The year we make contact, claimed Arthur C. Clarke, would be precisely 2010.

Well, here we are in ’11 with no little green men. So sorry, Art C., guess again.

Though it didn’t arrive from outer space, this year had no shortage of strange.

Tiger kind of said sorry, Betty White ruled the world, and Mel Gibson dabbled in crazy at close range.

We watched days of Olympics in February and about five minutes of soccer in June.

And I wondered, as health care passed, if it meant we’d all spend more time in the waiting room.

Spring brought the Twins outdoors, but they were schooled by the Yankees come fall.

So they went to Japan. Nishioka’s our man! Now just wait till the ump yells, “Play ball!”

On the other side of downtown, the Metrodome fell down, as if it wasn’t clear enough …

With drama and scandal, more injuries than they could handle, the Vikings just didn’t have the stuff.

Now Chilly is out. Favre and T-Jack ride the pines. It looks like the lowest ebb.

But wait, who’s that spinning the ball? Could our future be a guy named Webb?

The war in Iraq was over, but somebody forgot to tell 50,000 troops.

When asked to comment, Washington issued a statement that read simply, “Oops.”

North Korea sent a message to South Korea, “We’re coming for you!”

Said South Korea to the North, “Hey nimrods, it isn’t 1952!”

Glenn Beck went looking for “honor.” Jon Stewart said “sanity” might get things done.

They held rallies, gave speeches, but at the end of the day, I’m not sure there was much of either one.

LeBron made a decision. BP made a mess. TSA scanners can see right through your jeans.

CERN collided protons with a giant atom smasher, and I’m still not exactly sure what that means.

Sadly, Al and Tipper said goodbye, while the iPad said, hello.

Toyotas went really really fast, but the “Lost” finale was a little slow.

Conan took his act on the road. His show was so great it gave audiences the vapors.

People loved him in every state, except in Arizona, where they asked, “Do you have your papers?”

Thirty-three miners were trapped for 69 days until their amazing, heroic rescue.

Cooperation and innovation got them out, with more than a little derring-do.

A miracle of human enterprise it was, but what’s the moral of this story, really?

If you’re going to get stuck in a 2,000-foot hole, do it in Chile.

Christine O’Donnell said, “I am not a witch.” The CDC said bedbugs are gross and they make you itch.

The critics loved “The Social Network” so much they got almost weepy. To me it proved what I already thought, that Facebook is fun but also a little creepy.

The census counted us by number, but more important to remember is not to count us out.

Trial and tribulation plagued so many corners of this year, it’s easy just to scream and shout.

But wait, “True Grit” isn’t just a picture show. You’ve got it in you, more than you know.

As the saying goes, it gets better. In that I completely agree.

Like the great man said, “There are more things in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Do I know what the future holds? What 2011 has in store?

I’d say, don’t ask because I’m not telling, but we don’t do that around here anymore!

St. Paul resident Alexandra Kloster appears each Sunday. She may be reached at alikloster@yahoo.com and her blog is Radishes at Dawn at alexandrakloster.com.