Tatiana's Wanderings

Harmony and I cancelled Nephew Time because of the snowy weather warning today. COFFEE TIME after I went out briefly to London Drugs in the freezing weather and extremely light snow to get Mr. Noodles beef / chicken / spicy chicken packs! The Canucks played Winnipeg today at 5, and lost 4-0 including an empty-netter...


Julie M. was on vacation and saw this map at a Pennsylvania visitor centre: Forty Fort and Ransom, Pennsylvania?!




It's so cold here that my Ottogi Jin Ramen powder came out in one solid square...




Look what I found in my full sock drawer: this pair of socks with penguins and snowflakes that Julie M. gave me for Christmas 2014! Perfect for -7° and cold snowy days like today!




Mr. Noodles spicy chicken 5-pack!




Mr. Noodles chicken 5-pack!




Mr. Noodles beef 5-pack!

After a shower in the afternoon, I left at 5:05 on a 407 to get to Marine Drive by about 5:30. Since the liquor store was right next door to Dublin Crossing Pub, I went there to select my Halloween 2019 beer for this season: Phillips Crookeder Ale it was! Steve took me to the meetup table - he knew what I meant by that phrase, hah! I saw Laura again, and met Jeff / Teri / a very late Evelyn. Later, I told Steve that Nate told me that he hadn't responded to some drunken nonsense from the weekend, but Steve IS busy at (not "in") work!

We talked about TORCHLIGHT, APEX, game screenshots, "electric poop," Always changing their pad packaging to appeal to trans and "non-binary" people (really?!), Michelle's love life, Brian coming to fix Laura's dresser tomorrow, Winners being upstairs, moving to a smaller table (damn high stools!), Laura's niece, my nephews, work, and other things. Then we all left at 8:20 - Laura and Teri went to Winners while Jeff happened to be going to the station as well, but he was heading to Broadway in the opposite direction! I was home at 9:05 on a 407, but I really should have left at 8 to be home half an hour earlier like I was yesterday! At least the Compass Card machines cooperated tonight...


NOTE TO SELF: According to Dan, I should have the Yorkshire Pudding and Tullamore whiskey (Johnnie Walker Black sample?) next time I'm here. Maybe I'll remember if I write it down here, haha...


Steak and whiskey prawns! Grilled 8-ounce AAA Canadian top sirloin served with sautèed seasonal vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.




Jameson shot time: Marmalade and fudge, madeira, and a little cut grass note!




Halloween 2019 ale from the liquor store next door to the pub: Phillips Crookeder Tooth pumpkin ale, and Phillips Crooked Tooth pumpkin ale!

I failed at the Excel peppermint gum lottery THREE TIMES, so I had to buy more while I was out anyway! After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 6:35 on a 407 to meet Chrystal at the Broadway London Drugs at 7:30 for Birthday Dinner #3 of 4. She was on time, and we went to Benkei Ramen, which was practically next door. We talked about St. Petersburg (Russia), Copenhagen (Denmark), having ten minutes to take photos of some churches before going on the bus for two hours to the next place, her vacation being with Vivian, my mom and Spanish and Cuba, the trash folder, my birthday dinners so far, Mike's birthday being yesterday, and life in general. It is a small place, but the broth and ramen was pretty good! Later, I went to the Marine Drive Shoppers (on a crowded train at 8:30?!) and got three Excel Polar Ice gum tubs. Luckily, they were ALL good! Finally got home at 9:30 on a 407, but somehow lost my Shoppers Optimum card!


This pie chart is from Life of an Introvert, and I sent it to Julie M. in 2016. What You Do During Small Talk: Nod and smile, or plot your escape!




Nuclear ORANGE levels of powdered spice from Safeway Compliments brand of Spicy Chicken instant noodles...




What an odd M&M candy...




Spicy Akaoni Ramen served with pan-fried minced pork, green onion, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, special roasted garlic oil, and roasted sesame. Toppings: butter, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, spinach, kimchi, boiled egg, corn, green onion, cha siu, and cheese.

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! )