From Lobster to Walle

Last Thursday night was magical.  The event was the Soho House Festival, and it was held at Chiswick House and Gardens.  I have been coordinating and communicating with clients and other Bauer employees since I started interning so it was cool to see the festivities in action.  We arrived and once we entered the gates everything was included with our ticket fee, that was covered by Bauer.  There were amazing food and drinks, including lobster and a Grey Goose bar.  There was also live music throughout the entire afternoon and evening, with performances by The Sugababes, the Kooks and more.  I def. enjoy live music and was having a great time with my champagne, cheese and the rockin' bands.  We stayed for the entire night and then had some issues finding our car.  Major drama there, but we managed to make it home.  

The weekend was spent in London.  Alli and I took a trip to Portobello road and then met Danna, Emily and Emily's friend Katherine to go to the Tower of London.  Loved it. Very historical and cool.  The ravens were intense.  

Saturday evening we celebrated our flatmates 21st, Kaylin at a club called On and On.  It was a great time, and involved some pole dancing.  I decided it was time for me to leave and proceeded to walk home via directions that Kevin was telling me over the phone.  Thank goodness for google maps and nice boyfriends who will direct me when I am lost and alone.  

I continued with the alone-ness on Sunday at the Wall*E premiere.  I was just a seat filler this time, which is sad to say "just," because it was still awesome but I am so used to having a ticket in hand.  They are spoiling me rotten.  The movie was so cute, and a definite must see.  After a nice walk home, I stopped for authentic fish and chips.  I have become a true Brit considering I was craving fish & chips...! 

Work was busy today, and class tonight was filled with the good news of no class this coming Monday.  That just means that Danna and I are probably going to spend an extra day in Ireland.  We are traveling to Dublin for the weekend, and are looking into staying all day Monday as well, hopefully being able to see some of the country side.  I am thinking about the scenes in PS I Love You, and hoping we can find beautiful sights and a fun pub like in the book and movie.  I have no doubts, since we have become all star travelers.  

Good things to come for this week.. I'm not exactly sure what yet but I am thinking a lot of fun will be had.  We are making lists of everything we still want to do before we leave because we are running out of days here... tear. 

London is pretty much telling me to go back to Italy

We got off of the plane Monday morning to be welcomed with the typical London weather. It was cold, windy, rainy and no sun in sight. What a pitty.

Like I said work on Monday was difficult, but with about 7 cups of tea I pulled through. Class Monday night was actually kind of entertaining and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not been enhausted. GK gave me two A's in a row. I take this as a sign that my life is coming together, and George decided it was not worth watching my eyes tear up every time I got back my paper with a red C on it.

Yesterday I spent a total of about 1 hour in the office. Went to two screenings during the day. The first was Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D... it was very entertaining. We went with a coach load of 50 5 year olds who absolutely loved it. As much as I dislike Brendan Fraser, I really enjoyed the movie. The 3d glasses definately helped and added a little something.

The afternoon was filled with canapes and a screening of Mamma Mia. This was cool because Kevin and I recently saw the broadway show, and the movie was just as good. It was not my fav. broadway performance but I def. liked it a lot. The movie is not my fav. movie but I certainly enjoyed it as well. Pierce did a great job, as did the chic from mean girls. The music was good, the acting was good, the singing was fun to listen to and overall I held back tears a few times for fear of breaking into an embarrassing cry session.

Last night I gave in and got ice cream from the strange Patisserie 3 feet away from the flat. It is not good. The pistaccio is the best and it satisfies my ice cream cravings but it is not even close to the gelatto in Italia. Pistaccio is my favourite flavour now. I remember the first time I tried it, Mom got it for me when I was sick with something... probably one of my wisdom teeth episodes and I thought it was absolutely disgusting. It is now so pleasing to my tastebuds and I love love love it. Must find a place in the states that makes it well, so I will be able to continue this fetish when I return.

I miss everyone a lot. But am still having an awesome time. We are planning our next trip possibly to Dublin, Ireland or somewhere in Greece for a long weekend. Paris is already planned and paid for and we think that 1 more trip can fit into the remainder of the summer. It is going so fast.

I am currently at work. Just finished my first cup of tea. If it is possible I love tea more now than when I left. Jackie knows how much I loved my ice cream and tea at school, and both passions have grown even more than before. I like my tea 'British style' now (with milk.. con mil, they would say in Italy!) It is superb.

Not doing a whole lot at work today, but am looking forward to two huge events we have tomorrow. Starting at 3 Lillian and I are taking clients to the Soho house festival and then I will unfortunately have to leave for the 189 party on a boat. It is the annual work party. Both events have free food/drinks all night long. It is sad that they are both on the same day because then I will have to spread myself between the two but it will still undoubtedly be an awesome time!

Italia = Amore

Beware... this is very long. I apologize in advance.

So let’s see, there is so much to tell right now. I just had the absolute best week of my entire life and I take back my saying that I might become super bohemian and move to Amsterdam. I now would like to move to Italy, specifically to Florence. It is the new love of my life, I really think that I would be happy day in and day out for the rest of my life if I could begin to learn the basics of Italian and move to Florence.

But I will start from the beginning of the trip. We flew out really early on Wednesday morning into Venice. Our hotel was actually in Mestre, which is across the bridge and about a 10 minute trip to the centre of Venice. No big deal since we were only there for 1 day, but it did take us quite a while to find out where the hotel was. We made it to Mestre, and called the hotel from the bus/train station. They gave us directions which included a few turns, a Blockbuster and a huge fountain. Needless to say we had some troubles but once we found it and settled in, we were out for the night! We had no idea what was coming our way… When I say we I mean me, Ally, Danna and Emily. Rebecca met us later that night around dinner time and we were able to spend the week the 5 of us. It was purely fab.

In Venice, we went to a Saint Mark’s Basillica, Piazza San Marco, Galleria de Accademia, tried our first authentic Italian gelato (to die for!), the Rialto Bridge and walked through the winding small streets surrounded by canals. Thought it was a good idea to buy a day but pass, that you could use for the busses and for the water taxi busses also. It was def. a cool thing to do but we learned that no one ever checks your tickets so it was kind of a waste of a few euros. But we did ride down the Grand Canal on the boat, which led to some great pictures. Wine was calling our name as we were waiting for Reba to get there so after searching we settled on a nice crisp bottle of Pinot along side the Grand Canal. Once all 5 of us were there, we chose a cute place also by the canal for some classic pasta (gnocchi..so tasty)! After a pleasant dinner, we got back onto the boat to see the city from the water’s view at night. Emily took a turn for the worse. With the combination of heat, exhaustion and motion sickness let’s just say that she got ill. We had to get off of the boat at a random stop that was completely dark, no people or businesses around and we had no idea where we were. We were far from the hotel but eventually found the bus stop and ventured back to Mestre. The bus did not help Em’s condition and it got worse. She dealt with the embarrassment super well and we put her to bed with a throbbing head and upset stomach among other things. Luckily the feeling wore off in the morning.

We woke up early, to go straight to the train station and get our tickets to Florence. While waiting we got some breakfast and began planning the rest of our day. The train ride was quick and easy. It gave me time to read my book about Italy, which was attached to my side throughout the entire trip. It told us the monuments, museums, galleries and churches to see (and gave us a little bit of background info. On everything). I used this to the full extent and became somewhat of a tour guide.

The weather everywhere throughout Italy was spectacular. We did not have a drop of rain and we were walking around in temperatures at least 92 degrees… probably closer to 95 during the hot hours of the afternoon. It was greattt!

In Florence, we struggled once again when searching for our hotel/apartment. It was located at the heart of Florence, very close to the designer clothing shops. The apartment we stayed at was two floors (kind of like a loft) with a kitchen. Someone came up with the great idea to cook our own Italian dinner.. Rebecca made some great pasta as the rest of us feasted on appetizers of mozzarella, bread and olive oil, and vino! It was great. During the day we walked around and saw some spectacular sites. We went to the Galleria del Accademia in Florence as well. Saw Michaelagelo’s David. It was breathtaking. The fake copy stands in the Piazza Signoria, along with a bunch of other statues. This was a really cool square that was busy with people, statues, pictures, etc. Il Duomo, a cathedral was breathtaking in a different sort of way. It was one of my favourite churches that we went to. The use of different coloured stones and marble made both the outside and inside simply spectacular. Every building kind of runs together, but it was amazing to think about how old everything was and yet it is still standing, and more beautiful than anything I have ever seen before. The Pantheon was one of these mind boggling buidlings. The Babtistry was closed when we were near, but the bronze doors, which were actually a reproduction were very cool to see.

After our dinner at the apartment, we took a walk and sat on Ponte Veccio, the famous bridge. It was so pretty at night. At midnight we sang a bunch of American patriatic songs to start the celebration of the 4^th of July. Everyone that walked past us on the bridge thought we were crazy, I’m sure but it didn’t seem to phase us. The shopping was fun throughout the entire trip, but I thought the jewellery was especially pretty in Florence. (Everyone should be looking forward to the great gifts I have been picking up along the way!) The atmosphere of Florence was just perfect. I could seriously see myself living there for a little while. It was perfect, and everything I could ever ask for, dream of, imagine, etc.

We also saw Santa Croce, another spectacular church…among other amazing sites. The gelato tradition continued, and I managed to try one every day in Italy. In Florence, we went to the place that my beloved book recommended and they were right…! It was superb. Literally was a party in my mouth.

Friday afternoon we hopped on the train to Roma. This was a bitter sweet moment for me. I could have stayed in Florence for the rest of my life but was so excited to see all of the historical sites in Rome. Definitely glad that we decided to spend almost three full days in Rome. There is just so much to see and as our new friend Leonardo said “A lifetime is not long enough to experience Rome.”

Danna should be a travel agent. Our hotel in Rome was just awesome. It was a standard hotel but the location was to die for. We were a 10 minute walk from the Colosseum. Jealous yet..? First thing we went to The Paletino and the Arch de Constantine. We learned that you could get tickets to both there and the Colosseum and beat the lines. This was a great idea. We go to see a ton of ruins, which you would think would get old but really didn’t. It was interesting to see and made for a fun time imagining what once was there. The Paletino used to be where an emperor lived and there was a bunch of historical stuff I read in the book about it. There were awesome views from the top of the hill of the city and of the Colosseum. We then continued the afternoon at the Colosseum. What an amazing structure. Kind of made me think that we should be more advanced with our stadiums now-a-days. If they could create a stadium as advanced as the Colosseum then…what have we been doing for the past hundreds of years…?

After freshening up after the Colosseum visit, we went for authentic pizza. Seriously, Italy knows what they are doing. Gelatto, pasta and pizza…perfection. The pizza melts in your mouth. So good. We ventured to the trevvi fountain with a bottle of champagne (prosecco actually) to celebrate 4^th of July American style. We sat and enjoyed the overwhelming appearance of the fountain for a while, threw coins and made wishes. All five of us will eventually return to Rome now that we threw coins into the huge fountain. Cross your fingers..!

Saturday morning we started at St. Peter’s Basillica. Words cannot even describe. We then toured the Vatican. I was unaware how huge of a building the Vatican museum actually is, with a crazy amount of galleries inside. The building is mind boggling when thinking about the amount of art, sculpture, tapestries, historical pieces, etc are there. It’s crazy. The sistene chapel was the final stop of the tour. Def. worth waiting in line and meandering through the crowds. Very cool.

We took the afternoon to do more sightseeing. With a square (Piazza) on every corner, there is something to see no matter where you are planning on going or where you end up getting lost. We saw a ton of fountains, monuments and squares and then we ran into Leonardo. He took Rebecca on a trip on his motorcycle around the block which then led into a 24 hour tour of Roma. Ally was jealous but we were all so happy she got to have such an awesome experience. While Reba was with the cute Italian man, Danna, Ally, Emily and I saw a not so pretty field that used to be used for chariot races apparently. During the evening, it was still only four of us (Reba was falling in love and working her magic with Leo). We went for calzones and canollis and had a lovely evening. (Of course it was lovely…we were in Rome!) It was almost hard to believe that we were actually there.

Sunday morning we listened to Rebecca’s love story, and lived vicariously through her and Leo’s night. We started off the day at the St. Angel Caste, and then did some shopping. We also walked through a pretty park/garden that Leonardo took Reba and went to the Spanish steps. They were thoroughly unimpressive. The shopping was actually unsuccessful which was a bit depressing but we fixed it with an amazing multi-course Italian dinner.

The things we saw in Rome are difficult to list off, because there are so many. I would consider the group to be A+ travellers. If we had made a physical list of everything that all of the girls wanted to see and do while in Italia, I think that there would maybe be like 3 things that we couldn’t check off. I don’t know what they would be, but I figure someone would put some random thing on there or something that we just overlooked.

I know I have said it a million times, but I am in love. With Italy. Best trip ever… it didn’t even matter if anything went wrong because the cities were so perfect. This is getting super long but there was just so much to say about the week.

While in Rome, on Saturday we saw about 5 weddings taking place and the brides getting their pictures taken at the Colesseum. On the flight on the way to Venice there was a couple that was getting married in Venice on Friday. I have wanted to have a get-away wedding, and now I think I decided I would like for it to be in Italy. Maybe on the coast of Florence. No shoes. Dad, you can start saving up for that once I pay you back for all of these travels in Europe.

We stayed up Sunday night as long as possible looking at the Colesseum that was lit up in the dark, and sitting with vino next to the Arch de Constantine, with Leonardo. Ally finally got her wish and rode on his motorcycle for a little. I cried, for one of the first times this entire summer. It was beautiful, and I didn’t want to leave being the main reason.

So we flew out early on Monday morning, and by early I mean we left our hotel at 4 am (the busses were on strike on Monday in Rome, the nice man at reception told us) so we taxied it up to the airport. Went straight to work, luggage and all and as much as that sucked, it was sooo worth it.

I have become an A+ packer

I have decided that after packing for everywhere I go for the past three years, I have actually come to enjoy it.  I made a long list today at work of what to bring for the week in Italia.  Then I crossed everything off that I knew I wouldn't need.  I didn't even have to use the list to pack.  It just comes so naturally now.  Maybe after doing these short weekend trips over the past month and taking only what I can carry during the day in my handbag, I have simply learned that I do not need to bring a whole lot to look presentable enough for a few pictures and to not be mistaken as homeless.  

I am all packed with the minimum amount of clothing and shoes as possible.  The weather forecast looks warm and sunny all week, which is great.  It will allow for me to get awesome use out of my dresses.  And dresses take up pretty much no room when packing for an entire outfit.  Lucky for girls, and boys who think it's okay to wear dresses. 

Finally got a chance to paint my nails and toes today.  It has been way too long.  It made me think of my roommates last semester since they always liked to crack jokes about me painting my nails twice a week.  Now that I have no time for that, I really am thankful for taking advantage of a semester of pretty nails.  

Kind of sad that we are leaving London when the weather is beautiful.  It is hot and sunny and not raining, which is unusual. I'm over it though.  

Must write my paper now, that is due next Monday.  How's that for being responsible and managing my time?! 

Emily fell in love with a 17 year old boy this weekend

I apologize for neglecting this silly blog for so long. I have been doing so many fun things that you don't know about but being so busy gives me no time to post new stuff. The Zohan screening was pretty cool. After a few glasses of wine, the movie was actually really funny.  We also got a bunch of free hair products which is awesome since I recently ran out of my sea salt spray and they replaced it for me! Still rocking the curls and no plans to straighten once this summer.  I think it will help restore my hair and maybe get some thickness back into those roots. 

Lillian took me and two other interns to an amazing French lunch last week, the first French restaurant in London to be exact. I think that is my new fav type of cuisine.  This might change back to Italian after our week in Italia (leaving Wednesday!) 

I got to walk the red carpet again and sign a ton of autographs (hmm not really the autograph thing, but the carpet walking so true) for the Kung Fu Panda premiere. Love the movie.  Love that Jack Black came in a T-shirt and ripped jeans while Dustin Hoffman was in a tux.  Suitable.  The adorable movie was followed by an interesting trip to a gay bar with some people that went to the premiere with me.  I felt slightly awkward and left to join the girls and Kevin at a pub.  It ended up being a pretty swell night. 

I got kind of sad that the Lanc girls were all at the beach without me, getting tan and having fun.  Very depressing.  I got to talk to them on the phone though which was almost like being there! 

Friday started off very heavy and depressing with a screening of 'Standard Operating Procedure.'  It was a documentary of the Iraqi prisoners of war and was a sad way to begin the day.  A slightly interesting film, but very heavy for me.  The day got better with some good times at work.  

The night was special.  We left for a night on a bus on the way to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Danna and Emily were on one bus, and I got the shaft from the stupid National Express people and was on a bus by myself.  A nice man with dreads sat next to me.  This might be a sign that I should really go about getting dreadlocks, who knows.  We arrived in Scotland and it was beautiful!

The three of us chose to stay in a hostel, in a room with 9 other people.  This could be awkward, right? Wrong! Best decision ever.  We met this great group of 17-19 year olds from Ireland who recently graduated high school.  It was pretty much their first trip with friends and no parents and they were having a damn good time.  Jake was Emily's fav and turned into all of our fav's.  He was adorable, and so excited to be drinking in Scotland (at 17).  Lucky birds. 

We spent about five hours at the castle of Edinburgh which was so gorgeous and made me want to be a princess.  We also hit up some museums (saw Dolly the sheep!).  Were not sure if it was really her remains, but wikipedia clarified that it was.  Pretty cool. We ventured to this pub, Three Sisters, on saturday night and met a ton of old Scottish men who were wearing kilts and loved showing us what was underneath.  They also did a lot of cheek kissing and we couldn't understand a single word they were saying.  But all in all it was great fun.  

The weekend was fab, and then we got on the return bus Sunday night.  Still going smoothly...5 am comes around and then it happened. The inevitable.  The bus got a flat tire.  Yep.  We were stuck on the side of the road no where near London in a coach, having not showered in days.  Sick.  I really felt european with the minor cleanliness going on in Scotland.  So, we got back like 3 hours after the scheduled arrival which ended up meaning I didn't have to work today. Blake covered for me and did all of Lillian's chores, and I did some Italy research, wrote a paper and got some rest.  

Class tonight. Glad we got that out of the way.  I have anxiety right now for our major Italy trip.  I'm super excited and can not wait and just want to be there.  Right now.  Will be working tomorrow (and that's it for the week!) then it's off to the homeland, to eat pizza and gelato, drink superb wine, see the architecture, the art and everything else touristy.  All while celebrating the 4th! Can not even tell you how excited I am... my heart jumps out of the chest every time I think about this trip.  Pure bliss. 

I kind of miss work, which is sad for me.  But I will for sure be loving it tomorrow, because I am nervous that I might lose my desk that is in a prime spot after not being there for so long.  I must make my mark before leaving, so I am not forgotten there.  I bet my corner will miss me so much, but I am afraid they will learn that they can get along fine without me there.  That is not okay, I need to keep up the rep. of being a very important asset to the corner and the company.  

I now have boots that do not make me want to cut my feet off with a saw

The Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian premiere was very fun. It took place in a venue that held 10,000 people. Quite crazy! The supersized screen made the movie very fun. Attending with the other interns was a good time as well. Sweet that no one told us to go in an hour late because it would def. not start on time. Oh well...

Work on Friday lasted from 10 to 11.30. My supervisor was out of the office and I finished my "long" list of 6 tasks way early, so I spent the day peacefully enjoying gelato, the Victoria and Albert Museum, window shopping and walking around enjoying some quality music.

Friday night consisted of a great skype chat with Jackie...which made me slightly sad because I miss her. We contacted this guy named Chucky to get on the exclusive guest list at this ritzy club. Bad Idea. My glass of tonic water with a splash of vodka cost $21. Makes me want to vom when I think about it. Before we went to the club I had a little confrontation with a close friend of mine outside the flats. Attitude was flying and I don't know where that came from. Cleared up the air yesterday though, so no worries.

Emily's parents and Ally's boyfriend, Kevin, came into town this weekend. So that left me and Danna to spend some quality romantic time together. We shopped for hours on Portobello road Saturday afternoon. Purchased a few well deserved dresses and FINALLY got to exchange my boots with the boot lady. The pair I got a few weekends ago were pretty much made to fit the feet of a 5 year old and why I ever thought they fit, I have no idea. They actually put tears in my eyes, and made me want to re-inact a scene from Saw and chop my foot off. The boot lady was so sweet, and let me switch them with another pair. She is seriously one of my new fav. people and I might have to go back and buy another pair from her. I must retain myself for a little while though, because Portobello road does bad things to my pocket and bank account....great things to my closet though.

Danna and I continued the day with a nice dinner with Emily and her parents..it was real food and was so yum. Our (my lover for the weekend Danna and I) spent Sunday together as well. We started off by trying a new yogurt place, Snog, loveee it! Reminds me of a pinkberry theme...

We went to the natural history museum, which I would have loved in 5th grade for a field trip. Didn't really tickle my fancy at age 21 though. Hummingbird Bakery was then calling our name, so we tested it out. So sweet and good but I made the decision that ice cream is still my fav sweet treat. Because for some weird reason they dont drink milk here except with tea. And when you eat a super rich brownie with no milk, it's horrible. I understand why Kevin loves milk so much. When you don't have it, you learn to appreciate it so much more. So ice cream covers that basis...even though I do sometimes like to pour milk on my scooped ice cream (i can do without that here I guess). Megan, Danna and I toured Kensington Palace later on Sunday...it was beautiful and so totally worth the time and money. I wish i was a princess...

Throughout the entire week and weekend I was thinking about Marie, and searching for a gift for her which I finally found. She is almost 21!! Wish I could be there...

Monday entailed work, class, and a pub for a short amount of time. The bartender was from Wisconsin and was very nice..kind of cute (i think). There was tension in our corner at work yesterday, mostly brought on by myself... but that was all finally cleared up and today everything is back to normal. So much more fun, and so much better in general! Found some great people to bicker with, it brings life to the work day. Love it.

Plans to see a screening of Zohan tonight...it's been out in the states for awhile but a free bunch of tickets is a free bunch of tickets! Should be a fun and different little deal to do.

Thank you for my care packages. I finally have good oatmeal (or as they would say pooridge and shells and cheese...made me think of jackie!) It is all greatly appreciated. Be on the lookout for postcards...

Amsterdam is still calling my name

This past weekend Ally, Danna, Emily and I got up to catch our super early flight to the Netherlands. But not just the Netherlands; Amsterdam. Yah! We were so excited that we were the first ones in the airport, and nothing was even open yet. Oops. So once we finally were able to check in our weekend began.

It was pretty much the absolute best weekend of my life. We went to the amazing and famous Pancake Bakery. So I order my pancake with cheese and mushrooms. Weird? Yea I thought so too..then I added syrup. Best thing I have ever eatin. Beside the well needed and deserved pizza later that day. We ventured to the House of Bolls where they messed with all of our senses and we sampled tons of different flavours of liquor.

We experienced Amsterdam in true style via the KoffeeShop that was in Ocean's 12. There were pics of George and Brad all over the walls, which we didn't even notice once we were in there for a little while. We definately overstayed our welcome and once we were able to walk out the door, we got the pizza. In order to talk about our night, we crashed at our fab hotel that Danna found.

Sunday was filled with Anne Frank's house, special brownies, Van Gough museum, more food and the airport. Anne Frank's house was really cool and depressing but definately a must see.

Monday after work we went to Shakespeare in the Park again, to see Twelfth Night, minus clients this time. It was funny and good, and my new best friend Blake explained the entire play to me since I guess 8th grade english was too long ago for me to remember. Work has been the same...fun and busy this week so far.

Do you like Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman? How about the red carpet? Sum it all up.. if you like the previously listed things you would have liked my evening last night. It was the premiere of Will's new film, Hancock in London. The Bauer interns all got to go! We started the night off working/enjoying a champagne & canape reception. Then, I had my first walk on the red carpet, with flashes flying and people pushing to get an interview with me. Ha, not really..but I did walk down the red carpet. Wish I could say I was wearing a famous designer, but nope just a Portabello Road dress and some classic Nine West heels. I was, however, about 5 feet away from Will, Charlize, Jason, and the writer and director of the film...when they were introducing it to us in our private screening. It was a better movie than I was lead to believe and would give it a high rating (maybe 7 out of 10). Would suggest seeing it, even just because Will is so great and Jason is so cute!

Tonight is the UK premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian, which I will also be attending. I ended up finding 3 extra tickets for Danna, Ally and Emily so it should be another posh, fun evening!