I can't believe all that I've done so far in my life, especially over the past five years! I'm 22 and I've lived in seven cities. Out of those seven, I've lived in five of those cities (plus Cincinnati) over the past 2 1/2 years:
1. Aurora, IL
2. Cincinnati, OH
3. Milwaukee, WI
4. NY, NY
5. Fort Myers, FL
6. London, ENG
7. Madison, WI
Over co-op, I've lived in almost every housing situation a person can live in...
Milwaukee- I lived in a hotel room. This was insanely awesome. Someone made the bed every day, took out the trash, washed the dishes, cleaned the room, and gave me breakfast and birthday presents.
NYC- I lived in an apartment on St. Mark's Place over a porn shop appropriately named "Cherries." I was in an attic that had a trundle bed that literally extended to the size of the room. I lived with a guy I didn't know and I didn't even have a bedroom door. This lasted 3 days before I moved out.
From there, I moved into "The Pod" for about two weeks. The Pod was a hotel on the east side. I had a room with a sink and mirror and shared a bathroom in the hall. The hotel was mainly filled with student travelers.
Finally, I moved into Webster apartments in Chelsea. This was a female hostel/ dorm. I had my own little white room with a concrete floor. I swear it wasn't an asylum (I'd know... I'll get to that later).
Fort Myers- I lived in a sweet FL condo (pastel walls, dolphin statues, pool and golf course included). Amazing. Enough said.
London- I lived in dorms. And these dorms use to be an asylum. In fact, some of the buildings weren't transformed from the asylum. I guess there were issues with the government. So technically, I can say I lived in an asylum (though I don't feel it's wise of me to walk around claiming such things). The bathrooms were hilarious. They were like airplane bathrooms. You could stand in the shower and reach out and touch the sink on the other side. And in between the shower and the sink was the toilet. Oh London, you are missed.
Verona/ Madison- I'm living in a house (something normal for a change). I'm renting a room and live with a UW professor during the week as well as two cats and a guinea pig. On the weekends, I live with the pets plus a golden lab, the woman who owns the house, and her daughter. I'm the only person who is actually living in the house 7 days a week.
It's been quite the crazy adventure for me over the past few years. I've grown a lot as a person. There were deaths in the family, relationships and friendships ended while new ones formed, goals changed, skills improved, knowledge expanded, and so on. I've learned how to draw, how to construct patterns, how to sew, how to use a mac (and fall in love with it), how to appreciate art and design and what the difference is between the two.
Co-op has only re-affirmed for me that work must come second. I value relationships above all. I've made new, and have, amazing friends. My family has been the best support system around. Without people to share my stories and journey with, what would I have? With that said, I have no intention of holding myself back from accomplishing what I desire. Co-op hasn't always been easy, but I've grown immensely through these experiences. I'm extremely proud of where I am now. I'm on the right path, without a doubt, and I certainly don't regret any of it. I'm ecstatic and frightened of what's ahead, but I know wherever I go next, it will be with purpose.
I probably won't post again from Madison. I leave in about one week and I really want to enjoy the time here with my friends.
Love you all and see you soon!
Sam
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Foggy Thoughts
One thing that I've learned from spending the winter in Wisconsin is how to drive in terrible weather. This week I endured driving in dense fog. It was unlike anything I've seen (or not seen in this case) before. And frankly, I don't want to experience it again. I fear that won't be the case. The fog was so bad that parts of the highway between work and home closed down on Wednesday and Thursday due to pile ups. On Wednesday, they passed out maps at work on how to take back roads to Madison (probably 3/4 of LE employees live near/in Madison, if not more). Pretty much everybody began to rush out of work to tackle the longer drive, the fog, and the setting sun. Not a great combo.
Thursday morning wasn't much better. There was another pile up on the highway. About 50 feet up there were fire trucks, flares, cop cars, and ambulances blocking off the highway and pushing traffic off to a side street. And on the side street, there was a line of cars pulled over because nobody knew how to get to work. I joined that line and tried to use my GPS on my phone. Unfortunately, the perks of being in the country is little/ no cell service (every phone call gets disconnected AT LEAST once, if not 3 times). Essentially, my GPS couldn't determine my location. But in all seriousness, a perk of living in the country is being around friendly people. A man with a chicken coop on his truck pulled over and walked down the line of cars and and helped give directions. He was so helpful and quite the gift to me that morning. I was really hating the country, Madison, Dodgeville, weather, the commute, all of it. But when that man pulled over, he reminded me about how great the people really are here. I'll miss that. I'll miss them.
Work is going well. I've been put in charge of designing three tops for LEBO (Lands' End Business Outfitters). Companies like Best Buy, AT&T, and Chase bank buy from LEBO. So this is actually pretty awesome! One day I'll walk into Best Buy and say to the greeter, "Hey... Hey, guess what? I designed that shirt you're wearing. You're Welcome." ;) Jokes. But, it's pretty exciting. I'm also still working on bottoms for Core and Canvas lines. Also pretty cool.
This week I was in a fashion show at Lands' End. The goal was to raise money for women's heart disease. We ended up raising over $500. All of the UC interns and merchants in training (17 of us total) were instructed to create a red outfit from LE clothes. We then modeled the clothes in a fashion show where employees voted for the best outfit. The catch was that they had to pay at least $1 for each vote. It was a lot of fun! Here are some pics
I think the next post is going to be a reflection over where I've been in the past 2 1/2 yrs and where I'm heading. Something to look forward to. Love you and miss you all. Prepare yourself to be hugged tightly upon my return.
Thursday morning wasn't much better. There was another pile up on the highway. About 50 feet up there were fire trucks, flares, cop cars, and ambulances blocking off the highway and pushing traffic off to a side street. And on the side street, there was a line of cars pulled over because nobody knew how to get to work. I joined that line and tried to use my GPS on my phone. Unfortunately, the perks of being in the country is little/ no cell service (every phone call gets disconnected AT LEAST once, if not 3 times). Essentially, my GPS couldn't determine my location. But in all seriousness, a perk of living in the country is being around friendly people. A man with a chicken coop on his truck pulled over and walked down the line of cars and and helped give directions. He was so helpful and quite the gift to me that morning. I was really hating the country, Madison, Dodgeville, weather, the commute, all of it. But when that man pulled over, he reminded me about how great the people really are here. I'll miss that. I'll miss them.
Work is going well. I've been put in charge of designing three tops for LEBO (Lands' End Business Outfitters). Companies like Best Buy, AT&T, and Chase bank buy from LEBO. So this is actually pretty awesome! One day I'll walk into Best Buy and say to the greeter, "Hey... Hey, guess what? I designed that shirt you're wearing. You're Welcome.
This week I was in a fashion show at Lands' End. The goal was to raise money for women's heart disease. We ended up raising over $500. All of the UC interns and merchants in training (17 of us total) were instructed to create a red outfit from LE clothes. We then modeled the clothes in a fashion show where employees voted for the best outfit. The catch was that they had to pay at least $1 for each vote. It was a lot of fun! Here are some pics
I think the next post is going to be a reflection over where I've been in the past 2 1/2 yrs and where I'm heading. Something to look forward to. Love you and miss you all. Prepare yourself to be hugged tightly upon my return.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Digging My Way Out
I’m half way! Co-op always goes by so fast. Or perhaps that’s just life. A lot has happened since I last wrote. Here’s a breakdown:
1. I had car problems that resulted in me getting a new battery (despite it being a young 3 years of age). In addition, I had to get a new alternator. It was during this little situation that I experienced small town love. The mechanic gave me a ride to and from work (from the shop). Co-workers drove me to and from my house. People are so nice here. Also, the mechanic was insanely cheap. I’m not complaining.
2. There was the great Blizzard of 2011 (and I survived). I bought up all the pretzels and 20 oz cokes at Walgreens in order to prepare for at least two days worth of isolation. Little did I know that I would be trapped for less than 24 hours. Don’t get me wrong, the roads weren’t great, but Wisconsin knows how to prepare and clean up. Props yo. Here are a few pics of the aftermath. There were (and still are) piles of snow taller than me. It’s pretty crazy and cool. I wish I brought my sweet snow suit. Bummer.
You can't tell, but the driveway is to the left of those giant piles.
The piles are taller than the shovel. You can see where I shoveled the pathway to the house. It was about 1 1/2 feet tall.
The pile of snow was over 4 feet tall. Probably around 5 feet. I'm 5'6". This kinda puts it in perspective.
3. I’ve been bored at work for the past two weeks. I do love my job, don’t get me wrong. But it’s so boring right now. I literally spend 8 hours a day surfing blogs for fashion trends. You can only do that for so long without seeing stars and stripes….well, stripes are actually a big trend this year. I’ll leave them out of this.
4. My living situation is interesting. People are coming and going all the time. During the week, a UW professor lives with me. She’s nice (too nice) and makes sardines and oysters. On the weekends, the mom comes home and sometimes her daughter from college. I adore them. With the mom comes a lab and with the daughter, two cats. This co-op has taught me that I am NOT an animal person, except for my fishies Gill and Ted (God rest his soul). Cats are sneaky and jump out at you because somehow YOU managed the scare THEM. They have it all backwards ;)
5. I knitted a cozy cowl neck scarf. I’m pretty pleased with it. The quality of construction could be better. But I try not to stress over knitting. It’s suppose to be relaxing J Here’s how it turned out:
6. I’m starting to look for full times jobs. I have no idea what I’m looking for or where I’m looking to go. I'll update you on my progress, but please don't ask about it. It's stressful and I have to focus on graduating first.
7. I miss London and Paris and all of their quirky qualities. I’m open to opportunities in either location. Thankfully, I’m in the right field for relocating there. Gotta love fashion.
And here is where I fare thee well. I hope I haven't bore you. If I have, you should have stopped reading back at #3. I can’t be held responsible for your choices.
Lovez.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Key to My Heart, Key to Success, Key to My Car?
Week two has left me and week three said, "hello," with snow. In fact, it snows every day here. Just in case you were curious.
I'm still enjoying my job. My team is amazing and I've had the opportunity to do some cool things in the past week. We're wrapping up Fall/ Holiday 2011 and I'm pretty pumped to start designing for Spring 2012.
Madison is a lovely city, but I'm not sure it's for me. There are two "parts" to Madison: University of Wisconsin and a giant capital building (neither of which I have too much of an interest in). So now you may ask yourself, "Self, what is there to do in Madison on the weekends?" And now I shall pass along the great knowledge that has been so forcefully fed to me: "You eat."
Twice in the past week I went down to "The Square" (downtown) for dinner. The Old Fashioned is a hot spot for tourists and locals alike. They offer at least 4 cheese platters, fried cheese curds, a wide array of Wisconsin beer, and their famous "The Old Fashioned" drink. My taste-buds were pleased, but my wallet cringed. I also checked out Cooper's Tavern on The Square. The food was pretty good. The atmosphere was quaint and it actually reminded me of a restaurant I went to in NYC. Once again, the food was overpriced. Perhaps what I really paid for was the view:
I feel as if I have a calling to find fabulous local coffee shops every time I move to a new city. However, I now realize that my mission has expanded.
As most of you know, my family own a cupcake shop called Manna Cupcake Cafe. And now, because of Manna, I feel obligated to seek out all cupcake shops in a 30 mile radius of my current location and indulge in, I mean taste test, our "competition." This philosophy also applies to coffee. My perspective on coffee has changed since I've been a barista. I now have urges to jump behind the espresso bar at said local coffee shops and say to them, "Here, let me show you how to do this," and "I'll pay you the $5.00 if you just let me make it myself."
Sadly, I am yet to fall in love with a coffee shop here. No worries though, I'm not giving up on finding a temporary replacement for the glorious coffee that is handcrafted at Manna. I also am not giving up on finding cupcakes in the Madison area that can cure my hellish nights when I'm in delicious Raspberry Bismark cupcake withdraw. I did find a place downtown that sold cupcakes, but the cupcakes simply did not compare:
I leave you with a confession: I was grateful to be in a small, safe town such as Verona this past Saturday. I was getting ready to start my Saturday adventures when I realized that my car needed to be scraped off. Like most people, I wanted my interior to heat up to a toasty marshmallow temperature as I scraped my car. When I got out of the car, I locked the door behind me out of habit.
Like a hungry puppy, I looked through the car window just to stare at my keys dangling in the ignition, my purse on the passenger seat, and my cell phone nestled inside my purse. Perhaps it was out of human instinct, or stupidity, but I continually tried to pull my locked car door open. It was almost as if I told myself that I could will it open if I just thought about it hard enough. Then again, if I had OnStar that would have worked (but I don't). Instead, I walked my flustered self across the street and made friends with my neighbors. They took me in and let me make long distance phone calls on their cell phones. If that doesn't scream, "New Best Friends," I don't know what does. That reminds me, I need to send them a Thank You note and some cupcakes. If only I had access to a cupcakery...
I'm still enjoying my job. My team is amazing and I've had the opportunity to do some cool things in the past week. We're wrapping up Fall/ Holiday 2011 and I'm pretty pumped to start designing for Spring 2012.
Madison is a lovely city, but I'm not sure it's for me. There are two "parts" to Madison: University of Wisconsin and a giant capital building (neither of which I have too much of an interest in). So now you may ask yourself, "Self, what is there to do in Madison on the weekends?" And now I shall pass along the great knowledge that has been so forcefully fed to me: "You eat."
Twice in the past week I went down to "The Square" (downtown) for dinner. The Old Fashioned is a hot spot for tourists and locals alike. They offer at least 4 cheese platters, fried cheese curds, a wide array of Wisconsin beer, and their famous "The Old Fashioned" drink. My taste-buds were pleased, but my wallet cringed. I also checked out Cooper's Tavern on The Square. The food was pretty good. The atmosphere was quaint and it actually reminded me of a restaurant I went to in NYC. Once again, the food was overpriced. Perhaps what I really paid for was the view:
I feel as if I have a calling to find fabulous local coffee shops every time I move to a new city. However, I now realize that my mission has expanded.
As most of you know, my family own a cupcake shop called Manna Cupcake Cafe. And now, because of Manna, I feel obligated to seek out all cupcake shops in a 30 mile radius of my current location and indulge in, I mean taste test, our "competition." This philosophy also applies to coffee. My perspective on coffee has changed since I've been a barista. I now have urges to jump behind the espresso bar at said local coffee shops and say to them, "Here, let me show you how to do this," and "I'll pay you the $5.00 if you just let me make it myself."
Sadly, I am yet to fall in love with a coffee shop here. No worries though, I'm not giving up on finding a temporary replacement for the glorious coffee that is handcrafted at Manna. I also am not giving up on finding cupcakes in the Madison area that can cure my hellish nights when I'm in delicious Raspberry Bismark cupcake withdraw. I did find a place downtown that sold cupcakes, but the cupcakes simply did not compare:
I leave you with a confession: I was grateful to be in a small, safe town such as Verona this past Saturday. I was getting ready to start my Saturday adventures when I realized that my car needed to be scraped off. Like most people, I wanted my interior to heat up to a toasty marshmallow temperature as I scraped my car. When I got out of the car, I locked the door behind me out of habit.
Like a hungry puppy, I looked through the car window just to stare at my keys dangling in the ignition, my purse on the passenger seat, and my cell phone nestled inside my purse. Perhaps it was out of human instinct, or stupidity, but I continually tried to pull my locked car door open. It was almost as if I told myself that I could will it open if I just thought about it hard enough. Then again, if I had OnStar that would have worked (but I don't). Instead, I walked my flustered self across the street and made friends with my neighbors. They took me in and let me make long distance phone calls on their cell phones. If that doesn't scream, "New Best Friends," I don't know what does. That reminds me, I need to send them a Thank You note and some cupcakes. If only I had access to a cupcakery...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Cold As Ice
I have an awesome brother who drove with me up to Verona/ Madison, WI. We went up through Chicago (love you, I do) and spent the night in Milwaukee (mon ami). It was such a throw back. I've always wanted to go back to Milwaukee. I've longed for Alterra coffee and Bella Cafe's almond with raspberry filled scones. It was awesome to share these things with Michael.
It's almost been a week since moving back to Wisconsin. The Madison area is definitely different than Milwaukee. It's almost like Columbus. It's a very big college town with a huge emphasis on sports (blah). But with sports aside, it seems like a nice place. I haven't had the chance to really get out and explore, but I've done a little. I live in Verona which is about 20 minutes west of Madison and 35 minutes East of Dodgeville (where I work).
And that brings me to the reason I'm here: Lands' End. I'm working in the womens wovens design department. This co-op is already intriguing simply because I'm not working on a product development team. I'm really excited to see what opportunities come from this co-op. My team is pretty small (4 people) and they're all in their 20s/ 30s.
Lands' End as a company treats their employees well. There's an awesome rec center on campus. It has an olympic size pool, hot tub, track, work out machines, tournaments, and classes (such as yoga and pilates) during the day. I'm excited to take advantage of it. But what I don't understand is why Lands' End moved from Chicago to Dodgeville. There's really not much going on in Dodgeville. It mainly consists of Lands' End corporate, Wal-Mart, and McDonald's. To me, the 35 mile/ minute commute from Verona to work is worth it despite the toll it takes on my tank.
Well, I best be off. The fashion world needs me tomorrow.
xo
P.S. I can't believe this is my last co-op! yikes.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
London Calling
Hello, hello!
The last time I blogged I was in Florida! Now, I am in England! What an amazing adventure. Today is my one week mark for being here. Time is flying by and I am exhausted.
To bring everyone up to date, I am attending Kingston University in Kingston Upon Thames in England. I live in a flat and have my own room with a (very very tiny) bathroom. I have four flat mates and we all get along well. The flat across the hall from mine is pretty cool too. Needless to say, I've made fast friends :)
Every day has been packed full. I'm pretty much taking tons of field trips for my classes (British Culture and Society, Museums and Galleries). I can already say that I am enjoying my Museums and Galleries class more than Culture and Society. It's an amazing feeling to see artwork, in person, that I've previously studied!
The food in Britain isn't the best in my opinion. It's hard for a vegetarian to find variety here. One thing I am loving is chips (french fries). yummm. Even though everything here is expensive, it's not too hard to find a cheap meal. At Pret A Manger, I can get a baguette sandwich, crisps, and a water for 3.80 pounds ($5.70). But I don't expect to be eating the infamous British Breakfast any time soon. They do however have wonderful scones and jam here!
This week I went to Hampton Court Palace where Henry VIII lived. That was interesting to see, but I wasn't over the top excited about it. Yesterday, I went to the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, and the Transportation Museum. I must say that I really loved the National Gallery the best. I got to see Jan Van Eyck's "The Betrothal of the Arnolfini."
That was absolutely amazing. I really wanted to see Velazquez's "Venus at the Mirror," but we didn't have time for that in the tour. I plan on going back there this weekend :). The great thing about the museums here is that the majority of them are free! They think that everyone should have the opportunity to learn about art. Such a a great philosophy!
Tomorrow I am going to the Tate Museum and Tate Modern. I'm very excited for that. This weekend will consist of a lot of independent trips (the majority of people are going to Scotland this weekend). I feel like there's still so much in London that I want to explore.
Next week I'll be going to Oxford University, Imperial War Museum, Bank of London Museum, Museum of London and Dockland's Museum.
Alright, that about sums up my first week in Kingston/ London.
Until next time...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What Happens in Fort Myers Stays in Fort Myers
It's been quite some time since my last update! I've been busy enjoying everything here! True, Fort Myers isn't the most lively place, but it still has some things to offer. It also doesn't hurt that I know people here. Here's the gist of what's been goin' on...
WORK: This subject likes to circle round 'n' round. There seems to be a lot of down time for a few days and then it picks up for a few days (and back and forth). Normally I'm sketching in illustrator or creating and updating technical packs. The other day was exciting because I went to a Soma store and tried on the majority of the clothes there (during the work day). The other intern and myself did this as part of a "customer experience" which was organized by HR. This was to help us better understand the current merchandise in the store and have a better idea for the fit and quality when it hits the floor. Later that day I also modeled some yoga wear and a 7 way dress for a District Managers Meeting. It was nothing fancy, but again, it was a nice break from a banal work day.
SOCIAL: It's been great hanging out with the interns here. Everybody is getting along really well and we've actually been able to find things to do (or rather they find us?). There really aren't a lot of young people down here, but we've found a few. Last Saturday we made some friends at a restaurant/ bar by the beach. One of them apparently just got signed on as a player of the Yankees and is training in Tampa for a few months. I'm not sure how much I believe of that, but that's ok. I think next week we'll be singing karaoke with them, so that's something to look forward to. On Sunday, my roommate and I hosted a Super Bowl party! It was so much fun pulling everything together and I'm so happy that everybody was able to come! And on another positive note, the smoke detector didn't go off once while I was cooking for the party. I think I'm getting better at cooking!
CINCINNATI: I'm coming home to visit in LESS than 2 weeks! I'm so excited! It will be great to see the family! I always miss them and all of my friends when I'm away, so this will be a great break. It's kind of funny that going to Cincinnati is a break for me. Most people come to Florida for a break! On a superficial note, I'm also excited because I get to change out some of my clothes down here! Nobody could have predicted this chilly weather and I certainly didn't pack the best clothes for it. Burrr!
TAMPA: This weekend I'm heading up to Bradenton, FL (not far off from Tampa). My roommate and I are visiting her aunt up there. We already have a packed schedule for when we're there! But I think it will be a great time.
As you can see, I've been enjoying it a lot down here and I'm looking forward to everything that is still ahead (my trip to Tampa and my visit home especially)!
Sorry for the delay in updates!
xoxo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)