Book Pick: Between Breaths

A few years back, I read both of Loretta Lynn's memoirs. One was written when she was young and another after she had experienced much more in life. I can tell you the second book was better because it was more honest. Based on that, I would encourage Elizabeth Vargas to give it a few (or several) years and write another book. At the very beginning of this memoir, Vargas states that some folks told her she hadn't been sober enough yet to write about her sobriety. They may have been right.

Don't misunderstand me, I truly appreciate and lift up any person that is sharing their personal experiences of family trauma, anxiety and addiction. Most of them try very hard to shock.....especially rock and roll memoirs......and some try so hard they fall off the side of truth. (Remember James Frey? After his blistering from Oprah on the half-truths in his A Million Little Pieces he probably works at a Dunkin' Donuts now.) But in Between Breaths, I think Vargas is trying too hard to be too nice. I chalk it up to being brought up as a girl in the 60's and being a nice lady that reads the news on television.

I think this memoir definitely has its place and could be very beneficial to women with substance abuse problems. Her family stress issues with money, time management, and childcare are particularly relatable.

Again I'll say I do appreciate a woman adding to the voice of addiction. But I'd like to see the book Vargas chooses to write in another 15 or 20 years. Now that will be a story.

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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