So I’ve actually shot a good amount of stuff with my flip ultraHD camera. It doesn’t get used as much as it should, especially considering that I do a some shooting at work. It should be, but it’s not. Maybe association with a job that really drags is what keeps me from bringing the camera everywhere.

Regardless, Hawaii is beautiful, and I ought to be documenting some of that for everyone back home.

PS – I recommend you click through for the high-def video here.

But really. I’ve recently come to grips with this reality. Why? you may ask. Well. We made a purchase at the start of the new year that has changed my life. The Wii has changed my life. I mean, Lego Stars Wars and Lego Batman!!! It’s like the perfect game for me. Everything is made out of Lego’s. And I really enjoy breaking/punching things apart. It’s pretty much RAD. No blood. No guts. Just Lego pieces flying everywhere and building things. It’s wonderful. It’s the same joy I feel when I see tiny soda cans, miniature houses with tiny mailboxes and cars, puppies/kittens, etc…

Ok, I realize you may think less of me now, but the truth had to come out. I’m addicted. I even dream of things made out of Lego’s. And I don’t even care if it’s maybe a game for 10 year-olds. Don’t care one bit. And neither does my man friend.

Perfect.

Top 5 Albums:
1. I and Love and You – The Avett Brothers
2. Brighter Than Creation’s Dark – Drive-By Truckers
3. The Mountain - The Heartless Bastards
4. Far – Regina Spektor
5. The Stand Ins – Okkervil River

Top 5 Books:
1. 1491 – Charles C. Mann
2. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh – Michael Chabon
3. Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth – Chris Ware
4. The New Kings of Non-Fiction – Ira Glass (editor)
5. Opening Atlantis – Harry Turtledove

Top 5 TV Shows:
1. Battlestar Gallactica
2. Chuck
3. Mad Men
4. Life on Mars (US show)
5. 30 Rock

Top 5 Video Games:
1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii)
2. Civilization Revolutions (iPhone)
3. World of Warcraft (Mac)
4. The Secret of Monkey Island (iPhone)
5. Fallout 3 (PC)

Top 5 Experiences:
1. Getting married
2. Helicopter ride over Oahu
3. Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay
4. Big waves on the North Shore
5. Seeing a green sea turtle on the beach

Top 5 Songs:
1. “That Moon Song” by Gregory Alan Isakov
2. “If There Was No You” by Brandi Carlile
3. “Laughing With” by Regina Spektor
4. “Many the Miles” by Sara Bareilles
5. “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife” by The Drive By Truckers

Top 5 Artists:
1. Brandi Carlile
2. Ingrid Michaelson
3. Blind Pilot
4. The Avett Brothers
5. Gregory Alan Isakov

Top 5 Albums:
1. Far by Regina Spektor
2. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
3. 3 Rounds and a Sound by Blind Pilot
4. Give up the Ghost by Brandi Carlile
5. This Empty Northern Hemisphere by Gregory Alan Isakov

Top 5 Films:
1. (500) Days of Summer
2. Gran Torino
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Taken
5. Up

Top 5 Places:
1. Hanauma Bay, Oahu
2. Salt Lake City, UT
3. Point Arena, CA
4. The Isle of Maui
5. The Bay Area, CA

Top 5 TV Shows:
1. So You Think You Can Dance?
2. Mad Men
3. Project Runway
4. Grey’s Anatomy
5. 30 Rock

Top 5 Books:
1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
2. Strangers on a Train by Charlotte Highsmith
3. Half the Sky by Nick Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (not finished yet)
5. The Glass Cell by Charlotte Highsmith

Top 5 Experiences:
1. Getting hitched. Finding the perfect dress. May 2nd was the best day.
2. Snorkeling. Just a strange and amazing thing to do.
3. Honeymooning in Northern California. So nice.
4. Going to the temple. Very neat.
5. Getting an internship in Hawaii. I still remember the phone call job offer! It was very exciting/relieving.

*This year was pathetic compared to 2008 as far as concerts go. I claim quality over quantity here, people. And apparently no one likes to sing for the Hawaiians. Come on, singers! It’s paradise!