War, Children, It's just a shot away, it's just a shot away
Last edited Sun Jul 1, 2018, 01:47 PM - Edit history (2)
My wife are in Stuttgart for the night.
It's a belated birthday present from our German-based daughter.
Oh yeah. She also threw in two up-close tickets to the Rolling Stones concert in Stuttgart tonight. Cost her a small fortune, too (good thing she makes more than twice what I do).
The Stones were really hot, too--much better than the only other time we saw them, and that was 15 years ago. Jagger's voice doesn't have quite the range it used to, but it was still strong. They played for two hours straight through, and played just about EVERYTHING except (mercifully) "As Tears Go By" and "Lady Jane." AND--they surprised everyone by covering Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone."
They are only doing two gigs in Germany this tour. Berlin last weekend and Stuttgart tonight. After 55 years, they still rock like they had formed 5 years ago and have the energy to prove it.
Tomorrow morning, it's back to Düsseldorf and the real world.
**MAJOR edit--our younger daughter let us know this evening (we weren't aware) that our other daughter was also a participant in this little birthday gift--something she is not in a position to really afford. I hope they participated proportionately to their income!
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Saw them in 1981 w Santana and Iggy Pop. The "Jovan Musk Tour". Back when Jovan musk was the thing. What a great trip. Nice daughter taking care of her parents. 
I know you both had a great time!
My best to you both!
Last edited Mon Jul 2, 2018, 11:51 AM - Edit history (2)
I spent every cent of the cash part of my inheritance on their educations because they wanted to go to college in the States. The elder one chose to stay there, but doesn't make a lot of money at her job. The younger one came back to Germany because there WERE no jobs in her field in the States when she graduated law school (2010--at the end of the Bush II recession). She happened to turn into the youngest partner ever at a top international law firm and she is anything but stingy when it comes to us. She knows what I sacrificed for her education, and believes in payback. I don't want any money from her, but she likes gestures like this. She also tosses such favors her sister's way, inviting her to trips to Cuba and Munich (Oktoberfest) last year that her sister could not have afforded on her own.
She is kind and loving, just as you said--to US, anyway. She is known as ruthless at her workplace, because she is the smartest one there, and expects the same level of work from those under her. This means mostly older people, usually men, who resent a 31 year old female partner giving them their marching orders. But it also involves younger interns hired by the head office in New York who show up with their degrees from Harvard Law or Yale Law, and expect someone like her, with a degree from a "second tier" law school, to bow before their "superior" law degrees. They often leave her office in tears (I got this from her senior partner) after she reads them the riot act for sloppy work, poor English (Republicanese or worse), and even worse German. Our daughter, the dragon lady!
I think you and your wife did a very good job with your daughters. They both seem to have turned out very well! 
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On the other hand, we are EXTREMELY biased!
Which one is in the US and which one is in Germany?
We both came away from our initial encounter with very different takes, of course.
Me: WOW, I have just met the girl of my dreams, I'll do whatever it takes to hold on to her!
She: Well, that was a nice summer fling, but he's from America, and that's at the other end of the galaxy.
After three and a half years of long distance contortions of schedules and budgets, she finally agreed it was looking serious enough to take it a step further. So she came to spend a year with me in suburban Boston (where I was living at the time). On one level, she wanted a better understanding of the culture I came from (we laughed at different jokes, etc. etc.). But we also just wanted to see if we still clicked on a longer-term basis. We still did, and now still do.
I lucked out big time. She can call it whatever she wants 
