Andrea Takeoka Photography » Peanut

Valentine’s Day 2011

Andrea — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 01:20:04 +0000

Taro and I wanted to go to KaGaYa for Valentine’s Day, but lo and behold, they are closed on Mondays. So instead, we celebrated it in a much more low key fashion. This year, Taro bought a dozen roses for me, but by the next day, this is what I saw when I walked into the house after work:

Can you guess who the culprit was? Yes, ever so innocent Peanut. I swear he karate chopped through all the stems and felt quite satisfied with the buds he left on the table. The next time I saw him on the table, he was trying to pick up a rose. I guess he wanted to pretend he was doing the tango. As always, what a nut.

Peanut * A New Do

Andrea — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:25:54 +0000

Warm weather equals shedding in a cat’s life. So that is what Peanut has been doing the past month – shedding a storm. He has a beautiful long coat, but it can be deadly if you inhale a hairball. So yesterday, on my day off, I dropped off Peanut at the groomer, The Best Little Cat House in Pasadena. I always feel guilty when I take him – partially because he gives me that sad, Why are you doing this look and because he spends hours there, depending on how many cats there are. However, when he comes home, he is happy – after giving me a guilt trip during the car ride home of course – and absolutely beautiful. Okay, handsome, but really, Peanut is an attractive looking boy.

Peanut * Nut in a Closet

Andrea — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel like a chicken running with its head cut off, searching high and low, under the table cloth, on top of the dryer, and everywhere in between to look for Peanut. And finally I discovered his new hiding/sleeping place -the inside of Taro’s closet. Somehow he manages to squeeze himself in amongst the clothes and jeans piled on the shelf and make himself comfortable. He goes so far into the closet that sometimes, you can only see his eyes or maybe a paw. What really gives it away is that he says, “Meh!” as if you are interrupting precious moments of his nap time. As always, he is such a nut and staying home with him is the best.

Me and Peanutsan:

Peanut * Hamper Time

Andrea — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:53:24 +0000

Peanut gets his nose into everything and anything that walks into the house. New box? Check. Groceries from Trader Joe’s? Already explored. New purse? Entire face in, nothing worth digging out. Peanut literally sticks his head into everything. He loved bags and boxes as a kitten so naturally, he loved hanging out and sleeping in the pop-up hamper. When he is in there, he attacks from the inside. Because he cannot see, your foot could easily be a cricket or toy. Since he sometimes uses his nails, Peanut created some holes in the cloth hamper, although it is still functional. However, Taro decided to get him a new one and we were not too sure how he would react to a “replacement” hamper. The minute I took it out from the case and opened up the hamper, he walked straight in and made himself at home. This new one is made out of mesh so he can somewhat see the “outside” world (aka living room). Despite that, if you stick your face too close to the hamper or touch him on the side, he still attacks with force. It makes me laugh and just reinforces what a silly nut he is.

Backyard Shenanigans

Andrea — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:46:21 +0000

In the San Gabriel Valley, you do not have to travel far in order to see the wonders of nature – Arcadia Arboretum, The Huntington Library, the Los Angeles Zoo, or Arroyo Seco in Altadena, just to name a few. You can just head over, take your camera, and shoot away. This is when you can get the best practice – shooting relatively still objects, understanding and adjusting to different types of lighting, and experimenting with angles and perception. In addition to that, you can embrace natural beauty. Luckily for me, I do not always have to hop in my car and drive to these areas. I can open the back door and step outside.

Before purchasing the house, Taro and I were impressed with the array of plants, flowers, and herbs that filled the backyard. Now it is our yard and garden, a place where we can hold BBQs and let Peanut roam around freely to explore. Each time we go out there, we discover more and more. First it was the cat nip bush; Peanut was just rolling, a little bit of heaven for him. Then, during the summer, we discovered we had two peach trees which, by the way, produced amazing, delicious, juicy fruit! Recently, two gigantic stalks emerged. Taro and I realized that thanks to our bionic squirrel friends, they planted sunflowers. The sunflowers are so tall – taller than me, which means they are over five feet in height!

So whenever I want to get in tune with nature or just practice shooting, I just step outside and enjoy.

I randomly took this picture of a blue jay which flew out of our bush. Low and behold, it is carrying a peanut. No worries, not my Peanut though!

To leave you with something that embraces nature (the English major is coming out here):

“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves besides them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company;
I gazed -and gazed- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought;

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Ceramics Workshop * SPACE

Andrea — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:01:03 +0000

The first time I visited SPACE in South Pasadena was to check out Annie Helm‘s exhibit. When we were renting in South Pasadena, we were fortunate to live next to Annie. She not only was a nice, friendly neighbor (we miss living next door to her), but she is a wonderfully creative artist. I was excited to see her works on display, although I was lucky enough to have seen some of them in her apartment – delicately placed on a side table, hanging on the wall – and even more fortunate to see and hear some of the works in progress. We actually bought one of her pieces titled “Love Letters,” which we have hanging up in our bedroom. The piece struck us – probably really an extension of how Taro and I feel about each other – and we really wanted to support our dear friend, Annie. So that is how I discovered SPACE, which is a quaint gallery, located in South Pasadena on Mission Street, that not only showcases modern works, but provides an array of workshops for children, teenagers, and adults.

So as I was sifting through my email, I stumbled upon one from SPACE announcing a two day ceramics workshop, somewhat geared towards Valentine’s Day. I have always enjoyed “artsy” things – stamps and card-making as a teen, scrapbooking – both traditional and digital – and card-making (again!) as an adult – but I never actually did pottery or any hands-on type of work. So I thought, two days…that’s not a bad way to try something and if it isn’t for me, it’s not a huge commitment. I sent Taro a text message, asked him if he was interested, and to my surprise, he said yes. I signed us both up and anticipated what I was going to create at the ceramics workshop.

The two day workshop was a new experience, but a pleasant, fun, and relaxing one. I loved that when I walked in the first day, there was a welcoming feel and vibe in the gallery. In addition, there were books, plates, bowls, shapes, utensils, and clay sprawled out for anybody’s use with a table next to it filled with wine, cheese, and other goodies. The workshop wasn’t a “this is how you make a ceramic piece” type of class with strict instructions and guidelines. Instead, it was an environment that welcomed creativity with Rebecca Tager, the instructor, assisting in every way possible. Want to make a cup? Knock yourself out. An abstract, organic piece? Why not?

So Taro and I were able to create anything we wanted. So what did we do? We had to do our own interpretation of Peanut and because the workshop gave us an avenue to run with our crazy obsession about our cat, we each made a piece dedicated to the nut. I had so much fun creating my Peanut vase; I went into my own little world, throwing, sculpting, shaping, and on the second day, painting the piece and adding more texture and depth to it.

I cannot wait to see the final product, but overall, I am so glad that Taro and I tried something new. His piece, in my opinion, is amazing, especially for someone who doesn’t always do the “artsy” stuff! I cannot wait to do this again and am looking forward to the next ceramics workshop that SPACE will be offering.

This is my piece, before I started painting it:

Halfway through painting my ceramic piece, Taro came and this is what his piece looked like. He was very focused on getting the colors of Peanut just right!

Some of the final products before glazing:

Our figures side by side. I love them both – maybe even love Taro’s interpretation of Peanut even more than my own.

Peanut * Cat Nap

Andrea — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:22:56 +0000

In our house, it is always an adventure trying to find Peanut, especially when he is taking a nap. Is he in the big room resting on one of the big, cushion chairs? under the tablecloth sprawled out? in the lounge chair in the second bedroom? on top of the dryer or the dresser? tucked away in the laundry basket? I searched everywhere today for him and finally checked the third bedroom where Peanut was sheltered behind three pillows. The rain must be softly soothing him into a sleep on the bed, but when I discovered where he was, he just stared at me with his big eyes.

I love this big guy.

I checked up on Peanut a little bit later and he moved…and was sitting on top of the mound of pillows!

Peanut * The Story

Andrea — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:11:16 +0000

I have to admit that I was not initially a cat fan. The first time I visited Taro, I literally left with an itchy nose and by the time I arrived at Cuban Bistro to have dinner with my friends, I was sneezing and my eyes were red and watery. However, about two years ago, I asked Taro if he wanted a cat because he is a big cat lover. I figured it might be worth a try – and I thought cats were low maintenance and pretty much their own little boss; this is definitely not the case, but I will explain in a bit. I pretty much ventured out looking at cats up for adoption. There were a bunch of cute kittens and some that were rascals and much more feisty; the feisty ones scared me a bit. And then, one day, I saw this cute, little furball sitting in his litter box. He was calm, slightly intimidated, and not at all wild and crazy like the other kittens. I knew he was the one. But Taro actually did not care for him; he thought the cat was too anti-social. I convinced Taro regardless.

Yes. Peanut is anti-social. It takes quite a few meetings before he will make an appearance. And if there is a group larger than six, he will definitely hide and shy away. But when it is just me, Taro, and Peanut, he transforms into a column hopping, mad dashing, cricket killing lion. Yes. Lion. He walks with authority, yet purrs, rubs against your leg, and bites with love. I want to say he is not a typical cat. He has a magnificent tail and is filled with affection; he licks Taro’s face every single night! And low maintenance? Definitely not. He cannot stand either one of us working from home – Taro on the computer or me grading papers – and will do everything possible to focus attention on him. I cannot tell you how many clips, pens, and highlighters he has swatted off the table in order to say, “Look at me!”

This is my love. Peanut. Nutty. Nut-nut.

Even as I type this post, Peanut is meowing for attention and gently hitting my back. As Taro and I would say, “What a nut!”