Monday, July 03, 2006

Birthday Buddy


Loki helps knit
Originally uploaded by Martina.

This message is brought to you by Jen's birthday buddy, Loki the Freeway Cat, who is surprisingly good typist:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH, JEN!!!!!!!!!

In honor of your birthday and your love of lists, Loki has composed for you a listy retrospective of Jen & Mart's Great Adventures

1. Being shafted in Shafter

2. Your dad walking in on you, Martina and MQ as you all were sitting on your bed, wearing visors and smoking carrot stick cigars while teaching yourselves to play poker from a book

3. Replacing all of MQ's artwork in her bedroom with our own drawings. Loki, who always refers to himself in the 3rd person (just like Bob Dole and Tom Clancy) would especially like to remind you of The Madonna with Cone Bra, The Godfather of Grunge, and The Clown of Life.

4. The hotel with the vibrating beds in Yuba City

5. The sniper Day's Inn on 1st Street in Santa Ana

6. Wigfest

7. Meeting Tom Clancy at Wordstock

8. The Bovine Murder Train Sessions

9. The Chicago Underground

10. Bunny ears, cold medicine, Furby and Ricky Martin

11. Driving hours out of our way to see the wonder that is Carhenge

12. Being glared at by Romance fans at Powell's for laughing to loudly at the bodice ripper covers

13. Snack pockets

14. Pammyana: A Woman of Many Appetites

15. Driving to Tacoma to see George Michael in concert, then chanting "Wham Rap" when he asked for requests

16. The Baker Eagles

17. The campaign to bring the term "jive" back into popular usage

18. Pronking

19. The Butts of the Ancients Tour at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

In closing, Loki hopes that the beginning of birthday month is also the beginning of a kickass new year. (He really likes the word "kickass".)

10 comments:

Jen said...

d'oh! I had a comment 3/4 of the way done, and then I accidentally quit my browser. Thank you Loki, my birthday pal, for the great retrospective list! (you are indeed a very good typist).

I do have some things to add re: the list.

19. hee hee hee. this still makes me laugh! Why they haven't made us docents there yet, I DO NOT KNOW.

16. That's just how they talk, man.

15. hee. We just wanted him to "reach up high and touch his soul," that's all. those people around us didn't need to get so shirty. (I also remember the ONLY THING that kept me awake driving home was Elvis' #1 hits, for some reason)

14. I just found some of your original artwork when I was cleaning out a filing cabinet. It was your blue period.

11. Who wouldn't?

10. Don't forget the all important Blue Sunglasses! I think we almost had furby trained to shake his bon bon at will until we inadvertantly starved him to death, didn't we?

9. INDEED

8. I dream of that tape still.

7. He was much nicer than I imagined! And way more in touch with his feminine side than I expected.

5. ha ha ha! The look on that taxi driver's face = priceless. There really is such a thing as idiocy being a form of protection.

4. Don't forget the BULLET HOLES. Man, that was another example of having to pee so much that good judgement goes out the window.

3. LIVE IN THE NOW. It was good advice then, it's good advice now.

2. We never did figure it out. At least I don't think they let you refresh your cards indefinitely when you really play poker.

1. Man. Shafter. the name says it all.

Thank you for the birthday month wishes! (to both Loki AND Martina)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen,

Ah, now I know who took the picture of MDR in bunny ears in front of snowy Carhenge. I've had that photo for six years, but you were never given credit. I'll remember who holds the copyright when I publish it somewhere.

I feel I know you a little better now. August is my birthday month so you might learn a few things about me soon too.

It's good to see that lists don't always have to be ten items long, or some other multiple of fingers. What's your expert opinion?

Happy Month, Jen! When's the birthday?

Chris

Jen said...

Thanks, Chris! The actual day of my birth is the 15th. I'm glad to know that my copyrights are being protected out there in the vast internet -- but do let me know when the bunny ear picture makes it to publication.

Personally, I love that the list is 19 items long. It just seems right, somehow. And what could follow the butts of the ancients anyway?

Martina -- now the pressure is on! You're going to have to think of lists for all of us. And not just for birthday's either! I would like to request a "why September is simultaneously Rad and Sad" list. (delivery any time in september is fine). hee hee hee.

Leslita said...

Happy Birthday month, Jen! I hope to hear some of these stories filled out at a later date - they sound good!

Martina said...

Jen -

Some comments on your comments:
19. You know, I applied for a job at the Getty once. Alas, even with the "Butts of the Ancients" to our credit, I did not get it.

10. I think I must still have the blue sunglasses somewhere as I have not run across them in my purge. Alas the original bunny ears were eaten by a puppy who shall remain nameless, but I do still have the barely gnawed on maribou replacement set.

5. I do not think I will ever forget the taxi driver's solemn advice of "Whatever you do, don't go left of the hotel" or that I accidentaly WAY overtipped him.

I will have to get crackin' on the lists for the rest. Yours was easy, just because I've known you for so freaking long. Put two unique personalities together (like how I avoided calling you weird in honor of birthday month?) for almost 20 years and you're bound to get at least a little material.

Jen said...

ha ha! I DO love that you avoided calling me weird. But even more than that I love that you found a way to avoid calling me wierd that TOTALLY leads one to the weird conclusion. "unique personality" = indubitable weirdo, just like "artistic temperment" = unreasonable bitch/bastard.

I do remember the overtipping! I'm sure he had even less hope for our survival after that. But it all worked out okay, and as I recall we upgraded to a really decent best western somewhere out of harm's way.

The Getty really missed out, is all I can say about that. (re: #19)

Anonymous said...

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y, J E N !!!

Anonymous said...

Oops, forgot it's HTML. Try again...

   H A P P Y    B I R T H D A Y, J E N  !!!

Anonymous said...

D'oh!

     H A P P Y   B I R T H D A Y,   J E N !!!

Jen said...

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Chris!!