the grand return

back from victoria, again. second drive this week with a diabolical new time record. this trip though, we returned with a rental place secured. a big, open space. for real like a big ole studio flat in a heritage building on herald st in chinatown. we looked at lots of great spots, really great even. and we decided on this one for the next year. anyway whatever, lots to do now that we secured a place, time to fit a three room house worth of shit into one, big, one.
again, my friends came through for me in an incredible way, and im so grateful. in fact i better get my friendliness more on point in this cutthroat helping business, make it up to them all. we are so excited for this new period to begin, and im just overwhelmed at the opportunity around every corner in life. its so fucking funny how shit goes, and heres a story to whoever interested...the building were moving into faces a antiquated, even sacred(to me) graffiti spot on a certain roof in chinatown. growing up in the graff world, of course this place was known as "Chinamans roof" and as well as being a veritable wall bound encyclopedia of the original island graffiti pioneers (such as HOPI,DUEL,TUT among so many other, very influential dudes), and newer kings of the victoria 90's era (AMP,ALEY etc.)it was a personal oasis for me. id be there lots, too much even. i would more often than not paint, usually drink beer, and sometimes even read books in times of stress and shit. i had chairs i had pulled up there and stashed, all that. i eventually, like so many graffiti spots, people showed too many people, and they showed too many etc, and now youll find chinamans roof behind 3-4 barbwire fences and a secure parking gate. i cant say i single handedly got the place blown, thats just how shit goes sometimes. in the beginning you could have bbq's up there, friends, fucking no worries. eventually i was getting chased off every other time, police creeping up the rooftop and everything, in fact BEAR and I had to once even jump down the fire escape streetside in mid afternoon after a cop got the drop on us. if it wasnt for a squawk on the guys radio, curtains.. what im getting at is this, when i had no place of my own and was couch surfing, straight hobo'ing it, whatever, id go up there and look AT THIS VERY FUCKING BUILDING across the lot. i thought it was rad, even fantasized about what it was like inside. even when the people were reno'ing it and the workers started seeing me and phoning the cops (i can almost say from the actual suite ill be renting, no shit). so this is exactly exactly what i mean, life is a hilarious, ridiculous trip, and one has to jump at every opportunity, forever. you really never know where it will bring you and i love it.
ok enough horseshit. ill post more tattoos this week. not long to go at black rose really. then the move really begins, peace!


ps-i recently made a solo trip again up to the roof. after some strenuous and tricky, silent manoeuvrings, i was blown away come upon the spot, like a time capsule, exactly as it was left. i even took the front down for old times sake.