Threeby

Threeby Mix Tape: Old School R&B

2012-01-11T12:53:00.005-05:00

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

2012-01-11T12:51:00.000-05:00

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

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2012-01-10T12:54:00.005-05:00

Fourby helping Threeby share her chapstick.

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

2012-01-05T17:45:00.003-05:00

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

2011-04-19T13:49:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-12T21:49:00.003-04:00

Fourby and her ice cream...

Big Brother Threeby is a tad bit neater.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2011-04-05T10:14:00.002-04:00

Threeby Mix Tape: Walk This Way Edition

2011-03-30T09:56:00.004-04:00

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

2011-03-29T16:54:00.002-04:00

Threeby Mix Tape: Goodbye and Hello Edition, Part Two

2011-03-23T10:21:00.005-04:00

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

2011-03-23T10:12:00.002-04:00

Threeby Mix Tape: Goodbye and Hello Edition, Part One

2011-02-23T03:12:00.009-05:00

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

2011-02-22T02:48:00.012-05:00

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

2011-02-22T02:31:00.003-05:00

Songs on My Mind Today

2011-02-21T11:29:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-16T04:11:00.011-05:00

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

2011-02-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-15T10:21:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-08T02:38:00.003-05:00

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

2011-02-02T03:20:00.003-05:00

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.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2011-02-01T07:05:00.002-05:00

Songs on My Mind Today

2011-01-28T07:33:00.003-05:00

It's a tie:

Lie in Our Graves (The Dave Matthews Band) - like this all-guitar version with Tim Reynolds, though I stop being interested around the 5-minute mark...

...and Martyr (Rusted Root) - this one because I'm trying to stay awake, and it's an awesome, wide-awake-in-the-world kind of song. The first because I'm really tired and I haven't listened to DMB for awhile. I can forget that I like them.

Songs on My Mind Today

2011-01-27T09:32:00.002-05:00

So Threeby is right in the midst of a nap/no nap transition. He probably either needs an earlier bedtime or a brief, early nap. But he fights sleeping (both kids do) like nobody's business. So every day I do a calculation over whether it's worth my while to do the fight over the nap, and for how long, or whether to bundle both kids up, fighting, and throw them in the stroller to brave the crappy weather for a walk and get them to fall asleep that way. OR put up with an increasingly crankier Threeby (usually gets bad around dinner time on no-nap days, and progresses from there), and have him fall asleep soon after dinner.

It's basically too late to start right now, so I have to keep him awake.

But this is all to say, the song on my mind today is Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash).

Threeby Mix Tape: Music to Pack By Edition

2011-01-26T09:37:00.006-05:00

So we're moving back to America, about a month earlier than anticipated. Well, 10 months later, yet a month earlier than most recent estimates.

And packing a family of four poses more challenges than a family of three. Particularly amid the myriad details that are involved in an inter-country move, as well as an inter-country move to a new house. So packing and details will be consuming most non-child-rearing time for probably the next two months. At least. But I'm gonna try to keep up the music and photo parts of this blog in the interim.

Speaking of which, it's mix-tape day. As always, go buy this stuff if you like it. I'll give you a few links/videos to know the songs I'm talking about...

Songs to Pack By:

1. Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles) - especially poignant because Frankfurt excels at rainy, overcast days in the loooong winters here. Yesterday it was raining slush on Fourby and me as we trekked to Threeby's school. Raining slush. I mean, come on.

2. Stuck Like Glue (Sugarland) - Threeby and I are both addicted to this song right now. Fun to sing. Original video better - including Dr. Awesome from Chuck - but can't get it here.

3. Hot N Cold (Katy Perry) - Threeby loves the video, I love the 80s vibe.

4. The Opposite Song (Chrissy & The Alphabeats) - yep, it's Sesame Street. But it is vintage, if that makes you feel cooler when listening to it.

5. Lover (Devendra Banhart) - white boy funk. Yeah, he's part Venezuelan. But I still say it feels like white boy funk.

6. If It Kills Me (From the Casa Nova Sessions - acoustic) (Jason Mraz) - like this version more than the regular one.

7. Everlasting Light (The Black Keys) - need a bit of slow groove after that serious slowness.

8. Sag Drag & Fall (Sid King & the Five Strings) - You do a lot of this while packing.

9. Crumblin' Down (John Cougar Mellencamp)

10. Tumblin' Down (Jenna Andrews) - what?

11. Handle With Care (The Traveling Wilburys) - I never said I wasn't cheesy.

12. Hard to Handle (The Black Crows) - just to make sure you don't fall asleep over your boxes.

13. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (Digable Planets)

14. Get Down On It (Kool & The Gang) - Kool & The Gang aren't appreciated enough. They produced some of the most consistent, groovy, funky music in their era, and the stuff stands up. This is not JT, it's a new singer, but still...

15. It's Your Thing (The Isley Brothers)

16. (Doo Wop) That Thing (Lauryn Hill) - What happened to Ms. Hill? It's like Harper Lee, in that we got one amazing piece of work (the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and To Kill a Mockingbird, respectively), and then...

17. Drift Away (Dobie Gray) - Yes, there is an Uncle Kracker version. It's alright.

...A bit more mellow of a mix than I usually give you, but packing probably needs a bit of mellow to counteract the weird and emotional and detail-y stuff that comes with it.

And yes, I couldn't resist some word play fun.

More later, pack now :-)

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2011-01-25T08:46:00.001-05:00

Make-Up Friday Dose of Cute

2011-01-21T11:54:00.003-05:00

Sorry! It's been a busy couple of weeks.

Understatement.

But more on that later, now, cuteness:

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-12-16T09:05:00.002-05:00

iTunes just added the old Sesame Street albums - the ones you could sit and imagine to - to their collection. This is bigger than the Beatles to me, because it allows me to share that with my kids - that ability to sit and listen and think an imagine.

This is a generation of kids that have entertainment on demand (as long as their parents allow). Full on entertainment, with videos, video games, whole channels programmed to lure them, and on demand TV. In some ways, that's great: no need to explain that Sesame Street isn't on right now, way easier times traveling with young kids due to portable DVD players and ipods, and a wide variety of shows from which to choose (for both you and your kid).

BUT, it's not as vital/immediate a need to teach patience and imagination. That's a long term problem, I imagine.

So here's the "song" I was most waiting for/happiest to buy, maybe I'll do a mix tape on more later: Tiger Hunt, on Ernie's Hits. I'm sorry, there are NO clips of it anywhere.

Threeby Mix Tape: "Guilty Pleasures" Edition

2010-12-15T06:06:00.006-05:00

Hey.

So this mix tape is inspired by The Sing-Off. No, seriously. I love that show. Don't be a snob, watch it, you won't be able to help yourself. Look, even the cool cats at EW like it.

So The Sing-Off just did their "guilty pleasures" show. And it got Kyrie (Mr. Mister) firmly planted in my head.

But since it's mix tape day, I figured I'd try my own list of Guilty Pleasure songs. It's not easy to make me feel guilty, I'm pretty shameless about liking all kinds of music, but here are some songs that I probably wouldn't belt out in a crowded room or play at a party. Well, unless it's a party of my old theater group. They're all just as geeky as I am.

So here you go.

Kyrie (Mr. Mister) - does get my old choir music in my head, but still an awesome piece of music that could only have been made in our cheesiest decade, the 1980s. I'm linking you to the literal video version, because the real video is impossible for me to find in Germany. That, and the literal video version is really funny.

Lady (Styx) - DeYoung has a great voice. And there's the piano. And the guitar. And the harmony, who are we kidding?

Bye Bye Bye (*N SYNC) - a boy band thing. It's inherently embarrassing to be a grown-up and like anything boy band. Though of the boy bands, the Jackson Five and *N SYNC are probably the coolest because of their lead singers later solo work. Yeah, you could argue on New Edition. Speaking of which...

If It Isn't Love (New Edition)

Straight Up (Paula Abdul) - and the Andrew Garcia cover is pretty cool, so it doesn't belong here.

Mercedes Boy (Pebbles) - hard choice between this and Girlfriend. But Mercedes Boy came to my head first. And it has a car starting up at the beginning. So '80s. Seriously cheesy video, too.

I Got My Mind Set on You (George Harrison) - arguably the cheesiest song by a Beatle. Though, yeah, Wings. And Ringo. Okay, I take it back. But the video is really cheesy, too.

Blue Light (Prince) - there are several Prince songs that belong in this category in some ways, though in some ways the dude is so friggin talented and prolific that he defies even the cheesiness he exhibited in the '80s and the extremely sexual nature of some of his songs. And whatever, Tipper, you know Darling Nikki is a great song. Just don't let your kids listen to it until they're old enough.

Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac) - yeah, Clintons, but I loved it as a kid, too.

Xanadu (Olivia Newton John) - I'm a girl. I lived through the '80s. I had cable. And roller skates. And ribbon barrettes. I watched that movie somewhere around 50 bajillion times.

Bette Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes)

Always Be My Baby (Mariah Carey) - really anything by Mariah is something I'm kind of embarrassed to like. But the lady can sing, and her faster songs are usually pretty danceable. Here's the link to the David Cook version, which is awesome, too.

Anything by Hall and Oates. They Rule. But as a representative, Rich Girl.

All She Wants to Do Is Dance (Don Henley) - yeah, he was cool as an Eagle, but I'm sorry, his music as a solo was cheesetastic. Here's one video where he got the Eagles to do it with him. Be forewarned, they dance...

Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant) - dedicated to Eden, who got it stuck in my head.

And to finish it up, Every Little Step (Bobby Brown) - even Wayne Brady likes this song.

Wow, there are a lot of awesomely cheesy songs. I am making myself stop here, but I promise I will do a boy band and a hair metal/glam rock version soon.

You're welcome.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-12-14T07:48:00.004-05:00

So Good King Wenceslas is my favorite carol. Probably not that surprising.

It's surprisingly hard to find a good version of this song, though. Dunno if it's the music or the lyrics - if I had to guess I'd say more the latter. It's got some distinctly un-modern phrasing, the "brightly shone," "hither page...if thou know'st it, telling," etc. That stuff doesn't gel well with the 40s/50s/60s jazzy carol stye.

Here's the second-best one I found, by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney:

And the best, largely for jauntiness:

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-12-14T07:32:00.004-05:00

Fourby making the most of the Christmas Market...

Threeby trimming the almost all-plastic tree (less chance of permanent injury til the kids get older).

Uh oh.

2010-12-10T09:10:00.001-05:00

I think Threeby is trying to figure out a way to get back to America...

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-12-10T02:39:00.002-05:00

Well. The song that has been in my head for a couple of days is Salt n Pepa's "I Don't Know." But apparently iTunes and Germany don't want me to listen to that song.

So instead, I give you a medley of some good, old rap.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-12-09T16:44:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'll say it: I love The Sing-Off. What?

This was my second favorite, even though it's the Whiffenpoofs. Try to ignore the beginning clip, until the song:

And this was... the best.

You can download the series from iTunes if you haven't watched or Tivoed it, but I'm also pretty sure folks in America can watch it on Hulu, too.

And Now for Another Stupid Political Choice by the Homophobes...

2010-12-09T16:35:00.005-05:00

Oooh this makes me so MAD.

DADT is stupid, and the military wants it to end. Only homophobic, short-sighted, JERKS don't want it to end. But to quote somebody who put it better:

Leaders of both parties let down the U.S. military and the American people. Instead of doing what is right, 'the world's greatest deliberative body' devolved into shameful schoolyard spats that put petty partisan politics above the needs of our women and men in uniform.

- Joe Solomonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign

Threeby Mix Tape: Feminism Edition, Part 1

2010-12-08T04:30:00.005-05:00

Yeah, kind of a strange topic for a mix tape. Indulge me, I'll make it work.

This is good stuff. Go buy it. I'll give you a few links/videos so you know the songs...

Born to Fight (Tracy Chapman)

Free to Be You and Me, Boy Meets Girl (Marlo Thomas)

Born at the Right Time (Paul Simon)

It's a Man's Man's Man's World (James Brown)

What It Feels Like for a Girl (Madonna)

U.N.I.T.Y. (Queen Latifah)

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (Aretha Franklin)

Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow)

32 Flavors (Ani Difranco)

Sisters Are Doin It for Themselves (Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox)

It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House (Dinah Shore)

Human Nature (Madonna)

Independent (Salt n Pepa)

Just a Girl (No Doubt)

I've Got a Crush on You (Ella Fitzgerald)

My Blue Heaven (Lena Horne)

Open Your Heart (Madonna)

You Belong with Me (Taylor Swift)

Come On-A My House (Rosemary Clooney)

I Feel Lucky (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

Ray of Light (Madonna)

Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)

See? I told you it would be alright.

RIP Elizabeth Edwards

2010-12-08T02:57:00.007-05:00

Hey.

I'm trying to wrap my arms around why I am so saddened by Elizabeth Edwards' passing.

I think part of it is the over-developed sense of empathy I have whenever I hear about kids facing adversity. I am so very sorry for her kids, who have had so many challenges to face over the last few years.

I am also sorry that she did not have time to complete a new chapter in her life after the colossally selfish behavior of her estranged husband. Edwards was, by all accounts, a very smart, well-educated, interesting woman. I'm not sure I like what it says about our society that she felt that John was the better candidate for public office. I wish that Edwards, like Hillary Clinton, had been able to carve her own second act out of a life that too often rewards self-centered men over talented women.

I think Edwards and Clinton - essentially my mom's generation - have tried their best to carve the beginning of a new path for women. I know it's something my mom has worked on in her life: how do you achieve, use your talents in a world that needs to be taught their value? I think that generation, even more than mine, was taught that women had only a few, well-beaten path options. And the rest of the world was a friggin' thick jungle to try to hack a new path through.

Feminism is a marathon, not a sprint.

I know people like to believe that change happens quickly or with giant steps and then we don't have to worry about it anymore. I think that's probably easier, and it's definitely adaptive: waiting and struggling a long time for each individual constructive societal step forward is distinctly NOT in human nature. This is the thing in humans that wants, desperately, to believe things like: "We have a black president. Boom. Racism is over." Complexity is tiring, and it often means there's a lot more work to be done.

I think the things I have learned from women like my mom and Hillary and Nancy Pelosi and many others is that women can have many things. I hesitate to say "it all" because that term is so very laden with emotion and that kind of over-simplification I was just talking about. BUT women also have a different career/life trajectory than men do - at least right now, at least in this generation. I think part of that is due to society, but part of it is choice, and part of it is nature. Women who bear children are forced to slow down. There are no two ways about it. Even the fittest, most bounce-back-y women in the world must slow down to give birth and recover from it, and to care for the very small, defenseless being who results from that process. Humans are not like horses, they don't stand up a few minutes after birth. Men can care for infants. People can adopt rather than carry a baby. Babies can go into daycare. But having a baby in your house slows you down (I'm so slow from sleeplessness this morning that I keep completely forgetting where I put Threeby's box of cereal, so I've had to stop writing this about 5 times to go look everywhere for it when he wants more), and lots of studies have shown that women still do more of the child-rearing and housework than men, even when everybody works. And many women choose to work less or not work if they have that option once they have kids. Some men do, too. But not many.

So, in general, women take a career hit to have kids. That's okay for most of us. Most of us like the kids we have and consider it a fair trade. But it means that no matter what you women thought going into your career, you will not have the same trajectory that men have if you have kids. The good news is that most kids do well when their moms work, and life is multi-faceted and we get to do lots of things in our lives.

So part of the issue of modern feminism is trying to figure out what "success" looks like and how to make that easier for more women. We clearly aren't in an equal society (You think we are? Okay, go look at comparative pay and assets over a lifetime and look at women's representation in American government and the top levels of every profession and then let's have that discussion). But we are living here and now, and change takes a long time, so how do we carve out lives in a sometimes hostile environment that are what we want them to be?

I don't have those answers. (I don't even have the answers for Fourby, who is badly teething, but also very tired because her teething has kept her from sleeping well for days, so she just wants me to hold her constantly, while remaining very quiet and still. We are trying a stroller-sleep compromise. I am cautiously hopeful.) I don't think anybody does, and I'm not willing to put that onus on anybody, no matter how capable any given woman is. But I do think, looking at women like Clinton, Pelosi, Toni Morrison, Madonna, etc. that maybe if you can take a long view, you might just be able to peak later or have kids later and on balance do the things that you want to do in life. Or at least have a very full life.

I hope that Elizabeth Edwards had that. She certainly has a beautiful family who love her, and she said a lot of important, thoughtful things about health care that contributed to a still-lively debate on that subject.

Elizabeth Edwards

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March to Keep Fear Alive

Songs and Stuff on My Mind Today

2010-12-07T10:35:00.004-05:00

Dude. I am so very tired (I know, a running theme, but hopefully it will improve next week), but I am also reading twenty kinds of provocative news:

The Wikileaks guy is a bad man and should be in jail, and I agree with Joe Lieberman (gasp) that everybody who is helping him in any way should stop. Go credit card companies.

Elizabeth Edwards is so sick they are stopping treating her. I feel so badly for her kids. What a sucky couple of years they've had.

The tax cut deal sucks, and I'll say so. I'm not sure how the President gets to blame rank and file House and Senate members on that one. It's the bully pulpit for a reason. If you don't know enough about the tax cut deal, here's a good rundown.

And man, would it be a shame if Hillary's political career were over.

And WHY can I not get Valerie (Amy Winehouse) out of my head? It's like Glee specializes in creating and re-invigorating ear worms. They weren't even ear worms until Glee got to them - see e.g. Hey, Soul Sister, which was a stupid song, until Glee got their mitts on it, and now I find myself humming that mess (won't sing it, because the lyrics are so stupid).

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-12-07T04:52:00.004-05:00

Get Right (Jennifer Lopez) is a good dance song. The video does not do much to showcase J. Lo's acting skills. In fact, the only movie I've ever seen her in where she actually acted was Out of Sight. That was also the last time I saw her have any chemistry with anybody. But honestly, you'd have to be dead to not have chemistry with George Clooney. He really does have the feel of Cary Grant. But back to the song. It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it. Honestly, the version featuring Fabolous is the one I like better. Less extraneous stuff, better beat. Not the strongest voice, but she's a good dancer, and very pretty, which I guess helps the video?

Jennifer Lopez - Get Right | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-12-07T04:46:00.003-05:00

awwww...

We Return You

2010-12-07T04:45:00.001-05:00

...to your regularly scheduled program.

Sorry, hard drive failure.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-25T06:26:00.002-05:00

Manic Depression (Jimi Hendrix)

Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.

2010-11-24T18:32:00.002-05:00

It doesn't feel like schadenfreude, it feels like justice.

Threeby Mix Tape: Sledgehammer Edition

2010-11-24T04:14:00.006-05:00

I woke up this morning, and I felt like Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner had just hit me on the head with a sledgehammer (it was a long night alone with the sick kids - Threeby's Dad is on a business trip). Copious amounts of coffee later, and I'm starting to come to, and those darn animated stars are starting to subside.

So this time my theme is basically that feeling - super-tired, overly caffeinated, out of it. No long disclaimer this time: go buy this stuff, if you like it. Giving you some videos/links so you know the songs I'm talking about.

Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel) - you can't start a Sledgehammer mix tape without Sledgehammer.

One (Blake's Got a New Face) (Vampire Weekend)

So Far Away (Dire Straits)

The Slant/The Diner (Ani Difranco)

Radio GaGa (Queen)

I Love New York (Madonna)

Love to Hate You (Erasure)

Minimum Wage (They Might Be Giants)

Two More Years (Bloc Party) - depressing video, great song:

Dog Days Are Over (Florence + the Machine)

End of the Line (The Traveling Wilburys)

Land of Confusion (Genesis) - the video is so deliciously cold war:

Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)

Your Racist Friend (They Might Be Giants)

Bruises (Chairlift)

Don't Come Around Here No More (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)

Naked Eye (Luscious Jackson)

I'm Goin' Down (Bruce Springsteen)

Ex-Girlfriend (No Doubt)

The Fear (Lily Allen) - couldn't find a good version of the "clean" edit, so there's a bit of swearing...

Yeah, that's a fine mix tape. If I do say so myself.

...and finally, "Nobody leaves this place without singing The Blues."

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-23T03:54:00.003-05:00

This is really the song on the kids' minds...

Rock and Roll All Nite (Kiss)

Whereas the song on MY head is I'm Not Sleeping (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy).

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-11-23T03:46:00.005-05:00

Fourby trying to wake up her brother by grabbing his foot.

"What?... I'm the baby, gotta love me!"

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-22T07:01:00.003-05:00

Croup, times two. Gray and rainy and cold and windy. Sigh. It's gonna be a long week.

So a two-fer:

Umbrella (way easier to find the Glee version on video right now, but the Rihanna version is in my head)...

and Lay Down Sally (Eric Clapton) - yes, that's Mark Knopfler in this version.

The Sarah Palin Fan Club

2010-11-21T11:15:00.005-05:00

This video of Barbara Bush neatly dismissing Sarah Palin had me wondering just how many respected conservatives have done so...

Here's George Will:

Here's Spencer Bachus claiming Palin is to blame for Rs not winning the Senate as well as the House.

Peggy Noonan called her a nincompoop.

Funnyman W thinks Palin is "unqualified, lost the election for McCain."

An unintentionally funny Karl Rove talking about Palin lacking the necessary "gravitas" for the president gig.

Then there's a secret Moral Majority over in the GOP leadership looking to stop her, according to unnamed sources at Politico...

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-19T07:40:00.003-05:00

Sick Threeby, long week, tired.

Train in Vain (The Clash)

Girl Stuff: Disney Edition

2010-11-18T03:23:00.006-05:00

My family loves Disney.

Seriously.

So I get these emails from Disney all the time, and I put up with it because sometimes they send out serious deals for Disney vacation stuff.

And today the email was letting me know I can buy Disney Park stuff online at the Disney Store's website. It was particularly aiming at Christmas stuff, and we are steadily growing our own family collection of xmas stuff, so I clicked. And in between the morning stuff of sick Threeby and super-grabby/move-y Fourby, I found fun stuff and disturbing stuff.

Preface: I like Disney. Pre-disposed from my family, but I also genuinely love the parks and the movies and the whole deal.

My one big problem (a smaller problem is I am sad about the lack of girl characters in Pixar films, but that's for another day), and it's been a growing problem recently, is the crazed Princessification kick they've been on. I get that it makes them loads of money, but I think it follows a general trend in recent years of hyper-gender-stereotyping of children. I think it's worse now than it was in the 70's, with a few notable exceptions.

I'm picking on Disney because I love Disney, and because Disney is so powerful in the market of ideas, kids, and family entertainment. And maybe because they have been so good in certain areas (giving gay partners benefits even despite a long-term Baptist boycott, increasing the diversity of their characters and stories, going green - to an extent), I don't understand why this isn't one of them.

So to highlight my princessification concerns, I bring you the 10 Most Disturbing Products I found on the Disney Store Website. I tried to ignore the princess-y dress-up stuff, dolls, etc. because I'm not saying there isn't a place in the toy and play lexicon for fantasy and fun and even princesses. Just not crazy princessification:

The Toddler Disney Princess Mini-Pin Set -

Deluxe Belle Slippers (never too early for your first heels, apparently) -

Deluxe Cinderella Nightgown (this reminds me of Barney's Suit PJs on How I Met Your Mother)-

My First Disney Princess Doll - Baby Ariel -

Tiara Ear Hat Disney Princess Ornament (nothing says Christmas like a tiara) -

Disney Princess Magical Talking Vanity -

Disney Princess Deluxe Talking Kitchen -

Princess and Me Canopy Bed Set -

My First Disney Princess Play Set -

AND

Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Doll (for entirely non-Princessification reasons) -

Seriously, is this the 1950's and nobody told me?

I will say this is on-trend for toys. If you go to any toy store/store-with-toys there are clearly-demarcated girl- and boy-aisles, and the girl ones are all pink and purple and have enlightened toys like play kitchens, play vacuums, play bride sets, play baby sets, and play fashion and make-up sets. The boys get legos and knex and action figures. The most appalling toy I have ever seen is this one:

OH! It has an equally-appalling counterpart!

These are great, basic Fisher Price toys (a company I usually love for their excellent toys) that typically can be used to work on colors and shapes with very small (6 months and up) babies. But apparently girls need only know shades of pink and purple.

Threeby Mix Tape: Beatles on iTunes Edition

2010-11-17T04:09:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I was all "Whatever, I'm not gonna jump and go buy stuff just because the Beatles finally, FINALLY caved and went on iTunes. I had to go buy CDs a few years ago because I couldn't live without some of their songs, and it was ROUGH deciding which albums to buy and still be able to afford food and shelter."

But then, this morning, I'm in a bad mood and sleepy because one kid stayed up past midnight and the other spent half the night intermittently waking up to cry and then when in the bed with us grabbing my face or smacking me in the head as she tossed and turned. And THEN proceeding to wake up early and chipper.

So I was weak.

And while checking for my Glee download on iTunes (come ON, people, if I bought a season pass I'm not going to add to your Nielsen live viewership ratings, but I AM giving you money, so give me the download at the same darn time as the broadcast), there was the whole Beatles store.

And then... and then, there was the list of the top Beatles downloads, and number one was Here Comes the Sun.

I'm only human, people.

So since it's mix tape day, and all I'm listening to this morning is the Beatles, I give you the Top Ten reasons I am so glad that the Beatles caved, and also some of the reasons that I'm so happy they made music:

Here Comes the Sun

Baby, You're a Rich Man - so underrated.

Get Back

All My Loving

Hello, Goodbye

Penny Lane

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Let It Be

Revolution 1 - particularly poignant with the gun rhetoric from Tea Partiers, Palin, Sharron Angle, etc.

Come Together - also feels particularly timely.

Great video on the last one. Yeah, it's definitely later-Beatles-heavy. That's because I bought all the early albums, but just couldn't justify most of the later ones. Call them pop-y, call them goofy, but the Beatles were pretty darn talented, and they influenced EVERBODY who came after them and even many of their contemporaries. And their music is awesome.

PS Should you choose to download these songs or others from the Beatles off of iTunes, you should probably know that they seem to mostly still be structured for your parents' stereos - they still sound like the drums are on the right and the guitar is on the left...

Public Service Announcement

2010-11-16T09:12:00.002-05:00

For people who take care of 2 kids who both still take naps: 25+ minute walks in the BOB Revolution Duallie have led to naps 4/5 times for both kids, 9/10 for at least one kid.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-16T07:20:00.005-05:00

If you've been reading awhile it may occur to you that - possibly above all else - I love a good beat. Which fits pretty well with the song in my head today...

Miss You (The Rolling Stones) - I know many rock purists hate this song because it was the Stones doing a nod to disco. Those people are silly, this song is awesome. Loved it since about when it came out, along with the awesome album cover for Some Girls that I thought was for kids.

Mom loves the Stones.

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-11-16T04:37:00.003-05:00

Fourby rocking the Faux-Hawk

Threeby's got to take this call...

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-15T03:34:00.005-05:00

I can't help it, man.

I saw the preview of Gweneth Paltrow singing Forget You (Cee Lo Green) on Glee, and that song just burrowed into my brain. It doesn't help that Threeby has decided he needs to hear it several times a day. Paltrow really does a good job. Way better than I anticipated. It's a catchy song, it's soulful, it's a bit of a throwback to the 70s, really. Which, of course, makes me like it more. Cee Lo's voice has a bit of that Al Green quality (you probably already know this if you like Gnarls Barkley), a kind of, well, I'd call it a horn/brass feel to it. If you like this song, you'll probably like another one on my mind lately, Midnight Hour (Reflection Eternal featuring Estelle)...

Reflection Eternal feat. Estelle "Midnight Hour" from alexandre moors on Vimeo.

To give you just a bit more of the non-Glee, I have also been singing quite a lot of La La Lemon (Bert and Ernie or Barenaked Ladies versions) and If All of the Raindrops (we like the Laura Doherty version), because Fourby is starting to want to sing along, and Threeby particularly loved those songs at that time because he could sing "La La La" and "Ah-ahahah ahahahahah" along with me.

La La Lemon:

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-14T01:12:00.002-05:00

Hold up. These are some interesting Germans here...

Threeby's Websites: Sesame Edition

2010-11-12T05:19:00.005-05:00

So in theory, you try to limit your kids' exposure to TV, computers, germs, jerky people, and generally bad stuff. In reality, sometimes you run into jerky people (I'm looking at you, businessman on the U-Bahn), your kid hugs a snotty kid, and you need to take a shower by yourself or get some parenting help at the end of a long day.

When a website is mostly helpful, rather than mostly harmful, it's a nice bonus. It's even better when the website your kid likes doesn't make you want to gouge your eyes out.

www.sesamestreet.org is an awesome website. It has the vast majority of the videos/songs you could want from your childhood (generally labeled "classic" in green), as well as the modern stuff. It's easily searchable, you can save things you like to a "My Street" page that you can create for your kid, and it has constantly-evolving content, including a greeting page where a muppet talks to your kid about whatever topic is the topic of the week. It has playlists, games, and a whole lot of functionality in its interface. There are "toddler" games that involve little more than moving the mouse or pushing any button on the keyboard, and it has the general potential for enormous amounts of time-suckage. You may have to set time limits for yourself as much as for your kid. If used properly, this site has the potential to add value and diversity to your kids' education - things that you read about or talk about or experience in real life can be reinforced using a medium that is seriously exciting to kids.

Sesame Street is also on twitter, facebook, and youtube. The tweets are particularly funny. AND they have awesome, free podcasts on itunes (pretty sure that Threeby learned the letter sounds he was showing off yesterday from the letter-specific podcasts Sesame Street has been producing - they are a great teaching tool).

When I was working on the Hill, some jerky congressperson or other was always trying to score political points by trying to kill funding for PBS and NPR; presumably under the theory that this is your tax dollars going to liberal indoctrination like teaching the alphabet and tolerance at the same time, producing Ken Burns documentaries, or doing actual investigative reporting. We (and by "we," I mean Democrats) would respond with "Save the Bird" dear-colleague-letters with pictures of Big Bird. Nobody into rational governance ever wants to kill Sesame Street, because Sesame Street is awesome. Even in the most Republican-controlled, conservative of times (2002-2006), the funding would always be okayed.

Your tax dollars at work (Threeby and my current favorites):

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-12T03:25:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but Bruces' Philosopher Song (Monty Python Cast). Hey, go with it, it's an awesome song full of the kind of literate humor I wish we embraced in the States.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-11T07:58:00.003-05:00

So I'm in Germany, on Armistice Day (yeah, Veteran's Day, too). They don't celebrate it here...

But today was Pa's birthday, too. And in honor of him:

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-10T09:31:00.013-05:00

Even after a crappy election, I felt a little like things are changing for the better last night after I saw the introduction of the Blaine character on Glee last night. Even if his name sounds like an appliance (Duckie!). I don't even like the Katy Perry version of Teenage Dream, but this one won me over. Go Glee.

Just wanted to add a couple of notes that you shouldn't read until you're done watching the Never Been Kissed episode, because they could be SPOILERy:

Private school, particularly all-boys' private school, is not a utopia. I appreciate the construct, and I know there are some private schools with more latitude to innovate with zero-tolerance anti-bullying policies, but all schools need active teachers, administrators, and students to help prevent bullying and create as positive an environment as possible for teenagers who are acting out/dealing with all kinds of growing and hormones and more complex social issues than younger kids.

Telling someone he/she is pretty - when you don't think he/she is pretty - is patronizing. Kissing someone when you don't find him/her attractive - just to prove a point - is also patronizing. It's one thing when teenagers who are trying to mend fences do it because they are awkward. It's quite another when an adult does it.

Telling a kid to just stand up to bullies is not all that helpful, and potentially dangerous when you are dealing with deeply-rooted prejudice added into the bullying. Look, yes, all kids should learn how to stand up for themselves and all kids should learn to be and express who they are, within reason (e.g. not when it is hurtful, like bullying). But telling a kid to confront a bully without also teaching that kid to choose his/her battles wisely could potentially lead to a violent confrontation with a bully who is scared/revved-up in that deep-rooted "my parents believe X is evil" kind of way.

What was particularly badass about the way the Glee folks introduced Blaine was the fact that they pulled out all the stops to get us to like him: perfect song, likable scene intro, likable group dynamic, and they even made him look like he had rhythm, which - based on the editing and choreography - I'm not altogether sure he does.

Threeby Mix Tape: Holiday Edition

2010-11-10T02:26:00.006-05:00

Yes, I know, I'm totally department-storing you out.

But, you say, it's friggin' November 10th!

To which I reply - yes, I know. But see, here's the thing: I find that at the end of the holidays every year I get sad because I didn't really get long enough to wallow in holiday music. I LOVE holiday music. At a time of year when (particularly here in Frankfurt) it's cold and rainy outside, and the days are shorter, and the kids can't go outside as much as they'd like to, it's particularly cozy to play holiday music and drink warm coffee or hot chocolate and put on twinkle lights. Yep, gonna put up twinkle lights later today if my back lets me.

It's cozy, damnit. Embrace the cozy. You know you want to.

An apology in advance to my non-Christian friends: I'm pretty sure this time of year can be seriously challenging for folks who aren't Christian, because suddenly the "norm" of christianity is everywhere and very much in your face and ears. Probably even more so for kids. A fair amount of my holiday music is that non-Christian-based, fuzzy-warm winter music, and I very much like a couple of the Chanukah songs I've found... but who are we kidding, there's a lot of Santa and Jesus in there. I'm sorry about that. I promise next week's mix tape will be totally secular.

I'm giving you a wide range here, some other time I'll give you all-kids, or all-jazz, or best recent songs. Most of these songs have been done roughly 20 million times, I'm giving you the one I like most or at least most for this particular mix...

As per usual, go buy these if you like them. Coziness should be rewarded. I'm giving you a few videos/links to help you know which songs I'm talking about.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah - Barenaked Ladies

Christmastime Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio (Threeby's Favorite)

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Bing Crosby

Christmas is Coming - John Denver & The Muppets

The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler (I like the original better than Parts 2 or 3, but 3 is a much better video...)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald

Merry Christmas, Baby - Bonnie Raitt & Charles Brown

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - The Brian Setzer Orchestra

The Nutcracker Suite - Les Brown & His Band of Renown

All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) - The Nat King Cole Trio

Jingle Bells - Ella Fitzgerald

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon

Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan (better with Sarah, but you get the idea here)

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Johnny Mathis

Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald

Here Comes Santa Claus - Bing Crosby

I Have a Little Dreidel - Barenaked Ladies

Frosty the Snowman - Harry Connick, Jr.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen

I'm not much of a concert person because in my experience most musicians aren't very good at playing live, but I totally want to go see Bruce Springsteen right now.

Threeby's Books

2010-11-09T04:47:00.020-05:00

So I've spent a fair amount of time and money amassing children's books since we had Threeby.

Honestly, one of the reasons I had kids was to get to read kids' books again. Kids' books tend to be more imaginative, funnier, and generally more fun to read that adult books, AND you get pictures and a chance to read them aloud (which who are we kidding, is a chance to perform for a really appreciative audience).

And while, of course, I started with the classics like Dr. Seuss and Margaret Wise Brown, I've been pleasantly surprised to find all kinds of wonderful new authors (at least, new to me, new since I was reading kids' books as a kid, or was reading them to my brother). I have also been lucky to be living in a place where I have to rely on Amazon.co.uk to get most English-language books, because several of my favorite children's authors are Brits who aren't as popular in the States.

Some of my favorites:

Mo Willems - This former Sesame Street writer writes funny, sweet books that I love reading and Threeby loves hearing. In the best, you get to decide whether to let a Pigeon drive a bus, and the pigeon is doing his level best to persuade, cajole, tantrum you into letting him do so. Threeby learned what a pigeon is, but now thinks all birds around town except ducks or geese are pigeons. The best we've found so far: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, My Friend is Sad, Time to Pee, and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - The Gruffalo - This British team is just so gifted. Their books are imaginative, fun to read, sweet, tend to be gender-neutral or even gender-positive if such a thing exists, and Threeby loves them. They manage to have stories that are interesting enough for grown-ups to read again and again, while simple enough for small children to understand. Trust me when I tell you this is not a gift shared by all children's authors. And the books are funny. Did I mention the fabulous, character-filled illustrations? There are a lot of good books by these guys, and a couple that we don't like as much (Tabby McTat and Fiddler and Stick Man are all too sad for our taste). These are very British books, with some British idioms and words, but they have been Americanized if you get them in the States. I actually like the British versions better. Our faves: The Gruffalo, A Squash and a Squeeze, The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom, The Monkey Puzzle, The Smartest Giant in Town, and Charlie Cook's Favorite Book (which is really Grandma's favorite).

Nick Sharratt and Sue Heap - the Nick and Sue books - another British team that writes charming books for small kids. This series manages to be very basic in content, but also fun to read and witty. I especially like that the books are about a boy and a girl. All four in the series are great: Faster, Faster! Nice and Slow!, Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly, Alphabet Ice Cream, and One to Ten and Back Again.

Sandra Boynton - we got our first Boynton books as a baby gift from a friend who is a very fun person. The books are, likewise, very fun. I went a little wild and bought most of them, including the less successful musical versions. They are a treat to read, quite rhyme-y, and they are simple enough to be read to the youngest of kids (we started reading them to Threeby at around a month old, started Fourby at about the same age). They also have great illustrations, and there are a whole lot of books to choose from on a variety of topics. Our favorites: Horns to Toes and in Between, Hippos Go Berserk, But Not the Hippopotamus, Doggies, Blue Hat, Green Hat, Moo, Baa, La La La!, The Going to Bed Book, and What's Wrong, Little Pookie?

Some of Threeby's favorites (both old and new) - these are the books/authors that we read more because Threeby loves them than because I do:

Lauren Child - the British lady behind Charlie and Lola, who has a gift for children's speech patterns, and who has created a loving, patient, funny, older brother with a melodramatic-yet-earnest, funny, and full-of-life, little sister. Great for our big brother-baby sister combo, but also nice, friendly interactions between siblings. These are pretty British in language, but they are also fairly Americanized if you get them in the States, and there is a cute TV show on Disney, too. Some faves: But I Am an Alligator, I Can Do Anything That's Everything All on My Own, I Am Really, Really Concentrating, I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed, I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato.

Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and progeny - both Threeby's Dad and I find these books a bit repetitive. Threeby LOVES them. These are the books, like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Lemons Are Not Red, that Threeby's Dad or I routinely try to hide so we don't have to read them anymore. But the kid loves them. It's the age, toddlers are adding concepts and building on an understanding of sentence structure, and these books are just repetitive enough to help them. And at least with the Mouse books you have the great illustrations by Bond to entertain you. Threeby's faves are: the Mouse original, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and If You Give a Pig a Pancake (which has a girl pig and a girl protagonist, as a nice change).

David McKee - Elmer books - These are sweet books about being yourself. I think Threeby likes the colors (Elmer is a multicolored elephant). Threeby loves: Elmer, and Elmer's Hide and Seek.

The Berenstain Bears - Classics, though apparently they've gone and added some uber-religious stories lately. I think the things Threeby likes the best about these books are the parts that can be boring to grown-ups: they are simple books about everyday concepts. When we were recently visiting relatives, Threeby LOVED going to get the mail. This was a highlight of his day. That's the part of him that loves the Berenstain Bears, who have simple, everyday adventures with their close-knit community of family and friends. I think this is also a slightly sad thing because we don't have a close-knit, English-speaking neighborhood here. These books are also topical, a good way to add a new concept like moving or having a new baby into the conversation and a kid's head. Sometimes the bears seem stuck in 1950s gender stereotypes, but I think if you read enough other books it's not that much of a problem. The newer, religious ones scare me, so I've stayed away from them. Favorites of ours include: Moving Day, Trick or Treat, The Sitter, The New Baby, Old Hat, New Hat, and The Bear Detectives series. Planning on buying Mama's New Job when I go back to work.

Nick Sharratt and Stephen Tucker - these guys are Brits with a funny series of fairy tale books with flaps. Threeby's Dad doesn't like that the writing is more trendy than grammatically correct and doesn't include some classic lines that make the stories work: e.g. the set of lines that go - "Little Pigs, Little Pigs, Let me come in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin" "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" - really make the Three Little Pigs story for little kids. They are also fun to say. They are not in the book. But if you're like me and not averse to just adding them in, these books are a fun way to introduce some classic stories at a young age. The flaps really keep a toddler involved and they LOVE opening them time and again. Threeby's favorites are the Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks.

David Shannon - No, David! - boy, is this a great book for a 3 year-old. You feel like you say no constantly, and this book - which Threeby instantly latched onto - helps the kid talk about that, and gives the parent an opportunity to talk about why the Mom is saying no. AND you get to hug at the end and tell the kid you love him/her. We haven't read any other books of his yet, but we definitely intend to.

Majorie Sharmat and Jody Wheeler - the Nate the Great books - I got these because I loved them as a kid. Threeby started liking them a few months ago (around when he turned three). They are very basic kids' mysteries that grow a bit with the kids (there are older books in the series). They are fun to read, and they have that extra level for adults that Sesame Street has - they are funny. If you want your kids to be interested in mysteries or a little bit snarky, you'll love these books. They are also great to read at bedtime because they are longer and more involved. The classics are the best of these: Nate the Great, Nate the Great and the Sticky Case, Nate the Great and the Missing Key, Nate the Great and the Musical Note, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail, Nate the Great and the Lost List.

Sometime later I'll talk about the best baby books we've found. But right now, Threeby is saying "Let's have some lunch!" every couple of seconds...

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-09T03:48:00.007-05:00

This is a sweet song. The version on iTunes is even better. Joshua Radin is one of many artists whose career has been helped along by the musical wizards at Grey's Anatomy. They are SO talented at both picking exactly the right song for a scene AND helping to bring interesting artists some exposure (the other show that did this really well was Scrubs)...

You Got What I Need (Joshua Radin)

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-11-09T03:44:00.003-05:00

Threeby has been very lovey-dovey with Fourby lately...

Update on the Sneaky Mom Cooking Experiment

2010-11-09T03:27:00.006-05:00

So we tried the sweet potato biscuits.

Threeby helped make them:

They tasted good, like regular biscuits with a bit of the sweetness, and a bit of earthiness of sweet potatoes.

Threeby did eat...

...About three bites. Since then he has been unwilling to touch them. Can't say I'm surprised, this is the pattern.

Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-06T04:20:00.004-04:00

Stupid back went out.

Tell It Like It Is (Aaron Neville) - extra added bonus of Bonnie Raitt and Greg Allman.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-04T11:37:00.003-04:00

Grr. Arg. The song that's really on my mind today is Come to Me (Bonnie Raitt), but I cannot find a link or video anywhere. SIGH.

Snark-Free Zone

2010-11-04T11:05:00.005-04:00

So a friend of mine is doing a thankfulness thing on her facebook statuses every day this month.

To the outside observer who doesn't know her, this may sound a little bit cheesy, but in reality it's rather touching. Sadly, effusiveness is not my forte, and I think I will end up erring on the side of snark or cheesiness. So I figure I'll put it all in one place, and you can just keep moving to another post if it's not your thing...

Things I'm thankful for/happy about (in no particular order):

Threeby has a teacher this year who really seems to get him and praise him for the ways he excels and really help him with the things that come as more of a challenge to him. He's progressing socially in leaps and bounds in a way he'd only done academically in the past. I suspect that the articles I've read about the structure of our schools working better for girls early on are true.

I live in a city with an excellent, fairly clean, fairly safe, well-run, and very expensive public transit system. Well, I'm not thankful for the expensive part, but the rest is nice.

I live in a city that is easy to walk in, except for the winter weather.

I live in a city with a beautiful river that has good walking/biking trails and playgrounds alongside the water.

Threeby's Dad has a short commute. He works too many hours, but at least it's fast getting there and back again.

Threeby's Dad is a good, loving dad and a thoughtful, loving husband who is very intelligent, really seems to like me, and is never boring. He's also cute.

I have a family whom I loved as a child, but may love even more as an adult, because they are not only loving and supportive (in the awesome, unconditional sense), but they are intelligent, interesting, knowledgeable, and generally fun to be around.

I have friends who are interesting, smart, funny, and weird, like me (the weird part, that is).

Threeby and Fourby are both smart, funny, loving, and interesting kids who show every sign that they will keep us entertained and on our toes for years to come.

There is music and theater and there are a whole lot of books in the world.

The history of American politics show that we are always moving toward greater legal equality in the long run, even though we may suffer setbacks in the short run. Economically... well, this is a thankfulness list, that's for another time.

I am, and my kids are, American. USA, USA, USA.

I was able to have close relationships with my grandparents, and they were interesting, funny, smart people with some really great stories. They provided a great deal of unconditional love and support.

I am a girl.

I have had a great education, and one in which the aim most of the time was to teach me to think, not what to think. I hope to always continue that education.

...And I'm spent.

We return you to your regularly scheduled series of self-involved snark and cool music.

Threeby Mix Tape: Moody Day Edition

2010-11-03T07:55:00.008-04:00

Hey.

So I had an idea, because I'm super moody (angry, pissed-off, saddened, what have you) today, and on the way over to pick Threeby up from school I found this old mix I'd made called Moody Day on my ipod. It helped (unsurprisingly, it also had Get By on it).

I've updated it. Consider me your personal rainy day DJ.

As per usual, I advocate buying these songs. I like them. I own them. I think artists deserve to be compensated for things like making me happier on a moody day. And most of the time the things I can link you to contain less than the best versions of the songs. But I am including some links/videos, so that you know the songs I'm talking about....

1. Just Dance (Lady Gaga)

2. Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)

3. Save Me (Jem)

4. Multiply (Jamie Lidell)

5. Save It for Later (The English Beat)

6. Get By (Talib Kweli)

7. My Doorbell (The White Stripes)

8. Lovesong (The Cure)

9. Never Let You Go (Third Eye Blind)

10. Yellow (Coldplay)

11. London Bridge (Fergie)

12. Gold Digger (Kanye West)

13. Breathe (2am) (Anna Nalick)

14. Here It Goes Again (O.K. Go)

15. Baba O'Reilly (The Who)

16. Leave the Pieces (The Wreckers)

17. Clocks (Coldplay)

18. Banquet (Bloc Party)

19. My City of Ruins (Bruce Springsteen)

20. Original Fire (Audioslave)

21. Miss Alissa (Eagles of Death Metal) - this one's Threeby's favorite

22. Feeling Good (Nina Simone) - Because hopefully by now, you kind of are...

(Love that last video, btw.)

Cheer up, Damnit. There is music in the world.

The Casting Game: Six People Who Would Be Fun as Iago

2010-11-03T05:23:00.010-04:00

You need some, well, pushiness to play Iago. A certain willingness to get in people's faces and a certain intelligence that comes across to an audience. People should want to look at Iago. People should want to know what he's thinking. A fluidity and freedom of movement, a knowingness without the wink that is too present in many actors. Here are some folks I think might be able to pull that off:

1. Jason Dohring - very smart actor. Very good at getting across different levels of emotion/motivation in one scene.

2. Emily Deschanel - not given enough credit. She's very good at playing a character who is extremely difficult and can be unlikable, without patronizing her.

3. Neil Patrick Harris - I'd like to see him stretch into some unfunny territory. He certainly has the chops.

4. Christopher Gorham - incredible job playing a blind character without commenting on it or doing a Stevie Wonder impersonation. Also has a great deal of quiet presence.

5. Angelina Jolie - it's the Girl, Interrupted/Gia part of her that makes me think she could do this. Has gotten stilted in her physicality, would need to loosen up to get it right.

6. Vik Sahay - capable of much more than Jeffster. I want to see him try.

Images from their Wikipedia entries, name links to imdb, because who are we kidding? You're gonna want to look them up.

Songs on My Mind Today, The Deuce

2010-11-03T04:36:00.007-04:00

I think I answered my own question.

I just updated my Kool Moe Dee post to talk about why Kool Moe Dee was cool, how he rapped in a time when it felt like more of rap - and who was judged to be a good rapper - was about complexity of the words, message, and rhyme. And that led me to a modern exception of sorts, Talib Kweli.

So I give you the song on my mind today: Get By (Talib Kweli). It's working for me right now, it's getting me back in a better, more focused place. You should go buy it if it works for you, too.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-03T02:56:00.008-04:00

Yeah, so there was an election. It sucked (for the most part - Maryland still rules except for the Andy Harris crap). It's given me major flashbacks to 1994 and I'm now awaiting a trumped up impeachment and a whole bunch of obstructionist junk in the place of actual governance.

Music is how I deal with most emotions, so let's get down to it.

Ah, the many, many options...

Do I go all 1994 on this entry, and pick out songs like (I Hate) Everything About You (Ugly Kid Joe)?

Do I go with the classics, like Am I Blue (this one's Ella Fitzgerald, and though many folks prefer Billie's version, this Ella version is seriously growing on me the more I listen to it)?

The funny, like People Are Strange (The Doors) or Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)?

The sardonic, like Cult of Personality (Living Colour)?

But really, none of this is quite right yet. I'll keep trying and post again later...

Tuesday Dose of Cute

2010-11-02T08:19:00.005-04:00

So, Halloween. We had:

a Monkey (Threeby), and

a Lion (Fourby).

But the funniest pictures were the ones:

of Threeby going into a play house, being followed by three girls, and...

...proceeding to jump out the window, while his dad about fell over laughing.

Boys.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-11-02T08:14:00.005-04:00

Blue Sky (The Allman Brothers) makes me think of Fourby, partially because I listened to it a lot when I was pregnant with her, and partially because she has unexpectedly blue eyes. Unexpected, because my eyes are hazel and her dad's are brown. But our mothers have lighter colored eyes, and Fourby picked blue...

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-27T07:40:00.004-04:00

Ah, discipline and attention - the two watch-words of the parent of a 3-year-old. Yes, this (awesome) song is about something a bit different, but it's still on my mind today...

Fighting for My Love (Nil Lara)

There will be NO Princesses, Thank You.

2010-10-25T03:49:00.005-04:00

No. Yeah, kids should be encouraged to be creative and make their own choices, but I would not have a good reaction if my kid came at me with this.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-25T03:40:00.007-04:00

It's the start of another reeeally long week:

I Go to Work (Kool Moe Dee). This is back when a lot of rappers were judged on the speed, clarity, and complexity of their rhymes/message. That doesn't seem to be as true today (yeah, yeah, there still IS some complexity - I love me some Talib Kweli - but still).

PS I Miss Arsenio Hall.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-24T04:15:00.003-04:00

When "When I Think of You" (Janet Jackson) comes on, I always feel joy. It's a happy song. Here you go.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-23T09:48:00.010-04:00

So I was reading Goop (I know - shoot me now - but I found at least one recipe to try with Threeby there, and there was a list of kids' book recommendations, which I'm always looking for more of, etc.), and there was this entry on "Party Jams" with some interesting contributors.

Now, I like all kinds of music; and I enjoy making a mix or trying to get/keep people dancing at a party, but I am by no means as knowledgeable about music as I figure these people are. But aside from DJ AM (weird reading this after he died) and Samantha Ronson, the picks weren't all that great for what I consider "party jams" - the purpose is to get people dancing, right?

Which of course got me thinking about my own go-to party jams, and how they've changed over the years and based on the crowd I'm in. So here you go, my wisdom/experience, for what it's worth (now there are just too many songs in this list for me to track them all down for links, but I'll give you a few) -

Songs Most Likely to Get Girls (women, womyn, whatever) Who Were Born in the 70's-Forward (and Their Gay Male Counterparts) on the Dance Floor:

Like a Prayer (Madonna) - it's a song with such weird lyrics, but for some reason - even more than Express Yourself, Vogue, Material Girl, or anything she's done since - it is a universal truth that Like a Prayer will get women off their butts and on the floor, yelling along with the song - even before they are drunk.

Crazy in Love (Beyonce) - and I don't say this just because it's my best friend's favorite song. The lyrics are great, the beat is great, and it has the dramatic pauses and flourishes that women love to do-along when they are dancing together.

What WON'T work that you might think would work: Britney, Christina, *N Sync, Rhianna, Miley, Kelly (Clarkson or Rowland), Katy (except probably in California, where I'll bet California Gurls works), Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Kanye, Jay-Z (again, except in NY, where I'm betting New York State of Mind kills it), etc. - they may STAY up for these artists (and several keep-people-up numbers are in this group), but the butts won't be moved if they are in the chairs.

Songs Most Likely to Get Women Born in the 40's-Forward (and Their Gay Male Counterparts) onto the Dance Floor:

I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) - Again, I think it's the melodrama. If every woman is a secret diva, she gets to let that all out on the dance floor - safely nestled alongside her friends - with a song like this. And EVERYONE has been dumped or made to feel bad about themselves by someone.

Ladies Night (Kool and the Gang) - great, easily-accessible beat, Lady-centric lyrics.

Brick House (The Commodores) - the subject matter helps, but it's also a great beat.

Dancing Queen (ABBA) - mostly subject matter that gets people up here. The play/movie didn't hurt.

What WON'T work that you might think would work: Cher, Aretha, The BeeGees, Donna Summer - again, they may KEEP them up, but not GET them there.

Songs Most Likely to Get Straight White Boys on the Dance Floor:

Born Before the 70's: So far as I've seen, only their wives. Anyone disagree? Mom?

Born in the 70's: Footloose (Kenny Loggins), Come on Eileen (Dexy's Midnight Runners), Livin' a Prayer or You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi), Jump Around (House of Pain) - these are the songs with the sledge-hammer beat, at least one of which openly invites jumping instead of dancing, and the girls will usually get up with them for these (except maybe Jump Around) so there is safety in more numbers.

Born in the 80's: Can I Get A... (Jay-Z), ...okay, stuck here. Gonna have to ask my brother.

What WON'T work that you might think would work: Stayin' Alive, KC and the Sunshine Band, Eminem, Journey, Guns n' Roses, Most Rock Music

Songs Most Likely to Get a Mixed-Race, Mixed-Age, Mixed-Orientation Group of Wedding Guests/Partygoers on the Dance Floor:

ABC or I Want You Back (The Jackson 5) - light, fun, good beats, uncomplicated subject matter, kids singing.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson) - it's got the universality that some later MJ work doesn't have, and yet it's a great groove that's hard to take sitting still.

Thriller (Michael Jackson) - as long as nobody's up trying to do the video dance, people will enjoy it, for awhile - gotta fade it out or use the single version.

Celebration (Kool and the Gang) - the classics are the classics for a reason, people.

YMCA (The Village People) - the classics are the classics for a reason, people. Also there's a very simple dance already set out for you if you are a nervous dancer.

My Girl (The Temptations) - the kind of slowish, sweet song that guys can use to dance with their new girlfriend or their wife or their granddaughter.

We Are Family (Sister Sledge) - the classics are the classics for a reason, people.

Superstition (Stevie Wonder) - it's the beat, people (and yes, I'm including the riff in the definition of that beat). That beat is the best I've ever heard. The only one that comes close is Ain't to Proud to Beg for sheer universality and yet also sheer funkiness. It's also instantly recognizable. I'm sitting here grooving to it right now. It's my friggin' ring tone. I LOVE this song.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours (Stevie Wonder) - upbeat, happy lyrics, easily accessible beat.

Can You Feel It (The Jacksons) - it's just a song that makes you want to join in. It's got that bridge into the next verse at about 1:07 seconds that adds in the heavier hand claps and guitar riff and just gets you moving. It's got a good build up to get people to the floor, too.

What WON'T work that you might think would work: The friggin' Chicken Dance. It's a crappy song, people. It only brings anybody to the dance floor if there are a ton of kids who people can drag up. And then it's not a dance floor, it's a backdrop for everybody's home video of their kids.

...I could probably do other demographics, but I don't want to get in too much trouble :-)

Happy Saturday Night, Party People.

Sneaky Mom Cooking Experiment #1

2010-10-23T08:55:00.014-04:00

So here's the thing about Threeby: he ate a wide variety of foods... up until he decided to never eat pureed food again. Then around the time Fourby arrived (in February) he decided there would be no more milk, either. So for the last couple of years, and more intensely in the last 8 months, it has been a looooong slog of trying again and again and again to get him to eat anything other than:

Chicken nuggets,
French fries,
Cheerios (thank God for Cheerios, which of course you can't get in Germany so we shove them in suitcases and beg anyone who visits us to do the same),
Goldfish,
White bread/croissants with cream cheese,
Cookies (of course he'll eat just about any variety of those, we've even tried calling other things cookies, to no avail - I think I'm a decent actor, but the kid has a great BS meter),
Ice cream,
Granola bars,
Juice, and
The occasional pea or raisin or fish finger.

That's about it. We've tried the foods popular with kids (how can he not even TRY pizza or hot dogs or noodles for the 43rd time???), we've tried what the nutritionists say "keep putting it in front of them 15-20 times and they'll try it. Yeah, meet my kid, nutritionists. We've tried about 20 ways to sneak milk into him, including chocolate milk and "pink" milk (he loves Charlie & Lola). Not happening.

To be fair, he gets it honestly. My Mom, my brother, and I were all crazily picky eaters as kids, and we still made it through and my brother is 6'5" so how bad could it be, but still... Still we feel we should try as hard as we can to get the vitamins in any way we can (we do use a vitamin supplement ever since he stopped drinking formula).

This is made more challenging in some ways by being in Germany, where I guess kids just start eating brats at one (seriously, you see these tiny babies chowing down on sausages at ages when they HAVE to be a choking hazard - it's very German), because they simply do not have what I consider the most basic and necessary of American children's food. There are NO:

Cheerios,
Goldfish,
Graham Crackers,
String Cheese options,
Fruit roll-ups,
Lunchables,
Bologna, or
ANY toddler snack food that is not cookie-based.

Which is fine, it's their country and we're visiting (albeit long-term), but I don't know how their parents do it.

SO, since we've tried about all the food that's available ready-made and culled what we could from that bunch, it's cooking time.

I've tried sweet potato (Threeby's favorite pureed veggie, he started laughing when he first tried them he was so happy) and carrot purees and fries. Threeby will not touch any purees anymore, and no matter how we've tried, both veggies have too high a sugar content and stay too soggy for a real fry fake-out. The most Threeby's ever eaten was about three sweet potato fries, he won't touch the carrots.

So now I've acquired one of the slip-stuff-that-is-good-for-them-into-your-kids'-food books, and I have been searching out online recipes to make starchy or cookie-like things out of the fruits and veggies Threeby liked best in puree form (and therefore might like once again if they could get past his mouth) and even though my life is crazy right now, I think I can manage to try one a week.

This week, we're going with Sweet Potato Biscuits.

I'll be back with results later in the week...

Ed. (11/3/10) to add: Epic fail on the later in the week for last week, will try again this week.

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-22T17:42:00.005-04:00

The Ditty Bops are, I suppose, technically folk, but they're more what I'd call old-time vocal music/jazz. And since next year I will acquire a Sister Kate (and it's one of our favorite songs)...

Sister Kate (The Ditty Bops)

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-20T16:22:00.007-04:00

This is a hard week.

So, to choose a depressing, wallowing song; a rage-full, cranky song; or an upbeat song to counteract the general mood?

...why not all three?

At the End of the Day/One Day More Medley (Les Mis Cast) - well, I am a theater geek (extra added bonus of Jerry Orbach appearance)...

Special Wednesday Dose of Cute

2010-10-20T16:17:00.005-04:00

Fourby showing her Halloween spirit

Threeby showing his blinking shirt spirit

Just a super cute Threeby

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-18T04:44:00.004-04:00

Yeah, so since the kids still have jet lag and I had to be up this am, the song on my mind todays is... No Sleep Till Brooklyn (Beastie Boys)

Songs on My Mind Today

2010-10-16T07:38:00.010-04:00

It's All Right (Huey Lewis and the News) is on my mind, partially because it's a great, a cappella song, and partially because it is clearly Fourby's favorite song (other than The Itsy Bitsy Spider) and the one she started "dancing" to (rocking on her butt). In fact, she's rockin out to it right now. Just try to stay still yourself...