Monday, February 23, 2009

lfw, shopping & clouds.


this weekend i attended london fashion week, i met tyson beckford, he kissed my cheek, i went on a mini shopping spree, i feel in love with this new kind of drink which is made from rain water and fruit and has no artificial sweeteners or additives, i went to the most exclusive club in london with pretty much everyone i have met so far, i went grocery shopping and cooked dinner for my flat mates and neighbors and i have been learning an insane about about memes which is such an insane topic. 

also, byron visited on saturday (he is a friend from emmanuel who is studying in a different part of england who came to london for the weekend). he was the first familiar face i have seen since i've been here, and the only word i can use to describe seeing him is comfort. he reminded me of everyone i missed from boston. he picked an absolutely amazing night to visit and we had an epic time. 

but i must get back to my paper on memes. 

<3 
Rd

ps. paris on friday!!!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

ugly betty wears prada.

my internship started this week. and i have loads to write about my weekend in prague. but this is all running through my mind a mile a minute right now...

i wore charcoal dress pants and a black shirt to work yesterday.. and i was far to over dressed. everyone wears what ever they feel like, but definitely not business dress. (mom - i might be shipping back all my professional clothes in hopes you would ship me some of my every day clothes... but we'll chat about that later).

i am the youngest intern at the moment. but there are new interns every couple weeks or so because the modus internship program lasts 3 months at a time. the accounts i got put on directly include uniqlo, etro and lara bohinc... but i work closely will all the other fashion clients, as well. i spent my first day hanging out in the show room organizing clothes by color... trying on breathtakingly beautiful shoes, wearing expensive designer sunglasses and holding hangers up under my chin while twirling around imagining myself in one of these couture gowns.

i desperately wish i would take photos of the show room. its stunning. and its just one more part of my life that allows me to literally be surrounded by art.

the people are great. the girls are hilarious. and so stylish. and absolutely beautiful. one of them used to be an intern when she was a junior (and went through the AIFS program, as well), went home to finish school, and then came back to london and to modus because she loved it so much. i don't know what i'm implying... i just thought that ought to be mentioned.

our crazy office is like a librarians desk... only with shoes, clothes, bags, scarves, magazines, hangers and boxes.. everywhere. it is the absolute definition of organized chaos. we have to be very meticulous when booking items in and out. the system is exactly like a library. editors and art directors come to modus and pull items they want from the show room. then we pack them up and either ship them through ups or deliver them if they are close. and everything is close. piccadilly circus is the center of the london fashion world. in my first day i made deliveries to glamour, vogue, and the puma store. i also drank about 5 cups of coffee because i worked from 9 to 6 and was absolutely exhausted.

after lunch, the list was posted saying who's working at what fashion shows. picture the anticipation and anxiety associated with the list posted saying who gets the lead role after and intense audition... needless to say, there was a lot of drama (don't mind the pun). i was absolutely thrilled on my part, though, because on friday night i will be helping out at the london fashion week puma runway show. the founder of the company made an announcement regarding the pissy moods of some of the girls. he said that he gets at least 20 emails a day from fashion school students and really just people from all over the world asking if their assistance is needed at any of the shows and he kindly declines their offers because he saves that terribly chic role for his interns. i was absolutely thrilled.

another cool thing... keira knightly stopped by the other day to pick out some make up from the beauty department. emma watson was in last week to get a dress to wear to the bafta awards. eva mendez was in a few days before that to pick up a ferragamo bag. siena miller pops in sometimes because her line, twenty8twelve, is one of our accounts and she drops off new samples.

all our clients are constantly seen in the london papers and magazines. i had to put pack a bally shirt yesterday that had just come in from a shoot with sheryl crow. the moment i hung it on the rack, an editor from bazaar came in and pulled it for a shoot shes doing later this week with kate hudson.

i'm sure there's a bunch more details i'm leaving out at the moment, but i will be sure to write another novel post after lfw is over.

<3 Rd.

ps. my english accent is getting quite good.

Monday, February 16, 2009

prague.







valentine's day 2009 may have quite possibly been my most favorite valentine's day ever. (last year's is a very close second, though!) not only did i have a valentine from home send me flowers (thanks james<3) but i was in prague with three girls who i have come to call my new best friends. we danced the night away in the city that is home to the fred and ginger dancing building and we laid on the ground to look up at brillantly white stars in the city that is home to the most beautiful astronomical clock.

i did think a lot about last valentine's day, though. boston... the girls... thortons... all of which don't seem to be very prevalent in my life at the time being... which makes me sad... but happy at the same time, because the amount that i miss said things means that they must mean an extreme amount to me. (let it be known that i miss boston and the girls much more than i do thortons!)

but back to prague... our flight was great. our hostel was so nice. the people we met were insanely interesting. on saturday night we were on our way out the door, and all the people staying in the hostel were waiting on the sidewalk outside about to go into town... so we walked down with them. as we were walking, i looked around at them and realized that i was part of a group of travelers. we were from all over the world, speaking different languages, all here for different reasons, all at different points in our lives, but at that moment, we were all united by this walk we were taking in the center of prague. we were all about to experience a new city and new people. we all had open minds and open hearts. and we all had an amazing saturday night.

prague is such a gorgeous city. absolutely breathtaking. ever where i turned it seemed as if i was in a painting. the colors were muted, mostly, but at times, splashes of intensity caught ones eye. the astronomical clock was truly memorizing. we went to a torture museum which was utterly disturbing. we went to the prague castle and felt incredibly tiny. the vastness and eeriness of the city at night was quite humbling though, a nice break from the chaos of london.

<3 Rd

Thursday, February 12, 2009

cirque du soleil.


So, we saw Cirque last night. It was pretty sweet. The Royal Albert Hall is absolutely stunning. The show was called Quidam. This was the description:

Quidam meaning a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. It could be anyone, anybody. Someone coming, going, living in our anonymous society. A member of the crowd, one of the silent majority. The one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all. This is the "quidam" that Cirque du Soleil is celebrating.

A young girl fumes; she has already seen everything there is to see, and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger shatters her little world, and she finds herself in the universe of Quidam. She is joined by a joyful companion as well as another character, more mysterious, who will attempt to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling, and the terrifying.


I wanted to take more pictures because the figures and movements were so visually pleasing, but while I taking the last photo shown above, an usher ran up the stairs at full speed, stopped in front of my chair and with his teeth clenched he sternly said, "Put Your Camera Away... You Know The Rules." My immediate reaction was to almost jump out of my seat because I thought there was an emergency. Then after he walked away, I looked at Lindsey and started laughing. "Power trip," we decided.

<3
Rd

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

hey deejay.

in my opinion, these are the most popular songs out here right now....







Monday, February 9, 2009

yearbook.

Due to a recent request, here is a photo and description of the people I spend most of my time with. Hopefully more sense will be made in your head, and you will be able to put a face with the characters in the story of my life.


This is my roommate, Lindsey. She is from Pittsburgh. She goes to Duquesne University. She was very happy when the Steelers won. Her major is Communications Marketing and she is interning at Marie Curie Cancer Research. She studied in Rome last fall, so she has a lot of experience when it comes to traveling and booking flights and hostels. We like the same music and food and clothes and are basically the same person. One down fall.. her shoe size is one size bigger than mine...

This is Kristen and Dana. They are my flatmates. They share the room down the hall. Kristen is from Texas and goes to Texas Tech. She is a Business major and is interning at Radisson Hotels. She is hilarious. She always tells it like it is. Her obsession with CocaCola is borderline unhealthy. She owns 500 dvds and she wears a red coat. Dana is from New York and studied at McGill in Canada. She is not an intern. Her major is Neuroscience. She loves to dance. She is the youngest out of all of us so we have adopted her as our little sister. Her phone gets the Internet anywhere in the world so she is always sharing it with us so we can check our facebooks when we aren't around computers for a while.

This is Elizabeth. She is my other flatmate. She lives in the single room between us. She is really into theater and Harry Potter. She has an awesome sense of humor and a bunch of colored tights that she lets us borrow. She is a healthy eater which has been a good influence on me. She is from Michigan and is interning at the National Archives (I'm not really sure what that is). She went to Richmond last term, too, which has been a big help when we have questions about the tube or sightseeing around London. Her hair is orange.

This is Tom and Jules. They are our British friends. They have brought us all around London and Southern England. They have introduced us to a bunch of their friends and family members. They love Americans. They are perfect gentleman and have really taken us under their wings. Jules goes to Richmond and is an amazing Poker player (He won 100K pounds last night). Tom goes to uni in Bristol. He is going to be a dentist. They have taught us so much about the English Culture and we talk for hours about the differences between our lifestyles. They're great.

This is Eric and Devan. They live in the flat next door to ours. They both are degree students here at Richmond, which means they will go here all 4 years. Eric is from New Jersey. He is very responsible and considerate. He always lets us know when they are going out to eat or to the pub down the street. He is always laughing and asking questions about everything. Devan is was born in Detroit, but has lived in Shanghai for the past 11 years. He speaks Mandarin. Its so cool to listen to. He is a really good graffiti artist and rugby player. He has a bunch of movies, ones that are even still in theaters, so we have movie nights with him all the time. We cook dinner together, a lot. They are the H Flat boys and we love them to bits.

This is Piet and Seb. They are also degree students. They live down the street but hang out at Montford all the time (Montford is the name of the house we live in... every house in England has a name). Piet is from Italy and he knows how to play scopa!!! He is such a sweetheart. Even though he is only 19, he said he thinks of us as his little sisters. Seb is from Madrid. He is always looking out for Piet, Dev and Eric. The things he says in his accent are hilarious. The 8 of us go down the street to our pub, sit, drink and laugh, for hours. It's awesome.



Though I have met and befriended many more people, these are the friends I am going to miss the most when I leave.

<3 Rd

Sunday, February 8, 2009

flowers.


spring has sprung!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

tate.


Today we planned to go to Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and a Museum.

Westminster was closed by the time we got there (1:30) so we just took pictures outside it. But we'll make it back there soon....

The London Eye's line was far too long. Plus it was foggy...

The Tate Modern was a huge success, though. The amount of art that I was exposed to today was really unbelievable. I was overwhelmed. I need to go back 5 or 6 times. At least. I am so thankful that I took that Modern Art class last semester. I feel like I am appreciating the museums and the architecture here so much more than I would have otherwise. Not sure Lindsey and Kristen enjoyed themselves as much as I did, however (see picture above).

That's all for now,
Rd <3

Thursday, February 5, 2009

post & plans.

Exciting things happening lately:

I got two cool things in the mail...




A package from James<3 and my contract and employee handbook from Modus.


Also, my roommates and I planned and booked a bunch of trips. These are the things we have planned on the weekends...

Feb 6-8: Museums in London
Feb 13-15: Valentine's Day in Prague
Feb 20-22: Fashion Week in London
Feb 27-1: Sightseeing in Paris
Mar 6-8: Kbug, Kim & Nat in London
Mar 13-14: Sport (Football & Cricket) in London
Mar 20-22: Left over St. Patty's Day stuff in Dublin
Mar 27-29: Cliff Jumping/ Adventure Trip in Wales
Apr 3-4: Horseback riding in Hyde Park
Apr 9-13: Easter in the French Riviera
Apr 17-10: Amsterdam...
Apr 24-26: Learning Greek History in Athens
May 1-3: Last Weekend in London

Pretty cool, huh!?

<3
Rd

Monday, February 2, 2009

snow day.






Richmond has declared a snow day for the first time in forever! We are putting on sweats and going back to bed!

That beautiful building is my university, btw.

<3

Sunday, February 1, 2009

sussex & brighton.





Ah, the countryside.

Sussex was beautiful. We left London early Saturday afternoon and got there around 4. We watched TV for a while since none of us had even seen a TV since we were in the States. The houses were quaint and cozy. I say houses because they have more than one. They also have cows, a hay barn, tons of green houses, a farm, a pond, a gazebo, a fountain, an indoor pool and their milk delivered in glass bottles by the milkman.

At night, we went out for dinner at this fancy restaurant. We drank soup out of tall skinny glasses and ate small course after small course. I tried duck liver and venison, but I was so glad that I ordered chicken for my meal. We spent hours at this restaurant, picking off each others plates, drinking wine, telling stories and laughing contagiously. It was lovely.

The next day we went down to Brighton, the city by the sea. We walked along the Pier, which smelled of fried dough and hot chocolate. Their were carnival rides and cotton candy stands and all of a sudden, it started snowing. The pretty kind of snow, big flakes and really fast.

When we got back to Sussex, Jules mum had cooked us a Sunday lunch. It was a delicious... roast beef with vegetables and potatoes and something called Yorkshire pudding. For dessert we had raspberry and apple crumble. The raspberries were picked from the garden over the summer and frozen for a special occasion. This was the first time they had more than one American guest sitting at their dinner table. A special occasion, I guess. After dessert we spend a bunch more time talking about the difference between Americans and the British. We drank espresso and ate cheese.

We headed back to London around 7 but didn't get home until almost 10 because the snow followed us. It was actually snowing in London for the first time since 1996. People didn't know what to do. It's accumulated 3 inches, maybe 4, and all sorts of records are being shattered.

We did make it back just in time for the Super Bowl, though. We watched it in the common room with people from all over the world. Half rooting for the Steelers and half for the Cardinals. There were 4 big flat screen TVs all showing the game. There were probably about 40 boxes of pizza all empty in under 10 minutes. The room vibrated after that 100 yard touchdown. And I was shocked to see people from South Africa singing all the words to Glory Days. It was brillant.

I walked back to my flat after that. It was still snowing, the pretty kind of snow. It was just cold enough to still be enjoyable and I caught atleast 10 snowflakes perfectly on my tongue. The world seemed eliminated because of the moonlight reflecting off the ground, and the houses, and the trees... Someone had made a little snowman at the foot of our steps. I wish you all could see how stunning Queens Road looks when it snows. I wish you all were here and could experience this sense of contentment that I feel.

It's 3:30 in the morning, but I can't sleep, the smile won't leave my face. I skyped with so many people who I love tonight. If it was possible to sprout wings and flutter around from happiness I think that would happen to me right now.

<3
Rd