Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealer's Wheel

Bryan A. and I were on the road, probably stuck in I-80 traffic, on our way to a ski weekend in Tahoe.  In preparation for the trip, I had asked Bryan what his favorite song might be so I could create the perfect mix for our drive.  He said, "It's that song that goes, clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right."  I did some asking around and figured out it was Stuck in the Middle.  I was super proud of my Ski CD and I had a bunch of great songs, interspersed with little quotes from Austin Powers, like Shh! and Zip It!  We were cruisin down the road and I turned up the volume on Under My Thumb, a song I thought Bryan really liked (which has a story all its own).  Bryan was not showing me the appropriate level of appreciation and excitement.  In fact, he said something like this:  "Sure, this is a great song, but it definitely doesn't require blasting the volume."  I strongly disagreed. 

We made in to Tahoe in one piece and we were joined by Mitch, Vince, Tammy, maybe Juraj, maybe Laurel?  I honestly can't remember the specifics as we took a couple trips to that cabin over the course of a couple of years.  Jenny wasn't with us this time because she was busily laboring at home.  She labored and labored without realizing it was happening.  This is why Bryan received a phone call on the slopes to the effect of: "You'd better ski on down the mountain and hurry up.  The baby is on his way."  Unfortunately Bryan didn't make it for the delivery, but he has been there for every step of his son's life ever since!  I wasn't stuck in the middle, but I was almost stuck in Tahoe.  I must've gotten a ride with someone who might've even sung along with the music on my Ski CD.  In fact, since I don't remember whatsoever, let's just say they did!

Whenever, Wherever by Shakira

It is no wonder that I love throwing parties.  My mom has been throwing parties for as long as I can remember.  She also loves to cook and bake and I have so many memories in the kitchen with my mom and my sister.  My mom loved turning our time in the kitchen together into a party.  Her favorite music in the kitchen was the Mermaids soundtrack and we could often be found be-bopping around the kitchen, measuring, dicing, and mixing.

Not only did we have our own personal cooking parties, my mom also threw parties where the guests were encouraged to help out.  There were burrito bar parties and pasta parties, but tonight, we are going to a pizza party.  My mom had recently moved into her new house and since she went from an apartment to a house, the front room was furnished solely by a drum kit.  At this time, my mom was in a rock n' roll band and she played the bass guitar!  They practiced in her living room!  I know!  We started the evening by making 3 or 4 pizzas topped with all kinds of yumminess.  During dinner, I was tasked with selecting the music.  I chose a Rock compilation, going with the theme of the rockin' good time we were having, but unfortunately, Breaking the Law by Judas Priest came on, which is hardly dinner music.  My mom hissed at me:  "Jennifer!  Look around the table!  Change the music!"  Everyone was completely silent, eating quickly and aggressively, just like the music.  Ooops!  I then put the Chocolat Soundtrack on, but I was feeling silly, so I put the first song on repeat.  I was giggling by the third repeat and then Jared T. finally caught my eye as he had noticed, too.

After dinner, an energetic doing-dishes dancing party took place and we listened to Shakira's Whenever, Wherever in English and in Spanish, over and over and over again.  I remember most everything I said seemed to shock Nathan T. who would constantly exclaim: "Jennifer!  Ohhhhhhh my gosh!  You're so crazy!"  Jared didn't seem to shock so easily.   The evening later still turned into a drum lesson (for me) and some rock n' roll, including my mom on bass guitar.  I know!  I still find it hard to believe!  Food + my mom + music = a super fun party!

She's So Unusual & Yeah Yeah by Cyndi Lauper

Zoom in on a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.  I spent a very short time in my life living in Twain Harte.  It is in Tuolumne County and at the time, there was only one stoplight in the entire COUNTY, way away in downtown Sonora.  I attended a K-8 school with only 500 students and all of my friends lived quite a ways away, down windy, narrow mountain roads.  It was a glorious place to be 8 years old, but I imagine if we had stayed there through high school, I might've found it isolating or boring.  

One of my best friends in Twain Harte was Porscha B. and in third grade, she had the brilliant plan to participate in the talent show.  I took the bus home with her after school and we discussed our act.  She had already decided on the song and I wholeheartedly agreed.  Cyndi Lauper was my favorite signer!!  Porscha was going to lip synch the words, I would be on the keyboards since I played the piano, her little brother was going to play the drums, and her younger sister would be on guitar.  We still needed a sax player and coincidentally, the cutest boy in our class played the sax in the school band!  Clint C. was smart and nice and he did his own hair - he used hair spray AND mousse.  Swoon!  I worked up the nerve to call him up and actually talk to him when he answered and he agreed to be in our skit.  It was all very exciting. The day of the performance, Porscha's older sister was on-hand to do our punk rocker make-up and fix our hair.  Clint rocked a mohawk, of course.  It was so cool and I think everyone really enjoyed our performance.

For some insane reason, in fourth grade I decided to follow up that performance by getting a bunch of the younger kids (grades K-2) from the after school program together.  My brilliant idea?  Lip synching and dancing stuffed animals.  I wish I were kidding.  We stood behind a table and held up a bunch of bunnies WHOSE LIPS DO NOT MOVE and earnestly moved them to the beat.  I am embarrassed for my 9 year old self. 

The Sign by Ace of Base

We're going to hang out in Germany for one more night, at least.  Tonight we're going back to New Year's Eve, or as it is called in Germany, Sylvester 1994.  I was going to a party that promised to be epic on so many levels.  I didn't call it epic back then, but I probably said that I thought it was going to be so so geil.  Sabse had invited our group of friends to her house.  What made this evening particularly exciting was that I had a brand new boyfriend - my first ever boyfriend!  It was such a new relationship and new experience, we weren't even French Kissing yet!  I had done so only once before in a game of Spin the Bottle earlier that year and I mostly thought it was gross.  Obviously it takes the right person, but at that Silvester party, we were still very innocent and cute and new.

Let's see, who was there?  Mostly girls: Nina, Christiane, Sabse, Manu, and I.  A couple boys:  Alex, Sabse's boyfriend, and Bastian, mine.  Possibly some other folks?  Let me know who I am forgetting!  We girls were really into The Sign and we played it over and over during the party, singing at the top of our lungs.  The party hat of the evening was the baseball cap for some reason and all of us girls were wearing baseball caps from Sabse's collection. There was drinking, dancing, singing, kissing, and oddly, I think I remember a Magic Eye Poster.

I had the best time - I had always wanted to attend a New Year's party with girls AND boys who were not family and it was everything I hoped it would be.  Shortly before midnight, we hiked up to the top of the Turmberg (a local "hill" with an old lookout tower and castle ruins).  There was an excellent view from the top and it was packed full of people, young and old.  Fireworks helped ring in the New Year and everyone was laughing and joyful and Happy New Year-ing.  We celebrated with gusto and headed back down the hill to Sabse's house.  Bastian walked me back to the S-Bahn station so I could return to my host family's home in Berghausen.  Welcome 1994!

Fields of Joy by Lenny Kravitz

It was the morning after another epic party at Niels H's house.  In an earlier post, I talked about the cool German kids.  Niels was THE coolest.  I was super intimidated by him for the longest time, but then I fell in love with his best friend and by extension, Niels became my friend, too.  He had long hair and he wore biker boots, but they were legit.  He rode a motorcycle!  He even picked me up once from the train station which was the only time I have ever ridden on a motorcycle.  I wasn't scared back then, but I am now. 

Niels threw the best parties.  They reminded me of something I'd seen on Beverly Hills, 90210.  His bedroom was like his own private guesthouse.  He had two rooms of his own and his own bathroom and the rooms were somewhat removed from the rest of the house.  He also had access to the yard.  The party was certainly a lot of fun, but today we are going back to the morning after.  I had spent the night and in the morning it was just me, Bastian, and Niels.  Yes, Mom and Dad, I spent the night (innocently, believe it or not!) at some boys house with my boyfriend.  I remember Niels brought in breakfast: cappuccinos, fresh rolls with jam, butter, and different wursts.  He was playing the Lenny Kravitz Mama Said album which began with Fields of Joy.  The album had come out before Are You Gonna Go My Way, a popular song at the time, and I loved that we were listening to something that wasn't super trendy that I hadn't heard 100x before, or possibly ever.  I felt impossibly sophisticated.  A grown-up breakfast, listening to very cool music, no parents, with just my boyfriend and my favorite boy friend.  I showered and got ready for the day there and I just remember feeling like I was so safe in that place, with two people who would do anything for me.  I was the picture of contentment.  I didn't even have to worry that I was going to get in trouble because I was breaking a rule.  I don't *think* I lied to my host mom.  In fact, I think she was out of town and my host sister was in charge.  So that explains that!

Lithium by Nirvana

The two years I spent as a student at MIIS were a wonderful time in my life, but my most favorite memories come from the very first semester.  Due to the nature of the MBA program and the Institute itself, I feel like our class created a special bond.  The students in the 2-year program were scheduled to take the core classes during our first semester and since we were such a small class, we all had the exact same schedule that first semester.  This means that we spent a lot of time together - we ate lunch together and often dinner, we studied together....and since we all really liked each other, we hung out together most of the time, too.  It was also the semester of the Danes.  There was a large group of students from Denmark who were all super friendly and generally just a blast to be around.  In fact, I felt like the dynamic of our class changed when they went back to Denmark at the end of the semester.

For two years, I could always count on something fun to do. Nick and I would usually decide who was driving to whom each weekend, based on the better party!  Today, we're going back to a party at Stacy H's.  It was a house party and I don't think it was for any particular occasion.  It was just new friends, hanging out, drinking, talking, and laughing.  At one point in the evening, a little impromptu dance party burst out.  One of the songs that came on was Lithium, an oldie but goodie.  This is a song that gets everyone on the dance floor, including Nick.  I remember Gabe R. out there dancing, and maybe Mark F, too, but what I most remember is Nis H.  During the chorus, Nis would bust out this perfect air guitar.  I just loved watching him rock out, playing tribute to this truly epic song.  I wish I could do it justice, but sadly, all I have is my memory!  Yeah Yeah Yeah!

Money for Nothing by Dire Straits

My dad loved this song.  He simply could not get enough of it.  When it first came out, he played it as often, as loudly, and as embarrassingly as he could!  
 

The LOUD:
His favorite place to play this song was in his new company car - an '85 Thunderbird.  He loved that car - it was kind of sporty and it was a 2-door.  It was kind of an odd choice for someone who might be driving clients around, but he loved it.  It had a digital speedometer and I particularly liked that I could see if we were ever approaching 88 miles per hour.  Sadly, we never were.  My dad thought the car was super cool and so did I.  He loved playing Money for Nothing in that car.  He loved how it started out so quietly, then built up, getting louder and louder.  He would start with the volume already turned up, so that by the time the song escalated, your eardrums were ringing. He thought it was hilarious when we would cover our ears and squeal with excitement and possibly because we were being audibly tortured.

The EMBARRASSING:
One evening we went out to Mountain Mikes for dinner.  There was a jukebox and he went over to check out the selection. To no one's surprise, a few minutes later the familiar strains of Money for Nothing started playing.  The song ended and ... Money for Nothing started playing again.   It ended and.... for the third time - Money for Nothing!  My dad is giggling into his pizza at this point. 

Something happened to that tape so I purchased a new copy a few years later for his birthday or Christmas or something.  He didn't listen to it much and I was disappointed because I was really proud of that gift.  He confessed later that it made him think about my mom and the divorce which made him sad.  I felt badly about that, but I reminded him of these memories and how clearly happy the song made him.  I wonder if it worked?

Today by Smashing Pumpkins

You never forget the first time.  The first kiss.  The first crush.  The first love.  The first car you drove.  The first show you played in the Cal Band.  (COUGH*BAND DORK*COUGH)

I wasn't going to join the Cal Band.  In spite of having many fun memories and having made lots of friends in the band in High School, there were some lingering bad memories.  They mostly had to do with horribly uncomfortable and hopelessly dorky uniforms.  The best football game I remember was the one game where we didn't have to wear our uniforms, although I can't remember why we lucked out.  I attended the "Welcome to Cal BBQ" held at Tellefson Hall by the Cal Band, before I started school, but between then and school starting, I decided I was definitely not joining the Band.  I must've received an invitation to attend Band Camp (or as they call it at Cal, infinitely cooler, FTP for Fall Training Program).  I did not attend. 

In spite of all this, the week before school started found me walking back from downtown Berkeley, wistfully watching the Cal Band walk into Edwards Stadium.  They looked like they were all having so much fun and they had what I wanted, more than anything:  a built in group of friends, a camaraderie, a fraternity/sorority, if you will.  I wanted that!  I walked right on up to one of those Bandsmen and it turned out to be Vince J!  Shaggy Vince!  He was very welcoming and marched me right on into the stadium where he introduced me to the director of the Band.  I auditioned and the rest is history. 

Oh yeah - our first show.  The Alternative Show.  It started with Today by Smashing Pumpkins; then Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden; followed by Even Flow by Pearl Jam; and concluding with Basketcase by Green Day.  I was so wrong about the coolness factor.  I had gone from John Philip Sousa hell to GREEN DAY.  Not only was it, for me, the epitome of cool, it was also a ton of fun. 

Sexy Sexy Lover by Modern Talking

Zoom in on Mitch's awesome beach apartment in Pacifica.  The date is 12/31/1999.  We were approaching the digital apocalypse (which turned out to be highly exaggerated)!!  New Years 2000 is one of those dates that everyone remembers.  Where were you for New Years 1992?  No idea.  2000?  Like I said, we're going to Pacifica.

Jenny T. had just returned from a semester abroad in Sweden.  We were having a get together on the beach to welcome her back.  While on the beach, I met the adorably acerbic Dominic E.  The Irish accent was irresistable and the way he could match each of my flirtatious witty comments with one of his own - let's just say I was smitten!  I suggested a stay-in, homemade enchiladas, and hot tub New Years celebration at Mitch's apartment and of course, I made sure Dominic would be there, too.  I was working at my first "real" job and let's just say I was nowhere near my monthly quota, so I was stuck pretending to close sales until late in the afternoon.  Then it was off to Pacifica where I met Mitch, Jenny, Dominic, Karen, and Ana!

It was an epic evening!  Jenny had brought back the latest in Swedish top 40 hits and we played the CD over and over and over.  We made delicious enchiladas, drank copious amounts of beer, laughed, sang, and danced.  We danced and danced and danced.  Sexy Sexy Lover is catchy and cheesy and just delightful!  We rang in the New Year in the hot tub.  There was champagne and poppers and we adorned ourselves with the confetti and streamers.  We returned to the apartment to continue dancing into the wee hours.  At one point, it has been said, that I took a shower with a mop.  Apparently Jenny stored it there after cleaning the bathroom.  In her defense, Mitch had been living the bachelor lifestyle while she was gone so she might have had 6 months worth of cleaning to do!

The party continued.  The next day started with brunch, more champagne, classic Nintendo tournaments, puppet shows, hat modeling, and of course music.  More of the Sexy Sexy!  There's no other!  I can't remember when the party ended, but eventually we all had to go back to work and Dominic returned to Ireland. 

Gotta Get Away by the Offspring

After swimming for the Pleasant Hill Dolphins when I was 6-7 years old, I never participated in team sports again.  It's not that it was a bad experience, it's just that it never happened from a logistical standpoint.  I struggled with my weight throughout high school (thanks, undiagnosed thyroid disorder!!), but I started working out.  I have been a pretty dedicated gym-goer since junior year when I joined a gym in Germany.  When I came home senior year, I found a very slimmed down Sammy T. who had also become a bit of a gym-goer.  He wasn't into bodybuilding or weights - he was a cardio machine.  He became my gym buddy.  Sammy T. is Dave T.'s brother and he loved to drive, too.  He almost always picked me up, whether I was at my mom's house or my dad's.  This meant driving all the way across town to get me, in order to drive all the way back to the gym, and then drive me all the way home again.  Sammy didn't mind and I liked hanging out with him.  I picked him up once in while, but more often than not, the Mustang wouldn't start and we'd be sitting in the driveway waiting for Dave to jumpstart it or help me figure out how to start it (sometimes that meant putting the car into park.  Oy.).

Sammy and I could most often be found on the Stairmaster.  We're talking the original, torturous Stairmaster.  Teeny, tiny steps to nowhere.  No elliptical machines.  No moving handlebars.  No built in fans or TVs.  No interesting graphics.  Just the boring Stairmaster.  We stepped and stepped and stepped.  We also listed to music.  My latest mix tape was all of the latest stuff that I was catching up on after being in Germany for a year.  One of the songs was Gotta Get Away.  There were a couple other Offspring songs, some Green Day, maybe some R.E.M.  I remember making a mix to send to my friend Manuela and she wrote back saying the music was "haerter" than she expected.  She meant that it was a little rougher, harder sounding music.  European music at the time tended more towards techno and bubbly Brit groups.  It was prime grunge/alternative/punk era back in the USA.  So yes, a bit "harder" is accurate. It was just hard enough to push me to climb those endless stairs.  I think I'm on a roll, but I've gotta get away from me (and those damn stairs!). 

Escapade by Janet Jackson

I have always been (and continue to be) envious of people who can dance.  I can mostly follow the steps, but I always struggled whenever I took a ballroom class because I had trouble following the guy.  Mostly, I never feel very graceful or inspired.  I don't have whatever it is you need to just go with the music and move your hips spontaneously, or create some amazing maneuver with your body.  Maybe it's because I am calling dancing "maneuvers" rather than some fluid piece of art.

In elementary school and junior high, a lot of the popular girls were in dance.  I think it was mostly jazz dance.  They would perform these really neat routines to a fun, trendy song at school talent shows.  I would go home and try to remember the moves and copy them, but never really succeeded.  In junior high, there was a segment of our P.E. class called dance.  In 8th grade, our teacher chose the song Escapade and we broke into groups to create a dance.  I remember being in a group with Christina P (her nickname that year was Tiscrina) and some other girls.  We were so excited about our dance.  It wasn't the best dance and definitely not the most creative as we were all at my level of dance ability.  I think it mostly included some grapevines and other really basic moves like that, but what was important is that we loved creating it.  We practiced it at lunch, we taught it to our other friends.  We performed it to the very best of our abilities in P.E. and we probably got an A.

We practiced with a cassette, because of course, it was 1991.  The teacher would have to quickly press stop and rewind every time the song ended so we heard the beginning of Black Cat (which came immediately after Escapade) quite a bit.  I remember the teacher commenting that Black Cat sounded like an even better song and she was right.  In fact, I got to play it years later with the Cal Band, complete with hip thrusts and circles, although it didn't sound the same since it is supposed to follow Escapade.  I miss that about music nowadays - you never know what to expect!

Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter

I needed to make some quick money to buy a plane ticket to Germany.  The problem was, I was in high school, minimum wage was $4.25 and a plane ticket was about $800.  There was no quick money.  Showing a sense of self-worth and confidence I would kill for today, I first went to McDonalds where I filled out an application.  I had no patience for that, so I then drove over to Taco Bell where my friend Shelley introduced me to her manager and I finagled an on-the-spot interview and got hired.  Done!

I really enjoyed working there, especially since I was quickly assigned to the drive thru window which was the most fun since there was rarely a break and most importantly, I didn't have to clean the dining room.  I especially enjoyed (most of) my co-workers.  By the time summer rolled around, I had gotten to know a fun group.  We decided to hit up the local lakes on our days off.  One of our day trips was out to the Modesto Reservoir.  Since we all had places to go afterwards, we ended up taking six cars.  I loved driving out in the middle of the country along those long, dusty, country roads.  Speed limits were non-existent.  I was driving a 1967 pink Mustang that summer and in spite of my complete disinterest in fixing it up or maintaining it whatsoever, it was a blast driving it.  It was loud and fast.  It was also hot with no air conditioning so driving with the windows down was a must.  On that trip we were constantly passing each other, yelling out the windows, waving, laughing.  It was a blast.  I had just received a mix tape from a friend and one of the songs on it was Hey Man Nice Shot.  It was an excellent song for driving down those country roads.

So I just googled the song.  I had no idea that it was about a suicide.  I just liked that it started off ominous and grumbling and then built into this loud, yelling, powerful rock song.  Most of the time when I look up the lyrics to songs, I find out I am completely off base.  I am the queen of misheard lyrics.  Most of the time I like my interpretation much better.  Driving through the country on the way to the lake with my friends is SO MUCH BETTER than a suicide. 

Kitty by Presidents of the U.S.A.

Sometimes songs remind of something that happened to someone else entirely.  This is one of those songs.    My buddy Mitch's sister owned a bar in Seattle (or maybe she just worked there.  Refer to my original disclaimer on foggy memories!).  He told me that he was there one time and this song came on the radio (or possibly on the jukebox.  I don't know.  I wasn't there).  If you know the lyrics to the song, there are a couple lines that aren't for the delicate listener.  In fact, they are downright aggressive towards the Kitty, but then again, the Kitty kind of had it coming to her!  Mitch said it was very funny how inappropriate the lyrics were, especially in a public place with a mixed audience. 

Mitch's family always seemed to be doing something really fun.  They are always off in Hawaii or taking boat trips down English channels or celebrating Mardi Gras in Mobile.  In fact, Mitch missed his buddy's wedding party because of a family emergency (Mardi Gras).  He later clarified that he said it was a family "urgency" (still Mardi Gras).  He urgently needed to go drink a hurricane or something.  Mitch's family has the BEST "urgencies". 

Kitty is a really silly song.  That might be another reason why it reminds of Mitch.  We did a lot of silly stuff which was so important in those years right after college, when life suddenly became serious and grown-up.    Meow Meow Meow-Meow Meow-Meow!

Except for Monday by Lorrie Morgan

My Uncle Bill moved to Seattle after college because he got a job with Boeing.  In 1992, we took a little Spring Break road trip to visit him.  My mom told me I could be in charge of the music.  This was a very important responsibility and I had to carefully select 8 tapes.  Only 8 tapes!  I had one of those boxes with a lid that hold 8 cassettes in their cases.  One of the tapes I selected was one of my early mix tapes.  I clearly was still a novice mixer, as this tape included the Imperial March from Star Wars followed by Except for Monday by Lorrie Morgan followed by Unbelievable by EMF.  I know.  It IS unbelievable that I would have conscientiously put that particular combination together.  Since there were only 8 tapes and it is a 15 hour road trip (EACH WAY), we heard that combination of songs quite a few times.

That road trip was so much fun.  I am a big believer in the journey being part of the experience and not just a means to arrive at the destination.  I remember being unreasonably excited when we stopped along the way and stayed in a Motel 6.  Road trips with my dad were always planned out, thanks to his job at AAA.  We had a TripTik map and each hotel was booked in advance.  I thought it was so amazing and spontaneous and adventurous that we just stopped and found a hotel and just stayed there!  Without a reservation!  And a Motel 6!  I remember being really impressed because in my 14-year-old brain, I had a preconceived notion that they are a dump.  It was actually just your average cheap motel, but it was clean, they had extra pillows, and I was impressed.

As we approached Seattle, we were counting down (or maybe up?) the exit numbers until we got to Uncle Bill's exit.  But first, we went around a curve and there was the Seattle skyline!  We cheered, so excited were we to see it. And then.  AND THEN.  I saw the Kingdome.  Again, you are thinking, this kid is weird.  She gets excited about cheap motels and ugly ballparks.  I was so excited because my mom and I had plans to go to a Mariners game!  It was to be my 6th ballpark on my mission to see them all. 

The journey was a blast.  And the destination was, too.  But that is a story for another song!

Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants

Sophomore Year in High School - too young to drive, so I needed a ride to Modesto to participate in the Stanislaus County Honor Band.  I don't remember how it happened, but I got a ride with Dave T.  I didn't know him very well at the time.  He was very quiet and I was better friends with his brother Sam.  Dave had an older car, I have no idea what kind of car it was, maybe a brown car, but it had enormous speakers.  The kind of speakers that filled up the entire back window.  They were crazy big and more than anything, they were crazy LOUD.  He played Birdhouse in Your Soul for us and I thought it was just the weirdest song.  What does that even mean?  A Birdhouse in Your Soul? 

We cruised on up to Modesto, playing that song (and probably some others) so loudly that you could barely hear the song.  You mostly heard the LOUD.  It was a blast.  I felt so cool, being driven around by a peer, heading out of town all the way to Modesto.  Auditioning for Honor Band.  I bested a Senior (I was 12th chair to her 20-something), but I ended up sitting in the back row with her anyway.  My competitive edge was a little softer that year and I was lacking a little confidence.  Plus, she was my friend.  It was a fun week of practicing, racing down Standiford Ave. at 90mph (I think I remembering that correctly.  It was exhilarating and scary!) trying to beat out our friends.  It might've been Mike S. - he had a fast, loud car, too.  I can't remember who won.  I just remember how much fun we had.

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch who watches over you.  (seriously, what are they talking about!?)

Mr. Vain by Culture Beat

It was my very first party with actual German kids.  The COOL kids.  I hadn't been to a party with the cool kids ever and I was beyond excited.  What should I wear?  Would there be lots of drinking?  Dancing?  Would the cute boy in my class be there?  Daniel knew how to throw a party and it lived up to all my expectations.  There was drinking.  There was dancing.  There were cute boys.  The song of the moment was Mr. Vain.  We listened to it more than once throughout the course of the evening.  I was so excited to see how the cool kids lived - I got to hear all kinds of gossip about who dated who, what happened during a party last year, who likes whom.  I was learning all kinds of cool German words and expressions.  I started getting to know the girls in my class (Manu, Sabse, Acki, Chrischdle, Nina, Diana) in a social setting.  It was an exclusive bunch - there were only 6 girls, well 8, counting me and Stacey, in the class, compared to 14 or 16 boys!  I also spent a lot of time talking to Stacey, the other exchange student, and we commiserated about being away from home and not quite understanding everything that was being said.  It was the first of many very fun parties with what grew to be some very good friends.

Call him Mr. Right or call him Mr. Wrong.  Call him Mr. Vain.  I just googled the lyrics and they unanimously say Mr. Raider.   I remember thinking at the time how odd it was that I had so much trouble discerning the lyrics to a song sung in English.  Mr. Raider still makes no sense to me to this day.  I'm still going with Mr. Right.