I looked at the calendar today and
realized that time was running short to make my contribution to the
valuable body of work that is the collection of annual year end
lists. If you are like me, you spend the better part of twelve
months ignoring popular culture, current events, literature, film,
politics, and the events of your own life, and wait eagerly for the
weeks leading up to January 1 when internet content providers of all
stripes take cursor to screen and map out the top ten of everything
from the prior year. As the lists are published, I am able to
catalog all of the movies I should have seen, the books I should have
read, the photos that should have moved me, the meals that would have
been most memorable, and the destinations I should have visited over
the prior year, thus saving me from the work of experiencing any of
it on my own. It is a real time saver, and I think we all owe a
collective debt of gratitude to the tireless critics and social
gadflies who do the heavy lifting for us.
But no longer wanting to take without
giving, I have decided I too should help the people of the world and
make my own top ten list to guide others. And, no, the list won't include any nude celebrities. What do I know from naked famous people? That was just a teaser to get you to read. So, without further ado, I
present the Cobras In Alaska 2013 Top Ten list, with items presented
in no particular order:
1. Puppies.
2. Em7add11.
3. Sipping Pina Coladas, served on the
rocks out of citrus rimmed glassware and mixed from fresh pineapple
juice and coconut infused rum, watching the sun set, bare feet
dangling in the warm salt waters of the South Pacific, while mermaids
nibble deliciously at the bacteria under my toe nails, their hair
tickling my shins.
4. Cleveland, Ohio.
5. The International House of Hot Dogs.
6. Brownout – Oozy.
7. Akron, Ohio.
8. This guy:
9. Determining the proper influence of
science on policy.
10. Learning a valuable lesson about
the importance of friendship AND the true meaning of Arbor Day while
solving mysteries on a tandem bicycle.
I hope the list proves helpful to each
of you as you either map out the details of the coming year or
prepare to let chance yet again dictate your fate. Happy New Year.
