end of the year rantola...

this year…now known as last year…i guess….and how it went...

i have been trying to figure out what happened last year..or this year as it is… but I find that I can’t really think of anything…hhhmmm…it’s a good thing I’m gonna write this over a few attempts…
married to music became my favorite new local band…with that said I have never seen them live, ever. maybe i will one day but i do know this, their new album is a killer. Lawn Order came to be a real thing, and maybe too real at times with the garberator-sebastian, coming on board and doing a great job cutting lawns all over town. Underworld 2 was in there somewhere with the boys from BOC letting me hang out with them again...kate was nice enough and someone on set stole my skateboard…
tony once again called me to work for him, truth be told I think the boys made him hire me…and what was suppose to be a two or three week job turned into four or five months of, often, shit eater work..so be it… it’s the movies, it ain’t suppose to be pretty.
I bought more toys this year as well…with what started the year previous as a small hobby has become a full time obsession…thank god for voltage and christian and erika. i love those kids…and i think beyond the toys we have become pals..i think..
i made a few things this years as well… display boxes for Headquarter, a nice flower box thing for the Flower Factory and Anona next door…plus a bunch of handyman work at Storm Salon and The Templeton…
I think I only went to one baseball game this year…am I wrong? I have no idea…but I did have a great day at the park with muc, mina and brent…thanks kids…

this is being written in bits so…here’s the next it…

i think like “my name is earl” i have made a list, at least a mental one, of things I’ve done wrong or incorrectly over the last year and i’m gonna try and make things right. maybe not bad things or things against people to be sure but, shitty things. i need to eat better. sure, i eat okay but more greens are in order, daily.
chris page’s “almost stellar” is the song of the year and i have played it for people lately and told them this…i’m not sure everyone agrees. but i don’t care. i love it.
i also made a light box thing for mishi…it’s cool.
I went to s.f. a few times. ate a few pancho villa burritos and in-n-out burgers. went to l.a., reno, gerlach and other points in between. i loved gerlach or better said i love the desert, i’d go back just to go back to the desert.
i started on a painting that will probably never be finished. and that’s ok. i did it. just like i made pictures for people for xmas. i said i would. and i did.
i’m gonna sell some of these toys as well and focus on certain toys. i know most of this makes no sense and maybe it’s just a list for me but i’m doing it anyways.
less juice, less sugar, less of this and that. i’m gonna get my eyes checked next year too, they’re going on me, get my calf looked at…hurts like a fucker and get a new crown on one of the old molars…a little tune-up…

okay….here i go again…this thing has taken a long time…a stream…no editing. just crapola out of my head…

the silver jews, lcd soundsystem, portostatic, married to music, chris page- all great music. there were/are more..maybe i’ll remember them soon. i bought an ipod this year as well for use in the comet and at the gym…well, i’ve used it at the gym…but in the comet? not yet…maybe next year.
I am going to be a little scarce next year. i don’t mean this in a way that i’m going to be avoiding people, that’s not it at all…i need to make more time for me. so if i say no to something don’t take it the wrong way. people seem to think i’m a good guy, and i’m going to try and convince myself of that as well, good luck to me. and i know not all my pals will agree with me being a great guy all last year but i will say this…i’ve done my best all year as far as my pals have been concerned…and hopefully i’ll do even better next year.
so I guess it all comes down to a little less of everything next year, but in a good way and for a good purpose. it was a hard year and a great year at the same time. and to all who were involved and around me for i say thanks. this was an odd ramble and it probably made no sense but…there ya go. i love all of you and hope to see all of you soon.

garn xo

also...he's a great artist...

here are some pics of peter's art...

a story of a man with no internal editor...

this is peter and his mom. when i was still in his good books. but then he became a complete dick. i had, incidently, drove he and darryl all the way to penticton just because i was a great neighbour.


a man with no internal editor...who should get one.

let me tell you a little story. and along the way examples of when to use the internal editor.

we all know or should know the rules of the road. the raod we all navigate day to day. the rules are many but today we're going to concentrate on the rules as they apply to conversations between people. we can all tell, or should be able to tell, when something we've heard or been told is something that should be repeated or has been told in trust. like a secret. or just something to not be repeated. just cause. some people don't get this.

i have had some trouble with this in the past. my ex-neighbour peter has no internal editor. he eavesdrops and repeats things, horns in on others conversations, adding his, usually unwanted, two cents. he's like a little old lady. he has said things to others that i have said but never really as it was really said or the manner in which it was said. he's an idiot. he has made poeple feel badly for no reason. he, for some reason, likes to get people going against each other.

i recently went into the salon where he works, and where i get my hair cut, and was telling stories as i usually do. i suppose on one such visit...actually, this is a long story and it involves more people and i'll just leave it be. suffice to say, nothing i said that day was anything i wouldn't and haven't said to the people involved to them in person. make sense? sure. but peter has a big fuckin' mouth. peter likes to gossip. peter is an old fuckin' lady. peter needs more bran in his diet. peter needs to get a fuckin' life. i have given him the benefit of the doubt for a long time, but no more. i'd sooner piss on him than look at him.

whee... i feel better now.

have a great day....

garn xoxo

ps...nothing else really happened today. went to voltage, the island, saw drunk larry, bought some stuff to make real mac and cheese... good times...

and those assholes....(sidenote...)

i forgot to mention that those idiot junkies were at it again last night breaking into the coolerator and having a little look around inside. but, because they're idiot and useless week junkies they got nothing. they looked in the ashtray, moved a few things around and left. all the stuff in the tool box is locked up and they're weak and have no way of opening it up so...fruitless... idiots.

anyhow...the coolerator is fine but his side mirror on the driver's side has taken a beating over the last year... i'll take care of him. he deserves it.

living at ikea and costco....i think i may, i think i might.

it seems as if, and it may be true, that i have been hanging out at ikea and costco a lot in the last few months..or even weeks. mishi needed some stuff from there today and a few things from costco as did marcy...marcy's having a little open house/get over your hangover party all day new year's day so she needed some stuff as well... you should go by there and have a snack and say hello...she and kathy are making all sorts of comfort food...
after we finished up at those two mecca's fawn called and said she wanted to go to savory island pie company..she had never been so...away we went... sandwiches, soup and pie...it doesn't get much better than that.... i'm full now and even fatter...nice.

new boots and panties...

well, maybe not but i did complete the shaving process today. not that it matters or anything but i think as much as i like the idea of not shaving for a long time, it doesn't really suit me or feel good during the process. i just end up looking like so many of the guys in my 'hood. so off it came. first i left the chops and chin fuzz and then the chops came off the next day...today it was the chin shitola...goner. ok..that's that.
today was another day of nothing. coffee at jj bean on powell and then down to granville island to get some cardboard from opus to send renee's picture to her...and that was it...big day out. i've really become a hermit..no one calls me, well some do, and i call no one really...i feel badly sometimes that i'm living my life as a loner but maybe it's just a phase. i stay up late every night and fall asleep on the couch...it's a life...back to work next week...thank god. i need to get back at it.
dinner tonight at cassis...fancy french stuff... good thing i shaved.

to those who care...and those who don't.

after the load of pancakes yesterday and the turkey and such at issy's i have taken to the couch. i may be going out to dinner tonight but that will be my big outting for the day. i did manage to get off the couch long enough to deliver some mail and eat a cookie but that was it. a little oprah, some hockey, m.a.s.h., etc...i just had to remember to plug the old meter every couple of hours...
i went and saw 'brokeback mountain' last night with megan..i dunno..i'm not sure hwat all the fuss is about, or maybe i wa just sucked in like a lot of other people. jake g. just remineded me of every gay guy in chaps in the numbers line-up on davie street every friday night and the other dude had a wacky voice inflection that kinda sounded fucked most of the time... and really, besides the fact that it's two guys faling in love etc..it's not much different from many other romantic movies or chick flicks. it looked good, well acted, all that but...no biggie.
ok...more hockey to watch...i love you all....i'm sorry i don't answer the phone more...and it's not on purpose but i always forget to check the messages....i'm a bad man...

pancakes, line-ups and guys getting sick.

welcome to boxing day. the tradition started years ago as people would box up their leftovers and extras from xmas and send them to the less fortunate...or something like that..well, now it's every man, woman and child who got some cash for xmas ling up at stores all over town looking for deals on everything from socks to dvd players and other crap. people lining up for hours to save a couple of bucks..well, fuck that!
i headed over to mishi's for pancakes and sausages. the garberator was heading up the first raound of cakes, cooking them and then feeding them to sacha and myself...mishi made her own later on..i took over the cooking duties and kept the garbs all loaded up... sacha had brought some sausage..pork..i ate it...it's boxing day, who cares?
then mishi and i headed out while the garberator and sacha went to their separate corners and had naps...mishi tried on glasses and posed while a guy had a little trouble with his stomach...we also ran into al and k-win...they were heading for buffalo burgers...ok then...mishi and i trucked around a little more and then she decided she was going to go to the bay and check out the bra sales...i decided it was time to check out...there's jr. hockey on the old high def TSN so...i grabbed a few hot dogs buns and a bottle of pepsi so i'm all set up...and to all a good night...

dinner at issy's!!! good times...good times....

how come my mom looks loaded....?

the tree at marcy and kathy's ...sorry it's blurry...

nice hat....

issy...maker of the fine xmas dinner...

glen and marcy in front of his charlie brown tree...he's gonna be a grandpa!

after a little relax at home, well deserved, i went and picked up marcy and kathy and began the trek to issy's for xmas dinner...first we had to drop off kathy at coco's place, where kurt d. was playing guitar in his jammies...good look...coco looked good in her fancy coat/dress thingy...then we were off...then in the middle of the knight street bridge i remembered i was suppose to have picked up a present left by my dad at my uncle's place...make sense? anyhow...i had to re-route through ditchmond and up to dunbar to get the present from glen and denny's...glen was there but denny and the kids were out for a walk ...or somethin'...and...it turns out my cousin kirsten is with child...nice...good for her...and kevin her man...
then it was off to issy's...gary was there, as was katriena...i feel badly that i don't know how to spell her name...anyhow...good food...made a fire...got tired...had to go home. issy's great...makes a great dinner...world's greatest mom...i'm sure your mom is great too but, issy's great.
so that's that....home now...sleepy...and saying some thanks....i know...what? thanks? from garn? hhhmmmm. maybe he's high...nope. thanks to my pals for coming for breakfast-mina, brent and fawn...thanks to fawn for the cool kid magnets and box and to mina and brent for the cookies. thanks to marcy for the excellent "threadless" t-shirt, i love those babies and now have a three..it's like a colection of sorts..thanks to the garberator and mishi for the crazy book, 'happy tree friends' video and yoga mat...tomorrow we eat pancakes until we puke...and thanks again to issy for the great dinner and for just being a great mom...
only 364 more shopping days.....

um...merry christmas...i really mean it...part one...

so i passed out on the couch last night after watching hours and hours of crappy tv..there was nothing on...this is the truth... i was so bored at one point i was watching a doc. on whistling... no shit. those dudes could make some wacky sounds..good times. i was gonna rent a movie or two but i just couldn't do it...nothing but shitola to rent... so it was tomato pie and bad tv...
this morning was the great xmas tradition on breakfast at the grove. eggs florentine with a side of toast. nice. mina, brent and fawn were there... i'm sorry i didn't remind or get back to others about it but i have been in a bit of a fog in regards to returning e.mails and getting xmas shit together... just know, for next year, the grove invite is an open one. 10 a.m. every xmas morning at the grove. after breakfast i went over to mishi's, the garbs had riden his bike down to the grove but we were already done...and they gave me my gifts...a great book, a dvd of happy tree friends-xmas special edition and a yoga mat...hell, yes! i'm gonna do some yoga... then i'm gonna go see brokeback mountain. got a problem with that?
dinner at issy's later...more pics and a report about that later on...

ho ho ho... it's all over but the cryin'...

well, it's almost done for another year. and for those who think i'm a scrooge, well, you don't know me as well as you may think. i am seen as such but i just got tired of the commercial aspect of the holidays and decided to forego, for the most part, the present giving. i prefer to hang out with pals, have breakfast at the grove, dinner with issy, maybe see a movie or two..then sleep it all off. i have given a few presents, some already out there and others to be given yet. small, tokens of my love for these people. i spent the day driving around getting a few things-thanks to the kids at voltage for helping me out (again), hung out on granville island for a few hours dressed in a cheap santa suit, scaring some children and driving the coolerator to the future shop with mishi so she could do some last minute shopping. ran into jenn down there with her mom and sister...her mom's name is rhoda..i love that name. it was the first time i have ever met her..she seems very cool..i'm sure she thought i was an idiot...even though i wasn't wearing the suit anymore. for some reason the guy at the sandwich place gave me a free turkey dog...nice. i think it was because i was with the garberator...he's gold down there.
i don't usually say it but i do want all those who read this little ditty every day, or whenever, to have a great holiday season. eat a lot, drink a little, sleep a lot, give hugs to those you love and even some to people you only kinda like... they deserve it too...
i'll be here, watching bad tv and surfing the net looking for crap on ebay and the kid robot site.. then later tucked in my bed waiting for santa... i've left out some cookies and scotch.

have fun...

garn xo

hhhmmm...i did nothing today...excellent.

i have no report today. i really didn't do anything. i helped the garberator get an orchid for his mopm, with most of the help coming from marcy and the flower factory. i drove around a little and then came home. nothing. that's it. was going to do the 'rock for ...........' whatever it is now...but i feel i'm losing speed on this little project. maybe it's not going to happen. it is kinda fuckin' stupid.

anyhow. i'm gona stay home tonight i think and watch hockey. maybe i'll get a movie or go to one. maybe i'll just have a nap.

have fun.

g. xo

whoa!! i know how to party...hard!

i saw kwin earlier in the day as i was out running errands..i gave her present to her as well...i think she liked it...

who's the fat guy in the front who needs a shave..get with it buddy...

well, actually i don't party hard at all...what i do know how to do is...tell alot of stupid stories, get wound up, eat too much cheese and not know when to go home... well, tonight was no diiferent. i went over to marc and jenn's place and ate more cheese than i've eaten in a really long, long time. my body will be hating me very soon...plus i'm already fat enough..i don;t need more of that shit..but it's so tastey... damn brent and mina for bringing over..and the bread and other good shit. i even had a beer...big night out. chloe and her man julian were there as well... chloe went to high school with jenn but i also know chloe from the topanga cafe. she worked there for a long time. she's a good one to be sure. brent and mina were there as well but left to go and see some band...i don;t know who..rocker matt made an appearance as well...and thank god...i love that guy... he's currently selling the sneakers and shorts but also makes grand apppearances in jackalope with dave rave...jenn's pal from across the alley, ji, was good enought to listen to many of the long winded stories from me as well... she works at the evil empire...but she seems very nice anyways... so all in all it was a good night. i don't get out that much and do all that social type stuff most regular folks do... i had a good time...i love those kids...and marc had a brand new haircut that made it all the better.....they're off to edmonton tomorrow...good times...i just relaized that this has been a bit of a lame update...i'm sorry for that...maybe it's becasue i'm all full of cheese and ritter sport candy...i need to get with it...i've gained ten pounds just sitting here...fuck! oh well...it's the holidays...fuck it.

rock for???????

ok...so i'm ready to rock for...well, it was going to be called "rock for sue nammy" but due to outside pressure i am now looking for a new name...some think it could cause some problems...so if you have any idea what it should be called let me know... i know it's hard to come up with a name for something you know nothing about but...try... e.mail me...

it'll be happening soon so don't delay...

garn xo

dance monkey! sleeping in the van and buying trees...

hey kids..what's up? good times...santa;s almost here...4 more sleeps or something... whatever...joel was wishing for snow on xmas day...guess what? ain't gonna happen. the best you can hope for is that it doesn't rain so much we need an ark. ok...
lots of pics...some that'll make sense...and one that really won't-no matter how ya slice it.
worked today...nice. the pic of the truck is from work. it's some sort of fling flang dan and eric are working on to help make a jeep go over a cliff...nice work boys...after work i had some of the world famous tan tan noodles and don king bean curd at quonking...i don't know how to spell it...with marcy. we both ended up leaving there with a ton of take home extras...then we went to ikea..we rounded up marcy's roomie, kathy, and headed to the land of cheap swedish shit..i needed more picture frames..the gilrs picked up other party/new years day party crap... then...as if that wasn't enough, we went to the "three guidos" tree lot on hasting by the PNE just as it started to rain.,,more good times...i hate xmas almost as much as i hate the canucks-who by the way lost to the mighty oil tonight...but i was happy to help get a tree for the girls.. the dog pics are of kathy's boston terrier, babette..or something...loves to chase the light... ok then...
no work tomorrow...lots of errands and getting ready for 'rock for sue nammy"...i need to call brent...there will be no rock without him...he's the man...

back at it...briefly.

so there i was yesterday..back at the BOC shop working away. it's been a while and part if me cares that i've been off a while, while another part of me couldn't care less... and i was doing one of my favorite things-painting. and a little insulation work. good times. good times. dan and eric were/are working on some sort of car crash fling-flang...i'll take some pics today amd show ya. in case ya care, and i know ya do, it's a new film called "the butterfly effect 2" a sequel to the aston kutcher star vehicle before it. i'm so excited. no kutcher but..that's ok.
went to the gym last night and test drove the new ipod... they play the fuckin' music so loud i can still hear it with my ipod on 3/4 volume.. so i'm a little bummed by that but what can i do? nothin'.
the not shaving thing is kind of stupid too... i look like an idiot...well, that's nothing new i suppose...
and yesterday as well, i had five toys on ebay and only one sold...maybe i was wrong putting them on so close to xmas...everyone's saving their cash for presents for loved ones...fuck that-BUY MY TOYS!

have a great day...

g. xo

retirement...me, brett and johhny o.

so on the same day that wayne's mom dies, good bless her...and in the same year that brett hull and johhny o. retire i, too, have decided to, if not retire from hockey but, take a long time off. it's just not fun anymore. it hasn't been for a while. i love my boys and hanging out with them-muc, buunt, dave, blair, dean, etc...but there are others i can do without. guys who figure there are still scouts in the crowd, that they may still get drafted, play pro...nope. not going to happen. guys who don't understand that hockey is about teamwork, passing, having fun....sure, i'm not as good as i once was...you can still pass to me...i've scored more than a few goals... well, fuck it. i'm done...for now. i may play again but not right now. i'm going back to work anyhow so i can't play as much as i would like to anyhow. but if i do play i want to have fun. be involved. pass the puck around. i don't need assholes playing keep away and only passing to their bum buddies. fuck 'em. i've told them so. so it is. the equipment's going to issy's basement to have a rest. i will continue to go to the gym. better myself on my own. away from those dicks. for my mental health team sports can't be part of my life right now... it'll be good. ok..i feel better now... can anyone lend me their yoga mat?

here are some pics from today...enjoy....
issy kicks ass...don't fuck with issy!!

my pal cheryl at ie creative made this dress thing...


brady and the garberator...two good guys...


garn xo