Tatiana's Wanderings

I discovered REDRUM this morning, but still took a shower to help me feel better. After COFFEE TIME, I discovered a TOILET PLUMBING PROBLEM: IT WOULDN'T FLUSH PROPERLY! I left a note with Hester to cover my ass AND called her about it, but then I had to leave since I had no time to play phone tag! I went out at 2:55 on a 407 to help with the kids. Even after being at Marine Drive to see a 3 Downtown pull up to the stop, I wasn't even at Jon's any earlier than I was last week! Thanks, strollers and walkers which got on AND off before I left the bus at 16th! /sarcasm Yes, of course they're obviously entitled to use the bus (as are wheelchairs) - I was just glad I left a few minutes earlier than I did last week.

Beckett was sleeping when I got there; Ayler and Hiero were playing that Emoji Memory card game that I bought, so I got an answer to the question I asked Jon about what they do when the baby is supposed to be sleeping. Otherwise, I'd have asked the kids myself. Hiero tried making up his own rules: "No touching cards that other people have touched!" (which is totally nonsense for a MEMORY CARD game) and how you can shoot people who are already dead. I said those weren't fair! (they won the game and I lost - whatever) Ayler was sick because of some heatstroke at the Langley berry farm yesterday. We had a dinner of various things: macaroni and cheese, ribs, pizza, cold noodles, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and more. Discussed power-washing balconies, Hiero spilling almond milk on the floor and my black Secret socks (I had fun telling them that I can make up my own rules too, like I can pause dinner to put on their dad's holey socks and wash my hands), some salad Mom gave them which expires today (I didn't want it to take home - so Harma tossed it), and how we shouldn't shoot people at the dinner table.

Beckett ate a bit of stuff, but was pretty much done fairly soon into his "meal." I had fun hanging out with him afterwards, though, even if he threw balls all over the place. He has new colorful soft ones, which are probably better for the downstairs neighbors complaining about everything. He seemed to like the new penguin, at least. I let him climb on me because it's cute, but watched to make sure he didn't fall off the couch or anything. The balcony is effectively closed off to him because of a rather interesting arrangement of chairs and other things. PHEW! I think he had fun chewing on his Christmas board books, too.

I left at 8 after doing some STAR WARS STORMTROOPERS summer reading with the kids, after Hiero had to go to a separate room because he was hugging a whimpering Beckett, and after I had grabbed Beckett before he got to the kids' jigsaw puzzle / after he invaded the washroom while Hiero was in the shower. I sent Mike a quick message ("thanks for the great fish head idea, Uncle Mike - says Nephew") using the Save-On wi-fi at the bus stop - thank goodness I didn't just miss the 3 Marine Drive bus! The bus driver didn't create a delay this time, but instead it was an old guy who was slow in even using his wheelchair to get on AND off the bus! Yup, he is totally entitled to use the buses (and it could be me one day), but be reasonably fast about it - come on now, other people have connections to make!

At the station, I quickly went to T&T to look for (and get) some quirky Lays chips for Rachel - Numb and Spicy Hot Pot, Wasabi, and Kimchi! I should get the Deep-Ridged ones next time: Spicy Chicken and Pork! Thank goodness I managed to get the Brighouse train home within two minutes of getting to the train area, and I FINALLY got home at 9! Thanks to the delays, I was able to text both Paulo and both Erics in detail. The toilet STILL wasn't fixed, so I had to consult V4F and then use buckets for filling up the tank. Sigh... I guess I'll have to call Hester tomorrow morning. No melatonin tonight...


From Youtube: Betty Gray and Reeda Roundy?! BAD SPELLING OF RITA! Come on, people!

After COFFEE TIME, I will go out at 2 on a 414 to see Rachel at the Caring Place. Should be okay for our last month!


From Julie: Callie is fine, but Camdyn and Cayson?! BAD SPELLING OF CAMDEN!




From Julie: This guy is named Catlan?! Reminds me of Catalan...




From READER'S DIGEST: Molei Wright?! BAD SPELLING OF MOLLY! Reminds me of moles...




From Reddit: DeOrr Kunz, JUNIOR?!

I called Chrystal at work at 1:10 yesterday to remind her about last night, being honest about how July 12 (next Thursday) was actually just a consultation and not an actual surgery. "SHE BAMBOOZLED ME! NO!" Hahaha! While power-walking through the building and down the stairs, I saw Mr. Creep on his way up the stairs! UGH! I just managed to get to the C94 bus stop from Brighouse library before the shuttle bus got there! Then I had to wait ten minutes for the next Canada Line train at Brighouse, but managed to see Chrystal at the Broadway London Drugs. We went to Chipotle and talked about baby Beckett (my newest nephew!), my upcoming cataract consultation on Burrard, Emily's new baby Benjamin (Chrystal's newest nephew!), my therapy, my messy steak burrito in a bowl, my walking in on someone in the public washroom because SHE forgot to lock the door, my computer upgrade, her parents sharing a smartphone, my parents being millennial phone zombies in senior citizens' bodies, smartphones, the rain then, and more.

After that, she went to No Frills to meet her dad while I went back to London Drugs to look for gum tubs. I couldn't find them on my own, so had to ask the employees for help. The Dentyne gum was on $2.99 sale this week, so I grabbed a Dentyne Ice Avalanche 60-piece tub, hoping that THIS one wouldn't be soft. (I tested it later at the Canada Line station, and it thankfully was FINE! I lost the Excel gum lottery TWICE IN A ROW!) I also got an on-sale bag of Brookside blackberry and honey chocolates as a thank-you for Eric today if his fix worked. If it didn't, the chocolate was still in my preferred form of bites instead of tablets! Haha! I got home at 9:55 in the pouring rain because I had JUST missed the 401 / 407 buses at Brighouse, forcing me to wait an additional half an hour. After writing some notes to myself, I went to bed at 11.

I got up at 6 AM, decided to get some more rest, and got up for good at 10:45. Then I noticed that Eric had called at 10:25, so I called him back. He'd been out and wanted to see if he could fix my monitor, but he guessed he could go out again. In the 15 minutes available to me, I brushed my teeth / washed my face / took my multivitamin / took my Kraft Dinner White Cheddar macaroni and cheese plus Brookside chocolates out for Macaroni Day and Chocolate Day today / took Eric's Brookside Chocolates out / tidied up my computer desk area. Eric arrived at 11 with an extra BENQ monitor that used to be his dad Ron's, and was able to plug in my current monitor while cleaning it with Windex!

He looked up Electronics Return-It centres, and found that the Blundell one should be open on Saturdays, so took out my two old hard drives and old monitor, and accepted my chocolate as a thank-you while never guessing the CREEP that I saw at the library yesterday. Eric did say that he thought it was the circuits or something from the monitor itself. After a while, I went to Brighouse library on the C94 at 3:20 in order to hopefully get the Facebook status tagging backlog done using their IP address. IT WORKED BEFORE CLOSING TIME AT 5! I was in time for the 4:45 C94 on the way back to Brighouse Station, and was finally home at 5 on a 407.


Edit at 7:30! I finally got Mom on the phone to see if they had a floor lamp while I remembered BEFORE lunch on Monday. She said "of course," and at least clarified what I meant. Yes, one that is on the living room floor, NOT one for the bedroom! (which I wouldn't even call a floor lamp, but anyway...) At least now I can be picked up at 11:30 in the courtyard instead of having to leave 45 minutes early because of bus schedules! She said stuff about a used vacuum cleaner which still works for $10 at the thrift shop, a toaster, my pre-surgery consultation (which I told her FOUR TIMES that I had rescheduled for July 26 - their moving date), Auntie Wing Yee and Uncle Joe moving in with Holly / Peter / Evander / Everett in Steveston, Jon and Harmony maybe needing help on Thursday because the lards will get their Burnaby keys then, and eye care.


Chipotle steak burrito!




60-piece Dentyne Ice Avalanche gum!




From Julie: Travers Mackel?! Reminds me of Kim Traverse from elementary school...

Jon sent me a Facebook message at 9:40 about possibly helping with the kids on Monday afternoon, and mentioned that he'd let Harmony arrange Wednesday with me. Sure, why not? That reminded me to call Barry AGAIN at 11:45 to see if I could change our appointment time since that's also on Wednesday. This time, I left a message! He called me back shortly after, saying that he'd been going to call me because he also wanted to change the appointment time since he'll be in Vancouver for longer than he thought. YAY FOR GOOD TIMING! Thursday afternoon at 12:30 works for me!


From Not Always Right: Kai Drawwater?! Draw Water?! Now I want fish and chips, too...




From Not Always Right: Katrin Schirmir?! The last name is rhymy, and the first name looks incomplete. It should really be Katrina! She also claims to be an introvert (but uses it in the "social anxiety" way), claims to be part of the LGBT spectrum (yet is married to a man), and always repeats people's jokes back to them when she isn't commenting 20 times on one story alone...




From Not Always Working: Kristen Parlee? Parlee as in "parley" spelled correctly, as in TALKING?!




From Not Always Working: Keera Ann Fox?!




From Not Always Working: Keesha Turner?! I bet she's black...