Tatiana's Wanderings

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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Coronavirus and Spongebob, Pi Day T-shirts, Pi Day 2015, Coronavirus + Confucius

2020-03-14T17:19:39Z

TODAY IS PI DAY 2020!

From Julie: Coronavirus is a green monster attempting to attack Spongebob! He's lived through the bird flu, swine flu, measles, Ebola, Y2K, 2012, Justin Bieber...

This black python T-shirt is from Julie and Amazon for Pi Day 2020: What do you call a snake that's 3.14 metres long? A PI-thon!

This black pirate hook and peg leg T-shirt is from Julie and Amazon for Pi Day 2020!

From I fucking love science: March 14, 2015 - 9:26:53 AM will be epic! Why? 3.141592653 = π! PI DAY 2015!

PI DAY 2015 T-shirt: The π Day of the Century! 9:26:53 AM! 3.141592653!

From Scott: Confucius say man who buy tissue for coronavirus die with very clean asshole.

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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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Chili, blocks, broccoli, and mango pudding / SESAME STREET muppet generator

2020-03-11T09:07:34Z

It's MARIO DAY today! After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:10 on a 401 to help with the kids. Surprisingly, I just managed to get the 3 despite the elevator buttons not responding to my commands. I got to the house at 4:10 despite an electric scooter not knowing how to maneuver smoothly on the bus (I had to move), but those things can be unwieldy! Thank GOODNESS it stayed on the bus AFTER 16th, so I wasn't delayed any more! Once I got in, Beckett wanted to play with me, but my washing hands coincided with his diaper change. After that, we played with blocks / magnets / balls ("boh-boh!") / Play-Doh. He ALMOST licked the Play-Doh lids, looking at me to see how I'd react. I said that was gross and not to do it. He said "come up / yeah / block / ma-net / open! close! / lid / pease / light / purple / Auntie" a lot. Later, he almost fell down, but I was there to catch him and put him on the couch, where we sat together and "talked" about the "funny" blanket and the happy / sad eggs.

When Ayler told me to guess what time he went to bed last night, I actually got the right time: 10 PM! Apparently, there was a choir concert last night at St. James (Jon's old orchestra hangout space), WITH a rehearsal before AND a mass choral recital afterwards, so nobody could leave early even if they wanted to! I realized that they had scheduled it for the day after Daylight Savings, which is NOT GOOD! Hiero spent his time making Superman signals and wanting Popsicle sticks and special paper. He also was less than polite when he laughed at people. Apparently, roasted broccoli is not his thing!

Beckett wanted me to look out the window at the alley because of the lights - good choice! Hiero wanted me to play a game, but I wasn't up for that. There was a felt book with multiple felt pieces, and Beckett identified an X for Tic-Tac-Toe correctly some of the time. He also knew what the moon was, so he's getting smarter! I told him what a flower was when he identified it as a boh-boh (hahaha), and he picked it up from me. When I took my phone out to take photos that were CLEARLY of the food and NOT THE KIDS, Beckett said "gung-gung"... hahaha, I thought he associated the phone with Uncle Joe last week!

Ayler said that their trip is after Tuesday next week, so I said that I know that they get to listen to TICKET TO RIDE on the ride over. "How do you know?" was easily answered since I saw Jon's Facebook status earlier about borrowing someone's copy. Hiero told us about MINECRAFT, but Harmony wondered where he learned about that. The school computers offer that as an option for ALL the kids, apparently, so Harmony says she'll talk to the teacher about that. I did not volunteer that there was Preschool MINECRAFT - she'd be horrified! I left at 7:30 and surprisingly got home at 8:35, despite the stroller at 16th! If you can't be ready when the bus stops, then don't be surprised if a passenger gets on before you maneuver your stuff off the bus! I know it's safer to wait till the bus stops, but come on now - be aware and at least make your way toward the door!

From Janet on LJ, aka Ghost_Light: Your birth month is your muppet. Ernie, Elmo, Big Bird, Abby, Slimey, Oscar the Grouch, Bert, Snuffleupagus, Rosita, the Count, Cookie Monster, and Grover!

Chili, beans, and cheese!

Red Jello and mango pudding made by Jon!

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Happy Tau Day! Double Pi Day! / Grammar Nazi / Mallex Smith?! / Wynter Turner?!

2019-06-29T01:40:19Z

I went to the eye clinic at 9:45 on a 401 (which I got just in time) for the six-week followup today at 10:45 after COFFEE TIME (20/30 vision is a good improvement even if I can't read fine print), then had lunch at Yaohan before seeing Rachel at the Caring Place for the last time. At Brighouse, I encountered a rude wheelchair old man idiot who assumed I was cutting him off at the fare gates - nope, I'm just faster than you, and other people also have places to go! He should also watch what he says and isn't the only person entitled to the fare gates. Any empathy I might have had for him having only one leg was just drained in that moment.

Dr. Wise recommended cheap reading glasses for now since my eyes still look healthy, and wants me to come back in six months on January 3. I went to Yaohan and killed the memory dragon of messaging people on the 6 Davie / 6 Downtown bus routes. Got beef internal noodles with wonton for lunch, and Lays lime chips / Lays cucumber chips in big bags for Rachel, Campbell's mushroom soup x2, a NEW on-sale Double-Ridged Lays chips package in Spicy Chicken and BBQ Pork (two each), MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong noodles, and NEW MyKuali spicy prawn noodles at Osaka Supermarket.

After the wrap-up session, I briefly went to Shoppers to buy on-sale Ben and Jerry's IF I HAD A MILLION FLAVORS and PEANUT BUTTER HALF-BAKED ice cream for Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day on July 1 coming up! No more frozen items until I eat some - the freezer can't fit anything else except air molecules! Got home at 4:25 on a 407, which is totally fine. Then I took a shower and discovered that Jon had made a reservation under his name at the Lion's Den for Randal's birthday on Sunday at 6. Nice!

Beef internal noodles with wonton at Wah Yuen Noodle House in Yaohan!

Lays Double-Ridged chips: Spicy Chicken!

Lays Double-Ridged chips: BBQ Pork!

MyKuali Penang Spicy Prawn noodles!

From Pete and THUNK: Happy Tau Day on June 28! 6.283185... Celebrate by eating TWO pies! Double Pi Day!

From Ryan: The person who would proofread Hitler's speeches was the first Grammar Nazi.

Mallex Smith?!

Wynter Turner is a basketball player for the Stanislaus State Warriors?! BAD SPELLING OF WINTER!

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3.14 python snake! / Back Passage, London, England?! / EXTRAORDINARY CHICKENS?!

2019-03-15T00:57:35Z

TODAY IS PI DAY!

From Julie: Happy Pi Day 2019 with 3.14 candles, confetti, and a pie!

Happy Pi Day with oven mitts and a pie fresh out of the oven!

From Pete: What do you call a snake that's 3.14 metres long? A π-thon.

From the Daily Mail: There's a Back Passage in London, England near the Smithfield Market and the Barbican?!

From my Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader #22: EXTRAORDINARY CHICKENS?!

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JIMMY! / Harmoniee Vance, Janyce Mohammed, Montrece Browder, Danni Little?!

2019-03-15T00:44:39Z

TODAY IS PI DAY! I also blocked Jimmy AGAIN because he was laughing at me and being really emotionally abusive. He's the one who's rude and boorish (which he can't even spell correctly), and very insistent on things which don't even really matter! He also reminds me of Mike in the little things.

From Julie: Harmoniee Vance?!

From Julie: Janyce Mohammed?! BAD SPELLING of Janice!

From Julie: Montrece Browder?!

From Julie: Danni Little was on CHEATERS?! Just go with Dani...

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Timothy Shotwell is a sheriff?! / Malkin Crosby Long is a kid?! / Seneca Storm?!

2017-11-15T22:25:29Z

Steph called me at 2:10 to see whether I was going to a last-minute dinner at Kwong Chow, near Main and 16th. Sure, I guess so... I was due to take a shower anyway, so I did that.

From OLD FAITHFUL Bathroom Reader #30: Timothy Shotwell is a sheriff?!

Malkin Crosby Long?!

From Not Always Learning: Dr. Seneca Ann Storm?! Interesting name!

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Hanging out with John Powell and Eve May at the Shark Club last Saturday!

2017-11-12T19:52:39Z

John, me, and Brad NOT being a phone zombie!

John and me just hanging out at the bar...

John, me, and Brad somehow being worried that he wouldn't be seen in the picture!

John and me just enjoying the Shark Club experience!

Brad, Eve, and I are practicing thumbs-up signs!

Just me and John trying to attempt thumbs-up signs!

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FINALLY, ERIC HO HANGOUT! The Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2017 Stanley Cup!

2017-06-12T04:39:21Z

Eric Ho called me at 5:35 to say that he was heading down to Richmond, and alerted me to the fact that Nathan was back in town recently, so of course I checked out Nathan's Facebook page! It's true: Daniel is now a Doctor! Also, their mom Auntie Lillian is going to have a small park at Yukon and 17th named after her soon! He got here at 6:10, and I had the parking pass ready, of course! Then he said that he was in his neighborhood, and bumped into Mike. Eric actually deliberately waved him down to talk to him even though he doesn't like Mike much: apparently, Mike's gone on fewer cross-border trips, but I think that's because Hagen's had reduced their requirements for picking up packages from every two weeks to a month. Anyway, Eric had apparently told Mike that "Leslie and I have fun when we hang out and it's not so empty." I had to get him to translate this, which apparently meant that there wasn't a feeling of missing the other person! (and to see if he missed stuff like that, too) At least Mike apparently got the message since he went quiet afterwards, and Eric mentioned now that Mike wasn't his cup of tea, either - JUST LIKE BILLIE DID! Of course, I had seemed happy to him back in 2013 and 2014...

We also talked about his new glasses (the other pair broke), my good eye for noticing that, future hangouts, wanting to extend me the courtesy of a heads-up, the Creamsicle ice cream, LeBron James and his dynasty, Sidney Crosby compared to Alexander Ovechkin, his not liking Richmond drivers, Nick Bonino, EA Sports and playing past players vs. modern players, a future road trip, Michael Jordan, a zero-zero tie (0-0 tie) till very late in the game, and Shania Twain being on TV at the game in Nashville before he finally left at 8:05. Yes, we ate McDonalds fries / sour cream and onion Pringles chips / Efruti gummy candy / wasabi Pringles chips / Creamsicle ice cream / Kettle chips in Moscow Mule flavor / Lays sour cream and sriracha chips. Now I'm going to relax with video game music for the rest of the night because having someone talk at me for three hours is pretty draining!

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