This still exists...?

I have 10 blog followers. Why? I don't even like blogging...I forget that it exists (at least mine) on a daily basis and frankly, why do 10 people care? But hey--thanks! (because I'm sure you totes still read this.)

I haven't blogged in almost 2 years...A lot has happened. A lot. And if you are one of those 10 followers, you already know it all, so I might skip this bit. Long story short. England is amazing, but it didn't like me for a bit and I had to go back to the horror that is the USA for four months. In the Summer. When it is HOT. I worked for a health insurance company, which is the first time I've had US health insurance since graduating college. Yay America. When I'm in England, even as an international student, I've always had healthcare....And Socialism is bad because...?? After those long months, I was granted a 2 year extension on my visa and hopped the first plane back to my homeland :)

Within 2 months, I had landed my first paid gig (ok, first real paid gig) in publishing at Perseus Books, have moved to a different flat (living in sin with the boyfriend. Oh my!) and have kept up with my one woman travelling show around Europe show. In 2 weeks I leave for a long weekend to Malta. Hoorah!

I miss Oxford, not daily, but weekly. I miss the closeness of it all. The friends down the road...rather than a 2 switch tube ride or walk/bus/walk. However, when I was searching for jobs, and I interviewed there, it didn't feel the same. Let's face it--the year I spent living in Oxford and studying at Brookes was the *best* year of my life. I cannot foresee a year topping it any time soon. And as much as I love Ox and I love my friends that are still there...It won't be the same if I go back. I'm a city girl at heart. I need the public transit, the pollution, the bustling of business men as I walk to and from work. I love it. Oxford is quaint and I'd love to 'settle down there' someday...but someday is not now.

For now, I'm working on becoming a true and tried Londoner. I push my way through the bank intersection; I stand on the right and pass on the left; I allow people off the train before shoving my way on. I'm looking forward to spring and summer and lying out in the park, drinking pimms on the river. British Summer is the best kind of summer and I was robbed last year.

Le sigh. This is why I don't blog.

Holy Hot Ginger Twins, Batman!

Told you.

This is the quote of the weekend. Well, I feel that there was meant to be some other quote from Saturday night karaoke, but alas Maria and I were too drunk and therefore too hungover the next morning to remember it. Such is life.

Real moment of glory from the weekend (besides my rocking rendition of I love Rock and Roll at Dave the Rave's karaoke!) was going to Blackwell's Charing Cross to pick up Beyond the Fold a young adult fiction novel that you all should run out and purchase...
Ok, pay me and I'll get you a copy. Anyway, this book is written by my dearest buddy Maria and I've done all the edits and designed it, including cover. And here it is printed! It's a real book and oh so exciting!

After picking it up, we wandered around to various bookstores, placing it on shelves and snapping photos for my project but mostly for ourselves. We're both so insanely dorky it's kind of endearing. Don't you think?

J xx

Holy Blog, Batman!

I've been saying this a lot lately. Ok, not necessarily about blogging and not always outloud. But trust me, it's been in my head. I have no idea why or how it got there...but I'm not hatin'.


So, I feel a bit shameful about blogging because I should be working on my major project (read: the culminating project that I have to do in order to get my MA degree. Otherwise I will get a PG certificate that basically says 'well, you paid all the money but just weren't quite good enough to make it! better luck next time!') Oh, and did I mention that without the MA I can't extend my visa?? Rough. And yes mumsy, I have passed all my classes, I work on my MP daily and will have it finished because, let's face it, I shine under pressure. So don't worry about your little girl who is still oh so far away.

For my MP I am editing, designing, marketing and analysing my friend Maria's YA story Beyond the Fold. It's really good, and complete! Will be sent to the printers early tomorrow morning! WHOOHOOO! Now onto finishing that marketing plan, writing that report, flushing out the website...yikes.

Enough about school- although since I haven't posted in forever, a real school update is fairly due. Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. The real reason for my sudden blog attack is that as of Friday, 13 August (aka THIS FRIDAY!) I will have been living in the UK for a WHOLE YEAR!! Ok, technically I left the US on the 13th and arrived in the UK on the 14th. But let's not be persnickity. SO much has happened to me over the past year, it's really quite unbelievable. There were times at the beginning that I doubted myself-- See Copenhagen. :P But really, I am so incredibly proud of the past year that I can hardly stand it.

I have made great friends. Truly. I've never had a rough time making friends in general, but I ALWAYS have to have my core group of pals that I confide everything in (and if you have been in this group, I deeply apologise for all the drunken outbursts, rebellious streaks, and times I've made you blush with my sailor mouth. I do love you truly.) Don't know what I would've done without a few special people this year. Especially when it came down to some pretty intense courses.

I have loved and lost and loved again. Most will know that I ended a relationship of 4+ years a couple weeks after moving to Oxford. I know it was the right decision. Our time had run its course, and although I love him deeply for the experiences we shared, the friendship and the growing we did, It was ready to be over. Sadly it took us a while to realise it. It was hard, I'll be honest. I didn't think I'd ever meet anyone, date, find someone who I was as comfortable with. At 24, I feared the worst. I know, silly.
However, I dated. I flirted. I explored. I met boys with accents ;) And then, in a pub with live Irish music the inevitable happened. I met someone who made me feel comfortable, who made me laugh and smile, and most importantly had a British accent. GOAL ACHIEVED! lol

I have sorted out my career path, and then changed it. Maybe. I'm still unsure. Ok...I know (MOTHER!) you're freaking out right now. Let's get some things straight. Obviously I'm still working in publishing. Hello?? I did not spend all this money, an entire year working the most hellish job ever, and expend all that effort in classes for nothing. I am absolutely completely in love with the publishing industry. More so than I was a year ago even. For reals. I've always known I want to do editorial. Three editorial placements later, still sure (though rights is appealing...). I've wanted to do fiction, because it's my favourite genre. This year I narrowed that down to Young Adult fiction. And then NPD happened. Most importantly the fact that I was MD of the fiction division. And said fiction division needed to make a crap tonne of money. So we produced 'erotic romance' and I was introduced to every facet of the genre. And you know what? It's hilarious, it's entertaining, it's a cash machine. So, now this week I started a 6 week placement at Mills and Boon. The Harlequin of the UK. The romance genre QUEEN. So...YA or Romance/Erotica? Choices, Choices.

I explored the world. Well, some of it anyway. I went backpacking, duh, before the course. I made it to 10 countries. 1o! Just fathom that for a bit. I sure have been. Looking back I still can't believe I did it. Sometimes it was hard, sometimes it was pure bliss, sometimes it was just plain strange (warsaw kebab. seriously.). While on the course I went to Frankfurt and Mainz Germany for the bookfair and Guttenberg museum respectively. Still in love with Germany. I went to Paris with Amy during her visit. I went to Cambridge (alright, not exactly centre of the world). I spent two weeks living in an ITALIAN VILLA in Florence. FOR FREE. What?! Wow, I love Europe. Oh, and i went to 3 concentration camps. I'm planning the memorial trip to Auschwitz/Birkenau in January...Please see me if you'd like to attend :)

I've changed me. In the best of ways, I assure you. I've grown up. I'm working on certain things (Ahem, Vo. What you're always telling me..I'm getting there!). Most importantly I'm happy. Oh yeah, and I just moved to London! You are welcome to visit, but if you're coming from the states I will expect American groceries upon your arrival. Just saying.

I am still absolutely positive that I was meant for this country, this industry, this life.
Hopefully I'll keep you better informed (and more frequently at that) in the future.

Cheers,
J xxx

--EDIT-- blogger is being stupid and I can't post pictures. I will do. Don't worry. :)

Life is What Happens to You When You're Busy Making Other Plans...

- John Lennon

NPD. Nowhere Boy. Torpids. Purple Turtle. Banksy. Quiz.

That is my weekend in a nutshell (or will be). Not sure the student life is easier than living in the 'real world' and I've done both so I can definitely judge. :)

There is no such thing as Monday through Friday 9-5 in the life of a student. At least not for a Postgrad.

Will update for real after the weekend perhaps? Next week is careers week (read: no classes) so it might be possible. Probably not.

xx

One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

Le sigh.

Courses have started up again (finally, after an almost 6 week Holiday break. Outrageous) and I am already feeling very, very overwhelmed. This feeling began one week prior to my classes, when my work experience boss asked me to read a random fiction manuscript that had been submitted. I am currently doing my work experience at a small publishers in Oxford that produces non-fiction, literary travel guide-type books. Not fiction, although that is what I am interested in. I read the manuscript, wrote up my typical intern reader report and discussed it on a rainy Monday morning with the boss. Turns out, he agreed with all my points, liked the manuscript but alas didn't think he had the time to put into producing it. So what's a small publisher to do? Why, use the intern of course! That's right, I have been given my very own title to edit and design for which I will be given an editorial credit for. My name will appear in the book. Wowza. And, because I'm such a great friend, I've hooked Bri up with the cover design job as well. The manuscript is great and I'm having a good time editing it so far. Challenging, but in the end...very rewarding.
This term we have three modules, two electives and the huge, culminating, scary-- NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT! AHHHHH! In NPD we all become the Buckley Publishing Group and are split into divisions. Let me just say that this division splitting thing was the source of many sleepless nights for me leading up to our first class. In the end, all was OK as I am in the FICTION division (WHOO! although one of the tougher ones for the industry, sigh) and as of yesterday, I have been made Managing Director of our division. If only that job paid...
My elective modules are Rights Management (the 'law' of publishing if you will. Who owns what, for how long, and what else can you sell to make some more money) as well as Publishing and Language Issues (translations, minority languages, censorship). So far, so good. I've always been a language junkie--still considering that PhD in Linguistics, maybe--so I am really enjoying the course. We've been split into groups for our first assignment and I am in the minority language category. Very interesting to see what is out there in the world as I've been sequestered in American English for oh so long.


On a slightly different note, I am currently living in the house sans flatmates. As of last week, all 3 of my flatmates are practically official doctors, i.e. they passed their exams, whoohoo! They all spent sooo long revising and practicing for these massive, tedious exams and then I joined them in a bit of celebration in the city centre thursday evening. On Saturday, two left for elective placements at hospitals outside the UK. The third is visiting family and will be back at the weekend sometime before leaving in about a month for elective herself. It's sort of nice having the house to myself, although I do miss a bit of hustle and bustle every now and then. I realised I haven't lived by myself since the second term of my first year at Uni. That's the beginning of 2005. 5 years ago. And even then it was in a dorm room surrounded by people...and I was never really there anyway. Elective is 10 weeks...It's going to be a long 10 weeks.

Picture: Me inside King's College (?) chapel in Cambridge, January. Rocking the WV of course!

Aside from coursework and actual work, I've began working on my major project which is due 1 September (although not as hard as I should be...sorry M!). As mentioned above, it's all feeling a bit overwhelming and I'm a little emotional tonight. Again, le sigh. Combination of living alone, too much work, guilt over not doing said work and the upcoming ridiculously stupid holiday is not a good one tonight.

However, tomorrow night I am having my favourite oxford friends over for a fantastically girly sleepover! Just have to make it through a day of work and then on to the fun!

Decided I should put a few more pics on here. We went to London for the day a couple weeks ago for an SYP event. During the day we made our way to the V&A and the Natural History Museum. Enjoy!

Inside the V&A sculpture room

TRex inside the Natural History Museum. This thing moves, roars (or whatever dinosaurs do) and in general, scares small children. We enjoyed it thoroughly.

Trafalgar Square at night and in the misty rain. We met up with others from our course to have dinner in the Crypt Cafe at St. Martin's in the Fields, a church directly across from the square. Good food, and cheap for the local!

'I Wonder Anybody Does Anything at Oxford But Dream and Remember...

... the place is so beautiful. One almost expects the people to sing instead of speaking. It is all like an opera.' -WB Yeats

(Picture: My adorable Marius cannot wait to move to Oxford!)

Ah! So good to be back in Jolly Ol' England and Oxford! I arrived last Sunday morning and darling flatmate David met me at the bus stop to lug all 5 gazillion pounds (or kilos!) of my crap to the house. A million thank yous for that as the UK was covered in snow and our streets were definitely not plowed. Oy vey. I understand that England is not used to mass quantities of snow, but goodness, could you splurge for some snow plows, or something? Actually, I take that back because the snow seems to stay prettier when not moved around or trampled upon (as everyone has off work/school as well!). Provides for some great snow ball fights :)

I was in the States for about 2.5 weeks, most of which I passed at mum's house in East Berlin, PA. I know I had only been out of America for a measly four months, but goodness! I really had forgotten how strange it is. Things are bigger, louder, more jesus-centric... It was a strange wake up call. And, yes. I still love England. I'm not leaving ever again. You'll have to drag me kicking and screaming out of this country. Seriously. I'll go into hiding. I'll flee to the Cotswolds or something. Not leaving. EVER. :)

Whilst in the states I was able to see all my loves: Amypoo, the TRIFORCE!, family, etc. Spent one very quick afternoon in WV to gather some things and enjoy spinach dip and frozen margaritas at Cheddars (love) with Amy and her family. Liz and Maria came to the middle of nowhere (aka East Berlin) for New Year's Eve and we had a drunken love fest of a good time. Met my new niece, Sophia, who is a little doll. Yes, I like a child. I voluntarily spent time with a child. I'm either growing old or soft. Time will tell. Also went to karaoke twice and managed to show off my extreme British drinking skills once and my extreme drunken skills (not to mention random chat ups) the second time to family. Epic.

Mumsy and I went to NYC for a quick overnight trip. We saw two shows (Memphis and Mary Poppins), did a lot of walking and sightseeing, and spent a lovely 3 hours in the Cellar at Macy's getting our gab on. I think she may have developed a 'buy Jen a glass of wine and see how much you can get her to spill' agenda. That's ok by me.

Since being back in England, I've managed to do one day of work experience which I'm really starting to enjoy. I'm designing the latest cataloge for the company and also doing some market research. Completely different to what i did at my previous work exp., but definitely putting to use all the skills I learned in term one...Score! Bri and I went to Cambridge on Thursday to see the sights and put this month and a half long break to good use before we're covered in course work again. Cambridge was fun (RAINY), it's pretty...but I still prefer Oxford. I can see why people in England think Cam is more beautiful as compared to Ox, but I have to say I'm in disagreeance. I may be biased...because I'm just so in love with Oxford I can't bare to leave it ever again! :)

I am very much looking forward to courses starting up in a couple of weeks. I have too much free time now and nothing is getting accomplished. Must work on major project. NOW...or tomorrow :)

Laters!

Oh where, oh where does the time go?

Today is 18th December 2009. It is the last day of the first term of my MA in Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. Whoa. Seriously...where did this semester go?? It's really hard to believe that it has been 12 weeks since I met everyone, sat in my first MA class, had my first marketing assignment (!). Sometimes it feels like it's been months, years...and at others (or for other things, maybe) it's really hard to believe we're already finished one term. I am 1/3 finished with my MA. WTF!

And, to be sentimental...of course, I really have fallen in love with a bunch of people here. I'm still so in love with the course and of course England. It has been one of the busiest, craziest and drunkest 12 weeks of my life...but I wouldn't change any of it.

Tuesday we presented our editorial projects and my group was voted into 3rd place by the judges (lecturers and a guest judge from Palgrave Macmillan)! We were really surprised and really excited! We had no idea we'd win anything, but we did bring cookies :) (It was a proposal for a student cookbook...c'mon!). Tuesday night was fairly lovely as well...dinner at Jamie's and drinks at Copa. Enough on that though :)

Wednesday we had our last marketing lecture EVER! We had a guest speaker on PR and it was probably my favourite lecture of the term. I forgot how much I really like PR and I'm thankful for the speaker for reminding me I have alternatives besides editorial! Wednesday night was the FABULOUS MA Christmas party at the swanky Randolph Hotel downtown. 3 course meal and dancing the night away...with the lecturers. Let me just say that seeing our production lecturer get down to 'Dancing Queen' was priceless and worth the 35quid pricetag!

Thursday we had our Production exam which I think went fairly well...but to be honest, no one cared much about after the party! Not that I didn't try (I can hear you mumsy!) but it wasn't a huge exam and some of the questions had appeared on our exercises a couple weeks ago. I know this is boring...moving on.

Today we presented our design projects. My group met this morning to get a nice version printed out in the media centre and then had a team breakfast. This is probably the part I'm most excited about...When my group first met waaaaay back in Sept/October, we realised that no one had any design skills. Fail. But 12 weeks and many hours in the TONGE later and our book is AMAZING. I am so proud of us and of it that I could not stop smiling all morning. Afterwards a bunch of us went to the pub for lunch and drinks and then Bri and I went to the city centre for some last minute shopping.

Busy, busy week...great culmination to the busy 12 weeks I've been having. I head to the states on Monday morning and while I am definitely getting more excited (especially for certain things: MEXICAN, FRIENDS, KITTEN, Yes, you MUMSY!) but also sad that this term has come to a close. Next term we'll be back (most of us, and a few new additions), but we won't have everyday together like we did this term. We've got electives next term. So instead of 4 days a week with the same people, I'll have 1...it will be a HUGE change. Sigh. Growing up is hard.

Leave you with a lovely pic of Bri and me at the Christmas do
xxx