Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

 I went to the library this past week and remembered how much I loved it.  Just sitting there, staring up at its gorgeous skylight windows.  I love those windows. I wondered how many times I've come back here when life has let me down.   I forgot how much I loved sitting among people....just sitting with a quiet hum and bustle around me.  Complete safety, no expectations, no need to move or talk or even smile.  No need to spend energy or money.  Just being.  I indulged in the joy of perusing the stacks. I looked at and picked up books I will probably never read. I imagined lives I will never live, places I will never go.   I watched people, young and old.  People like me who count the library as their "third place" .  People who can come back and feel at home no matter how long they've been gone.  The library always welcomes you back.  It doesn't remind you of your mistakes.  The doors open and you immediate...

 I was kinda amazed to recently see that all of my old "My City" articles are alive and well over at My City Magazine's site .   You have to click on the individual articles to access a PDF (and it's easier to do on a desktop or laptop computer than a phone) but you can see the pics and read the actual articles from the last 10 years.   Tiff Tantrum David Childers Paint Fumes Leisure McCorkle Felicia Castelow  (now known as Finn Castelow) The Menders   Benji Hughes (my only cover story but sadly incomplete on this link) And there are some, that I've got to be honest about now 10 years later, that I can barely remember because they were typically written as a favor or filler.  Sorry.  And there are also a few that I dearly loved (Dust & Ashes) that don't seem to be there.  Again, sorry. It was a good ride.  And 10 years later, I still get asked about it and even (weirdly) recognized for my work over there.  And for that, I'...

 Mary in Charlotte was a revelation! So much girl power.  So much singing.  So much estrogen in one big, big room.   And grown women energy too.  I felt it.  And yes, there's a difference.  I didn't realize how much I needed to be surrounded by women my own age until I was right in the middle of them.  There's something about women who understand each other.  It only takes a look, a few words.  We know.   Even the symbolism of the crown behind Mary was not lost on me.  The empowerment.  The realization of what we had come through.  I was turning 50 in a week.  What Mary said to me when I was 20 didn't hit as hard.  But lord jesus, I felt it now.   Days after the show, I felt like I was still processing it all.  Mary's voice, her stories, the glossy Broadway feel of it all, the beautiful women in their boots and sequins all around us, the memories, the tears.   After the sho...

 Interstate 485 is a huge loop that circles Charlotte.  It allows traffic to flow (sometimes) to nearly every side of the state.  I drive on I-485 nearly every day of my life.   This road takes me North to where I work and play, South to where I live.  I've driven it to the East to see the Love of my Life (my son) and to the West where Helene hurt so hard earlier this year.   If you Google I-485, you will see all kinds of pictures.  Pictures of annoying traffic back-ups, pictures of horrific traffic accidents, pictures of maps and plans for the future.   I remember when the road was being built and connected and how excited everyone was for it.  It was going to a fabulous connector to the thorough-fares around the state by looping the center of it all: the major city of Charlotte.   In the beginning, it was wonderful!  It DID help with congestion.  It DID cut down travel time and traffic.  It DID seem t...

 A recent trip to my fave North Carolina beach reminded me of all the things I love about small town beach life, the South, and the not-yet-crowded May beach scene.  Southern beaches have a very different etiquette of space, friendliness and neighborliness that I have always loved. And it's also how you can always spot Northerners who haven't yet learned "our ways". First off, I love reading at the beach.  Not on a device, from an actual book.  And it's typically a battered old comfort book that I've read several times.  In this case, I re-read Patti and Robert's time in New York in the Summer of Love of 1967 and their trips to Coney Island.  May I never grow tired of two of my iconic young bohemians. Second, I love to lazily walk along the beach.  No destination, no step counting, no agenda.  Just an easy-going walk.  While I'm walking, I people watch, admire frolicking dogs and children and generally lazily smile at anything going on around...

 With a great new record, Happiness Bastards, and all the old hits we wanted, The Black Crowes did not disappoint in Charlotte last night. (Photo by Shutter 16 Magazine) The energy was awesome, the old school carnival stage set-up was cool and Chris Robinson's voice was still strong and wild.   (Photo by Shutter 16 Magazine) I also dug seeing my man, Chris, after all these years.  His dancing, swagger, vocals and Mick Jagger impersonation were on point. There's plenty of other items to report on: the middle-aged pre-gaming at local watering holes, the high jinx of the very high balcony seats and the overall bro fest that the show seemed to be.   But believe me y'all......that is a WHOLE other post.......

 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...

 Sometimes it's hard to know how we came to love the the things we love.  And other times it's really clear. I knew I loved the movie "The Age of Innocence" from the first time I saw it as a teenager.  Maybe it was DDL , maybe the gorgeous costumes or that phenomenal Scorsese snap that the film seems to have.  (The close-ups of handwritten notes.....the scenes through gauzy lace.....when Newland SMELLS the handle of her umbrella and KISSES her shoe!!!!) But I digress. And sure, sure.....I loved the 1997 version of Titanic with Leo and Kate.  (And no, y'all, she COULD NOT HAVE moved over.) And though I was late, I jumped right into Downton Abbey as well.  Now I watch HBO's The Gilded Age.....because well.....I think I signed a waiver or something along the way.  (Kidding.  Or am I????) But truthfully, it was all loooooong before all of this media.  And I think it has a little something to do with being a North Carolina girl. As any true Gilded...

This blog will be off the air before the season barely gets started, but I want to go on the record to say how much I still love my Cam and my Carolina "pandas" .  I'm still rooting for all y'all!

Labor Day is not the unofficial end of summer .  If you're not sure what it is all about or its origins, do some reading and listening.  I have hot and cold feelings about today's union efforts, but we can't deny what labor laws of the past have done to benefit us all. Child laborers, late 1800's. Ella May Wiggins, union activist in North Carolina, 1920's.  Fictionalized story containing union activity in 1930's.  Fictionalized accounts of true union activity and strikes in New England mill towns, 1930's. Poor working conditions of slaughterhouses that helped create our current FDA. Norma Rae, film about Southern union organizing, 1970's. Dropkick Murphys, current band and big fan of unions. Fictional story with union activity of 1940's.

Another great memoir written by a local Charlotte writer and poet, Judy Goldman.  The subtitle tells you that a "medical mishap" occurs, but that doesn't begin to describe the journey that such a "mishap" can take a marriage and family through from beginning to end.  First, the mishap is shocking and scary and leaves you thinking of all the medical procedures that we and our loved ones have been through that leave us scared and worried.....and without anything going wrong!  This particular incident leaves you asking yourself a lot of "what would I do" in that situation sort of questions. But more than that misfortune, this memoir is about marriage......the highs and lows, the drama, the boredom, how it changes, how it grows, how little things become big things and how once big issues fade to the background.  There were so many circumstances that Judy recounted that I could relate to.....and I've only been married to my husband for 7 years......

  Event takes place at 7 pm this evening at BOA Stadium in Downtown Charlotte

(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 mo...

I was afraid this Amazon Prime doc might make me not love my Carolina "Pandas" as much.  I was wrong.  It made me love them even more. Even though I know how the season ends, seeing them win is still joyous and seeing them lose is fresh heartbreak.  I love hearing their jokes, watching them dance and listening to them get revved up on the field in the middle of plays.  The everyday coworker stuff is fun too like listening to Greg Olsen explaining the plot of "Hamilton" and Luke and Cam ribbing Josh Norman on the phone before a match-up.  It's also a treat for locals as we see our city looking beautiful and feeling pride for guys we feel like we know even if we don't. It makes you love the owner, the head coach, the special coaches and even the wives and families (that you get to see). This show does a lot to get you excited for the upcoming season and hopeful for another Super Bowl.  I got to thinking about how every team seems...

(A re-post from 2016 that still holds up. Big time.) I never cease to be interested, entertained and sometimes even shocked by the ways my fellow drivers choose to express themselves on their vehicles.  Vehicle decals can tell you quite a lot about a person, so much so, that I've read they can sometimes put you at risk for criminal activity by basically announcing who you are and where you'll be at all times.  I think that's rare though.  More likely they just announce how dumb you are and how bad your taste is AND exactly how you like to waste your money.  But seriously, what DO your bumper stickers say about you? Even though the beach is hours away, this little phrase is commonly seen in my town.  I think the people that have this just want everyone to know they like the beach, perhaps own real estate at the beach and would rather be at the beach. Duh.  Who wouldn't? Advertisements for items you find cool is also huge where I live....