On my 17th Day of Interning some tasks ive done to date: 10 Types of Bias, 9 Metres of Shearing, 8 Tweed embroideries, 7 tricky stiches, 6 Lattes from Starbucks 5 WOOLEN COAAAAAATS, 4 silky blouses, 3 Couture samples, 2 beaded squares and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (minus the partridge or the pear tree)

Coffee. How do people get WORSE at making it? When I arrived in NY I discovered a place called 'Gregory's Coffee' opposite my building on 7th avenue... for the first 3 days at work I had the worlds most incredible coffee... not only did they make the effort to create shapes in your foam with the hot milk... but it was the perfect temperature to down straight away in time to start my first task as soon as I reached the office. Disappointingly - it deteriorated from then on in. The coffee now burns my tongue on a regular basis to the point that this morning I had to request 'Not Too Hot' to be written on the side of my paper cup on its way to the barista... which in hindsight I realise may have looked slightly odd to those ralph lauren employees who joined me in the elevator this morning. My coffee was BEYOND hot... it was scalding... which I didnt even realise until in the lift. I grimaced and yelped as I burnt my tongue right infront of the Ralph Lauren employees holding my paper cup which claimed it was definitely 'not too hot'. Mortifying. One burning grimace later and I got to work in a manner of oscar the grouch just less green and less hairy... but my tongue, unlike the statement, was definitely incredibly hot.

Tomorrow I shall ask for a thermometer to be placed within the coffee before I drink it to make sure it is not at the level of burning, scalding or even the mildest irritation.

Laundry. I have been officially initiated into the world of Laundromats and public clothes washing. It didnt even cross my mind before I left that most people in New York DO NOT washing machines. Something I will forever take for granted after my 8 months of having to fold my smalls infront of the world and his wife. So on Sunday I went and did my first wash. Right across the street there is a Laundry called 'Zip' or something equally as nauseating. I went in with my blue and yellow ikea bags having separated my goods into white, colour and dark... and approached the counter. A wonderful smiley eastern european lady with cumbersome bosoms and a cropped platinum haircut popped up from nowhere in her apron and greeted me. She showed me how to buy a card and top it up (how very modern i thought to myself) i then loaded my machines and swiped my card clutching my giant box of detergent.. and much to her dismay when she opened my box i sadly did not have the standard plastic measure to dose out the powder into the machine, I had substituted this for a spoon. A spoon. Boy did she giggle as the tiny grains of 'spring fresh' detergent scattered across the top of each of the three machines ever time she or I filled them. Note to self: find a measure of some sort for next time.

An hour later and after a quick dash to the nearest deli where i ended up forking out $25 for bread, milk, cheese and cereal (never again) My washing was done. Now for the hard part... folding it infront of a room holding an eclectic mix of the east villages best inhabitants... There was a man with a vast beer belly and a home-dyed blonde bob who kept swearing and muttering to himself dragging a huge trolley style cage, there was a sweet looking mexican couple who were chillaxing on the seats in the waiting area (obviously a regular trip for them on a sunday) as well as the eastern european lady who runs the gaff and her assistant who wore rhinestone encrusted jeans and hoop earrings. I cannot wait to do laundry next weekend. I may even stick with the spoon to make it just that little bit more of a challenge.

Halloween... Or Hallows Eve... The Americans LOVE it. And luckily so do I. I was walking down 14th street on saturday when to my great JOY we discovered a halloween store. This place is only temporary but it is enormous and filled with some of the most disturbing yet incredible props and costumes I have ever seen.

Some horrible rubber zombie babies on display 

Rubber Rats, Skull wine glasses, battery operated corpses who appear to be crawling out from the ground ($59.99 a bargain)... I was in Halloween Heaven (or hell i guess would be more appropriate) But for me, the highlight was the costumes. Why anyone would dress their child up as a tootsie roll is beyond me...

it is hilarious, as is the hulk...

This year I plan to be a dinosaur.

Pterodactyls are the way forward.