Tatiana's Wanderings

LJ 21 years, red dragon with skull, purple dragon with claws, brown dragons x3!

Thu, 07 May 2020 02:56:13 GMT

I set up a WhatsApp video call with Steph for this afternoon, and she called at 4:50 when they were eating dinner. Henry and Fraser were having broccoli and toast and some veggies, and wanted to show me how scary they were by pretending to be dinosaurs. I said I was a dragon and asked Henry if I could eat him because little boys would taste delicious! He said no, and wanted Steph to hold onto him when he was eating - or at least hold on to Lisa's hand. Steph introduced me to their NEW dog in a cage, exactly two months old (March 6) today - a black furry Newfie named Walter. Havarti isn't too impressed and is crochety about it, but she'll get used to things eventually. We ended the call at about 2:15, which is fine... talked about a LOT of coronavirus cases in Ontario, baking, Fraser doing puzzles and drawings, online reading programs with Miss Amber, and going out to shop about once a week or so. Since Steph and Lisa can both go out once a week, that's what they do!

After yesterday's ma-fan, I decided it was best to clean the toilet and then take a shower now that I'm feeling way more like myself. Way later on, I decided to spontaneously call Jon's crew at about 6:10. They sounded like they were eating dinner themselves! Ayler conducted most of the phone call, asking what time Lisa went to bed, and saying that they'd called Steph at 8 last time. Their cousins were in bed, though. After asking if I was watching a video game and how much of them I watched, he again told me not to watch too many videos. It's what everyone is doing now! You'd have some REALLY bored people otherwise! Hiero wouldn't talk to me except to say "LICK MY BUM!" Wow...

I asked how Jon would teach his piano students - online, Jon said, since Ayler missed the question. I mentioned meeting Ayler's piano student friend Ethan and of course the infamous Dean about two months ago. (only because Beckett ALWAYS thinks it's him whenever people came over) Hiero was getting Beckett to say "urine" and then "lick my bum"... of course, they all scream-sang "LICK MY BUN!" at me. Ayler asked if I could hear them - yes, I could hear them very well. I told them not to teach Beckett how to swear - they'd DEFINITELY get LOOKS if a kid who's not even two years old just busted out swear words in public! Jon said they don't, which is a good thing! Ayler said their neighborhood had O CANADA, smoke, and lots of music. Mine just has (unmarked) police cars, ambulances, a fire truck sometimes, and car alarms now. Yes, people come out as well. We set up the next talk time for Saturday afternoon POST-teaching online.

I got this virtual gift in my journal for LJ's 21st anniversary! 1999 to 2020!

From Dragon Art Gallery: A red dragon with a skull and an ornate window!

From Dragons: A purple dragon with claws!

From Dragons: A mirror decorated with brown dragons!

From Dragons: A brown dragon and a huge coffee mug!

From Julie: A brown dragon breathing frost or ice! Or it is a water fountain!

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Grapefruit, yuzu, shea cocoa butter, aloe vera, Haagen-Dazs, and compressed air!

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 00:29:51 GMT

Grapefruit and yuzu / aloe vera / shea cocoa butter London Drugs hand soap (one litre each and over the limit), Certified Data Ultra Duster compressed air, an on-sale Russell Stover Crispies Easter Bunny, Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream, on-sale Jamieson Vitamin C, and store brand Wellness multivitamins! I left at 1:25 on a 407 and returned home at 2:10 on another 407.

This Indian silk scarf from Auntie Catherine may finally come in handy during coronavirus time as an improvised face mask...

Roped-off front area and out-of-service Compass Card reader on the bus because of the coronavirus pandemic. You're out of luck if you're a wheelchair or stroller!

London Drugs Wellness multivitamins, 180!

London Drugs grapefruit and yuzu hand soap!

London Drugs aloe vera hand soap!

London Drugs shea cocoa butter hand soap!

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THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN, VALLEY OF THE DRAGONS, yellow dragons, Corona Fest

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 02:38:07 GMT

There was a Shaw outage last night at 6:45, so I texted both Erics / Mike before reading a bit and then going to bed at 8:30 PM! Woke up this morning at 5:45, and Shaw was back on since my phone worked... PHEW! Chinese Eric had replied to ask when it would be fixed - I said it was fixed by the time I texted him, but no TV, no Internet, no landline phone or Internet on smartphone, I told him!

From Holidays That Might Get Overlooked: 9th Pass Pern DRAGON SIZES from THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN! White dragon, green dragon, blue dragon, red dragon, brown dragon, bronze dragon, and a gold dragon!

Julie watched a movie called VALLEY OF THE DRAGONS one night, based on Jules Verne's novel OFF ON A COMET or THE CAREER OF A COMET.

From Julie: An awesome yellow dragon with a red sky and clouds!

This surprised yellow dragon statue is from Julie!

From Red's Discord server: Self-Isolation presents the Stay At Home Festival for the coronavirus, March 2020! GUITAR! Couch Test Dummies, The Coughspring, The Indoors, Pandemic at the Disco, No Kids on the Block, Flu Fighters, No Cure, Miley Virus, Men Out Of Work, Depressed Mode, Billy Idle, Wu-Han Clan, Pearl Jammies, and special guest System of a Lockdown! Being me, I had to edit the bad subject-verb agreement in the poster itself using MS Paint. PRESENTS, not PRESENT! BAD GRAMMAR!

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

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 05:16:06 GMT

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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The Butt Brothers?! / Birthday gifts, new rules, Hudson, talking a lot, schedule

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:53:50 GMT

Ayler called me at 9:40 AM to read me their schedule for the day: free play, mealtimes, piano, spelling, reading, and bedtime at 8 or so! He also says that his new rule should be that he can stay up 15 minutes later every year on his birthday. I said that sounds like a good rule, and wondered how long it would be until he just stayed up all night. Hiero said that he made a birthday card for his mom - yes, Harmony's birthday is today! Ayler also made a birthday card for her, but said that they were giving her a good birthday gift: sleeping in until 10 AM! He also gave me a play-by-play: She wasn't up when he called me, but was when he was going to end the call at 10:10. Beckett was still eating a breakfast of oatmeal and honey, so I didn't really talk to him.

I asked Ayler how he could tell that Beckett missed me: apparently, he goes around saying "Goo-Mah" - cute! Ayler also thinks that Steph lives in a different country because her timezone is different - HAHAHA! We discussed Jeremy's cat Hudson, how burping works, how Ayler really likes talking (so he can talk on the phone to Jeremy for 90 minutes!), my banana yogurt being "gross" (HE'S not eating it!), Hiero thinking I was sleeping when they called me yesterday (I told them that sometimes some people like having their phone off when they're doing other things), my saying happy birthday to Harmony when she WAS awake, my eating all of the chocolate I got for Harmony's birthday this year since there will be no family gathering this year, and our keeping up my coming over when coronavirus is done. He said bye at 10:10 after confirming that it was 10:05 on my end, and also said that I work from 9 AM to 10 AM. Jon's also teaching him questionable things about me, if HIS laughter is any indication!

The Butt brothers Ralph and Roger have a tombstone, AND they died on the same date a year apart?! QUIRKY COINCIDENCE!

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Reddit Yearly Awards 1 to 14!

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 03:01:56 GMT

Me: Reddit New User!

( Year One to Year Fourteen, so far! )

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Pure Nail Bar / Biggerstaff?! / Coronavirus T-shirt / Lent / Today and tomorrow!

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 08:33:19 GMT

After COFFEE TIME / SHOWER TIME / CLEANING FRIDGE TIME (yucky sticky prune juice!), I went out at 1:30 on a 401 to finally redeem that Pure Nail Bar gift card from Christmas 2019 for a pedicure before going to help with the kids. I thought I'd be on time, but NO... the 3 bus had to be late, a stroller had no idea what to do on the bus, and then there were traffic delays, causing me to be 10 minutes late! At least they didn't have to call me or anything, and it was just after East 13th! It was pretty relaxing, and I got to choose a nail polish color - Shooting Star silver glitter! They had a fancy nail dryer and a fancy pink toe separator!

After I was done at 3:45, I texted Jon and asked whether he was at the park, then went to Save-On to kill time. I should have gone to the park instead since it took him 20 minutes to get back to me saying they were home now. Fine, sure, I'll walk there - not a big deal, of course. Beckett wanted "Didibug!" which Jon asked about - it made sense, but what was it? Hiero drew me a Bat Signal and a lightning bolt, saying I could keep them in my pocket. I pointed out that it would probably fall out of my pocket, so I'll keep them in my wallet's zippered pouch instead! When I got home, I put the Bat Signal / lightning bolt / Cao Starvingbase Noodle HOO! guy in a Ziploc bag for extra protection.

Ayler was blocking Beckett's access to the piano because Beckett would try to play it, and wanted to know if the real Dean could stay later to play "quiet soccer" while Jon taught his sister Lily. I told Dean that he must be special to Beckett - every time someone comes over, Beckett thinks it's Dean! HAHAHA! "Dean! Dean! Dean!" When Harmony got home, she mentioned she was late because the pipeline protesters had been blocking UBC today - UGH! Then she saw silverfish in the bathroom, in her clothes! YUCK! I told her about the time that I had seen one CRAWLING ON MY COMPUTER DESK in summer 2017 - EW! Beckett wanted to say hi to Kayla, and of course was interested in her guitar and the rest of the students.

Jon gave me a tea rag to wipe Beckett's nose with. He's learned "NO!" and uses it frequently! I watched him knock over Jon's violin while he was teaching Willie, and Jon said "NO, BECKETT." A kid named Ethan came for a piano lesson, and his mom stayed in the room. Beckett was very interested in her phone! Ethan asked what I was doing there, so I said that was a good question - what did HE think? Jon answered when he didn't have a response. I read the rest of the DOG MAN book to Hiero, who then wanted to draw Dog Man while Dean and Ayler transitioned to quieter origami.

We had pozole with hominy / chips / Greek yogurt / choy for dinner, plus an almond croissant. Beckett wanted to climb up on the couch and needed my help to sit / stand on the white chair. He picked up the word "funny" and the corresponding grin expression. "FUNNY! OPEN! Block! Magnet! Frog!" Of course he got upset when Ayler stole his stuff... I told Hiero that he had just touched the nose-wiping cloth with Beckett's germs ALL OVER it, so Hiero went by himself to wash his hands quickly! Beckett also showed me where my own eyes / nose / mouth / ears were, with the correct words. He wanted to show me his orange half-shell, so he said "shell" - pretty good!

I left at 7:45, amazingly in enough time to catch the 7:55 3 bus that went to the station. However, I wouldn't get home in time for the second period, because there was an electric scooter that took a minute or so to adjust herself in the bus. She didn't deserve a guilt trip or anything, so I was outwardly patient. Then on the Canada Line at Aberdeen, there was an obstreperous guy who wouldn't get off the train until threatened with the cops by the female attendants! Everyone was craning their necks to look - some old man asked if I was going to save him. Fuck, no! I'll watch from safety! I FINALLY got home at 9:10 during the second intermission. The Canucks played the Coyotes tonight at 7:30, and lost 4-2 thanks to an empty-net goal from behind the Arizona net ALL the way to the other end of the ice.

Fancy nail dryer at Pure Nail Bar.

Fancy pink toe separators at Pure Nail Bar. Nail polish color from their array is Shooting Star Silver.

Pretty Shooting Star Silver toenails!

Better view of the Shooting Star Silver toenails!

I got this weird time glitch on Shiwa's Discord server last night. March 3 is "today" while March 4 is both "tomorrow" and 'today." Okay, Discord...

From Jon and Harmony for Christmas 2019: Pure Nail Bar pink envelope and pink gift card for a pedicure, which I finally used this afternoon!

Biggerstaff tombstone?!

This is from Red's Discord server. Coronavirus as a metal band T-shirt: CORONAVIRUS 2020 World Tour! China and Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, Middle East, South America. SCYTHES! HAHAHAHA!

From Julie: I'm giving up these little glasses of alcohol for Lent. I will be drinking big glasses of alcohol instead.

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Markwayne Mullin, Nancie Camello, Cloey Pitcher, Kerrin Place, Thaddeus Hughes

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 03:46:38 GMT

COFFEE TIME! I finally got through to Pure Nail Bar so I could use the pedicure gift card from Jon and Harmony from Christmas. Next Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 works as long as I'm in the area anyway. Gotta build in that buffer time in case something happens! The Canucks played the Senators today at 4:30, and lost 5-2 thanks to officiating AND a hat trick from Bobby Ryan, of all the people...

From Julie M. and her local news: Markwayne Mullin?! Sounds suspiciously like Mark Twain...

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Nancie Camello?! BAD SPELLING OF NANCY!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Cloey Pitcher?! VERY BAD SPELLING OF CHLOE!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Kerrin Place?! BAD SPELLING OF KAREN!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Thaddeus Hughes?!

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

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 05:49:49 GMT

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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A "back massager"?! / JAXTON?! / K-Mart Café! Little Caesar's! / Emptying a dog?

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 22:08:11 GMT

I had a dream where my Discord UK friend Red and his wife Mrs. Weird had a LOT of kids (possibly on Duggar / Radford level with 20 or 22 kids?!) in an exchange with the other side of the world, and some older kids smoked, and it was snowing, and someone hid a chocolate square in my red toque.

From Julie M. and Amazon: Suuuuuuure this is a "back massager"... it looks like a sex toy, not really a dildo!

From Julie M. and Amazon: Jaxton is a name on a dinosaur Christmas 2019 stocking?!

From James: I'm this old that I remember when K-Mart and Little Caesar's existed! K-Mart even had a café!

From Engrish: Please do not empty your dog here.

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Cristafer Gunter, Darian Randles, Karryn Savage, Nicolas Cage the Science Mage

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 04:44:26 GMT

I found the phone number to file my taxes for free via phone again: 1-800-959-1110. Thank goodness I saved the letter from the Canadian Revenue Agency! I can access it on February 24.

Dinner: 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 for Italian Food Day today on February 13! Eight kinds of pasta - NEW RECORD!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Cristafer Gunter?! BAD SPELLING OF CHRISTOPHER!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Darian Randles?! Reminds me of durian!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Karryn Savage?! BAD SPELLING OF KAREN!

Disney presents Nicolas Cage the Science Mage!

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Heart-shaped steak, a Nicolas Cage pillowcase, losing a Canucks game Grim Reaper

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 06:01:54 GMT

The Canucks played the Predators tonight at 7, and started off Sedin Week with a 6-2 WIN! Markus Naslund, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Trevor Linden, and Stan Smyl were all in the building for Sedin Week! Pavel Bure also had a message!

From Julie: Most girls on Valentine's Day want roses, chocolate, jewelry, and lingerie. Me, I just want a heart-shaped steak!

A Nicolas Cage pillowcase which I sent to Julie once: See you in my dreams!

From Reddit and r/canucks: When Canucks lose the game and people say, "Don't be negative - go out and enjoy life," I cosplay as the Grim Reaper with a scythe instead.

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

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 09:37:32 GMT

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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When you realize it wasn't a fart...

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:12:09 GMT

I got a wedding gift thank-you card (for my Cambridge Remi Frost cutlery set) from Alice and Christon in the mail a couple weeks ago. Guess I'll thank Christon later!

When you realize it wasn't a fart...

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

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 10:00:05 GMT

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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Mr. Noodles! / Penguin and snow socks! / Forty Fort and Ransom, Pennsylvania?!

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 04:35:38 GMT

Harmony and I cancelled Nephew Time because of the snowy weather warning today. COFFEE TIME after I went out briefly to London Drugs in the freezing weather and extremely light snow to get Mr. Noodles beef / chicken / spicy chicken packs! The Canucks played Winnipeg today at 5, and lost 4-0 including an empty-netter...

Julie M. was on vacation and saw this map at a Pennsylvania visitor centre: Forty Fort and Ransom, Pennsylvania?!

It's so cold here that my Ottogi Jin Ramen powder came out in one solid square...

Look what I found in my full sock drawer: this pair of socks with penguins and snowflakes that Julie M. gave me for Christmas 2014! Perfect for -7° and cold snowy days like today!

Mr. Noodles spicy chicken 5-pack!

Mr. Noodles chicken 5-pack!

Mr. Noodles beef 5-pack!

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What I got for Christmas 2019!

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 02:35:28 GMT

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

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 08:33:17 GMT

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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A giant sack of SHIT! / NewYearsPrep FlamHam! / 2019 LJ comments: RHYTHM!

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 17:13:39 GMT

From Julie M. and Amazon: A giant sack of shit contains realistic human and dog poops!

After Christmas, I am now NewYearsPrep FlamHam in Shiwa's Discord server!

My 2019 LJ comments: RHYTHM!

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Recreating the Nativity scene! / Cut and Shoot, Texas?! / True Thompson?!

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 03:50:17 GMT

COFFEE TIME! The Canucks played Vegas today at 5, and lost 6-3.

This is how to recreate the Nativity scene with Coke cans and Camel cigarettes when you're really broke!

From Pete: Cut and Shoot is the name of a Texas town?! What a great name!

Khloe Kardashian named her daughter TRUE?!

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Ram In The Bush Christian Center? Herpes Pizza? / Clete Landis? / Lesli Hubbard?

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 22:07:19 GMT

I discovered a certain copper smell and then surprise redrum, which I was trying to AVOID! UGH! RIGHT BEFORE MY TRIP!

From Julie and Anorak UK: Ram In The Bush Christian Center?! Herpes Pizza?!

From Julie: Clete Landis?! Like tennis cleats? They also need to change the font, since I thought his last name was Lanois at first. The D almost looks like an O!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Lesli Hubbard?! BAD SPELLING OF MY NAME, LESLIE!

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

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 08:45:00 GMT

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

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 04:24:49 GMT

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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Balls! Understanding! Piano! Magic tricks! / Getting older at Christmas!

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 09:54:13 GMT

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:15 (first refilling my yearly prescription at the pharmacy next door) on a 401 (JUST IN TIME) to help with the kids. I had to leave room for a suitcase and also remember to get to the house after 4:35 because of a water shutoff till 4. Lovely! I killed time at the Save-On nearby, and when Harmony said they were fine at 4:35, I said I'd be there soon, but made a necessary pit stop at Kwong Chow first. That meant I washed my hands twice within ten minutes, but whatever. The replacement black carry-on suitcase looked okay, and I later found out that ALL the zippers were fine and that it was way easier to handle and maneuver! When I got there just after 5, Beckett wanted to see me and say hi in his own way - so cute! Harmony said that Jon was doing his West Vancouver holiday gig, which is totally worth it, but means a little extra work on everyone else's part. Ayler wanted to know why, haha. My nephews are smart and curious kids!

Hiero wanted to show me his "enchanted airplane," Ayler wanted to show me some piano techniques and quiz me on piano (and quizzing me on math at dinner), and Beckett just wanted to show me all his balls and have this cute confused look when the balls wouldn't go through the holes in that wooden toy. He did go over to the far windowsill (almost obscured by the curtain) and play with the toy molecule rod and balls there while looking at the lights across the street. (and did it with the near window, too - spouting gibberish as usual) I found another emotion egg later and gave it to him. He wanted to go after the pom-pom on my Santa hat (Harmony thought that was funny), explore my bling shirt, and gently touched the keloid scar on my neck later out of curiosity. (I told him that this wasn't a "ball-ball") He climbed on top of Ayler, who didn't like that, and then climbed on top of Hiero, who was a bit more acquiescent. When he threw the balls around and pointed at them, I asked him if he wanted me to go get them. After a pause, he said "yeah," so I said okay. Hiero wasn't sure if he knows what that means, but he did say "wow" tonight for the first time!

Beckett also has discovered the apartment door, and sometimes crawls to it for whatever reason. I picked him up and got him out of there, of course. He wanted to sit on my lap and "read" the 100 Words baby book, which I of course let him do because he's much lighter than his brothers and my legs don't complain! I did have a toe cramp much later, but it was okay within a few minutes of agony. We had beef tendon and beef brisket with broad white noodles and vegetables for dinner - even with cereal, Beckett didn't eat much. Harmony crammed some Rice Krispies into his mouth later a few times when he was preoccupied with me and the toys, otherwise he'll be way too hungry tomorrow morning! She bought some stuff on the Black Friday sales, and I told the kids about the KFC 50% Bowls and Buckets deal yesterday when Harmony was gone temporarily. Hiero asked if I wanted to buy it - not after I heard the website was pretty broken! Ayler asked me what a website was, so I asked him if he remembers Kids Physio. His face brightened at that: YES! I told him that a lot of stores and businesses and people had websites on the Internet these days. He seemed to accept this explanation. I didn't mind if Harmony gave Beckett some shortbread at all.

I left at 7:30 and was thankfully able to catch the 3 Marine Drive bus earlier instead of later, and got home at 8:40 on a 407 in time to catch the last five minutes of the second period. The Canucks played Ottawa tonight at 7, and won 5-2 on the Alex Burrows Ring of Honor evening! Fantenberg and MacEwen got their first goals! I also managed to pack everything into that suitcase without anything breaking or being overstuffed... SUCCESS!

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: Cozy Christmas socks and a green PEANUTS water bottle!

Dinner tonight: beef tendon, veggies, and noodles!

From Julie: Christmas is so much harder when you get older. It's like, "What do you want this year?" I don't know... maybe a sense of purpose, some financial security, could use more sleep, a bottle of wine, and maybe some new bras. I had to use MS Paint to edit in an Oxford comma LIKE IT SHOULD BE!

The Famous Grouse whiskey shortbread!

Cozy Christmas socks for me, Steph, and Lisa! Pig coin purse for Steph! FUZZY SOCKS!

Western Family condensed cream of mushroom soup!

Green PEANUTS water bottle for me!

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

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 04:47:12 GMT

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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