charmin.

For the first time in a while, I've got something blog-worthy to discuss. FINALLY! Let's hope I still have it in me. Here goes...

Way back when BT, NL, and KF still called themselves non-Stonehill grads, we spent a frosty afternoon in a Christmas-decked NYC, while navigating tourists, wrapping paper, and Salvation Army Santas. We trekked from the ice skating rink at Bryant Park to Serendipidy bakery; to 5th Ave. to window shop; to Times Square to people watch. And then it hit us. We really had to go. You know... go. What were four little ladies to do? As poor college students, we certainly didn't want to buy a slice to warrant the use of a cramped pizzeria stall, nor did we want to brave those $.25 public restrooms that scream deathly, deathly disease. No worries, though. KF charmed in about Charmin and revolutionized the afternoon.

I have never looked at toilet paper the same way since.

If you haven't experienced it yet, you must. Each holiday season, Charmin sets up shop in Times Square, establishing somewhat of a dance club dedicated to relieving the aching bladders of sale-hungry tourists... and disguised locals such as myself. As you enter bathroomland, Charmin ambassadors greet you with pom-poms, dance moves, high fives, and killer smiles that make you either (1) up your water intake for the day to guarantee a repeat trip, or (2) forget about imbibing altogether to ensure that you never, ever have to take such an enthusiastic "break" ever again. I clearly sipped and sipped and sipped to the point where I dragged little sis AR into the city just a few days after for the sole purpose of having a ball in the Charmin stall one more time.

So just today, the aforementioned BT sent me this little tidbit of information: those pom-pom waving, dance move-busting, high-fiving, smiling Charmin Ambassadors get paid $10,000 smackers for a mere MONTH dedicated to celebrating the 16th letter of the alphabet. Any unemployed New Yorkers feel like cha-cha-ing your way through the holiday season? You'll certainly never have to wait on an epically long restroom line in Macy's Herald Square...

Black Friday can't come soon enough. Charmin Restroom, I'm coming home...

the flu

H1N1 has officially graced our fair Stonehill... Ick! Bust out that antibacterial -- you don't want the swine to spoil your Halloween time!

a quick muse for tues.

After years of NYC Restaurant Weeks (though its more like Restaurant Month now, much to the chagrin of my ever-depleting savings account!) in which a coveted reservation at Mesa Grill failed to grace my pocket-sized, pink (duh!) day planner, I have finally achieved a seat at a table. Well, not "I," per se; the red hot rezzy is more of a reward! As loyal readers, friends, acquaintances, eavesdroppers, family members, and pretty much anyone who will listen to me babble on and on already know, my summer intern team -- in the words of Rachel Zoe -- shut our video project down and brought home the first prize! As a result, on a lovely Fall day in November, I will be rocking a killer fabulous Tory Burch shift as I lunch at Bobby Flay's NYC hotspot of Southwestern cuisine. Red snapper with avocado and sweet potato ravioli aside (seriously, check out the menu!), I'll be sitting beside the famed and fabulous man who is Thomson Reuters' Markets Division C. E. O.! While I hope to be on an entirely new level of A-game at this chow and chat sesh, I can rest on the fact that, even if I don't land a another summer or (fingers crossed...) permanent gig at my dear Thomson Reuters, I will have had an unbelievable lunch with unbelievable company.

This is the true story of KR... The Real World -- both MTV's reality gem and the current vida loca I lead -- has got a whole new meaning to me now! Wish me luck...

the day we didn't have Internet

Just call me Laura Ingalls Wilder. Having no Internet as a college student is like being on Little House on the Prairie, except instead of having no running water or electricity, we have no Facebook... which is obviously much, much worse. It was a six-hour suffering, but through some miraculous means, we made it through. Phew. I can't really complain, though; my partner in delicious crime (a.k.a. Senorita Crackberry) kept me connected through the technological famine.

In other updates, my Halloween costume has been established. It involves green tights and flights to Neverland...

Have a great week!

first of all...

We need to talk about the recent controversy surrounding the iconic all-American designer whose classic stylings overflow my closet. Ralph Lauren champions timeless clothing with undeniable ease; his blazers and button-downs are nothing but collar-popping masterpieces. However, Mr. Lauren has gotten himself into quite the preppy pickle. After this ultra-photoshopped advertisement leaked ("It should NEVER have surfaced," stated the frazzled brains behind the button-downs), speculation arose that featured model Filippa Hamilton's "curvy" size four frame was a bit too much for the gang at Ralph Lauren to handle. (Note that her head is bigger than her waist. Yikes.) So she was fired. Fired! For being too fat. As a size four. A size four! If that's the case, I'm long overdue on a gastric bypass. I have no shame, though. You all know about my love of stretchy non-pants.

Anyhow, enough of this emaciated chitterchatter! It's Thursday. It's the weekend. Joy, joy, joy! As you can tell, I successfully made it back from the land of the Alamo. While I didn't visit the Alamo per se, I did have quite the Southwestern culture shock. Texans are a rare breed. From their steel-toed cowboy boots to their unmistakable drawls, each move they make is as character-filled as the Texas Two-Step. Yee-haw dancing aside, though, it was an awesome trip, filled with exploring the RiverWalk in Downtown San Antonio, taking in the liveliness of 6th Street on Longhorn game day in Austin, and spending time with family in the suburban desert. Most importantly, though, I had an extreme love affair with the San Marcos outlets that resulted in an explosion of new goodies: a polished grey dress, gold gladiator sandals, and a Reva tote from Tory Burch; a cocktail dress that seriously screams me, pink quilted flats, and a NYC taxi charm necklace from Betsey Johnson; a grey skirt and ruffly black cardigan from J.Crew; jeans from Banana Republic. If you were wondering, yes, I am now broke. In an attempt to reel in a sweet buck, I am considering learning to play the guitar so I can serenade New Yorkers on their morning commutes. Thoughts? Other ideas?

With love, laughter, and liveliness,

KR

Hecticness... but stay tuned!

There are far to many exciting things going on in the life of KR at the present moment to cram into a single entry, so stay tuned for some afternoon candy once my week of hellish midterms comes to a delightful close. Texas Two-Stepping is involved. $325 cowboy boots are (thankfully) not. See you Thursday! xxxx

stranded at the drive-in...

You may recall the last time I made an in-transit gracing of Chi town's O'Hare International. It involved ML pushing the pedal harder than ever, while I accompanied her on the world's fastest trip between the Fighting Irish and the Windy City's main transportation hub. I guess my in-the-nick of time arrival from way back when is being neutralized: my three-hour layover has been doubled to six agonizing hours! So far, I've killed two. Ish. As much as I love people watching, six hours in a crowded airport is a tad excessive, even for me, the queen of all things watchable.

Oy.

Starting Fires and Saving Lives

After weeks of busting rhymes to re-write Mr. Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire," my efforts have come to fruition. I ended up with a pretty fabulous Stonehill-ized rendition of the American history-chronicling hit for my "Mr. Stonehill" host audition. Despite some nerves, I went slightly nuts while auditioning in front of the 2010 class committee, singing about country music, pink and green clothes, sprained ankles, poorly performing football teams, and Obama obsessions. It was a little showcase of my Stonehill experiences, if you will. Something must have worked, because I'm one of the lucky three who gets to host the evening of swimsuit, talent, and formal wear competitions! Also, I can't help but note that when asked which actress would play me in a movie of my life, I responded with the obvious answer of Reese Witherspoon... though not before busting out the best "Bend and Snap" of my life. It seriously does work every time! Too bad no UPS guys were around.

As for saving lives, the Breast Cancer Walk went fabulously on Sunday morning. I somehow managed to rally, and was ready to roll by 7 AM, despite raging the night away on Saturday night under the black lights in my fellow Mr. Stonehill host's house. With every burn in my knees and shins as I walked the six-mile course along the Charles River, I kept reminding myself of how I'm a truly lucky girl. Many thanks to those who donated to our team, especially CO, the p-units, the Texan relatives (who I see on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!), and AK. You are all awesome!

So Victorious!

The gal I can refer to as nothing but ferosh has awarded me the "Kreativ Blogger" award! YAY! AC's At the End of the Day is quite the collection of awkward stories that involve subway-side kisses from strangers and seductive eye contact with train conductors. (Apparently, public transportation is where it's at these days!) Anyhow, the rules of this award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated

I nominate:

SA, the Stonehill-grad with whom I professionally networked back in the day -- though we've since graduated to pub crawling, pint downing, and girly gossiping. Read about her mom-hood and martini sipping at Thus It Continues.

LS's Adventures in St. Kitt's (read for vet school stories, straight out of the sunny, sandy Caribbean), ML's The Roaring Twenty-Something (read for raunchy romantic ramblings), and SA's Pieces (read for rants and recipes). These lovely ladies are my three hometown friends who jumped on the blogging bandwagon in the past few months. Reading their blogs makes me feel like we're all still just a bike ride away. Awwww.....

The Daily, NB's "Thing of the Day." I haven't mentioned my favorite wild child in a while, so listen carefully: NB is an extraordinarily clever writer whose grammatical savvy matches both her ability to dress like a celebrity and her knowledge of their Hollywood goings-on. Living large from NYC to Tennessee, NB never fails to amuse. Read her blog, and love it like I do!

KG from Living the Brooklyn Life was NB's and my boss back during our intern days at Zoom. Though she's technically a Floridian, I like to think of KG as a New Yorker at heart. She does an amazing job at taking advantage of the sites of NYC -- specifically those in Brooklyn! -- so I don't know what's better than reading about my favorite borough! (Read: I am jealous!)

TG from Jimmy Choos and Tennis Shoes writes an awesome "Workout Wednesday" feature. While I can't say I follow her suggestions as best I should, she offers some great tips to tone up! Plus, her precious pooch is to die for!

As for the seven things you don't know about me... stay tuned! I need to think for a bit! :-)