When I was a kid I used to have a cd that was basically "classical music for assholes" with the aforementioned canon on it, that also had a really really fantastic piece that I can not identify in any way except that if I would know it if I heard it. I lost the thing, and it's been pissing me off for years now. Unfortunately, there are like 83,576 cds with Canon in D on them, so I have virtually no way of finding the damn thing. It was by someone I'd never heard of.
I had some random crap Christmas album as a kid that had a song on it that I liked that I couldn't remember the name of. And I often tried to find it on other random crap Christmas compilations, without success. If there are 83,576 cds of Canon in D, there are 83,577 million Christmas albums. So it seemed a hopeless task.
Eventually a strain of it came into my head very clearly and I managed to hum a bit of it to a musician friend of mine and she identified it as "Myn Liking."
2: Actually, when I think about it, I can still sing the thing. It was some singing - two women at first, then some others joined in. Of course, the lyrics are totally unhelpful; 'magnificat anima mea..' is all I can seem to remember.
It weird, I remember it moved me almost to tears one day when I was like 13. I was a weird kid.
My preliminary conclusion after some searching last night is that it's actually a cantata by Dietrich Buxtehude. But until I can get my computer to download win. media player so I can listen to the sample, that can't be verified.
Blank books on tape would have been easily solved - blank tapes. Likewise picking out a book and sending it to a friend for friend's birthday. The only question there would have been how much damage to do to the customer's credit card. The bookstore I used to work for had a whole notebook full of whack customer requests, alas lost to posterity when the store went out of business. One of my favorites, though, was for the Hebrew translation of Ollie North's book. Of course we also had a clerk who, legend had it, asked a customer to sit somewhere else because the customer was "standing on her aura." Not all of the nut cases were on the other side of the counter.
Now I'm feeling a little guilty. I went to the local Kinkos to have a newspaper page laminated and the (presumably) HS kid who did it was great. He was very anal and meticulous and spent much work and effort on what was going to be about a 50 cent job.
When he finished I kidded him by saying "Uh oh - its upside down" while holding it upside down and his face fell. You can't undo laminate. I'd crushed him.
No amount of apology or explaining could ease my guilt. I'd really nailed the poor guy who had done a great job.
I work at a small public library. Most of the patrons are quite nice and fun. A few are a bit challenged in various ways. We have several computers available for use by the public. This lady walked in once, pointed to the computers and asked, 'Are those yours?' I said yes, but I wanted to say, 'No, lady, I got no idea how those got there.'
I love the discount-on-blank-books-on-tape-for-the-deaf-guy idea.
A quick language usage survey: is it normal or abnormal to describe as "corrupt" a wrongfully-acting non-governmental actor? E.g., Jeffrey Skillings, Armstrong Williams.
"After lying dead in the forest for three weeks before a group of hikers found his body, Jeffrey Skillings was so corrupt that investigators said very little useful forensic evidence could be recovered."
That was a surprisingly unsucessful survey, but thanks LB. I am making this comment entirely to get back into most recent comments and hopefully get more answers.
washerdreyer: Absolutely. Those folks had some sort of trust--to the shareholders/corporation and journalism (or the public)--that they betrayed for money.
When I was a kid I used to have a cd that was basically "classical music for assholes" with the aforementioned canon on it, that also had a really really fantastic piece that I can not identify in any way except that if I would know it if I heard it. I lost the thing, and it's been pissing me off for years now. Unfortunately, there are like 83,576 cds with Canon in D on them, so I have virtually no way of finding the damn thing. It was by someone I'd never heard of.
Posted by silvana | Link to this comment | 09-22-05 9:56 PM
What instruments?
We can play the music store guessing game!
Blank books on tape? What was he actually looking for? Did he explain?
Posted by winna | Link to this comment | 09-22-05 10:04 PM
I had some random crap Christmas album as a kid that had a song on it that I liked that I couldn't remember the name of. And I often tried to find it on other random crap Christmas compilations, without success. If there are 83,576 cds of Canon in D, there are 83,577 million Christmas albums. So it seemed a hopeless task.
Eventually a strain of it came into my head very clearly and I managed to hum a bit of it to a musician friend of mine and she identified it as "Myn Liking."
Posted by ac | Link to this comment | 09-22-05 10:10 PM
You should have offered the deaf guy a discount on blank books on tape.
Posted by DonBoy | Link to this comment | 09-22-05 10:22 PM
2: Actually, when I think about it, I can still sing the thing. It was some singing - two women at first, then some others joined in. Of course, the lyrics are totally unhelpful; 'magnificat anima mea..' is all I can seem to remember.
It weird, I remember it moved me almost to tears one day when I was like 13. I was a weird kid.
Posted by silvana | Link to this comment | 09-22-05 10:42 PM
Re 5: googling brings up Bach's Magnificat.
Posted by emr | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 4:38 AM
And I see now it was by someone you never heard off. Still, it must be somebody else's setting of the Magnificat.
Posted by emr | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 4:41 AM
Putting "manificat anima mea" in quotes turns of sheet music for Magnificat Anima Mea Dominum by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
Posted by Sam K | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 5:24 AM
My preliminary conclusion after some searching last night is that it's actually a cantata by Dietrich Buxtehude. But until I can get my computer to download win. media player so I can listen to the sample, that can't be verified.
Posted by silvana | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 5:49 AM
Blank books on tape would have been easily solved - blank tapes. Likewise picking out a book and sending it to a friend for friend's birthday. The only question there would have been how much damage to do to the customer's credit card. The bookstore I used to work for had a whole notebook full of whack customer requests, alas lost to posterity when the store went out of business. One of my favorites, though, was for the Hebrew translation of Ollie North's book. Of course we also had a clerk who, legend had it, asked a customer to sit somewhere else because the customer was "standing on her aura." Not all of the nut cases were on the other side of the counter.
Posted by Doug | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 6:08 AM
Now I'm feeling a little guilty. I went to the local Kinkos to have a newspaper page laminated and the (presumably) HS kid who did it was great. He was very anal and meticulous and spent much work and effort on what was going to be about a 50 cent job.
When he finished I kidded him by saying "Uh oh - its upside down" while holding it upside down and his face fell. You can't undo laminate. I'd crushed him.
No amount of apology or explaining could ease my guilt. I'd really nailed the poor guy who had done a great job.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:21 AM
I work at a small public library. Most of the patrons are quite nice and fun. A few are a bit challenged in various ways. We have several computers available for use by the public. This lady walked in once, pointed to the computers and asked, 'Are those yours?' I said yes, but I wanted to say, 'No, lady, I got no idea how those got there.'
I love the discount-on-blank-books-on-tape-for-the-deaf-guy idea.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:22 AM
I worked in the music department at Borders in Boston a bunch of years ago, and here's how it would go, every time:
Me (answering phone): Borders Music, this is Joe.
[pause]
Me (sighing, rolling eyes): I'm going down to shoot my old lady...
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 8:23 AM
Joe,
Duh. I don' geddit.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:29 AM
Hey Tripp, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:31 AM
See, he caught her messin' 'round with another man. And that ain't too cool.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 10:32 AM
I worked in the music department at Borders in Boston a bunch of years ago
How many years ago? You didn't happen to know a certain Gregory G., did you?
Posted by My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:11 AM
Brave of Joe never to go down to Mexico.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:14 AM
A quick language usage survey: is it normal or abnormal to describe as "corrupt" a wrongfully-acting non-governmental actor? E.g., Jeffrey Skillings, Armstrong Williams.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:53 AM
Normal, although there are usages in which it wouldn't make sense.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 11:55 AM
"After lying dead in the forest for three weeks before a group of hikers found his body, Jeffrey Skillings was so corrupt that investigators said very little useful forensic evidence could be recovered."
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:03 PM
Thanks Ben. Now I'll never win my argument with J/ack Bal/kin.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:08 PM
That was a surprisingly unsucessful survey, but thanks LB. I am making this comment entirely to get back into most recent comments and hopefully get more answers.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:37 PM
unsuccessful
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:38 PM
It's normal. Otherwise we'd have the bizarre implication that public officials are the only people with integrity to lose.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:43 PM
Is the question whether it is possible to have, for example, a corrupt businessman?
My answer is "yes".
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 12:55 PM
washerdreyer: Absolutely. Those folks had some sort of trust--to the shareholders/corporation and journalism (or the public)--that they betrayed for money.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:09 PM
How many years ago? You didn't happen to know a certain Gregory G., did you?
I don't think so, but it's possible -- I don't remember. This was back in 97-98.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:14 PM
I think his time there was over by then. Anyhoo . . . just thought I'd ask.
Posted by My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 09-23-05 2:21 PM