Threeby Mix Tape: Old School R&B

Brought on by some nostalgia and a great love for the song Lady (You Bring Me Up) by the Commodores, I bring you the Old School R&B Mix. I wanted post-Motown here, not funk, not entirely cool. It's some of the music I grew up with (I grew up with a lot of music), the cheestastic 70s/80s R&B that started with more horns (70s-era) and a post-disco beat, and moved into way more synth use. This is the type of music that is most often sampled in hip hop. As always, if you like this music, go buy it. The real versions are much better than what I can find to show you here:

1. Lady (You Bring Me Up) (The Commodores) - This is such a friggin happy song. The Commodores are that later 70s early 80s kind of group that used horns brilliantly.

2. September (Earth, Wind & Fire) - Can't have this kind of mix without E,W&F. Again with the horns. This song can sound more like muzak these days, but listen carefully, it's got a serious groove in there.

3. Get Down On It (Kool & the Gang) - Horns + Synth. Transition.

4. I Feel for You (Chaka Khan) - Welcome to the 1980s. Chaka Khan. Ch-Ch-Chaka Khan. You came a long way (from Rufus), baby.

5. Jungle Love (The Time) - O-wee-o-wee-oh! The closest I'll come to Prince on this list. Yes, I adore Prince, but he's in his own category. It wouldn't let me embed, but it's a good version, btw, worth going to the link.

6. Looking for a New Love (Jodi Wately) - Ah, synth bass. Synth horns. Synth drums. Together at last. Awesome. It's still a great song that had Fourby grooving. Don't You Want Me is also pretty darn synthy-cool.

7. Sensitivity (Ralph Tresvant)/If It Isn't Love (New Edition)/Let's Chill (Guy)/My, My, My (Johnny Gill)/Whip Appeal (Babyface) - These are pretty close to the same song - not in lyrics, exactly - but in feel. The Oh, Baby, Baby genre. Sensitivity is probably my favorite, but all I could find was some crazy remix. This is a trend, you can't get a normal mid-tempo Whitney Houston song without some crazy attempt to make it cooler by adding a house beat - which doesn't help, it only seems sad.

8. You Mean the World to Me (Toni Braxton)/Someday (Mariah Carey)/You Give Good Love (Whitney Houston) - The girl version of the Oh, Baby, Baby song.

9. Casanova (Levert) - I played this song a gagillion times in high school. Spare on instrumentation, but some awesomely bad synth. And Leverts, which should count for something.

10. Wishing Well (Terence Trent D'Arby) - Definite synth, but he was this cool little subset of funky, rocky R&B. Wish he had had more hits.

11. Every Little Step (Bobby Brown) - What? WHAT?? Hey, I came thisclose to putting Tenderoni on here, people.

12. The Blues (Tony! Toni! Tone!) - Tough call between this one and Feels Good, but this had an original (without some new bass track) available. You start to hear better, smoother synthetic instrumentation here.

14. Magic (Robin Thicke) - the natural progression. As opposed to like John Legend, Janelle Monae, Cee Lo, or Beyonce, who are drawing more from the 60s and Prince/rock. Which is awesome, but not so much an outgrowth of 70s/80s R&B.

Romney = Kerry

Just floating the concept. Will flesh it out as we go.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Fourby helping Threeby share her chapstick.

2011: The Year that Shut Me Up (a bit)

2011 was a hell of a year: huge amounts of transition, lots of family business, and very little time to reflect.

There were good parts to that: moving back to America, being closer to friends and family, etc...

But the year seemed to move at light speed, and with a great deal of stress, and I spent so much time trying to make things as positive as possible for the kids that I just had no time for the kind of thought and reflection necessary to write anything I thought was worth reading.

I am trying to start 2012 on a different note.

I have been thinking a bunch, so I may even have some things to write...

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Fourby tries out the American playground.

Threeby creating some wind in his hair.

Fourby and Threeby looking for Daddy at the windows.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Fourby and her ice cream...

Big Brother Threeby is a tad bit neater.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Threeby Mix Tape: Walk This Way Edition

So I was trying to decide between a mix on hair metal or 80s/90s rap, and finally I decided: why choose?

So in honor of the 1986 Walk This Way collaboration that brought both Run DMC and Aerosmith in so many people's lives, I give you the Walk This Way Mix Tape.

Most of these are cheesy. But give cheese a chance. And as always, go buy these if you like them. I'll give you some videos/links so you know the songs I'm talking about:









Walk This Way (Run DMC & Aerosmith) - gotta start with the inspiration. This was an early crossover rap song, and it helped bring rap to way more white kids, but for many of us it was also our first exposure to Aerosmith. When I first saw the video I thought Aerosmith was a group of actors they had hired to be cheesy rock stars. Somehow Aerosmith fell between Mom's and my generation of music... until this song.




I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (A Tribe Called Quest) - Man these guys are still awesome. There was more of a story-telling vibe in some popular rap back then - a Johnny Cash kind of feel that I don't hear much anymore.




Love and Affection (Nelson) - whatever, don't hate. This is a good song. Yes, these are Ricky Nelson's pretty, goofy progeny. But a good song is a good song, darnit.




No Nose Job (Digital Underground) - Yeah, The Humpty Dance is more of a classic, but I like this song better. Better message, too :-)




Cherry Pie (Warrant) - this is one of those songs that I hate myself for liking. Great song, melodically, but just an objectifying pile of junk from a feminist perspective. I dealt with this by using it in a play I did as a Brechtian device (and boy, did that ever sound pretentious). But it's still a catchy song. Just close your eyes and don't let the kids memorize it or watch the video.




Expression (Salt n Pepa) - This is one of my favorite songs of all time. And a good counter to Cherry Pie.




You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi) - This is about as hair band as a video and song get. What I love about the video is that rather than it being a big old bootyfest as so many hair band videos were, it's basically a celebration of live music, and a band who is just loving their own music. And explain to me how Jon Bon Jovi has not aged at all in 25 years??




Me, Myself and I (De La Soul) - Ah, the 60's-vibe rap song. God bless it. If you don't move to this song, check your pulse.




Panama (Van Halen) - I love me some David Lee Roth. He's just a scenery-chewing fool. He's got mad presence. We're talking Robin Williams level of stage presence. The song is pretty great, too.




Parents Just Don't Understand (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince) - Yes, kids, Will Smith started out as a great big cheese ball. I miss that guy.




Dude Looks Like a Lady (Aerosmith) - Quintessential 80's Aerosmith song.




It's Tricky (Run DMC) - "When I wake up people take up mostly all of my time..."




I'm Bad (LL Cool J) - I'm about to break the rhythm because I get so into old school rap. And I simply cannot do a rap mix without my man LL. Just much more interesting (less violent, wittier) writing than current popular rap. So many great lines from this song, but here's one of my faves: "I'm notorious, I'll crush you like a jelly bean."




Ain't too Proud to Beg (TLC) - One more for the ladies. More female rap I say.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Threeby Mix Tape: Goodbye and Hello Edition, Part Two

So we're still in the process of moving, but for the first time in about a month, I have a few minutes between things I'm supposed to be doing for the transition and taking care of Threeby and Fourby.

Now, bear with me, I don't have most of my music or my own computer with me, so this is a mix tape based on what's in my head, rather than my entire repertoire. And as always, I'm giving you clips or links so you know which songs I'm talking about - if you like these songs, go buy them. Awesomeness deserves monetary reward.

• You Dropped a Bomb on Me (The Gap Band) - I was going to use Early in the Morning, but then I decided I love this song so much more I needed to use it instead. I in no way mean any political commentary by this song.
  
  
  

• 500 Miles (The Proclaimers)
  

• We R Who We R (Ke$ha) - She had me at "got Jesus on my neckluz-uz-uz."
  

• Raise Your Glass (Pink) - this is on here because it's currently Fourby's favorite song, courtesy of Glee.

• All through the Night (Ella Fitzgerald)

• Break My Stride (Matthew Wilder) - this is the funniest clip ever. I loved Solid Gold.

• I've Been Everywhere (Johnny Cash)
  

• Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (Bob Dylan) - did I mention I'm at my mom's house?

• Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) - he's such a badass. I'm gonna go on pretending I Just Called to Say I Love You doesn't exist.

• I'm Coming Out (Diana Ross) - seriously fabulous entrance even though though hundreds of teddy bears gave their arms for this coat. Segues into lame The Boss song about halfway through.

• Born This Way (Lady Gaga) - it just goes here. BTW what happened to Victoria Jackson? She used to be funny. Now she's just mean. Oh, and yes, Madonna, blah blah, it's still a catchy - if derivative - song.
  

• One Thing Leads to Another (The Fixx)

• Reach Out, I'll Be There (The Four Tops)

• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2 and Bruce Springsteen in this one)
  

• My Blue Heaven (Lena Horne)
  
  
  
  

Special Wednesday Dose of Cute

Threeby Mix Tape: Goodbye and Hello Edition, Part One

This mix tape is so awesome it spills over into the next mix tape. It's about goodbyes and hellos. Since we're under a week until stage one of our big move, that's basically what our life is about right now.

It's nice in a week of 20-things-at-once to take a music break. It's been a lovely pause, and I gotta tell you, Fourby has some great taste in music - she dances when she likes a song and has been helping me choose. Right now she's crooning along to Madonna, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

As always, I'm giving you clips/links of some songs so you know which songs I'm talking about and get a taste of the awesomeness. You should go buy this stuff if you like it, because the clips I can find are never as good as the original music.

Not doing as much commentary as usual, because, well, 20 things I should be doing right now...

• Movin' Right Along (Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear)

• Beat It (Michael Jackson)

• Better Already (Northern State)

• Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve)

• Borderline (Madonna)

• Breakin' Up (Rilo Kiley)

• Drive (Incubus)

• Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Elvis Presley)

• Hold On! I'm A Comin' (Sam & Dave)

• From Me to You (The Beatles)

• Come Fly with Me (Frank Sinatra)

• Dashboard (Modest Mouse)

• Edge of the Ocean (Ivy)

• From My Heart to Yours (Laura Izibor)

• Get Up 'N' Go (The Ditty Bops)

• Got 'Til It's Gone (Janet Jackson feat. Q-Tip)

• Have Fun, Go Mad (Blair)

• Let's Go (The Cars)

• Get Back (The Beatles)

Top Six Things I Won't Miss About Germany

1. The Winter Weather. And by "winter" I mean from late October through about March. With the exception of a few isolated nice days here and there, those months are cold, overcast and rainy. It's not the cold that's so bad, for me. I loved living in Maine, which has roughly the same cold season, with way more snow. It's the overcast and the rain. It truly does feel like it gives me and my friends some seasonal affective feelings. Maybe if you grow up with it it doesn't bug you. I wonder if you grow up in Southern California (I didn't - Baltimore), you are ruined for every other place?

2. Thinking a Whole Lot About WWII. It's pretty hard for me to escape thinking about the War here. There are the personal reasons: our grandfathers fought in this war, my grandmother used to tell me about waking up as a young woman to read the paper every day to see if people she knew had been killed. I know people who lost relatives in concentration camps. There's the physical reminders: most of the cities here were rebuilt after the War, so it's not like London or Paris or Rome where every other building is very old - and that's something you notice. And of course, it's a part of every tour you take and the history of almost every town you visit. So I think about it. And it's not like I blame modern Germans - even if I were inclined to think that way I was convinced long ago by what Elie Wiesel had to say on that subject that it isn't a good idea. But you just think about it, and how and why it happened, and how we could try to prevent it happening again. And while that's probably a good thing to think about - on occasion - I'll be happy to give those thoughts a rest for awhile.

3. Businesses That Keep Bankers' Hours. Good lord. TD, my friends and I have frequently remarked about how we cannot believe that this country is the economic engine of Europe, yet you cannot buy things unless you show up between one and two on every third Wednesday and know the friggin' password. Okay, not quite that bad, but stores are almost all closed on Sundays, most of them close by about 6pm on weekdays, and if you want medicine and it's a Sunday or after 4 on Saturday you could be (and I have been) running halfway across town to get to the one apotheke (drug store) that is open (they rotate which ones will be open when the majority of them are closed). And because of this state of affairs, Saturday at any store is a zoo. God forbid you should need to go to the grocery store or IKEA on a Saturday.

Notes to Germany: Look, I am a pro-labor person, but come on. A) You are making things very difficult for families in which even one person works - let alone two people, and B) You could be making SO much more money if you would be the slightest bit more accommodating of, you know, consumers.

An anecdote about the American business model: We went to Florida this past summer. Threeby had jet lag and was wide awake at 3am, but Fourby and I were exhausted. So the very kind TD took Threeby to the Walmart within a mile of the hotel. It was open. Threeby ran around the aisles and TD bought stuff. Lots of stuff. Because it was open, and he could. There are things I don't like about Walmart and America's "the customer is always right, workers are lucky to have a job" mentality. 24-hour service, where it is reasonable (i.e. where there are lots of customers, and it's profitable, and the workers are treated well), is one of the things I like. I'm gonna go to CVS in the middle of the night when I get back. On a Sunday. Because I can.

4. The Food.

• The Good: Yes, the Germans can do a bratwurst like nobody's business. The beer cannot be beat, and they have excellent white wines for cheap prices. I like spaetzle. They do a way better, vinegar-based potato salad than the American kind (read: full of mayo). And on occasion, I like a good schnitzel. But after awhile, you feel as though you are sinking under the weight of that food. They do have a lot more organic ("Bio," here) food choices in grocery stores than in America, and I suspect (though I've never checked) that their "bio" classification has stricter standards than the "organic" label has in the States.

• They have a fascination with yogurts and puddings - huge sections of every grocery store are devoted to them (my mom loves that about them) - that I don't understand.

• Most of the baked goods are stale-tasting even when fresh. The breads are where you notice this the most. On a similar note: don't ever buy any kind of tortilla chips here.

• And I'll say it: I simply don't get the white asparagus fascination they have. Green asparagus just tastes better to me. I do like that they have a season when asparagus and strawberries are celebrated and fresh - it's sort of a wilder, more intense version of how in the mid-atlantic you see corn, tomato, and crab stands sprout up everywhere (especially by the side of the road) once they come in season. Cannot wait for that this year.

• In the ordering in/dining out realm: you can find a pretty darn good Indian restaurant here, and we've scoped out some good Thai food, but there are several types of international cuisine that are simply absent in any recognizably good form here. One of our frequented ordering in options is called: La Dolce Vita China Express. They have: Mexican, "American," Indian, German, English, Thai, and Chinese food. Most of it is okay, none of it is very good. Ordering "Mexican" or "Chinese" food here is sad. One time a friend ordered "chicken empanadas" at a respectable restaurant, only to receive chicken nuggets. I'd rate the average mexican food here at sub-Taco Bell. Most chinese and thai food includes large amounts of green beans. The best we've been able to come up with as an explanation for this is maybe they are considered an alternative to snap peas. Or green beans are cheap and plentiful. And the vast majority of German food - even that labeled spicy/hot (scharf) - is not. I think they either are not used to or don't like very much heat in their food. Don't get me started on pizza. There is one pretty good option, but even that one option is far worse than any of the major pizza chains in the States.

5. The Cheerios as Precious Commodity Syndrome. There are a few things that we have determined we cannot live without, even though it is difficult/impossible to get them here: Cheerios, infants' Tylenol and Ibuprofen, English-language children's and adult books, reasonably-priced children's shoes, etc. These few things have filled our suitcases when we have travelled back and forth, we've begged people who come to visit us to bring them, we've given amazon.co.uk more money than we should have - it's become a way of thinking. I've told TD he will have to periodically remind me that I can always go get things tomorrow so that I don't end up over-buying things when we get back due to this mindset.

6. Being Far Away from Most of Our Friends and Family.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Songs on My Mind Today

Dude, seriously?

I would write a litany of the things going wrong right now, but it's whiny and stupid. So instead, I'll try to channel my pain into finding the right song to express it.

I will say - as a side note while I'm mulling - that one upside of being stuck wide awake coughing in the middle of the night is having the time to find a good podcast: Scientific American's 60-Second Science. The episodes are like reading an Economist-length scientific article for non-scientists who are still interested in science. With less guilt. Because The Economist can make you feel like the world is falling apart, whereas some of these were funny or really interesting.

Okay, back to music.

Hmm... It's the End of the World as We Know It (REM)? No, but it's a good starting point.

Ooh. That got me closer.

Running to Stand Still (U2). That's too pretentious for my personal situation (the song is not pretentious, it's good, but using it in relation to me would be pretentious), but it's definitely helping the headache and the title is right.

Okay, now moving into a mood thing rather than a theme thing. So the winning song is Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police - this is not the best version, but it will do until you go buy the original like good little boys and girls).

Aw. Fourby is definitely my daughter. She started dancing when I put The Police on.

An Ode to Julian Bond

Julian Bond is awesome: for being a life-long civil rights activist who has a sense of humor and also a sense of universal equality.

Just one quote of my favorite part:

Civil rights are positive legal prerogatives — the right to equal treatment before the law. These are rights shared by everyone; there is no one in the United States who does not — or should not — share in enjoying these rights. Discrimination is wrong no matter who the victim is. We cannot move toward full human rights protection and opportunity without confronting — and ending — homophobia. For it is homophobia that is at the root of denying the freedom to marry to gays and lesbians.

Threeby Mix Tape: Kids' Music That Doesn't Make You Want to Gouge Your Ears Out Edition

So kids' music. Much of it is intolerable to me. That stuff they sell as Kidz Bop (popular music, as sung by a chorus of little kids)? Awful, awful stuff. So since Threeby was born I have had two strategies on the subject:

1) Play my music, to see which songs he (now they) like(s), and incorporate those special songs in their own ever-growing playlist (well, two lists, if you include the list of our music I created when I went through all of it to find songs that are capable of being lullabies - soft and melodic); and

2) Search out children's artists/songs that I actually like enough to be subjected to, multiple times ("again! again! again!"), on a regular basis.

This mix is about strategy #2.

I'm going to focus on giving you artists/compilations, and I'll pick out a representative song or two that show why we like them. A bit different than my other mixes, but as per usual, you should go buy these songs if you like them so that your ears live long and prosper. (Man, I've been with TD a long time if I'm dropping any Star Trek references.)

• Sesame Street - The classics are the classics for a reason. Among their very best: Dance Myself to Sleep, The entire Bert and Ernie Sing-Along album, The Opposite Song (Chrissy and the Alphabeats), Everybody Wash, I've Got Two, Count It Higher (Chris Lennon and the Alphabeats this time), The People in Your Neighborhood, Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange), C Is for Cookie, Rubber Duckie, Dee Dee Dee, 'J' Friends, L - La La La, P - My Favorite Letter, and No Matter What Your Language.

• They Might Be Giants - TMBG has made a serious transition to kids' music. It's a solid fit for them. There are several albums. If you like their old (ostensibly adult) music, you'll probably prefer Here Comes Science (TD and I do). Also worth a listen are Here Come the 123s and Here Come the ABCs. They have video versions of 123s and Science that are pretty fun (and Threeby-approved, except How Many Planets? - which has been deemed "scary"). A few songs to try out: My Brother the Ape (Threeby's fave), Meet the Elements, Science Is Real, I Am a Paleontologist, Why Does the Sun Shine?, and of course Why Does the Sun Really Shine?

• Schoolhouse Rock - The classics are the classics for a reason. You can get the video versions on DVD (and some of them on iTunes), and there are audio versions available on CD or download all over. Our faves include: Elbow Room, Interjections! (Threeby's fave), Conjunction Junction, I'm Just a Bill, I've Got Six, Interplanet Janet, The Energy Blues, The Preamble, The Body Machine, Mr. Morton, A Victim of Gravity, No More Kings, and The Shot Heard 'Round The World. Note: The videos usually don't have the annoying captioning that's on this one:

• Barenaked Ladies - These guys need to step it up and put out another kids' album. They put out Snacktime! which is awesome, and a couple of individual songs on compilation albums (For the Kids and For the Kids Three!), but - much like TMBG - they are good at this, and should do more of it. Our faves: La La La La Lemon, The Other Day I Met a Bear, 7 8 9, and Crazy ABCs. And for what it's worth, Threeby is convinced that If I Had a Million Dollars is a song made for him.

• Trout Fishing in America - Just fun, good, largely original music for kids and families. The best ones: The Window, My Hair Had a Party Last Night, 18 Wheels on a Big Rig, and What I Want Is a Proper Cup of Coffee.

• Victor Johnson - Country Blues for Kids is the name of our favorite album of his - it's self-explanatory, but the guy just has a lovely way about him. I love his voice. Our faves include: Wheels on the Bus, I Love to See You Smile, You Are My Sunshine, and Old Macdonald.

• Elizabeth Mitchell - Lovely voice, mostly quiet-time music. Our faves are: Little Liza Jane, and Stop and Go (with Lisa Loeb - Threeby won't let me stop playing this song right now).

• Frank McConnell - I stumbled across Frank McConnell one day when I was desperately searching for some good, easy-for-kids-to-understand versions of classic kids' songs. That's exactly what he does, and he's charming. Go ahead and buy the whole Oats and Beans and Barley Grow album. It's cheap and it's got great versions of If You're Happy and You Know It, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and a bunch of other (37!) necessary songs for young children. Sadly, I can't find a video of him.

• Caspar Babypants - this is Chris Ballew from the Presidents of the United States of America (remember Lump?). We love (Threeby gets on a roll where he demands repeat playings for long periods) Dog Gone Gone Dog Gone and Run Baby Run (prepare your house for lots of toddler activity before you play this one). The whole More Please! album is pretty great. Here's his Itsy Bitsy Spider:

• Yo Gabba Gabba Music Is Awesome - Lovely Love My Family (The Roots) is a great song. The Roots is another group that should do more kids' music. There is a void they could fill. If you don't mind the seriously ear-wormic nature of these bad boys (repetition and rote learning are cornerstones of the Yo Gabba Gabba experience), they can be catchy. Try It, You'll Like It, and Hey, Won't Somebody Come and Play are fun.

• The Laurie Berkner Band - She's popular for a reason. I don't love all of the songs, and they can get a tad bit repetitive, but the ones we do listen to we listen to a whole lot:Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz), My Family, I Know a Chicken, ABCD Medley (Threeby loves singing this one), Pig on Her Head. Sorry, the sound quality is way better than the video quality on this clip, but it's better - musically - than the others that are clearer:

• Dan Zanes - Funky (slightly weird?) dude, that Dan Zanes. Collaborates with a bunch of cool people, has done several kids' albums, and some of his songs are really wonderful, folky songs. We like Erie Canal (with Suzanne Vega), Sloop John B, Blow Ye Winds in the Morning, Walking the Dog, and Water for the Elephants.

• Raffi - The guy is prolific, but some of his songs are more fun than formulaic: Baby Beluga, Apples & Bananas, This Little Light of Mine, Shake My Sillies Out, and the Rhonda Vincent Country Goes Raffi version of Bananaphone are popular in this house.

• The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides - Our faves are Don't Wipe Your Face on Your Shirt and Crazy Daisy (Threeby LOVES both of these).

• John Lithgow - Lithgow is a bit of a natural, basically he's a guy with an ability to chew scenery, even on an album. He's done two kids' albums. His version of I Had a Rooster is an instant classic, and his Swinging on a Star is pretty great, too.

• Songs for Wiggleworms - One of the first songs both Threeby and Fourby sang along to is the version of If All of the Raindrops on this album. It's a sweet album.

• Some Classic Albums We Like: Free to Be You and Me (Marlo Thomas and Friends), Really Rosie (Carole King), Stories and Songs for Little Children (Pete Seeger), The Johnny Cash Children's Album (Johnny Cash), and various and sundry Disney show tunes.

• A Few One-Off Songs We Like: Red Means Stop (Mr. Heath), The Happy Island Song (Mike Soloway), Nine Planets (Justin Roberts), Hot Chocolate (Recess Monkey), Potato Chips (Slim Gaillard - Jazz for Kids), Jungle Gym (Jack Johnson), Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me (Sweet Honey and the Rock), and A Frog Named Sam (Ben Rudnick and Friends).

Top Ten Things I'll Miss About Germany

So at the almost-ten-days-left mark, it seems appropriate to spend a minute or two thinking about the things I/we will miss about Germany.

In no particular order, I/we will miss:

• The public transit;

• Living on a river;

• The incredibly short work-commute for Threeby and Fourby's Dad;

• The incredibly green choices Gemany has made - wide-spread and publicly-funded use of green energy, crazy amounts of recycling requirements on both businesses and individuals, fantastic, plentiful, and well-maintained bike and hiking paths and parks, etc.;

• The (relative) ease of traveling to cool places in Europe - for people with 2 small kids, we've done okay by ourselves on that front;

• The mostly mother-and-kid-centric (versus litigation-avoidance-centric) way people have their babies here;

• Living in a city without feeling claustrophobic and constantly on-guard;

• Having a really good excuse to be home with the kids and not furthering my career (it's illegal for me to work here);

• The friends we've made here; and

• Threeby and Fourby's Dad getting some great and interesting work opportunities that were maybe easier here.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Threeby and Fourby are at an age where they are actually starting to play together and interact more. They have made up a couple of their own games, and Fourby is frequently - and to extremely cute effect - copying her brother. So we get the (seriously) adorable 1-year-old "tantrum," the following-big-brother-around game, and the shrieking/zrbting back-and-forth-to-make-your-sibling-laugh game, to name a few. We do try to discourage the both-kids-spin-around-until-seriously-dizzy-and-then-fall-down-game.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

Special Fourby is one tomorrow edition...

Fourby, just born.

Threeby telling Fourby about his favorite amphibians.

Fourby, big girl.

Threeby Mix Tape: U-S-A Edition

Trying to convince myself to pack on a snow day when I have both kids all day. So I'm going to try a USA mix to get a bit more energy than I have right now...

Whoa. This is hard. Do I go with songs about America, or the States, or the cities? Do I go with songs I think of as quintessentially American? Genres or styles that are American? Songs that could only have been made in America? My initial glance through my music yielded 164 songs.

Hmm. As usual, I'm gonna go with what I feel like listening to this morning. So it'll just be a mixture of the above...

Whew, down to 55. Rough. Cut out a lot of the newer stuff, because I'm feeling nostalgic....

Alright, world's longest mix tape. 26. Couldn't, just couldn't pare it down anymore without bleeding. As always, go buy this stuff if you like it. It's your patriotic duty. Or something.

1. The Star Spangled Banner (Jimi Hendrix) - starts at 0:55, ends at 4:37 or so...

2. God Bless America (the Kate Smith original)

3. This Land Is Your Land (Peter, Paul & Mary)

4. Thank God I'm a Country Boy (John Denver)

5. Jumpin' at the Woodside (Count Basie & Oscar Peterson)

6. Wouldn't It Be Nice (The Beach Boys) - link to more interesting video...

7. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' (Gordon MacRae - Oklahoma Soundtrack)

8. I'm Walking (Fats Domino)

9. Ramblin' Man (The Allman Brothers)

10. Don't Fence Me In (David Byrne) - awesome song, strange Byrnian video, I suggest not looking at it while you play it, you'll appreciate the song more:

11. America (Simon & Garfunkel)

12. Respect (Aretha Franklin)

13. Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z and Alicia Keys)

14. Sesame Street Theme (The Kids)

15. Good Morning Baltimore (Lon Hyt & Marisa Jaret Winokur is my fave, the link is to the London production, Leanne Jones, I think)

16. Graceland (Paul Simon)

17. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band)

18. California (Joni Mitchell)

19. Viva Las Vegas (Elvis Presley)

20. Flash Light (Parliament - originally, but then Parliament Funkadelic, sometimes P-Funk, etc.) - I think this is some of Parliament, but not George Clinton in this clip. As with the Allman brothers, these guys like to groove so it's pretty long.

21. Holiday (Madonna) - Little USA shout-out at the end if you hang in...

22. Let's Go Crazy (Prince) - no other country could produce Madonna or Prince.

23. I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones)

24. Uptown Girl (Billy Joel)

25. Jump (Van Halen) - come on, David Lee Roth. He's so American it hurts.

26. Tomorrow Reprise (with Cabinet) (Andrea McArdle & Cast - Annie Soundtrack) - yeah, the video on this one's just not happening from Germany. Another reason to be happy I'm packing.