The Things That Matter

Ladies!

I'm so sorry I haven't written.  Rose, have you started that new job now?

Work has been mental with me.  I hardly have time to do anything personal and that includes catching up with friends and family.  It almost feels like I am living out someone else's life.  Do you guys ever feel like that?

I literally want to throw my work phone in the middle of the road and watch the NYC traffic obliterate it.

Help!  I'm drowning here in NYC!!!

Love you

Tick Tock

Miss you ladies already.

I'm still waiting for my next project to get Greenlit.  Waiting is definitely the bane of my existence.  Patience is a virtue that I was not particularly blessed with.  Funny how in between projects my freelance life is not so different from my intern days.

So what does one do with a lot of time and no budget?  Here is a glimpse into my life at the moment.

- Coffee with a view (£2 for a black drip coffee).  I love to watch Londoners during the mornings.  This is when I do most of my brainstorming for upcoming projects.   

- Zone 1 Walking (Free).  The sights never get old and one of the best things about the city is the free admissions to museums.  

- Sleeping in (Free).  Why not catch up on some sleep before 12 hour shoot days start up again right?  Don't judge me!  

- Read (Minimal cost).  I've recently replaced the hole in my life that unsatisfying RomCom's have left with Chicklit.  Love me some Sophia Kinsella.  Woop!  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I love Chicklit! 

- Cooking for my man (bleeding me dry £££.  Darn you Whole Foods!)  .  Might as well prove myself useful while he is hard at work I figure.  I've recently gone Vegan and am loving experimenting with new recipes. You guys would be most proud.  

Well I better get back to it.

Let me know what you are up to! I need a distraction...

xxx

Birthday with my Besties

Hola chicas!

Thank you so much for a fab birthday weekend!  I had an absolute blast, just what I needed to beat those post-vacay blues that were slowly creeping in!  I don't know if I can pick a highlight of the weekend but I have to say that cheesy tourist skating at Rockefeller Center (aka watching you two wipe out every 30 seconds) ranks high on the list of hilarious birthday memories!  High tea at the St Regis was also super fab... as was dinner at The East Pole!  All in all, it was the PERFECT way to celebrate my birthday!   Rose, did you make it back safe and sound?  I hope you weren't too upset that Ophelia decided to go to DC instead of heading back to Europe.  But then again, are we surprised?  Look up responsible in the dictionary and you do NOT see O's picture!  haha!

Anyway, mis amigas, I am on such a high from the incredible visit!  We were so overdue for a catch up and I am so so so happy you two little devils conspired to make it happen!  How many birthdays have we now celebrated together?!  We're getting up there, girls!

Miss you like crazy!

xoxo

HBD Flora

Flora!

Happiest of birthdays, our dear friend.

Not sure what was on your wish list this year, but I will tell you what you are getting... it should arrive around 6pm tomorrow... in the shape of your two best friends!!!

Ophelia is hopping on the Eurostar to London in the morning and we are flying together to NYC.

Get your diary clear!  We are on our way!!!

xxx

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Dearest girls,

Can you believe that Christmas is around the corner?  Where does time go?  Rose, I am sorry to hear the grinches are out in London but if I know you (and I know you well!) you are spreading holiday cheer all over that town!  Flora, send news!  Where are you spending the holidays?  I am heading back to New York next week but taking in all the Parisian holiday fun before I leave.

Last week, a designer I work with had a huge holiday soirée.  It was absolutely beautiful!  Inspired by one of his (and my!) favorite movies, White Christmas, he turned his beautiful Place de Vosges apartment into a Winter Wonderland.  It felt like Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney would magically appear!  At first my darling Nate told me he wouldn't be able to make it but at the very last minute he moved a meeting and made his flight. I am SO glad he did!  He was a huge hit at the party-- charming and handsome as can be.  It is always a wonderful feeling when you realize that your friends, family and colleagues like your guy (almost) as much as you do!  

Sending you lots of holiday love!

Bisous xx

PS.  Dear Santa, please bring me my two beloved Eternal Interns for Christmas. That is all I ask!  I miss them so!  xx

Happy Ho Ho Ho To You!

Hi ladies,

I love the holidays in London.  It never disappoints.  The lights on Regent Street, the decor in Covent Garden, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park... even the Xmas ads are to die for.  I think Marks and Spencer wins it this year with their Believe in Magic and Sparkle campaign.

We are lucky to be living in three cities that do it proper.  Flora, O, you best be representing!

BUT with the most wonderful time of the year upon us what really peeves me off are the number of grouches that emerge!

If you are NOT excited by the holidays, then I AM going to judge!  What's there not to love?  Making your friends and family happy?  Or is it that you get to see everyone you have been too busy for the entire bloody year!? You even have a perfect excuse to abuse you liver with wine, beer and so much more!

So whether it is the repetitive holiday songs, the crowded streets, the crazy shoppers or the credit card bill that keeps adding up... GET OVER IT and spread some cheer!!

xxx

A Mid Week Rant

Ophelia,  with my obsession with Disney being what it is, I loved reading your last email.   We all deserve our change with a prince!

I've just had an argument with a workmate and I just wanted to let off some steam.

Basically, she posted on her Facebook about the black rhino being extinct.  Tragic.  Agreed.  Spread the word. Agreed.  However, that was not the true intention of the post.  She posted it to get as many Likes and Shares as possible. I know she did, because I am guilty of the same.  How bloody pathetic is that?  I mean, doesn't it just make you hate our generation and ourselves?  We have a superficial interest in the issues that actually make a difference to our planet and our future, but then about a second later we are all thinking about when our next hair appointment needs to be scheduled.

On the other hand, I have bills to pay and meetings to keep.  I can't just let go of everything that I have worked so hard for and donate my time and energy to a noble cause.  Or can I?  Others do it.  They are true heroes in my eyes.

My colleague thinks I am now a blazing hippy!  Haha.  So what if I am.  It just so happens that I like our planet the way it is!  Is that so crazy?  We just don't think about things anymore.  Not really.  We think about it enough to post it on Facebook to prove to others that we are sensitive and smarter than the rest!  Most importantly, we need to prove it to ourselves. Well... I've had enough.  It's all so boring!
What am I going to do about it?  Nothing for now...  But who knows.  Maybe a big change is around the corner for this aspiring filmmaker.

Well, that's enough of a moan for a Wednesday morning.
It's raining in London! SHOCK!
Maybe it is just the rain talking.

Love you ladies.  Miss you.  Always.

xxx

A New York Ball with Prince Charming

It's funny, no matter how old we get our parents still reserve the right to boss us around.  Three weeks ago, Nate got a call from his mother insisting that he go to New York to support his "favorite" (read: youngest and most annoying) cousin in her latest venture:  charity ball committee member, the "career" of choice for bored New York women with excessively large engagement rings.  I can just hear the conversation:  "Nathaniel, you WILL go to New York, you WILL wear a tuxedo and you WILL be nice to Stella."!  I was thrilled (but not surprised) when his next call was to yours truly asking for help/company.  I was horrified however when I realized that I know Cousin Stella from back in my Junior League days.  She is a real piece of work.

Somehow Nate and I managed to pull together a whirlwind trip to NYC so as not to upset Mrs. Pinkett. We arrived early Saturday from our respective cities and hit the ground running:  a new tuxedo for monsieur and a dress for mademoiselle, his & her's hair cuts, an early dinner with my parents (!!!) and then we danced the night away at the Ball... jet lag and all!  It was all very Cinderella (minus the rags, fairy godmother, mice, etc!)!  By the stroke of 8PM the next night we were back on a plane en route to Paris and a train heading south to DC respectively.  But it really was wonderful, a night out of a Disney movie!  We managed to avoid Stella all night and Prince Charming could not have looked more handsome in his tuxedo.  I'm still swooning over the photos!

After all the frogs I've kissed, I think I deserve a Prince!

Bisous xx

With Friends Like These

Dearest girls,

Flora's last letter got me thinking about just how quickly time flies.  Her trip down memory lane was a happy reminder of just how lucky I am to have friends as wonderful as you!  

It was a year ago that this Eternal Intern found herself on a collision course that almost ended in tragedy.  And as always, my dear friends were there to pick me up, dust me off and put me back on the right path!  Through the incredible highs (Paris 2011 and that "infamous night!") to the terrible lows (The breakups, oh the breakups!) we've had one hell of a time, les filles!

In other news, I'm off to dinner with that Irish journalist I was dating at the beginning of the year.  He says he has something important to tell me.  Don't ask why he can't just email this late-breaking news! Why I agree to these things is beyond me, I'm too nice.  Don't tell Nate, I'm sure he'll assume the worst and it is so NOT like that AT ALL!   Oh and speaking of Nate, I'll write again this weekend to update you on that!  Lots to report!


Bisous xx

x+x+x+Rose

And now for a moment of enlightenment....

Since moving to London from La La Land, I have had to adjust to many things.  The constant rain, British self-deprecating humor, giving up on a healthy liver etc… but nothing has been more difficult for me to acclimatize to than the unique culture of signing off with a kiss.  The politics involved in the kiss signature culture is multi-layered and a skill to master.

Here are the 5 basic rules of the EMAIL KISS ETIQUETTE:

1) Don’t be cheap! The never-ending debate of should you or shouldn’t you kiss on a first date translates directly to email kiss etiquette.  Never kiss on a first encounter!

2) Learn to LOVE a lot! Brits are amazing for their loving demeanors.  ‘Oh Darling’ ‘Hello, my love’ ‘Thanks, love’ are all part of everyday greetings.  Therefore, it is no surprise that all regular correspondence should end with at least one kiss.

3) Thank you by another name.  Depending on the favor in question, a simple ‘Thanks’ no longer suffices.  An average favor requires: ‘Thanks x’ at the very least.  The number of kisses is directly correlated to the relative size of the favor.  I have received on more than one occasion: ‘Thanks so much! Xxxxx’. What can I say?  I'm a generous gal!

4) Equality for all!  Don’t be deterred by who is at the other end of the correspondence.  Male and Female are equal in the world of Kiss Etiquette, so kiss away!

5) Consistency is necessary.  The best way to use a kiss in your signature is to simply add it to your name and stick to it!  For example, I had to chose between the following: ‘Rose x’ ‘xx Rose’ Rx’ ‘ xxx Rose’ etc...  After much internal debate, I opted for:

Xxx