Current Picks & Pans

I really dug his first book with James Patterson, and I like this one pretty good too. The only problem with this one is that I'm listening to it as an audiobook, and I don't dig all the voices. A real first-world problem, I know. And it's always kind of interesting to see how Bill is kind of spelling out how he sees himself in the world, or rather, how he wants to be seen.

This book by Rax King, on the other hand, makes it quite a joy to listen to her lovely voice as she reads her own, sometimes boring sometimes scary, escapades as a teenager and young adult. Her full chapter on Creed makes the entire book with the read.

For television viewing, I did enjoy the History Channel series of Thomas Jefferson, but got a little bored by the FDR episodes. And that shocked me as I love FDR! Something about the presentation and the actor portraying him looking a little too much like Kevin Spacey methinks.

And even though I didn't see ANY of his movies, I can't be remiss about it being the Summer of Pascal. What a friggin hot dude! All I can say is, let's protect this man at all costs! And anytime I miss my old friend, Jorge, I just look up his pics and dream.

I've discovered that I love Nate Bargatze for all of his sweet Tennessee charm and down-home humor. Both his stand-up and his book are cute and easy on the soul. If you ever feel this world is going to hell in a handbasket (and it is) and you can't bear one more gross tik-tok video, give this guy a look.

And speaking of awesome Tennesseans, y'all know I've always got love for everything my girl Leanne is doing! And I like to remain proud of being one of her early discoverers! For a Chuck Lorre show, this sitcom is delightfully sweet, relatable and only as edgy as it needs to be. My favorite scene is when Leanne is having a hot flash whilst trying to have a first kiss with a new man after a 30 some year marriage. Relatable!

Hot on my Spotify list right now is Goose. There's something about a groovy jam band that manages to capture funk and easy flow. Feels very sexy, very 70's, very timeless.

And of course, since it's September I can't be remiss about the start of Fat Bear Week coming up soon. And yes, it's early this year. And yes, I still miss Otis. And y'all probably didn't hear about me spotting an actual bear in Asheville this summer!!!! Sheesh, one of the highlights of my life.

And as far as life in general goes, I'm loving a slow-moving, close to home, early fall, cozy way of life. It's regenerating my spirit as I move into a new job, a new phase, a new part of life since turning 50. And it's all good for me. Happy early (false) fall to all......

Comments

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

Search This Blog