End of 2022 Favorites round-up

As this year winds to a close, it’s a good time for me to look back, like many do, and reflect on some of my favorite things in the past 365 days. I’m going to break it down into groups, so don’t worry.

This will all be over quickly.

Music

For favorite music of 2022, I’m sticking primarily to albums released this year. The list includes:

• Orville Peck – Bronco (The perfect sad gay cowboy music for sad gay cowboys)
• Florence + the Machine – Dance Fever (Deeply personal, powerful witchcraft in musical form)
• Harry Styles – Harry’s House (Infections, clever, and undeniably fun pop)
• The Delines – The Sea Drift (Dreamy, haunting portraits of lives on the edge. Flawless.)
• Taylor Swift – Midnights (A damned talented songwriter goes to incredible depths on this one)
• The Beths – Expert In a Dying Field (My kid brother turned me on to this. ’nuff said)
• My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (I’m late to this one, but I practically wore my LP out)

Television

It’s been a banner year for TV, and I really couldn’t dream of listing everything I loved. But I did capture the ones I couldn’t forget about.

• Reservation Dogs (Simply flawless. Funny, heart-wrending, absolute perfection)
• What We Do In Shadows (Not their best season, but still laugh-out-loud funny and sweet)
• Severence (Holy crap this show. It absolutely broke my brain. High-level corporate dystopian sci-fi)
• She-Hulk (I love that they knew exactly what show they wanted to make and swung for the fences)
• A League of Their Own (Speaking of swinging for the fences, I loved every character. Must-see-TV)
• Moon Knight (What can I say? I’ve loved this character for 40 years or more, and they nailed it)
• Our Flag Means Death (What a delightful bon bon of a show. I can hardly wait for season 2)

Movies

This list is somewhat complicated because we no longer go to theaters due to Covid (the few times we tried it was deeply uncomfortable). And I am reluctant to buy On Demand movies, so there are a lot of big films this year that I would probably love but just haven’t gotten to. If you have a favorite that is not on my list, assume that’s what happened here.

• Incantation (Absolutely terrifying found-footage horror. It’s been months and I can’t shake it)
• Everything Everywhere All At Once (Give this all the awards. Innovative, profoundly human, and deeply weird. I loved every mintue of it.)
• RRR (Listen, if you haven’t seen it yet, see it. A fantastic, revisionist, anti-colonial epic that will blow your socks off)
• Prey (Amber Midthunder is a force of nature, and now I want a whole slew of movies like it.)
• Glass Onion (I love a good mystery almost as much as I hate clueless rich people. This movie is a masterpiece and I want to rewatch it a hundred more times.)
• Hellbender (Indie horror made by the film-making Adams family. A haunting coming of age story)
• A Wounded Fawn (Deeply, deeply weird horror with a nod to Greek mythology. Hypnotically good)
• Fire Island (A gay retelling of Jane Austin? How could I not love this movie?)

Moments/Events

This one is a little more nebulous, so bear with me. There’s a reason I kept it for last.

• Adding Ron “Macaron” Swanson to our home. Senior cats need love, too. And he’s really finding his place here. What a sweet old man.
• Tried some new recipies that are going into the rotation. Namely, Peruvian chicken, za’atar crusteed fish, roasted root vegetable salad.
• Many nights of YouTube roulette with the cohort, or doing deep dives on weird Chinese dramas. Some of my happiest moments this year took place on the sofa with them.
• Seeing bad things happen to bad people. Petty, I know, but it feels like things are coming home to roost in a lot of instances. Makes me hopeful this momentum might keep up.
• Felt valuted at work, and am shaking off a lot of the toxic mess a previous job heaped on me.
• Games with friends, either board games, Delta Green, or some fun D&D moments. Time well spent.
• Seeing my whole family again for the first time in ages. That it was because of my son’s restaurant opening is even sweeter.
• My son’s restaurant, Hatch Cantina. Seeing some of the flavors I grew up with from my mom’s kitchen find a new audience up in the PNW gives me life.
• Speaking of food, finally eating at the amazing Indian restaurant nearby has been a joy.
• Seeing more fiction published in the Cobalt City Universe. If I have done nothing else in this world, I’ve created a vibrant sandbox for other authors to play in. I couldn’t be prouder of these authors and their writing!
• Finally, being able to remain in touch with or get back in touch with friends despite our exile in Cove-town. It has made 2022 feel a little less lonely.