From A Better Vanished Time

He bought his main bass, a 72 Fender Jazz Bass in a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan over 25 years ago, and through all the years, going from the J-Bass, through his Rickenbackers in the 2112 era, then the weird British made WAL , and the even weirder graphic construction, headless Steinbergers of the mid to late '80's, he's been back with his original Jazz Bass since Counterparts was recorded in 1993, and hasn't left it since.

Happy 55th Birthday Garry Lee Weinrib. You Magnificient Bastard.

(YYZ, Rush, Rush in Rio, Music by Lee, Lifeson, & Peart).

Save Me A Saturday Night

Sab's lovely wife grudgingly consented to grant him is annual 24 hour pass to escape their dark lair and breath the intoxicating scent of freedom - the sweet, sweet smell of my apartment actually - free of any and all boiling demon children, or yard-work related activities. Like Tim Robbins, he was free & clear and leave the burbs, come over to my place, drink too much and sleep on my couch (all without crawling through 800 yards of sewers). So we hooked up with Gino and nerded out at the noon IMAX of Batman. After which, we found a patio in Yaletown, and commenced drinking, then went back to Gino's place for a BBQ, and more drinking.

With another yearly successful night of freedom under our belts, a little after midnight we called a cab to get back home, and our driver was rocketing down the backstreets. Only about 4 blocks away from Gino's place a cyclist approaching us from the other direction yelled out "SLOW DOWN" at our cabbie - and not more than 10 seconds after that? We screamed through an unpatrolled intersection and our car collided with two cyclists who were coming down the hill. One guy bounced off the car and was ok, but the girl though totally broke her arm, and possibly her leg. We were in the back seat, I was passenger side, Sab was behind the driver. I was looking the other way, and didn't realize what had happened until the collision where I heard this huge *thud* and looked over to see a flailing body, and the odd vision of a riderless bicycle slamming into Sab's passenger window.

We jumped out of the car, and while I was calling 911, a bunch of people in the surrounding apartments had heard the commotion, and God bless 'em, a few of them came running out with blankets, water, and one guy even had his St. John's Ambulance First Aid (I have it as well - but as we'd been having some cocktails earlier and buddy appeared to have it under control - I just hovered around and pretended to be the pro-temp executive director of the accident scene). Within a few minutes, an ambulance and two firetrucks showed up and picked up the wounded, and got them off to the hospital. When the ambo was leaving the police showed up and Sab and I gave our statements. the female cop who interviewed me was also disturbingly hot - and after telling her that we had seen Batman, she got all warm and tingly, and stroked my arm, and purred into my ear that she missed seeing movies like the Lord of the Rings. I quickly sprang into action; offered her my phone number, astrological sign, and told her that I'd also been a very, very bad boy and needed to be handcuffed. Stat.

All this time though, I need to mention that our Cab Driver remained in the car. The guy & girl had slammed into his (and Sab's) door, and after which, she was in shock, and in a sitting position leaning against the cabbie's door. He just sat there with his window rolled down a crack and didn't say a word. Now, that he was heavily bearded and turbaned has nothing to do with it, but he didn't do a goddamned thing. I was shocked. Even more so when the police showed up and weren't going to charge him - they said he could continue on our trip. I asked if we were getting a free ride after all of this - and he said no. Then the hot policewoman asked if he was going to turn off the Meter, he also replied in the negative. I couldn't believe it. He was driving waaaay too fast, hits two cyclists, 40 minutes later he is free to leave and wouldn't even turn off the meter after all of that! Sab & I told him to fuck off, and called another cab.

The hot policewoman had also called a cab for us on their radio-thingy, then left. (She no doubt has just been biding her time to call me ever since - that Minx). So we waited. And waited. And waited. I called the cab company, and told them that we were the ones in Car # 83 that had hit cyclists, and could you send someone to pick us up?? They said "Sure - on the way". Then we waited. And waited, and waited. A little while later, in an eerily prescient voice over circa Black Hawk Down, Sab said "I don't think they're coming Dude". I agreed and called the cab company again, and told them that we were the ones in Car # 83 that had hit cyclists, and could you please send someone to pick us up?? They then replied that there was no record of the accident, or my previous phone call. So we would have to wait like everyone else. It was quite surreal, just the two of us were all that remained after the circus had packed up. The helpful bystanders were snug in their beds, the injured girl was safely in hospital, the fire trucks and ambulance were no doubt out helping other people, the hot policewoman (who, obviously smitten with my charm and planning to conviently pull me over at a later time), was probably out hitting on other men already, our speed-racer cabbie was free to continue his quest for the world land-speed record, and the two of us were stranded in Fairview Slopes, alone, bemused, drunk, and more than a little vexed.

We finally got back to my place, and immediately grabbed a couple of bottles of wine and headed directly to the beach. After sitting on a bench by the ocean for a time, Sab looked over at me and said "It's lucky that it was only two bikes that piled into us and not a car - that would have been really, really bad". I vociferously agreed, then sprang into action by quickly opening the other bottle, and we spent the rest of the night talking about small stuff, smoking cigars and watched the city lights reflected in the flat-as-glass ocean until the sky started to lighten.

Somebody Get Me A Doctor

As previously stated, I'm STILL on blood thinners due to those nutty, pesky pulmonary embolisms, so every Thursday morning I get my blood tested, my doctor gets those results in the afternoon, and calls me at the end of that day to adjust my dosage accordingly if need be.

Thursday July 17, 2008. My cell phone rings, and the call display says it's Dr. Johnson Calling.

Me: "Hi Dr. Johnson"

Dr. Johnson: "Hi Craig it's Dr... Cough, Cough, Ahg, Hack, Yargh, Choke, Ugh, Cough, Cough, Um, waitasecond, Ineedsomewater, Cough, Cough, Hack, OHMIGODI'mchoking...."

Then he hung up.

Balance

What a great, glorious weekend this was!

This is why I live in Vancouver, the summers are breathtaking, and even the winters are equally so. Just so you know, from October - March, it rains just about every day. We get the occasional snow, and in February - March, the fog rolls in and blankets the city for weeks at a time. The ocean & mountains are all shrouded in monochromatic shades of grey, and people bustle about in the streets hidden under their brightly colored umbrellas.

But in the summer? This is the most beautiful city in the world, hands down, no question about it. It was 4 months and 6 days ago that I had a complete right hip arthroscopy (which for those of you who aren't totally sick of hearing about this - means a total hip replacement). About 3.5 months ago, I was in hospital with pneumonia and blood clots in my lungs, I couldn't walk, had difficulty breathing, had to inject myself in the stomach with anti-clotting medication on a daily basis, had an infected wound and was in pain like you wouldn't believe. 12 weeks later, I went out and bladed the entire seawall. The total distance was a little over 11 KM (or just shy of 7 miles for those of you who aren't metric), and it was glorious, exhilarating, and profoundly gratifying.

After years of constant, chronic fire-breathing acid-gargling hip-related pain, I strapped on my skates and headed out without a care in the world - I flew over the concrete, glided down hills, burned around corners and revelled in the rush of covering 20 feet with each single stride. I noticed a juvenile bald eagle soaring above me, (who, no doubt like me was enjoying his own fantastic gift of flight), and after blasting by Siwash Rock, I stopped for a while to watch the Rock Balancing Guy on Second Beach. (Click on this picture to fully get the details of what he was doing - and just so you know? It worked).

Usually when he throwing his thing down, there is a crowd of people clogging up the seawall, but other times I've seen him other times just working alone, in bad weather, just taking the rocks and balancing them. Once they are in place, he gives each one a little finger-tap as he is testing their balance, almost like he is listening to them, and then if necessary, does a minute almost indistinguishable adjustment. He does this day in and day out, and sells postcards of his creations to the tourists, and has a guest book for people to sign. I was reading it this morning, with comments like "This is amazing, thank you so much for sharing this with us..." from somebody in Barcelona. The same was signed from Japan, the US, places across Canada and around the world.


So, I stopped for a while in the perfect weather, on a shiny weekend morning, and watched him do his work. I watched crowds of people stop & stare. I listened to the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore. I stood covered in sweat under the clear blue sky, all the while thankful as anything that I'm able to live in this city, and that I was able to get out and discover that I still had a bit of balance on my own.

(This week - I'm going to drive to my surgeon's office and deliver to him an expensive bottle of scotch).

Summertime Think It Was June

Well, July actually, But close enough for horseshoes & hand grenades as my Uncle always said. I just got back in the door from blade #2 of the day, and here's what I did today:


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(For all the photo's click to embiggen). I went through Stanley Park:



Past Lost Lagoon and ventured into the Second Growth trees in the heart of the park:





Then stopped at the Totem Poles:




Then finally meandered my way back towards home for a welcome (and well deserved) cold beer, I finished a book that I started yesterday, and looked down my street in the summer, with my happy, healthy plants. Left to right they are: Bullwinkle, Bloomy, Owen the cactus, Robert Plant, and the one that's only identified by a weird facial expression:




All in all, it's been a pretty good Sunday. Here's some fantastical Stereophonics to get those summertime juices flowing, so turn up the speakers, pop a cold one, and enjoy your day. I sure did.

The World Is Just Awesome

From what has been a colossally grievous & turd-filled week at work, to having a rather pleasant weekend - it's amazing what good friends, a clean apartment, a good book, and 48 hours of happy, non-work-related activities can accomplish for the psyche & soul.

Friday, I had someone very special over for dinner (and ultimately breakfast), and there was good food, good wine, and some rather pleasant fooling around.

Saturday, I had some other friends over for dinner, and there was even better food, good wine, and Bon, Stevie and I had double desserts, and we unleashed our inner geek by watching all the battle scenes of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Really loud.

This morning, I woke up early, strapped on the rollerblades, and went for a nice long-ish cruise through my neighborhood, then down to the seawall, skimming the concrete and gradually gaining speed while testing out the new hip. My strength is returning, and my natural inclination to take baby-steps to guard my new titanium prosthetic implant is starting to disappear, which is a good thing. Just before setting off, I was thinking to myself "What if I wipe out? What if I whistle up a slice of road-pizza? If I do splooge into a human skid-mark I have to remember to try and & fall to my left, or directly onto my face, (where there will be the least amount of damage, obviously)".

Well, that trepidation lasted all of about 4 seconds, and before I knew it, I was flying through the streets; I stopped at the Great Blue Heron Estuary in Stanley Park, and then I was beside the water, the beach was largely empty, with overcast skies and a light breeze I then sailed back through downtown towards home. Covered in sweat, my muscles quivering and aching, I smiled and patted myself on the hip for a job well done.

Below is the awesome new Discovery Channel commercial. Every once in a while, huge corporations get it right.

Closer To The Liquor & Whores & Checkerboard Floors

She said "Boy - we should do some marrying,"
I said "Sure, but there is something you should know,
that I like liquor & whores..."

(Liquor & Whores, Bubbles, The Trailer Park Boys, Rel. 2006).

Here is Geddy, Alex, and Neil pounding out "Closer to the Heart" on CBC a couple of years ago with Ed Robertson from BNL, and Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys. (Alex Lifeson is a huge fan, so much so that he appeared in two of their episodes, and as well the feature film; in the opening scene when Ricky get's pulled over by the cops, the police are played by Alex and Gord Downie, the lead singer of the Tragically Hip).

Here's Closer to the Heart:





Here's Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip. There are so many great pounders to choose from these guys, but I've always had a real soft bent towards their quieter acoustic stuff. (Fun Fact: I opened for The Hip about 4 thousand years ago when they were shooting their first video in a nightclub. They were all really nice guys, and during sound check we all compared gear, swapped shop talk, and eventually I played through Rob Baker's gnarly little Randall guitar amp for the gig that evening).





And lastly? Bubble's seminal classic "Liquor & Whores" recorded at a Vancouver Radio Station a couple of years ago. I realize that I've said the words "Liquor & Whores" 4 times here. Happy Canada Day. Penis.

Moving Around, Moving Forward

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Sunday, I drove way the hell & gone into the wilds of the mysterious dark continent - South East Surrey to be specific - to visit Terry & Sab and see their new house. Then to see Uncle Stan in White Rock. T&S moved into this rancher / farmhouse that was built in 1910, with a huge yard, huge deck, and little teensy doorways. Since the place is so old, one can only assume that there were no building standards; door-width-wise speaking, and no-one had thought to measure the interior doorframes. They are tiny, like 2 feet across, and built right into the ancient wood moldings, so there is no way to pop the frames & jams off. Terry & Sab also have the HUGEST furniture in the western world, so, this is apparently an issue. None of it can fit upstairs where they had everything planned out. However, they do have the nicest assortment of big, expensive, comfy furniture on their covered patio that will probably will ever see in those parts for years to come. But I saw the kids, and friends of ours and Terry's had come into town for that weekend to contribute various babysitting duties / moral support. I was just there for the comradeship, to kiss their kids and have a cold beer or two. I also used the old "I've just had some major hip surgery, so I can't help move anything, but I will sit on your porch and drink your ice cold beer while I watch you unpack". Suckers.

After that? I kept on driving south through the country en route to my weekly Sunday visit with Uncle Stan. It was beautiful actually. I drove past orchards and organic farms, up and down rolling hills via country roads, past llama and alpaca breeders, and huge swaths of forests & meadows that are bursting full of critters and things that fly.

After sitting with Uncle Stan, I was on the way home when a long lost, very important person called from Indiana, and we had a chance to catch up with a lot of things, I was pleased as punch to hear to hear from her. We talked from Granville & 16th, all the way through downtown back to my home, then through the parkade, into the elevator, and up to my apartment where we finished up on the couch (sounds sort of slutty I know). She's moving on and moving forward and I couldn't be happier for her. It was a long, good, beautiful perfect day. 121 KM's of driving, around 2 hours of travel time, and visiting with friends, family and hearing from old friends. Priceless.

Here's something else about moving on; in 2006, this 30-something slacker named Matt went on a round the world trip sponsored by Stride Gum, and well most of you probably know it already, but he does this goofy little dance set to some pretty cool music, all quick-cut amongst the places he has visited. The 2008 version is below, and my reference to the 2006 version is here (For Those Who Are About To Dance, We Salute You). It's still pretty darned cool.





Lastly, Randy, Drew & Little Jack came by my place yesterday as they were downtown, and all of us had a great visit, while Little Jack ran around and did his best to trash my house and booby-trap my car. Also, while Little Jack was busy smashing one of my rollerblades into my living room wall repeatedly, Randy asked me if I could blade yet (referencing the long running hip issue), I said no, and I lied to him that it would take a couple of months more until I was stable enough. The truth was, that it had been close to two years since I've been able to do it, and I thought that this soon after my surgery, I'd be asking for trouble, and well, I was just a big, fat stinking complacent coward.

So today, I left work early and went for the longest unaided walk since my surgery and it was fine. I walked up and down my neighborhood, then went to the beach and walked along the sea wall, and back again. No pain, no discomfort or anything. I came home and started looking at my rollerblades and thought "Oh, what the hell..." So 3 months and 29 days after having a total hip replacement, I strapped them on, and within 5 minutes I was soaring up and down the street, into Stanley Park and gliding through the trees on a perfect hot summer day. Moving around and moving forward indeed!

I can't wait to see what happens next.