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Sep 16

Easy does it…

After our raging dance party, admittedly today was slow goings. Jeff was like a “jamby” – that’s how my mom pronounces “zombie”. Jamby! Jamby!!! We headed inland towards the the largest privately-owned cattle ranch (Parker Ranch) in the US which is located in Waimea (Kamuela). It is said that King Kamehameha III arranged for three Mexican cowboys to come to the Big Island to teach the locals about cattle ranching. Thus, the birth of the Hawaiian paniolos (cowboys)! Viva Mexico!!!!!

I had to take Jeff to one of my all time favorite dives, Hawaiian Style Cafe.

It is full on diner style cooking with plates heaped full o’ food!!! They are famous for their plate of kahlua hash, two eggs + fried rice – which is what Jeff devoured. Perfect hangover food!!! Just what the doctor ordered!!!

Note: good thing I did my calisthenics this morning because I am starting to get C-H-U-B-B-Y.

I didn’t really take many pictures of Waimea because we plan to be back for the Paniolo Parade on Saturday! I can’t wait!!! I love a parade!!!!!

If it looks like all we do is eat, well it’s true. We drove east towards the little town of Honoka’a to Tex’s Drive In. Home of the fresh out of the fryer malasada!!! Hot, doughy, sugar coated Portuguese heaven!!! I took a picture like this last year in front of Tex’s when I came with my dad.

You can get malasadas cream, fruit filled, or plain. I prefer the pure, unadulterated plain malasada. They are really hot + fresh, like pillows!!! http://www.yelp.com/biz/tex-drive-in-honokaa

We drove north west to the artist community of Hawi. Jeff took the Kohala Mountain Road which was windy + rose up high in elevation, making me very nervous + manic due to Jeff’s erratic driving!!!! Thus, no scenic view shots because Jeff was enjoying that while driving, as I was in panic mode keeping my eyes on the road from the passenger seat because somebody else wasn’t!!!!

We slowly meandered around tiny Hawi, browsing the art galleries. Happy hour at historic Bamboo restaurant + gallery.

http://bamboorestaurant.info/

Sorry for the non scenic photos today. We are a little worse for the wear. It’s Flashdance that really put us over the edge.

On our way home to Puako Fantasy (our glamorous rental home), we stopped for a refreshing swim at Hapuna Beach, which is the most pristine + swimmable sand beach in the state.

Deep thoughts…..

Yesterday + today were our first real days of relaxation since being in Hawaii. Hard to believe, I know – but with the wedding + our neurotic, hyperactive personalities we’ve been on the go so much!!! Now that we have our Puako Fantasy home, we are really going to stay put + take advantage of it for the rest of our amazing stay.

There’s my tiny little head swimming in the ocean + this wiry old chappie who was running lap after lap along the beach REALLY fast + spry!!! Stud!!!!

Another muscle competition pose by yours truly.

Wish you were all here.

Sep 16

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Puako Fantasy

Yesterday, do you all recall the drama we encountered with tractors + jackhammers right next to our Puako honeymoon rental? Well, after I called the rental management company leaving three very angry messages, the care taker who resides in the main house below came to sheepishly explain to me that even she was surprised by the construction this morning, as well. Verrrry suspect, considering it appeared that the work looked like it had been going on for quite a while. I asked her to get the scoop on how many days they planned to be working because I couldn’t deal with the noise because I come from downtown los angeles, yo + I do not need to be listening to generators + trucks backing up all day!!! I do not!!!!! When she returned, she said they were re-building the sea wall + would be working for the rest of the week. OH HELL NO!!!!!! I called rental management + asked them if we had other options. While I was angrily negotiating + hopping mad, here’s what Jeff was doing:

Enjoying a snack, y’all!!! He let’s me be bad cop because he knows I can be as mean as a hornet when I get fired up. I see how it is…

Guess what, folks?! They moved us into a house down the road – A HOUSE!!!!!! We went from a studio TO A HOUSE!!!! AND they gave it to us for the SAME PRICE as the studio!!!!! A $510 a night house for $225 a night!!!

Granted, the studio was full of character + super charming, but it was small – I had to shuffle things around to prep dinner + had little buggies hanging around. But, this house had a stove!!!! Washer + dryer!!! Dishwasher + tons of counter space!!! I felt like a housewife fromthe 50’s. Being a lady of modernity, I was seduced!!!!

Shiny!!! Bright!!! Sparkly!!!!

Also, there was a mezuzah on the doorframe, so we knew we were in the right place. For all not in the know, the mezuzah contains a parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah. My mom will be so happy to hear about this! Shalom!!!!

Wraparound windows in the living room!!!

Our backyard!!!!

Reflection in the window from the porch.

The master bedroom with retro phone + Hawaiian quilt bedding!!! Love it!!!!!! By the way, I’m really not talking on the phone in this picture. I just like to pretend.

It’s kind of funny, because when we first got to the house, we noticed construction going on next door on a new home. I was going to flip. But Jeff talked to the guys + they were just building a deck. I can deal with some hammering + sawing over a jack hammer any day! The houses are far enough away that I don’t even hear them from the porch!!! Score!!!! Also, this is turtle central!!!! It is like a turtle cafeteria in our backyard!!! They are muncha-crunching out there, we swam alongside them + you can see their little heads surfacing the water all the live long day!!!

I like this cutie-patootie’s sleeping style!!! Snoozel noodle!!!

This adolescent is like, “Peace out, you old folks keep napping!!! I gotta motor!!!” Action Jackson over here!

Whoopeee!!!!! Wild card!!! Black sheep!!! The rebel, as they say!!!!!

Up the coast, Kohala’s ritzy, cha-cha-cha resort hotels. Oh, rather!!!!!

Let’s just say we spent the rest of our day enjoying the house to da max. After moving in + moving out of the old digs, we just wanted to straight up chill. If chill means doing 3 loads of laundry. That night, bartender Jeff blended some cocktails + fired up the 2 grills.

What a romantic!!! Jeff insisted on traveling with the tealights we had recieved for the wedding from the Catlows + meticulously lights them every night! He’s a better man than I!!! Oh, wait that didn’t sound right….

We blasted the radio + had a dance party in the living room! When Flashdance’s, “She’s a Maniac” came on, we tore it up!!!! We got so psyched, Jeff found a youtube clip – in german + we kept on dancin’!!!!!!!

Ja!!!Es ist so gut!!!! Enjoy!!!

Sep 11

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Japanese Breakfast + Lots of Volcanic Activity

Yesterday we started the day at the Cooper Center. We saw this sign the other day + new we had to make a cameo.

These were our people, yo!!! I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good thing, but we hung out, talked story, bought honey + looked at lots of weird stuff.

The guy selling honey told longer stories than Jeff, but his Japanese wife made us the yummiest Japanese breakfast! Suggoku oishikatta!!!!

Check out those prices!!!! Bomb!!!!

There were so many local characters there. It was such a tight community. I loved it. Here’s the lady with her pet turtle, who I was told is the swap meet mascot.

Then it was off to hike the Kilauea Iki Crater!!!

First, is a path through lush rain forest.

The beautiful, but invasive Kahili ginger.

The Lehua blossom. In Hawaiian folklore they represent tears from heaven for separated lovers everywhere. Sigh.

Then, we descended in to the crater itself. Land of the Lost, y’all!!!! This is Pu’u Pua’i, the vent of the crater. Here’s me in front of it doing my muscle competition pose. Because that’s how volcanic craters make me feel. Power!!!!!

Descending into the vent.

Amazing, hearty new life growing in the lava. Jeff the explorer.

Fruity Pebbles lava.

Steam vents.

Heading out.

Next was the Maunu Ulu trail which is one of the longest known rift zone eruptions of Kilauea. Fascinating!!!!

Like mother of pearl!!! Gorgeous!!!!

Out of this world!!!! Dy-no-mite!!!

This is when I screamed, “Frodo!!!! Sam!!!”!!! I said, “Hey Jeff, remember in Lord of the Rings when Sam + Frodo were escaping the fires of Mordor + they were surrounded by flowing, red hot lava???” He replied, “No, I’ve never seen any of those movies.” I screamed, “Whaaaaaaat????!!!!” I might have to rethink this marriage. Well, I’m stopping this blog now because we have to check out + Jeff hasn’t downloaded all the pictures of more volcano fun, so until then!

“No, Mr. Frodo!!! You must hang on!!!!”

Aug 26

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Overload

Tonight’s post may be short but full of pictures because I’m that exhausted.

Not half as exhausted as Jeff is I’m sure. Tuesday morning Jeff came home from work at 5am. I went to the gym, picked us up breakfast + he was up at 8:30am. I really don’t know how he does it. I consider myself a relatively hyper-active person, but he takes the cake. He’s off his rocker.

First off, we were off to research our alternative storage options to consolidate all of Jeff’s stuff, (things, tchotchkes, memories, whathaveyou). First, we checked out some transport trailers out in Exshaw which is 15 min from Canmore. Keith owns an excavating yard + has a huge, sweet shop that he sometimes rents out to films when they’re in town. Savvy!!!! He also suggested for us to rent out a 40ft storage container – love it.

We thanked him + then made our way to Calgary to check out where more trailers go to die.

Jim showed us multiple trailers to rent +/or buy off of him. He was honest + forthright about the complications about owning a trailer, driving it to Vancouver, all the permits you would need, etc. At this point it seemed like more trouble than it was worth. I asked Jeff, “Why are you so hell bent on buying a trailer?” His response was, “All boys dream of owning their own transport trailer!”. Ah, men. This is a prime example of why women exist. We decided on renting the storage container from Keith. Here’s Jeff making deals over the phone – because that’s what he does.

After we talked to Keith to solidify the container, we ran an enormous amount of errands. Jeff renewed our membership at Costco to get ready for Hawaii.

Those of you who are nearest + dearest to me know it is the kiss of death to go into a Costco with Jeff. It’s like Cesar’s Palace for him + he would never know how long he’d been in there for. After was a lovely lunch at Ikea.

And then to some random hunting store.

I didn’t know that Barbie + Hannah Montana made fishing poles. Did you?

At the end of the day Jeff dragged me to the set of “Hell on Wheels” where he had unfinished notes to work on in his book. They were still shooting, but thankfully + mercifully his awesome team let him wrap out early because we had so much to do. As most of you know, set is the last place I want to be. But, Jeff loves it + is always so happy + excited to introduce me to everyone. Here he is with his amazing costume team. My dear friend Heather is at Jeff’s top left. I met Heather on Inception + she was the first person I confessed to about my feelings for Jeff. We’ve kept in touch but it was the first time I’ve seen her since then, so it was an emotional reunion.

I took a picture of Jeff with Common, but I’m not allowed to show him in costume due to confidentiality agreements which I think are ridiculous. Common + Jeff were having such a bromance right before my eyes + it was so cute that I had to have a Jeff/Common hug sandwich. All the crew + actors that I met were so genuinely nice + it was so great to hear them all say such nice things about Jeff. I think the show is going to blessed because of all the blood, sweat + tears the cast + crew have invested in this show. We didn’t get home until 1am. The long drive to Canmore was really difficult, I’m not gonna lie.

Today we kicked ass. It’s because Jeff put on his “Hell on Wheels” crew tshirt. We did a round to the thrift store which is my favorite thing to do because that means we’re getting rid of his enormous amount of stuff. After that, we went to check on Jeff’s old Chrysler + his old buddy Ed who lives near by came to say hello. This was definitely the highlight of my day. Check out his sweet ride that he brought back from the dead:

This is Eddie. How amazing is he????!!!! If you think I’m going to make fun of his fashion, well you’re wrong!!!! Eddie is legit. He is the real deal + he’s not going to apologize to anyone for it!!!!

Look at his beautiful lion’s mane being tousled by the wind.

Jeff rented a cube van from my favorite Budget rent a car. We loaded 3/4 of his massive garage into this van. Here are the proud first boxes into the cube van:

This is Jeff in his cube van visionary pose.

We loaded that thing 3/4 full. Seriously, thank god I’m freakishly strong. Then we went to his second storage space + loaded the rest of the van. I’ll post a pic of the cube van bursting at the seams later because we were both so tired + cranky at 10:30pm to really do much of anything. Today we will be loading the stuff into the storage container + going back to do another load. As Jeff said, “It’s a good thing I got the ring on your finger before we started tackling this.” Well played, my good sir. Well played.

Aug 23

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Mountains + Lakes. Lakes + Mountains.

Another slow start for the day. Jeff did not get home from work last night until 3:30am. Considering how little sleep he gets + how long his commute is, I couldn’t sleep until he was home because I was too worried about his well being.

I managed to get in a run this morning. Here are the views I get to enjoy of Canmore while I run.

The famous Three Sisters

After showering, making lunch + cleaning up, I didn’t get on the road until 1:30pm. EEEEK!!!! At first, I was going to head to Lake Louise + decide from there where I was going to wander. But, considering that Lake Louise is, “one of the most photographed lakes in the Canadian Rockies”, I decided to bet on another route first. Jeff suggested I visit Moraine Lake.

XM radio + I decided we were going to be friends again after the unsettling Lady Gaga experience. Whitesnake’s, “Here I Go Again” came on, + it was rock out central in my car. There’s nothing like driving down a stretch of alpine wilderness + rocking out to a hair band that spells out road trip. There was also a lot of Foo Fighters playing + I must admit, Dave Grohl is my rock n’ roll crush.

Um, hi.

And the Boss

I arrived at Lake Moraine + it was chock full of tourists.

I approached the lake + there was this dude with a pipe + an Indiana Jones style hat standing thigh deep in the lake. I was like, “what the heck is going on here???”

I was going to go up to them + ask, “what are you guys shooting? is this for an album cover? is it for a magazine???” And then I realized I actually didn’t care enough to ask, so I went along my merry way.

I clambered up the side of what is known as, “Moraine Lake Rockpile”. When I got to the top, there were enormous amounts of tourists, so I went back down whence I came from + had lunch on an outcropping of rock that I knew tourists would be too scared to come down.

This is when I heard a woman screaming to her husband from down below, “Dan!!! Dan!!! Look!!! Someone just got on top of one of those new things!!! A paddle board!!!!!”. Snicker.

Another view from where I was sitting.

I wanted to hike down to Lower Consolation Lake + I came across this sign:

Foiled again!!! If you’ve been wondering to yourself, “Shelli is such an avid hiker, I wonder why she hasn’t been going out into the hills more often?”. You want to know why? It’s because when I look into the hills, all I see looking back at me is this:

Anyone who knows me well enough is fully aware of the fact that I am tragically + deathly afraid of being mauled by a bear. I take no chances. I’ve been known to backpack in Wyoming clanging pots + pans + screaming “the star spangled banner” at the top of my lungs for the entire trip.

Thus, I decided to take the leisurely stroll along Moraine Lake. I stopped upon a log in the lake for another snack. It was so beautiful that I almost started crying if it wasn’t for the annoyingly loud group of Brits behind me talking about how expensive a glass of wine was at the lodge. I’m like, my god if you really want to talk this much, why don’t you all go meet at Starbucks?! So annoying!!!

It was time to head back. At this point I was reconsidering going to Lake Louise. But I thought to myself, “Self, this is one of the most famous landmarks in the Canadian Rockies.” So, I ventured out. Yikes. It was like Alpine Disneyland. There were so many tourists. My hunches were correct. Lake Louise was originally named Emerald Lake. I can imagine how pristine + gorgeous it was pre-tourism.

Do you like how I cropped it + timed the desolation of the lake like a travel brochure??? Because this is how it really looked like:

AAAAAHHHH!!!! I high tailed it out there as fast as I could! Canoe locusts!!! Been there, done that!!! Until tomorrow!!!

Aug 22

7 Comments

The Big Score

Hey all!!!! One week from today, Jeff + I will be in Hawaii!!!!!

Yesterday was another day of editing the storage garage. It was not as harrowing as the day before. We were in a groove. We were making progress. Look at our happy faces. GO TEAM, GO!!!!! We shall laugh in the face of adversity!!!!

I look like a midget for sure in this pic.

Look at the lame smile on my face in this pic. I’m one of the least photogenic people you’ll ever meet. Just ask my dad. As a cameraman, my dad has wasted years of his life trying to get a good picture of me at family functions. My mom is one of the top 5 photogenic people on the planet. I’m trying to emulate her charming smile but it’s clearly not working.

Example: here is the master at work. Effortless.

Jeff really has some gems in that garage. I’m actually getting excited about the idea of trying to swindle the Japanese market into buying all of his Americana at top dollar, y’all. I’m all about the greenbacks.

Jeff + Pee Wee.

I scored big time yesterday. Big time. It is my compensation for all the pain + suffering Jeff is putting me through. Oh, and I just would like to say to all my costumer sisters + brothers out there that thank god I’m a costumer, because Jeff + I were that more efficient, because it what we do at work. I was bagging, tagging, sorting, taping boxes + lifting. You 705 folks know what I’m talking about! Represent!!! And thank god I lift weights.

Score #1, #2, #3

Score #4

Score #5

Score #6

Score #7

And this is for you ladies!!!!

Score #8! A picture of Jeff with John Hamm!!! HELLOOOOOOOO!!!!! Hotties time 2!!!!

So after working for 6 1/2 hours with a 20 min lunch break Jeff + I headed over to Karen + Kyle’s for a bbq. Yaaaaaay!!!! SAVE ME!!!!! Here’s Rudy the rudester the king of all canines.

This is Karen + Jeff. Look at all the turquoise on Karen!!! A woman after my own heart!!! Isn’t she beautiful?! Canadian ladies, I tell ya. Natural beauties.

I went inside to say hi to Juna + her friend Zoey. I was promptly sushed because it was nap time for the babies. Geez, ladies!!! Point taken!!!

This is how Canadians play with kids:

This is what they transport kids in. Take that, Los Angeles moms!!!!

The menfolk playing with the babies. As it should be. Look at the decor in the house!!! Karen has an amazing eye + is a self taught interior decorator. Her style is a mix of modern + ethnic with mid century pieces thrown in. This house should be featured in an interior mag!!! Stat!!!!

Here’s Kyle at the grill. Canadians know how to party!!! Look at all that meat! Look at Jeff’s face. Definition of anticipation.

Speaking of party, we all sat in the backyard + enjoyed some wine + spirits. All in all, good times were had. That’s why this morning was slooooow going. Jeff dropped me off at Budget rent a car. Remember my hooting + hollering about being compensated? Well, guess what?! They gave me the same mini SUV from Friday at a discounted rate of….wait for it…wait for it….$29.99 a day!!!!!! That’s right!!!! I was really appreciative. Even the girl who was helping me was shocked at my discount. That’s how I roll!!!!!!

So, what happens when I’m not feeling so hot? Yes, folks it’s Banff time. Check out my parallel parking skillz:

Uh oh. It’s another Alberta fashion bomb:

Had lunch at the park + read an interview about Rihanna. Very life changing. Did I go to the Banff Indian Trading Post again, you ask??? Need you ask???!!! Drool.

I also visited the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. http://www.whyte.org/ It is a well curated museum of Bow Valley history + art. I’m a little obsessed with Norman Luxton. He was known as “Mr. Banff”. Mr. Luxton was a newspaper publisher, philanthropist, outdoor enthusiast + friend to the Stoney Nakoda natives. He is also credited with putting Banff on the map as a tourist destination. Another important note: Luxton founded the Trading Post + the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum. If you regard this photo, you’ll understand my love for Norman Luxton.

The current exhibition is “Women Adventurers in the Rockies”. I was very inspired + wish I had learned to alpine climb, shoot + fish at a young age. This amazing buckskin was worn by Mary Schaffer Warren – an artist, photographer + explorer. I thought it was very unique in it’s turn of the century detail + I would definitely like to replicate it one day.

Bye for now!!!

Aug 18

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Canadian Icefields Parkway, Pt. 1

I’m calling this Part 1 as you will find out later in this episode.

I embarked on my journey to the Canadian Icefields Parkway today. It is a stretch of highway between Lake Louise + Jasper National Park of craggy mountain ranges + valley glaciers, which is about a 3 hour drive north west of Canmore. My goal today was to go on a Columbia Icefield tour, where they have one of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle.

I took the smaller, more scenic 1A route towards the glaciers. This was my view from the road.

Not even 1/4 into my journey, my rental vehicle gave a warning saying my battery was low on my key + needs replacement. My rental car doesn’t have a traditional key. It has a battery operated key – to start my car I press on the brake, make sure the car is in park + press a button on the car to start it. Well, I ignored the warning, thinking I’d get to Lake Louise + call Budget to figure it out. When I got to Lake Louise, I called the Canmore Budget office with no answer. I left them a message + also called the 1-800 number. They told me they couldn’t help me + referred me back to the Canmore office. So much for customer service!!! I was going to bust that key open myself + replace the battery, but I couldn’t get the thing open!!! I crossed my fingers + headed back on the road.

Here is Castle Mountain. If you notice the little blue speck in the field, it was this little old lady who hauled a lawn chair into the field. I think she was going to sit + paint the mountain range. How cool is that?

As the road became more remote + I lost cell reception, I started becoming really nervous. I’m sure there’s reserve battery energy in the key, but what if I got stuck in the glaciers??? I almost couldn’t enjoy the majestic beauty because I was so freaked out about this stupid battery operated key. What’s wrong with old school keys, I ask you?!?!

Finally, I reached the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge (I kept wanting to call it Kumquat Lodge) at Bow Lake. I thought to myself, “Ah! Someone will be able to help me here, + then I can reach my destination with confidence!”. To my dismay the guy at the front desk was smug + unfriendly + said he didn’t want to go against the rental company’s policies when I asked him to help me bust open the key. He was very un-Canadian + square. I’m thinking he was American. So, I wandered with my tail between my legs to the back of the hotel + repeatedly tried to call stupid Budget from the pay phone. Those jerks STILL weren’t answering the phone!!! So I made my decision to have lunch at Bow Lake + head back south east towards home. I used to be much more adventurous. My fear is all due to the fact that I have read too many books about disasters that occured from the hand of mother nature.

Perfect Storm:

Into Thin Air:

Oh yeah, + let’s not forget this one

Here’s Bow Lake. The pictures do not do it any justice. The lake was bright turquoise blue!!! The color lends itself to the fact that when the glaciers melt, they grind sediment into the meltwater. The heavier sediment sinks to the bottom of the lake, while the lighter sediment (called rock flour) reflect the blue + green light. This photo was taken by a nice German.

Dejectedly, I headed back down to Canmore. South east of Bow Lake is Crow Foot Glacier. One of it’s “toes” has melted away from global warming.

On the way home when I was able to get cell service, I called Budget Canmore + STILL NO ANSWER + NO ONE HAD CALLED ME BACK. I tried the 1-800 number again + a gal helped me probably because I was so pissed. She transferred me to a very nice gentleman in Banff. I told him about how I had plans to go to the Athabasca Glacier + had to turn around. I felt I lost a day + NEEDED TO BE COMPENSATED!!! DOUBLE SNAP + A “Z” FORMATION, Y’ALL!!! Oh, I’m sorry I’m in Canada – “ZED” FORMATION, Y’ALL!!! I was mad as a hornet!!!! He is leaving a message with the manager of the Banff + Canmore offices + hopefully I’ll get a couple of free days of car use, considering tomorrow is my last day with the fiesta.

Oh, I made use of my time by wandering around the lakes of Banff. Vermillion Lakes:

Lake Minnewanka:

To be continued….

Aug 17

Dinosaurs in Drumheller

When I was 3 or 4 years old my mom asked me what I wanted to be. I replied, “A Paleontologist.”. English being her second language she asked, “A wha???”. And thus, I became a costumer. Don’t ask. That’s a subject for another blog.

I’ve always been obsessed with dinosaurs. Ever since I’ve known Jeff he’s told me to go to Drumheller – the dinosaur capital of North America. It’s a 2 1/2 – 3 hour drive from Canmore. My rental car has Sirius XM radio, so that made it fun. I was peeling down the highway, windows down, blasting music!!! It was like Thelma + Louise….without Louise??? It’s mostly farmland on the way, so I stopped to say hello to these fellows:

I took this crazy route to avoid going through downtown Calgary. Thank god I picked up a driving map from the tourism center in Canmore, otherwise I would have been royally screeeeeewed. There’s weird turnoffs, + “secondary” highways that aren’t that clearly marked on the map. I kept thinking to myself, “I hope i’m supposed to make a left at this junction.”. Because I would end up at 4 way junctions that looked like this:

that’s my little rental vehicle

My point is, it all looks the same in each direction, right??? And what the heck is with this sign? It means nothing to me!!!

But, ah yes!!! This means something to me!!! Dinosaurs, ho!!!

Now I was really entering the Canadian Badlands. I stopped at Horse Thief Canyon for lunch. I went down into the canyons a little bit, but not too far down because I started to think about 127 hours + I got nervous thinking about breaking both of my femurs + not being able to crawl out of the canyon + no one knowing I was there. Then I thought I was like Sissy Spacek in the Terence Malick movie, “Badlands” but just hopefully more smart.

Here’s proof that I’m actually in Canada:

This was definitely not going to be me.

FINALLY I made it to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. It’s a leading center of paleaontological research noted for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils. It was extremely impressive + their displays were really well done.

This one’s called “The Black Beauty” due to the color of it’s bones which occurred during fossilisation by the presence of minerals in the surrounding rock. She’s gorgeous, ain’t she?

Here’s some more Alberta fashion for you:

The actual town of Drumheller was a little bit depressing + ghost town like.

I HAD to take a picture of this because apparently it’s “the biggest dinosaur in the world”. IN THE WORLD.

This sign cracked me up from the Badlands Barber Shop. Isn’t that guy from Gossip Girl or something???

Of course, I discovered the local Salvation Army. Don’t worry family + friends, my hoarding tendencies are under control!!! I found these awesome mugs from the early 80’s for Jeff + I. Aren’t they just too cute!?

AND they’re made in JAPAN!!!!! BOOYAH!!!!!!

Well, the drive home was a little rough. Thank god for Sirius XM. Blondie came on + I got a second wind + was rapping, “She eats Cadillacs, Lincolns too, Mercuries + Subarus!!!!!!!!”. Things were good for a while. Then Steely Dan came on + it was straight up zone out time. Mood busted. The green of the endless miles of prairie were bleaching out my brain.

Aug 11

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Packing, Comfort Zones + Long Lashes

I FLY OUT TO CALGARY TODAY!!!!! For those of you who are Canada inept, Calgary is in Alberta. Canadian cowboy country. The Canadian Rockies. Ring a bell? Probably not. Jeff is working on an AMC western episodic called “Hell on Wheels” about the building of the railroads. The Rockies is where we filmed Inception + Jeff, Tom (brother-in-law) + Deb (best sister-in-law ever) had previously lived there for 20 years, so I’m joining him there + going through all the MANY storage spaces he still has out there. Plus, while we were filming there it was the dead of winter + I didn’t really get to enjoy the mountains. Excited.

Check out “Hell on Wheels”: http://www.amctv.com/amc-news/videos/amcs-first-look-at-hell-on-wheels

Common the rapper is in the show + Jeff likes to hang out backstage with him at rap concerts. Jeff’s so street!

Here’s a map of where I’ll be for those of you who are still confused about Alberta:

Here it is in relation to Vancouver:

Take notes. There will be a test.

Strangely enough, one thing that has calmed my anxiety the past couple days has been watching pieces of Jane Campion’s “The Piano”. I take little breaks from circling around my 568 sq ft apartment in overwhelming packing confusion. Not only is it one of my favorite movies, but maybe it’s the haunting soundtrack, gloomy beauty, + unbelievable New Zealand setting that soothe me.

And who can resist this mug? I mean, c’mon?! If that doesn’t say soothing, I don’t know what does??!! “That’s totally weird, I don’t get it.” you’re thinking. I completely agree.

Oh, by the way, I saw my friend Kaori the other weekend + her eyelashes looked INSANE LONG. She told me about a product called Lilash. You can buy it on amazon. It’s kind of expensive, but I thought it’d be nice to have purty eyelashes for the wedding. It’s applied like liquid eyeliner.

http://www.amazon.com/LiLash-Purified-Eyelash-Stimulator-0-20-Fluid/dp/B0039YQ7WY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313079589&sr=8-1

This is my second day using it, so if my upper eyelids start swelling up like the Elephant Man, I’ll be sure to let everyone know! Well, I’m off to do more errands + keep packing until my flight!!! I’ll post tomorrow in Canada!!! Still hasn’t hit me yet!!!! EEEEEK!!!!! Goodbye stars + stripes!!!!