Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

Since I'm such a fan of Michael Showalter , I have to see pretty much anything his hand touches.  And since I'm always comparing everything of his to The Baxter, I will have to say up front that this is no The Baxter.  But it is a cute movie.  Sally Field is wonderful as always and I like the tongue in cheek way it pokes at Milennials (everyone either makes something like handmade candy bars wrapped in papers printed with haiku or everyone works at a job that is questionable like an LGBT preschool) all the while looking at some more serious personal issues like aging, loneliness and hoarding.  Can I just say something, for the record, that I know other Sally Field fans will understand?  I hate to see or hear her cry.  She has one really good crying scene in this film and it just about broke my heart.  Sally is just such a great crier.....it's like she wants to take you over the edge with her.  It was no Shelby-just-died-at-the-cemetery cry, but it was pretty ba

Some years back, I went through a bit of a crisis.  A clothing crisis.  I started having trouble finding clothes that fit a woman "my age" and that were appropriate for a woman "my age".  I was in my 30s and everything I tried on either looked like it was meant for a 19 year-old for dance clubbing or a 70 year-old for garden clubbing.  What about us in-betweeners?  I tried to think like a lot of women and conventional media told me to think.  What's in an age?  30 is the new 20!  Dress how you feel!  Wear what you like!  Don't let conventions decide for you....you decide for you!  I figured, what the hell?  They're right!  I still have good boobs and a good ass!  Maybe not everything is great, but why not show that stuff off?  I got some tight t-shirts and jeans as was the fashion of the moment.  I wore them to the appropriate venues.  Then I changed jobs.  A couple of times.  Some jobs let me dress casually in t-shirts, jeans and khakis.  Some

This is a great compilation book charting the underbelly of the L.A./Hollywood punk rock scene of the late 70's and early 80's.  With so much emphasis on bands from New York and the U.K., these tales give you the Left Coast angle.  And there's no sugar-coatings either.  From the music itself to the sordid living habits, drug use, fights, friendships, romances and rivalries the picture of these artists and musicians is painted very clearly.  I really loved how the book is written in essay-like narratives with chapters being tackled by so many names of the time including: John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Mike Watt, Henry Rollins, Jane Wiedlin, and Jack Grisham to name a few.  The constant homage to The Doors by John Doe didn't hurt my feelings one bit either.  A great read if you're a punk rocker at heart.  A good book if you like music in general.  An introspective treasure if you're ever felt like the weird kid trying to find your people.  One thing that I thi

Oh, hai. Do you ever just wish there was a convenient place you could go and look at bears?  No, not THOSE kinda bears!  I mean the cuddly cute kind that live in nature.  No, I think we're still talking about two different species.  I mean the big, furry kind with claws that would probably kill you but actually look cute from a distance.  I think you're still misunderstanding me.  Oh, never mind.  Here's some cute pics of bears swimming to inaugurate Bear Wednesday on the blog.  You are welcome, world.  (BTW, never look up bears swimming without first putting on the safe search.  JS.)

I had put off reading any book and watching any doc or movie on this case for years.  I was intrigued by it though and finally decided to read this memoir by Echols and see the doc by Peter Jackson.  At first I had all kinds of opinions to spew on these cases, and then I decided against it.  Even though this blog isn't widely read, I still like for it to have dignity and integrity.  This subject is too important of a matter for me to lay out one more gassed up opinion.  I would encourage you to seek out your own resources and study it for yourself if you're so inclined.  If nothing else it brings to light a prison and justice system that doles out very little justice.  That, and the still unsolved deaths of three little boys, makes all of this still worth talking about all of these years later. 

Going to check out A Milestone in History: You Should Have Seen What I've Heard at Levine Museum of the New South .  Exhibit opens today and runs through October.  The exhibit features the photography of Daniel Coston and Chris Radok.  If you go out to the museum during this exhibit's run, you might see a rougher looking crowd than you're used to, but don't worry.  We don't bite.....we just look like we might!

it feels like we're living in the decline the air is thick with desperation and panic like everyday could be your last the end is coming by trial by fire by surprise but we all keep going keep going to work every day keep sending in the phone bill keep buying lottery tickets denial really is the best medicine

This is a phenomenal film with a stellar cast.  It's easy to see why it was nominated and won so many awards.  It reminds all of us of just how important newspapers and true journalism can be to public knowledge, safety and awareness. And it brought up something very personal in me.  It reminded me of how I once wanted to be a reporter and then became a social worker.  It reminded me of how sometimes it takes a group of small people to take down a group of big people.  It reminded me how the Catholic Church treated me after my divorce when my ex wanted to marry a Catholic.  It reminded me of why I'm an atheist.  It reminded me of what it used to be like to interview abused kids and how that breakthrough confessional moment was both a relief and a heartbreak.  When the reporters in the film started taking it home with me.....well....I remembered that feeling too. And for the record, I know the Catholic Church does good work all over the world.  I know that, and I don&#

Most people say they love music.  But then they tell you they watch The Voice.  If you're one of those people, this post may not be for you.  I'm not trying to hate on the mainstream.  Not at all.  I've been one to indulge in the occasional admiration of Taylor Swift and even liked Milli Vanilli once upon a time.  I definitely grew up liking popular music because I was a big radio listener.  (I think radio is very different now, but that is a whole other discussion.)  But I think there's a certain kind of people, either you are one or you know one, for whom music really means something else.  It's a feeling.  A belief system.  An art.  A culture.  It's a lifestyle.  A way of thinking.  You see something happen right in front of you and it either becomes a song or recalls one in your head.  You think in lyrics and listen in melody.  You have tastes all over the map.  You never say phrases like "I love all kinds of music, except......" This post is

(I'm re-running this blog post from 2014 due to the events in America this week.  This post is about a movie based on real-life events that were captured by cell phone video. If you think the events of this week are new, think again.  Do I think cops doing their jobs should be shot?  No. Do I think black men in traffic stops should be shot?  No. Do I think we need to rethink gun policy, racial treatment and inequality in America? Absolutely.) I watched this movie last night and had to spend today processing it.  It was fairly overwhelming, as it should be. If you don't know already, Fruitvale tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old  unarmed black man shot by a police officer in a train station in Oakland.  He died the next day from his gun shot wound on January 1, 2009.  The officer who shot him, who said he reached for his gun instead of his taser by mistake, served 11 months in prison. The movie begins with actual cell phone footage that c

"It's too close for comfort This heat has got right out of hand......"

I learned about this book the way I find a lot of my best picks: from NPR.  Listening to Jesse Eisenberg read from and describe the book had me instantly interested.  And to read it myself was completely charming and delightful.  I also love that it is full of instant quotables from 9 year-olds giving restaurant reviews, middle-aged dads berating their snowflake kids and college girls arguing about Bosnia and roommates.  A cute read that is full of hidden insight and also light enough to not kill your sunny day pool vibes. 

Love your country: Respect it. Question it. Challenge it. Make it better. Do your part.

I see your hair is burnin' Hills are filled with fire If they say I never loved you You know they are a liar Drivin' down your freeways Midnight alleys roam Cops in cars, the topless bars Never saw a woman So alone, so alone So alone, so alone.....  Old men worship w/long noses, old soulful eyes. Young girls worship, exotic, indian, w/robes who make us feel foolish for acting w/our eyes. Lost in the vanity of the senses which got us where we are. Children worship but seldom act at it. Who needs temples & couches & T.V.....  The grand highway is crowded with lovers and searchers and leavers so eager to please, and to forget. Wilderness.... I am troubled, immeasurably by your eyes. I am struck by the feather of your soft reply. The sound of glass speaks quick, disdain and conceals what your eyes fight to explain......  Where'd you learn about   Satan - out of a book Love? - out of a box.....