The intelligent among us (you dear reader, myself included), look back often enough throughout the year to preclude the need for a special end of the year analysis. We reflect endlessly, and not in selfish isolation. Whether it be at lunches, dinners out, conferences, or family gatherings, at coffee with friends, or in our blogs, we congruently reinspect the happenings, news, music, and the horrors of each and every day. It is redundant, if not boring, to attempt to revisit them again due to the obligation of tradition.

It was a good year with bad points. Here’s to back room extortion, and bribery on the golf courses of congress, and to 2000 pages that should be burned. A new year should be new.

I drink Lagaria Merlot 2007 at my favorite Lebanese restaurant for 8 bucks a glass, or 28 dollars a bottle. I finally found someone to order it for me for 10.99 a bottle. A case more inexpensive still. I want to thank the liquor store that finally agreed to spend an extra few minutes looking up the small distributor. I hit ten stores before someone took the time. I love you guys.

“New Year’s Eve”

“I have finished another year,” said God,
“In grey, green, white, and brown;
I have strewn the leaf upon the sod,
Sealed up the worm within the clod,
And let the last sun down.”

“And what’s the good of it?” I said.
“What reasons made you call
From formless void this earth we tread,
When nine-and-ninety can be read
Why nought should be at all?

“Yea, Sire; why shaped you us, ‘who in
This tabernacle groan’ -
If ever a joy be found herein,
Such joy no man had wished to win
If he had never known!”

Then he: “My labours–logicless -
You may explain; not I:
Sense-sealed I have wrought, without a guess
That I evolved a Consciousness
To ask for reasons why.

“Strange that ephemeral creatures who
By my own ordering are,
Should see the shortness of my view,
Use ethic tests I never knew,
Or made provision for!”

He sank to raptness as of yore,
And opening New Year’s Day
Wove it by rote as theretofore,
And went on working evermore
In his unweeting way.

Thomas Hardy

Yo Yo Ma and Friends, Dona Nobis Pacem

Enjoy.

Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace)

PS – sadly something happened – I deleted the post by mistake and though I was able to get the post back the comments did not come back – I apologize. The comments, as always, were the best part of the post.