Neanderpundit

For good health over the last year, and the good health of my family.

For minor home repairs. Minor car repairs. For the ability to work enough to pay the bills, send the daughter to a good school.

For the love of my wife and daughter.

For the growing closeness of good friends; for the fact that my closest friend did not move 300 miles away this year.

For the quality of new friendships.

For the richness of my very simple life.

No, I don’t wait for thanksgiving to thank God for these things, I thank him for them every day. Today, I thank him and eat a horking great bird.

If your thanksgivings are as sweet as mine, we’re all lucky bastards. If not, my thoughts go to you in this upcoming year that the nexe is as sweet.

And remember, we all have things for which we should be thankful, every one of us.

I spent a couple days afield with good friends, and while only one of us brought home a deer, being there, in the company of the best people I know, was an extraordinary treat.

This weekend I may be able to hunt with some other good friends, and the following weekend as well.

be nice to get a deer, but I’m not tied to it, at this point. I’m having too much fun hunting.

In a couple spots over the last couple days, and yesterday in conversation, I’ve been prompted to think of favorite classical pieces; Tam thinks the Messiah (or the Ninth) is the piece we should play to impress aliens, some of my friends are particular fans of Wagner, I especially like Ode to Joy portion of the ninth- which should be obvious by the title of the post.

So yootoobing around last night, I stumbled on this:

I mean, I like the piece a lot, naturally, (other than the much overdone toccatta, which has been pimped so much it has become annoying to me) but the Fugue, which begins at around 3:10, is the part that makes me tune out everything else, so much so that it’s moderately dangerous for me to drive while listening to it.
This version, which I’ve never heard before, can only accurately be described as haunting.

As an aside: I sing the Ode to Joy everytime I take a dead machine and bring it back to life. A wierd little affectation I use to promote fear and confusion in my customers.