Celebrity charity events don't move me. That "We Are the World" reboot that debuted during the Olympics? All I saw was a bunch of egos corralled into a room and told to sing with their eyes closed. I know this is a gross generalization and that there are probably some celebrities " maybe even a lot of celebrities " who genuinely care.

What does move me is normal people, businesses and communities who see a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti and are compelled to help " not because it'll create some good PR and cross-promotional opportunities, but because they feel the need to do what they can with their finite resources. Like this weekend's Haiti Fashionista.

The American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma has partnered with a ton of local businesses and organizations to present Haiti Fashionista " a two-day event combining shopping and fashion for a great cause.

Haiti Fashionista kicks off Saturday with a consignment sale. Featuring clothing, shoes and accessories donated by local shops and people, it begins at 5 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 N.W. 137th. It continues 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, and admission is free.

The big event of Haiti Fashionista is a 8 p.m. Saturday fashion show, auction and party, featuring clothing from a lot of great, local boutiques. Afterward, the fashions will be auctioned off. The event also includes music, door prizes and the Thunder Girls. Donations are accepted at the door.

Haiti Fashionista was made possible by donations from:

So, I've never explored the Oklahoma City Underground, formerly known as The Conncourse. I think I imagined it to be the realm of the mole people

Oh, my God. This is for real. Really. A "Twilight" tour offered through OKC's own Journey House Travel.

I have a loathe/hate relationship with the "Twilight" series. I hate the books (especially that last monstrosity) almost as much as I loathe myself for reading them. Seriously, it's not even a guilty pleasure. It's just a guilty fact. It'd be like if I had to feast on fresh baby seal with a side of pureed puppy to survive. Nothing pleasurable about that.

But, I can't hate on Journey House for offering this service too much. While touring northern Scotland during a study abroad program, we passed (at a distance, mind you) one of the sets for "Harry Potter." It was Hagrid's hut and the covered bridge from "Prisoner of Azkaban," if you're wondering (which you probably aren't).

I squealed, to put it mildly. Squealed. Now just imagine what a bus full of tweens and their moms will do when they visit "the place Edward got all sparkly " in a totally masculine and sexy way, of course " in front of Bella for the first time."

Yeah, Journey House is full of souls braver than I. Good luck to them and their eardrums.

Have you seen those cool little shopping guides around town by Nosey Parker? The small, glossy guide to local metro shops is a great tool for hitting all the metro's best boutiques.

The idea of Nosey Parker started in the Northwest, but recently expanded to its second market: right here. Now, it expands just a little bit more with shopping tours.

Last week, I went to the launch of the Nosey Parker Shopping Tour, tailored shopping trips put together by Factor 110, which also does Destination Oklahoma trips.

The Nosey Parker Shopping Tour leads groups of four to 14 around the metro and can focus on one area or one theme (like accessories). The full-day excursions include riding around in a limo and a lunch. At the launch party, I sampled some of the boxed lunches available from caterers like Prairie Gypsies and Sage Gourmet Café " all so tasty.

Check out more on the tours, which are now open for reservations. "Jenny Coon Peterson

When people speak of diamonds, I don't think of my own wedding ring, I think of this, which then makes me think of this lovely man. And that makes me happy.

So the equation is diamonds = Ewan McGregor = happy. That's math I can get behind.

But maybe you don't need the Ewan McGregor part of the equation to get to the happy. Even without him, there's going to a really, really happy couple this Saturday after B.C. Clark's Diamond Dash. Like, $15,000 happy.

The Diamond Dash is a treasure hunt that will lead teams all over the city in a quest to find a Lazare diamond worth $15,000. The hunt will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Myriad Botanical Gardens and end at 1 p.m. with a party at Nonna's.

Register on the Diamond Dash Web site for the event. And if you need a bit more Ewan inspiration, here you go.

e="MARGIN: auto 0in">There are a ton of features, documentaries and shorts between today and Saturday (and the parties

Except for one Taco Bell-after-midnight disaster (I mean, the meat was already on the Mexican pizza, what could I do?), I've stayed on track with my new meat-conscious lifestyle.

There was a moment last week when, as I waited patiently for my Greek salad from Shartel Café (a great salad, really), I seriously considered knocking a little girl over and stealing her chicken fingers, but I resisted. Barely.

The great folks over at Prairie Thunder, however, have me back on track. Ordering my favorite veggie sandwich yesterday, the woman behind the counter told me about "Veggie Thursdays," when the outstanding bakery features veggie specials.

Just down the street, the newly opened Midtown Deli also has veggie sandwich options (and my sandwich was fantastic) and a salad bar. And Sage Café and Market has to-die-for macaroni and cheese.

Also, keep an eye out for 105degrees, slated to open in September in the new Classen Curve Development across the street from Pearl's Graveside. The café is bringing something new to the metro " raw food cuisine.

Whenever people mention raw food, I immediately think of the scene in "Notting Hill" when one of William's dates points to the boiled carrots and says they've been murdered. Poor little carrots. But, guilt pleasure movies or no, I'm excited to try the whole raw food restaurant concept.

In a recent article I wrote for Oklahoma Gazette, I learned a lot about the revitalization efforts of local elementary schools. Wilson Elementary is on one end of the spectrum " the parents, administration and community have worked hard for years to improve the school " Edgemere Elementary is at the other. The school is at the very beginning of its own revitalization effort, but the new principal, with the help of the community, is making the right steps.

Besides focusing on the basics to improve education in the school, Principal Dennis Gentry has also started working with the surrounding communities to create effective programs for the students.

One of those programs is PEEPS, which stands for the Paseo Edgemere Education Partnership Spectacular " I was told the "spectacular" could in no way be left off by my husband, who helped develop the program through Leadership Oklahoma City's LOYAL program. PEEPS links the artists of the nearby Paseo Arts District with Edgemere students.

Unlike Wilson, which has a dedicated art teacher, Edgemere shares an art teacher with other district schools, so the kids don't get a ton of contact with the arts. Gentry said the PEEPS program is only open to those who have good grades, attendance and behavior, and the students must be nominated by a teacher. So far, the K-2 classes have been full and the 3-6 classes have been almost at capacity.

The students meet four days a week after school for an hour with different Paseo artists to create works of art in different mediums. For a lot of these kids, this may be their first creative outlet, and who knows, maybe we'll see one of their own works on display in the Paseo in a few years thanks to PEEPS.

I was once the proud owner of one ugly couch. When you're in college and counting pennies for a pack of ramen, you'll take any free thing you can, which is how my couch and I met. She was the cast-off of a friend's dead grandma. I was a bit worried that the cushions contained her wandering spirit (since I did find a dirty sock tucked between the cushions), but the only thing left of the g-ma was a lingering smell of old lady perfume (which is, by the way, one of the worst smells out there) and Bengay.

My couch wasn't just passively ugly " it worked hard to be truly hideous. The velour fabric was printed with a large swath of blue and brown flowers. The massive armrests were detailed with dark wood. The bottom was fitted with a pleated skirt. In a kick of self-preservation, my couch made sure it didn't fit any of the standard slipcovers.

That couch is now probably moldering away in the back of a local Goodwill, which is too bad. For once, it actually pays to have an ugly couch.

The Web site Pimp My Pad and Furniture Gallery USA started a contest March 16 to find the metro's ugliest couch. Until March 30, couch owners can e-mail in pictures of their monstrosities in the hope of winning $599 towards a new couch at either the Edmond location of FG USA (560 E. Memorial) or the Chickasha location.

The rules are simple. Check out the site to find out where to e-mail your pic and other little details. The top 10 finalists will be chosen on April 1 and then people will have a chance to vote on their favorite ugly couch.

It is no secret that I loathe being hot or sweaty (I'm sorry, misty