don't wince or you'll miss it...

Top. The top. The very top.

(beware…this could make you throw-up a little in your mouth but fuck it, I mean it…)

In no order at all I present to you the great and the good from 2007. Things that meant something to me this year. And just some old fashioned good stuff…

Shauna. Yup. It’s true. The woman I now share my box in Gastown with was and is a very happy addition to my life this year. Goodness wrapped-up in a small beautiful package. I like it. I love her. i hope she keeps me. (ok…if you need a little mouth wash now….)

Issy. Always Issy. A mother to all my friends and those friends she hasn’t even met yet. So great it’s hard to tell you all how great she is.

Putting up xmas lights with Floyd. My father and I have had a weird relationship – and that’s not telling any tales out of school. It’s the truth. It had been years since we’d worked along side each other doing anything. Anything. While over at his place a few weekends ago I helped him put up his xmas lights and while I still hate xmas, It felt good helping him do it. It was fun. I love that guy. I really do.

The Bombers. I love playing hockey, and even though I’ve lost a step and get frustrated with my play, I still love it. I especially love the team I’m on, the Bombers. A great group of guys all concerned with having fun and being, well, a Bomber. It’s good.

Ang. If I had never met her I’d know that there was something missing without knowing what it was. Beautiful, giving and my friend now. I love you kid.

Okkervil River’s ‘Our life is not a movie or maybe’. I love this song. A little wimpy. A little timely. A little of everything.

Band of Horses – Cease to Begin. The Garbs loves to bug me about loving this album. Tobe understands. Maybe one day Garbs will as well.

First it was the Killers ‘When you were young’ and my inability to stop playing it over and over again, then came Interpol’s ‘Our love to Admire’ and ‘The Heinrich Maneuver’. Damn them. I hear you’re moving real fine tonight. How are things on the west coast?

A sweaty bunny suit. For Corie’s t-shirt show I decided that it would be a great idea if I wore a full bunny costume to the event. About ten minutes into being there and dressed in it I remembered why I told myself the time before why I’d never wear it again. I’m sure I’ll forget by the next big event and rent it again. Big guys in bunny suits, nothing spells funny better than that.

Corie’s t-shirt show at snap gallery. Sure, Barry’s an idiot but the show was good fun. Stressful for all but still good fun. Good work Tornack.

Santa Cruz. A couple times last year I sat in Santa Cruz and just watched surfers. I thought of Tom and Judy and just sat there. I also left a pair of shoes there will a little bit of road money in them. I love Santa Cruz. And I love Tom. I miss them both.

El Presidente. What can I say that hasn’t already been said here before. I love the El Presidente. I love Andale in Los Gatos. I’ll be back.

The desert. Shauna and I made our way randomly around the desert in a Dodge Charger and saw what there was out there. Nothing. And did nothing. It was pretty good.

Spring training baseball. I was telling the Garbs the other day that he and I should head down to spring training this year and just sleep in the element like I did last year. I don’t think he’s convinced. It’s not for everyone to be sure. It was the second time I got to see Spike in less than a few months.

Me and Spike in Tucson. For a week or so I holed-up on spike’s couch in Tucson and went about my life as a local, sort of. Day trips into the desert by myself, dinners at night with Spike, Nogales, Mexico, it was a good time. I should have stayed longer. Thanks Spike.

Andrew and Scott. I work with a great group of guys and it took a long time to get there/here. Years of asshole co-workers in this business almost did me in early on. The Jak’s and Dave’s could have buried me early. Now it’s Corie, Al, Dan, Eric, Andy and Stevie and revolving cast of others I really like. This show I was also able to work again with Andrew and Scott who I had worked many shows with over at Tony’s shop. Does my heart good to know they’re around. Solid. Both of them.

Buffalo. Good god I love the buffalo. I began eating meat again this year and feel pretty good about it. I had a piece of buffalo at West that could easily have been my last meal this year and I would have been happy with that. Good god. Good fuckin’ god. Buffalo pepperoni is pretty good too.

Lawn Order. Another year of keeping myself reasonably sane cutting grass. I love it. Really love it. Even when things go wrong, and they do, it’s still great. Season four isn’t far away and I look forward to it. Some people drink, some people smoke pot, I cut grass.

Maybe Arizona. Photos I took, up on a wall for everyone to see. Pretty cool. It was kinda hard for me to do but I did it and I’m happy I did it. Thanks Byron for the chance.

Marcel Dzama. I bought two watercolor painting by Marcel this year from my pal Ronnie in LA and am very happy with my purchase. Suzanne at opus was a huge help in making sure they were framed correctly and now they look like a million bux on my wall – please come over and have a look sometime.

My friends. Who I can not live without. Really. I mean it. The Garbs and Mishi. Pam and Tobe. Mina and Brent. Corie. Scott. The Fawnz, The Queen, Jen with one N, Devon, Don Bull, Andrew and Andrew, Daisley, he who can not be named on the blog, Marcy, k-win, Spike, Megan, Emilie, Muc, Erika and Christian, all the bombers, the BOC boys, and those I have forgotten because I’m brain dead from the paint fumes coming in from Corie’s area here at work and the autobody shop next door….you know who you are – I love you. I do.

My head. I smashed my head open like a pumpkin and learned a cheap lesson from it. Or an expensive one. The details are on the blog but suffice to say, my big hard head saved my life.

More music. Others things caught my ear this year.

Brady’s band ‘The Book of Lists’ song ‘Lost Weekend’ really made the rounds in my car this year.
Broken Family Band - Hello Love
Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’- the reissue reminded me how good it really was the first time.
Joel Plaskett Emergency – Ashtray Rock. Well, mainly ‘The Glorious life’…that’s a good number.
LCD Sound System – Sound Of Silver
The National – Boxer
Okkervil River – The Stage Names
Richmond Fontaine – Thirteen Cities
Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Sure there are more but those are some I listened to over and over and over…and sure, there were more great things this year but I can’t remember them all right now.

I love you . I really. Do.

(we will return to regular blog entries again very soon….do not adjust your set.)

g. xo

secrets revealed....

for anyone who ever wondered about the secret in-n-out buger menu...

http://www.tiburon-belvedere.com/cgi/home.cgi?c=In_N_Out

g. xo

breakfast in barstow...

finally, some good food-or at least food that was what it said it was going to be. last night after doing some grocery shopping in 29 Palms at a seriously fucked up food store, we had dinner at a super crappy mexican dump. it was awesome.
today we looked around barstow and then after seeing a gang of youth dudes with a huge pitbull decided to head back out to the desert. good idea. after some time in lucerne, victorville and apple valley we headed back to palm springs for date shakes - which we haven't actually had yet - but we did find some good fish and chips, actually fish and chips and shrimp and fish taco...nice.
one last night here before we head on out and back to LA...
date shakes tomorrow...

g. xo

signs in barstow.




our pool in barstow.



wind generators on interstate 10 near joshua tree.



near lucerne.




my buddies and breakfast in barstow.

say hello dick...

it seems every time i go out of town, to get away, i run into people i know from whence i came. which is fine, but kinda funny. we met-up with katherine last night and roamed the streets with her for a bit before she had to head-off to dinner with her family. nice to see her. we then headed to get some dinner and ended-up at sherman's deli - a real deli. we ordered what we knew would be big sandwiches but were not prepared for what came to the table - it was kind of embarrassing. after dinner we somehow made our way back to the car and to another palm springs hotel - that had a hot tub. and even i, yes me, went in for a dip. it was good.
our breakfast this morning was not. it could have been, maybe was, nope, for sure was, the worst huevos rancheros i have ever had. shuana had some sort of french toast with strawberries that looked like it was probably ok..then there he was, dick sleep, a former co-worker of my father's and father to some good pals of mine and his lovely wife helen. always just referred to as dick and helen. they have been in palm springs since oct. and love it. we told them we had to get outta town, which we did, off to joshua tree and parts beyond. fuck it's cold....shauna's not enjoying the cold - at all...
we've headed north(ish) and are now in barstow...more details as they come in....

g. xo

hey look...some pictures...

i'll tell you where the fuckin' trader joe's is...

long story probably not really worth telling but, after crisscrossing the city - palm springs - a few times we finally found the trader joe's supermarket only to find it closed at 9 pm...it was 9:12 pm...we just needed a healthy snack. fuck it. we went back today and got some shit to put in our newly purchased target cooler bag.
the plane ride was uneventful, which i suppose is good...i was, indeed, in first class but really, it's just the amount of room there should be anyways, it shouldn't be special to actually be able to be comfortable and not pressed against your pane neighbour. the food's a little better too...
i met shauna at LAX and we were away to pick-up our rental car, which of course cost more than what i had bargained for on-line...fuck it...whatever - they get ya coming and going - that's part of traveling. we headed right out of town and towards the desert. we got into palm springs around 7 and had a little look around that included the trader joe's fiasco. we settled in at the palms grove hotel - deluxe, and watched a little bad tv while eating our goods from ralph's market - we were really living it up.
this morning we hung around town, got some shit, had some bad coffee, failed to find a breakfast spot instead opting for smooties and then got out of dodge. we headed towards the salton sea, slightly southeast of here. the woman at the tourist information centre had actually never heard of it...

check it out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea

it's an interesting place...
afterwards we headed back into palm springs, where we are now - actually at a coffee shop not unlike delany's on denman called KOFFI...ok, the coffee is not bad.
we're gonna find a little dinner later on and maybe meet-up with a friend who is down here right now as well..or go to a movie, or nothing...probably nothing.

more later....

g. xo

random photos from the trip thus far...blogger has been fucking up and not letting me add sometimes so....

nice pants lady.



old motel at the salton sea.



our pool at the hotel. classy.



our ride. more class.



first class plane food.



shauna at the burger box.



me and the love of my life at the salton sea.



god loves my food.



more burger box action.



shauna at the beach.



more s. at the beach.



oh. we, of course, stopped in at in-n-out burger. greatness.



shauna hangs out by the pool.

delayed and an upgrade

here's your update...
the flight has been delayed - shocker....and they're super full and they had one extra seat in first class they wanted someone to take for a few extra bucks. so what the fuck?.. a little xmas present to myself. so i'm now flying first class. good times.

more as it develops.

g. xo
(high roller...)

they've got me pegged

i'm guessing, after my treatment at the airport today by US customs officials, that i have been earmarked for search from now on - or until they get bored of finding nothing on me....ever. they're very nice about it but after scanning my passport and typing in a few lines of text, it's off to another room for me. well, and area separate from the rest where i was asked to open my computer case, asked about leaving things in the states, commercial goods (shocker since my shitty times at the point roberts crossing...crossing, that's funny..) etc. and since i didn't have an actual place to stay marked on my customs declaration, because i really have none - shauna put down ronnie p.'s address...funny. after they failed to get any answers they seemed suspect of, i was away. to the x-ray area. more good times. i have to say, getting here early is a good idea, if i had been rushed it would have been different - but why is it i get some worked up internally going through the border? i have nothing to hide, check away checksters. anyhow...after throwing all my shit into plastic trays - shoes, hoodie, hat, coins, laptop, carry bag with grilled sandwich for the plane, they decided i needed a more thorough search. more patdowns, more looking at the laptop, more looking at my sandwich...at one point they guy - who was extremely courteous - asked me if i lived in chicago or had lived there....i was a little confused until i looked down at him and aws as i did that i was wearing my chico state t-shirt and told him i didn't live in chicago..and pointed to the word chico on my shirt and explained it was in california...he then told me how much he liked chicago. okey dokey.
and i was on my way.
so here it is now that i sit for close to two hours waiting to get on a big hunk of steel that somehow flies through the air - i don't pretend to understand it...i just know that it does it, and it's very boring. but at the other end, in LA, is shauna and that makes it all worthwhile (...was there a little throw-up in your mouth there....?...)
ok...

good times.

more later.

g. xo

i'm outta here...

i hope santa was good to each and every one of you...i just wanted to say hello before i left. i'm off to the airport, how i'm getting there is still don't know but, i think, if i don't call for a ride from marcy, she'll be upset with me so i better call her...

have a great week and i'll be checking in from the desert - or wherever i/we end-up.

g. xo
random crane pics...why?...because it was a nice day the other day - not today or yesterday - and i was near them. that's that.

fat and happy...

big day...
first breakfast at the grove followed by laundry and the garbs....i didn't wash the garbs, he just came over to visit while mishi helped her cousin get ready for the big xmas dinner..then dinner with ang and marcy out at issy's in tsawwassen - it was a great dinner made with a great deal of love by issy. we had udder guys ice cream as well and some pie so that was pretty great. home now where i need to be now as i try and digest the food and get ready to go. i'm a little stuffed-up today and feeling heady but i'm hoping that will all pass by tomorrow before i have to get on the plane to LA...bed soon so i can help this thing pass quickly. i still haven't packed but will get at that soon enough - i mean how hard is it? put some crap you need in a bag or suitcase type thing and away you go. i think the queen has passed on driving me so marcy has stepped-up and offered to drive me i should be ok. the best part of flying is the having to get there two hours before your flight actually leaves. great. so fuckin' great. i have the new richard ford novel, my trusty ipod and some magazines so i should be ok. i'll need to get some snacks too.
here's the day in pictures...my camera was being weird at issy's so i'll have to wait until she send me some photos, that she took with her new digital camera, and then i'll be able to post some more.

have fun.

g. xo

the day in pictures.

ang gets busy with the turkey.



something up with the color of the sauce today at the grove.



more grove.




udder guys...that's fuckin' ice cream...



the kids love the grove. at least once a year.



issy checks out some of her booty from her xmas stocking.