Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

My coworker keeps copies of the magazine, Game Informer, in the ladies room of our shop.  She's a gamer, I should add. So every time I sit down to go, I start singing the awful rap song "Informer" in my head.  (For you kiddies, this was a tune with completely unintelligible lyrics by the performer, Snow, that was strangely and wildly popular in 1992.) And it's weird that I'm talking about bathroom habits because I'm the type of person that doesn't think conversation like this is really suitable among adults.  I even eschew movies like "There's Something About Mary" because they are basically a running list of jokes that I call "bathroom humor".  Here's a particulary easy-to-remember scene that occurred, you guessed it, in the bathroom. And even though we don't like to admit it, there are times when using the facilities become a very big part of our lives that we talk about quite a bit.  Pregnant women and mot...

Life can be hard.  You don't need me to tell you, right?  I can tell you to keep your chin up.  I can tell you some funny anecdote.  I can post a funny joke, meme, or cartoon.  I can protest with you.  I can yell.  I can have a drink to forget about it for a while.  I can take a walk outside in the sun.  I can immerse myself in books, music, time with my child and other leisure activities.  I can look to religion.  I can ask for advice.  I can tell you to do all these things as well. And sometimes all of it will work.  And sometimes none of it will work.  Sometimes the traffic roaring by on the interstate will ruin your peaceful lunchtime walk.  Some days your kid will be an absolute pill.  You'll misplace your debit card.  You'll forget about an appointment and get charged a fee.  You'll get hurt.  You'll get pushed aside.  You'll feel belittled.  You will believe all the bad t...

I didn't even realize this was a Patricia Highsmith novel until after all the Oscar buzz started.  Being a fan of her literary intrigue , I had to scoop it up.  But then I really didn't enjoy it.  The book was just a little too slow-moving for me, and besides that had a tinge of depression I didn't like.  So I didn't finish it.   But I decided to get the movie anyway, and it was actually pretty slow-moving and depressing too.  However, it did have that spark of exquisite beauty that just couldn't be conveyed by the novel....that spark that is Cate Blanchett.  I will never in my life have the sophistication of Cate Blanchett.  She pretty much made the movie, but I still didn't love it.  It did make me think a lot about privacy and self-determination and how hard it was to come by just a few decades back.  And that was about as heavy as I wanted to go on a Sunday evening!

Love the people in your life. Love yourself. Be kind. Do the right thing. None of this is hard unless we make it so.

I'm at the point now that I really don't know why I even pick up her books.  I think it's simply to affirm that I still don't like her .  She spins a good tale, but all of her characters are always the same (i.e. different versions of herself) and they're not all that likeable.  Besides all that, I just don't have enough label knowledge to live in Lancaster's world.  Oh, well.  I'll take that.  And?  She writes her novels like blog posts.  And how do I know that?  Because, duh?  I'm a blogger too?  (Reading this in up-speak as a question makes it all fit.  Trust me.) Seriously, though.  I shouldn't hate on Jen Lancaster.  She's really funny and has made a dream life for herself as a writer, and that is a dream that many of us would love to catch.  If she were just a little nicer and not so style/money/fame obsessed, I would probably be her biggest cheerleader.  But I know why her books, bo...

"It's in the way you're always hiding from the light. Last off to heaven just like moses on a motorbike. No revolution maybe someone else somewhere else. Could show you something new to help with the ups and downs....."

"You turn me on, you lift me up And like the sweetest cup I'd share with you You lift me up, don't you ever stop, I'm here with you Now it's all or nothing 'Cause you say you'll follow through You follow me, and I, I, I follow you......" 

I think this film showed up in my "you may like" category because Netflix knows I love me some Ed .  This is a very beautiful and very heartbreaking film.  The kind that makes you ask, what would I do if........?  I love movies like this because they seem so very grown-up and feature very accomplished and mature actors.  Sometimes those qualities can be hard to come by!  It was a strange shock to see Robin Williams and realize this was probably one of his last films though.  I have to be honest, I felt sad throughout this entire film and had my heart in my throat.  And no, the hubby watched some but not all of this.  That would have just been asking too too much.

I was driving this morning and thinking about how much I love Jeff Tweedy.  I wondered, seriously, if my life would be the same without him.  No kidding. And I started thinking about how subjective music can be.  How deeply you can offend someone with your tastes or insult their own.  And how humorless people can be about it.  Music, painting and decorating so much of our lives, is fraught with opinions, memories and feelings that only we can understand.  Maybe it's time I got some off my chest........ Jeff Tweedy was maybe singing about getting over addiction.  All I know is Sky Blue Sky got me through my divorce and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and The Whole Love made me feel real again.  I feel like I owe him something for that. I really do. Joe Strummer makes me want to revolt from ever working again and also a little sad that I know deep down that I can't.  It's almost like I know that Joe would be disappointed in me, ...

Can we all agree that life can sometimes be hard?  Especially it times like these when there are soooo many things to disagree on and opinions are everywhere.  I try, really try, to find the good, the humor and the lightheartedness where I can.  Think about your own list, but feel free to use mine until you do. Greetings & Salutations: I work with a lot of dudes.  They all tend to say things like "what's up, bud?" or "what's up, bo?" or similar when starting a phone conversation or walking up to one another.  They also sign off either with 10-4.  I don't know why, but I like that.  I also used to work with a lot of women who called each other "Miss Lady" but in a kind way.  I really like that too. Catching Yourself in a Moment: My son was having a horseback riding lesson the other day.  The sun was shining, a Ray Charles song was playing from out of the barn and my son was trotting with a big smile.  I was reminded of t...

Head on over to My City to check out some reviews on some great local acts:     Ghosts of Bannockburn back in January at RiRa along with a mixed bag of bands at The Milestone. And an album review of Bone to Pick by amazing local group, Dust & Ashes.  You. Are. Welcome.