glowing_dragon | Entries tagged with skytrain

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!

Current Mood: indescribable
Current Location: home
Current Music: Aerosmith, "Someday"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3990075.html

Jon said he'd be home this afternoon since Harmony would be going to a school meeting, but I could still come by if I wanted. The last time I was around when she went to a meeting, Beckett was quite upset! I went anyway, of course. After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:15 on a 407 to help with the kids. Since I'd just missed a 3 at Marine Drive, I went into Tim Horton's to see if they had those new Dream Doughnuts: no Strawberry Confetti, but yes to Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Truffle. They didn't look that great relative to the ads, but nothing ever does!

I had to wait for six rings before Harmony answered the buzzer, but that was fine. A few minutes later, I told Beckett that I would be right with him after I washed my hands... Wet Wipes only do so much against sticky doughnut crumbs! Harmony said "yes, please - thank you!" Hey, I've heard about the coronavirus too, and so has Ayler, apparently. He says he heard on the news today that the BC patient is in Burnaby ("so not here in Vancouver, but close"), while Hiero wondered what we'd do if Beckett died from it. You can get very sick and possibly die, we told them, but Harmony kept it simple and said that she'd keep them safe and we should all wash our hands.

Ayler and Hiero thought it was funny to encourage Beckett to go to the printer, and also to take Beckett's balls away from him, but he got way more upset over this than Harmony leaving for her meeting. ("MINE!" followed by lots of crying) I was there to give him hugs and a small kiss, telling them that it wasn't funny. Jon did come home a little earlier than 6, and took over dinner duties. Beckett called the Pho noodles "noo-noo," and called the treads on Grandma Joan's slipper socks "boh-boh" - very funny! Ayler asked about school, of course, and wanted me to listen to his piano. Beckett said "help" to me a lot (and wanted me to help put on the yellow "sunglasses" that were missing a lens - Hiero said they were pirate sunglasses), said "bye bye" to me a lot (maybe when I was walking to my bag and then to my coat so he could see the fur and buttons - but I didn't leave), and walked over to show Jon various things like his blocks.

Later, Beckett went to the window to see the "boh-boh" outside and point at all the lights. He also used the blue ruler to "hide" and wanted me to do the same with his toy balls - I just pretended to most of the time. Then he said "HIT YOUR BUTT!" in Cantonese - Uncle Joe taught him that one because it's funny to hear a little toddler say so! Hiero made a "lightsaber" out of a plastic sticker sheet, and a "gun" out of the magnetic rods and balls, and wanted me to say "gun" - I don't know about that one. He also 'teleported" into me, which was NOT fun!

Ayler took out his red-and-yellow stuffed dragon toy... he remembered that I'd given it to him! Beckett seemed to like it as per Hiero - he even said a very close approximation of "dragon" and grinned when he showed it to me! I should tell him that Auntie is a dragon, haha! He also said "monkey" for his stacking blocks, "dog" for his dog book, and "apple" for the Creation story with Adam and Eve in the children's Bible stories book. He's LEARNING VOCABULARY plus CONTEXT! I left at 7:40 (not at 7:30, thereby missing my window of time to get the 7:42 Marine Drive Station bus with the heavy bag of stuff from Mom and Dad) after waiting a few minutes for Jon to finish something while it was the bedtime routine, but not before Hiero called me a "blah blah person" - RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL! I got home at 9:10 on a 407, having to finish a text message to Paulo first.

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A thin brown Mondi sweater with yellow diamonds, a thin brown Mondi sweater VEST with yellow diamonds, a random white undershirt with an actual bra built in it in a clean produce bag, Ragu Tomato and Basil light pasta sauce which expires in October 2021, more Ontrue green tea roasted seaweed x3, and more toiletries inside a Ziploc bag...

Two plastic shower caps, Kandesn Spa shampoo by Sunrider, a white scrunchie only suitable for a toddler, a Paul Mitchell refreshing citrus facial bar, three Q-Tips inside some plastic, a useless LONDON DRUGS blue circle thing, 40 mL of Agraria San Francisco lemon verbena conditioner, blue Chateau de Chine shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena conditioner, Princess Cruises Lotus Spa aloe vera moisturizing lip balm x2, a black toothbrush with a toothbrush cover, 22 mL of Ognnx Lacoupe argan oil complex shampoo x3, and 22 mL of Lacoupe argan oil complex conditioner x2.

A silver Gem hand ground nail clipper, another unbranded silver nail clipper with a nail file, Smart Shield serious sun protection aloe vera lip balm, four more Q-Tips and four makeup wipes inside some plastic (do people use Q-Tips to apply makeup?), a white hairbrush / comb in one, a blue microwavable eye mask with instructions inside plastic, a white Dr. Fresh Turbo Power battery-powered toothbrush with a free Duracell battery, and a small Princess Cruises Lotus Spa linen mist bottle.

50 mL of L'Occitane verbena shower gel, a LaRoche Posay Nutritic lip balm (47 mL), 22 mL of Be Better macadamia nut shampoo, three more Q-Tips and three cotton balls inside some plastic, sampler Oral-B floss from the dentist, a tiny yellow tube of Vichy SPF 45 sheer lotion with Bare Skin Feel, 2 grams of Super Dry Superior Dessicant with a warning on it (??), Chinese Glyso-Derm lip balm with Vitamin E, 50 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn iris bath and shower gel, a 5 mL Avène Canada soothing moisture mask in a tiny tube, 22 mL of Nourish Green Tea hydrating conditioner, and a white travel toothbrush inside a green plastic cover.

Hunt's Snack Pack: Banana Cream Pie pudding cups!

NEW from Tim Horton's: Dream Doughnuts! Chocolate Truffle, Strawberry Confetti, and Dulce de Leche!

Tim Horton's Dream Doughnuts: They didn't have Strawberry Confetti, so I ordered Chocolate Truffle and Dulce De Leche instead.

RIP, Don't Argue pizzeria...

Beef stew with carrots and Pho noodles!

Red and yellow dragon stuffed toy! I gave it to Ayler originally because he is also a BABY DRAGON, but now Beckett likes it too. He knows the word "dragon," and grinned when he told me what it was!

Tomato and Basil light Ragu pasta sauce!

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Location: home
Current Music: New Order, "Confusion"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3988641.html

2019 Yearly Recap!

This is the 2019 recap. Fitting for the last day of the year, no?

JANUARY

* Hung out with Vanessa and baby Cassidy pre-surgery at Lansdowne: Fresh Elements bubble tea, good dumplings at the food court, GOLDEN DRAGON SUSHI, and more! She helped me open the ridiculous eyedrops bottles, too! [Jan. 7]

* Had eye cataract surgery at Mount St. Joseph's - yikes! Luckily, I had love and support from my friends, and my parents DID drive me home! [Jan. 10]

* Had a one-day followup appointment at the eye clinic. Thank goodness that Barry was able to drive me! Things looked healthy! [Jan. 11]

* Crashed at Deb and Dylan's for about a week. Declan and Elysse liked me from the start, and it was pretty interesting and funny. ("I have my dad's old phone, Elysse." "Did he die?!" Haha!) Lots of meals and Swiss Chalet plus lamb and ribs and packed lunches! I appreciated their support, for sure! [Jan. 11-16]

* Had my one-week followup appointment at the eye clinic. My eye still looked healthy and there is no need to rush on any new glasses! I got hit up for cash at Vancouver City Centre, but I said NO. He should have fucked off instead! [Jan. 17]

* Had Hiero's birthday party: glow-in-the-dark bowling at Grandview Lanes! Dylan and Deb kindly gave me a ride back, and Mom did NOT have to insert herself into our post-church plans by thanking them for "looking after" me! [Jan. 20]

FEBRUARY

* Got a chance to three-way call with Kate and Pothead Mike right after the hockey game, which the Canucks won 4-3 in a shootout against the Flames! It was pretty good to hear their voices as we chatted about a bunch of things including Ed Kemper and the RCMP tank in Surrey. [Feb. 9]

( Highlights and lowlights! )

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Location: Stoney Creek, Ontario
Current Music: AFI, "Bleed Black"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3963314.html

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019!

From 60 Minutes Australia: Daniel Holdom (44), KARLIE Pearce-Stevenson (20), and KHANDALYCE (pronounced "Candle-lease") Pearce?! Reminds me of Holdom Skytrain station, too!

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Location: Stoney Creek, Ontario
Current Music: the Arrogant Worms: "Oh God, I'm Santa Claus"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3963530.html

DIRTY JOKES!

How is pubic hair like parsley? You push it to the side before you start eating.

( Dirty jokes from Red's Twitch stream! )

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I went out at 6:55 on a 401 to meet Chrystal at the Broadway London Drugs. Good thing I left early since the next Waterfront train was out of service at what HAD BEEN a surprisingly empty Brighouse Station! There was some guy clapping like a seal on the bus and at the station - thank goodness he wasn't in my train car! I got to London Drugs at 7:30, and was happy that there was no lineup at the post office so I could mail Corey and Julie's cards. However, I got a postal worker who was grumpy as fuck: I have NEVER been told that I shouldn't write anything in the corner of the envelope, otherwise the stamp would obscure the destination address! Fuck you, random guy!

Chrystal and I went to Pho Extreme Xe Lua: #17 and #1 it was! SPECIAL! We talked about her nephews Ethan (4) and Ethan (1 and a bit), Ayler, Hiero, Beckett discovering new words and the door, Beckett being "smart" by banging his head on the hardwood floor to delay Harmony's leaving for a school meeting, Beckett being really smart by putting all his molecule balls on the far windowsill so he can play with those and look at the reflected lights across the street at the same time (I left him to do that for a minute - he's fine and preoccupied), my broken suitcase, my replacement suitcase, my upcoming trip, and her just doing family things at home this holiday season. Angus and Melia and Phil and Grace have their own families now, and it would be pretty huge to have a family gathering! I got home at 9:05 on a 407, which is pretty good for leaving at 8:30. (Chrystal bused home again!)

Pho Xe Lua # 17 with Chrystal as a pre-Xmas 2019 dinner: Steak, flank, tendon, tripe, and fatty flank!

Right after Halloween, I was ChristmasFlamHam in Shiwa's Discord server!

From Tommy Chong: What's Your Stoner Elf Name? Mine is Smokey Jingletokes! Mike would be Buddy Evergreens! My ex-friend Jimmy would be Danky Sparklepipe!

Borked Heys suitcase which came with a busted zipper and an almost-impossible push handle...

Successfully packed replacement carry-on American Tourister suitcase with enough room for ALL my stuff, a working zipper, and a much simpler non-push handle! Way easier to maneuver on transit, too! My parents should have just lent me this one in the first place, then I wouldn't have had to store the first one in a weird way so I wouldn't have had to push the handle down every time I wanted to access it. *rolleyes*

Current Mood: full
Current Location: home
Current Music: Rolling Stones, "Brown Sugar"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3973131.html

2019 Year In Review! / Pictures with Satan in Comox and Courtenay!

THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.

[Meme fun: Take the first line from the first post of every month of the year. Repost it here as your year in review. (I'm discounting greetings and things like that :P) Yeah, it's been an interesting year!]

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of the year. Post the first line of it in your journal as a paragraph, and that's your "Year In Review."

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND 2019, EVERYONE! Heard from Jana in CANUCK NATION that racist Stuart has three kinds of cancer (liver / colon / something else) and is currently in Langley hospice - karma works in good ways! I went shopping, having to walk to London Drugs because the endless construction and sewer upgrades have made the nearby bus stops non-operational. I went out at 12:30 for shopping purposes at London Drugs, so I walked there. Barry called to see if I was fine with changing our food shopping appointment on the 22nd to 11:30 instead of 11. I went out at 3:10 on a 407 (which luckily picked me up at the sidewalk) for shopping purposes.

I went out at 2 on a 401 to get Rubbermaid Take-Along containers and on-sale pads x2 at London Drugs, getting home at 2:20 on a 407. After my intake session with Rishu at Touchstone at 3 (leaving at 2:20 on a 401), I went shopping at the Dollar Tree / London Drugs / Big Crazy after killing time at the Richmond Public Market beforehand. Today's date is a palindrome: 9/1/19! Beckett crawled over to me to say hi - CUTE! AMERICAN GREETINGS STICKERS, HOT CHOCOLATE, CANDY, SCISSORS, and TEA! SHORTBREAD, MULTIVITAMINS, CHRISTMAS DISH SOAP, AND COUGH DROPS!

From Reddit and This is True: Downtown Courtenay and the Comox Valley in BC offered pictures with SATAN for Christmas 2019?!

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: home
Current Music: Children of Bodom, "The Nail"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3970809.html

Harmony texted me to say that she'd booked the cleaners again at 3 on Thursday - yes, that works for me! After COFFEE TIME, I left at 3:15 on a 407 to help with the kids. I couldn't pay my bus fare by cash, so that worked for me transfer-wise. I swear I put in enough change in my pockets before I left, but the Compass Card / Ticket machine insisted that I put in 30 more cents! On the way back, it insisted I needed 20 more cents... digging out my wallet AGAIN and making sure I put in enough to satisfy the fucking thing (and getting a warning that my transaction was about to expire - FUCK YOU!) PLUS the slow as FUCK elevator made me miss the next train to Brighouse! I finally got to Marine Drive Station at the normal time, then decided to go do some shopping since I was out anyway: Samyang Buldak Topokki Fire Noodles from T and T, plus NEW limited-edition Doritos Sonic Sour Cream chips and on-sale Uncle Ben's Jasmine Rice x4 for my chili from Shoppers!

Then I managed to get the 3 Downtown bus at 4, with only five minutes left on my transfer. I have no idea how it took that long! Got to the house at 4:35, where Beckett was awake and crawled to the bathroom when I'd opened the door, wanted to play with the orange alphabet and letter board, throw the colorful maraca around (and cry when I took it away temporarily), play with the purple shell, and read with me (much to Hiero's consternation!) on my lap. Ayler was talking about growth percentiles and a chart from the hospital, and said that at Christmas, we should check to see if he was up to my chin yet even though he's close enough to 4 foot 1 to say he's that height. Haha, sounds like a plan!

We talked about the world's largest baby, voices, boundaries, rules, minestrone, lentils, whole grapes (which Beckett CAN'T EAT!), protein, beans, iron, expensive sourdough bread, Beckett throwing food around (but he eats more for Jon!), Halloween costume ideas, a heavy bag of stuff from Mom, the Buzzer / the West Coast Express, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, bus timetables, the cleaners, school friends, and the Pig / Elephant library books. I didn't mind if Beckett wanted to read, but I carried him away from certain things: the mat is safe, but not the kitchen! Maybe I'll get Ayler a kiddy version of the Guinness Book of World Records or something.

Harmony let me leave at 7:10, and I only managed to get the 3 Main because a random girl told the bus driver to hold on at the bus stop, so I thanked her and the bus driver in turn. My trip to the station also happened to be free since I was only carrying cash! When I got to Marine Drive Station, I took advantage of the statue and saw what Mom and Dad had randomly given me. UGH, CAST IRON?! I offloaded the skillet and pan right there; I didn't care what others thought! After taking advantage of the wi-fi for a bit, I was finally able to take a Brighouse train, no thanks to the aforementioned stupid machine and slow elevator! I was only just able to get the 407 at Brighouse because of a lineup, despite the slow people using the elevator and fare gates... I finally got home at 8:35. The Canucks played the Red Wings today at 4:30, and won 5-2!

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A small iron skillet, a tiny cast iron pan, 900g of No Name spaghettini, and 425mL of Bullseye bold original barbecue sauce. No wonder it was so heavy and I could barely walk at my normal speed!

Uncle Ben's Jasmine Rice!

900g of No Name spaghettini - YAY!

Bullseye bold original barbecue sauce!

From Cuya's Discord server: Pepperidge Farm pumpkin spice cheesecake cookies in a limited edition for Halloween 2019?!

From Julie: Skull with Dragon by Ashland! BLACK DRAGON!

From Dragons: Halloween orange dragon with bats, a tree, and jack o'lanterns!

Current Mood: pensive
Current Location: home
Current Music: Queen, "Liar"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3951891.html

Beckett crawled over to me to say hi - CUTE! After COFFEE TIME, I left at 3:15 on a 401 to help with the kids. I got to Marine Drive Station very early, thanks to no stupid delays! Went to T&T to look for hot and sour soup mix (why don't they have any?!), but did get NEW Clear Lime Coca-Cola and NEW Coffee Plus Coca-Cola. Then I went to Shoppers for a box of Peaches and Cream oatmeal for National Oatmeal Day later. Got to Harmony's at 4:45 or so after receiving a call and a text saying they were home now even if I'd tried buzzing in earlier - I was literally walking to her place! When I got in, I heard an awake Beckett, so I mentioned that in a normal volume. Beckett then crawled to me to say hi since he recognized my voice, which is cute!

I played with him for 15 minutes before dinner; he climbed on me (so I took the opportunity for a hug), laughed at the baby pop-up toy, and then was bothering Ayler and Hiero when it was reading time for PLANETS and SUPERMAN. Beckett doesn't know any better - he's a baby, and he's curious about what we're doing! Someone had a tantrum, and Hiero hit me with his fist. What?! Ayler and Hiero also insisted that origami was a bathroom activity - okay, then!

When Beckett was upset later because I took a toy away from an "unsafe" area (not the mat), I took the opportunity for another hug. We had slightly spicy meatball chili, cornbread with butter and honey, beans, and some other stuff for dinner. I said maybe I'd bring crackers next time so Beckett could eat something, and Hiero actually remembered that he'd double-fisted Swiss Cheese crackers recently! Ha, that had been pretty funny! I did get Beckett to "read" word books later, and he was having such a good time with that and his favorite colored ball that he was upset when Harmony took him away from me to sleep.

I left at 7:10 or so since Beckett had had a three-hour nap earlier and Harmony just put him down early for the night shift. Amazingly, there were no delays on the return trip to Marine Drive Station, but I still wanted to get home before 10 PM if possible. I used the 20-minute time between 407 buses to use the wifi at Richmond Centre and text Chinese Eric about tomorrow... then I got home at 8:35! Pretty early! I also tried emailing Jeremy from my phone to wish him a happy birthday on the day, but no go; I did that when I got home instead! Then I found out that all my Facebook accounts can't tag people in photos - WHAT THE FUCK?! Tried clearing my cookies and browsing data, but that didn't work! I was way overdue for that if it had 80,000 items, anyhow. NO MORE JIMMY! Now I gotta sleep because my body is screaming EYESTRAIN at me in a way I haven't had since a week and a half after my eye surgery!

My skeleton and candy corn Ugly Halloween Sweater: GET FREAKY!

( More Halloween and amusements! )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: home
Current Music: ZZ Top, "Crunchy"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3944500.html

GIF Resizer

9/17/19 is also a palindrome date AND MY BIRTHDAY! After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:30 on a 401 to help with the kids. I JUST missed the Brighouse train because of someone shoving their way onto the elevator when the door was closing, and ALMOST missed the 3 bus at Marine Drive because someone wanted to let others on the already full elevator! JESUS CHRIST! People already on the elevator have connections to make and places to go - they can wait for the next one! And no, I did not leave really late!

When I finally got to the house at about the usual time, Beckett was fussing and trying to sleep. Ayler and Hiero were doing some origami; no, they couldn't test me on my birthday since that isn't very nice! I got to see Ayler construct a tiny gift box, while Hiero put very small things in his. Ayler wanted me to look at the origami book, so I did - lots of stuff in there for sure! Later, he wanted to see if he was taller than me yet - nope, but he was also cheating (which I told him) because he was standing on the mat and I was standing on the floor. I did tell him - as usual - the demarcation between my neck and my chin. Wow, he's 4 foot 6 already?!

We had dinner earlier than Beckett, and Hiero told me something interesting about making friends in kindergarten. It's good to know the proper names of your body parts, I told him. Harmony asked what I did for my actual birthday: Uh, you're currently looking at it! Turns out Jon believed Mom when she said it was the 16th, so I told her that maybe she shouldn't automatically believe Mom, and take what SHE says with a very liberal grain of salt. Homemade tomato soup, artisan bread, sticky rice (JONG), chicken feet, spicy sausage, soft carrots, and shortbread camel cookies - I declined the relaxing tea, though!

Beckett finally got a little bit of sleep - which I agree that he needed - and then crawled to my chair and pulled himself up to say hi and eat my dragon hoodie strings. CUTE! He wanted me to play with him, so I did - without washing my hands, which I'm sure Harmony wasn't impressed with. Oh well. Sometimes you gotta let the kid lead! He laughed at the baby pop-up toy, clapped and laughed, climbed on my back to try pulling my hair (Ayler says he claws people and pulls their hair now), and seemed way more energetic than Harmony thought he should be. Maybe he just wanted to play with me since he recognizes and likes me now!

Later, he crawled into the bathroom while Ayler was in there, but I was interested to see what he gets up to inside. Turns out that he's smart and knows that his blue basin is inside the shower stall, so wants to put it on his head. I took him out of there to play with better toys on the mat, and he climbed on me when I put the soccer ball on my head. Harmony let me go early at 7:10, which was a change. There was a transit officer on the 3 Marine Drive bus already, which again did not stop anywhere randomly for a few minutes. I still was a couple minutes late for a Brighouse train, but eventually got home at 8:45. Not a bad end to my birthday at all, involving no rushing like LAST YEAR!

From Nita: A pencil is on the phone. "I'll call you back later, okay? I'm having dinner with my editor." The RUBBER ERASER is the editor, hahaha!

Current Mood: loved
Current Location: home
Current Music: Fugazi, "Margin Walker"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3938885.html

The 401 did not show up at the bus stop when I left at 3:30, so I was stuck waiting 20 minutes for the 407 and two 401 buses which all came at the same time. I still managed to get to the house at 5, despite a text message from Harmony way earlier asking if I could be there at 3:45, which I didn't even get till I left the house. Technically late before I even thought of making my way outside... hahaha! Good thing the 3 Downtown pulled up when I'd made my way to the bus stop, and there were NO further delays on my way over! I had to stop into Kwong Chow to pee, which I wouldn't have had to do if the 401 had showed up when it was supposed to!

When I'd made my way quietly into the living room, Hiero greeted me with "Look at my balls, Auntie!" HAHAHA! Thank goodness he meant his yellow origami balls which he'd made and displayed on the table! He showed me some more cardboard buses and Mark III Skytrains plus a cow "headband" which he'd picked up at the PNE this year. Ayler was hiding Beckett's toy balls among some books, then was concentrating on his connect-the-dots book for a while. We had bean soup, frozen grapes, pork chops, and blueberries for dinner while discussing Christon's wedding. Apparently, someone stole Jon's extra four boxes of leftovers! WHAT?! Some auntie had stolen a Bible from Jon and Harmony's wedding centrepieces - WHAT?! She gave it back once she realized it was real, but STILL!

Later, Beckett played the piano with his feet as I held him in my lap for better mobility... that was funny and cute! Yes, he climbed on me and laughed when I put the soccer ball on my head, less so with the baby pop-up toy. Ayler didn't get to sleep till 10:30 last night, but it had been the first day of school today, so anxiety and questions were normal. Hiero took quite a while to eat dinner, while Beckett seemed happy to flip pages of various books on the mat. Later, Beckett climbed on Ayler's back, and Ayler said that he knew Beckett would pull his hair. Close enough - he instead was gumming his hair and chewing on it! I guess he really is teething from last week into this week.

Since someone had a tantrum, I left at 8 on the dot. Next week should be fine. I actually got on a 3 Marine Drive that was NOT annoying and did NOT stop anywhere random for a while! There was a girl who wanted to let the bus driver know that she'd be getting off with her stroller, but if I could barely hear her above the traffic and bus noise while seated across from her, I'm surprised that the bus driver could! I'm glad that I have NG lungpower and strength! Since the bus didn't stop anywhere, I was able to get a Brighouse train pulling into the Marine Drive station. I still had to wait a while at Brighouse Station, but I got home at 9:30 on a 407 - PHEW! Harmony had mentioned that Mom had emailed us about my birthday dinner. I'll think about that tomorrow, since I'm much more interested in chilling and relaxing at home for the rest of my night, haha!

Hiero thought I should be a cow with this Mobile Dairy Classroom thing that he picked up from the PNE!

From Jim Can't Swim: Anjie Galsworthy?! BAD SPELLING OF ANGIE!

Current Mood: quixotic
Current Location: home
Current Music: Veruca Salt, "Bodies"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3933686.html

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?!

Current Mood: full
Current Location: home
Current Music: GWAR, "Horror of Yig"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3928103.html

After COFFEE TIME, I had to go out at 4:10 on a 407 for a Kwong Chow dinner. Since I was out anyway, I bought three pairs of London Naturals foam scour sponges, a Snapple half and half iced tea / lemonade for aspirin purposes, and a bag of 20 KitKat chocolate mini-bars for National Chocolate Day for Ayler and Hiero at London Drugs. We had fish congee, spicy tofu triangles, a different kind of Chinese fish, pork intestines with pickled vegetables, green beans with spicy beef, half a chicken, and tomato fried rice with red sauce / white sauce / shrimp / pork for dinner. Ayler tried his first pork intestine since he was curious about them, and chewed through half of it before deciding he didn't like them that much. Hiero didn't want to try one at all.

Beckett was in a high chair and screaming happily. He was being shielded from the "evil" TV, and the family made care plans for this week. The boys seemed to like their Seattle trip, even if one of them dumped a plastic dinosaur down the toilet this morning at the AirBnB! They told us about the monorail, the water table at the Children's Museum, the chocolate shop, the $25 per person baseball game with hot dogs, Pike Place Market being really crowded, and more. Seemed like a fun trip for sure! The kids wanted to race on our way to their house, but that wasn't a good idea right after dinner! I apparently have to wait for the lards' call on Wednesday morning - no melatonin the night before, PLUS coffee and the phone on then, before going to Aberdeen and Parker Place!

I finally got home at 8:05 on a 401, and no, I did NOT want to be dropped off at 49th instead of 41st simply because it was easier for Mom. Even Dad was annoyed! Mom also wants to NOT pay for three pairs of reading glasses instead of "just two since it would be too expensive" - if she balks at that, I'm sure she's not going to like the cost of any proposed Invisalign! Sorry, Sean...

Random stuff from Mom and Dad, inside a Safeway bag: a tiny bottle of Mayanik Habanero Pepper Sauces Habanero Chile Verde sauce, Red Rose Tea in Orange Pekoe flavor x5 teabags, plus three random pairs of thin socks. Green-blue, blue and white, plus white and blue!

20 mini Kit-Kat bars!

Mayanik Habanero Chile Verde sauce!

Red Rose Tea in Orange Pekoe flavor!

Kermit Sprinkles?!

Current Mood: full
Current Location: home
Current Music: U2, "Where The Streets Have No Name"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3914646.html

Not-so-dear random and selfish Dreamwidth user: My journal tags are for ME and MY CONVENIENCE, not for whoever else happens to stumble across my journal. I don't care about a random user searching for stuff about movies. YOU are the rude one for suggesting that my tags should be for anyone and everyone. Also, that entry had 169 tags, not 100. If you're going to complain, do it right.

No, it does NOT mess with the functionality of the site!

From Monkey Punch and Melissa: World's greatest farter mug for Father's Day!

Brace yourselves: Single moms are coming to claim Father's Day.

From Global News on April 30, 2019: Metro Vancouver has a pair of mascots called Pee and Poo! Watch what you flush!

Current Mood: productive
Current Location: home
Current Music: Peter Gabriel, "Exposure"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3907472.html

After COFFEE TIME and getting some free NRG Detox Iaso tea samples from Shane in today's mail (yay for bubble-wrap envelopes!), I went out at 2 on a 414 to see Rachel at the Caring Place. We called Shaw and I managed to get my bill lowered by about $50 per month for two years in a row! I'll also get a new cable box and some other things next Wednesday when the technician comes by in the late morning or early afternoon. I killed time by taking advantage of the wi-fi there, in Richmond Centre, and outside Waves Coffee. Texted Paulo, talked to James about food, sent Mike a quick Hangouts message, and generally kept in touch with people. Someone in the V4F Discord server mentioned coffee, so I decided to check the London Drugs website to see whether the tall canisters were on sale - SCORE! I bought a NESCAFÉ instant coffee canister (October 1, 2018) for $10.99 instead of $14.99, plus NEW Late July bacon habanero tortilla chips.

Later, I met Frances for dinner at Pho Han after walking from Richmond Centre to Lansdowne and then taking the 410. Well, she offered to pick me up somewhere near Aberdeen Station around 6 since the restaurant is in one of those little plazas on Capstan Way. It was definitely out of the way, that's for sure! We talked about VCEFC people, my mom calling me for something which turned out to be an "invite" to one of Dad's VOS opera choir concerts tomorrow evening (I never check WhatsApp and she might as well just TELL ME WHAT IT IS ON THE PHONE), Ellen, Facebook, my malfunctioning microwave, her mother and dementia, my spicy pork blood soup, her spring rolls and grilled chicken, her paying for the meal (wow!) and dropping me off later, her brothers, and autism. I guess Mom will pick me up at 5 tomorrow from the courtyard with another bag or two of random stuff before we go for wonton mein or something.

It was good, but I am still glad to be home. I should have gotten her to stand around while I looked at microwaves in London Drugs since I have more than $150 cash in my wallet, but that's probably not what she had in mind when she said "grocery shopping." I just emailed white Eric to see if he can do it and then recycle the old one - then maybe I can give the Danby Designers 700-watt one to Paulo if and when that ends up happening.

Alprentice Von Slatten?!

From Julie: Cardi B has a daughter named KULTURE?! Bad spelling of Culture, not that this is a good name if spelled correctly...

NEW Late July bacon habanero tortilla chips!

Current Mood: nervous
Current Location: home
Current Music: Foo Fighters, "Congregation"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3905082.html

I called Dr. Wise's office at 11:15 because I'd run out of the Prolensa and Simbrinza eyedrops, and I'm starting to really feel a difference. I had to rest today because my eyes felt really weird like they did right after surgery. Luckily, I could pick them up this afternoon (being a Friday) before they closed at 4. I got there at 2:10 or so, and even got them to open ALL the ridiculously tiny eyedrops bottles x4 for me! PHEW!

On my way home, I just missed a Brighouse train from Yaletown-Roundhouse (where I FINALLY found the elevator to bypass the stairs), so I took a Waterfront train to stay on there so I could go to Broadway Station. I went to No Frills where I was confused by the self-checkout machine, which is nothing new. At least I got help! Bought three pounds of Parkay margarine (which I haven't bought since April 25, 2018?!) and President's Choice Kettle-Cooked Jalapeno chips. I stopped by the pharmacy next door after getting off a 401 at 3:40, and also refilled my birth control pills prescription. Everything is done - YAY!

Then Eric Ho FINALLY emailed me back to say that he's glad my eye surgery and recovery are going well, and we can get together around February 26 or a little later. Does he not know what an expiry date or deadline for the Boston Pizza Online offer is?! I want my free Bandera Pizza Bread, dammit! I'll just splurge and order delivery tonight since I somehow have more extra money in my bank account... I don't trust him to not come over before the offer expires. I eventually settled on a medium BBQ chicken pizza (which I haven't had since September 2016), a medium Meateor pizza for 50% off (which I haven't had since the last time I had pizza in August 2018 for Chinese Eric's birthday), and my free Bandera Pizza Bread with dips and cheese. There goes $57!

Boston Pizza BBQ Chicken pizza: Signature pizza sauce, pizza mozzarella, cheddar, fresh mushrooms, and BBQ chicken!

Miss Vickie's Jalapeno chips!

Hickory Sticks!

President's Choice Kettle-Cooked Jalapeno chips!

Here's a News 1130 poll from Ed Woo as of November 22, 2011. (old since it is 2019 now, I know) Should Canadians have the right to be married to more than one person at a time? 58% say YES, while 42% say NO. WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING HELL?!

From Julie M. and JUDGE JUDY: Buffie Deibler?!

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Location: home
Current Music: Black Crowes, "Remedy"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3858999.html

After COFFEE TIME, Barry called me at 11:50 to see if I could change our food shopping appointment next week from Wednesday to Thursday, which I had no problem with. I left at 12:25 to get to the Burrard eye clinic for my appointment with Dr. Wise for a one-week followup, even if the construction zone around here is annoying. Still got off at Yaletown-Roundhouse and was in time to catch the 6 Davie in the land of the pink bus stops, which is what I know now. I got there at 1:05, but that was fine. The doctor says my eyes still look healthy and are improving, that I can't dislodge the cataract lens even if I tried, and that I could throw out the antibiotic with zero refills, which was fine by me. She says there is no need to rush to get newer glasses because my prescription is not fully formed yet - apparently, a bunch of people DO waste their money and do just that. My next appointment is the six-week followup on Feb. 27 (a Wednesday) at 2:15, which works for me.

Later, I took the opportunity to play with the Shaw wi-fi while I was still at the clinic office, then decided to do my shopping in Vancouver. I should have done it in Richmond or on Broadway to save some time, since some asshole decided to hit me up for some Canadian coins outside Vancouver City Centre under the guise of "a dumb American question" while I was looking at a map. I went to the London Drugs right there to get Scotch Expressions orange masking tape x2 and red $2 MARTEX washcloths x2. They didn't have any duct tape, so I asked an employee where the nearest Staples was - near Burrard Station, which wasn't too far away.

Thanks to the aforementioned asshole, I got three blocks to Burrard Station which was very near the Staples at 1055 West Georgia. I eventually managed to find the entrance, and had to walk a bit to get into the actual store. I bought Z-Grip Pens x60 (June 24, 2018) and black duct tape, temporarily walked in the wrong direction, and eventually got home at 4 on a 407. No more two-hour service gap at Brighouse!

Deb emailed me again at 6:15 to ask how the appointment had gone, and to wonder if I'd seen Declan's orange Beyblade Pokemon stadium and toys. Nope, but it could be anywhere in that alcove or townhouse by now! Someone named Emily Harris added me to Facebook - possibly Kurt's girlfriend, but she never responded to my message asking who she was. What the heck?! Then I noticed that Emilie Mak unfriended me, but that's fine - I only knew her as an Awana kid from 2007!

From Sara, Reddit, and r/funny: The Grammar Police are here to serve and correct... just look at their uniforms!

From Julie M. and DR. PHIL: Zona?! Reminds me of Zoma in DRAGON WARRIOR 3! She also claims that she's been pregnant for three years and seven months...

1500 HEARTS AND LOVE on my Facebook posts!

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: home
Current Music: Phone Losers of America: Pizza Calls: "Waste"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3856375.html

Discovered extra money in my bank account this morning, and updated Harmony and Deb on things via email, also calling Barry at 8:40 AM to let him know about the NOON appointment time on the 11th. Luckily, he can drive me! I left at 11:10 to perforce go to Dr. Wise's clinic on 1200 Burrard by myself... ugh! I went to Yaletown-Roundhouse station (where I'd met Jeremy a long time ago for the Jazz Festival) and luckily found the 6 Davie Bay 1 bus stop across the street, a couple minutes before the bus arrived. A little girl asked me what happened with my keloid scars, so I told her that it was a birthmark. Good enough!

At least the eye measurement test was relatively quick (and I got there at about 12:10), and I could just wait for Dr. O'Donnell's opinion rather than wait for Dr. Wise to call her assistant back. I left at 12:40 or so, and didn't really have to wait for the 6 Downtown going back to Yaletown-Roundhouse, thanks to the helpful Davie bus driver telling me where the bus stop was and all that.

Since I had to wait ten minutes for the 407 from Brighouse anyway, I bought even more on-sale $5 Stouffer's Sauté Sensations Chicken Alfredo microwaveable meals x4 (the sale goes till the 11th, when I might not be in suitable shape to go again) from Shoppers. When I got home at 1:35, I also bought $2 Essentiel hand sanitizer x2 from the pharmacy next door. Adam was fine with things and reminded me to ask about the eyedrops tomorrow at the hospital. Well, I apparently have to bring them in with me, so I've already prepared a Ziploc bag for that.

I called Dad to say I was home and things were fine. He tried joking about leaving me to take the bus - NO, THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT AN OPTION! Mom then called me right after to say she had made dinner for me tomorrow (which means that I can take it home and microwave it... NOT GO OUT WITH HER - PHEW!) and to say they'd be at Mount St. Joseph's at 1:45 tomorrow to support me on the way out and home to Richmond. Okay, GOOD! Then I had some whiskey and noodles... I'll eat up a storm till midnight-ish, and shower tomorrow morning, I guess!

From The Dragon's Den and Lindsay Buroker: A colorful dragon toilet paper roll holder!

Current Mood: drunk
Current Location: home
Current Music: GWAR, "Nudged"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3853489.html

2018 Year In Review!

THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.

[Meme fun: Take the first line from the first post of every month of the year. Repost it here as your year in review. (I'm discounting greetings and things like that :P) Yeah, it's been an interesting year!]

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of the year. Post the first line of it in your journal as a paragraph, and that's your "Year In Review."

I got a baby girl card for Jason and Vanessa ("KEEP CALM AND CARRY BABY WIPES"), NEW Shasha organic ginger snaps for Vanessa (no sugar?!), 200g of on-sale Ferrero Rocher, 100 store brand bandages, a NEW Carnation variety pack of hot chocolate (TURTLES Canada / Coffee Crisp / After Eight), and NEW Lipton Chicken Noodle Supreme soup from London Drugs, which has just started charging for plastic bags. SO MUCH ON-SALE BLACK PEPPER SALMON JERKY FOR ME AND JIMMY AND JULIE, OH MY! I called Barry at 8:35 AM to tell him about the mouse on the glue trap which I discovered last night. The computer restarted at 6 AM! I called Barry at 9:40 this morning to remind him about going to Rona for a Victor Pest Chaser Ultrasonic Rodent Repeller, which cost $33. I went to the pharmacy next door at 1:50 to refill my prescription early; yes, even Adam commented on it!

I left at 5:55 to get two 3-subject Hilroy notebooks in green and light blue (for home use and road use) from London Drugs, returning home at 6:40 on a late 407. CHOCOLATE AND BATHROOM REPLACEMENTS GALORE AGAIN, and today's date is a palindrome: 8/1/18! Yesterday, Frances C. emailed me to say that she couldn't make it to Felico's because of work, which is fine. I went out at 12 on a 401 so I could buy Campbell's Chunky Soup (Jerk Chicken with Vegetables / Butter Chicken with Vegetables), NESCAFÉ instant coffee (December 16, 2017), a NEW on-sale limited edition Oh Henry! Canada / Oh Henry 4:25 Pop-Up candy bar, barkTHINS snacking dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds for Thanksgiving dinner, NEW limited edition Doritos Late Night Fully-Loaded Nacho chips, and HALLS assorted mint cough drops. I went out at 12:20 on a 414 to do some shopping for on-sale Halloween candy and Advent calendars. COFFEE TIME while I'm still figuring out why Jimmy blocked me instead of just talking to me about what I did...... I should have posed it as a hypothetical a while ago!

Current Mood: indifferent
Current Location: home
Current Music: Butthole Surfers, "Pepper"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3839940.html

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 6:25 to meet Chrystal at London Drugs at 7; it didn't matter if she was late because I'd technically been late as well, getting to the station at 7:05. After telling her that Original Joe's and Chronic Tacos were both closed, I said we might as well walk along Broadway till we saw something that caught my eye. Yes, I definitely knew she was treating me! I knew there was a Cactus Club around there, and I was correct when we got to Broadway and Ash. We talked about sitting on the patio, her Baja fish tacos (I had one) and my tuna poke bowl, water, her nephew Ethan wanting to hit people thanks to preschool, her baby nephew Benjamin, yesterday's eyeball ultrasound and my parents' idea of an Oakridge "ride," our bad sense of direction, Thanksgiving, my parents' upcoming "Tom and Tom" trip to Minnesota, the Canucks, New Zealand, Australia, Mike T.'s birthday the other day (they all went to eat sushi), their going to SURREY instead of RICHMOND on Sunday (thus how they got lost and went on the wrong exit), the computer / router / computer case stuff on Sunday, my having lamb at Felico's, surprise birthday cards, and therapy.

After dinner, I wanted to also check out the nearby Book Warehouse to get the newest Bathroom Reader #31 if possible since the website said it was in stock, and I did! Uncle John's Actual and Factual Bathroom Reader #31 (Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Annual), baby! I told Chrystal about what had happened last year with the "nearest" post office bullshit before we went our separate ways at the Canada Line station, where I just missed a Brighouse train. At Broadway Station, a businesswoman wanted me to hold the elevator doors for her - instead, she managed to squeeze herself in when the doors were closing. The train wasn't even coming into the station, and the other guy on the elevator seemed to have issues of his own, like wearing sandals outside on a cool evening. Some old guy wanted me to move on the Brighouse bench while I was actively reading - NO, because he could have just walked to the end of the short bench! When I finally got home at 9:30 on a 407, I finally checked my mail to find a funny "Happy Birthday, Tree Killer" birthday card from Steph and Lisa, which included Fraser's and Henry's handprints - NICE! Thank goodness that I had peace and quiet to do what I had to do when I got home!

Cactus Club's NEW Tuna Poke Bowl: Sesame ginger Ocean Wise™ ahi tuna, jasmine rice, mango, cucumber, avocado, edamame, radish, and crispy tempura! Hawaiian taste, indeed!

Cactus Club Baja fish tacos: Beer battered Ocean Wise™ cod, shredded cabbage, chipotle aioli, fire-roasted tomato salsa, pickled radish / onions / jalapenos, and sea salted fries!

Happy Birthday candle icon from shy_of_reality (Becca) and seasonal_icons!

Happy Birthday 1: Colorful dots, flowers, and stars!

Happy Birthday 2: Confetti, a party hat, and more dots!

Happy Birthday 3: Balloons, a party hat, mints, noisemakers, a present box, streamers, banners, stars, cherries, and some frosting with sprinkles!

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: home
Current Music: Def Leppard, "Women"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3818198.html

I left at 10:30 on a 407 to meet Mom and Dad at Oakridge with my fall / winter coats that may need complicated washing, but I have no idea why Mom's appointment with Dr. Kuo the acupuncturist would take two hours. STABWOUND THERAPY! Oh wait, they CHATTED?! Dad insisted on accompanying me to St. Paul's Hospital after New York Fries and A&W, which is fine, but I DID NOT NEED "You have to get over the escalator thing" or walking downtown for more than I had to! I know my energy levels; he doesn't! After that, I went to Yaohan to get some beef internal noodles at the food court as a treat and a reward. When I got home at 4:15 on a 407, I showered and am now talking to Jimmy.

From Julie: When I make the mistake of asking my wife why she can't sleep… Bert and Ernie style!

Current Mood: drunk
Current Location: home
Current Music: the Scorpions, "Action"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3817752.html

After I had COFFEE TIME, Barry picked me up at 11:50 and we went banking and to Price Smart. I got half-price JOY dumplings x8 (Pork and Tri-Treasure, Lamb and Onion, Pork and Vegetable, Pork and Chive - saving $1 per bag over Big Crazy), Cheetos Bag of Bones white cheddar Halloween snacks, on-sale Dial Canada Coconut Milk body wash, on-sale Knorr Sidekicks (Tomato Alfredo / Three Cheese / Creamy Bacon Carbonara), an on-sale Stouffer's Sauté Sensations Chicken Alfredo meal for the iron later, Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine vegetarian mushroom noodles, Lipton Cup-A-Soup x3 (Cream of Chicken / Chicken Noodle Soup / Chicken Noodle Supreme), Lipton Tomato Vegetable soup (Wesley reminded me of this!), Vedan Vietnam Bah Kut tea noodles, half-price Hong Kong 富臨食品國際有限公司 Fulum mini mooncake x4 (Mini Red Jujube White Lotus Seed Paste / Mini Osmanthus Oolong Tea and Lotus Seed Paste / Mini Kumquat and Lotus Seed Paste / Mini Cranberry White Lotus Seed Paste), Silk Canada dark chocolate milk, on-sale Authentica World Cuisine Puttanesca pasta sauce x2, and a Hungry-Man microwaveable turkey meal as a Canadian Thanksgiving backup.

I also bought the on-sale scary Halloween candy x4 (Scaries - Smarties / Coffin Crisp - Coffee Crisp / ghostly Kit-Kat / ScAero - Aero Bubbly Chocolate), on-sale Uncle Ben's Canada rice (NEW Butter and Garlic rice / Mushroom long grain and wild rice / soy and ginger Jasmine rice), on-sale Campbell's Chunky Soup (NEW Jerk Chicken and Vegetables x2 / BBQ Chipotle Sirloin Burger / Chicken Sausage Gumbo / NEW Butter Chicken and Vegetables), Earth's Own almond milk, Western Family limited-edition Honeycrisp apple cider, small store brand on-sale key lime Greek yogurt x4, NEW Olympic Dairy Greek Yogurt x3 (Black Cherry / Blueberry / limited-edition Pear Chai), Sapporo Ichiban Noodle Ramen Shio Ramen noodles, Then I got two pink promotional Mid-Autumn Festival gift certificates - save $10 on a $25 or more grocery purchase from September 28 to October 18? Why not? I'll just have to remember to go there on October 1 and some other date during the month. :D

After I got Barry to swap my microwaves for me (1000 watts is better than 700 watts!), I fielded phone calls from Dr. Wise's office (DUH - of course I know about the ultrasound appointment since I booked it myself yesterday), and then paid my Shaw bill online at home. Then I left at 5:30 to grab the mooncake flavor names from Price Smart, just managing to get the 401, which waited as I ran across the street on my green light! After that, I went to London Drugs to get NEW on-sale Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate x3 (Crunchy Cacao / Pink Peppercorn / Hazelnut), Goody toothbrush covers x7, and a smaller 300-page red Hilroy notebook for my smaller reusable bag. Got back at 6:20, just managing to get the 407 - PHEW! GOOD TIMING AND BUS EFFICIENCY! At least I can get a ride tomorrow to St. Paul's from Mom and Dad...

Green tea ice cream!

Olympic blueberry yogurt...

( New yogurt, chocolate, and BAG OF BONES! )

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: home
Current Music: Ministry, "Worthless"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3817577.html

I left at 2 on a 414 to the Caring Place to see Rachel at 2. Then I got an eyeball ultrasound appointment this Thursday afternoon at 1:30 at St. Paul's, so I had to look up the transit there. I was home at 3:50 on a 407, which is pretty fast. The Canucks played the Oilers at 6 in the sixth and penultimate game of their 2018-2019 training camp, and lost 6-0 complete with a hat trick.

From Julie: Wisper Joerres?! Her parents didn't even spell it with an H, not that it would have been any better!

Current Mood: okay
Current Location: home
Current Music: Smashing Pumpkins, "Zero"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3817283.html

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I went out to Mt. Pleasant Park at 3 (just missing a Canada Line train AND a 3 bus at Marine Drive!) with my own mat and silverware (UGH!) for Ayler's sixth birthday party. My knife did end up saving the day when it came to the homemade chocolate ganache mousse birthday cake, though! I was the only one who brought a knife, apparently. Ayler and Hiero were at the playground when I finally got to the park, so I left Harmony to watch my things along with hers so I could see what was up with them. They were flinging sand with shovels and "digging a hole to China." Later, Ayler and I were discussing our clothing choices, and he said he lived in Vancouver instead of Richmond, so he could know to wear a T-shirt instead of a long-sleeved shirt. Okay, then!

They had fun with the see-saw until it was food time. Ayler had a very specific order when it came to who should get birthday cake, but it definitely made sense that he should get the first slice! Everett and Evander were running around with them, while baby Naomi (whom I met for the first time) was just shy to me most of the time. Of course I said hi to Uncle Joe, Auntie Wing Yee, Brittney, Myles, Holly, and Peter. We had strawberries, lemonade, Clamato, huge DON'T ARGUE pizza slices, homemade chocolate cookies, and homemade chocolate ganache mousse cake. Salsa was also on offer, but what would I have had it with? Dad told me to say thanks to Harmony's parents for giving me a ride to Oakridge Station - DUH! I got home at 8:05 on a 401, and had to wash the dishes right away before I got distracted.

Golden mushroom soup!

Current Mood: full
Current Location: home
Current Music: Our Lady Peace, "Boy"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3773475.html

I decided to go out on the 407 to Yaohan, but that actually took fucking forever compared to going to the Canada Line and taking it to Aberdeen Station. Ugh, never again! I had some noodles with beef internal organs after buying Soo Spicy Szechuan beef jerky, Soo Keta wild Pacific salmon black pepper jerky, Szechaun Numbing Spicy noodles, and Spicy Squid noodles from Osaka Supermarket. Finally got home at 2:05, which is okay.

Jimmy's red pepper Chinese beef jerky from my childhood!

( BEEF JERKY AND SALMON! )

From Not Always Right: Krissandra Humphrey?! She goes to Capilano!

From Not Always Right: Zeus Morales?!

From Not Always Right: Crysania Dante?!

From Not Always Right: Catie Stankorb?! That should be spelled KATIE!

Current Mood: productive
Current Location: home
Current Music: EMF, "Arizona"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3728658.html

2017

JANUARY

* Finally got a CHIMO / Family Services phone intake done with Jocelyn, then finally finished JONBOUND. [Jan. 6]

* I created a Discord account for whatever reason, probably to talk to Lucas and his weird friends, plus Kramer and his Twitch stream friends. [Jan. 7]

* Finished replaying HALLOW'S END on Turbo Mode. [Jan. 11]

* Unfortunately, I had to get the passport stuff done with my parents. [Jan. 12]

* Visited Vanessa in the hospital after her surgery. [Jan. 13]

* Hiero's third birthday party! Ayler told me that he needed to take more nachos. Sure, why not? [Jan. 22]

* I got my ten-year passport through registered mail! [Jan. 25]

* Finally finished the very difficult MOTHER 2 DELUXE, and started FINAL FANTASY VI: ETERNAL CRYSTALS. [Jan. 28]

( Highlights and lowlights! )

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Location: home
Current Music: AFI, "Silver and Cold"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3726989.html

The Canucks played Pittsburgh at 7 last night, and I later found out that they won 4-2. I left at 8:25 in order to get the bus on time to make the trek to the Shark Club, which Sabrina said was right across the street from Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain station. Her idea of "right across the street" must be different than mine because I had to walk a couple of blocks from the station. I couldn't even get into the Shark Club when I finally got there since they were at capacity because of a UFC fight. I saw plenty of people from a BC Lions game and the Canucks game, but not the people I was looking for. I went back in again a while later, and heard my name being called. It was Brad, whom I at least know if not like a lot, so that was a relief anyway. He hadn't seen Kathy or Aaron, but soon got a message saying they'd just got to Stadium. I was fine with following everyone inside when they got there, and of course Eve and John were there already! I could have gone in there beforehand, but didn't want to go against the bouncer's wishes.

Plenty of hugging, some photos, "I love you," and yelling to be heard over everything else! I got a Long Island Iced Tea on Eve's account (ASIAN RED-FACE GENE!), but it later turned out that Brad paid for the entire table anyway. Kathy and Aaron left for some reason, maybe having to do with this (homeless?) guy named Sebastian that was with them. John SPILLED Brad's red wine all over me by accident, so Eve took me to the washroom area and blotched it with cold water. She said to soak it in lukewarm water to get the tannin out when I got home, but I didn't trust that, so did it with cold water instead. Talked about Burnaby, having a phone, addresses, Tammy Milosh the bitch, "you and Brad should date!" (no!), his usage of "cunt," my not leaving CRIMINALS, and a plastic bag for my soaked item. I finally left after midnight, got confused as to where I was going (left and right and up and down were not right in my head), actually went on the Georgia Viaduct, and finally got weird directions from a Hagelin fan, and real directions from the bouncer at the door. Luckily, I got what was probably the last train to Waterfront from Stadium, the last Brighouse train from Waterfront, and the last 401 bus from Brighouse after a cold wait. Thank goodness for winter clothing!

I got home just before the time change at 1:55 AM, soaked my sweater / jersey / pants in the tub, then went to bed soon afterwards. Today, I definitely did my laundry (one load on the second floor - one load on the third floor), and the jersey was fine after washing! Not sure whether it was the water treatment, the white vinegar, or the stain-lifting technology of my laundry detergent - I'm glad, anyway! I can live with 10-ish blotches around the logo, I guess. Talked to CANUCK NATION about this stuff, of course. The lid of the Touch Top garbage can in the bathroom broke off, and I was going to get a new one anyway since it won't fit... so off I go again!

These cheddar jalapeno Cheetos aren't Doritos! YOU HAD ONE JOB!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: home
Current Music: Korn, "Falling Away From Me"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3696582.html

Sabrina said that the Shark Club is across the street from Stadium Skytrain station (and should be busy after the game), said that there wasn't any snow where she was, and then said that she was staying home because of her dog's health. Very understandable! I appreciated what she said, of course. If I can meet Kathy and Aaron as well as John and Eve, that will be great!

Compulsively-Late Churchgoers! Turn back your clock Saturday night to avoid the horror of arriving EARLY to church!

From Not Always Right: Jarred Moyer?! This is why you don't spell JARED with two Rs! It will look like your son lives in a jar! See jarred pickles, jarred pasta sauce, etc.

From Not Always Right: Jaxx Fox?! He's a furry, too...

From Not Always Right: Kabe Stewart?! Unfortunately, he's also a furry...

Current Mood: okay
Current Location: home
Current Music: Rolling Stones, "Carol"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3696219.html

I discovered surprise redrum before going to bed last night - UGH! After COFFEE TIME at 10, I went out at 11 to the Broadway Canada Line Station to meet Auntie Catherine at 11:30-ish. It was definitely time to switch over to Grandma's warm purple Alia winter coat! Auntie Catherine saw me at the station and we hugged hello. I had tea and hand-dragged lamb noodles with four pan-fried dumplings. We talked about my nephews, Youtube, the Bible / her belief in Jesus Christ / original sin / human intelligence vs. God intelligence (like God is automatically more intelligent?) / the Bible / some Christian preacher named David Jeremiah / whether I believed in Jesus Christ (I didn't sign up for that during lunch!), my own personal beliefs, Chung Yan, Chung Ming, Mattias and Marcus being 9 and 7 now (what?!), VCEFC, Pastor Dan still being there, the aging population at church, a speaker on Martin Luther King and the Reformation tonight at the church, Winter Conference as something I could do to remind me of what I grew up with (what?!), Kids Night on Halloween (what would I do there?!), and the Book Warehouse. Despite all that religious stuff, I did thank her for the lunch and said no when she asked whether I wanted anything else.

When I left the Book Warehouse after laughing at a book called YOUR SHITTY FAMILY, I bumped into Auntie Cathy! We talked about her Sunday School kids getting older, her and Uncle Hansel downsizing to live in a condo around 12th and Heather, Frances Chan staying in town now to take care of her mom, Darren Chew's wedding, her trip to Hong Kong next week to spend time with her mom, her getting back in December, my nephews, and her being glad that I was staying warm before she went on with her day because it was getting cold. I finally got home at 1:20 on a 407, and checked my mail: I got another Royal Bank debit card, which replaces the temporary debit card (which I've cut up already) and the card where the chip could not be read! Yay! Then I decided to send Ellen a Facebook message about her mom. I was totally fine with her emailing Frances to ask whether she could give me her email address or contact info, which Frances did allow. I understand and respect that, definitely! Also, I ate my egg salad sandwich for National Sandwich Day today.

For National Sandwich Day from the r/hockey Discord server: Sandwich alignment chart!

Current Mood: drained
Current Location: home
Current Music: Korn, "Daddy"
Crossposts: https://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3695648.html

After MORE COFFEE TIME, I left for Jon and Harmony's at 2. I stopped by the Kam Do Bakery to get a BBQ pork bun to eat on the train, then got to the house at 2:45 or so, right on time. I was delayed a couple of minutes by some neighbor lady with a dog who recognized me from Mom's Facebook photos. I didn't really mind talking to her, though. At least the door was open, probably because it was pretty hot outside! When Jon asked, I requested some water. The kids were eating some snacks when I got there: Hiero offered me his peach pit (no thanks!) and Ayler told me that they didn't have any more BBQ pork buns. That's fine, as I'd just eaten one! Then came the usual questions about how long ago and what time I'd eaten it, along with Ayler reciting all the Canada Line stations up to Olympic Village. He's getting smart!

While Jon's music student Justin was over, the kids were pretty loud, but made "gas stations" out of bristle blocks ("Gas gas gas!"), offered me grapes from their plate (sure!), made long trains, and put some tiny playing cards in numerical order. Apparently, they got them from the hospital ("not blood draws - a vaccine!") a couple weeks ago. At least they're not being taught how to gamble yet! Ayler also wanted me to stay for dinner, so I said I'd think about it. Hiero pointed out some holes in my socks - I swear I just bought them, but who knows? I'll just have to get some more later! Ayler asked me whether Jon would have two more music students; I had no idea! Hiero wanted me to read a book about 100 vehicles to him - sure, why not? It's better than fighting with your brother over toy trains and train tracks!

When Justin left, they "gave" him some train tracks, which he of course put back when they weren't looking. Easy to do! When the kids weren't there, I put back the noisy xylophone and the hammer to go with it, but Ayler was okay with catching the balls with his hand. Jon noticed and thanked me, then a woman came over for a piano lesson. Harmony got home and also invited me to stay for dinner, which was ratatouille / zucchini / corn on the cob. Harmony got home and also invited me to stay for dinner, which was ratatouille / zucchini / corn on the cob. She said that she was thinking about taking the kids to the Family Centre, the park, and then to physio on Wednesday, so my coming over around 12:30 would be good. No time for anything but mushroom soup, then!

Ayler said that we could eat the zucchini seeds, and I offered an apologetic "sorry" to Jon and that other student when Hiero squealed at seeing the corn on the cob. "Corn excitement over here!" Then Ayler said that I could stay for "the ice cream" - cute! Ayler thought that Randal would come over - who knows? He did, though. Hiero told me that Uncle Randal was there, so I asked how he knew. Apparently, he heard Randal's voice. Randal was indeed over for music lessons, and he said hi to me. To be polite, I offered him a frosty Hello back. Whatever, I don't care what the kids think. Then Ayler wondered if he'd eaten yet and whether he'd eat later. I said he might eat later if he hadn't already. Ayler asked why he was reading, so I said that he was probably doing it because he liked reading just like me. That's fine for me, but that's all I'm willing to concede.

Harmony brought out one Easter egg each for the kids (which she'd apparently forgotten about for some time), and Ayler asked why I wasn't having any. I had some chocolate at home already, I told him. Harmony said that I could go after dinner, which was fine by me. I actually had to put down my dinner bowl because Ayler requested a hug before I left, which is totally fine. Ayler also wanted me to stay overnight, so I asked him where I'd sleep. "Share Daddy's pillow!" was the answer I got. I told Harmony that she might want to explain why I could NOT sleep in the same bed as Jon, then left after saying bye to everyone except Randal. If the kids notice and say something, whatever. At 7:15, I was home on a 407, and fielded an email from ERIC HO saying that he'd even had to work on his birthday last week! Poor guy! He wants to catch a Lions game, but I looked at the schedule and the only near ones are in September! Not doable if he wants to hang out as August winds down!

From Julie S. and BFUK: I have 20 unread books at home, but I really, really need to buy this one. That's the story of a book lover!

From the r/hockey Discord server: Nick Bonino has an Italian background, so he's enjoying some homecooked spaghetti right out of the Stanley Cup!

Current Mood: full
Current Location: home
Current Music: Alanis Morissette, "Numb"
Crossposts: http://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3658909.html

I was up at 6:30 AM, so it was COFFEE TIME BY DEFAULT! My glasses arm broke at approximately 7 AM this morning, so since I was going to go out to the nearby medical clinic anyway (removal for hearing!), I went to Factory Direct / Factory Optical. At least this time, I don't have Korey trying to manipulate me into seeing him instead (and into being "best friends" with Randal) like I did in early January 2008, although white Eric's concern about transit was good! The Canada Line took me to Factory Direct / Factory Optical way sooner than transit did back then, too!

My only problem was being unable to find my spare glasses in any drawer! Before I left, I called the medical clinic to see about their walk-in schedule. I got an appointment at 4:30, so I went out to the glasses place first. It was definitely more convenient to use the Canada Line to bus to Broadway and Ash: just get off at Olympic Village and walk not even half a block! The repair cost $25! I got home at 12:45 on a 407, at least. Then the clinic called me at 4:15 to check whether I was still coming in - of course! Dr. Schmaltz (?) was filling in and did my removal for hearing in an efficient manner, so I got home at 4:50. Not bad!

From Not Always Right: Kiliano Best?!

From Not Always Right: Jonathon Side?! Sorry, but that is an incorrect spelling of Jonathan!

From Not Always Right: Stina Wargo Kolling?! Couldn't her parents have gone with Christina instead?!

From Not Always Right: Storm McCreery Rye?! Makes me think of storm rye whiskey, if there's such a thing!

From Not Always Right: Muh Legy?!

Current Mood: thankful
Current Location: home
Current Music: Bootsauce, "Sorry Whole"
Crossposts: http://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3647017.html

After MORE COFFEE TIME, I went out at 5 (just getting the 401) to see Ayler and Hiero for a while for Ayler's fifth birthday as I'd planned with Harmony yesterday, who said it was sweet of me. I had Hiero's peace sign / ice cream / cupcake / doughnut / SESAME STREET / cats with sunglasses stickers and Ayler's emoji / stars / glow-in-the-dark MARVEL Heroes stickers, dinosaur birthday card, Slinky toy, and pre-historic dinosaur toys. Uncle Joe and Auntie Wing Yee were at the house as advertised, and asked if I was staying for an early and simple dinner of rice / broccoli / meat / water. Sure, why not? Ayler asked "why" questions a lot (like "why did Auntie make that face?" Because I had to sneeze!), and he apparently understands the concept of a square root already if you phrase it correctly! Both Harmony and I do not do math, so he'll have to figure it out some other way! Then he asked, "Why did Grandpa say DIE?" and some other things!

At least both boys seemed to love the Slinky (which is higher than them when stretched out), and took a couple of dinosaur toys to the Jacob's Well concert later on. (which I declined to attend) Hiero wanted me to lift him up from his eating chair after he was done eating a tiny mandarin orange for dinner, so I did that. He gave me a few stickers on my jeans, and Ayler talked a lot about the tunnels and ramps at Marine Drive. Hey, I know those because I went past there on the Skytrain to see everyone! At least I managed to get home at 7:20 on a 407, then talked to Lena on FB chat about special snowflakes and pronouns and edgy disrespect from a "friend"!

From Discord: This made me laugh yesterday. No, "Nephew #2" is NOT what I call my crappy nephew! Hahaha!

Mom in a kimono!

This menu in Toledo, Spain, is from Reddit: Beans, peas, artichokes, and spinach attacked with ham! ENGRISH!

( Attacking food with other foods! )

Current Mood: loved
Current Location: home
Current Music: Soul Asylum, "Ode"
Crossposts: http://glowing-dragon.livejournal.com/3615958.html

Since I was up at 6:45 AM today, it was COFFEE TIME! Then I made a post in r/vancouver asking if anyone wanted my Vancouver Art Gallery pass which expires on the 30th. I don't think Eric Ho is actually available even though I sent him two emails about it. Someone from Reddit named Jamie said that they could take it from me after the Sun Run, which was right then at 9 AM. Luckily, I had more than enough time to properly draft entries / eat some Butter and Herb Sidekicks / dress in normal clothes / put everything in my pockets before heading to the Vancouver City Centre London Drugs downtown at 11:35 or so on a 407. I was there at 12:20 and stood around for a while until Jamie figured out that I was there. We chatted briefly about playoff hockey and the Art Gallery pass; he invited me to coffee, but there's no need for him to pay me back for that, haha. I got home at 1:25 on a 407 after buying some 180-tablet melatonin at the London Drugs since it was right there. Nope, I definitely did not need a bag for that!

From my FAST-ACTING LONG-LASTING Bathroom Reader #18: Alabama Vest?!