Let the record show my top 10 albums of 2008:

1. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago...
2. The Loved Ones- Build & Burn
3. Kaki King- Dreaming of Revenge
4. of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping
5. Right Away, Great Captain!- The Eventually Home
6. Gym Class Heroes- The Quilt
7. Coldplay- Viva La Vida
8. The Hold Steady- Stay Positive
9. TV On The Radio- Dear Science...
10. Santogold- Santogold

Looking back on a year always makes me realize how inconsequential parts of it were--all of the things that felt like they had to be huge, life-altering events turn out not to matter that much once you look at the whole 365-day context. Breaking my arm seems like such a little thing now that I'm whole again, and turning 21 was nice, sure, but my life isn't actually that different now. I have no doubt that the one thing that I'll always remember when I look back on 2008 is the election of Barack Obama and the small part I played in his campaign.

Unrelated to the above navel-gazing, today one of my favorite songs came up on shuffle. This song is, technically, about Seattle, but I listened to it obsessively two years ago when I was canvassing in PDX, and this song is Portland to me. It's the best-fitting mash-up/remix I've ever heard, and it reminds me how much I love that city.

The Blue Scholars- Inkwell (Crashed Cop Car Remix)
Blue Scholars at Amazon