My 10 Favorite Restaurants of 2011

I was privileged to dine out at a lot of great restaurants in 2011 due to my travels around the country. My friends often turn to me for restaurant recommendations, and I don’t think it is because I eat out more than others. But I do research where I choose to eat, and most often I turn to the Yelp application on my phone for assistance. I am not a food snob, but I resist chains as much as possible. Why eat at a chain when you can support a local business with better food, and often with locally grown ingredients? I admit to a penchant for aesthetically beautiful or trendy places, and I suppose the places I like are more fit for singles or young professionals than families. But I also like the occasional dive or cafe too, as the title of this blog indicates.

Here are my 10 favorite restaurants of 2011:

My 10 Favorite Films of 2011

I turn to one of my great loves for the final “favorites” list of 2011: film. Frankly, I’ve seen better years for film. It was a boring year at the box office. There were large periods of time where I was interested in nothing that was on at the movie theater. It’s true that Hollywood budgets are still somewhat frozen from the Great Recession and the limited amount of credit available to finance film. But I also generally felt that there was a lack of anything that really stirred me or moved me, with a couple of exceptions at the top of my list. Yet, there were some films, especially some independent and foreign ones, that were worth watching in 2011.

My 10 Favorite Albums / Songs of 2011

I’m an unapologetic fan of pop music, so those alternative music snobs out there that only appreciate “good music” will find themselves in disagreement with my list at points. I grew up in Nashville, and I know good songwriting when I hear it. That’s the reason I pay my respects here both to Taylor Swift, who is vastly underrated as a songwriter, to Kenny Chesney, and to Bon Iver. But I also know what music makes me feel good, what artists and songs make me want to dance, and which ones cause me to celebrate life. For me, that’s usually a pop artist or a pop song. I include a full range of genres here, for they all spoke to me in different ways in 2011.

I rarely download a whole album on Itunes, so I’m only picking my favorite five albums below. These are the ones that got my attention and caused me to download the full album. I then list my favorite 10 songs of 2011.

My Top 5 Albums of 2011:

My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2011

I traveled a lot this year, so there was ample time for reading on the plane. One of my resolutions for 2011 was to read more, and I more than met the resolution. My top 10 list below is not indicative of the “best” books of 2010 — I’m in no position to be an authority on the best books. Neither is my list limited to books published in 2011. These are the 10 books that meant the most to me in 2011:

The Top 10 Most Important News Stories of 2011

Judging the importance of a news story is difficult because “important” has many different meanings. One might suggest that the popularity of a news story makes it “important.” In that case, the divorce of Kim Kardashian, or Demi and Ashton, might be the most important news story of 2011. In my estimation, an “important” news story is one that changes the game, that redefines the world we live in, or that is representative of a much larger development that will shape our future. I believe these were the top 10 news stories, in order, that mattered:

My Favorite Music Videos of 2011

There were a host of impressive music videos this year, but none I enjoyed more than Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper.” The video is especially impactful given its very personal dimension for Demi who chose physical imagery to demonstrate her emergence from personal pain and difficulty. It’s an inspiring song of determination and redemption, and I resonated with the hope in this song.

LAX and Indianapolis: The Final Stops on the 2011 Customer Led Tour

Many apologies to my regular readers and subscribers for my neglect of my blog during the past two months. I’m speaking every day to employees of Avis Budget Group as part of our  Customer Led training series, also serve as legal counsel for a Malibu company, and my weekends have been packed with events for the holidays, church and visitors in town. I’m so grateful for this work that I love, but I do miss some free time to think and write creatively.

Life’s Lessons: A Summary of an Op-Ed by David Brooks

New York Times columnist David Brooks shares “Life Reports” today based on observations that he made of essays by elderly Americans on life’s lessons and what they would do differently if they could live life all over again. I found this fascinating reading, and I was inspired to share it with my readers in summary along with a few of my own comments:

Gallup Poll: 71% of Employees Report Being Disengaged

“WASHINGTON, D.C. — Seventy-one percent of American workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in their work, meaning they are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and are less likely to be productive. That leaves nearly one-third of American workers who are “engaged,” or involved in and enthusiastic about their work and contributing to their organizations in a positive manner. This trend remained relatively stable throughout 2011.

Sleepless in Seattle

I’m in the middle of my third week here in Seattle where I am leading a training series on leadership development and customer experience for the SEATAC location of Avis Budget Group. It has been a very satisfying few weeks with the very friendly, helpful and supportive managers and associates here at this location. One of the things I so love about ABG is the loyalty of its employees. Hardly a training session goes by that I don’t meet at least two employees who have been with the company over 30 years. That’s incredible in today’s business climate, and it speaks well of the culture that has sustained these workers, and the culture we are trying to create now to build the future.