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Round 2 at The Electricty Showrooms

12 Feb 2010

I went to a play! My first review on Spoonfed in quite a while and it was worth the wait, for me at least, as it was a brilliant event.

Entirely new, utterly creative and complete with the risk of everything going disastrously wrong. What more could you want out of theatre?

Read on: Round 2 at The Electricty Showrooms – Spoonfed London.

Month of the Meetups

1 Feb 2010

Apologies (again) for the radio silence but, as if I weren’t busy enough, I joined a gym – the incredible 37 Degrees in Olympia and while I know the love affair with the elliptical won’t last forever, I’ve spent most of my free time there this last week.

However while the gym may have taken over my mornings and weekend, January has proven to be the month of meetups in that I’ve attended some quite fantastic ones over the last few weeks, and branched out from my regularly attended London networking events.

First was the fabulous YesAndClub, a group founded on the basis of the idea that you want to surround yourself with people who say “yes… And?” To an idea rather than “yes, but…” I had heard a lot about the group before I visited as a guest (members must either be recommended by a current member or apply) and found it to be a fantastic collection of people. In particular, it was nice to be around people whose background covered a range of business initiatives rather than just tech.

Also that week I attended a dinner hosted by online publishing company Blurb, who print high quality books users create themselves. Not only did we have a chance to see the quality and range of products that Blurb produces but we also spent an enjoyable dinner discussing the pros and cons of social media in business, and how small companies can leverage that medium. It was a ton of fun, not least of all because all of the invitees were women, which led to some lively conversation.

Speaking of women, the following week I had a chance to attend an event hosted by TheNextWoment, an online magazine and business network for women that also hosts fantastic speaking and networking events. The event I attended featured a range of speakers talking about business strategy, as well as an excellent opportunity to network with some of the most accomplished women in London.

So in the space of a few weeks, I’ve had a chance to connect with a fantastic range of people, learn some business and social media strategy and, of course, join a gym. Not a bad start to the new year! Happy Feburary everyone and if you’re stuck for what to do on the 14th, take a look at Spoonfed’s Valentine’s Day ideas for a laugh, if not necessarily for the world’s most romantic date ;-).

Something to Scream About

24 Jan 2010

On Saturday, a small group of us visited the London Dungeons, a tourist trap of epic proportions featuring mangled London history, mutilated “facts” around horror stories and a combination of cheesy and spooky live acting and props that would put the Disneyland haunted house to shame.

I was somewhat surprised by what a great time I had.

The family entertainment was certainly less scary than I (in my ‘fraidy-cat-ness) had feared, the amazing snapshot above being a product of the drop-zone type ride at the end of the tour. There were a fair few ‘things that jump out at you with a loud scream’ or ‘things that go bang behind your ear’ but the majority of the tour was actually pretty witty scripting for the live actors (who included the unfortunate souls surrounding such infamous names and events as Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd or the bubonic plague).

The circumstances that saw us purchasing tickets were a special event at the dungeons that lowered ticket prices by more than half – and I honestly can’t say it was worth the full ticket price. But at ten quid a head and on a gloomy Saturday morning, it was the perfect London entertainment.

Happy New Year from the Fitzgeralds

31 Dec 2009

Hello.

2009 has been quite a year and at the Fitzgerald household, we’ve been paying attention to local, national and international news to look for key trends that will affect our economy, our world and our future. As we’re sure you’ll agree, 2009 had one big takeaway: you’re nobody if you’re not on reality TV. Not to be outdone by Balloon Boy’s family or the White House gate crashers, the Fitzgeralds too plan to cash in on this lucrative and attention-seeking pastime.

Lila, between taking care of the family, continuing to cook incredible meals and kicking butt on the tennis court, has honed her business skills working as a finance and HR manager for a Bay Area start up. She will be pitching an Apprentice/Iron Chef crossover where she evaluates small business proposals, rewarding promising startup ideas with baked goods and office management advice and chasing the bad ones out of the meeting room with a tennis racquet.

Jim is staying fit with regular morning exercise at hours he claims exist before 7am and is excited about a new startup project he is leading which will most likely change the world as we know it. With that in mind, Jim proposes a business show in the style of Gordon Ramsey’s The F Word or Biggest Loser where he goes into small to mid-sized businesses, yells at them until they cry, makes them do pushups, then saves their crumbling business.

Connor is 16 and is planning a new mashup show of Survivor and American Idol. As a Boy Scout finishing up his Eagle project and a member of a local band, he would be ideally placed to beat out the competition as he eats bugs to survive and makes alliances, only to stab competitors in the back by stealing the lead guitarist spot right before the big show. If worse came to worse, he could always appear on Pimp My Ride, as if his driving the family car weren’t horrifying enough to his sisters.

Kelly turned 20 this year and we fully expect her to be the star of House MD International, where, as an up and coming college biochemistry major, she travels around the world solving medical mysteries. Since she spent the summer working in hospital placements in Argentina and already speaks fluent Spanish which she continues to study at Vassar College, the show will send her to remote forests with forgotten languages – just to keep things interesting.

Meaghan is 23 and has moved to London where she is working for a tech startup doing marketing and sales while drinking lots of tea and trying her best not to acquire a British accent. Because her company reviews and lists London events and entertainment, Meaghan plans to star in a cross between the Amazing Race and Paris Hilton’s New British Best Friend where she travels around Europe looking for the best parties and wearing the best clothing on a limited budget.

As you can see, the Fitzgeralds are perfectly placed for prime time action. Any producer would be crazy to pass on these opportunities and all of the exciting things to come in 2010. Of course the supporting cast of all of our friends and family have really made this year red carpet-ready and we couldn’t have done it without them.

That sounds like our cue, and we wish you the best for 2010. Look for us on Channel 2… we’ll tell Balloon Boy you say hello.

Love,
Meaghan and The Fitzgerald Family

London Eats: Lucky 7 Diner

19 Dec 2009

Before heading back to California, Alex, Henry and I had an end of the year dinner at a Notting Hill diner with, what I was promised were, the best hamburgers and milkshakes in London. With that tall order, and hearing the two of them gush about various dishes on the menu the entire way to the restaurant (California burger with avocado and mozzarella; onion rings; chocolate milk shakes… uh oh, I’m getting hungry again!) I was really looking forward to our meal.

We arrived at the diner which, true to its word, felt like a 50’s burger joint, complete with red booths and a silver bar from which fountain drinks, fries and burgers appeared with impressive speed. We settled down to business with milk shakes and placed our orders for various burgers – and low and behold, Lucky 7 Diner has managed to create an American tasting and looking burger in the heart of Notting Hill. Delicious :-).

Lucky Seven Diner

127 Westbourne Park Road
London, W2 5QL, United Kingdom
020 7727 6771