a rib with an eye.

before above...and below, after with beets and tomatoes and the grilled onions and green peppers...


so that was a day...
it started at the bank - paying bills and such - and ended at granville island visiting with mishi and then heading to the market to buy something for dinner...and today it was a ribeye steak - i've never been much of a steak guy but it looked so good i just had to.
i had been by the bbq joint today to buy a new and much better grill brush and that just got my mind thinking about dinner - even though it was only 10 a.m. when i went there.
so after three big lawns and writing a bunch of cheques, i was ready for a little food...or a lot of food as it turned out. and tonight was the first time i was out on my deck in my gonch - i'm sure the neighbours love that - and the sun was hitting me and it felt hot..i can see the outside bbq action becoming a bit of a habit.
so now, i'm full and in fact couldn't finish the whole plate of food...now i'm just gonna sit back and let the come take over.
nice.

g. xo

lovely.

so...i knew it was coming but, all at once?
my apartment in gastown had a special assessment done for some stuff that needed to be fixed and i was and am all cool with that - part of owning a place...but, as i was doing my taxes the other day a bunch of stuff was missing so i thought i'd give my tenants in gastown - who are wicked - and ask them if there was any mail there for me...yup...sure was...including the bill for the special assessment...so i'm going out right now to write a few cheques that have been backing up...no dinners out for a while i think...i won't say how much because it's kind of embarrassing but, i could buy two nice flat screens tvs instead and feel the same pinch...like 50" units...lol. oh well..
so taxes, special thingy, etc...all today. good times.
here i go...

g. xo

just in time for easter

issy sent me this tonight...if you have kids or are a kid yourself, have a look.

g. xo

i have a deal for you.

hey kids.

i have a boston acoustics centre channel speaker - shielded - that i am getting rid of. sure, it's old...but still a decent speaker. it's a single speaker. want it..? let me know.

i may also be getting rid of a set of rear surrounds of the same vintage, but they'd cost you a stack of stella's or dos equis.

g. xo

making a good impression.

or not. perhaps.
a few years ago - well, actually many now, i developed a problem with hurling when i brush my teeth in the morning. if i wait a few hours - which i can't do most days - to brush it's all fine. but my gag reflex is in full-on mode in the morning and if i don't brush fast - it's all over. over share? perhaps.
this morning i made my way over the bridge and down granville st. to dr. z's office to go through the first of two appointments to get, yet another, gold crown put on one of my teeth.
good times.
and, of course, there were more than a few impressions to be made. before, after. in between. and it was the second to last one that had to be jettisoned from my mouth, impressing everyone in the room naturally. i know i'm not the only one that has this problem but when it's happening...it's really happening. and it's happening to me. love it. but after a moment of reflection, and some salt on my tongue - some home solution of sorts - i was ready to go - and it all went fine. goodness.
i have to go back in two weeks to get the temp. crown taken off and the gold 50 cent version put on and i'll be good to go. in the meantime i hope the temp. doesn't fall off - which has happened in the past....most notably one time when mishi and i were at a pizza joint on 4th ave. years ago and all of a sudden i was chomping down on the crown along with my pizza pie.
whenever i get crowns done i want to ask dr. z for a gold front tooth, kinda like willy deville. as my pal tattoo bill baker said when i told him i wanted one, "garn, that's just sleazy enough. just enough." i agree. so don't be surprised if i show-up with a gold number one day.
ok. chiro later to have a back and neck crack and a check on my ribs...

have a tuesday.

i miss you.

g. xo

ps...check out this link if you want a full grill done.

ipod tip number 143

last night i was chatting with ailsa, who is on vacation with her daughter and her mother in hawaii, and after a minute or so she told me she had something to tell me...ok. good, i love a good story. shoot.
well, it turns out the ipod i lent to her so she could rock out on the beach, has some, um, things on it that are really not meant for children - like a six year old on the beach. see, on an ipod you can - through your itunes on your computer - put album art on for each song or album, duh. most albums you load onto itunes have their own album art that automatically loads in where the album art would go...and if there is none available, or if you want to put your own pictures on instead, you can. (see where this is going...?)
turns out a few of the tracks on my ipod have slightly sassy or saucy or downright nekid pics on them...yup. nudie pics on the ipod...so when say, aimee mann's version of 'one' comes on...the name of the song is there, and a picture..."mommy, is that aimme mann?'..."no, darling, it's a friend of hers..."
now, this didn't happen, at least not to the eyes of the young fiona, but it could have...dang!
so...here's my tip.
if someone at work (true..) asks you to show them how to move pictures into the album art folder...don't do a bunch to show them how to do it...and then not put everything back to the way it should be...or if you do don't do it with naked pics you got off of the net...
just sayin'

g. xo

don't say you're innocent...

today, with it's shitass weather and general overall greyness, seemed like the perfect day to tackle my taxes (all the little slips of paper and pay stubs and wrinkled this and that...) it's a task i'm not fond of but have managed, each year, to power through and get to the accountant on time and then wait and see what the damage is going to be. fingers and toes crossed...
the ribs seem to be healing fairly well - thanks to all that have been asking - and i think this friday's all day hockey tourney i should be a go...i'll know for sure by tomorrow - i hope - when i go and see my chiro dude and he gives me the thumbs up or down. sure, they'll still be a little sore tomorrow, i know that, but by friday i should be ready to take to the ice. here's to that...
by the end of today i will be finished season four of the wire...i was a machine yesterday and watched far more of it than any one man should watch in a day...but after being out a lot of the day i was ready for some serious wire action. by 1:30 a.m. i decided that i had had enough and hit the hay...but i'm ready for some more now after my paper adding session.

rock on.

g. xo

you never wait so long

this morning after getting my shit together, 'he who can not be named on the blog' picked me up here and we headed off to meinhardt for a quick snack before heading over to williams-sonoma to what someone make some pie....and as it turned out, it was a bit of a bust - 'he who' had had enough of that action in about three minutes, i , however, convinced him to stay for a few more minutes but then gave up myself. i mean, it was pretty cool but really i don't need to be huddled around a cooking station/test kitchen thingy, trying to get a look at what's going on with 15 south granville ladies who lunch and a couple of their male hangers-on...i would, someday, like to take a cooking class and learn a thing or two...but it's not going to be in the test kitchen at williams-sonoma...
ok.

so it seems every time i turn on the tv and see a musical performer i get shitola lately...well, with the exception of joan jett of course....god bless her. last night's installment of 'shit i really never have to see ever again' saw me turning on SNL nd seeing that lame excuse for a old blue eyes wanna-be michael buble doing whatever it is he does. good lord. his balls are clearly in his wife's purse. and the choreography was like that from a bad high school re-make of jailhouse rock starring the kid who runs the baskin-robbins. please.

and so it was today to get my mind, musically, back on track i pulled a recently recovered from elsewhere dvd of pj harvey on her 'uh-huh her" tour...as small as polly jean is, she could boot-fuck that buble character into submission in a second...both musically and literally. as i was watching it i thought i'd really love to see her live again - i saw her twice in vancouver (both times at the commodore..) many, many moons ago and wow....seriously, boot-fuck bubbles..
and now i bring you the picture of the day. a beautiful mirrored chest of drawers. just lovely. south granville man, they got it all.

ok. it's raining. i'm gonna watch some more 'the wire'...

g. xo

fancy...that.

ever since i started getting back into cooking - something i have loved to do for a long time but my last kitchen wasn't really conducive to real knife wielding action - i have had a hard time walking past cooking supplies joints and not going in and having a little look-see... and i'm not even sure i know how to cook but i sure love it so...a few weeks ago it was the purchase of a new garlic press and hand operated swing style citrus squeezer at cook works on broadway - all the while looking over the fancy cast iron dutch ovens trying to convince myself i needed to spend 400 clams to take that baby home and rustle up some stew of some sort...i have yet to drop the money - i just can't get over the fact that what i have now for slow cooking - my crock pot - does exactly the same thing...maybe one day. i am a simple man really...i need only the basics...truth.
today i was over on south granville having some soup (tomato lime) and eating some deli meat straight out of the paper - some sort of turkey...when i ran into jen with one N and her good pal shane...after i had regaled them with tales of whatever i could come up with, and after rhoda, her mom, had shown-up and i spoke of Lawn Boy - a mocumentary on lawn order, and made her mom wish she'd met jen somewhere else, i made my way down granville just shuffling along with no real destination. then i found myself in front of the williams-sonoma store. fuck. look at them tools in the window. once inside i was hypnotized by all the shiney things...blenders, grills, etc...nice - the piece i was most wow'd by was the super heavy duty citrus squeezer - like the type bartenders use to squeeze fresh juice for drinks in san tropez...nice unit. a woman who worked there try very hard to convince me to buy it but i stayed strong...i did, however, buy a new paring knife and some measuring spoons...
nice store. they have an in store kitchen of sorts there and tomorrow they're preparing pie and muffins so i may go up and watch them make that jingus..i've made pie before but, i'll walk a few blocks to watch that...
otherwise today was fairly low-key...lots of walking, went to corie and katherine's to check on things while they're away...(seems her pal didn't know how to set the alarm so i had to go take care of business...) and a lot of hanging out with mishi at the pickle...i'm down with that.
tonight 'he who can not be named on the blog' came over and we watched as the canucks lost to the sharks...very exciting and i did laundry...i know how to rock it on a saturday night...
tomorrow. more action.

g. xo

pulled pork birthday party action.

it seemed like the right thing to do...it did.
call up a few pals, get some provisions and invite issy over for some of my world famous pull pork sandwiches...also in the mix, some corn, potatoes, aspargras, mushrooms and such...nice...and for dessert a nice cake from la baggette on granville island...goodness gracious issy...happy birthday to you! we even sent issy home with a party favor to enjoy at her lesuire.
thanks to the kids for coming and celebrating with us/me...the goodness that is issy.

the night, or some of it...in pictures.

i love you issy.

g. xo

don loves issy and the pulled pork...

megan and issy....

the garbs wants some cake!

issy!

megan and issy...

the garbs cleans up..

don has a laugh with issy...

bring on the cake!

mishi tries out my glasses.

he'll steal your girlfriend

greg dulli's bio opens with this line. and having met the afghan whigs former frontman and guitarist i'd have to say it may be true. especially after chatting with him about a night he met a friend of mine - a woman - and his recollection of it, and then me recounting hers...not to him, but to myself.
i loved the whigs. still do. their last album, though years old now - perhaps even a decade old - still makes me long for the whigs. sure, they were cocky and seasoned (?) and dulli made you feel like climbing up on stage and killing him because he had the moves and the voice and the guitar...i loved them. him. i never wanted to kill, but i knew a few who did. or at least wished he'd stop being so fucking cocksure.
but this isn't about the afghan whigs or dulli, not really. but it is connected. after the whigs broke-up some of the shrapnel became other bands. guitarist rick mccollum formed moon man, dulli now fronts the twilight singers (primarily) but also performs with mark lanagan in the gutter twins, rocks out with the uptown lights and spain's afterhours and bassist john curly plays with a band called the staggering statistics.
and this is where it gets us. here. the staggering statistics have an album on their web site that is a free download - and i'd say if you're a fan of slightly sloppy, stonesque/television, dirty rock...it may be for you. check it out..if you want.

and that's my report. free music for the masses. oh....and if you're interested in the whigs or any of their off-shoots check out summer's kiss. a great compendium of whigs related material.

g. xo

the greatest.

a huge happy birthday to the world's greatest mom - in my humble opinion anyways! yup, it's issy's 29th birthday today!
so hold up your coffee mugs, your margs and your bottles of beer and say happy birthday to issy!
(if you'd like to send her a happy birthday e.mail i can get you the address....)

i love you issy!

g. xo

j.

g.

it's not just the ribs that are broken now...

today was the day - rain or shine - that cam and i headed over to blair's ambleside brewing and put up his new signs. just what the doctor ordered...the rain was a bummer but once we got going it hardly matter...well, to men of our stature of course. there was an early mishap, however, that saw my drill take a twenty foot flight to the ground below, and it didn't make it. shit happens. always does. then after a short trip to the sears at the world famous capilano mall (see: shithole) we headed back to blair's still drill-less. blair then told cam he had a drill so we once again, good to go.
it wasn't a day for great beauty in terms of a flawless installation but in the end it all got done and any problems will be fixed when it dries out a little - sometimes you have to improvise on the fly...can i get a f. ken rights?
a huge thanks to the garbs for sewing the hanging sign like the pro that he is...(there's beer waiting for you at the pickle senor.) blair thanks you!
the it was home to have a well deserved shower and then head downtown to the doctor's to sort out my life and limbs...have i mentioned how much i love walking across the granville st. bridge since i've moved back over here? so wicked...13 minutes. nice action.
on my way back i stopped in and saw mishi at the pickle which was nice, as it usually is and then off to the market to see chris and get some snacks for later...like much later because my main snack tonight will be breaking bread with the lovely and talented juliet nicoll at topanga...and then off to the airport to give shauna a ride home from her extended trip to spain...
bust day...no time to think about the ribs...mmmm....ribs.

g. xo

look at that nice new sign...goodness.

and again.

the ledge above that sign is where the drill fell from...and away it went...

oops.

rib-jiggity

i've been wearing this neoprene rib-wrap for most of the day today and feel a little like ed allen as i always thought he was wearing an ab thing to hold it all in...i don't know if that's true or not but, this thing is like the male version of women's spanx and i'm thinking i may have to take it off soon...i know i won't be able to sleep in this thing. no senor. nope.
last night i wrote about the end of rock and roll...tonight i'm having my faith restored.... a little. years ago at bumbershoot i saw joan jett knock it out of the park and knew i had seen something i'd not see for a long time to come...(then i saw babes in toyland...) and again at 86 st. years later she killed me again. she came out and flew through all her hits and by the end was a sweaty rock and roll mess...and tonight on letterman she didn't exactly kill it but i still loved seeing her at age 51 making most other rockers look like posers. especially that shit last night.
ok.
i'm gonna go listen to crimson and clover.

g. xo

hula hoop picnic party

where have you been? out running your life as if i didn't even exist. making plans and falling in love with someone else. i suspect. i knew it, i knew you were in love with someone else. didn't matter then, doesn't matter now. i remember you back then, as you were, much younger with thoughts of who you were convinced you were gonna become. we all had those thoughts, but look at us now. it ain't nothing like what you or i thought it would be. your hair changed with the wind back then and day to day your ambition changed and shifted and moved as if it was fluid. but now sand has moved through the glass and here we are, you and me. us. it's not the same as before, when i was throwing things in anger out in the middle of oregon when things weren't quite going my way. and tonight as you took my hand, as we ate dinner, i would never have thought, back then, that i would welcome that from you. ever. but now, i wait for it again. waiting. back then, in oregon, in california, in the middle of montana, i longed to be a better man, the one i may be now. gone, maybe now, are the boyish good looks replaced with some sort of wisdom and a less skewed perspective - i don't know i think it may be the pot talking now but i do know this...i'm giving it a kick at the proverbial can, i am. i know some say i'm a wreck and a shell of a man that should be shit canned and throw for scrap but i have made my peace with myself and know as i hold my hand in front of my face i'm made for one more round. it's in me. i have run my hands along the ground for the last time - the blood crusted there, i have made peace with the dark part of my heart. i am less wild. less than in my days that saw me in and out of drunk tanks, in the back of squad cars and at the wheel of cars i had run into the ditch on my way home from the bar.
i am not that man. but i know that man. well. i'm ready to make a proclamation, of sorts. in churches i have never seen the inside of. i'm ready to say i do, to something. with a clean shave. a washed face. i can't tell you who you are now, or who i really am now, but i know i'm ready to put myself to the test. i'm drunk with hope and faith and can't go to sleep at night without thinking of you.
the bus passes here twice a day with people on it going somewhere else. heres' not the place they wanna be. but i'm hoping one day.

good lord.

you know what the worst part of waiting for something to happen is? waiting for something to happen. it's the truth - like watching a pot, waiting for it to boil. or a rib to feel better. or grass to grow. or...i'm waiting.
cam brought over a neoprene wrap yesterday that i'm going to be using instead if the stretch wrap thing i have now, he also brought me some ice packs - thanks bomber brother.
i wrapped-up season three of the wire last night...i'm enjoying it but i'm still not convinced it's the best show ever on television - as it's been called by many tv critics. i'm not sure it's a show that will stand the test of time and will look very dated as the years move along. some very good characters though. i'm a fan of omar.
ok. i'm outta here - i didn't leave the house yesterday - i have some shit i need to get done...

adios.

g. xo

oh yes.

it's been a while since i've told you so...just so you know - laurie mercer is still an asshole douchebag.

seriously.

g. xo

i've seen the end.

years ago, while i was watching tv and a video came on by an artist i had never seen before, i knew i was seeing the end of rock and roll as we all knew it. i called a woman i knew at the time - and still know - and asked her to explain to me what the fuck...she knew who it was that i was talking about and agreed to a point.
now years later i'm seeing yet another sign that the end is truely near. here i sit watching letterman and his musical guest for the evening...what a pant load. justin bieber. holy shitola. and i thought avril was bad...good god.

g.

**edit**

ok. i just watched the last five minutes of american idol - something i have done maybe three times before...i get it now...almost all new music aimed at the general public is complete shit. ok. i get it now.

closet cleaning

i bought this jacket many years ago but only wore it a few times - literally. it just wasn't me. now after having it in the closet for years i'm letting it go - if you're not gonna wear it, why bother?
it says it's a canadian large, US 40-42. but i think the sizing is a little off as i wear a 42-44 even a 46 sometimes depending and this fits me well.
this is a very nice jacket, very heavy. beautiful leather.
want it...? i put it on craigslist but, if you fancy it let me know...

g. xo

survey says....

cracked rib.
probably more than one...so awesome. maybe even a complete break. neat!
i made my way down to the chiro today - my guy is a big wheel in the sports medicine world so i thought it best to go see him rather than my regular doctor - and after a few tests (one involving a tuning fork placed on my rib to see what would happen...and i'll tell you what fucking happened...if almost fucking killed me...)
so...now it's all about time. i've been told it could take a couple of weeks but we'll see - i mean, come on...i have my hockey playoff games to play...i did promise my chiro dude i'd be good so...
pretty cool.

g. xo

if i stumble

sleeping has become a bit of a deal...and not a good deal. this rib/middle back thing is a fucker. so painful. i have made an appointment with my chiro dude who has an x-ray machine etc..so at least i'll have some idea what's what. until then i'm gonna stick close to home and watch some more of the wire...seems like the right thing to do.

g. xo

i never travel far

i won't pull out the bullshit and tell you i was a huge alex chilton fan, but i sure did like what i heard of his over the years. from box tops to his time in big star. fuck, wasn't be actually big star?
but really, i first really found about him when the replacements sang about him on their album, pleased to meet me - an album he played on and had a song titled after him. and something about alex chilton's life and infamy echoed in me. it's hard to explain but, i just liked knowing he was around, being him, even if i wasn't a huge fan. and i loved the song kizza me from third/sister lovers.
alex died of a heart attack on the 17th of this month. he was 59. see him here at 16 or 17.

big star. try it.

g. xo

age of confusion

ok.
so i haven't been getting certain e.mails.
it happens. but it happened here, or with a certain account because the settings were all fucked-up.
when i moved here i had to change my telus account because telus is giving anyone who bought in this building free internet for a year so with that i had to change some things...blah, blah, blah...anyhow. it was fucked. and may still be a little fucked.
so. the forwarding wasn't working and for this reason the mailbox at telus was filling up and became full and then started rejecting mail...blah, blah, blah...
so. in the interest of keeping the pipeline flowing. if you use the telus.net address for me - don't use it anymore, just use the gmail account instead (i have little faith in it as well but it's the one i check the most so...)
i have attempted, this morning, to fix the telus account but the proof will be in the pudding...mmmm, pudding.
so regular telus account - out, gmail account - in...

have great sunday.

g. xo

rib action

i've never had a cracked or broken rib or...well, not that i know of but if what i have gleaned from others who have broken such things....and the pain that comes along with it - i think i may have done something to one of my backside ribs today in the bomber game. i remember the play - a small collision at their blueline with a couple of players and one of their guys gave me a shot to the lower back right where the ribs end. ouch! i played the rest of the game but it got worse and now as i sit here watching the wire, i am kinda fucked. it hurts like a fucker. i'll know more tomorrow...i hope.

g. xo

hey jerry...

there's a median at the corner of hastings and cassiar, near the entrance to the second narrows bridge, that was kept clean and tidy by a guy named jerry. cleaner than maybe any other median and section of roadway in the metro area. really. jerry patrolled the median waving and smiling. telling jokes. coming over and leaning in the car window and seeing how you were, then off again to walk the median, waving, smiling and picking up the garbage that collected there.
i first really became aware of jerry when i started working in burnaby more. i would go back and forth across the bridge to go to different studios, suppliers, etc. and would see him there and wonder who he was. after a while i started saying hi and having the odd chat with him while i waited for the light. when i was still smoking i would give him smokes and we laughed about something. eric would come back to the shop saying how he had seen jerry and telling of something jerry said or had done.
when i had my black gmc van that wouldn't fit into my underground at my place on cordova st., jerry began to piece things together. jerry lived on the downtown east side as well. just up the street from me. jerry would see me coming off the bridge exit towards him and when i got in the line he'd say, "hey, lawn order..." and if he could he'd come over and say how he saw my van done in the neighbourhood, and that we were neighbours and that he was hoping to get a new place down there rather than the one he was in. he liked that we both lived down there. "hey, lawn order!"
over the years i gave him drinks and snacks if i had any in the car, smokes, a few pieces of film swag - like t-shirts and hats. everybody did. but he never asked for it. ever. although, one time he did ask me if i could get him some of that rubber edging that goes along walls to help fix up his place. i told him i would try and get him some. in the meantime i gave him whatever else i had with me at the time.
the other day fawn told me jerry had passed away. that she had heard about it on facebook. that jerry had his own page there put up by someone who liked jerry. jerry died of stomach cancer and had had it for a long while and was in some considerable pain. but you'd never have known it.
his life was a bit of a mystery but a story in today's vancouver sun clears up some of that mystery.
i'll miss seeing jerry there. he was like a great constant in the day.
"hey jerry"
"hey, lawn order..."

g. xo

ok...if i must....

i have been accused of posting unflattering photos of people on the blog...and truthfully, i really do try and sort through them and post the good takes, i really do - unless it's meant to be unflattering...so in the interest of fair play i present to you tonight, two pictures of me that are really unflattering. one with a super duper double chin - sure, it's a forced super duper double chin, but it's there...and another muc took when we were on the ferry going to granville island...nice. handsome. well, he is, i'm not so much.

have a great friday night.

g. xo

what's next to the moon?

i have been driving around in my car listening to the same batch of music for, what seems like, weeks now. i made a playlist of some new stuff along with some golden oldies from my youth and i can't seem to change it. i'm listening to it as i write this in fact.


yesterday was the first day of the new cutting season, and while it wasn't the best day ever out there cutting, it was pretty fucking good. i cut a couple including the dog lawn in richmond and remembered as i did it what a monster it is and when it's a little wet how it's like pushing a lawn mower along the sand...awesome.
i'm gonna go cut another today as well as try and drum-up some more hacks as i lost a few clients at the end of last season due to people moving, houses being sold and such...
i'm happy to be back.

g. xo

this is the round where the punch will go

i'm having one of those weeks.
i love statements like that because they don't mean shit. or. could mean a lot of shit. things. there could one of those weeks where everything goes wrong. flat tires, spilled milk, broken plates, etc. all at once. shit happening that's bad. all in a row, or day after day of bad luck and the feeling like you should just stay home and away from people and...then, there are the one of those weeks that is all good...10 bucks won on the lotto, things you bought coming with extras you didn't pay for, discounts on the shoes you always wanted, good luck day after day, for days. there are so many types of 'one of those weeks'...you have to be looking in someone's eyes almost when they say something like that to know which it is...
i'm not having one of those weeks.
i'm having a very different kind of week. it seems to be a mixture of both of those other kind of weeks. i think.
oh, also, i have been mocked much this week by someone who has noticed i use a certain phrase a lot - don't we all have one or two we all use over and over...? i do, i know most of the people i see do as well...anyhow...i have been called on this and now am trying hard not to use it. but, of course, if it's built into one vernacular, it's hard to know when it's about to be used and usually slips out.
it's a long story.
more later.
maybe.
i had lunch with craig yesterday and i think i may have taken him to a place he'll never ever want to go to again. he needed a quick snack and i suggested a place over near cam's that i thought he'd dig - at least for something small and quick...i may have been wrong...craig gave me an autographed action shot of bob probert yesterday...so great. it now sits on my desk at home as one of the first things you'll see when you come over. if you ever come over. thanks craig!
i also met-up with ailsa and had some soup at social in gastown where we ran into the handsome and always well dressed pat ho. issy thinks pat is very good looking - so all you gals out there looking for a well dressed, handsome. successful guy - i know him. and as a note for those of you looking for good soup in gastown, i'd say that based on yesterday's fare, social is not it. terrible? not really, good, not really. just sayin'.
i have also started in on season two of the wire. i think i am five episodes in and am still to get the hook. i like it, but i don't feel the same love of it as say my pal sully does...or anyone else i talk to that has seen it. i'll keep going as i do and fall asleep on the couch again tonight watching it.

i'm having one of those weeks. it's a long story.

g. xo

need a desk?...

corie's got a desk thingy he's getting rid of...maybe for some beer, or for free, or...he sent me a few pics so if it suits you let me know and i'll pass along the huge offers to him - but really, it's free to a good home...but he does like beer...and tequila...

i actually have keys to his place so if you just have to have it...i can get it..

**edit** this baby is gone daddy gone...that was fast.

g. xo

say asada, say prawns, say taco party...

today after getting shit done - which included having propellor nick pulling out my stitches with a shakey hand (thanks baby...) - i had a hankering for tacos homestyle. and since i bought that cast iron skillet - now renamed the 'flat top' because the garbs thinks or thought skillet sounded bad - corie agreed that it sounded a little too denny's...i hadn't used the 'flat top' and wanted to...so tacos it was...i phoned mishi and the garbs and then corie and katherine and said it was on - taco party.
i bought some top sirloin, prawns and halibut for grilling along with some avacados and tortillas and i was ready to grill and make hay like a champ...goodness gracious it was taco time at garnville island...mishi made some awesome from scratch salsa and corie and katherine brought over some fancy tequila to top up what we had here...nice. we ate like champs...

g. xo

getting ready for the big show...

love the flat top..

mishi's great home made salsa.

goodness.

grilled to perfection.

then cut for the tacos.

things that ...... says...

i have written on here before about the guy who started writing down things his father would say and then post them on tumblr and who now has a tv show pending based on these postings..well...a friend of mine has been doing the same thing, minus the tumblr postings and the tv show...here now is a selection of things his son says...(the names have been changed...)

........

1. On John F Kennedy:

"Wouldn't want to sit next to that guy wearing the wrong hat"

2. On Botticelli's "Birth of Venus":

"Dudes from the renaissance totally 'bated to that painting"

3. I read an alert from police that a known sex
offender was preying on 16-year old boys and that I should keep tabs on my kid’s internet use. I told bobby that I wasn't crazy but I wanted to see what he was doing online just in case I was missing something.

He said,

"Its OK dad. It was me but it’s all under control"


4. When being accused of having blinders on about his chosen course of action.

"It's not like I see its all going to be amazing and that there will be hundreds of little horses all around for all the children to ride"

5. e-mail from his ipod in the school library

"...The librarians just had an interesting ordeal. Apparently some other kid named bobby stole or has an overdue book and they are trying to find him. They asked a student in here if she knew the kid and she responded that she did not. The librarian went on to say, in almost a superhero voice, "that's a shame, we are just trying to solve another mystery here at the library" and as she says this the whole place turns to look at her and she turns her head and tilts it upward to gaze over yonder. I couldn't stop laughing and had to tell that to someone else."

6. "Some people hate shit because they're not good at it. I am not good at shit that I hate."

7. Younger brother says, "Close your eyes and hold out your hands"

bobby says kindly without hesitation, "sure and you close your eyes and stick out your tongue"

8. Hey bobby did you have a good time walking home with your brother tonight (from the rink).

At sufficient volume “yes”

…then muttered under his breath “…we robbed a corner store together”

9. I receive a digital meat thermometer for my birthday and as I open the wrapping bobby mutters, “hmm. There’s a thousand uses for that”

10. This morning I poured some cereal for jackson and bobby. They had just woken up and nobody was saying anything. I noticed the gruff silence and started with a quip like. "Hey guys. Its just us guys here this morning so lets talk about guy things"! Just trying to make them laugh. There was a small silence and then bobby quietly says in his low mumbly baritone.

"Sure Dad. Let's talk about poontang"

what time is it...?

ok.
i started in on the wire late last night - too late in fact...had a little sleep-in but was woken-up by the phone...got he going. and out of bed.
but now as i've just finished three more episodes i need to get the hell out of the house..i see a pattern emerging...damn damon.
ok.
i'm outta here....i tried to take my stitches out but to no success...i can't get a good look at what i'm doing...between my big nose and poor scissors and...well, it's not working. i've got to figure something out.

damn.

g. xo

sunday might be.

this picture has nothing to do with anything...i just love it.

it was a day to wonder.
for sure.
the last couple have days have, or is it has, been extraordinary. truly. and that word, extraordinary, doesn't always mean what popular wisdom may think it means but, in this case, it just may. at the very least it means extremely interesting and more so, hopeful and just good fun.
my good friend ailsa brown has resurfaced in my life - a woman i have known for many, many years, who i was certain wasn't a fan of mine anymore, i think i may have been wrong about that...and that's good. i met her years ago through her brother gavin who i used to do radio with at citr fm many moons ago and ride the shore with through him, she and i became pals and once went on one of the worst roadtrips ever. ever. period. mainly my fault but more the fault of a 1986 honda civic that decided to throw its timing belt shortly after crossing the bay bridge in san francisco on the way to berkley to see SNFU play. good times. there was a lot of swearing involved and ailsa reminded me that i threw a few things as well...whatever, shit happens. suffice to say i am happy to have reconnected with her and to have shared a few laughs and meals...if i'm lucky i'll behave and keep her in the loop...
this morning i met-up with bomber and all-round good guy damon and got from him a bag containing all five seasons of The Wire. so know this, i'll be shutting the blinds and coming up only for food and water while i make my way through all of it...this of course hinges on me liking it but i have heard nothing but great things so, here i go. thanks damon. damon and i also discussed my in progress work/thing i'm writing, Lawn Boy, and how it could be....well, something...more on this as it develops...

i saw the world famous don bull today as well as he came over to relieve me of a cruiser bike i no longer ride very much - for a variety of reasons...looks good on him...and speaking of looking good...i went down and hung out with mishi at the pickle for a bit today as well...she's still feeling a little less than great but better than the past few days.
now, after some grilled sandwiches, it's senor relaxo...

so be it.

g. xo