welcome back

while i'm not a big fan of bringing in the aging hockey player to help a stuggling team...mats will never help the canucks, or at the very least it he will not help them 5 million bux worth...i am a fan of mr. shanahan. more goals than sundin, more rings - three with the mighty wings, more heart and tougher. much. the devils signed him to a pro-rated 800,000 grand contract, meaning he'll only see about half of that this year...but he'll be worth every penny...


welcome back! you're the man.

g. xo

into the turnbuckle

mishi and i went by the brian howell show at the windsor gallery last night....

i think the wacky walker may have done a number on me...i'll have to ask the doc. if he thinks i should stay off that one...i sure like it though but it makes my back not feel so great....i'm gonna stay off it until i get some sort of confirmation either way. yesterday when mishi and i were out running some errands i was hurtin'...but we did get to go by bosa where they were giving away cheese samples like they were going out of style..i was very good though, just a couple little pieces of each...tasty goodness...i had enough cheese the other night when shauna was here watching housewives and we had grilled cheese and soup...i gotta lay off that stuff...the cheese not the soup.
today i'm going to my third honda dealership in the hopes i find one that actually does what they say they're gonna do and maybe, just maybe, cares a little...we'll see....
other than that...hhmm...i think i'll go for a little walk today..maybe gran torino.

see ya.

g. xo

megan was over the other night and was showing me some moves on the ball...

keeping up, keeping on.

my man mark mushet and his gal pal, gudren will, have been making the vancouver magazinescape a better place for a few years now with their quarterly publication, the Vancouver Review. they have just published their 20th issue which, if you know anything about publishing anything it's quite a feat...
i just wanted to do a little shoutout to them and say, good work....
so go get yourself a copy and then next quarter, buy another one...it's a smarty pants magazine but don't worry, you're smart enough....

g. xo

more top rope

in keeping with the wrestler theme - the wrestling photos being displayed later this week at windsor gallery - i decided today was the day to go and see the new mickey rourke vehicle, the wrestler...old mickey's had a rough ride of late...or the last few years anyways. ever since that wild orchid movie it's been a weird ride for mickey - that and the plastic surgery...he looks a little cat-like now. i met mickey a few times back around 1985 and while there are no super duper exciting stories around all that, he seemed like a good fella back then and just wanted to act and ride his motorcycle...and smoke.
back to the wrestler...i think you should see it, but it, in spots, plays out a little like a trailer park version of rocky but really far more tragic. and parts of it are really hard to watch...really hard. good show.
last night i walked over to topanga and met-up with scott and corie for a little topanga action...i love both those guys but unlike corie, it's a rare thing for me to sit down and share a meal with scott. i first met scott around 1994 or 95 when i was first learning to blow smoke in the movie biz...and he's been a great friend, sounding board and shoulder ever since. we had a few laughs at others expense last night, at ourselves and ate like champs...but i may have to abandon my quest to eat every meal on the menu as last night's journey was a tough grind...tasty but tough.
i finally made it to the gym today as well after avoiding it for a long while because my back was so fucked ...and i have to say the elipitical trainer, otherwise known (by me) as the wacky walker, is hard on the old back and i'll have to limit my time on that one...the back and forth motion not so good...but it was great to get back there and sweat it out and stretch out somewhere other than my livingroom floor.
ok...have fun...

g. xo

from the top rope and into the turnbuckle....

as many of you may know, or not, it doesn't matter, i'm not a huge fan of art openings...i love the art, just not a fan of the opening..but this week i'm gonna go to one...and you should too.
windsor galley, where my good pal and confidant barb bernath works, is having a show you should see...
holly farrell and brian howell....i know nothing, really, about either but, the photos by this howell fella are pretty fuckin' great...
check them out here....there are buttons you can click to see all the action....

see ya there...

garn xo

the garbs gives 'er seattle style...

the garbs and i headed to seattle yesterday to attend libby's going away party...really it was a moving away party...she's moving to LA to be with her man, greg, and ply her trade there as well...good luck libby!
the garbs and i went down reasonable early just in case there was any problems at the border, and while there were some weird questions at the border - including asking us if we lived together, and he meant 'lived together' - he, the border guard, also, at one point had the garbs and i mixed-up and was asking him all sorts of questions about his driver's license and if he had lost of recently in washington state....anyhow, we made it across and made our way to seattle unscathed.
sebastian was on the lookout for shoes and some other goods and really did well...i had less luck but wasn't really in need of anything...the garbs will be looking sharp in his new clothes and shoes...nice action.
we ate too much (burritos, tacos, donuts, burgers...), played some pinball and when the garbs wasn't double fistung drinks, he was making a new friend in mark arm - local rock icon and lead singer of mudhoney....overall, a pretty great day.

ok...the story in pictures...

g. xo

mudhoney rocks the sunset tavern.




the garbs rocks the sunset tavern.

pinball at shorty's coney island neaxt door to mama's mexican kitchen...




libby's man greg...he's taking her away from seattle.

tacos at mama's.

one the new pairs of shoes the garbs picked up.

and his new cubs hat.

more taco action.

burritos at bimbo's cantina.

the garbs and mark arm...local rock and roll legend.


sebastian enjoys and donut with james - it hink his name is...a dude we met at top pot donuts.

letting go...

i find it hard to get rid of shit...stuff, things. but i'm getting better at it. a while back i got rid of all my cds, or the bulk of them, some i kept for some reason or another, and some i'll keep a bit longer, but i took a few more to zulu the other day and let 'em go...i've also gone through some of my books and am going to be doing something with them...what? i dunno, maybe i'll sell 'em, give 'em away, whatever...want 'em? and then there's my new box of crap...some good stuff in there, just not stuff i want anymore...or need. maybe the next time you're here you can have a look and take what you'd like...or maybe i'll give it to the binners and/or alley dudes...as long as it's outta here, and soon.
my 'new' kaws accomplices came in the mail today from my pal ronnie in LA...sort of a thank-ypu/commission for helping him aquire some new paintings from a guy in LA...i was happy to help but happier to get these new kids in the mail...one day they'll buy me something else...
the garbs and i are off to seattle tomorrow to attend libby's going away party at the sunset tavern in ballard...the world famous Mudhoney will be playing along with Girl Trouble...it'll be sad to not be able to drop by libby's anymore when i'm in seattle...i'll just have to hunt her down in LA from now on...she's a winner that girl. the garbs and i will be hitting up Bimbo's for dinner, which i'm quite excited about...they make a great burrito those guys do...

ok...i need some dinner...i love you.

g. xo

yer outta here.

anyone for some cds?

maybe a box of stuff...

how about some books?

more stupid info for your head to absorb.

today i found out that lisa bonet - who changed her name a few years ago to Lilakoi Moon, named her new son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. wow, that's a mouthful...which got me thinking about some of the crazy children names that celebrities give their kids...
here's a list...
check out jason lee's kid's name...and penn gillette's kid's name.. love it...

have a decent day. i love you. i'm gonna go get a haircut.

g. xo

70 is the new 30

as a child and as a teenager i was forbidden, kind of, to mention, celebrate, etc. my father's birthday...(maybe that's where i get it from hhmmmm)....anyhow. today is kinda a big one so i am refusing to ignore it...
floyd is 70 today but doesn't look a day over 50....good work floyd!
others celebrating this fine birthday date include - elvis presely, stephen hawking, david bowie and soupy sales...nice fellas.
maybe when he's eighty or ninety he'll let us throw him a party...
probably not...

happy birthday floyd!

g. xo

from one list maker to another

i dig these...i may have to order me up some...

g. xo

guilty your honor

today was my big day in court at the blaine courthouse in beautiful downtown blaine.

first it was just me and the judge chatting...

"garnet...harry, harry..um...garnet..."
"yes, i kinda have a mixed-up name.."
"yes...ok...so the charge against you is driving while under suspension. how do you plead..?"
"guilty....but not intentionally"
"ok. so i see you've taken care of the previous tickets and you're up to date there...um...ok. so since this is your first offense and there's nothing else i'm going to reduce this to a traffic ticket, charge you $XX and there will be no criminal record of this. are you ok with that?"
"yes your honor"
and then from the side bar....
"your honor we have issue with this reduction since he has had three other driving under suspension charges before this one..." (this is the local prosecutor)
"sorry" (me)
"we i don't see anything here in front of me" (judge)
"let me make sure your honor i may be looking at the wrong case...i'm sorry, i was looking at Goddard not Harry"
(me) "we kinda look the same..." cue the sound of mishi laughing in the back of the court..along with the court clerks and the judge.
"ok, are you prepared to pay this today"
"yes your honor"
"ok, take this outside, pay it at the cashier and then come back in and show the court clerk and you're done"
"thanks"

and that was that...then it was off to bellingham for some shopping and lunch at the newly reopened casa que pasa.....

thanks to mishi for driving me across the border...just in case i still wasn't allowed to....

g. xo

mishi rocks out at ross dress for less.



trying out the kid's cars at bellis fair.

good snacks at casa que pasa.

the lovely blaine courthouse.

come out, come out....

while i was in arizona visiting renee, and helping put up some xmas lights at her parent's place, i made quick work of a small cactus and ended-up with some dandy spikes in my leg..the wierd thing was/is, i never actually pulled any of the fuckers out of my leg. they just seemed to disappear..seriously. they just seemed to bury themselves inside and that was that..well, now they're coming out, or have fallen out. i have, in the last few days found little pins poking out of my leg and just now pulled out a few...pretty exciting. a little gift brought back from arizona. thanks.
yesterday i went over, finally, and saw floyd and janine in nanoose bay...home also to my pal suzanne's mom and elvis costello....it was great to finally get over there and see them. we went for a nice lunch at a place that has an amazing aquarium, inside the restaurant, that houses local water's fish and such...i had steak and eggs....wicked.
the weather finally calmed down enough that i could make it down but around 4 pm all hell broke lose as i headed back to the ferry in naniamo...i pulled in with just minutes to spare and the trip over to the mainland was shakey...very rough seas and wind and whoa! type rocking...nice. all the while i watched 30 Rock and hoped the upper levels wouldn't be too bad...well, it was...what a shiteater...but i made it home and made some soup and ate grilled cheese...that's livin'.
today was errands and shitola....nothing too exciting, although i did recieve a phone call that would suggest that my life of riley may be over..we'll see...

i hope you're doing well....i love you.

g. xo

walking, blisters, babies and pearl.

after finally prying myself out of my chair today i decided a nice long walk should be in order...it was a great day out. there was this funny thing in the sky that looked like the sun...wierd. downtown, around the west end and then down to granville island...i was gonna go to topanga and measure up some stuff i need to repair/make for them but by the time i got to the island, i had a couple nice blisters. the shoes i had worn, while nice and comfy...not exactly long walking shoes - apparently.
no biggie. i've had sore little toes before...
kristy, of kristy and carl fame, came by the pickle to look for a xmas present for herself and let me hold the new kid..her new kid - zoe. i met zoe recently at topanga so we're old pals...nice kid, i'm still not ordering one.
on a sad note today...pearl, shauna's grandma, who i had the great pleasure of meeting in the summer when we went to saskatoon, passed away suddenly today. a woman so full of life and a lover of pocky - or so we found out. a woman who loved to laugh and who loved her family i great deal, and i think shauna the most. i'm happy to have met her. my heart goes out tonight to shauna and her family...take care and give each other all the love you can.

g. xo

the garbs made a plush ultraman for some big wheel in chicago...nice work.

is loves her new photo.


these are a few pages of a small book the garbs found outside the pickle in the snow. the book is around 2" x 2" and has a load of small drawings in it....

snapperhead

beautiful. just fucking beautiful.

g. xo

good gravy

well, here we are....the first day of 2009 and i already have my doubts. but what i have doubts about are not bad things...i have decided that i'm gonna try a few new things this year, some new ways of looking at things, situations....ways of looking at the phone and e.mail and communication. oh, i know, it makes no sense, but it may, soon.
forget it...
here's some pics from the past few days...

g. xo

the queen loves the savary island pie company...she bought her man, tom, two pies...

i love the pie as well.

chris has decided to try and grow a...well, grow something.

happy wang dang doodle

hey kids...
welcome to 2009.
i really hope with the turning of wednesday into thursday you find a new day that brings some great new stuff....i mean it.
while i know there are people who read this blog that i don't know all that well...the majority of you who do, i know you, and i love you. and i hope all of you, even those of you i don't know, have a great new day...
i, personally, hope to walk more, reduce my toy collection by selling double sets, make actual meals at home, try and do 'the grind', work on seeing friends more, watch 'the wire' and 'deadwood', finish the topanga menu, cut more grass, cut all my hair off, take issy out for a few dinners, and taking a few night school courses...and hang out with the garbs.
ok..i'm sleepy.
i love you.

g. xo