let's just say, hypothetically...: beat like a rented mule...

yesterday was a killer i have to say. i had received and e.mail from a guy in east van about his lawn and i went over and a little look and then e.mailed him a quote. it was expensive due to the fact i had to cut it twice to get it down to a reasonable length, etc. he was cool with that so yesterday away i went. it took a long time so i definately earned my money on that one - and he seemed very happy. note: i think he had been living as a bachelor for a few weeks, maybe more, and now his wife was coming home so it was time to make it all look as if he had been cutting the grass etc....not sitting around watching hockey and eating pizza.
while i was doing his place, an older guy came across the street to talk to me. he asked me if i would cut his lawn when i was done. i went and had a little look and it turned-out he had actually cut half the lawn but couldn't finish it - too hard for him. after some heavy negotiations, we settled on a price and he left to go get a snack at the T&T market up the road.
when he came back i was just starting his lawn and was a bit horrified by the shortness of the cut he had done. the lawn was all yellow and shitty. peter, my new pal, just couldn't stop talking about how he could get me a lot of lawns in the area, and that after his lawn- which turned out to be his rental property, we would head over to his house and have a look at his lawn as well - maybe i would like to cut it as well. i told him i couldn't today but would another day. he seemed cool with that.
maybe.
he also went next door to the neighbours and tried to convince them that they should have me cut their lawn as well. he was fast becoming my pimp. i liked peter right away.
after i finished his rental lawn he told me we would now head over to his place. so after i had loaded in my mower, etc., he jumped in my front seat and away we went. he didn't ask if he could ride with me, he just jumped in and started directing me to his place. now i really liked this guy.
on the way he told me some things i can't repeat here, but they were good. odd, but good. when we got to his place it was another 1/2 cut lawn. his wife had tried to cut it but had given up as it was too much work. "so you can cut it for me? now?"
oh i see, the bait and switch was on. um, sure, ok. more negotiations. and away i went. he's convinced that if i put an ad in the chinese newspaper, etc...i'll be super busy. he really wants to be my pimp. peter came here from hong kong 30 years ago, owned a produce store in chinatown for years, sold it, works as a extra sometimes, and talks a lot.
then it was off to my friend michelle father's place in east van for a cut there. i cut his grass a few times last year after he had had a stroke and was taking it easy getting better. that done i headed to east 51st and another lawn i have now begun cutting. i had also told the owner, louise, that i would do a run to the dump for her because she's been doing gardening and had more 'green' material than the city would take right now as well as some cardboard recycling....so after her lawn it was off to the dump...good times.
i was beat. sweating like a freak, stinky, and really fuckin' dirty. i kinda liked it but i needed food as i hadn't eatten anything since the morning and that was only a smoothie and coffee...
after the dump i still needed to get back to the shop and cut some wood for some shelves i was putting up at sasha's place in the evening, and i had to do that before meeting andy and julie at topanga at 5:30 pm...nice. so i rushed back to the shop, operated a large power tool and headed home for a quick shower....and finally dinner at topanga with the kids and their kid taylor. it was really nice. they be good folks.
after dinner i headed to home depot and grabbed some stuff for sasha's shelves and made my way there. it all went pretty well, i think. sasha has some new shelves, i sweated some more - that girl needs to get more fans and open a few windows....then home to sleep the sleep of the dead...overall a fairly successful day getting shit done and i met a new pal, peter low, or would it be LO. i dunno.

ok...more lawns today...have fun.

g. xo

sasha gets some new shelves.