Tatiana's Wanderings

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! )

After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:05 on a 401 to help with the kids. I stopped by Kam Do Bakery briefly to get a sandwich-like bun, and finally came away with a ham and cheese bun for $2. Despite the train just coming into Brighouse station right when I got to the crosswalk, I just missed it because the traffic light refused to change for half a minute - UGH! I did have time to wait in the lineup at Tim Horton's for a $1.25 Double Chocolate doughnut for National Doughnut Day today, and had enough time to take a photo of that and the bun before I ate the doughnut prior to leaving the store and taking the 3. Once I got to Harmony's, I buzzed into the building, but got no answer, even from that cranky guy of last week. After TEXTING HER without a reply, I sighed and tried buzzing AGAIN - THIS TIME, I FINALLY got a response!

Slightly irritated, I took the elevator up to find that Penny was the likely reason for my delay, and I waited while she finished talking to Harmony before leaving the apartment. Beckett was definitely awake, and seemed interested in the small buttons on Grandma's purple wintry warm Alia coat, so I told him what they were. He also liked the black fuzz! Beckett still likes looking out the window, but he pointed at something outside (maybe the street lights) and spouted random gibberish at me, to which I responded as if it were understandable. He's picked up the word "yeah" and said that a number of times. I didn't care if he wanted to poke his fingers in the holes at the bottom of the baby pop-up toy and "new" light-up toy from Holly! When he wanted to walk, I supported him by holding his hands up high, like I had with Ayler and Hiero. He threw blocks at me when he wasn't attempting to fit them in the holes in the lid ("Na na na NA NAAAAAAA!" when he wanted me to take off the circular lid so he could see where they landed), tried clawing my eyes out (no glasses protection this time!), and pulled off my light winter hat - I made him look at me while I told him NO THROWING!

He seemed slightly interested in the bling on my shiny red bling sweater, and burrowed himself in an embarrassing position on the mat. Hiero wanted me to "fight" him with his long paper lightsabers, but I had to keep an eye on Beckett. We had mesquite smoky bean soup with bacon and kale, grapes, and some cheese that the older kids helped to grate. Beckett scrunched up his face and grinned at us - SO CUTE! When he didn't want to eat anymore, he started to throw food at us - I even got a bonus Cheerio in my soup! (none of his Rice Krispies!) Harmony said that he's different with Jon, who does pretty much the same thing that she does to try getting him to eat. At least I finished before he ate any yogurt; yikes! Ayler and Hiero talked about taking ALL the grapes before I could have any, ding-dongs, what happened if the principal was away (they don't have a vice-principal at that school?!), the "Jingle bells - Batman smells - Robin laid an egg" song, my Coffin Crisp fun-size bars with skeletons and spiders, calcium / iron / vitamins / sugar, my going to Ontario by myself, FOUGHT being the past tense of "fight," math quizzes being verboten at dinner (even though 16 + 6 is simple), and new therapy.

Once Beckett had been put down to sleep, I read more pig and elephant stories (yay for my different voices!) / AMELIA BEDELIA / Invisible Boy stories to Ayler and Hiero. I reminded Hiero to do something, and Ayler pushed him towards the bathroom, which made Hiero upset and crying. Geez! Harmony let me go at 7:35 and said that she hoped the transit strike didn't affect me too much, I just managed to get a 3 to Marine Drive Station (which STILL stopped for two minutes at 41st!), some lady was standing RIGHT in my way in front of a seat on the Brighouse train I DID get, and I got home at 8:35 on a 407. I updated Mike via text, although I bet he didn't have much time to read. The Canucks played St. Louis tonight at 7, and lost 2-1 in overtime despite a big goal from our rookie Quinn Hughes...


From Julie: Me whenever I meet someone who can match my dark sense of humor and sarcasm... "You're full of hate and loathing and I love it."




Double Chocolate doughnut for National Doughnut Day today, plus a ham and cheese bun from Kam Do Bakery for a late National Sandwich Day on November 3. This slightly ruined my appetite for an early dinner at 5:30, but whatever.




Watermelon tea towel in the bathroom at my brother's place.




This unscented lotion is for EVERYONE, Mike!

There might be an impending transit strike like there was in summer 2001 for four months?! YIKES! I showered and did laundry today before I took an impromptu nap. NO MELATONIN TONIGHT! The Canucks played Philadelphia tonight at 7, and won 3-2 in the shootout... take THAT, ex-friend Jimmy with a brain injury!


WTF, Tim Horton's Chicken Noodle Soup can tab?! Guess I'm not buying that anymore if the tab can be so easily broken off...




My take on Chicken and Dumplings soup tonight. Yes, I'm aware I need a bigger bowl. I'm not putting two cans of soup in the pot anymore! Campbell's Chunky Soup in Chicken Noodle Soup flavor, O'Tasty's black mushroom / vegetable / pork dumplings, JOY pork and vegetable dumplings, and Western Family Chicken with Brown and Wild Rice soup!




From Sara, The 5th Semester, and Loose Parts Comics by Dave Blazek: The games get pretty crazy at English teachers' parties. Let's blindfold someone and make him put an apostrophe into ITS!




From Julie M. and Nerdy Space: "The five senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch." Me: "I can hear pictures." Teacher: "No, you can't." Me: "What about this Lil Jon picture?!" I had to edit this one in MS Paint to include an Oxford comma and another comma!