Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

"And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!"   One of the most memorable lines ever written in literature by one of the most gifted writers and illustrators of children's books.      I don't think it's right to be very sad when a person who has lived a long and full life dies.  But I do think it's right to praise them, to miss them even if you didn't know them, and to pass on the joy they brought to you.   Thank you, Mr. Sendak.

For such a recent time in our history, it is very hard to find very many books about the Vietnam War.  I've always been interested because when I was growing up so many of my friends' fathers served in this war.  I was always grateful my father wasn't there.  And as I read this book, I still am.

Every time a childhood icon dies, I just feel a little bit smaller and a little bit older. Incidentally, Little Boy loves singing "Hey, ladeeeees!  Get fonk-ay!" 

In the weeks and months leading up to my decision to give up meat, I kept having these episodes that were turning me off meat. One day I was eating a piece of thinly sliced deli ham when I suddenly had a vision of it being some kind of flesh that had literally been ripped from an animal. I don't know where that thought came from or why it entered my head at that moment, but all I knew was that I had to get that stuff out of my mouth before I vomited all over my kitchen. After that particular moment of revulsion, I started thinking about a few other times that this similar thought had come into my head. Where it had come from, I'm just not sure, but it was a very real and disgusted feeling at the thought of having meat from an animal in my mouth. I was also realizing the smells and textures of meats were bothering me. E-Roc would bring home these delectable sandwiches and wraps from the deli, and I suddenly couldn't bear the smell of pork or salami. Or I would pretty m...

This is one of the weirdest and best books I have read lately.  It seems like something I should've written.  Damn her for thinking of it first, and very probably, doing it better.

I have been very caught up in my own personal stories lately and have not addressed a serious issue here in North Carolina.  On Tuesday, May 8th you must VOTE AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE.  This amendment wants to create a constitutional ban on same sex marriages.  What you may not know is that such a law would hurt many domestic partnerships including homosexual and heterosexual couples.  In my community, there are a few loud politicians that are working hard to get this law passed.  Do not support these guys just because they are popular.  Do not support these guys because you grew up with them and used to play basketball with them on their parents' carport.  Do not support anything that you really don't know anything about.  Amendment 1 will not hurt your heterosexual marriage.  If you are straight, married or single, Amendment 1 will pretty much mean nothing to you. However, if you are in a same sex marriage or an opposite sex domestic p...

Do you ever think about the things you loved as a kid? The music? The clothes? The friends? Chances are, all those things have changed over time. You're lucky if you still keep in touch with your grade school friends (even with the advent of FB) and you wouldn't even want to put on the clothes you wore back then! To me, music is something that has always been more enduring. Your tastes might change, but in most cases, you will always love your first love. Boy, do I know about that. E-Roc and I were recently comparing the ebb and flow and changes in the careers of two of our favorite bands: REM and U2. They've both changed so much that sometimes you don't even think you're talking about the same bands anymore. But is that always a bad thing? Take U2 for example..... Their first American single was "I Will Follow" and then of course they had the great unforgettable songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day". T...

Food has always been an interesting topic. There is a lot of enjoyment that comes from it as well as a lot of money to be made from it. Don't believe me? Just watch The Food Network sometime. There are shows dedicated to its preparation, its celebration and sometimes even its condemnation. And even though it was more health and body issues that made me choose vegetarianism, I have to say that a few other social phenomena helped point me in that direction. First off, can I just say it? I'm sick to death of the pretension of today's so-called "foodies". Okay. I said it. When I say foodie, I'm not talking about people who happen to know about and enjoy good food. I live with one of those guys and he is a knowledgeable and interesting partaker of food. No. I'm talking about those people that make fun of people for their food choices. The kind of people that just roared in laughter at the elderly woman's review of Olive Garden. People that mak...