Spirits & My Best of the Year

Ben has a lovely view outside his bedroom window. The light and shadows hit all the clouds just right. The houses are haunted with melancholy magic, and the spirits & faeries love to congregate in those invisible spaces where all the homes/properties meet. They dance and make things beautiful. The sky is exquisite every day. Sunrise is perfect. And did anyone see that moon last night, hidden behind the clouds and tree branches?

That being said, I've decided to throw my Best of the Year list out there a touch early. Things could change, but I'm mostly looking for an excuse to hear from all of you with YOUR Best Of Lists. (Oh, and I don't have a specific number "required" or anything. I'm being pretty random with this list, including the fact that not all things were actually released in 2006.)

Let's see:

MOVIES:
1) The Descent -- Bloody, psychologically intense. An interesting look at the dynamics between groups of female friends, a peek at the secrets that get revealed under stressful circumstances. If being hunted down in a dark cave by Golem-looking creatures isn't stressful, I really don't know what is. This movie is not for the faint of heart, but for anyone who wants to see a really, really scary movie (I mean, one of the best) dive into this one immediately.
2) Little Children -- An intimate look at suburbia, adultery, betrayal, family relationships, our selfish desires, and our need to connect through both our bodies and hearts. The acting is superb, the story knotted tight. Todd Fields is a magnificent director. And wow. Could anyone beat Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, and Jennifer Connelly? Amazing cast with subtle nuances that make them real-to-the-bone.
3) The Prestige-- Magic! And Christian Bale! An extended cameo by David Bowie! Love and blood and betrayal and loss and history and lush costumes and sadness and hope. And did I mention magic?

MUSIC:
1) Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes -- This is the version Tori always wanted to put out, and the songs have all been remastered to make them sound at their peak level. "Flying Dutchman" is one of Tori's best songs, and I can't help but love that it comes right after "Me and a Gun" now. Sailing on a ghost ship = redemption after rape. Naturally, Tori placed these "girls" in this order for a reason....
2) Charlotte Martin, Stromata -- The title track breaks my heart with the narrator's need to connect to someone just as tissue connects all the organs in our bodies. This is a Nathan Life Song, for sure. And the final track, "Redeemed"....wow....the mention of spring snow gives me goose bumps every time.
3) Trespassers William, Different Stars -- This album feels like I'm floating through space, getting scratched on stars and riding on the tails of comets, all the while stoned off my ass and seeing angels with barbed wire wings. And fuck, the band's name is a Winnie the Pooh reference! How cool is that!
***Special mentions to Hem (Funnel Cloud), Lily Holbrook (everything was beautiful and nothing hurt), the Lost Season #1 score, Trespasser's William (their next album, Having), Daughter Darling (sweet shadows), the new version of the Veronica Mars theme song by the Dandy Warhols, Paula Cole's song "Postcards from East Oceanside," and my new(ish) appreciation for Iron & Wine. These artists are just the tip of the iceberg, but I'll stop now!

TV SHOWS:
1) Veronica Mars, Season #2 -- Life in Neptune, California gets more complicated for our favorite teen sleuth. Mysteries revolve around a bus accident, a pregnancy, secrets rooms in the backs of closets, pool games in sketchy bars, elevators, and--of course--plenty of bedroom antics. Kristen Bell is a goddess of the small screen. I just love her with all my heart!
2) Lost, Season #3 -- Kate and Sawyer are heating up everything they touch (including each other), and I love Elizabeth Montgomery's character (what the heck's her name?). The flashbacks this season are spot-on (Kate's with her failed attempt at true love shot right into my veins).
3) Supernatural, Seasons #1 and #2 -- I think of this show as HGFE (or, Hot Guys Fighting Evil). I mean, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki get sweaty and rugged in each episode, and go after demons while grunting and flexing their muscles. I'm all about Good v. Evil, but I may be even more about eyes I could melt into in a heartbeat. Plus, all the Jock Rock (Cock Rock!) they play satisfies that inner part of Nathan many people aren't aware of: the part that love's Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell II and jams out to BOC's "Don't Fear the Reaper."
***VERY special mentions to: Six Feet Under, Season #5 (is it just me or is the final episode with Sia's "Breathe Me," like, the best f'in' ending to a show ever!?!?!) and to my completion of the Buffy & Angel mythology. Buffy and Angel are imbedded into my genes now, a part of my DNA. That instinctual part of me remembers all these characters and stories, like they've been tapped into me.
***Finally, nods to Heroes (so well written, directed, and acted!) and to Gilmore Girls (sassy dialogue and a wise innocence).

BOOKS:
1) Francesca Lia Block & Carmen Staton -- Ruby. A look at abuse, and how we have to find both outer magic and inner magic to heal us. This novel feels like you're looking in a snowglobe, just in awe of the story, and then you flinch and glance up and realize that we're all in snowglobes, that others are reading our stories or creating them in their own hearts.
***I think I'll leave the Books list with just one item, but I wanted to mention that I can't wait to read Alice Hoffman's The Foretelling. Practical Magic was pure bliss, and it came to me at the right time.

Okay, gang, I think that's it! Nathan has had a great couple of days that've included: a long, long walk with music blasting in my ears; drinks with Mom, Karin, and Ben at the Kennedy School; conversations with some plastic bags (so sue me, I ripped this one off Wes Bentley in American Beauty!); an appreciation of Christmas lights and semi-gaudy attempts at capturing innocence; and making my acquaintance with a certain new coffee pot named Faith. My dreams have been ripe, and scary, and full of desire. I've been dreaming of Tori, Charlotte, some of my ancient enemies, and neighborhoods where I'm walking and feeling wonderful under the sun. A special nod to my mother, Janice Adele Veronica Bonaguro Buck Sinclair, for inspiring me each and every day. She comes in #1 on all my lists, all the time, every year, no competition.