Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

For my engaged readers and interested parties, here is a breakdown of my year with links to the relevant posts. We still have about one more month to go for the Year of the Rabbit , and I would have to say that it did turn out to be a lucky and prosperous year for me. But I still don't have any trouble sending my Hare advice out to the world ....go, Rabbits, go! Biggest Moments 1) closing on my house...... 2) getting inked on E-Roc 3) Little Boy growing up more and more 4) my unexpected help with an accident ......this just taught me a lot Proudest Financial Escapades 1) purchasing my new home.... for the first time ....in my own name! 2) purchasing my new car .......ditto! 3) getting a quasi promotion at work 4) paying for movers.....the best $600 I ever spent 5) filing my own taxes Happiest Times 1) easy -going weekends with E-Roc and Little Boy 2) sitting on my back deck 3) fun times with my favorite new girl friend 4) loving my boys ....just loving them so much Gro

In this house, we dig naps!

So glad my boy will be home for Christmas after all!

I did love my Beemer so. But it was long past time for us to part company. She never did me wrong, but I was beginning to see that as time goes by she was going to be a very expensive lady to keep up. And that old way of life is long gone for me now. So meet my new girl that we are affectionately and appropriately calling Boxy Brown. We plan to have many happy road trips together.....

Every time I change keys, change cars, change houses, my PSU stays with me. It's my weird and happy talisman......

Last week when I was sick, my pop checked in on me with a text. He ended with LOL. I believe he thinks this means Lots Of Love. Old people are funny.

This is my current fave, but I also really love "Do You Wanna Freak Out".......they are like Modest Mouse meets Pink Floyd meets Southern Rock. What's not to love???

And I've done all I can To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands Now I'm starting to see Maybe it's got nothing to do with me From Daughters by John Mayer (it is completely out of context but still applies to my complete exhaustion with the situation)

I totally get the sentiment here , and I totally agree. Like a lot of music snobs, I also don't think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame means a hell of a lot. I also really don't dig those big all-star jams they have at the end of the presentation.....just a little too phoney for me. I'm just sayin......

Not all break-ups are romantic.

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

I've always had a thang for that late 80's early 90's hip hop........

I just happened to catch VH1's Classic Albums the other day featuring "Dark Side of the Moon" which is probably one of my favorite albums of all time. Every time I see this episode on, I will stop and watch no matter how many times I've seen it or how many times I've heard the album. I just love learning about how albums were composed, engineered, conceived, recorded, etc. And every time I watch, I fall more in love with David Gilmour and feel certain that if I had been a teenager in 1973 that he definitely would have been on the wall right by my bed......

Late-night cocktails with Beavis and Butthead. We are such grown-ups....

I agree with this from Post Secret. Which is why I look like this today.

Aside from our trip to McDonald's and the eye doctor, Little Boy and I are enjoying our days off from work and school reading this Judy Blume classic that we recently found in E-Roc's trunk full of stuff from his Mom's. I just love pretty much anything by Judy Blume and am even more determined to add to my kids book collection after finding this one. I especially want to get Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great and Starring Sally J. Freeman as Herself . I loved those books when I was a girl. But for now, let me get back to Pe-Tah, Fudge and Little Boy.....

I might just feel for this mother .....in a very half-assed kind of way. I have a much bigger heart to the poor girl who was assaulted and her parents. This woman is suffering because she has realized her baby boy just might be a disgusting pig. Allegedly. As for this case ......oh, J.C. There are so many things to be bothered by with this, I don't even know where to begin. First off, I'm not quite sure why the daily online coverage has never failed to show the victim's lock-up shots. To establish her history of drug abuse? Maybe. To make clear the reason why she was with the accused killer in the first place? Again, maybe. At any rate, she's dead now. Not passed away......dead. She didn't just die, she was murdered. I see no reason why this guy shouldn't be thrown up under a jail for the rest of his life. I'm just sayin....... Do you see why I have to escape to Beavis and Butthead and read fiction all the time?????

Beavis and Butthead tonight on MTV. It has been too long. Huuhuuuhuuuhuuuhuu.

With the world going to hell in a go-cart, we definitely don't want to overlook the perils of fake maple syrup !!!! I guess since I don't live in Vermont maybe I don't entirely get the importance of this, but c'mon. Jail time for faking syrup? There must not be enough crack dealers in the upper Northeast.....

And no, I don't think it's a coincidence that each of these songs sound like they're from the 80's. That's how I like my pop music......recycled.

Myers Pumpkin Patch October 2010 Myers Pumpkin Patch October 2011

Can you believe that funny little smile?

My favorite season is finally upon us with lower temps and light frost in the mornings.....I had to turn on the heat last night! Looking forward to a weekend of pumpkins, walks outdoors and snuggling with my favorite boys. Traa Laa Laa......

My new favorite blog. Will help you figure out if you need a Lumberjack or Wizard. Like you don't know already......

Since E-Roc and I are not in the position of dog ownership at the moment, we have taken to watching dog shows . And naming dogs on this commercial . (If you turn the sound down, it's really fun and make the commercial much more tolerable.) And even watching re-runs (the same dogs!) of this show . But we also like to name the dogs in our neighborhood. We don't know their real names (and possibly will never try to learn) because our creative names for them are just so much better ! ~Big Orange Fluffy Dog of Unknown Breed Mixing Next Door: started calling him "Orange Puppy" for Little Boy's sake, since been shortened to "Opie" ~Big slow-moving Labrador Retriever from down the street who peed on my mailbox yesterday: "Jarvis"....not really sure why, it was E-Roc's creation Oh! And the chickens! The chickens through the woods from our back deck: ~Chicken 1: Joanie ~Chicken 2: Chachie ~Rooster: Howard Cunningham ~Two little Dachshunds from

Reading a book like this always reminds me of how great some descriptive writers can be at their craft. Janet Fitch just makes me want to write more, try harder and just, well........live! I like the way her books always seem to combine people in art, music and creative lifestyles.......just my kind of peeps! This book, about a young women who is grieving the loss of her boyfriend and the relationship she creates with his overbearing mother, could be written about anyone anywhere. But the slant, with the music, the weirdness and the setting of early 80's California just makes it, well, right. After I finish this I am absolutely going back and reading White Oleander again. How could I not?

Things I love about living in my new house and out in the country again: ~going for walks with Little Boy ~sitting on the deck and thinking I'm in the mountains ~not worrying if the neighbors through the wall can hear Little Boy's middle of the night loudness ~making friends with the neighborhood dogs and hearing their owners whistle them in at night ~feeling the separation from city to country when making my long drive home ~my super big closet! ~my super big "spa" girls room! ~the funny art/work space I share with my Honey Bear ~the feeling of "safe haven" that my home provides from all the stressers in my life ~the fact that my mortgage payment is 2 dollars more than my rent was (!?) ~did I mention the neighborhood dogs? I did? I just love them so.......

I can't believe it has taken me this long to see this great local band . Talk about a rawk show! I thought they sounded like a cross between Rage, Anthrax and AC/DC....if you can imagine that. This band Hectagons was also pretty cool as they had a kind of Mogwai thing happening with them. The funny thing? The band we actually went to see (or who was actually the headliner on the ticket, I should say, as we REALLY went to see 2013) was Helmet. And was boring. A few other good things on Friday night: hanging out with friends and E-Roc's little bro (who we just don't see enough) E-Roc's shout-out from the stage by Neal and Robert and the great new ring I bought from a street vendor on the way out of NODA. You can't beat that! This week, we're hoping to make it to a show for these guys who are as weird as they are talented, theside. See you at Amos' Southend on Saturday........

If you are not watching Modern Family on Wednesday nights, your week is just incomplete.....

This is my current read, which was actually written before Knox's recent verdict overturn and subsequent freedom. I have to say from reading this book and press accounts, I don't think Amanda Knox is guilty of murder. However, I do have to say I think she was guilty of what a lot of young Americans tend to commit in other countries: the crime of stupidity. People, especially young ones, need to learn once and for all that they don't have the same protections, care, consideration and well, let's just say it, love , that they have here in America. When you venture into another country, there will be no sweet mother representative of the Nanny State watching out for you or swooping into save you. There will be no nice local cop that will call your parents when you fuck up. When us Americans travel into other countries we need to remember to: follow all rules, not offend anyone or their culture, make smart choices about drug use and casual sex partners and think reall

My new creative space. Good things are gonna happen here......

To be honest, I'm not super sad about the break-up because R.E.M. is band that will never really fade away. They have such a long catalog of great music that it will be with us for years and years to come and will continue to influence kids who won't even remember who Michael Stipe was! (I mean really, I just read a book about Emo culture called Everybody Hurts . The book sucked ass, but we all know which song it was referencing!) The saddest thing about a band like this breaking up is knowing you'll never get to see them live. But c'mon now, people. The Police broke up in the 80's and I just saw them 4 years ago. Who knows? Maybe they'll get back together in 10 or so years and bring Bill Berry back with them! Now THAT would be worth the $150 ticket price! But I digress...... Here's my favorite hits of R.E.M. Another band that reminds me of my man......and even a few that remind me of Little Boy....... ~Near Wild Heaven ~Nightswimming ~Radio Free

For all those haters out there, (who would never read this blog anyway) all you have to do is watch about ten seconds of this video to know that Chaz Bono is no threat to your children, your home, your marriage or anything that you hold sacred. He's about as harmless as the shy cute man at the bar who watches you all night and gets up the courage to wink before he leaves and goes home alone. So there. I couldn't watch/bear very much of this show last night, so I didn't catch much. But I think I could easily predict Kristen to win. Which is sad because I like Lauren sooooo much better. What? That's a different show? Oh, never mind....... But for your convenience, I have made a list of other things that would be more threatening than Chaz Bono's gender reassignment and subsequent DWTS coming-out par-tay (and Carson Kressley's too, I suppose): ~forgetting to pay your electric bill and losing your service during Monday Night Football ~getting a really bad piec

Did the Earth just turn on its axis? Did George Costanza just grow hair? Did I just agree with Rick Perry???? Surely not. Actually I did. Because he supports the Texas version of the DREAM Act which is a piece of legislation that many people don't support thereby showing what I honestly think is one of the many examples of what's wrong with this country: that for as much as politicians and "regular people" claim to, we don't support peoples' attempts to better themselves. We hate dependency, but we encourage it. We hate crime, but we encourage it. How? Well, in the case of denying the DREAM Act to be passed, we offer the children of illegals two choices to earn a living once they get grown: government assistance or crime. Take your pick. But fear not, gentle readers, this liberal voter hasn't been swayed to the Dark Side of the ballot. I was returned again to my utter disdain for Perry when I saw him doing what can only be described as "preach

COLORS My skin is kind of sort of brownish Pinkish yellowish white. My eyes are grayish blueish green, But I'm told they look orange in the night. My hair is reddish blondish brown, But it's silver when it's wet. And all the colors I am inside Have not been invented yet. Shel Silverstein To Little Boy: Be who you are! Don't change for me. Don't change for anyone. Grow. Learn. Stay. Go. Cuddle with Mommy....you're not too old. Be loud. Be still. Laugh. Cry. I posted this poem on your playroom wall long before I ever knew what was "different" about you. It will still be posted on your heart and mine no matter what you come to be or don't come to be in life. No matter what, you will still be mine and you will still be yours..... Love, Mommy

Currently really digging Our Band Could Be Your Life which is a book my E-Roc has been telling me to read for years. This book makes me: ~Wish I had been born 10 years earlier. ~Wish I had been braver when I was younger. ~Wish I had possibly made some totally different choices back when I could have. ~Not like Henry Rollins as much as I once did, even though I deeply respect his intellect. ~Love Mike Watt even more and be so glad I've actually heard and seen him play. ~Still agree with Ellen Page's great line from one of my fave movies, Juno , when she says that Sonic Youth "sucks.....it's just noise!" It also inspired me to write down and post on my wall at work this great quote from Mike Watt in which he is describing what it was like to work a regular joe job all the while being driven creatively by his music: "Everywhere else in our lives, we were the tiny little men, but this one, this could be us....." Spoken by and for any person who ever worked

At first she had me. Because I always like it when celebs are real about real life issues: health, parenting, money, etc. But then just as she had me.....wha......oh......oh......she lost me. I've always had mixed feelings about Reese Witherspoon anyway. According to Kevin Smith (who I am indifferent to but whom E-Roc loves in a completely non-homo way) she is a female douche because she was insulting to his writing way back when and rude to his then-girlfriend Joey Lauren Adams . How anyone can be mean to sweet lil Joey? But it was this article where Reese really lost me. I'm not anti-marriage. (Although I'm not as pro as I used to be.) And I'm all for relationships and happily-ever-after and all of that. But I hate her insinuation that every woman just needs a good man to help her out with her kids. There's nothing wrong with admitting that single parenting is hard and that support is needed. But c'mon now, Reese. I think you just set independent w

Great show and great night in Charlotte last night! Probably one of the sweetest (and most weirdly quiet audience I've ever been in) and most romantic shows I've ever seen. And I've decided that since their most recent songs have been written during and around their family life, that Be My Thrill is about their children because it made me think of my son. And I miss him today. And I'm sleepy. That's it for now......

The first time I fell in love with my Honey Bear, I was 15 and the soundtrack was The Cure, Pearl Jam and maybe even some questionable 90's R&B. The second time, I was in my 30's and it was this band, The Weepies . I love everything about this band....the fact that they were two singer songwriters who found not only creative passion together but real passion.....they have since settled down and had a family! Now that's creative synergy, people! But of course, what I really love is their music. It's wispy and happy and sad and real and full of so many emotions and thoughts that I just can't describe it if you're not already a fan. But if you just listen to one or a few songs, you will be one.....I promise you. My favorites (and ones I'm hoping to hear tonight if anyone writing out a setlist is reading this....hint, hint) would be: Nobody Knows Me At All (which I played for my sister one time on a car trip and she said "wow....who doesn't fee

Sometimes redemption is a long time coming , but it's still usually so worth it! I don't really know why so many people hate Nickelback, but if you look them up online you will find MANY sites dedicated to it. To me, there are just an insipid, uninspired, unintelligent group of stuck-in-adolescence guys who make music to delight guys just like them. Their lyrics and content are mostly horrible, their new millennium douche look is just gross, and Chad's voice is one of the worst in pop music. Ever. Sorry for the rant. I guess you can see which side I'm on. But c'mon.....if even your home country doesn't accept you, what can you expect???

David Arquette? This guy seems like he should ALWAYS have a camera following him around! If only his famous sisters and brother would come watch a few episodes! I hope Chaz Bono is as charismatic and sexy as his mom and late dad! And Nancy Grace? C'mon! Can we say image make-over? I am all for it! Although I never watch a complete season of DWTS, I always catch the first night introductions. With this cast, this might be a season worth sticking around for......

"Do you know that anything being wrong with your big toe messes up everything? I cut my toenail too short and it hurts like a sonofabitch!" (My coworker, Jen-Nay, making me laugh the biggest hoot I can remember in a while and making her second but certainly not last appearance on "The Funny Things You Say".)

I hadn't planned to write about poverty this morning until I read this piece by my friend which lead me to this piece by a guy I don't know but who seems pretty damn savvy. It got me to thinking about parts of my childhood that I don't like to think about now, parts of my adulthood that I'm still ashamed of and parts of my adulthood that I'm still trying to get through. When I was in college, I remember learning about conditional poverty . That's basically a situation in which you feel poor, but you're really not. Like not having enough change to do laundry but having 2 bucks you can spend on a burrito. Or not having the money to buy your expensive new psychology textbook but knowing you can always call home if you need to. I feel embarrassed and fortunate about the many levels of poverty I've experienced over my life. It would be enough to make a writer like John Scalzi say "give me a break" and possibly Barbara Ehrenreich to

http://www.gastongazette.com/sections/slideshow/?id=9389257 I am looking at shelter dogs that E-Roc won't let me have. Meanie.

Little Boy gets bigger and bigger.......

Cutest Bear Attack - watch more funny videos I could watch this friggin cute lil bear all day.....

Be kind to your web-footed friends, For a duck may be somebody's mother...... Yesterday I had kind of a difficult day. I was very tired from the concert the night before, but I still had a lot to do at work as Monday is my busiest day of the week. I had some errands to run after work and things to get done before I had to run all the way to another county for Little Boy's orientation at his new school. I had a lot of stress on my mind from various sources and was just hoping I could get through all I had to do, so I could call it an early night around 9:30 and catch up on some sleep. And then something happened. I had one of those you-had-better-slow-down-because-life-can-change-in-an-instant kind of experiences. On the way to my errands after work, I witnessed a car accident. During the next twenty or so minutes, I learned a few things about myself and life in general. 1) I know now why witnesses to accidents are so unreliable. I saw the accident happe

Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory , a mental illness , a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait . Except in the sense of primary narcissism or healthy self-love , "narcissism" usually is used to describe some kind of problem in a person or group's relationships with self and others. In everyday speech, "narcissism" often means inflated self-importance, egotism , vanity , conceit , or simple selfishness . Applied to a social group , it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others. In psychology , the term is used to describe both normal self-love and unhealthy self-absorption due to a disturbance in the sense of self. From Wikipedia

The weekend was a good one, full of successes, deep thinking and a few let-downs......but such is life, wouldn't you say? In the success department, Little Boy was so happy and good this weekend. Parent readers out there know that your kids' behavior can make or break your 2-3 days at home together, so this was a good one for us. (Only one small meltdown over the wrong television show coming on at the appointed time, and I won't hold that against him.) Otherwise, he was friendly and courteous to folks on our weekly Nature Trail walk, tried new foods, slept well and handled well the fact that the apartment was full of boxes and that his room gets more and more bare every week. And in another success, I got more packing done and very nearly have that apartment whipped up and tied down! Just give us our closing date, and we are out the door! Deep thinking occurred at the much-anticipated concert last night. I was happy to see and sing along with Jack, but I have t

Totally screaming this at the top of my lungs with Jack. Totally.

Pretty much everyone's favorite, right? One more day.....

Not my favorite song or the favorite band that we're seeing, but it will still be fun for the dumb inside joke that E-Roc and I have for this song. I won't try to explain. You won't get it.

Getting super-psyched for Sunday! This isn't a song lots of people consider a favorite by Journey, but I always liked it! E-Roc and I are also looking forward to a fun night with old friends, people-watching and overpriced beers.......yay!!!

So excited for summer concert this week! I have seen Journey more than once, and they have never disappointed, but this will be my first time seeing my FIRST FAVORITE BAND! I don't know what made me love Night Ranger back in the day, but did I ever! I didn't understand heavy rotation then, but I was always thrilled that "When You Close Your Eyes" got played on MTV every day after school. (Oh, MTV.....) And of course, I'm looking forward to seeing my first rock star crush, Jack Blades. So looking forward to spending a fun night with my man, maybe hooking up with some old friends, and generally reliving some good old times with music I cranked from my tiny little cassette player....."Sister Christian"........"Separate Ways"........"Lights".........."You Can Still Rock in America"..........and maybe even "Hot Blooded"??? (Yes, we're seeing Journey, Night Ranger and Foreigner for anyone who couldn't g

So glad to have my boy back from camp!

E-Roc and I spent pretty much the whole weekend watching the 30 years retrospective clips of MTV on VH1 Classic. What a stroll down memory lane! I had forgotten about half of all the great shows, award moments, live performances, promos, contests.....not to mention, the videos! It was so fun reliving the old times and kept me from thinking too hard about my Baby Boy going off to sleep-away camp for the first time, let me tell ya. And I realized many times over the weekend and even on the drive to work this morning, how much my musical mind has been shaped by MTV. I heard "Beds Are Burning" on the drive-in, and I could see in my head that guy from Midnight Oil doing his weird little dance out there on the Australian Outback. Flipped the channel and could visualize Slash out there shredding it up by that little church in "November Rain". Good or bad, for a lot of the music in my head, I think and hear in videos. I also can track back many of my cultural touchst

"Your blogs are pretty much the written equivalent of watching a Bette Midler movie, while eating quiche, on fancy dinnerware, with a pinky extended while holding the fork!" (A guy friend explaining that my blog is pretty girly in context.....well, duh!)

"Baby, that train has sailed." (E-Roc, half awake, talking about something goofy one recent morning.)

The last time I saw this it was in G-Town , but this time it was Plaza Midwood. It is my new in-search-of item!

Even though I'm about 4 years behind, I finally just finished Broken Music a memoir by Sting. The book was good, but as a longtime Police and Sting fan, I wanted to hear more about the songs and what was behind them. This book was more about his childhood and movements toward music and not so much about The Police beyond their beginnings. That's okay. After reading it, I have such a greater respect and appreciation for why Sting loves and performs the music he does, his influences and what I always I guessed and now know: how intelligent he is. I've always loved Sting......both with The Police and on his own. When E-Roc and I saw The Police on their reunion tour a few years ago, it was one of the best huge arena shows I've ever seen. I remember when they started Synchronicity II and E-Roc leaned over to me and said "I have chills". Only true music fans would ever understand. I also saw Sting on a solo tour when I was about 18 and it was equally thrill

It's hard to believe Boyz N the Hood was released 20 years ago this summer. A lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same. Ice Cube might be making kids movies now, but he is still probably best known as "Doughboy" by many. This movie has so much: friendship, pain, loss, violence, poverty, adolescence.....and it's so so rich in all these things. I cry and feel moved every time I see it, and that has been MANY times now. And even though the subject matter of this film is so serious, it still manages to have some great light moments and dialogue that anyone who's seen it will recognize right away. Betta take yo ass to da sto wit dat! You aint' a virgin, is ye? Is ye? You may be cute. But you're not special. I ain't no criminal. I can read! Young brother, I think you can do anything you put your mind to. But the E-Roc and I agree, that is has one of the coolest fathers in any movie of any genre ever: Furious Styles. You have to see it to know wh