Book Pick: The Elephant in the Room

(Y'all will have to excuse me while I write a love letter to this memoir and to Tommy Tomlinson and drop the word "love" more than I ever have in a blog post ever.)

The best thing about reading this book is that I could hear it in my head in Tommy Tomlinson's voice. As a regular contributor to the local WFAE station, I would know that soft, raspy voice in my sleep.

The next best thing about reading this book? READING THIS BOOK! Honestly, it was just so relatable in its complete Southerness, its humility and its honesty. I only THOUGHT I loved Tommy before!

There's so much to love in this book: the quest for health, the love of family, the big local stories that so many of us lived through.....even a short REM anecdote from his college days in Athens! But at its heart is a humble man bearing his soul and his foibles. In this day of brash exuberance and "we the best" mentality, isn't that a tad refreshing?

But there's more to love.....

I love how much Tommy loves his wife, Alix. I love how much he loves his family and speaks adoringly of those that have passed. I love that he loves his work and treats his subjects with respect. I love that he loves Charlotte even though he's not from here. I love his memories of snacks with dad and bad apartments and football games and trips and his sweet dog, Fred. I even love how much he loves Georgia football!

I also enjoyed the local good-eats name-dropping. Tommy gives a shout-out to local BBQ joint Bridges in Shelby which was also a childhood favorite of my husband. Mentioning Price's and Landmark and a few others and the local flavor just keeps piling up!

And even though I am soooo rooting for Tommy in his quest for health and weight loss (and even messaged him to say so) this book made me want to eat FOOD. Good food. Good Southern food! I loved how Tommy talked about how easy it was to eat and get fat in the South. Aaw hell yes, y'all!

P.S. this food came from Cafe South on Arrowood Road in Charlotte. Not a bad dive for Southern food. Just sayin......

But at the end of the day, I truly do wish the best of life and health to Tommy and to Alix. This book, like him, is a treasure to us all. And I honestly hope he keeps shining that treasured glow around for years to come.

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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