For Auld Lang Syne

At the teary ending of "It's A Wonderful Life", George Bailey sings "Auld Lang Syne", along with his friends and family, to celebrate the New Year and his re-birth, from a doomed savings and loan officer facing certain ruin, to a loved and supported member of the community.

The lyrics, written by Robert Burns, are comprised of Scottish verbiage with Anglicized interpretation. In it's original form, the phrase "Should auld acquintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?" is posed as a rhetorical question and, as such, the words take on new meaning. Of course old times should never be forgotten, confirmed by the final four words "For Aud Lang Syne", or, "may old times live on".

How appropriate. The song celebrates the good times and long-standing friendships formed in years past, and that's exactly what occurred during our reunion. Would that we could all be together as the year comes to an end, to take a communal cup of kindness and vow that our wonderful, mutual memories will never be forgotten.

As we celebrate the arrival of the new year, in many and varied ways, I'm certain that we will all be thinking about that weekend in September, when we joined hands and reaffirmed that the joy of the Omega days were, and still are, the greatest times of our lives.

And so, I want to take the opportunity to wish all of my Omegan brothers and sisters a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, and thank you all for the wonderful new memories we made this year and the cherished ones from days of old. They will live on and on.

Omega State of Mind (with apologies to Billy Joel)

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Boca Woods
But I'm taking the Shortline
to that Monticello line
I'm in an Omega state of mind

I've seen all the big hotels
With their comics on the Borscht-belt scene
Been high in the Catskills under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
A CrossWays pizza'd be so fine
I'm in an Omega state of mind

It wasn't easy living in the heat
Out of touch with the cabins and swimming pool,too
But now I need a little bug-juice sweet
The Flagstaff food, so hard to chew

It comes down to the Quickway
And it's fine with me 'cause it isn't far
Don't care if it's Rashkins or the New York bar
I don't have any schoolwork
I've left that all behind
I'm in an Omega state of mind

It wasn't easy living in the heat
Out of touch with the cabins and swimming pool, too
But now I need a little bug-juice sweet
The Flagstaff food, so hard to chew

It comes down to the Quickway
And it's fine with me 'cause it isn't far
Don't care if it's Rashkins or the New York bar
I don't have any schoolwork
I've left that all behind
I'm in an Omega state of mind

I'm just taking the Shortline to that Monticello Line
'Cause I'm in an Omega state of mind

There, but for fortune

I am
sitting in a comfortable chair and typing

I am
living in a FEMA trailer in New Orleans

I am
dying from hunger in a Darfur refugee camp

I am
shooting at the "enemy" in Iraq

I am
concerned that this blog is being monitored by the government

I am
wondering how future generations will pay for college

I am
going bankrupt from health care expenses.

I am
tired of waiting for others to provide solutions to the problems

I am
defined by similarities instead of differences

I am
you

There, but for fortune, go I