Persian dishes and good times!

This afternoon, I went to Billie's house / Coquitlam Station by bus... thank goodness I got there slightly late, but it's all good. Since I was afraid of getting lost, I probably left earlier than I should have, but it was all good. For future reference, the new B-Line stop is almost across the street from the Dairy Queen on Anderson, and three blocks right of the former stop... DANG CONSTRUCTION! Also for future reference, the 160 stop is one block back of Waterfront Station and two blocks left of that intersection (Hastings / Richards) - across the street from something called Beatstreet Records, and near these souvenir shops. Thank goodness the bus drivers helped me since I'm bad with directions! Saw Steamworks, but didn't go inside - I remember when we were there after MissionsFest this year, and Eric teased me about spending a lot of time sitting by Randal. That was the teasing subject back then, and it would never fail to elicit some kind of reaction. He hasn't bugged me much about K, which is fine by me.

At Waterfront Station, I decided to tarry a bit - I saw a Tickers shop (watches for $12) and decided to see how much it was to replace the battery in my bling watch. The girls there asked if I got my watch there, and I said yes - I noticed one girl glancing over their stock to see if I was being truthful. Well, I did get it there, but at a different location! I'd looked for a Tickers shop in Richmond Centre recently without success because there WAS one at that mall (finding a Swiss engraving watch repairs shop instead), probably because I was under a time deadline... I managed to get it replaced for $5. I guess that's an okay price for that kind of thing, heh. Sat down on a bench to read a book, but apparently made the wrong choice because that bench was the target for two couples engaging in PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION at separate times. I don't mind it if you hold hands or if someone rests their head on someone's shoulder (that's what I did last time I was in a similar situation), but when it gets to full-body long hugs and semi-passionate liplocks which AREN'T a casual peck, then I'm gone! It bugged me when I was single, and I guess it still bugs me now because I am currently missing that kind of thing - or maybe it just bugs me since it's not restrained. I don't care if I (or others) do that in private, where certain things are better left. Then again, I might do that in public, but not anytime soon. Don't get me wrong... I like showing affection in public (I have and will again), but I realize that some of it may cross a line that's unpleasant to the casual passerby.

Looked around for Billie at Coquitlam Station, and hugged her mom hello in the mall parking lot. She thanked me personally for the candle and card I'd sent a few months back, since she didn't have my phone number to do so then. We talked about advertising, Hot Topic, H&M, her friends Rileyx2 and Mattx2, Minjee, Shaina, Megan, Joel, and others. I got the guest room after Tara insisted I stay the night, which is a change from sleeping on Billie's bedroom floor like I did in summer 2005. Met her dad and brother when they got home, and watched a bit of RENT before having dinner - it was the "green poop" stuff that Corey described it as when he saw Google Image Search results for it, but of course I didn't tell her mom that! (its proper name is GHORMEH SABZI, and a lot of people - like her friend Austin - have fallen in love with it) It was pretty good when served with crispy rice from the bottom of the rice cooker in a hard shell (not potstickers as her mom called it - those are Chinese dishes), and with the long yellow / white Persian rice I'd had the last time I was over. Talked about FOUR BROTHERS (I recognized the beginning of the movie right away from NYE 2006 at Eric's), liking feminine men not equalling bisexual tendencies, masculine women, macho men, Billie's Iran kiddy picture (she came here when she was six), Korey, prayers for girl babies, Iran, my family, her MSN friends, college, interchangeable family clothing except where her brothers are concerned, pictures of people's friends, Facebook, GJ, and booze applications for Facebook profiles. After dinner, we looked at Billie's most recent PMSS yearbook - some people have interesting names / pictures! Long names that get butchered, people not bothering to say long last names, Bahai'i vs. Muslim, errors that leave out one girl entirely, Chuck Norris as a math teacher's picture, Improv, shirts, photos that look like mugshots, very cute baby pictures of the grads... good times!

We watched a CNN special on God's Warriors while having rose tea - Iran, Islam, jihad, extremism, suicide bombers, and more! Very interesting stuff After that, we watched bits and pieces of various shows on satellite TV - some Robin Williams movie in which he's not the legit president of the US, Hilary Duff as LIZZIE MCGUIRE, PLANET OF THE APES, etc. Billie asked what time I went to bed - well, I should also be getting to bed earlier these days. It's a good thing I can use her computer while she's here with no other distractions, as time-wasting / entertaining as those may be while I'm at home or elsewhere! Wonder why I'm still logged into Blogger on here, as I've never used this machine before! o_O Note to self: There are these buttons near where the touchpad is that serve as mouse buttons, and which are NOT the spacebar. I'm too used to my sister's laptop where there are no such buttons (clicking is achieved by tapping on the pad when you have the cursor in the desired position), so played Yanni / U2 (STARING AT THE SUN) / the Verve (FRESHMEN) on an accidental start of iTunes before finally figuring that it worked differently.

Used the phone earlier to call my brother, who said he was going to the Richmond church for Esther's baptism, but didn't have Vania's number so I could tell her mom that I wasn't going to be in Sunday School. Since my parents were at Zion, I called them at 10:30 - you'd think I was swearing off church attendance the way they reacted to the news that I wouldn't be going for ONE WEEK in order to spend more time with a friend whom I've not seen in two years and counting! "You're bad, even though letting me know is good! OH! Internet friends?! Be careful! *I explain that she's a 17-year-old female whom I've met before, and unlikely to do me any great harm* Why did they invite you to stay the night?! You never know! I think you should have let us know earlier, because then we could have picked you up! Even Vania's family could have picked you up! *was thinking of Citrus' family earlier, but dismissed it as too much trouble* Are you coming home tomorrow? You should... no wonder you couldn't spend time with Grandma this afternoon!" All this was said with the decided undertone of "you're so WEAK / a bad person, and shouldn't be doing this especially since you knew about it beforehand!" It IS just the once, my "problems" with church attendance are definitely in the far reaches of the PAST, and I didn't know I'd be sleeping over till I got here. What do you want me to do, just leave at 8:30 when it's already getting dark?! Besides, her parents are nice people - maybe THAT's why they invited me to stay the night! I know parents can be overprotective, but this is insane and uncalled for since I'm old enough to make my own decisions - and this one isn't even that bad, if at all horrible!

Just in case she can't make it to my birthday thing this year (since she really wanted to go last year, but couldn't), Billie gave me another one of her books (A HOUSE ON THE HILL) which was last year's present - she even inscribed it with a note! She apologized for not being able to get me a better present, but I was truly happy with it! Her stories are great stuff! Tomorrow, she's up for whatever - so maybe Coquitlam Centre mall? Should try not to spend any money, though!