With 2016 drawing to a close and 2017 about to begin, I decided to take a look back at 2016 and spotlight the best (or most significant) blog post of each month. Some months — July, quite notably — were more difficult that others; there were a few months, like March and August, where I only posted two or three times in the month.
Meaning in Life and What Atheism Is Not – NPR had a story about how atheism doesn’t offer a positive vision for humanity or a meaning to life. Whihc, frankly, misunderstands atheism entirely by attempting to fit it into a paradigm that it doesn’t belong in at all. January
One World, One Sky – In January I went to the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles for their annual open house. While there, I saw a planetarium show with Big Bird and Elmo of Sesame Street about how, no matter where we live, we share the same sky and stars. February
Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: Castle Clash – I bought a LEGO-compatible castle set one day, and I spent the weekend building it. March
Unfairy Tales – UNICEF created three animated shorts to raise awareness of the plight of Syrian refugee children. I made the mistake of watching them at my desk at work. They are harrowing and powerful, and I wept openly. April
A Breakdown on the Expressway – My Beetle died. May
Brexit and the Scottish Independence Question – My birthday coincided with Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. I had immediate thoughts on what this might mean for the prospects of Scottish independence. I wasn’t in favor of the IndyRef two years earlier, and I’m not sure that independence for Scotland is the right move now, but if Theresa May continues on her “bulldog in a china shop” path to invoking Article 50 and ignoring the wishes of Scotland and Northern Ireland, Scotland should look to its interests. June
An Irish Weekend – Shore Leave and the Annapolis Irish Festival fell on the same weekend, and to some extent I did both — Annapolis on Friday and Saturday, Shore Leave on Sunday. I also met my cousin Amber for the first time, and I managed to catch a summer collegiate baseball game. Busy weekend! July
Star Trek Beyond – I quite enjoyed the new Star Trek film. August
The Little Prince – I imported the DVD of The Little Prince, Mark Osborne’s animated adaptation of the French novella, from Canada because I really wanted to see it. It’s a deeply affecting film — when I watched it again on New Year’s Eve I sodded uncontrollably — and it benefits from a second viewing. Undoubtedly the best film I saw in 2016. September
Playoff Baseball, Thwarted! – I went to DC for a baseball playoff game that was rained out. That didn’t stop me from playing tourist, though. And I don’t think my feet fully dried out for a month. October
Travels with Google Navigate – I was trying to get from Philadelphia’s New Jersey suburbs back to York. So why did Google Navigate send me deep into Maryland and then into gorges off the Susquehanna, one-lane roads, and Amish country? November
An Angel Tree Package for the Office – I participated in the Angel Tree program at work for the third time this year. I knew it was something I wanted to do, so I started buying items in October for an eight-year-old boy. I had a lot of fun doing it, and I know it went to someone who really needed it. December
There you have it, the year that was 2016.