Tatiana's Wanderings

BLIND SPOT is not an ableist term! How stupid! / Mamee Vegetarian Noodles!

2020-04-29T22:31:03Z

Did laundry today. Had to take someone else's load out of the dryer so I could start mine on time. Came back to a printed note: "Please don't grab my stuff out of the dryer when I'm five minutes late!" Well, maybe you should be ON TIME since other people need to use the coin dryer, you selfish hypocrite! How should *I* know it's "only" been five minutes?! I know who it is, too - the same GROWN WOMAN who had a problem with my putting bleach in her load when she wasn't on time in retrieving her clothes from the dryer. I don't care if she had to wait an hour to refold or re-dry her clothes in that case - she's so entitled! At least MY clothes were dry because *I* don't overload the machines!

From Twitter and the V4F Discord on October 14, 2019: No, Kimberley Jane Erin, "blind spot" is NOT an ableist term! Replacing it with "dead angle" sounds absolutely stupid. Am I dead if the CCTV cameras can't see me?

Mamee Vegetarian Noodles!

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Aliens ingesting leaves comic, Meray Fagalla, Velvet Polk, Ardy Sixkiller Clarke

2020-04-27T03:17:03Z

I unfollowed SaltyPhry on Twitch because he wanted an emote-only chat, then I cleaned my bathroom and kitchen floors.

From Vanessa: ALIEN FAMILY COMIC FOR ALIEN DAY! "Ingest your leaves." "I do not desire leaves." "Put the leaves in your mouth." "It is an unpleasant sensation." "Life will be full of unpleasant sensations. You need to experience a wide range so you can properly gauge which ones are worst." QUIRKY COINCIDENCE BECAUSE IT'S ALIEN DAY TODAY ON APRIL 26!

From Julie M. and her local news: Meray Fagalla?! Reminds me of moray eels...

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Velvet Polk?!

From Julie: Ardy Sixkiller Clarke wrote a book called SKY PEOPLE?! Alien encounters?! QUIRKY COINCIDENCE BECAUSE IT'S ALIEN DAY TODAY ON APRIL 26!

https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/4025050.html

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Starfrit jar opener, face masks, Microban, automated crosswalks, buckle barriers

2020-04-21T01:13:21Z

I went out at 11:55 to go to Canadian Tire so I could get another Starfrit jar opener (Aisle 54 - had to get an employee to help me grab it) and 20 face masks for $20. I always overshoot the 410 station - I SHOULD GET OFF AT ABERDEEN, NOT HAZELBRIDGE! I texted Barry about payday, and he called me when I was outside Canadian Tire - yeah, I thought I'd have to do it myself again! Then I peeked inside Yaohan - there was a lineup either for Osaka Supermarket or a temperature check service. My last stop was London Drugs: All Clean Natural lemon-mint spray hand sanitizer x2 (no limit), Scrubbing Bubbles, London Naturals orange cleaner, NEW Microban 24-Hour bathroom spray x2 in Fresh and Citrus scents, and portable Wet Ones x2. Got home at 2:10 on a 407, too.

Microban 24-Hour Fresh bathroom disinfectant spray!

( Coronavirus life and products! )

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Computer mouse and keyboard, Z-Grip pens, hand sanitizer, MY DARK VANESSA

2020-04-11T00:46:37Z

48 Z-Grip Pens (December 18, 2019) from Staples while I was out anyway / a backup K120 USB keyboard, a backup Certified Data Deluxe Optical mouse, 2000 Flushes with Chlorine, Paul Newman's Alfredo sauce for next year, London Naturals unscented dish soap, Vim bathroom cleaner from London Drugs / half-price JOY dumplings x4 (Pork and Tri-Treasure, Lamb and Onion, Pork and Vegetable, Pork and Chives), Earth's Own almond milk, another Hungry-Man Queso XL bowl, and $9 Saniderm hand sanitizer x4 (the limit) from Price Smart equals another productive shopping trip! I should have gone to the pharmacy next door YESTERDAY since it looks like they're closed for ALL the Easter long weekend! Some dude wondered if the entire building was closed - looked like it to him when he peered in. Oh well... I left at 1 on a 401, and returned at 2:50 on a 407.

This bus seat right behind the bus driver is Out of Service because of the coronavirus pandemic! I was standing on the bus (technically not allowed now) and it was moving, so this is as good a photo as I was going to get.

MY DARK VANESSA is a book title, haha!

Certified Data M40 Deluxe Optical mouse as a backup!

Logitech K120 computer keyboard as a backup!

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Honk if you love Jesus! / Pouya Ghomi?! / Asia Rice?! / Hard for huggers?! HAHA!

2020-04-06T05:24:06Z

How Much Toilet Paper? The Toilet Paper Calculator For Quarantine / Isolation!

We were so bored in Ceriam's Discord server that we were sharing photos of our computer / tech setups. Stallings said that my handwriting on the latest version of my shopping list was pretty, so I thanked him for the compliment.

Andrew came over at 5:15 today, after sleeping in. Hey, no worries, I told him. He didn't want to bother with the whole parking pass rigmarole, which I admit IS annoying. We discussed my eye surgery last year, Merritt, family updates, Search Everything, Chrome, my computer settings, computer drivers, pooping 187 times a day to use up a LOT of toilet paper, his wanting to know the programs so he can determine what's going on (which I understand), and fixing the tangled phone cord. He was over for about an hour, and left at 6:45 or so, not finding anything inherently wrong which would cause the computer to freeze! All temperatures are in very normal ranges since I'm underutilizing the computer's power. Nope, this is not a heavy-duty gaming rig!

He cut me a break on his fee (as Mike said) when I asked what the damage was, since he didn't really do too much: $20 cash sounds much better than $40, even during these times! I thought he would say that his kid stayed at his place so long that the pandemic happened during a week's extension, but it turned out to be much worse! We talked about lining up to shop at Superstore and other places now, and raising his rates six months ago - I know that a full tank of gas plus three jerry cans in the States is value! Or it was, but now we can't just go down there for cheap gas.

He did notice that the computer mouse stopped momentarily whenever the computer made a musical noise, but that wouldn't cause things to freeze... of course, the computer WOULD freeze shortly AFTER he left. It's not like I could have reproduced the issue on demand! At his request / upon his request, I did record a rather choppy phone video of me flipping off the power switch at the back and then turning on the power button again. Sigh. I did update Eric as well via text while noticing some weird font issues on my computer, possibly related to Andrew deleting WonderShare and some other programs. Yes, Andrew is still anti-Windows 10. Still, he has to keep current...

This bumper sticker is from Julie: Honk if you love Jesus! Text if you want to meet Him!

Seen on a bus ad: A realtor named Pouya Ghomi, as in POO-YA?! Reminds me of ghormeh sabzi.

From Julie and Hear Me Out's Snapchat: Asia Rice?! "My name is Asia and I'm getting a faded pink wig."

This glitch is from my Discord server: April 4 is today. April 5 is both tomorrow and today. Okay, Discord!

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TROGDOR! / Women and the toilet 2 / DRAGON BLOOD! / FIRE! / Lysol coronavirus

2020-04-05T05:15:18Z

From Shiwa's Discord server: TROGDOR DRAGON!

GIF version, which took me a lot of work:

From Shiwa's Discord server: A red dragon with a mask, Lysol wipes, and a HOARD of toilet paper to protect against the coronavirus!

I decided to change the name of Shiwa's Discord server myself since I have that moderator ability. DRAGON BLOOD FAIRY FIRE!

From Shiwa's Discord server: "Man Science" finally reveals HOW WOMEN GO TO THE TOILET! Part 2: Karate Skid, The Groundhog, My Precious, Rocky Balboa, Diversity Skid, Mic Drop, Matrix, Heavy Artillery, Reversed Polarity.

Someone renamed the main channel in my friend Shiwa's Discord server after me again! DRAGON FIRE or DRAGONFIRE!

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Mathias Jakshitz and Theressa Jakshitz?! / Oatmeal, pork, Auntie, puzzles!

2020-03-24T21:44:28Z

Ayler and Hiero surprisingly called me at 10:20 AM, which is how I discovered that my phone was still on from last night, but that was a good thing in this case! This time, I was prepared with the light on AND my reading glasses very nearby! They wanted to call since we only talked for a very short time yesterday - I said that was nice and thanked them! We discussed a 300-piece Thomas Ravensburger puzzle, Hiero building something, Ayler playing a long piano piece for me, Ayler thinking that Beckett misses me (he probably doesn't understand why I can't come and play), Beckett saying "Goo Mah / Auntie / Yeah" into the phone, and Ayler wanting to play piano a lot. He doesn't want to disturb the downstairs neighbors, so I reminded him about the soft pedal. When they asked me what I ate for breakfast, I lied and said "oatmeal and a granola bar" as I hadn't eaten yet. Turns out they "also" had oatmeal, haha! Good choice!

I reminded Ayler to protect Beckett when he goes on the couch by either blocking him or holding his hands. He said that they play with the red and yellow stuffed dragon, asked me if I knew what "Didibug" and "Didibop" were (interesting - LADYBUG!), and said that they go outside instead of going to church. Hiero wanted Beckett to repeat "John Horgan / Kennedy Stewart / Justin Trudeau" for me, but no dice! Beckett just said my name into the phone, which is good. Harmony asked how I was doing, so I told her about Pathways closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. I also asked about her parents, who are both being cautious. Told her that Dad had texted me asking about my food situation - I was like "NO, DON'T COME HERE!" Harmony said that Mom was more upset about missing the sales than the special senior hour for grocery shopping, of course! That was interesting and good to talk to them.

Mathias Jakshitz and Theressa Jakshitz have a tombstone?!

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Romanovs! / Knorr Cheesy Spinach Dip! / Paulo's birthday Cascade Room and Colony

2020-03-15T10:40:43Z

The Romanovs: The Real History of the Russian Dynasty, Part 1

The Romanovs: The Real History of the Russian Dynasty, Part 2

I left at 4:30 to meet Paulo and Darryl at the Cascade Room (2616 Main Street, near Main and Broadway-ish, more like Main and 10th) for Paulo's belated birthday hangout at 6. I wanted to be early just in case there were stroller / wheelchair delays or elevator shenanigans - surprisingly for once, there were none of those AND I just managed to get a 3 bus which had ten people total in it, but they couldn't find my reservation when I got there at 5:30! I was seated at a high table pretty quickly, though they said they'd move me to a booth once some people left who had been there at 4. Paulo texted me and Darryl said on Discord that he was getting an Uber. We waited to see if Steve would show up (Estefan is in Whistler at the moment), and I finally messaged him. He replied pretty quickly to say he was having a bad day, so no. I showed them both the phone notification, and they joked about guilting him into it since we HAD to find a place that took reservations JUST FOR HIM! Seriously, dude - we could have stayed with the Brassneck Brewery plan!

We were on our phones a lot, which actually is pretty good for me. Talked about Jimbo's opinion on our Superfriends server and how I know I can't change his mind on it (and wouldn't want to - why bother?), the secret chat, all the drama, Holly's opinion on Jimbo not telling us much about his work, the 12 Kings meetup being last year on March 12 already, Brian being sued by some people, and Holly nuking the original server unexpectedly. I showed them some funny toilet paper-related memes, while we tried various food and drink: gin and tonic, Amber something, mushroom poutine, sausage rolls with barbecue sauce (which I spilled on my DRAGON HOODIE - necessitating MORE LAUNDRY when I got home!), white wine, schnitzel, steak, desserts, and more! The Cascade Room was advertising Jameson ginger and lime Slurpees for St. Patrick's Day 2020. Good luck with that!

Darryl said that his buddies might join us, and wondered if we'd mind. I said no, but deferred to Paulo since it was his belated birthday celebration - HE didn't mind, either. Harmony texted me at 7:15 to say not to worry about coming over next Tuesday as they're limiting everything non-essential including public transit trips. They've even cancelled their Harrison Hot Springs vacation next week for Spring Break, which makes sense! If I were a different kind of person, I'd ask if they don't trust me! This is best for everyone's health and safety, though.

Eric M. also texted me: "FYI, VCEFC has been cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns" - that's what I thought would happen when I heard the daily BC health guidelines the other day. MORE FREE TIME FOR HIM! We left the Cascade Room at 8 and walked a block or so to the Colony Bar across the street from Save-On Foods. I'd have gone in earlier to see if they had hand sanitizer, but they probably don't. I told them that my brother lives around there, but that it was probably bedtime for the kids. They joked about invading their place anyway even if the nephews were there, but I knew it was a drunken joke and didn't take it seriously. Paulo offered Darryl a hit of his vape since he'd tried smoking, but he declined due to the pandemic - smart!

We were at the Colony Bar for about 70 minutes or so, with Darryl unexpectedly buying us a round because it was Paulo's birthday. I got a Parallel 49 Jerk Face 9000 beer - I had to order it because of the name! No, I wasn't surprised that Paulo barely touched his beer - they'd already had a lot at the Cascade Room. We discussed alcohol tolerance, Paulo totally forgetting about work once on HOLIDAY PAY, the coronavirus, and whether Darryl's buddies would actually show up. I gave up on them at 9, about five minutes before they DID come in. The guy put his hand out to shake hands - what?! I instinctively shook hands, and then went to wash my hands immediately afterwards since I had to pee anyway. My hand sanitizer was way down in the bottom of my Doge bag, then I had to look for my phone when I got back to the table, which was also in my Doge bag! Habit to look in my coat pocket... not sure what I'll do once it's summer!

Paulo declared that he would call an Uber since he said it was too cold to wait around for the bus for too long. I decided to just wait for the bus since it was more wallet-friendly. The East Indian 3 driver waited THREE TIMES for no reason, holding everybody up on his bus! What schedule is there to make up at 9:30 PM?! You have your breaks now, so that's not a good reason! Of course that made me late for the Brighouse train - it was pretty chilly outside, so I took the opportunity to send Mike a picture of my current footwear at Marine Drive station after fighting with the wifi.

Mike said something about "where's the glim-glam?" so I texted that 1 degree was too cold for bare feet and toeless sandals! (I waited till I was up on the platform since I heard the YVR train announcement from the statue) The train was sparsely populated, too - I got my own little row of accessible seats since an Asian lady moved far away from me instead once I said I needed her seat. I got home at 10:35, thanks to that stupid 3 bus driver - I could have been home half an hour before! Doing laundry seems to have worked for my dragon hoodie, but I can't seem to say the thing for my four towels since I used them to wipe up a flood of water from when I was showering a few days ago. Guess I'll go tomorrow to London Drugs and buy up on-sale zinc citrate, four towels, and maybe a pair of Secret socks!

Knorr Cheesy Spinach Dip for lunch!

( Zinc, bar food, and a special Pi Day 2020 Reddit award! )

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Schwing tombstone?! PARTY ON! / Superfriends isn't toxic! / DIDIBUG! / LICKING!

2020-03-04T09:56:57Z

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 2:40 on a 401 which JUST waited for me to help with the kids. Six minutes according to the new Translink website is not enough time to be comfortable - ten is way better! I got to the house at 4, managing to have a text conversation with Term about Jimbo leaving our Superfriends server and all the VioletNym (Faith) / Michelle drama and jealousy in V4F. While I was killing time at Tim Horton's with a cheese tea biscuit because I'd JUST missed the 3 bus, I quickly messaged Jimbo to ask why he would leave Superfriends. I got the answer when I got on wifi at Marine Drive at the station on the way home, as I thought.

Apparently, he thinks it's too toxic and we bitch all the time. (Darryl thought it was his fault when I told the server later!) So if we're not supposed to bitch on V4F about that server because we'll get modded, and we can't bitch on Sober Server because it's ALL about positivity, then where else can we complain?! Geez! Most places which are ALL POSITIVE ALL THE TIME are not realistic! I did leave Sober Server when I got home since it's dead anyway - even Violet Hour / Kevin had left! Lots of splintering of the big group for sure - even the secret V4F chat is deleted because Tony threw a bitchfit since Violet Hour's friends joined to troll him about things!

When I got to the house at 4, Harmony let me in, where I saw Uncle Joe. Beckett came up and answered his question about who I was: Yes, I am Auntie! He wanted to show me his light blue "God is love" rolling pin while I was washing my hands! I washed my hands some more after he sneezed on me, for sure. Then he said "DIDIBUG" - I clearly had no idea what a DEE DEE BUG is, so he walked over and showed me. Turns out it's his word for LADYBUG, which is on the orange alphabet board AND a soft ball for throwing! Makes sense for a baby pronunciation, I guess!

Talked about the news and a possible coronavirus quarantine / emergency kits (the kids had questions!), reading BATMAN / THE ADVENTURES OF DOG MAN to Ayler and Hiero (which Harmony thanked me for later), my gigantic bowl of congee and shredded pork (yok song) plus some choy, Beckett licking the Play-Doh lids ("that's gross, Beckett - YUCK!" Then he repeated, "Gross!") / the toy train ("Go!") while wanting to spin ("PIN!") the intersections from the wooden train set. Also discussed OPEN for the Play-Doh lids and boxes, BEI-TEI (snot / runny nose), COME UP for his wanting to sit on the little white chair like a big boy (Hiero questioned that - but I'm RIGHT HERE in case something happens!), going on a trip for Spring Break, going to Portland in the summertime, and Penny coming later than scheduled because of traffic.

Beckett was very curious and said "Penny!" a bunch of times, even walking to the door to say hi. He even got into the cards they were using later, but I figured that was okay as I used my normal voice to get him out of there - there isn't much space in that apartment! He said "MINE!" - so I corrected him. Much better than Ayler yelling at him! He noticed Penny's earrings, so called them BOH-BOH and wanted to touch them. I read a word book to him, found the apples in the Bible storybook, and generally kept him occupied most of the time. We ate dinner together since I wouldn't eat at 4:15! Left at 7:35 and got home at 9:05 on a 407, telling Harmony that I'd text Jon tomorrow when my pedicure was done even if he'll be at the park if the weather is actually nice.

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: a bag of No Name ketchup chips which expires on May 1 of 2020, and Paldo Gomtang instant noodles which expired on October 20, 2019... I threw the noodles out when I discovered the expiry date! EW!

Schwing tombstone?! PARTY ON, WAYNE!

No Name ketchup chips!

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May Chan, a dehumanizing used condom board, Walker's Oat Crackers, Jimbo leaving

2020-03-02T05:03:28Z

Jimbo / Nate LEFT the SuperFriends Discord server - WHAT THE FUCK?! I went shopping at 2:05 on a 407 for on-sale NEW limited-edition pink packaging SpongeTowels paper towels, NEW London Naturals plant-based citrus detergent, Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste x2 (Clean Mint green / Cool Mint blue), Scrub Daddy, and on-sale Walkers Shortbread Highland Oat Crackers / Three-Seed Oat Crackers before getting home at 2:55 on another 407 prior to COFFEE TIME! May Chan unfriended me on Facebook, but whatever - she was just Gabriel's friend. The Canucks played Columbus today at 4, and lost 5-3 thanks to an empty-net goal AND four unanswered goals in the last eight minutes of the third period... thanks, new goalie Louie Domingue...

My NEWEST top-voted Reddit comment as of February 20, 2020: A used condom display on a public bulletin board IS disgusting and dehumanizing! 5313 points! :D Every time someone uses "body count" to describe their number of sex partners, I think: "HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU KILL?!?" because THAT is what "body count" really means! Millennials and zoomers, I swear...

NEW limited-edition pink packaging SpongeTowels paper towels!

NEW London Naturals plant-based citrus dish detergent or dish soap!

NEW London Naturals plant-based unscented FREE AND CLEAN dish detergent or dish soap!

Walkers Shortbread Highland Oat Crackers!

Walkers Shortbread Three-Seed Oat Crackers!

Colgate MaxFresh Clean Mint toothpaste!

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ERIC HO! LEAP YEAR 2020 GAME! / Leap Year Frog! Leap Day Facts! / Quiche!

2020-03-01T03:10:18Z

MORE COFFEE TIME! IT IS LEAP YEAR 2020 TODAY! The Canucks played the Leafs today at 4, and lost 4-2... DAMN EMPTY-NET GOALS AND MY BIRTHDAY BUDDY AUSTON MATTHEWS! Eric Ho confirmed yesterday via text that he was coming over, and also called me at 12:10 to iron out some details, so YAY! I got him to pick up a 24-pack of Nestlé Pure Life bottled water from Price Smart on the way since I was running out. He got here at 2:15, so that was good. We talked about the parking pass / my spare keys, the skyrocketing coronavirus news, Nathan being overseas right now, the 2001 version of THE MUMMY RETURNS with Brendan Fraser, Jeremy, washing hands, my Ontario trip, the bacon quiche / Reser's mashed potatoes / meat lasagna / macaroni and cheese / Peanut Butter Pie Oreos / Mackie's Crispy Bacon chips / Mackie's haggis and cracked black pepper chips, the Lindt / Nutter Butter I gave him in a Ziploc bag, and David Ayres the Zamboni driver. He also called "coronavirus" SARS, and called the Alcan aluminum foil "cling wrap - you know what I mean." Not really or not at first, but he's still a good friend of mine!

Also discussed Jann Arden / a halftime show, 2011 and the Boston Pizza name change, HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA, my slipper socks / high heels bag / Boston Pizza gift card from Ruth and Joan, Carey Price / Patrick Roy (possible) trades / the trade deadline activity on Monday, ICBC driver premiums and car insurance, whether I caught any of Sedin Week, and the 9-3 Boston Bruins blowout the other night. Conversed about his smelling my hot sauce, the playoffs, Jim Hughson, his not preferring to drive during sunset / twilight hours, a cow in a plane for a THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR movie scene with Jet Li, and Don Cherry's podcast / being fired, the Juno Awards, the Simpsons controversy, Apu, and Krusty the Clown before he left at 6:40 after a disappointing Leap Day / Leap Year LOSS! DAMN EMPTY-NETTERS! Sure, I'll collect my empty bottles for him to redeem somewhere if he offered! Of course he did the dishes WITHOUT COMPLAINING!

Happy Leap Year Day 2020! Leap Year Day FROG! February 29! Feb. 29!

( February 29! Leap Year! Food and water! )

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Vagina-having children?! WHAT THE HECK?! / Knorr Teriyaki Noodles Sidekicks!

2020-02-29T04:41:37Z

Since Chinese Eric confirmed that he is coming over tomorrow, I went to Shoppers at 5:15 on a 401 and bought President's Choice Smokey Bacon and Chive quiches, Reser's Main St. Bistro signature mashed potatoes, and President's Choice meat lasagna. $26 every few months isn't that bad, and I already have chips galore here! Got home at 6:05 on a 407, too!

From Reddit on October 13, 2019: No, BamSlamThankYouSir, we do not refer to children as "vagina-having children." Also, ALL women have vaginas!

Knorr Teriyaki Noodles Sidekicks!

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Dragon hoards album! / Speeda E. Bump tombstone?! / Milkshake and quesadilla!

2020-02-25T07:15:04Z

I had to spend MORE time out and MORE MONEY today at Richmond Centre because of ANOTHER temporary water shutoff. *rolleyes* Good thing I had plenty of cash! I bought a White Spot breakfast quesadilla with chorizo sausage, a White Spot blueberry milkshake that slightly tasted like cough syrup (what are they doing with those machines overnight?!), NEW on-sale OGX Beauty tea tree / mint shampoo and conditioner, on-sale Dove pomegranate shampoo and conditioner from $8.99 to $2.99, NEW Life iron pill supplements, NEW Jamieson Vitamins garlic softgels, and NEW Irish Spring charcoal body wash. Shoppers and London Drugs both worked! Got home at 5:40 on a 407 (was NOT going to call Hester because of the one-word and hangup I received LAST YEAR), and the water was back on, so I could take a shower for tomorrow!

Speeda E. Bump tombstone?!

( Alcohol and milkshakes at 9 AM, Christmas at Shiny Tea, quirkiness )

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Haleigh Cummings?! BAD SPELLING! / Climax, Pennsylvania?! / Chicken Mr. Noodles!

2020-02-10T07:29:51Z

Hahaha, Cummings and Climax are an orgasm coincidence or theme today!

From Reddit and r/UnresolvedMysteries: Haleigh Cummings?! BAD SPELLING OF HAILEY OR HALEY! It's the tenth anniversary on February 9 and February 10, too!

Climax, Pennsylvania?!

Mr. Noodles in chicken flavor!

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Best selfie, blue dragon on Google Maps, Bo Bun Hue, butter chicken wings

2020-02-01T09:37:32Z

Before COFFEE TIME / BRUSSELS SPROUTS TIME / HOT CHOCOLATE TIME, I called Chrystal at work at 10:10 AM to remind her about tonight. I left at 6:50 on a 414 (which actually had the wheelchair ramp slope in use instead of the steps) to get to London Drugs on time at 7:30 or so. Unfortunately, someone caused a delay for me at Brighouse. Why would you try to start small talk with someone in an elevator who obviously isn't paying any attention to you for a 20-second ride?! No, I'm not going to respond to a guy cyclist's "hi, how are you, hope you're okay, ma'am" in an ENCLOSED SPACE, especially because YOU AND YOUR BIKE FUCKING MADE ME MISS THE FUCKING TRAIN AND WAIT AN ADDITIONAL 11 MINUTES! The elevator wasn't on the first floor either when I needed it to be! I saw the train pulling into the station when I had JUST gotten to the stairs outside!

Don't get me started on the three tall white dudes who evidently had something like "Well then! What the?" to say to me when I was running for the train at Broadway on the way home! THEY WERE OBSTACLES IN MY PATH so of course I had to BARREL into them, and I didn't even have time to turn and yell FUCK OFF! Or the guy IN the train who was blocking my path right when everyone got off and I wanted in. People, have some spatial awareness and consideration! Too bad they didn't think I had coronavirus! At least Mike found my text message rants entertaining!

I FINALLY got to London Drugs at 7:45, where Chrystal was waiting for me and wandering near the back of the store. We quickly decided on our default option of Pho Extreme Xe Lua, since Cactus Club would DEFINITELY be busy on a Friday night even if we'd bothered to reserve beforehand! (they made us wait for 45 minutes at my birthday dinner even WITH one!) We ordered a small #1 (special noodle soup for Chrystal), six signature butter chicken wings for $9.50 to share (although she only ate one - we split the bill anyway), and a large #30 Bo Bun Hue noodle soup for me. We talked about my trip (I showed her some photos), her nephews Benjamin and Ethan, Ayler / Hiero / Beckett / Fraser / Henry, my relief that Mom wasn't coming on that trip, the flight delays, toys, that gas leak on Chinese New Year, her sushi Chinese New Year dinner with family, Hiero's UBC birthday party and presents, Beckett learning new words, Hiero being sick, and work not being fun today. I got home at 9:35 on a 407, which I guess wasn't terrible for leaving the restaurant at 8:50...

From James: Might be the best selfie of the year, and it's only January! Cats and dogs!

I got a blue dragon as my home icon on Google Maps on my phone! I set my "home," tapped on the menu icon, skipped the commute, and tapped on the three dots which appeared so I could change the home pin!

Dinner with Chrystal: Bo Bun Hue soup!

Dinner with Chrystal: Signature butter chicken wings!

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Dream Doughnuts! / Stuffed dragons! MINE! / Banana cream pie Hunt's pudding!

2020-01-29T10:00:05Z

Jon said he'd be home this afternoon since Harmony would be going to a school meeting, but I could still come by if I wanted. The last time I was around when she went to a meeting, Beckett was quite upset! I went anyway, of course. After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:15 on a 407 to help with the kids. Since I'd just missed a 3 at Marine Drive, I went into Tim Horton's to see if they had those new Dream Doughnuts: no Strawberry Confetti, but yes to Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Truffle. They didn't look that great relative to the ads, but nothing ever does!

I had to wait for six rings before Harmony answered the buzzer, but that was fine. A few minutes later, I told Beckett that I would be right with him after I washed my hands... Wet Wipes only do so much against sticky doughnut crumbs! Harmony said "yes, please - thank you!" Hey, I've heard about the coronavirus too, and so has Ayler, apparently. He says he heard on the news today that the BC patient is in Burnaby ("so not here in Vancouver, but close"), while Hiero wondered what we'd do if Beckett died from it. You can get very sick and possibly die, we told them, but Harmony kept it simple and said that she'd keep them safe and we should all wash our hands.

Ayler and Hiero thought it was funny to encourage Beckett to go to the printer, and also to take Beckett's balls away from him, but he got way more upset over this than Harmony leaving for her meeting. ("MINE!" followed by lots of crying) I was there to give him hugs and a small kiss, telling them that it wasn't funny. Jon did come home a little earlier than 6, and took over dinner duties. Beckett called the Pho noodles "noo-noo," and called the treads on Grandma Joan's slipper socks "boh-boh" - very funny! Ayler asked about school, of course, and wanted me to listen to his piano. Beckett said "help" to me a lot (and wanted me to help put on the yellow "sunglasses" that were missing a lens - Hiero said they were pirate sunglasses), said "bye bye" to me a lot (maybe when I was walking to my bag and then to my coat so he could see the fur and buttons - but I didn't leave), and walked over to show Jon various things like his blocks.

Later, Beckett went to the window to see the "boh-boh" outside and point at all the lights. He also used the blue ruler to "hide" and wanted me to do the same with his toy balls - I just pretended to most of the time. Then he said "HIT YOUR BUTT!" in Cantonese - Uncle Joe taught him that one because it's funny to hear a little toddler say so! Hiero made a "lightsaber" out of a plastic sticker sheet, and a "gun" out of the magnetic rods and balls, and wanted me to say "gun" - I don't know about that one. He also 'teleported" into me, which was NOT fun!

Ayler took out his red-and-yellow stuffed dragon toy... he remembered that I'd given it to him! Beckett seemed to like it as per Hiero - he even said a very close approximation of "dragon" and grinned when he showed it to me! I should tell him that Auntie is a dragon, haha! He also said "monkey" for his stacking blocks, "dog" for his dog book, and "apple" for the Creation story with Adam and Eve in the children's Bible stories book. He's LEARNING VOCABULARY plus CONTEXT! I left at 7:40 (not at 7:30, thereby missing my window of time to get the 7:42 Marine Drive Station bus with the heavy bag of stuff from Mom and Dad) after waiting a few minutes for Jon to finish something while it was the bedtime routine, but not before Hiero called me a "blah blah person" - RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL! I got home at 9:10 on a 407, having to finish a text message to Paulo first.

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A thin brown Mondi sweater with yellow diamonds, a thin brown Mondi sweater VEST with yellow diamonds, a random white undershirt with an actual bra built in it in a clean produce bag, Ragu Tomato and Basil light pasta sauce which expires in October 2021, more Ontrue green tea roasted seaweed x3, and more toiletries inside a Ziploc bag...

Two plastic shower caps, Kandesn Spa shampoo by Sunrider, a white scrunchie only suitable for a toddler, a Paul Mitchell refreshing citrus facial bar, three Q-Tips inside some plastic, a useless LONDON DRUGS blue circle thing, 40 mL of Agraria San Francisco lemon verbena conditioner, blue Chateau de Chine shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena conditioner, Princess Cruises Lotus Spa aloe vera moisturizing lip balm x2, a black toothbrush with a toothbrush cover, 22 mL of Ognnx Lacoupe argan oil complex shampoo x3, and 22 mL of Lacoupe argan oil complex conditioner x2.

A silver Gem hand ground nail clipper, another unbranded silver nail clipper with a nail file, Smart Shield serious sun protection aloe vera lip balm, four more Q-Tips and four makeup wipes inside some plastic (do people use Q-Tips to apply makeup?), a white hairbrush / comb in one, a blue microwavable eye mask with instructions inside plastic, a white Dr. Fresh Turbo Power battery-powered toothbrush with a free Duracell battery, and a small Princess Cruises Lotus Spa linen mist bottle.

50 mL of L'Occitane verbena shower gel, a LaRoche Posay Nutritic lip balm (47 mL), 22 mL of Be Better macadamia nut shampoo, three more Q-Tips and three cotton balls inside some plastic, sampler Oral-B floss from the dentist, a tiny yellow tube of Vichy SPF 45 sheer lotion with Bare Skin Feel, 2 grams of Super Dry Superior Dessicant with a warning on it (??), Chinese Glyso-Derm lip balm with Vitamin E, 50 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn iris bath and shower gel, a 5 mL Avène Canada soothing moisture mask in a tiny tube, 22 mL of Nourish Green Tea hydrating conditioner, and a white travel toothbrush inside a green plastic cover.

Hunt's Snack Pack: Banana Cream Pie pudding cups!

NEW from Tim Horton's: Dream Doughnuts! Chocolate Truffle, Strawberry Confetti, and Dulce de Leche!

Tim Horton's Dream Doughnuts: They didn't have Strawberry Confetti, so I ordered Chocolate Truffle and Dulce De Leche instead.

RIP, Don't Argue pizzeria...

Beef stew with carrots and Pho noodles!

Red and yellow dragon stuffed toy! I gave it to Ayler originally because he is also a BABY DRAGON, but now Beckett likes it too. He knows the word "dragon," and grinned when he told me what it was!

Tomato and Basil light Ragu pasta sauce!

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Happy Blue Year / Dilbert human intelligence / Quandae Shanoah Stewart / ONTARIO

2020-01-03T08:33:17Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND 2020, EVERYONE! NEW YEAR, NEW DECADE!

FINALLY HOME AFTER A FLIGHT! I left the house with Steph after thumping my suitcase up the stairs from the guestroom, hugged the kids, and Steph noticed Havarti was sad because she knows what a suitcase means. We drove 45 minutes to the airport; why WOULD she take a $20 or $30 toll road to save one minute?! I hugged her goodbye, then got selected for a pat-down because I accidentally left my phone in my pocket. UGH! At least a kind employee got me a zoomer to go all the way to my YYZ gate after the elevator! The flight itself was uneventful - I was seated in front with the babies and children, but played with my new friend, the year-old baby boy next to me.

White Eric picked me up as advertised after I landed at 2 today. Wow, time change! Haha. I had to walk the length and breadth of YVR because the outside exit for domestic arrivals was all the way at the front. Sweating for sure! I was home by 3, and everything seemed okay, but THE MICE MANAGED TO CHEW THROUGH THE STEEL WOOL IN THE BATHROOM?! YUCK!

At 12 AM the night before New Year's Eve, it will be Ramones time. It will be 2020, 24 hours to go. I wanna be sedated!

From The Onett Times: Happy Blue Year!

From Not Always Right: Dilbert says, "I have now officially lost all faith in human intelligence."

Quandae Shanoah Stewart?!

( ONTARIO TRIP! )

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SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS brain! / WE ARE THE INTROVERTS comic strip!

2019-12-18T05:49:07Z

Shiwa says he got my Christmas card today - that's pretty good for my mailing it last week on the 12th! The Canucks played Montreal tonight at 7, and lost 3-1...

Julie M. let me know about this: When you want to sleep and your brain goes SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS...

From I Waste So Much Time: WE ARE THE INTROVERTS comic strip by Grant Snider!

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Matin Durrani and Tushna Commissariat?! / Patrick Sieloff?! / Teuvo Teravainen?!

2019-12-13T06:17:57Z

Note to self: It's much easier to find lotion in any amount at London Drugs than Shoppers Drug Mart, for sure!

Decided to go to the Bay at 11:45 (just managing to get the 401) to exchange that purple Wenger suitcase for a darker one; luckily, the older lady wasn't working there to give me more nonsense about how I should only maneuver it forward and not backward! Successfully exchanged the rain-soaked purple suitcase for a a similar charcoal one instead, then decided to get some on-sale $22 Jockey underwear x3 since I'd have to do laundry later anyway before going to the Shoppers to fruitlessly look for lotion, AGAIN! I did get on-sale $2 Palmolive dish soap x2 in Green Apple and Oxy scents, though.

Walked to London Drugs and successfully found lots of 100mL lotion tubes, so I selected a Jergens Ultra Care Restoring Argan Oil before finally getting home at 1:50 on a 407 to do some laundry. Some mother in line sighed resignedly when I politely asked if I could go ahead of her since I only had one item - she showed me her basket and said she only had four items (all toddler stuff), but she GUESSED I could go ahead if I REALLY needed to... YES, I DO! ONE ITEM TAKES PRECEDENCE, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE BUSES TO CATCH! The Canucks played Carolina tonight at 7, and won 1-0 on Petey's goal. PHEW!

Successfully exchanged the purple Wenger suitcase for a charcoal one!

( Underwear and more! )

Matin Durrani and Tushna Commissariat?!

Patrick Sieloff?!

Teuvo Teravainen?! QUIRKY COINCIDENCE SINCE WE PLAY THE HURRICANES TONIGHT!

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B.J. Jensen and Eriberto Pop Can?! / Jordan Schmaltz?! / Mackenzie MacEachern?!

2019-12-12T07:45:32Z

B.J. Jensen and Eriberto Pop Can?!

Jordan Schmaltz?!

Mackenzie MacEachern?!

Lunch: Samyang Mala noodles with corn, small green peas, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli for Noodle Ring Day on December 11 today!

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New on-sale Wenger suitcase! / 40 Shoppers cards! / $21,000 whiskey?! / LIGHTS!

2019-12-09T04:24:49Z

I left at 4:45 to take the bus to Richmond Centre, in hopes of getting an mega on-sale suitcase from the Bay. Went to Shoppers Drug Mart first in order to get a NEW Starbucks Cold Brew bottle for the morning of the 19th, plus on-sale Christmas cards with WHITE envelopes as the red ones are far too hard to see what I'm writing! I know red is a Christmas color, but STILL! After going upstairs at the Bay and finding the luggage section, I chose a purplish suitcase (maybe I can return it later for the black one?) which was $86 instead of $300! Got home at 6:30 on a 407, which is fine. JUST missed the 401 at 6, too!

$21,000 whiskey at the liquor store?!

$21,000 confirmed! Karuizawa 1969, Nikka Yoichi, and Ichiro's Malt Chichibu!

( Lights and noodles! )

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2019 Year In Review! / Pictures with Satan in Comox and Courtenay!

2019-12-01T23:34:19Z

2019 Year In Review! / Pictures with Satan in Comox and Courtenay!

THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.

[Meme fun: Take the first line from the first post of every month of the year. Repost it here as your year in review. (I'm discounting greetings and things like that :P) Yeah, it's been an interesting year!]

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of the year. Post the first line of it in your journal as a paragraph, and that's your "Year In Review."

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND 2019, EVERYONE! Heard from Jana in CANUCK NATION that racist Stuart has three kinds of cancer (liver / colon / something else) and is currently in Langley hospice - karma works in good ways! I went shopping, having to walk to London Drugs because the endless construction and sewer upgrades have made the nearby bus stops non-operational. I went out at 12:30 for shopping purposes at London Drugs, so I walked there. Barry called to see if I was fine with changing our food shopping appointment on the 22nd to 11:30 instead of 11. I went out at 3:10 on a 407 (which luckily picked me up at the sidewalk) for shopping purposes.

I went out at 2 on a 401 to get Rubbermaid Take-Along containers and on-sale pads x2 at London Drugs, getting home at 2:20 on a 407. After my intake session with Rishu at Touchstone at 3 (leaving at 2:20 on a 401), I went shopping at the Dollar Tree / London Drugs / Big Crazy after killing time at the Richmond Public Market beforehand. Today's date is a palindrome: 9/1/19! Beckett crawled over to me to say hi - CUTE! AMERICAN GREETINGS STICKERS, HOT CHOCOLATE, CANDY, SCISSORS, and TEA! SHORTBREAD, MULTIVITAMINS, CHRISTMAS DISH SOAP, AND COUGH DROPS!

From Reddit and This is True: Downtown Courtenay and the Comox Valley in BC offered pictures with SATAN for Christmas 2019?!

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Word Counter Tool / 36 and 24 is a pretty major age gap! / Maranda Johnson?!

2019-11-23T04:47:12Z

Went to London Drugs at 3:15 on a 407 to get some cheaper Advent calendars x7, which I finally found in the form of on-sale $2 Windel Advent calendars. I'm not paying $9 for one, LINDT! I also got American Greetings Christmas stickers x5 (ornaments / cats / dogs / snowflakes / reindeer / winter), ten Scrub Daddy sponges, and 400 Mead index cards, getting home at 4:20 on a late 407. I also had to measure my duffle bags

Word Counter Tool since CharacterCountOnline.com is offline now for whatever reason. At least the annoying SEO Keyword Tool stuff is BELOW what I need! There was another Word Count Tool, but I don't care about the readability level of my blurbs right above the text box.

( Christmas stickers and duffel Tracker bags from Bentley! )

From r/relationship_advice on September 18, 2019: No, aliibe, 36 and 24 is not "literally almost a decade." It is in fact 12 years... MORE than a decade! Reminds me of these ditzy girls that my sister saw at the park once. "75 minutes?! That's, like, almost an hour!"

Also, throwawaypeen12345 is NOT making himself look good with the clickbait (he has no penis) OR trying to downplay the MAJOR age gap when he LEADS OFF with that…

From Reddit and r/vancouver: Maranda Johnson?! BAD SPELLING OF MIRANDA! Or is it like the FINAL FANTASY VI town?

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Joanne and Gianina?! / Ashley and Pressley?! / Mod Sun?! / A. Purdy Outhouse?!

2019-11-17T05:23:12Z

From Julie and DANCE MOMS: Joanne is fine, but Gianina?! Choose between Gianna, Gina, or Nina!

From Julie and DANCE MOMS: Ashley is fine, but Pressley?! BAD SPELLING OF PRESLEY! Especially if it'll be pronounced the exact same way...

From Julie: Mod Sun?!

From Michelle S. and her friend Cindy Cameron: A. Purdy Outhouse?! Yum, expensive Purdy's chocolates!

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2019 Yearly Recap!

2019-11-16T09:02:50Z

2019 Yearly Recap!

This is the 2019 recap. Fitting for the last day of the year, no?

JANUARY

* Hung out with Vanessa and baby Cassidy pre-surgery at Lansdowne: Fresh Elements bubble tea, good dumplings at the food court, GOLDEN DRAGON SUSHI, and more! She helped me open the ridiculous eyedrops bottles, too! [Jan. 7]

* Had eye cataract surgery at Mount St. Joseph's - yikes! Luckily, I had love and support from my friends, and my parents DID drive me home! [Jan. 10]

* Had a one-day followup appointment at the eye clinic. Thank goodness that Barry was able to drive me! Things looked healthy! [Jan. 11]

* Crashed at Deb and Dylan's for about a week. Declan and Elysse liked me from the start, and it was pretty interesting and funny. ("I have my dad's old phone, Elysse." "Did he die?!" Haha!) Lots of meals and Swiss Chalet plus lamb and ribs and packed lunches! I appreciated their support, for sure! [Jan. 11-16]

* Had my one-week followup appointment at the eye clinic. My eye still looked healthy and there is no need to rush on any new glasses! I got hit up for cash at Vancouver City Centre, but I said NO. He should have fucked off instead! [Jan. 17]

* Had Hiero's birthday party: glow-in-the-dark bowling at Grandview Lanes! Dylan and Deb kindly gave me a ride back, and Mom did NOT have to insert herself into our post-church plans by thanking them for "looking after" me! [Jan. 20]

FEBRUARY

* Got a chance to three-way call with Kate and Pothead Mike right after the hockey game, which the Canucks won 4-3 in a shootout against the Flames! It was pretty good to hear their voices as we chatted about a bunch of things including Ed Kemper and the RCMP tank in Surrey. [Feb. 9]

( Highlights and lowlights! )

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