I have been put to the test this week, taken out of my comfort zone time and time again and continually being challenged. It's been great! Mercedes had a few clients come in that she handed off to me completely and it was up to me to take care of the whole meeting from start to finish - learning about what stage they are in the design process, seeing the products they have designed, and giving them my opinion on what steps they should take going forward. When she first told me, "Sean, you are handling the next meeting all by yourself," I was really nervous and thought to myself, what can I possibly tell this person that is going to help them out and not make me look like a complete idiot.

The first meeting was definitely a little awkward as I fumbled my way talking about the belts this guy had designed. They were actually really cool, though my knowledge of the belt market is limited. Here is a guy who recently designed a dress for Whoopi Goldberg and showcased it on the morning talk show, "The View." Then there is me, third day on the job, giving him my opinion whether I think his product will sell. Not sure if I managed to avoid that complete idiot thing.

We also visited the show room of the Zuccaro collection. The owner showed me the collection for Spring and Summer 2008 and it was up to me to pick out what I would like to buy based on what I learned will sell from my trend forecasting meeting on Monday. It was for a boutique based in Las Vegas. Though she wasn't happy to admit it, Mercedes was quite impressed with my choices saying that it usually takes much longer to train someone. Now if I could just learn how to dress myself!

We are now in Margaretville, NY for the weekend. Mercedes and her husband Aldo have a home up here and they were nice enough to bring us up for Thanksgiving dinner and escape the city for a few days. Tomorrow I will be working in Mercedes' retail store "Dig In." It is the biggest shopping day of the year, 'Black Friday,' with many stores opening their doors at four and five in the morning. Should be pretty exciting!

I will be back in Manhattan Sunday evening and am still not sure who I will be working with on Monday or where I will be sleeping. I would like to stay in New York city for two more weeks so if you have any ideas/contacts for potential One Week Jobs, let me know!

-Sean