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! )

AMERICAN GREETINGS STICKERS, HOT CHOCOLATE, CANDY, SCISSORS, and TEA! I went out at 1:55 on a 401 to go shopping: star stickers, happy face and assorted food stickers, on-sale Coffin Crisp x30 in a box, on-sale Mars Bars x25, on-sale Ferrero Rocher Rondnoir (dark chocolate with a pearl centre), limited-edition dark Kinder Bueno x3, two pairs of slightly thick Secret socks, peppermint Smooth Move Traditional Medicinals tea, 200 Mead index cards, on-sale scary Kit Kat Chocolate bars x2, on-sale Scotch scissors x2, on-sale ScAero bars x2, Purell hand sanitizer x3 (two original and one aloe), and a Nestlé Carnation Simply Hot Chocolate tin. Got home at 2:35 since I just managed to get a 407! The Canucks played Anaheim tonight at 7... the game went into overtime, and they lost 2-1.


Bastardstown, Wexford, Ireland?!




Limited-edition Cinnamon Coke and Winter Spiced Cranberry Sprite for Christmas 2019?!




I dropped half a dark Kinder Bueno into my Turtles hot chocolate!




( HOT CHOCOLATE, STICKERS, AND TEA! )

Today is National Toilet Paper Day! I showered today after making tentative plans with Donald from the V4F server to have dinner somewhere in Richmond. We picked No. 9 Restaurant at 7 (I got there at 7:05), which was convenient for sure! Talked about Grand Prairie, working on the line, his cousin, server drama with Tony and Michelle, walking around downtown, computer science, discrete math, and his wanting to get a developer job out here someday. It wasn't too bad - only $10 for me, which is still expensive for wonton mein and water dumplings! Got home at 8:35 on a 407, which is fine. Jon FINALLY said that "Louie's parents' pizza place" is Don't Argue. Geez, you could have said THAT in the email and not made me message you on Facebook... but at least I have a time now of 5:30!


They had milk tea with real cheese foam topping at No. 9?! WTF?




Surender Nada is a Kabaddi athlete?!




From Diane and The Secret Nerd Base: The Deaf Leopard says, "What?"




Getting older is just one body part after another saying, "Ha ha. You think that's bad? Watch this."




From Pete and Pseudoscience Quackery and Other Nonsense: Hangman teaches kids that public execution is the only appropriate response to spelling words wrong.

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 DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I went out at 4:10 on a 407 for Dad's belated 70th birthday dinner at Kwong Chow. I got a text from Jon saying that dinner was at 5:30 and they were at Granville Island (I'd already said I would be at Save-On), so I bought more (on-sale or NEW) Stagg Chili (Dynamite Hot / Southwest Chicken style) and Western Family things since Mom and Dad would be giving me a ride home anyway. Whole mushrooms, mushroom pieces and stems, hot chili con carne, original chili con carne, liquid honey, lemon juice, grated Italian Parmesan cheese, and beef / vegetable / chicken instant noodles! I still managed to get to the restaurant on time: Mom was already there and wanted me to call Jon to see if they'd left home yet. Luckily, I already knew their true whereabouts, and also knew that texting was easier than having to find a place to take a call. I always delete her voicemails, anyway. Too inconvenient...

They got to the restaurant soon enough (but not soon enough for Mom), and we ordered a while after that. Discussed the restaurant's plastic bowls NOT being for the congee (Mom...), my "stealing" an extra plate from the dish pile for Jon (which caused one of the kids to say that stealing is wrong - hahaha), music school being over, plans for tomorrow / this week, Ayler eating the fish head again, Beckett slapping the table and being blocked from the TV screen, Auntie Kwai and dementia (and Dad not wanting to take on another person), Dollarama, Summer Reading Club ("I read to you - but you read the words I don't know!"), Hiero trying some jellyfish, Holly's move impacting her taxes because she's an American citizen ($12,000?!), the growing tomato plants on the balcony, and waterslide adventures today with mint chocolate chip ice cream. We walked to Jon's place, where I learned that Beckett now knows how to climb up onto the couch. Guess I should be extra-vigilant tomorrow!

On the way home, Mom wanted me to intercede with Martin and Rich about Vacation Bible School and getting someone else to administer Ayler's medicine instead of Harmony having to travel a lot to VCEFC or wherever they'll be. Nope, I am not doing that. I'm sure Wai-Mui and the other leaders have more important things to take care of... at least I got home at 7:30 instead of maybe an hour later! Spicy tofu triangles, spicy jellyfish, green beans with beef, red bean soup, tea, kombucha tea, chicken, beef yee mein, veggie congee, fish congee - what a dinner! The usual stuff, but still good! Maybe not after I tried eating 600 grams of tortellini earlier, though...


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A yellow sweet Korean melon, a random pair of yellow socks with "fun" designs, two Chinese posters of oxen / birds / dragons with stickers and five bookmarks, "washed Mom grapes" in a paper bag (purple grapes), a pack of four 32-page Hilroy exercise books from Staples, six Hilroy 80-page one-subject red and purple notebooks also from Staples, Korean Kwangchun Healthful roasted seaweed x10, and six cans of strawberry Milkis carbonated drinks. (Snoopy and umbrellas!)

900g of No Name elbow macaroni, 900g of No Name fettuccini, a bag of random Japanese roasted green tea, random Chinese green tea powder x4, Twinings Earl Grey tea x7, a random Chinese green tea bag, Yama Moto Yama green tea bags x8, Bigelow Orange and Spice herbal tea bags x3, a Mighty Leaf Marrakesh mint green tea bag, Bigelow Darjeeling black tea x3, and a Twinings 100% pure oolong tea bag.


System Restore Disk: Do Not Erase! What's wrong with this photo?!




( Chili, dragon and oxen posters, notebooks, generic pasta, Milkis carbonated drinks, Grow-A-Husband! )