Aleks, a programmer with a love of cephalopods, is one of my dearest friends. Like David, I met them as a member of The Iron Monkeys, the metal arts group I camped with at Burning Man. Though originally from Russia, Aleks has lived in Seattle almost their entire life and really typifies the city for me. This photo is of the first day of their first tattoo.
I met Mike when he mistook me for a model at a dance party when we were teenagers in Vancouver together, before he went off to travel the world as a video game designer. It's still one of the most flattering ways to meet a person I've encountered. He is back in Montreal now, which is slightly more convenient to visit than Santiago, and I am honoured to have such a clever and intelligent man as a friend. My favourite thing to share about Mike might be the collection of semi-precious stone spheres he displays to accurately represent the size of the planets of both our home system of Sol and that of the Star Wars universe.
Lori is another East Vancouver neighbor, sweet and sassy in equal measure. I've known her for years, but we didn't start really hanging out until she moved to a co-op three blocks away. I adore her and how much she loves children and big dogs. This year her hair's been perpetually in flux, always new colours and shapes, so it was extra interesting to take her picture with it all cut off. My favourite fact about Lori is that she's a big-rig truck driver because when she was little she wanted to grow up to be Optimus Prime.
![](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool?posttype=photo&canonicalUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friend-20-aleks%2F&content=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Fkoken%2Fstorage%2Fcache%2Fimages%2F000%2F034%2F9384185903-29a5c25467-k%2Flarge.1484794466.jpg&caption=%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Ca href="http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friend-20-aleks%2F" title="Facebook Friend #20 - Aleks"%3EFacebook Friend #20 - Aleks%3C/a%3E%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAleks%2C+a+programmer+with+a+love+of+cephalopods%2C+is+one+of+my+dearest+friends.+Like+David%2C+I+met+them+as+a+member+of+The+Iron+Monkeys%2C+the+metal+arts+group+I+camped+with+at+Burning+Man.+Though+originally+from+Russia%2C+Aleks+has+lived+in+Seattle+almost+their+entire+life+and+really+typifies+the+city+for+me.+This+photo+is+of+the+first+day+of+their+first+tattoo.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}
![](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool?posttype=photo&canonicalUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friend-17-mike%2F&content=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Fkoken%2Fstorage%2Fcache%2Fimages%2F000%2F032%2F8943991608-8ffe713195-k%2Flarge.1484794458.jpg&caption=%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Ca href="http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friend-17-mike%2F" title="Facebook Friend #17 - Mike"%3EFacebook Friend #17 - Mike%3C/a%3E%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI+met+Mike+when+he+mistook+me+for+a+model+at+a+dance+party+when+we+were+teenagers+in+Vancouver+together%2C+before+he+went+off+to+travel+the+world+as+a+video+game+designer.+It%27s+still+one+of+the+most+flattering+ways+to+meet+a+person+I%27ve+encountered.+He+is+back+in+Montreal+now%2C+which+is+slightly+more+convenient+to+visit+than+Santiago%2C+and+I+am+honoured+to+have+such+a+clever+and+intelligent+man+as+a+friend.+My+favourite+thing+to+share+about+Mike+might+be+the+collection+of+semi-precious+stone+spheres+he+displays+to+accurately+represent+the+size+of+the+planets+of+both+our+home+system+of+Sol+and+that+of+the+Star+Wars+universe.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}
![](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool?posttype=photo&canonicalUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friends-14-l%2F&content=http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Fkoken%2Fstorage%2Fcache%2Fimages%2F000%2F029%2F7517477998-0398b517be-k%2Flarge.1484794327.jpg&caption=%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Ca href="http%3A%2F%2Ffoxtongue.com%2Fgalleries%2Ftags%2Ftattoos%2Fcontent%2Ffacebook-friends-14-l%2F" title="Facebook Friends #14 - Lori"%3EFacebook Friends #14 - Lori%3C/a%3E%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELori+is+another+East+Vancouver+neighbor%2C+sweet+and+sassy+in+equal+measure.+I%27ve+known+her+for+years%2C+but+we+didn%27t+start+really+hanging+out+until+she+moved+to+a+co-op+three+blocks+away.+I+adore+her+and+how+much+she+loves+children+and+big+dogs.+This+year+her+hair%27s+been+perpetually+in+flux%2C+always+new+colours+and+shapes%2C+so+it+was+extra+interesting+to+take+her+picture+with+it+all+cut+off.+My+favourite+fact+about+Lori+is+that+she%27s+a+big-rig+truck+driver+because+when+she+was+little+she+wanted+to+grow+up+to+be+Optimus+Prime.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}