Decalogue Dialogue

'Tis the season—the season for obsessive types to try to boil down an entire year into a laundry list of memorable people, events, experiences and works of art. Here's our Top 10 Top 10 lists from Scene employees and friends.

Ten Reasons to Be Cheerful in 2004

1. Fattoush on Charlotte Avenue, next to the Jiffy Lube, which recently opened. Cops, stock brokers and contruction workers alike have discovered this fresh, wonderful and reasonably priced Mediterranean food. The real estate ain't premium, but the kibble is.

2.The Dogs of Babel, a first novel by Carolyn Parkhurst, is built on one of the most interesting fictional conceits I've seen in a while. This book, published in 2003 (my reading list is long; what can I say?), traces the reactions of an aggrieved widower, who mourns the suicide of his young wife. After wallowing in a filthy house for a while, he becomes determined to solve the mystery of her demise by trying to teach his dog Lorelei, the only witness to his wife's deadly leap from a tree, to talk. Funny and deeply touching all at once.

3. The tiny (no doubt pricey) 5.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot that my Dad gave me for Christmas. I plan to use it to catch all my co-workers in compromising positions. (This is your warning not to pull a John Wilder, people.) Perhaps next I'll get a Web site, where I can post said images.

4. The Adriatic coast, where I spent the best vacation of my life this year. Life will never get better than that.

5.Love, Actually. I'm a sucker for sentimentality.

6. My PowerBook G4, on which I'm sending this from my out-laws' in Texas.

7. Dr. John Lachs' philosophy class in the Vanderbilt Masters of Liberal Arts and Science program. If anyone is a walking example of why thinking optimistically is fruitful, it's the diminuitive, bald-headed Lachs, who's got a smile that will fill up a room. He had us read them for the sake of evenhandedness, but to hell with all those dead German guys who hated women. Schopenhauer, you suck!

8. Online shopping and free shipping. Christmas shopping in bed, clad in PJs and slippers with a cup of coffee, beats the freak show that is Opry Mills any day.

9. E.J. Mitchell, the new Tennesseaneditor. "A cool cat," as one of his employees recently put it. Amen. (But I'm still gonna be on your ass.)

10. Diet Coke with lime.

The Ten Most Attractive Nashville Indie Bands

10. The Clutters

9. (the now defunct) Forget Cassettes

8. The Hotpipes

7. De Dovo Dahl

6. jetpack

5. Imaginary Baseball League

4. The Privates

3. The Pink Spiders

2. Slack

1. Rich Creamy Paint

Ten Reasons I Love Nashville

The year 2004 marked my first year as a Nashville resident. From making friends to seeing great live music shows, I consider it a success. When I first moved here I was skeptical of Nashville the city—I feared boredom and endless country music. Instead, I found a lot of cool people, a few big city perks and a lot more than country music to keep me occupied. My Top 10 selections are just a few of the reasons 2004 was memorable and why I'll be calling Nashville home next year.

1. The Pixies at the Ryman. Seeing the Pixies was my first visit to the Ryman. Though I had mixed feelings about the performance, just being in the legendary music hall was mesmerizing; it might even have been a spiritual experience.

2. Nashville Public Library.Sure, all my savvy friends have subscriptions to Netflix. Me, I'm addicted to the library's efficient request and pick-up service for DVDs. I may have to wait 6 months for a copy of the last season of Sex in the City, but that's okay. I'd rather be cheap than savvy any day.

3. Mike Doughty at 12th & Porter. This was the first music show I covered for the Sceneand it embodied the best (cool performer, cool venue) and the worst (inane audience) of the Nashville music scene.

4. Slack. Whether these guys were slyly responding to a crazed drunk guy trying to get on stage, singing Christmas tunes for charity, or simply rockin' on stage (doing back flips!), they're the best local live music show in town.

5. Babies. Usually I try to stay away from these high-maintenance creatures but this year I was amazed by their sheer cuteness. I just haven't been the same since hanging out with cute baby Caden Jackson, born Feb. 12, and since I can't pick just one cutest baby I have to mention Scene progeny Abraham Marx, Jamie Ridley and Zack Rutter, who grace the Scene office with their cuteness from time to time.

6. The Dinner Club. I won't mention all the great friends I've made this year, but I will mention one group of women who invited me into their dinner club and have intrigued me with not only their love for homemade mashed potatoes (served with pasta and zucchini) but their ease at discussing everything from testosterone cream and farting dogs to matters of the heart without blinking an eye.

7. Calypso Café. I was really happy to find a wide selection of locally owned restaurants. I still have plenty to go, but thus far I designate Calypso Cafe as the best. Their Caribbean-esque food is different without being funky, and they serve the greatest vinaigrette dressing I've ever had.