Tatiana's Wanderings

Boneless Fried Chicken! / Spilled salsa, Eric Ho, vegetables, Purex toilet paper

2020-04-23T06:40:59Z

It's Earth Day 2020 today! I also temporarily got QUADRUPLE DIGITS IN MY BANK ACCOUNT again! Hopefully, my spending habits are a little better than they were the LAST time this happened! Also, I won't need to give $900 of my own money for a family trip like the ICBC insurance settlement. Of course, that only lasted for the time it took me to go banking, never mind grocery shopping! I think I'll just continue my usual money habits this time.

After dealing with a stupid Reddit Vancouver troll, I went banking and shopping at 11:25 AM on a 407 with my Asian old lady shopping cart, noting that the 414 shuttle bus would be discontinued next week as per a sign at the bus stop. Briefly peeked into London Drugs, and at least I didn't have to walk all the way around the block from Moore's clothing store to get to Royal Bank this time, unlike LAST payday! I got NEW Iogo cherry yogurt, NEW on-sale Oikos strawberry-raspberry / Zesty lemon-lime Greek yogurts x2, NEW Lysol Click Gel toilet bowl cleaner x3 (SPRING WATERFALL!) which was really easy for me to unwrap and apply, on-sale Earth's Own original almond milk, a NEW on-sale Tao Kae Noi BIG SPICY SEAWEED ROLL box with nine of them, chocolate orange Jaffa Cakes, and Shin Ramyun Black CUP noodles x2.

Also purchased NEW Western Family regular grated Parmesan cheese (green), NEW Western Family light grated Parmesan cheese (yellow), NEW Pulmuone Katsuo Soba Ramen noodles, NEW Ottogi Super-Spicy Yeul Ramen noodles, NEW Ottogi sesame ramen noodles with an egg block, Western Family mixed frozen vegetables AFTER TWO MONTHS, and a LUCKY 24-pack of Purex toilet paper. When I got home at 2:15 on a 407 with a nice friendly understanding bus driver, I paid my Shaw and hydro bills online. after text exchanges with both Erics about life, I went out again at 7:05 and luckily got another 12-pack of Purex double rolls along with some Old Dutch Restaurante salsa con queso (cheese salsa) and a big bag of Western Family mixed frozen vegetables for more peace of mind.

I also got Green Works toilet bowl cleaner x2 since I can just turn the cap and not have to squeeze it in impossible or difficult positions like I have to do with Lysol or Scrubbing Bubbles. London Drugs also has this, and I forgot about this till now. Got home at 8:10 on a 407 and tested out the Starfrit jar opener on the salsa jar. I hit the jar on the counter first to hopefully break the seal, tried opening it a few times, then I made a mistake by tilting the jar.... I think after that spill, I'll postpone a shower and laundry till at least tomorrow!

Hungry Man Boneless Fried Chicken microwaveable meal... YAY!

[( Smoking Backyard Barbecue! )

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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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Your true name! / 423,827 viruses found! HOMESTAR! / Cece is Michelle's cousin?!

2020-04-08T03:15:24Z

I went to London Drugs at 3:25 on a 407, intending to return that Rescue Petz golden retriever and get a more suitable birthday gift for Beckett. Bought an on-sale Gary the Giraffe Squishmallows toy, on-sale NEW Wild Blueberry Jamieson Vitamins, NEW on-sale Wolfgang Puck chicken noodle / tomato soups x2, NEW on-sale Cheez-It CRUNCH Crackers x2 (Sharp Cheddar / Hot and Spicy), and a much-needed on-sale Rubbermaid dish drainer. Got home at 4:25 on a 407, which is fine - I definitely wiped down a bunch of stuff, including the stuffed toy.

( What's Your True Name? SKELETONS! Lots of purchases! )

From Matt: Homestar Runner Wiki has these funny coronavirus-themed logos! From the Strong Bad email SICK DAY: Scan Complete! 423,827 viruses found! A New Record!

From Julie and MAURY: Cece is Michelle's cousin?!

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Samyang curry terrorist noodles, OREGON TRAIL coronavirus, SHE and HER

2020-04-02T03:00:05Z

Overpriced lemon-mint hand sanitizer! It's April Fools Day 2020 today. UGH! I went out at 5:35 on a 407 to do some shopping at London Drugs. Then I got NEW All Clean lemon-mint spray hand sanitizer for $2 cheaper than the pharmacy next door, on-sale Natural Choice multi-purpose printer paper, on-sale HERSHEY'S cookies and cream Easter eggs, on-sale Hershey's Reese Eggies, an on-sale Frankford cookies and cream Easter bunny, a new iDesign shower mat, new Splash shower curtain hooks, and NEW Amarena Cherry / O111range Porta chocolate bars x2.

Noticed that bus seats were actually closed and there was an announcement sign about giving people more space. Got home at 6:35 on another 407, and then noticed the marked / unmarked police cars right outside my window at 6:55. I'm beginning to think that this IS the 7 PM cheer for medical workers since they started up right around then, and left a couple minutes afterwards.

Translink says: Thanks for giving more space during the coronavirus pandemic!

( Cookies and Cream! Shower mats! Woo! )

Samyang curry terrorist noodles with corn, green peas, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts! SPICY!

OREGON TRAIL: You have died of coronavirus.

No, that's not how "she / her" works, RhinoBallerina... you're also a cheater when you're married since you admit to having "another partner"! I can assure you that only 1% of people care about pronouns. Don't tell me to get over it. This was the last straw for me with the TrollXOver 30 Discord server. I had to leave! DO NOT SHOVE IT IN OTHER PEOPLE'S FACES!

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Chocolate cake, DEATH RAIN habanero chips, Steam Whistle mug, old mug, sunflower

2020-03-29T05:16:06Z

I showered and then had to do MORE laundry on the third floor because my grey sweatshirt somehow got damp from laying it on the carpet!

Edit at 12:10 AM - Paulo came over at 11:55, and has already found TWO dead mice on glue traps in the corner! No wonder I smelled something decomposing last week! I also got him to replace my old shower curtain from 2010 or so, since it had mold. We talked about the Canadian coronavirus cases, and there are a lot in Quebec and Ontario! There are definitely ten cases at Richmond Hospital, from what he's been told! Everything has indeed been shut down - not even the families can visit because they'll go outside and pick up germs, which won't be very good for those patients! He recommended I replace my Splashee Softee taupe bath mat since the tread seems to be gone, and I might slip. Probably a good idea for the future! I should have gotten him to check the other corner, but things seem okay right now. I definitely had rubber gloves, Kleenex, plastic bags, and a garbage bag at the ready! When he left just now, I thanked him.

Splash foliage shower curtain!

A full view of a Splash EVA foliage shower curtain!

( FOOD! MUGS! )

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Chalupa tombstone?! / Canucks 50th / Honey Garlic Noodles! / Michelle dead now?!

2020-03-18T04:51:01Z

It's St. Patrick's Day 2020 today! I went out at 1:50 to get 1.14 litres of regular Bailey's from the liquor store, 3 pounds of Parkay margarine / 300 Mead index cards / Cinnamint, Fresh Mint, and Spearmint Mentos gum x3 / NEW limited-edition Olympic Dairy raspberry-cranberry yogurt from Price Smart, and six more on-sale Angel Oak oversized towels / Arm and Hammer laundry detergent for 50 loads from London Drugs with my handy shopping cart. Got home at 3:30 thanks to a 407 bus driver who waited for me to get on the bus. Went out again at 5 to get an on-sale Strata 65L (65-litre) clear blue plastic tote / storage box from London Drugs - I can't fit it in the shopping cart, man! Since I was there anyway, I got two on-sale bags of Old Dutch corn chips (original / BBQ) and an on-sale jar of Lindt DARK chocolate spread.

Got home at 6 on a 407 to do even more laundry! Somebody stopped my dryer load so they could put theirs in. I put bleach in their load when I discovered this. YOU PISSED OFF THE FIRE DRAGON! How selfish of you! I FINALLY finished my laundry at 9:30! JESUS CHRIST!

I heard that Rangers fan Michelle Osterhoudt Steed died in her sleep yesterday! NOT AGAIN! SO SOON AFTER CANDY! :(

Ravenous toilet paper hoarders at Price Smart today...

( New yogurt and social distancing! )

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Full moon and a lunar eclipse! / Hop Bottom, Pennsylvania?! / Plastic cake box!

2020-03-14T01:44:09Z

It's Friday the 13th today! I showered and did laundry this morning, then made reservations at the Cascade Room for tomorrow.

Julie M. was on vacation and saw this map at a Pennsylvania visitor centre: Hop Bottom?! HAHAHA!

The whole world can hear you trying to open this plastic cake box late at night. I can hear this picture!

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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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More dragon hoards, bad names, and puns! Alaina?! Nakia?! Facebook Jail?

2020-02-27T05:49:49Z

Time for one of my occasional image dump posts!

From Youtube: Gloria and David Marmolejo?! Reminds me of marmots and marmalade!

( Allaina, Kaylee, Naikia, Lorie, the bear minimum, Facebook Jail inmate, Chinese gemstone dragon ring, Nazli Pafvizi, Haeda Mihaltses, Shari Hyman, Erana Stenett, Diahann Billings-Burford, Cherokee and Cheyenne as sisters, Marry Moreira, Evo, Nico, Kathi, Shayne Gallagher, Jaidon Elizabeth, Owyn / Jaxon / Briella Haevyn, and more dragon hoards! )

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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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Chinese New Year 2020 images and dinner at Kwong Chow! GAS LEAK! NO BUS! FUCK!

2020-01-26T09:06:59Z

I got roped into going to a Chinese New Year dinner tonight by Jon's text... so I had to shower, have COFFEE TIME, and give up a few hours of alone time! Left at 4:30 on a 407, and then got to Kwong Chow at 5:35 or so. We talked about the new coronavirus, my reading about Lego Ninjago to Hiero, Ayler asking me weird questions (and soaking up his 90 seconds of screen time with the All-Star Game), Beckett imitating his brother doing an angry face and waving his finger around (so funny!), Beckett saying "yeah" to some stuff (but probably not knowing what it means), Beckett saying MINE! about the plastic bowl from the restaurant, Beckett noticing my bling on my red shirt ("Boh-boh! Auntie!"), and my getting some leftovers AND $10 in lucky money.

I JUST MISSED THE 3 BUS GOING ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE RESTAURANT AT 7:30! Then I had to wait 25 minutes for the next one, then was waiting for at least 45 minutes for info about a 407 not coming at Brighouse. Turns out there was plenty of police activity across the street at Moore's clothing store, which was cordoned off with crime scene tape - the street was blocked off, too. Nobody else knew what was going on since my text alerts only said "detour on X streets" (and NOT WHY) and someone else's app was wildly inaccurate as to where the next bus was. Someone else smelled gas, so figured it was a gas leak - a bus driver FINALLY confirmed it. A poor girl had been waiting for an hour by the time we got confirmed info! I texted Paulo, Eric M., and Harma about it, finally got home at 9:40 on the THIRD 401 I saw, and had to change the CFL light bulb in my living room because it fizzled out!

From Cuya and Twitter: Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with rats, mandarin oranges, and flowers!

From Julie: Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with a rat, lanterns, and flower!

( Food! Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with rats and lanterns! )

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Coffee and being dead inside! / The Cell Phone Jail and World's Smallest Blower!

2020-01-21T00:12:04Z

I showered and did laundry today, also needing to buy laundry tokens (September 25, 2019) from Hester. I also finally got her to get the handyman here today or tomorrow, although she claimed not to remember my showing her the phone photo of my bathroom wall. She also thought I was talking about a bathroom MALL or bathroom BALL; the latter only makes sense if you're Beckett currently! The handyman dropped by at 2:20, looked at the wall (which I'd duct-taped last week), and said he'd be back tomorrow. We'll see!

Kpop and SJ from the Vancouver server are not worth my time or energy since their opinions suck. I should just be mod of that entire Discord server. I'd get rid of people like that, and old mods too!

From Julie M. and Death Wish Coffee: Before coffee, I'm dead inside. After coffee, I'm dead inside, but alert.

From Julie: The Cell Phone Jail, hahaha!

From Julie: World's Smallest Blower!

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What I got for Christmas 2019!

2020-01-04T02:35:28Z

* Lea D. (plop_O) from Reddit: a Christmas card

* Eric M.: Seattle Chocolates truffles in a Woodland Cheer gift box

* Jon and Harmony: Pure Nail Spa gift card and a photo card

* Christy C. (snoopdawg): a Christmas card

* Julie M. (moonshar): a Christmas card

* surprise Toasties Totes slipper socks x2 from Grandma Joan

* surprise $25 Boston Pizza gift card from Ruth

* a trip to Ontario from Steph and Lisa... two weeks!

* A Christmas card and stickers from Janina: Valentine's hearts, cupcakes, birds, flowers, robots, STAR WARS, an anchor, a steering wheel, boats, ships, fruit, ice cream, watermelon, peaches, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, green apples, and ninjas in training! SO SMART! Super job! School matters! You measure up! Looking good! School rules! WOW! So bright - discover! Great work! (pinkfloyd63)

* a Christmas card and stickers from Julie: A question mark, a football, a skull, a Rubik's Cube, dice, UK sneakers, and a shoe on a skateboard! (moonshar)

* Mom and Dad: President's Choice jalapeno cheddar popcorn, a yellow-green Roots knapsack or backpack to "replace" my reusable bags from London Drugs, two Paderno steak knives, small Cuisinart Canada scissors, a 100 Yen coin, grey Touch Gloves mittens, a Gildan black T-shirt with a golden dragon, an Asian notebook, an embossed pink rose journal, two random spiral notepads, and a zippered Doge bag which I switched out with the grey-white bag since Steph probably wouldn't care.

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Computer and lasagna! / Cards! / Noema Alavez Perez?! / Making a Snowquesha!

2019-12-14T08:45:00Z

It's Friday the 13th today!

Mom and Dad wanted to come by today to pick up the "remnants" of the broken Heys suitcase - good thing I found the broken handle INSIDE said luggage before they came by this morning at 10:50 AM, since I thought I'd lost it when it wasn't anywhere on the floor nearby! Dad thought I needed to wash my hair since I wore the old Alaska sweatshirt with dandruff on it - uh, I was chilling at home and didn't need to shower till LATER! Apparently, Mom had to use the bathroom even after going at Dr. Ruby's (and apparently didn't wash her hands at my place - GROSS!) - REALLY?! She also gave me a couple of medium candy canes for the boys in a produce bag (plus chocolate almonds for me in another produce bag), but I was happy to keep them for myself since Harmony didn't want the boys to have too much sugar. Yeah, good luck with that one...

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME and SHOWER TIME, I went out at 3 on an 401 to help with the kids. Harmony gave me some Children's Hospital Christmas cards with white envelopes, so YAY FOR THAT! I also got a card and stickers from Julie in today's mail, plus a surprising card and stickers from Janina, who deactivated her Facebook profile AGAIN a while ago. That was nice of her, though! Rishu wanted to call me anyway since I "couldn't" make it in to the boonies of Richmond, but was so late about it that I should have just taken a shower at 1 instead of 11:45! Hurry up and wait - UGH!

Got to kill a bit of time at Marine Drive Station, but just spent it online near the statue where I could get a wifi signal from Dublin Crossing pub, and got to Harmony's at about 4:30. She'd warned me about being quiet since Beckett was actually napping, and I said I'd be there soonish. The bus HAD to stop for two minutes at 41st, and then ran into rainy-day traffic crap at 20th or so... I'd rather be safe than in an accident, though! When I got in, the boys were reading a Mercy the Pig book, which I had to finish because Harmony had to tend to Beckett and the lasagna at the same time.

I read a few pages of CHINOOK CHRISTMAS - way too advanced for Ayler! - before I decided just to play with Beckett, who had just come out and was loopy. He gave me a bunch of toy balls and emotion eggs, wouldn't respond "yeah" to my questions for a bit, and just stared at me for a while. Later, he did warm up (I got a hug!) and "read" the 100 Words book, saying something that vaguely sounded like "what's that?" and pointing at a picture. Of course he knew where the balls were, but also called a kid's head a "boh-boh," which Hiero found hilarious! "HAHAHA, he called it a BALL!"

We had the aforementioned lasagna with kale and ricotta, cherry tomatoes, and grapes for dinner. Beckett was only slightly interested in this dinner, but at least did not upend his tray on the table this time. He cried and was upset, only smiling when he saw the Vitamin D bottle. No, of course we wouldn't let him overdose on them. "NA NA NA!" he said about the Rice Krispies - he also seemed to like the Advent Calendar chocolate halves that he was allowed. Beckett said ATTIE to me, so YAY! He liked giving me emotion eggs, rolling some balls, playing with the shells, trying to fit the stacking blocks together ("Na na na!" he'd say when he wanted me to take it out), and finding the balloons on the stacking blocks AND the "Christmas tree ornaments" in the boys' room. Then he was also more receptive to saying "yeah" to my questions and even grabbing some rolled balls himself. At least the baby pop-up toy still made him laugh, so YAY!

When Harmony was out of the room (having told me about location settings on my phone photos for everyone's privacy reasons - which I figured out later at the bus stop), I asked Ayler what he really thought of screen time at school. He smiled and said he liked it because "it's the opposite of what my mom wants." HAHAHA, nice! Hiero said that he knows what the "other" meaning of PEE-PEE is, and was busy giving "presents" to his mom of random toys in egg cartons and boxes. Beckett repeated some words like "wow" and "after" when he heard us say them, with "MOMMY! BECKETT SAID WOW!" as a reaction from Hiero.

Myles dropped by at 8 (when the kids were still up), only to have Ayler accuse him: "Cou-fu is stealing our lasagna!" HAHAHAHA! No, Jon just made a couple of mega-batches! Myles also managed to fix the printer, which Beckett had somehow managed to knock offline. We talked briefly and side-hugged; while Harmony was preoccupied, Ayler said he had a question for me, but I had to come over and look at the computer keyboard. Sure, why not? He just wanted to know about the very top row of Function keys - at least he knows to ask me, because his parents probably won't answer! Beckett said "Cou-fu" and "Attie" for Myles' video, which was cute. Later on at 8:30, Harmony finally let me go - I was surprised when I was home at 9:30! I did say bye to Beckett, giving him a high-five and showing him that big gold "boh-boh" at Richmond Centre. They don't need me on Tuesday because of the kids' Christmas concert, so that's just more time to do some stuff before my trip!

From Julie: When you find some weave on the road, so you make a Snowquesha! HAHAHAHAHA!

From Julie M. and her local news: Noema Alavez Perez is the mother of the missing Dulce Maria Alavez?! Her name is pronounced No-Emma, she's 19, and has a five-year-old and a three-year-old and was going to have another kid soon as of September 2019?! SHE WAS 14 AS A FIRST-TIME MOM?!

Children's Hospital Christmas cards: Let It Snow snowman and a Holiday Greetings reindeer!

( More Christmas cards and stickers! )

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Halee Rathgeber?! Like Hall-Ee or Halle Berry?! BAD HALEY SPELLING!

2019-12-03T21:03:21Z

From Youtube: Halee Rathgeber?! If you are going to spell it that way, pronounce it like Halle Berry does, not as HAILEY or HALEY. BAD SPELLING! It also makes me think of Gerber.

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Do Chay Vegetarian Vietnamese food! DOGE BAG! SUITCASE! KNAPSACK! LIGHTS!

2019-11-26T09:22:23Z

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 4 on a 407 to hopefully make it on time to Do Chay Vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant at Kingsway and Knight. The Brighouse stops have changed because of some construction for a new bus loop - will we ever get to use it? (old Richmond Centre stop is a block back - the Brighouse stop is the old 410 stop) I got there at 5, so killed time by going to the crowded Dollar Tree. I should have just gone into Save-On Foods because I almost killed myself going out of the store since their outside lighting left a lot to be desired. THE STAIRS AND RAMP SHOULD BE LIT UP! I eventually walked back a block to the Save-On, where I bought Teriyaki Noodles Sidekicks and Allen's Malt Vinegar before taking advantage of their wifi connection to copy-paste a NON-MMS text message to Mike into Hangouts instead, and catch up on Youtube comments. No, idiot, you can't police public comments and say "normal" people can't hijack others OR wish staph on me! BAD SOCIAL CUES!

I STILL got to the restaurant first, but hoped that Jon had reserved a table when he wouldn't answer my text messages. Hiero came in a couple of minutes later with Mom, Dad, and a wheeled small suitcase. Dad showed me how the luggage handle worked (push down / pull up), got me to try it out, and gave me some tiny keys which weren't for me. Geez, they're going to set off alarms at the airport! Apparently, they're NOT driving me to the airport anymore - WHAT THE FUCK?! Ayler asked me how many pounds I weighed, only to be shot down by various people.

We talked about monsoon rolls, their running out of coffee, the pub down the street KNOWING they get busy and send people there to wait, tomorrow's plans (Harmony's parents are coming by - so I MIGHT come on Friday if I let her know by Thursday evening), Harmony working on Friday, Beckett liking to look at all the lights, satay noodles, spicy soup noodles, Ayler asking the server about how busy the restaurant gets on weekends (I said he had a question... A TWO-HOUR WAIT?!), Steph meeting Mark Messier, and Dad's choir tonight. It was definitely cold outside when we left at 7:15 or so! I got home at 8:05 on a 407, thanks to Jon and Harmony driving me to King Edward Station. Ayler and Hiero thanked me for my Christmas gifts - I still have time to give Beckett the stuffed Santa dog, I think. The Canucks played Philadelphia at 4, and lost 2-1.

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: President's Choice jalapeno cheddar popcorn, a yellow-green Roots knapsack or backpack to "replace" my reusable bags from London Drugs, two Paderno steak knives, small Cuisinart scissors, a 100 Yen coin, grey Touch Gloves mittens, a Gildan black T-shirt with a golden dragon, an Asian notebook, an embossed pink rose journal, and two random spiral notepads. Mike would be jealous of the Doge bag!

President's Choice jalapeno cheddar popcorn!

Zippered Doge bag!

( Do I really need a packing list? )

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Samyang 2X Spicy DUMPLINGS?! / Exotic pasta! / Daydreamer and night thinker!

2019-11-21T08:36:56Z

After I had COFFEE TIME and called Dr. Ruby's office back to grudgingly set up an appointment for tomorrow at 3:30 and NOT today at 2:45 (HOCKEY AT 5?!), Barry picked me up at 11:50 and we went banking and to Price Smart while discussing his recent Japan trip / XTC / the Buzzcocks / my own life. I got NEW Western Family Foglie D'Autunno pasta / NEW Farfalle Tricolor pasta / NEW Connchiglioni pasta / NEW Orecchiette pasta / NEW Trofie pasta / NEW Trecce Dell'Orto pasta / NEW Gomitoni pasta / NEW Arcobaleno pasta / farfalle bowtie pasta / Alphabets pasta / penne rigate / Cavatappi pasta / Small Shells pasta / rigatoni, NEW Samyang Fire Noodles 2X spicy gyoza dumplings, a DRAGON MASTERS kids book for obvious reasons, American Greetings construction and vehicle and dinosaur stickers for my nephews, Western Family white vinegar x2 (one litre for laundry and four litres), NEW on-sale Danone YoPro Skyr yoghurt x3 (plain / strawberry / vanilla), NEW limited-edition Ruffles Jalapeno Cheddar chips, and on-sale Earth's Own almond milk which expires before my trip.

Also got ALL the on-sale Knorr Sidekicks flavors x22 for hopeful food photo purposes (including NEW Garlic Fettuccine Alfredo), NEW Samyang noodles dumplings x4 (Kimchi / Seafood / Vegetable / Chives), on-sale GOING BANANAS chips snacks, NEW Mentos gum x3 (Cinnamint red / Fresh Mint blue / Spearmint green), Nissin black garlic oil noodles, NEW Western Family peanuts x4 of 400g (Chili and Lime / Sea Salt / Sea Salt and Pepper / Jalapeno), GOOD TASTE Pork and Celery dumplings since the store finally had them after a couple of months, and a NEW Softsoap Aquarium refill. After that, I paid my Shaw bill online when I got home at 1:30. Barry and I will set up an appointment when I get back in January OR before I leave in December, probably!

From Julie M. and Introvert Spring: I am a daydreamer and a night thinker.

NEW limited-edition Ruffles Jalapeno Cheddar chips!

Nosh and Co. soft chewy mints!

Campside marshmallows: Strawberry Twisties!

( Exotic pasta and SPICY DUMPLINGS! )

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Beckett, pointing, magic tricks, piano feet / Mike Litterst?! (MY CLITORIS)

2019-11-20T11:23:19Z

IT'S WORLD TOILET DAY TODAY! After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3 on a 401 to help with the kids. I had a bit of time to finish Jon's birthday card with a Sprite and Coke, nacho / pizza Goldfish since Beckett can eat those, one limited-edition Kinder Bueno chocolate bar, the Caramilk bar and a half, and NEW $2 Weinrich's Porta chocolate bars x4! (Peppermint / Raspberry / Blueberry / Strawberry) Got to the house at the usual time, no thanks to a couple of delays like a bike and crowds! Harmony was trying to get Beckett to sleep in his carrier, but Ayler and Hiero seemed enthusiastic to show me their "new" magic trick set. They even told me how things worked! Magic wands, haha!

I read a book and a half to Ayler as he sat in my lap - Mr. Watson and his pig Mercy. OH MY! He seemed to like some of the funny drawings, anyway. Later, Beckett did wake up, so we played for a bit before eating dinner. He did like the green balloons from Kids Physio, batting them around the room. I didn't care if he played the piano, but had to watch that he didn't close the piano or rip Ayler's music books! Ayler said that Jon was tired of buying new books, so he had to keep those ones in good condition. Sounds reasonable to me! I managed to open the Blue Diamond wasabi and soy sauce almonds while I was at the house (thinking I'd get Ayler to help me instead), so since he asked what they were, I fed him one. He seemed okay with it.

We had soup, jap chae (Korean glass noodles), chicken legs, dumplings, and yogurt for dinner. When Harmony gave him Goldfish, Beckett wanted the "newer" ones inside the Ziploc bag, although the ones on the table were the same thing! ("NA NA NA NAAAAAAA!") We also wouldn't let him overdose on Dewdrops, which made him upset. I think he's entering the stage where he just wants to be with Harmony a lot because every time she left to do something or take care of the older boys, he also was upset and crying. Of course I hugged and safely kissed him anyway, though! He wanted to look out the window and spout gibberish at me about whatever he saw out across the street, and pointed at the lights.

I told Harmony that yes, I was excited for my Ontario trip. Then I asked whether Jon's birthday restaurant on Sunday was in Burnaby again like last year. Apparently, Do Chay Vegetarian Vietnamese Restaurant is on Kingsway and Knight, and we'll be going there on Monday since it's Jon's actual birthday. Yes, I did see the part of the email exchange where Mom said that we could just save Jon some food if he couldn't make it, and Jon's response that he would actually like to be there at his own birthday dinner! HAHAHA!

Beckett can say "yeah" and "goh-goh" (comes out as "gah-gah" these days), and did say YEH-YEH for the first time the other day. So then I pointed to myself and asked him if I had a name! Reasonable question, even if he may not understand it! When I was leaving at 8, he pointed to me, so Harmony told him what was going on. I guess I'll see her either on Sunday at Jeremy's or Monday at the restaurant in the afternoon. She has to go there after work, so she definitely hopes the buses are still running for both of us! (Mom only mentioned HER in the email...) The Canucks played the Stars today at 5:30, and lost 6-1?! Luckily, I got home at 9 on a 407.

Random stuff from Mom and Dad inside a produce bag: Two extremely old and very used orthopedic shoe inserts (wouldn't be surprised if they were from my childhood...), a 175g bag of Nosh & Co soft chewy mints, a Colgate Extra Clean toothbrush, a regular 100mL tube of Cavity Protection Crest toothpaste, 400g of Campside strawberry Twisties marshmallows, and a Knorr Fettuccine Alfredo Sidekicks package that expires in July 2020.

From AskReddit: Mike Litterst?!

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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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Karmein Chan?! BAD SPELLING of Carmen! WONTON MEIN FOR EVERYBODY TODAY! WOO!

2019-11-10T01:29:43Z

I went out at 2:25 to go to London Drugs: on-sale Kinder Joy eggs x2, Blistex lip balm x4 which have SHRUNK (Melon Medley / Berry Explosion / Triple Tropics / bonus Peaches and Cream), on-sale Cottonelle 36 MEGA Rolls of toilet paper x2 ($8.99 is better than $10.99 for 24!), on-sale Nacho / Pizza Goldfish for the kids, and Oikos Classic Greek yogurt for National Greek Yogurt Day today. Got home at 3:35 - UGH, JUST MISSED THE 407!

From Scary Mysteries: Karmein Chan?! BAD SPELLING of Carmen! NOODLES!

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Witless Bay, Newfoundland?! / Chilling like a villain! / Taffany Shipp?! BAD SPELLING!

2019-11-09T07:35:57Z

DOUBLE COFFEE TIME! Waiting for Auntie Bessy at Kam Do Bakery this morning proved to be a waste of 40 minutes all told. Good thing I just managed to get the 401 on the way there and the 407 on the way back, getting home at 9:40 AM when I'd left at 8:50 AM! Ugh! The Canucks played Winnipeg today at 5, and lost 4-1... ANOTHER EMPTY-NET GOAL?!

I then left at 7:40 to go to the IGA at Garden City Centre at Blundell, but first encountered a lady at the bus stop who somehow just could NOT wait ten minutes for a cigarette! She scrutinized the bus schedule and knew that the 401 would come in four minutes, so what did she do? Why, sat down on the bench and lit up a smoke, of course! Karma came for her in the form of a 401, so she had to butt it out on the bench before she got on the bus and then had a major coughing fit before she and a male companion got off at Minoru, presumably to smoke prior to whatever they REALLY wanted to do!

At least I saw that bus stop advertisement for Ocean's Tuna: Ginger Lemon Sesame, Peri-Peri, and Sundried Tomato Tapenade! Wasted my time at IGA too, since they didn't have the Fresh Gourmet The Better Chip in Jalapeno flavor: "It's a Walmart brand!" they said as I bought NEW Pillsbury Pizza Pops in Double Cheeseburger flavor. I eventually got home at 9:25 after having to kill half an hour at Richmond Centre and buying frozen President's Choice Brussels sprouts and frozen President's Choice broccoli florets.

Witless Bay, Newfoundland?!

From Janina: I relate to the phrase "chilling like a villain." It implies that I'm calm, but ready to murder at any time.

From Youtube: Taffany Shipp?! BAD SPELLING OF TIFFANY!

( Shirt and food! )

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Joe L'Official is an actual name?! / We have a place called Typical Noodles?!

2019-10-21T22:52:14Z

In the morning, I told Jon that I had some cash, so I could still come tomorrow if they needed me. I went out at 2 to the pharmacy next door to get some Buckey's Cough, Cold, and Flu medicine. Then I showered and did some laundry now that Hester says the elevator is FINALLY FIXED AFTER "only" TWO MONTHS!

Buckley's Cough, Cold, and Flu medicine!

A truck is on the sidewalk now?! Thanks for blocking my access to the crosswalk and forcing me to start crossing in the middle of the road...

Joe L'Official?!

I was near Enjoy 1+1 Café in July 2019, and decided to take a picture of Typical Noodles! Sort of Engrish! The lady owner came out to see what I was doing, haha.

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Gloucester Café! / Beckett and reading! / Pepto-Bismol is NOT eyeshadow!

2019-10-17T05:02:46Z

After COFFEE TIME and calling the Lost Property Office too early for them to receive lost Translink items at 1 (UGH!), I went out at 11:10 on a 401 to go to the Gloucester Café to meet Auntie Catherine for my last belated birthday meal, taking the 15 Olympic Village bus down at Bay 2 across the street rather than walk the seven blocks in the iffy weather. So I was ten minutes late - it still was reasonably on time for me! I scanned the restaurant and finally saw her sitting at a table - she hugged me hello, and we eventually ordered two dishes to share with our individual hot milk tea. Seafood spaghetti in a creamy dill sauce AND chicken pineapple satay fried rice with plenty of shrimp and egg! No, I didn't want to take the leftovers with me!

She talked about church and noticed that I didn't need my glasses, so she was surprised - she didn't know about my eye surgeries! We talked about Mattias and Marcus - they're 11 and 9 now?! Chung Yan still watches Canucks hockey, so YAY for that! Auntie Catherine gave me a surprise 100% red silk scarf (probably an Indian scarf), so that was totally good! It was pretty rainy when we left at 1:20 (Harmony texted to say I could come at 3:30 or so), but I assured her that I'd be fine without an umbrella, and definitely didn't want to go to the North Shore or some other Vancouver Public Library! I just killed time at Oakridge with the free wifi, found out that I'd been BANNED from TwoX Chromosomes because of the too-inclusive special snowflakes ("not all women have vaginas" is very weird), and left at 3 on a 41st Avenue bus (then a 3) to get to the house at 3:35.

Beckett was surprisingly awake and definitely wanted to play with me, the baby pop-up toy (he's now strong enough to make it pop up himself once or twice), and the various balloons scattered around the room. He also threw the plastic blocks at me, but I didn't hold it against him. Hiero laughed when he saw that, so I said with a very serious face that it was NOT FUNNY, and let Harmony take care of the rest. Ayler had to read the Monkeys book with me, and Hiero wanted me to read a book that was at least different than the ones I'd read on Sunday. Beckett wanted to see what we were doing / be close to me, but his brothers didn't like that. I had to give him a few hugs because he was upset! I let Ayler use my cell phone calculator after he said that I was still better at math than he is (debatable) and Beckett said, "Na na na NAAAAAAAAA!", which is what he says when he REALLY wants something! (like the Rice Krispies, a couple of which I put in his mouth at snacktime, which he didn't seem to mind)

Speaking of being serious, Beckett had an extremely serious expression on his face when he was signing "MORE" at dinner. He did get more food, but started throwing it around, even decorating my red bling sweater with macaroni and cheese. (we also had squash, turkey, stuffing, and other Thanksgiving leftovers) Ayler asked me why drinking prune juice meant that you had to be on the toilet all afternoon (because I told him that), so I told him that there was a lot of fiber in prunes. He seemed to accept that. After Beckett cried and was let go from the table to crawl around, he knocked over Ayler's silver water cup, causing Ayler to get all wet and then cry and melt down himself.

Beckett threw the balloons around and said what sounded like "cup" - at least, he had the hard C sound down! Ayler wanted to regale me with piano technique, so I let him tell me about it while listening very seriously. I enjoy it when he tells me about his interests! Hiero wanted me to read to him, but I said that I had to watch Beckett to make sure he didn't kill himself. We also discussed global warming in a kid-appropriate way. I left at 7:20 and finally got home at 8:40. The Canucks played Detroit tonight at 7, and won 5-1.

Pepto-Bismol is NOT Annabelle eyeshadow, London Drugs website...

Paper bus transfer in 2019! I sure wish the buses would give out actual Compass Card transfers, though!

Lamp chop for lunch, anyone? Yay for Engrish!

Seafood and spaghetti in a creamy dill sauce as part of a belated birthday 2019 lunch!

Chicken and pineapple satay fried rice with plenty of egg and shrimp!

A red 100% Silk Scarf from Auntie Catherine for my belated birthday in 2019!

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Chilling and thunder, Hester and tokens, my disability, Milkis flavors galore

2019-09-26T05:37:51Z

After I had COFFEE TIME, Barry picked me up at 11:50 and we went banking and to Price Smart. I bought a NEW on-sale Caramilk chocolate bar and a half, NEW Triscuit dill / sea salt / olive oil crackers, NEW Triscuit Canada balsamic and basil crackers, NEW basil and garlic Triscuits crackers, Ottogi Jin Ramen in both spicy and mild flavors, NEW Western Family chicken and wild / brown rice soup, NEW Western Family chicken and rotini soup, NEW Western Family soy sauce x2 (regular and 50% less sodium), NEW DASANI water (after the soy sauce attacked me), a NEW HERSHEY'S Gold chocolate bar (peanuts and pretzels), Western Family 8-vegetable lasagna with multigrain pasta (carrots / green and red Bell peppers / spinach / zucchini / cauliflower / broccoli / black olives), on-sale Olympic Dairy organic plain yogurt.

Also bought bananas, on-sale Excel Gum in peppermint flavor x3, NEW Shirakiku Goku-Uma tonkotsu noodles, NEW on-sale STAGG Chili Canada Steak House chili, NEW Tim Hortons canned soup x3 (Cream of Broccoli / Chicken Noodle / Chicken Rice), on-sale MilkisPH Snoopy six-pack drinks x7 (milk and yogurt in a bottle / canned melon / canned apple / canned banana / canned mango / canned peach / canned original), Western Family prune nectar, on-sale NEW O'Tasty vegetable / pork / black mushroom dumplings or potstickers, Joy Chinese Dim Sum dumplings x4, and Silk Canada almond milk! After that, I paid my Shaw bill online at home.

Later, I tried to get Hester to give me some laundry tokens (March 26, 2019). She said that they were going out right now, but I could have some if I came by immediately. So I did, but she was STILL not impressed because I should have taken the "nearest" stairs so she wouldn't have to wait three minutes, which is apparently an inconvenience. Well, maybe she should work on the building's elevator which has been out of service for five weeks, and replacing the dryer which has been out of commission for three months! Then when I left her door, she said that I should take the "nearest" stairs - no, because I'd still have to walk down a long hallway regardless! I told her NO! I'm going to do what works best for me, and it's just TOO BAD if my disability and walking speed causes her to wait a few more minutes to leave the building since they haven't invented teleportation for real yet! The Canucks played the Senators again tonight at 7 in Preseason Game #7 (the penultimate!), and lost 6-2.

From Julie M. and Introvert Spring: If I am silent, it's because there's thunder inside me. Or I'm just chilling - it depends. May the odds be ever in your favor.

( Soup, perogies, and Milkis galore! )

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Being quiet, potato SHIPS, kimchi, handyman agreement, creative piano variations

2019-08-21T04:07:43Z

Today is Hot and Spicy Food Day! After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:30 on a 401 to help with the kids. Just before I was going to leave, the handyman came by and agreed with my assessment that the toilet float needed to be replaced, thank goodness! That left me with little time to catch the bus, but I JUST managed to. Then I was STILL left with time to kill at Marine Drive, so I went to T and T to buy NEW Sautao hot and sour soup vermicelli noodles and what turned out to be Choco-Caramel Mentos. I also texted Term (as is now the tradition) to say, "Hey, guess where I am right now!" Then I saw an Engrish sign: LAYS POTATO SHIPS IN KIMCHI FLAVOR?!

Jon texted me when I got to his building at 4:45; no wonder they weren't answering the buzzer because they were at the park across the street! I found them in due time; he decided to see if Beckett liked the baby swings. He was still expressionless after a few minutes of swinging, not sure what to make of it even if he'd had that experience once before a while ago. Later, Jon tickled him and took video of him laughing for Harma. Ayler and Hiero threw sand on the slide and over the railing for the kiddy structure. I swung the baby gently as Jon went over to discipline. Hiero called me by my first name, which Jon scolded him for. Later, Harma met us at the park with a new puzzle from work! Jon told me that they'd had a playdate with Deb, Dylan, Declan, and Elysse recently, and that LA Chicken was good with kimchi. Fried chicken with kimchi - WEIRD FOOD COMBINATION!

At home, Beckett wanted to play "catch" with those hard plastic stacking blocks... ouch! The soft toys they borrowed or bought are much better for that purpose! Ayler showed me his "creative part" for "THE PLANETS" (not Gustav Holst, but his own creation) and some variations he'd made up for a piano piece. Awesome! Hiero just hid Koosh balls in the "Duplo" blocks and made me guess where he'd put them. That kind of went okay, but I still had to watch Beckett, who was doing a lot less throwing than last week! I had lots of kimchi and some ratatouille for dinner, plus another slice of nectarine thanks to Ayler's aversion to mushy things. He didn't care if I ate it! (I asked him first just to be sure)

We discussed Caleb's greenhouse, Parksville, Hi-Chews candy, Uncle Percy's death (why else would Mom be inviting me to his celebration of life this weekend?), what "avid' meant in the context of being an avid reader, what Beckett liked to eat, summer reading (Ayler read a book all by himself with no alternating pages!), origami with the Summer Reading Log, practicing reading and writing, whether they needed me once school starts up again (could be chaotic), and colorful train tracks which apparently aren't appropriate for Beckett yet. He still seemed to like them, though I know that's not really the point. I left before 8 and got home at 9 on a 407, which isn't bad at all. I thought I was going to miss the 8:56 407 like I did last week, but thankfully did not run into any delays, although other people on the elevator could have counted as one. Luckily, they seemed to be efficient, which I value.

From Julie M. and Introvert Spring: I may be quiet, but I have so much on my mind.

Lays potato SHIPS in kimchi flavor! Nice Engrish!

NEW Sautao hot and sour soup vermicelli noodles!

NEW Choco-Caramel Mentos!

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