Tatiana's Wanderings

I went out with a Miniso face mask at 12:30 on a 407. Went to Lansdowne T and T with my Asian old lady shopping cart to see if I could get a box of 50 face masks for $31. After lining up for 20 minutes because the line snaked around the market area of Lansdowne Mall, I FINALLY got inside with a temperature scanner check (which was fine) and managed to get a box from Customer Service. Since I was there anyway, I checked out the noodle aisle. I got Samyang Buldak Topokki noodles x2 and NEW Samyang Buldak Corn noodles x2 / Samyang Buldak Kimchi chicken terrorist noodles x2. My cart was already plenty full and bulky by the time I left at 1, but I decided to walk to Price Smart anyway, where the lineup moves MUCH FASTER! I got Fanny Bay oysters (May 5), Snack Pack vanilla pudding (May 22), plus NEW Snack Pack DRAGON TREASURE and UNICORN MAGIC puddings. Decided to get a NEW on-sale Aero Gold chocolate bar, a NEW on-sale Kit-Kat Gold chocolate bar, NEW Crave microwaveable meals (Bacon and Egg Scramble with Cheddar Cheese, and Chorizo Egg Scramble with Goat Cheese), and NEW limited-edition Tiramisu Oreos.

After that, I went home at 2:45 on a 407 to rest for a bit before going to London Drugs at 6:30. Planters BBQ peanuts (May 16), Pure Standards Products hydrogen peroxide, Arm and Hammer baking soda, on-sale organic Classico tomato garlic pasta sauce for the same $4 price as regular (sale ends May 27), a small Reese's Pieces (May 18), NEW Orange Vanilla Coke (May 8), NEW LaRose hand sanitizer for the same $4 price as regular, Tao Kae Noi wasabi seaweed snacks, Fudge Swirl Lindt truffles for tomorrow (May 2), and Aroy-D green curry for my Uncle Ben's jasmine rice. Got home at 7:25, which is fine by me.


Mamee chicken noodles with corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green peas for lunch!




( Planning ahead, oh my! )

Ayler called me at 3 to talk about Beckett going around with a blanket on his head (the same one that Hiero pulled off - and then Hiero was upset for five minutes), playing a six-page version of PACHELBEL'S CANON which took seven minutes to complete, knowing a couple of six-syllable words ("onomatopoeia" and "responsibility"), his doing online school tomorrow, Beckett's boh-boh and eggs, talking to his list of people (Uncle Joe / Auntie Wing Yee / Eric / Randal / Jeremy), his liking to talk (I can tell!), and their lunch of tuna melts. He said he goes outside and likes to play tag if he can, but plays CONNECT FOUR inside, and also reads books and keeps Beckett safe when he can. I told him that his pieces were nice (except for Hiero / Beckett crying - which he said "sorry" for later), and thanked him for playing... also when he played the Willowbrook Waltz.

He gave me his grandparents' phone numbers, said that he had reached me first before I called them, and described a magic trick he could do in person. I heard Beckett say "Auntie," so I told HIM that as soon as I can, I will go over there so we can hang out. Ayler asked how old the oldest man was, since the oldest woman ever was 122 years old. I looked it up: 116 years old ever, and a man was JUST awarded a Guinness World Record for being 112 years old. Ayler asked whether Jeanne Calment had been in good health - well, she did smoke a lot (being in France) and ate tons of chocolate, but other than that, I guess so. Ayler told me that he liked being creative and writing stories - awesome! I should tell him about my "goat royalty" stories as a kid around his age, haha.

He asked me whether I had allergies because of the cherry blossoms and spring; I told him that I did not, but I was apparently very lucky. Harmony had told him that I was born prematurely - I am a dragon like he is, which is why I gave him the red-and-yellow stuffed dragon that Beckett has in his crib now. Hiero is a Snake, and Beckett is a Dog. I told him that learning was a good thing, while he wondered if my clock did minutes and seconds - apparently, he tells Jeremy what time it is and counts it up!

He asked me whether I knew that his dad's "special sleep window" was 11:30 PM to 3 AM, since that's when Jon can sleep best. Haha, no! I do not currently have trouble sleeping, so that's good. He ended the call at 4:05 or so, during which I could hear Jon in the background, so he was home then. We can talk next on Wednesday after his online school and everything else - no, I'm not likely to be available before then at 8:45 AM! He told me, "I'm glad you're alive because then I can talk to you, and you can take care of us. If you die, my dad will be the oldest, right?" HAHAHAHA!


Nacho tombstone?!

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!

Today is Hot and Spicy Food Day! After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:30 on a 401 to help with the kids. Just before I was going to leave, the handyman came by and agreed with my assessment that the toilet float needed to be replaced, thank goodness! That left me with little time to catch the bus, but I JUST managed to. Then I was STILL left with time to kill at Marine Drive, so I went to T and T to buy NEW Sautao hot and sour soup vermicelli noodles and what turned out to be Choco-Caramel Mentos. I also texted Term (as is now the tradition) to say, "Hey, guess where I am right now!" Then I saw an Engrish sign: LAYS POTATO SHIPS IN KIMCHI FLAVOR?!

Jon texted me when I got to his building at 4:45; no wonder they weren't answering the buzzer because they were at the park across the street! I found them in due time; he decided to see if Beckett liked the baby swings. He was still expressionless after a few minutes of swinging, not sure what to make of it even if he'd had that experience once before a while ago. Later, Jon tickled him and took video of him laughing for Harma. Ayler and Hiero threw sand on the slide and over the railing for the kiddy structure. I swung the baby gently as Jon went over to discipline. Hiero called me by my first name, which Jon scolded him for. Later, Harma met us at the park with a new puzzle from work! Jon told me that they'd had a playdate with Deb, Dylan, Declan, and Elysse recently, and that LA Chicken was good with kimchi. Fried chicken with kimchi - WEIRD FOOD COMBINATION!

At home, Beckett wanted to play "catch" with those hard plastic stacking blocks... ouch! The soft toys they borrowed or bought are much better for that purpose! Ayler showed me his "creative part" for "THE PLANETS" (not Gustav Holst, but his own creation) and some variations he'd made up for a piano piece. Awesome! Hiero just hid Koosh balls in the "Duplo" blocks and made me guess where he'd put them. That kind of went okay, but I still had to watch Beckett, who was doing a lot less throwing than last week! I had lots of kimchi and some ratatouille for dinner, plus another slice of nectarine thanks to Ayler's aversion to mushy things. He didn't care if I ate it! (I asked him first just to be sure)

We discussed Caleb's greenhouse, Parksville, Hi-Chews candy, Uncle Percy's death (why else would Mom be inviting me to his celebration of life this weekend?), what "avid' meant in the context of being an avid reader, what Beckett liked to eat, summer reading (Ayler read a book all by himself with no alternating pages!), origami with the Summer Reading Log, practicing reading and writing, whether they needed me once school starts up again (could be chaotic), and colorful train tracks which apparently aren't appropriate for Beckett yet. He still seemed to like them, though I know that's not really the point. I left before 8 and got home at 9 on a 407, which isn't bad at all. I thought I was going to miss the 8:56 407 like I did last week, but thankfully did not run into any delays, although other people on the elevator could have counted as one. Luckily, they seemed to be efficient, which I value.


From Julie M. and Introvert Spring: I may be quiet, but I have so much on my mind.




Lays potato SHIPS in kimchi flavor! Nice Engrish!




NEW Sautao hot and sour soup vermicelli noodles!




NEW Choco-Caramel Mentos!

Chinese Eric emailed me, white Eric, Jeremy, Jon, Christon, and Randal this morning about a Stanley Cup Final hangout somewhere - Washington Capitals and Las Vegas Golden Knights! I scanned the email (which had possible scheduling), but didn't see where the hangout was going to be, so of course I emailed everyone to ask where it was. Chinese Eric actually was on the ball with his email and replied to say that it was going to be at Jeremy's place. ("it has been brought to my attention," indeed) Well, I'm not giving up my Mike's Hard Root Beer for this one, so I'll just buy snacks later on in the week. Easy!


Jempy Drucker?!




From Julie: Ah'Renna?!




From Julie: Lashawn?!




From Julie: A black guy is named Quan?!

I left at 2:35 for Jon's with the VCS Belgium chocolate seashells, and STILL just managed to get a 401 bus for Brighouse, so I ended up going to Kam Do Bakery for some chocolate cookies. Of course I didn't eat them all on the train - and left them with Jon and Harmony to boot - so that was also fine. I ended up getting to the house at about 3:15 or so, which was surprising. Jon mentioned that I was early; no shit, as I wanted to leave in the relative light! After catching up a bit (talking about Nathan and Frances, mostly), everyone else got up from their nap. We discussed Pocky, roasted vegetables, turkey, rum fruitcake, alcoholic eggnog, Eric Ho and a GUYS NIGHT, Dylan being "Uncle Banjo," a biscuit that said "TEA IS THE GATEWAY DRUG TO BISCUITS," Randal's dad being in the hospital (I gave him a pretty good genuine expression of condolence), St. Paul's, downplaying health issues, explaining Australia's reversed seasons to Ayler, Ayler wanting us to stay longer or overnight, stuffing, O HOLY NIGHT complete with Hiero's banging away on the piano with his "manuscript" (a blank memo pad), Ayler wanting to "cuddle" me so he could go for my Santa hat or white sweater, Hiero wanting to sit on my lap, puzzle pieces, gumballs, and winter break. Ayler thinks he knows more about (school) time than I do, but he seemed to have a good time counting squares on the calendar, too. (after asking why the seashell box said 250!) Hiero can be Victor Borge #2, haha! Mom and Dad drove me home, where I got in at 8:40.


Random stuff from Mom, Dad, and others: A winter-ish dark grey jacket which used to be Grandma's, a Christmas card, $10 in cash, a brown Tahari leather jacket (not as cool as it sounds), a blue polyester Stormtech winter-ish jacket, a dark blue San Francisco winter-ish jacket, a red Roo handbag, a blue Sport Sport handbag, a brown Chinese handbag, a light brown wool toque, blue Thinsulate gloves, a zebra stripe AMAZING GRACE cap, a thin red scarf, a thin leafy dress (?), a brown polyester winter hat, and thin black gloves.

Also: Laura Secord praline Christmas Collection chocolates from white Eric, a MYSTERIES home fragrance gift set from Pier 1 Imports / a FOOTPRINTS journal / Christmas card from Amy W., Santa's Gumball Workshop Dubble Bubble cartons x2, Santa Lifesavers cherry / watermelon / green apple / strawberry / orange Gummies, Florida's Au'Some Christmas candy cane Nuggets, and a Waterbridge chocolate letter N.

Plus: A thin Man Fang Yuen Wa long-sleeved shirt, Nosh and Co. Yummyful Mixed Fruit Berries, Lifesavers hard candy Holiday Mix (candy cane / cherry / apple), a lined blue and white snowflake toque, a colorful small beaded hand purse, a small black BB Design handbag, a thin leafy Orla Kiely long-sleeved shirt, and a colorful Vietnam tote-ish bag.


Life Savers hard candy Holiday Mix: candy cane, cherry, and apple!




Life Savers Christmas Gummies: cherry, watermelon, green apple, strawberry, and orange!




Pier 1 Imports MYSTERIES home fragrance gift set from Amy Wongpo!




Laura Secord praline Christmas collection chocolates from white Eric!