When compiling my "Year in Review" in my head, I thought, "Hey, I do get out of the house sometimes!" This year was a year of firsts for me. I saw some awe-inspiring bands, took some fun Bay Area trips, and became a regular at some tasty restaurants.

Best Live Shows

Dinosaur Jr at Great American
This might be one of the best shows I've ever been to. The place was jam-packed with testosterone, walls of speakers and pot smoke. I felt like I was trippin' when a really nice group of people, who had taken pity on my short stature, ushered me further and further up towards the stage. It was perfect. Not even the drunk '90s, extreme dude thrashing into everyone could ruin my time, and he was soon escorted out by the bouncers anyway.

The Flaming Lips at the Greek Theater
This was my first time at the Greek, and OMG, what a great show to take my virginity. This happened to be one of the hottest days of the year, so it was nice to have a truly great summer show. The minute Ween came on to open the show, joints lit up throughout the entire crowd. Ween's set was very jammy, and they played too long—over an hour and a half, but when the Flaming Lips finally came on, they were well worth the wait. The orange, bouncing balls and citrus scent shot out into the crowd, along with Wayne Coyne in his zorb, while the various costumed people danced on stage. One of the first things Wayne Coyne commented on was how he had only smelled "this much pot in one other town. That town was Amsterdam, and we were playing at an indoor venue." The orange scented spray came in handy that night.

Built to Spill at Slim's
Doug Martsch's voice and music touch me to the core, and it was great checking out Built to Spill during one of their four sold-out shows at Slim's. Doug Martsch seems like such a straight-up and friendly guy—he was hanging out at the merch booth all night talking to his fans before going on stage. He and his band like to drink non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee. That must be how they've been able to survive so many years of touring. Who knew Old Milwaukee had non-alcoholic beer?

Pictured above is a piece that was whipped up by fabulous collage artist Alexis Mackenzie at November's 111 Minna Sketch Night.

Bay Area Trips

Tahoe
I saw Tahoe for the first time this year and tried snowboarding at Heavenly for the first time too. This trip taught me that I'm no good at extreme sports, only nerdy things like bowling, cards and computer software. I can gamble pretty well too, which is what I will do if I ever go to Tahoe again.

Hog Island Oyster Company at Tomales Bay
Mmm, oysters. You can sit out near the water at a picnic table and shuck and grill your own oysters. Don't forget to bring sauce! People even kayak up to shore and take their oysters home.

Houseboating on Lake Shasta
What a perfect summer trip full of debauchery! Twenty-eight of us were jam-packed into two houseboats. The lake is gorgeous, and the weather is hot. Don't forget to bring mixers! By the last night, we had 2 bottles of rum, 2 bottles of crappy tequila, and nothing to mix them all with. Yuck.

Most Notable Restaurants

Plouf
I just ate at Plouf a few weeks ago for my birthday, so it's fresh on my mind. I had the apple and leek stuffed trout with raisin vinaigrette, which was delectable. The much acclaimed mussels and french fries were delicious as well. And it wasn't outrageously expensive, like many French restaurants.

Sushi Rika
I'm a sushi addict and have to have it about twice a month, but I'm not made of money. Sushi Rika is yummy and affordable.

St Francis Fountain
I feel so lucky having this place right around the corner from me. I love everything I've eaten there, and the staff are all friendly and efficient. Some folks might be deterred by the line that often forms out front on weekends, but I've never had to wait more than five minutes for a table for two. They also have Mitchell's ice cream, and everything on the menu can be made vegan (except the ice cream, of course).

Best Bars

The Rickshaw Stop
I always find myself going to the Rickshaw to attend interesting events, the most recent of which were two shows that both ended in "a-Go-Go." Pipsqueak-a-Go-Go was the cutest, most hilarious thing ever, with kids in all stages of meltdown being comforted/entertained by their beer/wine/martini-drinking folks. And you can never go wrong with Bardot-a-Go-Go, where you can dance all night to '60s French pop in mod-wear while sipping champagne from a straw out of a can. I also saw The Helio Sequence play there, which was another notable show.

Silver Crest Donut Shop
It's a donut shop and a bar. What else can I say?

111 Minna
Call me uncool, but I had never made it to 111 Minna before. I got lost one time when trying to find it years ago, and another time, it looked like it was full of the worst kind of scenesters, so I kept on walking. Last month, I ventured over to check out their monthly Sketch Night that they have every third Tuesday during happy hour. My sketch was horrendous, but I plan to blow everyone out of the water next month! The best thing about Sketch Night is that the artists sell the pieces they created that night for around $10 to $25, which is a steal!

Fav Public Transit Lines

BART
I commute to Berkeley three days a week, and I swear Bart works like clockwork. Granted, I am on the opposite commute, which makes things much more bearable all around...

27 MUNI
I hear nothing but bad-mouthing when it comes to this line. I rely on the 27 to get me from the Mission to Russian Hill several times a week. I am a nerd and check the Muni schedule when I leave the house, and the 27 comes within 5 minutes of the schedule about 75% of the time. I know that's not quite up to Muni's goal of 80%, but pretty damned good, especially considering the 27 goes through the dreaded shopping district and the Tenderloin, often picking up guys along the way who are scooting along in wheelchairs and only need to go five blocks. I can't say the same at all for the 12 line. (You need a half an hour to kill waiting for that one.)

33 MUNI
The 33 isn't always that reliable either, except I've found it to be pretty much on schedule at night, since the driver can haul ass. I love how it conveniently goes through so many neighborhoods: The Mission (both the 24th and 16th St areas), the Castro, Upper Haight and the Richmond. And you can't beat the view when the bus makes that enormous turn at Market St.