if the god lord's willin'...

...and it doesn't get lost in the mail...i have now, again if it doesn't get lost, completed my KAWS chum set with the addition of the white colorway early this morning. it was on a japanese yahoo auction site that i couldn't even read but figured out in the end.



it's weird. i feel like i have completed my collection and can think of nothing, right now, that i have been trying to get that i don't have now....in fact, i feel this need now to get rid of any doubles i have and clean-up the collection a little....there is a sense of calm now in my toy collecting world.

we'll see.

g. xo

hey meester, what's with yer finger?

the face you make right after you pop open your new blood blister with a pair of nail clippers because you couldn't find a needle.



well, actually son, that's my thumb. and i got it caught in a swage. yup a swage. look it up son.

yup. today i was helping out a local starving artist and, in the process, got my thumb in the way of a tool i was using to make some cable lengths for hanging some of his art and whammo! sore thumb. it only hurt for a few seconds but those seconds were long ones my friends. and then i came home and popped it like a balloon...i love that part. and in the end, he got what he needed and that's all that really matters.

(maybe this should have been the preface to this post....)

i was gonna write here how i did something i never thought i'd ever do. something i thought would be too hard for me, and others for that matter. but i was, in the end, simple and, somehow, reassurring to me. reassuring that all things come around to a better place eventually and that not all is lost even if, not so long ago, they seemed that way. i know this makes no sense to most of you reading this but it does to me and to at least one other person reading this. i think. i was going to write how i rose above, etc..but in the end it wasn't like that and i didn't feel as i thought i would. it was just me being me, kind of. and i felt kinda good about that. simply, i helped someone out. and i'm happy i had the opportunity to do so.

now i'm gonna have a veggie burger and salad and watch useless tv...because that's what i wanna do. right now.

g. xo

on my way home from the gym i took these pictures of the work they're doing in false creek at the east end near science world.




my blood blister...nice.



popped open like a balloon.

and now for a kid's show...

watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Yf-7Z_6PE&eurl=

really.

you'll like it.

or not.

g. xo

fun facts for today-so far.

i think i may have a migrane-probably not but it's a fucker of a head ache....
i feel like i'm gonna puke.
my guts are churnning.
i'm going back to bed because it's dark up there.

see ya later.

g. xo

king of the call screeners.

huh? what?
at 7:30 a.m. this morning my phone rang and the caller id said 'private caller'...i don't answer those. i don't answer 'out of area', 1-800's, 'private caller', etc...if you don't want me to know who you are, then fuck-you, i ain't answering. period. i decided to see if they left a message, they did. it was the moving company, incarta, who were coming to take the UA couch away to be nipped and tucked, but the message was all mumbled so i couldn't really hear what time they said they were coming over. it sounded like 1 p.m. but...anyhow. then it rang again but i couldn't get to the phone in time and i missed it...then incarta called and told me thier guys were right there/here and that they had called, so i told them i didn't answer because of the call i.d. thing...and that they called at 7:30 a.m....i may as well have not said anything..probably a nice guy, does not give great phone. anyhow, the guys who picked-up the couch couldn't have been any nicer or more pro. it was painless.
so i am without a couch once again. and also without any peach cobbler-that's another story altogether.
i have to go to city hall today and sort out some house tax shitola and then maybe go to the gym. i have hockey tonight as well...soon i will be installing new speakers in issy's car...oh, and i need to find a small filing cabinet for topanga cafe...and some pickle business e.mail crap later on as well...

yup.

g. xo

down the way i look....

foggy morning...



foggy night...



the garbs and i helped the network move boxes today from one storage locker to another, much smaller , storage locker. she's trying to get her paperwork in order and in the process get rid of shit she's being paying to store for a few years...getting rid of shit is hard sometimes, i know that, i have a lot of it but i, too, have been making way for new shit by getting rid of old shit.
afterwards the garbs and i headed to get some coffee at jj bean on powell but were unsure that the guy behind the bar had any real chance of making us a good coffee so we headed to artigiano where one of the baristas had a piece of paper on her back that said 'kick me'. if i was a nicer guy i would have told her. i didn't.
we roamed around a bit, hit zulu, mex burrito, the co-op, volatge, solly's-where we enjoyed both some more good snacks...while we were out i was telling the garbs about my revelation, my, most recent, moment of clarity...if it all works out it will be revealed soon...it's nothing earthshattering really...just something to do...like cutting grass. just not as good-nothing's as good as cutting grass.
i rented 'the devil and daniel johnston' tonight...it's kinda hard to describe daniel johnston and i would never profess to being a johnstonophile but, he was and is an icon in the world of indie rock and college radio. a manic depressive songwriter who lives with his parents who...oh it's hard. rent it. you'll meet someone very interesting. i also rented 'wordplay', a doc. about crossword puzzles or more to the point, people who do them...i'll watch it tomorrow.
portland thursday....

g. xo


nice...



garbs last shot with the big hair...



what the...(graffiti behind the jj bean on powell street.)

gump

Hall of Fame goalie Worsley dies
Associated Press Jan 28, 2007, 3:49 AM EST
MONTREAL (AP) -Gump Worsley, the Hall of Fame goalie who didn't wear a mask until the final season of his 21-year NHL career, has died. He was 77.

Worsley, who died Friday at his home in Beloeil, had a heart attack Monday, The Montreal Gazette said Saturday night.

Born Lorne John Worsley in Montreal in 1929, he was tagged with the "Gump" moniker as a child because his hair stuck up like Andy Gump, the comic strip character.

The 5-foot-7 Worsley began his NHL career in 1952-53, winning the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year with the New York Rangers. He helped his hometown Montreal Canadiens win four Stanley Cup titles in a five-year span and finished his career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1973-74 - playing only his final six games with a mask.

"He was a terrific goaltender," former North Stars teammate Lou Nanne said. "If I could pick any goalie to win a big game, it would be Gump."

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980, Worsley was 335-352-150 with a 2.88 goals-against average and 43 shutouts in 861 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he was 40-26 with a 2.78 GAA and five shutouts.

"He was one of the first real characters in the NHL," Nanne said. "He had a lot of personality and really showed the human side of the game. He didn't look like an athlete and smoked like a chimney between periods, but he was terrific when he put the pads on."

Acquired by Montreal from the Rangers in a 1963 trade that sent fellow Hall of Fame goalie Jacques Plante to New York, Worsley won 29 of 36 playoff games in helping lead the Canadiens to Stanley Cup titles in 1965, '66, '68 and '69.

Worsley won the Vezina Trophy in 1966 and 1968 as the NHL's top goalie, was a first-team All-Star in 1968 and played in the All-Star game in 1961, '62, '65 and '72. He holds the NHL record for career losses.

tight like tiger...

i have used the term "one of the world's nice/great guys.." to describe a few people i know. usually it's someone i hardly ever see and i have a great respect for...or sumptin' like that....marty basso would be in that category-never see him but i love that guy....terry orr, kramer, etc...and they don't have to actually be 'guys'...sheryl hog, jennifer mckay, etc...anyhow...the regulars are all loved and for different reasons...you all know who you are-i know you do. tonight i ran into one of those people, a guy i never, ever see-ever. ray henry. ray and i went to high school together and through me (i think) he met don bull and he and don became good pals. ray is a fancy pants high style chef downtown. i think he used to be the head chef at the pan pacific and may be now the head dude at the vancouver hotel...i dunno....anyhow, in high school we did things i can not write about here. not now. grant wallace was in on a lot of that stuff too....we were not to be trusted in those days, but we were. ray was at topanga tonight with don bull, donna (don's beautiful lady friend...) and ray's girlfriend who's name i have forgotten...i'm sure she hated me so....i'm kidding...after she meets me a few more times she'll learn to hate me....it was great to see him...and i feel badly now as i made some sort of stupid hair comment...i am publically saying sorry now....i was a dick...i love that guy, he's one of the world's nice/great guys.

g. xo


don bull and his date donna ron-a-lona-ding dong...(i don't know her last name...)



ray and his beautiful date....sheila.

big ass...

morning breath painting that will be in the show in portland next thursday. it's big....4' x 5'...



they have a thing at the templeton cafe on granville called the 'big ass breakfast'...it too much for me but today after fixing a stool there at their counter i had my version of the big ass....three eggs, french fries (so bad...) with mushroom gravy, toast and turkey sausage...nice. that danielle sure knows how to take care of me. all that for fixing a stool...good deal.
i was at the chiro again today-as it turns out i not only have a my usual problems with my back but, and i think everyone has this to some degree, i have one leg shorter than thw other...or at least my hips are so outta line that it makes one leg all fucked compared to the other...so we're working on that now. super excellent. so now i get a neck crack, back crack and a lower re-alignment each time...



the new biskup pollard went on sale today...did i get one? dunno...but i do know the garbs and mishi bought one. who's the toy collector now? seems ike there are a few biskups, jarvis, etc. over at the yard on robson now...nice work.
i'm just having a little timeout before i head off to the gym and work my poor back and weak knees....it's good for me though.

peace...out...

g. xo

the ghost....

i'm bidding, i think, on the ghost. the long sought after white kaws chum. the holy grail of toys-for me and a lot of others. i'm giddy thinking about it.

http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n51305004

good to go.

g.

flip wilson, sparklehorse and art i'm gonna go see...

last night i decided i didn't need or really 'feel' a small joe ledbetter print i had bought so i put it on the kid robot bbs and sold it for a good profit...not a ton but three times what i piad so...not bad...if i could do that every day i'd be happy...but ya can't..so...
also, the show in portland where i bought those paris hilton paintings is over so i have to go and pick-up paris. i think i'll go next thursday because they're launching a new show that day by morning breath. i love their work...very graphic based work. i have seen some of thier work before and loved it so i think seeing a show and picking-up my pieces at the same time makes for a good little art trip...and i'll get a burrito at la bonita as well....

http://www.morningbreathinc.com/

also, sparklehorse is back on the road and i'm pretty happy about that....i could give a shit about most live concerts/gigs but sparklehorse is/are really excellent live. years ago mishi, spike and i saw them at the starfish room....so good. i've been a fan for a long time so it helps but you don't have to be to like their show and music...

sparklehorse.com

sparklehorse.org/

love them. i'll be there.

ok.. i need to run some errands...have fun...

(i tried to load some pics today but it was error city so fuck it...)

g. xo

the couch hits the road soon and all is revealed...

my couch is going back to the factory soon...i received an e.mail from the UA factory manager dude nd they're gonna come and get it...i have a bad feeling about this though...
also, it was revealed to me today-literally minutes ago, who 'honey i'm home' is...i was a little surprised....

here's the e.mail....it would seem they're covering their asses....i already bent over a couple fo times this last week, i may be doing it again soon....

...............

RE: Order 10026 22Nov06
Plant P/U Jan 10/07

Greetings Garnet

Thanks for the pictures. Jan 15 and Jan 20/2007

The pictures provided Jan 15:
with regards to variations of the fold/closure of the arm
meeting the back, it doesn't look correct.
The one arm actual shows more shadow, but even
allowing for the shadow from the light streaming across from
one side of it, it still doesn't look right.

As for your inquiry in the same email, with regards to cushion
firmness. This is the most often asked question once a new
sofa is delivered, with regards to the firmness of the seat cushions.

The seat cushions are brand new, (that new car feel) and will soften with use.
You have the correct seat fill as ordered (#2HR medium foam). Allow time for
cushions to soften with use, I would suggest it's to early for you to consider
making any changes to the fill. Remember, the older cushions on the
"other couch" were most likely firmer when you first received the sofa.

The plant has asked for the sofa back so we can do a proper assessment
and make the correction to were the arm meets the back.

Pictures via email Jan 20/07:
The plant will also look at these other issues/concerns when sofa is
at the plant, but, I can tell you from my own experience with wool,
that what you are seeing along the front rail of sofa, along the
back/top piping line as well as on the seat cushions, is not uncommon
with wool coverings.
Wool has a natural stretch, and what you're seeing is common with wool as
well as some other textiles.
We have floor models in our showroom that look the same, this is not
considered a defect or flaw.

Also, you have a light source, looks like (intense) natural lighting
that is streaming only from one side, along the sofa length. You may
have noticed in lower light, or flatter light, you don't notice all
the variations in the wool & slight shadows.

Once sofa is at plant, all your concerns will be reviewed. Pictures have
gone to the plant. It's rare we have any UA product come back, so it will
get lots of attention!

Can you let me know when we could arrange to have the sofa picked up.
Sorry if this is an inconvenience for you. We want to make it right.
Perhaps, if you are going away (winter holiday) we could arrange to
have it in the plant while you are away.

Please let me know best day.
The delivery/pick up service will require a 4 hour window
on the day you choose. They can pick up Monday through Saturdays.
We cannot arrange any specific time of day.
Attached is information with regards to deliveries, but same for
a pick up from a residence.

Thanks
Regards
Chris
--
Christopher (Chris) Storey
Manager - Upholstery Arts

...................

say hey baby....

yup...today was a good time. more good times like the good times i had with my GP last week. but with a variation, there was another doctor, a woman, sitting at another table doing paperwork while i was there getting my exam...which i thought was gonna be a consultation-which is what they said it would be...but no, it was an exam. and a damn thorough one i would say. and she just sat there, at the table while dr. glove did his thing. it was excellent-all with a beautiful view of the north shore mountains.
then i went and met andy for coffee...
and as it turns out i don't need to go the next mile and make a little movie or my insides...too bad, i was so looking forward to it. i'm a little bummed out, so to speak.
i guess i'll see a new doctor next week....hopefully he'll have a different take on what's what....

details as they come in.

g. xo

ass camera...

well, tomorrow morning, unless you're reading this wednesday morning in which case it's this morning, i have a date with dr. colon or the ass camera doctor. there will be no camera work tomorrow/today but there will be talk of such things...i'm as excited as a little german boy on the first day of school when helga will wear her new school clothes...um..or whatever. it will be so much fun. "hey doc, i think i need a camera up my ass"..."well garn, i'd be happy to do that for you-bend over..."
i'll let ya know what happens. or i won't. we'll see.

man, the good times are now!

g. xo

i just ate...

i just got home from the gym and needed a snack so i had some cottage cheese and peaches-which i love...but the cottage cheese expiry date was the 12th...wish me luck...

g. xo

sleep it off, rub some dirt in it...

whatever works.
i have really been getting some serious hours in the old bed lately. i am a seven hour, maybe 7 and half hour sleep guy but lately, i've been hitting eight and a touch more. maybe it's the weather. maybe because i have nothing to do each day. maybe i should find something to do. yesterday i helped marcy out a little with a little project thing she needed, but that only took me a couple of hours then it was back to the house and mr. relaxo.
and i'm not one to watch football but i will say this after watching the entire colts/patriots game yesterday, if they were all like that i may actually watch some football. and good for manning. you go girl. it was a great game. i sat right here in my gonch and watched it.
also, i've had one of those variety packs of mini-cereals, the kind they sell on the ferries or at diners, sitting here for about three, maybe four years. well, i had had enough of looking at it so i decided this was the weekend to eat that crap. it was given to me by kim blake as a birthday present and it's been a part of the decor for long enough. speaking of kim blake, will she ever e.mail me to tell me she got married? just curious. anyhow, that cereal was tasty, except the corn pops which really did not stand the test of time. i ate them anyways, but they were dreadful.
ok. well, i guess i should call the doctor to see when the next round of tests starts. the good times just keep on rollin' along.

hey look! it's raining!

g. xo

suffer...

hey there kids.
so i went out to blair's last night as he was having a little get together and i thought i'd make an appearance...basically i raided his cd collection and stole a few that i may or may not take back to him later on, chatted with a few folks and ate some salt and pepper peanut that you can get at save-on-foods or something...them things is great. then on the way home took a picture of the burned out playland sign and made my way to the burger king on hastings for a BK veggie burger...them's good too...
then it went in the shitter...my night. and i'm not really comfortable saying what happened but suffice to say, just when you think things may be lookin' up...the bottom drops out and you're left wondering 'what the fuck???'...
oh well...could always be worse.

have a great day...

g. xo

muc and jenn enjoy the art at blair's house.

pie, more pie and the dreaded moving violation....

that guy knows how to clean a table..and he makes a mean buttermilk pie.



blurry pie is as good as in focus pie.



today was pie day. i love the pie. but today instead of a fruit pie i had a buttermilk pie with berries of some sort...man, i may have found my new favorite desert...if i could have tan tan noodles or an el presidente and then buttermilk berry pie...that's would most certainly be the ticket.
then on the way home i got a moving violation, you know a ticket, from the man. and i will be fighting this baby, right near the hooker chevron, near bc sugar...while they were shooting a movie, i got nailed for driving on the wrong side of the street...it sounds worse than it is or was...in fact it wasn't bad at all...and he was a dick. fucking traffic cop....i shouldn't slag the cops, they do a good job-just not in my neighbourhood...i'll let ya know what happens...
played hockey tonight....vewry exciting...and now i may go off to a party..yup, me at a party...the house will be rockin' once i get there...more details later...

good times.

garn xo

the net sucks...i love the net.

as i sit at home alone-like last night, surfing the net, trying to be entertained, i always come to the same conclusion, "the net fuckin' sucks..."...but then i surf on.
today after the chiro i found myself looking at some stupid post on the kid robot board and some toy geek (like myself i suppose) posted a link to a website that, while incredibly simple (it's a blog actually...) is so fuckin' great. i love it.

http://www.thingsmyboyfriendsays.com/

check it out. make sure you read the faq page so it will make more sense.

g. xo

sometimes i think...

sometimes i think it would be so much easier to just go back to being a regular guy. get a regular warehouse job, dissolve my corporate status, work regular hours, get my two weeks holiday a year, and also sell my place and just pay rent. things would be so easy. no corporate tax shit to worry about, no house taxes, etc...just regular stuff. i feel somedays like it's all gonna come loose, like i'm nearing the end of the rope. all the city issues i'm having, i feel like i'm nearing the end of my tme working in film, i have very few saleable skills so i have to figure out what to do next if i leave film, what to do...what to do. i'm kinda spinning around rudderless right now and when things go wrong or sideways i don't feel at all prepared....but then there's a part of me that doesn't give a shit anymore. when the money runs out i'll look for work then...until then, i don't care. i find it hard to care. because, and this is the hippy garn talkin'..."what does it really matter?"... we're all going to the same place regardless of how much money we have or how much fame or success we gain in this lifetime...gonzo.
anyhow...whatever. it'll all work out somehow. i'm just trying not to think too much about it.

i'm gonna clean my apartment now. it needs it.

g. xo

more hockey, more pain, more shitty couch action...

the hockey last night was fun, played these guysa who rent the ice every thursday at britannia...the pain is/was and still is my fuckin' couch. as the days go by it's getting harder and harder to love. as more people see it, they make more comments on it. the stiching is crooked. bumps in the fabric, etc..so i have taken another set of photos and sent them to UA and am just waiting to hear back-my man less at UA doesn't work thursdau or friday so...he'll be happy to see that e.mail once he gets in saturday. i'm not usually a complainer-well, in the sense that i send things back or make a fuss over quality to sales people, i just don't go back to a store or i don't eat at a restaurant again, etc..but this time i'm going to the mat. this couch, as it stands, sucks. and i want it fixed.
here come the good times.
another rainy day here my friends. and i have to venture out into it to run errands, and get shit done...so i should get at it as i slept really late today...

have fun..

g. xo

the good times..right now, right here...

so, i was a little pissed off yesterday...did it show? i hope not. it just gets to me sometimes..this city-or town. i'm no city engineer and would never think that i could do his or her job better than they but for christ's sake...this town is being torn-up at an alarming rate. main street is all fucked, camibie is undriveable at most times of the day, section of the west side are terrible, etc..why not just tear into granville while yer at it...and a lot of this is due to the RAV line that will be coursing down cambie street..and why? because the rich folks over on the west side didn't want to use an existing rail line that runs down the arbutus coridor. it's bullshit and it's the same in every big city in the world. so we end up spending x-number of times the amount of money due to the NIMBY attitudes of the wealthy..shit, i sound like a hippie...and the skytrain is a joke at best...years from now we'll look at that shit running down lougheed highway and other sections of the lower aminland and think, 'shit, we fucked up...that thing is some kinda ugly..." all the while it has ruined neighbourhoods and lowered property values...nice work. there's a reason for subways...and really, ghow many people really ride that shitty thing? this town is a shithole...i love it, it's all mine, i live here...but come on...our priorities are all screwed up...the olympics? really? more important than healthcare or schools or ....name it. the downtown east side is a mess, granville street looks terrible, the drug dealers are running the downtown...beautiful vancouver? really? tell me that great northern way is beautiful, the area behind the american hotel on main street near prior, main and hastings, gore and powell...really? beautiful? come on..who are we fooling? ourselves? fraser street? what do i know?

anyhow...enough ranting...nice day today ...rain. more rain. if it doesn't improve i think i may have to hit the road again. i see no film work in the next little while so...why be here..? my new couch has shown me even more defects so i have to deal with that i suppose...i'm woking on a couple new painting...which will be as bad as the first but it's something to do while it rains...

here are a couple more leftover pics from apex...new photos from around town tomorrow...

love and kisses...

g. xo


the boys...and me...



corie and dean have a laugh out in the garage...



pete has a beverage...

shithole deluxe

you've heard the term hillbilly deluxe? well add to that shithole deluxe. vancouver-shithole deluxe. i'd tell you there's gonna be more details later but most of you know this town is a shithole....maybe i'll elaborate later...maybe not. if it wasn't for friends and work, i'd be outta here.

good times.

g. xo

so excellent...

that doctor's visit was some kinda excellent. then it was off for blood tests and other stuff.......and more stuff to come...i think i may have opened a can of worms...

so great.

g. xo

in case you care...

...but i'm sure you don't.
dean, one of the bombers-our hockey team, has loaded up some photos on the interweb that you can take a look at if you'd like...
i really am not an attractive man-these pics prove this fact. but they're there so have a look. i think i may never leave the house again.
thanks dean.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/72335094@N00/

garn xo

tune-up....

homer and hastings.



i'm over 40 and that means a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...and today may be that day. i need a tune-up, or better yet, a checkover. i had the heart/chest/EKG shit done a while ago when i was having the heart pains-and mainly did that so that marcy, my mom and a few select others would stop bothering me about it. but i am glad i had it done-even if the doctor was a fuckwad...and i've had the blood tests, and the bone scan and the ultrasound..all that crap. today i went to see my chiropractor paul wiggins-great guy. if you ever need some back crackin' he's yer man.
i'm gonna go see des, my doctor dude, a little later on today and there's a good chance he'll be putting on some sort of a glove and the next thing ya know it'll be a scene from midnight express...and i'll be playing the part of billy hayes...aye aye captain!
anyhow. it'll be fun and then i'll be off to a naturalpath or whatever ya call them for some advice about my diet..i eat fine but i still have thoughts that i may be eating stuff that my body hates me eating...maybe. or maybe i'll just say fuck it and start in on the red meat again...eat a steak once a week, some lamb, a little pork...maybe some bison. i don't eat enough fish, mainly because i'm not a huge fan. i love sushi but could give a shit about having salmon at a fancy eatery...so overrated that crap. give me a burrito and a cold can of coke or a lemonaide. that's the ticket.
ok. enough. i'm off to the doc. i have to admit that i don't have a whole lot of faith in des but i've been going to him for some long, and the thought of breaking in a new guy at this late stage seems pointless...
more details later...

g. xo

for a lot of money you can have...

..a couch made by a local company, that you can put in your honda element-if you have one, and then get it home and hate it. well, maybe hate is a strong word-dislike, not as you expected? i dunno. i know that if i had to equate the amount of happiness i should feel in relation to the amount of money spent, i don't have that. oh well, such is life. the garbs think's it's fine. so i guess it is. it has some nice puckers on the tucks on the left arm that are a drag but a pillow should hide it fine...
come on over and give it a ride when ya feel like it...next-a side table that has already been designed in my head...it'll look at least half a good as i am imagining it to be...

have fun

g.

more apex, more hockey, more frozen toes...

we played two games today-the first at 8 a.m. and the second a couple of hours later. the reason we had to play two was because we won the first which put us in the championship game...and i'm here to tell ya...i kinda wished we hadn't won because playing again wasn't what i wanted to do after more frozen toes...but it was a great second game. we had to play a team from vancouver, as well, that had a ringer on it. it kind of made it a bullshit game. they had beaten us the night before quite badly with him doing most of the scoring...we held our own and it may have been our best game. i, personally, had played badly the other three games, or at least not well and i think i had a much better game despite being very tired...loook, i'm old, fat and terribly outta shape (something i'm working on...) but i'm a slug right now and have to rely more on playing smart hockey than high energy hockey...rememeber fat....remember old...anyhow. we played well and in the end, even though we lost, were happy with the game played. we didn;t get a trophy so we paraded around with the women's trophy for a while...
as for the touney overall i will say this. those who know me know i can be a bit of a blackcloud and just plain grumpy sometimes...loveable but grumpy but, i had a great time. it was a time i will remember for a long while. a better bunch of guys will not be found anywhere. all of them. we played hockey, we hung out, ate together, laughed (i personally laughed a great deal...), all in a setting that can't be found anywhere else-or at least with an outdoor hockey rink...i guess...anyhow. it was great and i'm glad i was able to be a part of it. i want to thank all the guys-muc, matt, gibby, gordie, pete, corie, dean, byron, and blair, for making it great. my toes are still frozen....i'm not kidding.
the drive home was fast...roads were ok....and now i'm happy to be home and doing load after load of laundry...wahing the car tomorrow...it stinks like ass and looks worse...
ok...sleepy...night night.

garn

the boys' skates...



corie, dean and i hold the trophy we didn't win...



one of the women's teams playing...



shot from the road above the rink.



muc wipes out getting ready to go for a late night skate.



pete and muc during one of our late night games...

frozen toes and suspect sleeping arrangements...

so...ok..where to start. (spelling really doesn't count today....)

corie and i hit the road towards apex/penticton around 11 a.m. thursday and besides a couple of hard packed areas (snow) it was an easy go. we arrived in apex around 5 p.m. (i think...) and met the rest of the boys at our chalet (?) and found places for our stuff. we're just a couple of minutes from the rink in a big place with enough room for all of us-10 guys in one place at one time is a bit much but we're all getting along very well. sleep is something that doesn't come easliy with all the various sounds and poor beds-i was on a couch the first night with corie on a mattress on the floor a few feet away from me. there are a few heavy snooring guys-me being one of them.
our first game was at 9:45 p.m. thursday night when the temp. was probably around -18-excellent. those of us with visors were in bad shape as they froze up right away and had to be modified mid game so we could see anyhting. also, a couple of the lights for the rink had burned out and hadn't been replaced so one end of the rink was very dark..and we were playing some real dicks who were taking is very seriously with a lot of stick work so it was a test. in the end we won and not too soon as our feet, mainly our toes, had begun to have any feeling at all. the thawing out of our feet was worse in many ways than the freezing itself. great pain....my big toes are still numb a day and a half later. we play again today at 8:30 pm so it'll be a cold one again.
i drove to see my pals riel and jane yesterday in armstrong which is about 2 hours drive from here. it's not really that far but due to typical canadian driving habits and having to slow down through kelowna and other towns it takes a a while. armstrong holds a special place in my heart in not a weird one. in the early 90's i dated a woman who was, at one time, miss. armstrong. the queen of cheese i called her. it was, at best, a troubled relationship, but i proved, once at lerast, my love for her by driving her to armstrong where i met her parents and took a tour of the armstrong cheese factory.
i met the girls at a nautical themed pub where i had a chicken burger called 'the navigator'...i dunno...we then went to put some laundry in the dryer at a place nearby and then to a clothing store callled frugal frocks...it was fun...then jane had to hit the road back to her place in salmon arm and riel and i went up to her mom's place which is called 'the grizz'. it's a majectic spread overloking a valley-they own 85 acres there. it's just outside of armstrong sort of north of armstrong central. the wacky part of this part of the journey was that when i was introduced to riel's mother's boyfriend, i quickly recognized him as a guy i had known for probably 20 or more years-andy graffiti. andy was and is an artist who during my early days in college radio played in many bands in vancouver, most notably-for me, rhythmn mission with the likes of dennis mills and the hardy brothers and warren ashe. those were the days...anyhow, he left vancouver and ended up there and still jams with bands, makes art and writes poerty. sounds like a pretty good time...
i headed back to apex around 6 pm and had another night of watching the boys play drunken trivial pursuit...we know how to party...and then blair and i shared a hide-away couch bed in the living room...he snores very loudly and talks jibberish in his sleep...and those are the good things he does in his sleep.
today we play at 8 p.m. and then again tomorrow morning and if we win both games play again at 11:45 am sunday...our feet will be fucked...
good times.
have fun...more updtaes when i can..the pics are completely out of order...so fuckin' sue me...

g. xo

what the..? muc gets ready to late night skate..



view from above...



riel at the grizz...



view on the drive up near the crow's nest pass...



and the other way...



drunken trivial pursuit...



the boys enjoy the foosball table..



muc and matt go boarding...



muc...



riel in armstrong pub...



riel and jane...two of the great ones...



snacks...



just liked this sign...there are fruit stand signs everywhere...



blair enjoys being outside...



byron works on his visor..i was next...