Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

Kathy Valentine is a great storyteller.  I have read very few memoirs in which a person could truly tell a story from such an unemotional, honest level.  It makes for a great read as you travel with the narrator through their catharsis.  And Kathy definitely had a lot of those!   As she walks us through two abortions (one at the tender age of 12), her early drug and alcohol use, both a fun and tumultuous relationship with her mother, her sobriety.....it's really a lot to take in!  But Kathy is not one for rest or self-pity.  I guess the most heartbreaking thing of all is how much she just really, really wanted to be in a band.   Thus the title of the memoir. Her famous name-dropping from the Vaughn brothers to The Police to Clem Burke and Carlene Carter also adds a lot a spice to a tale that never winds down to boredom.  (Kathy was friends with Rob Lowe.....whaaaaatttt????) I actually think there's a few different kinds of fans that love The Go-Go's. The obvious are the one

  I'm not sure how to feel about this book.  At times it was riveting and other times soooo slow and plodding.  The story is certainly interesting and one my favorite time and places in history (WW1, Russian Revolution).  I heard someone describe it as the female Dr. Zhivago, and I'd definitely agree with that.  The story drops off at the end desperately making the reader want more, and I guess that's why it reads "End of Book 1".  A good book, but not as good as other Janet Fitch classics like White Oleander or Paint It Black.

Now that this is a show on Hulu, I felt like I may need to give it a look.  I read the novel back in 2019.  Considering how upsetting it was, I'm not sure I could handle the show.  This book seriously made me so sad.  It is well-written and probably very real for college and young adult life, but seriously.....it made me soooo sad.  The manipulation by the guys.  The eating disorders by the girls.  The drug use and binge-drinking by all of them.   Sheesh, it made me miss the 90's. And not because we didn't have our own problems but because the problems seemed so innocent by comparison.  And Millennials that love Fleetwood Mac?  Is that really a thing? I'll have to see if I'm emotionally ready to watch this show.  Stay tuned......

(The holidays are good time to repost this classic. But anytime is fine. Post original from 2019 explaining why I am the way that I am. Not everybody gets it.....) I've never professed to be a girly girl.  I've also never claimed to be the perfect mother.  I don't really like to cook, but I do it in order to feed my family.  I have written before about how much I don't dig Christmas and generally don't go in for holidays altogether.  My husband and I finally put words to this recently: I don't have the Hallmark gene. If you wonder what the Hallmark gene is, I can help you easily spot it in yourself and others.  Here are a few clues to look for in order to identify a man or woman with the Hallmark gene: 1) Starts countdowns, shopping and general planning for the Christmas holiday season typically about 3 - 4 months ahead.  Also, Christmas lasts pretty much from Thanksgiving until January 2nd.  You thought it was one day?  Au contraire. 2) Is crafty

 I was listening to a podcast recently about the problems of the corporate world, and nearly every assertion was pitting millennials against boomers.  It kinda reminded me of this over-used meme: And just as Gen Z was being brought into the mix of work life and I was beginning to feel really sad and left out the moderators said something kinda like "we're not mentioning Gen X because their numbers are really so small and really don't factor into this dynamic".  Um, Jayden, whut? This was a discussion about work life.  About corporate culture.  And these turds, either young millennials or older zennials didn't think Gen X had a part in the discussion.  Who exactly do you think your bosses are, sweetie?  It ain't a boomer.  Not today.  He's a stock holder.  He's a CEO.  Your manager, your supervisor, your boss?  Is a Gen Xer. How did Gen X get left by the wayside?  I've read hundreds of articles about this.  Some say it's because we were the firs

 Aging is tricky and not necessarily for all the reasons you might think.  Sure, you've got more bills.  Probably more health issues.  And young cute boys start calling you ma'am and Miss with your first name. But the upside is, sometimes you have a little bit more money.  If you're empty-nesting like me, you may have a little more free time.  You may even have some fun opportunities that make you want to update your look and enhance your wardrobe.   And you may have GREY HAIR. Sigh. This is such an ongoing issue for me.  I'll chime in with the rest of the culture and say that men look so cute with grey hair.  In their heads, in their beards, in their mustaches......dude!  They are Silver Foxes!  They are streaks of silver lightning, and they don't even know it! (Aside: I was dating a fine-ass silver fox of a man who was almost the ruination of me.  I blame the grey!  It did me in!  Rant over.) And then I started noticing some fine-ass girlfriends of mine that were