Y.M.C.A.

Adam's school had a dance Thursday night, with a loud DJ playing pop and techno songs -- you know, songs teenagers have to listen to in order to shock their parents, but the parents, having lived through the Beatles, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Ozzie Osbourne , and the Ramones, find themselves largely unshockable. So it all works out nicely. One of Adam's favorite groups is AC/DC, which I listened to in college, 20 years ago. Ok, 25 years ago. Oh, hell, 30.

Back to the dance. The DJ played the Village People song YMCA. In the States, everyone knows what to do: you jump up and down making "Y"s and "M"s and "C"s and "A"s. But here, the kids didn't know what to do in between -- you know, what Timo does, one hand behind your head, the other pointing around the room to the beat. Adam started in on the whole package instinctively, and the other kids followed along. Thus was extended the reach of American Cultural Imperialism. Great fun all around. It won't be good if they elect him class president just as he is forced to flee the country due to a lapsing visa. Though I bet we could cook up a good story for that.