I'm losing what little I have of my red-face enzyme as we speak... yay, MissionsFest!

I've had an Advil equivalent, which Chinese Eric figured he didn't need to know about when he asked what I was taking... it's NOT good candy, and I don't think I'll give him any! I also had an oatmeal stout at Steamworks a bit later, so I hope I don't feel mighty interesting in the near future, hehe. Jeremy figured I was losing what little red-face enzyme I have when Jon asked how much beer I had since my face was apparently bright red after ONE pint! He said that I should have beer every day, so I joked that he should bring his homebrew to the PARADISE NOW screening at Nathan's on Sunday after the AGM. (Jon said that Nate should make his "80% yes" a 100% by agreeing to host it, so Nate said that we should bring food!) Now Corey's trying to convince me to bring vodka to church in a water bottle since nobody would notice: uh, they sure would after I started DRINKING it! :P

Randal managed to find my place without incident (he made a wrong turn, but immediately realized the error of his ways), and he got treated to my BAD imitation of the Devil when he called to say he was at my place. (hey, I'd had some coffee just then and was listening to Children of Bodom... so I was slightly crazy :P) So I quickly replied to an email my sister had sent about jersey wear, posted in my blogs since the entries were done half an hour beforehand, and left. We had a good conversation (on the way to pick up Jen from her new job): barbecue grills and outdoor apartment patios / balconies, neon Vancouver in 1920s, school projects, 24, the book about the female Zen Buddhist priest (I remember the scenes where the other priests liked getting drunk!), what we did today, whether we were hungry yet, historical books (I have an idea for his next birthday present / book to borrow, hehe), VANCOUVER books, and Expo.

Once we picked Jen up, she told us about her new job: online admin stuff is cool, and she gets to see Auntie Soo (who loves her and Stella because they're females - she has three sons, a husband, and one grandson :P) and Billy's brother Tony in the same small office. She's kinda sick with a cold, but it's that time of year... I haven't really gotten sick YET, heh. We also discussed Jeremy, Jon, and their passion for (homemade) beer and Steamworks. Since Randal's brother doesn't work at a local brewery anymore, Randal's beer consumption has dwindled! (no free Labatts and such for YOU now!) However, he did have a can of beer and popcorn while watching 24 on Monday night, hehe. It took us more than an hour to get there from Jen's workplace because there was a major lineup to get on the Oak Street Bridge (rush hour and hockey game traffic?), AND there was an accident involving at least three or four cars and a bus when we were a few minutes away from Canada Place! So we had to detour, which made us even later than 6:30... Karen knew about that since she called Jen just as it happened!

I told Randal that I didn't recognize his home phone number when he'd called me yesterday, so I had to ask who was calling me: he seemed to think that was a good plan because of the numerous creeps / stalkers out there! Then he mentioned that my number was programmed into his cellphone, and thought that my Caller ID should have given me his name since it was a HOME NUMBER. I'd think so, too... but at least I recognize it now in case this situation comes up again! Says he's called me once before on his cell: I don't remember, but I'll take his word for it. Not that we call each other often: it's more like email and real-life interaction for this friendship, haha.

We got to Canada Place at around 6:45, found parking, and went to the washrooms. I'm afraid I was a bit bitchy with Jen since she wanted to go off and sit with Karen and Andrea because she'd seen them elsewhere in the food court. Randal was in the washroom (after wondering whether people were done cleaning them or not) and I wasn't sure whether he knew their specific whereabouts: I sure didn't see them, since I was counting on following my companions to wherever they went. (crowd strategy, and a good way to make sure I didn't lose them since I'm damned short! :P) I'll probably explain to her on Sunday, heh... I wouldn't normally have been that harsh, but it's hormones and such too! We met Karen, Andrea, Jon, and Jeremy: the guys left since they'd eaten already. Jen still has my MENTAL FLOSS book, so she says she'll bring it on Sunday - cool, since I haven't seen it since summer 2005!

During our quick dinner, Karen asked how I liked the new Bible Study group: it's fine, even though it's kinda weird being in the same small group as my own brother! She said I was always welcome to return to their group, even though she knew I wouldn't do it just to share about family drama! Hell, she knows me: if I *do* happen to do that, it's not JUST BECAUSE of the drama! Then Karen told me that she'd had a Cactus Club dinner with my sister on Tuesday: "WE GET ALONG SO WELL! We're both anal about certain things, perky, and we even like the same kind of music as in the Spice Girls!" Haha, I should tell Steph about that later: I know there are certain times she DOESN'T like Karen's "plan-to-the-minute" M.O., but it's good that Karen and she get along! Karen asked if we liked Britney Spears or Cher: not us!

I asked Randal if he'd heard my music when he called me... just something, but he wasn't sure what it was! (haha, good call) Then we got onto the topic of my dietitian mom and her attitude on nutrition: nothing was really taboo for us growing up, so we wouldn't be enticed by "forbidden fruit" when we got older. They were surprised when I told them about the MASSIVE AMOUNT of junk food at the townhouse: cupboard full of stuff, plus lots of candy and such on the living room table by the TV! SUGAR COMA / DIABETES if you ate it all at once, for sure! Karen says that she heard Mom was a very good cook: oh yeah! They should all come over for dinner one night to taste it for themselves, haha. I joked to Randal that he should come one Monday night after work to have dinner before 24, haha. But he probably wouldn't want to go all the way to Richmond for that when he can just have dinner and such at home, which I also took into joking account.

Randal and I went on ahead of the others to the plenary session: he made me look around for him after we'd gone up a floor... ARGH! (he was on the escalators, and I was on the stairs) We encountered Dylan at the doors, and found our group as per his directions. Waved hi to Frances, Chinese Eric, and Cindy while we sat down. The music was done by the Trinity Chamber choir: the main soloist has Jeremy's last name, so I heard Jen asking him whether they were any relation - Jeremy joked that she was his wife, haha. A woman named Alli shared about what she'd personally seen in Darfur: an eleven-year-old girl gang-raped for three days in a row and getting pregnant?! It all turned out for the good, since her face totally changed from shame to hopeful joy at the naming ceremony for her son.

The main speaker was pretty good, speaking about globalization / the economy / how it related to missions around the world. He's related to the Guinness family, and shared a story about how the family had built St. Patrick's Chapel in London: they agreed to do it as long as their contribution was discreetly acknowledged by the city fathers of the time. Imagine their reaction when they saw the Bible verse etched on the stained-glass windows: "If you are thirsty, come to Me and drink." o_O When he mentioned "production," Steph got my attention by making a noise across Cindy and Vanessa: Cindy noticed, so I told her that it was an inside joke! There was no group prayer time at the end, which was the case when I'd gone to MissionsFest a few years back... fair enough for more exhibit time! I said hi to a few people (including Chinese Eric and Frances) before Randal and I went to see the exhibits in the room next door. I'll continue this in another post since it's getting LONG!