Author Archives: downtonmaggie

Wedding Planning!!

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Just because I’m getting married does NOT mean I have to spend a fortune on a wedding. It can be beautiful, classy, elegant and still be less than $10,000. I am a firm believer of this.

Some ways my fiance and I are saving money on our wedding:

DRESS:

If you read my last post, then you know that I bought my wedding dress for $145 (plus shipping). Yes, I bought it online, which many of you may be afraid of. Yes, it was shipped rolled up and stuffed into a box. Yes, there were a few threads hanging off when it got here. BUT, it looks just like the pictures, it fits beautifully, and it was ONLY 145 DOLLARS!!!  Continue reading →

Life Changes

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So many changes have happened in the last few months:

1. I dyed my hair! 

My lovely blond locks are now a dark auburn brown color and I love it. Emma Stone is my hair idol and if she can go from blond to auburn, then so can I.

https://instagram.com/p/2JdCOQLbuE/?taken-by=downtonmaggie

 

2. It’s finally warm enough to be outside and not want to cry! 

I am LOVING this weather. Highs in the mid-70s is my ideal temperature. [cue “Sunny with a High of 75” by RelientK] Cool enough in the evenings for me to open my window; warm enough during the day for me to go without a cardigan. Keep it coming, Spring. I love you.  Continue reading →

NYC Summer Lovin’

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Y’all, I love summer in NYC. There are so many free events and classes and movies and dances outside in the many, many parks of the city. It may be hot and we may all be dying of heat exhaustion in our non-air conditioned apartments, but that’s okay because we’re going to spend most of our time outside attending awesome, FREE events.

So let the planning begin! Jazz Age Lawn Party! Dancing in Bryant Park! Bryant Park FitClub! Movies at Bryant Park! Midsummer Night Swing! MetOpera Summer in HD Festival! Central Park Film Festival! ETC, ETC!!!!

Enjoying some noms at the Jazz Age Lawn Party 2014

Here’s lookin’ at you, summer. Jazz Age Lawn Party 2014!

A Snowy Day

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Another month or two has gone by and I’m finally posting again.

It’s snowing this morning – tiny, wet snowflakes that alternately drift and plop. I love snow. It’s so magical. It adds a sparkle to the world so that everything looks like it’s been touched by fairies. It at once makes me think of Narnia, The Nutcracker, and some sort of fairytale in which I am inevitably the main character.

I’m listening to The Nutcracker right now. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers and his music goes so well with the snow.

I’ve just had a brilliant idea. I should film something in Central Park while it’s still covered in pretty white piles of snow. Hopefully it will still look pretty by next weekend… Of course, I have no plot in mind (I rarely do), but I can envision little scenes.

Speaking of which, I published my new personal website recently. It features an entire page dedicated to my short films. Take a look!

http://downtonmaggie.wix.com/maggieoleary

Work and Play

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Even though I’ve graduated from college and haven’t been in school for nearly 6 months, I still think of my life in terms of semesters. This “semester,” this fall, has been an interesting, challenging, yet fulfilling time of my life. I’m making money (finally) and getting to do fun things that I love. From September through December, it feels like a typical fall semester full of hard work and fun excursions, but without the stress of finals.

WORK:

Things are looking up, people! I have a fulltime job! Yay!!! I’M AN ADULT!

In October I landed a job as the Front Desk Administrator at the International Culinary Center in SoHo. I get to develop my administrative assistant skills while working in a fun environment filled with great people and delicious food. A win-win for me! Continue reading →

Change in Season

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Things are finally starting to come together. It’s a new season, both literally and figuratively. As the air cools and the leaves start to change colors, I am applying to jobs, working on a personal website, and enjoying the friendships I have in NYC.

A few weeks ago I took a contemporary dance class for the first time in years. It was AMAZING! Sure, I felt stiff and awkward and generally out of shape, but I left feeling inspired and sore in a good way. Dancing makes me feel more alive. I seriously can’t wait until the next class!!

Then, this past weekend, I got to go to the New York City Ballet and see a program of pieces composed or arranged by Stravinsky and choreographed by Balanchine. A few of the pieces were very odd: Continue reading →

Dance Academy and the Post-Grad Life

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Dance Academy

Dance Academy

I just finished watching Season 3 of Dance Academy for the second time. Though it’s definitely the weakest of the 3 seasons, it meant more to me this time. Just as I related to Andy in Toy Story 3 because I was also going off to college, I relate to the characters in Dance Academy who study for years and then don’t get a company contract. I’ve been in school for 16 years (not including Kindergarten). I came to NYC to go to college hoping that at the end of my four years I would have a job waiting for me in my area of study. How naive I was.

Continue reading →