Rosa's Recommendations: The Mother's Day Edition
Memories of my mother and some of her TV & Movie favorites.
Every year since my mother’s passing on 5/15/2013, I take time to sit with myself and pen a letter to her. This year marks both the 10th anniversary of her death, but also the 10th anniversary of this tradition. I will not lie to you…this tradition is a sad one. Each year brings its own flavor-of-the-year emotion: anger, joy, pride, sadness.
I still can’t believe a decade has passed without my mother’s physical presence. A decade. A third of my life, without my best-friend, my biggest supporter, and the woman who taught me the meaning of love and life.
A core cluster of memories with my mother are centered around the consumption of media: TV, movies, books, and music. Unintentionally, this year I decided to start a newsletter/blog to share what media I am consuming. So I thought, in the spirit of this platform, I would intertwine some elements of this letter with whomever is reading. For those who might not want to read through though, here are some of Rosa’s Recommendations!
Rosa’s Recommendations:
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (TV Series: 1996-2003, available to stream on Hulu)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV series: 1997-2003, available to stream on Hulu)
ANGEL (TV Series: 1999-2004, available to stream on Hulu)
Anything Anne Rice!
Charmed (TV Series: 1998-2006, available to stream on Peacock)
Twilight (books>movies!)
Bye Bye Birdie (Movie: 1963, available to stream or rent somewhere)
Hairspray (Movie: 1988 and 2007 versions, available to rent on Amazon prime)
Sweet Home Alabama (Movie: 2002, available to stream on Hulu)
Dear Mommy,
My mind is flooded with so many memories of you today. How did you have the patience to raise three boys?
I remember, vividly, our TGIF line up on ABC. Particularly Sabrina the Teenage Witch. We loved that show so much. I was so mesmerized by the talking cat, the magic, the high school drama, and the powerful female coven that I didn’t even realize you would let each of your boys take a turn at styling your hair for two hours straight, every Friday night! We would all sit on the couch, you would bring out your giant bucket of hair clips and accessories and we would give you “fashionable” looks and watch TV, meanwhile Daddy was working nights at LAX. To this day, this show holds a special place in my heart (even the years when she went to college). Speaking of witches, Charmed! THE POWER OF THREE! We were obsessed with them and their house in San Francisco.
The fun didn’t stop there…you were obsessed with Vampires! How could I ever forget? Anything from a steamy Anne Rice novel, like Interview with the Vampire, to Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel, even Twilight! Although, we enjoyed the Twilight books way more than the first few films. Why were they so bad? Was it the filter? The acting? I often wonder why you liked them so much, perhaps it was the fantasy element? The horror? The steamy, immortal being romance element? I’ll have to ask you that one some-day.
You also fostered my incredible love of reading and books. Playing the cassette tape audio to my Golden Books. Not sure whether you intentionally thought this process would lead to me learning to read at the age of three, but…it did. And one of my first memories is of you twisting your neck like an owl from the front seat when I started to read billboards from my car seat, with a bewildered look on your face…like “Who’s kid is this?” I am so grateful for getting an early start to one of the hobbies that brings me the most joy in this life.
Bye Bye Birdie! Ugh, we loved that one so much! You would try your hardest to get me and Domenico to memorize the lyrics to the songs, but it was never my strong suit… Domenico has that skill, while I do not! But you did originate my love of musicals! Oh, and Hairspray! Divine, who was our first exposure to someone Queer and IN DRAG in the media…and you expressed how cool they were! You were an ally!
There was also that stretch of a few months/probably closer to years…where we would go to the “Dollar Theatre” with Georgina and Sam and bring our own movie snacks and watch all those romantic comedies…there were so many romantic comedies that were being cranked out at the time…Sweet Home Alabama, that shot of the Tiffany interior, you were in heaven! You always wanted Daddy to buy you one of those fancy Tiffany diamonds!
I miss your smile! I miss your enthusiasm for life and the ones you loved. You were many things, but a lover was at the top of the list. To this day, friends and family will tell me your smile and your laughter were infectious. You had a movie star quality to you and reliving these memories of you is like sitting down to watch my favorite feature film. I love you and I miss you.
Your precious son,
Marco
PS. Here is a Best of Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch video for giggles.
🤍🤍🤍