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
Posts tagged ‘Humor’
Dec 26
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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…
Rip Van Winkle Better Keep Sleeping
Rip Van Winkle is the story of a man that slept through the American Revolutionary War. When he awoke, he was old + gray, his wife + friends had passed away + he had been asleep during the entire war. Read more
Time to Rewind
Huzzah!!!!! This is a week to truly celebrate!!!! In a mellow, non-party like + zen manner!!! Tuesday, my renters moved into my condo + Wednesday was the last day of shooting!!! It is time for me to straight up chillax like a pampered house cat!!!! Read more
Strength + Vigor!!!!
Done! Finito! Fin! Owari! That’s it!!! Today was the grand finale!!!! Pretty much everything is out of my condo after today’s big haul. Next weekend…cleaning! I can’t wait for this all to eeeeeeend!!!!!! Read more
Seratonin Deficient
I’M SO SICK OF MOVING!!!! This weekend is the last push. After tomorrow, my goal is to clear everything out of my condo so that next weekend can be reserved for cleaning. Moving sucks!!! Read more
Happy American Thanksgiving!!!
I say Happy American Thanksgiving because Canadian Thanksgiving takes place in the beginning of October. People say, “Weird! In October? Do Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving? Were there Pilgrims in Canada? I don’t get it!”. I didn’t either, but I did some research + there’s lots of different reasons for Canadian Thanksgiving – “Jour de l’Action de Grace” in Canadian French thankyouverymuch. Read more
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
Pardon Me?
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. Working night shoots for the past couple weeks has been interesting. You would think that if you were acclimatized to working nights week after week, it would be okay, but you still feel crazy. It’s not natural for human beings to stay up all night + sleep during the day. I’m not a bat for god’s sake! I need vitamin D!!!! The good thing is, everyone at work feels crazy, so you’re all in the same boat. Wait, I don’t know if 200 + people feeling crazy is a good thing… 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
American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry
Saturday was the much anticipated American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Gene Autry museum. It is one of my favorite events of the year + usually happens in the fall. Debbie + her mom Naomi were my dates! Naomi is visiting Debbie from New York, + before the Marketplace, I went to Debbie’s house for lunch. I love when Naomi visits because she always makes yummy, healthy + fresh Korean food!!!! 
For all of you that think Korean food is all bulgogi + meat – you’re wrong!!!!! Naomi uses lots of greens + everything tastes so light!!!! Lunch was buckwheat noodles on a bed of spring greens, cucumber kimchi, daikon leaf kimchi + spicy rice cake. YUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!! Thanks Naomi! My compliments to the chef!!!!
I was so excited when we arrived at the Gene Autry that I started hyper ventilating! I’ve been waiting a whole year for this!!!! I put on so much turquoise, y’all!!! 
Inside the tent there are vendors selling everything from turquoise, art, photography, clothing, etc. Here’s Debbie in front of a beautiful beaded pow wow costume.
Even though we had a big lunch, guess who was hungry again?! I had to get some frybread while I was at the Marketplace! It’s a sin to leave the Marketplace without having frybread! There were three food trucks outside, because food trucks are really trendy right now. I remember when they served the frybread from under a cramped pop-up tent.
When I was placing my order + gave the girl my name, this guy behind me said, “Shelli? Shelli Morningsun?”. I was like, “Excuse me?”. He replied, “Is your name Shelli Morningsun?”. I was like, “No.”. He apologized + said, “Oh, I thought you were Shelli Morningsun. She’s a really amazing vocalist + she’s performing on stage later today.”. That was pretty funny. 
Somebody at work the other day asked if I was American Indian. I think all the turquoise plays mind games on people.
Check out this frybread!!! Frybread is like a Native American taco. Fried, doughy goodness with chili ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato!!! And since I was with a couple of Koreans, we doused it with so much Tapatio hot sauce, it was a fiery mess!!!! More salsa! Oh, I will be sad in Canada without salsa on every table….
This was my favorite thing at the pow wow! These were raised beadwork souvenirs from Niagara Falls made during the Victorian era by women of the Tuscarora Nation. The guy was really excited when I told him Jeff’s aunt lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Isn’t it gorgeous + amazing!? I really want one. The technique is called a “hump stitch” or “rope stitch”. This creates the three dimensional shapes by sewing beads in raised arches or by sewing beads over beads. Drool.
This gal was making these ridiculously awesome dolls + was in the process of beading moccasins + a vest for the male doll. Me want these too!!!!!!!! 
Debbie + I were obsessed with these scarves that you’ll see us wearing at the end of the post. We were making such a big deal about them that the lady in the red + black jacket next to Debbie’s mom had to get in on the action. They’re so cozy – we love them!!!
We ended our day by watching the dancers perform. Look at their beautiful costumes, beads + turquoise!!! Double drool!!!! 
There’s the statue of good ol’ Gene Autry in the background. The Autry is one of my favorite museums in Los Angeles. They have a great permanent exhibit about the development + expansion of the west, stories about gunslingers, the ethnic groups that immigrated to the United States, you name it! Their non-permanent exhibits are always really well curated too. Go visit!!! http://theautry.org/
What a fun day! I did not purchase any turquoise! My restraint was world class!!! Here’s Debbie + I in our beloved scarves. They are warm as heck.
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!
how's it going, eh? 