Pages

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Life as an Intern



I have been very lucky so far when it comes to internships. As you may recall, I spent 8 months interning at Bloomingdale's and I could not have had a better experience there. Now I have moved on to a public relations agency that specializes in fashion. PR is a very different environment than a corporate retail one and I am starting to adjust to the faster, more urgent nature of this particular area of the industry. I do a lot of things in a given day. From the less glamorous jobs of stuffing invitations, running errands (I was box shopping today) and generating lists to the more exciting projects of writing pitches and working a runway show, PR covers a lot of ground. To be perfectly honest, I don't mind doing the little things that most interns roll their eyes at. I appreciate when we're told why we're doing what we're doing, so that I can understand the bigger picture and really start to see how this industry works. With all of the "big" projects, come ten times more "small" projects. It seems that for every ten "small" projects I do, one "big" one comes along, and that is definitely worth it.

I have heard horror stories from friends and classmates. An intern at a well known designer was required to exit the elevator if said designer entered. A friend of a friend was asked to go to her boss' house and walk their dog! I heard one tonight in class that is arguably my favorite so far, one of my classmate's responsibilities as an intern is to make sure that her boss is properly hydrated at all times. I kid you not! She has to periodically check and make sure there is a full water bottle on her boss' desk at all times.

Hearing all these dreaded tales of interns makes me realize how good I've had and got it. The agency I work in is busy, loud, sometimes chaotic but always creative. There is an open communication between everyone on the team which allows for a very genuine, almost organic way of working together. I had a moment today that made me smile. I was out looking for magazines at the corner store that I've been to almost everyday for the last two weeks. The man working there surely recognizes me by now. I couldn't find what I was looking for and like always, he said "come back later". He told me he had six boxes he had to go through but he was sure what I was searching for was in there. He hesitated only slightly before saying he would go through the boxes right now if I could wait. So I did and he did, all six of them (Murphy's Law, it's always in the last box you open!). I took my eight magazines up to the counter and began to pay for them when he asked what kind of company I work for. I explained to him it was a PR agency and that I bought magazines because our clients were featured in them. He asked me what PR was so I explained that our job is to get our client's names out and keep track of when they get out. He looked at me thoughtfully and asked, "it's like marketing?". I took away all the fancy definitions and jargon and simplified what it is PR does and, while it's so much more than "just marketing", he got it and that made me smile. It's moments like these that only an intern who is out buying magazines for the umpteenth time can experience, and while some may consider this one of the "small" things, these are the moments I will remember.

j.

Monday 28 January 2013

An NYC Bucket List



At the beginning of the month, I was thinking about those little things we call "New Years Resolutions". In an effort to set myself up for success and have some fun in the process, I decided to take a different approach to the whole thing. In addition to the usual "go to the gym more" and "eat more vegetables" (which I am TOTALLY doing, by the way), I wanted to come up with a resolution to enjoy living in NYC more. So from that, the idea of an "NYC Bucket List" was born.

I immediately thought of many things I had been wanting to do here in the city that I hadn't yet found the time to do. Some of them are bigger in scale than others but I think that's kind of the point when it comes to a bucket list. In the same way a life bucket list doesn't have a definite time frame (you don't know exactly when you're going to kick the bucket...haha see what I did there), neither does this one. I don't know when I will be leaving NYC, it could be four months from now, or four years. So, with that in mind, I better get cracking.

I'm sure I'll find time to document each momentous occasion of crossing something off the list, so I'll be sure to let you all know how my progress is coming along. If any of you think of another item that should be on my list, let me know. If I agree that the item belongs on my bucket list, I shall find a way to squeeze it on there!

j.

Sunday 27 January 2013

Nice Bones



black jacket {Jacob} - skeleton tee {Zara} - polka-dot jeans {Macy's} - 
black booties {Top Shop} - arrow earrings {H&M}

So, a few days ago I rambled about my love for patterned jeans. Well, I have another fashion love to tell you about. It's the graphic tee. The kookier the better is my general rule when it comes to picking out the perfect one. I also like tees that have a sort of vintage-y feel to them. So when I saw this particular one in Zara, and for more than half off no less!, I knew I had to make it mine. I think this trend is something that could make for a good thrift adventure too and we all know I feel real good about thrift adventures. That may just have to go on my to-do list. I like to include enjoyable, totally unnecessary tasks on my to-do lists. It makes me feel more accomplished that way.

j.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Hawaiian Recap Part 2




Before I forget and these beautiful photos get lost in the bajillions I have on my computer, I thought I better post the second part to my amazing Hawaiian vacation. For the second week, we moved down south, to a town called Poipu. It was an alright town, with alright views. Nothing to brag about or anything ;).

On the subject of not bragging, I also played the best game of golf I have ever played in my life. I haven't played THAT many full games of golf in my life, mind you, but it really is crazy that the less I seem to play, the better I get. I hate to say it, but I think my Dad's lifelong dream may be coming true. I think I actually enjoy playing golf. And rarely do I throw my club and burst into tears anymore.

j.

Sunday 20 January 2013

Patterns on Pants: A Confession




striped sweater & polka-dot pants {Gap} - brown boots {J. Crew sample sale} - 
triangle necklace {gift, from Urban Outfitters}


I have a confession to make. I have a full blown obsession with patterned pants. Wow, that feels so much better. It's true. I love them. I know that they've been a trend for a while now, but sometimes it takes me a while to get on board with a certain trend. I tried on many pants that had patterns before actually purchasing a pair because it took me a while to find the right ones. It's one of those things (much like my experience with colored denim) that need to be just right in order to avoid looking like grandma's sofa or miss stumpy legs. So, obviously a pair of dark blue polka-dot pants was the perfect pair to ease me into the world of below of the belt prints. 

I have since acquired two additional pairs of pants, both on the more conservative side of the patterned world. This weekend, I was shopping at H&M (as I do...) and got very excited about a few bolder patterns I saw, so naturally I took a handful of pants into the change room with me. Well, let's just say these pants' sizing standards wreaked havoc on my self confidence and knocked me swiftly off of my "I went to the gym three times this week" pedestal. Needless to say, no pants from H&M came home with me. Really H&M, two sizes larger than I usually wear and I'd need a small army to put them on each day?!? Thanks, but no thanks. Rant, over. (I still love you H&M, only because you have a lot of stripes and animal print.)

j.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Musings from a single twenty-something



I read an article in the NY Times the other day (I'll give you a moment to recover from the shock of learning I read the NY Times...) that has been stuck in my head ever since. It was called "The End of Courtship", and it basically surmised that romance is quickly dying among people my age. Traditional dating - you know, dinners, movies and walks on the beach - is being replaced by the "group hang" (is this really a thing?!). Several factors were to blame, social media and the popularity obsession people in their twenties have with technology (ahem, iPhones!) being at the top of the hit list. Guys (or girls, I'm a liberated woman living in the 21st century here!) no longer have to pluck up their courage, risk bruising their precious ego and pick up the phone to ask someone out on a date. In this day and age, all we have to do is type a few words and hit send with our thumb. No risk of fumbled words, painstakingly embarrassing stutters or the dreaded radio silence after you've asked the BIG question. On the other hand, however, the connection is not as real or genuine. The article went on to say that the increasing social acceptance of online dating sites is also a factor that is contributing to the watering down of real human interaction and that many "relationships" begin as a string of text or inbox messages. A twenty-something guy was quoted in the article saying that he didn't like to take girls on dates, he would rather just have them tag along with whatever he was doing. 

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?

Is this what dating has become? An after-thought. A last minute text sent before heading out to the pub to meet your boys in the hopes that the girl is desperate enough to tag along. Where is the planning or effort in this? Let me tell you: there is none. Call me old fashioned, but I want and expect to be wooed a little bit here. The same goes for us gals too, I think both parties need to be putting forth their best effort. It all just sounds quite lazy, if you ask me. I'll be honest and say that I have been on a few dates courtesy of an online dating site here in the city. To be fair and give the guys I met credit, they took me on real dates. But it all started via inbox messages and texting back and forth and surprise, surprise it was a lack of connection that caused our relationships to go nowhere fast. 

It has surprised me, really, how difficult it is to date and meet guys in more traditional ways in this city. The mentality of the opposite sex here is very different than anywhere else I've been. They stick to themselves or their people when out in prime "pick-up" locations, not even so much as glancing at, let alone striking up a conversation with the fairer gender. The few that do then fail to follow-through. Why bother then if you don't plan on doing anything more than ask for a girl's number. Are guys in NYC busier/more reserved/over stimulated/more ego-centric than guys who live elsewhere in the world? I don't know the answer to that. I have just been stewing about this article and concept for days now and I am no closer to figuring it out than I was before. I can't won't accept the notion that romance and dating is a thing of the past. After reading this article and seeing how guys in this city behave, I couldn't help but have a Carrie Bradshaw moment and ask:

Have technology and social media platforms caused our generation to become so out of practice with traditional ways of connecting with people that we really don't know how to forge genuine relationships with one another?

I certainly don't have the answer to this question, but what do you all think?

j.

Saturday 12 January 2013

Hawaiian Recap Part 1




First of all, congratulations for making it to the end of all those photos! I know, there were a lot of them, but that wasn't even all of them. I spent the first week of my vacation in Lihue, which is on the east side of the island of Kauai, near the airport. My brother and his wife were there with my parents and I so it was a lot of fun. 

There was lots of beach time, games and going out for dinner. Have you ever heard of the game Bananagrams? If you are a Scrabble aficionado like myself than do yourself a favor and go get it. It is so. much. fun. But then again, I am a huge nerd and like word games so...

My sister-in-law and I went for a photo walk into the town of Lihue and had fun capturing the old school charm of the local watering hole, the Nawiliwili Tavern, along with all of the gloriously tacky but oh-so-wonderful shop signs.

On New Years Eve day, the three of us went on a mountain tubing adventure in the Hawaiian back country. You basically float down the island's irrigation ditch for miles, going in and out of tunnels. Sounds random but it turned out to be a lot of fun! 

After a week, my brother and his wife went home. I stayed on with my parents and moved down to the south part of Kauai. Stay tuned for photos of my second week in paradise!

Aloha,

j.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Relax, have a pineapple




pineapple tee {Billabong} - denim skirt {Old Navy, way old} - bronze sandals {Steve Madden via Century 21} - 
triangle necklace {gift, from Urban Outfitters} - sunnies {Forever 21}

I have been on island time in a big way for the past ten days. I have a hard time planning what I am going to do in a couple hours, let alone the next day. Kauai is basically paradise on earth, I'm telling you. It's all lush greenery and vast open skies every which way you look. It's been quite rainy the past few days, but I will take rainy paradise over anything any day!

After all this lounging in the sun, reading (for pleasure!) and going to bed before 10pm on the reg, I am going to have a real hard time adjusting to life back in the city. But that's not until Saturday so let's not rush things here. A small part of me is excited to start my final (!!!) semester at Parsons and a bigger part of me is excited to start my new internship at a PR agency (!!!). But more on those later, when I'm not running on beach time.

Aloha,

j.