Desert Rats (pt.2)
Hello all!!! Sorry for the delay of Desert Rats part deux. In our last episode (post), we found our adventurers (Jeff + I) making their way around the bleak, expanse of the deserted, questionably scented Salton Sea. Read more
Posts from the ‘Jeff’ Category
Jan 7
1 Comment
Desert Rats (pt.1)
Hello all!!! Posts have been delayed due to many factors. Read more
Two Peas In A Pod
Two peas in a pod. That’s what my mom says about Jeff + I. Read more
Merry Christmas 2011!!!
Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!!! Jeff arrived Christmas Eve night + I was so happy to finally have him in Los Angeles!!! Read more
Has Anyone Heard of Krampus???
One night recently, I was looking at images on Google for Victorian Saint Nick etchings (don’t ask me why). All of a sudden, up popped this image: Read more
Jeff’s Day vs. My Day
Jeff is wrapping up his portion of work in Alberta this week. This is a view of his day at work in the Canadian Rockies: 
Aaaah what a majestic horizon!!!!
Here’s my horizon: 
Mountain of old, dirty, messed up shoes!!! Not cool! Majestically horrible!!!! Lucky Jeff…
My So-Called Occupy LA
When Jeff was visiting, we were taking a walk to the MOCA museum + decided to give the 99%ers a visit at City Hall. It’s only a few blocks from my house + we thought we’d go see how the movement was chugging along. All I can say is: ew. Read more
Lofty Goals
Jeff is coming to visit this weekend!!!!! He arrives tonight at 6:45 tonight + leaves Monday at 9pm. Very quick trip. The main goal was to paint + do last minute fix ups to the condo which we assumed would be rented by now. Still no takers. Kind of a bummer. But I’m still glad he’s coming to visit because I won’t see him again till the day of Christmas Eve. I just can’t wait to have our own home in Canada!!!!!! AAAAAARGH!!!! Read more
Technology Saves Relationships
People ask me often how Jeff + I keep in touch, considering our entire relationship has been long distance + still is. It sucks. But we’ve never experienced anything else, so to us it’s sort of normal. I miss him all the live long day, but I pretend that he’s “on location” + psych myself out that way.
In the beginning, when we first started dating, we would just text + email. Then, we graduated to buying phone cards + skyping. It all sounds so archaic now! Here’s pictures we texted to each other during our respective holidays 2009. 
Can you see I’m trying to convey a sense of, “Hey, don’t I look fun?”. I look a little uncomfortable doing it. My friends had to force me to take this picture + send it to Jeff. We had met at the end of November, so at this time I was still trying to woooooo him with my charms.
Jeff’s 2009 holiday photo to me with Matt + Tobin. Don’t they look so little?! Isn’t it crazy how fast kids grow up?! What do you guys think? Jeff better with or without a moustache??? With, of course!!!! That’s the answer!!! Mother Jean would definitely NOT agree!!!! My mom LOVES his moustache because she thinks it’s macho. 
Mas Macho!!!! Does anyone remember an ad campaign from Camel cigarettes in the 70s about “The Turk”? I totally don’t. But it’s amazing!!! Jeff + I saw an art installation with The Turk in it at the MOCA “Under the Big Black Sun: California Art: 1974-1981” exhibit. Hot!!!! What’s not hot about panning for gold?! http://www.moca.org/black_sun/
Sorry, I always get distracted on the subject of men with moustaches. Ok, carrying on. Jeff + I would also email photos of what we had been up to in our separate lives.
Here’s Jeff bowling. This was when his facial hair evolved into this weird Wolverine style. I was like, “What the heck is going on with that hair on his face?”. But it was too new in the relationship for me to say that. Now, I’d be like, “Yo, do something about that. It’s weird!”
So weird. I don’t even know what inspired him shave like that. I should maybe ask him. 
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. So hot. I love me some Hugh Jackman. Distracted again. Sorry. 
Here was me at the San Juan Capistrano mission. In the picture I was probably trying to convey, “Hey, I enjoy California history. And aviator sunglasses”.
Once Jeff got an IPhone that revolutionized our long distance relationship. We basically FaceTime almost every day, if our work schedules allow it. Seeing your significant other’s face while talking is very important in my book. I’m no couples therapist, but in my opinion it is a huge deal. Some other vital tools for being in two different countries is to get the Whatsapp + Viber apps. My techy savvy friend Kim has a boyfriend who travels out of the country often for work + she was aghast that I didn’t have them. They use up data on your phone, not minutes. So you can basically text, send pictures + talk for free if you have a wirelss connection or 3G connection. My sucky AT+T plan only lets me send 100 texts to Canada a month. Lame-o!!!! These two apps are a must for long distance relationships!!!! If you + your guy/gal have smart phones, get these apps stat!!!! http://www.whatsapp.com/ http://www.viber.com/
We also send a picture of ourselves every day to each other.
I can’t WAIT to live in the same country + under the same roof with Jeff!!!!! It’s getting really old, y’all. I really hope our immigration paperwork gets processed without any delays or complications. And no, we haven’t turned it in yet. 😦 Jeff is coming to visit for Remembrance Day ( a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty since World War I) + we’re going to put our heads together + work on it because I think I have all the documents I need now. Come to think of it, I flew to Calgary on Remembrance Day in 2009 for work + that’s when I met Jeff!!!!!!!!! Wow, I just realized that because when we landed all the Canadians were wearing red poppies + I thought, “Oh how nice the Canadians are with their red flower pins.”. I had no idea what they were for, I just thought they were cute. The red remembrance poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day, due to the poem in “Flanders Fields”. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, + red color represents the blood spilled in the war. This is probably going to be on my citizenship test!!! One question, down! 
Little Tokyo Love
This video caused me to go temporarily insane.
That video, my friends is one of the many reasons to love life. Oooooh, I want to cuddle that intelligent Beluga!!! If you’ve already seen it before, too bad! I always forward links or videos to friends, thinking I’m really cutting edge, + they’re always like, “Seriously Shelli, I’ve seen that a million times.” or “What, do you live under a rock?”. I’ve been compared to a coma patient that has just woken up. It’s true. I should get out more, but I don’t. And I don’t plan to!
I love living in Little Tokyo! Why would I go anywhere else? Everything I want is within walking distance. Uuuuuugh, I’m going to miss living here. I walked to my optometrist this morning, Dr. Kurata. Do you like my new frames? 
I had a hard time taking a picture with my IPhone. Or maybe I’m trying to emulate a pirate minus the eye patch. My frames are by Ic! Berlin. German, but of course. Remember: Japanese or German products only need apply. http://www.ic-berlin.de/
Everything I need is in Little Tokyo! My hair stylist + friend Kayo cut Jeff’s hair before he left for Canada. 
Kayo is a scientist of hair – a real genius! Most of my friends + family go to see her. She usually cuts + colors at Umberto Salon in Beverly Hills, but works in Little Tokyo 2 days a week because she loves styling hair so much. I’m not going to forward a link, because she’s already so booked by word of mouth, that it’s difficult to get an appointment with her! Recognize!!!
Shin-Sen-Gumi just opened up down the street! I used to drive all the way down to Gardena to eat at the location there. This ramen shop is great because you can choose your toppings, how firm you want you noodles to be cooked, how oily your broth, etc. It’s the ultimate in ramen customization!!!! Plus, they serve Spam!!!!!!!! The protein of Asia. What’s not to love?
The waiters enthusiastically SCREAM in Japanese: “WELCOME!!!”, “2 AT TABLE 5!!!”. “TABLE 3 IS CLEARED!!!”, “THANKYOUVERYMUCH!!!!!!!”. It’s a little jarring + hard to hold a conversation with all the yelling, but at least they’re consistent. I still relish in their militancy very much. It flows through my blood…
Today as I was getting my mail, my condo manager Shin-san motioned me into the common room. He said, “Look at all these things, take whatever you want! If people don’t take these things, I’m just going to throw them in the trash!”. Shin-san is not much of an environmentalist. There were various, not so memorable tchotchkes that were up for grabs. My condo complex houses many elderly Japanese, + lately they have been unfortunately moving to nursing homes or passing away.
But, look at what I found! Beautiful Kokeshi dolls! The one on the left does not appear very old, but the two on the right I have to do more research on. They look old, yo!!!
Look at the intricacy of the painting! One of them has “Hakone Onsen” hand written on the botttom in calligraphy. Onsen is Japanese for “hot springs”. I’ll have to bring these to the “Antiques Roadshow” (aka Jeff’s favorite show), y’all!!!! http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/
They’re so simple + beautiful. Aaaaaah, Japanese aesthetic, how I love you so……
For some reason, Megumi was very intrigued by these dolls. Which kind of creeeeeped me out a little….
Yet another reason to miss Little Tokyo. The MOCA Geffen Contemporary is one block west of my condo. I have a membership + can just stroll on down there whenever I want.
Right now they are exhibiting: “Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981”. Go see it, because it’s very in depth + really expresses the raw art, photography + music scene that was happening in California during that time period. People were very jaded + angry back then, y’all! http://www.moca.org/black_sun/ Again, this is in collaboration with fabulous Pacific Standard Time . http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/ Check out my past blog, “Eames to the Nth Degree” for more on Pacific Standard Time.
Well, don’t look to this blog if you need tips + advice for moving, because this ain’t it!!! I managed to box up a bunch of stuff. The problem is, I don’t have a tenant yet + I’m not sure of when I’m moving out, so my drive to really get packing is like zero. That’s how I found that Beluga video on youtube. It’s called procrastination, people. This makes it hard for me to know what + how much to box up, because I’m not sure of what I’ll need to keep around to live on without feeling like a complete bachelorette. 
Don’t get impressed, because 3/4 of these boxes are empty!!! Hah!!!
As the night progressed + my IPod played on, I managed to get a good amount of boxes packed up. 
There’s nothing like some Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music + Selena to push things along.
I did the fishy face because I was tired + at a loss. Plus, I’m not very photogenic. I wish Jeff was here. 😦
Like a Phoenix / Saving Private Megumi
Hoorah, everyone!!!! My blog has a new look!!! I love my new fancy face fonts!!! What do y’all think? Like? Hate? Taking a stance of ambivalence? Well, with beauty comes heartache…this new format caused ALL of my previous posts to look wonky + horrible. Thus, I had to MANUALLY ALTER ALL OF MY POSTS. How do people have such good looking blogs? Are they web designers?! Do they have jobs??? Jiminy Crickets!!! Luckily, I’ve been able to work freelance here + there a couple days a week, so I’ve been able to edit + pack my condo (sort of).
So, what about the couple that wanted to move into my condo??? Well, turns out the husband was a pretentious mama’s boy, which caused my real estate agent to put up the red flags + turn them away. Thank goodness, I do not need persnickety tenants!!!! Oh hell to the no!!! Thankfully, I have someone coming to look at my place on Tuesday, so all is good in the hood.
I’m feeling very positive about things!!!!
So positive, that last night I decided to open up a bottle of cheap champagne that I probably got as a throwaway wrap gift from some costume designer + has been sitting in my refrigerator for a million years unopened, just because it’s “champagne”. So what?! Crack that sucker open, I say!!!
I made a stir-fry broccoli with tofu + faux meat crumbles. Did you say champagne doesn’t go with Asian food?? As if!!! Bubbly is always a good choice!!! Sad thing is, I had to watch a youtube video about how to open a bottle of champagne. I usually let someone else potentially get their eye taken out by a champagne cork.
This is how I felt: 
Like I said before, I’m not a fan of John Hughes films. But for some really odd reason when I thought about celebrating, being on a float during a parade came to mind. Don’t ask, because I don’t have an answer.
Today, I made Okinawan sweet mashed potatoes. Mash those bad boys, add some butter, maple syrup, (aka, Liquid of Canada) cardamom, salt + pepper. So pretty!!! 
They’re purple, y’all!!!
What the heck?! AAAAH!!!! Get out of there, Megumi!!!! I’m food styling, you crazy feline!!!
Speaking of Megumi, I forgot to tell everyone that Jeff + Megumi majorly bonded on his most recent trip!!!! Some of you know that Jeff is super allergic to cats. This, my friends, is a travesty. This, was a sledgehammer to my heart when I first learned about his terrible affliction. I love me some kitties!!! I love them so much, I want to squeeze the very last breath out of their fluffy, soft beings!!!! Case in point:
I really didn’t know what was to become of Megumi because she is a bit of a basket case. She is skittery, neurotic + has a crippled paw that I call her “beef jerky paw”. If she was human, she’d probably have a bottle of Valium in her bathroom. I found her underneath the 10 freeway, y’all. She doesn’t do well with other animals + people, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to have her adopted. The notion of putting her up for adoption made me want to have panic attacks, but because of Jeff’s allergies, I didn’t know what I was going to do!!!! It was a source of major agony for me.
How could I turn my back on this precious creature?! HOW, I ASK YOU?!
Usually the week before Jeff comes into town, I would shuttle Megumi off to grandma + grandpa’s while I meticulously cleaned the condo. This past visit didn’t offer the luxury of doing this, so I told Jeff he would have to suck it up + we’d pray that his throat didn’t close up.
Well, looky here!!! Jeff’s family, are you seeing this?! Can you believe your eyes?!
Too cute!!! My two favorite mammals together!!! In harmony! Sympatico!!!
Saints be praised!!! There were no trips to the ER!!!! No wind pipes were blocked! Jeff + Megumi would have chats, (she’s very chatty) + I was overjoyed. I’m thinking with allergy shots for Jeff, routine vacuuming, brushing Megumi + purchasing a air purifier, Megumi will be accompanying me up to Canada!!!! Oh joy + happiness!!!!
After Jeff went back up to Canada, I ordered Allerpet C on Amazon. Tons of allergy websites swear by it – it reduces dander on the cat. Once a week after brushing, moisten a towel with Allerpet + wipe the cat down real good. You’re supposed to get contact with the cat’s skin, but Megu is so darn downy, that I don’t know if she even has skin! She’s all fur! I’ll let you all know how all this goes down when the 3 of us finally get to actually live together under one roof!!! Keep your fingers crossed, cuz if not – the one wearing glasses is going to have to go!!! Just kidding, Jeff!!! I love you!
Oct 8
California Pride
This Pacific Standard Time art collaboration that I mentioned in yesterday’s blog is really something else. http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/
I am really proud + excited to be Californian + be surrounded by art + design that really personifies the West Coast + Californian ideals. I think these exhibits come at a perfect time, considering that soon I will become a permanent resident of Canada. It’s like a bittersweet goodbye to my beloved state + the artistic environment that I may have taken for granted, now that I realize all the art + culture that was surrounding me growing up.
Yesterday, we visited the JF Chen antiques + furniture gallery/showroom that was showcasing their huge vintage Eames collection for Pacific Standard Time. 
I really thought Jeff was going to pee his pants when we stepped inside. It was like a museum. Everything was for sale, but the deal was that if an item was purchased, the paid for item was to be on display as if on loan until the exhibit was to come to a close.
I went to the ladies’ room + this is what I wanted!!!! Danish modern mirror!!!! Drooooooool!!!!! Dreamy.
The old department for Superman was super (haha!) close by, so I wanted to take Jeff there to say hello to everyone + debut myself as Mrs. Nishino-Fayle. Yes, I’m a hyphen!!!! Oh, explanation – this is where I was working before I left to go pack a 40 foot shipping container + get married. 
The gang!!!! Cacey, Annie (The White Duchess), Ninska (Nina) + Kurt!!!!! I missed everyone like loco!!! We chatted, ate a bunch of their potato chips + headed down to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Better known as LACMA for all those who are savvy.
On exhibit is the “California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way”, going on until March 25th – so everyone, vite, vite!!!! Go now!!! Go!!!!! Go nooooooow!!!!! So well curated + displayed!!!! 
The exhibits showed how Californian design evolved over time through the influence of German + Austrian emigres post WW II, the materials that were used in a post war era, the population explosion of Los Angeles suburbs + the needs of the growing atomic families, etc.
The contents of the Eames House living room was on display in painstaking historical detail. But alas, we weren’t allowed to take pictures. But it was really fun to see after being at the house yesterday. 
The best part is a conversation I overheard between two toothpick baby hipsters chatting in their respective bathroom stalls. Hipster #1 was not excited about celebrating her birthday + was just going to do a quiet Sunday brunch (which is the female Angelenos most beloved past time, by the way). Hipster #2 asked, “Why aren’t you excited???”. Hipster #1: “I’m really not that excited to turn 26.”. Hipster #2 replied, “Well, it could be worse! You could be turning 27!”. Hipster #1: “Omigod, you’re totally right, I know!!!”. This whole conversation is even more ridiculous to me because I just had a conversation with a friend about how she was turning 37. When the hipsters came out of the bathroom stalls + saw me washing my hands + realized they weren’t alone in the bathroom whilst they were conducting their flippant conversation they bowed their heads sheepishly. That’s right!!!!!!!
At the permanent exhibit was “The Centaur” by Pablo Picasso. Jeff sneaked a picture for me because when I was 4 years old LACMA had a huge Picasso exhibit that my dad took me to. I remember this piece + how blown away, confused + mesmerized I was by it. This piece is really symbolic to me. I thank my parents so much for exposing me to the arts for my whole life. 
Jeff + I were really excited to stumble upon the temporary exhibit of Ed Kienholz’s “Five Car Stud”. It’s a huge installation piece that was crazy controversial in it’s day during the civil rights movement in America. A huge statement on the race wars in America, it was only showed in Germany + was subsequently placed in storage for almost 40 years in Japan. Keinholz’s more famous “Back Seat Dodge” installation almost caused LACMA to lose it’s funding in 1966. His depictions of reality, violence + sexuality gets the good old US of A up in a tizzy. 
This is not my picture, but from the LACMA website because you were not allowed to take pictures. But what the amazing thing was that we were allowed to walk into the installation + really get a really close look at all the details. I’m not going to describe “Five Car Stud” to all of you, because you should go + see it, or educate yourselves about it. This is a teaser!
I haven’t been to that many museums in such a short time in a really long while. I thank Jeff + Pacific Standard Time for being such a patron of the arts + for Jeff being my best friend!!!! I LOVE CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!
Oct 7
Eames to the Nth Degree
Charles + Ray Eames overload!!! Is there such a thing? Possibly, yes. For those of you who’ve aren’t familiar with them, Charles + Ray Eames were an American husband + wife design team that were HUGE contributors to architecture, furniture design, photography, film, etc. Most of what the general public would think of as “mid-century modern design” was probably influenced by Charles + Ray Eames. 
Don’t they look fun?
Some iconic Eames furniture pieces – this only scratches the surface of what the Eames contributed to the world of design.
Yesterday was POURING rain!!!! Everyone said that Jeff brought the rain to Los Angeles. Jeff called it “a light mist”. Macho. People were decked out in all their rain gear – you would have thought it was a tornado warning. Angelenos freak out when it rains + it’s like the whole city shuts down. We went to the A + D (architecture + design) museum on Wilshire. The show was: Eames Designs: The Guest-Host Relationship. “The role of the designer,” said Charles Eames, “is that of a very good, thoughtful host, all of whose energy goes into trying to anticipate the needs of his guests.” 
Rainy, rainy streets.
Another Eames philosophy was to find, “the uncommon beauty of common things.” Not a very good philosophy to promote to a hoarder. Easy, Jeff. Don’t get any ideas.
After A + D, we traveled across the street to the Petersen Automotive Museum. I think 92% of Angelenos have never been to this museum. It is fascinating + I highly recommend it, y’all!!! Usually it is the kiss of death going to the Petersen with Jeff because he’ll take 30 detailed pictures of one car. There’s THREE STORIES of cars. Lots of them. Luckily, he forgot his camera. 
History buffs, pay heed. If you’re not much of a car aficionado, the Petersen Museum is still a good visit for insight into the evolution of car culture + the development of the city of Los Angeles. Incroyable!!
This guy is at the model T display as an example of how the cars would always get stuck in the mud. But, really Petersen museum?! He always gets a chuckle + witty remarks from the viewers cuz it’s like, “What the heck is really going on here????”. Jeff made me put this in the post. Guffaw, guffaw.
The rotating exhibit is, “Scooters – Size Doesn’t Always Matter”. Snicker, snicker. So, if you are a mod + have Quadrophenia on rotation on your plasma, go check it out. It shows the complete evolution of the scooter from the turn of the century to the luxury Vespas of today. http://www.petersen.org/
Today, the weather was absolument gorgeous!!!! To die for Los Angeles weather!!! Thus, Santa Monica, tally ho. First stop? The Eames House. Visit by appointment only, park on Corona Del Mar + no pictures of the inside of the home. Only the exterior. Nestled in a eucalyptus grove that smelled so fragrant after the rain!!!! 
The contents of the living room have been moved to Los Angeles County Museum of Art which is a bit of a bummer because it would have been nice to see the living room intact, considering all of it’s contents have never left the house since 1949, when the house was completed. Everyone!!! Right now in southern California, Pacific Standard Time is happening – a six month celebration of art in L.A. from 1945-1980, with over 60 cultural institutions from Malibu to Palm Springs + down to San Diego exhibiting + showcasing southern California as a influential center for arts + culture. http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/
Charles + Ray’s grandson was on the premises being interviewed by what we assumed was a Japanese reporter. He shot a film about the dismantling of the studio on Abbot Kinney in Venice that Jeff loved. We bought a copy + Jeff was able to flag him down for a chat + an autograph. Jeff was thrilled. Eames Demetrios was thrilled as well when Jeff told him about meeting me on “Inception” because there is a character by the name Eames + Leonardo DiCaprio’s character spins a toy top, which is a huge symbol in the Eames philosophy. Hmmm.
Coincidence??? Me thinks not…..
Afterwards was a hop, skip + a jump to one of my best friends from high school, Adrianna’s house. She is preggos with her first wee bairn, + I haven’t seen her tummy grow since I’ve been gone!!! 
Here she is with her tummy + her beloved greyhound rescue, Enid!!!! How I’ve missed them!!!! Hi Adi!!!
Jeff is convinced that he + Adi are related. Crazy??? Yes. Unfounded? No. Adi’s maiden name is Day. Jeff’s paternal side come from a well documented line of Days from Cork, Ireland. Here they are looking at Adi’s genealogy binder. Because everyone should have theirs handy!!!! Look alive, people!!! Get with the program!!! Slackers!!!
For lunch, we walked up the street to Ocean Avenue for a packed picnic because we are thrifty like that.
A perfect Southern California day – beat that, Vancouver!!!!
The Eames Office on Pico was our next stop. It was bigger than I expected. They had the 1961 “Mathematica” exhibit commissioned by IBM showcased. 
It was amazing!!! There were historical timelines, quotations from famous mathematicians, physics displays, photography + film from the original exhibition.
Oh + let’s not forget – a really amazing gift store. My favorite part. http://www.eamesoffice.com/
Okay, LAST STOP. The Santa Monica Museum of Art. Located in Bergamot Station – a collection of galleries located in an industrial location that’s been around for years. I remember going there in high school feeling artsy. The exhibit was on Beatrice Wood. An eccentric bohemian who was known as the Mama of Dada (Dadaism). I LOVED learning about her!!! She had a pottery studio in Ojai, east of Santa Barbara. She only wore Indian saris + was frequently seen with Roche + Duchamp during the early 1900’s, consequently it is assumed that she was the inspiration for the Truffaut film, “Jules + Jim”. 
One of the few French New Wave that I actually love.
After the excitement of Beatrice Wood, we drifted off to the many galleries that Bergamot Station has to offer. It’s one of those places where, if you’re a local, you take Bergamot Station for granted. But if you’re visiting – please go!!!! http://bergamotstation.com/
Julius Shulman – world renowned architectural photographer. Neutra, Lautner, Frank Lloyd Wright, Koenig + various other Case Study houses. Jeff was beside himself for real. All I was thinking about, was that Los Angeles traffic that was approaching. And believe me, it was. We braved traffic during rush hour + were better men/women because of it. Today was a plethora of information , art + culture that I haven’t experienced in a very long time. This need, should not go on so long ignored.
Oct 5
Jeff’s 2 Day Birthday Festivities Pt. 2
Jeff’s Birthday weekend, part 2. Jeff is well loved. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2ND Jeff insisted all of his West Coast family (family also includes the Hoiles of course) to be together to celebrate his birthday, so for that to happen, we celebrated on Sunday. The Hoiles had us over for the partay. Tom, Deb, Matt, Tobin, Steve, Liz, Keiko, Hana, Benjamin + cousin Neil were all there! 
Appies, y’all!!! Shaka!!! 
Filet mignon + shrimp kabobs on the grill, yo!!! Decadence to da max!!! 
Now that is the way to party. Veganism, goodbye. Sorry, Charlie. 
Here’s little button Hana using a remote control as a cell phone. Ridiculously cute!!!!!! Unbearable!!
The dinner spread!!!! I kept instructing Keiko + Matt, “The Ta-Daaaa Pose!!! The Ta-Daaa Pose!!! Arms spread!!! TA-DAAA!!!!”. Like an obnoxious stage mom.
Jeff wanted a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. What do you think of the caption? 45 IS a big deal!!!! The zombie kid at Dairy Queen made me want to reach over to check his pulse, but I got a slight crack of a smile from him when he saw my ecstatic happiness when Isaw the cake. 
Before the cakecame out, Matt, Tobin + I busted out the crown that we all collaborated on the day before with our sweat + tears.
Hana had to give the crown a whirl. 45??? Me thinks not. A mere babe in the woods. A wee bairn. 
Jeff is definitely a young-at-heart 45.
Okay, how many times does it take to wrangle 4 children into a semi perfect group photo? Let’s take a count.
One. Where’s Tobin? Oh, there you are!!! 
Two. Do you like Hana’s Uncle Jeffrey moustache?? 
Three. Uh-oh. Things are starting to unravel. Yikes. Focus Hana, FOOOCUUUUS!!!!! Tobin! Matt! What the heck!!!?? 
Four. Jeff + Hana, come on!!!! Keiko, kudos. Always ready for a photo op. Well done. Well done. 
Five!!!! Success!!!! Oh wait, Hana + Keiko aren’t looking into the camera. Oh well, as long as everyone is facing forward with their little faces towards camera, that equals done to me!!! 
Oh hey, I know what’s going on here!! I see the love gaze flowing between these two!!!!! 
What the heck??!!! Alas, I always knew Jeff was Hana’s main squeeze, before I even met Jeff. I digress. She’s always asking me, “Where’s Jeffy? Where’s Jeffy??”
After cake, Jeff + Hana blissed out in each other’s arms. They were so content, that they didn’t even notice the bright light of my flash. 
So cute!!!!!!!! Buddies!!! Happy Birthday, Jeff!!!!!!!!!
Oct 3
Jeff’s 2 Day Birthday Festivities
Who get’s to celebrate his birthday for an entire weekend? Jeff does. He’s 45 y’all.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1ST – Jeff’s actual birth date
A present from yours truly.
Tobin’s new chapeau. All the rage with the kids.
Bent plywood magazine side table/stool!!! How moderne!!!!
Later, I had Matt + Tobin help me with some decorations for Jeff’s birthday party for the next night. It was a group collaboration, not without a couple creative differences. We had to stop every once in a while + re-group with a board meeting. 
Serious teamwork.
That evening, I took Jeff to Deep Cove to have dinner at a great restaurant called Arms Reach Bistro. It was tasty + stylish without being pretentious – so very Canadian!!!!
We got into a little fight before we reached the restaurant. Here’s me expressing my discontent in a very mature manner.
Jeff caught my very discreet expression + so I obliged him with a reluctant stiff smile. Not bad, right?!
I couldn’t stay mad at Jeff! He’s too cute!!! We hugged it out after a little talking + we enjoyed our dinner. We had a beef carpaccio appetizer (Canadians call it an “appie” as in a beef carpaccio appie – funny, right?) which I’ve never had before. It was UNBELIEVABLE!!!! OMG it was so good, like melt in your mouth good. 
http://www.armsreachbistro.com/frame.htm
After dinner we went for a movie. FYI, Canadian movie theaters really need a serious makeover. Ever heard of stadium seating? Surround sound??? Consider it, Canada!!! They’re all pretty small + outdated + make me feel like I’m in middle school at the Janss Mall going to see Beetlejuice. 
I can’t wait for the Muppet movie to come out!!!!! Oh, Fozzie bear, you charlatan!!
I wanted to go see Moneyball, but since it was Jeff’s birthday we went to see Ryan Gosling in Drive. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a movie about baseball + statistics?! Let’s just say Drive was highly lacking. Jeff enjoyed it for some reason. The actors were extremely good, but there was absolutely no character development + the storyline was majorly weak sauce. When we got back to Tom + Deb’s, they were still up so we shared some bubbly to celebrate Jeff’s 45th year on the planet. Tom just got back from a trade show in Europe + bought this perfect Mr. T shirt for Jeff in Spain. Pity the Fool. Pity the Fool.
What are we doing here in this picture? I don’t know but it looks like a bunch of ballyhoo to me. Stay tuned tomorrow for Jeff’s 2 Day Birthday Festivities Part 2.
how's it going, eh? 