Well, it's two parts so far until I hear from Fire-man. From what I hear of that lad, this could go as many installments as Nancy Drew, and I say bring it on!

So I dig up something from the archive, from 2002 specifically, and feed it into the blog on a day I'm feeling unoriginal. And it turns out to be wrong. And Sean Heather, being no shrinking violet and something of a friend of mine besides, lets me know it.

And the true story is so much more amusing than the version I'd posted that I am practically drooling to type it out, and a damn good thing he can't tell over the phone or he'd be cagier. The saliva nearly shorted the damn thing out, I tell ya.

So here is the actual story of the real painting(s) of the Irish Heather, another painting entirely, and done by another Fireman entirely. Who knew the Lower Mainland would hold two paintbrush-wielding firefighters of brusque, macho persuasions? But so it does. And this story involves, as the other does not, allegations of IRA terrorism, the L.Ron-esque founding of religions, cop-punching, incendiary rivalry, con artistry, wild chases through Gastown, death threats, art, and flame-clad gimp-ism.

I just wish I could somehow work "mango porn" into this: I'd absolutely own Google!

[this is what's known as a teaser. I'm off typing the rest, assuming you all to be hanging by the monitors, waiting for an update. Ain't I the egotistical one. Besides, I don't want Sean to cut off my credit, thinking I'm not correcting the record ;) *waves*]

Update: We're gonna hafta wait till I come down off the cold meds, sometime tomorrow, for the update. Currently don't trust myself to do more than post amusing video and deliberately misquote Tories, a talent which never deserts me.