Cheers to the first OITS of 2018. Hope the new year is off to a good start for you.
Our tradition is to have shredded pork roast and sauerkraut served over mashed potatoes as a New Year’s Day meal. Do you have any traditions to start the year?
My little corner of the world got it’s 300,000th visit sometime between 8-12 pm on New Years’ Eve. I didn’t see the rollover because we at a New Years Eve dance. Next milestone is the 2000th post (this one is #1990).
This weekend’s post will involve a challenge. HINT for advanced planning: A challenge to readers to use (in a comment) a word (in English) that has never appeared on this blog.
For Netflix viewers looking for a simple, wholesome show, my wife loves Heartland, a Canadian-based show set in Alberta.
A tip of the cap to college football coach Scott Frost. His UCF team had a great season, then he accepted the head coach position at his alma mater (Nebraska). Unlike what most other coaches have done, Frost did two jobs – therefore, coached UCF in their bowl game – one of the biggest games in school history – and UCF won.
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Needing a gain of only 2 seats, Democrats are excited about the possibility of gaining control of the Senate with the November 2018 election. While Democrats are wistfully hopeful in about maybe 5 races currently held by Republicans, they face tough challenges to retain seats in 10 races. Bottom line: Odds may be better on the House side.
I wonder how much higher President Trump’s approval rating would be if he didn’t tweet.
Thanks to those who truly understood my crystal ball post about Trumpian Nostradamus (the previous post).
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To lead you into this week’s dose of satirical headlines, The Onion lists ways the world has changed since Donald Trump’s election.
Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
Starbucks unveils $7 wake-up slap
Earth’s successful completion of orbit around Sun inspires woman to reflect on eating habits
NASA celebrates 60th anniversary of launching first moon to orbit Earth
Man at center of political spectrum under impression he is less obnoxious
TJ Maxx recreates in-store shopping experience with new website that randomly scatters products all over the place
Interesting Reads (as a whole, a bit more relaxing than usual)
A transformation: Muslims and American culture
How not to be the Ugly American when travelling abroad
Reviewing a view of 2018 from 1968
Interesting findings from 2017
The most expensive mile of subway
The birth of Emojis
(Photos) BBC’s Best submitted photos of 2017
To kick off the 2018 OITS, here’s a 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree who delivered a great show back in the day. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
A Frank Angle 
Hoping you have an awesome 2018 & look forward to sharing the year with you my friend!
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Cindy,
Thank you … and all the best to you. Hoping 2018 is the year for our collaboration. 🙂
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Milestones all over the place for A Frank Angle! You might have the longest running blog of anyone I follow. Kudos to you on that.
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Carrie,
Thank you … Milestones are fun, and I just discovered another one – approaching visitor number 75,000. In terms of longevity, I’ve outlasted many – but I think Robin (Breezes at Dawn) has been blogging longer, but has had several blogs. (Because she is a photographer, I imagine she started a new blog when the blog consumed all the space.)
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On my side of the world, we don’t have a set meal to have. We eat whatever we get because that’s how excited we are usually. Also, tradition is to spend the day with family and friends dancing till we drop!
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Eloquent,
Sure sounds like you have a good time … and that’s just as much of a tradition as any meal. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, Frank. It all comes down to having a good time with our loved ones, be it in any part of the world.
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We have a long-standing tradition of Chinese food with friends on New Year’s Eve, but it didn’t work out this year. No special New Year’s Day meal–though we usually have Cinnabons.
Happy New Year, and congratulations on your milestones.
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Merril,
Bummer about not having the New Year’s Eve tradition with friends …. hopefully it will return! Thanks for sharing … now please pass the Cinnabons.
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Sorry, Frank, my husband ate them all! 🙂
Yes, it was just due to various conflicts that came up this year. We’re still going to get together.
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Bummer … then again, at this point they may have been stale.
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😉
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I can’t imagine anyone missing the crystal ball post. (gee, maybe I did after all) Our tradition is also pork but you have to have at least a teaspoon of black-eyed peas. (That is about all one can take.) I’m trying to prepare for the challenge. Let’s see 2000 posts times about 600 words equals 1,200,000 words. Shouldn’t be too hard to find the missing word. Happy New Year, Frank.
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John,
You got the gist of the crystal ball post. Thanks for sharing your New Year’s traditional meal … and I had to laugh about the black-eyed peas.
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Ugly little things.
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Ok – NOW I get your crystal ball post about Trumpian Nostradamus.
Change of menu! I’m having shredded pork roast and sauerkraut served over mashed potatoes tonight.
Congrats on the 300,000 visits! I await anxiously your Post #2000.
I judge “Starbucks unveils $7 wake-up slap” to be a rhetorical splat.
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Tim,
A toast for the first OITS of the new year delivering a splat. Did you have the proclaimed meal?
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That pork and sauerkraut sounds awfully good to me right now! Happy 2018, old friend!
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Chris!!!!
Whoat! You won’t believe how thrilled I get when one of my Pioneers stops by out of the clear blue! Happy New Year to you.
Our favorite baseball organization is a sad state of affairs. As much as people hear complain about the Bengals, as organizations go, they aren’t even close. 2018 doesn’t seem to offer much at this point, but time will tell. All the best for your 2018.
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Mmmm …. I love shredded pork and the same sides. I hot hungry reading it. We have a tradition of eating steak and lobster right after the ball hits and, of course, a bottle of champagne. CHEERS!!! We’ve been going to a New Year’s eve party for the past 4 years. This year we decided to have an intimate New Year eve at home and I loved it so much more. After all, who do I want to begin my year with if not with that super special man in my life.
Congratulations on your milestone of visits and the one to come. WOW … 2000 posts. You Rock !!!
I love my Starbucks but drink it at home. I didn’t even know how much it costs to buy in the cafe establishment. I know I’m spoiled. I guess there are good cafe grounds out there that are less expensive but the taste is soooo good. And, I need to be perked up in the morning. : O
It’s the way I get my energy for things like dancing to Gloria Estefan. : ) She Rocks too!!!
Have a over-the-top weekend.
Isadora 😎
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Isadora,
Thanks for sharing your New Year’s Eve tradition with us. Awesome! We were with our ballroom dance crowd, and had a good time. Hope you watched Gloria’s time on The Kennedy Center Honors!
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Happy New Year Frank! We usually start the New Year with some fresh oysters and, what else? A bottle of champagne!
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Jeff,
Now celebratory oysters is a new one for me … and that’s OK. Happy New Year to you and your family.
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That sounds like a pretty good new year’s meal. My parents have kolbasz, which is Hungarian sausage and the best ever! (Move over, Germany.) We were going to have it with them, if we lasted that long, but we came home Saturday instead because the baby was sleeping so poorly it was driving me nuts. So sad to be reminded of that deliciousness we missed out on… Must google European delis in my area now…
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Betsy,
Now I like good sausage, so thanks for the tip – especially if I ever find my way to Hungary!
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I found a European deli not far that carries it! Maybe there’s one by you too! Worth trying! 😉
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Thanks for the tip. 🙂
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I still love that song after all these years. Congrats on your blogging milestones!
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Wendy,
Still sounding good after many years is signs of a good song … and I concur.
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I like the sound of your New Year’s day tradition. 🙂 I guess we will never know about Trumps non-tweeting rates. He’s addicted. 😯 Nice song to start the year. Certainly a golden oldie.
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Sylvia,
I don’t know how many years we’ve been doing that meal for the new year, but it’s been some time. Hope you got to see The Kennedy Center Honors show … fabulous entertainment!
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