[NON BLOG] Happy New Year!

[rfmcdonald]

I've just come back from a marvellous afternoon, evening, and early night with talktooloose and friends involving a viewing of Brokeback Mountain, a pleasant walk along Queen, a decidedly entertaining and civilized dinner, culminating with a viewing of ABBA music videos starting with "Happy New Year".

Happy new year
happy new year
may we all
have a vision
now and then
of a world where
every neighbour is a friend
happy new year
happy new year
may we all
have our hopes
our will to try
if we don’t
we might as well
lay down and die
you and I

ABBA's genius, I think, lies in its fusion of melancholy lyrics with hopeful music, reasoned consideration with emotion. So too life.