There was no shortage of odd and unexpected in 2016. Some notable biggies include the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the Juno Spacecraft, and the final VCR production-so long Disney VHS collection. Here are a few favorites that my vinas and I chatted about while the kiddos conquered the playground.
STRANGER THINGS
This unexpected hit combined Sci-Fi, thriller, Winona Ryder, a girl who looked fab bald, plus a story that got everyone to ask “Are we in the Upside Down?” No one saw the 80’s throw back coming, but once you watched the first episode you just had to spend the weekend binging it – preferably with wine and vinas. Stranger Things was an unusual must-see.
RYAN LOCHTE VS. THE BATHROOM DOOR
We could have been talking about how amazing our female athletes did (Hello! Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and the other 59 female medal winners – the most ever!), or about all those cupping marks on Michael Phelps. Or we could still be sharing photos of that hottie from Tonga. But no, the end of the Olympics was filled with talk of Drunk Lochte taking on his mortal enemy, the evil gas station bathroom door. Way to stay weird 2016.
CUBS WIN
Put this in the good-weird column. It has been a long forgone conclusion that the Cubs would never win the World Series. I mean come on, they kicked a goat out 108 years ago, so of course they would be cursed to eternal failure. But this out of left field year saw something that was absolutely worth talking about – a Cubs win. The Cubs hadn’t won the World Series since 1908, while their opponent, the Cleveland Indians, hadn’t claimed victory since 1948. To make that win even more amazing the series went 7 games, the final game had a rain delay, went into extra innings, and the Cubs retiring catcher David Ross hit a home run. Basically you needed your tissues handy as the Goat was finally put to bed. Plus, it turns out Parks and Recreation predicted the future??
POKÉMON GO
I’ll admit it, a few vinas and I spent the summer catching um all. Going for a jog to hatch a egg, hunting down that elusive Raichu at the Denver Zoo (ladies, they had a special Pokemon Go day, I kid you not), and spending way too much time at “the gym” were just some of the weird wonderful ways 2016 flew by. The fervor for the game has slipped away, but with promises of more updates, Pokemon trading, and some more battle options, I don’t plan on deleting my account any time soon. Oh, and it’s going to be on the Apple Watch too, so we can all look cool AF while hoping to stumble across a Mewtwo .
A GIANT SEA MONSTER
Maybe this one is just me, but a sea monster that stretch 5 stories long is pretty weird and amazing. Everyone has a favorite strange animal story that they repost on Facebook, but for me the giant sea monster found in Antarctica is just out of this world cool. It may have been the largest swimming creature, officially part of the mosasaur family, it is actually named Kaikaifilu hervei, after an almighty giant reptile legend from the Mapuche. Big. Weird. Amazing. Very 2016.
And there was something or other about an election this year. I guess there’s that too.
What do YOU think was the weirdest thing of 2016? Tweet us or tell us in the comments below!
Lindsey Lewis Smithson 