Fly me to the Moon

Someone just introduced me to this poem, and I’m in love. One day I want to be the professor that thunders this at a classroom full of freshmen.

White founts falling in the courts of the sun, And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run, There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared, It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard, It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips, For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships. They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy, They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea, And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss, And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross, The cold queen of England is looking in the glass; The shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass; From evening isles fantastical rings faint the Spanish gun, And the Lord upon the Golden Horn is laughing in the sun.

Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard, Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred, Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall, The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall, The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung, That once went singing southward when all the world was young, In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid, Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade. Strong gongs groaning as the guns boom far, Don John of Austria is going to the war, Stiff flags straining in night-blasts cold In the gloom black-purple, in the glint old-gold.

Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums, Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes. Don John laughing in the brave beard curled, Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world. Holding his head up for a flag of all the free. Love-light of Spain - hurrah! Death-light of Africa! Don John of Austria Is riding to the sea.

KATE SPADE NEW YORK 182 regent street, W1 our shiny new shop. it’s a sophisticated two-story wonderland filled with a little bit of everything we love most—dazzling dresses, kids, tabletop settings, furniture, perfumes, dainty flats (and a few surprises, too). essentially, everything you need to live colorfully.

AIN’T NOTHING BUT…BLUES BAR 20 kingly street, W1 there’s something in the music at this neighborhood blues bar—and the intimate atmosphere, which reminds us of the late night sets at smalls in nyc. in both places, we easily “forget” what time it is.

SKETCH 9 conduit street, W1 ongoing artist collaborations, dreamy interiors (case in point: the all pale pink velvet dining room) and don’t-talk-i’m-eating-deliciousness food.

FORTNUM & MASON 181 piccadilly, W1 we dream of having their tea and cakes again almost as soon as we’ve left the building. (back home, only the carlyle hotel has that same effect on us.)

DANIEL HERSHESON 45 conduit street, W1 every day’s a good hair day with these mood-altering blowouts. we have them on speed dial right next to manhattan’s drybar.

TRIYOGA kingly court, W1 yoga, pilates, treatments and wishing we could namaste-all-day.

COWSHED 31 foubert’s place, W1 the LON-NY connection: true mani-pedi perfection.

ROSE BAKERY AT DOVER STREET MARKET 18 haymarket, W1 a homey spot to snack between shopping on both sides of the pond.

THE WOLSELEY 160 piccadilly, W1 our favorite spot in town for a proper dinner (martinis included) with a side of people watching. it’s our sant ambroeus away from home. 

SHOTGUN 26 kingly street a craving for fish and chips in new york sends us to a quaint little place called a salt & battery. likewise, when in london, we sometimes want real-deal, extra-napkins-place american barbecue (with divine banana pudding for dessert). and for that we beeline here.

BOB BOB RICARD 1 upper james street, W1 every table has a “press for champagne” button. need we go on?

CRUMBS & DOILIES 1 kingly street, W1 new (scrumptious) cupcake flavors daily means it’s worth poppy by every day. like magnolia bakery in new york, it always happens to be a “convenient” stop. 

THE LONDON LIBRARY 14 st james’s square, W1 the complimentary weekday evening tours are not to be missed—exploring the world’s largest independent lending library is as cinematic an experience as a fall afternoon at the 5th avenue branch of the new york public library. 

PHILLIPS 30 berkeley square, W1 the new york city outpost is a favorite of ours for bidding and browsing alike, and london’s branch is just as brilliant. 

FILM CLUB AT THE SOHO HOTEL 4 richmond mews, W1 extra-glamorous screening rooms and champagne make this so much more special than simply going to the cinema. more so than even the paris theatre in nyc. 

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS burlington house, piccadilly, W1 it’s london’s MET: a gorgeous place to get lost while taking in classics and contemporary pieces alike. 

PETER HARRINGTON 43 dover street, W1 previous vintage books (think first edition dickens and super-rare shakespeare) charmingly tucked away in a gallery-like shop. it’s like a miniature, highly-specialized version of the strand bookstore in the big apple. 

It’s in my closet in my parents house, but it was essentially just a three ring binder with dividers + page protectors.

– College Information: I started the binder early on so I had a page protector that had a few brochures of colleges that I was interested in. (Do colleges even send these anymore?! I used to get like 54 a day!)

– Resumes + Transcripts: I kept a bunch of up to date resumes and transcripts (both sealed and unsealed) on hand so I could reference as necessary. It was also helpful when I would go to interviews or campus tours because I always had the most recent information and paperwork on hand.

This is a side note, but if you haven’t gone through your transcript with a fine tooth comb, I would recommend doing it every year of high school. I found a mistake (wrong grade!) from a high school class I took in eighth grade…. but I didn’t catch it until February of my senior year when it was too late and grades had already been frozen.

– Monthly Calendars: I printed out sheets of blank monthly calendars from Microsoft Word. I filled in official deadlines, personal deadlines, interviews, college tour dates, etc. I slipped them into page protectors but would pull them in and out of the sheet to add something or to cross something off.

– Hard Copy Applications + Paperwork: For every college that I was applying to, I printed out as much information about the application process as I could so I could make sure I was doing everything and had the essays I needed done. I’d put a “check list” in a page protecter in front of every separate college so I could keep track of what I’d done and what I still needed to do. The checklist also included email addresses, contact information, etc. that I thought was relevant to the school.

My name is Dayna Dobias and I have Cerebral Palsy, which is a physical disability. As you can see, my disability causes me to have some visible differences. Over the course of my life I have been bullied, mocked, stared at, laughed at, and discriminated against. Last year I started college and kids at my school were so cruel that I had to withdraw from school. After living like this for 19 years, it is time that I take a stand and I need some help with this. No one should have to feel like I felt and no one should have to experience the bullying, mocking, staring, laughing, or discrimination that I have gone through. In order to make a difference, people need to be kind to one another and stop having such hateful behavior. I order to make the world a more positive place for all, I have made an anti-bullying campaign called “Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti Campaign.” This campaign’s mission is to make the world a kinder place and this starts with you. Take the pledge and help make a difference. 

Reblog this with #IThrowKindnessAroundLikeConfetti to pledge to be kind to others. 

The Pacific - Objects: Sledge’s bible.