Classic Friday the 13th potluck writing

High-scoring words of the night so far:

HYSON (325 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [two 5W]
ABOVE (216 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [two 4W] (different game)
FANFARES (650 points) - against Tricia B. [2W, 3W, 5W]
PILEUM (280 points) - against Rachel G. [4W, 5W]
FOOTPAD (100 points) - against John M. [5W]
HALVE (624 points) - against Kimberly R. [two 4W, 3W]


Hahaha! I just opened up the potluck Evite. Classic Nathan!

Howdy!
It's time to make FRIDAY THE 13TH a day to remember (without the goalie mask and knives)... Especially since you've planned, scheduled, and decided on coming to the DAVID FELLOWSHIP POTLUCK, right?

With great food, folks (feel free to bring friends), and fun, you're sure to feel refreshed from a long week, especially if somebody decides to bring the dessert shown in this Evite's tantalizing photo (hint hint). Anyway, without further ado, here's how it's all going to work.

POTLUCK INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Please specify via the Evite what side dish OR main dish you're bringing.
We've set up an Evite list of suggested side dishes (click the "Please Select What You're Bringing" button). You can also choose to bring one of 3 possible main dishes, though there's no specific suggestion. In every case where prompted, please specify what you're bringing. Of course, you can select "Choose your own" as well, if you want to be creative.

2. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN UTENSILS. For all sorts of environmental, efficiency, and ease of clean-up reasons. :)

3. SETUP / CLEANUP: Please also specify within your Evite reply whether you can help with SETUP (6:30pm) or CLEANUP (stay later)

Do NOT Bring:
~ Do not bring "I Choo-Choo Choose You" Valentine's Day cards... this is not purposed as a Valentine's potluck, but if you must "make your move" on the 13th for some reason, well, I can't stop you from bringing geeky cards. Lucky guy / girl. ;)

~ Do not bring raw, bloody, uncooked meat-based creatures because it's FRIDAY THE 13TH... unless they're Japanese... err... Japanese food, that is.
~ Do not bring Nathan's #1 selling morbid joke book of cornball, no matter how awesome it is.

Anyway... We would be genuinely thrilled to see you there... so bring yourself, food, friends, and it'll be lots of fun!

~ DF Potluck Posse (e.g. Eric, Nathan, Jeremy, and other people)

We'll see whether I make it or not. I don't want to see someone with a certain person, for sure. Then again, I don't know everything about it, which is too bad. If there are games at this potluck, then I really don't know about it.

Vanilla ice cream from Costco - let's spend $500!

Eric picked me up late, but it was fine. We discussed a rather aggressive driver who wanted to pass him (but there was no lane!) - it turned out that it was a DRIVING INSTRUCTOR! Man, that made him really want to find out who it was, but we couldn't since the guy drove too fast and changed lanes like nobody's business! The gas prices seemingly went way up overnight... yikes! I told him about my dream, and wondered if I should tell Raymond tomorrow: Eric figured his reaction might be "I'm never talking to you again!" There are some things I should keep to myself, heh. It IS a valid word, and I told him about the time that Korey had played WHORE on me once - he was going DOWN! (and I won that game anyhow!) Discussed the differences between Scrabble and Wordscraper, and whether QUONE was a real word (no) - he got that from a Seinfeld episode. Also talked about BLEH, randomosity, Richie, and more.

Went to the meeting, which was fine. Then after Tim decamped, I left as well just in time to help Chrystal with the various kids: Nina, Jordan, Emily, Carley, Gerard, Cynthia, Stephanie, Eunice, Victoria, Isaac, and others. Carley was swimming in the 14-16 uniform, but the 10-12 uniform wasn't the right size either. She's a small kid! Dylan and Eric came downstairs for a few minutes: I thought of joking that Eric had to stay for Awana since I didn't have a ride home, haha. Talked about nieces, nephews, the next meeting being at the same time, and joking that they had to stay and help us! Henry had gotten my message, and we spent some time snacking on nougats and Danish butter cookies with Eric (who says he could eat an entire tin in one sitting!) and Ada. I looked at the new Awana curriculum - Hang Gliders, oh my! (with characters named Mrs. Torres, Joel, Chloe, and Jacob) The green things look cool, heh. Talked to Chrystal about pizza, pasta, Lombardo's, getting together with Sheena and Cindy, Commercial Drive being expensive, not checking email in a long time, and resting. Golden had midterms, but he's not done yet!

After Awana, I gave Ian M. some stickers, and opened Sean's fruit snacks for him when he asked. Then I attempted to keep Sean indoors - he seemed interested in the flower offertory sheet on the front table, and it made him go into his own world. Tonight's edition consisted of "100! Office! Because! Money! Sunday and Monday! Saturday!" and various numbers / nonsense. On the way home after discussing rocket ships on TV, Ian wanted vanilla ice cream. I had to inwardly laugh at the Asian content of his dad's comment on that: "It's not about what you want... we have to see what's on sale!" Since Ian brought up Costco as a destination for ice cream, I told him that my uncle had once spent $500 there! Ian's next words were: "Wow! Did he use up all of his money?!" No, he didn't since he has LOTS! John had heard about my uncle - he might have been planning to retire here, but my cousins all went back to Hong Kong! I bet Costco's known as the $100 Store since you easily spend that much there without realizing it! I've heard about a dinner on the 21st where the kids have a pizza party - should be good competitive times with friends!

Dream: You played WHAT in Wordscraper?!

All I remember of my dream last night:

* a big map on a small scale (with train tracks included!) - it had Powell River and Sault St. Marie rather close together
* Raymond playing FUCK on me in a Wordscraper game (oh dear!) - he apologized, but I thought it was funny!
* having to sort through clothing on racks in a coliseum; it had a rocking horse near the entrance, and we went through the wrong entrance at first (my dad was there, and asked whether baby clothing was too small for us *rolleyes* )
* befriending various comic characters and having them help us in the dream

David W. also added me for word games. ARGH! Eric just called, so I'm outta here!

"You're like a bus... not that we RIDE you..."

Bingos of the night so far:

MISATONES (268 points) - against Kimberly R.
OUTLIERS (138 points) - against Melindy M.

High-scoring words of the night so far:

RAX (108 points) - against Kailea S.-G. [two 3W]
MISATONES (268 points) - against Kimberly R. [4W, two 2W, bingo] (a good deficit-erasing word)
OUTLIERS (138 points) - against Melindy M. [3W, bingo]
HATCHERY (146 points) - against Rosalind H. [two 2W]
EXILES (102 points) - against Adam L. [2W, 3W]

Eric picked me up earlier than usual, and we spent the ride over to church talking about weird stuff, STAR WARS, Richie, forgetting the word "vehemently," late lunches (no dinner required), my "too warm" apartment (I'd die if it were really over 200°F!), "becoming a recluse," and more. Saw Billy at the church front door, attempting to be let in. I could see Jessica at the far end of the hall when I peered inside the door, and Eric told her to quit doing her homework and let us in! Finally, Billy had to call his brother Danny to let us in, heh. I set up the chairs since nobody else was around to do it, while Jon announced his presence to us. Talked to Raymond about Wordscraper, jobs, and other stuff. At least I got to share my Fruit Source snacks with Jeremy and Raymond before I finished them all during Bible Study! Also gave Dylan a birthday card, heh.

Talked to Grace about my pasta creation (cream of mushroom soup / frozen veggies / salmon is quite filling!), and her long week. Discussed gratefulness, Vanessa accidentally squishing Cindy's finger, Kevin and attendance, meetings, Vanessa and etiquette for follow-up, Nathan's write-up for the potluck on the Evite, and other things in Bible Study. Afterwards, I hailed Dianne to ask about the baby she saw being born today in New Westminster. It was named Jenny, was really CUTE and weighed five pounds! She's been reading a few of the poo facts, and asked me how Facebook note tagging worked: she thought I was writing a story about a character called Dianne who pooed! Hahahaha, no!

Waited with Eric downstairs while he checked messages - we ended up giving Sam and Ivan a ride home too. The "different" woman Teresa was under the impression that Sheena would drive her home; yikes. She bombarded poor Cindy with a few prayer requests about her boyfriend's mattress and jobs at McDonalds! I talked to Sheena and Connie for a bit, then peeked in at Jon in an office room - I knew he was looking up bands on Myspace, haha. Talked to Harmony on the phone for a bit since Jon was packing up: I heard him laughing when I asked her if she was a big Valentine's Day person, and Eric came up to me in the hallway to ask if I was flirting with her since I asked her what her favorite food was! (I had run out of things to say!) Greeted Phil, Grace, Cindy, Richie, Johnny, and others: marshmallows are good for math, but kinda gross to eat later! Said bye to Raymond and heard Sam, Quan, Julie, Jessica, Stanley, Mike, Joey, Emily, Sonya, Ivan, Sarah, and others create noisy chaos upstairs! Dylan invited some of us to bubble tea, and told Christon that he might as well come along, hahaha.

We had an interesting discussion on the way home, mostly focused on Harmony's chivalrous ways. Jon's going to see her in a few days, which is good. Sam and Ivan let us know about some things in the video for the girls' appreciation night: Mark had funny analogies. ("Amasiah is like a bus - not that we ride you or anything, but sometimes you come to Fellowship and sometimes you don't - just like transit! Isabel's like a doughnut because she's sweet and dresses differently!") Then we got into other questionable analogies: feather dusters are mass produced, so you're a dime a dozen in Asian dollar stores! Got my stuff from the trunk (yes, I got the right knapsack!), and told Eric to call me tomorrow. I shouldn't sleep through it, but at least I have backup if I do!


Poo nugget for this weekend: Courtesy Flush - The Courtesy Flush is an act of flushing immediately upon defecation to minimize total odor exposure time. Most often employed in a public facility, this technique has also been used to disguise embarrassing sounds that may result, say, from a bout of explosive diarrhea.

Broth, jello, longan, and lychee at gym weddings!

DAMMIT. This thing JUST restarted!

High-scoring words of the day so far:

BROTHY (200 points) - against Colin W. [4W, 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word}
SALVOED (343 points) - against Rachel G. [5W, 4W, hook off FAVE for a plural] {a good deficit-erasing word}
ZIPPED (120 points) - against Lilla J. [5W]


I had a weird dream when I finally could get to sleep at 4 AM or so. (and I went to bed at 2:15!!!) A few couples were going to get married in a huge gymnasium, and the wedding cake had lychee / longan / rambutan on it! Steph was there with her friends, and they had to drive us everywhere in the snow and ice. There was a big lodge where people stayed, which was in the middle of a forest, but that was really sunny and free of snow. You could even see the sun streaming in through the trees at sunset / sunrise - it looked quite nice, actually! I was behind the scenes at the gym, and only came out when it was fully decorated - there was a big audience in the bleachers. Jon, Harmony, Alan, Tracy, and other couples were there with white veils and such - things went off without a hitch. Afterwards, we discovered that we'd left the mango pudding / Jello / custard out for a bit too long - it was certainly edible, however. I woke up when there was a big noise outside my window.

No idea where that came from! Eric called me earlier at the last minute, but the bus schedule doesn't really work with what he wants to do. Guess he has to pick me up early, which is fine by me since I have to take a shower and eat anyhow! Then again, I might eat later on too - yikes! :P

You Are a Red Pen

You have an eagle eye for detail, and this often means you end up finding mistakes in people's work. You may seem quick to criticize or correct, but you think accuracy and truth is important. You like to be involved in every project. You feel like you put the polishing touch on things. You would make a good editor, detective, or accountant. When facts matter, you're the person to call on.

What Office Supply Are You?

Ronald Reagan and George Bush

High-scoring words of the night so far:

WIVE (151 points) - against Mintford B. [5W, 4L on W, hook off MAX to make MAXI] {a good deficit-erasing word}
FOH (105 points; 3W, 4L on H, hook off WOO to make WOOF), GRAVURE (125 points), VINYLS (2W, two 4W) - against Kimberly R.
RECOOK (229 points) - against Paula T. [3W, 5W, hook off DEW to make ER and WE]
JEON (162 points) - against Angela V. [4W, 3W]
BESOTTED (106 points) - against Taylor R. [4W]
MOVE (264 points) - against Erin C. [2W, 3W, 4W]

Poo nugget for Friday, Feb. 6: Presidential Polyps - February 6 is the birthday of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), the fortieth president of the United States. President Reagan had a long and complicated gastrointestinal history, which included a diagnosis of colon cancer. Having had a longstanding history of polyps, Mr. Reagan underwent frequent colonoscopic examinations which, in 1985, revealed an early stage colon cancer. He underwent surgery the day after diagnosis (so he wouldn't have to clean out his colon again!), and transferred presidential power to Vice President George Bush for approximately eight hours.

OCDL note of the night: I now have 560 Blogger tags.

What is with the blood games spike?!

High-scoring words of the evening so far:

DOERS (106 points) - against Reta H.-B. [3W, 5W]
AECIA (120 points) - against Pete M. [3W, 5W]
JAY (159 points) - against Kimberly W. [5L on J and Y, hook off FOYER to make JO / AY / YE]
WAFERY (450 points; two 5W), MOST (210 points; two 5W) - against Andrew T.
MANTRAPS (107 points) - against Sean C. [3W]
ZOEAE (320 points) - against Margaret Y. [5W, two 4W]


Why do I have all these people adding / inviting me for the blood games NOW in a spike?! Jessica G., Harry H., Dominic W. (who apparently prefers to go by Pierogi), Scott F., Clint G., and Prem A. have all done so recently. Interesting, but I'm done with those for now! Also added Janelle I. for Wordscraper purposes, haha. Talked to Eric H. for a while, and then got an idea for something to send him - if he's a MODEL employee and dedicated, he might well stay in Hong Kong for another year or so! I joked that he was married to his job, and he said that it was too bad SHE wasn't pretty - hey, the job is not a woman, that's for sure! Corey's said "LA DE DA MISS FANCYPANTS" to me twice in two nights now, so I'm going to bug him about it, heh.

Also had to practice my small talk with Veronica earlier. I remember the cat - yay for relaxing couch time, haha. Confirmed with Eric that the Committee meeting is this Saturday (of course I'll call him tomorrow), then informed Henry of this development. Now I'm just remembering the time I used Vista from Christon's computer in October 2007... Jeremy was right that I was now the most knowledgeable person since I had the Internet from the computer, haha!

Anthems, cologne, and Terren reminders

High-scoring words of the afternoon so far:

ANTHEMIA (194 points) - against Kailea S.-G. [two 3W]
PTERIN (168 points) - against Heide S. [3W, two 2W] {this word reminds me of Korey's cousin's name... I justifiably hung up on him once when he was going on about black people / the media / dogs / what I presumably thought!}


This is the afternoon's amusement:

[17:01:25] Flami: the hamsterette: I want rosemary lamb sirloin now.
[17:03:26] Corey: will you settle for your package being in the mail? :P
[17:04:28] Corey: I told them there was no liquid in there, and there is, so hopefully that doesn't mess anything up :P they also said Canada is slow as hell these days and told me to definitely not use any sort of fast shipping method, because it's pretty much guaranteed to not get there remotely close to on time...
[17:05:27] Corey: it would go to the border fast, but from there, who knows :P that's what happened the last time I was shipping stuff all over the world.. it'd go to Australia, or Finland or something like a week before Canada, which is right next door...
[17:05:44] Corey: and didn't you have some issue like that recently with something coming from the US taking forever?
[17:08:36] Flami: um. liquid in the package? oh dear.
[17:08:46] Flami: yes, and it still hasn't gotten here yet.
[17:09:07] Corey: yeah, it's a vial of acid, since I figured you like burning people
[17:10:29] Corey: you have to shake it pretty good to hear it slosh, and I have it wrapped up in stuff so it doesn't break :P
[17:11:07] Flami: I guess I'll wait to see if it gets here to find out if you're joking or not :P
[17:14:12] Corey: of course I am, but there's still liquid in there that's apparently not supposed to be :P
[17:19:32] Flami: please don't tell me that you included cologne or pee
[17:20:49] Corey: you use cologne?
[17:24:58] Corey: maybe you can have some next time, but I didn't think you wanted that, so no, you didn't get any
[17:25:32] Flami: not really, although I remember taking some Rialto cologne once in July 2004 from Eric's car since he said it wasn't his
[17:29:27] Corey: cologne is for boys
[17:29:37] Corey: you want perfume
[17:34:35] Flami: I know. never bought it.
[17:36:17] Corey: dinner time
[17:36:26] Corey: tell me if your acid gets there before I'm back

Jerks, magic powers, and strippers! (survey)

Hey, I got salmoned on YM without even having to update!

[14:51:35] liberatedsalmon: Jake, my main man! How are you?
[14:52:24] flamsterette_x: Hey there! I can't really complain! You?
[14:52:51] liberatedsalmon:
[14:53:27] flamsterette_x: Let me guess. You got a message from me saying "Jake, my main man! How are you?"
[14:53:56] liberatedsalmon: not at all. who are you?
[14:54:35] flamsterette_x: Ah. We've been connected through a bot.
[14:54:44] liberatedsalmon: this is what I got from you: allergenicsalmon: FEEEEEEEMALE BRAINS!
[14:56:20] flamsterette_x: Ah. This is what I got from you: liberatedsalmon: Jake, my main man! How are you?

Here's another Facebook survey from Billie:

1. Have you ever chewed a pack of gum all at once? Nope!

2. Do you know any jerks? Yes. I used to be associated with one, but thankfully cut ties with him.

3. If you had one magic power, what would it be? The ability to teleport myself from place to place at will. :D

4. What would you change about your looks? Way too much, haha. =/

5. Have you ever had a weird dream about a guy or girl? Several... I couldn't tell them about it, of course. =/

6. Would you ever be a stripper? ..... NO!

7. Would you consider being a dancer in a music video? No, since I really cannot dance.

8. Anyone ever tell you that you had a big head? Nope.

9. Did anyone ever tell you that you're pretty? Only because they had to.

10. Do you have any scars? Where? Yes, on my back.

11. Thing(s) you spend a lot of money on? Food, maybe books, pens...

12. Last lie you heard? "I don't know what happened! I'd never delete you from Facebook!" Uh-huh, and I'm the Queen of England.

13. Can you cook? Not really.

14. Last time you cried? A while ago.

15. One thing you never leave your house without? Keys. How am I supposed to get back in?

16. Do you smoke? No!

17. Last person you talked to on the phone? Barry.

18. Last time you laughed at something stupid? Last night. Immaturity rules! [great answer!]

19. What are you doing this weekend? No clue.

20. Are you in a relationship? Nope.

21. Have you ever been in hospital? Yes.

22. Who did you last hug? David's son Ian.

23. Would you ever dye your hair red? Maybe.

24. Who did you last talk to over the computer? See above. Random person.

25. Do you like hugs? Sure, I guess.

26. What do you do right before you go to bed? Send out positive thoughts to my friends.

27. Right when you get out of bed? Check the phone to see if I missed any calls.

28. To whom did you last give the finger? I have no idea!

29. If you had a thousand dollars, what would you buy? A new computer, I guess.

30. Are you different now than you were six months ago? Definitely. I'm not trapped anymore! :D

31. When did you last kiss someone on the cheek? I have NO idea... at least six months ago, if that.

32. Where were you last night around 9:30? Home.

33. What do you think of guys that wear eyeliner? They can be cute...

34. How many hours did you sleep last night? About eight or so.

35. What would you do if 50 Cent showed up at your door? "Sorry, you must have the wrong house."

36. Have you ever worn your underwear backwards? Maybe. ;)

37. What are you wearing? Sweats.

38. What was the last newspaper you read or skimmed? The Province.

39. What was the last word written on your hand? Like I remember THAT long ago?!

40. What was the last hair product you used? Shampoo and conditioner.

41. What was the last medication you took? I don't recall.

42. Who was the last person to make you really laugh? Myself. :D [yup, I'm way too easily amused!]

43. To what song did you last sing along? Neil Young, Rockin' In The Free World.

44. What was the last superstitious thing you did? I don't remember.

45. What time did you get up this morning? 11-ish, I think.

46. Are you one of those people who are always cold? I'm sensitive to the cold, but I wouldn't say I'm ALWAYS cold. Certain people might beg to differ, though!

47. You're thinking about someone, aren't you? Perhaps.

48. What would you do if your best friend of the opposite sex liked you? Have a discussion as to how this feeling came about. (hey, I like to analyze things...)

49. What are you listening to? Various songs from one of Corey's music DVDs. :D

50. How many more days until your birthday? I am too lazy to count it out.

Fashion stills are NOT porn!

High-scoring words of the day so far:

EOLIAN (150 points) - against Bruce M. [two 5W]
NAVY (110 points) - against Pete M. [two 3W]

Coincidentally, those two people both have the same last name: Moody. SWEET!


Sandy T. added me to Facebook... all I want is to play the outstanding game with her, since I can't force a win! I also got a weird phone call from Massachusetts: 1-978-570-2097, anyone? Then again, I also got one from California: 1-626-273-8276. This thing also restarted overnight - DAMMIT!

Janina had a dream about me last night. I sent her a bunch of photos of people I know, and asked her to rate them. The photos were some fashion / modeling show stills, but all she got was a bunch of porn. She told me about it, and I said that it was wrong - it should have been of my friends in various costumes and outfits. However, all she kept getting was porn. I finally appeared through her computer screen, and saw what she was seeing. Then I said it was gross and tried to fiddle with the links, but it wasn't working. Finally, I reached through the screen and pulled out the pictures of my friends, and she looked at them like that. Weird!

Then again, I myself dreamed that Kurt Cobain was the real father of Bruce Springsteen's daughter, and that a certain TV episode's background music proved to be a subtle hint as to her true parentage. I have NO idea where THAT came from, either!

You Were an Achieving Kid

When you were a kid, people often remarked on how mature you seemed. You acted quite adult. You excelled at school, and you actually enjoyed it to a large extent. No one had to ask you to do your homework. As a kid, you were probably a bit picky. You liked structure, schedules, and organization. You had trouble being friends with regular kids. You probably were only friends with other serious children.

What Kind of Kid Were You?

Your first tooth and poo

High-scoring words of the night so far:

LEOTARD (428 points) - against Rhea M. [2W, 4W, 5W]
ADVENT (203 points) - against Desiree R. [two 2W, 4W; hook off TRACE to make TRACED]
BRAWLER (112 points; three 2W), HONEWORT (118 points; 4W) - against Janelle I.

Lisa K. played ZIT off my ZIT - what a quirky coincidence, haha!


Poo nugget for Thursday, Feb. 5: First Tooth Poo - When babies begin teething, they have loose, watery defecations, often occurring up to eight or ten times per day. Many parents have become concerned that their child has contracted a gastrointestinal infection because of the frequency and consistency of their baby's poo, only to learn that this episode of diarrhea heralds the arrival of their baby's first tooth. Some medical experts believe that these loose bowel movements are caused by increased saliva production, but tooth be told, this phenomenon remains a medical mystery.

FAMILY MATTERS and dreary cheese

Bingo of the night so far:

DREARILY (132 points) - against Sean C.

High-scoring words of the night so far:

UNITY (122 points) - against Susan H. [4W, 5L on Y]
VIVARIA (435 points) - against Angela V. [5W, three 3W]
JUSTLY (496 points) - against Regina H. [two 4W]
CHEESE (270 points) - against Pat K. [4W, 5W, hook off BRAID for a plural]
DREARILY (132 points) - against Sean C. [5W, hook off BEER for a plural, bingo]
QI (122 points) - against Kera B. [5L on Q used twice over!]
BEHOOF (135 points) - against Anna H. [5W, 3L on H]


This is what Corey had to say about horses, zebras, and DIE HARD:

[16:50:24] Corey: a horse is a horse, of course of course
[16:50:42] Corey: but not like Mr. Edddddddddddd! (because he's a Zebra!)
[16:53:37] Flami: the hamsterette: He talked.
[16:57:19] Corey: yeah, because he was a zebra, not a horse
[16:57:30] Flami: seriously?
[16:57:47] Corey: yes, Mr. Ed was seriously a zebra
[16:58:06] Corey: I forget why, they were easier to train or something
[16:59:23] Flami: maybe that is it
[16:59:49] Flami: oh, and to answer your other question... if you actually sent me that thing you said you would for Christmas, that would make me feel TERRIFIC!
[17:00:17] Corey: motherfucking Snopes page on it locked up Firefox! Google "Mr. Ed zebra" and it's the first result, and that explains it
[17:01:01] Corey: I'm workin' on it, keep yer pants on
[17:01:35] Corey: I'm burning a DVD to include riiiiight now. I think you'll get two, at least. I haven't put Die Hard on anything yet, and you were supposed to watch Die Hard
[17:03:52] Flami: gee, thanks for telling me that it locked up Firefox, and then telling me to Google it myself :P
[17:04:13] Flami: AH! SWEET. I think?
[17:06:48] Corey: Die Hard is sweet, yes. girls might not think so, but girls are pretty dumb when it comes to taste in movies :D
[17:07:33] Corey: it has Carl Winslow from Family Matters (Urkel!) in it too. he's probably a cop in Family Matters because he was a cop in Die Hard
[17:09:13] Corey: dinner time
[17:18:01] Flami: COREY!!!!!!!! BAD!!!!!!!!!

Crazy person, but he's still cool... now we're talking about Alan Freed and such things. Probably am also getting together with David S. tomorrow, who is of the opinion that Walt Disney has been haunting him. Yikes! At least I'm finally talking to Eric Ho, which is a good thing too. Let's just say that if someone knew about the hug / kiss / flowers emoticons that he sent my way to thank me for the postcard and such stuff, he'd be VERY pissed off, hahaha. I don't care, though... it's cool. :D

Rhapsody in a shed

High-scoring words of the day so far:

RHAPSODY (230 points) - against Erin M. [two 3W]
HUSKED (1170 points) - against Angela V. [5W, two 3W, 3L on H]
AXES (120 points) - against Sara H. [4W]
JOINT (180 points) - against Beverley B. [3W, 4W]
ELASTIC (113 points) - against Colin W. [5W, hook off WOO for a plural]
JEON (434 points) - against Isabelle S. [3W, 4W, 3L on J] {a good deficit-erasing word}
HASTILY (144 points) - against Rhea M. [two 3W]

Interesting racks of the day so far: YORASHED (against Erin M. - read that as "You're a shed!"), ALIXRIND (against Graham F. - read that as "Alix rind")

No fireworks this year after 18 years of it at English Bay... damned economy! I remember the one I went to with Leni in 1995 - man, that was a long time ago! Billie called me, and we talked about February / Valentine's Day / Facebook / Steph / exes / that 13-year-old kid who's had 75 run-ins with the police ALREADY / Eric / cruises / feelings / misplaced blame and burdens. All to the good, in my opinion. Corey says I could send him a Valentine's Day card if I want, and is burning a DVD for me right now. Yeah, it might be a good thing if he included DIE HARD since he thinks I'm supposed to watch it! (and sending it with two DVDs like he kinda is planning would be good, too...)

Dream: Money, Sabrina, Neptune, and Cupid

Had an interesting dream last night where I was preoccupied with writing a Valentine's Day card to Corey, to be sent in a green envelope. Sabrina appeared next to me, and told me that my grandma had given me a lot of money. However, I had to leave the card and other stuff on the wet grass while I retrieved it from the bank machine. I wanted her to watch my stuff for me, which she did. Came back with a few $100 bills and some $50 bills, which I stowed away very carefully. She then wanted me to come over to where her friends were, so I did that. We passed by Henry, Benedict, Danny, and some others on the way to her computer. I used it to check Facebook messages, and found a thread which actually scrolled the messages in the text box!

Fidela and Justin had both left me HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR messages in English and Chinese, as well as their reasons for liking / disliking lamb. When I'd replied to that, Sabrina wanted to use the computer, so of course I let her. My brother had left her a message stating that we simply had to see this Shakespearean book that he'd found. We left and were greeted with the sight of a play which uncannily echoed some parts of an ornate book my brother had. The book had NEPTUNE on the spine, and a companion volume called VIRGIL. They both had pictures of Cupids, as well as old-style writing, with stylized F's. After determining that Abigail and Lucy (two characters) would do whatever they wished no matter if they were sick, I alerted Jon and Sabrina to the money I still had. For some reason, I thought that I had to give it back! They persuaded me to keep it, and that was where the dream ended. Weird stuff! I wouldn't give a Valentine's Day card to Corey, as that would be very awkward. Maybe I'll ask him about it later, haha!

You Are Cool

You don't necessarily dislike other people, you just don't feel all that comfortable around them. You tend to keep your distance. However, people may misread you and think you're being a snob. If you want to be warmer, try starting small. Smile more. Greet people. Ask them how their days are going. It doesn't take a lot to get some warm energy going. And it will make both you and the people around you feel better.

How Warm Are You?

Meh, I used to be warmer. Now, it doesn't matter. Actually I'm only warm to people I know well, or who are established. Not sure this makes sense, but it'll do. ;)

Resectioning Cthulhu and the Borg

Bingo of the night so far:

FARADAYS (328 points) - against Colin W.

High-scoring words of the night so far:

RESECTIONS (260 points) - against Karla M. [5W, 4W] {a good deficit-erasing word}
ASPIRIN (150 points) - against Kera B. [3W, 5W] {a good deficit-erasing word}
HOTFOOT (396 points) - against Sheila C. [2W, two 3W, 3L on F]
FARADAYS (328 points) - against Colin W. [3W, 5W]
FOREGUT (167 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [two 3W]


Corey buzzed me earlier with this:

[16:35:42] Corey: Ia Ia Cthulhu Fhtagn!
[16:35:58] Corey: Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
[16:38:16] Corey: !a !a ShubNiggurath!

I think he's gone crazy! Thought it was Wookie-speak, or possibly something from LOTR. Then he informed me that it wasn't the BORG... in fact, it was from H.P. Lovecraft. Can't say I've gotten much into that, even if John B. did tell me about it in 2003. Oh well.


Poo nugget for Wednesday, Feb. 4: Dr. Stool Says - Pooless Joe Jackson - In the early 1900s, a teenage boy suffered for many years from abdominal distention and bloating. His family and physicians noted that he rarely had bowel movements and that his abdomen ballooned in size. After his premature death from intestinal perforation, an autopsy revealed a dilated, cavernous colon, chock-filled with copious foul-smelling stool. This young man likely suffered from what is now known as Hirschprung's disease, a congenital disease in which there is an absence of the nerve cells that are responsible for propelling stool through the colon. This "intestinal paralysis" results in an inability to defecate and causes progressive stretching of the intestines, eventually (if untreated) leading to intestinal rupture.

Writer's Block: Table for One
Do you ever go out to dinner (at a sit-down restaurant) by yourself?

Of course I do, and sometimes prefer it since I can do my own thing without being bothered by other people. I don't understand people who can't do this.
View other answers.

List of all Craigslist forums (DEFENESTRATION!)

I've found a list of almost all the Craigslist forums - sweet! BUT... this computer JUST restarted! UGH!

Shuffle mode - replies are shuffled in chronological order.

Official

Craigslist official forums
Craig's blog
Craigslist blog

Advice

12-step 5055
alanon 1212
alternate marriage and LTR 5623
ask trollita 4432
death and dying 2130
dieting 122
divorce 76
domestic violence 4170
dude will help 5417
elder care 126
marriage and long-term relationships 1926
parenting 39
psychic questions and answers 1189
relocation 1411
romantic advice 28
safer sex / STD info 3300
scams and fraud
secret divorce I 1221
secret divorce II 1028 (more popular)
secret romance forum I 2810
secret romance forum II 2827
secret romance forum III 2835
secret romance forum IV (confessions) 2849
special ed parenting 1082
tax help 1040

Adult

any ladies? 1213
beefcake 1000
big boobie 8008
bisexual 6151
boots 6152
butt 1995
casual encounters 8996
cybersex 8901
dirty stories 1691
dungeon 6069
erotic services review 6996
friendsdontfuck / strangers with candy 5684
female panty 999
foot fetish 2050
foreskin restoration 9700
gay guys doin stuff 1003
genital integrity 9800
kink fetish BDSM 200269
kink / fetish 1602
over 40 dating and relationships 4990
nekkid pics 5555
personals 19
penis 1032
poop 9009
polyamory 7659
seduction 7123
sexcam updates 3535
singles 2424
sly affair 3444
swingers / hot wife 9923
tranny anti HOG 6601
unsoiled loins 9696
vagina 2085
virtual Penthouse forum 1836
wank 9265
webcam 3535
what are you wearing 2407

Animals

alternate pets I 8523
alternate pets II 2266
alternate pets III 2626
alternate pets IV 1927
birds 1675
Christian pet forum 4316
pets & animals 26
pets venom-less 6876
stupid pet tricks and photos 5104

Arts and Literature

animation 1931
book club 3663
classical music 1872
digital arts 8478
film & theatre 41
haiku hotel 575
literary and writing 27
poetry 4682
reading club 7323
Tom Robbins 4243
word association 7000
word games / riddles / jokes 1943

Coffeehouse Conversation

Alcoholics Anonymous 1535
celebrity gossip 47
chess 9999
Columbus 1492
confessions 4545
countdown to meltdown 1098
dreamdisturber 8452
ethics 9291
fortune cookie 1981
green 7895
guess that movie 3309
insomniacs I 4862
insomniacs II 1201
insomniacs III 1117
media watch 133
no drama pets 9889
non reg film 1895
paranormal 5005
peanut 1576
pi 3142
racial 2187
random shit 1550
stories 1976
supernatural 2012
thanks 2109
Tuesday 1007
what makes you happy 3012
white people 2223
wish 2020

Communities

African financial opportunities 4190
baby boomers 4664
back porch 7873
farm 3276
law students 7301
natural moms and dads / new mommies 6564
New York City 7799
newlywed 1550
over fifty 50
pagan 2435
pothead 4200
people of color (POC) 84
parenting 39
pets & animals 26
Portland 1851
queer 46
queer issues 80
real queer 7731
tattoo piercing 9385
thirtysomething 2130
transgender 97
trying to conceive (TTC) 2229
TTC advanced 2228

Craigslist

Craigslist categories 128
Craigslist cities and sites 1
Craigslist feedback 8
Craigslist flag help 3
Craigslist help support questions 70
Craigslist help desk 9
Craigslist isle of misfit threads 1047
Craigslist xyz testing forum 21

Emergency

fire 3123
hurricane relief 52

Flagging

flagging: animals 4915
flagging: animals: discussion 4914
flagging bad ads down 5194
flagging bad erotic services ads down 5820
flagging for sale mega spam 5199
flagging freely 4194
flagging greyly 4729
flagging mega spam 5196
flagging prostitutes 5195
flagging real estate mega spam 5198
flagging zoophilia 7111

Food

bofo recipe 7777
burritos 1572
food 22
ketchup 5757
pastry 7114
BBQ Secret 5656
pet food recall 2699
raw vegan 1210
secret food forum 6533
tea 5322
vegan 2400
vegetarian 9021

Fun

handle spotting 7768
site abbreviations 9875
Troll Forum 9987
Grey Handle Spotting 9704
Trolling Women 5060

Funny

anything goes joke page 1059
bitch 40
hate 2019
limericks 5755
moronic post hall of fame 3844
jokes 1257
sarcasm 1972
whine / swear 9998
yo mama 3000

Health

alternative exercise / beauty 8778
alternative heath and healing 4300
Boston 2222
San Francisco 3003
chronic illness 1620
depression and related advice 3304
diabetic 5667
disabilities I 31
disabilities II 2253
eating disorder 4508
exercise and beauty 6110
fitness and nutrition 92
health and healing 43
HIV 8922
life after miscarriage 2227
pandemic 2403
rational recovery 8118
recovery 12
yoga 8620

Hobbies

alchemical / alchemist / alchemy 2489
antiques 1900
Apple / Mac 323
autos 5
arts 49
astronomy 1564
aviation 4193
betting 4000
bird 1675
boating and boats 1334
booze 5150
Berkeley Software Distribution 1042
Christmas tree 9627
conspiracy intrigue 3163
craft 1782
computer 34
crafts 83
dance 123
design and decor 1215
economics 4023
electronic circuits 4013
electronics 74
fashion design / knitting / sewing 1703
fishing 1853
fixit & home improvement 62
gaming 85
gardens and plants 54
genealogy 124
homebrew 1855
investments 9721
Linux 1991
map collectors 6270
motorcycle 1947
motorsport / racing / NASCAR 3058
NFL 8888
organic gardening 4302
outdoors 16
photography 5500
pinball 1990
plant / seed swap 7333
programming 9510
puzzle 1729
pet calendar project 3339
Red Sox dreamers 1918
sports and recreation 32
shopping 91
television 98
travel 42
travel photos 6783
vermiculite locater 6876
Windows 6738
Windows 8086
wine 120

Images

some picture 2225
random images 9090

Music

classical music 1872
musical beat 24
musicians 7625
power of rock 3221
radio 1885
Van Halen 1984

Parenting

single mother by choice 2249
surrogacy 2248

Politics

ethics 8991
founding fathers 1776
history 7189
history 81
instant runoff voting 4443
intelligent politics 7075
local politics 48
mideast politics 23
off-topic poli-clinics / flirt 1110
peace 4223
policy makers 3388
spinster 6969
USA politics 51
world politics 20

Public Service

prevent child exploitation 8911

Regional

Big Apple adventures 1065
climate and weather 125
Los Angeles and surrounding area? 1011
single in New York City 4212

Seasonal

*joy* 7673

Self-Help

abuse / trauma 1444

Spiritual

agnostic 1869
atheism 78
celebrate Jesus 7373
pagan 1054
religion 59
spirituality 93

Women's

alternative women 4994
babies 2238
big beautiful women 3482
beauty and fashion 88
childcare 1824
goddess 1009
menstrual 1800
menstrual hut 3031
newborns 2239
pregnancy 2230
secret pregnancy 2121
secret women's 9449
vanity 9888
women for women 69
women's issues 94

Everything Else

adoption 2232
alternative energy 121
alternative housing 1001
appreciate 2468
Apple 3232
asses 9890
automated transit 2010
Babs vs. the world 5454
bikes, transit, peds 95
trailer park trash 3800
clueless 1771
coupon exchange 8978
crime report 2077
crush 4143
dash 3274
directory 4111
donkeys 9889
dot links 1238
ecology 99
education 90
electrical 2490
emotional croissant 6006
employers 5692
etiquette and manners 79
farewell 1974
forums lister 4123
French, please 1789
frugal living 2007
fuck off 4025
Geezy Muldoon 6997
gift ideas 1204
goodbye(s) 1974
hell 4355
homeschool 1750
housing 6
hidden 10194684
job market 7
joy 7673
legal 73
men for men 72
Ms. Cheeks 3336
men's 1006
mofo 1877
mole 6653
money 53 (more popular)
money 9898
monkey knife fight 1311
narcissist 6277
night life 60
no life 4901
nonprofits 501
non-sequitur 1111
nonoelpayaso 6636
old priest grade 1616
open 4
orchards 2016
pafo 2004
parents giving 9786
parents' pictures 2724
Pentecostal 4264
pit bull 4748
philosophy 71
poly archives 7660
population 2017
psychology 29
poof, it's gone 4555
public transit 129
RIP 3984
roach motel 2986
rofo handles exposed 2528
Rush 2112
sabermetrics 1988
sailboats 4624
science and math 96
self-employment 89
sfit pafo pammies 2121
single parents 3990
six degrees of Kevin Bacon 2974
smartass 3784
smofo 3338
Spanish, please 86
spay / neuter 7729
Trams 2018
Troll-free 2008
Troll-free 2009
true crime 007007
veterans 1775
warez 7891
water 9113
wedding 1505
wedding 15 (more popular)
year-round Florida residents 6110

Sire Jon in whey! / Rosemary lamb sirloin?!

High-scoring words of the day so far:

WHEY (256 points) - against Kera B. [two 4W]
ADAGIAL (258 points) - against George M. [two 4W]
QI (74 points) - against Angela V. [3L used TWICE over!]
BENNIES (185 points) - against Susana D. [5W]
HEX (156 points) - against Kathy S. [4W, 2W]
MIZEN (190 points) - against Kathy S. [5W, 2W] {different game}
DAYGLOW (592 points) - against Graham F. [two 4W]
KATION (208 points) - against Kathy T. [two 4W]

Interesting racks of the day so far: SIREJONA (against Flora G. - read that as "Sire Jon A."), WAVYCOAT (against Josephine S.), MALTDEAL (against Stacey C.-D.)

Talked to Michelle C. about A Walk To Remember - the only thing I associate with that movie is how Vernon proposed to Sarah RIGHT before they were going to watch it! That's an easy way to not have to watch it, haha. Then again, her family WAS getting into town the next day, so it's also a good way to have privacy!

I've been hearing these commercials for Milestones, and they mention rosemary lamb sirloin. Great... now I want some. But of course I must still save money and pay bills. Speaking of which, my phone bill is now GREATLY reduced... huzzah! (as Darren M. would say - wonder what happened to HIM!)

Dream: Eric Ho, Dallas, cake, and more!

I had a weird dream last night - what else is new? It started out in a church building, where it was a couple days before my birthday. Dad said that I'd have to go home with him after Fellowship that night, which I somehow didn't mind. We heard a traffic report that said a nearby street was blocked off due to construction and pipes being laid across the intersection. I got a phone call from Eric Ho, who asked if I wanted to meet him and others right then - I said yes, so Dad dropped me off. After sleeping over at this big house through the day, we all went to this big industrial room with lots of clothes on hangers. No, we didn't mind being nocturnal at all.

We saw Phil, Jon, Raymond, Elaine, Dallas, Grandma, Joe W., and assorted others there. Jon wanted me to check out a specific journal entry, so I did - the website was salmon and muted burgundy. Apparently, Dallas and his friends were going to eat a cake with strawberries / blueberries / raspberries / other fruit on it. We asked Dallas if those were indeed his plans, and he said yes before leaving. Later, we checked the site again: Dallas had written to a letters community using a mini-pic of the cake as his icon, and he'd said that he knew what someone else was doing behind his back. The cake also featured an orange circle base, which was perfectly edible even though it didn't look like it would be. This somehow contradicted his earlier post, and we knew it was him because his new screen name contained his real name! Jon and Phil set to work revising a hastily-written timeline with this new information, while I mingled with everyone else there.

Grandma gave us all clothes and money before going off somewhere, and I asked Phil if he wanted to get together the next day, and he didn't mind at all. In fact, he was most enthusiastic about the suggestion. Raymond hugged me, and said he wouldn't mind coming along either! (I introduced him to Elaine, as well) After a while, the timeline was done. I asked Jon what he'd be doing the next day (my birthday), and he answered that he'd be watching sports - I didn't mind that answer, for some reason. We went out to the car, which was white / yellow / silver. I told him to be careful since I'd heard that many people had paid for that thing; Joe confirmed it, saying that he'd sunk in a lot of money for it. I informed Jon about the traffic report I'd heard earlier, and the construction was still in effect when we went to that street! I woke up when we were figuring out other ways to get around this blockage. No idea where the dream came from, although I'm sure that Eric would say something else if he could read this, har har har.

Your Energy Level is Low

Although you may have enough energy to survive, you probably wish you had more energy. You feel tired throughout the day, and you wish you had the physical resources to do more. You may just be a person with naturally low energy. Pushing yourself just makes things worse. Make sure to eat well, avoid stress, and get plenty of rest. Taking care of yourself will make the most of the energy you've got.

What's Your Energy Level?

Post #5000: The History of Toilets

Yay, I've reached 5000 posts in this thing! :D

High-scoring words of the night so far:

VEES (115 points) - against Kate E. [5W, 4L on V]
ANXIETY (115 points) - against Dan N. [5W]
SAWLOG (615 points) - against Marg D. [two 5W, 2W]
SPY (145 points) - against Theresa B. [5W, 3L on Y, hook off FAD for a plural]

Poo nugget for Tuesday, Feb. 3: Doo You Know? The History of Toilets - It appears that toilets date back to at least 3000 BC. Evidence of primitive toilets has been found in the remains of neolithic Scottish settlements. By 2500 BC, the Harappan civilization had indoor water-flushing toilets in what is now Pakistan and India. Toilets existed in Minoan Crete, ancient Persia, ancient China, ancient Egypt, and ancient Rome. The toilets found in Roman bathhouses provide some of the earliest examples of sitting toilets, which didn't come into general use until the mid-1800s.

Makes me think of the book my brother got me from Ireland in 2004: Sitting Pretty: An Uninhibited History of the Toilet (Julie L. Horan) - sweet stuff. :D

Sacrificing yourself in a chemical plant

Talked to Corey about boobs, showers, and drugs - good times. Got an email from Eric which I simply HAD to correct: Awana starts at 4:15, NOT 4:30! (important to know for re-scheduled Committee meetings on Saturday... must call Henry too!) At least there were no sound issues for HOUSE this week, unlike LAST time I watched it! A former medical student had a spontaneous pneumothorax and cyanosis while attending a cooking class, and she bled a lot out of her belly. House was having a discussion with someone else about the uterus and blood, and figured that the patient was having blood issues with something she'd experienced eight months prior. Two doctors were also having a relationship, and it was revealed during a placebo drug trial when the female half of the couple went blind / was losing her peripheral vision.

In 24, Ethan called Agent Gedge: of course he's dead by now, having been strangled by the First Gentleman Henry Taylor in the last episode! Dubaku was of course up to no good, thinking that the President would react once she saw dead Americans lying in the streets. Chloe and Bill are still helping Jack and Tony, while Renee bluffed her way in some building where Matobo is being held, hahaha. Dubaku then saw Jack and Tony on the roof courtesy of a surveillance camera - PRICELESS EXPRESSION! Janice called someone in her official role as FBI agent to alert them to a terrorist attack in a chemical plant in Kidron (Ohio), who then sacrificed himself for everyone else in there. Firewall breaches, indeed. Matobo called the President on a secure line, and wanted her to see him ALONE... not WITH people! Tony decided NOT to go with Jack, since he'd done some bad things in his time before he teamed up with Bill. Dubaku has a GIRLFRIEND?! What the heck?! It'll be interesting in future episodes, for sure!

A hiatus from peanut butter, jelly, and juice / MONSTER POO!

High-scoring words of the day so far:

JUICE (230 points) - against Steve L. [4W, 5L on J] {this was a good deficit-erasing word!}
HIATUS (118 points) - against Mimi R.-B. [5W, 2W, hook on OAF for a plural]
JUBILE (170 points; 5W, 3L on J), HAY (129 points; 5W, 3L on Y, hook off SOFT to make SOFTY) - against Donna T.
NANCY (102 points) - against Peter S. [4W, 2W, hook off AE to make NAE]
TEABOX (475 points) - against Imogene A. [two 5W]
KEPI (143 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [5W, 5L on P]
BINGOS (121 points) - against Julie N. [4W, 2W, hook off NEAR for a plural]
MOONERS (106 points) - against Angela V. [two 2W]
OPULENCE (100 points) - against Jackie S. [4W]

Interesting racks of the day so far: AUKSFARM (against Laurie M. - read that as "Auk's Farm"), IJAPADOG (against Ghislaine C. - read that as "I, Japadog!"), OOHSASSY (against Steve L.)


Poo nugget for Monday, Feb. 2: Poo of the Month! Monster Poo! Synonyms: Lincoln Log, The Crowd Pleaser, Double Deuce, the Five-Minute Diet.

You Are Peanut Butter and Jelly

When you're stressed out, you seek food that evokes good memories. More than anything, change tends to wig you out. And during those times, you crave what you know. You take solace in things that remind you of a more innocent, happier time. When it comes to comfort food, there's no such thing as too simple. Peanut butter and jelly totally fits the bill!

What Comfort Food Are You?

Actually, I haven't had this in a long time!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Bingo of the night so far:

ATTAINDER (110 points) - against Itamar R.

High-scoring words of the night so far:

BRACKEN (435 points) - against Monique D. [4W, 5W]
MANACLED (110 points) - against Alice P. [two 2W]
ATTAINDER (110 points) - against Itamar R. [5W]
FOX (141 points) - against Loraine O. [3W, 3L on X]

Interesting rack of the night so far: FUNDOWES (against Loraine O. - read that as "Fund owes")


Corey and I are discussing the Power Rangers: all I remember about them is that Dawn's brother used to like the show a lot when he was a little kid. When I responded "aiya" to a crazy thing he said, he answered me with "ai yi yi - go look up Alpha 5 and the Power Rangers sometime since he says it like 900 times before the clip is over - he says it constantly on that show! Pause and let the thing buffer - we've covered this before. :P" He even linked me to these videos: MMPR Rangers meet Alpha 5 and Zordon and Day of the Dumpster. The stupid computer just restarted, as well - I hate losing time like that! UGH!

I support both purple and blue through my clothing choices!

I hate to think in Internet memes, but I had to do it this morning because of my mother's rather obvious perm. After saying hi to the family, I made a comment about it. Mom asked how I had EVER noticed it, to which I responded that it was kinda obvious. The next thing that popped into my head: "Obvious perm is obvious." HELP! Jon talked about Harmony's plan for moving her stuff over here, and other things related to that. I also helped Grandma with today's date (after she gave me $40 in lucky money) so she could put it on an offering envelope. When we asked Mom why she had permed her hair (other than helping to lead worship in service this morning), she said that she was preparing her hair for Jon's wedding! Then it came out that she didn't really like doing it, so Jon told her that she didn't have to do THAT for the wedding!

Once I got to church, I discussed the weekend with Raymond and Jeremy: skating, Phil timing people around the oval (my brother made it in 1:18), not wanting to bump into any kids, Andrew getting commemorative Olympics quarters from the Oval vending machines, Terry, food being good at the Friday dinner, not being able to make it to MissionsFest on time, etc. It was good to have a time to do that, heh. Greeted Sonya, Amasiah, and others as well - saw Jon's friend Andrea briefly. Turns out she was teaching Sunday School today... good deal. (from what I heard later on courtesy of Chrystal, it was pretty good - she sings well, apparently!)

Talked to Chrystal, Keenan (looking cute in a Chinese New Year outfit which used to be Ethan's), Joshua, Calla, Eric (who didn't have change for a $20 bill), Jon (buying something from Kieran and Microsoft), Jeremy (looking at someone's Computer Architecture / Calculus textbooks), Stanford, Isabel, and baby Mattias who seemingly likes his tasty knuckle! Stanford thought the baby liked his skin because it was salty - that can't be it since babies don't taste salty! Briefly talked to Anita (after dodging Noah) about my sister's stories while saying hi to Jeff and Allison - it's certainly better to know less rather than more, haha! Daniel asked if I'd be at the meeting; yup, even though some people wouldn't be going since we didn't have to meet quorum! Went to Sunday School (dodging Noah once more), where we had one new kid, and Watson cried when his mom left the room... first time he's done THAT. Arthur and Eric's mom is now going to English service, which is fine... got Auntie Fonda to fix the button issue, phew! To my surprise, Eric showed up at the toddler room door later, telling me to just give him the $20 since he was going to Subway, so he could get change there - fair enough!

I went to Mui's for lunch with my mom and grandma: it was pretty busy! People got their own soup, tea, orange sauce, and other things. There was some old man who kept coughing rather loudly, and I kept thinking that people who are obviously kinda sick should NOT be out in public... especially at a restaurant! Mom told me to hurry Grandma up while she got the car after lunch - sure, since I knew we were under time constraints. Unfortunately, she didn't take it too well: "I HAVE TO TAKE MY MEDICINE! Besides, YOU are drinking your tea, so it doesn't matter if I finish my almond drink!" Yikes!

Got back to church barely in time for the meeting to officially start, and gave my brother half a batch of greeting cards to sign. I should have given him all of them, haha - he was already joking that he'd get Christon to sign them for him... oh well! Shared some of my Fruit Source bites with people, and gave the $6 change to Christon on Eric's advice. Yeah, that works to have all my debt erased. Gleaned some important information from the annual reports (my reading material) - no more Benjamin Fellowship, wedding dates and new babies born as part of a Chinese fellowship's yearly calendar of events, and a typo for Chalaine's name calling her "Charlene" instead.

Pointed the typo out to Nathan, whom I'd moved closer to since Christon and Eric were busy being ballot counters / scrutineers. Discussed logo colors (purple won over blue by a very close vote - my dad was prepared with greyscale images!), T-shirts, "contributing to disasters" (we later figured that Katherine meant the world catastrophes like the earthquake and typhoon; NOT church-related calamities!), taxes, budgeting, and various construction building incidents. Interesting meeting, which took almost two and a half hours. Eric said that I supported both purple and blue through my toque and jacket - haha, sure! I just said I'd call him sometime on Friday, since I'm low-maintenance as a friend like that. ;)

One of the aunties was curious as to whether a friend had knitted the toque for me: not as far as I know! Ada offered me a ride home, so I took it unlike the time in December 2007 when I could have been home three hours earlier since I had plans with Eric for later in the day, and didn't know my dad had a meeting after lunch! It was cool, though. Dad joked that I didn't love the family anymore, haha. (Ian said that his brother Sean was "just only five - he likes watching!" when he was playing a game at his friend's house. Sean just said "MISSING! SPARK HANDBOOK!" Haha, cute!)

People who are fixated with blue, black, and order!

These are from my copy of America's Dumbest Dates: Over 500 Tales of Fumbled Flirtations.

First Impressions

"He sat on my couch bouncing his knee so hard I thought he'd take off. The floor was shaking. The vase was rattling on the coffee table; balls were dropping off the pussy willows. At the movie, he had the whole row of seats bouncing. When I got home, I couldn't stop vibrating." - Rita, age 29.

"He couldn't keep his hands out of his pants pockets. I kept thinking, What's he doing? Then I thought, I really don't want to know." - Michelle, age 28.

"We went to her apartment. Everything was blue. Walls, carpet, counters, towels, plates, bedding, curtains, furniture. The artwork had blue tones. She had a sculpture, some kind of blue glass. I went to the bathroom. Her toothbrush was blue. It was then that I noticed what she was wearing - blue clothes. Blue nail polish. There was something wrong." - Dean, age 26.

"Kara had long straight hair, braided on one side. Her apartment was lit with candles, and incense was burning. There were crystals and pyramids and lava lamps. She offered me marijuana. All she needed was sitar music and I'd have thought I'd time-warped into the sixties." - Ben, age 49.

"Frank carried a mirror and hairbrush, hairspray, cologne, and even a blowdryer in his glove compartment. And before he got out of the car, he used them all." - Beckie, age 37.

"He came into my apartment and said, "What a classy place. How much does it run ya?" He also asked, during the evening, how much I pay in taxes, how old I am, and how much I pay for a monthly parking spot. Oh yes - and if the stones in my ring were real." - Pam, age 54.

"She kept dead flowers. She had a bouquet from her friend's wedding that she said was six or seven years ago. A dozen roses from some ancient Valentine's Day. A few dead corsages from her high school proms. I asked about them; she gave me a tour." - Sam, age 26.

"Rick showed me around his house, pointed out how he kept his clothes in perfect order, everything facing the same way, arranged by color and fabric. His decor was perfect. The fringe on his rugs was even. His books were arranged alphabetically be subject and author; his CDs by group. His oven was shiny and grease-free. He was very proud of all this. It scared me to death." - Abbey, age 33.

"Hope had long black hair, was dressed in long black clothes. Her nail polish was black. Even her lipstick was black. I asked her if black was her favorite color and she said, "It's just who I am. I'm a creature of darkness." So I asked her if she sucked blood. She just looked at me, didn't smile. And her eyes were very, very dark." - Chuck, age 29.

"The music was soft. The evening was cool. She was beautiful. I pulled her closer to me and held her. She asked me to stop breathing on her eyeballs." - James, age 29.

"Bonnie collected dolls. All sizes, all shapes. She sewed clothes for them. Her shelves and furniture were covered with them. As we left to go out, she patted one on the head and told it that she wouldn't be late. Scary." - Cliff, age 34.

"Tom tried to win my kids over. He arrived with candy and baseball cards. And he called my son DUDE, punched his shoulder, and asked, S'HAPPNIN'?" - Stacey, age 32.

"His pitch was that he was married. To him, that was a strong point. We could date, flirt, have dinner, romance, sex. And then, best of all, he'd LEAVE so I wouldn't have to do his laundry, sew his buttons, or clean his whiskers out of my sink. I could put on loud music and dance around my apartment, rearrange the furniture, read, do whatever I wanted unencumbered." - Grace, age 30.

"He wore a lot of cologne. When I got close to him, it was like getting assaulted by some high-voltage scent. My nostrils burned. I smelled it in my clothes afterward. I took a shower just to wash it out of my skin. My apartment smelled like him for a week." - Evelyn, age 37.

"Susan left her sweater at my place. She came back the next day to get it, and left her scarf. She came back the next day to get it, and left her library book. By the time she came back for the gloves she left when she got the book, we were having a relationship." - Julius, age 33.

"She hadn't worn her glasses, so I had no idea she needed them. When she put Parmesan cheese instead of sugar in her tea, I thought, well, both shakers look alike - it could happen to anyone. But when she came back from the ladies' room and sat with the guy in the next booth, I figured something was wrong. Turns out she had no idea what I looked like. He was dressed in the same colored shirt, so she figured he was me. She couldn't see a thing." - Rick, age 40.

"She seemed attractive enough to me, but my dog hated her. As soon as I brought her through the door, he growled, bared his teeth, and snarled. Foamed at the mouth. I've never seen anything like it." - Elliot, age 38.

"She started out by warning me that she had PMS, so I'd better not get on her nerves. The whole night, anything I did or said, she went, TSK. Or sometimes she said, OH PLEASE." - Jeremy, age 28.

"First date: We go drinking. He walks me home, asks to use the bathroom. He doesn't come out, so I go look and find him passed out on my bed, drunk. I can't wake him up and he's too heavy to move. So there I am, wide awake, with this huge, luscious, gorgeous guy in my bed, unconscious. It was awful. Like having your jaw wired at a pie-eating contest." - Myra, age 37.

"He kept peeking over his shoulder, my shoulder, past me, around the restaurant. I thought, Is he afraid to look at me? Are the cops chasing him? Is he wanted for something? Is he a thief? A hit man? Or is he looking out for his girlfriend? Is he married? Afraid to be seen with me? What? He never met my eyes once the whole time. If he were to see me again, there's no way he'd recognize me." - Laurie, age 31.

"It was icy. I slipped on the sidewalk. Instinctively, I grabbed on to Myrna for support, and she fell on top of me. I got up and tried to help her up, but she pulled me back down. We ended up crawling to the car on our hands and knees like Laurel and Hardy." - Carl, age 25.

"In line at the movie, he looked pale. He explained that he was always nervous on first dates and had had a nosebleed on the way over. Then he fainted. Flat on the sidewalk. The theatre called the paramedics. Someone gave him smelling salts. When he came to, he asked for a rain check and said next time wouldn't be our first date anymore, so he wouldn't be as nervous." - Ginger, age 27.

"Driving to the shore, I bought Dena some coffee. Apparently, she decided not to finish it and tossed half of it out the window - except that the window was closed at the time. So she was covered with hot coffee. And so was my window, the seat, and the carpet of my car." - Mike, age 37.

"She looked a bit queasy. When I asked if she felt all right, she said she was a little bit nervous, first date and all. Then she threw up on the front seat of my car. I'll never get rid of the smell." - Greg, age 27.

"At the end of the night, I was tired. I drove to her house, got out, and came around to get her. She looked baffled, asked where we were going. And, oops - I realized I'd taken her to my old girlfriend's house. Force of habit. I tried to laugh it off, but she wasn't fooled. I was only glad she'd said something before I walked her to the door." - Pete, age 26.

"We went to a party and he got absolutely drunk, slurred his words, and took off his shoes to show me his Odor-Eaters. Someone had to take him home; I got a ride with one of his friends. The next day, he called to ask me out again." - Piper, age 24.

"Oh, dear. He did tricks with his scalp, wiggled his ears, and touched his nose with his tongue." - Shirley, age 41.