Fun Fun 31

Well, my "Dirty 30" has come and gone and I am now the ripe old age of 31. Sigh. I really thought 30 was going to be my year, but alas, it wasn't. That's okay because I know I have so many more ahead of me. And I am hoping bigger and better is still to come for me. It has to.

Like most years, there were the highs and the lows. Of course my 30th year was no different. Below were my highs and lows of the year.  I am going to start with the lows as to end with the highs so I can continue on a high note as I enter this new year of my life. Right on...

Dolvett, call me...

This past week Biggest Loser came back to our televisions. Two nights in a row. Two hours at a time. I didn't get a chance to watch it until the end of the week because with all new shows back and a busy week, my DVR got filled. Fast. Such is the life.

I was happy to be reunited with BL after such a long time even though the time commitment to watch is big, even with a DVR. I think this show is losing a bit of its mojo. I mean, I didn't even cry the first episode. WTF? This is not normal. I'd like to think it's because I am growing up, but I don't think that's the case.

As the new season begins, I find myself watching and thinking. Watching and thinking. Some of the things that cross my mind aren't anything new, and some of the things are more recent from this current season. So as I continue to watch Biggest Loser, this is what crosses my bizarre brain...

1) The kids on the show are brave as hell. This season BL has three teenagers on the show as they are tackling the topic of childhood obesity in America. These kids probably get made fun of a lot in their everyday life and are not very confident in themselves because of their weight and they are baring it all on national TV. I give them major props for that and hope they can turn their life around and end up happy and healthy.

GUEST BLOG: Are Teachers' Unions the Enemy of Reform?

Like myself, many of my friends are (or have been) teachers. Teaching in the NYC public school system can be a huge struggle and many of us try to go in so hopeful each and every day but are met with so many different challenges. The job is not an easy one, that's for sure.

A former co-worker of mine reached out to me with a guest post about her thoughts on the public school system in NYC today. I agree with many of her sentiments and I am sure many other teachers in our situations will as well.

I agree that the current education system needs an overhaul. I agree that there are bad teachers out there shielded by our outdated union contract. I agree that poor leadership makes for an unsuccessful school. If you treat education as a business, a new union contract would be necessary. Under the current contract, it is very difficult to boot a tenured teacher out of his/her job, let alone the union. Many of my friends  (tenured teachers) may dislike this, but I think it should be within a boss's right to fire an ineffective employee, regardless of how many years of service he or she has contributed. It's the parameters within such a firing takes place that needs an overhaul. How do you evaluate a teacher's "effectiveness?" According to the education reformers, a lot of the evaluation needs to be aligned with standardized test scores to weed out the "bad" teachers. To a layperson, it does stand to reason that lack of student progress is directly related to the effectiveness of the teacher. I was a good teacher. I was a good teacher with about a 55% pass rate. If you judge me by that alone, I should have been fired (side note: I voluntarily left the system). But those in education know better; they are not the lay people trying to instill this new way to evaluate teachers.

GUEST BLOG: Guilty Pleasures Without the Guilt

Many of my friends have been super supportive regarding my adventures in blog writing. They also happen to be very smart and witty. (Remember you are the company you keep!) I always encourage them to help a sister out and give them an opportunity to express themselves if they so desire. I mean, why should I be the only one able to rant about my life? With that being said, here is a guest blog, the first in looong time. Enjoy. 

If you are like me and a lot of my lady friends, whether you are texting, or talking face-to-face; at least part of your conversations include a confession of indulgences followed by a rationalization or apology. Often, we call these indulgences “guilty pleasures”. 

I started thinking about “guilty pleasures” and suddenly thought…Who the fuck said we had to feel guilty about our pleasures?

After talking about this with a few of my friends, I realized, women, or at least the women I know, feel guilty about pleasures that involve three things.

Our Bodies 

Have you ever found yourself pulling out your hair while watching TV?  Your thumb and forefinger focused, fixated and grasping for that particularly coarse strand or split end, anticipating the pleasure of tearing it out and glaring at it with pride before you let it float to the floor? Or perhaps, you’ve gone to brush your teeth and found yourself absorbed, for 20 minutes or more, pinching, prying and presssing that in-gown hair or pimple, knowing you will not sleep until you are rewarded with the overwhelming satisfaction of release? Maybe you are like Sylvia Plath and you derive “sexual” pleasure from the “illicit sensuous delight” of nose picking...

The joys of yoga pants

If you know me, you know that I love to wear sweatpants and yoga pants. Basically, I love a good elastic waist pant. I am not a fan of jeans at all. They are too restricting and I am just not comfortable in them. However, yoga pants are my jam. I love them. If I could wear them to work everyday, I would. I usually try to get away with wearing them once or twice a week as it is, but usually with a cute sweater as to take away from the casualness that yoga pants are. After all, I am a professional. Blah.

So why do I love yoga pants so much? I can tell you it's not for the yoga. In fact, I have never done yoga in yoga pants. Ever. (But I do wear yoga crops for yoga. And so much more. They are also incredible.) I wear them as "everyday" pants. There are just so many reasons I love a good pair of yoga pants, so let me count the ways...