Thursday, October 30, 2008

Five Days and Counting


If you have not registered to vote in some states, it is still possible. Plus, if you have not decided who to vote, I come to you again to consider voting for Barack Obama. Why? Well, ask yourself which candidate will provide you with a better four years? Then, you decide.

Also, if you have not picked up any Barack Obama campaign memorabilia, it's not too late. Check out the Barack Obama website (www.barackobama.com) where purchases will go towards the campaign.

On the subway, I saw a lovely lady with the this beautiful bag designed by Diane Von Furstenberg. It's being sold for 75 bucks and goes towards an excellent cause on Obama's website.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Gymboree


If you haven't been able to check out your local Gymboree class, I urge you to give it a try. My sweetie and I took in a class and we had a lot of fun clapping our hands to the Beatles and playing peek-a-boo. It's $72 per month, which can sometimes be hard to fork out during a recession, but if you and your child likes it, it may just be worth not eating out a couple of nights out of the week.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Beverly Manley




I don't generally read a lot of memoirs, but I must pick up The Manley Memoirs by Beverly Manley. A popular radio personality and former first lady in Jamaica in the 1970s, Beverly Manley writes a candid memoir of her upbringing, career, and political life in the Caribbean. The book also has a host of pictures of Beverly and Michael Manley. I especially like her wedding picture in which she purposely chose to take a nod towards traditional peasantry dress.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Escapism


As the Dow plummets and the gas prices rise, escapism is the way to go. Although, individuals are dining out less and conserving in other areas of entertainment, movie sales have increasingly fared well. That is of no suprise to me, when you see the sheer amount of reality shows that consistently have high numbers of viewers. I never used to understand the purpose of reality shows, except for Real World New York circa 1990, until life started to get hectic. I started to enjoy watching Run's House and Real Housewives of New York and now Atlanta.

Escapism does indeed work, albeit for that hour or two out of life. However, once those credits start to scroll up the scene reality sets in and you're back to the hustle of every day life, but now you're just a little bit more relaxed because you were able to be taken far away from your present situation.

At first, I thought the five women from Real Housewives of Atlanta were going to be terribly annoying, but after the second episode, I'm slightly hooked. I'm not sure if it's because it's the perfect ying for yang for my addiction to coverage of the Obama campaign or it's my only indulgence of frivolity in my life. Whatever the case, it's not worth overanalyzing, because it is what it is...escapism.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Who Does She Think She Is?


I believe everyone woman has asked this question, "Can you have it all?" Can you have the career of your dreams, the doting husband, well-balanced kids, and the Labrador retriever? I'm of the train of thought of believing this to be possible but at what costs? What are you willing to give up to have it all? This documentary, "Who Does She Think She Is" addresses this question by following around women artists as they attempt to answer this question for their own life. Check out www.whodoesshethinksheis.net for the trailer and listings.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Lori Nelson



I had the great pleasure of meeting publisher/author Lori Nelson last night. She spoke at length of her experience of publishing children's books and her eventual move towards animation. Her book, The Adventures of Hillary: Hillary's Big Business Adventure is a clever book about a young girl's entry into business with a backdrop of colorful bold illustrations. Her mother, Valerie Nelson, also wrote an empowering book entitled, I Can Do It Myself. These are two books that will make any child happy.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Cute Notecards



I'm always scouting for interesting pieces of art without the pricey tag. I love these pieces from Foxy and Winston (www.foxyandwinston.com) for get this...$5!

Gently Used Baby Clothes


Between a recession and rapidly growing babies, a gently used baby store called Once Upon A Child might be the answer to a tight budget. They specialize in hardly used clothing, furniture, toys, equipment, and more. The best part about it is that they are located all around the country. Check out their website at www.ouac.com and see if you'll consider visiting them in your locale.


LrgImOnHipMama