Awava Market

I've succumbed to the lure of all of these daily deals websites, and have signed up for a few, most recently Roozt, which is a daily deals site that focuses on eco-friendly/fair trade companies.  Last week I bought my first deal from them, a $50 gift certificate for $25 at Awava Market, a company who's mission is "not one of charity, but of economic empowerment, for you 'give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day.  Teach a woman to fish and you feed her for a lifetime.'  In assisting Awava’s artisans with design and providing Western market access, we at Awava are not only providing a space in which marginalized Women in Uganda can sell their masterpieces, but ensuring that these products will sell."

Gomesi Sun Dress - my favorite!

I couldn't wait to cash in my $50 certificate, so within a couple of days I was searching the site for items that I wanted.  I eyed their one-size-fits-most sundresses for a minute, but decided that I wanted to make my certificate stretch to cover severals items.  In the end, I ended up buying their Binusu Coin Purse (in "Red Leaves"), the Mukimpe Wallet (in "Blue/Orange Guinea"), the Kufumba Basket (in white, which they must have recently sold out of), and the Katono Basket (in purple).

I haven't received my items yet, but I'm excited to have found a place that is supporting Ugandan artisans while providing consumers with beautiful handmade and designed items, and I will be shopping there again.

Digital Camera Shopping

Since my organization was recently gifted with some big bucks, I've discussed selling my old Canon S3IS to PNOLA, since we currently have no camera, and I've been keeping it at work to take pictures of volunteers and our progress on our projects.

Now don't get me wrong:  I love my Canon.  I've had it since the spring of '07, and it's served me well.  I did extensive research when I purchased it - comparing prices, megapixels, zooms, the whole 9 yards, as I tend to do whenever I make a major electronic purchase.  I wasn't going to spent $400 on a crappy camera.  Yes, I spent that much on a camera, and I think that $100 per year is a worthy investment in a camera that has held up well enough to take thousands of pictures.  But.  The major problem that I've had with it has been ... it's huge.  At the time, it was considered small for a mega zoom camera, but still ... huge.  It doesn't fit in any of my small purses.  I can't exactly hide it if I'm walking through a shady neighborhood.  I have to put it around my neck when at Mardi Gras parades because it's too big to safely hold in one hand.  And for such a big ass camera, it had a small screen.

Anyway, since I'm selling it to the organization, I'm finally going to be able to afford a new camera, right when the digital camera industry is exploding with compact mega zoom cameras.  I've narrowed it down to two:  The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and the Canon Powershot SX210IS.

My method this time was to do a Amazon.com search for digital cameras, refine the search by my required mega pixels (upgrading to 10+) and my required zoom (10x +), then eliminate any cameras that had less than four stars.  Then I sorted the results in descending order by their number of stars.  Once I figured out my top three, I did a search on Cnet.com to see how they fared.  Then did a Google search to see how other sites rated them.  This is the hard part, especially since it's become clear that my top three were often compared and very similar.  I have to weigh what I'm looking for, what the reviewer says, think about whether any complaints from the reviewer really matter for what I need the camera for, my own bias towards Canon (since I've loved mine for so long), whether someone's complaints about these newer cameras matter compared to the performance of my 4 year old camera.  Also, as far as ranking, reviews have been all over the place for these three.  The number three, a Sony camera, was just eliminated because I found that more sites didn't list it as a top ranked then did, and it apparently uses a non-typical video format.  That leaves me with the Panasonic and the Canon.  Some sites say that the Canon is better.  Some say that the Panasonic is better.  Sigh.

The Panasonic Lumix is very cute, and I would get it in the sexy dark blue.  I've never had a Panasonic anything, though, and that makes me nervous.  It's $249.95 on Amazon.  12MPs, 12x zoom.  Built in GPS function.  According to some reviews, may take not so good low light pictures.  Does not have editing software compatible with my Mac.  Maybe bad battery life?  Some professional reviewers said that it takes superior photos to the Canon, but some Amazon reviewers say that it's picture quality was disappointing.  I'm a little more inclined to go with Amazon reviewers, since they've usually spent days if not weeks using the camera that they're reviewing.  But, I have to remember, that  a lot of people don't know what they hell they're doing with high-level technology products.  I've read many a Amazon review where I realized that the reviewer was complaining about something when really, they didn't know how to use the product correctly.  Hmmm, some reviews make it sound as though the battery is not rechargeable, which is a big problem.  With my current camera, I've used the same rechargeable AA batteries for 4 years, because I have a 2-hr battery charger.  Replacement batteries reportedly cost $30, which is ... no.  This might be the deal breaker.


Moving on, the Canon SX210 is also very cute, and I would get it in purple, although, it tends to look pink or fuschia in different pictures.  I ... do not want want a pink camera.  It's $274 on Amazon.  14MPs, 14x zoom.  No GPS function, though that was more of a luxury then it was something that I was looking for.  Uses a rechargeable battery, and includes the charger.  May have a shadow problem in the lower right corner of pictures.  Crappy battery life?  More complaints about poor pics, same as Panasonic!  I do want to say that the grand majority of the reviews for both cameras are extremely positive, which is why they're my top two.  Slow zoom, which was confirmed by more professional reviewers.  But by slow, they mean 2 - 3 seconds, instead of 1, and I'm not sure that I care.


I think the battery thing has put the Canon ahead of the Panasonic.  It also has better zoom and more megapixels.  If the battery life is poor, at least the battery is rechargeable and the charger is included.  If the pictures are bad, I don't think that Amazon charges a re-stocking fee if you purchase directly from them, so I'll return it.  I've decided that I don't care about the "slow" zoom, since it's still probably faster then my old one.  And I like purple better then blue.

News Briefs: RSD Fires "Surplus" Teachers, OC Haley Gets Renovated, 2 Day Tax Holiday, WLN

This is frustrating. Why not put the bad teachers in the surplus pile? Oh, right, that would require actually taking the time to evaluate teachers properly. It's much easier to just force veteran teachers to search for new jobs. Why don't Teach For America recruits have to search for jobs? I believe they are placed in schools.

ETA: Here's a write-up by someone who knows more than I do about the school system here.

Progress! In the past few weeks I've noticed new businesses on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, including a women's employment center that appears to provide childcare. Nine businesses are going to receive money to renovate, including one that a coworker of mine and her husband plan to start (the live music venue mentioned in the article).

I'll actually have money to take advantage of the sales tax holiday this year. But why is it only 2 days long? In the DC area it lasts a week, I think, or at least a whole weekend.

I was there, were you? It was a fun night, but I must say, now that I've experienced both, I like Dirty Linen Night better. Appetizers and booze (good booze) are free, and the art is a little more accessible to me, meaning I wouldn't have to save up two year-long Americorps salaries just to buy one piece of art. Can't wait until this Saturday!

Weekend Fun

I went to the event at NOMA and saw most of The Sandwich Generation by Julie Winokur, who found herself and her husband caring for both their children and her ailing father, unexpectedly. You can see the first 11 minutes here. They are extremely honest about their feelings, but accept taking care of her father as a responsibility. The idea that my mother could end up like this in twenty or thirty years terrifies me, but at least I can try to prepare myself for the possibility.

I also went to the JAJO Expo, looked at some nice jewelry and other items, and wished that I had more money. I love the floral jewelry at Design Studio 504, it's very creative and I like anything that's handmade.

Next up was Amber Leilani. If you can afford it, check out the cuffs pictured to the right. If you're like me and want to look cute on a budget, there's other great jewelry in her online store that's a lot more affordable.

Another table that I stopped at was Paputsi, a store that sells affordable handmade baby blankets, bibs, burp cloths, etc. I know someone who's having a baby in a few months, so I'll definitely be ordering from them soon. Items can also be embroidered with the name of the baby, as seen to the left.

ClaireRisa sells unique handmade jewelry at an affordable price. These, in particular, are my favorites on the website.

Another find was a thrift store called The Reservoir that had a couple of racks set up at the expo. I've gotten more and more into buying recycled clothes (being broke will do that), and saw several dresses for under $15 that I wanted bad. They also had shades for $8, some small hand held compacts for $3, and hammocks, something that I desperately want for the cooler weather in a few months, for only $25. I'm definitely going to this store in the next few weeks, located at 2045 Magazine St.

My last stop was Sweet Olive Soap Works, which actually has me considering giving up liquid soap and the loofah just so I can say that I bathe with Red Beans and Rice, Creole Tomato, or Muddy Mississippi. All of her soaps are handmade from organically grown fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients for healthier skin.

Finally, I went to the movies with some friends and saw Moon, starring Sam Rockwell as an astronaut who makes a shocking discovery near the end of his term manning a station on the moon. Check out the trailer below.



I thought that this movie was great, and the most thought invoking that I've seen in a while. There was suspense, mystery, a little humor, a lot of sadness, a bit of wonder...I really enjoyed it, and Sam Rockwell is a great actor. The special effects used were also very well done.

Bayou Boogaloo Finds

The last day of Bayou Boogaloo was today, so I hung out on the bayou for a couple of hours. The music was good, and the food was even better. Worth mentioning was the veggie plate that I got from Bozwell's Jamaican Grill, which included the first plantains that I've had that can compete with the ones at Bennechins. There were so many dogs there that I kind of wish that I'd brought my Biko with me, but it's hard to handle a big dog by yourself when you want to walk around and look at art and jewelry and stand in line for food. But he looks like such an angel, doesn't he?



Anyway, the day was beautiful, as you can see if you check out my Flickr pics in the sidebar. And best of all, I bought a pair of handmade earrings for $5 from Art of Sole, a local jewelry maker.



$5 for cute, handmade earrings? I may end up with their entire collection.