Thursday, August 11, 2011

What is this blog?

I didn't know exactly what to blog about when I decided to start a blog, but I figured I should start one. After all, what would happen if I didn't keep my NY Resolution to start a blog?!?! Oh, the same exact thing that happens when I never stick to any resolutions I make? Alright, well disregard the whole 1st paragraph then!

It seems that the main topics of this blog have been equal parts comedy and vacations. Sometimes they are one and the same, but at this time in my life, those are the biggest parts of it. Maybe if I wrote this a few years back it would be about Production Practicum at Temple, and maybe in a few years it will turn into my performing folk songs at a restaurant that only serves breakfast and lunch (one can dream, AMIRIGHT?) But if you continue to read this blog at this point in time, it will be about comedy comedy comedy. I am not apologizing. Just lettin' ya know. I only know how to crochet scarves, so it seems comedy is the only topic I can continuously write about and have lots of different things to say.

Tomorrow for the second year in a row, I head to DCM in NYC with King Friday. I have been with those guys for over a year now, and in that time it has always been the best of times. If I WERE performing folk songs at a coffee shop, my set would have at least 10 love songs written to/about KF. Truth. And if you happen to be in NYC on Saturday at around 1PM, head over to the Hudson Guild Stage and check us oot!

Since I've done this once before now, I now know that you shouldn't really have goals for the weekend, but just go where the festival takes you. Last year I saw many a grown man in depends, watched a show while standing next to Doug Benson, warmed up outside of the Hot Chicks Room, and wandered the streets of NYC with Chris Gethard at 1 in the morning. This year, I hope the wind throws more gems my way. I also do have a single goal for DCM- and that is to marry Donald Glover. I know is goal isn't well thought out, as I will be there for a whole 3 days, but I'm sticking with it. Wish me luck, yous guys. BOOM.

And in one last comedy related note before I end this post, LOCAL HOLIDAY MIRACLE RIDES AGAIN! And by rides again, I mean we did a show, and have been writing the whole time we didn't have shows, so we plan on doing more shows! Once this festival stuff is over, I'm gonna submit us to Philly Sketchfest. It was lovely to grace the stage with the Ku again, and we had lots of fun. The hugest thanks to ALL who helped us out on this show, and all the lovely people in the audience. We'll be back.

Alright, that is it for now. Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I will eat 5 slices of pizza for everyone who reads this blog at some point this weekend. I am confident in this promise.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Life sometimes leaves little time for blogging

Since my last blog entry, I have done a whole bunch of stuff, hence the blogging delay. I guess we do stuff so we can blog it anyways, so I don't wanna hear no complaints from the 3 people who read this!! (JK...about the aggressiveness, not the 3 people reading this thing. Actually, I may have been generous on that guesstimate).

First off, I went to LA again! It was a lovely week packed with lots of great comedy (Bamford, Scheer, Peppitone, Legerro), friends who I haven't seen in awhile, concerts (Beach House= AWESOME), hikes (kind of- it thunder stormed half-way through), hanging out at Jim Henson Studios (Im pretty sure I still haven't returned to my current age- still stuck in 5 year old Aubrie mode), Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive, the bathroom at the park we think George Michael was arrested at, Griffith's, malls, mansions, and great food (Hamburger Mary's, hot dogs from pinks, baby blue BBQ, etc. etc.). All in all, many beers were bought at the Sev, and a great time was had by all!

In between, I completed Level 4 at PHIT with an amazing group of people and a super awesome lovely teacher! Also, I got a book signed by Tina Fey, did some bowling where I got some accidental strikes, King Friday got a new member (Laura Abernethy, who is awesome y'all), and I've been to target probably 40 times!

Most recently, King Friday got back from Chicago where we were an apprentice team coached by the wonderful Kevin Mullaney! We got to spend 9 hours in a room together learning from Kevin, and there isn't anyplace I would have rather been during those 9 hours. I laughed so hard I almost peed a billion times over the course of those hours, and was blown away by everything everyone was doing. It was so lovely, so educational, and so much freaking fun!!

Also, we got to be in Chicago with some other lovely Philly comedians, and got to see some ridiculously great improv (Messing With A Friend, The Reckoning, U.S.S.Rock'NRoll, Parallelogramophonograph)- so inspiring and great! We also got to perform with the other lovely apprentice teams on Sunday which was a bunch of fun, and it was great to see friends in the audience!! I am currently in love with the city and the food we ate while there- deep dish pizza, you own my heart (and also clog it) along with Chicago style hot dogs and pizza pot pies. I have a feeling I may miss the food so much over the next few days that I will be brought to tears. Actually, I'm 99% sure that will happen.

AND while we were there, Andrea and Andy brought a tiny future comedienne named Amelia into the world!! Lovely things happened EVERYWHERE!!

One thing I will not miss is the 4 hours of sitting on the runway we did before takeoff. I was in great company, so it was fun for the most part- but I have concluded that everyone who works at Southwest has a secret ambition of doing Stand-Up Comedy, therefore feeling the need to do routines every time they come over the loudspeaker. Us comedians got our turn though, both publicly and privately, when Becca did Quizzo questions to entertain the passengers, and also when Jason pantomimed putting a tiny mustard on the tiny in-flight pretzels they gave us. We won, Southwest, WE WON!!

Jana and I never did get to spoon that deep dish pizza in bed, but I am confident that we will be back, and that that will happen 20 times over when we are!!

Alright, now I must go live it up again so I will have more fun stuff to write in here next time! Until then, blogger, stay cool.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

It's kinda like that XTina Aguilera song.

I was looking back over my 1st blog entry, which was written about a year ago on my way back from LA, and I wrote in there that I was fueled and inspired and couldn't wait to do lots when I got back. I guess when you write things in blogs you don't think about them much after, but I am now realizing how much happened this past year. I went from wanting to do a lot of different things, to getting to do a lot of great things with great groups of people. It's been a really freaking great year.

And I am headed back to LA with some good friends to be refueled and re-inspired this year. We haven't had 3 blizzards this year, so the need to wear shorts isn't as urgent as it was last year, but it'll be nice to hang out with good friends, see some comedy, and explore the other side of the US some more. I would like to hit up Venice Beach this time around, and am packing a bathing suit just in case (delusional, yes, but hey). Also, I will not be there on Valentine's Day this year, so sadly, the brilliant tradition of Hamburger Mary's on VDay cannot be continued. But I do hope to get there and to In & Out Burger. As always, most things I do are fueled by food.











Also, by the time I leave, we should have our 1st LHM video edited and up on the YouTube. We now both have the video bug, so I'm sure there will be many more once I return from the west side. It was an excuse to buy lots of hilarious clothes, spend time with lots of hilarious friends, say the most ridiculously awesome things, and eating pizza. It was way rad and awesome, and while watching playback last night, I almost peed myself a lot. I can't wait for everyone to see it. Also, one more eternal thank you in blog form to all who lent their mad skills. It looks so awesome cause of y'all.

I'll keep this one short. Now, I will brainstorm how to try and top last years Valentine's food binge. Maybe I'll just go to Chester Harrah's and play some jackpot party. That sounds like a great Monday activity.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Another Year Bites the Dust

Since my last two entries were semi holiday-themed, I'll keep with it and make this entry slightly New Year themed. No resolutions here, don't worry (I just realized it's easier not to make em, and just say whatever you accomplish in the new year was one...everybody wins!)- just a list of highlights/accomplishment from the 0-10, and perhaps a few vague ideas of what I think might be awesome to do in 0-11.

*DISCLAIMER: these will most likely all be comedy related, as it was a good year for that. Also, these are in no particular order.*

1) My 1st plane ride alone. With a 10 hour lay-over on the way there. This ended up turning into a solo food tour of all airports I stopped at, and I have a feeling this will be my tradition with myself from here on out.

2) The birth of LHM. Birthplace: a Starbucks. In a whole less than a year, we've done 3 Sketch Up's, one original show, and two hosting gigs! With all else going on, the amount of stuff we did sometimes felt like a miracle in itself, haha, but we pulled it off, and I'm super proud of us! Ain't no stoppin' us now, 2011!!

3) IMPROV! This will be the general one, but HOLY CRAP! I graduated Level 3, saw way more shows than I did in all of the other years combined (including locking myself in for Duofest, seeing Poehler herself do ASSSSCAT, Let's Have A Ball, Adsit & Gausas, Messing with a Friend, etc., etc.), and for the 1st time, got to perform regularly, which has taught me so much.

4) KING FRIDAY!!! Seriously you's guys, this has been so freaking awesome. I couldn't ever ask for a better group of people to play with, and every performance/rehearsal/hang out session makes me do a reverse Grinch- this is where my heart grows 75 sizes too big. I can't begin to imagine how many calories I burn from laughing when around these guys.

5) Being a part of the Improvised Soap Opera in Fringe- this was so much fun, so silly, and my 1st venture into stylized improv. I learned so much from these guys, and had fun jumping into challenges the soap provided, like improvising with music and props and commercial breaks. What a great group and a awesomely fun time!

6) Jam Sessions. Whether it's with friends recording silly YouTube vids, or with my CHYX!!!, sitting around and jamming has become a big part of my life this year, and because of these sessions, I'm getting better at my instruments. These make me so happy, and are so much fun. To music and all of the people I get to play it with! Cheers!

7) Reunions! I had a lot of these this year, which means it was an extra awesome one. I got to see my cousin and good friend Gabe in LA, lots of college friends who always make my day, sleepovers in Brooklyn, U/RTA's dinner with the current class (which included lots of people I love in it, and seeing Donna Snow always makes my heart swell up), and a surprise Spring Garden reunion!!

8) Also improv related, but doing DCM12 with King Friday this year was one of those "HOLY CRAP!" moments. I saw my 1st show at UCB when I Was 17, and to be performing on that stage with that group of people, to a packed house two hours before the original UCBers performed- that's a dream come true, right there. I will never forget that moment. Or warming up right in front of the Hot Chicks Room door.

9) I have another nephew!! That's pretty rad, and will keep being rad forever.

10) This was most recent so I'll make it 10, but taking my Mom to see her 1st Broadway show. I had always wanted to, and we got a great cast for her 1st show on Broadway. This was also her 1st time walking around NYC, so I got to be her tour guide. It was a lot of fun showing my mom one of my favorite places. Definitely a highlight.

There were a lot of other great moments this year too. It was one of those years. Lots of great people were involved in my great moments, which is what made those moments great. I feel like I should cue a ballad right now. Which I will also take as my cue to stop writing.

In conclusion, I hope 2011 is kind of as great as 2010. Heck, I'll even take 1/5 as great, cause really, that would still be a pretty epic year. I think it will be. Got some stuff coming up- my 1st ever musical improv class, and another trip to LA- that will probably be highlights next year. No complaints here. Peace out, 2010. What up, 2011! Also, please don't suck.

-Aubrie


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, December 6, 2010

Thankful Blogging

So, I did a spooky(esque...ok, not really) blog for Halloween, and realized I haven't blogged since! So, I dedicate this blog to all I'm thankful for in life right now! Exhibit A- my family and friends. These are the people that I have a lot of fun doing nothing with, who always inspire me, who put up with me, who make me laugh all of the time. Some are near, some are far, but trips and phone calls add to the fun! I've got to have many sleepovers in Brooklyn, fly across the US to LA, and be pleasantly surprised by my good friend who flew in from Ohio at Halloween! I've also had many brunches, lunches, jam sessions, snow days, hang out sessions with the ones who live pretty close. Life wouldn't be as fun without all of you guys. I'm a lucky lucky gal!!



Exhibit B- Philly Comedy!! This year has been so filled with comedy brilliance, I have to pinch myself often. As anyone who knows me knows already, I am a member of King Friday- I feel like a kid on Christmas whenever I get to rehearse, perform, or just be in the same room as these guys and gals!! It has been the most fun, most wonderful, most amazing experience (I'm counting down the hours til tomorrows rehearsal as I type...24...). Any time with Fridays is an awesome and inspirational one! Also, I started a sketch duo this year with my lovely friend Andrea Kuhar, and we had our 1st show, hosted some stuff, and participated in sketch ups. We will do it again soon for sure, we've been schemin'! Other highlights- Chyx, Improvised Soap, Duofest, Jams, Incubator, PHIF, and all of the lovely friends I have made and get to hang out with often. It's the best community to be a part of, and I'm thankful thankful thankful times a billion! (Also, all of the guys and gals in this community are also a part of the above family and friends section. Double whammy!)



Exhibit C- Babies!! I am a nanny, and I love my job!! I get to hang out with two awesome little kids all day and make up songs and play with play doh and firetrucks. I also have an awesome Godson who cracks me up all of the time, and a brand spankin' new nephew who I can't wait to crack jokes with! (I may have to wait til he can talk!)



Exhibit D- Netflix. I have become obsessed with watching TV on demand, and this helps with my obsession. Hey Arnold! and Wristcutters:A Love Story on watch instant. Plus my next dvd coming is Derrick Comedy's "Mystery Team". So thanks, Netflix, for distracting me even more from daily chores (I wouldn't have it any other way).

Exhibit E- Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity's. I try and squeeze this in every NYC trip. I also try to wear elastic banded pants when I know I'm going.

Exhibit F- Concerts!! I've seen a lot of good stuff this year with a lot of good people!!

Exhibit G- guitar decals!! I've bedazzled every string instrument I own for comedy's sake thanks to these things. Thankful.

Exhibit H- Chuck Taylors.

Exhibit I- Cheyenne Jackson (he's my cat who acts like a dog and once lived on the mean streets of Philly near a Subway dumpster...or at least I assume he did, based on his behavior around a Subway sandwich)

These are just a few things I can think of that I'm thankful for right now. Figured I'd shout them out in a blog. I'm sure I missed a billion...I'll do a sequel in the future!

Monday, October 11, 2010

The spookiest blog you'll get (from me at least).

Seriously guys. SPOILER ALERT: It's still mostly about comedy...so...it seems I have left off at DCM12 in my last blog. DCM12 has now long been over, so I'll fill you all in on how awesome it was! It was pretty awesome- I got to see people like Seth Morris, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, the guys from the original UCB, John Lutz, Scott Adsit, Chris Gethard, and Doug Benson perform. I also got to see all of my Philly friends rep hard on stage, and King Friday performed two hours before the original UCB on the main stage. I comedy-nerded out so hard, it ain't even funny. Well, I guess it was pretty hilarious.

After the DCM madness, we jumped right into Fringe Festival madness, where I did a full run of 3 Mad Rituals with King Friday, and was also in PHIT's Improvised Soap Opera, where I played my 1st ingenue...I avoided it so well in college, haha. Both runs were a blast- I even got to veer off the ingenue path in some Soap's by playing an evil stripper version of Liberty named "Tyranny". Boom!

Currently, KF is still rocking hard, LHM is working on some stuff we previously wrote, and I am having the chance to combine my love for music and comedy as one-third of a girl group called CHYX! It's kinda like STYX! We may eventually do a STYX! cover...we shall see!! Anywho, life is awesome. Comedy is awesome.

Also non-comedy life is awesome!! (Although really, they are one in the same). On the family front, I am an aunt! His name is Oliver, and he is pretty tiny and adorable. And very much loved. I think I may have already went overboard with the purchasing of baby clothes before he even arrived. I'll stop the madness til Christmas at least.

The holidays are coming and I am excited to see lots of friends and family. Buying gifts is fun too. Also, I have one Brooklyn trip planned already for December, and am excited to see Joy and Kev and get some Burgers and Cupcakes at my favorite restaurant/bakery ever (see pic in previous entry) "Burgers & Cupcakes." I've only been there once so far, but I have a feeling that every visit will be like Christmas. I may just get a whole cupcake cake next time, and challenge myself to an eating contest.

I'm also trying to conjure up (I used this term cause it's closed to Halloween!) another trip to LA to visit Gabe and the newly moved Drew! Last year was a lot of fun, and a nice escape from triple blizzards here!! I am also plotting some more travelling, and will keep it posted on here.

Alright guys, have a super-spooky Halloween. Eat some Halloween Oreos. Cook (/brew) stuff (/potions with eye of newt) in a cauldron. Werewolf yourself like Tracy Jordan did in that epsiode of 30 Rock. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!




Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Life's a laugh!!

Well, since this blog has been so travel/comedy heavy (equal parts I'd say), this post is a split down the middle. This Friday, I'll be making my way up to NYC with some of Philly's most talented and awesome people for DCM12. For those of you who don't know what DCM is, it's an improv marathon started by the original UCB-ers after their mentor, Del Close, died in 1999. You can check out the link and schedule here http://www.delclosemarathon.com/dcm12/. I am beyond excited for this weekend, and am already going to name it the best weekend of my life, before it even happens. So, life is solid. And hilarious. And, not to sound cliche, but... DREAMS DO COME TRUE!! See!! See!! I'm still the same old cheesy Aubrie. The cheese will never leave my soul.

But seriously, King Friday is performing on the UCBT stage 2 HOURS before the original UCB (and creators of both the festival and founders of the theater). And I just saw Matt Besser, one of the founders of said theater and said marathon, live in Philly this past Friday. Also, this week I became a member of Philly's 1st improvised Soap Opera for the Fringe Festival. So excited all around!

In non-comedy news, I finished watching all of Veronica Mars. And today I almost bought new Chucks, but decided against it. Today I have the day off, so I'm thinking I'll watch some Arrested Development and maybe a few eps of UCB seasons 1 or 2 in honor of this weekend. I'll also drink coffee, cause it's no longer 110 degrees out. Let's keep it that way, Mother Nature.

I will leave y'all with this: if you are free Thursday night, come see King Friday at The Shubin Theater for a special DCM Preview show with Fletcher and Rookie Card. And if you are in NYC, come see KF perform at DCM12! All show info can be found at www.kingfridayimprov.com. Also, KF is on the twitter: @KingFridayImprv. While I'm at it, so is my sketch duo, Local Holiday Miracle: @LHMSketchComedy. Alright, I'm done twittername-dropping. Peace out people. Stay cool.