Tatiana's Wanderings

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

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 03:15:24 GMT

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

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 05:24:06 GMT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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KINDERGARTEN COP 2018 / Smokey Mountain Spaghetti Meatballs / HOT SAUCES!

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 06:47:46 GMT

After I showered, I went out at 1:25 on a 407 with my Asian old lady shopping cart to do some banking and go grocery shopping. The sidewalk is closed by Brighouse Station because of the loop construction, and Shoppers and Price Smart both have lineups to get inside in the name of social distancing and limiting the number of people! I got Krinos Athena salt x3 for $3 at London Drugs, where they've shut down all cash registers (I think) and two of the infernal self-checkout machines. Then I had to navigate the sidewalk closure and answer a couple of basic travel-related questions at Royal Bank before I was allowed inside to use the far ATM. Even if I knew anyone who had been outside of Canada lately, it's not like I'm seeing them!

Then I went to Price Smart, where there was also a lineup to get inside. Bought NEW No Joke / Solar Flare / Blueberry Plague / Momento de Muerte hot sauces x4 from Pepper North Artisan Foods, GOOD TASTE dumplings x5 (pork and celery / pork and chive / beef and vegetable / cabbage and chicken / cabbage and pork), on-sale Western Family regular soy sauce (carefully opening it in the store first), Maggi Kari Letup noodles, NEW Ottogi Jin Ramen Odong Tong Myon noodles in Spicy Seafood Udon flavor, Doll shrimp wonton ramen noodles, NEW Miss Vickie's Signatures Black Truffle and Parmesan chips, original Western Family chili, and Allen's Malt Vinegar x2. Plastic bags are temporarily free, while you can't bring your reusable bag inside because they're trying to stop the spread of coronavirus. After that, I left because my shopping cart was getting too heavy. I paid my Shaw bill online after getting home at 4 on a 407 and wiping things down, then went out to Price Smart again at 6:30 on a 401 whose bus driver AGAIN didn't see my cart because of the sunlight.

The lineup wasn't too bad and it moved faster at 6:40, which is fine by me. I bought NEW AG Blue Label concentrated household bleach (3.6 litres!), Puritan Irish Stew for St. Patrick's Day 2021, on-sale NEW Goldfish Grahams x2 (Chocolate Brownie / Vanilla Cupcake), on-sale NEW Western Family HOT salsa x2 (which the jar opener DID work on!), NEW Oikos Hint of Banana lactose-free yogurt, Western Family prune nectar / prune juice, on-sale Charmin triple toilet paper, and NEW zinc Jamieson Vitamins x2. Of course I took advantage of the hand sanitizer at a checkout when I left the store, nodding at the masked security guard at the exit. Finally got home at 7:45 thanks to a slightly late 407, and now Paulo wants to get some of that hot sauce!

From Julie: KINDERGARTEN COP 1990 - Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. KINDERGARTEN COP 2018 - I've got no fucking clue.

( Hot sauce galore, Smokey Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs, AND MORE! )

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

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 10:40:43 GMT

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

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 01:44:09 GMT

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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2014 White Spot blackened cod risotto! / Knorr Creamy Bacon Carbonara Sidekicks!

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 02:12:51 GMT

Paulo has finally decided on a venue for his belated birthday celebration with the REAL Superfriends on Saturday: Brassneck Brewery at 2148 Main Street, a few blocks down from the nail place. At least it's reasonably transit-accessible! He said last night when I texted him, "it's a while - oh shit, hang on, hahaha," but I don't really do spontaneity a lot, and I know Steve probably doesn't!

This afternoon, I got my first "is this apartment Sport Chek?" phone call in a while. The lady's first clue should have been when I answered, "The fuck?" to her question about shoes that I couldn't understand. Hahaha! Phone is now safely OFF! My phone number is one digit off from the store's number...

The NBA has also just suspended its season due to a player testing positive for the coronavirus, as per TSN...

White Spot's blackened cod with spicy tomato prawn risotto, which I had in 2014!

Knorr Creamy Bacon Carbonara Sidekicks for dinner!

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In love, delicates, strawberry chiffon, Chinese mushrooms, insurance, pork blood

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 05:20:12 GMT

Hester's husband Ni interrupted me at 1:20 today to investigate my lamp fixture / light bulb cover note. "No safety concern" and "that's the one that came with the building?" and "I have to think"! AIYA! I also had to be an adult (again) since Auntie Vonnie texted me a couple days ago to say the building insurance had expired, so I let Dad know instead. After a bunch of texts, I finally had to go to TXL in person (at least I know where it is?) today and sign a form, telling Sheryl to just bill my dad's credit card instead since they have the number for that. I left at 2:10 on a 414.

Went to Kwong Chow for some Chinese mushroom / bok choy noodle soup afterwards since I'd only had a strawberry chiffon doughnut at Tim Horton's beforehand, figuring I had just enough time between 3 buses to do so. Then some literal children and their knapsacks blocked my view of the intersection so I couldn't see which bus was coming - I only JUST managed to get the Marine Drive station bus! FINALLY made plans with Frances via text for next Monday, the 17th, at the Oakridge White Spot. "I can pick exactly 6!" she said... dude, you're actively making plans with another person?!

At the station, I went to T&T and got Samyang noodles x3 (regular fire noodles / 2X Spicy noodles / black bean noodles), then went to London Drugs on a 401 since I'd just missed the 407. I got a NEW white Evercare delicates laundry bag WITH A ZIPPER (I opened another package in the store to see if it had a zipper) from Aisle 4, then almost lost it because some lady stepped on it in the lineup for the cash register. The Asian lady in front of me thought the cashier was also Asian (so did I), so spoke Cantonese to her as she bought 15 bottles of on-sale Sunkist Vitamin C and three Arm and Hammer toothpaste tubes.

Turns out the cashier is actually Indonesian and doesn't even know any Cantonese, although she attempted Mandarin. The lady gave me a thumbs-up after I told her that the clerk didn't know any Chinese! The lady BEHIND ME wanted to go ahead of me, but NO - I was AHEAD of her! Then she thought I was stealing from the store because I had a huge reusable bag - I told her off! I finally got home at 6:15 on a 407! ENOUGH OF BEING AN ADULT! I also used Paulo as a reminder service, and complained about things to Mike.

This poop emoji is useful if you're in love with the shit.

Strawberry Chiffon doughnut at Tim Horton's!

Chinese mushroom and vegetable noodle soup at Kwong Chow!

They have pork BLOOD congee here at Kwong Chow...

Evercare delicates laundry bag with a zipper for things that shouldn't go in the dryer, found in Aisle 4 of my nearest London Drugs! Much better for my slipper socks!

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Female lion-human hybrid, Mona Lisa coronavirus mask, ahi tuna, noodle stack

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 09:44:53 GMT

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 11:40 on a 414 to help with the kids, but first went to Dublin Crossing Pub. Noticed the Canada Line was slightly slower on the tracks, but that's fine since it snowed yesterday and had pretty much melted today. I had to go in early to help by staying with a sick Hiero at home while Jon and Beckett did school pickup. I had an ahi tuna bowl at Dublin Crossing and bought a mocha Starbucks / on-sale pomegranate Canada Dry ginger ale at Shoppers, which had a sign saying that the store was sold out of Asian face masks and hand sanitizer! Luckily, I built in extra time to wait for the 3 bus - thank goodness it wasn't late, but it did have an alarm delay and other things going on with the passengers... I FINALLY got to the house at 2:10! After some Jello and other food, Jon and Beckett left the house to go pick Ayler up from school. Hiero and I read some CHARLIE BROWN storybook, and I let him have a little bit of my ginger ale.

When everyone else got home, I switched from reading on the couch (and exposure to germs) to playing on the mat with Beckett. He had learned HELP, POO, AYA (for Ayler), MAGNET, OPEN, MONKEY, DRAGON, HELLO (to make the coin purses inside-out), and JOW for JELLO... and also picked up OKAY from me tonight. At 4, Ayler asked when I was leaving - gee, thanks! Jon let him know what people would think when he asked him that, and clarified to me that he was just curious about time. (of course!) Turns out Jon had a few music students; Beckett was interested in the silver things on Kayla's guitar (so tried re-tuning it) AND her green guitar pick on the black piano bench, thought everyone calling to come over was Jon's student Dean, and was generally curious. Later, we had bean soup and French onion soup with bread for dinner. Ayler asked about apostrophes, a gratitude list (the "big Jello" item was pretty funny!), what "philosophy" meant, and wondered who would win his eating competition.

Hiero seemed pretty out of it for sure, lying down on the couch when he wasn't fighting with Ayler. He wanted ANOTHER day off school tomorrow despite his snow day yesterday from his mom. I just talked to Beckett about the toy balls, tested whether he knew what things were, and didn't mind if he wanted to play with the "boh-boh" on my shirt OR socks. He showed me a stack of dry noodles and said "Noo-noo!" (his word for "noodles") For my own amusement, I asked him if he would eat them all. He said "okay" - not that he ever would or could right now! He still likes to look out the window to see some lights across the street, which is cute. Jon left and came back later to teach yet another student, and I finally left at 8, having probably just missed a 3 bus, and got home at 9:35 on a 407. Lots of people wearing Asian face masks today!

From Julie: A female lion-human hybrid!

Even the Mona Lisa is protecting herself from the coronavirus by using an Asian face mask!

Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl at Dublin Crossing pub: Sushi grade marinated ahi tuna, dynamite slaw, avocado, edamame, mango salsa, pickled onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds served on a bed of coconut jasmine rice and topped with crispy wontons!

Canada Dry pomegranate ginger ale!

French onion soup!

Bean soup with Play-Doh!

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

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 09:06:59 GMT

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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MOUSE / Tonkotsu noodles, Tomato Alfredo Sidekicks, tea noodles, Khris Middleton

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 05:58:20 GMT

I found a dead mouse after trying to take another snow photo by my window last night, so spent time frantically texting people like Barry / Deb / Paulo. No answer from Barry, Deb said I should call my manager (so I said that Hester is notoriously difficult about it being "my job" even though they provide glue traps), and Paulo was still at work. He did come by at 9:30 to help with the removal, using tissues before doing anything with rubber gloves, and I got him to just take it outside in the plastic bag in the cold weather. I thanked him when he left - we talked briefly about the server and the -6 / -12 weather, too.

Knorr Tomato Alfredo Sidekicks!

Tonkotsu! Shirakiku Goku-Uma ramen noodles with corn, peas, and black pepper!

Vedan tea noodles with corn, peas, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts!

From Sportsnet: Khris Middleton plays for the Milwaukee Bucks?! BAD SPELLING OF CHRIS!

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

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 06:17:57 GMT

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

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

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

Successfully exchanged the purple Wenger suitcase for a charcoal one!

( Underwear and more! )

Matin Durrani and Tushna Commissariat?!

Patrick Sieloff?!

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

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

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 09:22:23 GMT

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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Not keeping calm when hockey's on! / Bitchfield, England?! / Starring on SNAPPED

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 05:07:33 GMT

Today is National Sandwich Day! :D I had to change the clock an hour back - UGH! Shaw had a five-hour outage at Minoru Park - DOUBLE UGH! I survived by napping (had a dream that I couldn't get out of bed and the electricity was finicky), reading TRUTH TRIVIA AND THE PURSUIT OF FACTINESS (Bathroom Reader #32), texting Paulo / white Eric about Chinese Eric / Pothead Mike (no, I'm not thinking of losing touch if I switch communication modes!), and eating some Stagg Chili Southwest Chicken Style with jasmine rice.

From We Love Hockey: I can't keep calm when hockey's on!

Bitchfield, Lincolnshire, England?! That's where my ex was born!

From Janina: You're about one smartass comment away from being my co-star on an episode of SNAPPED.

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A silver dragon choker necklace! / Joann's Halloween Mystical Skeleton Dragon!

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 03:38:20 GMT

Today is Dictionary Day! After COFFEE TIME, I left at 1:10 in the rain to see Rishu at Touchstone and have hot chocolate while I talked about my mom and the transit drama. I'd finished up a few Hangouts messages to Mike before I left, having called the Translink Lost Property Office and getting no luck there. I guess red Compass Cards really are valuable since you don't have to top them up!

Then I called the BC Bus Pass Program since Barry can take a while to get back to me, and was put on hold for the next available representative. I HAD TO PEE SO BADLY, and DID! Also, I miraculously remembered my SIN. The guy said he'd put in a request for a replacement right away, and advised that it would be a $10 fee payable at my local bank once I got a letter in the mail. Well, I guess I'm not going too many places in the next two weeks! I did text white Eric, Paulo, and Kathy while I was out, too!

Once I finally got in my comfortable bubble of Richmond again, I saw a guy without any shoes or socks crossing the road to London Drugs. He was talking to himself, too. Come on now, control yourself in public! Then I got on the 401 (should have taken the 407) and came across that Down Syndrome lady on the bus. She thought her knitting bag deserved its own special seat on the rapidly-filling bus, so I said "EXCUSE ME" because she needed to move her fucking bag!

Then she took exception to what I said. "Next time, say excuse me, ma'am, can you please remove your bag?" I told her that she was not entitled to an extra seat and told her to fuck off. She also told a wheelchair user that she didn't care if the rain fell on him since she didn't care about him. What the fuck, "lady"?! I finally got home at 4, thank goodness!

From Julie M. and Wish: A silver dragon choker necklace!

From Julie: Joann's sells a Maker's Halloween Mystical Skeleton Dragon with Tail-Oil Slick!

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Daniel Milder, Andrew Fried, Bailee Smith, Krista Hiscock, and Jaiden Shields?!

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 03:16:45 GMT

Hayley posted a "wings meetup" in the Sober Server... WITH NO TIME, DATE, OR PLACE! Does she have an aversion to it, or is it because she's a millennial?! Nate thinks I seem bitter, but that's not the case. Even Term affirmed that one! I'm not going to go to a hangout without a time, date, or location! I need to plan my fucking day, not spend at least 90 minutes on transit and then another 90 minutes eating and visiting! (DEFINITELY not if it's in Burnaby!) Even my email about 12 Kings included a location, date, and an event that the date could be tied to, so people can look up the basketball ceremony / game as needed! Why are people so stupid?! I've also heard there might be another transit strike, like in 2001 - NO!

From STREET FOOD on Netflix: Daniel Milder?! Maybe it's pronounced "MILL-der," but I'll always read it as "mild-er."

From STREET FOOD on Netflix: Andrew Fried?! Yum, fried food!

From Quotes, Fun, and Sarcasm: Bailee Smith?! BAD SPELLING of Bailey!

Seen on Facebook: Krista Hiscock?!

From John's True Crime Group: Jaiden Shields?! BAD SPELLING of Jaden! Shelley is a mutual friend of ours...

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Phone photo dump! / Salmon, delays, and congee! / Pumpkin spice chicken wings?!

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 10:29:54 GMT

It's National Punctuation Day today... MY FAVORITE! After COFFEE TIME, I had to leave at 2 on a 401 and then a 410 (which I just got to on time, no thanks to idiots blocking my path on the sidewalk) for my appointment with Dr. Ruby before I helped with the kids. That was uncomfortable - I also saw a professional Audrey. Also, I had to buy more NEW Beehive Burst Peppermint lip balm at the Dollar Tree since there was no photo online that I could find, so I had to take my own photo. (I had ripped mine open last week before I figured this out...) I was there on time, but STILL had to wait 20 minutes to be seen! UGH! I should have gone to Dollar Tree before rather than after! Then I tried to speedwalk over to Lansdowne station a block and a half away, and just missed a Waterfront train thanks to these two slow ladies on the elevator going down.

When I got to Marine Drive station, I definitely needed a snack, so I went to Tim Horton's. Luckily, there was no lineup, so I got a non-sticky cheese tea biscuit and then got out of there to find that a wheelchair wanted to get on the 3 as well. Then a stroller wanted to get on - at least this one contained a fairly curious kid who growled and made various noises, unlike the other stroller who got on after that one left! After another delay caused by the driver stopping in the middle of the road for five minutes to check an alarm that was going off, I finally got to Mount Pleasant at about 4:20 when I could have been there at 4:05! Too many delays! Yeah, I used Term to complain to via text, haha.

Inside, Penny was just finishing up speech therapy while Beckett was failing at napping again. Almost right after Penny left, it was off to the park across the street because Harmony wanted to walk Beckett around the playground to see if he'd nap then. Spoiler alert: He did not. Ayler asked if I wanted to play tag or Manhunt - no, because I had run out of energy and was like a car which had run out of gas. Hiero asked why I walked how I did, so maybe Jon and Harmony should talk to him about it at some point. Once we got home again after more promises of consequences, I got to play with Beckett for a bit. He liked the baby pop-up toy because it made him laugh more than usual, wanted me to shake my head a lot because it was funny, liked PEEK-A-BOO as per Hiero, tried eating my DRAGON HOODIE strings again, and climbed on me a few times. (he did pull Hiero's hair, though!)

At the same time, Hiero was trying to show me his origami. Blowing up squares to make huge boxes, oh my! Later, I stayed close as Beckett crawled on the couch despite Ayler telling me not to let him do it. Well, you're doing and completing a HUGE connect-the-dots puzzle, so I'll do what I want while keeping Beckett safe in my own way, including trying to put on one of his missing socks. We had salmon, congee, Chinese chicken soup, meatballs with ketchup and barbecue sauce, some veggies, and ridiculous amounts of shredded pork. Then we talked about whether Jon had been shot today at the Downtown Eastside (he was fine and didn't have to lie on the floor as per Hiero's question), why people shoot at each other ("because some people think that the best way to resolve their problems is with guns" and "that's why we don't joke about guns"), my Cactus Club birthday dinner, Ayler seeing Brooke early this morning ("how do you know?"), Hiero doing flips and gymnastics in the elevator earlier and being injured, and how much everyone in the family could eat compared to each other.

After I washed dishes for a bit, I read to Hiero about Optimus Prime and the Decepticons, then listened to Ayler play a boogie on the piano before listening to him read a Level 2 story about polar bears. Sure I had to help him with some words, but that's normal. I left at 7:20, but couldn't get a 3 bus till 7:40 thanks to a couple of buses being out of service! I missed a Brighouse train by five minutes, and JUST managed to get a 407 at Brighouse, no thanks to people blocking my path where I was going to run to the front door of the bus. Do I really have to shove my way past other people all the time to get where I'm going in a timely fashion?! I got home at 8:35, checked my mail, and found Julie's birthday card plus random stuff - yay!

Random stuff: Nathan returning the OUTLANDER novel to me, six packs of Compliments Safeway brand spicy chicken instant noodles, and yet another pair of reading glasses. Good thing I didn't buy the Jergens lotion today because of all the walking I had to do, AND the utter weight of the 650-page paperback book!

From WINGS Restaurants and Pubs: Pumpkin spice chicken wings for fall 2019?! BLEH!

( Peppermint lip balm, birthday swag, Compliments instant noodles, a bunny, construction workers looking out for the baby rabbits, doughnut drawing at the hospital bus stop, Polestar planner )

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Richmond Centre Cactus Club, NO FLAKES, Cambridge Wesley Sand Flatware cutlery

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 04:20:46 GMT

After COFFEE TIME, Eric M. picked me up at 7 so we could go to the Richmond Centre Cactus Club. Yay for both Erics, Randal, and Jeremy! I assume Chinese Eric was texting white Eric while we were trying to find parking at the mall, so I texted him saying just that, then he suddenly appeared when we had finally parked. We had to wait 45 minutes to be seated, so we just chilled in the mall coffee shop area while talking about Randal's sales guy taking them all out for lunch at that Cactus Club a couple of weeks ago, my giving Chinese Eric the last bag of Chitato Indomie Mi Goreng chips, Randal and Jeremy giving me birthday cards, the BC Lions (so boring), and Nathan not being able to make it. (HE isn't a flake!)

Once we were seated, I ordered a jambalaya rice bowl and iced tea. Randal had steak and frites with some beer, Chinese Eric had flatbread, white Eric had some blackened Creole chicken, and Jeremy had some butternut squash ravioli with prawns. Chinese Eric had a nosebleed halfway through dinner, but he wasn't sure what it was at first. I even took the napkin and moved it closer to the candle to see if it was sauce or something else. At least I wouldn't have to deal with that if it happened to Jimmy anymore! Chinese Eric tilted his head back and not forward, contrary to white Eric's Googling. (I had to go in as Cactus Guest)

We talked about our food, how bubble tea ISN'T some new fad, Jon, Harmony, Ayler, Hiero, Beckett, their not having a microwave (so they're the healthiest kids that Randal knows), Randal not taking piano lessons for the right reasons (and practicing was getting tedious), the automatic blinds ("why is it so dark suddenly?"), Justin Trudeau's blackface scandal, real-life Twitch streams, raiding Area 51, the Toronto Raptors memorabilia (white Eric had the right hoodie!), a future sports hangout, Jeremy not texting at all, Hiero's view on kindergarten, the fire outside, and just hanging out. They convinced me to order a dessert since it was my birthday dinner, so I did - white chocolate cheesecake! Then I found some Area 51 Naruto runners from a different angle on Reddit, and had to show Jeremy - he laughed! Randal commented that my phone's camera flash was really bright - well, the restaurant was really dark at that point! White Eric drove me home at 10:30, and it had really started raining then.

Cambridge Wesley Sand Flatware cutlery!

Jambalaya rice bowl at the Cactus Club: Shrimp, chicken, chorizo sausage, vegetables, bacon, spicy tomato sauce, black bean salsa, and crème fraîche!

White chocolate cheesecake at the Cactus Club: Chocolate cookie crust, raspberry compote, hand-whipped cream!

Jeremy's order of butternut squash ravioli at the Cactus Club for my birthday 2019 dinner! Chef Rob Feenie's signature butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli, truffle butter, sautéed jumbo prawns, pine nuts, and crispy sage.

White Eric's order of Blackened Creole Chicken at the Cactus Club for my birthday 2019 dinner! Creole butter, Cajun spices, buttered mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus.

Randal's order of Steak Frites at the Cactus Club for my birthday 2019 dinner! Eight-ounce certified Angus beef sirloin, kale salad, horseradish cream, and sea salted fries.

Chinese Eric's order of Rob's Flatbread at the Cactus Club for my birthday 2019 dinner! Caramelized onions, grape tomatoes, feta, goat cheese, basil pesto, arugula, and balsamic glaze.

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Birthday Wishes in 2019!

Sat, 21 Sep 2019 04:16:42 GMT

Birthday Wishes in 2019!

THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.

Chargrilled Salmon and Seafood trio for my 2019 family birthday dinner: Wild Pacific Sockeye salmon topped with shrimp, scallops, and clams in a creamy rose sauce with arugula and Campari tomatoes. Served over jasmine rice with broccolini.

Captain Morgan spiced pumpkin milkshake for my 2019 family birthday dinner!

( Gift photos! )

Gmail Chat: Mike F. {1}

Email: Match, dentist office, Nathan T., Auntie Catherine I. {4}

Evite / (Facebook) Event RSVP: Eric M. x2, Billie E. x2, Eric H., Jeremy J., Darryl B., Nick LoveDrunkPunch, Paulo, Flaps, Randal C., Violet Hour, Luke, Deb L. / Dylan L., Kathy S. x2, Aaron C., Frances C., Lisa D., Benny N., Nathan T. {22}

LINE: Corey T. {1}

LJ: Matt A., Julie M. x2, Janet S. {4}

Facebook Wall Posts: Cathy B., Kitty B., Josh D., Alice P. x2, Ellen W., Kelli E. x2, Steph N., Shane T., Michelle S. x2, Andrew M., Alan P., Itamar R., Barb D. x2, Jim S., Talia E., Helen S., Leona K., Ellen C., Eve M., Jason H., Andrea W., Susan D.-C., Eric M., Andrew L., John P., Flora G., Rosenda M., Krista K., Daniel T. x2, Wade T., Ryan B. x2, Holly L. {38}

Facebook Chat / Messages: Mike B., Scott C., Jim S., Lisa D., Julie M., Vanessa H. {6}

Facebook Discussion Boards / Groups: Mary-Anne M. x2, Ivor S., Mona F., Wilf C. x2, Laurie E., Sam D.-W., Jolene J., Adam H. x3, Shavin A., Gayle P. x2, Stacey C., Carol F., Kevin J., Trish P., Kathy P., Vic F., Bill C., Joanna M., Bethany B., Karen P., Chiko T., Michael R., Luke F., Tina W., Kim J. {31}

Facebook Status / Photo Comments and Reactions: Julie M. x14, Cathy W. x8, Melia Y. x2, Deb. L., Zonia L. x3, Jim S. x2, Adam H., Sheryll T., Debbie S. x2, Vicky S. x2, Helen Y. x3, Virginia B., Holidays That Might Get Overlooked, Scott C., Michelle S., Pete C. x2, Robert B., Josh A., Teunis P., Barb D. x3, Orlando F., Shane T., Leona K., Jessica G., Steph N. {57}

Passed-On Messages: Damarys (via Mike) {1}

Discord: Shadownet x2 / Dynazide x2 / Nathaniel / Night_Edits / Toooo123 / FBG_Schwartz / WeNeedDaDrysdale / Lucky Anish / Hazeluff [Vancouver r/Canucks], rhinoballerina x2 / bats_are_cute / whiskey_sparkle [TrollX Support Love], DanGod x2 / Glaciier x2 / Mei x2 / Lyra / Merciless Gator / FlanKitteh / Kytten [Server of Thunder], Cuya x2 / Flynne x2 / Historybuff1117 x2 / Atheistman / Seele 2 Audio Only / Hansi / midoriskyz [Easytown], PureKaos / OnlyHopeRemains [Life Chat], Erik C. x2 / Aimsworth [DaveTheUsher], EvaDNG [Kramerica], Kalvinis / Touma Touma / Shiwa [Arise Realm], Creature_Of_Tea [PM], Clusa / Playinful / Arcine / Foygoox / Glaxion [Dragon Quest], Steve / Flaps / Jimbo [Chill Superfriends], Mikey / AlbinoMouse / Tyler / Eevee / Jimbo / Brian / Nick / Crows [V4F], Ceriam / PrettzL / Hyrule Hero / Corinne [Ceri_Realm], Hidden One / RedWeird / Harry / Goldberg / Karen Bro Michael / Alien / Krayven [Weirdo Manor], Kiran / Haley / SJ / Violet Hour / VioletNym / Jimbo [Sober Vancouver], ClassyBeard / Ange / smolbun / Lurus [ClassyCast], TheArcy / LuckyToken / TheRPGChick / Tsukiya / Rom_Stein / Highspirits / Kuja_ / Pesmerga / Dawnventure [Highspirits], Don Cherry's Suits / Black and Gold Hero / mbx / cheez wes / Aaron94 [r/hockey], ArmTheSharks / Boucher / CLASSIC_DISCORD [Scotiabank Arena], SirBillip [Earthbound Speedruns], Turtal / Eriphram / Ultimoice [Moonside] {102}

Twitch Streams: Kramer, YoungMerlin1 {2}

Youtube: Obsolete Oddity x2, AM PM, K, Lollie B, Deborah Danhauer, Libby Sanders, DEADBUG says x3, ARMY Bitch, Johanna Thompson, Faro Bass, Hillbilly Scholar x2, Michelle Godoy, Betty James, Lisa 86, Damarys, Mrs. EliteNugz, Candace P. PlusSizeShop, Logan Malough, Tracie Haygood, Wayne Pollard, Becca Lyn, Queen D, Banoffee, Goran Sipka, strale gaming, Jinn Malik, Dwae Rocks, Lorraine Arcand, Cold Jolteon, Tony Lee, Irish Temper, Thunder Glitch, Patrick Brookings, Elvira Miller, Lancer, Craig Bain, Teresa Howick, Beruška Vozábová, Ingrid Kastner, blackjackbahamas, Nicole Poe, Ann J.T. Farrington, La Doña Mariposa Vigilis, Scritti {48}

Not Always Right: Deadpool {1}

Reddit: Fosse22, SouthernMS, GhostieItsOhG, SocialFormality, JessicaRae28382, CheetahKeeper, NDesplas, RewardOffered, MyOwnPrivateUniverse, S_Jeru, CableLayer1, SirCleanPants, DibbiLuncan, Jess, MahilaMahi, SpiritNaga, JustAPersonnn, TheSaltyB, GreenFuckFrog, SoulEatingBastard, NYRKid, DrAgus_ {24}

Other Rewards Stuff: Boston Pizza free dessert (Chocolate Explosion Cheesecake!), London Drugs Extras $5 gift voucher {2}

In Person: Rishu S., Mom, Dad, Jon N., Harmony H., Ayler N., Hiero N., Beckett N., Eric M., Eric H., Jeremy J., Randal C., Dylan L., Deb L., Chrystal C., Auntie Catherine I., Kathy S., Aaron C. {17}

Cards / Presents: Uncle John's Truth, Trivia, and the Pursuit of Factiness Bathroom Reader / Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Beyond The Bizarre 16th Annual (me), Chargrilled Salmon and Seafood Trio / Captain Morgan spiced pumpkin milkshake at White Spot (family), jambalaya rice bowl / iced tea / white chocolate cheesecake (Eric M. / Eric H. / Jeremy / Randal), birthday card (Randal), birthday card (Jeremy), a cupcake birthday card / Mario / woodland creatures stickers / Domo / a rainbow cloud sticker / butterfly stickers / two Minions / Homer Simpson / Easter Jesus stickers (Julie), Benkei Ramen dinner (Chrystal), dinner at Han OK (Deb and Dylan - seafood pancake, spicy seafood tofu soup, Asahi beer, rice, tea, eggs, cheese, corn, kimchi, spicy pork, and bulgogi hot pot) plus a box of assorted Lindt chocolates, dinner (Kathy and Aaron) {17}

* Mom and Dad's presents: Tostitos Rounds chips given to Chinese Eric instead, No Name beef cup noodles, a birthday card with a cat coaster which is now between the fridge and my kitchen counter, Colgate 360 toothbrushes x2, Colgate Winterfresh Cavity Protection toothpaste, Colgate Cool Mint MaxFresh toothpaste, Burt's Bees ginger-lime lip balm, a tiny 30 mL Purell hand sanitizer, Simple Skincare cleansing wipes, and a new White Cross Scrubs pale blue scrub jacket. {12}

Phone Calls / Skype: Dylan L. Deb L., Declan L. {3}

22.6% of my Facebook friends... 95 of 421! (3 more wishes, 0 fewer people) [87 of 421]

GRAND TOTAL: 390

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Congress Lepou and Bread of Life Faiupu?! / A crocodile, a buffalo, and a bra?!

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 04:01:52 GMT

Today's date is ALSO a palindrome: 9/11/19! At 2:05, I called Chrystal at work to ask where she'd gone on her cruise since I'd forgotten to ask last time: Copenhagen as a starting point sounds nice! Then just in case, I invited her to the Cactus Club dinner on the 21st, but I know she might still get lost, so instead we made plans for Friday the 27th at the Broadway London Drugs.

I showered today after seeing Rishu at Touchstone at 4:30 and going to RPM for dinner at Captain Wa. Surprisingly, Nick is in for the Cactus Club dinner - I'm glad that both Erics, Jeremy (NOT Jman, Term!), Darryl, Paulo, and Flaps are in, too! Got home at 7:20 on a 407; phew! Found out that some random person had sent me an abusive PM - it's not MY fault you broke the DRAGON group rules and posted some sob story about your sister! I did talk to an admin as well, so HA! I'm glad she's out of the group now, and that another member agreed with me that it was annoying!

Dinner from Captain Wa: "Spicy" cod, fried noodles, mushrooms, beef, cabbage, zucchini, plus bonus broccoli and a bonus chicken leg!

Congress Lepou and Bread of Life Faiupu?!

My ex-friend Chris W. sent this to me on May 25, 2014: The crocodile and buffalo turn to a bra and ask it to judge if the crocodile should be allowed to eat the buffalo. The bra, naturally, can't answer because it can't speak. This is in an Indonesian show for kids, by the way.

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Sunset BEACH barbecue, strange messages, Vancouver chart, thinking before I act

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 07:11:18 GMT

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I left at 1:05 on a 407 for a sober BBQ, bringing along my Ziploc bag of utensils and a couple bags of regular chips. I also stopped by Shoppers at Richmond Centre to buy 100 No Name garbage bags for almost $20 because the Western Family ones under my sink were getting nasty! I shouldn't store anything under there now! YES, I wiped that area!

Good thing I had Luke's number because I thought it was at Sunset PARK (much closer!) instead of Sunset BEACH all the way downtown! ("Why go all the way down there?!" was what I texted Luke at the community centre... he laughed and later said that he liked me and my honesty) I texted Eric Ho and messaged Corey and Mike out of frustration as well, but eventually managed to make it there at about 4 by taking the 49 UBC to Langara Station, then to Yaletown-Roundhouse, then the 23 Beach shuttle bus across the street to Pacific / Jervis (right after Bute), where Luke eventually met me after I accidentally texted him from the bike path. Oops! I stepped off the path after that.

I met a few people like Luke (who's the real MVP), TJ, Anant, Cami, and Faith / Violet. YES, VIOLET AND I ARE THE SAME HEIGHT! We discussed bearded dragons, geckos, hiking, hummus, baby carrots, Beyond Meat sausages, Veggie Crisps chips, BBQ sauce, ketchup, future hangouts, canoeing, renting problems, work, cannabis, my Miss Vickie's "fancy" Signatures Hickory Salted chips AND Ziploc bag full of utensils (Faith thought I'd just meant a fork or something!), Josephine, Tony and Michelle NOT being mods anymore (thank CHRIST!), and other things. We left at 6, and I determined that Term wasn't going home, but to the airport instead to pick up his brother. Going uphill with all my bulky heavy crap was JUST about doable... Finally got home at 7:10 thanks to the 407 cooperating and being later at Brighouse than the posted schedule, and I definitely had to have some whiskey!

Edit: I found out that Paul texted me at 7:45 to thank me for something, so I was wondering what was up with that. Turns out he wanted to thank me for today's beach hangout, which I was not involved in organizing at ALL. Strange... no wonder he needs his own space!

At Sunset Beach with some new friends! Luke (beside me) is the real MVP!

No Name quick-tie garbage bags, 100 to a box! Hey, it was an EMERGENCY and I was lugging a bunch of crap to Sunset Beach anyway... NOT TO BE STORED UNDERNEATH THE SINK!

No Name drawstring garbage bags... 60 to a box!

From Reddit: What Vancouverites say, what they mean, and what others understand!

This grey T-shirt is from Julie M. and Wish: I was taught to think before I act, so if I smack the shit out of you, rest assured I've thought about it and I am confident in my decision.

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Pumpkin spice SPAM, Dublin Crossing pub, finally meeting Nate, Ian, and Laura!

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 06:33:19 GMT

After COFFEE TIME, Corey got back to me on Discord and confirmed that yes, he did use Line to talk to people in Taiwan. I eventually managed to install the app successfully on both my phone and computer - PHEW! I also talked to Nate and Darryl, which went well. Later, I left at 4:30 to get to Dublin Crossing at Marine Drive Station. Turns out I was there early, but fought with the wi-fi connection when it seemed to be fine on Monday. Oh well... I went in the pub after texting back and forth with Ian, and got our table all nice and ready. There, the connection seemed more steady about 90% of the time. Phew.

I FINALLY GOT TO MEET NATE! IT WAS AWESOME! We talked about Paulo and what he's doing, Steve, Darryl and how he's fine with us and LOVES the big server drama now that he's out of there, his thanking me for not being like Holly (I let them talk about whatever), Stefan and his girlfriend, how things like money and a relationship do not magically fix your problems, his girlfriend, Paris, the Asian red-face gene, Havarti, Ontario, hydro, therapy, and what certain people needed to hear. I also talked to Laura, Matt, Ian, Sarah, Megan, and some others. I JUST MISSED THE BRIGHOUSE TRAIN because the elevator took too long to come down from the train platform! JESUS CHRIST! At least it was a nice evening and I FINALLY got home at 9:55, just in time for the daily holidays!

From Cuya's Discord server: Pumpkin Spice Spam, just in time for fall 2019!

Guinness time at Dublin Crossing!

Irish Stew with soda bread! Braised New Zealand lamb shoulder, root vegetables, russets, barley, green peas, and house-made potato dumplings in a rich beef broth. Served with our house-made warm cheddar caraway soda bread.

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Dahvie Vanity?! / Lance Bouma?! / Jay Beagle?! / Tyler Bozak?! HOCKEY AND MUSIC!

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 06:45:53 GMT

Just in time for a daily update! Before Paulo came over to pick up his stuff four minutes ago, I took a shower today. I gave Paulo his All-Bran Buds portion in a Rubbermaid microwaveable container (plus the packaging for that), one pack of Kwangchun Healthful roasted seaweed, some Mala Samyang noodles, regular Samyang Fire noodles, MyKuali spicy prawn Penang noodles, MyKuali spicy white curry Penang noodles, MyKuali Red Tom Yum Goong noodles, Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu ramen noodles, Vedan Bah Kut tea noodles, Vedan mushroom and artificial cuttlefish noodles, Vedan spicy Korean kimchi noodles, Vedan spicy mushroom noodles, Samyang Carbo Cheese noodles, Samyang Spicy Cheese noodles, and Paldo Korean Bul Jjamppong noodles - all in the LOQI reusable bag with cats on it that Jon and Harmony gave me for Christmas last year. I have tested it out; it's just not as roomy as the ones from London Drugs!

He was pretty excited, dancing around like a little kid! Yes, we both forgot about opening the Winter Creek oyster jar until he'd left, but I was luckily able to grab him before he had exited the building! He apologized for the lateness of the intrusion, but it's fine. LUCKILY, it was BEFORE midnight and I wasn't talking to Mike at the time. He also thought some MOTHER 3 music was some water boiling - if it sounds like THAT, then you got problems! It's the high notes of the jukebox!

MOTHER 3: Parking Area: Dur-T Café Extended!

From Reddit and r/TrueCrimeDiscussion: Dahvie Vanity?!

Lance Bouma?!

Jay Beagle?!

Tyler Bozak?! Vaguely sounds like BALLSACK...

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