Day 3: Sleepover in Seattle
First, the back story:
Mike and I met during film school, where we signed on as partners for our 310 16mm project, Solace in Solitude. I was the cinematographer, Mike was the director… and by the end we both wanted to shoot ourselves. A Valentine Mike gave me that year sums up our entire working relationship: “Valentine… you drive me crazy.”
The now:
To be honest, we wouldn’t be friends today if Mike hadn’t decided to recessitate our friendship a few years back. While I suspect he might have originally contacted me so that so he could film DVD extras for Solace, our friendship has now grown into something that I think still surprises us both. I can honestly say that Mike is one of my go-to people, whether it be for relationship advice or a fun debate about the relative uselessness of the recent Star Wars films. We even wrote a short comedy recently, Second Nature, which was an experience that I would venture to describe as “positively delightful.”
The wife:
Mike’s stock has gone up exponentially with the acquisition of his wife, Deirdre. Deirdre is gorgeous, intelligent, creative, and one damn good cook. I swear I travel to Seattle a couple of times a year just to try her latest concoctions. I would be jealous of Deirdre if I didn’t like her so much.
The cat:
Mike and Deirdre own a celebrity cat photographer, Cooper. Given that I’ve known Cooper for several years, I can honestly say that fame has not changed Cooper’s personality one bit. I must say though, I’m impressed by any cat that commands $275 for one of his photos, as I’ve never managed to sell even one photo to my grandmother.
The marriage:
If I could live another marriage, it would be Mike and Deirdre’s. Both achievers, adventurers, and consummate socialites, they have created a life that never seems to grow stale and always seems to welcome challenges and new directions. Our two and a half hour interview with them was frank and open, leaving me with much to think about in regards to my relationship with Chris.
The question:
The question we all were left with at the end of our chat was a good one: how do you keep the romance and mystery alive as a relationship gets closer and the friendship deepens? As Mike and Deirdre move toward expanding their family unit, how do they keep time available for just the two of them? After talking with three couples, I still haven’t found a satisfactory answer to this question… but that’s what this Wedding Road Trip is for. Well, that and to get our friends drunk and singing karaoke on a Sunday night…
Tags: cooper cat photographer, cross films, day 3 seattle road trip, wedding road trip seattle
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Wow - thanks for the nice post, Jaime! Very sweet. I think very highly of you and Chris, and am so proud that you’ve brought the wedding roadtrip to life!
Aww, thanks Mike. I’m currying your favor so I can start a HUGE fight with you when we start hashing out the feature.
Umm.. I know he’s taken- but your friend Mike is hot!
Seattle might have been our favorite city so far, but it has tough competition from Portland and Denver. Then again, neither of those cities feature Deirdre’s amazing cakes. (sorry that sounds dirty, but they ARE amazing)
Um, that’s insane. I read the article about that cat in People. I had no idea it was your friend. That is so cool. Of course, I would love to rig up Stripey with a cat-cam, however, as we have given up on collars for him since he loses them constantly I doubt it would work and we’d be pissed as hell every time he lost a camera. However, I do imagine some hilarious photos of the dog chasing him around, the dead bodies that are likely rotting in the neighbor’s house, and him standing on my chest in the middle of the night. Damn, now I want to do it again.
Yeah, we just bought a catcam for Stripey & Big. It’s Big’s birthday present. Yes, I am that person.