Book Pick: Never a Dull Moment: 1971

Imagine it.....the 60's were over......The Beatles had broken up.....singer/songwriters were all the rage.....Mick Jagger got married for the first and last time. It was 1971 and it was thrilling! This book goes month by month in talking about all the bands, the social and political events, the personalities and the changes in the world that were both moving the music business and being moved by the music business. Suddenly, going back to the clubs worked for some and playing big arenas worked for others! Suddenly, sweet little young ladies from Laurel Canyon were writing record-breaking albums! Suddenly, the "quiet Beatle" was his own superstar cause advocate! This book really does a good job of showing the pivot from early rock to the huge glamorous business it was becoming and touches on almost too many young talents of the time to name: Rod Stewart; The Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Marvin Gaye, Big Star, Cat Stevens, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and of course, each of the recently detached Beatles. This book is dense and knowledgeable and will make you feel like you earned a little bit of a rock degree once you finish it!

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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