I admit it, I am a closet narcissist. I'm not going to sicken you with details, but I...well, I like me. So, in a bold and disgusting move of unbridled narcissism, I'd like to take a look back at the sets that have won contests for me.

1. The Latest - American Eagle Summer Stylin' - Second Place

I did not expect to place here. Thanks go out to American Eagle for using excellent judgement in all the sets selected AND giving me the honor to be amongst them. All is forgiven for getting the results to us 2 days late :)


2.Inspired by Covers Contest - First place and 10th place


I hoped I would win this, as it is more often than not "what i do" on polyvore. I take an image, i gather inspiration from it, and I make a set. I didn't expect THIS particular set to win, because let's be honest, the art here is by Zac Posen, not me. But I'm glad his genius was appreciated.



And I won't be blamed for this placing because I didn't even ENTER it in the contest.


3.Hayden Harnett Styling Contest - Second Place and Third Place


Even I was humbled by this. We were allowed to enter 2 sets,and I placed twice. I think it probably pissed a lot of people off, but...i swear to God, I didn't fix the votes! Hand to Bible, I had nothing to do with this other than making the sets, and even then, it's the designers, not me, who deserve credit.



But this contest was like winning the Oscar for me, and I am so grateful to all who voted. I love my bag! It's by my side at this very moment.


4.Halloween Contest - Third place


Dracula...always a winner.


5.Old is New Contest - First Place


I'm quite proud of this win, actually. It's very "gokarm" with the waistcoat and the socks and old lace shoes...and the cameo. My gift certificate from them went a long way and I got a lot of beautiful things so...shop Modcloth, it's totally worth it!


6.The first - Celebrity Look Contest - Third Place


Quite frankly, I was shocked when this came in at ALL, seeing as how it's a boy, and that boy is a crackhead...but honestly, he's got great style, despite his deadly addiction, and it's not his fault he's particularly susceptible to addiction. I'm praying for you, Pete! So my thanks to the Polyvore team for rewarding this set :).

So that's the lot.

Is it safe to say "I know what I'm talking about" yet?

I've been following American Idol pretty closely this year and I decided to take the a short break from polyvore today to discuss our final 4 contestants. First up...

David Cook, clearly the one to beat. Every performance is solid, even the slightly boring ones, and he's already a star. I've been on the David train since he sang Eleanor Rigby. I'm not a believer in rock stars "emoting"...i never really see it happen, or should I say *saw* it happen, until that night. When he sang "ahhh, look at all the lonely people", he screamed it with this raw, anguished virility that was both very current and very timeless. He has this power punch thing that he does, where it looks like something inside him exploded and it comes out as a song...AWESOME. Last night, he sort of sat back and just sang a couple of songs like he "wasn't in it to win it"...that's okay with me, because now, we the fans can trust that whatever he does, it's not gonna suck.





Jason Castro...While I've been on the David Cook train, I've been glancing longingly at the Jason train. Even though I liked him quite a lot last night, I understand the rest of the world disagrees with me. Jason doesn't belong in this competition and he never really did. He's too chill, too deviant, and, well, too GOOD for American Idol. The thing is, he's a lot better than he thinks he is. I've got YEARS and years of musical training, so I'm qualified to make that judgement. His raw talent is extraordinary. Okay, so everything he does sounds the same. But I could happily listen to 4 hours of Jason jamming on one song than to listen to 4 hours of little David's melismas. I'll get to that later. I don't know how the current music scene is going to treat Jason after all this. He sort of sold out...sort of, because he didn't change who he is to "win American Idol". Personally, I think Jason should open a bar in Hawaii and just jam there every night. And I'd so go there when I'm in Hawaii (which is rare).



David Archuleta...the preteen darling, clearly an Idol favorite as the judges keep pimping him shamelessly. The boy's gotten away with at least one moment of forgotten lyrics without anyone saying "boo" about it...but I'm not bitter. It's not his fault Nigel is jonesing for a piece of this cash cow. I like him, but he booores me. I'm not a huge fan of melismas...it's in the school of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should. He's just a little too young to be good. His expression needs a lot of work...his creativity is...well, it's not his own, I suspect its his stage father's doing, which leaves me feeling quite uneasy. I like the kid, I just don't think he's ever going to get the opportunity to hone his skill, after all this. He's going to jump right into a career and forever be merely a mediocre performer, and it's a shame. Maybe I'm wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.



Syesha Mercado...I just never have anything to say about her. She's off-putting. Not AS off-putting as Katherine McFee, but in the same realm of annoyance. She picked these really hard to sing songs every week, hard but predictable, I should say, and she's done just "o.k" on all of them. She's an actress and she'll be great should she ever go to Broadway, but for me, it's like...why take this round-about way of getting to the Broadway stage? Just go and do it. She's the most "trained" of the final 4, but her creativity leaves a lot to be desired. There are a thousand girls AT LEAST...who look and sound every bit as good as she does. She's more a stereotype than a person, and what's off-putting is...that seems to be what she's GOING for...to be an imitator. I think it reeks of insecurity and...i dunno...too bad, so sad, move on.