didn't max out our home equity lines at a sufficient pace to satisfy supply. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the suits in Munich decline to give us another chance. Enjoy your E90; it may well be the last.




Most fun I've had on a Project This Year - TheEndOfRodneySmith.com

The combination of talent between Rodney Smith and David Meredith mean that I have a hard time saying, 'no.' To promote his new compendium, my little company built the very beautiful microsite at TheEndOfRodneySmith.com. My hat is off to Mister S and David, who handled the design.