Take a bow, 2017. Please! That way it’s easier for us to kick you in the ass. First the kicking and then a good stompin’. Expect some spitting too, you goddamn bastard. In short: this thread is open to all gripes and rants about the bountiful cornucopia of awful shit that was 2017.

Know who had a great year? Catastrophic weather; the use of public office for private gain; the P*ts; and, empty words. To all of them, I extend my most heartfelt ??.

Remember when 2016 was winding down and we thought that was the worst year in memory? No reminiscing is necessary; we have your selfie (via @Tribe_XX)

In retrospect, what an innocent time 2016 turned out to be. Just imagine: Colin Kaepernick was actual trade bait and a Twitter beef could NOT spark nuclear war. This is another reality altogether. We also lost some righteous folks on the way via @77MASH):

But we gotta look forward. For starters, 52 SBE (Super Bowl Era) is still ongoing. All playoff bye teams finished at 13-3. PIT and NE will most likely play each other. The NFC playoff field looks much more interesting, and Mike Zimmer gets a good chance to shred it. Minnesota is playing for a home Super Bowl game.  I dunno if this causes enthusiasm or trepidation for Vikes fans. I do know that Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater have NFL careers ahead of them, and that a Saints @ Vikes might wreck the Right’s Compound.

Oh Philly: you were having THE dream season, until the Wentz injury. But Iggles fans love misery so much, I guess they owe the Universe a “Thank You”. OK that was a bit, uh… Tell you what, Philly fans; let’s get behind stuff we can all celebrate: the Cowboys suck

Aside from Wentz, there were other major casualties this year: David Johnson, OBJ, JJ Watt, Dez Bryant’s fantasy career, Aaron Rodgers, the C-Hox secondary, “Baby Buster Sucks!”, Jerry Richardson… Huh. Turns out, perspective makes it a mixed bag. Except for QB evaluations that are not merit-based. Fucking cowards.

Another thing to look forward to: fired coaches! The Colts already did Chuck Pagano in. Helluva a start for 2018: having nothing to do with Jim Irsay, except getting his checks. Very Happy New Year, Chuck; they couldn’t eat ya.

As to the rest, Oddshark set at 6 the line of coaches fired by tomorrow, Black Monday:

I can hear Oddshark’s public relations people: “It’s not shamelessness. It’s transparency—integrity light!”

Titans fans were rooting for a loss, so Mularkey could get fired. WHY YA WANNA KILL THE JOY ABOUT EVERYTHING!!! All I know is I’m riding this delusional high up until next week.

Keeping it in the hopeful department, I found remarkable 2017’s  taking down of sexual harassers and the push back on racist bullshit and aggression. Hey, sometimes one’s gotta go down there. I’m sure no hateful or oppressing mob has ever thought “We better not mess with these stoic and courteous folks.” To summarize my wishes for 2018,

On the local front, it’s Day 102 of unrestored power here at home in Puerto Rico. Ggkh! Sorry. It seems like I pulled my S2.

Tension Muscles: Aggravation (A), Shrug (S), Whatever (W).

Meh. What are ya gonna do. We’re fortunate in other ways. One’s gotta leave shit behind and look ahead—which takes us to a special Request Line.

So OK: 2017 blew, so let’s look forward to 2018. In the absence of equity and justice, let’s go with a killer playlist. The theme is easy: songs that are GOOD. You know,

1. tracks that YOU would never, ever, EVER skip; and,
2. that you would not feel ashamed recommending to others.

That’s it. Preference is subjective, of course; but since we’re getting the playlist later—kudos to RTD—can’t go wrong sticking to “1”. A personal favor, if ya could: no “Hotel California”. Doing otherwise may result in a subscription to High Times to your name—with the mags addressed to your mom, employer, church, licensing board and/or main client. Hey #JustSayin A People Magazine may be thrown in too, smartass.

That’s it for me; the real action’s in the comments, anyway. Lotta fun on this side of the Webz, after all, in this 2017. A very Happy New Year to all of you brilliant degenerates, and let’s start this with a thumper: a song about persistence and resilience,  El Aguante by Calle 13.

Girl and heifer pics via @Flantasma1