Nothing Says 4th Of July Like A Calypso Band

It's becoming harder and harder to keep everyone updated! Time has been moving so fast, with so much going on that I only just realized I'm heading into my fourth week! That means only four weeks left and with a couple trips approaching, I only have one more full weekend in London. I'm trying not to think about it....
Work has been going great! The first week or so was definitely intense with a lot going on and a lot of hands on experience, but things have started to calm down a bit and I'm feeling more comfortable and confident with the tasks I'm given.  Every once in a while I'll get the typical intern things to do like update a contact list or take stock of a client product, but it's really not bad. I haven't had to run and get coffee yet so I'd say it's been a success! Last week I had the opportunity to sit in on a brainstorming meeting with a few others in the office.  Basically, when a new client comes in, we have to start thinking of ideas to get them coverage through different events, surveys or getting celebrities.  What was cool about the meeting was we were starting with no budget so we could think of the craziest, most expensive and unrealistic ways to bring attention to the client and then kind of tweaked them into ways that would actually work.  It was really interesting to be there at the very beginning of a campaign and see how it all develops from an insane idea to a doable action that the client would be happy with.  Another day, I got to do some editing of a national tv show by cutting out any prop placement for brands that we represent.  The show was called Primeval and it was kind of ridiculous. There were giant bugs and dinosaurs coming out of the ground and wreaking havoc on everything. Really classy. But there were actually some great placements for a couple car and laptop brands that I edited together into a kind of montage and placed on a disc to be sent to the client as proof of revenue for the agency.  I liked that I was able to bring in my love of film to the PR side, even if it was a laughable, sci-fi alien drama. 
On Friday night a few of us decided we wanted to hear some live music so I looked up bars around London and found Auld Shillelagh. It was ranked the best Irish bar in London because of the traditional Irish music.

 It was a little farther than we usually go, but it was amazing! It's in a nice little burrough of London that's still in Zone 2, but a little quieter and not as busy as central London.  The pub was small with some table inside and a pretty nice beer garden (we Iowans love our beer gardens).  The band was three people, a guitar, banjo and fiddle and they sat at a table right across from us. I think they were all from Ireland and they were really nice.  During the break we talked to them for a little bit and I found out one of them had actually been to Iowa while touring with a band! It truly is a small world.  They were really good and it was one of the best nights I've had in London. Especially with my first Dublin trip coming up this weekend, it got me really excited to head back to the Emerald Isle. 

 So far this week has been great! Although being stuck in an office surrounded by British people on the 4th of July wasn't my ideal choice, I did manage to find some Coors Light and we had a little celebration in Spitalfields that night. Nido, our residence building, attempted to throw a 4th of July party, but the calypso music, chips and salsa, swedish wine and half grilled burgers they provided didn't exactly feel very American. I've already decided a buger from McDonald's will probably be the first thing I eat when I get back to the states.  

Dublin in 3 days!!! Paris in 9!!! It's going to be a brilliant couple of weeks!