Twenty ten sent me back to the breadbasket.

Ikea furniture devoured by the Big Apple’s craigslist monster and a bedbug-free mattress slumped against the brick wall of an italian restaurant I had lived above but never set foot. I don’t care how clean your mattress is, in NYC you can’t give that sh*t away.

Attempts were made to calculate the pros and cons, to confidants pointed questions were pinged. Any advice given only served to propagate the events already unfolding.

Quit the job you love. Give up nearly infinite access to one of the largest centers of diverse live music, art, food, and culture in this hemisphere. Move back to the midwest (where there is a noticeable lack of the aforementioned) with no real plan or career direction.

The following six unemployed months were spent ceaselessly sending resumes, watching an unhealthy amount of World Cup, and driving the length of the state more times than I care to remember. Finally, some contracted work in a related field propels me to Fargo where I would squat with a minimalist through the end of the year. A chance encounter at a career fair gets me an interview and soon after a job in the Wind Energy industry.

What possessed me to do these things? Having spent the last week chasing an SLR-toting platinum blond creative-type around Puerto Rico, the question becomes irrelevant.

These are things that happened to me. Below are some albums I listened to this year.



Jónsi - Go
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Four Tet - There is Love In You
Caribou - Swim
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
The Knife - The Knife (2004)
Modeselektor - Happy Birthday! (2007)
The National - High Violet
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
The Black Keys - Brothers
Wavves - King of the Beach