Ten years ago, the world was quite a different place -- there was no Facebook, no one outside of Chicago knew who Barack Obama was, and the Giants still hadn't won a World Series for 47 years. Things have, in a word, changed.

Ten years ago, I turned 16, and after high school, college, work and a year of grad school, it turns out I still enjoy mostly the same things; in three words: music,... [read more]

Ten years ago, the world was quite a different place -- there was no Facebook, no one outside of Chicago knew who Barack Obama was, and the Giants still hadn't won a World Series for 47 years. Things have, in a word, changed.

Ten years ago, I turned 16, and after high school, college, work and a year of grad school, it turns out I still enjoy mostly the same things; in three words: music, friends, and drinks (had a pretty nasty Capri Sun habit I kicked back in the day). So that's exactly what I'll be doing to celebrate the ten year anniversary of my 16th birthday. To get an idea of my level of enthusiasm, look no further than your immediate left, where you'll find a picture of me, age 16, offering a physical representation of the size of my excitement when someone told me about this party ten years ago.

Some of you may know that I spent my 16th birthday in China, so appropriately, will be spending the ten year anniversary in a Chinatown bar: I've spoken with the fine people at the luxury establishment, Li Po Cocktail Lounge, and the woman who runs it took me on a nice tour of the spot, which I'll describe like this: the upstairs is part dive bar, part Chinatown-chic, with $3 beers and Mai Tais that range from $6 to $10, depending on the time of the evening and the bartender's mood (it’s cash-only, in case you didn’t surmise that yet). There' are some excellent red leather booths that look like they were taken off the set of Back to the Future part II, and the tour guide repeatedly assured me that their bartenders can make drinks in 20 seconds, which I found both persuasive and impressive. We reached an agreement to rent out the downstairs, which is a stone-walled, dimly lit, underground level, and she said we can bring in our own music, which I found to be another win.

Party starts at 10 and we have the place til 1:30 -- stay the whole time or stop by for a drink; no cover or any of that business. I’m inviting a collection of people from all different cross-sections of life: San Francisco, New York, Google, Stanford, and everyone in between, so it’s sure to be an awesome, eclectic crowd. Feel free to bring friends, SOs, that girl you've been awkwardly texting, your coworker/newfound GChat BFF, and most importantly, the attitude appropriate of someone who’s starting a holiday weekend in the middle of the summer, because really, there's no better time to be alive than now, and no reason not to spend it amongst friends. Hope to see you Friday, and either way, have an excellent holiday weekend.