Lucky 13

Hello!

I'm bad at keeping this on a steady posting schedule, and I'm sorry but it won't ever be consistent until I'm actually in London. Even then, it'll depend on how much sleep I may or may not need that day. Anyways, it's been a rough few days since we last spoke so I came back here to remind me of what I'm supposed to be looking forward to! I think that's really what this is going to turn out to be, a place for me to go when I need to think of happy things. By myself it's a bit harder, the mind wanders off to the disappointing if I'm left to my own devices for too long, but this gives me purpose. This gives me a way to write it all down and focus only on London. Which is nice.

So anyways on this trip to London, I'm really really excited for the clothes I'm going to get to wear and buy. My friend over at Across the Pond has talked to me about having to wear cute clothes all time time and I'm going to be honest, after that I stopped listening and started thinking of all the fashion blogs I'd seen in passing, most of which were based in the fantastic United Kingdom! Coincidence? I think not.

After this first conversation I went away in search of these blogs in hopes that I had pinned them on my Pinterest or liked them on my stumbleupon account and after much searching I found a few of them. Which led me to a few more. And now I follow a few of them because seeing them in their cute clothes gets me even more excited for this trip!

This searching has also left me, for lack of better words, disappointed in my own wardrobe for everyday attire. I understand not everyone can dress up every day, but I do enjoy putting on a dress and heels and fixing my hair and feeling like a million bucks. In general the average day for Pat goes something like this:

Wake up. That's the sad part of the day because I really love sleep. Get dressed in 5 minutes. Get in the car go to class. At this point it needs to be noted it's lucky if I'm combed through my hair and put pants on. Let's be honest.

I go to class. Honestly, at my school there's no one I really have the desire to impress. Every now and then I have a few awkward encounters with people I know, but over all it's basically me going to class and going home. I know, I'm living the college life. Please stop asking me to stop my partying ways. I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me.

What I'm actually saying.

I go to work. My wardrobe consists of work shirt, jeans, and old running shoes from high school. Everyday. My outlook recently has been: What's the point of dressing up for school when I'm only going to turn around and change like...five minutes later into work clothes. There is no point. So I just skip the looking nice part indefinitely because when I get home you better believe it's comfy clothes all around.

And those are my days. I do have the occasional casual clothes I'm semi-proud of, but for the most part that area of my wardrobe could do with a little more improvement. My dress department...well, it's pretty solid. The only problem with dresses is that eventually you have to shave your legs or buy pretty tights. It's winter fools. That's all I'm saying on that.

I'm not saying that London is going to be my magical ticket to the best wardrobe ever, cause it's not. We must keep in mind that I'm horribly cheap when it comes to buying things for myself. Seriously, I can barely justify buying a 10 dollar dress for myself sometimes. It's that bad. But I feel just being around so many wonderful options of places to actually buy things, perhaps I'll become a bit more lenient about prices. Not too much though. Don't want to get too crazy.

Here's my list of stores I would like to visit before my time in London is up in no particular order:

1. Beyond Retro*

"One of London's vintage originators, Beyond Retro is now a world leader in second hand retailing. It's actually a massive clothes recycling brand, which buys truckloads of charity clothing and exports it to the third world. It picks out the best bits for its vintage stores, which are some of the most gargantuan in the capital. The original Cheshire Street branch is an old dairy, and has a cavernous feel to it, with armfuls of product merchandised by type - Hawaiian shirts here, dungarees there. Over in the new branch in Dalston, which is one of the largest vintage stores in the world, you'll find similar items but in a jazzier environment, with product filling every inch of a vast old factory, complete with a café and stage for impromptu performance" TimeOut London

 Look how pretty it all looks! They even have a website for buying things! I'm pretty sure I could probably spend a few hours easily in each of these shops and it makes me super excited.

Google Street View, you truly are amazing

2. Absolute Vintage*

"Absolute Vintage may be a stretch away from the crowds of Brick Lane, but that doesn't stop it filling up, and with its cluttered display of goods, browsing can get tiresome. However, clothes start from a fiver upwards here and you can easily throw together an outfit for under £100 - although you'd be wise to exercise some quality control. The cracked shoe soles and faded colours take some patience to sift through, and boots are overpriced at £50 or £60. But the quantity of goods makes up for the quality, and there's a great cabinet filled with hard to find Chanel bags." TimeOut London

Can I just be there now? I know I probably won't be able to hit all of these spots, as I haven't even gotten to the Charity Shops, Car-Boot Sales, or even Portobello Road or Columbia Road Flower Market. At this rate, it might just be best if I stick behind and live out the rest of my life in the wonderful UK.

3. Wow Retro

"This airy secondhand store is filled – but not overstuffed – with affordable garments. Unusually, the men’s section is up front, offering a choice selection of leather jackets, suit blazers (from £40), cool army coats and surprisingly, football shirts. The womenswear ranges from the ’40s-’00s, although the last two decades err on tatty. There’s a smattering of slightly dated designer clobber from Prada and Mui Mui, as well as Burberry trenches from £125 and Liberty print dresses from £30. If you’re in the area, check out the additional men’s and women’s Wow Retro branches on Mercer Street, but don’t expect to find pristine vintage; these items are well loved as opposed to lovingly preserved." TimeOut London

This one looks cozy in the I won't feel completely uncomfortable walking in like the other two might make me. The other two intimidate me, this one looks comfortable.

4. Cafe Vintage*

"Tucked away on the largely residential Mountgrove Road, Cafe Vintage joins a petite parade of independent shops. Sisters Aysha Sparks and Nadia Allman head up the bijou boutique-café crossover and offer a distinctly nostalgic nod to 1940s Britain. The charming café (featuring homemade, retro-influenced cakes and artisan breads) leads to a small backroom rammed with personally selected, washed and ironed vintage. The wartime era is well represented here, but '80s and '90s outfits, shoes and accessories also feature and, though the space is small, a good scour is usually well rewarded. If you have spare threads yourself, Cafe Vintage also runs a competitive consignment service, with 50 per cent of the sales price going back to the seller." TimeOut London

Do you see that? Do you see how cute that store looks?? I can have tea and cake here! TEA!!! Do you understand how British that is? I think you do.

5. Camden Thrift Store

"Clothing and accessories are piled up on every surface of this long, narrow shop in Chalk Farm Road, but don't be put off by the madcap merchandising. While this store is lacking a little in presentation, the varied stock and helpful owner more than compensate. She'll ask what you're looking for and pull out several items for you to try on - a rare service in vintage shops. We were tempted by an immaculate '60s A-line pure wool dress, for £25; as well as a '70s coat suit at £30. The quality of some items is a bit hit and miss, but, with bags for £10 to £20 and tops starting at £10, prices are reasonable for the area." TimeOut London

Are you seeing how adorably small that is? Cause I am and I am loving it! I also would like to point out that down the road past the Subway is a place called Chalk Farm Antiques. Nifty? Yes. Yes it is. Thank you Google Maps.

Well...nice try Google Street view. 

6. Episode

"This easygoing store could do with a tidy up (Converse sneakers, £21, were strewn on the floor at our last visit), but it's a cheap and unpretentious place. Episode is an Amsterdam-based chain and stocks mostly European brands. There's a uniform price policy, so all dresses are £21, whether it's a Paula Yates-style fuchsia and black cocktail frock, or an on-trend orange and brown paisley shift. It's the place to go for hats, especially berets (£8.50), and accessories in general; gloves are £12.50, bags £21.This is a warehouse and dead-stock outlet, rather than a hand-picked experience, but everything is well displayed and it's easy to locate what you're looking for."

The thing that makes me happy about this store is that Google Maps was just like...HAHA! You thought that would work for every store? Peasant. But still, I suppose it's nice to know there's a bus stop there. And besides, it sounds reasonably priced. A little on the high side for the likes of me, but reasonable in comparison to other places.

7. Persiflage 

"If you're unfamiliar with the rabbit warren layout of Alfies Antiques Market it can be daunting, so we recommend a beeline for the cosy vintage shop on the second floor. Owned by Gwyneth Trefor-Jones, who is also responsible for Essex Road boutique Past Caring, Persiflage has been going for an amazing 25 years and is frequented by fashion students, stylists and even, apparently, Whoopi Goldberg. The shop features a wide variety of pieces from the '20s right through to the '80s, as well as Victorian items, with prices ranging from £30 to £200. If you're into restoring or recreating vintage clothing, then you'll love Persiflage's secondhand lace, buttons, beads and sequins, as well as sewing patterns and books on how to become an expert dressmaker." TimeOut London

This one interests me for that last sentence, as I would love to become an expert dressmaker! Do you understand how ridiculously hard it is for me to find clothes my size? Let alone vintage clothes my size? I was unfortunately cursed with a chest and back side and you know...hips. All of which I find horribly difficult to fit into clothes. And besides, I'd really like to go to Alfies Antique Market anyway, so it's basically a while I'm in the neighborhood situation I have going down here.

7.5 Velvet Atelier (Downton Abbey Clothes!)*

 "Owners Anna and Mike recently moved from the second floor to the ground floor of Alfies Antique Market, giving them a street-facing shopfront. Velvet Atelier is already a favourite with the 'Downton Abbey' wardrobe department and designers such as Nicole Fahri because of pieces like a '20s flapper dress or a '50s creation by Marilyn Monroe's designer Ceil Chapman. They can also be rented for 20 per cent of their cost, a great option for brides-to-be who only need one day in white. If you're after something a little more contemporary, the shop also stocks a carefully chosen selection of '80s and '90s pieces from the likes of Moschino, Vivienne Westwood, Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen." TimeOut London

I only have a desire to go to that one beacuse I mean...juts knowing clothes for Lady Mary could've been picked out from there makes me smile. I'm sure I could never afford anything there, but just eye candy is nice sometimes.

8. Annie in the Attic

"If you love the more eccentric and outrageous side of vintage dressing, this South London store hidden above a hairdressers on Balham High Street is just the place. Set up by the mother and daughter team behind monthly local fair The Vintage Event, Annie In The Attic brings together wild frocks, bright and bold shirts and skirts and an excellent selection of men's suits, all ranging from the'60s to the'90s. There are plenty of bonkers (and really quite cheap) finds here, though you might also come across the odd more pricey designer item - we spotted a Biba jumpsuit and even a pair of ancient Manolo Blahniks." TimeOut London

 It looks nice. And it has cheap in the description. That's always nice too.

9. The Beehive*

"With its leopard skin ceiling, racks of vinyl and rails of retro fashion, The Beehive is a colourful Greenwich must see. Crimplene enthusiast and store owner Deborah loves the '60s , but gears her buying towards the local student population, whose idea of vintage is the era in which they were born. Rails are lined with high waisted Levi's jean shorts at £20 a pair, Peter Pan collared cardigans at £15 and quilted patterned jackets at £35. There is even a trunk full of shirts, scarves and other accessories where each item is £1 for those that are still waiting for their student loan to come through." TimeOut London

Dollar trunk? Heck yes please.

10. Vintagehart*

"Combining two of our favourite things, Vintagehart is located in a pub. The hanging space is surprisingly small considering the quality of the hand-picked stock. Owners Dawn and Annette select bright, bold dresses in the ubiquitous Mad Men style, but clothing covers the '40s to the '80's, plus Young@hart - a great range of retro chic for under 5s. Look out for Dawn's own line of bespoke, vintage-inspired hats from £30 to £50, commissioned for £65." TimeOut London

Those are two of my favorite things too!!!  Sounds like a trip to me! :)

11. Blitz *

"Blitz opened in 2011, and instantly put the other vintage shops in the capital to shame. This is a vintage department store, covering all floors of a glorious old furniture factory. The building itself is jaw-dropping, and has been renovated beautifully by the Blitz team. Floors are clearly merchandised with a furniture selection from Broadway Market's The Dog & Wardrobe, an accessories floor, a book collection and rails and rails of neatly presented fashion. Buyers Jan Skinners and John Howlin look to nearby Brick Lane for their inspiration, buying immaculate seersucker blazers, coloured denim, brogues and silk kimonos for their fashion focused clientele. The selection is all killer and no filler - and cleaned, steamed and folded before it hits the shop floor." TimeOut London

I just...there are multiple stories...I can't even handle this information.

12. East End Thrift Store*

"The straightforward idea behind the EETS is to provide good value vintage - which is becoming a bit of rarity in the capital. The owners come from the Topman stable, and have a good feel for current trends. You'll find lots of vintage denim shirts for £15 and jackets for £25, as well as leather skirts and cheap £10 party frocks. To bring you prices this cheap, money has been saved on decor - by which we mean to say, there isn't any. But while the converted old Stepney warehouse isn't pretty, it is functional. The first floor now sells more expensive product and the odd designer piece. Join the mailing list to hear about frequent sales and super cheap jumble events." TimeOut London\

Just clothes and no decorations? Sounds like me. I don't need the store itself to look pretty as long as the stuff I'm buying is pretty! So it all works out.

13. Rokit *

"If you can endure the loud, abrasive music blaring from either Rokits then you stand a good chance of bagging a bargain, because a lot of its clothes are £40 or under. Rokit isn't the industry star it once was, with its best product spread thinly across its many new stores, but there are still good pieces to be found. The chain also has its own line of vintage inspired garments - including Breton tops and jewellery - we rather like the gaudy leopard-head ring for £12. There's also a great selection for men at No. 101; half of the shop is dedicated to the male frame with denim jackets, coats and masses of jeans for him."

I can endure for clothes under £40!

And so that's my first installment of vintagey stores. This one took much longer to type up than I originally thought it would. Granted I lost an eBay auction while typing up and got distracted by tumblr a few times...that's beside the point. Anyways, I hope you guys have a better day or however long it is until I write next then I have recently. Let's hope something gets better!

Thanks for listening!

-Pat-

"I'm Gonna Need A Lot Of Happy To Get Over All Of The Sad."

Hello!

 As of late, it seems that my Netflix interests have been as such: 

Not necessarily all of those shows, but it seems that ever since deciding upon going on this adventure my tastes in British television have only increased from the slightly obsessed to the full on version of obsessed. In honor of some of the British television I have watched lately or in the past, this is going to be a fun post of clips of delightfully British things! Mainly because I need some cheering up, and British things generally make me happy! So here goes:

We'll begin with the namesake of this blog...

Doctor Who Clips that make me smile:

Captain Jack Harkness when he believes to be facing certain death. Silly Captain Jack. You shouldn't be worried about death right now. You've only just been introduced, and your face is too pretty to kill off just yet.

If you haven't watched past Season 6 of Doctor Who then refer to video above, and kindly skip the next video. Thank you for you time.

 

Look how flustered he is! Matt Smith is adorable. 

Spoilers end here...sort of. Not really. If you're unaware of River Song you should probably skip to the next section.

My favorite are 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, and 1. "That's so close to the perfect sentence." Yes River, yes it is.

Sexy. The TARDIS is sexy. Teehee.

Donna is perfection. I could post the other 2 or 3 videos with her...but this one pretty much shows how perfect she is and makes me smile. So it qualifies. 

Downton Abbey Clips that make me smile: 

Dame Maggie Smith,  being amazing in Season 1. I was tempted to post the one for Season 2, but this just sums it up oh so nicely. 

For some reason I'm really enjoying Season 3 much more than the other seasons. It might be my favorite to date, because while the other two were great in their own ways, this season just mixes what I feel is the best of Season 1 and 2 and makes this beautiful baby. 

Sherlock Clips that make me smile: 

There's a severed head in the fridge. I mean...it's just great. And Sherlock's pouting and Watson's being reasonable. So much love.

He's wearing nothing but sheets in Buckingham Palace...am I allowed to do that??? PLEASE?!!? Side note: how many times do you think it took to film him catching it just right so it didn't show any of his bum? Teehee. To be a fly on the wall while they were filming that...

Love is a dangerous disadvantage. Too true. I loved everything about Irene Adler in this episode. Every. Last. Detail. Dominatrix. Her code to a booby trapped safe were her measurements. The fact Sherlock looked at her in her power outfit and figured out said measurements. How set Sherlock's phone to that moaning noise for anytime she would send him a text. It just makes me so happy! 

Teehee. She mentions his impeccable cheek bones. Seriously, where are these boys and their cheekbones coming from?!

The Catherine Tate Show Clips that make me smile: 

This was my first clip into The Catherine Tate Show that showed me that I needed to watch Season 1 on Netflix. I'm still not completely finished, as I have found that too much British sketch comedy (even with the beautiful Catherine Tate) can be a bit much for me. But I love it all the same! 

David Tennant and Catherine Tate. That's all I really need to say here.

She's just not drunk enough! 

Elaine Figgis. Her first documentary with her husband on death row in Texas was funny, and this is even better. 

The IT Crowd Clips that make me smile: 

Fire. Made in Britain. I haven't seen this show in a while, but it still makes me smile so I'm adding it. 

Moss just makes this show for me. And it's about fire again...maybe there's a trend...

Yeah, because of that fire trend towards the end I decided to stop there, but I could go on. I hope these improve you day a little like they did mine, if only a little bit.

Thanks for listening!

-Pat-

Reasons

Hello!

I turned in my application today...or technically yesterday, but I've never really liked technicalities. So for all intensive purposes as I have not slept since I turned it in, it was today. This is going somewhere I swear. Well, when I went in the lady that I've dealt with the only time wasn't there, so instead I had to deal with the older gentleman who is more...loud? Boisterous. Let's go with that.

The older gentleman then interrogates me and long story short, I pass his test. He explains how I need to get an unofficial transcript and then we talked about Sociology for a little while and I went on my merry way. Well, after my second class of the day (as I had turned it in after my first) I printed off my unofficial transcript and went in the second time that day.

Luckily, the quieter lady was there and she had me sign a few papers and what not. She also gave me the letter they were going to send off in the mail, but since I had come in at just the right moment where she was printing it off I got in while in the office. This same thing happened when I first went to her office, and asked about financial aid. She called the financial aid lady (who is apparently always busy) and my timing was perfect so that I went in that day and got the estimates of how much I was getting.

No worry, no fuss. That was it. This whole experience has been surprisingly smooth which for me, is an oddity. The way things work in my world, things go wrong. That's what happens. It's to the point I expect it ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

I don't want to tempt fate, but I honestly feel like I'm supposed to go on this trip. I know that sounds odd coming from someone who's been so excited it's all she can talk about on facebook, but not in the: 

Well, kinda in that way, but it's mainly because I'm getting antsy. See, I've lived in this town all of my 20 year except that little stint at a University two hours away for 3 months. I've always wanted to get out, it's still happening. I just realized in that 3 month time period at that time, I wasn't at that state of mind that could be described as ready.

Little did I realize the novelty would wear off after the first six months of being back. I love it here, these are where my friends are. My life right now is here. And I accept that, but recently there's just been a part of me that wants to get up and leave it all. While that's a very rash choice to make, and I don't make it lightly, I figured this was the tamest option I could pick.

And so far everything is just kinda falling into place. I've turned in my application. Oh! And my friend and I reserved our tickets for Highclere Castles!

With our tickets we'll get to see the gardens and the castle. They've also currently got an Egyptian exhibit there as well, and while that would be interesting to see my main focus is the gardens and the actual castle. It's going to be marvelous!

In my time away I've also found a few places that I'm going to bookmark as possibilities of places I might like to visit. The first place I'd like to discuss is a Cabaret/Bar called CellarDoor:

Photo courtesy of their website.

The description: Imagine 30s Berlin meets New York basement dive. Sold. Here's there website. The music on here entices me, and their list of cocktails does not sound half bad. A few such drinks include:

• Never Trust A Flamingo: Premium Plymouth Gin shaken with fresh Watermelon,  dash 

of Lemon Juice and dried out with a touch of Campari.

• Honey (I drank the) Daiquiri: A twisted classic with Appleton Jamaican Rum shaken with 

homemade Honey Syrup and freshly squeezed Lime Juice.  

• Pin Up Review: London’s very own Beefeater Gin complimented by Elderflower, Raspberry, fresh lemon juice, and soda
• Simone De Beauvoir: The sweetness of Strawberries combined with the dryness of 

Perrier Jouet Champagne.

I'm not an alcoholic, I swear. They just sound really really good! The bonus of going here would be seeing the show. Entrance is free, so I don't see how spending an hour or two here could really cause any harm. It looks nice! Perhaps not the kind of place I'd get to go here, so it sounds like an adventure waiting to happen! 

Anyways, I'm rambling at this point. 

Thanks for listening!

-Pat-

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I'm All A Twitter!

And not necessarily about a girl, like the song suggests

Hello!

I know that might seem kind of random, but I was thinking of a post title and then I came up with "I'm All A Twitter!" I then felt compelled to Google search it and found this adorable song. So I felt like sharing. As that's what this is going to be about: sharing. Mainly about my oncoming trip to -insert drumroll here- LONDON!!! I'm so excited!

Anyways, so my friend was going before me and had a great idea to make a blog about her experiences so I figured, why not? I'm not stealing, as she's mainly just going to post when we get there it seems. I would like to use this as an opportunity to keep track of where I would possibly like to go and all the information that comes with it! I've been so frantic looking up all the things I want to see and then I'll look them up and forget about them. I end up saying, "No Patricia, you'll do this same Google search again in a few days and you can write it down then!" But I highly doubt that will ever happen as I am a procrastinator extraordinaire.

So my story begins as such: I'm a student at a random school that shall not be named (kinda like Voldemort, but more secretive) and I'm in my second semester of my Spanish class. Our teacher, an adorable woman I shall refer to as Senora, started talking up the program to Spain. Senora said that it would cover my remaining two credits of Spanish I still had to take, and I'd get to be in Spain! With an argument like that, how could I refuse?

I decide to look into it more, and find out that my other friend is going to London instead. Then after that, I look into both programs. For a while I was conflicted, because I would've really liked to get those Spanish credits out of the way, but on the other hand I'd always wanted to go to London. And I wasn't going to be able to do both. There was no way I could ever dream of affording that!

In the end I chose London. Spain was out for a few reasons, including the fact I can barely speak Spanish in my class and the fact I'd be living with a host family and being continuously surrounded by the language was a scary thought. I figured if I was going to leave the country I should not feel like I'd end up in tears after the first day of being exposed in a high dosage to my language. (This is funny, because I am Hispanic but my parents never bothered to teach me Spanish. Thanks parental units. Thanks.)

That's my story! I still need to turn in my forms but once that's done I can start doing official like things like getting a passport and international student id. But those are the boring bits that I will take care of this month. The exciting bits are going to be discovering where I want to go!

These are the top 5 places that I know without a doubt I would like to see in my time in Europe:

1. The Doctor Who Experience: If you haven't been able to tell by the title of this blog, I am a HUGE Doctor Who fan. Even the knowledge that I'm going to be in London where these people have been makes me so very very excited! Going to this, for me personally, is a definite must! And I mean it's Cardiff! All kinds of things can happen in Cardiff!

2. Highclere Castle: Next up on the list is Downton Abbey! How could I not?! Getting tickets is going to be a challenge, I can already feel it. But I want to be there so bad I can hardly stand it! My boyfriend says I have to bring him back a handful of gravel from the entry way. To that I say, "Challenge accepted."

3. The Eiffel Tower: There's a mini-break built into our schedule where we can go anywhere! Paris is on the agenda. I've always wanted to go the Paris ever since I watched and rewatched Anastasia as a child. It's also been backed up by my recent viewing of Funny Face. So I'm hoping this part of the trip goes as such:

4. The Moulin Rouge: While we're on Paris, I would like to see this place. I mean...at least get a picture in front of it! It's so cool! I probably wouldn't be able to pay to see the show, and I'm certain it would make my two companions slightly uncomfortable from the preview! But boy would it be cool! A picture in front of it is all I ask though. I don't think that's asking too much at all, do you?

5. Platform 9 3/4: Another picture perfect spot. Right in King's Cross Station. You'll for sure be seeing me here! I mean...it's Platform 9 3/4...how could I not?!

I feel like I've rambled on a bit for a first post, but I'm so excited! I can't wait to go! Though I do wish teleportation was a viable option, but alas, a plane will have to be my mode of travel. 

Thanks for listening!

-Pat-