E left yesterday for another business trip. This time, he'll spend a week in Burkina Faso, and a few weeks in Mali, and a day in Paris. He picked the right time to go to Africa; it's freaking cold here today.

How do I distract myself when E's out of town? Let me count the ways:

1. I finally vacuumed the broken glass out of my backseat. It was windy and 26 degrees and my hands just about fell off in the five minutes my quarters bought. OK, it wasn't so cold that my spit would freeze before it hit the ground, but I'm no man in a Jack London story, either.

2. I took down the last of the Christmas decorations and carried the tree out to the curb.

3. I culled CDs and traded in a couple dozen of dubious quality for a whopping $85 in credit. With said bounty, I completed our set of Johnny Cash American Recordings with 3: Solitary Man, splurged on 2 new disks of the Beatles' White Album*, found a digitally remastered version of the Velvet Underground & Nico, and, on a whim, picked up Madonna's GHV2 and The Eminem Show. And headphones for work. And it was all free! Sort of.

*I remember listening to the White Album from my parents' collection when I was little. The labels on the records had interesting pictures of halved apples, and while you listened, you could study the four glossy 8x10 head shots of the Beatles that were tucked inside the record sleeves. In later years, John Lennon's head shot mysteriously disappeared; although fingers were pointed in my brother's direction, the case was never closed. I also listened to:

• Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Especially: "Lovely Rita Meter Maid," "When I'm 64."
  
• the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar. Especially: the theme song. Although I have not heard it in twenty years, I could sing the chorus for you right now. The set included two records and a thick booklet, and came in a serious-looking brown box.
  
• a Simon and Garfunkel album. I don't remember which one; I think my dad had quite a few.
  
• the Mamas and the Papas. I can't remember the album title, but the cover had a photo of the M&P's in happier, carefree days, and it was cut into flaps so you could mix and match their tops and bottoms. E.g., Cass's head on Michelle's body. (There's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it.)
  
• an album by the band that sang that song "Windy." I really liked that song.
  
• John Denver. Not my choice; my best friend made me play it. At her house we listened to Pac Man Fever.

I also had many of my own records. These sit in a milk crate next to my desk now:

• 14 Numbers, Letters, and Animal Songs.
  
• Winnie the Pooh and Chistopher Robin. I wonder if this was my (younger) brother's? I have no memory of listening to it. On the other hand, I have few happier childhood memories than listening (as my parents read) and then reading and rereading and rereading again The World of Pooh, which contains the complete Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner, and many illustrations one can pore over before one learns to read. The book, still in my collection, was a gift from friends of my parents when I was born.
  
• Bert & Ernie Sing-Along.
  
• Let Your Feelings Show. Another Sesame Street production.
  
• Somebody Come and Play (with me on Sesame Street).
  
• Ernie's Hits. Featuring: "Tiger Hunt." Oh, we could play like intrepid explorers for hours, guided by Ernie, pulling out our "rusty, trusty telescopes" -- and running like mad when we found the tiger. It never got old.

  NOTE: Sorry, but I cannot rip Tiger Hunt to MP3 for you. Please don't email me and ask. You can find Tiger Hunt here, about 1h 18m into the broadcast (thanks Jeny!).

  
  
• Free to Be You and Me. Led by Marlo Thomas with a central theme of gender equality (e.g., "William Has a Doll"). I also had the companion book, which I've seen in stores lately, presumably with a CD. Favorites: "Boy Meets Girl," in which two newborns try to determine their respective sex, and (setting the tone for the album) challenge gender stereotypes in the process; "Ladies First," by Shel Silverstein, in which a pushy little girl gets eaten by cannibals; and "Atalanta," in which a princess races the men who are competing for her hand, and she is only just beaten by young John, who declines to marry her, because he would not wish to do so against her will.
  
• The Hobbit. A two-record set made from the animated version, with a booklet. Like Jesus Christ Superstar, it came in a box and seemed more substantial for it.

Making these lists, I realize that for all we've gained with compact discs, we definitely lost something with records. The album artwork and presentation add to the whole listening experience in a way plastic-encased liner notes never will.