I just consumed almost an entire bag of popcorn to soak up the glass of champagne I had earlier this evening. I manned the cloak room at the charity event, saw tons of Chelsea "footballers" that I didn't recognize (I'm American, give me a break) and watched tons of cute kids snapping pictures with their favorite players.
I'm so sleepy, but I need to pack for Switzerland. Gosh, I need this trip. Today was verrrrrry long!
Have a great weekend everyone :)
Thankfully, my boss let me off of work an hour early, which gave me just enough time to throw on my dress and paint my toes and do my makeup while Maria did my hair. The look was perfect- it was exactly what I was going for.
A million thank yous to Maria for her hair expertise. Somehow, she managed to interpret my vague description and made my hair look amazing....for free!
She also snapped these photos quickly before I left:
Thibault was the perfect gentleman- he showed up at my door dressed in a tux and holding flowers. Because Maria did not let me leave the house with a coat, Thibault let me wear his and I'm sure I looked ridiculous. The Tube ride was slightly uncomfortable, because people kept looking at us...you don't often see people dressed in black tie taking public transportation.
I stole the above photo from one of Thibault's friends. I think it's pretty perfect.
The night was full of champagne, awards, music and yummy food. I really enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of Thibault's friends who I'd met at a previous lifesaving event. One of the girls yelled at the waiter because he stole one of our wine bottles and gave it to another table. It was pretty funny, but also ridiculously rude, especially when a boy at the other table triumphantly thumped the empty wine bottle back on our table.
The funniest moment of the evening was when Thibault pulled me aside, lifted up the bottom corner of his tux jacket and exclaimed:
"I think I put my belt on backwards."
He was referring to his cumber-bun (ok fine, CUMMERBUND, thanks mom), a word he only learned after I laughed at him and told him that yes, he had put his "belt" on backwards. In all fairness, it was the first time he'd worn a tux, so it was all very new to him. He only realized his mistake after seeing a different friend whose "belt" was worn correctly.
What a fun night :)
Armed with a cute outfit, a sweet boy and Mr. Pointy (aka my camera), I entered the roller disco ready for anything. As I've described to my kitchen mates, going to the roller disco was sort of like attending an 8 year old birthday party...with alcohol.
The music was energetic and fun (Donna, you would have loved it), proving that my listening to the 13 going on 30 soundtrack pre-disco was a good idea. They played a mix of 70s and 80s favorites perfect for singing along while skating.
Seeing everyone's creative costumes was probably the best part- I loved that boys weren't afraid to wear short-shorts over tights (gasp!) and that many girls wore colorful tutus. It was like an American Apparel explosion. I started to recognize my cheap pink tights from Primark on many other skaters, both male and female.
Though many people got pretty drunk, I remained conservative and had one beer. Seriously, I was already scared enough about being on wheels. I will admit, it got a little sloppy when I spilled half of my beer on myself, not due to drunkenness, but due to wrist guard induced bottle gripping impairment. Hard plastic = not helpful.
Would I do it again? Probably not, but it's definitely something you should do once. It's safe to say I was enticed to leave at just 10:30 by my favorite chocolate ice cream . This girl cannot refuse Sommerfield's chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings. Seriously, all that goodness is prepackaged and soooo wonderful!
So, this is what I ended up wearing to the roller disco last night. I made a quick trip to Primark during my lunch break and picked up 4 accessories (3 for me, 1 for Thibs) for just 5 quid. By combining 3 new pieces with things I already had, I think I came up with a pretty awesome outfit!
Jonathan was kind enough to snap these photos before I left. Though I initially felt overdressed, Thibault reassured me that yes, I did look crazy, but in a good way.
Consider this a preview of the night- I have more photos and stories to come!
Ok, I'm the first to say that I hate when bloggers apologize when they take blogging breaks, yet for some reason, I'm doing it right now. It's just that finals are approaching, I have a paper to write and my room is an absolute mess.
I'm freaking out about what to wear in London. I'm extremely tickled that Jaime decided to help me via her Style you Sunday post...but I still haven't found the perfect black shift dress. (Although, I did buy this one on sale at Banana Republic- a place where I NEVER shop. And um, it was only $25!) I still don't know what shoes to pack- I definitely cannot transport my entire boot collection. I don't know if I should invest in a new coat- one that is cute but actually fits and will keep me warm. I love this one from JCrew, but it's just so expensive even with the 30% off discount and free shipping.
I spent my weekend getting hit on by uber-Christian boys on the T, indulging in pop rock garnished drinks with friends and making my roommates sandwiches. I can't stop burning my tongue on hot tea and don't understand how I had an allergic reaction to a turkey sandwich last night...it must have been the condiments. I can't stop scratching- it's either fleas or allergy related.
My online scrabble obsession is turning into full on addiction. I haven't made my bed in about 25 years, which is hard to do, considering I'm not yet 22. I need to stop buying lattes. I miss cuddling with my non-existent boyfriend. My dark green nail polish is chipping and looks terrible.
I want to celebrate my 22nd birthday in London with the queen. Yes, the queen of England. I want her to come to a tea party. Ha. Wouldn't that be the best?
I'm about to listen to Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" because it reminds me of someone special. It's the third time I've played it since last night.
I told myself I would start working on my paper at 9:00. It's now 9:38. Ugh.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Shecky's Girls Night Out! It was particularly fun because I got a (FREE!) press pass and was allowed to bring a friend. So...I brought Arielle. Although I wanted to take pictures (I brought my camera and everything), I forgot my memory card.
Fortunately, Arielle brought her camera and took these photos:
We just had to stop and take a photo at "Lan Nail Salon" in the south end. I definitely need to get my nails done there and meet the other Lan.
Overall, we had a great time. There were a bunch of vendors selling everything from handmade knits to jewelery. To be honest, Arielle and I weren't really there to do any shopping, we just thought it would be a fun and relaxing night out. A chance to enjoy free drinks, window shop and get a great goody bag.
If you're planning on going to a Shecky's event in your city, make sure you get there early- the lines got a little crazy!
A few days ago, I was greeted with an email from BU mail services saying a package had arrived...for me! And guess what it was-- my wellies! The box was gigantic, literally 2.5 feet tall. I carried it up to my room and immediately opened the box.
I slipped on one of my boots, and realized, holy-moly, these things are tall! They practically go up to my knees. And that's when I thought to myself- these would be perfect for a cranberry bog! And then the video below happened:
Thanks Kristyn and Izzy for letting me humiliate you online. (Actually, I didn't technically ask them permission...)
Happy Pink Thursday, muffins!
Megan, my fabulous roommate from last year, sent me this photo of her bio notes. I think it's particularly fabulous, and very fitting, because Megan is coming up to visit this weekend.
I miss her tons, and I'm so excited for a great weekend filled with food, costumes, coloring, the mustache game, debauchery, shopping, pumpkins and reading some very interesting poetry from our favorite 15 year old- don't ask.
Anyway- I hope you all have a great weekend and a fantastic Halloween. Be safe and have fun. Oh, and send me/post your costume photos- I want to see what you all come up with!
Hi everyone- I'm writing to you from Julia's room in San Diego. My nose is stuffy, I have a sort of painful canker sore in the inside of my cheek, and my hair looks disgusting, but hey- at least I had a CRAZY Vegas weekend chock full of stories to share with you. I could give you a play-by-play of every detail (and trust me, I do love to talk), but I think I'll just divide my posts into categories. That way, you (and I both) won't get bored halfway.
So...this first post will focus on a topic I know you all love to hear about: my encounters with the opposite sex:
The hottie on the plane: One of the downsides of being tiny and traveling sans-checked baggage: it's nearly impossible to put your rolling bag into the overhead bin without help. Though I was thankful to the middle aged man standing behind me in the aisle of the plane for initially hoisting my little Betsy Johnson suitcase into the bin above my seat, he was less than memorable. The guy that helped me get it down, on the other hand, was super cute. I'd been hoping he'd strike up a conversation with me for the entire flight, but sadly, he didn't. So, when it was time to deplane, I seized my opportunity:
"Hey, can you help me get my suitcase down so I don't kill anyone?"
He smiled kindly and obliged.
"We wouldn't want that to happen!"
Yeah, that's me- I'm a charmer.
The drunk party-goers: After celebrating Jules' first (legal) drink in style at the Belagio, we headed back to our hotel to change shoes and engage in a bit of gambling. (For the record, I gambled a wopping $3. Though Jules came home with around $600, I was too chicken to actually try out the tables. Plus, I've come to realize that the Vegas lifestyle really isn't me- but that's for another post.) It was particularly fun talking to some drunk guys who couldn't wait to wish Julia a happy 21st. For some reason, in my tipsy state, I thought it was a good idea to switch to Hebrew. The guys had no idea what we were saying, but Sam, Jules and I thought it was hysterical.
The homeless guy: When he saw Jule's sparkly birthday crown, this grungy, disgusting guy felt the need to shout:
"Hey princess!"
When Jules didn't respond, he let out a gravely "aww come on." We ran away as fast as we could.
The Israeli Kiosk guy: Arielle thought he was cute, so we pretended to be interested in the steamer he was trying to sell. We all knew he was Israeli, but played dumb and asked him where he was from. When he said "Israel," we explained that the five of us had originally met in Israel, where we'd lived together for 9 months. We told him it was Julia's 21st, and he responded by saying we didn't look 21...especially me. He definitely knew how to win me over...NOT.
The coworkers from Maine: On Saturday night, after a fabulous Italian birthday dinner, we hit the club at New York, New York. Though we were sad to know that free Skyy Vodka drinks had ended just a few minutes earlier, we still hit the dance floor...with gusto! There, I convinced Jules that she needed to climb up on stage. Of course, I jumped up first and had to DRAG her up behind me, but she eventually complied. Oh, and as Elana tried to take photos from the dance floor, a 40-50 year old guy offered to take photos from a better angle. It was slightly awkward, but I will say, I was enthralled by the younger, much more attractive guy standing next to him. Eventually, the "old" guy asked me where I was from, I think mainly as an opener for his cute coworker to step in. Cute coworker then offered to buy a round of drinks "for my girls" and I happily obliged, especially because "get a guy to buy us a round of drinks" was on our Vegas to-do list!
After bringing me my drink, I felt obligated to chat with the guy and found out that he not only went to school in Boston, he was also in Vegas on business, working at a trade show. Yup...this guy's life mirrored my own. I was happy to chat with him, because we had so much in common. I felt bad when our group decided to change locations, and apologized for leaving. It would have been fun to keep talking with him, but whatever :)
The gay strippers: I don't want to go into details, because I was thoroughly disgusted, but I'm ashamed to say I was dragged to a strip club. It was eye opening to say the least, and though the rest of my group seemed ok with the situation, I was not. Watching hairless men prance around in g-strings? NOT my idea of fun. I spent about an hour moping in the corner. It was absolute torture. Note to my best gal pals: when planning my bachelorette party, please, please, PLEASE don't hire a stripper! You will make me cry.
The creepy Flatbush guy: On Sunday night, we'd hoped to get into "Tryst," a super-classy club at the Whynn hotel, with the free passes Julia had received. Unfortunately, Tryst was closed Sunday nights, so we were forced to try out XS, another club in the hotel. The price was steep, but we were all dressed up and in the mood to go out. At XS, we were unhappy to find that the club, however swanky and grown up, was overpriced and underwhelming. The funniest and most disturbing part of the evening was when two young-ish guys came up to our group and started chatting with us. One guy (Ike) grabbed me by my arm, spun me around and told me I was adorable. I could tell he was drunk because he kept kissing my cheek. It was sort of gross. He then pulled me aside (although still within my friends' watchful gaze) and asked me if I was really a "good Jewish girl." Baffled and slightly creeped out, I said yes. He then proceeded to tell me he was " a nice Jewish boy," and when I questioned his religion, he offed to show me he was Jewish. It was disgusting. I ran over to my friends, who proceeded to share a disturbing truth: Ike was married and had a newborn baby at home. Eww. Eww. EWW.
Needless to say, I think you understand my feelings on the men of Las Vegas. Sure, maybe they're decent guys when they're in their natural habitats, but Vegas seems to creepify people. Thanks, but no thanks- I think I'll stick with some nice Boston boys...though to be honest with you, I'm not sure about them either. No worries, I'm still young.
I had such a fantastic weekend! This is a very link heavy post, only because I've collected little "mementos" of the weekend's festivities in my springpad. It's a great way to keep track of my favorite restaurants, recipes and the products I love! I think it's pretty fabulous that I actually use the product I promote for work. I've had a lot of fun adding things this week, so I hope you'll check out my profile :)
No work on Friday meant a day of grocery shopping and cooking. We typically do a big dinner every Friday night, complete with food, friends and lots of wine. Rach and I were responsible for the main course, so we made Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower and a really fantastic tomato and mushroom tart. (Click the link to get the recipes!) Both dishes were delicious, but I definitely recommend the second!
If you'll notice, I have no good food photos...this is because my pictures only turn out when it's sunny. The natural light in my house sucks. Therefore, I'm thinking of investing in a new and much better camera: The Nikon D5000. It's my dad's pick, but after doing some research, I think it's probably the best for me.
Saturday night I had a lovely BBQ with friends and then headed to watch the fireworks on the BU bridge. There was a bunch of alcohol consumed...I even ended up buying a bottle of champagne from Shaws! Needless to say, I was shocked when I accidentally opened the bottle. I was merely trying to loosen the cork and it exploded! I was not prepared for that. Fortunately, the bottle wasn't directed at anyone's face!
Sunday, we got brunch at Zaftigs, my new favorite place. Technically, it wasn't really brunch because we didn't get seated until after 1:30...and I had grilled cheese.
I also went on another Jdate, and this time, I'm happy to say he's the kind of boy I can tell my mom about (Hi Mom, I love you)! Not only did he arrive on time, he was early! He also only whipped out his phone to show me photos of his dog...who I sort of want to steal. At the end of the date, he walked me to the door, gave me a proper yet awkward goodnight kiss and said:
