Tatiana's Wanderings

From Julie: "One-Bedroom Condo in Toronto located next to the lake, $2200." It's a sponge in a bed-shaped sponge holder with some green apple Dawn dish detergent at the kitchen sink!




From Julie: A holographic fanny and poop slippers?! Oh my...

After I had it out with Kate because of her offensive fruitcake denseness (she did NOT apologize properly for calling me a LEAF!), Ayler called me at 4:50 (with Jon sending me a Facebook message just before - which I didn't read till later), to ask what I did today, so I said I had watched a bunch of videos. He parroted, "don't watch too many videos a day" - little does he know that this is what EVERYONE is doing during this time! I can deal with HIS talking about the same thing and I don't mind if he says wrong stuff because I expect less out of him since he's a child. He struggled to remember what they had for lunch - but came up with PIZZA! Yup, I miss pizza! Ayler says he isn't a reading master yet, but does do quizzes because they want to test him. He has 4000 stars, but wants to have 8000 on his reading program - GOALS!

I was on speaker phone, so I heard plenty of Harmony getting Hiero to understand whatever he was reading. Beckett said "Auntie" and pressed a button that left me listening to nothing for about a minute. He obviously understands that I'm not there and certainly recognizes my voice. When Ayler got back on the line, he explained what happened and wondered if I cared about it. I said it didn't matter and I wasn't mad at all. Jon told him to ask me when the last time was that I'd taken a shower - WHATEVER! I looked up the world record for someone not taking a shower: Ah, some Iranian who hasn't taken one for SIXTY YEARS! We set up the next talk time for Saturday afternoon when Jon's done teaching. I guess he teaches at home, so I don't know how that works out - they do need the money, of course. Ayler let me go at 5:05 so he could build a new train track - that's fine! I also didn't know Darryl was autistic, but he seems to cope well, and HE'S my friend so it doesn't matter!


LOL tombstone?!

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

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

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

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


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




[( Smoking Backyard Barbecue! )

I called Ayler at 4:15 or so since I noticed he called me earlier. He picked up within ten seconds because he "didn't want to have it ring even though we were playing with trains." He also told me that he and Hiero have "birthday parties" for their stuffed animals every morning - which I knew about - and send the bad ones to "hell" while singing "the Ha-Ha song," which makes fun of the fact that they're now alone. They went out on scooters today, might have burritos for dinner later, and told me a lot about their toy train tracks setup. XL / A / B / C / D, behind the couch, under the couch, and over the mat too! Sounds pretty interesting. I told Ayler to just listen to his parents and the news for coronavirus updates.

Ayler wanted to know what I did today, what I might have for dinner, and whether I'd remember what I ate when we set up the next phone call for Tuesday afternoon sometime. Probably I will - Saturday is Dumpling Night now and for the foreseeable future! We talked about his puzzles, soap, Hiero not wanting to talk to me today, Beckett saying "hello" (any other word apparently means he doesn't want to talk on the phone) and "Auntie," Ayler's "connections" making sure we talked on the phone for at least 35 minutes, and how he doesn't call me every day because he's not sure if I will pick up or not. We did set up the next talk time for Tuesday afternoon sometime. I even briefly talked to Harmony, who had to go because Beckett was crying since Hiero took away his blanket again.


A red fire-breathing dragon 5D Diamond Painting!




From Julie M. and Etsy: Kiefer the lifesize green forest dragon!




Easily Distracted By Dragons!

I called Ayler briefly at 6:30 after Jon said at 6 that they were still eating dinner. Jon said that it was Phone Call Overdose at their place - from what Ayler describes about his phone list, that's probably very true about overload! Ayler asked what I did for the 7 PM cheer for the doctors and nurses; did I poke my head out of the balcony window and yell? I said I did. I asked what HE did for the cheer, which led to a bunch of drumming on a metal object on the other end and Hiero explaining it. That definitely would create some noise and be appropriate! I said that fire engines, police cars, and ambulances showed up right outside my window for the 7 PM cheer. He asked about the world's oldest woman right now - 117 years old - and wondered where I got my Guinness World Records books from. The bookstore, but I was looking these things up online as he asked about them.

I told him that I'd gone for a walk at Minoru Park, then heard nothing, so I hung up. He called back to say that he'd pushed the MUTE button by accident instead of the VOLUME button. "You're lucky I called you back... before you got busy!" Gee, thanks! Totally understandable, and I said I understood it was an accident - not a big deal at ALL! (he needs that) He said he and Hiero were working on a 500-piece puzzle, which he might have told me before, but sometimes he forgets things. Of course I also said THAT was okay because I do the same thing! I told him that I'm glad he's my nephew, too.

Hiero was busy preparing his drumming and Beckett was busy just carrying his blanket around. Sounds normal to me! "Any other ideas about our day before anything? I can't talk to your family because you live by yourself." He wants to talk again in "a few" days, meaning Sunday or Monday. Fine by me! People who complain about loud noises should know that it'll start around 7 EVERY EVENING, and prepare themselves or their pets accordingly BEFOREHAND! It only lasts for about two to five minutes TOPS! Unless you have a baby who JUST got to sleep, then you don't get to complain!


Virgin tombstone?!

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!

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! )