2017 has been a strange and unpredictable year. At times it seems like the world is forever encompassed in a rising tide that no dam can stop. Wave after endless wave of horrible news has left us all reeling in a horrifying wake left by of the likes of Donald Trump, Matt Lauer and Hurricane Maria. Drowning in the agony seems all but inevitable.
It is in these dark times that true beauty and creativity can truly emerge. In the aftermath of turbulent times we yearn for and seek out hope. And in this search we escape our bubbles and venture to art and nature. We revel in the artistry of those who have navigated the troubled waters to deliver beauty. 2017 has brought with it tons of agony, but from it came a creative ecstasy that we can all bask in.
So it is from my personal search for beauty over the past year that I pulled from to compile lists of of my favorite things from 2017. Please enjoy.
FILMS
1a. A Ghost Story
1b. Phantom Thread
3. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
4. The Shape of Water
5. Dunkirk
6. Get Out
7. The Salesman
8. Raw
9. Blade Runner 2049
10. The Big Sick
Just missed: Lady Bird, The Killing of a Sacred Deer;
Baby Driver; Wonder Woman; mother!; Kedi
Biggest disappointment: Gerald’s Game
TELEVISION SHOWS
1. The Leftovers, HBO
2. Legion, FX
3. Silicon Valley, HBO
4. Twin Peaks: The Return, Showtime
5. Dark, Netflix
6. Sneaky Pete, Amazon
7. Narcos, Netflix
8. Game of Thrones, HBO
9. Stranger Things 2, Netflix
10. Broad City, Comedy Central
Just missed: Big Little Lies, HBO; G.L.O.W., Netflix;
Vice Principals, HBO; Superstore, NBC
Biggest disappointment: Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu
TELEVISION EPISODES
1. “The Book of Nora,”The Leftovers, HBO
2. “Florida,” Broad City, Comedy Central
3. “Part 4,” Twin Peaks: The Return, HBO
4. “eps3.4_runtime-error.r00,” Mr. Robot, USA Network
5. “Teambuilding Exersize,” Silicon Valley, HBO
6. “Secrets,” Dark, Netflix
7. “The Spoils of War,” Game of Thrones, HBO
8. “Not a Great Bet,” You’re the Worst, FX
9. “Thank You for Your Service,” Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
10. “The Flush,” Fresh Off the Boat, ABC
Just missed: “Money’s in the Chase,” GLOW, Netflix;
“Murder!,” Search Party, TBS; “Michael’s Gambit,’ The Good Place
Biggest disappointment: “So Then a Bat or a Monkey,” Santa Clarita Diet, Netflix
ALBUMS
1. Last Place, by Grandaddy
2. RELAXER, by alt-J
3. No Shape, by Perfume Genius
4. MASSEDUCATION, by St. Vincent
5. Beautiful Thugger Girls, by Young Thug
6. Popular Manipulations, by The Districts
7. Big Fish Theory, by Vince Staples
8. You & Me, by ALA.NI
9. DAMN, by Kendrick Lamar
10. Lotta Sea Lice, by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
Just missed: Tell A Fly, by Benjamin Clementine;
Territory, by The Blaze; Three Futures, by TORRES
Biggest disappointment: GEMINI, by Macklemore
SONGS
1. “Vampire Again,” by Marlon Williams
2. “I Get Overwhelmed,” by Dark Rooms
3. Holding On, by War On Drugs
4. “Liger,” by Young Thug
5. “La Jura,” by Chicano Batman
6. “No Shape,” by Perfume Genius
7. “If We Were Vampires,” by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
8. “Julian’s Dream (Ode to a Bad),” by Shabazz Palaces
9. “Sign of the Times,” by Harry Styles
10. “Pay Gap,” by Margo Price
Just missed: “Saturnz Barz,” by The Gorillaz (Feat. Popcaan);
“Johnny,” by Sofi Tukker; “Who Dat Boy,” by Tyler. The Creator; “T-Shirt,” by Migos
Biggest disappointment: “Look What You Made Me Do,” by Taylor Swift
CONCERTS (Attended 2017)
1a. Perfume Genius / Briana Marella, Neptune Theatre
1b. alt-J / Bishop Briggs, WAMU Theater
1c. Tacocat / Tres Leches, Chop Suey
4. Julien Baker / Half Waif, Neptune Theatre
5. Tennis / Wild Ones, Neptune Theatre
6. Bombadil / Honey Mustard, Fremont Abbey Arts Center
7. Chicano Batman / Khruangbin, The Showbox
8. March to May / Lizzie Weber, Fremont Outdoor
9. Temples / My Goodness, Neptune Theatre
10. Home Sweet Home / Sleeping Lessons, Neumos
Biggest disappointment: The Shacks, The Showbox
BOOKS (Read 2017)
1. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years
of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami
2. Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance
3. Fresh Complaint, by Jeffrey Eugenides
4. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
5. Mrs. Fletcher, by Tom Perotta
6. Another Day in the Death of America, by Gary Younge
7. Mr. Splitfoot, by Samantha Hunt
8. The Misfortune of Marian Palm, by Emily Culliton
9. Swamplandia!, by Karen Russell
10. The Girls, by Emma Cline
Just missed: The Original of Laura, by Vladimir Nabokov;
The Association of Small Bombs, by Karan Mahajan
Biggest disappointment: The Vegetarian, by Han Kang
APPS
1. Spotify
2. AllTrails
3. Netflix
4. Best Fiends
5. Instagram
6. Marco Polo
7. Venmo
8. Snapchat
9. Pokémon GO
10. Lyft
Just missed: Airbnb; OneBusAway
Biggest disappointment: Shazam
PEOPLE
1. Annie Clark
2. Bill Gates
3. Kumail Nanjiani
4. Gal Gadot
5. Pope Francis
6. John Oliver
7. Constance Wu
8. Chance the Rapper
9. Daniele De Rossi
10. Dougie Jones
Just missed: Danica Roem; Ridley Scott; Rooney Mara
Biggest disappointment: Louie C.K.
PLACES (Visited 2017)
1. Anchorage, AK
2. Vancouver, BC
3. Seattle, WA
4. Boston, MA
5. Stowe, VT
6. Seward, AK
7. Cultus Lake, BC
8. Newport, RI
9. Portland, ME
10. Philadelphia, PA
Just missed: Leavenworth, WA; Harrisonburg, VA
Biggest disappointment: St. Louis, MO
HIKES (Completed 2017)
1. Byron Glacier Trail, AK
2. Mount Teneriffe Summit Trail, WA
3. Teapot Hill Trail, BC
4. John Wayne Pioneer Trail / Snoqualmie Tunnel, WA
5. Spruce Mountain Trail, VT
6. Ira Spring / Mason Lake Trail, WA
7. Stanley Park Seawall Path, WA
8. Annette Lake Trail, WA
9. Flattop Mountain Peak Trail, AK
10. Margaret’s Way Trail, WA
Just missed: Discovery Park Loop Trail, WA;
Thunderbird Falls Trail, AK; Lynn Canyon Park Trail, BC
Biggest disappointment: Rattlesnake Ledge Trail, WA
BREWERIES (Visited 2017)
1. Alchemist, VT
2. Anchorage, AK
3. Trillium, MA
4. Urban Family, WA
5. Bissell Brothers, ME
6. Night Shift, MA
7. Allagash, ME
8. Fremont, WA
9. Proclamation, RI
10. Skookum, WA
Just missed: Optimism, WA; St. Boniface, PA; Pale Fire, VA
Biggest disappointment: Bone Up, MA
Mikethatmiller 