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Confession: Ta-da! New birdie dress. I love it. It’s comfortable and easy and a gorgeous cornflower blue I so love, even if I hated the actual crayon when I was little. Let bygones be bygones! Today my loverbird fed me breakfast in bed – freshly baked croissants and delicious Peerless coffee – and then we made fancy little fried chicken sandwiches and arranged sneaky booze and set out for Dolores Park in San Francisco, because it was a glorious day. The bay was choppy, a million sailboats and windsurfers were out and while the park was windy, it was deliciously warm whenever the breeze slowed down. We snuggled and read books and snacked and giggled a lot because…

DOLORES PARK IS FULL OF THE MOST AMUSING ATTENTION WHORES.

Our favorites were the hipsters pretending to play Scrabble, the guy rope-walking barefoot between a few palms and the guitar singalong Brazilians camped out a few yards away from us. At some point a young guy rode by on his bicycle with paper-wrapped flowers for some lucky lass, which was adorable. There was a tiny black puppy flopping all over himself next to us, and while we missed the creme brulee guy, we politely declined the pretty ganja truffles for sale.

I read this book, which I’m enjoying very much:

Now here is a little collection of some photos from our picnic. Clockwise from left:

1. Tomboy shoes, femme shoes.
2. My crazy Gap Kids sunglasses in electric blue.
3. Luna Park is one of our Mission favorites, with their delicious fancy baby corn dogs.
4. Fancy couple next to a scooter.
5. Skinneh!
6. Open your golden gates!
7. A cuddle.
8. A bashful cuddle.
9. A friendly cuddle.
10. Obnoxious Brazilians!
11. The essentials.
12. The high school. I think.
13. The palms.
14. The tomboy.
15. Young man with flowers.
16. HS.
17. Legs.
18. Ice cream!

Some Oakland love, clockwise from left:

1. Most handsome building on the block.
2. Tomboy face.
3. Oakland Waterfront Warehouse District has official trash cans, so why is this one beside it?
4. Paper company.
5. Headless house.
6. Korres kiss.
7. Fantasy and reality.
8. Brickhouse lofts.

BECAUSE AYL SAID SO, PLS. TO PLAY THIS:

Confession: I wasn’t quite sure which pair of pink shoes I wanted to wear with this little outfit and decided to make a theme of it. Can we discuss how much I love this Theory denim jacket? I got it in pristine secondhand condition years ago. It’s as thin and light as a nice jersey cotton, perfectly fitted and something in between a crop and normal length. I think the wash is just right, too.

And MAC Rougette! I remembered that AYL wanted make-up details, and I’m no make-up artist or over-the-top fancy pants, but it can’t hurt to share my favorites with y’all, can it? Nah. While I’m no MAC whore, I do have a few picks that I like – staples like Russian Red, Viva Glam V for a nude with a kick and I used to swear by Studio Fix. Rougette is a gorgeous raspberry shade from the Limited Edition Mattene line that exists no more, but I’d bet the Cargo Plant Love line of lipsticks has a similar shade that wears just as creamily and prettily, albeit less long-wearing, like Gamba or Majella!

Scent: The origins and history of aoud are fascinating to me. Large evergreens native to southeast Asia contain agar, which is found in the heartwood of the trees. They occasionally become infected with mold and aoud is one of many names for the resin produced in the heartwood, in response to this attack or in order to prevent them. Go read more if you’re bored, it’s quite interesting.

Montale Steam Aoud, upon first impression, smells like something crudely swabbed onto your skin in cold, alarming amounts just before they stick you with a giant needle and draw so much blood out of you that you practically faint on the spot. NOT THAT I KNOW WHAT THAT’S LIKE OR ANYTHING. I’m just saying. Then it settles very, very slowly, becoming less severe and more mired in smoke and rose as big and dark and heavily suggestive as a fistful of damp, dark satin on a dirty stairwell. And arrogance, my god. Not at all suited for day, but pretty damn sensational overall. Notes: roses, oud, amber, agar motta, caraway.