I had tried to be explicit in my "tell us what you like"-section and maybe even a bit provocative. I mentioned classical music (especially the works of Gustav Mahler) and literature (H Hesse and J Kerouac, classics), mostly because i was really excited about it.

My SS had sent me a few anonymous messages via the exchange site and I got really ueber excited (stuff like "almost through with the Mahler symphonies" and "I promise it will be better than insert object I looked at on amazon here, revealing that this guy really looked into me, which, to be fair, was exactly what I was asking for".

The gift itself was a DVD entitled "Gustavo Dudamel: Los Angeles Philharmonic — The Inaugural Concert" and a little cube puzzle from the Walt Disney concert hall. At first, this made little sense to me and I was a little disillusioned, however, my SS had mentioned that a certain letter, which he couldn't send physically with the gift, was a crucial part of it and that he would send it electronically instead once I'd mention my package had arrived. I had done so, but hadn't received a reply for a few days. Then it came. I must say, it changed everything. I haven't felt so touched in a while. The letter said:

"Sorry for the delay in my response. I've been in the mountains and have had no internet access. Here is the letter that was to be included: Dearest Hugaramadingdong, You will find enclosed in this package my attempt to provide you a gift that combines your interests, my loves, a bit of Germany, and a bit of the City of Angels. I’ll admit I know less about Dadaism and classical music than I know about most, but I felt like before I could settle on a gift I would need to learn about your objects of desire. I started with Mahler, and it left a far greater impact than I could have expected. There is expediency in his pieces that fit nicely with my life at this time. I was captivated by it. I took it one step further and went to the local art museum and listened to Symphony No. 9 while walking through the exhibits with De Stijl’s work. I see why you are fascinated by it. I went to a Joan Miro painting and was transfixed. The music, produced a decade before, and the art were a truly ethereal experience for me. I did not read Hesse. In fact I have a rather sour taste in my mouth remaining from being force fed Siddartha in secondary school. As such, I avoided reading Steppenwolf (outside of its thorough Wikipedia article.) But I love the authors of the beat generation. Kerouac speaks to the undying youth in my heart. On the Road will forever remain on my bookshelf, to be picked up and thumbed through as I grow old and out of touch with its premise but longing for its experience. I love Los Angeles. I’ve been here for less than 5 years but I have fallen in love with it. The bright beaches, the dirty homeless shantytown of Skid Row, the high society at the Disney Concert Hall, and the seedy history all speak to me. As a kid, I loved noir novels. Penned at the same time as the beats of San Francisco, the noir authors of Los Angeles (especially Raymond Chandler) wrote of a world of beautiful women, masculine detectives, drugs, sex, scandal, and a city of glamour and horror. As I grew up, and made my way to this city, the love has persisted. I love the shotty penny-store writing, deliberately unintellectual and approachable. I find it reflects the history of this city. Full of wonder and desperate for acceptance by the masses. Imagine my surprise and excitement when I learned that Gustavo Dudamel, the heralded conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic rose to prominence on the coattails of Mahler’s works. Imagine my even greater surprise to learn his first performance with the LA Phil was a work by American composer John Adams which was inspired by the noir genre of the 40’s and 50’s and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. I found a copy of a DVD recording of the first performance. It, to me, represents a host of times and places. It reflects the changes of the world. And the interconnectivity of it today. A DVD of a performance in LA, by a Venezulan conductor, playing noir and Mahler, sent from a lawyer in America to a philosophy student in Lübeck who have only connected through a joint interest in a news and link aggregation site. How amazing. I hope you enjoy it. The knickknack cube is simply because I like symmetry, the cube was handsome, and the Disney Concert Hall is worth seeing. All the best, Igotsdaknowledge, AKA ***. Auf Wiedersehen meine schöne Ananas."

Igotsdaknowledge gave me the best present ever: the gift of a story between two strangers, strangely connected through the experience of art.

Totally priceless first SS! Thanks, Igotsdaknowledge!