panagarbs

g. xo

bullock.

RIP.

brian bullock.

g. xo

here comes the fawnz

yup.
it happened.
and she looked awesome in her beautiful wedding dress. and her man dave looked very handsome in his suit and fresh shave. nice.
last saturday ailsa and i went out - along with approx. 60 others - to fawn and dave's place in north delta to catch the wedding vows in their backyard.
the food was great, the rain held off and everyone had a great piece of poundcake at the end. awesome.
congrats to you fawn and dave - honeymoon to follow in november...drinks by the pool i can only assume.

g.xx

a new car...

...not for me. for pete. my long time hockey/music/etc pal (he's a fuckin' bomber so...that kinda says it all) bought a car in portland - it was quite a process with more than a little back and forth - and yesterday was the day to go and grab it and bring it home. sure, he coulda taken a plane or a bus or a donkey but once i found out, i offered to drive him. fun right? two guys on a little road trip to portland to get a car.
lovely. sign me up.
and it was. lovely.

i grabbed pete at seven am yesterday morning and we were off. i'd like to regale you with stories of idiot border guards and flat tires and such, but i can't. i just can't. it all went very well. the border was easy - though there was a moment in the questioning process that i wondered how many more the guard with the lack of dental plan would ask us, but it soon ended and we were outta there.

some trader joe's snacks for the road, a quick stop in olympia for some coffee at cafe vita - that also turned into a quick visit to the local taco truck (decent, pretty decent) and we were back on the road and in portland by 1 pm. all good. more wandering around, coffee at stumptown and then - the experiment i've always wanted to try - levi's shrink to fit jeans. i finally bought myself a pair. for those who don't know, here's the deal. levi's make a jean - the 501 - that can be bought in a preshrunk or a shrink to fit. i have, for most of my life, bought the pre-shrunk. in recent years i have heard stories of people buying the shrink to fit and what it takes to make them yours - the idea being that by buying the shrink to fit you get jeans that fit you. just you. and after a while they are the best jeans you've ever worn. that's the idea. and they shrink a lot. you need to buy up in size - two sizes up in the waist and up to four sizes in the length. so i did that - i actually went a little over in the waist because the math didn't work correctly. no biggie. 

and now. the process is this. you put the jeans in the bath in warm water for about an hour. after the hour you take them out and roll the jeans up trying to squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can. then you put them on until they are dry. sounds good huh? and as they dry they shrink to your uniquer body shape. also, you try and wash them as little as possible over the next six months. (if they get skanky there are a couple things you can do - wash them but do not put them in the dryer in fact maybe do the dry on you thingy again, or you can hang them outside for a day or two and some even put them in the freezer - a famous newscaster does this.
so in the next little bit i will be doing this when i have a few hours to burn. stay tuned.
we had to meet the car dude at 3 pm and then after we'd have some time to get a burrito or tacos or both. i had thought of staying over but was leaning towards just heading home, but a meal at la bonita had to be in the works before i headed back. i love that joint.
even though i didn't have a ton of time, i did want to see mishi and garb's pal, tara, who had moved there in december. (we're pals as well but i met her through them) she awesome. she lives down there with her son, max and her man kevin - he's a big wig in portland at their version of science world. i suspect he's a smarty pants. so we invited max and tara to come to la bonita with us - they accepted. it was a great time - i had a lovely shrimp chimichanga (i can't remember the last time i had one of those...and it was great.) pete loves the mexican goodness and i think his veggie burrito made the grade. max had a little of tara's food and some of his own. it was great to see her.
the car dude was perhaps the straightest man in the world and in the end, i think, just wanted us outta there. as i said, it had been a long process and he just wanted the cash in the bank and us headed north.i went to shake his hand as we were getting ready to split and he turned away and said, 'see ya...' so be it.
after we dinner we went back to tara and max's, used the facilities and we were away. well, pete was away and i was headed to trader joe's for some goods and then i would be heading north. somehow i ended up ahead of pete and had been thinking of staying in a hotel if i got tired but after mount vernon i hit a second wind and made my way to the border, through, and home. left at 6:45 am and home at 1:15 am the next day.
perfect.
pete had to stay over night in bellingham and then took care of the paperwork this morning, and now has a new car in his garage.
nice work pete. nice work.

g. xo

oh the weekend that was

as i sit here now i can not imagine ever walking again without sore legs.really sore legs. 
after mega lawns during the last week, a bomber game friday night (win), five ball hockey games saturday (2-2-1) and another bomber game last night (win) i am a little tuckered out.

i was the goaltender in the all-day ball hockey tourney and used muscles in my thighs i don't use that much. good lord i am sore. our team, TEAM ODDS, raised $7000.00 so that's pretty cool. thanks to everyone who contributed.

and now, the rain. it's back and it's gonna be autumn soon and we better just start getting used to it - though i am praying for rain next saturday as it's fawn and dave's wedding and some sun would be great! and if i'm gonna wear my outfit, i'd rather be doing that in dry weather rather than wet.

sometimes you just have to hang your pants out the window.

it's true.
i think i have, on other occasions, had pieces of my clothing attached to parts of my car in order to dry them out while i drive. yesterday was just such a day.
mishi and i decided to go to bellingham and seattle yesterday and as was well until i got a coffee in a defective cup at Woods coffee just outside of blaine. the lid just would not stay on and the paper cup seemed flimsy. i spilt a little when i first got into the car but figured out - or so i thought - how to make it work.
when we got to bellingham i dropped mishi off at the crazy, make me lose my mind, antique shop and went to look for something else to do while she rummaged through piles of crap. i was holding the coffee in my right hand as i slowly pulled into a parking spacer when the cup gave way and the top popped off and before i knew it i was wearing the contents of the cup in my lap.
so great.
hot coffee, now turning cold and seeping into my gonch and through to my seat. love it. i was surprisingly, for me, not that upset but more in the thought process of, 'what the fuck now?' how do i make this right? buy new pants for the day? buy some shorts?
i went to a parking lot where i could take off my pants and see the real wetness and what i needed dry out to make things right. i ran the car heater for a bit, while mishi was still combing though piles of shit, and that worked a little. but when it came time to pick her up, the pants were still very wet, so we put them through the back window of the truck and away down the highway we went - pants flapping in the wind. air-drier.
by the time we got to seattle they were reasonably dry and away we went.

the details of the day in seattle are the usual.
mexican food. and more mexican food. and a little shopping. nothing of any great note to, well, note but it was a great day down there, the weather was great, the food was decent and we killed it at trader joe's so both of our shelves are now well stocked.
i'm having a domestic, stay at home - so far - kind of day. recycling, laundry, eating, etc. i'm gonna go out and see what's what but less is more today.

g. xo

plugging away

i really haven't taken that much time off since the end of godzilla - sure i had a great weekend with garvie driving around washington and oregon and went to see some baseball in washing d.c, philly and houston (and i know that sounds like a lot) - but consider years previous.
after a show i would typically hop in my car - in recent years the element but for years the comet (larry) and go for a drive. sometimes that drive would take me up and down the coast and a few other sidebars, but more often that not, i was in for a real drive. sometimes circumnavigating the united states, sleeping in my car, showering at truck stops, crashing with friends when i could. watching baseball games - knocking off parks, eating burritos and tacos at places i had heard about or just came across. cups of coffee with truckers at crappy little side of the road diners.
all that.
now it seems, due to my work schedule, i work then take a flight to whatever games i want to see. last year it was cinncinatti, pittsburgh and cleveland. great games. and this years, the philly, washington, houston games. the difference this year was that due to the weather - it was suppose to rain the whole way and rainout all the games - it was so humid and hot that i basically went to games and looked for a/c afterwards - be it in a hotel or restaurant. not awesome. great games, but nit what you want when you're wanting to truck around and watch a few games. i was sweating most of the time like i'd been cutting lawns all day. like a freak.
anyhow..what's my point?
oh. ok.
i am still thinking of seeing more baseball. or...i dunno. driving down to get a burrito in santa cruz. or something.
i have, though, been keeping busy. rain and all. i have been cutting some lawns. the usual there. i have also been doing some days on set. cool. keeps my hour bank up for my medical and dental. super cool. and i have also been doing stuff that i hadn't anticipated, but that i am super down with. odds and ends. odd jobs. kinda. i was cutting the other day and a neighbour next to the lawn i was doing asked me if i could do some pruning of some trees for her. um, sure. it became apparent that she wanted the whole tree gone so in the end i had a truck full of branches and a good job done. the problem is, christine, who i was doing the job for, is starting to lose it and a few times during the job asked me a few questions that made exactly no sense. at all.
loopy.
anyhow. i'll give her the bill and see what happens. i am a little scared but know i will get paid eventually.
and today, after the rain stopped, i made my way over to billy's place - a client i have who calls me here and there and gets me to cut the grass at a place he's renovating. and sometimes he gets me to take stuff away - dirt mainly but today it was dirt and garbage. so, again, my truck was filled with garbage and dirt and i was on my way to the dump. i love it. i like the solitary work. things look better once i am done - today both the lawn and the bags of crap gone. good stuff. if i could do shit like this every day i'd be happy. not as much dough as film but i think it's ok.
i may be heading to portland tomorrow or saturday or sunday to drive my man pete down there to get a car he is buying. i'm happy to spend a few hours in the car with pete. great guy, bomber brother, and great film technician.
ok. i have managed to down a couple sausages i bought bosa today and now need a little something sweet...

g. xo

decisions, decisions.

oh lordy.
it has been a week i'll tell you. i'd be cryptic but i don't even have the time or energy for that. i find life hard and right now, it is. it's not fatal, i am not dying - i don't think, but just plain hard. i'll figure it out.
on the other hand...

i am thinking, once again, about selling my motorcycle as i have only ridden it three times in the last two years and while it's a great bike and beautiful, like so many other things - if you're not using it, why keep it. so, once again, i am thinking. i was on it last night and sure, it's great to be on it, it's fun, it's great to feel the wind, etc. but, i dunno. it's hard to let something go that you've had for over 20 years.

craig send me this pic of him wearing a nixon lawn order shirt - such a great guy. i am lucky to have him around.
ok. it's labour day and i don't have a job...lol. so is it still labour day? a day off from my job?

g. xx

if i'm gonna...

..then i better.
post. i have to post if i am to bring this thing, this blog, back to life. i am making ketchup, and just ate a few too many scoops of ice cream and am thinking about how, how i need to keep up on this thing.
but i am fading a little.
when i finished this off last year i felt like it was time. it was time to give it a rest. and i did. there were various reasons why i did - some i mentioned then, and some i did not - and will not mention now. it was just time. i don't have as much to say, i don't think. i have stopped taking as many pictures - i think people got tired of me pointing the lens at them - so i stopped. i also wondered about me needing to document everything. everything i did. you did. all of it. leave a little to the imagination.
but i am going to try and keep this up and running and make it fun again.
this week has been a test of sorts.
i was, after finishing the last big film project, taken back to working on set again. and i have to say, i was kinda stoked to find out i was working on a project matt dillon was involved in. pretty cool. i was not as stoked to be in the woods in the GVRD watershed until early in the morning from the night before in the pouring rain. but i was. there. doing that. and really, it's a paycheque. and i was there with guys i really like, who i have worked with or known for years. so it was all good.
i made my annual pilgrimage over to hornby to visit with ailsa and fiona as they set up camp there for a couple weeks. it's always a short visit but i like doing it - ailsa's parents tom and dorothy were there as well and i like having time with them as well. it was beginning to rain as i left yesterday morning but i know they had enough books and games to keep themselves occupied.
before i went to hornby i stopped in at floyd and janine's to see them. my dad was in bed as he had done 'something' that made his back and left leg very sore -  a nerve issue i believe. i have had word since that he is on the mend so that's good. i also, while in victoria, met-up with muc and jenn and the new one there - august jackson. he's a good lookin' kid that one - not a lot of crying but a lot of smiling for sure.
marc and i had dinner at bin 4 - victoria's best burger apparently - and had a nice visit. it's nice having him back in this neck of the woods as i get to see he and jenn more. and now i get to see jackson grow-up and become a mini-muc.
today was all about cleaning. so very exciting. i have to cut tomorrow and go pay my corp. taxes - so that'll be great. oh and i get to write a cheque to my security alarm company as well. oh it'll all be so great. handing out cheques.
and now, now i am making ketchup from the few tomatoes i did manage to get from my 'crop' this year. i want to make the most of what i did get out of the crappy crop. i have made decent ketchup before so i am hopeful.
ok. i know i need to get back in shape here and i am working on it. the insults, the rants, the raves, the pissed-off garn. don't worry, i'll get it back.

g. xo

matt f'ing dillon, bullshit margs and a fixed doinker.

i have said this before and i'm saying it again - i don't often get too juiced up about seeing celebs. at work i see a lot of them - actors - and i used to meet a few here and there when i did radio - musicians mainly - and i have seen a few sports dudes here and there. but today i was taken aback when i, all of a sudden, found myself standing next to matt dillon. pretty fuckin' cool. he of The Outsiders, Rumblefish, Drugstore Cowboy, etc...great. so great. i am putting in a few days on set on a little thing and i didn't know he was in it. now i know.
last night the garbs, mishi and i went to cuchillo, a new mexican inspired/latin joint on powell street. a friend of mine did the graphics for it and it sounded like a place i would like so i wanted to try it. so. we did. and very shortly into our dinner i knew that, maybe, things may go more south than we were hoping. we ordered three margaritas and they came in martini glasses with no rocks/ice.
now that's bullshit.
we asked about it and our server said that traditionally that's how they came - um...no. (even though she admitted that she preferred them on the rocks. and that they don't like to add ice as it dilutes the drink. there would be no way that shaking a drink over ice that the ice may get crushed and broken and add water to the drink already. nope. couldn't happen. we didn't order any more margs.
the food there is very good but the entrees could be 3 bucks each cheaper i think. the tacos are well priced and tasty. the cornbread is a complete rip-off - delicious. but for what you get - a rip. will i go back. yes, but i'd just saddle up to the bar - eat a couple tacos and order a marg on the rocks and then get the hell out. (the crowd was surprising as well...lots of yaletown sorts and west vancouver ' the real housewives' sort...it comes off as more of a bar than a restaurant.)

my bbq suddenly stopped working and after some investigation i figured out that the quick connect had lost - how i do not know - a little 'doinker' that sits inside that allows the gas to flow one the bbq hose is attached. (the hose has a little tab that sits 'proud' that pushes the ball in the 'doinker' and allows the gas to flow...) i asked the asked the building manager where the gas shut-off was and after my third attempt, took the old fitting off and while the gas was free flowing into the air, re-taped the threads and put on my new fitting. presto. fixo.

ok...tomorrow i don't start on set until 4 pm so it'll be a long day/night...

g. xo