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Where I’m off to next, originally uploaded by Aubs.

My friend Daisy – official founder of DayDrinking™ – has been kind
enough to compile a list of this summer’s awesome happenings so we can
plan accordingly. Of course, with any good DayDrinking™ event, one
must consider the following "Three A’s" rule of DayDrinking™:

1. Attire – an
appropriate DayDrinking™ outfit for a woman usually involves
something fun, semi-casual and comfortable. Of course, you are EVEN
CUTER DayDrinking™ than you thought you were before you left for
said event (an exciting side-effect of alcohol consumption) but it
never hurts to wear a dress. Cuteness is encouraged. (Guys, I know you
agree.) For you lads, DayDrinking™ outfits are basically what y’all
wear anyway; vintage-inspired/quirky saying t-shirt and either
jeans/shorts (depending on the weather.) Rainbow flip-flops are the
official footwear for both genders.

2. Accessories –
DayDrinking™ can occur intentionally or unintentionally. Summer
brunches often turn into Mimosa-fests that easily segueway into Dolores
Park happenings or perhaps, on the nicest days, an afternoon at the
beach. The point is, plan accordingly. All vehicles (cars/Vespas)
should now be stocked with the essentials: frisbee, blankets, coolers,
sunglasses, sunscreen.

3. Attitude
– This sport is all about spontaneity. You must be able to roll with
the punches (sunny days quickly becoming overcast, lack of parking,
getting too tipsy to attend your friends’ chi-chi party, to name a
few). Above all else, one must be FLEXIBLE and open to the challenge.
Consider it your own personal Adventure Time
and if the crowd wants to head to Stinson, to Stinson you will go. It’s
easy to get bogged down with details (trying to assemble or meet up
with a big group can be VERY hectic – small groups work best for
DayDrinking™) so keep the task at hand in mind: DayDrinking™ is
about Drinking in the Daytime (while enjoying various activities, many
of which are listed below.)

Now that you know the tenets of this widely-popular sport, it’s time to
start planning your activities. Details and links below; but remember, Attire. Accessories. Attitude.

Go forth and DayDrink™ with the best of them. And, trust us, we’ll see ya there. We just may not remember it.

Spring/Summer 2007 Official DayDrinking™ Schedule*

April 3rd: Giants Home Opener @ 1:05 vs. Padres (SUCCESSFULLY ATTENDED!)

April 28th: San Francisco International Beer Festival

April 29th: Opening Day on the Bay

May 5th: Cinco de Mayo

May 19th: O’Reilly’s Oyster & Beer Festival @ Fort Mason

May 20th: Bay 2 Breakers

May 26th-27th: Carnaval

June 2nd & 3rd: Union Street Festival

June 8th-9th: My Birthday Extravaganza, Part One. Details to come, but plan accordingly

June 10th: Haight Street Fair

June 16th: Aubrey’s Birthday Extravaganza, Part Deux

June 16th-17th: North Beach Festival

June 30th-July 1st: Fillmore Street Jazz Festival

July 1st: Canada Day (eh?) Kell’s celebrates this

July 4th: (Falls on a Wednesday this year!)

July 14th: Bastille Day. If you love French Fries, let’s celebrate!

July 25th-29th: North Beach Jazz Festival

September 28th-30th: San Francisco Blues Festival

October 4th-9th: Fleet Week (a bit later this year but YAY Blue Angels!)

October 7th: Castro Street Fair

October 11th-14th: Oktoberfest by the Bay

* Please feel free to leave a comment or email me with something we’ve missed…this is just a preliminary list!

It’s confession time: I rarely go to art shows. In fact, I rarely do things that would be considered cultural (opera, galleries, museums, etc.). This is a huge shame because I actually LIKE doing these things, but for one reason or another (read: my social calender o’ radness) these self-betterment, cultured activities often take the back seat to events like trivia, birthday parties and day-long brunches in the sun. Clearly, my priorities are a bit skewed.

And so, as one who is enjoying all the exciting changes she’s making in her life, this is the next one I’m going to tackle. And I’m going to start it right now (well, this week) by going to see this show at Coyboys & Angels on Wednesday. The artist is Scott Campbell, a friend of one of my good friends, and not only am I going to show my support, but I’m kinda loving his work. His pieces are something you want to display on a big, blank wall for their understated adorableness. (And note that my use of the word ‘adorable’ is in NO way intended to be patronizing; I just find them fantastic.) I’m excited to see the 15 that he’s showing this week, and (thanks to my tax return!) I may even walk away with one of my own.

So if you’re free on Wednesday and want to  come enjoy some culture w/me, head on over to Cowboys and Angels around 8sh (have to hit yoga first). Details below…I’ll be the one in a post-yoga glow adoring all the art.

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bus stop photography., originally uploaded by spangley.

Ali & I were en route to THE BEST CONCERT NIGHT EVARRRR™ and were waiting for the bus by one of those ubiquitous iPod ads. Alas, before the bus arrived, I decided to re-enact the scene. Despite being taken by a camera phone, this picture turned out pretty fantastic.

(Many thanks to Sue & Ed Sabala for paying for gymnastics for all of those years which has kept my flexibility intact.)

My Mom used to keep a gratitude journal, the concept being that if you actively voice what you are thankful for, the universe will provide more and more of it. So, spend a few minutes a day writing down that you’re grateful for free food at work and voila! Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Perhaps you’re thankful for your amazing friends (like I am). Lo and behold, you’re introduced to more and More and MORE awesome people that literally rock your world. Maybe it’s the recent upswing in your dating life. Well, when it rains it pours.

That’s how I’m feeling today.

Mondays are usually pretty mundane (catching up on the difficult tasks of uploading Flickr photos from the weekend prior, IMing friends about aforementioned weekends, hoping that the cafe is serving tasty soup this week) but this one broke the mold. Defied stereotypes. In short, this Monday has fucking ROCKED. It started off innocently enough (Lila Belle sleeping in until 7:30, good dog that she is!)…I awakened in a good mood (which may have had more to do with the evening prior than the actual morning, but that’s another story entirely) and decided to take Lila to work since the dog walker was on vacation. Note that this decision is never made lightly; it requires good weather (so many balls can be chased!) and many a puppy bone must be procured lest Lila Belle fall into her "entertain me EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY" habit that she’s so prone to. Yet, I was optimistic, drove the Saab-alamobile down the 101 (relatively traffic-free), hit Target (new hangers and floor lamp purchased) and the  pet food store (dog food? Check. Rawhide? Check check. Lila running around like a kid in a candy store? OH-so many checks.) and made it into work at my usual "about an hour after I should be here" time. I decided to stop avoiding the inevitable and return my accountant’s call (tax time) and instead of expecting the worst, I had a number in my head of what I was going to have to owe. (Note that this number was ONE THIRD of what I had put away to pay in taxes, a HUGE one-third that was basically like going for an entry-level job and demanding six-figures. THAT MUCH OF A STRETCH.) So when the secretary read me off the figures for both state and federal, I made her repeat them. THREE. SEPARATE. TIMES. Not only did I owe one-third of what I had expected to, I owed LESS than one-third of that.

I proceeded to jump up and down and commit possible sexual harassment by forcing my (very confused) coworker to hug me in glee. Lila joined in the celebration and commenced to howl with happiness.

The day has continued from there. Meetings set up. Meetings occurring. Things happening. Things changing. Life finally picking up – with gusto! – from the winter doldrums. I fully believe that putting out positive energy/intentions/thoughts to the universe is rewarding in unexpected ways. I just hadn’t realized how quickly, how en masse, it could occur.

All I know is that I’m going to Cafe Gratitude, stat, to give a big declaration of thanks to the Universe over phenomenally tasty food. Who’s coming with?

Living in San Francisco (and having these geekyfantastic friends that I do) offers you many, many opportunities to beta test a website or another. People are constantly offering invites to this site or that one; being an ‘early adopter’ lets you not only choose an enviable username (though "Aubs" may not be enviable, it definitely is ubiquitous as of late.) One such site that many of my friends and I were invited to join is called "I’m In Like With You." Basically, you make a ‘game’ (something simple, like "What’s your superhero power?") and people bid on being the winner by using points (accrued by winning games and being active on the site) as well as coming up with a unique, quirky answer. When you choose the winner, you can then contact them through the site; in a nutshell, it’s a way to flirt harmlessly (and very succinctly, at least during the games). It’s been the social networking du jour (du week?) and even though my friends – guys AND girls – are bidding fake points to find out what my superhero power is (amongst other things I’ve offered) it’s been a nice, easy, fun diversion.

So today when we went to the movie (read: WORST. MOVIE. EVER….I left after forty minutes thinking I was going to throw up in the theatre due to the excessive gore) and my friend Micah said he had seen me on ImInLikeWithYou.com, I figured he had joined as well.

WRONG.

Turns out that an (apparently ridiculously popular) website had covered the launch and, lo and behold, used MY profile as their screen shot.

So by now the whole world knows I’m in like with you. But that lends the question: Are you in like with me?

I’m getting stupider.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the lessons I learned in high school and college that stuck with me most aren’t necessarily the academic kind. I know how to pour a perfect beer (with just the right amount of head), I know what to carry in my purse any time I go out for the evening, and I’ve mastered (or, well, ALMOST mastered) the art of social interaction. I can plan one hell of a party and – though gone are the days of Ramen as a necessity – still fall victim to the appeal of Easy-Mac. As for the teachings I learned for my genetics degree…well, let’s just say that I was a bit mortified when my ex-unboyfriend trounced me in biology trivia. (Genus-Phylum-Species-WHAT? Who remembers that stuff?) While I attributed it to his youth (he has far less years out of college than I do), I hate that I can’t remember some of the important stuff. And besides feeling foolish or vulnerable, the thing I hate most is feeling stupid.

Let’s leave that all behind us, shall we?

I just saw that Berkeley was offering its introductory courses via webcasts. BRILLIANT! Not only in concept, but in actuality and convenience. I can take Human Anatomy right here on this comfy couch from this very computer! I can FINALLY get a refresher on US History! And, by God, I can learn about Buddhist philosophy! Or maybe that should be ‘by Buddha.’ Whatever. The point is, I can get all edificationized at my leisure, in the (excess of) spare time that I have.  Like I said, brilliant.

So if you find me missing social events or, perhaps, ignoring you when I’m out, I think Adam Sandler said it best in "Billy Madison":

"I’m here to learn, everybody, not to make out with you. Go on with the chlorophyll."

(Thanks be to Ryan Mickle for this link. And, um, ’cause he’s cute too.)

To Whom it May Concern (aka, an open letter to You and You and yep, You as well):

It may have come to your attention lately (or, more likely, it probably
hasn’t) that I’ve treated you differently. "Put some distance between
us" as it may be. No, this is no mistake, no oversight on my part;
instead, I hate to break it to you this way, but I figure it’s as good
a medium as any. Basically, you didn’t make the cut.

Sorry.

Actually, I’m not really that sorry. It’s been good; no, in fact, it’s
been great! I had been loathe to do this even though it has been needed
for some time. I had mistakenly thought I had been putting myself first
but really, I hadn’t been. I had been putting YOUR feelings ahead of
mine, and then one day, a light went off. I think it was when I was
surrounded by these amazing people, these phenomenal friends that I
have, that I realized that you are not one of them. You’ve not been a
good friend to me; in fact, you haven’t even been a mediocre friend to
me. You’ve been a "when it’s convenient for you" friend to me and
really, that SO doesn’t fly with me; not sure why I had missed that for
these (days/weeks/months/years). Though long overdue, it’s better late
than never; I only wish I had done this sooner! All that shit you try
and pull with me? NO LONGER GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY IT. Snide comments
to get a rise out of me? Rise not given.

You’re not a bad person; I never would have been friends with you in
the first place if you were. True, you’re not the most mature of folks,
but hey, you’ll learn. I just am doing some spring cleaning of my
entire life and, well, you were like that pair of shoes that I held on
to for way too long until I realized that I would never again think
that hot pink satin slingbacks needed to remain in my closet. There’s a
time and a place for them and that time passed. Adiós, slingbacks!

Farewell, You!

I wish you all the best in your adventures and know that you’ll find
many, many more people to be a half-assed friend to. In the meantime,
my standards have been raised and unfortunately (for you), you’re no
longer a fit.

Smooches,

– Aubs

When Leah asked me if I wanted to go to the Tattoo fair at the Cow Palace (for those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s a huge building in South SF where they apparently used to trade cows back in those ‘olden days) with her, I thought it sounded like fun. When she added that we’d be tagging along with Justin.tv, I decided that was how I’d spend my vacation day. And so the story begins.

Justin.tv is the real-life equivalent of Ed.tv, only without Matthew McConaughey. What it does have, though, in its eleven days (and counting!) on the air is an ever-increasing number of fans and ‘viewers’ who are tuning in to watch every part of Justin Kan’s life. Yes, that includes his time in the bathroom. (As for whether or not he’ll film himself having sex, he said that if there is any censorship, it wouldn’t be coming from him.) Similar to Jennicam back in the 90’s (only without the porn…at least so far), Justin  keeps the camera on 24/7, even recording himself sleeping.

And that is how I spent my day.

Justin, his friends Lisa & Martin, and Leah picked me up from South Park (where we were celebrating THE Ryan King’s birthday for the, say, fifth time) and we headed over to the tattoo convention. Only they wouldn’t let us in due to the camera and really, it probably wasn’t the best idea to fuck with the bouncer at a tattoo convention. So we abandoned that plan and instead headed to In ‘n Out Burger for some  grub. Since it was a sunny day, we decided to go to Zeitgeist, yet even despite the bouncer recognizing Justin from being on the front page of the SF Chronicle today, we weren’t allowed in since the bartender was adamant about the "no camera" rule. And so we moved on again, first to Dolores Park (but no signal to his modem-thingie he carries around in his backpack) and finally we settled on Alamo Square, an awesome idea since a) it’s a block from my house and b) I could take Lila Belle. (En route we saw a man having a seizure on the corner; we called 911 but he refused help. Never a dull moment…)

So we headed to Alamo Square on a sunny, beautiful day, replete with Lila Belle, a few bottles of wine, and a blanket. We settled in for a lazy afternoon and then we heard the sirens. One fire truck, then two…within five minutes there were four all whizzing by, sirens blazing. We then smelled the smoke. Heading up to the top of Alamo Square, we realized there was a fire on a house on Hayes Street (less than a block away.) LIVE TV ACTION! Justin ran to the scene to "cover" it, only his camera didn’t get a signal while he was down close to the fire. Thankfully, everyone got out ok, the firemen did an awesome job, and within 20 minutes it was out. (OH, and the fireman who was holding the hose? HOT. I heart firemen.)

We called it a day at that point, all of us heading our separate ways. All in all, a pretty interesting day…it was bizarre being able to get IM’s from Daisy and texts from My Favorite Person in Colorado™ who were watching and making comments on what we were doing. (My fave? From Daisy: "I see you on your Blackberry, beatch. WRITE ME BACK!"  Heh.) The novelty of 24/7 wasn’t lost on me, though just hearing about his limitations after taking this on (rock climbing messed up the camera; he can’t go skiing b/c of no reception, etc.) I think I’m better off as a fan/viewer/friend than ever wanting to take on something like that myself.

Interested in checking it out? Watch Justin.tv live – here – now. It’s strangely addictive.

I’m transfixed. Seriously, I don’t know how to quit you, Apple TV. You’re my new best friend, new boyfriend, and new obsession all rolled into one. Please don’t dump me via email or just end things without giving me a reason because really, I’m about out of Xanax these days. Mmkay, thanks. Love, Aubrey.

Seriously, though, this device – in its nascent functioning – is already changing my life. I mean, I STAYED IN tonight. I COOKED! For SOMEONE ELSE! And it wasn’t in the microwave…not even one little bit.

You see? Amazing things are happening in the land of Aubrey, they really, really are.

So after syncing to my computer and the (functioning) external hard drive, Apple TV is up and running. Note that this is at the expense of a password-protected network and firewall (at least for the initial sync since iTunes wouldn’t recognize the device otherwise) but hey, desperate people do desperate things. And this desperate person is now rocking out to her favorite songs – newly re-acquired from Podworks (thanks, Buzz!) after my initial external hard drive died – and enjoying the enormous sound that comes complete with my new(ish) surround sound system. Hi, boys, yes, I may be geekier than you. I’m cool with that.

Apple TV also allows you to sync your recent photos, and while many of mine were somehow corrupted in the Aubrey Electronic Meltdown of 2006/2007™, the recent ones (aka, the really good ones from SXSW and a few other fun things like NYE and my housewarming party) have all fabulously been imported into Apple TV for your viewing pleasure.

And mine.

You see, the default setting for the screensaver (which plays while you’re listening to music and cooking for worthy visitors) is to do this fabutastic scrolling thingie (I suppose there’s a real name for it but that’s mine) and just display the images you’ve uploaded. Which, in a lot of cases, are of me. So here I am, cooking for aforementioned awesome people while they’re staring at the screen, laughing at baby Aubrey pictures and witnessing all the insanity that happened at SXSW (recap post to come, I promise.) And when we sat down to eat, I found myself being sucked in as well, allthewhile knowing that these are MY photos, that I’ve seen them many times, but they seem SO much more interesting when they’re scrolling in various sizes and flipping and mosaic-ing and the like.  After a few hours of this, I’m feeling a bit narcissistic.

After all, if someone asked me what I did tonight, I guess I’d have to answer "stared at the television viewing nearly life-sized pictures of myself." Apple TV: A Narcissistic’s new best friend.

Guilty as charged.