Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

Caution!  Doom Blogging ahead!  Watch for falling triggers, big feelings and insurmountable chaos! Everyday it seems like my mind is filling up more and more with nonsense.  Like a garbage dump overflowing and there is no sanitation crew coming to empty it. I've always believed in garbage in/garbage out (which is why I don't watch horror movies or violent content, but that's another post) but how is it escapable anymore?  Social media used to be a fun place for so many fun things: keeping in touch with old friends and bridging the gap for family across the miles, sharing your art or side hustle to make money or connections, making new friends or starting new relationships or even sharing opinions on life and news of the day.  Now it's a cesspool of arguments, virtue signaling and not-so-humble bragging.  I find myself spending less and less time there for how bad all of it makes me feel.  And those feelings are mostly of not being good enough. ...

 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...

 I really hate not having anyone to commiserate over politics anymore.  On the other hand, I've kind of enjoyed taking myself out of the political landscape.  It all just feels so pointless now that we have tipped over the edge of decency and common sense in America.  It's sad and scary, and I've never felt more defeated as a voter and a citizen in my life. Maybe that's why I've started watching Homeland again now that it's back on Netflix.  And I can't help but wonder if it's back on streaming now that we have a real-live Manchurian Candidate in office. Of course, I never miss a chance to spend time with Saul . There are so many current issues to be grossed out by right now....ICE running rampant across beautifully diverse cities, outright non-apologetic bad behavior by elected officials from the top down, cuts across necessary food programs.....yeah....I'm still paying attention even if I don't say so. But the phenom I'm really bothered by...

 There is a meme, and a general question in the air these days......what radicalized you? It has become a joke, but for some of us, it's a very real question and one we have actually spent time on.  I'll gladly share my list from as early back as I can remember.  I first want to say how much I appreciate that my parents, local Charlotte radio and my elementary school and junior high school librarians didn't censor me. It was reading James Baldwin, a gay man born in Harlem in the 1920's, before I was even 13.  Before I was even old enough to know what all of those qualities might mean.  It was not reading Richard Wright and Nikki Giovanni until I took an African American Lit class in my 30's with Dr. Alicia McCollough.  It was not until Barack was inaugurated.  It was not until Bernie stepped away from the podium for BLM speakers.  It was not until George Floyd.  It was not until Sonya Massey.   It was reading Slaughterhouse-Five at ...

 The Elizabeth Holmes/Theronos scandal is fascinating to me.  The idea that someone could take a simple idea and con millions of dollars in funding, start a company without perfecting technology and then wiggle into a reputable pharmacy like Walgreen's to set it up?  That's friggin amazing! I've watched several news pieces and docs about Elizabeth Holmes herself, but to see Amanda Seyfried tackle this multi-faceted persona is a whole other deal.  Is she a psychopath or a sociopath?  On the high end of The Spectrum?  A pathological liar?  It's hard to tell. Holmes' idea was a fantastic one, had it worked.  An invention that would only need to take one finger prick of blood to perform all kinds of lab tests for diagnosis was meant to be a medical savior for folks undergoing treatment that had received multiple blood draws for years.  It would have been wonderful, had it worked.   The thing is, the invention didn't work.  It never...

 Anybody that knows me knows that I'm not religious and definitely not a fan of the Catholic Church. But. I am a big fan of humility.  Of service.  Of kindness.  Of care. And Pope Francis did express those traits. When his transport came through, people stood on the road and carried babies up to him.  Whom he reached out and touched with a blessing.  Whether or not it's real or means anything to me, doesn't matter.  It meant something to those parents. He embodied the principles of Christianity in the sense of kindness, love, acceptance, graciousness, humility and service.  As a young social worker, I was taught that if "the church" truly did its job we wouldn't need social services in our world.  I guess in a perfect world, that would be true.   He broke with tradition by washing the feet of both women and immigrants.  Foot washing, a practice rooted in Biblical teaching and seen across Christian denominations, is the ultimate sign...

 I will be the first to say that I'm not the one to talk about immigration.  All I can talk about are feelings and people.  Those things, I think and know, I'm an expert on.   I keep my company's front lobby television feed on the national CBS News channel.  That channel regularly runs a commercial for a CBS documentary about the immigration "crisis" in New York City and it features a man.   The man is welcoming people off a bus.  He talks to each person and makes a point of putting a hand on their shoulders or their backs.  One can tell that he is trying to make them feel welcome, and above all, safe.   He looks at a man walking off a bus carrying a toddler.  It looks to me like he is saying "hi baby" as he reaches out and touches the child.  (I watch the video more closely and see that he is greeting the child in Spanish and not saying "hi baby" precisely but the sentiment is the same.)  He also steps onto the ...

 The deaths of two local heroes in my community have really got me thinking.  They were the epitome of "regular guys" doing great things and bringing a lot of happiness to others.  They weren't politicians or beat cops or firefighters.  They weren't curing cancer or scaling Everest.  They were guys bringing joy and love to every day life.  The kind of men you could sit and chat with and learn something from while you were doing it.  They were pure and honest and real.  Dan Wade is credited for making huge moves with bringing craft beer culture to Charlotte.  He was part owner and brewmaster for Wooden Robot who was known for his zeal for life, dedication to his business and was described by friends and customers as "pure joy".   When he died suddenly and tragically, he left behind a wife, a newborn son and a wealth of friends and family who loved and respected him. But he also leaves successful businesses and a model for going forwa...

  Beautiful people, love, sports, young romance.....what's not to love?   Never been more ready for a Super Bowl!

 I thought Bama Rush was going to be an insipid, brain-dead watch for me to wind down my week with.  It may even give me a laugh as I recalled my own short-lived sorority days. I was so wrong.  This documentary is quite insightful and lovely.   And scary.  And sad.  And painful. First off, some background of many things I had no idea about: *Rushing today is nothing like it was in the 90's when I was in school.  Young ladies sometimes actually choose their colleges based on sorority options. *University of Alabama's rushing activities have become very popular on TikTok in the last few years with the hashtag #bamarush.  Apparently all kinds of people (except me) have been following this with devotion. *There are consultants available to help young PNM's (Potential New Members) achieve a bid from their preferred house. *The use of iPhones has dramatically changed everything we once knew about college life, Greek life....and well.....life in gen...

 Y'all, c'mon.  I didn't watch the Oscars.  Of course, I didn't.  All that self-congratulation really twists my knickers.  And also on the knicker-twisting agenda was moments like this:  Peeps are mad that Ms. Bassett didn't stand and applaud?  That ought to be glad she didn't fall over into hysterics.  It looks like her husband, Courtney B. Vance, is about to anyway!   She was disappointed, y'all.  And hurt.  And probably a little shocked.  Because she lost out out to this: And before y'all even open your mouths, I have seen "Everything Everywhere All At Once".  It is a phenomenal film.  And Ms. Curtis is wonderful in it.  She is entertaining and absurd and everything she needs to be for her odd and pivotal character.  But she is not this: Ms. Bassett's roles have been powerful time and time again.  Rosa Parks, Tina Turner, Reva Styles, Bernadine Harris, and not to mention STELLA!  But Jamie ...

  You already know the ending of this doc before you begin, but you will cheer your heart out all the way through anyway.  The good news about this film is that while 3 of the 4 women featured met with defeat, there were several other women elected to Congress for the first time in this election cycle.  Hopefully, there will only be more to come.  The grassroots, working woman approach just means so much.....seeing it in action will make your heart swell with pride.  We have to keep this momentum going of the idea that "regular people" belong in politics.  Let's pass it on!