February 2012
5 posts
Work
I started work on Wednesday, and I like it a lot so far. There’s not a whole lot to say right now because I’m really just doing some training/orientation stuff and trying to learn as much about my client and what my team is doing as possible.
My boss, my team, and everyone that works there has been super nice and welcoming, which is fun. It occurs to me that I haven’t started...
Destination reached.
Turns out there were only 6 states to conquer, so the last blog’s title is incorrect. I’m too lazy to change it. I thought I was going to go through the corner of Nebraska, but I-29 took me straight into Iowa. And boy was I excited to see South Dakota go - although I slept like a baby last night in my fresh sheets.
I got off to a leisurely start and made good time through Iowa. I...
5 of 7 states have been conquered.
To sum up yesterday:
Washington: obviously, gorgeous
Idaho: glorious
Montana: beautiful
Today I drove 860 miles in 12 hours. I finished Montana, cut off the top right corner of Wyoming, and pretty much crossed South Dakota completely.
Wyoming:
Cowboys.
Snow
Pretty
South Dakota:
Flat
Ugly
Boring
Full of rude drivers
Bed with leftover hairs in my hotel (not a cheap one either!)
I am...
Solo road trip. Yikes.
I’ve just driven 712 miles (11 hours including gas, food, and coffee stops) from Port Orchard, WA to Bozeman, MT. I’m exhausted and my butt hurts. Here are some thoughts:
Idaho is gorgeous, and the roads are as curvy as Kim Kardashian.
Montana is also beautiful, the roads are also pretty curvy in places, and REEEEALLY not recommended for night driving.
Montana needs to invest in...
January 2012
2 posts
“As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this...”
– President Obama’s statement on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (via barackobama)
November 2011
1 post
October 2011
4 posts
“To rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi within...”
– Andrew Sullivan (via soupsoup)
September 2011
2 posts
Paris, j'taime
I. Love. Paris.
I don’t know how to express this better. I just freaking love Paris so much, and I can’t tell you exactly what it is about the city that makes me love it so much, which I think only makes it better.
We arrived relatively late in the day, checked in to our wonderful hotel (graduation gift from my mom!), and set off pretty quickly to go on a Fat Tire Bike Tour of Paris...
August 2011
9 posts
Barcelona
This was not a favorite for me, unfortunately. But if there had to be a low point, I’m glad Rome wasn’t a let down, or Santorini. I’d heard mixed reports on Barcelona, many love it, some aren’t big fans. Me? Not a big fan.
We started out with an irritating flight and some hotel issues. We stayed at a “nice” hotel here, but they didn’t live up to my...
Roma, non basta una vita!
Rome, a lifetime is not enough.
We got to Rome the afternoon of the 25th after a super fun time with Greek airports. We got to the Santorini airport very late by my standards, but it all worked out. And Athens is just another great airport for connections. Luggage arrived in Rome though, and so did we, so I guess that’s what matters.
We took the train from the airport to the station in...
Santorini! I'd like to stay forever.
We arrived in Santorini yesterday morning and it’s been perfect ever since. The owner of our little hotel picked us up from the airport, and then we got settled into our hotel. Turns out we’re about a one minute walk to Perissa Beach, it’s right in our backyard!
view from our room
Pretty much immediately, I changed into my swimsuit. We grabbed a couple beach chairs and...
I don't remember seeing anything about this in...
Athens. Dirty, hot, Athens.
Actually it’s not so bad. After just about everyone who’s been there telling me it was a shithole, my expectations were reasonable. I had a ton of fun there, and the Acropolis is worth the trip in and of itself.
We got in about 2 hours late on Sunday evening. It’s a two hour time difference, and we were supposed to leave London at 11:55. Well...
I'll never get an MBA because I refuse to wear...
Yesterday was graduation for the Hult International Business School class of 2011! We arrived later than expected due to issues with TFL (yet another perfect event to end our year), but still had plenty of time to take pictures.
We had professional photos done (it was included in the gown rental and we could not opt out), and then went outside to take pictures together in front of...
London Eye and West London with Alex
On Tuesday I finally got on the London Eye. I say finally because I expected everyone who visited me to want to go on it, but they were weenies. Alex didn’t even want to go but I forced him, and it was totally worth it because he’s consistently said that it’s one of his favorite things he’s done here.
EDIT FOR CHRIS ATTAWAY: Once we picked up our tickets, we were forced...
School's done, friend is here.
So on Friday, we finished school for good. We had our presentations for 3M at their headquarters in Bracknell. It was a very long morning, with a wakeup call at 5:30am and a train at 7:20, but at least it was the last day! I didn’t get back to my place until about 3:30, and had to finish up a lot of random stuff before I could take a nap.
Then that night there was a big party at my...
July 2011
4 posts
Nearing the end...
I can’t believe I’ll be going home in 38 days! As much as I complain about London (which is a lot) and as ready as I am to go home (which is REALLY ready), I’ve had a blast these past eleven and a half months.
Since Berlin, I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym, seen the last Harry Potter, finished up a couple classes, and done a few London-y things. Last Saturday I...
Four Weeks til Graduation!
This is my graduation announcement of the digital age.
Warning: completely shameless.
Remember how proud you were of me in 2004?
…and how you were even MORE proud in 2008?
Well, hold on to that feeling because I’d like to offer you the chance to be just as proud of me this year, as I collect my Masters Degree on August 19. Feel free to express that pride by making a monetary...
Berlin!
I got back from Berlin late last night. It was a super fun trip, but so tiring!
I went with my friend Andrew, and we left early Sunday morning, at 7:20. Well the tube doesn’t even open until about 5:30am, so we had to take a bus to Paddington Station and take the express train to Heathrow. That required a 3am wakeup call, which was oh-so enjoyable.
But we arrived quickly and easily in...
Warwick, Wales, York and GLEE!
My dad and step-mom came to visit for my “summer break” between modules C and D. They got here on the 18th of June and stayed until the 26th. It was quite the trip, that’s for sure.
I met them at Heathrow so we could get the rental car on be on our way. I was definitely not expecting to have to sit in the front of the rental car and navigate my father through the UK, but since...
June 2011
4 posts
Taking The Walk with Hanson!
Have we met? Then you must know of my river-deep, moutain-high love for Hanson. Yes, Hanson. Isaac, Taylor, Zac. Those girls that sang MMMBop that are actually super hot dudes.
From 1997:
To now:
I have loved every sound they have made. And their faces too, and changing hairstyles.
Imagine my excitement when I checked my Twitter feed yesterday and saw that they were doing one of their...
Jersey Boys, Zoo Lates, and the Olympic Park
I’ve done some fun stuff since I last blogged for you. One thing to love about London is that there is always something to do.
A couple Saturdays ago I went to see Jersey Boys on the West End with my friend Andrew. Before the show we went to dinner at Jamie’s Italian, a super affordable restaurant by celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver (you may know him as the Naked Chef?). It was super...
May 2011
1 post
Spring Break! (almost a month later...)
So for my spring break, my mom, her friend Tina, and my step-dad came to visit. They got here on the day of the Royal Wedding (and the morning AFTER I got home from Edinburgh).
After they checked into their awesome hotel (Hyatt Regency Churchill - try it sometime) we walked down Oxford Street toward my school. I showed them the craziness of Oxford Street, we stopped at the British Museum to see...
April 2011
2 posts
Easter Weekend and Scotland
Wow, these past few weeks have been crazy! What have I been up to? Let’s see… finished my 2nd “module” at school, celebrated my friend Andrew’s birthday, went to a nice Easter dinner with friends, celebrated my friend Amanda’s birthday, and went to Scotland! I’ve been busy.
After finishing up the module with 2 final presentations, we were all ready to relax. Luckily, we were able to do just...
Concerts!
Whoops! Again, it’s been a little while. My bad.
Not much has happened since I last wrote. It’s been paper writing, group work, and not much fun. I also got sick in between the concerts that I’m going to tell you about.
On March 30, I went to see Taylor Swift at the O2 in London. It was tons of fun! I was able to pre-order my tickets last October so we ended up with...
March 2011
1 post
25th Birthday: St Pat's in Dublin!
Yeah, 25 isn’t the biggest milestone. It’s no 18 or 21. I don’t get to do anything cool now besides rent a car without an extra fee. But what 25 is, is a quarter of a century, so that’s kind of a big deal.
It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to spend a birthday in Dublin, Ireland, seeing as my birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day. I was lucky enough to...
February 2011
4 posts
Oscars: How'd I do?
Predictions on what would win: 11
Opinions on what should win: 13
For once my opinions actually top my sensible predictions! Here’s the breakdown:
Best Picture: The King’s Speech *** / Black Swan
Best Actor: Colin Firth *** / Colin Firth ***
Best Actress: Natalie Portman *** / Natalie Portman ***
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush *** / Christian Bale ***
Best...
Oscar time!
Tonight is my Superbowl, and I will miss it for the first time in six or seven years. In honor of the occasion, I will share with you my predictions for who will win and my opinion on who should win tonight at the Oscars. Excited? Thought so.
Because Tumblr does not seem to allow for tables, predictions will be bold and opinions will be italic.
Best Picture: The King’s Speech /...
Slow down, February!
What a busy month it’s been! Since I last blogged I have been to two TV show tapings and a musical.
A couple of weeks ago I went to the actual live filming of the game show, Million Pound Drop. I’m told that they now have an American version, Million Dollar Drop. If you’ve seen it, you probably know it’s very intense. Well, it’s even better to actually be in the...
London Update
Well hello there!
Since I last blogged, not much has happened. Classes started up again, which was a bummer. Weird that they expect you to go to class to get a Masters. Unreasonable, I’d say.
I’ve done some fun stuff with friends including:
Tapas lunch in Leadenhall Market
Brunch at an AMERICAN Diner with AMERICAN bacon and pancakes (!!!)
A champagne tasting on the top floor of...
January 2011
2 posts
Prague! Czech it out!
As some of you may know, I went to Prague from January 20th to January 22nd. Originally it was going to be a trip on my own, and then it turned into a trip with one girl, and before I knew it we were going with a total of six girls. Needless to say, it was a very crazy and fun time.
We got there the evening of the 20th and settled into our hotel. Then we decided to go out to get drinks and...
Updates...
Once again I apologize for the space between blogs. These past couple of weeks have been busy and hectic.
New Years was a great time. I went out with a friend from class and some of her friends to a club. There was live music, and it was tons of fun. Probably the best New Years Eve I’ve had in a long time.
After New Years, I also went out with Sarah again to a VIP club called Whiskey...
December 2010
2 posts
Musings on 2010...
Let’s see how coherent this is… I just got back to my little tiny flat about an hour or so ago, after spending 9 hours on a plane from SEA to LHR, then probably more than an hour on the tube from Heathrow Terminal 5 to King’s Cross. And don’t forget the 10 minutes of hauling 2 bags and a backpack (one pretty damn heavy) up a slight incline to my place. Don’t think...
Overdue...
Let’s talk about Belgium! And my December in general! Aren’t you excited?
About 4 weeks ago I visited Belgium. I decided to make the trip on my own, and I went with a tour that took me to 4 different cities in 3 days to see Christmas Markets. I saw Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp, and we stayed in a seaside town called Ostend.
Bruges was by far my favorite. It was snowy and sunny...
November 2010
6 posts
Thanksgiving in London!
Whew! That was by far a brand new version of Thanksgiving. I think if I ever have to spend this gluttonous glorious holiday apart from my family again, I would want to do it with this same wonderful group of people.
First of all, it is a little silly that an American university doesn’t give students the day of on an American holiday. So, sorry, but I skipped the last half of class...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Subtitle: WTF was Regal Entertainment Group thinking?
Here’s the thing: I’m super excited about this film. I saw it this morning, and it was mindblowingly awesome.
But I worked at a movie theatre for longer than I’d like to admit, so I have opinions on the workings of the business - particularly in Bellingham, WA where I spent most of my theatre years. So if you don’t...
The Cotswolds and more Christmas lights
On Saturday I went on a tour of the Cotswolds in the English countryside. I think there were about eleven of us from Hult that went. We visited 4 different villages, and it was super fun and beautiful and cold.
The first village was Moreton-in-Marsh. Our tour guide, Ron, said that it was a typical market town. There were really just a lot of shops, and once you got past the main drag it was...
St. Paul's Cathedral & London at Christmastime
I look out my window every day and see this giant dome. It’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, and it looks glorious. You can climb to the top, just like I did in the Duomo di Firenze in Florence, and look out at the city. Jason, my step brother, recommended that I do just that. So I did. Today.
I’m not a big fan of paying to enter a church. But I also understand that they are not...
Gunpowder, treason, and bonfires, oh my!
Yesterday, the 5th of November (remember, remember), I celebrated Guy Fawkes Night for the first time. Or Bonfire Night. You pick.
After some research on Wikipedia as to what this holiday is actually about, I still don’t quite understand why it’s celebrated. The dude committed treason and wanted to blow up the House of Lords and kill the king, if I understand it correctly.
But...
Halloween 2010 and the Start of November
Alright, I think this is the last of my “catch up” blogs.
Since the REAL Halloween was on a Sunday this year, I decided to go to the party that my school was coordinating for Friday the 29th. I dressed up as Sookie Stackhouse (but brunette) from True Blood, because I already had the components for the costume. Bonus: I got to wear running shoes all night. True Blood is not a...
Days with Sarah! Cambridge and VIP Club Night.
On October 18th I went to visit Sarah in Cambridge. It was my first time taking a train other than Grandma Avis’s loop train in ND, and it was pretty cool. I had some issues with my ticket because I was a newbie, but I learned from my mistake and now I know what to expect! I have to say, I love Cambridge the most of the places I’ve been in the UK so far, which admittedly...