Do You Believe In Magic?

 

The first magic trick I can remember witnessing was in my grandpa's living room. He swiftly put his hand behind my curly blonde hair and grabbed a shiny quarter from my ear. Eyes wide and jaw dropped, I demanded, "How'd you do that?!" He explained to me it was magic and left it at that. A part of me still really wanted to know the explanation, but another part of me was satisfied with the answer. Magic. It sounded pretty enchanting.

Since then, I've loved magic tricks. So, when I heard about magician Steve Cohen's standing show "Chamber Magic" at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, I knew we'd have to pay a visit. Christopher's parents came into town this weekend for his birthday, and we thought, what better a way to celebrate?

The evening takes place in one of the grand suites in the luxury hotel. The room--decked out in classic mahogany furniture, lavish gold hues, and a sparkly chandelier--holds about 50 people. The audience dons cocktail attire, and Steve, who's been doing this particular show for 16 years, is wearing a dapper three-piece suit. He makes a point to thank the audience for dressing up.

In-action shot at Chamber Magic. Photo by @scotttokar #leica #chambermagic #millionairesmagician #stevecohen #nycmagic #waldorfnyc

A photo posted by Steve Cohen (@chambermagic) on Nov 4, 2015 at 4:57am PST

He explains that he got his start with magic by watching his great uncle do tricks, and that this intimate setting is kind of a tribute to that. He invites those who can't see to the front of the room to watch him do some card tricks--you know, just to make sure he's not trying anything funny. We all watch with focused eyes as he manages to guess one of the cards in an audience member's hand. And he does it every time--without fail, no matter how much the cards have been shuffled by different people. 

Hey! I Know Her: Tammy Tibbetts

You know when you're just so in awe of the people in your life that you sometimes have to pinch yourself and say, "I can't believe I'm so lucky to have them as a friend?" I actually feel that way every day. I look at my friends and think they're some of the sweetest, strongest, most inspiring women on the planet, and how they made their way into my life, I have no idea. But I'm truly thankful.

Photo Credit: Kate Lord Sander

And because of that, I thought it'd be fun to feature them in a new monthly interview series. Welcome to "Hey! I Know Her!"

Last week, I went over to my friend Tammy Tibbetts' home where she introduced me to smoothie bowls and we sat on her patio for hours just chatting. In case you haven't heard of her yet, she's taking the world by storm. She's the founder of "She's The First," a nonprofit committed to funding girls' education in low-income countries. Check out my Q&A with her below!

Q: So, I remember sitting with you in the Hearst Cafeteria in 2008, and She's the First was just an idea in your head. You were so enthusiastic about it then -- but did you ever imagine it would be what it is today?
A: When we launched, it was just a YouTube video. I thought it'd just be a social media campaign that would inspire people to sponsor girls’ education. I never imagined it would spawn a network of campus chapters that’s now close to 200, a coalition of 10 partner schools, a staff of 4 people, 5 interns, and our own office space.

Q: What do you think is to thank for its success?
A: I would say the action of college students was the match that lit the fire. When the video started resonating with them and they started organizing events and activities, that’s what made it grow so much faster than I anticipated.

Q: What do you see in the college students that you saw in yourself when you were their age?
A: I see what I was looking for. I have a diary entry to prove it from when I was a senior in college -- I knew that I was graduating from my journalism program and would probably get hired, but I didn’t feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. And I think these students found that very thing I was looking for.

An American's Guide to Being … Like, Totally British

Out of the 10,000 or so acts at The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, of course we came across a fellow expat doing a standup show on Saturday night. Alexis Wieroniey (who jokes that her dad explained how to pronounce their last name as "Wire on knee") ended up moving to London from America and loved it so much she recently got citizenship. Her hour-long standup act focused on the differences of living in the two countries. I haven't even lived here for two months, but I related to a few of her points:

• The difference between an American and a Brit receiving a compliment:
• "I like your dress." American: "Thank you!"
• "I like your glasses." Brit: "They're made of poop." (Needless to say, Brits don't take compliments very well…)
• "Sorry!" is one of the most over-used words here. Alexis joked about about falling down in the subway and ended up apologizing to a woman near here. "I'm sorry for falling in front of you. I'm sorry for having to make you look at me. I'm sorry for existing!"
• If British people know you're not from the UK, they always ask you how you like it here, whether or not you've lived here nine years and are now a citizen like Alexis. And I just thought we were getting special treatment for being newbies…

Alexis Wieroniey

It was fun to hear someone else's perspective on the different cultures, and I couldn't believe how many other expats were in the audience. I guess it goes to show you, you're never the only outsider even when you're 3,400 miles away.

Have you ever lived in another country? What was the funniest thing about the culture differences?

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A Round of Drinks & Selfie With a Real Oxford Native

I had trouble opening up my ketchup packet during date night at the pub this weekend, and handed it desperately to Christopher, who also struggled (I swear the packets are different here!) "Let me have that," an older man sitting next to us called out, grabbing and opening it in one swoop. We thanked him and continued on with our date, talking about insignificant things, while he sat alone, sipping his beer and reading a newspaper about cars. Every once in a while I looked over to see him checking in on us, like he wanted to be a part of the conversation but didn't want to impose.

Finally, we invited him in. "So, are you an Oxford native?" Christopher asked. In the amount of time it took him to say yes, he had moved his backpack over to our booth and asked if it was okay if he sat down with us. "Of course!" we said, moving our plates around to make room. "So, have you lived here your whole life," we asked.

"No," he said. "I'm not dead yet."

We asked him what places we should go to while we're here. "Coco Noir," he said, talking about a little chocolate shop on one of the main streets in our neighborhood. "Tell them Dick sent you, they'll probably charge you twice as much."

Making Friends Far Away From Home

One of the things I regretted not packing for this move abroad was my friends. I never took them for granted while I was in New York, but this past month has made me realize just how important it is to have people physically in your life. Facetime and What's App are great, but there's something so necessary about getting together with others--talking, laughing, and experiencing things together. And while they say a husband or wife is your best friend (yeah, yeah..), Christopher and I both agreed we needed to expand our circle this year. And because we know absolutely no one in this city, we knew we would actually have to make an effort.

A Bus Ride With a Little Lady

The view from the top of a double decker bus

Yesterday was an exciting day. My former NYC coworker Katie just happened to be in Oxford visiting her friend, and we planned to meet up for lunch in the city centre. Not only was I excited about seeing a familiar face, but also having that human interaction I don't really get while working from home (besides the repair guy and a few delivery people).

I hopped on the double decker bus and went straight up the stairs to the top... obviously. Then I went to the very front row--it's the best view. Turns out, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

"It's so hot," a little girl in a black and white polka dot dress shouted out as she wiggled in the seat across from me. Her mom stayed downstairs while she enjoyed the view. "This morning I just knew it was going to be hot so I put on this dress."

"Well that's a very cute dress," I told her, speaking the truth. I'd totally wear it.

"I love dresses. Every girl should," she replied.

I figured the conversation might end there, but she kept talking (and of course I kept listening.)

Mrs. Stratton's Words of Wisdom

One year ago today, Christopher asked me to be his wife. I believe my exact response was "Of course of course yes I love you ahh!" I didn't envision we'd be celebrating that moment in England 365 days later.

Today is our third day in Oxford. We're still hunting for an apartment (don't worry, guys, if I can't be on House Hunters International, I've been taking notes on all the apartments myself and will share the narration on this blog soon enough). We've taken a walking tour of the city centre (we highly recommend Footprints tours, if you're coming to visit). And we've also met some interesting people along the way. 

Enter, Mrs. Stratton....