Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

(Here at the end of the month of April, Autism Awareness Month, I'm resharing a post from way back in 2019.  So much has changed.  My son and I have both grown and changed so much.  But the sentiment is of differences and acceptance still rings true.) Having a kid with special needs made me learn early on how to choose my battles.  It also taught me a lot about defining a "new normal".  What made sense for other parents and their kids might not work for us.  It took me a while, but over time I got okay with that. I also began coming to terms with what kind of mom I was, and even better, what kind of mom I was not.  Not everybody gets us kid, but we've got each other. In the beginning, I was all over all of the events having to do with autism.  The walks, the fundraisers, the awareness events.  And then I began realizing that my kid didn't enjoy them and neither did I.  As a matter of fact, I felt worse after trying to do them....

  "I want to tell her that I love her a lot But I gotta get a bellyful of wine...." 

While I don't believe a word of this, I have to admit it is terribly interesting.  And I'm pretty impressed that someone went through all of these tiny clues and innuendo to concoct such a wild story.  It's also pretty ambitious (and a little bit gross) to tie in the assassination of John Lennon in 1980 and the knife attack against George Harrison and his wife in the late 90's. And of course the idea that George left all this information as his "last will and testament" is pretty much the grossest thing of all. But honestly, gentle readers know how I feel about my beloved Paul .  The idea that just anyone.... any fool off the street could be plucked up to be him..... to sound like him ......not to mention write and perform his songs ?  (Or did John write them all  now?  I don't know....it got a little muddy for me.)  It actually kinda hurts and offends me.  I started talking back to the program a few times, and my husband had to remind me ...

Since I go to the theatre to see films exactly 2 times a year and I LURVE The Beatles, dear readers had better know how anticipated this one was! It was a super cute film that will definitely be loved by Beatles fans and anglophiles in general.  Other folks?  They may not really get it. I don't want to give much away, but I will tell you this, if the world had no Beatles it would also have no Coca-Cola, no cigarettes and no Oasis .  The Oasis I get.....and c'mon....that is a clever joke.  But the Coke and the cigarettes stumped me and were never explained.  And not much was explained in this film in general.  If you like a movie that finishes everything off and explains it all for you in the end, this may not be for you. But I loved it.  It even brought me a tear or two, and I won't even say why for now.  Let's just say that us Beatles fans will get it.  And that's all you need to know.

  " Instant Karma's gonna get you Gonna look you right in the face Better get yourself together darlin' Join the human race How in the world you gonna see Laughin' at fools like me Who in the hell d'you think you are A super star Well, right you are....."  " Is there anybody going to listen to my story All about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl You want so much it make you sorry Still you don't regret a single day Ah, girl, girl, girl....." "I once had a girl Or should I say she once had me She showed me her room Isn't it good Norwegian wood?" "No one I think is in my tree I mean it must be high or low That is you can't, you know, tune in But it's all right That is, I think, it's not too bad....."  "And woman Hold me close to your heart However distant, don't keep us apart After all it is written in the stars....." 

What I feel, I can't say But my love is there for you, any time of day But if it's not love that you need Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed. Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side? (I still remember George every year on the day he left our world. What a soul, what a talent we all had the privilege to hear.)

So today erbody is all over the total solar eclipse. I say big whoop unless you have the right soundtrack to accompany it!  So here is my Total Eclipse Playlist....some almost too obvious and some, not so much.  If you don't get it, I'm just too busy trying to stay out of the path of the sun and the oncoming traffic to try to explain it!  Just put on your ISO-approved glasses, press play and thank me later...... "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler Have to get this one out of the way straight off.  But you might be interested to know that Ms. Tyler will be singing her one hit wonder on a cruise ship on the day of the eclipse .  How bout dah? "Back in Black" by AC/DC "New Moon on Monday" by Duran Duran "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden "Moonlight Drive" by The Doors "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream "Good Day Sunshine" & "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles "King ...

My husband recently posted this pic to my Facebook page, and it inspired all manner of comments.  Mostly negative.  I have to be honest.....I don't get it.  I get why you may not like Sonic Youth (too weird) or Slayer (too devily) or Metallica (too loud/not cool anymore).  And while I hate it when peeps say "I like all music except rap and country" I get it because they're basically saying they can't veer too far out of their own safe culture. (Which is too bad really because both KRS-One and Garth Brooks have something for all y'all.)  But The Beatles?  How can one claim to not like The Beatles?  Okay, so maybe you don't listen to them like I do (daily), but do you mean to really tell me that you don't like not one single song of theirs?  I mean, c'mon, there are literally hundreds to choose from ! So if you intend on staying stuck in your anti-Beatles stance, won't you at least indulge me in telling you why they are about ...

Another glimpse into the spiritual soul of The Quiet Beatle that many of us loved so much.  This book isn't terribly long and doesn't bog down in the details of early life, The Beatles or forgotten romances.  Instead it focuses on the spiritual growth that George attained after trying LSD for the first time, learning to chant and meditate and eventually focusing his life around Hinduism and Krishna.  This book will make you love the man whose life was cut way too short all the more as it shows his all-too-human side all the while striving toward the purest living he could find.  

Imagine what your life would have been without it.

George Harrison February 25, 1943- November 29, 2001 "The Quiet Beatle" We still miss you.

Now that my niece is 12, I feel like she's ready for her musical training to begin with her wacky aunt.  I'm hoping to teach the young grasshoppa that there's more to life than Top 40.  I had to really work hard to find CDs in the house, because seriously, who has them anymore?  But I thought these 4 here might be a good starter pack toward a lifetime of seeking and finding great music beyond what the radio plays for her.  We'll see what happens.....  Indigo Girls Despite Our Differences, 2006 Not my favorite record of theirs, but has some really great tracks including Three County Highway, and Little Perennials, which is a fave of The Droid.  Also has a really rocking tune featuring Pink!  (Yeah, that Pink!)   Dave Matthews Band Crash, 1996. Again, not my favorite record of a favorite band but probably the first really recognized mainstream release of the band at that time.  Has the very well-know title...

I was driving this morning and thinking about how much I love Jeff Tweedy.  I wondered, seriously, if my life would be the same without him.  No kidding. And I started thinking about how subjective music can be.  How deeply you can offend someone with your tastes or insult their own.  And how humorless people can be about it.  Music, painting and decorating so much of our lives, is fraught with opinions, memories and feelings that only we can understand.  Maybe it's time I got some off my chest........ Jeff Tweedy was maybe singing about getting over addiction.  All I know is Sky Blue Sky got me through my divorce and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and The Whole Love made me feel real again.  I feel like I owe him something for that. I really do. Joe Strummer makes me want to revolt from ever working again and also a little sad that I know deep down that I can't.  It's almost like I know that Joe would be disappointed in me, ...