Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

A few notes on Indie films in case you missed it: ~being weird doesn't make a good film ~being independent doesn't guarantee a good film ~even a stellar cast can still star in a bad film ~critics calling something "art" doesn't make it "art" ~even Michael Cera and Nia Long have bad days every now and then This film is honestly awful.  And I love indie-off-the-beaten-path films.  If I could change my title to "Un-Picks" I just might do it. 

(A re-post from 2010.  Just to show how far we've come.) (In the spirit of the out-dated and out-of-touch comic strip "Family Circus" I am allowing Little Boy to write the blog post today. And as autism does limit his communication abilities, both written and verbal, he will allow me to interpret his thoughts. So with that, Little Boy and Mommy bring you the tradition of The Christmas Newsletter......) Another year gone? Wow? A lot happened to me in 2010! Obviously, I know a lot of you are thinking about the Big D. Yes, my mommy and daddy got divorced. I have really been okay with it. I spend time at mommy's and I spend time at daddy's. I have my own room and my own toys at both. I love my mommy and my daddy. They seem happy to me. They both play with me and take me fun places. Both of them have new people in their lives. My daddy is even getting married again next year! I like his girlfriend. She is nice. I also likes my mommy's boyfriend

If you know me you know I love a few historical moments, places and times: ~the European Middle Ages ~the Italian Renaissance ~the Great War and everything that surrounds it So if you're talking about The Great War then you're also talking about Women's Suffrage, the Roaring 20's, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Russian Revolution and of course, Prohibition. And I thought I knew a good bit about Prohibition .....until I watched this awesome doc by Ken Burns on PBS .  I'm beginning to think I'd like to have my life narrated by Peter Coyote someday, btw.  And also, is there any topic Ken Burns can't make interesting and vital to our current times?  I don't think so! Anyhoots, give it a look on PBS or Netflix and then go and pour yourself a tall one and be grateful that history hasn't repeated itself.....yet. 

I so enjoyed this  biopic about Lee Israel except it reminded me so much of a person in my life who basically acts exactly like Lee Israel.....and not in a good way! The cast is what makes this film.  Jane Curtin is fantastic.  Her scathing criticism and advice to Lee are perfect: "You can be an asshole when you're famous. Right now stop being such a bitch."  Yes, sister. And I have loved Richard E. Grant ever since his roles in "Age of Innocence" and "Gosford Park".  This movie honestly wouldn't have been as good without his insolent boyishness. Melissa McCarthy is really great in a serious role.  She really embodies it in such a way that you can really love and hate her all at once.  In real life she seems to sweet and down-to-earth.  I hope I never find out that's not true. I agreed with Lee's not really contrite mea culpa when she was in court.  She said she really didn't regret what she did and felt it was some of her b

I picked this book up from the public library because I thought I would enjoy making fun my brief time pledging back in the day.  But I was thrilled to discover that this novel had much more heart and depth than I was expecting.  Hell, if my sorority sisters had been half as interesting I probably would have stayed in! The story is a little hard to follow at times since it is told from the different perspectives of several different sisters and even from different time periods, but woven together as a whole it is truly masterful.  Kind of like a game of Clue with coke rails! The origin story of the founding of the sorority is worth reading all on it's own though. The memories it conjured and the things it made me not miss were boundless: the gross frat boys, the gross parties, the grueling schedule of classes that only I seemed to have, the feckless stupidity of the younger girls and the hateful judgement of the older ones.  Nope......Greek Life was not for me.  So seeing

I once read that the Ford F-150 was a huge economic indicator in America.  Because these trucks are so often used in construction and building, when their sales go up it means the country is building and doing well.  So when you see more of these on the roads where you live, your community is in an economic boom, my friend. I know for sure that mine is. And I want to make clear straight up that my beef is not with the truck itself.  I have no doubt that the F-150 is a well-made and good heavy duty truck.  If it's the best-selling and most widely used truck in the building business, that's good enough for me.  My beef is with some, not all, of the guys driving these excellent workhorse vehicles.   Because some of you guys need to straight up learn to drive better.   Some of you need to learn to respect the size and power of the vehicle you're in against the much smaller less powerful vehicles in the lane beside you.  Some of you need to learn that with gre

So, it's already on Season 3 and I'm just in Season 2, but this show right here is my m-effin jam right now. Seriously, I'm telling every woman I know that she needs to be watching it.  Seriously, I wish I had a friend like Sam.  And seriously, I'm glad I don't have daughters.  Seriously. And also, I seriously love that Pamela Adlon is little Delores from Grease and Bobby Hill from King of the Hill and so many other awesome shows and movies.  She grew up good, huh? I'm also realizing that the Perfect Woman doesn't exist.  But if she does, she's a little bit Pamela Adlon, a little bit Michelle Obama, a little bit Courtney Barnett and a little bit of your crazy but kind neighbor across the street.  It really does take every little bit.

I feel so lame admitting this, but I had actually hoped this book was going to be more dishy.  But after reading First Women , I should have know that isn't Mrs. Obama's style.  She doesn't hold back her feelings about Trump though.  She's polite enough about it, but she expressed the way most of us felt the day after the election and in the time since.  I also appreciated the way she described Trump's inaugural when she didn't feel like smiling and finally "just stopped trying". There is a lot to be admired in Michelle Obama.  Her studious, good girl early life and determined young adult life really resonated with me.  I also appreciated learning how ying/yang she and Barack Obama are as a couple.  (My husband enjoyed that little factoid too!)  In a world of fame-seeking and anything-goes parenting, it was nice to read about a solid, grounded, intelligent woman making her way through careers, parenting and then navigating one of the most comp

Me March 2009 I've come a long way, baby. And I don't take one ounce of it for granted.