Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

These days I almost forget about how much Gwen Stefani used to mean to me.  She was a girl I used to know.  I think I knew her pretty well.  She was fun and interesting and I loved her.  Sometimes I wanted to be her. It's not as if I didn't wear out Tragic Kingdom back in the day.  It was 1996 and I finally had a car with a cassette player.  I was so happy.  I was a senior in college and I didn't know anyone that didn't hold "Don't Speak" as their sad breakup song. But over the years, just like friends from college tend to do, I lost touch with Gwen.  Sure, I would hear different things about her.  Sometimes I questioned her choices. I wasn't ever sure that Gavin was really right for her, but then I thought, I wasn't being fair.  I didn't really know him.  They were cute together and seemed happy. And then every time they had another kid, I'd think, damn Gwen!  You keep having 'dem babies! O

Not Without My Daughter had a very big impact on me when I read it years ago.  The movie, although a bit different from the factual book, was also very good.  This memoir tells the story from the child's perspective and follows her into adulthood.  It's nice to see that despite all she went through at such a young age that she turned out to be a really strong and capable woman.  The most disappointing thing to see is that her father stuck to the story that she and her mother were lying about the whole thing until the day he died.  It's no matter though, because Mahtob found what she really needed in the end: forgiveness.  It's a lesson a lot of us could use who have lived through much less.

Just about as perfect as a movie can be.  It's got strong women, smart men, references to the first 3 movies, jokes, fights, heartbreak......and a pretty good feeling about what will be coming in the next one.  The Force is strong here.  Very strong.

"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge."  My husband is a big fan of 90's rap and particularly NWA and this got his stamp of approval.  It covers the story of the group pretty well along with the turmoil of the 90's and the police brutality particularly prevalent to certain neighborhoods of California.  When the familiar sounds of certain songs would start up, we both got that little glow of nostalgia that took us back to our teens and early 20's.  It's sad when you realize that the police brutality is still alive and well over 20 years later and has actually gotten worse.  I think we also understand the feelings of these guys a lot more now than we did then.  The footage of the Rodney King assault was hard to watch and again reminded me of what life looked like back then when I was an impressionable teenager.  I think my favorite part of the film was actually the montage at the end that showed how well all the guys tu

I had a feeling that this would be a lot like The Good Girl , which I did like, but found really depressing.  And this is about the same, but with very different subject matter.  It's the kind of movie that will make you grateful for your life and the small good fortunes you have.  It will make you ask yourself what you would do........if?  There is a very timely message here about the abuse of prescription drugs, but also a caveat for the things rich white people can get away with that the rest of us can't.  This movie made me feel sad, annoyed and empathetic.  Not a bad run of emotions for an average Tuesday night.

Mary: "It's full of romance, that old house.  I want to live in it.   George: "I wouldn't live in it as a ghost."

Our President and First Lady have to attend far too many funerals.

A few evenings ago, my son and I were out for our weekly date night.  I noticed several older ladies coming in together carrying gifts and treats.  Most were dressed festively.  I figured they were having a pre-Christmas get-together with their other lady friends.  I thought about how all older women, no matter what they look like or what they're interested in make me think of my mother and other women like her.  Women dressed a certain way make me think of my mother-in-law and others make me think of my step-mother-in-law and still others make me think of my ex-mother-in-law.  (I have lots of mothers in my life in case you can't tell!)  All of them hold a special place in my life and all of them are still present in it in one way or another. Suddenly, I had a thought.  How does seeing women that make us think of our own mothers affect those who have lost their mothers?  Or even seeing kindly old grandfather types to those that have lost their fathers?  I know the holi

 Some say this weather is ruining their Christmas spirit, I say it's making me happy as a clam and is pretty much perfect!

I know it's weird, but I just haven't cared much about this last installment.  It's been out, what, 3 weeks now?  I still haven't seen it.  I think splitting the last book into 2 movies was a mistake.  I'm more excited to see Creed than this one.  Oh, well.....

I tried to read the book and watch the movie, and neither one did a damn thing for me.  I think my lack of drug use just makes it a little too hard for me to catch onto.  So I'm going to list this one with several other wildly popular books and movies that I never quite "got" that everyone else thought were transcendent: On the Road ,  Natural Born Killers , The Matrix franchise, American Psycho , and pretty much anything by Tarantino including Pulp Fiction .  True, some of the dialogue is super funny and clever (royale with cheese), but still not enough to make me want to see it again.  And even the awesomeness of Johnny Depp, whose over-acting is priceless in this film couldn't save it for me.  I guess I'm just not edgy enough to be a part of the counter culture.  That's ok.  At least I don't have to deal with constant flashbacks and wondering if I'm really sitting in this chair.

Well, I didn't think anything could top The Handmaid's Tale , and it doesn't quite, but it is really good on its own.  Atwood loves to paint a brilliantly disgusting dystopia and doesn't fall short here.  It's ironic how funny this book is, even as dark as it is.  There's for-profit prisons, life-like sex robots, cheating spouses and scooters......lots and lots of scooters.  If I tell you anymore it won't make sense and might even ruin it for you, so just put it on your list.  You won't be any more scared of the future than you were already......

  The days go by and you wish you were a different guy Different friends and a new set of clothes You make alterations and affect a new pose A new house a new car a new job a new nose But it's superficial and it's only skin deep Cause the voices in your head keep shouting in your sleep Get back, get back...... 



Right on time, I finished this awesome autobiography last night.  I found it to be very creative in the way that it intermingled the history and culture of the Native American people, particularly the Cherokee, with the personal story of Wilma Mankiller.  I was personally inspired by how Mankiller didn't really find her voice, her calling and her independence until after she was older, married and a mother.  I can relate, let me tell you.  I was also enamored to learn more about the matrilineal society of the Cherokee and the designations of "Beloved Women", "Pretty Women", and "Most Honored Women".  Wilma Mankiller herself could be described as nothing less than a survivor.  She came through a difficult adolescence after being uprooted from her ancestral home, a divorce and relocation as a young mother, endless health problems and a near-death car accident that took the life of one of her best friends.  In even with all that, she still became the

The Native American women of our country have been very much on my mind lately while I've been doing some research and reading.  To hear of Robin Poor Bear's death this morning made their sacrifices all the more real.  Her story deeply touched me, and I was so moved by her bravery in discussing subjects that many people shy away from out of fear, guilt and shame.  My heart breaks for her children.  I hope they grow up knowing how special their mother was and find their place in this world.  I hope Robin Poor Bear is always remembered well.  She truly was a "kind hearted woman". 

This is a cute, funny movie that ends up having a fairly big message about how society views young black men.  Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa who seems to remember the 90's as fondly as I do and who also wrote and directed 1999's The Wood .  Oh, and the whole homage to Stacy, now a school security officer, may have made the whole film.  Dope reminded me a little of the classic Friday in how it started out pretty light and funny and then went a little dark.  I liked Dope, but it actually made me want to go back and watch The Wood again.......aaaaah, Omar!