Tatiana's Wanderings

Did laundry today. Had to take someone else's load out of the dryer so I could start mine on time. Came back to a printed note: "Please don't grab my stuff out of the dryer when I'm five minutes late!" Well, maybe you should be ON TIME since other people need to use the coin dryer, you selfish hypocrite! How should *I* know it's "only" been five minutes?! I know who it is, too - the same GROWN WOMAN who had a problem with my putting bleach in her load when she wasn't on time in retrieving her clothes from the dryer. I don't care if she had to wait an hour to refold or re-dry her clothes in that case - she's so entitled! At least MY clothes were dry because *I* don't overload the machines!


From Twitter and the V4F Discord on October 14, 2019: No, Kimberley Jane Erin, "blind spot" is NOT an ableist term! Replacing it with "dead angle" sounds absolutely stupid. Am I dead if the CCTV cameras can't see me?




Mamee Vegetarian Noodles!

Before COFFEE TIME / BRUSSELS SPROUTS TIME / HOT CHOCOLATE TIME, I called Chrystal at work at 10:10 AM to remind her about tonight. I left at 6:50 on a 414 (which actually had the wheelchair ramp slope in use instead of the steps) to get to London Drugs on time at 7:30 or so. Unfortunately, someone caused a delay for me at Brighouse. Why would you try to start small talk with someone in an elevator who obviously isn't paying any attention to you for a 20-second ride?! No, I'm not going to respond to a guy cyclist's "hi, how are you, hope you're okay, ma'am" in an ENCLOSED SPACE, especially because YOU AND YOUR BIKE FUCKING MADE ME MISS THE FUCKING TRAIN AND WAIT AN ADDITIONAL 11 MINUTES! The elevator wasn't on the first floor either when I needed it to be! I saw the train pulling into the station when I had JUST gotten to the stairs outside!

Don't get me started on the three tall white dudes who evidently had something like "Well then! What the?" to say to me when I was running for the train at Broadway on the way home! THEY WERE OBSTACLES IN MY PATH so of course I had to BARREL into them, and I didn't even have time to turn and yell FUCK OFF! Or the guy IN the train who was blocking my path right when everyone got off and I wanted in. People, have some spatial awareness and consideration! Too bad they didn't think I had coronavirus! At least Mike found my text message rants entertaining!

I FINALLY got to London Drugs at 7:45, where Chrystal was waiting for me and wandering near the back of the store. We quickly decided on our default option of Pho Extreme Xe Lua, since Cactus Club would DEFINITELY be busy on a Friday night even if we'd bothered to reserve beforehand! (they made us wait for 45 minutes at my birthday dinner even WITH one!) We ordered a small #1 (special noodle soup for Chrystal), six signature butter chicken wings for $9.50 to share (although she only ate one - we split the bill anyway), and a large #30 Bo Bun Hue noodle soup for me. We talked about my trip (I showed her some photos), her nephews Benjamin and Ethan, Ayler / Hiero / Beckett / Fraser / Henry, my relief that Mom wasn't coming on that trip, the flight delays, toys, that gas leak on Chinese New Year, her sushi Chinese New Year dinner with family, Hiero's UBC birthday party and presents, Beckett learning new words, Hiero being sick, and work not being fun today. I got home at 9:35 on a 407, which I guess wasn't terrible for leaving the restaurant at 8:50...


From James: Might be the best selfie of the year, and it's only January! Cats and dogs!




I got a blue dragon as my home icon on Google Maps on my phone! I set my "home," tapped on the menu icon, skipped the commute, and tapped on the three dots which appeared so I could change the home pin!




Dinner with Chrystal: Bo Bun Hue soup!




Dinner with Chrystal: Signature butter chicken wings!

COFFEE TIME! Do not join the r/Canucks Discord server! The mods and admins are all immature teenagers who think that I, a grown woman, am "disrespecting them" by posting a VERY sanitized rant about people who "need" Reddit reminders about the two 10 AM games this weekend. Just set an alarm, dude... no need to post something that reveals your terrible sleep habits. Even I manage not to sleep in past 10 these days unless I'm sick. I don't need a bot warning me about morbidity and "disrespect" because most of the things they post (including shitposts and memes) make me roll my eyes! The Canucks played New Jersey today at 10 AM, and lost 1-0. Thanks, Mackenzie Blackwood AND really early scheduling...


Hell, Michigan?!




Names banned in Sonora, Mexico, which borders Arizona: Burger King, Rambo, Facebook, Twitter, Robocop, James Bond, Harry Potter, Christmas Day, Rolling Stone, Virgin, Cesarean, Circumcision, Yahoo, Pocahontas, Spinach, Rocky, Mistress, US Navy, Terminator, Hitler, Lady Di, Email, Scrotum, Hermione, Batman, Private, Sponsorship, Traffic, Martian, Panties, and Illuminated?!

It's International Bacon Day today!


After COFFEE TIME, Eric picked me up at 12:05 for the wedding. Chinese Eric had texted him "hey" and nothing else, so Eric asked me to see what was up with that. Apparently, he'd asked him whether he'd picked me up yet. The wedding was very religious and traditional on Religion Road at Fujian Evangelical Free Church. I was glad to see Jeremy and Nate at least! Yes, things were relatively quick, but COME ON!

Later, I learned that Jon insisted that we all have lunch at Four Winds Pub in Delta - REALLY? (me, him, both Erics, Nathan, Jeremy, and Wesley) Why didn't you let someone know BEFORE I LEFT THE FUCKING HOUSE?! THAT'S the problem with spontaneity! I did NOT eat anything (the burritos were huge though!), and was very fucking annoyed with everyone - so just read and did not say much of anything. At least I got to talk to Nathan alone for a few minutes about his present feelings on weddings after all that had happened. He had had to do Citrus's wedding afterwards, but said that now it was okay, and thanked me for asking.

After that, SOMEONE also wanted to go for good coffee at Rocanini's in Steveston - can't you think of what I want for once?! We talked about everyone staring at their phone - I was trying to bang out a relatively quick message to Mike with the reliable wi-fi while we were there. THEN we decamped to white Eric's, where Veronica had kindly set up a table and chairs for us in the backyard before going to Van Dusen Gardens with Ron. At least I had water and ginger ale throughout the afternoon.

When we finally got to the restaurant, the parkade proved to be pretty confusing! I was at a table with everyone I knew, but we were stuck at the very back behind two pillars! We saw Deb, Dylan, Martin J. (who apparently also has an autistic kid), Martin T., Randal, Kevin, Isabel, Sheena, Lincoln, Karen, Vivian, and Geoffrey. We discussed the seating, "MORE TONGUE!" (we're known for shenanigans), Quiznos, Singapore, durian mochi NOT being durian MOCHA, hair follicle transplants done by ROBOTS, Samaritan's Purse, that lady who died because a metal straw pierced her brain, and the waiter taking the food platter away after he showed it to us BEFORE scooping it on our plates individually at the back. Some people had too much red / white wine, apparently including Alice's mom, which is how the MORE TONGUE thing came about.

After everything was done, I STILL had to wait around for the cleanup crew (who'd been given thank-you cards beforehand so they couldn't just "forget" about it), and then the loiterers! UGH! We did amuse ourselves at the photo booth, but STILL! Talked to Deb a bit about the summer, to Eric about PowerPoint (that's a VERY VALID excuse to leave...), and to Jon about Tom Lee Music / Hiero not getting any bullet train toys / my being there on Tuesday / speech therapy. Just as Eric and I were about to FINALLY drive away at 10:30, Chinese Eric delayed us by asking where Nathan was. HOW SHOULD WE KNOW?! I said GOODNIGHT rather firmly, and FINALLY got home at 10:40. Yes, I live THAT close to Kirin!


THE WEDDING BANQUET MENU:

* Kirin special platter with roasted suckling pig, sauteed prawns, and scallops with pureed truffle

* deep-fried crab claw wrapped with minced prawn

* bird nest soup with fish maw and Chinese ham

* live lobster in consomme with light ginger and green onion

* sliced wild catch California Mexico brand abalone braised with fish maw, Chinese mushroom, and peatips

* crispy skin free range chicken

* steamed live fish

* special fried rice with dried shrimp wrapped in lotus leaf

* E-Fu noodles stewed with two kinds of mushrooms in abalone sauce

* two kinds of Dim Sum dessert

* Kirin special sweetened soup


What do you mean, Four Winds Pub has no tacos?!




( Most of the food... )


Five years from now (our wedding day), I'll be stabbing you with this same knife. Enjoy the cake, honey!

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 11:10 on a 414 to see Sue, the housing manager at CHIMO. I saw a guy clapping his hands like a seal and slapping his knees on the shuttle bus, but he wasn't wearing any headphones that I could see. What the heck?! Since I was going to the building anyway, I also took along the Lays chips and roasted seaweed for Rachel - Numb and Spicy Hot Pot, Wasabi, Kimchi, Deep-Ridged BBQ Pork, and Deep-Ridged Spicy Chicken! Sue seemed pretty understanding and encouraged me to advocate for myself, dropping Dave McDonald's name, so perhaps I'll do that. Squeaky wheel and all of that, I suppose. When the appointment ended an hour later (she thinks I'm animated and have skills and humor?!), it turned out that Daisy was out to lunch at just past 12-ish.

I figured I'd kill time by taking the 410 to Yaohan so I could find some curry cuttlefish at Curry House to horrify Mike with a food photo, haha. Turns out that they only had curry beef balls and the like, and Osaka Supermarket didn't seem to have fresh cuttlefish either! I eventually went to Golden Rice Bowl and ordered broccoli and fried cuttlefish with fried noodles at 12:40 despite the fact that I'd eaten breakfast at 10, but finished the whole thing in one sitting after taking the requisite photo for Mike. That later turned out to be a bad idea since it's been feeling like a rock all evening, but there was nothing I could do other than take two Pepto. Good thing it hasn't made me feel overly BLERGH!

When I was trying to make my way out from Brighouse Station, an older man who slightly smelled like pee caused a delay in the elevator by trying to tell me to go back in the elevator, and THEN held everyone up by moving at a snail-like and glacial pace out the door. Why does it take you 30 seconds to take two steps and then be outside the elevator?! (I described this to Mike later, and he says I have a way with words! HAHAHA!) Time for a cane or walker, old man! I told him to hurry up, and he just gave me a dirty look! I'm not normally an impatient person, but others have PLACES TO GO AND CONNECTIONS TO MAKE!

Good thing this idiot didn't cost me the time I needed to make it across the street to the 406 by Kam Do Bakery! I went back to the CHIMO building, and luckily, the door was open to Rachel's work. So I asked Daisy to do me a favor and give a bag of stuff to Rachel next time she was in, thanks! She thanked me in turn, saying she'd put it in her room. That was nice and brief, and I finally got home at 2:35 WITHOUT encountering any more problems or delays. I'll eventually shower for tomorrow's Dublin Crossing pub hangout once I feel less full...


Lunchtime at Yaohan: fried noodles, broccoli, woodear mushrooms, carrots, and fried cuttlefish. I ate off some of the tempura just so you could see the cuttlefish better.




Vinay Pimplé?! Pronounced Pim-PLAY?!




From Youtube: Gable Tostee and Warriena Wright?! Like ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, cheese toasties, and a female version of Warren?!