Resolved: There are wrong ways to be semi-nude.

• Thumbs down for ladies: Shirtless and bra-less with jeans.
• Thumbs down for dudes: Shirt up top, nothing below.

Shirt plus undies is approved for both. (Dudes must remove socks.)

Thoughts?

Before I forget: The songs I listened to most in 2011. You may note a theme.

Land of Talk, “It’s Okay” (2008)
Rediscovered on shuffle, quickly deployed as my go-to “late-night stroll to think about the future and stuff” soundtrack.

Superchunk, “Digging For Something” (2010)
Purchased the day I moved to D.C., listened to intently on the train. Was especially drawn to the backup vocal on the chorus; turns out it’s one of my heroes. 

Jenny Owen Youngs, “Secrets” (2009)
Remember this one from an old J.O.Y. demo; happened to hear the tricked-out album version at a bar this fall. “Don’t try to make me sleep without you”: Who would dare?

Hospitality, “Eighth Avenue” (2012)
Clinging to this until their album comes out and everyone discovers how rad they are. It’s like watching your kid leave for college.

Yeti Lane, “Lonesome George” (2009)
Made me cry once. I was alone. 

The Ting Tings, “That’s Not My Name” (2008)
Heard in a coffee shop that doesn’t exist anymore. Tried to pull a “What is this?” ice-breaker on the cute barista; no dice.

A Tribe Called Quest, “Scenario” (1991)
Spent a lot of time with Busta’s verse. Oh my gosh … Oh my gosh.

The Tallest Man on Earth, “I Won’t Be Found” (2008)
Played this for Casey when he visited this summer. His response: “Are you jealous of that growl?” Yes.

Robyn, “Call Your Girlfriend” (2010)
Yeah, I know, me and everyone with a heart. This cover is worth revisiting, though. 

Passion Pit, “To Kingdom Come” (2009)
Apparently I walk at this song’s exact BPM. When the drums kick in, my posture straightens a bit and I feel like winking at the next person I see.

2012

I missed a lot of marks. I blew a lot of deadlines. I did an awful lot of worrying. And I learned some things. Here’s the one that stands to be most valuable to me this year, from an August Times article about decision fatigue:

“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.

“Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low,” Baumeister points out. That’s why the truly wise don’t restructure the company at 4 p.m. They don’t make major commitments during the cocktail hour. And if a decision must be made late in the day, they know not to do it on an empty stomach. “The best decision makers,” Baumeister says, “are the ones who know when not to trust themselves.”

Here’s to conserving willpower. Happy new year.

It’s good practice for creative folks to hang around people who do the thing they do, but better. My boy Lars Gotrich (real name, no gimmicks) is really, really good at listening to music, and crossed my path in a year when that very skill — one I’d taken for granted for my entire existence — seemed to be slipping through my fingers. He doesn’t know it yet, but we’ll be spending a lot more time together in 2012. In the meantime, check out his great, great list of favorite musical moments from 2011 at Total Vibration.