Who's Got the X Factor?

I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a talent show junkie. Ok, maybe more like a full-blown addict. With shows like American Idol, X Factor, and So You Think You Can Dance showcasing ridiculously amazing talent, it's hard not to get swallowed by the whole phenomenon. It's reality television without the scripted drama; just REAL people with REAL talent taking to the stage with the entire world as their audience. It's hard not to be mesmerized when you live in a time where it feels like everything has been contrived, produced and then packaged to sell. Sure, producers and record execs will be banking on these future stars, but for now, we can just ogle them as the newbies they are and cross our fingers that their feet stay planted firmly on the ground.

I had to post a video of the incomparable Rachel Crow, who's rendition of Etta James "I'd rather go blind" had me spell-bound. With a voice resembling that Michael Jackson baby voice we fell in love with back when the Jackson 5 reigned supreme, and tons of SOUL thrown into the mix, it's hard not only to believe that Ms. Crow is only 13 years old, but that she also was so shamefully let go of on the show. Ms. Crow, I think I may just wait to turn on the radio dial for upcoming smash hits. For now, I'll just hit the replay button.

As I Slip Into the Black of the Night..

Just a quick post, featuring a fun outfit a friend asked me to post. I'm no swankheights (lub ya girl), but I think I clean up pretty nice, lol. Teacher by day, gatinha (portuguese for "little cat") by night. Had a blast wearing this to the my work's annual holiday Christmas party where we partied hearty like it was 1999.

(wearing a canary yellow Asos dress, blazer by Zara, boutique necklace and CK pumps )

(make-up shot)

(dedicated to KIBOS: hope you liked it, babe!)

A Dilemma for the Christmas Shopper.

With the Holidays blushing just around the riverbend and the stockings runneth empty, the frantic feeling sets in, that old, familiar "oh-my-god-can-i-just-hire-a-personal-shopper-and-be-done-with-it!" refrain. It's not that I don't love shopping --any fool who knows me can obviously take note that the piles of pretty boxes that arrive on my doorstep courtesy of Mr. Brown are not for the roommate or 'chirren'! It's just that I get slightly feverish when it comes down to whipping out the Visa for others, and not out of selfishness, mind you. With so much out there in Purchase Land and consumerism at an ironically rampant high, the dizzying array of choices damn near incites a case of the runs (and I'm not making pantyhose references, here). With so many appetizing options, it's hard not to get dumbstruck eyeing the mere display case of the store, with heels fastened in retrograde to just get.the.hell.out.of.the.goddamn.mall.

With that said, I've turned to the aid of the almighty online gift gods, who make shopping a snap and a mere mouse-click away. And that, I've mastered all right. If there's anyone who knows how to blow $700 bucks in 8 minutes snap, it's me. It's easier to diminish feelings of sartorial bliss-turned guilt when you don't need to exit sulkingly out of a packed mall with dozens of shopping bags digging as assembly line of grooves into your forearms; it's like the high, without the buyer's remorse. (That is, until you've checked your latest bank statement and wondered where the last 3 zeros went) So in lieu of culling myself out of my snowflake jammies and five-toe socks, I've decided to make a virtual visit to the following 3 mega-retailers that ease the woes of mall-phobes like me:

1) GROUPONICUS. Let's face it: I'm famous for adding fortune to Groupon's steadily rising stock share. With at least a dozen groupon vouchers sitting in my inbox (ranging anywhere from at-home tanning- who said I can't fake abs in the winter!- to a really rad midnight ghost tour on a tree acre farm), I can easily claim to be a devotee of the Fortune 500 company, whose +50% off discount on a bevvy of deals make that itch to push "BUY" so downright unrefusable. Grouponicus, the catchy and aptly-monikored spinoff of Groupon, features a ton of big-ticket items just for the holidays that are so savvy, they make you wanna yell WOWZA, click click click, and then call it a day. With everything from power tools, Omaha steaks and a retro Radio Flyer toy tike delivered all to your front door at just a fraction of retail price, who seriously can resist?!

2) AMAZON.COM: Another internet phenom which has ruled for what feels like millennia, I've gotta say, Amazon.com, you've never let me down. Besides the rockstar ustomer service and what feels like an endless array of products and services, I love Amazon's simple approach to consumerism- make the buyer happy and he'll never letcha down. Ohhh, I've bought stationery, I've bought books, I've bought CD's and MP3 downloads, you name it, it's gone somewhere into my revolving door of goods and thingamabobbers. I mean, how do you say no to wireless Bluetooth headphones. For God's sake, that's just genius! And a kitchen mixer- what you say, for about 200 bones? I'm SOLD!

3) FINDGIFTS.COM: And finally, findgifts.com, just about the coolest site one can peruse for stretches of time. I think I've lollygagged over just about every gadget and gizmo this nifty site features. A romotee-controlled R2-D2 robot, gravity-defyer head spa for men, mini USB-powered refrigerator- this is better than that skymall shit! I think I've about hit the roof on this one, ladies and gentleman.

(man's new best friend)

Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you.

While it may appear that I've lost touch with parts of the social stratosphere (i.e. facebook, texts, etc.), be assured that my days are well lit by the love and joy that are my students. While I don't divulge a great deal of the day to day accounts with my rambunctious second graders, there are the countless untold stories, jokes and unforgettable exchanges that mark my days as a teacher living in New Orleans. It is the most important and rewarding thing I've done to date- literally giving of blood and flesh to raise a motley crew of classroom denizens into altruistic, critical-thinking, purpose-driven citizens. I love and cherish every moment of it, all the crazy, 'what-the-hell-am-i-doing!?', unpredictable, completely redeeming, heart-warming lovely bits. A few of the latest, below:




Golden Bears, Future College Class of 2022.