ok, fine - i'll do it.

one day after saying i wouldn't cut the weed infested lawn, i did it. but, i stuck to my guns in regards to not doing the weeding - it was, and is, too insane. but i went there monday after work and hammered it put and got it done...it was a bastard. and even though i was a sweaty mess - not that she knew - ailsa invited me over for some dinner with her and fiona. well, they had finished their dinner but had a little left that i was more than happy to hoss down. thanks garvie.
on tuesday i was cutting a lawn at lunch that belongs to local artist jim cummins' - aka braineater - dad...well, his mom lives there too. anyhow...it turns out his dad has been having some problems with his sight - possibly glaucoma - and is going in for an operation very soon. he came out and gave me an envelope full of cash because he wanted to make sure i got what i was owed before he went in the hospital. i wished him luck and told him that while glaucoma is bad, and it is, now he could try smoking pot to reduce the swelling in the eyes...he laughed and said i wasn't the first person to tell him that....
tonight after work andrew and i headed over to gastown to my other joint and replaced the kitchen tap set...it really is shit simple but having not done it before i coaxed andrew into coming along and making sure i didn't totally fuck it up...i didn't and now my tenants have a tap that doesn't spray everywhere...it was quick and clean...thanks andrew.
and...i'm pretty excited. tonight when i got home and went out on the deck and was having a little look around i saw my first tomato of the season. i've only grown tomatoes once before and it wasn't a wicked success but i'm hoping these will be. the plants are huge and have many flowers so my fingers are crossed.
ok...i need a snack.

g. xo

i'll take "fuck that, i'm not cutting that lawn' for a hundred alex.

well, it was bound to happen sometime...and considering some of the lawns i have cut over the last six seasons, it's surprising it didn't happen before today. but today it did happen. and truth be told, it was more of what else the client wanted done than just the lawn. he, the client, has a habit of calling me when the lawn is very long and i do it anyways because i'm a bit of a pushover - but those days are coming to a close. i think. he asked me on friday if i could get rid of all the weeds in the lawn, do the weeding in the beds and some other areas...sure, i can see if ang wants to help out...and she did. but once we got there today it was clear that there was much more to it than i was prepared to to...there was and is many days of work there. and chemicals needed to really do it right. i don;t have any of those and am not really interested in getting any. it's funny - and not funny ha ha - but people kinda seem to give-up working around their house, let things go to shit (weeds everywhere, etc..) and then call others in to do things they would never do themselves. if they don't care at all? how can i?
anyhow...it's not happening and i sent an e.mail saying so, i'm just waiting for a return e.mail....hopefully they're not too pissed-off...fuck, i've known him for twenty years...how mad could he get at me...?
a lawn i don't mind doing and did today was erin and al's...they had a bbq last night for al's birthday - happy birthday good lookin' - and had e.mailed me yesterday about getting the lawn done for the bbq...i was a day late but still gave it a good going over with the help of ang.
then it was baseball....but i don't wanna talk about it...it may be the last game of ball for me for a while though...we'll see....

ok. i need to relax...i'm fuckin' beat.

g. xo

what the...?

happy birthday downtown.

happy birthday ailsa! yup, today is downtown ailsa brown's big day and as such she gets a big birthday greeting from me...

lucky her.

she'll spend the morning with her daughter eating pancakes and hanging out and then later on a nice dinner with me...there ya go. good times.

happy birthday garvie.

g. xo

it's not me, it's you.

i wish i had a better way to say this, i really do, but i don't - i have said things about this before, and been critical, and been sympathetic as well, i get it, i really do but, now, not so much. or, not at all. those of you who participate in the end of the month log jam that is critical mass, well, i'm done with you. and i know that at least one reader of this blog - a guy i have a great deal of respect for and a man whom i call a friend, will be unhappy about my stance but, i can't even remotely support this circus made up of marc emery supporters. i know they're different causes but, they seem to attract the same sort.
the last friday of every month - except those months where it's too cold for the great unwashed - they gather, the cyclists, at the art gallery, smoke a bunch of pot - not that i'm against smoking pot, have a few drinks and then go out and clog the city's arteries just because they can - all in the name of bringing attention to their cause. more bike lanes. more bikes in general. more pedal power. ok. sure. good idea but ya know what, some of us make our living driving a car. or truck. we pay our mortgages by doing this. our jobs. we can't use a bike to do our jobs. but they, the cyclists, that are so hard done by - and since we've given them the bike lane on the burrard st. bridge and now the dunsmuir lane, and the lane on the viaduct, and tons of other lanes around the city and 50 million allocated towards more lanes....well, it's just not enough for these gregor wanna-be's. (gregor the eco-nazi....) why is it that driving a car is now like smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke in someone's face? should i go on welfare instead of driving a car for work? are cars that evil? most of my car-less friends sure get smiles on their faces when i offer them a ride home...but they don't do critical mass. they're smarter than that.
i get that we all need to walk more. ride more. etc..i get it. but don't tell me what to do or how to do it....i'll make my own decisions thanks.
so what to do? well, nothing i suppose, i'm not here to tell anyone what to do - never would. but, i can voice my disapproval. i can make it known i think the way they are trying to get people on their side is completely retarded and counterproductive. nothing like pissing people off to make them hate you even more than they already do.
but hey....who am i? really? just a guy trying to make a living. and if i can't do my job i'll just go on welfare and be a burden to society because the critical mass folks think it's cool to block traffic downtown so people can't get home after a week of working hard and not being a dope smokin' bike fucktard.
and why is it that they can gather at the art gallery and smoke pot and drink and then go ride around the streets escorted by the cops? why can't i smoke some pot and have a few too many drinks and go drive my car around, block some traffic and be an asshole...? oh, right, it's illegal. but for some reason the cyclists are allowed to do it. why? because the cops in this city are pussies. so many of the cyclists in this city, not all, but a fuck of a lot, don't obey the rules of the road, run stop signs, don't wear helmets, but get all high and mighty when they get cut off after running a stop sign....well, fuck it.
sure, i'm ranting and i reserve the right to take back some of this but come on...the city has bent over backwards to help the cyclists feel all warm and fuzzy but they don't seem to care...or notice...and i ride around this town from time to time...i like biking when my back allows it....but i can't align myself with any of the critical mass folks. i just can't. it's so self centered. so myopic. so arrogant.
ok. i'm done.

i love you.

g. xo

update. update.

hey kids!

i'm gonna be adding some more pics to the gallery section of the lawn order web site and was hoping some of you would send in pics of yourselves wearing your lawn order swag...

come on! do it.

g. xo

how does my garden grow...

after a few e.mails back and forth with the dude who is our liaison at our management company - not the developer who i have been in touch with recently about a couple other issues (more on this later....maybe...) - and as it turns out, the planters on my deck are part of the 'limited common property' meaning i do own it but they kinda can decide what happens there....meaning, i'm not to take the plants out of the planters without a written a-ok from the council. um...well, a little late now i'd say. and i told them so...now nothing has happened yet, and probably won't but i guess they could, if they wanted to be assholes, make me take out my stuff and they'd put their crappy plants back in. but not likely. and not without a fight. below are a few pics of the deck next door to me with the original plants left in - and quite frankly taking over the fucking place....and a few of my ailsa-fiona-marcy-garn planted deck. just sayin'.
speakin' of just sayin'....if you go to la taqueria and have a few tacos - which you should do - and you want some salsa on your works, be careful. yesterday ailsa and i met there for lunch and we both, accidentally, put the habanero salsa on our goods - and as much as we would have if it was the regular and super tasty just less fire-like chipotle salsa..yikes...man overboard. good stuff but good god be careful.
didn't take long for the boss and i to have a little argument at the salt mine - eighth day - and away we went. not a total blow-up but it did make the morning a little tough...the end of the day was good though so...all good. i guess that's why they call it work after all...

ok. i need some dinner.

g. xo

next door...



mine...

weed eater.

i have a client who needs some weeding done.... anyone interested? it would probably take a few hours, out in the sun, in a nice hat, weeding...

let me know.

g. xo

long overdue.

it seems like forever - or at least a few years now - that i have been trying (with the help of fawn) to see my pal julianna who had moved back to vancouver after stops in toronto, new york and calgary on her way back here. so tonight was the night, and what better place to have a reunion than topanga. fawn put it all together and senor tornack came along for the ride as well...it was so great to see miss. raeburn again. i don't remember when i saw her last, but it had been many years but we didn't have any trouble remembering the stories of our past times together - late nights drives to seattle for a snack, dinner with her boss at topanga 15 years previous when he wouldn't leave, our times as bartenders at the railway club - she worked there before me, seeing each other in toronto, etc...etc...now out of the music game (she worked for sam feldman here, was a big wheel in toronto at BMG and in NYC with RCA....) she went to school at Aveda in NYC and now is a superstar hairdresser - so if you need a cut...after dinner i rode my bike home and met her there and showed her my new place and really completed her night by giving her one of the highly coveted lawn order t-shirts...wear it proudly girl.
ok...sleepy time.

g. xo

the new crew list is out! the new crew list is out!

and the garbs is on it....kinda.

g. xo

sunny. then partly cloudy.

That was a weekend, for sure.

Saturday saw lawns get chopped, grassy socks get washed in a Laundromat in Marpole, a nice motorcycle ride with clean socks in my backpack, and some couch time later in the evening. (have you seen ‘It’s always sunny in Philadelphia’ ? …I’m trying to figure out if I like it….)

Sunday was a day of early domestic duties, hockey, baseball and a great dinner made by Ailsa – steaks, salad and a walk down the street after for a peanut buster parfait and a movie. Nice.

And, as many of you already know, Sunday was ‘car-free’ day on several Vancouver streets, which seemed to mean, drive as close as you can to the street that’s hosting the ‘car-free’ day, park, clog-up the surrounding neighbourhoods, and then go walk on the street talking about how great it is there are no cars there. I had to drive near main twice on Sunday – once after hockey to get my baseball glove from Abbie’s sports and later on to get to Ailsa’s for dinner, and the back alleys on either side of main were like main roads with others, Like me, trying to get from point A to point B….and there was some free music as well – and as Corie said to me as we listened, not on purpose, to a woman singing in the middle of Main street... – “there’s a reason that music is free.”

The garbs sent me a link today to a local guy who is selling tin toy robots from parts beyond – check ‘em out here. Good stuff.

Oh, and if you see someone with the hanging Topanga sign in their apartment, let me know – someone stole the sign last Saturday night – someone at Topanga is in trouble right about now. A new sign is in the works already. We move fast around here.

Ok. Have fun today. Or I hope you had fun today.

g. xo

ok...i'm ready...

floors washed? check.
house vacuumed? check.
laundry put away? check.
judy's lawn cut? check.
bottles back to the depot? check.
grocery shopping done? check.
bathroom cleaned? check.

ok...i'm ready to go play hockey (then baseball)....go bombers. go east van expos.

g. xo

how hard can it be....?

to kick a ball into a goal that big? on a penalty shot? i mean really. i actually watched a little of the soccer/football world cup thingy this morning and i know it's the world's most popular game - next to head games - but i find it hard to watch, especially on t.v. - a little slow...and i know many of you know i love baseball and that can be a tough one to watch as a non-fan as well (painful to many) but i love it....at least baseball players don't fall down holding their legs or whatever grimacing like they've been shot. i can just imagine how many people are already drunk on commercial drive this morning.
ok....i've gotta clean this house and get ready for my hockey game at noon...then baseball at 3....have fun today...

g. xo

for the record

a pic i took the other day when i took the office recycling in....

wow. what a bombers game last night. the other team was young, fast and disciplined. sure they liked to use their sticks for other things than moving the puck and shooting but, what can ya do? really. we were scattered, well i was, we didn't get enough shots and ultimately lost the game. a bummer but not the end of the world.
tonight at the homestead it's ribs...it'll be a later dinner as i've got to cut a couple lawns after work to get up to date on that action...now that i'm back at work the lawn cutting becomes a bit of a ballet fitting in all the lawns in between the 'real' work of the day - some cutting at lunchtime will be in order (as it usually comes to that at least once a week...) saturday and sunday become busier as well as i move lawns that may have been during the week before and try and move them to the weekends...but if i get up early enough they're all done by early afternoon and i get my time off after that...
ok...
real work calls.

have fun.

g. xo

and we're back...

yes we are...corie and i are back doing time in the world of film. i'm happy to be back, i can't speak for corie but i think he is as well...nice to be back and having coffeebreaks with the boys, coffee and snacks at the ethical bean - seeing tammy and jessica and all there...and as it was thursday today, and still is...i made the first thursday meal of the new show - tacos. i made guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, chicken with green mole and pullled pork for the fillings and a nice mexican farm cheese...nice stuff...it was pretty good...i think.

ok...short report (joel's here...)

hockey tonight....

g. xo

tough as nails

as a kid i had a few local heroes i saw around that always made me want to be like them - even though it was most often purely based on the visual, jot for what they'd done or who they really were. freddy bag was one. all i knew about him, really, was that he drove an old pick-up around chetwynd - where we lived - and wore an engineer's type hat with polka dots on it. i knew nothing more. not really. but i loved freddy bag. i loved the name. i loved the hats. i loved watching him drive by.
gus was a guy who lived across the street from my grannie in port alberni who taught me how to use a hammer. and paint a fence. maybe he was just using me to get the odd jobs done around the house. he made me a footstool out of wood that i had for many years. i remember very little gus except that i spent a lot of time at his house and we were always working on something.
mike tarr was also a larger than life character in my life during my formative years - when are those really? and forming what? anyhow...mike tarr was a friend of my parent's when we lived prince rupert. a big man who, as i remember, wasn't about to suffer fools, or at least for very long. he had a look you'd not soon forget. one of his eyes was almost always half-shut and the vision from this eye was foggy at best. he had been hit in the eye by a bb from a gun when he was a kid and it had damaged the eye beyond repair. it made him look meaner than he really was - but mike tarr meant business. he was the principal at my junior high before i headed south to shawnigan lake school. my father was the director of education in prince rupert so it this that brought them together as friends.
i remember going to his house on saturday nights with my parents and my sister, sometimes, and after dinner, when it was time for the adults to visit, i'd watch tv in their den. it was here that i first saw dan ackroyd's impersonation of tom snyder on saturday night live. i hadn't yet seen tom snyder but i sure wanted to now. after seeing this - and i did. it was also here that i saw the movie, 'they shoot horses don't they?'. i remember nothing of the movie but remember asking my sister or someone what the title meant. i don't remember their answer.
mike tarr passed away recently and i just wanted to pay my respects to a man who i think, was tough on me sometimes at school, but fair and a great friend to my family. i hope this finds his family well.

g. xo

not the sharpest tool in the drawer

while i am no genius, that's the truth, i know i'm at least smarter than the average bear and have, at times, impressed even myself...not often but enough times to know i'm brighter than, say, my ex-neighbour john wade - who in my opinion is a complete fucktard. anyhow.
i out did myself yesterday, but didn't know i had until early this morning after i had spent the morning relaxing, reading yet another chuck klosterman book, fargo rock city, and eating dry cereal and feeling pretty good about the baseball game i was to play in at 11 a.m. with the east van expos....yup. a nice morning until i headed downstairs in my socks as the shoes i wanted to wear were in the car not in my apartment.
but they weren't. nope. and instantly i knew where they were. in richmond. at the dog lawn.
i had decided to switch footwear at the dog lawn opting for my boots rather than my brand new-ish new balance runners...keep them nice for a little bit more. why not? the lawn was a tough go, i had mower issues, that have now been solved with a trip to the shop this morning after baseball, and i was really fuckin' tired...and at the end, i loaded everything in the element and headed for home - everything except the runners. the new new balance. nice. i envision them now on some lucky fuck who happened to walk by the dog lawn after i had left, a guy or gal who just happened to wear a size eleven double E, and scooped my shoes.
while pissed-off i have no one to blame but myself...still stings.
otherwise today was ok...a little baseball, some lawn mower maintenance, cut a couple lawns and then a nice, if short, visit with the garbs and mishi at the pickle....
back to the world of film tomorrow...but first a nice dinner out with garvie and some of her pals. a coming out of sorts. of sorts.

i like you more today than i did yesterday.

g. xo

a little ed hardy goes a long, long way

it's too bad those out wearing their ed hardy gear tonight don't actually know who he is...the same folks who don't know who von dutch is or was but sure love that hat...anyhow...tonight it was UFC fever so 'he who can not be named on the blog' and i went down to gm place and had a little look around...we actually arrived much too late to see any good affliction type action, some true ed hardy goodness but we did see a couple good things...then we went for tacos...

g. xo

anyone missing a sparkplug wrench?

i think i found it...
fucker.
i was out there trying to get shit down and in the middle of that - while at the shaw/bubbles lawn - i or rather my mower found a buried treasure in the lawn...a nice spark plug wrench. not good for much now but if you need one let me know. it wasn't enough to stop me from proceeding but it did stop the show for a second. or two.
today was certainly better for lawn cutting than yesterday, fer sure. one more tomorrow and i'll have a day off from the lawns. and now that i'm gonna be back at work-work, the juggling begins...the evening mowing begins.

i managed to get the stew made and it turned out pretty well. i had a little of it for lunch today between lawns. them root veggies sure is good. i sure made a lot, good thing i have a freezer and tupperware.

couple of dudes i sat near at the track...

i had made arrangements to meet marcy at the track tonight but just couldn't get myself back in a car so i hoped on corie's bike - that he lent me a while back that i should either buy or give back to him - and rode out to the pne and saw her. i even took a book since i am going through a reading frenzy right now - i go ages without reading and then i'll read a bunch of books back to back....then back to nothing...(i've read over the past while the new willy vlautin 'lean on pete', anthony bourdains's 'kitchen confidential', richard ford's 'a piece of my heart' and am in the middle of chuck klosterman's 'downtown owl'...)
ok.....so the track. i like it and i found out tonight they're gonna be having movie nights there starting next weekend with the breakfast club. you really should go...and when one rides all that way there's nothing left to do but go to la taqueria and eat like a champ. so i did.
and now, just because i can, i'm gonna extend a happy birthday greeting to a great gal, a fun human, fiona brown, who turned seven today and is already looking forward to eight. i hope you had a great day kid.

this car belongs to a friend of mine. i saw it the other day and wondered if it could possibly be hers...when i saw her today i asked her if it was...sure enough..she told me she had a lot of time on her hands...

now i'm gonna relax. and fall asleep on the couch.

g. xo

and from the mailbag this morning...

cam took a stick to the face last night...ouch!

and the fawnz and her man dave got themselves a puppy, bailey....cute little fella.

ginger beer and roaming insurance dealers

the other night erin shaw - pal, lawn order client. tv host and all-around great gal - asked me if i was interested in going with her to granville island brewery and trying out the new ginger beer they were handing out...and i can only assume bottling up and selling to an unsuspecting public...sure, i'll go. now, i dislike ginger in general. just for the record - though i do like ginger snaps and ginger ale...but that sushi ginger or ginger they,whoever they are, cook with, i'm not down with that. but i was willing to give it a go and since i find erin engaging/entertaining and willing to poke fun at those that would be around us, i was really in. we were thinking of heading to topanaga as well afterwards but i had to put a stop to those plans - that would be made up for later - as the hawks were going to eliminate the flyers and i wanted to see chris pronger's sad little face after it happened...which i did. so great.
the beer was beer...thrilling? nope. did i want to have a second glass? hell, i didn't finish my first...but they did have some sushi gratis and did get to see some interesting folks...ok...i'm lying...well, not entirely. i did see some interesting folks - including my next door neighbour who kept saying, "hey neighbour, hey neighbour...." and i did meet erin's co-workers who were good guys but then i noticed something...there were a lot of very strange looking folks there. guys who looked like barbabra streisand, a guy who looked like a duck, another guy who had pants on that the fabric had all 'pilled-up' right in the ass area so it looked like a bad over-used pillow, and joe leery was there too....who looked like a walking jaundice advertisement with blonde tips...it was awesome...i also found out, and this is to be filed under the good category, that erin is gonna be in a reality tv series shot here, that i will not reveal the name of unless i am given the go-ahead...erin may also be in a little project i'm working on - more on this as it develops....anyhow...we drank, ate some sushi and got the hell out of there. erin caught a bus home, i watched the flyers lose. it was a good night.
ok. so this may come across like an infomercial but i just want to make your life a little easier. i really do. a few years ago i met nicole. i think it may have been when i bought the element. nicole sells car insurance. but nicole is one of the insurance people who drives around and brings your new insurance papers to you - wherever you are. she keeps track of when it's due, if your car needs aircare, etc. and she'll meet you whenever and wherever. so if you're like me, it makes it so much easier. anyhow. all i'm saying is this, if you need insurance - and you will - give nicole a call. i endorse her. make sure you tell her garn sent you - and no, i get nothing for any of this...no kickback...just sayin'.

nicole dabgotra
604.779.2022
ndabgotra@allwestins.com

over and out.

g. xo

oh fuck.

it's a shitty day out there...i tried to make the most of it - not being able to cut lawns as i had planned (and as they've all told me 'there's always tomorrow....) - i bought some stuff to make a really nice, hearty, stew. except i didn't buy everything i need. or needed - as now the thought of going back out to get the things i forgot ain't gonna happen. well, the thought has happened but the actual act of leaving the house is in high doubt. i know you know what i mean. i guess i'll make stew tomorrow sometime. when? i dunno because i'll have a fuck of a lot of lawns to do tomorrow...shit. and tonight it'll be peanut butter sandwiches for dinner not nice root veg. stew.
this weather is killing me. literally. i even had a nap when i discovered i was sort ingredients. i hate naps. ok...i've got to figure this out.

g.

to you sir...thank-you and safe travel.

it was the end of an era today. christopher morgan who manned the bar at jj bean for a many years is leaving us, he is driving to PEI to begin a new chapter in his life working at a restaurant there - i'm sure we'll hear tales eventually. today mishi, corie and i went by for our final drinks made by him...


good luck chris...we'll miss your handywork at the bar.

g. xo

mishi found this vintage pattern and was surprised to see that chris was once a model for sewing pattern pictures....nice.

new pot, disappointment and issy makes it home

i sure have a lot of this thyme...what now? need some....? oops...i mean dill - thanks katherine...

the garden is growing and any day now there should be some red appearing on the tomato plants...hopefully....and some things, mainly herbs, are out of control, like the weeds that they are...if you need any thyme, mint, etc., come on by.
issy came home last night from her euro. vacation and by all accounts it sounds as if she had a great time - the backpacking was hard and may not be repeated but, she and her pal gita, were thick as thieves and had a good time together. i'm hoping this fuels issy wanderlust and she's off somewhere else soon...
it was a big weekend with some good times in portland with ailsa - eating burritos, drinking good coffee and seeing what was what (and there was a lot of what to see.)...and then some not so good times back in vancouver - shit happens - and things had to be dealt with. there were dropped balls and some disappointment and even some yelling on the phone to people who needed some yelling at - it happens. and really, it made me tired - not the portland stuff because that was fun stuff that resulted in 'fun' tired...the other stuff just made me tired and pissed off...but it's all sorted now and things are now getting back on their collective axis'.
and other stuff is wearing me out as well....i seem to be hemorrhaging money lately - on stuff that needs to be paid for but it still sucks...as well as some stuff/things that are not for the blog but have taken their toll on me as well. and i know stuff happens but some of it can stop happening any fuckin' time it feels like it...like now.
anyhow...it'll be good to get back to work next week - we have a short show starting but i look forward to the coffee breaks at the BOC, a place to go every morning, the daily routine...i welcome it. i also got a new lawn client today that will put a little more running around money on my shorts as well...always good to have some taco money...

ok...i'm making grilled cheese and having soup. i know how to party. yes i do.

g. xo


i bought this le creuset cast iron cooking pot in portland...get ready for some old school cookin' now...

as stevie goes...

..the wings go.

last year i opted to (mostly) ignore the wings and the games they played because of the bertuzzi signing...now it looks like i'll be doing that for another two years at least. the wings have offered him a two year contract. yup, that lazy, penalty prone sack of shit is gonna wear the wings red once again. and i can't watch it. it makes me so sad.

go hawks.

g. xo

starlight, starbright....and shriners!

i love the shriners. i really do. don't fool yourself, there's no secret handshake. and they were all ready for a parade here in portland last night. seems there's a big thing here - no entirely welcomed by the locals - called the starlight parade and 250,000 enter downtown to watch it....i guess it's kinda like the fireworks in vancouver. and people really seem to love it - those who attend anyways. they line-up for hours - like 12 hours and more before hand to have a front row seat to the floats that course their way around, seemingly, every street in downtown portland. we chose to exit downtown in plenty of time to avoid the floats and such....i did like seeing the shriners hanging around though....love those guys. long before the parade we were eating mexican goodness at la bonita on alberta st. (maybe the only thing in portland i'd actually line-up for...) the weather was wicked here yesterday but has turned today but that's ok...more shopping, more mexican, more shriners...

g. xo

shriners!

the pool at the fabulous la quinta...

pork burrito a la bonita ...

a good little lawn care shop in portland where i bought a woodchipper for dan...

ailsa's fish tacos...

best dressed for summer...

i was cleaning out the lawn order headquarters today and came across these reproduction jerseys i bought ages ago in seattle...mike and cheryl look pretty good in them...

i kicked some kind of lawn order ass yesterday - taking care of three regular lawn order types as well as three fringe players...and it's the fridge players that are always the wild card...the russian - i kinda know what to expect from her except yesterday it was her husband, i think, who snuck up on me and paid me in with a wad of five dollar bills and then inquired about a discount should he decide he wants me here/there more often, i said sure - more scared he was maybe gonna off me...then he was gone, off to fiddle in the front yard with a fishing pole. another fringe player, meg, called me and asked if i could help her out, that her 'friend' who had been helping her do the lawn had now gone a.w.o.l. sure meg, i can....meg's lawn is always a chore. long, unruly and one that has me emptying the lawn bag 12 to 15 times...good lord...so time spent vs. money made is way out of whack...i also do her mom's lawn up in dunbar so it kinda offsets the whole thing...i think...which brings us to the top of lonsdale in north van - like way up...the second to the last house on the hill...and it was more than lawn cutting, it was bush whacking and brush removal...just under two hours of it - but i really kinda liked it, the woman whose house i was at is great, so i don't mind doing a little or a lot extra...i was a little beat when all was said and done...so margaritas were in order with senor tornack and 'he who can not be named on the blog'.
today was a one lawn day and then a trip to la taqueria...it was a five taco day...love that place. and then off to give the car a clean as i'm heading to portland tomorrow with ailsa for a little weekend away and i like to give the border guards as little to work with as possible.
ok...dinner soon...but before that a quick meeting with megan to take her picture...

g. xo

questions and some answers.

i'm weirded-out by a few things and i'm gonna tell you about them now - or a couple of them...

when, collectively, you go to a store and get a product - what product doesn't matter - and then go to the till to pay, are you amazed that they, the staff, ask you for money? to pay for the goods you have decided to purchase....? no...? ok...perfect. so why is that there are people out there that stand in line, wait, then get to the till, give the stuff to the staff, and then and only then, after being told what the cost of the items is, only then do they reach into their pockets and get out money? like it's a fucking huge surprise after all that they have to pay...come on people. hundreds of years of consumerism tells us that things cost money. get you're fucking money out.

and why is it that the stock market on granville island - a soup place i love to hate, accepts mastercard and visa but not debit. huh? come on. you're making a king's ransom of that crappy-all-tastes basically the same soup, let me use debit when i have no real cash...ok. it costs you a little each transaction...so be like the veggie folks on the island and charge 10 cents or 25 cents....and you're making 500 percent on that shitty soup anyways so give us a little break...

what's up with people who have a couple's e.mail address? like billandnancy@gmail.com - i just made that up but i think you get the idea. is there no privacy between couples? or just separation? my e.mail. your e.mail. i have a couple friends who a: have one e.mail address for the both of them and b: even one couple that shares a cell phone. so who gets it? and when? tell your wife you want your own e.mail address and a phone too...and women - do the same...

i found this today - though it's been around for a long time. seems like a good idea. check it out.

also, there's now a broom store on granville island - the granville island broom company. they make handmade brooms. i need a broom for my deck so i may go and get one from them. it's all a little hippie for me but they look like good brooms and you can go there and watch them make a broom - i bet you've never seen that. they're just down from hammered & pickled on your way to emily carr. check it out.

this rain can fuck-off anytime.

g. xo