glowing_dragon: (Cherry Cheesecake or Pie)
The Romanovs: The Real History of the Russian Dynasty, Part 1

The Romanovs: The Real History of the Russian Dynasty, Part 2


I left at 4:30 to meet Paulo and Darryl at the Cascade Room (2616 Main Street, near Main and Broadway-ish, more like Main and 10th) for Paulo's belated birthday hangout at 6. I wanted to be early just in case there were stroller / wheelchair delays or elevator shenanigans - surprisingly for once, there were none of those AND I just managed to get a 3 bus which had ten people total in it, but they couldn't find my reservation when I got there at 5:30! I was seated at a high table pretty quickly, though they said they'd move me to a booth once some people left who had been there at 4. Paulo texted me and Darryl said on Discord that he was getting an Uber. We waited to see if Steve would show up (Estefan is in Whistler at the moment), and I finally messaged him. He replied pretty quickly to say he was having a bad day, so no. I showed them both the phone notification, and they joked about guilting him into it since we HAD to find a place that took reservations JUST FOR HIM! Seriously, dude - we could have stayed with the Brassneck Brewery plan!

We were on our phones a lot, which actually is pretty good for me. Talked about Jimbo's opinion on our Superfriends server and how I know I can't change his mind on it (and wouldn't want to - why bother?), the secret chat, all the drama, Holly's opinion on Jimbo not telling us much about his work, the 12 Kings meetup being last year on March 12 already, Brian being sued by some people, and Holly nuking the original server unexpectedly. I showed them some funny toilet paper-related memes, while we tried various food and drink: gin and tonic, Amber something, mushroom poutine, sausage rolls with barbecue sauce (which I spilled on my DRAGON HOODIE - necessitating MORE LAUNDRY when I got home!), white wine, schnitzel, steak, desserts, and more! The Cascade Room was advertising Jameson ginger and lime Slurpees for St. Patrick's Day 2020. Good luck with that!

Darryl said that his buddies might join us, and wondered if we'd mind. I said no, but deferred to Paulo since it was his belated birthday celebration - HE didn't mind, either. Harmony texted me at 7:15 to say not to worry about coming over next Tuesday as they're limiting everything non-essential including public transit trips. They've even cancelled their Harrison Hot Springs vacation next week for Spring Break, which makes sense! If I were a different kind of person, I'd ask if they don't trust me! This is best for everyone's health and safety, though.

Eric M. also texted me: "FYI, VCEFC has been cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns" - that's what I thought would happen when I heard the daily BC health guidelines the other day. MORE FREE TIME FOR HIM! We left the Cascade Room at 8 and walked a block or so to the Colony Bar across the street from Save-On Foods. I'd have gone in earlier to see if they had hand sanitizer, but they probably don't. I told them that my brother lives around there, but that it was probably bedtime for the kids. They joked about invading their place anyway even if the nephews were there, but I knew it was a drunken joke and didn't take it seriously. Paulo offered Darryl a hit of his vape since he'd tried smoking, but he declined due to the pandemic - smart!

We were at the Colony Bar for about 70 minutes or so, with Darryl unexpectedly buying us a round because it was Paulo's birthday. I got a Parallel 49 Jerk Face 9000 beer - I had to order it because of the name! No, I wasn't surprised that Paulo barely touched his beer - they'd already had a lot at the Cascade Room. We discussed alcohol tolerance, Paulo totally forgetting about work once on HOLIDAY PAY, the coronavirus, and whether Darryl's buddies would actually show up. I gave up on them at 9, about five minutes before they DID come in. The guy put his hand out to shake hands - what?! I instinctively shook hands, and then went to wash my hands immediately afterwards since I had to pee anyway. My hand sanitizer was way down in the bottom of my Doge bag, then I had to look for my phone when I got back to the table, which was also in my Doge bag! Habit to look in my coat pocket... not sure what I'll do once it's summer!

Paulo declared that he would call an Uber since he said it was too cold to wait around for the bus for too long. I decided to just wait for the bus since it was more wallet-friendly. The East Indian 3 driver waited THREE TIMES for no reason, holding everybody up on his bus! What schedule is there to make up at 9:30 PM?! You have your breaks now, so that's not a good reason! Of course that made me late for the Brighouse train - it was pretty chilly outside, so I took the opportunity to send Mike a picture of my current footwear at Marine Drive station after fighting with the wifi.

Mike said something about "where's the glim-glam?" so I texted that 1 degree was too cold for bare feet and toeless sandals! (I waited till I was up on the platform since I heard the YVR train announcement from the statue) The train was sparsely populated, too - I got my own little row of accessible seats since an Asian lady moved far away from me instead once I said I needed her seat. I got home at 10:35, thanks to that stupid 3 bus driver - I could have been home half an hour before! Doing laundry seems to have worked for my dragon hoodie, but I can't seem to say the thing for my four towels since I used them to wipe up a flood of water from when I was showering a few days ago. Guess I'll go tomorrow to London Drugs and buy up on-sale zinc citrate, four towels, and maybe a pair of Secret socks!


Knorr Cheesy Spinach Dip for lunch!




Zinc, bar food, and a special Pi Day 2020 Reddit award! )
glowing_dragon: (Crazy-Eyed Bear)
I got roped into going to a Chinese New Year dinner tonight by Jon's text... so I had to shower, have COFFEE TIME, and give up a few hours of alone time! Left at 4:30 on a 407, and then got to Kwong Chow at 5:35 or so. We talked about the new coronavirus, my reading about Lego Ninjago to Hiero, Ayler asking me weird questions (and soaking up his 90 seconds of screen time with the All-Star Game), Beckett imitating his brother doing an angry face and waving his finger around (so funny!), Beckett saying "yeah" to some stuff (but probably not knowing what it means), Beckett saying MINE! about the plastic bowl from the restaurant, Beckett noticing my bling on my red shirt ("Boh-boh! Auntie!"), and my getting some leftovers AND $10 in lucky money.

I JUST MISSED THE 3 BUS GOING ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE RESTAURANT AT 7:30! Then I had to wait 25 minutes for the next one, then was waiting for at least 45 minutes for info about a 407 not coming at Brighouse. Turns out there was plenty of police activity across the street at Moore's clothing store, which was cordoned off with crime scene tape - the street was blocked off, too. Nobody else knew what was going on since my text alerts only said "detour on X streets" (and NOT WHY) and someone else's app was wildly inaccurate as to where the next bus was. Someone else smelled gas, so figured it was a gas leak - a bus driver FINALLY confirmed it. A poor girl had been waiting for an hour by the time we got confirmed info! I texted Paulo, Eric M., and Harma about it, finally got home at 9:40 on the THIRD 401 I saw, and had to change the CFL light bulb in my living room because it fizzled out!


From Cuya and Twitter: Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with rats, mandarin oranges, and flowers!




From Julie: Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with a rat, lanterns, and flower!




Food! Happy Chinese New Year 2020 with rats and lanterns! )
glowing_dragon: (Devilish Smile)
It's Friday the 13th today!

Mom and Dad wanted to come by today to pick up the "remnants" of the broken Heys suitcase - good thing I found the broken handle INSIDE said luggage before they came by this morning at 10:50 AM, since I thought I'd lost it when it wasn't anywhere on the floor nearby! Dad thought I needed to wash my hair since I wore the old Alaska sweatshirt with dandruff on it - uh, I was chilling at home and didn't need to shower till LATER! Apparently, Mom had to use the bathroom even after going at Dr. Ruby's (and apparently didn't wash her hands at my place - GROSS!) - REALLY?! She also gave me a couple of medium candy canes for the boys in a produce bag (plus chocolate almonds for me in another produce bag), but I was happy to keep them for myself since Harmony didn't want the boys to have too much sugar. Yeah, good luck with that one...

After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME and SHOWER TIME, I went out at 3 on an 401 to help with the kids. Harmony gave me some Children's Hospital Christmas cards with white envelopes, so YAY FOR THAT! I also got a card and stickers from Julie in today's mail, plus a surprising card and stickers from Janina, who deactivated her Facebook profile AGAIN a while ago. That was nice of her, though! Rishu wanted to call me anyway since I "couldn't" make it in to the boonies of Richmond, but was so late about it that I should have just taken a shower at 1 instead of 11:45! Hurry up and wait - UGH!

Got to kill a bit of time at Marine Drive Station, but just spent it online near the statue where I could get a wifi signal from Dublin Crossing pub, and got to Harmony's at about 4:30. She'd warned me about being quiet since Beckett was actually napping, and I said I'd be there soonish. The bus HAD to stop for two minutes at 41st, and then ran into rainy-day traffic crap at 20th or so... I'd rather be safe than in an accident, though! When I got in, the boys were reading a Mercy the Pig book, which I had to finish because Harmony had to tend to Beckett and the lasagna at the same time.

I read a few pages of CHINOOK CHRISTMAS - way too advanced for Ayler! - before I decided just to play with Beckett, who had just come out and was loopy. He gave me a bunch of toy balls and emotion eggs, wouldn't respond "yeah" to my questions for a bit, and just stared at me for a while. Later, he did warm up (I got a hug!) and "read" the 100 Words book, saying something that vaguely sounded like "what's that?" and pointing at a picture. Of course he knew where the balls were, but also called a kid's head a "boh-boh," which Hiero found hilarious! "HAHAHA, he called it a BALL!"

We had the aforementioned lasagna with kale and ricotta, cherry tomatoes, and grapes for dinner. Beckett was only slightly interested in this dinner, but at least did not upend his tray on the table this time. He cried and was upset, only smiling when he saw the Vitamin D bottle. No, of course we wouldn't let him overdose on them. "NA NA NA!" he said about the Rice Krispies - he also seemed to like the Advent Calendar chocolate halves that he was allowed. Beckett said ATTIE to me, so YAY! He liked giving me emotion eggs, rolling some balls, playing with the shells, trying to fit the stacking blocks together ("Na na na!" he'd say when he wanted me to take it out), and finding the balloons on the stacking blocks AND the "Christmas tree ornaments" in the boys' room. Then he was also more receptive to saying "yeah" to my questions and even grabbing some rolled balls himself. At least the baby pop-up toy still made him laugh, so YAY!

When Harmony was out of the room (having told me about location settings on my phone photos for everyone's privacy reasons - which I figured out later at the bus stop), I asked Ayler what he really thought of screen time at school. He smiled and said he liked it because "it's the opposite of what my mom wants." HAHAHA, nice! Hiero said that he knows what the "other" meaning of PEE-PEE is, and was busy giving "presents" to his mom of random toys in egg cartons and boxes. Beckett repeated some words like "wow" and "after" when he heard us say them, with "MOMMY! BECKETT SAID WOW!" as a reaction from Hiero.

Myles dropped by at 8 (when the kids were still up), only to have Ayler accuse him: "Cou-fu is stealing our lasagna!" HAHAHAHA! No, Jon just made a couple of mega-batches! Myles also managed to fix the printer, which Beckett had somehow managed to knock offline. We talked briefly and side-hugged; while Harmony was preoccupied, Ayler said he had a question for me, but I had to come over and look at the computer keyboard. Sure, why not? He just wanted to know about the very top row of Function keys - at least he knows to ask me, because his parents probably won't answer! Beckett said "Cou-fu" and "Attie" for Myles' video, which was cute. Later on at 8:30, Harmony finally let me go - I was surprised when I was home at 9:30! I did say bye to Beckett, giving him a high-five and showing him that big gold "boh-boh" at Richmond Centre. They don't need me on Tuesday because of the kids' Christmas concert, so that's just more time to do some stuff before my trip!


From Julie: When you find some weave on the road, so you make a Snowquesha! HAHAHAHAHA!




From Julie M. and her local news: Noema Alavez Perez is the mother of the missing Dulce Maria Alavez?! Her name is pronounced No-Emma, she's 19, and has a five-year-old and a three-year-old and was going to have another kid soon as of September 2019?! SHE WAS 14 AS A FIRST-TIME MOM?!




Children's Hospital Christmas cards: Let It Snow snowman and a Holiday Greetings reindeer!




More Christmas cards and stickers! )
glowing_dragon: (Consumer Whore)
After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 2:40 on a 401 to a sick Jeremy's for Jon's birthday dinner since Eric could give me a ride home after UBC hockey and helping in the kitchen. I bought on-sale Knorr Sidekicks in Chicken and Broccoli rice and pasta / Homestyle Cheddar / Chicken Fried Rice, some high-visibility fluorescent yellow-green stickers and slap bracelet straps from Dollar Land (FINALLY!), some 100 mL Vaseline lotion in the yellow tube for Ontario from Shoppers Drug Mart, and a small bag of NEW on-sale Takis Outlaw snacks from Buy-Low for the Gwei-Lo at Kingsgate Mall since I got there at 3:20. I managed to get to Jeremy's at 4:35 after cutting through Dude Chilling Park, and Ayler wasn't even there yet to lock me out like he did last year! Eric sent me a text while I was there to ask if I was here yet... crazy! I did give him his Windel Advent calendar and Delecto dark chocolate assortment, and gave Jeremy his Windel Advent calendar too.

The kids got there a while later; Harmony said she was glad I was there already because then I could help her watch Beckett and take him from Jesse later on when he needed a break. Yeah, I let him look at the big screen for a minute - that's not going to get him addicted! Jeremy said there were some unsafe things for babies behind the chairs - yes, I could see wires! Beckett toddled around and wanted to turn off the computer, which Ayler thought was a touchscreen again. I let Beckett touch my fuzzy purple Alia winter coat, go up on the couch (but NOT touch the Japanese painting), hold my hands as he walked around, spout gibberish about the glass table (he can see the carpet!) and point at the lights and new things, and give me all the beer coasters a few times over.

Yes, he could throw those around if he wanted to, but NOT the candles or anything else! NOT SUITABLE PROJECTILES! He was also eventually curious about Jeremy's beard, like Ayler and Hiero had been. Ayler was smart and knew that I would have Advent calendars for them. He has a bonus dragon book since HE is a DRAGON too! The Santa stuffed dog was in my bag later when I got home, but I can give it to Beckett before my trip. Hiero wanted to be Batman or Superman in front of everyone.

I was civil and polite to Raymond when he was in the way and admiring Jeremy's bookshelf while I wanted to get my UTHER book from my bag to show Trish later, and also when I handed him some dishes that needed to be washed. Caught up with Caleb (I saw his uncle William recently!), Becky, Alice, Jeremy, Randal, Jesse, Trish, Lanie, and Christon for sure. (Ayler's math prowess / the Japanese soldier who refused to surrender until his commanding officer said so / my upcoming trip / writing / Jacob's Well / SERVANTS / the Spain honeymoon / buying a new place and moving / a rice cooker / the microwave / Jeremy seeing Steph in the newspaper as a random RCMP officer and confirming with Jon)

I met Jon's friend Mallory, noticed that his friend Jay had a "scent" about him, and "met" his friends Chris and Mallory. Since we all had to leave an hour or so earlier because Jeremy was feeling under the weather (bad timing as he got sick from his co-workers yesterday!), Eric and I actually left at 9 or so! We talked about gluten-free ice cream sandwiches being good for his mom and brother, his staying home at Christmas, FIRE EMBLEM, and a raccoon being outside near the dumpster when we got to my place at 9:30. (it was a milk jug...)


Trappiste Rochefort beer!




Santa's Sac beer, haha!




Food and safety and more! )
glowing_dragon: (Consumer Whore)
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! )
glowing_dragon: (OMFG Yay!)
After COFFEE TIME, a German Shaw technician came by at 11:35 AM with a replacement cable box / new PVR box / new remote control / new modem / advice. (calling my HOME number 15 minutes beforehand to see whether I was home... WHAT DO YOU THINK?!) When he left at 12:15 after also setting up my wi-fi network on my cellphone, I took a much-needed shower and did some much-needed laundry!

In the evening, Dylan came by at 6:55 PM to help me buy a new microwave at London Drugs. He did call me first at 6:25 to advise me that he was at Walmart doing some stuff, then would come by here. We talked about his Great Value red curry chips, Declan and Elysse's swimming lessons, NOT defrosting meat in the microwave because it won't cook evenly and will be all frozen in the middle ("SEE?! NO ONE BELIEVES ME!"), his stressful day at work, parking, and the heavy bulky stuff. Came back home at 7:30 after I selected a new black RCA 1.1 cubic foot microwave oven for $99.99 plus tax (so about $117.60) - yes, that was definitely going on my savings account! Good thing I checked my bank balances BEFORE going out - that Panasonic inverter microwave from Robert was at least twice the price from Robert. I know why Mike insisted on it - because of his own image problems!

Then I heard that the St. Louis Blues had won the 2019 Stanley Cup against the nasty Bruins! Makes me feel better about 2011, for sure! I told Paulo to bookmark these microwave oven cooking conversion charts as well. He was at the gym, but came by at 9:35 to pick up the Danby Designers 700-watt microwave. Yes, having a free backup is nice, but I like to pay favors forward when I can. It just rarely happens in two and a half hours! Like I had thanked Dylan, Paulo thanked me - it's a cycle! :D


NEW microwave oven: RCA 1.1 cubic feet and 1000 watts!




Great Value red curry chips!




From Julie: Eulis?!




PIECE OF SHIT?! )
glowing_dragon: (Default)
Mom picked me up at 5 so we could go to Tsim Chai for dinner before the VOS (Vancouver Oratorio Society) choir concert that Dad was doing at Fraserview. BEEF TENDON NOODLES! She had discovered the pocket dial from my phone to Pothead Mike and complained that it had cost her one extra dollar, then wanted to use MY phone to call Steph. She ended up using her own phone, HA HA! I had to explain the concept of a pocket dial to her... and of course vent to Steph while Mom was in my bathroom, ha ha ha. Mom even complained that I didn't have Jon and Steph in my phone or WhatsApp contacts - I don't use WhatsApp at all, but I could for video calls at some point, I guess.

Later, Mom said that "my brother's wife's sister" (just say "Auntie Kwai") is going to be living with them for a couple of months since she lost her low-cost housing in the move from BC to Ontario, and she can't get used to life over there. She also told me redundant stuff about Maria Tam who just died from lung cancer, some missionary friend Winnie who will be staying with them (from July 12) for a week or so after they get back from Toronto on July 4, and how Harmony supposedly wants me to help with the kids when they're away from June 18 for the Oratorio Society concerts with some Hong Kong chorus. Well, I'll wait till Harmony actually says something to me about it first before I commit.

The conductor of the Oratorio Society is named Kemuel, and the associate conductor is named Neville?! One of the youth singers is named Jermyn Wong?! The overall concert was all right, I suppose. Lots of Psalms, lots of music - I saw Auntie Catherine around the washroom when I went. When I looked at the program, I saw Libby's name, so I had to tell Vania about it on Facebook. Mom suspiciously wondered why I was online, and asked if my mobile data was off - yes, of course. I did not help her get online during a lull or the intermission, ha ha ha. I got home at 10:15 or so, which is fine.


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A white JESSICA winter jacket, Lipton chicken noodle soup which expires in March 2020, a thin orange fish-themed 2012 tote bag, a Zanyah Eco Spa Treatment "Your Reinvigoration" body cream pouch, a Zanyah Eco Spa "Your Tenderness" body cream pouch, a random Home Depot plastic bag, a random white bra, a thin black DKNY shirt, a thin dark blue-green summer scarf, a thin blue Baleno fall coat, and a random pair of greying white and blue thin socks.

A random pair of white and grey thin socks, a pink clothes hanger, a Chong Lee Market plastic bag, a Wing-on Incorporated paper bag, Nosh and Co. shortbread cookies which expire in December, a thin purple Ardene shawl with holes in it despite the price tag still being attached, a random pair of thin purple socks, a small pair of thin black panties, a thin frilly Van Heusen pale blue shirt with roses on it, one black fuzzy mitten, and one dark blue fuzzy mitten.


Nosh and Co. premium artisanal shortbread cookies!




Nosh and Co. Munch Madness cheddar and sour cream chips!




Nosh and Co. Munch Madness lightly salted chips!




From CRIME WATCH DAILY: Danish Minhas?! A Danish is a PASTRY!

glowing_dragon: (Bert and Ernie)
After COFFEE TIME and SHOWER TIME, we learned that Steve had a migraine, so he was out for tonight. Totally understandable! I had to go back to Wireless Wave because I got an error message on my phone when trying to send texts! ("Currently unable to send your message. It will be sent when the service becomes available.") Apparently, that was an inconsequential error, and Walter didn't mind my coming in again. I can just imagine Mom's reaction tomorrow if I told her that he says hi and Happy Anniversary...

Paulo and I just met at Enjoy 1+1 Café instead, near Price Smart. Hong Kong-style café life! I had curry fried noodles (and cold milk tea) and he had curry fried rice. We talked about Darryl, Brian, Holly, Jeremy, the Richmond Night Market, money, Tony, Discord servers, Nate, and our future plans. It was nice and casual, and I got home at 6:10 on a 401. So nice to have those bus stops open again! Turns out he had Dairy Queen later, but it was good for his downtime.


From Julie: Johnniemae?!




Juarez?! What?! )
glowing_dragon: (Default)
After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 2 on a 414 to see Rachel at the Caring Place. I also went to Price Smart to pick up some Western Family lemonade at the customer service desk: Classic Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade! Then I went to London Drugs to eventually buy an on-sale Spiderman / Spider-Man Funko Pop toy for Ayler's birthday, an on-sale Zookie Slappy stuffed puppy toy for Beckett's birthday, on-sale iron pills, and pads. Last stop was Shoppers for some President's Choice Blue Menu butter chicken cooking sauce for my white rice (I couldn't find the on=sale Arroy-D curry sauces at London Drugs for some reason), NEW Hershey's Cookies and Creme sweet and salty Popped Mix, and NEW Hershey's Cookies and Creme sweet and salty Popped Mix.

Since my bag was already heavy enough, I opted to stop by my place at 4:05 to unload and draft before going out again at 5:20. Besides, I had to take clearer photos of all the lemonade than what was available online through a quick Google search! At the hospital bus stop, I had the distinct displeasure of encountering an openly racist white smoker skateboard guy who spat at me and called me a C-word rhyming with THINK. Like I said to the white lady standing at the bus stop, this city is 50% Asian AND was built on the backs of Asian laborers! Someone doesn't know or care about their history...

While I was at Richmond Centre anyway to take advantage of the wi-fi to POST the lemonade photos to Facebook, I got some takeout dinner: chicken and beef special combo with rice, kimchi, and broccoli plus Pepsi from Koryo Korean BBQ. Then I walked to the other end of the mall to see if I could fix my text message sending and notification problem at Wireless Wave. I was amazed when I could recognize Walter without my glasses, and he fixed the problem by testing it with his phone! He said to say hi to my parents - sure, why not? Then I went to London Drugs for some Method dish soap: Lime and Sea Salt, Sea Mineral, Clementine, and Lemon Mint. I saw some NEW Dawn Botanicals dish detergent, so got the Aloe Water before having to wait for the next 407 and finally getting home at 7. The elevator is STILL out at London Drugs plaza - ugh! I got PLENTY of walking done, and also made dinner plans with Steve and Paulo for tomorrow: the Richmond Centre White Spot at 5-ish it is. Steve said, "No pork, no chocolate, and no spice," so that pretty much leaves us with "boring" bland white people food.


President's Choice Blue Menu butter chicken cooking sauce for my white rice!




Chocolate, toys, and dish soap! )


From Kramer's Discord server: That moment when I realized my coffee pot has a straw holder. :O ♥




From my ex-friend Jimmy: Pluto the planet and Pluto the dog!

glowing_dragon: (Bert and Ernie)
After DOUBLE COFFEE TIME, I left at 11:30 for my 1 PM appointment at the Burrard eye clinic. Damn construction and detours! I got there at 12:40 no thanks to a crowded 6 Davie bus with one stroller / two walkers / old people, but STILL had to wait an hour to be seen for five minutes because it was very busy! Since they moved locations three weeks ago according to Elizabeth the receptionist (from 503 to 510), I took a couple of updated business cards while I was waiting. Of course I had to use their bathrooms when my appointment was done!

Then on the 6 Downtown going the other way (also crammed with strollers and walkers), I noted that the Great American Cheesesteak place on Davie (which I'd told Jimmy about on one of the last times I bused to the clinic) seemed to be closed. I sarcastically thanked a black lady with glasses for blocking the bus aisle, making it almost impossible for people to squeeze past her. She mentioned that she had a walker; yes, but MOST people still manage to be courteous and not block the fucking aisle with their clutter, detritus, and impediments!

On the way home, I remembered that I wanted to stop by Big Crazy sometime, so I got off at Lansdowne instead of Brighouse. I bought non-expired Knorr hot and sour soup mixes x8, Paldo spicy cheese Ramyun noodle packs x2, and a proper bowl for my future DUMPLING SAUCE concoctions. (they were selling mixes that expired on March 26 and will expire on May 11...) After just managing to catch the 410, I also bought Doritos Dinamita tortilla snacks in Nacho Picoso and Chili Limon flavors at Shoppers when I stopped by Richmond Centre to use THEIR wi-fi. Finally got home at 4 on a 401 to ROIMU for the first time this year, after stopping by the hospital across the street to use THEIR bathroom since I didn't trust the walking time because of the aforementioned 24/7 construction zone and detours.


From Candy: Ever talk to someone so stupid that they make you squint?!




From Amanda in Kramer's Discord server: Vegemite beef jerky?! QUIRKY COINCIDENCE since it's International Hug An Australian Day today!

glowing_dragon: (Happy Birthday!)
After COFFEE TIME, Eric picked me up for church in the morning. We talked about DARK SOULS, my eye surgery and insurance, how it was somewhat his fault for the sewer updates and construction zone around my place because his company was involved, drivers and turn signals, Elysse thinking my dad was dead because I now have his old phone, and sleeping in last week. We sat together in church service, I returned Deb's Ziploc tub to her / returned Mom's jars to her, and said hi to Frances M. / Sophie / Auntie Cathy / Ayler / Hiero / Andrew L.

I got a lunch and ride offer from Deb if I was fine with going to Canadian Tire beforehand (sure, why not?), and had to chat briefly with Uncle Reuben as he saw me. He asked about Dad and - speak of the devil (which I DID say out loud in church, hahaha) - Dad did pass by in purple choir robes a minute later! Ivan did joke that I should make it three weeks in a row for church attendance next week, but I think I'm good to go for now. Dylan, Deb, Declan, Elysse, and I bumped into Mom in the church elevator, where she thanked them for "looking after" me. *rolleyes* Like I can't do that myself?! Sheesh!

After looking at ALL the games / windshield wiper fluid / shovels / lawn mowers at Canadian Tire (and saying hi to Joe T. who was also there), it was time for a Pho lunch at Basil Garden (where I attempted to pay for my own meal - we talked about Farrah Fawcett / SMALL SACRIFICES and Diane Downs / SALVATION / Extreme's MORE THAN WORDS / whining / iPad time / tendon / brisket / steak / tripe / Pho noodles / rice) and Hiero's glow-in-the-dark bowling party at Grandview Lanes! While I was at the bowling alley, I successfully signed up for Shaw Open wi-fi because I'd written down my stuff at home when I could more easily access it via desktop. I also met a kid named Louie's mom (Hiero's classmate), saw kids named SPARKLE and KALAN in another group, and tried to stay out of the way, but it was pretty cramped.

Ayler asked me whether my body was cold because of the Dairy Queen ice cream cake (not yet), and added that the cake was the yummiest cake that he's ever had - NICE! Said hi to baby Beckett when he was awake, admired the glow-in-the-dark effect, watched Elysse when she looked at the frosted window, and told Hiero that I could read to him the next time I came over because my eye surgery was done for now. He seemed to like that idea, as well as the hot dogs and Lays chips and veggie platter. I got a sane ride home with Deb and Dylan, thank goodness. We talked about tonight's lunar eclipse, Jawbreaker candy, and I SPY before they dropped me off at 4:50. The Canucks played Detroit at 1 today, and won 3-2.


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: Liberté Canada strawberry Greek yogurt x4 which expires on January 22 (so I'll eat it all tomorrow night after it's chilled in the fridge), Excel Hotel Tokyu coffee powder x1, random Chinese green tea x8, Daiwa Royal Hotels green tea x1, Nikko Hotels International Roasted Japanese Tea x2, Nikko Hotels International green tea x2, random Chinese tea x4, Kantafe Creamy Powder x1, Kantafe sugar packet x2, Kantafe Instant Coffee x1, random Chinese roasted tea x1, Ronnefeldt 隆納菲 Lemon Sky flavored fruit infusion tea, Sencha green tea x1, and random Chinese coffee powder x1.


Speed limit 69! Just kidding... 35! What a road sign, hehehe!

glowing_dragon: (Crazy-Eyed Bear)
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!

glowing_dragon: (Consumer Whore)
After COFFEE TIME, I perforce met Mom and Dad at Wireless Wave at 4 to meet Walter W. and spend money. I did get some Loaded Potato Skins Ruffles chips at Shoppers for New Year's beforehand! Ended up getting a cellphone, paired Bluetooth headphones, and more stuff. Mom talked AT me, which is normal, but even invited Walter to dinner at Neptune. Maybe to set us up, who knows? Luckily, he said NO since he had family commitments. Thank goodness they drove me home at 7:10, saying that Henry is now allergic to eggs and Lisa is going to Saskatchewan Depot for training from mid-January to mid-May. I confirmed this with Steph later, of course. Mom HAD to use my washroom - fine, whatever. She wondered about the security guard - yeah, that's normal now.


Cruise / missionary trip stuff from Mom, Dad, and Auntie Elsie from church (who thinks the sweaters are "too girly" for her now that she's in her 70s) inside a Ketchikan, Alaska bag: Tabasco sauce packets x3, Bigelow Tea herbal Cozy Chamomile tea packets x3, Bigelow Cinnamon Apple herbal tea packets x1, Bigelow Mint Medley tea packets x2, Bigelow English Breakfast black tea packets x3, Bigelow Raspberry Royale black tea packets x2, Bigelow Darjeeling black tea packets x1, Bigelow Earl Grey tea packets x1 (all inside a Ziploc bag), a red Holland American MS Veendam baseball cap, a light green thin sweater, an orange Ralph Lauren Sport zippered sweater vest, a red Vollmar Made in Italy sweater with grey snowflakes, a white sweater with a gold lion and wide black stripes (not a good idea!), three new pairs of dark fall / winter socks, a thin red sweater with grey wide stripes (also not a good idea!), and a muted pink sweater with grey / black stripes.


Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney are on the MOTHER 3 Highway in Chapter 7 of MOTHER 3. This sign reads, "Caution! Chimera crossing!" Look! There's even a Reconstructed Lion nearby! Gotta love the alliteration!




Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney are on the MOTHER 3 Highway in Chapter 7 of MOTHER 3. This sign reads, "Preserve our beautiful scenery! Please refrain from posting signs." HAHAHA!

glowing_dragon: (Bubble Tea)
I got an unexpected email and phone call from Mom about a phone at Wireless and Richmond Centre, so called them at 1:25 to discover that they had just gone from Richmond Centre. At least I got a relatively drama-free lunch at the nearby Mui's (satay beef and vermicelli noodles with hot milk tea!) and an extra $5 in cash out of it. Talked about a professional cleaning service, Eric M. going to baby Beckett's banquet so I might have a ride, weird advice about giving Barry an extra $5 or $10 cash every time he had to drive me downtown because it's the Chinese way of doing things (NO!), and Mom going deaf because of dishwashing machines at the hospital. Sure, whatever. At least I was back home at 2:05, and showered later!


Vanessa found this road sign with her name on it when she was in Ontario years ago! Norfolk County!

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