Kyle Hopper was once the owner of an extraordinary beard. He says it’s coming back but it will never be the same. It never is. Kyle sometimes blogs here but more often than not, he does not.

Favorite Book:

My favorite book of the year was certainly Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende. This is a book for anyone that enjoyed Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher. Brende is a young guy with degrees from Yale and MIT. To say he knows a thing or two about technology would be an understatement. After his formal education, he began to wonder what kind of an impact technology has on our daily lives. The best way for him to find out was to essentially “unplug” himself, so that is what he did. He and his wife lived for one year in a very tight knit community of Amish/Mennonite. For one year they did not use electricity or modern technology. Of course the book is loaded with great stories of a couple of suburbanites trying to hack a living out of the natural/rural world. The book is more though. He comes away with not an “All technology is evil” mantra. Instead challenges us to think about what is gained but what is also lost by having certain technology.

Favorite new band find:

I really love music as much as the next guy, probably more than the average guy, but cannot physically consume the quantities that a Brent Thomas can. Therefore I rely on my good friend for recommendations for possible bands/albums that I might enjoy. He came through in a BIG way in 2007! He introduced me to The Snake The Cross The Crown’s album Cotton Teeth. I have been wearing this album out! I cannot begin to explain how happy this album makes me or even why! I think of Creedence Clearwater Revival in that this is another band that brings Southern Rock by way of California.

Best movie of the year:

300 for all of the stereotypical hypermasculine chestbeating reasons. It’s all of the great battles of something like Braveheart without a pesky plot or romance getting in the way!

Favorite Concert of the Year:

I want to say William Elliott Whitmore at Rocket Town in Nashville, but I can’t. It was a great show. Very personal and extremely moving. This show was incredible, but still didn’t compare to the Lucero show at the Gibson Guitar Factory Lounge in MEMPHIS! If you can ever see a band in their hometown, do it. I have seen Lucero more times than I care to admit, yet every time I see them in Memphis I am blown away. This show was for every die-hard fan. They had no setlist. As fans would call out songs, the band would play them. The show went on for about 3-4 hours with NO break. I was able to hear songs that I had NEVER heard live performed that night. The opening band was great as well. Imagine CCR having “Woodstock era” Joe Cocker as lead vocals, which goes over very well in a place like Memphis. They were called Catfish Haven. The added bonus was seeing the show with two of my college roommates. Good Times!

Most memorable moments of the year:

Becoming a Full Time Minister, becoming a pet owner, moving from an apartment to a house, personally suffering a miscarriage and helping two other couples through theirs, some great meals with friends and family (including breakfast at Denny’s with the Thomas clan), shaving off the beard but thankfully growing it back.