Me First

It's the time of year when everyone counts down everything. Best books of 2007, best gadgets of 2007, and of course there will be the ego fest we all know as the Oscars to rate the best movies of 2007. (Or more accurately, the smallest budgeted movies released in the fewest theaters in the United States on Christmas whose scripts called for long silences and beautiful women made to look ugly.) US News even released its first high school rankings to go along with the rest of the world's annual display of OCD.

I admit I read them, just to see if I'm totally out of the loop. I don't ever actually act on these lists (except for the high school ranking, that I'm taking pretty seriously). But really, what's the point of these things besides the fun picking who or what makes the cut and free advertising for the makers? Am I supposed to be swayed by 10 or 12 executives who probably live in Manhattan and have little more to do with raising children and cleaning toilets than I do buying $70,000 cars?

And don't even get me started on things as subjective as books and movies. Of all the drivel and brilliance created in our world, how can you whittle it down to 10 or 20 fixed spots? How do you compare engrossing Harry Potter with warm and fuzzy classic Goodnight Moon? It's like asking me to choose rank my left foot over my right. I need them both!!!

The best new book of 07 in our house? Take Care, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas. It's just the right silly for 3-4 year olds, and even Gabe was drawn in by my and Asher's giggles to finish the story with us. It's about what happens with three friendly, little dragons agree to babysit a wizard's cats but can't read his instructions. Cats being stuffed in cupboards and forced to go swimming. Hilarious!!

But I guess we count on those lists, if for nothing else than to remind us that the year is done, I didn't use, read, or watch anything popular and that I really need to get the job ranking the best hotels in the world.