2017 has been a strange and unpredictable year. At times it seems like the world is forever encompassed in a rising tide that no dam can stop. Wave after endless wave of horrible news has left us all reeling in a horrifying wake left by of the likes of Donald Trump, Matt Lauer and Hurricane Maria. Drowning in the agony seems all but inevitable.

It is in these dark times that true beauty and creativity can truly emerge. In the aftermath of turbulent times we yearn for and seek out hope. And in this search we escape our bubbles and venture to art and nature. We revel in the artistry of those who have navigated the troubled waters to deliver beauty. 2017 has brought with it tons of agony, but from it came a creative ecstasy that we can all bask in.

So it is from my personal search for beauty over the past year that I pulled from to compile lists of of my favorite things from 2017. Please enjoy.

FILMS



1a. A Ghost Story

1b. Phantom Thread

3. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

4. The Shape of Water

5. Dunkirk

6. Get Out

7. The Salesman

8. Raw

9. Blade Runner 2049

10. The Big Sick

Just missed: Lady Bird, The Killing of a Sacred Deer;

Baby Driver; Wonder Woman; mother!; Kedi

Biggest disappointment: Gerald’s Game

TELEVISION SHOWS



1. The Leftovers, HBO

2. Legion, FX

3. Silicon Valley, HBO

4. Twin Peaks: The Return, Showtime

5. Dark, Netflix

6. Sneaky Pete, Amazon

7. Narcos, Netflix

8. Game of Thrones, HBO

9. Stranger Things 2, Netflix

10. Broad City, Comedy Central

Just missed: Big Little Lies, HBO; G.L.O.W., Netflix;

Vice Principals, HBO; Superstore, NBC

Biggest disappointment: Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu





TELEVISION EPISODES



1. “The Book of Nora,”The Leftovers, HBO

2. “Florida,” Broad City, Comedy Central

3. “Part 4,” Twin Peaks: The Return, HBO

4. “eps3.4_runtime-error.r00,” Mr. Robot, USA Network

5. “Teambuilding Exersize,” Silicon Valley, HBO

6. “Secrets,” Dark, Netflix

7. “The Spoils of War,” Game of Thrones, HBO

8. “Not a Great Bet,” You’re the Worst, FX

9. “Thank You for Your Service,” Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO

10. “The Flush,” Fresh Off the Boat, ABC

Just missed: “Money’s in the Chase,” GLOW, Netflix;

“Murder!,” Search Party, TBS; “Michael’s Gambit,’ The Good Place

Biggest disappointment: “So Then a Bat or a Monkey,” Santa Clarita Diet, Netflix





ALBUMS



1. Last Place, by Grandaddy

2. RELAXER, by alt-J

3. No Shape, by Perfume Genius

4. MASSEDUCATION, by St. Vincent

5. Beautiful Thugger Girls, by Young Thug

6. Popular Manipulations, by The Districts

7. Big Fish Theory, by Vince Staples

8. You & Me, by ALA.NI

9. DAMN, by Kendrick Lamar

10. Lotta Sea Lice, by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile

Just missed: Tell A Fly, by Benjamin Clementine;

Territory, by The Blaze; Three Futures, by TORRES

Biggest disappointment: GEMINI, by Macklemore

SONGS



1. “Vampire Again,” by Marlon Williams

2. “I Get Overwhelmed,” by Dark Rooms

3. Holding On, by War On Drugs

4. “Liger,” by Young Thug

5. “La Jura,” by Chicano Batman

6. “No Shape,” by Perfume Genius

7. “If We Were Vampires,” by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

8. “Julian’s Dream (Ode to a Bad),” by Shabazz Palaces

9. “Sign of the Times,” by Harry Styles

10. “Pay Gap,” by Margo Price

Just missed: “Saturnz Barz,” by The Gorillaz (Feat. Popcaan);

“Johnny,” by Sofi Tukker; “Who Dat Boy,” by Tyler. The Creator; “T-Shirt,” by Migos

Biggest disappointment: “Look What You Made Me Do,” by Taylor Swift

CONCERTS (Attended 2017)



1a. Perfume Genius / Briana Marella, Neptune Theatre

1b. alt-J / Bishop Briggs, WAMU Theater

1c. Tacocat / Tres Leches, Chop Suey

4. Julien Baker / Half Waif, Neptune Theatre

5. Tennis / Wild Ones, Neptune Theatre

6. Bombadil / Honey Mustard, Fremont Abbey Arts Center

7. Chicano Batman / Khruangbin, The Showbox

8. March to May / Lizzie Weber, Fremont Outdoor

9. Temples / My Goodness, Neptune Theatre

10. Home Sweet Home / Sleeping Lessons, Neumos

Biggest disappointment: The Shacks, The Showbox





BOOKS (Read 2017)



1. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years

of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami

2. Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance

3. Fresh Complaint, by Jeffrey Eugenides

4. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

5. Mrs. Fletcher, by Tom Perotta

6. Another Day in the Death of America, by Gary Younge

7. Mr. Splitfoot, by Samantha Hunt

8. The Misfortune of Marian Palm, by Emily Culliton

9. Swamplandia!, by Karen Russell

10. The Girls, by Emma Cline

Just missed: The Original of Laura, by Vladimir Nabokov;

The Association of Small Bombs, by Karan Mahajan

Biggest disappointment: The Vegetarian, by Han Kang





APPS



1. Spotify

2. AllTrails

3. Netflix

4. Best Fiends

5. Instagram

6. Marco Polo

7. Venmo

8. Snapchat

9. Pokémon GO

10. Lyft

Just missed: Airbnb; OneBusAway

Biggest disappointment: Shazam





PEOPLE



1. Annie Clark

2. Bill Gates

3. Kumail Nanjiani

4. Gal Gadot

5. Pope Francis

6. John Oliver

7. Constance Wu

8. Chance the Rapper

9. Daniele De Rossi

10. Dougie Jones

Just missed: Danica Roem; Ridley Scott; Rooney Mara

Biggest disappointment: Louie C.K.





PLACES (Visited 2017)



1. Anchorage, AK

2. Vancouver, BC

3. Seattle, WA

4. Boston, MA

5. Stowe, VT

6. Seward, AK

7. Cultus Lake, BC

8. Newport, RI

9. Portland, ME

10. Philadelphia, PA

Just missed: Leavenworth, WA; Harrisonburg, VA

Biggest disappointment: St. Louis, MO





HIKES (Completed 2017)



1. Byron Glacier Trail, AK

2. Mount Teneriffe Summit Trail, WA

3. Teapot Hill Trail, BC

4. John Wayne Pioneer Trail / Snoqualmie Tunnel, WA

5. Spruce Mountain Trail, VT

6. Ira Spring / Mason Lake Trail, WA

7. Stanley Park Seawall Path, WA

8. Annette Lake Trail, WA

9. Flattop Mountain Peak Trail, AK

10. Margaret’s Way Trail, WA

Just missed: Discovery Park Loop Trail, WA;

Thunderbird Falls Trail, AK; Lynn Canyon Park Trail, BC

Biggest disappointment: Rattlesnake Ledge Trail, WA





BREWERIES (Visited 2017)



1. Alchemist, VT

2. Anchorage, AK

3. Trillium, MA

4. Urban Family, WA

5. Bissell Brothers, ME

6. Night Shift, MA

7. Allagash, ME

8. Fremont, WA

9. Proclamation, RI

10. Skookum, WA

Just missed: Optimism, WA; St. Boniface, PA; Pale Fire, VA

Biggest disappointment: Bone Up, MA

