The Road to Nowhere

Well, Sweet Jebus, I finally finished On the Road. In the end, it was like assignment reading......a task I had to finish! And still, I just don't get it. I mean, it get that it has some great lines. In some places, it does. And I get that even with the pseudonyms it tells that stories of some interesting characters in our American pop culture history. But when it is considered "speaking for a generation"? Really? If you were a part of the Beat Generation, or even if you weren't but just really like the sentiment of it, would these be the guys you would want as your spokesmen? Men who hold no regard for working to paid, men who step out on their women, men who drink and use drugs with wild abandon, men who spend hours and hours in a Mexican brothel with eyes for underage girls? Because I got news for you, my friends. While all this traveling and free thinking seems really intriguing years after the fact, I guarantee you back in the day you would not have pissed on these guys if they were on fire in front of you. There. I said it.

I have known and loved interesting and creative folk my whole life. But I wouldn't have a thing to do with guys who behaved this way. Now the traveling across America......seeing and learning about people.....trying different jobs.....listening to different music......? That, I'm all for. But abandoning wives and children......seeking out all kind of depravity......not acceptable. Not in 1950 and not now.

But I can see why some people might like it if you read this site, soon to be a book. Then you might also see how Sal and pals would be nothing more than the gross kids on the Jersey Shore of today.

Think about that for a second.

Reclaiming Your Childhood: Priceless

This story might take a minute to tell. Bear with me. When my sister and I were little girls, my mother took us to a large baptist church in town. Even as a child, I never remember feeling welcome there. But I do remember the lovely older couple that kept my Sunday School class. They gave us saltines and kool-aid, and I remember thinking they would be nice grandparents to have. At Christmastime, the Sunday School class was set to have a random gift exchange. Every child was supposed to bring a gift that could be exchanged with any other child.....no specific gift designations. I received the gift of an Avon 7 bead necklace which was very popular at the time. I loved it so much and was thrilled to have it! I was somewhere between 5 and 7 at the time. (Back in the 1970's and 80's, Avon was a cosmetic company that was also known for it's inexpensive jewelry. I couldn't find a price on what this necklace would have cost back then, but apparently there is ...

My Week with Rumor

My dog Rumor was an experiment. A trial offer. And all parties knew that going in. Except for maybe Rumor. Rumor was an outdoor country dog. His given name was Ruger (named after a firearm if you don't know, I didn't) which made sense for a dog raised in hunting country. He was a stray that came to live with a loving family at about the age of 1. He lived outdoors, slept in a garage crate at night, frolicked with an older dog pack and had a lovely life. We think he was about 4 years old. He had been neutered, had vet care and was by no means a "rescue". His dad offered Ruger to me on a give-it-a-try basis. He knew I wanted a dog. He told me Ruger would be sweet to me and also be my protector. He was right on both counts. He told me if it didn't work out, I could bring Ruger back to him and his wife. I could tell they were a little sad when they dropped him off. It made me glad to see that Ruger came from such ...

NYE for $200, Alex

Can we all just agree that New Year's Eve is the worst of the string of winter holidays? I would even go so far as saying it's THE WORST of all the holidays. I loved when Stanford Blatch defined a party as feeling very "forced festive". To me, most NYE parties feel that way. The idea that this is a big year-end blow-out and we'd all damn well better make it awesome! The reason I hate NYE is because it combines two of things I most hate about celebrations: cold weather and crowds. Plus it's during a time of year when everyone has already spent all their money. AND you usually have to the leave the house. ADDITIONALLY, you have to stay up late. It's a big F.U. from me on all this. I would dare say that some of my happiest New Year's memories have been spent at home in my pajamas with either my child, an S.O. or happily alone. I remember one unforgettable year of moving into a 3rd floor apartment on NYE. I rememb...

Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

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