"Best" of 2009

This is the third year I’ve compiled a “best of” list for 327 Words. Talk about an oxymoronic project; it’s like putting together a “most admired” list Wall Street hedge-fund managers or something.

The good news, though, is that if I do this for another thirty years or so, it will be easy for my biographers to go through and put together an archival collection of the 327 “best” essays, merely by reading each of these year-end pieces, rather than having to sort through all ten thousand plus postings I’ll have by then. So, for the good of those graduate students in early internet studies, I offer the following:

In January, although most of my postings having something to do with the Steelers’ march towards Superbowl victory, a piece about bike-love, “It’s Alive!” wins out.

But of course, “Wow,” my account of said victory, is February’s entry.

March offers “March Madness,” a piece that had one commenter wondering whether I had unearthed some forgotten stash of LSD-25.

For April, I give you the charming and delightful, “Fuck Those Fucking Fucks.”

May’s entry has to be “A Fine Disaster,” although admittedly, I’m biased by my fond memories (those that I can remember) of the event itself.

The best of June goes to “Bicycle Belles,” but again, it’s easy when you have great material to work with.

A couple nice accounts of rides in July, but my favorite has to be the story of a Sunday pedal to the track, “In Stages.”

I think I’ll go with “Magnanimity” in August, although maybe it should have been called “Magnanimousness.”

“Liberty” is my choice for September, but, perhaps revealing a thematic affinity for existentialism, I also appreciate “Soulless,” too.

October comes to you with “Last Chance,” an activity, paradoxically, worth trying again and again.

I like “Tidy” for November, a fine example of TMI.

And finally, in December, it’s “All In My Head,” which pretty much characterizes every posting, every year.