Current Music Pick: Wilco Schmilco

All the reviewers are comparing it to Sky Blue Sky and calling it "pastoral" and talking about a return to roots. I can't say I disagree. Given that Sky Blue Sky is my fave Wilco album, this new one does take me back to the sound of Wilco I love. Current fave track is "If I Ever Was a Child" but check back next week.....that could easily change. I also really love "Someone to Lose" because it reminds me a lot of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

But for as much as I love Wilco I will still sometimes have a moment of realizing just how much. This came to me a few days ago as I sat stuck in my morning commute. There I was, one of many, sitting in my simple little Toyota listening to Jeff ponder about the complexities of youth and isolation. And I suddenly realized, yeah.....that's it.....we're all average. Back then in detention and even now in this traffic jam. There's nothing that exceptional about any of us, despite what all that self-esteem teaching taught us. We're a generation of latch-key kids still trying to find our place. All the special snowflakes were born in the next generation, not in ours. And as beautiful and brilliant as they are, I don't think anyone captures that simple mediocrity better than my guys in Wilco. It sounds kinda sad and desperate but it actually wraps around me like a warm blanket with a familiar smell.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I love Wilco and why I especially love Jeff Tweedy. Not mediocre in the least.....only in our own heads. Geniuses among us, just like we think we are sometimes. Misunderstood. Mislabeled. Misguided. On our own path. And happy. Not thrilled. But content.

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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