What a crazy roller coaster of a week. It started out rather rough, but got much better once the weekend came :-) So completely ignoring the events of the week...let's start with the Mindshare Summer Party.
On Friday, the worldwide team had our summer party hosted in Clapham Common. It is a day for the company to relax, eat, drink, answer pub quiz questions and enjoy some laughs with fellow colleagues. This day also reminds you of why you work for such a company. Yes times can be rough, and our schedules are quite tasking, but we all care for each and it is days like this that remind us what a unique company Mindshare really is. Someone once told me that if you cut me, I would bleed purple -- I am a Mindsharian through and through. I want to deny it on days, but I think I need to come to grips with the 5+ year relationship that I have had with this company.
So after a late night of drinking, eating 9 orders of chips and garlic bread and later dancing - - it was time to prepare for the second annual Clapham Pub Crawl. Starting where we were supposed to finish last year, the course started in Clapham Old Town and made its way through the High Street upward to Clapham North (strategically ending near my flat). There were a total of 9 bars mapped out for this crawl ranging from beer gardens to pub to swanky motijo bars. It was a bit of a mix, but I did get the chance to go to some places that I have been wanting to go, but never have. Did also discover a really nice pub that plays ESPN America, so will have to check out the pub on American sports nights...will look forward to baseball season there :-)
A total of 10 people embarked on this challenge, some who had partaken in the first pub crawl, and others were new and were not aware of the challenge ahead (I should have warned them that half pints were going to be the ticket to survival - instead I kept this token of wisdom to myself). It was a delight to have the group together. Most of us have been working crazy schedules (me in particular), so we do not get the chance to gather as a big group often...so when we do it is without doubt that the evening is going to be filled with dancing, laughing, singing and great moments that we will cherish (and if we forgot them, there are plenty of photos to capture the day). We were blessed with great weather and the ability to tour the beer gardens of my neighborhood during the first half of the crawl - - we later had to go inside once the sunset as the temperature fell. 
In town for the weekend, and one of the reasons for the crawl, was my dear friend Chris Parks from the Mindshare NY office. I've worked with Chris for the past 3 years or so and he was go-to person when I was having one of those days and just need a hug. You always need a hug-it-out partner at the office. The fact that he sat across from my work husband did make for some interesting maneuvering (tee hee hee).
It was a nice relaxing weekend with Chris. We never had the chance to spend so much time together so I am happy that we got the chance to catch up here in London. Chris after all is responsible for introducing me to Buck Hunter and consequentially my obsession with this game when I am at the Wharf (or any other bar).
The next day (Sunday), we travelled into London for roast on the Thames overlooking Tower Bridge. Then walked along the Southbank to the London Eye where we met up with Chris's brother and he friend. From there we walked up through Covent Gardens (where we stopped for shandies and beers), to Buckingham Palace, through Green Park and then made our way to Below Zero in Mayfair (shown above). The Absolut Ice Bar is probably one of the coolest experiences. The entire bar is made of ice, including the glasses. You are given thermal capes and can only stay in the bar for 40 minutes (you really don't want to stay longer than that to be honest). If you are a vodka fan I would highly recommend checking this place out if you are in London (and for those who are like me and do not like the taste of Vodka they have a bloody mary there that is delightful). It was a crazy weekend, filled with a roller-coaster of highs and lows. I am happy that although it started on a low, it very much ended on a high with Chris' weekend visit to London. It was a pleasure to catch up with him and have a relaxing weekend in London. Weekends like this remind me why it is I moved here :-) That said, I cannot wait until November, when I will get to see my friend Chris again while we run the NYC marathon...well if that happens...but that is another story...
Hope you all are well. Miss you all and love you more.
xoxo
T
The
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