Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

It's hard to believe that Princess Diana has been gone for 20 years now.  I remember her death very well and how personally it hurt me.  It felt as if an ugly fairy tale were coming true: a beautiful princess literally chased down and killed by those who hunted her.  Some may disagree, but it seems as true today as it was 20 years ago.  I love how her memory has been kept alive by her grown sons, by popular culture and by movies like Amelie , The Queen and others.  Regardless of anyone's feelings about Great Britain, The Royals or Prince Charles, I think everyone can agree that Princess Diana was an embodiment of social grace and humanitarianism.  Those traits should be welcomed by any place and time. 

School is now in session all over NC. It's the responsibility of all drivers to watch after the children getting on and off school buses. Know the law and follow it.

This film, which kind of both mocks and celebrates an aging Goth rock star , is kinda disjointed and hard to follow.  On the other hand, it makes perfect sense, is kinda beautiful and turns out just the way you think it will....kinda like a Goth song!  I'm sucked into anything that has a song title as a movie title and a character that looks this much like Robert Smith , but my hubs did lose interest.  The cast is excellent, especially Sean Penn, who once again reminds us all that he's pretty much the Meryl Streep male-counterpart of one of the great actors of our time.  If you miss the 80's and dig stories of redemption, this one's for you....as weird as it may be. 

If you were a true pacifist, you wouldn't want a monument to any war, regardless of how your side fared. If you were a true historian, you wouldn't want to erase any facts, regardless of how ugly or barbaric they look in the light of the modern day. If you were a true humanist, you wouldn't wait for a god tell you what's right, regardless of how much easier it is to follow the herd. If you were a true pragmatist, you wouldn't argue for material things, regardless of how comfortable and protected they made you feel. If you were a true individualist, you wouldn't wait for other opinions to help you make up your mind, regardless of how smart the thinkers thought. If you were a true philosopher, you wouldn't sleep at night for all the questions in your mind, regardless of how concrete it appeared on the news. If you were a true pessimist, you'd never get out of bed. If you were a true optimist, you'd never stop smiling. If you were a true

I wanted to read this mystery novel for a few reasons.  First off, I found it on a list of must-read books and like to see what the so-called experts THINK I should be reading.  Second, I've never been much a mystery reader and Agatha Christie is the Queen of this genre.  And third, I saw the 1965 movie version of this book called "Ten Little Indians" and really dug it.   It's a good book, and no, I didn't figure it out, which made me wonder if I'm not cut out for mysteries.  I really didn't have a clue.  I liked the story, the riddle, the set-up.....parts of it reminded me of the great 80's movie "Clue" even though that movie is more funny than scary.  I also kept getting confused about the movie I had seen many years ago......was it called "Ten Little Indians"....yes, I think it was.  Was the book originally called "Ten Little Indians" and then changed to "And Then There Were None"?  Was the poem

So today erbody is all over the total solar eclipse. I say big whoop unless you have the right soundtrack to accompany it!  So here is my Total Eclipse Playlist....some almost too obvious and some, not so much.  If you don't get it, I'm just too busy trying to stay out of the path of the sun and the oncoming traffic to try to explain it!  Just put on your ISO-approved glasses, press play and thank me later...... "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler Have to get this one out of the way straight off.  But you might be interested to know that Ms. Tyler will be singing her one hit wonder on a cruise ship on the day of the eclipse .  How bout dah? "Back in Black" by AC/DC "New Moon on Monday" by Duran Duran "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden "Moonlight Drive" by The Doors "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream "Good Day Sunshine" & "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles "King

Guns n Roses is riding a high wave right now.  Celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album, Appetite for Destruction , and out on a tour aptly titled "Not in This Lifetime......" the dirty rock kittens of Los Angeles are older, wiser, and finally getting their due for an awesome debut record. Now I'll admit I didn't like GnR back in the day.  I was 12 years old when Appetite came out.  I didn't get it, and I wasn't supposed to.  The guys in Guns looked dirty to me.  I preferred my rock gods to be cleaner and more glamorous which is why I probably gravitated more toward Poison, Whitesnake and Winger.  There was something a little scary about GnR, and the 12 year-old girl in me was not ready to find that out.  Not yet. Thirty years later I get all the fuss.  Appetite is a very nearly perfect rock record.  It's sleazy, it's sexy, it's raucous....it's rock n roll.  My favorite tracks are "It's So Easy" (as inappropri

Or, as well call them in our house, the Carolina Pandas!

Memes.....will they someday be considered the modern art of their time? Will they explain the political and social climate of the early 2000's? Or will they just make us look like schmucks to our future overlords? Only time will tell. For now, share on.....

This 2003 documentary is trending on Hulu right now , I think partly because Ivanka Trump is featured in it and also to remind us all exactly who the 1% of this country are.  I remember really liking this doc when I watched it years ago even though most of the people featured in it are absolute douches.  There's something about Jamie Johnson's endearing honesty.  And I must admit, Ivanka is a mature and delightful young lady.  Too bad these kids are nearly everything that's wrong with America today.

Things I Found Charming & Alarming While Out on my Lunch Break Yesterday: ~a woman walking around a garage holding a baby and gently patting its bottom, as we all do ~an older man and probably grandson sitting in the window of a restaurant eating quietly but companionably ~a local fast-food franchise specializing in Southern food in which the person on the speaker says "welcome home" before taking my order ~same fast food place in which the young guy giving me my change cups his hand under mine before handing it to me ~my child's fingerprints on the window of my passenger side door ~one of my husband's whiskers clinging aggressively to passenger's side seat and then to the rear view mirror before floating away ~a grey day with a bit of a drizzle that actually made me wistful of winter and thought of Virginia Madsen's line from Sideways , "It's turned cold and rainy here, but I don't mind.  I like winter." ~an inexp

Dear Summer, You probably know what I'm going to say.  Haven't we been through this year after year?  You come around in early June, sometimes even in May.  At first, I'm glad to see you, but then after a few weeks we're back in our same old slump.  I don't know what to say, Summer.  Maybe it's my fault.  I get all excited in welcoming you....I go out and buy new clothes, cute tumblers for iced tea and new pool floats.  And then before I know it, you're trashing everything with your storms and incessant heat waves.  Do you really expect us to be able to have friends when you act that way, Summer?  I know you want me to say the whole "it's not you, it's me" bit, but I just really can't do that this time.  It IS you, Summer.  You ruin my makeup, you frizz up my hair, you melt my kid's ice cream....you, you, you do all that.....not me!  How can I take the blame for the things you do???? I feel bad, Summer.  This is all comin

Being a kid of the 80's and an absolute first generation of MTV viewers, this book was right up my alley.  I loved hearing about how all the VJs were brought together.....who was shy (Nina), who was an asshole (Mark), who was suave (J.J.), who was a goofball (Alan), and who was young and super cute (Martha, of course!). The flirtations, almost and real romances and dirt on performers was excellent (Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney were pure delights, Joe Jackson was a turd and The Police were rude).  It was also nice to know everyone was exactly as you thought they'd be (Madonna and Bono were always super serious and David Lee Roth was always a nutbag).  It was sad to read without much of J.J.'s input since he has since passed away, and sad to hear that MTV didn't treat all these folks right in the end.  But those of us there in the beginning will always have these first wave VJs, and they'll always hold a place in our hearts! P.S. If you want to hear Alan, Nin