Book Pick: The Clan of the Cave Bear

(A re-share from 2018 that I hope some interested parties will read, enjoy and think about.....)

Definitely not a book I would typically choose, but I'm so glad I did! This book made me want to study evolution and ancient humankind like never before. I'm still debating about watching the film from 1986 starring Daryl Hannah, but I worry that it might ruin the beautiful book. I'll get back to you on that. (FYI, as a means to understanding, I was glad I found this funny little article to differentiate between the Neaderthals and Cro-Mags....not the band, that is.)

This is the last book I was able to finish off the PBS list before the fall series began. I may go back to the list again later, but who knows? I ended with 39 of the 100 books and probably about 10 or so that I started and didn't finish. And I hate to be "one of those people" but don't even get me started on all the wonderful books the list left off. Of course, to any true reader, a list like that can never really be complete.

I'd say of the choices on the list my favorite picks would be: Charlotte's Web, The Joy Luck Club, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Rebecca, Another Country, The Catcher in the Rye.......gosh, maybe I should stop there! I think the list and the show were a great idea even if the choices were hard to narrow down. I would wager that nothing got more people reading since Oprah's Book Club back in the 2000's.

If I were to make a prediction, I'd say To Kill a Mockingbird will win the prize for most votes. Or maybe The Great Gatsby. Or 1984. Sheesh, I'll just stop there.....it's just too hard to choose!

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 ...

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...

New Year/New Body Positivity Confusion

It's always brutal when South Park or the Simpsons manage to predict something. But then again, Trey and Matt are clever scoundrels. So here we are again. Another boring white woman talking about the weight loss conundrum. Le sigh. I've talked about body issues , weight , and, uh, women's issues on this blog before, and I'm sure I'll do it again. I grew up feeling fat mainly because television, magazines aimed at teenage girls and other mean girls told me I was. My mother never told me I was. Neither did my big sister. And neither did any boy I ever liked. But society constantly did. I grew up like most girls, feeling confused by all of that. Once I got old enough to realize I was curvy and "filled out" and that wasn't a bad thing, I made my peace with it. But I was always sad (and still am) when I see a picture of myself and I'm the heaviest women in it. Sigh. I guess it never goes away...

Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

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