One time I was at a little backyard fire pit party thrown by this Japanese pot fiend in Vancouver. One of the guests was a Russian pseudo-gangster (maybe a real G, it's hard to tell sometimes). The Japanese guy was friends with the Russian because he couldn't understand what a total douche the guy was, … Continue reading Party Time
Tag: Anecdotes
Papa on Tickling
Papa. My grandfather.He was full-on German. And by full-on, I mean full-fucking-ON.Born and bred Prussian aristocracy: a real Von from Berlin. I'm not bragging, it just is what it is, and very relevant to who he was. Unless you've been pinned under the gaze of a man who's had that kind of upbringing, you can't … Continue reading Papa on Tickling
Party Time With the Cool Kids
At the first drinking party I went to in high school, everyone was going on about how great the last party was because some chick blew some guy, threw up all over herself, passed out in a bathtub, and then shit her pants. “And you know what? She's coming to the party later! Her brother … Continue reading Party Time With the Cool Kids
Diner
In Edmonton, I love 24 hour diners at four in the morning. It’s got to be four in the morning. In Edmonton, last call is 1 AM, and closing time is two. If you go to that diner at three, there’s just too many drunks. It’s like being inside a pen during feeding time. Not … Continue reading Diner
Artist
Late teens or early twenties. Out with a few people. Wind up at the apartment of a hot girl en route to somewhere else with a number of other people. Want to fuck her. She’s got her art all over the place. Really terrible acrylics. Close-ups of eyes; mystical crystal light refraction; and various other … Continue reading Artist
An Edmonton Stroll
Every time I return home to Edmonton, I make a point of walking Whyte Avenue from 99th Street to 109th Street.Whyte is a shopping and bar strip near the university that's the closest thing passing for culture in Edmonton. It has some of the city's oldest buildings (about 120 years old), and, depending on the … Continue reading An Edmonton Stroll
The Kraft Champagne Incident
Today I was driving my wife, mother-in-law, and daughter to a nearby village to buy basashi (horse meat eaten raw like sashimi [awesome, by the way]). While driving I had an out-of-the-blue recollection of one of my last alcoholic binges, about ten years ago. At that time, I was trying to sober up a bit, … Continue reading The Kraft Champagne Incident
The Giraffe Schoolgirl
Way back in my first English conversation class for Japanese high school girls, we were talking about “free time” and how we like to spend it. One of my students announced quite boldly that she liked to go to the school library, get a book on giraffes, and then sit there looking at the book … Continue reading The Giraffe Schoolgirl
Mama’s Story
I recall a Sunday family dinner at my German grandparents house, back when I was about four or five. There was a good amount of family there: I would guess about a dozen people, or so.As she was prone to do, my grandmother (who my sister and I called Mama) came out of the blue … Continue reading Mama’s Story
A Visit With Nancy and Endi
I was recently watching sumo with my Canadian friend, Nancy, and her Japanese cop husband, Endi, at their place. They’re in their sixties and have just built their retirement home on Endi's family property to replace the house that was bust up in the big earthquake.Nancy's from Nova Scotia and is one of those lapsed … Continue reading A Visit With Nancy and Endi
Muse Vassal 