Better upgrades, dream of fighting with my mom, CLOCK hint list

At last, I think I'm pretty much all better now! Sure, I still have a slight bit of nasal congestion and a slight cough, but the hot showers / warm fluids / rest did me a lot of good. Heck, I even think I sound quasi-normal enough to talk to people on the phone - no more sounding like a sexy frog for me! It'll be up to the people I know best to make that determination for themselves - perhaps I'll test it out later! I can also tell I'm better because I have my biting humor back! ("You know what is cool?" "A crisp fall day with the leaves crunching underfoot as you walk!" Haha.) It was super that I let Henry know about my state of health a couple nights ago, haha - I didn't have any missed calls on my phone when I woke up, heh. I just hope I'm not building up a tolerance to certain things, since that would be BAD! Either that, or I'm turning into an insomniac! (aiya!)

Last night, I decided to upgrade Linux / Ubuntu from "Feisty Fawn 7.04" to "Gutsy Gibbon 7.10" on Corey's advice. In the end stages, the Firefox browser window decided to disappear on me twice. I decided to leave well enough alone, since I was checking My Yearbook: it has way too much shiny stuff on it! (voting classmates for "Most Active Bowels" (ew?), Battles, Bulletins, Messages, Pictures, Blinkies, etc.) By the time I restarted the computer, I fussed about with limited customization, then freaked out since GAIM was gone! Then I Googled my problem, and found that it was renamed to Pidgin Instant Messenger. Interesting name, but at least it wasn't GONE like I'd feared. Corey hadn't heard about the new name, so he wouldn't have been able to help me in any event. I told him that I wondered about certain things (good thing I'll always have a friend in certain people!), and he took things to a new humorous level - YAY! ("Chex mix... *salmon-slaps you*" "You'll still sit here and type to me even if your computer explodes, since it's been proven in that one computer journal from 2001. Look up the Fronzel-Equiblax theory, which I can make exist on Wikipedia as solid evidence... um, I mean, it DOES exist on there as solid evidence!" Hahaha, too amusing!) I've also just found out that when Korey types "hehe" to me in the Pidgin message window, I see a giant laughing head graphic followed by an E. Must be the Hylke Bons emoticons, haha.

When I finally did get to sleeping, I dreamt that I had to physically fight with my mother over a variety of things... arm-wrestling was included, as well as her stabbing me with the broken pieces of the shower wall! (which looked exactly like they do on my sink) Dylan managed to wrestle her away from me, and we joined a procession of people going up some stairs to watch a play from the balcony - some people were using a janitor's closet as a smoking room. I have no idea where that dream came from, to be honest!

Here is a list of amusing "hints" in the CLOCK solitaire card game. The game is easy, in that you just have to arrange the cards like the numbers on an analog clock. Since I'm always one for the weird humor, here's the list!

1. If you're ever lost and alone in the woods, hug a tree.
2. I could sure use a backrub right about now...
3. Monitors won't give you Vitamin D, but sunlight will.
4. Fishing wire makes bad dental floss.
5. Look both ways before you cross the street.
6. Tourniquets are not recommended unless in the direst emergency.
7. Consistency is key.
8. Just because a crosswalk looks like a hopscotch board doesn't mean it is one.
9. Odessa is a better game. Really.
10. Have you read the help file?
11. When without a stapler, a staple and a ruler will work.

Solitaire games and local plane crashes!

I've just figured out that AisleRiot Solitaire isn't a type of patience game. It's just the collective name for a program that runs all these, most of which I can't even play properly: Agnes, Athena, Auld Lang Syne, Aunt Mary, Backbone, Bakers Dozen, Bakers Game, Beleaguered Castle, Block Ten, Bristol, Camelot, Canfield, Carpet, Chessboard, Clock, Cover, Cruel, Diamond Mine, Doublets, Eagle Wing, Easthaven, Eight Off, Elevator, Escalator, First Law, Fortress, Fortunes, Fourteen, FreeCell, Gaps, Gay Gordons, Glenwood, Golf, Gypsy, Helsinki, Hopscotch, Isabel, Jamestown, Jumbo, Kansas, King Albert, Kings Audience, Klondike, Labyrinth, Lady Jane, Maze, Monte Carlo, Neighbor, Odessa, Osmosis, Peek, Pileon, Plait, Poker, Quatorze, Royal East, Saratoga, Scorpion, Scuffle, Seahaven, Sir Tommy, Spider, Spiderette, Straight Up, Streets and Alleys, Ten Across, Thieves, Thirteen, Thumb and Pouch, Treize, Triple Peaks, Union Square, Valentine, Westhaven, Whitehead, Will O The Wisp, Yield, Yukon, and Zebra.

It doesn't help that it doesn't save my stats from restart to restart: Corey thinks I spend too much time worrying about these things. He says that I should try finding a different solitaire program instead, or ask around Linux forums / that program's site about how to set it up right or make it work right in Ubuntu. On another note, I think it's a good thing I am staying (close to) home today since a twin-engine plane crashed into an apartment building at Cooney / Saba. No fire, not enough fuel, and could be tragic! YIKES! (nearby roads like Westminster are closed in certain sections, which would be where I'd want to go to get to the 410 bus route :P) Corey thinks I'm a dork for "missing all the action" - I think I'm good, thanks. :P Maybe I can tag all my Blogger posts, too!


(04:10:03 PM) Flami: what's going on? anything of note?
(04:10:38 PM) Corey: Portal! which seems pretty damn cool so far :P
(04:11:02 PM) Flami: what's that?
(04:11:58 PM) Corey: it's made by Valve (the Half-Life people), and is somehow related to the Half-Life series... I think you find out how during or at the end of Portal... but anyway, Portal is a puzzle game, not a shooting game
(04:12:32 PM) Corey: you wake up in this testing lab, where they really don't explain much, and you get this portal gun thing after a while... there's a red portal and a blue portal. they're both linked together
(04:12:56 PM) Corey: so basically you get through stages by opening portals to warp stuff / yourself around
(04:13:37 PM) Corey: so if there's a red portal off on a wall somewhere, by a platform you need to get to, open a blue portal basically anywhere, and walk through and you're on that platform..
(04:14:17 PM) Corey: or if a ball is bouncing around a room, shoot a portal at a wall where it's going to come out, and maybe it'll come out the other side somewhere else in the room or even another room, wherever the other side is, and hit something it needs to hit :P
(04:14:47 PM) Corey: I just got the upgrade to be able to make both types of portals, so I won't be relying on pre-placed portals anymore... so I imagine it's going to get harder :P
(04:15:27 PM) Corey: it's really hard to wrap your head around this sometimes :P like I just solved the first bit right after I got the orange portal side....
(04:15:48 PM) Corey: I was stuck on a platform with muck around it that kills me, with a button. the button opens a door that I can't get to.
(04:16:52 PM) Corey: and it only stays open for a few seconds.... so I had to open the door and shoot an orange portal in there (it's actually orange, not red I guess :P), and then I shot a blue portal at the nearest wall, and jumped across the stuff that kills me, and just barely made it through the blue portal... taking me to the orange portal which was on the other side of the door :D
(04:18:18 PM) Corey: and there's this momentum stuff too... like if you need to get on top of something.... shoot a portal up at a wall as high up as you can, and then shoot a portal into the floor. jump through the one on the floor and the momentum from falling should carry you across the pit or whatever and get you on top of the thing... so if you can shoot one into the floor down in a pit, and jump down there, you have more momentum from falling, and will go farther once you come out the other side
(04:18:59 PM) Corey: you can shoot portals into walls and stuff and see yourself on the other side of it walking around the room, if both sides are in the same room :P
(04:20:28 PM) Corey: this is probably really the first dedicated puzzle game using a first person 3D game I've seen... it can be pretty tricky to get your bearing in the area when you're warping around it through portals all the time
(04:26:12 PM) Flami: wow... sounds like quite the game.. I'm imagining a perspective like DOOM or GOLDFINGER, though I could be wrong
(04:29:44 PM) Corey: you mean Goldeneye
(04:30:15 PM) Corey: yes, those are 3-D First Person perspective, but this is a puzzle game, not an action game
(04:31:05 PM) Corey: sounds like people think they may include this portal gun into future Half-Life games or something... where it WOULD be an action game. I don't know if that'd be good or not... it could easily be awesome, but that could be too confusing too
(04:31:28 PM) Corey: this one is some testing facility.. so they just lead you through puzzles which take you to the next testing room and stuff
(04:32:24 PM) Corey: so far, no story... aside from that I woke up in this place, and the power seems to keep crackling out for a second now and then, so maybe after a few big puzzles the facility place will shut down and I'll be on my own or something :P
(04:34:46 PM) Flami: I knew it was related to James Bond somehow :P
(04:35:46 PM) Flami: I get the difference... portal guns in future Half-Life games sound interesting, but then I'm not an expert in those! maybe it will shut down, who knows..
(04:41:05 PM) Corey: well, if you get Windows again, you should try this game :P you might like it. not sure if your computer would run it well though, it does have fancy 3D graphics :P maybe on lower settings, it'd run okay though... it's a modern 3D engine that takes some power, but the graphics in the game so far are fairly plain, and the game wouldn't really suffer any from lower settings...
(04:48:10 PM) Corey: well the signs at the start of the rooms now say /19.... so I'm at 15/19 now. hopefully that's not the whole game :P I have heard it only takes a couple hours to beat this though, so it might be...
(05:10:02 PM) Corey: oh great :P now there's live-fire androids in this level.... which means these things will probably attack me as I'm trying to portal around :P
(05:23:04 PM) Corey: now they're calling ME an android :P
(05:23:24 PM) Flami: WHAT?! THAT IS CRAZY
(05:23:26 PM) Corey: which may be true... my character has glowing purple eyes if you set up portals that let you see her from the front

Dream of crazy bus tours and curly blond wigs

Called Henry last night; after he figured out that I wasn't talking about ADA being sick, he said that I could call him tomorrow morning if I was up for the conference, and said that I had to keep in mind that he was picking Emily up from Vancouver. Okay, sure! Amy Y. added me on Facebook, too. Eric called from work, which means I'll call him back to say that I'm probably not up for stuff tonight - but then Pho might be good. I dunno, but I'm feeling a little better. Still, I don't want to infect everyone! Currently eating some Japanese-style peanuts that my sister got from Mexico this summer, and they're pretty good.


Had a weird dream which involved an unexpected Chinese bus tour (with white people?!) to 100 Mile House. More highlights follow:

* people who "disappeared" on the bus just before we got to Main / Terminal, which looked like a boisterous fun Chinatown district (they were actually on the bus, but selected people couldn't see them for some reason - kinda like fairies and imps and things which go BUMP in the night)

* the bus driver sharing many boxes of large pizzas with the passengers out of his own pocket - people thought that it should have been included in the tour price since it was so expensive already, but almost everyone paid in bills for their share of the pizza (and chipped in for the family with a five-year-old and a six-month-old)

* convincing the bus driver to let us off in the city, where we waited in Steveston for a ride to the Cactus Club (the service there was non-existent!)

* finally, we all went to a conference centre with good food and spacious atriums (amazing chandeliers, too!)

* Ada scolding her sons Ian and Sean for playing with curly blond wigs, and then scolding me in turn for encouraging them (she then showed me the hard bulge of her four-month pregnancy)


Not sure why I had that dream - the last time I went to the Cactus Club, the service was pretty good. As for the curly blond wig, I'm sure that seeing a photo of an adorable kid with blond curls had something to do with it, haha. I did talk to Ada briefly last night, and heard Sean in the background... but how Main / Terminal and Chinatown tie into that, I'm not sure. Haven't even thought of 100 Mile House in some time, although I once had an opportunity to get a shirt with that on it... oh well. Weird dream, for sure.


Edit: Called Eric back to say I'm NOT going tonight, and to throw my hat in the ring for the Committee duties next year. Why not, eh? Computer's faster this time around, and I'll have help and encouragement galore! (the prior experience can't hurt, either!)

What instrument would you normally play based on your personality? Electric Guitar You are usually found in rock bands of some kind, and you play a very important role in making rock sound like it has an edge.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

My unexpired NeoCitran will destroy these germs like a knight slays a dragon!

Randal's thanked me for the "free gift" of a taco, and wonders if I've run out of germs - thanks to the wonders of UNEXPIRED NeoCitran, they're decreasing! I remember when my mom gave me the expired stuff... I DO NOT THINK I WILL TAKE THAT! I should keep an eye on the mail for K from now on. Ada called to let me know that she's sick and might not make it out this weekend - of course, I'll call Henry and let him know the same thing! Eric called to wonder if I'd made a decision on the Committee thing, and said that we wouldn't be going to Chilliwack till November - meh, I'll let him know tomorrow! (Cambie / Jacombs ahoy if I feel better?) Called Steph to inquire about the status of the October birthday cards: if Jon has them, it'll be a week till we get them back since he's in Toronto! (next Sunday dinner: at Phil and Grace's with pumpkin and squash? FALL!) Told Corey about various Facebook groups, and he doesn't seem to be very enthused, haha.

BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS is not a love song! / Quizzes

When we were at Mui's on Sunday, the background music at one point was Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams. I told my sister that according to an online voting site, the song had been voted as one of the best modern love rock songs. It's all about walking ALONE on a road, and we didn't see anything remotely "love song" about the lyrics! But maybe the concept of a love song these days is about walking solo - perhaps we're too old to understand that. *sarcasm*

the downfall of your fandom by skuldchan
Username:
Fandom:
How it happened:	Your fandom was angsted to death

I knew I'd get sucked back into the Blogthings world... thanks, people. :P (good thing YNR is now just Blogthings, haha)

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood-stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?

Wood type: apple Length: 14 inches Core: Dragon Heartstring get your own wand!

Your Karaoke Theme Song is Baby Got Back

You're a total showoff who is willing to risk looking like a fool to get a few laughs. In fact, you'll go for the cheap laugh if you need to... because it's better than no reaction! Your friends can count on you to get a party started, and you'll party hard until you can't remember their names. You're charismatic, charming, and a total character. With or without a few drinks in you. You might also sing: I Touch Myself, Oops! I Did it Again, or My Humps Stay away from people who sing: Candle in the Wind

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

I don't see myself singing many of those songs, to be quite honest!

You Should Play the Drums

You are often hyper, restless, and full of a little too much zeal. However, people may be surprised to know that you can focus your energy well. You are driven and engaged enough to be a great drummer... and you have the stamina to practice for hours. In fact, when you can channel your energy productively, it only increases! You are independent and spirited... but also consistent. You can definitely keep the beat. You work well in a group and contribute heartily - without needing to take the lead. Your dominant personality characteristic: your aggression Your secondary personality characteristic: your precision

What Musical Instrument Should You Play?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

HAHA! I RULE ALL! Well, not really... *cough* but the description is VERY accurate! :D

You Are a Haunted House

You are a deeply complicated and sometimes deeply disturbed person. You can't help but be attracted to the dark side of life - even when it's pretty gruesome. In relationships, you are honest and real. So real that it's definitely a little scary. You don't fake it or play along just to get along. And people either respect this... or deeply resent it. Your life is thoughtful, deep, and even philosophical at times. You see the world as it is. You don't sugar coat anything. Facing and fighting your fears is important to you. You believe that too much of life is whitewashed. You're not too morbid... you just believe that you can't enjoy life without exorcising a few demons first! At your best, you are brave, intense, and fearless. Not only do you face the abyss head on - you challenge your friends to do the same. At your worst, you are depressed and morose. If you're not careful, your thoughts take over your mind... and they aren't pretty!

What Carnival Ride Are You?

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius. Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way. While you seem spontaneous and freewheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Your Kissing Grade: A

You are truly an amazing kisser. Your kisses are extraordinarily mind blowing. Whether you're naturally a good kisser or not, you've taken the time to learn how to be the best kisser possible. Anyone would be lucky to get a kiss from you!

How Do Your Kisses Rate?

I have no comment on that one, although I've been told that I'm good at it. That's it for the TMI around here!

Your Kiss is Orange

For you, kissing is all about pushing the envelope. You're a wild kisser. And you don't have to know someone all that well to kiss them. (You figure that's how you'll get to know one another!) While you may be impulsive with who you kiss, there's nothing random about your kissing technique. Kissing Type: Unconventional People See Your Kisses as: Intoxicating You Kiss Best With: A Red Kisser Stay away from: A Pink Kisser

What Color Is Your Kiss?

I am NOT impulsive! Wonder what I answered to get THAT result... o_O

You Are A Vampire

You have a real thirst for bliss, and you consider yourself a true hedonist. And you're not afraid to walk alone in life, if it means getting what you truly crave. You truly enjoy entrancing people. Not to mention the ensuing pleasures of the flesh. Your tastes have been called decadent and bizarre. You usually give in to your temptations, no matter how primal Your greatest power: Your flawless ability to seduce and charm Your greatest weakness: Human flesh You play well with: Werewolves

What Kind of Monster Are You?

You Are Cereal

Playful and lighthearted, breakfast is likely your favorite meal of the day. (In fact, you're probably the type who sneaks cereal as a midnight snack.) Your culinary skills are probably a bit lacking... and you are a sucker for junk food. Some people accuse you of eating like a kid, but you prefer to think of yourself as low maintenance.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

What Your Latte Says About You

You are easygoing and pretty simple to please. You don't put up a fuss... ever. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are a child at heart, and you don't ever miss the opportunity to do something playful. You are honest and genuine, but you are never tactless.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

Your Inner Muse is Thalia

You are most like this playful muse of comedy. Life is all about laughter to you, and you're a natural comic. You make people laugh until their sides split. And you're always up for some play time!

What Muse Are You?

Your Biblical Name Is...

Nitzana Zahavah You will not live to see the end of times.

What's Your Biblical Name?

That is SO not a Biblical name... o_O

You Are a Little Anal-Retentive

Okay, so you're occasionally uptight, but it's not like you fill your day with little OCD rituals. You just like to exercise a little control over your life, and that's usually a good thing. As long as you limit your anal-retentive ways to your own behavior, you're not annoying anyone. Deep down, most people are exactly like you.

Are You Anal-Retentive?

You are Platform Sandals

Funky and urban You've got a cutting edge style that everyone envies A little bit downtown, a little bit Euro, and whole lot of sexy!

What Kind of Sandal Are You?

There's a Chance You Could Be Violent

Overall, you're a pretty chill person - and you have a good handle on your emotions. Sometimes your anger gets the best of you, and end up regretting how you act. Try to curb your temper more often. It only has to get out of control once to do some damage.

Could You Be Violent?

You don't REALLY know the supermodel, haha!

It's good to have a considerate boyfriend, and some talk time - I do sound like a coughing loon, but at least I have some time to get over that! Had a neat outing with Teresa today - Aberdeen rules, and we should go for bubble tea / bookstore browsing next time. It's nice to get to know your acquaintances / friends better, but I couldn't keep up with 300-400 friends on Facebook! At home after a rest period, Corey said that he didn't want my germs, but he'd like a working left thumb since he'd hurt it trying to use a sledgehammer to get rid of the concrete surrounding his basketball hoop. He wouldn't even do an exchange! Aiya. Now I'm going to take a shower while Corey tries convincing me that he's related to Cindy Crawford (NOT the supermodel!), since I hate smelling like medicine. I'll go to the pharmacy tomorrow and buy some more, too! Definitely no cold stuff, spicy stuff, Chinese chicken soup (Janet and the flu), candy, or snacks for me! (no idea why the Canucks-Kings game is listed as an erotic event on Facebook, unless it's this description: "Marc Crawford beat-down!")

Flami Brolx
interj. informal apology.
"That was your club I tried to check out? Flami Brolx, Nigel."

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

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into Flami Brolx, into thin Flami Brolx.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

What shall your epitaph be? at QuizGalaxy.com

Because you forgot your best friend's birthday, you'll be cursed with gigantism.
'How will you be cursed and why?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Baiting scammers must be some good times!

Last night, I was talking to Corey - he again directed me to 419 Eater, only this time it was the letters page (LOTS OF COMEDY GOLD!) and Prince Joe Eboh and the Church of the Red Breast. He first directed me to this site almost exactly a year ago (Oct. 19, 2006), and has told me that he engages in some scambaiting himself. Must be good times, if you're careful about it. He's hoping to get a picture of someone holding up a sign or doing something dumb - so far, he hasn't gotten any yet, but he keeps things in a Hotmail account. Sounds interesting!

Yay for Danielle and Teresa! Very good interactions, for sure! My throat is feeling a bit scratchy - I hope I'm not getting sick. That would SUCK, especially with the Awana Conference coming up this weekend! Now I'm off to do Kathy's dungeon and space adventure - I'll probably do mine, too! It DOES change, haha.

Misconducts galore...

Man, there were a lot of misconducts being handed out during the last minute of the Canucks-Sharks game! The score was 4-2 for the Sharks, who broke it wide open in the third period. Knowing how my mom watches hockey at home, I wonder if she refrained from having a heart attack at the game! Suspension of players for starting altercations, coming off the bench, fights galore... I don't think she liked THAT! ("AH! AIYA! NO!") I told Steph that she has to calm Mom down when she gets home, haha. Joe Thornton (90% faceoffs), Brad Isbister (Vancouver), and Evgeni Nabokov were the three stars: not surprised at all, especially with the goalie! (I remember last night's discussion about Mark Hainsworth being "White Guy #1" until he left - Anglican and white... Jeremy, Pastor Glen, and Eric, haha... and I also remember Pastor Francis being black and Chinese!)

The Island's Rock and HOCKEY should be sufficient for me!

Right now, I'm listening to the Q in Victoria - haven't listened to 100.3 FM in some time. It's good hearing the Island's rock, haha. Must remember to switch stations when the hockey game is on, or else I'll not be sufficiently distracted. Who knows, I might cook the chicken leg for 45 minutes in the toaster oven with aluminum foil at 325 or 350 degrees later as a bit of nourishment after I finish my laundry. ;)

Yay for Danielle! Now I have a somewhat interesting request on my Facebook page... but at least I've seen the same application on Sabrina's page, so know what it involves. Right now, I've recovered from crying a lot - that's made me miss two phone calls. Maybe I'm a faucet, or else I'm a fountain. :P (and I'm talking to Corey via Gmail chat - good times!) Speaking of Facebook, Harmony added me as a friend on there even if she doesn't use her account - YAY!

Could Eric's cat serve as extra meat? Hmm...

After doing stuff with barbecued chicken legs, Steph and I walked to Eric's - we talked about Kate, the 300GB hard drive, the Emmanuel Church "cage," and books. Settled in to watch sports with Jon, Stanley (who'd gotten his parents to navigate Richmond), and Jeremy. The Colorado-Arizona game was interesting because of ROCKTOBER ("we have the better part of the Rockies!") - the camera shots in the rain were MASTERFUL! "It looks sunny on the field, but rainy in the dugout!" Stanley didn't understand baseball, so we told him that some players used chewing tobacco - Jeremy helpfully contributed that they used fiberglass to make cuts in their lips so the nicotine would get in the bloodstream faster. Steph had seen pictures of people with no mandibles, and I had heard that throat cancer was VERY PAINFUL. We also made references to the fact that my mom thinks dirty old men should be catchers, but then the players in the dugout adjust their crotches too - must be the cups! There are female equivalents called "jills," as Steph told Jeremy - we discussed death by beanball (Ray Chapman, the line drive coach, etc.), Jeremy almost getting killed via baseball (broken nose, hole in skull?), and the FINAL EXITS book - haha, it IS addictive! Laughing disease and such, oh my! It's true that sliding down a pole wouldn't hurt a female as much as a male, for sure. For some reason, we were discussing my mom's confusion over Korey's last name: she thought it was WEBSTER! So then my sister and I told her to remember AUSTIN POWERS, but we can so totally see her mixing that up and calling him "Korey Powers," haha. Then I told them about little Zoe having a nephew already - oh my! Phil's family tree is complicated because his grandfather married two sisters at the same time - even Rich and Karen's family tree could be a bit complex because of the stepfather deal!

We loved the burgers from Alistair's mom's recipe, and tried lemon mayo / garlic mayo. Stanley brought up the "SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!" joke, and we discussed the fundraiser where people would smash Jeremy's old guitar. It would be good times if that happened, haha. The window reflected the TV quite well, although it looked like players were running backwards - Jeremy told us about a FUTURAMA episode where they watched a crazy baseball game with bizarre happenings like two dozen balls being thrown on the field at the same time! We tried 9.1% alcoholic beer, which was sweet so it went well with the mixed fruit pie that was our dessert. (Stanley had a sip, too) There was a running joke about the cat being extra meat - she didn't seem too impressed with certain actions, haha. No, we didn't actually try to eat it... we discussed strange cat behavior, cats following laser pointers, and territorial cats CHASING guests / Irish setters away! My sibs explained the origins of "Sarne" to Stanley, and I added that I'd put the kibosh on Korey's calling me that. Jeremy said that there'd been an experiment done where people had ionized wine to make it age faster, and apparently this new version tasted pretty good! Jon was joking with Harmony via phone that we were having durian pie - that would be VERY BAD for Eric's oven, let alone the HOUSE! She says she doesn't use her Facebook account, which is fair enough. We reminisced about the time that the Pho people said that they DID have durian, yet changed their minds when Stanley tried to order his beloved durian shake! "Are you SURE you have it? Or do you just now want to stink up the entire place?" Haha. We also discussed compassion for homosexuals, and Auntie Ruby's matter-of-fact way of bringing things up during Sunday School: "I don't understand why you'd want to do THAT!" (referring to lesbian sex) Then there was the time she asked my sister about her female problems at church the day after Steph had come in for an appointment: thanks, lady... you may be my family doctor, but there are better times and places for such questions! o_O

Somehow, we got on a Tee-related tangent. Melissa's family are ALL collectors, so it's not as bad as Christon's family where it's only his parents - but the number of trinkets and such COMBINED would pretty much weigh down a house! Melissa's family also doesn't eat a whole lot of vegetables, so the natural consequences resulted for my sister when she stayed there - she'd try sneaking in romaine and portable fruit when they went grocery shopping, of course. Jeremy mentioned MSG, which made me think of what he'd told me this morning: "The Mandarin-speaking congregation should change from the MSC to the MSG: the Mandarin-speaking GROUP!" Haha, that was certainly amusing! We saw sports bloopers and highlights, including the annual wife-carrying competition in Finland (?) - interesting concept for a race! Eric tried to give me the Windows XP box, but we thought he might as well keep it since he'd have to install it: good thing I had that huge hard drive handy, even though I can understand people's wanting me to not buy things I don't need. Everyone saw some weird commercials - the YAHOO Answers ones are neat: instant garden, alive pets, and fixing crooked things like pictures / angles / someone's spine! We didn't understand other commercials, such as the GREAT MILEAGE one with the facial hair OR the HALO 3 preview. Steph tried convincing Stanley that he didn't need another guitar or gaming system, since he couldn't even give us plausible reasons as to why he'd need those items. Jeremy commented that it was hard to chest-slap yourself, Steph and I sat on our brother (popping a button off his shirt), and we discussed combining Scotch (Johnny Walker Black Label) with beer. Ron and Veronica took me home so Stanley's parents wouldn't have to navigate Richmond more than they absolutely had to (they're BAD at it), and we discussed trombones / blood / coincidences / work / family / clarinets.

Perhaps Eric is right about certain things. I want to express ANY feeling I have to people so long as it isn't hurtful within normal levels, and so long as they're not minimized or thrown back in my face. To me, THAT is true safety and security. This is the time to work out my own best path... aiya! Gotta get my own advice on this, for sure!

Delegating other people can be FUN!

This morning's service was very short, and we actually kept to the time constraint of one hour! Jon and I saw Martin, which we weren't expecting at ALL since he usually goes to another church on Sundays. Said hi to Josiah, Hannah, and Noah - my brother and I informed them that we lived in Richmond too. Randal and Jeremy sat on either side of me, so I talked to them about the hockey game / dinner / hands like ice to cool down / forwarding emails / being tired. At least Jeremy sounds not quite so sick anymore, which is a good thing. Cindy gave tomatoes WITHOUT aphids to Steph for Eric's Sunday dinner since she couldn't actually go. I noticed "it IS knees" (UNITY) and "less people" - I love Dan, but he should know better. Not something I'll make an issue of, however. Said hi to Uncle Peter, Pastor Edward, Auntie Ying, and the kids - so good to talk to them!

Went downstairs to the CROWDED basement - we all loved the ghetto presentation of the large pizza / takeout boxes from Costco as backing for the various posters! Jon was doing triple duty as spokesman for sound technicians / worship / ushering, and he delegated Stanley / Olivia / Jeremy / Angus / Sam / Nathan / Brian to help! Nathan was saying how the new church would eliminate overcrowding, and Maxine said the same thing: her little son Keenan was cute, and seemed interested in my glasses! (I remember baby Matthew at someone's wedding who was similar!) It was all very interesting to see their contact info in his handwriting - "this is how we delegate!" We saw Uncle Daniel advertising something called the Barnabas Club - basically, welcoming newcomers. YAY, something that's my cup of tea... or an area in which I can personally improve! Got some Doritos from the David booth, and Jeremy just took one out of my 16-gram bag... not that I minded, of course. We're good friends, and that's what we do! :D (Ian was crying, so I gave him a couple as well - one gram per chip, for sure!)

We joked about a bunch of stuff before we went to Sunday School - Lesley's efficient in getting everything out of the way in order for Sunday School to start! The kids today were pretty good, but a bit rambunctious. Later, I talked to some of the older kids - Rachel tried to tag me as usual, and I said hi to Sean. Went outside and talked to the R-Man for a bit about Pho plans, his liking SMALL dogs or cats, Dylan, Uncle Hansel, sharing, getting up at 5:30 AM, long drives, etc. Our family went to Mui's / Louis Garden for lunch since we'd had Pho the last two weeks - we saw Gabriel there again, haha. Discussed the family on the way home, and stopped by my place so I could get mooncake (and change Facebook status to "beleaguered and so very tired") - all good. Also went to the book sale and I got four books - Mary, Queen of Scots (Antonia Fraser / paperback), Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer (Martin O'Malley / paperback), The Hillside Strangler: The Three Faces of America's Most Savage Rapist and Murderer and the Shocking Revelations from the Sensational Los Angeles Trial! (Ted Schwarz / paperback), and Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia (James Fox / hardcover). Also got new shoes and a sweater, plus some other stuff - yay for Mom!