I Just Want To Bang On The Drums All Day....

I feel like such a loser lately, guys... I am sick to death of waiting for a promotion that is just not coming my way and I am so incredibly jealous of you ladies right now.  To top it all off, I am so totally broke that I have taken on a weekend gig at a cafe near my place in Studio City.  So now I spend my workweek interning for pennies, and then behind a cashier on the weekends.    

Sorry to be such a bummer, but I am just having a rough time lately.

I am so tempted to just give up on everything and live life just like my hero: THE DUDE.  God I love The Big Lebowski. So what do you think?  Wearing pyjamas all day long and generally not giving a sh*t about anyone or anything. Sounds like heaven right about now.

Well, I hope all is well in NYC and Paris.  Drop me a line when you get a chance.

Lots of love,

xxx

Rose

Foggy Headed Friday

Hola Girls! How was your weekend? O, how are things? Feeling better?

I had a fabulous weekend in the city, despite the rain! It's just been raining so much in NY lately, it's insane! Hopefully it will stop in time for Memorial Day Weekend! One of the highlights of the weekend was actually a party I went to on Friday night at a friend of el novio's. This guys lives in this insane penthouse on Central Park South...I got lost it was so big! 

I met many people, but got along super well with M. who is this super chill communications exec at a well known American fashion brand. Our chat started out formally/work related but quickly became amicable... And as with all college parties (or in this case MBA gigs) soon the liquor was flowing, a keg bizzarelly appeared in the splendidly decorated kitchen and we were all quite...well...drunk...

We went home way too late...clearly after one too many drinks...and woke up to a pounding headache on Saturday...and....el novio casually teasing me about how M is a good friend of Sofia's...my BOSS!!

What??!! I couldn't believe it! All night long, she forgot to mention that she knew my boss!! We got drunk together and she knowwws my boss?? I was soooooo scared she may mention something to Sofia over the weekend...at how talented I am at beer pong...or how much I talk after one too many ciders...ahhhh I felt horrible! 

Luckily though Monday has come and gone and no word or awkwardness from Sofia...nothing! Fieuf! I'm hoping M will keep her lips sealed....actually now that I think of it, how happy would she be if I went around telling industry people about her inebriated escapades ;) hmmmm

Ok to work!

Bisous!

Flora 

The Unwanted Visitor

Darling girls,
I am sorry for not writing sooner, I have had some major drama in my life!   I could not make this nightmare up if I tried...

On Thursday evening, my boss and I were going over a few things before calling it a night.  It had been a generally uneventful day at work and an average week.  At around 6, the receptionist called to say that I had a visitor and that she had sent him up.  Naturally, I was shocked that someone was coming to see me at work as I never ever have any visitors.  When the office door opened and I saw who it was my jaw hit the floor:  It was MY EX-BOYFRIEND.   Yes, it was my most hated ex, an all-around bad guy who only ever means trouble!  (This is not a biased opinion!  Ask anyone who knows him!).  Anyway, there was Philippe at the door.... DRUNK!  I sprang from my desk and immediately ushered him out into the hallway but the damage had already been done!

Slurring his words and teetering back and forth he began to profess his love for me and asked me to run away with him.  I haven't seen or spoken to him in 2 years and he turns up at my JOB asking me to elope!  Can you believe it?!   I begged and pleaded with him to leave and to keep his voice down but as I protested he got louder and more belligerent.  It was the definition of a bad scene!  Finally, my boss came out to make sure that everything was ok and to see if he needed to call the police to remove this unwanted nuisance.  Luckily he didn't seem angry (with me anyway), just extremely confused by the situation.  Words cannot describe how humiliating and terrible it was.

Luckily, my boss was very understanding on Friday morning and I promised that it would never ever ever happen again.  I am so glad he understood that it was not my fault!  I mean, how did the creep even know where to find me!?  UGH!  I won't even get into the screaming match that ensued when I got him out of the office and away from my boss!

What a terrible end to my week!   Luckily, I am off on a lovely weekend trip next week... more on that next time!

Bisous xx Ophelia

Not The Kind Of Promotion I had In Mind...

Flora, that is hilarious. I laughed out loud when reading your email.  F***ing amazing!

Life in LA is going well.  Still interning for the TV show. Still getting paid pennies, but I am giving it a couple of more months and then going to bring up a promotion.  They all seem to really appreciate my work and I have myself a pretty indispensable part of the team.  Go me ;)  

Well, have I got news for your two! 

My boss has had elbow surgery and now he can't feed himself.  That's right.  He can't feed himself.  What does this mean for his crew?  It means that his assistant has to physically feed him.  And what does this mean for yours truly?  It means that when the assistant isn't around I have to do it!  Unfortunately for everyone involved the man loves his bagel and cream cheese, which means that more often than not there will be some cream cheese smudge on his face that the acting nurse (me) will have to wipe off.

Let me give you ladies a minute for you to digest (no pun intended) what I have just written.

....

Help I am stuck in my own worst nightmare! 

XXX

Rose

The Dangers of Speaker Phone

OMG Ophelia that is hilarious (and insane!)!

I'm just getting back from my lunch break...I went down to Papillon and took a long break cuz I had an unusually crappy morning. Despite my new cute JCrew flats I splurged on this weekend, and that I was hoping would keep me smiling bright all day...

So the deal is, a colleague of mine walked into my cubicle around 10am and needed some more info on an upcoming project. It's not a project I've been working on, but I knew enough info to help him out - and since everyone else was out of the office I was the only person available to help.

By the end of my explanation I told him it might be helpful if he call another lady who works at the agency we're planning the event with. My theory was, she could complete any gaps in info I had missed out... And so he calls... on speaker phone... she comes on... I stay silent... they chat... she gives him some of the extra info he needed and then she mentions that he should likely check in with my boss (who is conveniently away...) for the most exact details. To that he kindly responds that he's already checked in with me...And that is when my morning coffee turned sour...

"Oh Flora? Ya, she definitely won't be able to help you with this kind of information. She's still new and all...I would really rather you triple check with Sofia. This is a big project, Flora doesn't have the experience to be on such an event. She can dream!" And with that...a chuckle!!

What the f*ck! Seriously! What the flying f*ck! I could tell my colleague J. felt super bad I had heard this...all of this on speaker phone. He immediately hung up and all I could do was stare, gasping, not knowing why the hell this woman had just bad mouthed...and worst of all: chuckled....me!! All that because I'm new?

After being discriminated upon as an intern, am I now being discriminated upon because I'm still a new employee?

I mean, dammit, I've been with the company now just around 9 months! That's as long as a full-term pregnancy!! And yet I'm still considered new? Not enough experience? I can dream she said? WTF!

I've cooled down a bit, but I'm definitely thinking of calling her back...what do you think? Should I let this one pass? I feel ridiculous sitting in this silly cubicle...humiliated in front of J.!

Flora

The Coffee Faux Pas

Hello dear girls!
Rose, what cool news!  I cannot wait to see the finished product!  Premieres in LA, New York and Paris?  Spring has sprung here in Paris.  It has been so warm and lovely!  That said, living so close to my boss continues to be an absolute nightmare!  We literally spend every minute together.  We travel to and from work and then spend the entire day together.  I am in the most demanding and time-consuming relationship of my life.  I think it may be time to break up!

The funniest thing happened the other day at work.  My boss decided to hire an accountant and I was to be in the office to meet with him on his first day.  Well, as soon as he arrived I began explaining how the boss likes things done, etc and he cuts me off mid-sentence.  He actually put his hand in my face and said "Let me stop you right there...  Before I can work I'll need an espresso, no sugar."  I actually laughed out loud.  It was just so funny... Straight out of an episode of Mad Men!  Before I could say anything, my boss called so I stepped away to update him.  Through my laughter I told him what had just happened, I thought he would find it funny too!  Apparently not!  He asked me to put the accountant on the phone and HE FIRED HIM!  He fired the man within the first 10 minutes of him being in the office!  That MUST be a record!

Needless to say it was extremely awkward when "welcome to the company" speech ended by showing him to the door...

Oh la la!  The drama never ends around here!

Bisous xx Ophelia

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Again

Hey ladies,

Flora, I can't believe that there is such a thing as a pregnant intern.  As an eternal intern, I would never ever ever think that that would be OK with my bosses.  That would be career over for me!  I wouldn't be an eternal intern at my age if I wasn't serious about my career, and therefore I don't even know what to say about your intern's situation.

And Ophelia,  I would move!  Living in the same building as your boss is just NOT OK!  Period!

A quickie update:  I am no longer with that USC student, still an eternal intern working on set for pennies, a little burnt from falling asleep by the pool this weekend - still generally broke, but generally loving life.

As you both know, I had finished my first script a couple of months back and with much hope submitted it to a few indie script competitions.  Well, I have received 2 rejections now and I was starting to feel really down.  What gets me through the days of being an eternal intern is to know that I am doing everything in my power to network and advance my career on the side.  I haven't given up on my script, but I have decided to be proactive and so I have decided to make my first short film.  I wrote it a few weeks ago and have finally decided to set aside a portion of my ridiculous intern paycheck a month to save up for a semi-decent camera to shoot.  It will be written by, directed by, and starring yours truly!  Stay tuned on progress.

xxx

Rose

P.S.  Can you guys believe it is May already?!?!!?

An Intern Under House Arrest

Greetings dear Interns,
I am back in Paris (SO happy to be back!) and my "neighbor" is at it again!  I used to love meandering the streets of Saint Germain, having un café on the terrace of Relais Odeon or an apéro at La Palette.  Now I have to slink along in the shadows in an attempt to avoid into my boss on weekends!  I even scan the street from my window before I leave the apartment, just to make sure the coast is clear!  The expression "There goes the neighborhood!" has never been more true!  Why oh why did he have to move down the street from me?  My quiet, peaceful little rue parisienne was perfect... until!

I arrived on Thursday morning and as my taxi pulled up to my building the iPhone started ringing!   Yesterday, I was up at 6am so I could get in some Me Time before the beast woke up and the streets were no longer safe!   Despite my efforts, he found me at the grocery store at 11!  I am starting to think he may have bugged my apartment or stuck a GPS tracking chip in my purse!  Today, a lovely Sunday, I woke up to an email and text message assault, the hot water is off in his building!   How, pray tell, does that effect me?  It is Sunday, for goodness sake!

I have considered moving but it is just too hard to find an apartment in Paris these days.  And why should I have to leave?  I was here first! Instead, I am going to march into that office on Monday morning and insist that he NOT call me on the weekends.  Weekdays = Ophelia is a slave,  Weekends = Ophelia is a ghost.  She doesn't exist!

I'm off to explore new neighborhoods, if this keeps up I may actually have to move!   I hear Siberia is gorgeous this time of year....

Bisous xx Ophelia