Maybe it's because I'm a history major, maybe it's because I live in the past, or maybe it's just part of my personality to embrace nostalgia... BUT I LOVE RECAPPING THINGS. Hell, one of my favorite part of the party-scene in college was eating brunch the morning after and retelling the stories that had become ancient history over the night.
This time of year it's all about recapping the 365 days that most recently came before us. While I haven't been drooling over this stuff like I did in 2009, I've been eating the 2011-Recap stuff right up. I've compiled some of the notable articles/lists for you to enjoy!
Let's start with the all-encompassing and rapid descend into the random and obscene:
1. Google's Zeitgeist - provides data on what the most popular search terms were in 2011. They have a YouTube Video and a Website (which is pretty cool to play around in).
2. For the "Top 10" List Lover - TIME's Website. Hands down my favorite to explore - due to the wide ranging scope. Consider checking out the Top 10 Under-reported Stories, Top 10 Space Moments, or Top 10 Buzzwords.
3. Also: TIME's Person of the Year: The Protester. (Also cool: take a look at past winners, there have been multiple times when they didn't pick a specific person)
4. For Slightly More In-depth of a Recap, check out The Atlantic's Year-In-Review Portal. Must see's are their Photos of the Year.
5. More on photos - TIME also has the Most Surprising Pictures of 2011.
6. Charts, Charts, and Charts! I'm a big visual learner (I love sites like ChartPorn) and since 2008, I've been trying to learn a bit more about how our economy works. So, naturally, I enjoyed checking out the charts that The Washington Post's Wonkblog compiled from economists, economic policymakers and investors. I especially think 3, 5, 9, 12, 13, & 16 are striking.
7. Buzzfeed's "The 16 Most WTF Moments of 2011." No explanation needed.
8. JibJab's Year in Review. Love these. This year's hasn't been put out yet.
What will I think of when I think of 2011 in my later years?
When I think of what news stories stick out the most to me, The Arab Spring, Libya Intervention, Osama's Death, The Space Shuttle Program Ending, Iraq War Officially Ends, The Occupy Wall Street protests, and The Shooting of Gabby Giffords are the ones that come to mind. I'll also remember that this was the year I got really pissed off at politics, gridlock, and special interests in our democratic system.
What about my personal life?
I'll think of my last two terms and graduating from Carleton. I'll think of hearing the news about finding Joe's body and heading across the country to go to Seattle twice in a ten day period - once to go to Sasquatch and once for Joe's funeral. I'll think about that time I ran a Summer Camp and then stuck around to work on Marketing, Alumni and Development stuff during the first time in my life that I wasn't in school. I'll think of the year I finally got split up from all my college friends and all my high school friends for the most part returned back to Chicago.
And what about the blog?
Well, during the first five months of the year, we actually posted VERY regularly! On multiple weeks we had 6 posts - sometimes MORE! Then summer came and I guess we all went outside instead of staying at our computers. But what else happened in 2011 on the blog?
Among other things: Elliot taught us about fish. Ted offered another take on Children's stories. We talked about books, politics, and robots. BK went to SwimCamp and then to Russia. We drunkblogged during Alumni Weekend. Nonberg initiated Operation Questionable Intentions (How's that going, by the way??). This doesn't even mention the various international travel that some 110ers embarked on and other endeavors! Also, if I am correct in my analysis, we did not have a single post by The Shepard or Toto.
But how was your year? Would you consider 2011 to be a good year or a rough one? My boss had a rough one (dog died, wife had a cancer scare, house fire, youngest daughter went to college, & then broke his back), so it's gotta at least be better than that. Hopefully yours was one that you can look back with and say. Wow. 2011 was a blast. But if not, I hope your 2012 is something to look forward to.
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