Life: Idiotropic

Until tonight I'd never been to an NCO induction - a really had a very hazy idea of what an NCO actually was, but still, a nice dinner with friends and a reason to dress up and go out with my husband doesn't happen very often.

NCO stands for "non-commissioned officer" - the upper ranks of the enlisted. Everyone was very dressed up. The military all wore their dress uniforms. The women were almost all wearing black. It was the basic military function... cocktail hour with mingling - always my favorite part, introductions and pomp of various kinds, little speeches, dinner (chicken, potatoes and broccoli - nothing stupendous, but it had flavor), and the never-ending speech by a guy who I'm sure has something to say, but just didn't know how to get to the point and needed serious editing because he could have gone on forever and I think that it seriously pained him to stop at all when he really just wanted to spill every story of his 25 year military career right there in front of us all and neatly tie it together with cute little quips and lessons learned. Get the idea? Yeah... it was painful. But, it was fun to dress up. The dinner was ok. It was great to see friends and to be out with Kirk. And, the highlight for me - really - was the singing.

If I could have recorded it someway, I would have. It was fabulous. Part of the introductory pomp included the color guard. After they posted their colors, and before the twangy off-tune singer painfully belted out the Star Spangled Banner, a German man got up and sung the German national anthem. His voice was like something I'd pay to hear on stage - clean and pure and just beautiful - professional with a hit of operatic flare, but nothing so over-the-top that you'd want to gouge your eye out or anything. And though I've sung the hymn put to that same melody in church, I'd never actually heard the German anthem. It was even the first time that Kirk had ever heard the complete song. Really, it was something special. Next time I'll try to record it.