2015: my favorites

Well, I dropped off the blogwagon... Here's my 2015 recap of things I loved:

• Frank Turner. I'm pretty sure I would not have survived the last couple of months without this British folk singer. He has a punk and pop vibe (I realize that doesn't sound like it should go together) and if you have not heard him, click on his name and be ready to fall in love. His songs are catchy, but if you listen closely they can also pack a punch.
• NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts - how did I not know about this? 
• Kayaking. I got back on the water this year. Not enough, never enough. But more than I had in a while. Perhaps 2016 will be the year I buy a kayak!
• Luther - Yes, I'm behind the times on this one. I've loved Idris Elba since The Wire, but somehow this show never made it to my queue until recently. Season 1 is absolutely AMAZING. I love it all. But season 1...damn. Watch it. 
• True Blood - another show I was late to watch. I had resistance to this show, but once I actually started watching it I couldn't stop. I was a True Blood watching maniac. If you are looking for a show to marathon on your next break, it's perfect! It probably helped that I was playing a vampire role-playing game at the time. Which leads me to...
• Vampire - this role playing game. By far my favorite RPG to date, although Shadowrun is still up there. 
• Juicing - not for some bullshit detox diet, but just as a tasty way to deliver more veggies to my belly. Seriously - all those veggies you don't want to eat? Juice them, add a banana, and viola!
• Climbing - okay, this one isn't new, but something kicked in this year, and I am just better. My technique is seriously improved, and instead of being stuck in place because of some of my weaknesses, I've adapted my form to work around them. 
• Traveling with my students to DC and NY. It was so cool to go to the museums and watch them get so excited about what they were seeing. I hate that we lose our sense of wonderment as we age (or maybe just I do).  Also, these kids were just awesome. It was a great time.

I'm sure there are more new things I found this year that I love, but those stand out at this moment.