Earlier this week I did my version of the April’s A-to-Z Challenge. Overall, readers liked my approach, and a few even read and commented on the linked posts of their choice. Meanwhile, Viveka, my favorite Swede and frequent visitor here, made a great suggestion that I’ve decide to implement her idea … It’s the A Frank Angle A-to-Z Challenge.
Rules and Guidelines
Bloggers choose to accept the challenge, so no nominations
Encouraging readers to meet the challenge
The challenge involves one post that includes the letters A-to-Z
Each letter designates something about yourself with an appropriate link to one of your past posts
Display the challenge badge on the post
Link back to this post
I like this comment from Debra on the original post: This was a way to reintroduce yourself. Well said.
With that in mind, planning my post wasn’t as time-consuming as some think. Planning is key, so start by keeping a few notes. The time-consuming part pulling the links together.
I would like to see many of the readers here meet the challenge and promote it to others. No time limit, so I hope you promote it. Then again, the idea may fall flat. Here’s the link to the prototype.
In lieu of Friday’s typical Opinions in the Shorts, here’s a look back at 2012. Besides, I still feel a bit overwhelmed from the hectic nature of the past few days.
From the blogging perspective, 2012 was a successful year.
Except when on vacation, I maintained my 5-6 posts per week
December was already on pace to be the best month ever, but with Freshly Pressed, this month may stand a while
Visits for the year improved over 40% from 2011
Reached the 100,000 mark for visits
20,000th comment will be soon – and who will get the fireworks display
I continue to enjoy posting and interacting with my visitors
By reviewing my 2012 posts, I selected one post from each month to feature the variety of topics that I embrace. From politics to religion to science to travel to ballroom dance and more, here is my look back at 2012. This collection also gives new readers a chance to learn about me and this blog – which could either encourage them to return or drive them away!
For your comments, which did you read? To my long-time visitors, do you have any memorable posts that I didn’t include?
November: I enjoy classic cartoons, so it’s all about Taz
December: How many people can play one instrument at the same time
To send you into the weekend, enjoy Disco Santa, which makes me laugh … and yep, sure sounds like the Village People. Have a safe weekend, and hopefully I can get a play-toy post together for your Saturday.
Welcome back! To my Christmas-celebrating friends, I hope you had a wonderful holiday. To those not celebrating, hope the day delivered joy and peace to you.
Because I encountered some unexpected flurries, these pics from an outdoor holiday lights display we visit several weeks ago will accompany the story.
Flurry #1: We decided on a cross-state drive to visit my sister for the weekend. The visit went well, but Saturday was John Erickson’s birthday, thus I was disappointed to miss the festivities.
Flurry #2: Upon returning home, I replied to the comments on John’s tribute post, and then raced through the other tributes. I enjoyed them, but a day late just wasn’t the same as being there.
Flurry #3: Besides catching up on the John tributes, Sunday was also the start of my holiday post. I published it at the planned time, which meant comments were on the way.
Flurry #4: I started Christmas Eve with replying to comments. Throughout the day, in between errands, cleaning, and cooking dinner, I tried to make holiday wishes to the blogs I frequent.
Flurry #6: We just finished dinner, and I returned to blogs to answer comments on the gifts post. Through my emails, I see a Like for someone I don’t know … followed by a subscribe notice … following by a comment from Society Red in Seattle, and one I ordered not long ago to shred his citizenship papers: NOW what are you going to do? Freshly Pressed!
Flurry #7: Society Red’s comment created an oh-crap moment, so I scanned the Inbox – and there it was – the notification – and it was already live! … She (the editor) picked her favorite video (Hubble to Oh Holy Night), and included this closing statement: Sorry to have to make you remove your “never been Freshly Pressed” badge. Consider it our gift to you.
Flurry #8: I was totally surprised that post #1,082 made it, so I hastily notified a few. After all, time was short and I knew had to abdicate the throne of the country I formed. I summoned a chopper for making my escape into the dark skies to avoid the potential hysteria.
Flurry #9: From the chopper, I contacted John Erickson, who spread the news. Yet, on this Christmas Eve night, the night known for celebrating joy and peace, I looked at the sparkling lights from the people below with pride and sadness … and as the last light faded away, the a tear hits the floor.
Flurry #10: Now in a new location I realized I had get to church for the handbell choir’s final rehearsal. After participating in two services, I returned home to more messages.
Flurry #11: Christmas Day – Dealing with 800+ visitors on this day, plus comments, and maintaining a personal philosophy of interacting with visitors was a challenge. My in-laws visited in the afternoon and we had enjoyed dinner. In the evening, I finally slayed the last comment … and then I saw this tribute from rarasaur.
Flurry #12: Besides managing comments, the day after Christmas delivered a winter storm dividing Cincinnati in two – snow and wind for blizzard conditions on the west side to rain-sheet-ice-snow mix for those of us on the east side. Fortunately, I was on the good side of the storm.
I safely landed on the other side of NonFP Nation., and warmly greeted by my friends here … and those in my former homeland cheered as well. Suddenly and unexpectedly receiving the never-envisioned was interesting – but it sure made Christmas 2012 was a bit different. I weathered the storm of 2,100+ visits over 3 days – but I also look forward to returning back to my normal routine. Thanks everyone!
PS: To add the pleasure, the FP post about Santa (the one beside mine in the FP image below) I listed in last Friday’s Interesting Reads section of Opinions in the Shorts. Yep, I noted it before WordPress.
December 22 is a special day to honor history, science, military, cars, and some oddities. This post starts in 1962.
On December 22, 1962
First British band reaches #1 on US single’s chart: Telstar by the The Tornados
USSR performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1,000,000th NBA point scored
Ralph Fiennes (actor) and John Erickson (blogger) born as twins from different mothers
All knitted out with new khakis and a rucksack, John Erickson voted cutest baby in nursery
December 22, 1963: Official 30-day mourning period for President John F Kennedy ends so people can celebrate John Erickson’s first birthday
December 22, 1964: Comedian Lenny Bruce is convicted of obscenity while celebrating John Erickson’s second birthday
December 22, 1965: Vowing to never let John Erickson speed, Great Britain sets maximum speed at 70 MPH
December 22, 1966: WCVW-TV channel 57 in Richmond, Virginia (PBS) goes live by broadcasting John Erickson’s 4th birthday celebration
December 22, 1968: Julie Nixon weds Dwight David Eisenhower to celebrate John Erickson’s 6th birthday
December 22, 1970: SS Commander Franz Stangl of Treblinka, sentenced to life in prison to celebrate John Erickson’s 8th birthday
December 22, 1978: Deng Xiaoping reverses Mao-era policies to allow Chinese to celebrate John Erickson’s 16th birthday
December 22, 1980: So its crew can celebrate John Erickson’s 18th birthday, USS Eisenhower returned to Norfolk, Virginia after a 251-day deployment
December 22, 1982: Having memorized all three seasons of Star Trek, John sends a fan letter to William Shatner at his new T.J. Hooker TV show, promising to adore him forever. Bill returns a heartfelt letter saying, “Go ‘way kid, yah bother me! Why don’t you go bug Yeoman Janice?”
December 22, 1984: Board of Elections discovers John Erickson voted for Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley three times, despite the fact Daley died in 1976
December 22, 1985: To honor a Star Trek enthusiast’s 23rd birthday, NASA moves STS 51-L (space shuttle) to Launch Pad 39B
December 22, 1988: To celebrate his 26th birthday, John Erickson orders 2 robbers wearing police uniforms to rob armored truck in NJ of $3 million
December 22, 1989: Romanians celebrate John Erickson’s 27th birthday by ousting Nicolea Ceausescu
December 22, 1989: To honor John Erickson’s 27th birthday, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
December 22, 1990: Poles celebrate John Erickson’s 28th birthday by swearing-in their first popularly elected president, Lech Walesa
December 22, 1997: To help John Erickson, FDA approves Merck’s baldness pill for men
December 22, 1998: Courts order Microsoft to stop blocking Blue Mountain Arts so John Erickson can receive birthday cards
December 22, 2005: To honor John Erickson’s 41st birthday, astronomers hail his proctologist by announcing the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus
December 22, 2007: Medically induced financial exile forces John and his long-suffering wife to move to eastern Ohio – Local Amish organize strong protest
December 22, 2010: For nothing to do with John Erickson besides his 48th birthday, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America’s military – thus repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy
December 22, 2012: John Erickson – blogger; Trekkie; enthusiast of WW II, anything military, certain cars, and general nonsense; Clutch Cargo fan, and friend of many bloggers – turns 50
Other Sharing John Erickson’s Birthday
Diocletian, Roman Emperor (244)
Roger II, King of Sicily (1095)
James Oglethorpe (1696) English founder of Georgia (US)
Giacomo Puccini, composer (1858)
Minor Watson, Guadalcanal Diary actor, (1889)
Grote Reber, first radio astronomer (1911)
Lady Bird Johnson, American First Lady (1912)
Barbara Billingsley, actor (1915)
Gene Rayburn, game show host (1917)
Diane Sawyer, broadcast journalist (1945)
Brothers Gibb, Robin and Maurice, Bee Gees (1949)
Coco, first gorilla bred in captivity (1956)
Yuri Malenchenko, Russian astronaut (1961)
Dina Meyer, Starship Troppers actor (1968)
Greg Biffle, NASCAR driver, (1969)
Many people have a soft spot for animals. As strays come to doors, some shoo them away, others offer temporary help, and some even take them in. In late 2010/early, someone saw my comment about being in Ohio – and shortly thereafter I received a visit. The best I can determine, John Erickson first commented here on January 3, 2011 – and he’s been not only hanging around here ever since, but he has also worked his way into many of your lives.
John always provides an interesting quip, and at times, I admit writing something to set up his comment. Most of us got to know John through his visits because he didn’t host a blog as he does now. To John, I present the Commentator Award.
I’ve never met (in person) any bloggers, but this past October I drove 3.5 hours to meet John – and I had a wonderful day with hopes that I return in the spring. Happy birthday John … and a video for you below.
Each letter designates something about yourself with an appropriate link to one of your past posts
