Tatiana's Wanderings

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!

I had a chocolate muffin, coffee, and pear slices as breakfast before Deb dropped me off near Brighouse Station. The one-week followup went pretty well at the eye clinic: NO MORE GLASSES FOR NOW! I decided to get a NEW McDonalds Chocolate Nanaimo Bar McFlurry at the Broadway McDonalds, but that was very disappointing... YUCKY coconut flakes! Then I went back to Deb and Dylan's on a 407, but checked out the nearby M and M Meat Shops since I'm rarely out this way: Cilantro and Lime basmati rice, Brown Basmati and Wild Rice, and Long Grain White Rice in microwaveable packages. I saw some BAD SPELLING at the Chateau Quality Drycleaners: HOW DO YOU MISSPELL "COMFORTERS"?!

Eventually, I had fried rice with chicken and sriracha sauce for flavor as a real lunch. Vicky, Jason, baby Lucas, Pastor Dan, and white Eric all came over tonight for dinner: Pizza Hut Supreme pizza x2, quinoa salad, Build Your Own Taco from Costco, Welch's white grape juice, boxed Pinot Grigio wine, French bread, prosciutto, coffee, tea, cantaloupes, and Two Bite Brownies! We talked about small group memories, moving a lot, kids picking up things quickly, FLINCH the show, the swearing Roomba, the Victoria Day long weekend, Christon's wedding being the same day as Mike Kwan's (August 31), remembering wedding anniversaries, Sharon, and church stuff.

Eric agreed to give me a ride home, which we reached at 9:40. He definitely helped me wheel my stuff into my place! When I left Deb and Dylan's, Deb gave me some frozen food because Dylan was thinking of me. Walmart's Your Fresh Market shepherd's pie and chicken Parmesan are good, but technically expired since the expiry date is May 7. Guess I'll have to eat them both soon-ish!


From Julie: Myronisha is a female version of Myron now?!




( Names, Chocolate Nanaimo Bar McFlurry, bad COMFORTERS spelling, Cilantro and Lime basmati rice, Brown basmati and wild rice, long grain white rice, Supreme Lovers Pizza Hut, Two-Bite Brownies, shepherd's pie, and chicken Parmesan! )

THERE WAS ANOTHER WATER SHUTOFF TODAY - NOT IMPRESSED! After I had COFFEE TIME and fielded an early-morning phone call from Megan at the Burrard eye clinic (Dr. Wise wants to see me this week to check her lens choice?! Friday it is...), Barry picked me up at 11 and we went banking and to Price Smart. I got bananas, on-sale Silk vanilla almond milk, on-sale Nissin noodles x4 (XO Sauce / seafood / black garlic oil / sesame oil), Koka Noodles x2 (Spicy Black Pepper / Tomato), on-sale Uncle Ben's rice x3 (Smokey Flavor / Tomato and Herb / Mushroom Wild rice), MAGGI LETUP / Maggi Kari Letup noodles, and one litre of NEW on-sale Yamasa soy sauce which expires in late October 2020 (I was able to pull off the annoying tab in the store!) / NEW Allen's Vinegar 500 mL of malt vinegar (crammed with the white vinegar and red vinegar on the Western side of Price Smart) / 700 grams of on-sale Laoganma spicy chili crisp oil for DUMPLING SAUCE! (my jar opener thankfully worked on that when I got home!)

Also bought on-sale Brookside Chocolate x2 (Blackberry and Honey / Pomegranate), NEW on-sale Peace Tea cans x2 (Sno-Berry / Mango Green Tea), Lucky Me! Mami Beef Noodles, one Stouffer's Sauté Sensations microwaveable meal (Grilled Chicken Teriyaki), Western Family frozen veggies in the BIG bag, NEW Olympic Dairy small yogurt tubs x3 (Fig Honey / Citrus Cardamom / Smoked Applewood Vanilla - each 325 grams), Puritan canned Irish stew, on-sale JOY dumplings x5 for the Big Crazy price of $4.99 per bag (the last five available - Pork and Vegetable x2 / Lamb and Onion x2 / Pork and Chive), NEW on-sale Tropical Salsa Kettle Chips, and on-sale mint Oreo cookies. I think I'm looking forward to all the snack food! Haha!

Additional purchases: On-sale Old Dutch Humpty Dumpty cheese sticks (Habanero and Blue Cheese!), on-sale Excel spearmint Soft Chew gum x3, on-sale Western Family bottled water x12 (gotta keep ahead of all these sudden and unexpected water shutoffs around here lately...), Ben and Jerry's Moophoria ice cream x2 (Peanut Butter Cookie Dough to replace the one that Paulo ate last week on Thursday even though he says he owes me / NEW Caramel Cookie Fix), NEW on-sale Hardbite chips x3 (Sweet Ghost Pepper / Avocado and Lime / Black Sea Salt), NEW on-sale Ruffles Flaming Hot BBQ chips, and NEW Campbell's Everyday Gourmet Asparagus and Sweet Basil soup. I got Ray as my cashier, and Barry made a comment about how it took me two hours at the store. I wasn't expecting to take 20 minutes to find the malt vinegar, no thanks to some employees there! After I got home at 12:55, I paid my Shaw and hydro bills online. Then I waited out the water shutoff - it was back on by 5:30, THANK GOODNESS!


My WHATEVER T-shirt... YAY!




( Hand sanitizer, lots of chips, noodles, canned stew, iced tea, and more! )

After I had COFFEE TIME, Barry picked me up at 11:50 and we went banking and to Price Smart. I got on-sale Western Family hot chili con carne, on-sale Silk (dark chocolate) almond milk x2, NEW on-sale Gold Peak Tea x5 (Lemon / Peach / Unsweetened Iced Tea / Green Tea / Raspberry), NEW on-sale 壽桃 Sau Tao Abalone rice vermicelli (which thankfully works in the microwave!), and on-sale Sau Tao Mustard Green Duck rice vermicelli. Also purchased an on-sale 16-pack of Bovril beef bouillon sachets, on-sale Uncle Ben's Canada Rice x3 (Butter and Garlic / Mushroom / Vegetable Medley), Vedan Vietnam noodles x3 (Bah Kut Tea / Mushroom and Artificial Cuttlefish / Spicy Mushroom), on-sale Olympic Dairy yogurt x2 with great expiry dates into mid-November (Peach / Raspberry), on-sale Knorr Sidekicks x5 (Garlic Butter with Lemon / Tomato Alfredo / Creamy Bacon and Carbonara / Chicken / Sour Cream and Chives), an on-sale bag of Munchies snack mix, and on-sale Campbell's Chunky Soup Chicken Sausage and Gumbo.

Then I got NEW Puritan Corned Beef Hash, JOY dumplings x4 (Pork and Tri-Treasure / Lamb and Onion / Pork and Vegetable / Pork and Chive), on-sale Western Family limited-edition Honeycrisp Apple Cider (no law against just taking it from a wheeled moving cart for store use), on-sale store brand orange juice x2, NEW yellow-orange sago pudding (October 28), spicy pig ears (October 28), a can of Fat Choy Brand golden enoki mushrooms (for a colander test later), on-sale SunRype juice x4 (pineapple / mango / raspberry-orange / blackberry-pomegranate), and an on-sale CHRISTMAS backup of a Stouffer's Sauté Sensations meal in Homestyle Pot Roast flavor! After that, I paid my Shaw and hydro bills online at home. The Canucks played Arizona at 7 tonight, and lost 4-1. TOO MANY TURNOVERS AND SHORT-HANDED OR EMPTY-NET GOALS!


A skull jack o'lantern!




( Iced tea and noodles! )