Tatiana's Wanderings

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, Eric texted me to say that he was heading out from home, so could pick me up around 4. PHEW! At 4:25, he picked me up for the belated family Christmas 2019 dinner with the Fritos Hoops (in my new bag just to show it off) and the American Tourister suitcase and yellow-green Roots knapsack. We didn't talk much on the way there, but that was just fine. At the house, we parked around the corner, and Jeremy was there as well to my surprise. I said hi to everyone and Ayler wanted to test my piano skills. He also wanted to test everyone's math skills at dinner, oh boy! Hiero wanted to show me the PETER PAN library book, telling me who the characters were. I was interested to see if he liked it, anyway. He also cannonballed into his mom - not a good idea!

Beckett just wandered around, thinking that Eric's watch was a ball (not really) and amusing us with his "yeah" answers to questions like "do you want a beer?" He's picked up "please" and some other things while I was gone. Mom insisted on FaceTiming Steph at 8 PM there, and after she didn't want to talk to Ayler (telling him that it was "too noisy"), she did want to see Beckett, who called her "Attie" too. He definitely wanted all the blueberries from the dessert, calling them "boh-boh" (like the pom-pom on the end of my Santa hat), and smiled when Jon got out the Dewdrops bottle for the kids! Later, he wanted me to put some cool sunglasses on him, then plopped down into my lap with what was a very dilapidated 4-page "100 Words" baby book. Turns out Harmony recycled most of the already-broken book when I was gone.

Told Randal about Henry's "Dear Santa, my brother did it" shirt, which he seemed amused by. Ayler wanted to see how much taller I was since he's 4 foot 2, and also used Eric as a piano bench because I'd used the actual bench to sit on at the dinner table. That was pretty funny! Hiero called everyone in the room "Captain America," and Mom almost wore my coat when she left, thinking she'd left hers on the couch - NO! Mom also said she gave Deb a gift for taking me to the airport (why?!) and Dad wondered if I'd said thank you "enough." *rolleyes* She also claims Pastor Dan is leaving VCEFC, but when I checked with Jon later, he was as surprised as I was, and Eric said "that's what your mom says..." He had slept in and missed church this morning, but caught some of the last World Juniors hockey game. I got home at 8:45, which wasn't bad at all. Jon thanked me in advance for coming this week. Interesting, indeed. Harmony said that they'd given me a pink Pure Nail Spa gift card, and to call ahead first. She also said that it looked like I'd had a fun trip - for sure!


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: Two wrapped plastic straws, a broken candy cane inside a Ziploc bag, Carnaby marshmallow Christmas trees x2, Ottogi Jin Ramen Ppushu Ppushu noodle snacks (BBQ x2 and Bulgogi) which expire in three weeks, Maruchan Instant Lunch beef ramen noodles x3, a Reese's Pieces carrot, a pink Smarties bird, my $10 back, and two hats where the brims are too large.


Knorr Three-Cheese Sidekicks!




Hats!




Carnaby marshmallow Christmas trees, a Reese's Pieces carrot, and a pink Smarties bird. QUIRKY COINCIDENCE since it's National Bird Day today, January 5!




Belated family and friends Christmas 2019 dinner: Duck with hair, soupy rice, chili, Chinese mushrooms, and sweet potatoes!




Dessert for our belated Christmas 2019 dinner: Candied citrus peel and homemade panna cotta with blueberries!




Seattle Chocolate truffles in the Woodland Cheer box for Christmas 2019 from white Eric!




Maruchan Instant Lunch beef ramen noodles!




Ottogi Ppushu Ppushu BBQ noodle snacks!




Ottogi Ppushu Ppushu bulgogi noodle snacks!

I left for baby Henry's 100 Day-ish celebration at Western Lake Restaurant at 4 today. I thought that was early, but considering that I had to wait a bit for the 33 bus to 29th Avenue across the street from King Edward Station, that was okay. Thank goodness that Victoria is a major street! When I got to the restaurant, most people were there already, but whatever. I got to sit at a table with Fraser, Lisa, Harmony, Ayler, Hiero, and Steph's trainer plus her family. Of course I said hi to Melia (I didn't know she worked in the Minoru area!), Angus, Dawn, Eni, Michelle, Daniel, Denise, Margaret, Eunice (who hugged me hello), Chelsea (who hugged me goodbye), her husband Nick, Auntie Christine, Uncle Reuben, Uncle Y.C., Auntie Catherine, Auntie May, Auntie Eva, Auntie Gloria, and Uncle Richard! I managed to put my oversized Santa hat on Henry before eating, haha.

We had a ten-course Chinese meal... SO FULL on fish, veggies (pea tips / carrots / broccoli), shrimp, lettuce wraps, duck meat soup (or whatever replaced shark fin soup), crispy duck, chicken, crab, rice, and tapioca dessert! Fraser was distracted by my bling-bling sweater, for which Lisa blessed me. He named all the colors correctly! Hiero said "no" to the question of whether I was a girl, so I guess I'm a boy by default. Could be worse! Harmony offered to drop me off at a Canada Line station later, so I accepted. She also told me to watch Ayler while she took Hiero to the washroom, but he was all preoccupied with counting the squares on a pillar anyway, so I didn't really need to. Of course I said bye to Steph, Lisa, Fraser, and Henry before leaving! Ayler said that SOMETHING was hurting after being buckled into his carseat... good to know, haha. Thanks to Harmony dropping me off half a block from Oakridge Mall with my leftovers, I got home at 8:05 on a 407 which I only had to wait a few minutes for at Brighouse. The Canucks played St. Louis at 7 tonight. I got home when it was the second period, and the game went to overtime, where Vancouver lost 4-3.

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After I had COFFEE TIME and called London Drugs customer service to find out when their current sale ends on Rubbermaid dish drainers (May 28), Barry picked me up at 12:45 and we went banking and to Price Smart. I bought on-sale Classico pasta sauce x2 (Four Cheese and Tomato / Pesto), noodles, a shower pouf, Teriyaki Rice / Noodles Sidekicks, preserved vegetables, on-sale Cheemo perogies x2 (Country Mushroom and Potato / Bacon / Romano Cheese), pork and tri-treasure / lamb and onion / pork and vegetable / pork and chives JOY dumplings at the Big Crazy price (which saves me a trip out there if it's the same price), on-sale store brand paper towels, and JML chicken and mushroom noodles. I also got on-sale Western Family French Vanilla ice cream, NEW Pillsbury poutine Pizza Pops in a special edition (I love the alliteration!), NEW Pillsbury cheese pizza bites, NEW Pillsbury pepperoni pizza bites, Juzz Mee curry noodles, a BC roll for $3.99 (better than the 22-piece $10.99 assorted rolls if the expiry date is still tomorrow, May 25), Vedan noodles x2 (Spicy Mushroom / Cuttlefish and Mushroom), and on-sale Ruffles chips x3. (Loaded Potato Skins / Sour Cream and Bacon / All-Dressed) I also saw preserved Cordia seeds while I was in the Chinese jars aisle, so made a note of that to tell Citrus so he can tell his sister.

While I was at the store, I helped a random white guy with some Nissin black garlic oil noodles, and told an old grandma that her shawl looked pretty. (it had Japanese women with fans on it!) She at least thanked me! When I got home at 2:10, Barry did agree to help me with changing the batteries on the phone in my bedroom, which is good. Afterwards, I paid my Shaw bill online today, then somehow unplugged my computer speakers while trying to figure some stuff out! My cashier recognized me, and so we chatted a bit - his name is Ray, and he has a white half-beard thing. I left again at 6:30 to London Drugs, where I got a new on-sale dish drainer (April 11, 2015) on Aisle 1 / on-sale purple GUM Comfort Slide flossers since today was the last day of their being on sale currently / an on-sale Slinky toy plus an on-sale Redbox pre-historic dinosaur toy set with trees (#24359) for Ayler's birthday.

I got a much more helpful computer associate this time (yesterday's associate had told me to go to the front for checkout and didn't seem interested in customer service), who sold me a black Microsoft Wired 600 keyboard for $20. Thank goodness it worked when I got home at 8:30 (just missing a 407 and having to wait for the next one), after a mini heart attack when it initially wouldn't work to put in my password at startup! This one is quieter and much lighter, too! Time to email Harmony to see when a good time would be to drop off the gifts, or see Ayler too, I guess. NOW MY MOUSE AND KEYBOARD ARE FREE OF MIKE AND HIS TAINT!


From the Staples Canada Facebook wall: a six-pack of Cross fountain pen ink cartridge refills and a five-pack of Parker Quink ink cartridge refills with fountain permanent ink are $999,999.99 each?!




( Pasta sauce and toys and chips, oh my! )