Dreaming of challenged women ruining my dinner

I had a weird dream yesterday: a bunch of my friends and I were meeting at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. My parents insisted on sitting at our table, but when Christon and Rich came in, they gave up and sat at another table. Steph waved to the guys and invited them to sit at our table. We got our food from the waiters' area - lots of noodles (possibly Shanghaiese) and rice, oh my! Every time I would get some food (like chicken), it seemed that the "different woman" Teresa - who shows up whenever there's food in real life - would find some way to bump into me or otherwise render my selection unfit for consumption. After a few repetitions of this behavior, Jon finally yelled at her - I decided to just stay away and eat in the waiters' area, since they didn't mind. The dream ended when we were all reunited at one table and chatting about various things. Teresa had long since rushed out, angry that we'd dare to yell at her when she was "doing us a favor" - she didn't know anything about the food that we didn't, and it was GOOD STUFF! Not sure what triggered this one - lots of crowds and pushing at the Night Market yesterday, though. Maybe my subconscious is confusing "different women," since I talked to Maisie for a while yesterday too! Or maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me that I'm headed down that path (again?) - oh no! :P

Random tidbit from yesterday: we learned that Cindy, Dianne, and their brother Tony are 6.25% white. Their great-great-grandmother was white, which explains their mom's greenish-gray eyes - wow! Reminds me of when I learned that Jen was part white ("I shine, not burn - Mackenzie"), and when I learned that Calla was part white too! (as well as her brother Acer - yes, that's his real name :P) My cousin Yvonne's daughter Andrea is also half-white, and Connie / Jenny / Winnie have a German-Chinese cousin named Felina that we met in summer 2001. Interesting stuff and so cool, haha.

Checked blogs: we've got lukewarm spit / guns / violence / looking ahead going on in Randal's blog, haha. No, I don't think my friend's a homicidal maniac in the making - he just has interesting thoughts on those matters. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he picks up some weirdness from me if we hang out anytime soon, haha. ... hey, there are musings about women and trustworthiness in here, too. Haha, quirky stuff anyhow! Steph's just been to donate blood, and realizes that she'll be in Toronto in June: guess I'll have to ask her to sign a bunch of cards pretty soon, maybe when the Memorial Cup is done! This week, my phone is DEFINITELY on (even in muted mode - I should change that and my alarm for tomorrow), so I shouldn't have any annoying problems in that regard. YAY!

No stinky tofu by proxy! / Planet Hollywood's Captain Crunch Chicken

Eric came by a couple minutes after I finished my shower, so I let him in. When I was figuring out which shoes to wear, I mused out loud about needing support (for my feet while walking) - Eric asked if I was putting on a bra! As I told Connie later on: if I was in the process of putting on a bra, there's no way I would have let him in! (never mind that time he was knocking on the window and I was only half-dressed, oops...) I already had my bra on, thanks very much! He was trying to figure out the temperature of my computer when I was finally ready; he had checked out my apartment temperature, and deemed it a bit better. It does seem cooler than a couple weeks ago, all told. :)

Eric told me that it was my fault the Giants were winning 5-1 against the Plymouth Whalers, then wondered what sort of game it was when they had two quick goals to make it 7-1. Went to dinner at the California Café, and had a mental block as to the location of the market. It USED to be at Lansdowne, but now it's at Bridgeport. Eric asked if I had cash to cover both our meals, and luckily I did from grabbing a random amount of money out of my wallet before leaving: he joked that his meal would be $35 if I had $65 - I DON'T THINK SO! We wondered whether we'd get sizzler plates or menu items - most of us got sizzler plates, even if we thought we'd eat later at the market. After our orders were sorted out (with Dianne looking for the lobster meals instead, and changing seafood orders to prawns instead of non-existent scallops / oysters), we settled down to talking. Dianne got into UBC med school, so Connie told her a few stories of how her sisters Jenny and Winnie had managed - lots of studying and constantly being under evaluation! (being on call doesn't leave you room to plan your life - "I'll sleep / go out now... whoops, here's a call from the hospital!")

Frances told me that her sister Elaine had been here for a week to see family and friends, and says that she / Sophia / David will take the kids to the Seattle Zoo tomorrow - apparently Ian and Olivia like animals, and will have fun. Ian's baby brother is named Gabriel - I just HAD to ask her that since for some reason, I never knew that piece of information before! (like when the kid was born a few months ago) Rich left early to chauffeur one of the kids from school, so Chung joked: "In a few years, you'll be walking them down the aisle at their weddings!" (Rich termed that a little scary!) They talked about Fellowship stuff, church stuff, Lawrence, Quan, the kids' school plays, etc. After discussing med school for a while, Dianne and Frances got to discussing the chicken pox - I've never had it, not even when my siblings got it years ago. We've heard of "chicken pox parties," all right - let's infect all the kids at the same time! Phil Chang had it REALLY bad when he was 30 or so a few years back (maybe shingles too), and I remember being very careful when Johnson had it years ago too! (great kid - he'd call me a "mister," a "wild old chicken since you don't have to walk" and "piece of poo"... thanks, Carlie...)

Dianne said that all prospective parents should KEEP ALL THEIR KIDS' RECORDS FOREVER! They'll never know when they'll need them again, because now she has to have all these shots and vaccines once more since her parents didn't keep the kids' records and of course the med department wants to have exact dates! She was on the phone to Coastal Health, who couldn't release the records, but she remembered her sister Cindy had to do the same thing - Cindy called for her and somehow got stuff out for her. Frances said all she had to do was file a Freedom of Information request - authorization on forms is cool, haha. After some mixups with drinks (they gave us some extra tea, didn't give me my Ovaltine until I asked for it twice, and passed around a yin-yang that didn't seem to be anyone's), we settled down to eating. According to them, "LAMB" is "LAMP" - haha! Chung left early, since Karen gets off work at 9 - he's married now and can't hang out!

Later, we paid ($16 - with extra penny) and went to the market in separate cars - Eric and I were separated, but no big deal. (lots of walking, especially from Ikea or even if you parked along the river) So crowded, especially in the food row! (that was just nuts, with everyone packed in like sardines and jostling past each other) I recall thinking that Jasmine wouldn't like it at ALL, and Connie said that tonight's theme was "sorry for touching you inappropriately, but I have to!" Saw Andrea and Jen, and Dianne got some shaved ice with mango! She loves her mango, but I ate Eric's mango pudding at the restaurant - he says it's not a sacrifice for him, but a benefit for me. Whatever! We managed to survive the food row, with someone SHOVING Connie to get past her at one point - she doesn't mind if they excuse themselves, but don't outright PUSH and almost knock a person down! Eric kept making remarks about abandoning both people and stinky tofu, but I don't think they were seriously expecting me to eat it!

We saw a booth advertising "imitation shark's fin soup" - at least they're honest! Maisie recalled that she'd once thought Eric and I were going out... haha, so not true! I asked Raymond a few questions to get to know him better: Pacific Grace is cool with him, he says. He doesn't know much about me, beyond maybe my name and such. (he's a newbie!) Man, he was surprised when I mentioned I'd known Eric for over 20 years, haha. I've been going to this church since I was born, dude... but I didn't expect him to know such information. Probably I should open up a bit more to people, especially if they're going to stay! He learned of this Fellowship through Terry, and figures it's a good fit - his church has Awana and a high school group only. (and a Men's Fellowship, but that's more for married men) I saw a booth with magic bras, and pointed it out to Eric - he thought that maybe Jeff Cowan would like one, haha. For sure!

When we got to the Lansdowne parking lot again after looking for Maisie and leaving the market, Eric mentioned something about seeing Connie's car. I didn't hear him clearly enough because I just assumed he'd said "I'm just seeing if she gets to her car safely," so I just was like "Don't worry, I know. It's fine!" Then he told me that he was seeing if her car blew up - too much of a certain TV show, haha. I got Maisie's pasta, since Connie left her food in Martin's car and Maisie left her food in Raymond's car. Later, I expressed mock horror that it was 11:34 PM - since Eric wanted more information, I had to tell him about my weird thing with numbers. (good = 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 0... bad = 4 and 9... nothing to do with the Chinese superstition about the number FOUR sounding like the word for DEATH!) When we got to my place, Eric said "Get out. Oh, and have a good weekend." Haha, that's what I plan on if I don't screw up again like I did a couple weeks back! (I'll see him on Sunday - I don't think we'll talk tomorrow, but you never know!)

You are a Great Girlfriend

When it comes to your guy, you're very thoughtful. But you also haven't stopped thinking of yourself. You're the perfect blend of independent and caring. You're a total catch - make sure your guy knows it, too!

Are You a Good Girlfriend?

Your Love Life is Like Annie Hall

"A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies." You believe that love (if you even believe in love!) is a very complicated thing. Maybe love is pain. Or maybe it's all a big therapy session. You're still figuring it out. Your love style: Brainy and a bit neurotic Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Realistic and reflective

What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?

Planet Hollywood's Captain Crunch Chicken

Serving Size: 1
Categories: Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Captain Crunch Cereal, crush
1½ cups Cornflakes, crush
1 Egg
1 cup Milk
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Onion powder
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
2 pounds Chicken breast; skin, bone 1 oz tenders
Vegetable oil for frying
*********

Preparation Instructions: Beat the egg with milk and set aside. Stir together the flour, onion and garlic powders, and black pepper. Set this aside also. Dip the chicken pieces into the seasoned flour. Move around to coat well, then shake off the excess flour. Dip into the egg wash, coating well, then dip into the cereal mixture, coating well. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet to 325°F. Drop coated chicken tenders carefully into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and fully cooked, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size. Drain and serve immediately with Creole mustard sauce.

Way stupid names!

I had a fairly screwed-up dream this morning, when I wasn't trying to sleep because stupid people were knocking very hard on the building outside my window. Thank goodness I don't really remember it! Renewed CDs for my brother, so I called to let him know - he thanked me, and wished me a good time at the Night Market. I should really prepare for that even though it's in Richmond proper, haha. Got things kinda sorted out with the Seattle Phone Pranks guy, too... I can just email the Records For Sale call - since that's all he really wants - as an attachment, in exchange for other prank calls he has. "Nine of the "Mark Knofler" pranks, some of which aren't circulated on the Internet... as well as a great deal of Bob and Tom stuff (I'm originally from Indianapolis) and plenty of the Tube Bar pranks... ")

Another repost from the Bad Baby Names forums, while I'm reading about fakers / trolls / drama / food posts there:

These parents got Brand Alan.

More madness:
Codin Donald: Probably a twist on the Caden theme, but way too close to codeine.
Mckhye Anthony
twins Makala Ruth & Makale Jacob
Princeliyn Lee, dad Prince
Reece Ryan: I guess someone is rooting for Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Philippe to get back together? Of course this baby is a girl.
Ryken Rey
Kalube Ruhl
Tytan Jay
Slaten Jon
Xada Nikole
Sern
Tailey
BoisyRae Rose: A new place name!
Hudsyn Presli
Tyen
Jaymz
Chevy
Tandee Rae
twins Creston Adley & Baylor Ragan
Emberlyn Elise

J'Maika J'Myri

D'Ziyree A'Marriel

Banyon Francis

Braylin Jay

Rhiannona Jarnay

Kaylynn Rose

Teayna

Mar'Quaylin Markel

Kynlee Jade

Clintavin Kaleb

My'layzia Renee Nicole

Kaser Lee

Ja'Varey Avarra

Na'Karri Jo'Kay

Brooklyn Jolie

Phillip Daniel - Nice name, right? Check out his brother's name. Oh, and his daddy's name.

Kristyona La Shae' Rene

On the bright side, there was a baby Helen:

Helen Renee

Legit, but...
Adolph James

Craptastic names, especially for quints: Irelyn Kadyn (girl), Landyn Konner (boy), Layne Mykel (boy), Kieran Skye (girl), Drayden Karter (boy)

Stinky tofu / Firefox clearing / Noise / Planet Hollywood Potstickers

Tonight, I called Jeremy to see if he'd be able to make it to the Night Market. He couldn't since (as Jon said) his parents were in town - so I joked that it meant I had to eat a lot of stinky tofu for him. His response was "Yes, please!" Haha. Maybe I will eat at least two pieces, although my brother's more known for eating the stinky stuff than I am! (at least it isn't durian!) Then Diven got on MSN to bug me in Netspeak: does he REALLY not want me to talk to him anymore? :P He even linked me to some comics where this guy gets teleported into Counterstrike and people use a lot of Netspeak, since he picked up some of this stuff from gaming forums. I know MSN and ICQ were two of Netspeak's originators, but really. Yuck. Later, he called me certain names because of tofu - I asked one person in joke form, and the other asked me presumably for real! What am I supposed to do? Cheating, indeed... :P

I've had a problem with Firefox clearing the sites I put into the address bar on the drop-down menu, and also making all visited links UNVISITED every time I restart the computer. It also cleared most (if not all) of the data on drop-down boxes in text fields such as the Google input bar a few days ago, and it's annoying! Tonight, I decided to do the sensible thing and ask the people over at the Mozilla forums. To my surprise, I got an answer within two minutes. It wasn't what I was looking for, but I think I have it resolved now. Whee!

Hey, here's a story Jasmine might like since she DETESTS her loud neighbors:

Judge finds landlord liable for noise

NEW YORK (UPI) -- A New York judge has ruled in favor of a resident who complained her landlord failed to stop loud music from being blared by neighbors.

The ruling, by State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub, means landlord Archives Inc. will not receive $1,000 and a month's rent from Celine Armstrong when she breaks her lease and the landlord may be forced to pay Armstrong $80,000 in back rent and $200,000 in punitive damages, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

Eric Sherman, an attorney for Armstrong, said his client's apartment was made unlivable by loud music blasted by her neighbor.

"It was happening at all hours of the day and night, 11, 12, 1 in the morning. Music so loud her bedroom wall vibrated. She couldn't think, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't work at her desk, and she couldn't even watch television," Sherman said.

Sherman said Armstrong's complaints to the landlord and doormen "were ignored for 20 months."

I bet she wishes it could be resolved that way!


Planet Hollywood Potstickers

Menu Description: "Six potstickers filled with fresh ground turkey meat, and seasoned with ginger, water chestnuts, red pepper, and green onions. They are fried and served in a basket with spicy hoisin." Here's a special recipe from one of the most popular theme restaurant chains. Potstickers are a popular Asian dumpling that can be fried, steamed, or simmered in a broth. Planet Hollywood has customized its version to make them crunchier than the traditional dish, and it's a tasty twist that I'm sure you'll love. Since hoisin sauce would be very difficult to make from scratch, you can use a commercial brand found in most stores.

1/4 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced green onion
1 teaspoon minced water chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (no seeds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
12 wonton wrappers (3 x 3-inch size)
On the side: Hoisin sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the egg, wrappers, and oil. Add 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg. Save the rest of the egg for later. Preheat oil in a deep fryer or a deep saucepan to 375 degrees. Use enough oil to cover the pot stickers -- 1 to 2 inches should be enough.
2. Invert a small bowl or glass with a 3-inch diameter on the center of a wonton wrapper and cut around it to make a circle. Repeat for the remaining wrappers.
3. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of the turkey filling into the center of one wrapper. Brush a little beaten egg around half of the edge of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over the filling. Gather the wrapper as you seal it so that it is crinkled around the edge. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
4. Deep-fry the potstickers six at a time in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve with hoisin sauce for dipping. If you want, add some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper to the sauce. Serves 3 to 4 as an appetizer.

Tidbits
If you can't find wonton wrappers, you can also use eggroll wrappers for this recipe. Eggroll wrappers are much bigger, so you will be wasting more of the dough when you trim the wrappers to 3-inch diameter circles. But in a pinch, this is a quick solution. Potsticker wrappers can also be found in some supermarkets, but I've found the wonton wrappers and eggroll wrappers, when fried, taste more like the restaurant version.

Your gasping for air repulses us!

Hmm. I got a message saying that someone named Tobias has been looking for the Seattle Phone Pranks CD for years, heh. Hopefully, this one will actually be delivered, unlike Matt Torres' CD last year. Darned post office! :P


Today's Moaning Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On 2 September 1983, Jimmy Lee Gray was executed in a Mississippi gas chamber. Officials had to clear the room eight minutes after the gas was released when Gray's desperate gasps for air repulsed witnesses. His attorney, Dennis Balske of Montgomery, Alabama, criticized state officials for clearing the room when the inmate was still alive. Said noted death penalty defense attorney David Bruck, "Jimmy Lee Gray died banging his head against a steel pole in the gas chamber while the reporters counted his moans (eleven, according to the Associated Press)." Later, it was revealed that the executioner (Barry Bruce) was drunk.

Culled from: Death Penalty Information Center
Generously submitted by: Candle

**********************************************************************

A drunken executioner and a head-banging victim: that's rock 'n' roll!

*******

Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

I think I may have featured this one previously, but it's a fun little game, so why not revisit it?

Barb-Jump

Thanks to Shifter for the link.

*******

Morbid Trinket Du Jour!

Here are some nice (and inexpensive) coffin backpacks!

Thanks to Sandy for the link.

Insistence on correct spelling is NOT high-maintenance, and I wish I had a pretty name!

Lunch with my parents and Jon / Harmony at the Fish Café was all right, except certain people wouldn't stop prying into my personal life / private emails! They think the same as Diven does - for which I am going to have to do something to him, haha. Man, am I glad my Mondays are free now... I told Jon that I'd been upset because Eric used "Nintendo Wii speak" / "Netspeak" on me last night, and he called me "high-maintenance." Insisting on the correct spelling of a freaking TWO-LETTER-WORD is not high-maintenance, thank you very much! Then I told them about how Andrea had misspelled "junior" and "senior" - we could tell in service since there was a big red underline on the Powerpoint slide, which Jon thought was funny! Honestly, they should definitely know better, especially when it comes to me! (we've had discussions about how I'm a "vindictive grammar Nazi" before...) I told Jon that I planned to steal one of Jeremy's stinky tofu pieces tomorrow at the Night Market, but then he informed me that Jeremy might not be there since his parents are in town. Well, then! I'm not going to eat all six pieces by MYSELF! (Jon seems to think everyone will love me for it... :P) Maybe I'll call him tonight and see what's up, haha... something I rarely do, but it has to be done in this case to avoid nasty surprises. (California Café?)

Jon says that he's leading worship on Sunday, and that it doesn't matter if he and Harmony pick me up on the way to church. Guess I'll figure things out on Saturday, haha - must bring cards for Steph to sign, if possible! (then again, she's volunteering...) I asked Jon if he'd bought an anniversary card for the parents - nope! I think we all suck / dropped the ball on this one, with Steph's being busy / Jon forgetting / my not feeling like going out to buy one. But Steph did buy them flowers, haha. (and so did Harmony on Monday) We should have kept the occasion a secret till after lunch, because Harmony tried paying for the entire meal... Jon eventually had to sit on her MasterCard, and took several pictures of his butt with her digicam. ("yeah, the view's awesome even though you can't really see the card in the upper right corner!") Had clam chowder, blackened salmon salad, crab cakes, fish burgers, and fish / chips while bugging Harmony about only having half a banana for breakfast. Jon had eaten a lot yesterday, so really wasn't that hungry! We also took crazy pictures, hehe.

I asked Jon about his CDs on my card - I'll have to remember to renew them online on Friday or Saturday, and tell him if the system blocks my renewal attempt because it does that sometimes. Harmony's flight is a red-eye at 11 PM on Sunday; we don't think she'll get any sleep since she has to work fairly early! Jon does want to go to the "meet Joshua's new wife!" thing at Uncle Stanley's after lunch / the Zion bazaar, so I don't know why my mom said he was reluctant since it's Harmony's last day in town! (or I do, but I'm not saying here) He and I had Raven Cream Ale, and then we dropped the two of them off at the bus stop. My mom wondered if I'd ever met the Viva Java dude - of COURSE! She's getting forgetful, I suppose. :P

I read a bit of Harmony's book, which was autographed by the author (Madeleine Thien) herself - yay for connections! The inscription reads in part "To Harmony, with the absolutely beautiful name..." Now I find myself wishing again that I had a pretty name! I remember wishing that in Grade 7 or 8 when I had Sunday School classmates with the pretty names of Eleanor, Alexandra, Belinda, Frances, Evelyn, Sophia, and Gloria. Not that having a pretty name is all you need to get by in life or to get yourself a good man / friends, but "Leslie" just sounds BLAH next to those monikers! I probably wouldn't seriously change my name, but even my sister has a prettier name! That was probably one of the reasons I wished my name was Cordelia when I was a kid! (or Zoe, Roanna, Nina, Tatiana, etc.) And it's not like I can use my middle name as a backup - well, I could, but that wouldn't be pretty either! Honestly: an unpretty name, bad coordination, and other terrible things I won't get into here... yeah, I think I'm destined to remain a spinster for life! *sigh*

Wii, no monthly anniversaries, Chinese jokes, Pizza Hut Pizza Dough

Well, I thought I'd never have to bug Eric M. about supposed Netspeak, but that barrier was broken tonight when he asked me who was in our Bible Study group. He told me that the "double I" trend was because of the Nintendo Wii (although I've seen it before it was announced), and he was just trying to be different. Ha, I definitely got upset and broke out the all caps, which I apologized for later on. It didn't help that I got an email from Raymond with this 25-word subject and a totally irrelevant attachment of a clear blue sky - UGH! I told him about certain things, and he encouraged me - eh, I guess I'll see how things go! (also took a shower and did laundry while he was talking to me)

In the middle of all this stuff, I called the townhouse to see what was going on tomorrow. The anniversary dinner is now an anniversary lunch since Jon and Harmony are busy celebrating their "seven-month anniversary." *rolleyes* HEY, KIDDIES! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MONTHLY ANNIVERSARY! Man, I saw this kind of thing ALL THE TIME in an LDR community I was part of for some time - and always wanted to say that, but couldn't. Stupid people... *grumble* I'm sure it happens in local relationships too, but seriously! An anniversary is YEARLY, by definition! My sister said that 32 years trumps seven months by far, and I agree. Apparently, we're going to some fish café since Jon and Harmony don't want to eat a lot of meat, even though they're not the honored people! Salad bars are definitely out for Dad, as is parking downtown so Steph can join us too. Heh, Harmony is Steph's replacement! Meh, at least I set my alarm - rumors are that Mom might go to some Coquitlam Korean market / some mall named Henderson Place after lunch. Not sure if I want to do that, but the boonies could be interesting this time out! (we'll see...)


Haha, I get the quirkiest emails from the R-Man! Of course, I've heard of these "translations" before, but it's still cool. :D

Are you harboring a fugitive? Hu Yu Hai Ding?
See me A.S.A.P. - Kum Hia Nao
Stupid Man - Dum Gai
Small Horse - Tai Ni Po Ni
Your price is too high!!! - No Bai Dam Thing!!
Did you go to the beach? - Wai Yu So Tan
I bumped into a coffee table - Ai Bang Mai Ni
That is not right - Sum Ting Wong
I think you need a facelift - Chin Tu Fat
It's very dark in here - Wai So Dim?
Has your flight been delayed? - Hao Long Wei Ting?
That was an unauthorized execution - Lin Ching
I thought you were on a diet - Wai Yu Mun Ching?
This is a tow-away zone - No Pah King
Do you know lyrics to the Macarena? / The latest Michael Jackson release - Wai Yu Sing Dum Song?
Keep out of pond - Noh Wei Ding
Late night Peking talk show - Jah Ni Ka Sun
You are not very bright - Yu So Dum
I got this for free - Ai No Pei
I am not guilty - Wai Hang Mi?
Does this bathroom stink! / Did someone fertilize the field? - Hu Flung Dung?
Please, stay a while longer - Wai Go Nao?
Our meeting was last / next week - Wai You Kum Nao
They have arrived - Hia Dei Kum
Staying out of sight - Lei Ying Lo
Premature infant - Tai NI Bei Bi
Cigarettes are bad for you - No Tsmo King
Your body odor is offensive - Yu Stin Ki Pu / Shu Man Go
He's cleaning his automobile - Wa Shing Ka
He is a fat man - Wun Fat Gai


PIZZA HUT PIZZA DOUGH

1 1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/8 teaspoon MSG
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
(You may use all-purpose flour only for this recipe)


Bread machine: Add ingredients to machine bread pan in order given, or as per manufacturer's instructions. Set to 'dough' mode.

Food processor: Place water, sugar, salt, and olive oil in bowl of food processor... pulse to dissolve sugar and salt. Add yeast, bread flour, all-purpose flour, and the other dry ingredients. Process until a soft ball forms. Remove from machine and allow to rest, covered with a tea towel, about 45 minutes.

Dough hook: Place water, sugar, salt, and olive oil in bowl of mixer. Dissolve sugar and salt. Stir in yeast, bread flour, all-purpose flour, and the other dry ingredients. Knead with dough hook to form a soft, but not-too-sticky dough (about 8 minutes). Remove from machine and allow to rest, covered with a tea towel, about 45 minutes.

By Hand: In this case, use only all-purpose flour. Place water, sugar, salt, and olive oil in bowl. Dissolve sugar and salt. Stir in yeast, all-purpose flour, and the other dry ingredients. Knead to form a soft, but not-too sticky dough (about 8-l0 minutes). Allow to rest, covered with a tea towel, about 45 minutes.

(*) For a breadier pizza dough - depending on taste and recipe requirements, you can add an additional 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Deflate dough very gently before using, and allow it to rest a further 15 minutes before using in a recipe. You may refrigerate dough in an oiled plastic bag for up to two days.

Dream of confusion and pheasant / Good friends

A pretty gross (but classic) Something Awful thread on horrible roommates

I don't know why I had a dream that featured my running in confusion to various sliding doors, only to find that Buildings #10 and #88 were locked since I wasn't on time to sessions. There was another girl who would be staying for an eight-hour church session, by which time our group would be gone! Building #66 featured a merry-go-round and amusement park, but I wasn't allowed to go in there. At the same time, the officials in charge of the buildings in this camp did not allow anyone to consume cheese of any sort - and expelled anyone who did, especially if it was combined with strawberries! Then I saw an elegant dining room which hadn't been closed off to me - it also had a bookstore and a gift shop. My mom was in the dining room, eating some turkey drenched in gravy with some rice - I thought she'd be mad because I hadn't gone to the sessions with my friends, but the dream ended with her inviting me to join her and eat. I also saw a dinner menu that featured a bunch of items, including "Forbidden Pheasant - MUST EAT!" Haha, sure?

Also, I am amused by someone's characterization of me as an "attention whore." I posted a question under my old LJ name to a community, wondering why I'd been unfriended by someone who's supposedly been dead for over three years now. Most people - no matter their private opinion of me - responded politely and said that it had been converted to "memorial" status, which unfriends all their existing friends. (no one can make new posts there, but all content is preserved and comments can still be made to existing entries) This one person decided to call me an attention whore because I'd come to a community who's "still mourning the death of a good woman" and ask questions - she even hoped no one close to the person saw the post! That is why I screened all comments initially, and deleted her comment without responding to it. No reason for it, haha. Stupid woman, hahaha. (not the one who's dead) A few years ago, I wouldn't have been so amused, but now I don't care what they say!

You Are a Good Friend Because You're Accepting

No matter what a friend says or does, you try your best to understand it. And your friends feel like they can tell you anything. You don't judge. You know that friendship is a journey - with a lot of ups and downs. If you and a friend grow apart, you get over it quickly... and leave the potential for future friendship open. You tend to have many friends from many walks of life. Anyone you meet could become a friend. In fact, you are especially interested in people who are a little different than you. Seeing life from another perspective is something you cherish. Your friends need you most when: They can't turn to anyone else with their secrets. You really can't be friends with: Dogmatic, stubborn people. Your friendship quote: "Love is blind, but friendship closes its eyes."

What Makes You a Good Friend?

Eating stinky tofu at the Night Market for you? Sure! / Pizza Hut Cavatini

I got an unexpected email tonight, which made me smile! Let's just say that Jeremy's more likely to eat stinky tofu at the Night Market than I am, but I'll certainly try one of his pieces as I think I did last year! At least my friend didn't tell me to have DURIAN, given the discussion last night! You can bet I answered that email within an hour or so of receiving it - SHINY!! He can have fun at bowling for me, haha. (Harmony knows about his present, hahaha) As for the other email I got yesterday, I'm still trying to figure out how to word it.


PIZZA HUT CAVATINI

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 4 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Pasta, Cake mix

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

4 cups Uncooked assorted pasta - Cook al dente
2 lb Ground round
2 tablespoons Oil
1 1/2 pack Onion soup mix
28 oz Stewed tomatoes -- sliced Style
1 can V-8 juice -- (6 ounces)
1 lb Jar Prego spaghetti sauce - Flavored in meat
1/2 cup Grape jelly
Mozzarella cheese
Provolone cheese

Brown the meat in oil. Crumble with a fork, browning until the pink color disappears. Turn heat to low. Add remaining ingredients. Stir lightly to combine. Allow sauce to cook, uncovered about 20 minutes, but do not let it boil. Alternate layers of cooked pasta, the sauce, and slices of mozzarella, and half the Provolone sufficiently to fill individual au gratin dishes or small oven-proof serving dishes.

Dream of quitting smoking and gay lovers / Stuff from the Surrealist

I had a weird dream which seemed to centre around some big dinner at Auntie May's house, where there were lots of brightly-colored toys behind curtains for the kids! Vernon and Sarah made an appearance at the dinner, and announced that they were going to quit smoking in time for the Christmas holidays - we all thought it would be more stressful, but it was their decision! (they do NOT smoke in real life) One of the aunties noticed a huge framed picture in the living room - apparently, Auntie May's father had had a gay lover named James, and that was a portrait to remind them of their relationship! Very odd dream, since nothing there would make sense in real life... and I don't even know what it would mean, so it's probably subconscious junk. :P

Apparently, Mom doesn't want Harmony to know that it's their anniversary on Thursday if they go out for dinner, otherwise she'll buy something. Of course she will, since she's that kind of person! (she showed up with stuff last night, and apparently Randal gave them a cake and cookies too - there's a lot of food in that townhouse already!) Well, even if they're at Tamarind in New Westminster, it'll come out eventually if Jon hasn't already told her! Hahaha, Mom should know that by now!

Last night, Christon seemed amused by the fact that I'd hooked Randal onto 24 after those nights at Nathan's for the premiere madness - hey, it worked for Isabel too! Jon saw about 10 episodes, and read about the other 12, so he was in prime position! Eric sacrificed his Eastern satellite channel viewing so he could watch it with us almost every week, and Nathan might run out of timer time on his video recording since he has to record that / HEROES / BATTLESTAR GALACTICA / some other shows. Yikes! He'll have a lot of TV awaiting him upon his return!


Here are a bunch of things from the Surrealist:

The Surrealist Dalek is funny... click on the robot for another weird word! ("Recontemplate!" and "Regurgitate!" were a couple of the ones I got)

Exquisite Corpses

TV Misguidance

Other Listings Magazine

The Dossier Sexupifier

The Surrealist Link - "You are the least spiteful Vulcan. Goodbye!"

Sheep Poetry

24 Dreaming - "Right now, stamps are plotting to whisk a pathetic tripod. My bottle-bank and wine gum are silly, and roadkills that I work with may be gin-soaked. I'm Federal Agent Jack Bauer, and this is the slitheriest Trans-Am of my life."

24ever - random snippets for an hour of 24

The Sound Effect Generator: (argh) blog clatter-yatata *pow!*

The Acronym Liar - "CML: Certified Master Leslie"

Prior-Art-O-Matic - "Leslie is a window pane that communicates via Instant Messenger!"

Leslie
interj. a statement of agreement.
"Sabrina, shall we disrespect some buttocks?" "Leslie!"

Taken from the randomly generated Infinite Teen Slang Dictionary.
Look up another word:-

HAHAHAHA. Too funny!

eBay Feedback Generator

Mainstream quality. Fast-ish delivery. Quality of the wrapping was reasonable. C-
Item inferior. Delivery was very, very fast-ish. Colorless packaging. Oh well. C+
Exceptionally so-so quality. Fast-ish to send. Immensely modest packaging. Eh. C-
Item humdrum. Slow-ish delivery. Packaging was standard. Service was ordinary. B-
Item was of inferior quality. Delivery was mainstream. Conventional packaging. D+
Quality of item was decent. Remarkably insignificant delivery. Dull packaging. B-
Item is of uninspiring quality. Delivery was insignificant. Humdrum packaging. C-
The item was average and humdrum. Packaging was acceptable. Slow-ish delivery. C-
The item was dull and mediocre. Bare packaging. Delivery was ever so fast-ish. C-
Item is of colorless quality. Restrained packaging. Delivery was conventional. C-

My spammer name is Dorcas T. Impel.

Enter your name to get yours:

Leslie is a Haggis-Eating Sniper Monkey ...with a Battle Rating of 7.7 To see if your Food-Eating Battle Monkey can defeat Leslie, enter your name:

Leslie is a Giant Ant that eats Nuclear Waste. Strength: 6 Agility: 6 Intelligence: 8 To see if your Giant Battle Monster can defeat Leslie, enter your name and choose an attack: fights Leslie using Strength Agility Intelligence

Leslie is a Robot that travels on Two Rollers, is fitted with a Bladed Claw and a Water Cannon, and runs on 20 AA Batteries. Force: 5 Handling: 6 Weaponry: 5 To see if your Battle Robot can defeat Leslie, enter your name and choose an attack: fights Leslie using Force Handling Weaponry

Pee / Internet / Season 6 finale / Scenic routes / Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man Cookies

I should really split this up into two posts, but I don't really care. :P

Today's Waterlogged Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A woman who competed in a radio station's contest to see how much water she could drink without going to the bathroom died of water intoxication. Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead Friday in her suburban Rancho Cordova home hours after taking part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which KDND 107.9 promised a Nintendo Wii video game system for the winner. "She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad," said Laura Rios, one of Strange's co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento. "She was crying, and that was the last that anyone had heard from her." It was not immediately known how much water Strange consumed. A preliminary investigation found evidence "consistent with a water intoxication death," said assistant Coroner Ed Smith. John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the station's owner, said station personnel were stunned when they heard of Strange's death. "We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred," he said. Initially, contestants were handed 8-ounce bottles of water to drink every 15 minutes. "They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy," said fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland. "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk." Ybarra said he quit after drinking five bottles. "My bladder couldn't handle it anymore," he added. After he quit, he said, the remaining contestants, including Strange, were given even bigger bottles to drink. "I was talking to her and she was a nice lady," Ybarra said. "She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for her kids."

Culled from: Associated Press
Generously submitted by: Amos Quito

**********************************************************************

"We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred"? Gee, let me think - you fed off the American appetite to do anything for a giveaway by making them do something which physically endangered each and every entrant. And one of them died. Sniff, sniff... Is that a lawsuit I smell???

*******

Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

Here's a video clip that should be mandatory viewing for mental assessments. The louder the laughter, the sicker the soul!

Thanks to HAPPY Squirrel for the clip.

*******

Morbid Link Du Jour!

Gimpyd.Com claims to bring you the gutter of the Internet. While I'm not sure if this site is really scraping the bottom of the gutter, it certainly is laying somewhere within its fetid realm. Pursue at your own risk!


I almost didn't hear the phone since it was on "muted" mode when I was getting ready to leave. Turns out I had great timing, as that noise I heard WAS the phone - I just hope it didn't ring 27 times (poor Eric!) when Randal alerted me to his presence outside. It was a pretty good ride to the townhouse - he can be silent, but at least he knows what to do in the case of puddles! ("Feel free to take your shoe off," haha oh my!) We also talked about major waiting time for dim sum, and our respective days. ("I come because of your mom's cooking - which I haven't had yet - and to see people!") In any event, I have much to discuss with people later this week on MSN. He said he read my post on last week's Bible Study - hilarious times! I was about to put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder to calm him down then, but that wouldn't have worked since I laughed every time I looked at him! Bloodthirstiness and strong drinks rule, hehehe.

This summer, we're going to have to fix the fact that he's never been to the Richmond Night Market - he's indicated that he's open to future get-togethers, so maybe one of these days! It's got to be more interesting than the Chinatown version (which I've never been to, but his description makes it sound boring)... just be prepared for spontaneous calls! "Wanna go to the Night Market?" "When?" "NOW!" haha. Jon later told Eric that he could watch all the Asians do bad karaoke on Friday night, heh. Once we got to the townhouse, nobody else was there yet - but Christon arrived soon afterwards, tired and headachey from reading / rushing around town with his dad today. (Jon got him Tylenol, at least!) Getting points and stamps, dragging him to various locations including Granville Island and the English Bay ferry, not staying long enough to enjoy himself, etc. - thank goodness he had an out with Jon at 3 for coffee, haha. Eric, Vivian, and Harmony arrived separately, and we were all set to eat a dinner of spaghetti / pizza ("I'll call the game in Italian!") / chicken / salads.

Steph arrived later from volunteering - our parents thought she could have called to let them know that she had dinner at the Memorial Cup, but you can't do that when you're on shift in the VIP lounge! "Just let them know that you have to make a call!" probably wouldn't go over very well... *rolleyes* We watched the Memorial Cup game between Lewiston and Plymouth on TV - Christon told Mom that Lindy Ruff (the Buffalo coach) was even more volcanic than some guy on screen who wasn't very happy with what happened in a penalty situation! When we switched to basketball, Mom was so confused until we told her that the game was over! ("even with two people in the penalty box?!" haha, oh dear!) Discussed Christon's exhausting day, Vivian's religion and how that related to sausage on pizza, Michael Bublé being all "ask me for an autograph!" (but they aren't allowed to!), beer, amber ale, Grand Marnier, gin, Scotch, vodka, Bailey's, Matt Cooke, Jello dessert, blueberry juice, my cup confusion (sorry, Eric), the REDEFINE conference, Night Market / stinky tofu / $1 skewers, bowling (I SUCK!), postcards since I gave one to Harmony, Buttless Chaps chapstick, past 24 seasons, and other subjects before the show started. We also saw a nasty commercial which featured an old topless man driving around - eww! (there was also a Viagra commercial, oh my!)

Mike Doyle got blinded because Philip's men handed him a dummy component rigged with explosives. Josh Bauer actually shot his own evil grandfather, who then presumably died in the oil rig explosion in an air assault. As Vivian said, you never know unless it's confirmed for sure. Noah Daniels charged Karen Hayes with treason since she and her husband Bill helped Jack Bauer, but they both were pardoned later on - a happy ending for at least one couple on this show! Milo's brother Stuart (whom Chloe hugged for some time) came in to collect personal effects, and told Nadia that Milo must have loved her since he wasn't usually brave in standing up for people. He then disappeared into thin air after Nadia had a phone call - CTU security really needs to be better! (no moles!)

Chloe complained of being tired, and fainted - Morris was understandably concerned, even when the doctor wouldn't tell him what was going on because he was her EX-husband! When Chloe told him she was pregnant, Morris had this reaction: "With child?!" Hahaha, so funny! (my mom and sister called it a few seconds before) The real component was presumably destroyed in the oil rig explosion because Cheng gave it to Philip - Cheng's mutilated face was great, haha. "My people won't forget me the way you forgot Jack Bauer!" There were a couple of rogue missions in these two episodes, heh. After everything was said and done, we noticed that there was still half an hour or so left! They filled in the time nicely - Jack went to Audrey's house and confronted her father with a gun. Haha, that was great! He then made James Heller lead him to Audrey's room, and then he told Audrey various things - he's letting her go since he loves her a lot. Then the show used the Season 6 silent clock on Jack exiting the house and staring out over the ocean and jagged rocks below! ("What was that?!")

After that, Steph switched the channel on the TV - that was the signal for Christon to get up and leave, heh. People were welcome to stay for the finale of CSI: Miami, though. Randal also decided to leave then, and asked if I needed a ride home - eh, why not. (although I could have gotten a ride with Eric later, but it's all about spending time with MSN-less friends I don't already talk to a few times a week! :P) Mom gave him some peanuts to take home, and gave me a bag of stuff I haven't looked through yet - let's see... a sweater when it is NOT sweater season, blueberry juice, and a lot of clothing. At least Randal seemed to enjoy the time out, even if he thought Railway was Gilbert - meh, we'll just take the scenic route! (and tour a neighborhood when he missed a turn earlier on) He got to see some of the craziness my family exhibits - talking about farts / burps / contests / feet in people's faces / lifting Mom up... oh my! Didn't seem too fazed, heh. I was going to ask him a question, but it wouldn't have been my place - let's just say that feet in someone's face and raising your fist to someone are signs of affection in this family, haha. At least I made up for my earlier suckiness when I gave him his postcard and keychain at my apartment complex door - he wanted to walk me to the door since it was dark out, so that was perfectly fine with me! Good times - and I'll see Harmony on Sunday when she attends our church! First, to gear up for the madness that will be Friday night, heh.


Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man Cookies

When cloning cookies for the holidays, why not clone the best? Pepperidge Farm's Ginger Man cookies bring a sweet gingery crunch to the seasonal festivities. And so will your version no matter what shape they end up.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
red sugar crystals (for cake decorating)

Cut your cookies into any crazy shape you want (these are mentally deranged snowmen), then sprinkle on the red sugar crystals.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cream together the sugars, shortening, molasses, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. In another large bowl... combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring while you add it.
5. Roll a portion of the dough out on a heavily floured surface. Roll to under 1/4-inch thick. Cut the cookies using a man-shaped cookie cutter, or any other cookie cutter shape you've got in the bottom drawer.
6. Place cookies on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Bake only one cookie sheet of cookies at a time. Makes around 3 dozen cookies.

Dream of my mom and redrum / Cordia IS morbid!

I don't think I want to know why my mother and redrum featured prominently in my dream last night... o_O

Steph gave me Cordia's email address, and she didn't seem too impressed when I emailed back to tell her that our young friend is also morbid like me. Hahaha, sweet. :D

Stupid Firefox, 18-inch graves, mad monarchs, urban exploration, luck, Myspace

What the heck?! I restarted my computer and most of the drop-down stuff in message fields is gone! This machine is really frustrating sometimes... *grumble*


Today's Upright Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Ben Jonson (1572-1637) is remembered for more than his poetry. Tradition relates that he asked King Charles I to grant him a favor concerning his burial. "Give me eighteen inches of square ground." "Where?" asked the king. "In Westminster Abbey." And so it was. Jonson was buried upright in the north aisle of the abbey. Cynical doubts about the accuracy of the story were dispelled in 1849, when a grave was being dug to receive Sir Robert Wilson. The loose earth of Jonson's grave "rippled in like quicksand" and a clerk saw "the two leg bones fixed bolt upright in the sand."

Culled from: Death: A History Of Man's Obsessions and Fears

**********************************************************************

Morbid Link Du Jour!

Joan's Mad Monarchs Series is a fun series of biographies of history's mad royals. Fun, fun, fun!

Thanks to Bella for the link.

*******

Urban Exploration Link Du Jour!

Abandoned is a collection of mostly black and white images of stark industrial ruins in the old Soviet Union. Occasionally the author goes a bit overboard with self-portraits, but otherwise, the photos are quite lovely. I want to go!!!

Thanks to Remo for the link.

Are You Lucky? Congratulations! According to our experts, you scored: 83% which makes you Extremely Lucky You are extremely lucky! Remind us never to play a game of rock, paper, scissors with you. Are You Lucky, find out at Quizopolis.com

Myspace Love Survey Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com Have you had a crush on someone you met on Myspace? No. Have you fallen in love with someone you met on Myspace? No. Have you kissed anyone you met on Myspace? No. Have you dated anyone you met on Myspace? No. Do you think you would marry anyone you met on Myspace? No. Have you ever had your heart broken by someone on Myspace? No. Do you have a crush on someone on Myspace right now and they don't know it? No. Do you think someone on Myspace has a crush on you right now? No. Who on Myspace would you most like to kiss? No idea. Is there anyone on Myspace you would have a one-night stand with? I don't think so. Is there anyone on Myspace you could see yourself falling in love with? No. Is there anyone on Myspace you would marry? No. Have you cheated on anyone because of someone you met on Myspace? No. Have you ever been cheated on because of Myspace? No. Do you think you can find true love on Myspace? No. Have you ever left a flirting comment for anyone on Myspace? No. Have you ever sent someone on Myspace a love note? No. Have you ever taken a picture of yourself just for someone on Myspace? No. Do you come to Myspace specifically to hook up with people? No. Do you think it's easier to find dates on Myspace than in bars? Probably not. Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com

My bag's so much lighter without the candy! / Yay for cleared fines!

On the way over to church this morning, Steph told me to remind Randal about the dinner tomorrow. He could be like Eric and forget if you tell him too far in advance, after all. (I've experienced this forgetful guy tendency before) I was going to do so when I saw him, but he was busy preparing to do the sound - it was interesting when Stanley's electric guitar was apparently miked all the way up to 11. ;) Realizing that I still had time before select people streamed into service, I said hi to Hannah and Priscilla. I decided to give them these two full bags of Ziploc candy (and gave them yet another one after Sunday School, along with a Tootsie Roll piggy bank) - they were amazed at the sheer amount of candy in these medium-sized bags! ("How are we going to finish all this candy, Hannah?" "You can give it to your friends, girls!") Meh, my mom has a lot of candy she's given to me recently and I don't want to eat it all... 'tis my being practical. I won't junk it if it can go to people who WILL eat it! I gave Natalie a butterfly journal later on that my mom gave me for the cruise - I already wrote it up in my offline journal during said event, and I refuse to throw the very thin journal away! (it might make up for the fact she can't eat the potentially nut-filled candy in my bags...) Everyone thanked me for the stuff, and Pastor Edward's daughter Audrey (who sat with them) was also very surprised when I told them about the amount of junk food my mom has at her house! (one or two shelves in the laundry room, a whole kitchen cupboard, the whole living room table, some end tables, and under the tables too!)

Said hi to Joey / Citrus while waving hi to baby Joshua, and reminded Chrystal about lunch today - she totally forgot, and wishes she had my good memory! Maybe we'll figure something out on the weekend... I sat with Jen and Dawn in one pew - Andrea was going to join us, but then saw Elaine (back from Hawaii?) and sat with her instead... ah, what can you do about best friends? We expressed thankfulness that the offering bag was NOT the Communion tray with grape juice since I had to go across to the other end of the pew to hand it to Cindy. ("here... have all this... oh crap! *spill* ") Later, Andrea announced a Sunday School Open House - a bunch of people must have noticed that "senior" was spelled INCORRECTLY (with a U?!), since it was in bold and underlined in red. I know Jen and I commented on it to each other! (maybe Melia and Becky - who's back for a year - said stuff too) On the way out of service, Darren joked that I could push people over in order to hurry up and get out of there - sure, and then I'll blame you for giving me the idea! Dianne confused the front and back of the room: the ramp would be slippery!

Went downstairs and did some stuff, then went outside in the pouring rain to catch people before they left for Sunday School. Talked to Mike and Emily about new white shoes, talked to Auntie Ying about how Jon knows how to lead worship, and managed to actually catch Randal on his way to Sunday School after doing stuff - phew, since that was my primary motivation in standing under umbrellas! I was a bit abrupt and "businesslike" (as Steph calls it), but he knows his duties, haha. (I'm using "duty" in a joking sense here, since he doesn't HAVE to do anything!) At least he'll definitely call me when he gets here tomorrow - maybe before he leaves, too. (must leave phone on after I wake up...) This reminds me: I forgot to give him his stuff AGAIN, and it'll largely be irrelevant by the time he gets it tomorrow, sigh. Went to toddler Sunday School, where there were only two kids - perfect! Little Sean was pretty good, and liked the distraction of the rainbow stickers and insect book this week - he sat for a long time! He seemed to say "picnic" to us, hehe.

After Sunday School, I told Andrew that I'd screwed up last week with the picnic - he said that everyone screws up, and at least it was "just" the picnic. He then told me a "secret," and Michelle C. tried telling me that he was gay. Haha, I don't think so! Then I talked to Auntie Vivian for a while about the two picnics, and how Jeremy and I had told each other that our excuse for missing one wasn't very good. ("it's too early and we won't wake up!") She mentioned that she'd seen my brother holding hands with a girl yesterday evening at church - when I told Jon about this later, he thought that everyone already knew about Harmony, haha! (Andrea and Jen will get to meet her this time out, yay!) After watching some of the little kids play with each other, I told Lawrence that my bag was a lot lighter now without the three full bags of candy and such in it - he thought I was talking about school and textbooks, but I've been long done that by now!

I went upstairs to see if Sunday School was over yet - nope, so I commiserated with Auntie Christina about it. I managed to catch Cordia just as she was leaving when it DID let out, so I could ask her for an email address. She told me what hers was, but since she was in a hurry and couldn't write it down, I told her I'd ask my sister to send it to me. (she likes the FINAL EXITS book, so she might like the Morbid Facts newsletter!) Lanie asked if this was the day we were supposed to meet for lunch: yes, but I told her that Chrystal forgot to email reminders out to everyone. Said hi to Christon and Tony when they came from Sunday School, while Emily told Joey to get some Fisherman's Friends for her. Joey told her to text him with that instead, so I wondered if his memory was really that bad - no, he just forgets everything his sister tells him! Discussed my newest book with Christon (who may be able to drive Tony to the 24 finale tomorrow), then went to Pho with my family and Tony. Good times: we talked about Nazirite vows with haircutting / no drinking, Wal-Mart, parents paying for some stuff, no student loans, lamb instead of chicken, rites of passage, beer, being an Awana games director next year, different club philosophies, training videos, birthdays, pieing Sam with two thick cream pies for his birthday, Floodlight, food budgeting, Granny Smith apples, "dream of being dependent" vs. "dream of being independent," etc.

While our parents shopped at Shoppers Drug Mart, my brother and I went to the Cambie Library. He wanted to use my card to borrow a few CDs since he was already up to the limit on his - I told him I'd see about the amount of the fine on my card first! The librarian cleared it for me since it had been seven years, and no titles were associated with it - phew! Had to change my address information on there for their records, too: I don't even remember what the amount was, to be honest. (not sure why I didn't pay all of it, either!) So then I was able to borrow a book on the world's first Internet serial killer, who used bondage to lure his victims, as well. Jon was surprised that it had apparently been seven years since I used the card - maybe not that long, but at least two or three years? Heh, at least my Vancouver one has no fines on it whatsoever! (and I can renew his CDs and such online too!) "dream of being dependent" vs. "dream of being independent," Got home to find offline messages from Chinese Eric saying that he has to pick up Fay this evening from her employers, who were in Edmonton for a bit. Guess we'll have to reschedule again! Suppose it's all good, though - Windows Live Messenger CAN let you send offliners like that, which is useful. Now I can go through dungeons and space adventures without worrying about phone calls or the time! ;) (the TQC community-related ones are next on my list, then mine and those of three new friends!) Thought of another reason why I might not want to go on Friday - I don't want to be confused with the other person who practically shares my name! Oh well, I'll deal... :P

Dream of swimming and football / Papa John's Pizza Dipping Sauces

I had a weird dream which featured Sean in a blue sweater and black pants - he was sitting in a church service, but we couldn't talk to him for some reason. Odd! Then there was the part where my mom was going to draft a long letter to Save-On Foods for me since they mistreated me while I was out shopping with my grandma, and the part where I was going to spend at least a month home alone with Grandma because everyone else was going on vacation. My brother was watching football, and encountered the expression "drinking him like a martini": that apparently explained someone making slurping noises near another player, which was a foul. Then he watched swimming warnings, with various monsters and mature content on the TV. Very interesting, but I don't know what that means! Now I just called the family, and my mom's decided to be "too sensitive" and everything else that goes along with it! I don't think my day is going to start out that well, but it'll END on a positive note if Chinese Eric and I can get it together! (but if she's like that tomorrow, all bets are off :P)

On a different note, Corey decided to tell me about Japanese obstacle courses last night:

[01:28:58] Corey: I should sleep too, but Ninja Warrior is still on :P
[01:29:04] Corey: almost done though, I think...
[01:29:11] Corey: kick ass Japanese obstacle course show
[01:29:30] Corey: G4 (a video game TV channel) has a marathon of it today :P
[01:29:48] Corey: people that can even pass the first stage of it are pretty damned impressive :P
[01:31:13] Flami: Being bloodthirsty amuses me: what happens?
[01:31:42] Corey: uh.. people just go through obstacle courses :P I think only a couple people have ever completed it all...
[01:32:02] Corey: it's like a real life video game :P I may have sent you a link to a video of someone winning the whole thing a while back
[01:36:01] Flami: well, you said it was Japanese - people do crazy things there :P
[01:37:52] Corey: this isn't really crazy... there are some colorful contestants sometimes, but the people that are really good are just amazing athletes :P they have Olympic gold medalists on here that fail immediately :P
[01:39:43] Corey: they had a bunch of women's course shows earlier... which is WAY easier than the normal one... women can enter the regular one, but they never get past more than the first 2-3 things, in the first level, if that
[01:40:19] Flami: just how crazy are the obstacle course designs? :P
[01:42:16] Corey: here's the guy winning the whole thing :P the course changes a bit each time, but most of the staples should be in there :P
[01:43:31] Corey: levels 2 and 3 in the women's one were WAY easier than this.. mostly balance stuff, less hanging and upper body strength.... but they only had three things in the 3rd round for them.. and two weren't that hard :P levels 2 and 3 in the normal one are insanity
[01:43:58] Corey: hardly anyone even passes the first stage


Papa John's Pizza Dipping Sauces

John Schnatter was only 23 years old when he used 1600 dollars of start-up money to buy a pizza oven and have it installed in the broom closet of an Indiana tavern. John started delivering his hot fresh pizzas, and in 1984, the first year of his business, he sold 300 to 400 pizzas a week. One year later, he opened the first Papa John's restaurant, and has become an American success story. Today the company has expanded to over 2600 locations in 49 states and has revenues of 1.7 billion dollars a year. That puts John's business in the top three of all restaurant chains in overall sales growth, and the country's fastest-growing pizza chain.

John has kept the Papa John's menu simple. You won't find salads or subs or chicken wings on his menu. The company just sells pizza, with side orders of breadsticks and cheese sticks made from the same pizza dough recipe. With each order of breadsticks or cheese sticks comes your choice of dipping sauces.

I've got clones here for all three of those tasty sauces. You can use these easy clones as dips for a variety of products, or you can simply make your own breadsticks by baking your favorite pizza dough, then slicing it into sticks. If you want cheese sticks, just brush some of the Garlic Sauce on the dough, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake. Slice the baked dough into sticks and use the dipping sauce of your choice. It's a cinch.

Special Garlic Sauce
1/2 cup margarine spread
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Microwave on 1/2 power for 20 seconds. Stir. Makes 1/2 cup.

Cheese Sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup Cheez Whiz
2 teaspoon juice from canned jalapeños (nacho slices)

1. Combine cornstarch with milk in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch has dissolved.
2. Add Cheez Whiz and stir to combine. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
3. Add juice from jalapeño slices, and stir. Makes 1/2 cup.

Pizza Sauce
1 10 3/4-ounce can of tomato puree
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 1 cup.