As is now the standard, I’m choosing to list my favourite things I consumed this year, not necessarily what was released in 2025. And, as noted every year, lists are alphabetical unless otherwise specified.

My favourite albums

A light year for me, music-wise, for sure.

Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe

Former TV On The Radio frontman comes back with this solid lineup. Not uniformly great, but the good songs are so good it puts the album on this list.

Phonetics On And On by Horsegirl

“2-4-6-8” was on the list of my favourite songs last year, and the full album is pretty great too.

The Bad Fire by Mogwai

I can’t imagine a Mogwai album which wouldn’t show up on this annual list.

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory by Sharon Van Etten

A new band, a rekindled crunch, still the same Sharon Van Etten voice.

Songs From The Gang: A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett by Various Artists

A surprise for Nova Scotian musician Plaskett’s 50th birthday from some of his oldest friends. My favourites are the Sloan cover of “I Love This Town” and Alan Syliboy’s version of “Nowhere With You”. Never thought I’d hear that song sung in Mi’kmaq.

Moisturizer by Wet Leg

More varied and self-assured than their debut album. This one convinced Lindsay to get us tickets to see them live in the fall.

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My favourite songs

Not sure what was up this year, but where this is often twenty songs, I struggled to find ten that made this list.

1. Tunde Adebimpe . “Magnetic”
2. Big Thief . “Words”
3. Neko Case . “Little Gears”
4. Geese . “100 Horses”
5. Mogwai . “What Kind Of Mix Is This?”
6. Spoon . “Chateau Blues”
7. U.S. Girls . “The Clearing”
8. Sharon Van Etten . “Idiot Box”
9. Wet Leg . “CPR”
10. Wolf Alice . “White Horses”

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My favourite movies

I watched 16 movies this year (which used to be a light month for me), only 3 of which came out in 2025. I’m so out of the movie game now that I can’t even say “I haven’t watched x, y, or z yet.”

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Some artistic liberties, sure, but but damn if they didn’t encapsulate why Dylan is such a genius. Timothée Chalamet did that about as well as someone could.

A House Of Dynamite (2025)

Started off with incredible tension which sadly wound down as it went, but still a solid throwback to past cold war thrillers. It certainly made me want to watch Fail Safe.

Conclave (2024)

I was expecting Dan Brown light, but it was so much better than that. Ralph Fiennes played his part like a tightly wound spring who’d spent a lifetime learning restraint.

Free Solo (2018)

I think the only time during this documentary I wasn’t on edge was when Alex Honnold was on the ground. And he was almost never on the ground.

Furiosa (2024)

An excellent origin story of an excellent character. And Chris Hemsworth was a terrific addition to the universe. Entertaining as can be.

Leave The World Behind (2023)

A kinda-pocalypse for the modern age. Skillful ratcheting up of tension (racial and otherwise) until the final scene.

Locke (2013)

A technical feat: the entire movie is filmed inside Tom Hardy’s car as he drives to London. We hear other voices, but see no one — the entire story unfolds through conversations on his speakerphone. Hardy’s physicality so often plays a large part in his roles, but here it’s all in his voice and facial expressions.

She Said (2022)

A journalistic procedural about the groundswell of Me Too stories written about Harvey Weinstein, setting his charges in motion.

Sinners (2025)

A combination of monster movie + historical drama + light musical + societal examination. A healthy dose of blues history made this one of my favourites of the year.

Uncorked (2020)

Sure, the subject matter is wine, so I loved it, but it was even funnier than I expected, especially because of Courtney B. Vance.

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My favourite TV shows

Continuing the trend of the last several years, all the attention I used to pay to movies now goes to TV. I watched 53 new seasons of TV this year, and a pile more as re-watch. Probably the most notable shows I’ve been meaning to watch but have not, as yet: The Diplomat S03, Murderbot, Shrinking, the last four episodes of Stranger Things S05, The Studio, and maybe most importantly, Pluribus.

Adolescence

A tour de force of directing, coordination, and in the case of many of the principals, acting. I thought the first episode might have been the finest episode of TV I watched all year, until I saw the third episode.

Andor (S02)

Nary a lightsaber in sight, but still one of the best Star Wars properties. A sci-fi look at how fascism ascends, and how resistance to it isn’t clean.

The Bear (S04)

Not the strongest season of the show, but compelling nonetheless. “The Wedding” was one of my favourites episodes of the series.

The Last Of Us (S02)

Because I did not play the game, I did not see that coming.

Long Story Short (S01)

The newest series from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, also animated, is (was?) just as filled with pathos as BoJack Horseman was. Not sure how many seasons are planned, but I’m excited for more.

Mr. In-Between (S01)

Pretty sure Lindsay found this in an “underrated TV” subreddit. An Australian series about a seemingly regular bloke who’s also a killer for hire. That’s well-worn territory, but this show does it in a refreshing way.

The Pitt (S01)

For a while I dismissed this as ER 2.0, but I kept hearing good things about it. When I eventually started watching it I found myself truly bingeing it, making up excuses to just start the next episode even though it was 1am on a weeknight.

Severance (S02)

Not as good as season one, and a little annoying at times, but still one of the most interesting things on TV.

Somebody Somewhere (all seasons)

Lindsay watched this first and insisted I watch it too, and she was right — it’s one of the sweetest, best-acted comedies I’ve seen in a while.

The White Lotus (S03)

Some parts I loved (aka, Parker Posey), some parts I didn’t, but even a relatively-weak season of White Lotus is better than most TV.

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My favourite books

Last year I read six books. This year I read seven. These were my five favourites.

Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul

A biting and often-hilarious history of failed relationships (one in particular, but not in totality) of Scaachi Koul, one of my favourite writers.

You Had Me At Pet-Nat by Rachel Signer

In which the author explains how natural wines must be grown, encouraged, nurtured, and eased into the world, as she describes how she does the same thing with her relationship. It’s not as heavy-handed as I make it seem, I promise.

Terror From The Air by Peter Sloterdijk

A bit of a random thing, really — Lindsay had this book out from the library for her PhD thesis, and I just started flipping through it. Before I knew it I was half-finished. A treatise on the idea that the world changed in WWI when warfare began using the very air we breathe to kill us, continuing through WWII with the firebombing of cities like Dresden, Hamburg, and Tokyo. That fire theme was one that recurred in another book on this list too.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I can see why it became so popular during/after 2020. The description of a foreign virus (albeit a far more deadly one) infecting Toronto recalled those initial COVID days pretty clearly. The rest was a bit of standard-fare post-apocalyptic adventure, but admirable for how it mixed mundanity into the inevitable harshness.

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

I wouldn’t have thought this book — centered on the Fort McMurray fire from a few years ago, but wrapped in the history of northern Canadian resource extraction, the oil sands, and a timeline of the energy sector’s detachment from science and reason when it benefitted them — would be as gripping as it was, but we turned the pages just like we would have any so-called beach read. Also, I didn’t know anything about the Chisholm Fire until I read this book, and it was terrifying.

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My favourite (new) podcasts

Setting aside constant favourites like 99% Invisible, Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People, Q, Smartless, Somm TV, The Rest Is History, This American Life, TLDR, Way Down In The Hole, and You Are Good, these are the new-to-me podcasts I got into this year. I am, at present, a good six months behind on my podcasts, so I’ve hesitated to add anything new, but I can see the new Michael Lewis series The Big Short waiting for me.

Good Hang

Certainly helped by Amy Poehler’s network of talented friends, but she’s also becoming a very good interviewer. The segment where she interviews yet more famous friends of the guest is often almost as good as the interview itself.

Good On Paper

Apparently I only added “good” podcasts this year? Anyway, this policy discussion put on by The Atlantic was as interesting as it was short-lived. It wrapped up back in the spring.

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My favourite meals

In chronological order.

Les Brumes du Coudes, Moncton

On one of my many visit to Moncton this year, I met brother #2 and sister-in-law #1 at this tiny place tucked into the Aberdeen Cultural Centre for a surprisingly delicious meal of local favourites and interesting wine. I might have had more impressive meals, but this one makes it on the list for the sheer “This is in Moncton?!” of it.

Nobu, Toronto

When old friend T-Bone and I still worked together, we were constantly going out to new restaurants. As I changed companies and life got busier, it got harder and harder. To wit: when we met for dinner at Nobu it had been nearly eight years since we last broke bread (or, the high-end sushi equivalent). The jalapeño yellowtail and lobster tempura with tamari honey were the best things I ate, but the real highlight was getting to spend four gabby hours with T-Bone again.

Dalvay By The Sea, PEI

A group side quest on a work trip, I had — in a gorgeous lakeside setting, it must be said — one of the biggest and best pork chops I have ever et.

Elora Mill Inn, Elora

A few days after my 50th birthday, we spent a couple days at the Elora Mill Inn. On our first night we did their tasting menu(s), and right from the strawberry basil gazpacho amuse bouche, it was outstanding.

Ricky + Olivia, Toronto

We ate at R+O a few times this year, but the dinner in August with our friends Matt & Lisa was my favourite. The sugar cube cantaloupe with salami, cucumber, and burrata was a standout, and as much as I think they have the best burger in the city, this might have been the best it’s ever tasted.

TOWN, Ottawa

One of a number of standout meals we ate in a weekend trip to Ottawa, this one at TOWN with Patrick and Maeve stood out. Once again, it was a pork chop that charmed me, but everything else down to the salad was fantastic.

Arlo, Ottawa

Our last big meal in Ottawa, and probably the best of the bunch, was a birthday dinner at Arlo. The scallop tartare appetizer was superb. The ribeye for two was cooked perfectly. The wine was delicious. The vibe was great. A star.

Langdon Hall, Cambridge

Definitely the most involved tasting menu of the year, we did the Grand Tasting Menu: 10+ courses over four hours, with wine pairings. Very, very elevated.

Wood Owl, Toronto

Once again with Patrick & Maeve, but this time in Toronto. We’d been wanting to go to the Wood Owl forever, finally getting there in November, and friggin’ loved it. Great wine, excellent food, lovely decor, and warm service.

Mystic, Halifax

I’ve had my eye on this place since it opened, but when it was awarded best new restaurant in Canada by en route a couple months ago, I booked it immediately. We ate there on December 27th, and it blew us away. Every course of both our menus was exceptional. A well-deserved award, and a welcome addition to the Halifax dining scene.

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My favourite bottles of wine

This list is certainly incomplete — I hate documenting my wines when we’re out, and it’s hit and miss as to whether I remember to note/rate them even when we drink them at home. Anyway, it’s a decent-enough list with good geographic representation: one Argentinian, one Chilean, two American, two French, three Italian, and (surprisngly) only one Canadian. In chronological order.

Bachelder 2017 Wismer-Wingfield Vineyard Chardonnay

From my cellar. Perpetually one of the best Chardonnays Canada has to offer.

Bodega Catena Zapata 2016 “Nicolás” Bordeaux blend

From my cellar. One of my all-time favourite Argentinian reds, this one was just at the tail end of vibrancy, but still had plenty of life and flavour.

Villa Poggio Salvi 2018 “Pomona” Brunello di Montalcino

From Carisma restaurant in Toronto. Recommended by Adriano at our Valentine’s Day dinner, and perfectly threaded the needle of a diverse food order.

Sea Smoke 2015 “Ten” Pinot Noir

From my cellar. A favourite since first trying it in Arizona 13 years ago, I used to look for it in Vintages releases. Alas (but rightly) there are currently no US products in those releases, so I’ll continue to enjoy the bottles I have.

Federico Curtaz 2019 Etna “Gamma” Carricante

Domaine Fernand Engel 2018 Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives

Both from my cellar. We opened four bottles when Ricky + Olivia came over to our house for dinner, but these two — a Sicilian white and an Alsatian late harvest Pinot Gris — were outstanding bookends.

Seña 2013 Bordeaux blend

From my cellar. Each year I meet my friends Dan & Abtin at a steakhouse for dinner, and one of us brings a bottle from our collection. This year, at the new Jacobs location, I brought this storied Chilean red.

Trefethen 2017 Oak Knoll District Cabernet Sauvignon

From my cellar. After meeting the Trefethen family in the Okavango Delta in 2013, I always buy their wine when it appears in the LCBO (prior to the afore-mentioned US product ban). I managed to age this one enough to have it in peak form when grilling for the first time this summer.

Donesco Pacina 2020 Toscana Rosso

From Arlo restaurant in Ottawa. A perfect Sangiovese match for our ribeye for two.

Clos Orgelot 2011 “Clos du Moulin aux Moines” Pommard Premier Cru

From the restaurant at Langdon Hall. On the second night of our stay we opted for a simpler meal, but a fancier bottle of wine. We drank it before the Jays broke our hearts.

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My favourite moments of the year

In chronological order.

1. Gleefully ditching twitter after 18 years
2. Celebrating Mom’s 75th at a pancake breakfast in rural NS
3. Literally any time Bianca slept on the bed with us
4. Experiencing playoff hockey for the first time in four years
5. Going on a hike w/ Dad on his 82nd birthday
6. Sharing a bottle of 2013 Sena with old friends
7. A brief serenade from the captain of our Amsterdam canal cruise, who is also an opera singer
8. Sailing down the Rhine amidst dozens of medieval castles
9. Visiting Alsace, one of my favourite wine regions
10. Turning fifty
11. Spending two whole days in a pool in Niagara-On-The-Lake
12. Sharing a bottle of wine in our backyard on a perfect summer night with Matt & Lisa
13. Drinking a cold beer alone on a quiet, convivial Moncton patio
14. Watching Wet Leg deliver a knockout concert at History
15. Having Thanksgiving with my family, exploring parts of the woods near home I’d never visited before
16. Visiting the Manx pub in Ottawa for the first time in 25+ years
17. Enjoying a cozy fire in our room at Langdon Hall
18. Cheering the Jays on through their World Series run
19. Seeing my fifth Habs game in Montreal (even if they lost, again)
20. Meeting our friend’s extremely adorable baby

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[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

Again, this year, I’m choosing to list my favourite things I consumed this year, not necessarily what was released in 2024. As noted last year, I almost never drink beer anymore, so that’s gone from the list. And as noted every year, lists are alphabetical unless otherwise specified.

My favourite albums

I am beyond behind in listening to new music this year — I still have albums by Big Brave, Dehd, Amen Dunes (both of them), Pearl Jam, Robber Robber, The Softies, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Julie, Alan Sparhawk, The Smile (the second one), High Vis, Soccer Mommy, Mount Eerie, Father John Misty, Ekko Astral, Nap Eyes, Kendrick Lamar, Kim Deal, and King Hannah to get through — while many others failed to wow me as I’d hoped. So, as of now, only four of major note.

No Title As Of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

With a title destined to perpetually exclaim how much worse things have gotten in Gaza with every day that passes, this album is classic GY!BE: lush, brooding, powerful.

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

Not as strong as Father Of The Bride, but not many of their albums are. “Prep-School Gangsters” ended up on my best songs of the year list, but “Mary Boone” is the one that lingers in my head long after I stop listening.

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee

For a band that was never that far from country, this now-ubiquitous alt-country trend probably came naturally. I didn’t fall in love with MJ Lenderman the way everyone else seemed to, but his collab track was my favourite song on this. A solid, catchy collection…almost in spite of that, IMHO.

No Name by Jack White

The world’s a better place any time Jack White makes a back-to-bluesier-roots album.

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My favourite songs

See caveat above.

1. Being Dead . “Goodnight”
2. Cloud Nothings . “The Golden Halo”
3. The Dandy Warhols . “Teutonic Wine”
4. Dummy . “Soonish…”
5. Future . “Lil Demon”
6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor . “Raindrops Cast In Lead”
7. Horsegirl . “2468”
8. Hurray For The Riff Raff . “Ogallala”
9. Iron & Wine . “All In Good Time (feat. Fiona Apple)”
10. Jack White . “It”S Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)”
11. Joshua Idehen . “Mum Does The Washing”
12. Kim Gordon . “The Believers”
13. King Hannah . “Davey Says”
14. Les Savy Fav . “Guzzle Blood”
15. Mannequin Pussy . “I Don’t Know You”
16. Nap Eyes . “Passageway”
17. Sleater-Kinney . “Don’t Feel Right”
18. The Smile . “Read The Room”
19. Vampire Weekend . “Prep-School Gangsters”
20. Waxahatchee . “Right Back To It (feat. MJ Lenderman)”

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My favourite movies

I watched just 18 movies this year, only 6 of which actually came out in 2024, and only three of those made this top ten list.

American Fiction (2023)

Treatise on race & literature. Excellent.

Anatomy Of A Fall (2023)

Treatise on relationships and law. Excellent.

Blackberry (2023)

Treatise on innovation and ego. Excellent.

Blackkklansman (2018)

Treatise on racism and power structures. Excellent.

Dune 2

Treatise on politics and zealotism and Zendaya. Excellent.

El Camino (2019)

Treatise on trauma and flashbacks. Excellent.

Society Of The Snow

Treatise on tragedy and survival instinct. Excellent.

Somm IV: Cup Of Salvation (2023)

Treatise on wine and tradition. Excellent.

The Substance

Treatise on sexism and greed. Disgusting, but excellent.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Treatise on vampires and belonging. Excellent.

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My favourite TV shows

As in previous years, most of my eyeball time is reserved for TV. As best I can recall we watched 44 new seasons of TV this year, and are in various stages of watching several others (Blue Eyed Samurai S01, X-Men ‘97 S01, The Penguin S01, Peaky Blinders S06, Lessons In Chemistry S01, You’re The Worst S02, What We Do In The Shadows S01, Say Nothing, Abbott Elementary S04, and Hell’s Kitchen S23) to say nothing of all the shows we re-watched or haven’t even gotten to yet. Anyway, here were my ten favourites.

Abbott Elementary (S03)

Wholesome but edgy. Broad but clever. It’s like they take all the best aspects of classic single-camera sitcoms and build on them into something that feels familiar, but still new.

Black Earth Rising (S01)

I had no idea what this was about. Between the title and Michaela Cole’s huge eyes, I actually thought it was about an alien invasion. That it was about the Rwandan genocide threw me for a loop.

The Diplomat (S02)

Rather silly but oh-so-stylish. The second season, like the first, was a ton of fun to watch…and that was before Allison Janney showed up.

Drops of God (S01)

A French & Japanese story about broken familial relationships, wrapped in a story designed to satisfy the biggest of wine nerds. I heard there’s going to be a second season; I’m not sure I even want it, but I’ll watch it.

Fargo (S05)

A perpetual favourite, especially because it shifts so coolly each season. Juno Temple was excellent in season 5; Jennifer Jason Leigh was a revelation.

House Of The Dragon (S02)

Anything GoT-related will likely end up on this list. Season 2 provided even more character development, but also finally gave us some epic dragon battles!

Patriot (S01)

I started catching up with this entry on some “The best shows you probably haven’t watched” list, and it’s a nice, absurdist twist on the usual spy thrillers. The folks songs kill me.

Severance (S01)

I wish we hadn’t waited so long to watch this, because it was excellent. The only upside is that we finished just a few months before season 2 begins in January.

The Bear (all)

After sleeping on this for a while, I binged all seasons 1 & 2 in the weeks leading up to season 3. I know everyone goes on about “Fishes” but “Forks” is my all-time fav episode thus far.

Veep (all)

I’d started watching this a couple of times but only committed this year, and then we killed the whole six-season run in just a few weeks. So profanely funny, and frankly kinda sad at the end.

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My favourite books

I read just two books in all of 2023, so in 2024 I gave myself an objective to read six. I finished the afternoon of Dec 31st. These were my five favourites.

33 1/3: Sleater-Kinney’s Dig Me Out by Jovana Babovic

From a series of deep dives into seminal albums, this one focuses on one of my all-time favourites. I bought it in ebook format years ago and finally got around to reading it on Dec 28th, finishing it just before going out for new year’s eve.

Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A through-line from the Fanon book we recently read together. Not just the title, but the philosopher’s gift of delivering damning social critique in the most heartbreakingly poetic manner possible. To wit: “Damn it all. Prince Jones was dead. And hell upon those who tells us to be twice as good and shoot us no matter. Hell for ancestral fear that put black parents under terror. And hell upon those who shatter the holy vessel.”

Doctors And Distillers by Camper English

The history of booze as medicine, and oftentimes quackery: what’s not to like?

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

I’m glad I read this before seeing part II of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, because I think — with the luxury of knowing where book two would go — he could help shape Paul’s evolution into a more natural arc.

But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman

But seriously, what if we are?

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My favourite (new) podcasts

Setting aside constant favourites like 99% Invisible, Hard Fork, Q, Serial, Smartless, Somm TV, This American Life, Way Down In The Hole, We’re Here To Help, You Are Good, and You’re Wrong About, these are the new-to-me podcasts I got into this year. They are the only things that keep me sane on the long drives to/from Oakville, and the only-slightly-longer flights to/from Moncton.

Against The Rules

I’m cheating a bit here as I’ve barely even started the new season (about fans and the rise of sports gambling) yet, but I can guarantee it’ll be one of the best things I listen to all year.

Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People Podcast

An Ontario-based radio guy who interviews mostly local people about wine. So it’s pretty Inside Baseball about Canadian wine, but so am I.

Slow Burn: The Rise Of Fox News

As always, the deep dive into a meaningful political event — in this, the rise of garbage news as a political lever.

The Rest Is History

I don’t listen to all of these, but when they do a miniseries that I’m into (the run-up to WWI; the sinking of the Titanic; the start of the French Revolution, etc.) I love it.

TLDR

A money-related podcast produced by Wealthsimple — brief, to the point, often insightful, and usually at least a little bit funny.

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My favourite meals

In chronological order.

Giulietta, Toronto

A walk-in at a Michelin-noted restaurant is a bold move in Toronto these days, but we pulled it off. Excellent food, great service, and a bottle of Godello that made the night.

Ricky + Olivia, Toronto

Our first time trying new neighbourhood darling Ricky + Olivia (fun fact: Lindsay has known Olivia for years, and we connected with them a couple times when they were running pop-ups at our friend Laura’s wine bar, Chez Nous) was with our friend James and the afore-mentioned Laura, who’d been there before. The space was gorgeous. The wine, all local for us, was terrific. And the food was incredible. We were about one bite into the steak tartare (which is dressed like a Big Mac) when we ordered a second. If I didn’t have a loose rule about including restaurants on this list twice, our New Year’s Eve meal might’ve shown up as well.

Aera, Toronto

Another dinner out with friends & former colleagues Dan B & Abtin, high above The Well, featured excellent steaks, jaw-dropping views of the city, and a bottle of Queylus from Dan’s cellar.

Villa Maya, Thiruvananthapuram

By far the nicest meal we had on the first leg of our India trip, this place was freaking stunning inside, and the food — mutton, prawn, fish curry, pork ularthu, paneer, etc. — blew us away. Extravagant by Kerala standards; exceptional value by Toronto standards.

1888 Chop House, Banff

A pricey dinner (it’s the steak house at the Banff Springs Hotel, so you do the math) featuring multiple Wagyu steaks and a bottle of Andrew Will bordeaux blend, like the stellar one I had at Barberian’s a couple years ago.

Notre Dame de Parkton, Moncton

An entry unlike the others on this list, NDP is a low-key Moncton takeout spot with exceptional sandwiches. The smoked meat sandwich I had was the best I’ve ever had in a place not named Schwartz’s.

Lucie, Toronto

We spent Lindsay’s birthday dinner at this new French place on Yonge. It had ups and downs, but the inventiveness of the food and the quality of the wine list lands it here.

Richmond Station, Toronto

Ricky, Olivia, and Laura appear twice on this list: this time out, we had dinner at perennial favourite Richmond Station, trying half the menu and loving all of it. I recommend eating with top-notch chefs, especially when they’re as sweet and knowledgeable as R+O.

The Everly, Kingston

We were kind of shocked at how much we enjoyed our meals in Kingston, though this one probably stood above the rest even if they were out of half the things we ordered.

20 Victoria, Toronto

Lots of Michelin-starred restaurants in Toronto don’t live up to the hype, but this one did. Delicious food, inventive wine pairings, stellar service, cozy vibe. One of the best meals we’ve had in ages.

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My favourite wines

I try to only list bottles I had for the first time, but there are a couple of repeats on here. This is also, in a nod to Rick Van Sickle’s annual list, becoming more of a “most thrilling” list vs. the ten most technically ideal wines I tried. Listed chronologically in the order I drank them.

Inniskillin/Jaffelin 1995 Alliance Pinot Noir

From my cellar. I won this in a charity auction, and was happy to contribute the money regardless of the state of the wine, but it was actually fantastic.

Clonakilla 2013 Shiraz Viognier

From my cellar. I don’t often love a straight Aussie Shiraz; maybe it just always needs Viognier to round it out? Or maybe it was the years of aging. Either way, this bottle was wonderful.

The Farm 2017 Pinot Noir Mason Vineyard

From my cellar. Maybe the last year of Mason grapes for The Farm, this bottle was — as I said at the time — outrageously good. So glad I have another left in the cellar.

Sula 2023 Chenin Blanc

From the pool bar at the Uday Suites, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Prior going to India I didn’t even know they made wine there. The whole time in Kerala, it’s all I drank. This Sula Chenin served at our friends’ first wedding ceremony was my favourite of what I tried.

Le Vieux Pin 2014 Equinoxe Syrah

From my cellar. We had Laura over one night for a side by side Syrah tasting between this 2014 BC beauty and a 2014 Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels from NZ. Laura favoured the latter; I, the former. I quit the LVP wine club when I knew their forest fire wines were coming, but I’m glad I have several vintages of their reds left to enjoy.

Avondale Sky 2013 Blanc de Noir Brut

From my cellar. Drunk right after I found out I had passed the WSET level 3 wine course. It was stunning on its own, but made all the better by the relief and happiness of the moment.

Andrew Will 2007 “Sorella” Bordeaux blend

From 1888 Chophouse in the Banff Springs Hotel. A rare bargain on the wine list of a steakhouse, I capitalized on the recommendation from a Barberian’s sommelier two years earlier to snag this prize to go with our steaks.

Chateau de Javernand 2022 “Climax” Chiroubles

Drank in our friend Kirsten’s Calgary condo. Purchased at Vine Styles, a fantastic wine store in Calgary, because of the staff’s raves. We paired this Cru Beaujolais with fancy PB&J sandwiches purchased next door, and it was somehow goddamned amazing.

Five Rows 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

From my cellar. I stopped buying Five Rows’ cab sauv after this vintage. After drinking this one, I regretted that decision. At least I still have one left in the cellar.

Thirty Bench 2015 “Small Lot” Cabernet Franc

From my cellar. One of the wines that made me fall in love with Ontario reds, and with wines in general. Maybe the best vintage of it too. Brightness and power all in one.

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My favourite moments of the year

Listed chronologically.

1. We finally, finally finished the first “season” of Pandemic: Legacy, after 3.5 years.
2. Finally visiting Saskatchewan, the only province I’d never been to.
3. Meeting Polly, my brother’s new dog (and later meeting Yuki too!)
4. Yelling along to “The Dethbridge In Lethbridge” at the Rural Alberta Advantage concert with Shannon & Warren.
5. Hanging out with Adam, my oldest friend, for the first time in many years.
6. Full! Solar! Eclipse!
7. Catsitting Cosmo.
8. Enjoying a rooftop party on a beautiful spring day in Moncton.
9. Waking up next to the ocean in Grande-Digue.
10. After one bad Air Canada employee made us sad, another one saved the day.
11. Sitting on our Amsterdam hotel room balcony, drinking a coffee, eating a pastry, enjoying the breeze.
12. The Etihad first class lounge, possibly the swankiest place I have ever been or ever will be.
13. Seeing our friend get married in India.
14. Catsitting Pluto.
15. Having brunch with my friend Jenna, who I hadn’t seen in years.
16. Finding out I passed the WSET level 3 wine course.
17. Standing atop the rockpile at Moraine Lake.
18. Trying Château d’Yquem for the first time.
19. A quiet walk in Crothers Woods.
20. Bringing home our newly adopted cat Bianca.

.:.

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

It’s worth noting this represents my first annual report since 2019 that wasn’t written in the throes — or at least the wake — of COVID-19. And yet, the theme this year is sickness, since a ton of non-COVID situations really derailed us this year.

First, there’s how we became sick (in the figurative sense) of many aspects of living and commuting in Toronto. From the difficulties of moving around it, to housing prices and various other ills, the city is wearing on us — and on me especially since I’ve been living there 26 years.

Then there’s the literal sicknesses that disrupted a bunch of our plans this year:

• My reaction to a COVID booster flattened me such that I couldn’t go to a wine club event in May.
• I got sick immediately after leaving my job in August, just as I was about to begin a month of vacation.
• Lindsay and I both got sick at different times on a trip to New York, which caused us to miss a Pavement concert, a Broadway show, and a Janelle Monae concert (and skip the Philadelphia portion of the trip altogether, though Lindsay returned later).
• I got a 24-hour bug while in Moncton that delayed us driving to the farm.
• During our Christmas visit a norovirus ripped through me and half my family. I spent Christmas Day quarantined in bed.

Despite all this, we did get some modest trips in: New York two times; Nova Scotia in May for my dad’s 80th birthday and again for Christmas; Ottawa in June; and Prince Edward County in July. Still nothing off-continent, but we expect that to change next year.

We did also tack on a few weekends away at the nearby Stratford festival, our first time attending. In addition to discovering new favourite restaurants like Lovage (where are ate four times) and Bluebird, we saw four plays over three visits (Women of the Fur Trade, Richard II, Les Belles Soeurs, and the excellent Frankenstein Revived), while also seeing one in Toronto (the crushing Girls & Boys) and one on Broadway (the Tony-nominated revival of A Doll’s House). We seem to have swapped Niagara visits (only one this year, for a Leaning Post 10th birthday celebration) for drives to Stratford.

I also ended up travelling to the Maritimes several times for work in the fall. After leaving the wine industry in August and taking September off, in October I joined a Moncton-based company; not only am I enjoying the job, it’s given me a great opportunity to see my family more often.

We did also manage to enjoy ourselves in Toronto a bit, with dinners out at restaurants (Gare de l’Est, Richmond Station (twice), George, Greta Solomon, Carisma w/ MLK, Ascari, Ardo, Grey Gardens, and Blue Blood Steakhouse, the lone new Toronto restaurant I tried this year…sad), get-togethers with friends (Shannon & Dallas, CBGB for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving, brunch at White Lily with MLK, and Mike & Heather), and out-of-town visitors (Naakita, Patrick, Naakita + Jess, brother #2 and his wife), and a Jays game. No concerts, but we have two lined up in the first few months of 2024.

Our enjoyment of the year was tempered, though, by the worst sickness of all this year: at the end of February, Kramer suddenly fell ill and we lost him just hours later. It was a devastating blow for a still-young cat who’d come so far since we adopted him, and for Lindsay and I who loved him so dearly. It took weeks for the spontaneous tears to wind down; they still come now and then, even ten months later. That’s the sickness that’s reverberated the most throughout our year. Miss you, Kramer. (and Ayce & Aly too.)

As far as our own sicknesses, I recognize that if the worst that comes from them is a few missed concerts or interrupted vacations, then we have it pretty easy. There’s nothing debilitating or life-altering here. All in all, we continue to be safe, prosperous, and (largely) healthy. For that, we’re grateful.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

• 2022: Emergence
• 2021: Outbreak
• 2020: Containment
• 2019: Body Blows
• 2018: Stabilization
• 2017: Fallout
• 2016: Antipodal
• 2015: Hyper-focus
• 2014: Focus
• 2013: Adjustments
• 2012: Mobile
• 2011: Evolution
• 2010: Expansion
• 2009: Steady
• 2008: Lassitude

.:.

[Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash]

For this year’s lists, I’m continuing my recent pattern of including everything I consumed this year, not just what came out. And, as always, everything is listed alphabetically unless otherwise stated.

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My favourite albums

I am extremely behind on this front, not having gotten through new albums by ANOHNI & Antony and the Johnsons, Bass Drum of Death, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Explosions In The Sky, Feist, Julie Byrne, Marnie Stern, Rural Alberta Advantage, Sigur Ros, or Yo La Tengo. So this is as far as I’ve gotten.

The Record by boygenius

Anytime three of the best working musicians out there join forces, you know it’s going to great. Fulfills the promise of the original EP, and them some.

Islands In The Sky by Death Valley Girls

I don’t even remember how I heard about this album, but it went into my regular play rotation and stayed there. If I didn’t have the unofficial rule about “only one song per artist” on my best-of songs list below, it’d probably contain 3 or 4 songs from this album.

I Inside The Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey

From the opening track this one feels haunting, as PJ Harvey albums tend to do, what with that voice of hers. That’s where the sameness stops, though. She never seems to release the same album twice, and that innovation is part of what’s so thrilling here.

The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We by Mitski

Sameness isn’t always bad though — Mitski’s evolution from album to album is slower, but entirely noticeable. This album has made me very excited that we’ll see her on her 3-day stand at Massey Hall in the new year.

.:.

My favourite songs

See caveat above.

• Alvvays . ‘Tom Verlaine’
• boygenius . ‘$20’
• Death Valley Girls . ‘Islands In The Sky’
• Lana Del Rey . ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’
• Bob Dylan . ‘Tombstone Blues’ (the version on Shadow Kingdom)
• PJ Harvey . ‘Prayer At The Gate’
• Mitski . ‘Bug Like An Angel’
• The New Pornographers . ‘Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies’
• U.S. Girls . ‘St. James Way’
• Youth Lagoon . ‘Rabbit’

.:.

My favourite movies

Good gosh: I only watched seven movies that came out this year, and only four made this list. Lots of high quality, though, including some that just spilled over from late last year.

All Quiet On The Western Front (2022)

Not the first version of this, but maybe the best. A traumatic and traumatizing story of the last days of WWI.

Barbie (2023)

All the hype was deserved. A very funny, very textural, very scathing bit of moviemaking that seemed to make the right people uncomfortable, and made us (okay, me) listen a little more closely to some Matchbox Twenty lyrics.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

A film I’d been meaning to watch for…well, ten years. Entertaining enough, but worth the price of admission just to see Cate Blanchett’s stylish, frenetic meltdown. A masterclass in acting.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

As trippy and touching and innovative and fun as it gets. The inimitable Michelle Yeoh, the delightful Stephanie Hsu, the comeback kid Ke Huy Quan, the eternal James Hong, the powerhouse Jamie Lee Curtis…what a cast. What a concept. I want to watch it again right now.

The Killer (2023)

Any David Fincher film is a pretty safe bet to end up on my year-end list, and this one — while not his strongest — was more than good enough to make the cut.

May December (2023)

Charles Melton was subtly, heartbreakingly good. Julianne Moore was just unhinged enough. Natalie Portman bounced expertly between the two poles. Knowing it was closely based on a real story that I’m old enough to remember gave it the most unsettling veneer. Good, but I’m not sure I ever want to watch it again.

The Menu (2022)

We watched this at the very beginning of the year, still feeling gluttonous from our festive bingeing. Darkly funny and a great commentary on class & cultishness, but TBH it’s made me a little self-conscious about tasting menus. 😐

Nope (2022)

Typical Jordan Peele: smart, funny, scary, insightful. Probably my least favourite of his three feature films, but still better than just about everything else I saw this year.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Like David Fincher, it’s a pretty good bet Christopher Nolan will show up on this year-end list with just about anything he does. These talky epics have a tendency to be poorly paced, but Oppenheimer pulled it off so beautifully. I can’t wait to watch it again and again, as I do with all of Nolan’s films.

Tár (2022)

I don’t know why Todd Field has only made three movies in the last 22 years — all three (In The Bedroom, Little Children, and this one) were brilliant, and nominated for multiple Oscars. Or maybe that’s why he’s achieved such success? Anyway, as long as he turns out pieces like this, with performances like Cate Blanchett’s (two entries on the list this year!) he can work at whatever pace he likes.

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My favourite TV shows

I/we watched an incredible amount of TV this year. Setting aside all the re-watches, the ones we’re in the middle of watching (Silo S1, Borgen S4, Blue Eyed Samurai S1, Fargo S5, Lessons In Chemistry S1, and A League Of Their Own S1) and the vast pile we haven’t even started, here’s what stood out when we watched them this year.

Abbott Elementary (all)

We binged the entirety of this once we started it. The kind of funny and sweet that makes me laugh, but that I could also tell my parents to watch.

Better Call Saul (all)

I’d put off watching this for years, maybe so I could do it all at once. As big a fan as I was of Breaking Bad, this series might have been even better. Seeing the slow, bit-by-bit (d)evolution of Jimmy McGill was incredible; getting bonus storylines with Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring made it that much better. It’s no wonder this show was nominated for as many Emmy awards as it was.

Black Mirror (S6)

Not the strongest season, but the first three episodes — “Joan Is Awful”, “Loch Henry”, “Beyond The Sea” — were so good that it deserved listing here. Parts of all three of those episodes will stick with me for a long, long time.

Borgen (S1-3)

I don’t know what compelled me to start watching this slow, talky Danish political drama, but once I started I was hooked. I burned through the first three seasons, and am making my way through the recently-released fourth.

The Diplomat (S1)

I didn’t expect much out of this — it seemed at the outset like a formulaic drama — but I was very wrong. Sure, it’s a little cliffhanger-y, but it’s often funny and always interesting in its gender dynamics.

The Last Of Us (S1)

What else to say about this series that hasn’t already been said? The near-perfect setup (the pre-credits scenes of the first two episodes gave me the willies), amazing star performances, emotionally wrenching episodes (“Long, Long Time” anyone?), and a GoT-like character mortality rate made it appointment TV for me.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (S4+5)

We took a long pause after season 3, but I eventually restarted the series myself and watched the final two seasons in quick succession. Whatever else it was, it was funny…and a sweet testimonial to friendship. It also had that rarest of qualities for a high-calibre show: a near-perfect final episode.

Mythic Quest (all)

This time last year we’d just started watching this show. A few weeks later we’d watched all three seasons. With creators like that (all Always Sunny alumni) the show was bound to be funny, but it’s also remarkably sweet — especially the relationship between Ian and Poppy. Standalone episodes like “A Dark Quiet Death” and “Backstory!” are just the cherry on top of the sundae.

Party Down (S3)

I never thought we’d get a third season of this show, which flew so under the radar back when it came out. So fun to see most of the band back together, and still just as funny as ever. God, I missed it.

Succession (S4)

Not sure what else to say about this show. It was a phenomenon. We were sucked up in it.

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My favourite books

After burning through nine books last year (a serious step-up from previous years) I backslid to two this year.

Heat 2 By Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner

Given how much I love the movie, I was more than happy to revisit these characters. I’m so hopeful they make this into a movie, though I don’t know how they would handle the Chris-Shiherlis-in-the-immediate-aftermath-of-the-movie casting.

Fleishman Is In Trouble By Taffy Brodesser-Akner

We did a weird thing where we watched the show pretty much at the same time that we co-read the book. I can’t tell if it helped or hindered one or both. We really did like both, to be fair. Unreality alert though: if that was their attempt to make Lizzy Caplan look kind of dumpy (as the author described herself) it absolutely did not work.

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My favourite podcasts

Again, setting aside perennial favourites like 99% Invisible, Against The Rules, Dead Eyes, Office Ladies, Revisionist History, Scamfluencers, Somm TV, This American Life, The Wire: Way Down In The Hole, You Are Good, and You’re Wrong About, these were the new podcasts/variants I really liked this year.

Against The Rules: Judging Sam

Michael Lewis took this deep dive into the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, with whom he’d been spending enormous amounts of time, going way into the minutiae of the trial. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting companion piece to the book I’ll inevitably read, though I did feel bad for his producer who had to line up outside the courtroom at ungodly hours.

Hard Fork

A very solid tech podcast from two knowledgeable and entertaining hosts. Sometimes a little overlong, but it has become a useful resource for keeping up with the paroxysms of the tech industry.

Serial: The Retrievals

A story ostensibly about a nurse stealing pain meds from IVF patients, but really about how the medical profession responds to women in pain. The strongest Serial in a while, IMO.

Smartless

This is only new to me — not sure how I hadn’t heard about it until this year, but I’ve been plowing through back episodes since. It’s become a staple for us on long road trips, though listening to the episodes with other comedians can make it hard to drive.

We’re Here To Help

This is as silly and light as it gets, with Jake Johnson and Gareth Reynolds giving simple life advice to callers, but something about the gentleness of it helps me fall asleep (and that’s, like, 20% of what podcasts are about, right?). Also, it’s nice to have a mini-New Girl reunion podcast

.:.

My favourite meals

Half of these were in Ontario, and half away. As many in New York (over two trips) as in Toronto, probably indicative of how infrequently we go out for dinner anymore. In chronological order this time.

Richmond Station, Toronto

A special dinner with Bill Redelmeier, owner of Southbrook Vineyards. This was a Grapes For Humanity charity auction prize shared among a few friends, just like the one we did last year. Talking to Bill and drinking his wine was part of the treat, but the food was absolutely outstanding — as it often is at Richmond Station.

Kaia, New York City

In our first New York trip of the year we spent a lot of time on Upper East Side, and located this South African themed wine bar. We ate way, way too much. We drank some fantastic wines. We loved our server and the overall vibe (lots of pups eating outside with us). Overall the best meal of the trip.

Pastrami Queen, New York City

The opposite of fancy, but a quintessential NYC experience: a pastrami sandwich from a classic place not far from our hotel, and a favourite of the late Anthony Bourdain. My mouth is watering just thinking about that sandwich.

Betty’s at the Kitch, Mahone Bay NS

The great meals are always about the food, the drink, and the ambience, right? This cozy little spot in Mahone Bay delivered on all three, with their wood oven pizzas and local produce and Annapolis sparkling. So good we went back the next night.

Drake Devonshire, Wellington ON

There were a number of great meals to choose from on this birthday trip to PEC, but there was something about sitting by the lake on a perfect day, eating lobster rolls and fried chicken, and drinking Champagne.

Lovage, Stratford ON

Once we discovered Lovage early in the summer we made a point of returning over and over. So any of the meals could have taken the prize here, but this dinner in particular stood out…so much so that we canceled our lunch reservation for the next day and came back here.

Dirty French, New York City

The first of two outstanding hotel restaurants on our second NYC trip of the year. This one at the Ludlow was beyond decadent, with oysters and lamb carpaccio and some kind of bonkers deconstructed Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and a 22 year old bottle of Cab Franc.

Locanda Verde, New York City

Luckily our second standout dinner in NYC came the following night, in the lone window where neither of us felt terribly ill. The Greenwich Hotel’s resto was much buzzier, busier, and cramped, and the food and wine were even more spectacular.

Ascari Enoteca, Toronto

We’d been to Ascari many times before — it’s a neighbourhood fav — but this was probably the best meal we’d ever had there. Everything was very fall/harvest-themed, and every dish sang.

Grey Gardens, Toronto

In my one previous visit to Grey Gardens I’d left pretty disappointed. This time, with a colleague, I was pleasantly surprised. The smoked fish dip, the duck, the bottle of Bordeaux, the Don PX for dessert — everything hit the mark.

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My favourite (new) wines

I can’t swear this list is comprehensive, given how many bottles we drink through the year (and my desire not to document my meals when dining out), but this seems like a pretty representative top ten.

Blomidon Estate 2018 Chardonnay

From the NS wine & spirit store in the Halifax airport, of all places. Such a wonderful example of what NS Chardonnay has become; hopefully enough vinifera survived the frosts earlier this year to keep producing such lovely bottles.

Catherine & Pierre Breton 2001 “Les Perrieres” Bourgueil

From The Dirty French restaurant in New York. Not too much tannin or acid left in the bottle, but more than enough to hold the structure together while all the fruit and savoury character shone through. So delicious.

Château Suduiraut 2013 Sauternes

From my cellar. No special occasion: just opened a half-bottle of Sauternes and drank it over the course of…well, probably fewer days than it should have been.

Domaine Bart 2021 “La Montagne” Marsannay

From Chambers St Wines, New York. While Lindsay was sick in our hotel room, I walked a few blocks to this wine shop and picked up a bottle for dinner. Not the best Marsannay I’ve ever had, but there was something about eating a burger and drinking a bottle of wine in a fancy NYC hotel room that gave it a little extra something.

Hidden Bench 2012 Terroir Caché

From my cellar. This “second bottle” from my favourite Ontario winery in one of the best Ontario vintages ever was worth the wait. I’m probably breaking my own category rule in that I’ve almost certainly drunk this before, but I’m using the excuse that it was before I kept records. Either way, I’m glad I have verticals of this wine stacked up.

Kew Vineyards 2016 Marsanne

From the bar at the Prince Of Wales Hotel, Niagara on the Lake. While at a work offsite event, a colleague and I noticed they carried Kew, a winery our company had just acquired. The staff pulled this bottle from their cellar, and we made quick work of it.

Le Clos Jordanne 2020 Claystone Terrace Pinot Noir

From my cellar. One of my favourite grapes, harvested from one of my favourite vineyards, during another of Ontario’s classic vintages, and crafted by one of my favourite winemakers. It was a can’t-miss.

Le Vieux Pin 2015 Équinoxe Syrah

From my cellar. The Équinoxe Syrah is why I joined the LVP wine club in the first place. I’ve since left it, but have plenty of these (and similar treats) aging in the cellar. Can’t wait to uncork more of them.

Malatinszky 2013 “Villányi Kúria” Cabernet Franc

From my cellar. Cab Franc devotees know the grape can produce outstanding wine in many different locales; this Hungarian example proved the point.

Mason Vineyard 2018 “The Landed” Cabernet Franc

From my cellar. Ontario, of course, makes world-class Cab Franc, especially in the hands of a first-rate winemaker like Kelly Mason. The classic iron-fist-wrapped-in-velvet, not easy in a tricky vintage.

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Exeunt: beers

Last year was the death knell for this category, I think. I drink beer so rarely, and log it even more rarely still, that I couldn’t even assemble a partial list here. Cheers, beer.

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My favourite moments of this year

Listed chronologically.

1. Enjoying dinner at Richmond Station with a group of friends and one of the most interesting people in the Ontario wine industry, Bill Redelmeier.
2. Seeing Jessica Chastain on Broadway.
3. Lining up for arguably the best slice of pizza in New York: Scarr’s.
4. Getting home (barely) to help celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday.
5. Sitting on the balcony of our AirBnB, watching the fog clear on Mahone Bay.
6. Having quiet backyard drinks with friends and trying not to freak out because one of them was in one of my favourite bands of all time.
7. Spontaneously wandering into an art show in Ottawa, and suddenly realizing I was standing in Patterson Creek Park, a place that meant a lot to me when I lived there in the summer of 1996.
8. Taking advantage of our backyard, especially when big groups of friends come over for a bbq.
9. Finally attending the Stratford festival.
10. Savouring a peaceful long weekend in a bucolic Prince Edward County farmhouse.
11. Saying goodbye to wine industry colleagues at Chez Nous.
12. Taking the whole goddamn month of September off.
13. Enjoying drinks = perfect weather on our Lower East Side hotel rooftop terrace.
14. Finally trying Terroir wine bar in New York.
15. Sharing pizza & beer & unseasonably warm patio weather with brother #2 and his wife.
16. Seeing the incredible Frankenstein, Revived at Stratford.
17. Realizing I get to see my family way more often now that I work in Moncton part-time.
18. Seeing a murmuration of starlings in real life for the first time.
19. Having dogs & cats to play with at Christmas.
20. Celebrating our friend Tess’ engagement.

.:.

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

A year ago, as I wrote this summary for 2021, I was in Nova Scotia. We were fumbling through Omicron’s outbreak, haphazardly managing schedules and isolations and scrambling for booster appointments. I wrote,

I suppose it’s less optimism that 2022 will be different, and more hope. To be honest, I don’t care to contemplate another year of this.

Looking back at the last twelve months, it’s clear that it was different than the year before. Maybe not back to normal (whatever than means now) but it certainly felt like emerging out from under something. Right around the two-year mark of the pandemic really hitting Canada, it felt like things began opening back up for us. I began driving to the office 2-3 days a week. We did a little staycation here in town, went to see Jacqueline Novak live, and went to a few fun “flight club” wine tastings at Chez Nous. I also went to a Leafs/Habs game, a Sigur Ros concert, and a Jays game (where I saw Aaron Judge tie Roger Maris’ home run record).

We even got back to trying a couple new restaurants like Constantine, Eastside Social, and Greta Solomon’s here in Toronto, while visiting old favourites like Barberians twice, Richmond Station twice, Ascari, Kojin, and Aria, and others I’m probably missing. Sure, we’re not quite back to our old gastronomic selves in Toronto, but we do get after it when we’re out of the city. Trips to NotL took us to Treadwell twice (four times, truthfully; each time we went back for lunch the next day), Redstone a few times, and The Yellow Pear. We also made sure to hit some amazing restaurants in Montreal (Monarque, Marcella, Nora Gray, Maison Publique, Pichai), Halifax (Drift…many, many times; The Black Sheep, Café Lunette, Trattoria da Claudio), and Quebec City (Lapin Sauté, Chez Muffy, Chez Rioux & Pettigrew) too.

And yeah, we still haven’t left the country (or even gone west of Kitchener) since the pandemic began, but we did get down to wine country a few times, Montreal for a relaxing week, Halifax for my university 25 year reunion, all over Nova Scotia for a longer trip in August, and Quebec City for a very chilly long weekend in November.

There was plenty of reason to stay put in Toronto too. Having a house means more visitors from out of town, so we hosted N+J in Feb, brother #2 in May, brother #1 + fam in June, T+K in June, brother #2 + fam in July, and N+J again in November. I also got to have dinner out with old friends from MBA and undergrad days, and we had dinner with D+K at their house and at Kojin with K+P. It also gave us extra time with Kramer, who has become even more relaxed and affectionate (as I type this he’s lying next to me on the couch, purring and trying to coax me into a belly rub), and who has taken to kind of yell-meowing at us when we leave for too long.

Another thing having a house has meant: renovations. Sometimes the bad (read: expensive) kind, but sometimes the fun kind too: in November we finished construction on a new wine cabinet in the basement that holds ~700 bottles. You can imagine how excited I am about that.

So yeah: house-hermiting aside, it did feel like 2022 was a year of re-emergence for us. Still, the pandemic is far from over: 2022 was the most deadly year yet for COVID in Canada. To wit, this fall we got COVID-19 a second time. Luckily, the combination of this variant + all the boosters in our system made for a much easier ride than the first time, but it still wasn’t fun. But apart from that (and minor injuries to Lindsay’s eye and my finger) we came through the year pretty unscathed, which is always a reason to be thankful.

One other big re-emergence for me: while I’m watching virtually no new movies, and consuming far less new music, I’ve started reading books again. I read about a book a month in 2022 for a while before tailing off in the fall, but plan to start back up this week. Speaking of this week, we opted to stay put in Toronto for the holidays this year. No airports, no weather delays, no dodging storms on NS highways, etc., etc. As much as we’ll miss spending time with family, that’s exactly why we spent 2.5 weeks there in August. So we’ll catch up on TV, pet our son, not work, eat mountains of chocolate, drink the good stuff from the wine cellar, play games, and just generally recharge. Not a bad way to end the year.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

• 2021: Outbreak
• 2020: Containment
• 2019: Body Blows
• 2018: Stabilization
• 2017: Fallout
• 2016: Antipodal
• 2015: Hyper-focus
• 2014: Focus
• 2013: Adjustments
• 2012: Mobile
• 2011: Evolution
• 2010: Expansion
• 2009: Steady
• 2008: Lassitude

.:.

[Cover photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash]

As with last year, I’m not limiting these lists to things that came out this calendar year, just what I consumed this year. And, as with last year, everything is listed in alphabetical order unless stated otherwise.

My favourite albums this year

I’m well-behind here, having not yet fully gone through this year’s albums by Alvvays, Beach House, black midi, Horsegirl, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, The Smile, Regina Spektor, or Sharon Van Etten, but here’s where I’m at for now.

XI: Bleed Here Now by …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead

Just when you think Trail Of Dead can’t get more epic, they drop a 22-song double album on you. Hit and miss like many of their albums, but the strongest ones stuck with me.

Life On Earth by Hurray For The Riff Raff

My first pass through this album I didn’t like it, but I kept coming back to it (mostly drawn back by “Rhododendron”) and eventually found a cozy little home in it.

King’s Disease by Nas

It was a happy coincidence that I was prompted to revisit Illmatic (see the TV section for the backstory there) not long before this was released, so there was some continuity there. Hard to imagine someone being this strong for this long.

11:11 by Pinegrove

Somehow it feels like every song is kind of the same, and every album is kind of the same, and yet somehow I’m captivated by each one.

Everything Was Beautiful by Spiritualized

This one grabbed me from the first listen, and only got better on replays. “Best Thing You Never Had” belongs right up there with their very best songs, IMO.

Lucifer On The Sofa by Spoon

Speaking of so strong for so long, it’s hard to believe this banger came out a full 20 years after Kill The Moonlight, still one of my all-time favourite albums.

Dig Me In: A Dig Me Out Covers Album by Various Artists

This set of covers of the seminal Sleater-Kinney album surprised me — it’s excellent pretty much top to bottom. When I saw a country artist was covering “Turn It On” (one of my favourite songs of all time) I was horrified, but…it’s good. It’s all good.

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My favourite songs this year

This is still very much a work in progress, until I work my way through the list above.

1. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead . “No Confidence”
2. Ethel Cain . “Thoroughfare”
3. Cat Power . “I Had A Dream Joe:
4. Dehd . “Window”
5. Hurray for the Riff Raff . “Rhododendron”
6. Nas . “Beef”
7. Angel Olsen . “Go Home”
8. Sault . “Life We Rent But Love Is Rent Free”
9. The Smile . “Pana-vision”
10. Spiritualized . “Best Thing You Never Had (The D Song)”

.:.

My favourite movies this year

My movie consumption this year was even more meagre than in 2020. In fact, I watched only six movies released in 2022. Given the smaller pool to select from, I didn’t even make it to ten. Nonetheless:

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Hoo boy. I’m not sure I’ve ever swung so wildly between laughter and despair in a single movie. Beautifully shot and worth all the accolades for all four primary cast members. A tidy little metaphor for the civil war happening just across the water too.

The Dig (2021)

An austere and pastoral film set in the English countryside on the eve of WWII, a study of relationships and class and avarice and the quest for knowledge, all centered around some lumps in a field. Really lovely.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story (2022)

Oh, how I’ve missed Benoit Blanc. So much fun, this movie. Such a delightful little dinner theatre romp. Such fun skewering so many awful people. Such a cute little Hugh Grant cameo. More please!!

The Good Nurse (2022)

I knew nothing about this, but it showed up on the TV one day and we felt like watching it, and…oof. A dark story, made all the darker because it’s true, but so skillfully acted by Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne that it didn’t come off as hacky or gross.

Goodfellas (1990)

Hi there, I’m 32 years too late. Somehow, somehow, I had never seen this movie. I don’t know how it happened. I think I saw bits and pieces of it? Or maybe I saw it so long ago that I didn’t remember/appreciate it? I don’t know, but I’m glad I finally got to it. Another Scorsese masterpiece, as if that needed to be said.

Shang-chi: Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

Holy action sequences, kids. Really brought some martial arts flavour to the Marvel universe. Also: Awkwafina, who was so so so great. Aside: I laughed so hard at the chicken pig that I spit Diet Pepsi everywhere.

Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)

Sure, guys, sure. Prey on Dan and his Spider-Man nostalgia. At this point I suppose most people know the twist, but I shan’t spoil it. I’ll just say that a kind-of dopey worked for me in a year when I was probably going through a bit of Marvel withdrawal. (I’m looking at you, Thor: Love and Thunder.)

The F Word (2013)

Not a great movie, but a clever little rom-com that won some points with me for being set in Toronto. Like, actually in Toronto, and they made it look gorgeous. The scene where Daniel Radcliffe sits on his roof looks like he was somewhere in Riverdale, and the diner scenes made me miss brunch at my old local the George Street Diner. Also: Adam Driver is very hilarious.

Wind River (2017)

Basically a straight procedural set in the harsh American wilderness, but Taylor Sheridan does those well enough to keep me hooked for a couple hours. And maybe enough to make me kind of want to watch Yellowstone. We’ll see.

.:.

My favourite TV shows this year

As with last year, this is the only medium we’re consuming with such frequency that I had to actually pick a top ten. Still, I find myself behind: I haven’t yet watched Severance, Fleishman Is In Trouble, The Bear, Reservation Dogs, Our Flag means Death, or any of Better Call Saul.

Andor (S1)

One of the best Star Wars series is also the least Star Wars-y. No Force, no lightsabers, no Yodas baby or otherwise, virtually no space battles. Just the sparks of rebellion, lighting little fires everywhere.

The Dropout

The story obviously wasn’t new, but Amanda Seyfried’s performance was a revelation. Takes on new weight, too, now that Elizabeth Holmes has been convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Euphoria (S2)

Let’s be honest, this is only here for two reasons: Zendaya’s brilliant ongoing portrayal of Rue, and Lexi’s play.

Gaslit

One of the things I loved about the Slow Burn podcast season about Watergate is that it told a part of the story that I — whose understanding of the incident was based almost entirely on All The President’s Men — didn’t know. That story was about Martha Mitchell, and it got turned into this excellent limited series starring Sean Penn and Julia Roberts.

House of the Dragon (S1)

I’ve been waiting a while for more GoT content, and finally got it with HotD. It was at once slow to get moving while also taking massive time jumps forward, but as season one comes to a close we’re finally ready for the dance of dragons…and I, for one, cannot wait.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (S1)

Speaking of slow to get moving, this series took its time, but by the end of season one I was hooked. Good reveals. Good backstory. Great visuals. I’m into it.

Ozark (S4)

I stepped away from this show for a long time, but ended up coming back to it and blazed through the final couple seasons in one go. Bonus content: Ruth’s impromptu music review with Killer Mike made me go back and listen to Illmatic again for the first time in a while.

We Own This City

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ll watch anything David Simon makes, especially if it’s about Baltimore policing and the rot at the heart of that city’s municipal systems. It was infuriating, but I suppose I expected that going in. Also: it’s always jarring, if a little fun, to see the actors behind such well-known Wire characters (Marlo! Landsman! etc.) play new parts here.

The White Lotus (S2)

We didn’t know how season 2 could live up to season 1, but…it did. Oh, it did. This time gender politics came in for its turn under the microscope (though some class politics seeped over from season 1, which I guess at a fancy resort will always be the case) and the run-up to the dead body mystery was *chef’s kiss*.

Yellowjackets (S1)

We’d heard about it but hadn’t watched it. Then we threw on an episode to see what it was about…and binged it all in like 2 days. Frankly, I’m glad we came to it late, because now we only have to wait three months for season 2. Killer (ha!) soundtrack too.

.:.

My favourite books this year

After several of reading two, one, or even zero books per year, I came back strong this year. Granted, I petered off halfway through the year, and granted too that 50% of them were about wine, but still…this is progress. I forgot how much I love reading.

The Cinema Of Survival: Mad Max Fury Road by Matt Brown

I was part of the Kickstarter for this one, both a film-nerdy look at an excellent action movie, and a cipher for what Brown was experiencing at the time.

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

A book club book which took the three of us (me, Lindsay, our friend Shannon) nearly two years to finish. Staggering in its poetry (even translated into English), profundity, and relevance — some 60+ years on — the weight of the work demanded we take our time of it.

Dune by Frank Herbert

I finally got around to reading this, one of my dad’s all-time favourite books, after watching last year’s movie remake. From the elements of the book which now seem so familiar, it’s apparent just how influential and ahead of its time it was.

Wine Girl by Victoria James

The first of four wine books I read this year, this one was about the struggles of a young woman becoming a sommelier in the archaic and abusive wine & restaurant industry. As much as I love learning about wine and delving deeper into the world of it, this book just reinforced that even as a privileged white dude I would never want to enter the service side of it.

Wine and War by Don & Petie Kladstrup

A look at how French winemakers survived, and protected their greatest vintages, during Nazi occupation in WWII, from Alsace to Bordeaux.

The Lynching by Laurence Leamer

The story of a 1981 lynching of a black man in the American south, and the lawyer who launched a court battle that splintered the KKK. That same lawyer founded the Southern Poverty Law Centre…so there’s a lot going on in this book. Not an easy read, but an interesting one.

Tenth Of December by George Saunders

A collection of short stories that’s been sitting on my shelf for ages. I wish I’d reached for it sooner — so many of the stories are still in my head many months after reading it.

The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace

More riveting than you might think, this story about rich people buying ancient Bordeaux wines, including bottles that may or may not have been owned by Thomas Jefferson. Read like a John le Carré novel, and exposed me to a whole wine subculture I didn’t know about.

Godforsaken Grapes by Jason Wilson

A non-fiction endorsement of adventurous wine tasting, focusing on grapes beyond the everyday noble sort that can be found on any wine list. Bonus points for making the title a gentle poke in the eye to Robert Parker.

.:.

My favourite podcasts this year

A change to the format this year: we can assume that perpetual favourites like 99% Invisible, Against The Rules, Dead Eyes, Office Ladies, Revisionist History, This American Life, You Are Good, and You’re Wrong About will remain so. I’ll instead list my favourite new (to me) podcasts here.

Passenger List (S2)

I finally got around to listening to season 2 of this narrative series, and got sucked right back in. The sound design continues to amaze.

Scamfluencers

Sure, the stories of people who use social media (or similar) influence to scam others out of money, trust, etc. are entertaining in a “Wait, what?!” kind of way, but the real draw here is the banter between Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi.

Somm TV

Imagine that, wine content! I’m late to this series, but I’ve already spent one episode disagreeing loudly with the hose while alone in my car, so you know I’m engaged.

The Wire: Way Down In The Hole

Again, I’m very late to this episode-by-episode deep dive on every episode of The Wire, but I’m excited to have finally discovered it.

Will Be Wild

A compelling and informative look at the run-up to, and events of, the 6 Jan 2021 insurrection at the US capitol building. The series ended up wrapping around the same time as the select committee hearings, and the producers were able to loop back with that new context.

.:.

My favourite meals this year

Quite the inverse of last year: the majority of my top ten this year were outside of Toronto. Listed in chronological order.

Treadwell, Niagara-on-the-Lake

The first of two visits this year, this NotL mainstay never disappoints. Every time, the meal is so good we beg for a lunch reservation the next day.

Monarque, Montreal

Our first night back in Montreal we took a bit of a flier on this place in the old city, and it was tremendous. A great bottle of Meursault didn’t hurt.

Maison Publique, Montreal

Our return to our favourite Montreal restaurant lived up to our memories, and felt like coming home. I still think about the spicy duck hearts we ate that night.

Pichai, Montreal

Tucked into a cozy booth with N+J, trying not to sweat to death, piling one delicious dish (and bottle) after another down our necks — what a dinner.

The Yellow Pear, St. Catharines

Lindsay did a bit of digging before we drove from NotL to wineries in Vineland, and found this unassuming place in a strip mall. My barbacoa pork skillet was a revelation.

Drift, Halifax

I’d eaten solo at Drift several times during my visit earlier in the year, but this full-on dinner with Lindsay in the summer produced several superb dishes, and a stellar bottle of Chard.

Chez Muffy, Quebec City

The sort of gastronomic tasting menu we’d missed for years. Not surprising we found it in Quebec City. Many hours later, we were grateful our hotel was just around the corner.

Chez Rioux & Pettigrew, Quebec City

Honestly, we were just looking to kill a few hours before our flight home to Toronto, but this brunch spot ended up being an absolute gem. The fixed menu was loaded with enough food — delicious food, at that — to count as two meals on this list.

Greta Solomon’s, Toronto

Finally, a Toronto restaurant! This one’s been just down the street from us for years, but we’d never tried it until this month. It turned out to be a classic, tasty little French bistro.

Barberian’s, Toronto

The last of my three visits to Barberians this year. This one had the edge thanks to the steak/lamb combo, and the out-of-the-blue wine from Washington State.

.:.

My favourite (new) wines this year

A process improvement over last year: I’ve added (occasional) scoring in Cellartracker to my sources from previous years — Instagram and blog posts. Perhaps surprising: five of these are white wines. Two notes: I’ve excluded anything my company makes, and these are listed in chronological order.

Dopff au Moulin 2018 Grand Cru Brand Gewurztraminer

Kind of fitting that I drank this one while studying for a WSET exam and watching a wine documentary.

Domaine du Bel Air 2012 Grand Mont Bourgueil

We bought this bottle in Paris nearly fiive years before, and managed to leave it alone until one night this past January. It was worth the wait.

Bachelder 2014 Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir

My favourite of the night (poured from a magnum) in an evening filled with Thomas Bachelder’s Chards and Pinots, at a charity-won dinner at Barberians with good friends.

Exultet 2019 The Blessed Chardonnay

No special occasion drove opening this one, other than the opening of it. Surely one of the best Chardonnays in a province that makes exceptional ones.

P. Frick 2018 Auxerrois Crémant d’Alsace

A delightful opener for a (somewhat disastrous) dinner at Nora Grey in Montreal. Beat out the Meursault we’d drunk the night before on the strength of how much it surprised me.

Robert Mondavi 2016 To-Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc

To-Kalon vineyard: believe the hype.

From the Heart Cuvée Number One 2019 Chardonnay

Not the most remarkable megnum of Chardonnay, perhaps, but noteworthy because of the story behind it (a blend of top Ontario chards created by Thomas Bachelder, purchased at the afore-mentioned charity dinner), the signature on the bottle (Geddy Lee!), and the company with whom we shared it (brother #2 and his wife).

Olga Raffault 2006 Les Picasses Chinon

Another magnum, this one shared with friends at Kojin.

Kelly Mason 2020 Wild Ferment Frontier Block Chardonnay

While doing a tasting at Southbrook in Niagara on the Lake, an employee heard us saying we’d ordered a couple of bottles of this particular Chardonnay from Kelly Mason. She insisted we buy more. We emailed Kelly and added two more to our order, and I’m glad we did — this one was unreal. I’m relieved we have three more in the cellar.

Andrew Will 2003 Sheridan Vineyard red blend

On the advice of our sommelier at Barberian’s, we ordered this mature Washington blend with our steak and lamb, and my goodness. It was superb.

.:.

My favourite (new) beers this year

Like my movie consumption, my beer-drinking has reached its nadir, to the point where I barely drink — barely can drink — beer at all. In fact, I tried only three new beers all year.

Avling Foxtail Zwickelbier

Living even closer to Avling means it’s a pretty easy stop-in for us, like the dinner with our friend V where I tried this decent little zwickel.

Nine Locks Brewing Co. Double Chocolate Stout

I drank this on Canada Day, sat on a Halifax patio, one of the few remaining places I will probably always feel compelled to drink a beer.

Tilquin Oude Pinot Gris Gueuze

A variant of one of my all-time favourite beers, done on the skins of Pinot Gris grapes, this gueuze was one of the best things I drank all year.

.:.

My favourite moments this year

In chronological order.

1. Seeing a snowy owl launch itself off our roof, then fly back.
2. An epic dinner at Barberians hosted by Thomas Bachelder.
3. Seeing old Delano friends for the first time in decades:
4. My first real haircut in two years, thank the maker.
5. Book club in Riverdale Park with our friend Shannon.
6. Getting over-porked in Port Perry.
7. Seeing Sigur Ros live again, and tearing up at the end of Popplagið.
8. Forest trails and roadside fries outside Montreal with N+J.
9. Free drinks at Cluny with T+K, just for being nice Maritimers.
10. Catching up with old classmates at my 25th university reunion.
11. Speakeasy drinks with brother #1 looking over Halifax Harbour.
12. Getting pooped on by a bird at Southbrook on my birthday.
13. Meeting two of my favourite Niagara winemakers in one weekend.
14. Hanging out with a school of fish on the Halifax waterfront stairs one night.
15. Lindsay and I drinking the list at Obladee in one night.
16. A glorious day driving down the Minas Basin shore with my mom.
17. Eating the best donairs ever at a cottage in the Annapolis Valley.
18. Skipping rocks on a beach while a seal kept an eye on us.
19. A spontaneous art buy in Quebec City.
20. Loading the first bottle into our new wine cellar.

.:.

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

This is how I ended my annual report post from last year:

Things won’t suddenly snap back to normal tomorrow morning, but I feel like there’s hope on 2021’s asymmetrical horizon.

That hope wasn’t entirely misplaced, I suppose. But I can tell you that I was being cautiously optimistic, and really didn’t think I’d be summarizing this year under similar, perhaps even more chaotic, circumstances.

Not only did the pandemic continue, with the global death count now topping five million, we got a first-hand taste. In early April I tested positive for COVID-19 after our neighbours told us they’d gotten it. We’d seen them briefly, outdoors, on the first nice day of spring — and within days both households on either side of them had it. Technically Lindsay never tested positive, but it was pretty clear she had it. We spent the better part of a week flat on our asses, but we survived it…though, true to what we’ve heard elsewhere, weird little symptoms lingered long after. To wit: in May I had something called Covid Toe.

Nonetheless, we made it. As Toronto re-opened (a little too soon and too abruptly, in my, and others’, opinion) we were able to keep to ourselves (and help Kramer come out of his shell more and more) thanks to the house and a nice little back yard. Speaking of the house: we continued to slowly fill it with furniture, but haven’t done major renos yet, aside from the garage. More on that later.

After sifting through government forms, drug store IVRs, and myriad tweets, we got vaccination shot #1 in mid-May. We stayed mostly hunkered down (apart from a march) until the end of June, when we got shot #2 at Scotiabank Arena. We celebrated by going straight to our first Chez Nous patio visit of the year. After that, it felt like life opened up a bit. Friends visited from Montreal. We had dinner on a patio, then inside a week later. My brother and sister-in-law came to visit; both our moms would follow later in the fall. We met friends for dinner on a patio. We went to a socially-distant play (of sorts). We went to a friends’ place for dinner. We met friends for drinks in bars, dutifully showing our vaxx certificates. Things felt altered, but almost normal. Except for one big difference.

Just before we got shot #2, I left my job. I was approached in the spring to become the CIO of the largest wine company in the country. The idea of combining what I knew and what I love was too good to pass up, so after more than two decades in banking, I changed industries. Breaking away from something I’d built, from what was familiar, seemed strange in an already-strange year…but good strange.

That new job gave us an excuse to leave the city for the first time in a year, heading to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a combo work/fun weekend. Later in the fall we visited Hidden Bench for a wine club member tasting event, and spent a weekend in Prince Edward Country for Lindsay’s birthday, our first time there in four years. Trips like this should get easier now, too; earlier this month I finally broke down and bought my first-ever car. I’ll need it to commute to the office a couple of times a week, whenever that becomes a thing again.

I eventually got comfortable enough to visit Nova Scotia in late September / early October, just in case things got dicey again around the holidays. And did they ever: the Omicron variant reared its head, and we debated cancelling our Christmas travel plans, but in the end we came. It was dodgy and our plans changed by the hour, but we got to see some family and have some downtime.

And so, I end this year with hope for 2022, but it’s different than what I hoped for 2021. At this time last year we didn’t know when vaccines were coming, or how long they’d take. We were in full lockdown. Now, we’re vaccinated, and boosters are coming. We’re back in a peak now, but Omicron’s severity may well be different. After our own personal outbreak we broke free of our own house and tasted real life again. So I suppose it’s less optimism that 2022 will be different, and more hope. To be honest, I don’t care to contemplate another year of this.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

• 2020: Containment
• 2019: Body Blows
• 2018: Stabilization
• 2017: Fallout
• 2016: Antipodal
• 2015: Hyper-focus
• 2014: Focus
• 2013: Adjustments
• 2012: Mobile
• 2011: Evolution
• 2010: Expansion
• 2009: Steady
• 2008: Lassitude

.:.

Cover photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

And I thought these lists were hard to put together last year. At least in 2020 most of the world had ten good weeks before things melted down, something 2021 couldn’t even manage. However, this year I tried something new, after a helpful suggestion from Lindsay: “What’re you, a professional critic? Just list the best things you watched or listened to this year regardless of when they came out.” So, I did. And I guess it makes more sense, since I was already treating books and podcasts that way.

A note: everything is listed in alphabetical order, unless stated otherwise.

.:.

My favourite albums this year

Every year I talk about how much less music I’m listening to, but now I’ve reached the point where I can’t even scrape together a top ten list. My pre-pandemic listening times were during my commute (which I no longer have) and at work (which meetings no longer allow) so my backlog is lengthy: Julien Baker, The Antlers, The Armed, Sharon Van Etten, Sleater-Kinney, Backxwash, black midi, McKinley Dixon, Fiddlehead, Pom Pom Squad, Snail Mail, Explosions In The Sky, Grouper, Wiki, Heartless Bastards, and Ka.

Anyway, here’s what I have. All are from 2021 unless otherwise noted.

The Besnard Lakes Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings by The Besnard Lakes

The bombast doesn’t end at the title. As big and lush as their previous, faraway albums.

Vital by Big Brave

Still with the bombast: more thudding and rhythmic than the Besnard Lakes, and less swirling. Feels so visceral while still being melodic. We had a chance to see them in Madrid last year had our trip not been cancelled — that would have been cool.

Delta Kream by The Black Keys

A return to blues-y form, one I couldn’t be happier about. I missed this Black Keys. I missed the blues standards.

Bonny Light Horseman (2020) by Bonny Light Horseman

One that crept up from last year, a beautiful folk album with incredibly rich, poetic lyrics, painting real pictures with Anaïs Mitchell’s lyrics.

G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Doesn’t soar to the heights of Luciferian Towers, but few things can. The formula works (for me) and they stick with it.

HEY WHAT by Low

Continuing where the last album left off, but layering some of the old Low soaring melody back into the mix. I’ve only listened to it once but I’m already itching to listen again.

As The Love Continues by Mogwai

Far and away my current choice for album of the year, and the best release from one of my all-time favourite bands in years.

.:.

My favourite songs this year

………………………Yyyyyyyeah, I’m gonna have to get back to you on this one.

.:.

My favourite movies this year

Studios starting releasing things to home more than last year, so I was able to watch a few new things, especially in the past few months. Still very out of the loop on many of the critical year-end favourites, but I’m happy to even string together ten worthy films this year.

Black Widow (2021)

Definitely more in the fun camp than the high art camp, it was nice to give Natasha Romanoff this send-off from the MCU…and to introduce her sister. Their banter was the best part of the movie.

Dune (2021)

My dad was super-into the Dune books. I didn’t read them, but the words and names they contained were in the aether of the house. I have only the vaguest memories of the Lynch film, so watching this felt distantly like memories, but not mine. Still, it managed to be comprehensible, compelling, and visually stunning. Pretty excited for the second half.

Greyhound (2020)

This flew (floated?) under the radar last year, but had always been on my list — Tom Hanks as captain of a WWII ship trying to shepherd a convoy across the Atlantic, fighting off subs. After about ten minutes of exposition the tension goes straight to ten and doesn’t let up until the final moments; not perfectly crafted, but so skillfully that it felt like a bottle episode happening in a pressure cooker.

I Care A Lot (2021)

Humour of the very darkest variety…would probably have barely registered with me if not for the amazing Rosamund Pike, and the demonstration of how a magic seeds of crime become a Fortune 500 beanstalk with just a little water.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

I was grateful to learn more about Black Panther Fred Hampton and FBI informant Bill O’Neal, and in awe of some serious powerhouse performances from Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield respectively.

The Mauritanian (2021)

I saw the ad for this popping up in my ‘suggestions for you’ box, but didn’t watch it until I listened to a This American Life episode about it. Plug in the cast and I hoped it was a worthwhile use of a couple of hours. It was.

No Time To Die (2021)

I am a self-professed Bond junkie — and critic, when the films are bad. But I’ve generally been a fan of the Daniel Craig era, so I was more than happy to pony up for his swan song in the role. Some deep Bond fan service early in the film, a fun and against-type mid-movie “Bond girl” appearance by Ana de Armas, and a (hopefully) emergent successor, plus all the usual gizmos and action sequences did it for me.

Parasite (2019)

No surprise that the Oscar winner from a few years back would make my list when I finally watched it. Wonderfully dark and funny, but so very cutting as well.

The Power Of The Dog (2021)

If it involves both Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, I’ll be there. Add Benedict Cumberbatch as a tightly-wound viper and Jane Campion’s direction, and I’m running straight for it.

Tenet (2020)

Probably my least favourite Christopher Nolan film, but it still rates. I’ll still watch it a few more times, and maybe understand it by pass #4.

.:.

My favourite TV shows this year

TV is probably the medium we’re still consuming the most. It was maybe the only list where I had to curate the top ten, vs. barely scraping one together. These were all made in 2021 as well, except Happy Valley season 1.

The Chair

Living with someone in academia probably gave me a little more connection to this than I might have otherwise had, but it was good — and made excellent by the cast. Power struggles are power struggles, no matter how hoity or how toity.

The Flight Attendant

I rather expected this to be fluff…and it kind of was, but also kind of wasn’t. It toed the line of dumb and fantastical without going ever, which kept it squarely in the enjoyable camp. Well done Kaley Cuoco for making this happen, and finding that balance.

Happy Valley (S1)

A catch-up from years past, hot on the heels of our Line of Duty obsession. We needed subtitles to understand the dialogue (and even then…nowt?) but were utterly drawn in to Sarah Lancashire’s performance. Still haven’t watched Season 2 somehow; it’s in the queue for when we fancy something a bit dark.

Line of Duty

Speaking of: the final season of Line of Duty was something of an obsession for us this year, having binged all previous seasons since the start of the pandemic. We even listened to the BBC podcast Obsessed With after each episode…which is a nice lead-in to an entry a little further down.

Mare of Easttown

Powerhouse performances from Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, and Julianne Nicholson (among few others) overshadowed a fairly typical small town cop drama, though with the emerging hot-spot setting of small town oxy-infested Pennsylvania (or Virginia, or whatever).

Only Murders In The Building

We started watching this when my mom was visiting, and would have binged it all before her flight had it not been coming out weekly. A show about a podcast that’s kind of making fun of shows that have podcasts (but which also had an official podcast) sounds dumb, but the charisma of the stars carried it.

Succession

Greek tragedy in the guise of maladjusted billionaire brats and their family dysfunction, echoing real-life family/board shenanigans (the Murdochs, the Rogers), fueled by utterly delicious dialogue. One of the few shows whose post-episode discourse prompts me to watch in real time, lest any betrayal be ruined. I like to watch it in real time. (See: Wambsgans, Tom.)

Ted Lasso

Finally got caught up to this series, which finds a neat little seam between drama, comedy, and outright feel-good-ness. Plus, when I realized that Hannah Waddingham was also the ‘Shame, shame, shame! [clang]’ septa from GoT, my brain exploded.

WandaVision

Had the potential to be very bad. Ended up very good indeed. A treatise on using nostalgic memories to deal with deep-seated trauma, and on the selfishness of institutional power, all orbiting the noble-hero core of the MCU.

The White Lotus

Excellent character-driven drama/comedy from Mike White, a heated barb sticking into the side of privilege in the form of various dysfunctional guests. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to punch someone as much as I wanted to punch Shane (played by Jake Lacy, whom I shall forever refer to as “Plop”).

.:.

My favourite books this year

HHhH (2009) by Laurent Binet

This was the only book I actually finished this year — reading more than half of it while on Christmas vacation — but it was a good one. Mostly non-fiction with some fictional flourish (and occasional self-flagellation by the author as he criticizes his own style) but an entertaining telling of a WWII story I didn’t really know.

.:.

My favourite podcasts this year

This category might have suffered the same fate as music, in that I used to consume most of my podcasts during my commute, but we’ve begun doing “podcast hour” to help us fall asleep at night, or even wake up gently. That plus a couple of flights kept me relatively current on some, though old favourites like This American Life have fallen by the wayside entirely.

9/12

Nearing the 20th anniversary mark of 9/11, Dan Taberski released this series not about the events of 9/11 itself, but about people having to adjust to a very different world the next day. The story of the people on the reality TV show alone is worth the price of admission.

99% Invisible

Evergreen entry on this list. The ground of design and architecture is too fertile with stories for me to get bored here, and the team behind it continues to tell good stories well, week after week.

Against The Rules

In a similar vein, I’ve always had a thing for Michael Lewis’ storytelling abilities. Where season 1 of the show focused on the role of the referee in American society, season 2 focused on the coach. Quickly exiting the arena (sorry) of sports, the locus from which so many of Lewis’ stories originate and quickly pivoting to, say, an autopsy in a park, it sucks me in with every episode.

Band Of Brothers

Built around another 20-year anniversary (in fact, episode one aired two days before 9/11) this podcast looked back episode by episode of one of my all-time favourite TV series. Taking deep dives with the actors who played Roe, Lipton, Liebgott, Winters, Malarkey, Guarnere, and others, as well as writers, directors, Tom Hanks, and even Dale Dye, this was an emotional look back at the series, but also the men on whom it was based. For fans of the show, it’s a treasure.

Dead Eyes

Speaking Band of Brothers, Connor Ratliff somehow continues, after two full seasons, to produce an expansive canvas of a story, all built around one failed audition. At this point, I feel like writing Tom Hanks myself, urging him to be on the podcast, even though I know it will have no effect. Do it, Tom. Do it.

Edith

Here, Rosamund Pike delivers again in a wholly different format, this time audio fiction about the first lady stepping up & in when Woodrow Wilson cannot. Great voice acting, with great audio effects too. It felt like an old-time radio serial.

Office Ladies

Even though I’d say it’s, like, 10% annoying, this is at the top of the podcast pile when new episodes drop. It’s also become our go-to sleepy-time podcast; we put on an old episode and fall right asleep. It’s as comfy as the TV show has become, like old friends when we need to chase away scary pandy thoughts.

White Saviours

A monumental piece of work from the CanadaLand team, shining light on a Canadian charity that always seemed to me a bit cult-like. Turns out I wasn’t the only one. It continues to win accolades and draw lawsuits, which I guess is some kind of success meter for podcasts?

You Are Good

The first of two podcasts on this list co-starring Sarah Marshall, this was once called Why Are Dads? but has pivoted away somewhat from the dads-in-movies-theme and mostly just become movie reviews with guest speakers. I often don’t know the movie, but the discussion is always so spot on. The Thor: Ragnarok episode with Fangirl Jeanne is just…{chef’s kiss}.

You’re Wrong About

This series, also co-starring Sarah Marshall and which Lindsay also tracked down, was #1 on our hit parade for months. Whether single-episode explorations into topics about which we’re, uh, probably wrong, or deep multi-episode threads (Princess Diana, OJ Simpson, etc.) taking you deeper than the headlines you remember as kids (if at all), it’s often funny and always informative.

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My favourite meals this year

Certainly, because of the pandemic, few of these would stand up to the kind of meals I’d list in non-pandemic years. Still, here we are. All are, not surprisingly, from places either in or near Toronto. In chronological order.

Jules Bistro, Toronto

One of the few places in Toronto we could count on to deliver a top-notch meal during the pandemic, we would occasionally remind ourselves what eating out tasted like by ordering steak or duck for two from this local French bistro.

Gare de L’Est, Toronto

Our first meal out in a year, more or less — recently vaccinated, we sat on a patio and listened to live jazz and ate and drank like the world was normal again. It obviously wasn’t, but for that one evening, we let ourselves forget.

Jacobs & Co., Toronto

Our first indoor meal of the year, and it was a big one. Jacobs has long been where we go to splash out a bit, and this was no exception. Superb Wagyu. A Super Tuscan worth the bill that followed. The infamous Caesar. It felt very weird to eat indoors, but the staff put us at ease, and we rolled on out of there.

Treadwell, Niagara on the Lake

On my first work trip to NotL we made dinner reservations at Treadwell, and remembered why it’s the best restaurant in that town, in my opinion. Our meal was so wonderful we begged for (and got) a lunch reservation the next day before leaving town.

Vela, Toronto

A work-related dinner on the patio. This was my first time eating there, and while there were a few ho-hum bites, there was a pork dish that absolutely melted my brain. That, plus seeing the sights on Portland on a weekend evening, made it quite memorable.

Barrington Steakhouse, Halifax

What I wrote at the time: “I had a quiet dinner by myself, thinking and making notes. My steak, the veg, and the ratatouille were all quite good, my wine was just okay, and the piano player singing mostly-Canadian classic rock was exceptional.”

La Paella, Toronto

An indoor/outdoor affair (on a covered patio) with friends, this meal stood out not just for the food, but for the hours of conversation and one-more-glass-of-Don-PX shenanigans that were the hallmark of meals in the before times. It felt good. (Until the next day.)

Ascari Enoteca, Toronto

For Lindsay’s birthday, with her mom in town, we dispatched ourselves to his reliable local spot for a full-ride Italian meal, on a rare October evening warm enough to comfortably sit outdoors. As is so often the case now, the restaurant was short-staffed, but we were in no hurry.

Bocado, Prince Edward County

The new hot spot in Picton, apparently, headed by a chef and team with no less provenance than two of our Toronto favourites: Patria and Byblos. I had to hold back on the drink as I was driving back to our hotel, but the Spanish-influenced food made up for it. Those dates.

Carisma, Toronto

Notable not just for the quality of the food at one of my all-time favourite Italian joints, but also for the fact that I got to take my employees out for dinner for the first time, just before Omicron reared its head.

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My favourite (new) wines this year

Only my second year doing this category. Like last year, I’m relying on Instagram and an occasional blog post to remember these, so I’ve almost certainly missed some. I’m hoping to have a better capture method soon. Two other key points: 1) all but one were consumed at home; 2) I’ve left out anything produced or imported by the company I work for. In chronological order.

Le Vieux Pin 2017 Equinox Syrah

I open the Equinox bottles judiciously, but always knowing they’ll be standouts. This one was no different.

El Enemigo 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Cabernet Franc

While Cab Franc might be my favourite grape, I don’t have many from Argentina. This bottle, paired with a perfect steak, is why I’ve started seeking them out.

TH Wines 2016 Pinot Noir

My last bottle from a long-cancelled wine club membership, from a now-shuttered winery. Drinking this felt like saying goodbye to an old, treasured friend.

Meerlust 2010 Rubicon

Probably just a touch past its prime, but on the list for sentimental reasons: this was the last of five bottles of the 2010 vintage my brother tracked down when I saw they were (almost inexplicably) at his local liquor store in rural Nova Scotia.

Penfolds 1996 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

Nothing past it’s prime here: this ’96, won at auction, could have lasted a few more years in bottle, but it certainly tasted like it was at its peak. Stunning, and a great way to celebrate a big career change.

Antinori 2010 Solaia

Since we hadn’t been to Jacobs in some time, and had eaten out only twice in the past year, we opted for a star turn bottle. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of Super Tuscan prices, but I might be a convert now.

The Farm 2017 Neudorf Vineyard Pinot Noir

The first of two wines on this list made by Kelly Mason, one of my very favourites working in Niagara today. An exquisite Pinot, a standout in a region where excellent Pinots abound.

Mason Vineyard 2018 The Landed Cabernet Franc

Mason’s second entry on this list couldn’t be more different: one of the most powerful and complex Francs I’ve tried, typical of neither Niagara nor the Loire…something different and exceptional.

Volpe 2018 Pasini Zuc Di Volpe Pinot Grigio

But for some present acid and missing honey, I might have thought this was Condrieu. Eye-opening, for what Pinot Grigio can be (vs. how I tend to think of it).

Bonneau du Martray 2008 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

Another bottle won at auction, and certainly too nice to drink on a random Monday evening all by myself, but that’s what happened. And it was glorious.

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My favourite (new) beers this year

I’d mentioned last year that my beer drinking was slowing down. In 2021 it very nearly came to a dead stop. Last year the culprit was the pandemic; this year was down to joining the wine industry halfway through the year, which only accelerated my already-deep obsession with wine. So, what’s noted here (a) largely comes from two beer orders we had sent to the house — some specialty bottles of Tilquin from Bar Volo, and a whole bunch from Rorschach Brewing down the street from us — and (b) doesn’t even hit the ten mark. That’s how few new beers I tried & liked enough to make the cut. In chronological order.

Gueuze Tilquin Oude Myrtille Sauvage (2018-2019)

A wild blueberry version of one of my all-time favourite beers. Pretty on point for the son of a blueberry farmer, really.

Gueuze Tilquin Oude Cassis (2018-2019)

A cassis version of the same. Not quite as good as the quetsche (plum) version, but still one of the best beers I’ve ever tried.

Rorschach Decadence (Pecan Sticky Bun)

From their sweet stout series, this was one where the sweetness balanced out the umami of the pecans. Not all of them worked so well.

Rorschach Hedonism (Blueberry Strawberry Guava)

The best (IMO) of their fruited sour pale series. These proved to be dangerously drinkable for 6.9% beer.

Rorschach Malevolent Benevolence (German Chocolate Cake)

My favourite of their heaviest hitters. Many in this series are totally overwhelming, but this one nailed it.

Rorschach Decadence (Salted Caramel Latte)

Again, they found the right balance with one: not too salty, not too sweet, not too creamy. The goldilocks of sweet stouts. (Okay, that’s enough from Rorschach.)

Garrison Rise ‘n’ Stein

Enjoyed on a warm fall day, in a beer garden on Halifax’s waterfront, whilst eating a currywurst. I’ve had much worse afternoons.

Godspeed Tmavý Ležák 12º

In what I assumed would be my last patio beer of the year (and I was right) I stopped at Wvrst and drank this dark lager as streetcar after streetcar went rumbling by my shoulder.

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My favourite moments this year

In chronological order. Also, it says something about the year we had when there was nothing notable until early April, and even that was our recovery from COVID, FFS.

1. COVID sucked, but the first day we felt recovered from it felt pretty good. We could taste again!
2. The first spring day warm enough to sit outside on our new outdoor furniture.
3. When there was a vaccination popup in our neighbourhood where we got shot #1.
4. A Canadiens playoff run to the finals (which feels pretty distant right now).
5. Making a career change, moving to the wine industry after 22 years in banking.
6. Getting shot #2 at Vaccineapalooza.
7. Drinking a 1996 Penfolds Bin 707 to celebrate starting my new job.
8. A renewing visit from a Montreal friend.
9. A quick work-but-also-fun trip to Niagara on the Lake.
10. The first night Kramer slept on the bed with us.
11. A brief visit & dinner out from brother #2.
12. Tasting the new wine club wines at Hidden Bench, including a Decanter best in show winner.
13. Seeing the farm again for the first time in ~2 years.
14. Learning lots of funny and interesting stories about my parents.
15. Making my way through the by the glass list at Obladee.
16. Dinner with my mom and her sister, and her family in Guelph.
17. Blindness, our first theatrical experience in years.
18. Waking up to the view of the lake at Mirazule.
19. My first (and so far only, as it turned out) commute to work in my new car.
20. Breaking bread with my new team.

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[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

After the pummeling that was 2019, I was really looking forward to a return to normalcy in 2020. Lindsay, it should be noted, was always skeptical: at a New Year’s Eve party at Chez Nous she said the symmetry of the new year made her nervous. Most of us thought that was silly. A few weeks later we weren’t laughing.

2020 was, of course, shaped almost entirely by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever other micro forces weighed in from mid-March on, the macro-est of forces crammed our lives into a box. Work changed (less in nature than in location though, really); social gatherings were fewer, and altered; dinners out were essentially unsafe; travel disappeared altogether, and in my head remains more of a romantic ideal than a practical future. I’m glad I opted for a January work trip to Madrid, and doubly glad I decided to attach a quick jaunt to Egypt as well. Brother #2 was living there at the time, so we got to hang out, and I got to see a brief sample of what Cairo had to offer. We were also lucky that brother #1 was in town twice in a week, just before the hammer fell.

Normally at this point in the annual summary I’d quantify the total media I consumed, but (a) things were obviously skewed this year — for example, for the first time since 2001 I didn’t attend any TIFF screenings; and (b) Lindsay pointed out that it doesn’t really make sense to limit myself to things that came out only in 2020 anyway. Unless reviewing music or movies or TV shows or books is someone’s job or sole extracurricular focus, there’s no way to keep up with the amount of content coming out. I always flouted this rule when it came to books anyway. So next year maybe I’ll try just listing the most interest things I watched, or read, or listened to, regardless of when they came out. In the meantime, if anyone wants to read about what I liked in 2020, it’s over here.

So look, I won’t bother writing about what we all know: the death toll, the strain on front line workers, various dropped balls by governments (some more than others — NS seemed to handle this very well indeed by locking down hard and fast, though I guess it helps when you’re only connected by an isthmus), the parallel anti-racism efforts in the US/everywhere, the US election, and so on. It’s all well covered, not to mention well outside the remit of the annual wrap-up post on someone’s silly blog.

Sure, COVID caused some personal stress, some family stress (especially when some maniac started shooting up their home province where some of my extended family lives), and lots of work stress. But we’ve stayed healthy the whole time — not even a cold. We didn’t have kids in the house, or elderly dependents in long term care facilities, which definitely seemed to make things tougher on many friends and colleagues. Neither of our livelihoods were affected. The worst situation we had to deal with was Kramer getting a UTI. For us, it wasn’t a dangerous or traumatic time. It was a series of adjustments. Some were even beneficial. To wit:

• Kramer absolutely thrived having us both home during lockdown. In February we couldn’t even pet him. Now we both give him lots of pets and scratches and rubs every morning when we wake up, and more recently he’s let us pick him up and give him kisses on the back of his head. He’s even starting napping on the bed (granted, we often lure him there with treats) but it’s hard to believe this is even the same cat.
• I finally gave up on the notion that I was ever going to set foot in a gym, and bought a Peloton. I worried that I’d use it for a few weeks and then abandon it, but 7 months on I’m still really enjoying it. Between the exercise, and some light meds to help my blood pressure, I’m feeling better physically than I have in years, even though I’m ~10 kilos heavier than I was at my lightest, four years ago.
• We’re both notoriously bad for exploring Ontario outside of downtown Toronto, but the off-lockdown summer months gave us a chance to explore a little, decamping for the gorgeous and relaxing Elora Mill Hotel for a couple of days of pure scenic nothingness.
• COVID forced me to finally get my dad’s maple business online. I tried 20+ years ago when you had to cobble ecommerce together yourself, but now Shopify exists, so it took me…I dunno, like, a weekend? Anyway, he sold out the year’s supply even with little to no foot traffic, so we’ll call that a success.
• Spurred by needing walls and doors and separate work spaces, we did what I never thought I’d do: buy a house. It’s a semi-detached place just a few minutes’ walk east of the loft, so it’s not like we’ve moved to the country or anything. I’ve kept the loft and am renting it out, but we moved at the end of October and it immediately felt like home. We’re slowly filling all the rooms, but on day one we could already feel the difference when I could work two floors away from Lindsay and not bug her.
  • We were worried about bringing Kramer here, but the move itself went better than we expected and he loves the house too, keeping a watchful eye on the street’s squirrels and passersby.
  • Having the house also let us play host to my niece, who we helped move in to university back in September, for the past two weeks since she couldn’t fly home for Christmas.

2019 was bifurcated by Lindsay’s ankle break. 2020 was more lopsided: two obliviously normal months followed by ten months of a sourdough-y, hand sanitizer-y haze. But if our biggest complaint thus far is a few cancelled trips (Madrid, again; New York; London; Montreal) and the inconvenience of having to wear a mask outside, then we feel very grateful indeed.

Things won’t suddenly snap back to normal tomorrow morning, but I feel like there’s hope on 2021’s asymmetrical horizon.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

• 2019: Body Blows
• 2018: Stabilization
• 2017: Fallout
• 2016: Antipodal
• 2015: Hyper-focus
• 2014: Focus
• 2013: Adjustments
• 2012: Mobile
• 2011: Evolution
• 2010: Expansion
• 2009: Steady
• 2008: Lassitude

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Cover photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

To the great surprise of no one on planet earth, this is a weird year in which to do a list like this. Or, anything else. When I started prepping for this I assumed I wouldn’t have enough content to fill it, but it turns out I do, with some tweaks. So here goes. Everything is listed in alphabetical order, unless otherwise stated.

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My favourite albums of 2020

I’ve been pretty lax on music catch-up this year, and as such have not yet fully tackled this year’s releases by The Avalanches, Phoebe Bridgers, Basia Bulat, Bonny Light Horseman, Drakeo the Ruler, Fleet Foxes, Fontaines D.C., Damien Jurado, Lomelda, Bob Mould, Angel Olsen, Owen Pallett, Ratboys, Sigur Ros, Bartees Strange, Tricky, or U.S. Girls. So, as always, take the list below as a work in progress.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

Me and everyone else, I guess. This seems to be the de facto pick for album of the year, and with good reason: it was a brilliant little surprise, near-impeccably made, and paired real maturity and restraint with all the usual bubbling edge.

Flower Of Devotion by Dehd

Admittedly a little all over the place toward the end of the album, but they could have cut just the first six songs and it still would have ended up on my top ten list. It grabbed me right from “Desire” and barely let go.

Rough & Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

It is absolutely bonkers to me that someone could be this good for this long. I really appreciate most of the album, but — goofy though it may be — “Murder Most Foul” just entered my bloodstream and stuck for the whole year.

Miss Anthropocene by Grimes

The last time I heard good things about a Grimes album I was skeptical. I was wrong then. I was wrong this time too. Catchy up and down the playlist. These albums always sit outside the usual genre I feel I like, but there’s something about her music that draws me in over and over.

Women In Music Part III by Haim

I was never that much of a Haim fan, but this sounds like so many things familiar to my brain — tributes to artists that felt familiar, Rostam’s co-production, etc. — that it gave the melodies a chance to catch up to my soul.

Snapshot Of A Beginner by Nap Eyes

I keep waiting for these guys to take a misstep. Not that I want them to, but rather because it seems like a hard high wire act to pull off time and again. But they’ve cemented themselves so well in this groove that it no longer feels like a derivative of other styles, so much as it feels like their style.

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately by Perfume Genius

As with all PG albums this one felt spiky, but the high notes were so high it carried the rest of the album. There’s more texture here than I know what to do with sometimes.

Every Bad by Porridge Radio

From out of nowhere, this one became my spring soundtrack with all its gentle intensity. The looping cri de coeur at the end of “Lilac” probably helped get me through the early days of COVID.

RTJ4 by Run The Jewels

Nothing gentle about this one. All the usual RTJ type hits, and “Ooh La La” might be my visceral favourite, but “JU$T” probably hit a new level for them.

Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee

Maybe the most consistent album on the list, as is her wont, there were no wrong steps here and several absolute killers. This might have been the tour I most wished could have happened in 2020.

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My favourite songs of 2020

1. Fiona Apple . “Under The Table”
2. Ball Park Music . “Cherub”
3. The Constantines . “Call Me Out”
4. Dehd . “Desire”
5. Bob Dylan . “Murder Most Foul”
6. Jay Electronica . “The Blinding”
7. Fontaines D.C. . “Televised Mind”
8. Future Islands . “Thrill”
9. Grimes . “4ÆM”
10. Haim . “Up From A Dream”
11. Jon McKiel . “Deeper Shade”
12. Nap Eyes . “Mark Zuckerberg”
13. Perfume Genius . “Describe”
14. Porridge Radio . “Lilac”
15. Jeff Rosenstock . “N O D R E A M”
16. Run The Jewels . “Ooh La La”
17. Tricky . “Hate This Pain”
18. U.S. Girls . “Born To Lose”
19. Kurt Vile & John Prine . “How Lucky”
20. Waxahatchee . “St. Cloud”

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My favourite movies of 2020

Obviously this wasn’t a big year for new releases, and anyway my movie consumption has been declining for a while because of how much TV we watch at home. My 2020 backlog includes Da 5 Bloods, The Forty-Year-Old Version, The Invisible Man, Kajillionaire, Mank, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Shirley, so as of right now I’ve only seen five that would make this list.

1917

Made to look like one continuous shot, more or less, of two British soldiers carrying a message between two WWI units on the Western Front, this was such a rollercoaster between the horrific scenes of no man’s land, the bucolic French countryside, burning villages, serene woods, and so on, and so on, that I felt battered. I realized at a few points that I’d been holding my breath. Not without faults, but still a fairly fresh take on a very well-trod genre.

The Assistant

Quiet and subtle and chilling and clever and frustrating and not nearly far-fetched enough. That’s not a failing of the movie; things would be better if it were far-fetched.

Athlete A

This is what a documentary is supposed to be. It took a deeper look at the systemic issues within USA Gymnastics, not just at the rapist Larry Nassar, and gave plenty of airtime & consideration to the victims. As gripping as the story was we kept remarking throughout the documentary how well it was made. There’s a reason why it’s carrying a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Disclosure

Another excellent documentary, this one about trans representation in popular culture. A lot of familiar faces, some looks at good and bad examples — as well as the lasting implications of The Crying Game, and the subsequent Ace Ventura gag.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Admittedly I knew nothing about this episode in American politics. It was a typical Aaron Sorkin script (read: clever, quick, and leftish) so it was an entertaining watch about an infuriating event. Pretty hard to buy Sasha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman though.

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My favourite TV shows of 2020

Like I said, the movie list is short in large part because the TV list is long. In addition to the ten 2020 shows below that I watched & liked this year, there were five that didn’t make the cut: Dirty Money, The Devil Next Door, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, The Stranger, and Seduced: the NXIVM Story. I/we also watched older stuff: all six seasons of Bojack Horseman, season 1 of The Boys, three seasons of Broadchurch, six seasons of Community, season 3 of The Deuce, season 1 of Euphoria, both seasons of Fleabag, four seasons (and counting) of Grace and Frankie, two seasons of Line of Duty, all four seasons of The Man In The High Castle, two seasons of Mr. Robot, season 1 of Mrs. Fletcher, season 7 of New Girl (which I’d somehow never finished), season 2 of Pose, all five seasons of Schitt’s Creek, and a few miniseries like Safe, Unbelievable, and Waco. Plus parts of Succession and a constant rotation of old Office and New Girl episodes. Phew.

Caveats: I’m only partway through Lovecraft Country, Westworld season 3, and whatever stunted season of Billions this is, and haven’t even started Killing Eve season 3, though I doubt any of those would make this list anyway.

Big Mouth

Consistently crude, consistently hilarious. Lots of winks to the camera this season, including some important ones about where the line should be in comedy, even a comedy where a constipated turd gets birthed like a baby.

Fargo

I’ve come to love the quirkiness of this show, and how a loose thread attaches seasons together. This season we got a backstory to a backstory, and Chris Rock playing so against type I forgot it was Chris Rock. Also: Timothy Olyphant playing a role he now pretty much owns.

The Good Place

The final few episodes aired in January 2020 (remember January?!) so this one counts. One of the funniest and most optimistic shows on TV ended on a really lovely note, without a hint of the dumpster fire of a year that was to follow.

The Last Dance

I was just a bit too young to have truly witnessed the rise of Michael Jordan in real time (we also didn’t have cable, so I had no way to watch it even if I’d been paying attention) so this look back was a treat, a bigger pile of considerations in the GOAT discussion to sit alongside LeBron’s accomplishments. Plus it somehow led to us watching Spacejam.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Still the smartest thing on TV. Still killed it, even working in a blank cube. The running Adam Driver joke was one of my favourite things all year.

The Mandalorian

I actually watched both seasons this year, watching season 1 on my flight to Madrid back in January (and then watching it again with my brother in Cairo later on that same trip) before bingeing season 2 in one Christmas vacation afternoon/evening. So entertaining on its own, yet with so much fan service.

The Plot Against America

Adapted from a Philip Roth novel I read years ago, this came to the screen — courtesy of David Simon, whose stuff I will always watch — at just the right time, as even more overt racist sentiments than usual came out of the American woodwork, egged on by the piece of shit in the White House.

Queen’s Gambit

A lesson in perseverance (it took decades to get this made) and in stylistic production, we binged this in <24 hours. Some absolutely indelible characters and scenes. It sparked a surge in online chess playing for Lindsay, for one thing.

Run

Struggled under its own weight a bit, but makes it here on (a) the strength of the leads, especially the incomparable Merritt Wever; and (b) the clever Phoebe Waller-Bridge script. I’ll watch anything those two team up on, from now ’til the end of time.

Schitt’s Creek

I only started watching this in 2020, bingeing every season and catching up to the end not long after it aired for real. So consistently hilarious and deserving of all the late-breaking accolades. As I type this my niece is downstairs watching it, having gotten hooked on it when we played her the pilot. (We gave her an “Ew, David!” t-shirt for Christmas, pre-emptively guessing that she’d like the show.)

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My favourite books of 2020

Sigh.

There was only one again this year. I just…I can’t seem to get myself back to books. We even tried forming a book club, but then we bought a house, and that was it. I started a few, but the only thing I finished was Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker. Imagine that, a book about wine.

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My favourite podcasts of 2020

COVID definitely messed with my podcast listening. I used to listen to them both ways on my commute, but don’t find them easy to listen to while at home, so I didn’t listen to any of some previous favourites (Intelligence Squared, Reveal, Revisionist History, The Anthropocene Revealed) this year and am massively behind on others.

99% Invisible

This is one of the ones I’ve fallen behind on, though in the early days of the pandemic when I was still trying to force myself to go for long walks, I was burning through lots of them. As long as Roman Mars creates this, it will likely be in my top ten.

Against The Rules

Maybe it’s Michael Lewis’ voice (the Roman Mars love would lend some credence to that theory) or maybe it’s his skilled storytelling, but I love this series.

Dead Eyes

Such a beauty of a podcast: a small, inside-baseball story of an actor trying to descend into the particulars of his near-miss casting rejection of a bit part in Band of Brothers, and the apparent reason: that Tom Hanks thought he had “dead eyes” during the audition. Truly great for a fan of the series, or anyone who can sympathize with a struggling actor.

Floodlines

This launched in early March so I missed it, but once I found my way back I was hooked. This look back at Hurricane Katrina, with a clear-eyed look at the racism on display in both the response and the media coverage, was thoughtful and thorough.

Newcomers

Earlier this year Lindsay and I made a deal: I’d watch the Harry Potter movies if she’d watch the Star Wars movies. We started listening to this podcast because the two hosts, Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus, were also watching the Star Wars movies for the first time. It’s pretty great, and when Byer called Han Solo “Hans” I almost laughed myself unconscious.

Not Great

My only complaint about this Scaachi Koul podcast is that there were too few episodes. The world needs so much more of her snarkwit.

Oppo

Still my favourite Canadian politics podcast. Granted, it’s the only one I listen to, but still. While the two hosts (Jen Gerson and, now, Sandy Garossino) are ostensibly on opposite sides of most issues, the best episodes might counterintuitively be the ones where they agree. Their co-savaging of the lack of subsidized childcare along with a University of Calgary economics professor, or their up-and-downing of a Huawei exec, for example.

Slow Burn

Just as I’ve loved their previous seasons (Nixon; Clinton; Biggie & Tupac) this one about the rise of David Duke was an illuminating look back at a period I wasn’t really old enough to grasp, but which still seemed/seems infuriatingly relevant today.

This American Life

Another series I’m well behind one, but the episodes I listened to in the early days of the pandemic — or even some reported from China in January, when it was there and not yet here — were of the usual calibre that lands TAL here year after year.

Uncover season 6

This CBC podcast has been a past favourite (season 3, The Village) but season 6, about Satanic Panic in small-town Saskatchewan in the early ’90s, touched off memories from my own youth (as someone whose brothers and brothers’ friends played D&D) and of the West Memphis Three.

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My favourite meals of 2020

These are listed in chronological order and, because of the pandemic, there were obviously very few memorable meals out.

Jacobs & Co., Toronto

A perpetual contender for this list, Jacobs didn’t disappoint when we visited in January. Killer vintage sparkling, local Wagyu, a bottle of Etude I brought from my cellar, 1929 Don PX for dessert, and I was shown (but couldn’t/wouldn’t spring for) a bottle of 1863 Madeira. Mercy.

Kalma, Madrid

On my last night in Madrid for a January conference, I ate alone in the hotel’s top restaurant with only a smattering of occupied tables in the whole room. I had oxtail fritters and duck and a lovely bottle of Tempranillo, and a surprise dessert courtesy of the staff. Lovely. (Close second on this trip: the churros con chocolate I ate outside at San Ginés.)

Wynona, Toronto

Still in January, Lindsay and I met up with some fellow East-enders for dinner at Wynona. We’d been once or twice before; they had not. We ran through a pretty good chunk of the menu, and a few interesting bottles of wine, before being chased from our table having gone well past our time limit.

Barberian’s, Toronto

In February, back when groups of people could gather in small rooms, I attended a work celebration dinner in the private room at Barberian’s. The food and wine flew thick and fast, so it’s all a bit of a blur — especially now — but I remember it being pretty damn special. I hope to get back to that room some day.

Elora Mill Hotel, Elora

For our first getaway from the city during the pandemic I could have picked dinner the first night — our first meal in a restaurant since March, a good one at that, and also my birthday — but the one that sticks out is dinner the following night, when we ordered to our room and ate outside, on the terrace, overlooking the river. It was a pretty perfect evening.

ēst, Toronto

In the summer, when the lockdown was temporarily lifted just enough to allow restaurants to open (before being slammed shut again, as we all expected), we managed to sneak in one meal on a makeshift patio outside of ēst. The city allowed restaurants to set up outdoor dining in the rightmost lane of Queen Street, so we ate our meal with a streetcar rumbling by inches from my head, but it still felt pretty glorious. Now, several weeks into the latest lockdown, it’s a distant dream.

Honourable mention to a few other new-to-us Toronto joints I/we managed to try before the lockdown: Bodega Henriette, Cluny, Chotto Matte, Xola, and Osteria Rialto.

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My favourite (new) beers of 2020

Granted, my beer drinking was already slowing down, and the lack of travel (visiting beer bars is how I find cool neighbourhoods in new cities) cut into it even more, but I did managed to scrounge a list of some pretty good beers. In chronological order.

Cascade Brewing Framblanc (2016)

A bottle of vintage sour from the cellar, shared over lunch at Bar Hop Session on the Danforth.

La Pirata / La Quince Frapufino + Perennial Intentionally Indulgent

Two beers — a coffee/milk stout and Tiramisu-inspired imperial stout respectively — sampled at the Brew Wild Pizza Bar in Madrid, just down the street from my hotel.

Fábrica Maravillas Black Star

Another milk stout in Madrid, this one house-made at a tiny brewpub. Whilst sat at the bar I met a guy from New Jersey just taking a detour on his way home from an internship at Brasserie Cantillon.

Bellwoods Barn Owl (No. 18) + Willibald Farm Pay It Forward

Hard to say whether I drank these during a work sesh or friend hangout at Boxcar Social. I’d had other Barn Owl variants before but this passionfruit version stood out. As did this oatmeal stout from Willibald Farm, which was new to me.

Halo Shapeshifter

I was kind of shocked to see that this was my first shapeshifter. I was going to dig into it to see if my data was skewed, but then I thought: fuck it. I remember how good this sour IPA was when I had it at White Lily Diner, probably with a patty melt or pastrami sandwich.

Half Hours on Earth Burnout Generation

I brought this chamomile ginger cinnamon lemon honey sour ale home from Boxcar in the opening weeks of the pandemic. In addition to being absolutely delicious, it almost made me wish I had a cold.

Rorschach Reverie + Rorschach Blasphemy

In July, tired of being stuck inside, we walked to Woodbine Park on a scorching hot July day to meet our friend Sarah and drink beers on the grass. Along the way we stopped at Rorschach and grabbed some of their excellent beer, including these two: a Pineapple/Mango/Orange/Tangerine Double Milkshake IPA and a Passionfruit/Pineapple Sour. It felt like that scene in Shawshank Redemption where they sit on the roof and drink beers and, just for a while, feel like free men again.

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My favourite (new) wines of 2020

New category! I don’t log wine as carefully as I do beer (it’s too hard to look each one up, especially in a restaurant, and my Ontario-heavy collection isn’t friendly to a lot of barcode scanning apps anyway), but flipping back through my Instagram history, where I capture the more memorable ones, turned up a decent list. Again, in chronological order.

Etude 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

As mentioned above, I brought this with me to Jacobs & Co. to go with piles of steak. And go it did.

O’Shaughnessy 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

In the afore-mentioned Barberian’s private cellar dinner, our dinner companions were ordering quite a bit of Caymus. I eventually suggested switching to something a little…less refined, shall we say. Our server said, “OK, no more chocolate cake. How about this?” And damn, was he right.

Tawse 2010 Meritage

The last remnants of a long-ago cancelled Tawse wine club membership, I held on to this one just long enough. It seemed to me in peak drinking condition, having been born in one of Ontario’s great vintages.

Leaning Post 2017 Wismer Foxcroft Chardonnay

I could have just as easily put 2027’s Wismer Foxcroft chard on this list. It’s hard to go wrong with that grape in that vineyard, I guess. But there’s something about how Ilya makes and cares for his wines that just grabs me.

Vins de Vienne 2017 Condrieu ‘La Chambée’

Out of a cursed LCBO Vintages order which mostly went missing, I did manage to salvage this utterly delicious Condrieu, all fruit & spice & vanilla.

Ravine 2010 Piccone Cabernet Franc

I took Rick Van Sickle’s advice (this was his top Niagara red of 2012) and saved this bottle for a special occasion. That occasion was a socially-distanced summer evening on the front porch of my friend (and big Ravine fan) Andrea’s house.

Pegos Claros 2013 Castelão

This bottle followed Lindsay and I home from Lisbon on our first-ever trip away together. It needed a little patience in the cellar (though not as much as the Quinta de Roriz Touriga Nacional still chilling in there) but we were rewarded when we opened this one up.

Pearl Morissette 2012 Baranoff Vineyard Pinot Noir

My final bottle from Pearl Morissette’s California experiment, and probably the best…no doubt due to some age. Truly a blend of California heat and Ontario leanness.

M. Chapoutier 2012 Monier de la Sizeranne Syrah

A parting gift from my team at my last job, I let this one sit for 7+ years before popping it for a special dinner at home. It was just starting to slide past its peak, but was nonetheless remarkable.

Le Vieux Pin 2012 Equinoxe Cabernet Franc

I admit, I was a bit dubious. I love all of Le Vieux Pin’s wines — it’s why I’m a member of their wine club — but their specialty is generally Rhone varietals, not Loire. Plus, I’d not been blown away by Okanagan Cab Franc when I visited a few years back. I had no reason to fear, it turns out: this was fantastic, and had years’ worth of structure still left in it. This one comes with a big price tag, but my first foray into the bottle made me pretty glad I have a few more vintages put away.

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My favourite moments of 2020

In a year that had some serious downside and a lot of long unremarkable stretches, it was a nice exercise to dig back through the haze for some little moments. The world, the good world, is still out there. It’s just obscured for now, but for faint pinpoints like these. I, for one, plan to cling to them for all I’m worth.

Again, in alphabetical order:

1. Watching live Flamenco in Madrid.
2. Drinking sherry in La Venencia, a charismatic bar living stubbornly in the 1930s.
3. Seeing the great Pyramid of Giza up close.
4. Standing in a chamber of the Al-Rifa’i Mosque in Cairo, pitch black but for a bit of stained glass thirty feet up, listening to the call to prayer echoing around the walls.
5. Drinking a quiet cup of coffee just above the tumult of the Khan el-Khalili market.
6. Watching a recording of Fleabag (the play, not the TV show) recorded in London, which would be the closest thing to travel March 2020 would allow, at the Paradise Theatre.
7. Winning a Lauren Pelc-McArthur painting in a charity auction.
8. Drinking beer in Woodbine Park with our friend Sarah, which at the time felt like absolute peak freedom.
9. Watching the Grand River roil below our room’s terrace at the Elora Mill Inn.
10. Seeing the Canadiens surprise the Penguins in the weird-ass playoffs.
11. Enjoying Kramer’s remarkable progress during lockdown, in which he’s learned to let us pet him, and even pick up him to kiss his head sometimes.
12. Buying a house!
13. Seeing the Raptors win a playoff series, and nearly win a second, in a year where no one gave them a chance to do either.
14. Eating dinner outside (one of only two dinners out in nine months), even with streetcars and motorbikes whipping by my head.
15. Finally walking the Lower Don trail.
16. Sitting on the floor of our new house after moving day, drinking a bottle of Benjamin Bridge.
17. Sheer relief at the realization that Donald Trump can just fuck off now.
18. An online, blind beer tasting contest for a friend’s birthday.
19. Waking up Dec 25th to see snow, the first White Christmas I can remember in years.
20. Chatting with our families on Christmas Day, seeing everyone healthy and happy and safe. Which, really, is all that matters.

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[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]