To Trench is To Be Divine

Yeah, I just made that up. I took advantage of my "no school/no internship yet" day and stayed in my robe (yes, robe) until 1pm today. But don't worry. I made up for it by doing my work-out video. I ventured outdoors once and once only to return a few items I bought at H&M. I was so tempted to buy several things, namely, two AMAZING trench coats, perfect for the Fall season that's rapidly approaching! I was tempted, I pondered, I tried on and looked in the mirror multiple times!...and then I put the coats back on the rack and walked away. This is pretty incredible of me, especially since this lady saw me with one of them on and told me how perfect it fit me and how good it looked on me. Thanks for nothing, lady! But actually, I love that lady. And I'm afraid that, for $59.95, I'll be returning a.s.a.p to that lovely H&M store to purchase [at least] one of the two wonderful and totally affordable (I just remembered, I get paid tomorrow!) trench coats!
Besides, I have not.one.single.trench.coat.in.my.wardrobe! It's justified.(That's not the one I'm talking about, but it's adorable, too! Ugh! H-n-M, you kill me)

Oh, and blazers. I'm gonna need one or two of these, since my internship will probably require me to dress up a bit. Again, justified.

(But the actual one is a lot nicer looking. Yes, for me, this is "dressing up")

Nanny By Day, Genius By Semester. Ha.

I started babysitting last week, and it initially was going to be once a week for 8 weeks. But the two kids took to me so well, the mom asked me to come two additional days (though she only needs me half the time on those days). Today is my first day alone with them, for a full 9 hours, too. They're adorable children and really well behaved. The girl is 3 and the boy is 15 months. I would post pictures, but that is probably not a good idea without the mom's permission. You'll just have to take my word for it. They are adorable. Both have dark, curly mop tops, big, dark brown eyes and are very sweet. I must say, it's strange being around kids again. It seriously feels like ages since I've been around any. I get to play "mom" for the summer, and I'm totally ok with that. Maybe it will cure me of my maternal cravings. Below is a photo I took today during the kids' nap walk. I walk them in the stroller and they fall asleep. And I get to look out at the water and the Statue of Liberty. That's what is in the distance, behind the water taxi. Not too shabby.

On a more scholarly note, I received my grades for this semester. I can't believe my own two eyes, but the computer says it all. As all across the board! Seriously. Maybe grad school isn't as hard as undergrad, or maybe it has to do with the field I'm actually interested in that's doing it. Whatever it is, I'm just glad I'm doing something right. And I was totally kidding in the title. I am no genius. Just a girl with a big heart and more than decent writing skills.

The Killers and My Rockstar Experience

Thanks to a very generous cousin of mine, Abby and I got to go see The Killers play in concert for free last night at Jones Beach Theater.Little did I know what those free tickets included. I knew they included seeing Ronnie do what he does best:A pleasant surprise was the VIP backstage passes.But the amazing bonus was an invitation from my cousin-in-law to ride back into the city (about an hour drive) with the band on their tour bus and hang out with them a bit. Of course, I don't have photos of that part of the night. All I can say is, it was a surreal experience. Abby and I actually witnessed the business side of being a world-wide rock band, as the band manager and others proceeded to do their job (marketing, advertising, etc. opportunities). We just sat there, like a "fly on a wall", as Abby actually put it. Everyone was really, really nice and didn't seem bothered by the fact that two random girls were sitting in on their meeting. In fact, Brandon and Ronnie turned to us a few times, making little comments. It was funny. For the first time ever, I actually met each band member, not to mention the band manager. I talked with him a little bit at this bar everyone went to, once back in the city, and found out that he did law school at NYU. He told me I'm going to love it here. I concurred. And Dave, the guitarist, and I chatted about how crappy it is to work in retail (he worked at Banana Republic for a year and a half).

Ronnie helped me get a cab home, and that was that. An amazing night, with some local Vegas guys who were just that, after you take away the stardom.