Tis Better to Give...

It's Christmas Eve y'all. One day closer to the holidays being over. Woo Hoo!



I woke up this morning thinking about Christmas, this whole time of year rather, and I realized that one of the reasons I get so bummed around this time nowadays is because the holidays in he U.S has become so much about something else other than giving selflessly and being thankful for family and friends. Sounds corny, but it's true. I'm still thinking about that poor man that was trampled to death at Walmart on Black Friday. I can't even imagine what his family is going through right now. The holidays should be about giving and not what we can get out of our loved ones, that much I know. I'm making an early New Year's resolution and that is to give more of myself to others, whether it be family or someone out there who is less fortunate. In the past, I have given money to various charities, but it's so easy to write a check, you know. I want to donate my time, volunteer. It's definitely something I want to do.



One of the charities I have given to in the past is Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. They donate service monkeys to quadriplegics and other people with spinal cord injuries. It's really amazing what these little creatures do for people who can't do for themselves. And get this, they're trained at Monkey College! Helping Hands is certified by the Independent Charities of America.

Lance Armstrong is Having a Baby...Well His Girlfriend is Anyway

Cyclist Lance Armstrong is expecting a baby with girlfriend Anna Hansen. They've been dating only a short time. Lance has three other children with his ex-wife with sperm he donated before he underwent treatment from testicular cancer. It was thought that he could not have children after his chemo and other treatments, but it turns out that he can, since he

created this baby the old-fashioned way. I am not a fan of Lance Armstrong at all, but babies rock, so congrats.

Jay-Z and Mary J Sued!

Two men, Jermaine Jumpp and Michael C. Adams are suing artists Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z for stealing a beat that ended up being used on the track "Enough Cryin'" on Mary's 2005 The Breakthrough album. The lawsuit alledges that Jay received a co-writer credit on the track and they did not. The plaintiffs said that back in 2001, they submitted a CD to producer Rodney (Darkchild) Jerkins that had the song with the beat in question on it. They never heard from him and were surprised to hear the song on Mary's album four years later. Jerkins is also being named in the suit. No word yet from either Mary or Jay-Z.

My question is, why do artists always wait until years later to put forth these lawsuits? The album came out in 2005. 2008's almost over. What gives?

Inspector Gadget

I am not the most tech-savvy person out there. I just got my first smartphone in July, a T-Mobile Shadow. Anyway, I've compiled a list of 5 gadgets that sound pretty cool to me. I say sound because, chances are, I'll never have a chance to put my hands on any of them. Here goes.





1. Energizer Solar Battery Charger

Besides my remotes, I can't really think of much else that requires batteries in my house, but I likey.It not only charges AA and AAA betteries, using solar power, you can plug it into your AC jack on the days when it's not so sunny our and you can even charge your USB doo-hickies too. This should sell for about $50.

2. Innergie mCube90 Power Adapter

The Innergie mCube90 power adapter is a surge protector and universal-power adapte. What makes this gadget special is that, using new technology developed by Greenplug, items that are fully charged will stop drawing power. This makes this a green item people. Cost, $130. Not too shabby.

3. Samsung Behold

The Samsung Behold is the new touchscreen 3G Smartphone offered by T-Mobile. It's supposed to rival the iPhone. It has something called TouchWiz technology, which has widgets that allow you to personalize your Home screen. It has a 5 megapixel camera and camcorder, assisted GPS, music player, Bluetooth,etc. It retails for about $399.


4. Samsung LN52A650 Flat Panel LCD TV

This is the manufacturer's description:

Samsung adds a Touch of Color to a blazing-fast 4ms response time and rich connectivity features to redefine the role HDTVs play in the home with its forward-looking Series 6 (A650) and Series 7 (A750) LCD HDTVs. Utilizing the award-winning technologies found in all Samsung HDTVs, Series 6 and 7 HDTVs deliver unparalleled picture quality and enhanced connectivity and networking capabilities that create a true entertainment hub for any home. Series 7 takes networking and multimedia management to a whole new level. Consumers can easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through a side-mounted USB 2.0, turning their LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect their MP3 players for a dynamic audio experience.

I like that it's red.


It retails for anywhere between $1800 to $2700. Again, I like the red.


5. HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC









I love the idea of a PC with a touch screen! The HP TouchSmart IQ816 is an all-in-one PC with a touchscreen, built- in webcam, wireless mouse and keyboard , built in Blu-Ray...You can also dock it to an HP PhotoSmart printer for photo printing. The fact that I don't have to use a mouse is very, very appealing to me. It retails for $2099.

DJ AM Sues

TMZ.com is reporting that Adam (DJ AM) Goldstein has filed suit over the plane crash that left four people dead in September, '08. Travis Barker, also hurt in the crash, filed his suit a couple of months ago. The plane crash left 4 people dead and Travis Barker and DJ AM badly burned. The NTSB is still investigating the crash and therefore hasn't issued its findings.

All I Want for Christmas...In My Dreams

It's December 23rd and I'm sitting at the computer, not excited that Christmas is only two days away, but celebrating the fact that the holiday season is just about over. To me, the holidays aren't what they used to be. This recession isn't exactly filling me with holiday cheer either if you know what I mean.


If you can believe it, I haven't shopped at all for the holidays, and won't, since money is tight around these here parts this year. I'm getting my husband a couple of CDs (AC/DCs Black Ice and Guns and Roses Chinese Democracy) and some T-shirts. At the moment, that's all I can afford. I'm pretty sure he'd prefer a Harley Sportster, but hey, it's the thought that counts right?



Anyhoo, without sounding shallow, I put together a Holiday Wish List for myself, consisting of the fabulous, impratical items I would love to have if I had some money and their more affordable counterparts. I'm a lover of fashion, but at this point I can only wish.












Black Ice (Deluxe Edition) by AC/DC available at Amazon.com. $19.98.










Chinese Democracy by Guns/Roses available at Amazon.com. $10.12













Jimmy Choo "Grove"
Glossy Leather Sandal
$775
jimmychoo.com
















Steve Madden "Madelyn"
Leather Sandal
$100
piperlime.com


















Nancy Gonzalez
Crocodile Clutch
$2,200
bergdorfgoodman.com










Calvin Klein "Luxe"
Croco Embossed clutch
$148
dillards.com


















RM by Roland Mouret
Trenet High Neck Dress
$2,295
net-a-porter.com























Max & Cleo
Ruffle Neck Dress
$127
newport-news.com