Mice, Rona, and tiger prints

I can still hear the mice - yikes! Maybe I should get someone to drive me to Rona for a sonic trap thing, heh. Time to take a shower, anyway...

You Are a Tiger Print

You are glamourous and confident. You stand out in a room, and you tend to keep to yourself. You are highly independent and even a little mysterious. People know right away that you're very powerful. You are highly sensitive and highly intuitive. You are good at staking out what you want and then pouncing to get it. You crave adventure and challenges. Your life is constantly changing, and that's exactly how you like it.

What Animal Print Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Mr. Creep's suggestions are DISGUSTING health-wise! / Dense fur

Saw Chinese Eric on MSN yesterday night, so of course I had to liken it to Christmas! He got the humor, and figured it had been a long time since his last appearance on that thing! Hahaha! We talked about the Olympics, his sister, concerts, his coming back maybe in May, recent events, and other things. That was a good way to cap off the night! While I was out tonight, I noticed footprints on my pants - they must have been from yesterday's concert, so I figured I should do laundry when I got home. Unfortunately, the washing machine is still borked, so I have resigned myself to it taking at least three rounds in the dryer before it's properly non-damp... STUPID COINED LAUNDRY!

I heard YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE at the Canada Line station - STUPID REMINDERS OF MY EX, AGAIN! Then some idiots were trying to play a card game while seated across from each other on the bus... ARE YOU STUPID?! I got to Eric's and my meeting place EARLY, so it was a good thing I had the history Bathroom Reader. He gave me a silly answer to a question I asked, so of course I had to tell him what I wanted - it seems to be okay, and I don't mind being early because of sound or worship obligations on his end! Talked about the Olympics, Our Lady Peace, weird characters / quests, my dragon shirt, the O Zone in general, events, and such. He noticed my lip balm, and figured that I was getting ready to kiss someone tonight... NO! OF COURSE NOT!

Went upstairs in the elevator, and greeted Kevin... poor Dylan had a headache! Discussed the Olympics and downtown with Vivian / Deb / Christon / Grace, while we were trying to figure out whether we should start eating the sushi / Chinese food in the lounge. Deb noticed my dragon hat, and wondered if I'd gotten it from China since she had the same one from China - I don't know! Yes, it's a theme! Eventually, we did eat our dinner, during which I proved to be a klutz... scooping rice on the table instead of my plate, and having the cranberry pop fizz out on me and the table?! Ugh! I apologized to Dylan and Grace, but they said it was okay. Good thing a certain person wasn't there to see this display of awkwardness! (Raymond, Lesley, and others came in later) Discussed report cards, templates, reviews of various Houses downtown, and more.

The membership meeting went okay, I guess. To my dismay, Mr. Creep suggested we have MORE GREASE in our pre-AGM or pre-GMM meetings... Jen definitely agreed with me on that one! Pizza and fried chicken are good in MODERATION, and I'd like to keep it that way - EW! I'm not saying that I am the most healthy eater alive (certainly not!), but that's just gross! Sushi and Chinese food (like we had tonight) are fine by me, thanks! Good thing the Committee doesn't have to take his suggestion as one we should undertake for this year, hahaha. He also made some other weird comments - for the pictures of this year's Committee, Dylan had relied on Facebook. Jen wasn't impressed that he'd taken one of her and her mom - Mr. Creep asked which one was the mother. EW!

Randal handed a pen to me that dropped on the floor when Eric was trying to pass it over to me, which is fine. After that, we all dispersed to various places at church - some people went to the kitchen to prepare for the fundraiser on Sunday. I hung around with Harmony, Connie, and others - we quickly went downstairs when our sound proved to travel a LOT into a Bible Study room. Even then, we were too loud for the Living Waters meeting, so we went to the foyer instead!

I said hi to Uncle Eugene / Henry / Stanley / Sonya, and then got drawn into a discussion of the Olympics and bad cops who were sent home for VERY inappropriate behavior! Citrus told us only the stuff he could say, of course. Asked various people if they were going to Steph's tomorrow - Jon and Harmony seem to be under the impression that I won't get disinvited because of Monday's events. Hope not, otherwise it'll be AWKWARD! (bags of compost and stew stuff, oh my!) They were trying to find the gate I was talking about at the O Zone, but were only there for 15 minutes / two and a half songs.

After a while, everyone left, so I was free to read a little of the Bathroom Reader. Met a few Living Waters people, too. Went into the kitchen to see what was going on in there - Dylan wondered whether people had left, and Christon figured that Jon had called everyone LAME-O's! Then I figured I should get another flat notebook to replace the last spiraled one I have - those are annoying! While I was writing in there, Stanley's dad thought I was writing lines as punishment - NO! Then I went into the fellowship hall, where I talked to Hien about recent events ("it's okay - I'm still living with it, and all Asian moms are like that... it's so cool that you moved out, since I'll have to live with it for I don't know how long!") / Kenny / CP.

Mary says she lost her phone on the Skytrain (and is borrowing her mom's), so I had to tell her about the time Eric's phone got ran over at the gas station! Said hi to Margaret in passing, and waved bye to Julie and Elaine. Hien said her brother did something to her PDA, so now she can't get on the Internet with it anymore - YIKES! Eric came out of the kitchen, so I asked if he needed to stay longer - he said that he was going to leave. Stanley was trying to kick everyone out at shortly after 10 anyway, so that worked. Sam and Eric talked briefly, then we decided to take the stairs because of the 25 people waiting for the elevator. Mike said he was waiting for Margaret, too. (Citrus, on why HE was there early: "I had to pick up my sister Cordia!")

On the way home, Eric asked how my survival evening had gone - not too bad! Then he wondered what I thought about the meeting - it was okay, except for a certain person making gross suggestions! After that, he wanted to tease me about Dave ("your evening was lacking a certain person..."), then restrained himself because I might believe things that weren't actually true. Good boy, haha. He did say that it was a SIGN if I could recite all our Facebook interactions this week - it's not like one profile picture comment, a wall post conversation, and several status chats are THAT hard to remember!

I countered by saying that he could probably do the same when it came to certain people! Later, I asked whether he wanted to get gas - then he called me a tomato-chicken with a cow motif, all in French. Gee thanks, buddy! Then he pretended to have fallen asleep (after NOT causing an accident by turning into a side road when a car was coming out of it) when he dropped me off. Crazy, man - at least he admits he's nuts!

Got home and found out why Billie had called: "Relax, man... I was calling to say I *might* go to Aberdeen Centre today (but didn't), then thought we should simply hang out sometime!" Oh, for sure! Ellen also sent me a supportive message, saying that she herself had moved on from her mom without batting an eye, although it took her ten years.


Trivia fact for Saturday, Feb. 20: What mammal has the densest fur? The sea otter, the smallest of the marine mammals, which has up to a million hairs per square inch on its back.

DRAGON! / Church with Jamie Reynolds lingerie?! / Billie, Barry, Eric, and mornings

I've decided to wear my new dragon shirt plus dragon hat tonight, heh. I'd wear the warm red sweater, but I haven't washed it yet. Got up from a fractured dream of Jon driving the old Mazda van into church (which looked like Waterfront Station on the outside, but had a LOT of rooms on the inside - including one with JAMIE REYNOLDS LINGERIE and FOOD FOR SENIORS!), Mom yelling at him for packing it full of people ("You could have WAITED for the next truck in five minutes, and not picked up Sarah and Vania!"), and looking for people in this maze.

Discovered Billie had called me (presumably to see how I was doing?), but got no answer when I called her back. Decided to call Barry first and tell him what happened. Then I called Eric back - he seems to think I can get to Cambie / Jacombs at 6 if I leave a little early, so I'll leave at 5 just in case. I'll leave the non-professional stuff to the car ride over, hah. It HAS to be that way, SERIOUSLY. Kenny also enlightened me the other day about CP - turns out I have spastic hemiplegia, where one leg is shorter than the other. My parents never told me that at all! Guess the CP thing is one more commonality I share with Kenny, heh.


LJ Support: We are very close to solving the issue, but if you can provide any additional information, it will probably help a lot. The reason your journal won't load is because for some reason, the system thinks that you have 37,000 tags. From the data I can review, that's not true, of course. If you can remember the last tag you added or the very last function you performed that included tags, we can potentially search for this bug faster. Do you know if there was anything you recently added, or if there were any other tag-related problems you'd had in the days leading up to this problem?

What they don't know is that I *do* indeed have something like that number of tags! If I need to delete EVERYTHING in order for my journal to load, I don't know what I'll do! I can probably tell them that I don't think that there was anything I recently added (read: renamed), or that I didn't have any other tag-related problems. Other than the usual "you cannot add these tags because you've exceeded the 2000 allowed per journal," of course.

You Are Slippers

You aren't really a morning person. Mornings are a little too early and cold for your taste. It's hard for you not to just turn off your alarm and sleep in. Your bed is so warm and cozy. Whenever you have the chance, you take your morning as slowly as possible. You take a long time to wake up. It's not unusual for your "morning" to carry over into the afternoon. You are definitely not a morning person!

What Part of the Morning Are You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

SO TRUE!

OUR LADY PEACE was so CROWDED!

Seen on Jess' Facebook profile (I had to tell her about the FREE Our Lady Peace show for obvious reasons!) - People of Walmart. HAHAHAHAHA!

Went to Minoru about half an hour or so before showtime, and I expected to be in a lineup to get in. Passed security with flying colors, of course. I could see a crowd of thousands at the stage already, so I went straight there to see if I could get an okay spot. Man, it was CROWDED - and I bonded with a few people over that, and got up close and personal with many more! Punched a guy (who ALMOST looked like a young Iggy Pop) on the shoulder to get his attention since his girlfriend wanted to tell him something - when he looked inquiringly at me, I jerked my mittened finger back at the girl, haha. I was under a couple of bodysurfers, and some girl asked if I wanted to do that... I have enough balance issues as it is, so declined that offer. My hat was knocked off a couple of times (independent of the bodysurfing?), and a guy asked whether it was a rough concert - hey, what are you going to do when you're sandwiched between lots of people, and going here and there buffeted by the crowd? (almost got to centre stage, which was crazy!)

One of the security guys REALLY reminded me of my ex, but it wasn't him, thank goodness. (he was black, had the same round face, and the same nose) The band played a rocking set - STARSEED, SUPERMAN'S DEAD, 4 AM, NAVEED, INNOCENT, AUTOMATIC FLOWERS, and more. Someone wanted the band to play newer material because he knew all those songs already; it's called playing CROWD-PLEASERS! I'd say most people liked it for sure! Got home at 11:10 and was on the phone to Auntie Ying within five minutes.

Told her about the "rock music" concert, and she talked to me about receipts / FOCUS ON THE FAMILY magazines for the kids' families instead of birthday gifts (but she appreciates my thought... the birthdays are for the KIDS to enjoy, and not an evangelistic tool!) / small group stuff / Uncle Peter. When she heard that the twins and Harrison would have birthdays next week, she wanted me to delay giving Harrison's crayons to him till Sunday. Maybe I'll just do it on Saturday anyhow, haha. We can still celebrate! She says that I do a good job of telling the story - I don't mind Conor asking questions (he's my new favorite kid after Margaret K. / David Ho / Ian / Sean L.) because I will answer them most of the time, but I do mind Harrison being a disruption. Yep, she told me about the material change for sure. Not too bad a night, I guess!


Trivia fact for Friday, Feb. 19: What Baseball Hall of Fame slugger won the American League home run title with only nine - all of them inside the park? Ty Cobb, in 1909. Of his 117 career homers, 46 were inside-the-park.

Apparently, I have MEN'S feet... but now I also have warm sweaters!

Discovered that LJ is having issues - AGAIN! It refuses to load certain entries, my tags page, and won't edit certain entries either! This is NOT helping my retro-editing project at all, let me tell you! UGH! I hope this posts! At least my friends page works... and I got to watch Maelle Ricker being awarded her gold medal. :D On another note, Vanessa H. advised me to tell Barry about stuff - I definitely will.

Went out today after paying my hydro bill (lower than I thought!), and transferring some money to my savings account. Took out money for the RBC account in the withdrawal I did from my own bank, then went into Shoppers Drug Mart for a bit. Nothing really caught my eye, so it was Sears for me! First, I stopped for some sushi. Got new navy-silver-red men's sneakers for $41 (from $70... my feet wouldn't fit into the women's shoes), new warm sweaters on sale for $25 each (red and black with a slight bling look), new petite pants for $15, and three new pairs of blue-black socks for $6 at Sears. At London Drugs, I got kiddy Easter cards / Sprite Zero / Canada Dry ginger ale / Pepsi. Now it's time to shower and such before hopefully heading out to Hawksley Workman!

Your Modern French Name is Léa Lola

Zut alors!

What's Your Modern French Name?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Dream: THANK YOU overkill and kitchen yelling / Butterfly Test / Scott isn't coming!

Well, Support says that it is a "technical glitch" and that "several staff are working on the problem." I guess we'll see about that! The timing is suspicious! I've also been informed that my PROFILE cannot be viewed, either! That doesn't surprise me, actually. But Canada got another gold medal today - WOOHOO! And thank goodness my glasses only had to be tightened at Iris unlike the LAST time someone made them fly off my face - SO MUCH HATE!

Edit: Just got this in my inbox. We've been unable to track down the source of the problem today. I know how frustrating it must be not to be able to see your own journal. Although the issue is still under investigation, we were able to view your journal using a test environment that we maintain. I'd like to give you access to it so that you can update and manage your account or view it if you would like. I've sent you an invitation to the community 'lj_omega' - you can accept it here. To enter 'omega,' click here and select "Go to omega server."

Since this is a test environment, some functions may not work (for instance, viewing of profiles won't work at the present time). However, all text information is pulled from the live database, so any account management (such as friending or settings changes) or updates that you make are the same as if it were done on the live site. To exit the test environment, just use the above link again and click "Go to production server." Thank you for your patience; we will update you as soon as we have more information. That's a bit of a temporary solution.

I'll have to remember to call Auntie Ying after the Our Lady Peace show - Scott M. says he can't go tonight because he'd have a hard time getting home to Surrey afterwards (and he has to leave early tomorrow morning!), but he'd still love to go see a show with me and Jon. Totally understandable! Got a weird phone call from Texas: 979-446-0366, anyone? Noticed that Trevor unfriended me on Facebook (hmm), and I also deleted Evelyn R. / Tomo T. / Toussaint F. / Michelle Wong / Sherrie H. because we don't really interact too much!

Had a weird dream where I was around Dawn and Eni as she broke up with him - how awkward! Afterwards, Dawn and I had to eat at a crowded restaurant with my family: the cook was yelling at the restaurant next door, trying to direct their kitchen operations! After that, my mom's friend invited us to dinner at her house - I made sure to OVERKILL on the THANK YOU part of politeness, haha. SO TAKE THAT! Eric and his mom came over to the Rosehill place later, and wanted to look something up on Google, which had a green background and blue links. The picture on the page was also Scott W.'s yellow and blue cartoon icon that he uses on Facebook in real life, haha. Turns out they wanted to see whether Walter Cronkite's show ended in 1983 - there were video clips of the show, but not really any conclusive results to their query. Then there were newspapers at the door for our paper route - Colin Sham came over as well, because his papers were in the bundles. I think I know exactly why I had the first part of the dream, anyway - I think Walter Cronkite died recently, but haven't thought about my newspaper route in AGES!

You Are Intense Yet Happy

You are a pretty tightly wound person. You can be extremely passionate and dedicated. And while you definitely have a lot of intensity, you don't take yourself too seriously. You still have a good time. Whoever first said "Work hard - play hard" was thinking of someone exactly like you. That's pretty much your personal motto. You never do anything halfway. You always go full force - whether you're working or having fun.

The Butterfly Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Hawksley Workman and diner slang

Went to see Hawksley Workman at the O Zone tonight - it was pretty cool. He said stuff about Australia, pigeons pooping all over his apartment, Stockholm, Sweden, weirdos, changing, growing, blue and gold rooms, roofing, country and western bands, bars, butts, using the ATM at the 7-11 with lots of service charges, and smoking. The band even invited a random person on stage, which was awesome! Scott and Jon say they're going to the Our Lady Peace concert tomorrow, too. Apparently, LJ developers have reproduced my problem with my journal, so hopefully they'll have a fix soon.


Trivia fact for Thursday, Feb. 18: In diner slang of yore, what would you be served if you ordered blowout patches? How about Zeppelins in a fog, or a First Lady? Blowout patches were pancakes, Zeppelins in a fog were sausages and mashed potatoes, and a First Lady was an order of spareribs.

Corey has surfaced in Taiwan, apparently... haircuts and short people, oh my!

This was our conversation on Saturday night BEFORE Corey left for Taiwan:

[23:49:14] mrptptpt: I was busy cutting my hair... which apparently took me a hell of a lot longer than I thought since it's almost 1 AM now, geez!! I probably started at like 10:30? I didn't think it took me even close to that long...
[23:49:14] mrptptpt: Jane told me not to cut it because she likes it longer on me. the top is barely shorter, but the sides and back sure needed it. I think it looks way better now.
[23:49:15] mrptptpt: she's not here now, but I left her a message saying I messed it up pretty bad and had to shave it all off :P
[23:49:16] mrptptpt: I just told her that same story the other day, so we'll see if she buys it
[00:03:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: how much hair do you HAVE if it apparently takes you two and a half hours to cut your hair?!
[00:03:24] AlenaBrolxFlami: HAHAHAHAHA
[00:05:30] mrptptpt: well... #12 on top, #10 on the upper sides / lower top. upper back, #6 a bit lower than that, #4 on the lower sides, #2 on the lower edges... some blending between each of those stages (at least 3-4 blends... you just put the one you just used on long mode and go up slightly higher, so you get an in-between length between the edges where you cut the different lengths.. blends it together.. then I used the bare blade in long mode to do a rough draft of the back of my neck...
[00:07:01] mrptptpt: after that, it's shower time because there's too much loose hair on my neck to finish the edges up :P after that, which was a full shower which I take too long doing normally, bare blade on short mode to get the neckline right (which involves awkwardly holding a mirror behind me so I can see what I'm doing), then sideburns... a few touchups here and there.... then another shower (quick one) to get rid of all the other loose hair
[00:07:30] mrptptpt: but simple answer, I have a lot of hair :P the first step on top took a pretty long time since I made like 50 passes and hair kept coming off
[00:07:50] mrptptpt: it's pretty thick
[00:08:56] AlenaBrolxFlami: yeah, it certainly seems that way... I remember cutting someone's hair for him, and it seemed it was thick too
[00:09:05] mrptptpt: I could get away with less steps before, but now I have the longer combs (1 1/2" and 1 1/4"... it came with 1" as the longest) I need to do more since it'll be too long on the sides if I do it with the normal amount of steps
[00:09:30] mrptptpt: so short on the sides, more blending to the top
[00:11:55] mrptptpt: she shouldn't complain much, it looks a lot better now. not really shorter (maybe 1/4" off the top... I cut my hair not too long ago) but I did the sides too long last time... it looked fine when I cut it but they grew out pretty quick. so my hair just looks a lot nicer now, not really much shorter :P and if she complains, I guess that's just too bad
[00:14:18] AlenaBrolxFlami: ha... well, I guess you'll see what she says later :P
[00:18:10] mrptptpt: remind me to pack my combs and my razor and my nose bottle thing in the morning, I had to use all that, so it's all wet and needs to get packed again :P actually, my combs never were packed, but I thought of that tonight as I was using them... that would be helpful to have :P
[00:18:16] mrptptpt: and my laptop power cord :P
[00:19:03] mrptptpt: oh crap, she just came back. I shut my webcam off so she can freak out about my hair before I show her
[00:20:25] mrptptpt: OH
WHY YOU CUT YOUR HAIR?
[00:20:39] mrptptpt: I corrected her on that second line's English, don't worry
[00:24:09] AlenaBrolxFlami: I won't be around too much in the morning.
[00:26:20] mrptptpt: well, I probably won't be on here either, but remind me anyway! :P I might be here after lunch for a bit, actually... I don't leave until like 3 PM
[00:27:46] AlenaBrolxFlami: well, I can almost guarantee that I won't be home till then my time, unless it goes even later - restaurants are going to be BUSY AS HELL with Chinese New Year / the Olympics / Valentine's Day!
[00:28:12] AlenaBrolxFlami: (but in the morning - providing we're both signed in and I don't have to restart - I think I will remind you anyway - made a note to myself)
[00:28:29] AlenaBrolxFlami: and... nose bottle?! okay.
[00:30:39] mrptptpt: a sinus rinse thing. I got it recently, and it's about the best thing in the world if you get plugged up much... I kept waking up almost totally unable to breathe, and you can't just take decongestants and stuff all the time.. I have some nose spray that works, but again, it's medicine and not good for long term....
[00:31:40] mrptptpt: anyway, this thing sprays water up one side of your nose and out the other, which is kind of weird, but if you do that at night and in the morning, you'll breathe clearly forever. it's great. it's just saline (salt water), so all I do is dump a bit of salt in and shake it up a bit. plain water would sting
[00:32:02] mrptptpt: if I don't use it, it's a huge difference
[00:32:27] AlenaBrolxFlami: yeah, that doesn't sound too good
[00:33:07] AlenaBrolxFlami: why would you be almost totally unable to breathe? the altitude there?
[00:33:11] mrptptpt: I get all dried out too, which is probably the main problem. hopefully, it won't be as bad in Taiwan since it's more humid there (one of the few perks to humidity, I guess).. it's very dry here
[00:33:18] mrptptpt: no, just dry and plugged up
[00:35:06] mrptptpt: there's also something wrong with one side of my nose as of a couple years ago, and it takes almost nothing for it to be really plugged up and blocked... so it doesn't take a lot before I can't breathe well through my nose. it's the side I usually have down when I sleep, so maybe stuff just gets stuck down on that side overnight and built up over time? I don't know. but this thing keeps everything working fine :P
[00:36:41] mrptptpt: the real thing is called a neti pot, and is an Indian head-cleaning yoga thing
[00:36:49] mrptptpt: mine is a plastic bottle you can squeeze for pressure, and it was only $3 :P
[00:37:39] AlenaBrolxFlami: has this always happened?
[00:37:56] AlenaBrolxFlami: oh, I've heard of neti pots, yes
[00:44:22] mrptptpt: well, I would suggest getting one (the kind I have is probably easier, since you have to tilt your head way sideways with an actual neti pot) if you ever have allergies or any problems breathing... it would probably be amazing during a cold, too. they try to sell you premixed stuff to put in it, but all you need is some salt :P so $3 and a bag of salt that will last forever
[00:47:58] AlenaBrolxFlami: regular salt or sea salt?
[00:50:10] mrptptpt: just non-iodized
[00:50:10] mrptptpt: my dad had a big box of Kosher salt that he puts in the pond sometimes if it needs it. that's what I've been using
[00:50:12] mrptptpt: I filled up a little container and haven't had to refill that since I got it... I filled it up again since I'm leaving, but just that little container, which is barely anything out of a big box of salt, lasts weeks if not months
[00:50:48] mrptptpt: I took the cap off of a tiny travel size lotion or shampoo bottle, and that's my scoop for it.. seems to be about the right amount, and i had trouble finding something small enough to not spill salt everywhere since the opening in the bottle isn't that big... big enough for their packets though :P
[00:51:01] mrptptpt: a small funnel would work, I guess
[01:00:12] mrptptpt: my only problem with it is that I didn't get the bigger one. it seems to run low too fast this way and I have to refill it a few times. mine is the standard 8oz, there's a 16oz too. I'll probably buy that one too sometime. I'd buy one for Jane (she has allergy problems) if I knew where to buy one locally.. I ordered mine
[01:08:34] AlenaBrolxFlami: so could you order one for her instead?
[02:59:00] mrptptpt: I could order one if I was planning this earlier and had time for it to get here first :P
[02:59:06] mrptptpt: I need to go to bed.. I was doing other stuff to finish getting ready
[08:11:38] AlenaBrolxFlami: yeah, I went to bed too - your reminder showed up in my dream :P
[08:12:54] AlenaBrolxFlami: that does make sense, though.... pack the COMBS, RAZOR, and NOSE BOTTLE :P
[12:42:28] mrptptpt: actually, it's a sinus rinse bottle, but it's packed and ready to go, thanks :P
[13:36:43] mrptptpt: annnd almost time to go. I might be online for a while in the evening (in the same time zone as you!) depending on free wifi and power plugs in San Francisco :P I have a 3 hour and 40 minute layover (last time, I had two hours and allllmost missed it.. planes get delayed all the time at this time of year because of snow, even if it's not snowing where you are or need to go.. they got snowed in at their last stop back east somewhere or whatever, and are late)
[13:37:17] mrptptpt: I'll probably be on MSN if I am
[13:37:54] mrptptpt: maybe here, I don't know. I don't want to risk using laptop power before scoping out power outlets on the long flight, so phone MSN is probably it :P

TONIGHT, after the update on recent events:

[01:09:46] mrptptpt: I need to go get ready, I asked Jane if she would talk to you, but she says that's weird, so I guess she's really rude and horrible. at least I think so. what a horrible person. she's short, too. short people are weird
[01:15:13] AlenaBrolxFlami: do you WANT me to yell at you?! I'm sure Jane will do plenty of that if she sees this message, or if you tell her that she's rude / horrible / short / weird :P
[01:23:20] mrptptpt: she watched me type it. not as much hitting or yelling as I thought, and she's watching this now and also not yelling
[01:23:56] AlenaBrolxFlami: as you thought? Hmm... Jane, get him back LATER. :P
[01:31:43] mrptptpt: she doesn't like being a sandbag
[01:32:02] AlenaBrolxFlami: what nonsense have you told her now? :P
[01:32:11] mrptptpt: I don't have that here and she's like the same weight, but she doesn't like being exercise equipment or something
[01:34:27] mrptptpt: she doesn't even like it if I pick her up normally :(
[01:35:48] AlenaBrolxFlami: oh, okay... in that case, how would you like it if someone used YOU as exercise equipment?!
[01:36:03] mrptptpt: I'm not a little tiny person, so they won't
[01:36:50] AlenaBrolxFlami: what about the REALLY BUFF GUY that most gyms seem to have? :P
[01:36:51] mrptptpt: we tried to buy shirts today, but I'm bigger than the biggest size the stores have............ we found an XL that mostly works. I am NOT an XL at home :P
[01:36:58] mrptptpt: so I'm huge here
[01:37:15] mrptptpt: I'll tear his arm out of his socket if he tries
[01:37:24] AlenaBrolxFlami: ah, got it
[01:37:32] AlenaBrolxFlami: that's pretty crazy!
[01:38:16] mrptptpt: well, we're leaving, and apparently I have to play mahjong
[01:38:24] mrptptpt: not sure how well that's going to work
[01:43:47] AlenaBrolxFlami: haha - good luck. the first time I played, I won

Haha... good times! (he told me later that he didn't play after all, because they ended up leaving)

Canada beats Norway 8-0! / Drink name / Lent

Did some editing while watching the Canada-Norway hockey game (8-0 with a Jarome Iginla hat trick, and good Roberto Luongo goaltending!), and eating ketchup chips. Also watched the Russia-Latvia hockey game, heh. Took a Facebook quiz from Darren that said my born job was to be a music teacher or musician - I don't know about that, but it sounds cool! Became a fan of about 50 things on Facebook - sushi, Olympics, sleeping, staying up late, bubble wrap, bubble tea, laughing, etc. Oh my! I got support from Flora G., Vanessa H., Julie S. (julie709), David S. (omni_sinrilus), Teunis, Krista (geek_dragon), and Ellen. Definitely love my good friends - they're wonderful!


Leslie just got their Alternative Little Miss Name. Their Alternative Little Miss Name is Little Miss Diva.

Facebook quizzes taken from Veronica:

Leslie just got their Drink Name. Their Drink Name is Wahoo Punch.

Leslie just got their Sexy Love Nickname. Their Sexy Love Nickname is Kitty Kat.


Trivia fact for Wednesday, Feb. 17: What is the origin of the name Lent, the 40-day Christian observance that begins today? It is derived from the Old English word lencten, for "spring."

GOLD MEDAL / Mardi Gras Name / Housekeeping Shortcuts

Canada got another GOLD MEDAL! BC's Maelle Ricker wins GOLD for Canada in the Women's Snowboard Cross!

Your Mardi Gras Name is Ernestine Mellette

Allons!

What's Your Mardi Gras Name?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Trivia fact for Tuesday, Feb. 16: What did advice-giving humorist Peg Bracken claim was her best housekeeping shortcut? Taking off her glasses.

Torture with a car battery, unsecured nuclear weapons, and betrayal

I bet the opening scene is the Russians already arriving back at their hideout. Nope, I was wrong. Instead, we get more drama with Ricky Bobby and Cale as Dana calls them up to make sure they're clear of the cops. Turns out they're making it rain at a strip club. Dana wants him to live up to his deal to leave her alone, but, shock of all shockers, he goes back on his word. Turns out, it's Cale that's actually the one calling the shots. He gets on the phone and threatens to expose her to everyone unless she continues cooperating with them. Yeah, I'm as shocked as you are that these two idiots have actually managed to get Dana to go along with all of this so far. Arlo catches Dana sneaking away, and calls her on it.

Bubba is pissed that things have gone south. Because, let's face it, nothing ever goes wrong at CTU. It's like Itchy and Scratchy Land. The Russians are back at Sergei's restaurant, so it took them a little longer than expected to get back. Sergei is in the back, doing his best Iron Chef impersonation. So there you have it. Next time you eat at a Russian restaurant, it's entirely possible that the chef is actually the head of a powerful Russian mob family. Make sure you tip the waitresses well.

Sergei wants to know who Jack works for, but Jack won't say. Sergei's not happy because he smells bacon, and it ain't coming from the kitchen. Jack tries to reassure him, and points out that he killed three men at the warehouse, including Vladimir. "I stabbed him in the eye. You really think I'm a cop?" Uh – that's not the most compelling argument you could make, Jack. Sark comes back from burying his brother, and is holding his brother's crucifix necklace. Anyway, Sergei and Sark seem to have buried the hatchet, and they decide to do some bonding in the form of telling Little Bro about the change in circumstances. I wonder if Little Bro is still getting his three-way on. That would be impressive.

Jack gets tortured with a car battery. Jack says he's ready to move past the foreplay, but the Russians are sensitive and want to please him first. If they really want to torture him, they should make him watch The Sentinel. Bubba gives President Taylor an update on their progress, which is really an update on their non-progress. Really, this scene was to fulfill contractual obligations to Mykelti Williamson and Cherry Jones. Little Bro is on the phone with some evil-looking guy with a goatee who's waiting for the rods. Sergei and Little Bro have a difference of opinion, and Sark points a gun at Little Bro's head. That seems to be his M.O. when it comes to negotiating, doesn't it?

Sark graciously volunteers to drive Little Bro to his rendezvous point so they can wait for the rods together. Well, Sark sure got over his brother's death pretty quickly, didn't he? Cole is back at CTU with Renee, and Bubba is not happy. Renee wonders why, with all the technology at their disposal, they still can't track Jack. Easy. They forgot to put cameras in the sewers. Renee tells Chloe that she feels guilty about what's happening to Jack, and thinks that this is all her fault. But really, if you think about it, it's actually Jack's fault, right? I mean, she never thought about bending the law until she met Jack. If it weren't for Jack, Renee would still be at the FBI fooling around with Larry Moss, and shaking with fear every time a terrorist asked for his attorney.

Dana goes to Cole for a chat because, clearly, she doesn't give a crap about national security. She starts to tell him about her past, but things get in the way. You know, little things like unsecured nuclear weapons. More torture, and these guys do not know who they're messing with, do they? Jack survived two years' worth of torture by the Chinese, and this will be like a walk in the park for him. Jack feigns being unconscious and pulls off a sweet move, grabbing the jumper cable with his feet and shocking his interrogator. With the agility of a spider, he climbs up the pipe and starts kicking at a loose joint. Is there anything this guy can't do?

Darth Hassan has a confrontation with his daughter. He tells her that he is her father, and she's like "Yeah, I know." Anyway, they're talking about his assistant, and she reveals that she's been doing the nasty with him for a year now. That's not going to make dear old dad happy... Jack gets free right as his interrogator wakes up. They fight, and this is a better mismatch than Jack vs. Tony. Jack kicks his ass and goes to his go-to move, the leg-scissors choke-hold. He sure likes to use his legs, doesn't he? He used the same move on Bierko.

Jack tries to turn on the guy's cellphone, but the battery is deader than he is. It is New York, after all. You could walk under a canopy, and you'd lose reception. Jack kills the power, and now it's time to party. He kills another guy, and then manages to make a call to CTU. Sergei goes after him with a shotgun, and Jack hides under a table. Sergei thinks he's in a shooting gallery because he just keeps shooting at glasses and plates on the table. Before he can go for the row of ducks, Jack bum-rushes him, and knocks him out cold. No stuffed animal for Sergei.

CTU has set up a perimeter around the restaurant, and can it be possible that they already have Sergei in custody? Apparently so. I'm as shocked as you are that he hasn't already escaped. Jack asks to speak with Sergei alone, and tries to play Let's Make a Deal. Sergei then breaks down over killing his son, and wants full immunity for him and Sark. Don't they all? President Taylor authorizes it, like we knew she would. Seriously, they might as well have pre-signed fill-in-the-blank forms. I (state your name), hereby swear that in exchange for truthful information regarding (fill in terrorist act here), I will not be prosecuted for any crime relating to or in furtherance of (said terrorist act) provided that my intelligence leads to (a good result for the U.S.A.). With, uh, liberty and justice for all.

Finally, the showdown we've been waiting for. Arlo and Cole have their acting clinic. Who will be the first to hit 3 on the facial expressions count? Who will be the first to show more range than a shovel? Someone call James Lipton, because we've got a great episode of Inside the Actor's Studio in the can! Dana's at the strip club, and it's really good that a high-ranking systems analyst like her has her priorities in order during this crisis. Meanwhile, some random CTU officer gets into the elevator with Cole, and Cole adjusts his flak jacket for him. Seems a little suspicious that they would suddenly introduce a character like that, doesn't it? Either he's an Ensign Ricky type who's going to die in the next few minutes, or he's a mole. Cole is en route to the rods, and the camera focuses on Ensign Ricky a lot. I smell a mole.

They pick up radiation from the truck, and of course, the rods aren't there. There are, however, a couple of dead Russians. One guess as to who did it. Sure enough, Sark left his brother's cross at the scene. On the split screen, we see Ricky Bobby and Cale with some strippers while Dana pulls out her gun. If she really wanted this taken care of, she would have told Jack that they had information on the nuclear rods, and then let him go to work on them. Sark tells Little Bro that he's got the rods and wants his money. Well, I figured he was going to betray his father, but I thought it would have been to the feds, not to the terrorists.

Good shopping times / HATE! / Kathleen Edwards

Went to Sears, IndigoSpirit, and London Drugs to get birthday gifts for Amos, Harrison, Conor, David, Evelyn, and Dave - got a Bathroom Reader (plus blue dragon bookmark), on-sale Transformers toys, crayons, DORA THE EXPLORER and THOMAS THE TRAIN ENGINE books! I don't think the twins know how to read yet, but I'm sure they'll enjoy flipping through the books. There was a DORA coloring book at London Drugs, but Evelyn seems to like looking at books. I saw Minute Rice for $3.99 on sale, so of course I had to get that! Picked up my sweatpants at the alteration store, too - certainly better than getting my mother to sew them for me! (especially after subsequent events)

It's true that I shouldn't be draining my savings account, but I told myself I'd put in $100 on Wednesday. Besides, it's better than the inevitable money drain in December, hahaha. Had abalone, garlic bread, siu choy, and other stuff while discussing the Olympics, drugs, Scott, Bridges restaurant, Our Lady Peace, inspiring stories, and more. That part of dinner was fine, especially when my sister said that she is going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan in a couple of weeks! My mom called Steph my "daughter" and admitted that 99% of the dishes had cooking wine in them. We also had blueberry wine (which Grandma actually tried), and other stuff. The REAL shit started to go down in the kitchen... I HATE HER! Talked to Billie when I got home, too - yes, this is abuse!
My mom called Steph my "daughter" and admitted that 99% of the dishes had cooking wine in them. We also had blueberry wine (which Grandma actually tried), and other stuff. The REAL shit started to go down in the kitchen - I said I was going to the bathroom, and my mom actually tried to say "No" because she probably thought I was trying to avoid doing the dishes. Well, I went anyway. This is how subsequent events went, as I talked about it with Billie: [21:32:12] AlenaBrolxFlami: my mother literally pushed me around when I said I wouldn't do more than about a REAL one-third-ish of the dishes! [21:32:27] shaydexx: ahhh! [23:17:54] AlenaBrolxFlami: to be fair, my objection was NOT to doing the dishes - I understand that she put in a lot of time over this dinner, and certainly understand showing your appreciation by saying THANKS or doing the dishes so the cook doesn't have to - but she also called me STUPID when I said that I could plainly see that her "definition" of "one-third" of the dishes (which was "two-thirds") was not right ("I'm not stupid") [00:12:22] AlenaBrolxFlami: then while I *was* doing the dishes, she tried calling me STUPID again, and trying to say that I was never appreciative of anything - I figured that I didn't need to stand around and hear this, so took a stand and said exactly that [00:12:39] shaydexx: right on! [00:13:47] AlenaBrolxFlami: I mean... when I was a kid, I had no choice, right? but now... I'm not saying I'm the best daughter in the world (and I probably DO need to appreciate the parents a little more), but.... really now. I'm actually DOING SOMETHING for you, and then that happens?! [00:14:00] shaydexx: yeah! [00:16:02] AlenaBrolxFlami: before, she had told me to finish a sink FULL of dishes (which she just kept adding to) - while I'm used to orders from her (and I'll say right now that I'm not exactly the most polite person ever either, but...) - she ERUPTED and said that there were limits and she was sick and tired of me, etc. [00:16:17] AlenaBrolxFlami: gee, I could have told her the same thing, but I still respected the fact that it was her house.... then she said that I was a taker, and only USED people, and wondered if I treated my FRIENDS like that. (of course not, since they aren't like HER!) [00:16:58] shaydexx: bloody hell [00:17:11] AlenaBrolxFlami: so I said that I didn't have to stand around and listen to it... "THEN GET OUT - I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN - GIVE ME BACK THE KEYS! SERIOUSLY! NEVER COME OVER AGAIN!" [00:17:21] AlenaBrolxFlami: gladly, BITCH - just never email me again, either [00:17:46] shaydexx: holy fuck... I guess now she'll finally leave you alone, hopefully [00:17:54] AlenaBrolxFlami: hopefully! [00:17:55] shaydexx: but man, how immature [00:18:37] shaydexx: I really hope she will... you've put up with enough! [00:19:16] AlenaBrolxFlami: yeah... in case you're wondering where the pushing came into play... that was when I said I wasn't going to finish the sink of dishes (I had done some up to that point) - and then she tried to turn me back toward the kitchen, and hit me.... okay, lady, all bets are off, mother or not [00:19:37] shaydexx: no kidding [00:20:10] AlenaBrolxFlami: I'm a big believer in respect for a person's space... and I would never hit someone first unless they provoked me / hit ME first [00:20:21] shaydexx: same [00:20:53] AlenaBrolxFlami: verbal stuff... yeah, okay... not saying that's OKAY okay, but physical stuff is different [00:21:11] shaydexx: oh yes [00:22:09] AlenaBrolxFlami: now, if she'd just left me alone - sure, I might have done the dishes.... or if she didn't just expect me to do two-thirds of the dishes with the lie that it was really one-third.... I'm not totally blind! I can SEE that it's more than a third [00:22:24] shaydexx: yeah [00:22:43] AlenaBrolxFlami: if she had told me in a nice enough tone of voice to do that amount of dishes, I might have grumbled a bit, but I'd have done them [00:23:06] shaydexx: mhm, for sure [00:23:19] AlenaBrolxFlami: seriously... my glasses flew off my face! [00:23:27] shaydexx: wow [00:24:00] AlenaBrolxFlami: I'm not saying I'm PROUD that I hit her back (she has a height advantage and such), but that doesn't mean I won't defend myself - I'm 33, not 6 :P [00:24:14] shaydexx: yeah :P [00:24:35] AlenaBrolxFlami: not saying that six-year-olds WON'T defend themselves or their loved ones, but you know what I mean [00:24:43] shaydexx: oh, of course [00:27:41] AlenaBrolxFlami: my brother and sister advised me to do the rest of the dishes, but I wasn't in the mood :P [00:27:50] shaydexx: :P [00:28:22] AlenaBrolxFlami: then right before I left, I heard my mom playing the victim to her daughter-in-law, as in "you don't know how RUDE she is to us, Harmony!" [00:28:34] shaydexx: HAH! [00:28:37] AlenaBrolxFlami: I KNOW! [00:29:17] AlenaBrolxFlami: I was thinking "this probably wouldn't have started if you hadn't insulted my intelligence in the first place!" [00:29:27] shaydexx: yeah! [00:30:05] AlenaBrolxFlami: privately thinking something is ONE thing... but saying it to the person? HA [00:30:13] shaydexx: yeah :P [00:31:53] AlenaBrolxFlami: and yeah, I could have said stuff to her as well while she was ranting about not feeling appreciated and suchlike, but she had access to stuff which could have been weapons (dishes, etc.) [so did I, but I never attack first unless it's online gaming] [00:32:08] shaydexx: yeah [00:33:26] AlenaBrolxFlami: she thinks I only went to Chinese New Year dinner yesterday because there would be no dishes... no, it was because I wanted to spend a dinner with Grandma since the holiday is so important to her [00:33:40] AlenaBrolxFlami: and even if I told her that, she still would persist in her wrong thinking [00:33:40] shaydexx: mhm [00:35:15] AlenaBrolxFlami: I was going to ask Ivan or Eric for regular Sunday rides after the Olympics anyway (not because I'm too old to be riding to church with my parents), but it'll just have to be this week (the traffic doesn't seem TERRIBLE at 9:15 AM) [00:37:09] shaydexx: yeah [00:40:07] AlenaBrolxFlami: I'd say that violence doesn't get you results - but of course she's always been an abusive person [00:40:28] shaydexx: ahh [00:41:19] AlenaBrolxFlami: and this is why I will never be a mother myself - I'm afraid of fucking up the kid for life [00:41:30] shaydexx: wise choice [00:41:59] AlenaBrolxFlami: so what my mom won't know is that she only has one hope of grandkids [00:42:47] shaydexx: hahaha, yeah :P [00:46:17] AlenaBrolxFlami: while she was ranting, she wondered why I couldn't be polite, because then we could have a "nice normal relationship"... [00:46:28] shaydexx: pshhh [00:46:34] AlenaBrolxFlami: HA, I KNOW! [00:47:15] AlenaBrolxFlami: I was all ready to be like "To tell you the truth, while I agree that being polite (especially to your parents) is a good thing, I don't think that will solve all the problems we seem to have" [00:47:29] shaydexx: yeah haha [00:48:17] AlenaBrolxFlami: seriously - I don't believe in being RUDE to anyone (unless perhaps I'm having a bad day and do it unconsciously), but... [00:48:41] shaydexx: yeah [00:49:24] AlenaBrolxFlami: I even felt bad that I didn't say bye to your mom last time I was over! [00:49:37] shaydexx: awww yeah [00:50:10] AlenaBrolxFlami: but then I was like "okay, she's not likely to take it REALLY PERSONALLY and bring it up the next time I stay over" [00:50:21] shaydexx: oh, of course not [00:50:27] shaydexx: she figured you had to take your bus [00:50:46] AlenaBrolxFlami: and that is what a normal person would be like [00:50:52] shaydexx: yup [00:52:01] AlenaBrolxFlami: now, I can understand that maybe my mom felt under-appreciated and such, and I'm not saying that forgetting to say thanks is the best thing ever or anything, but at the same time, you don't belittle people's intelligence and then literally push them around when they won't do things according to "plan" [00:52:22] shaydexx: yeah definitely [00:53:29] AlenaBrolxFlami: sure, as soon as I said that I didn't have to listen to what she was saying (which I'm SURE she took to mean "I don't have to listen to ANYTHING you say about ANY subject EVER!"), I expected to get booted out of the house.... but by that point, I didn't care :P [00:53:55] shaydexx: yeah :P [00:54:20] AlenaBrolxFlami: I can also understand saying things in the heat of the moment, but this goes too far [00:54:27] shaydexx: for sure
The 407 came in a matter of minutes, and I separated all the gifts into bags when I got home. I also put the rice in the storage container... man, that's really heavy now, but it surprisingly ALL FIT! While I was watching JACK BAUER, Harmony called (my phone was on?!) and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the Kathleen Edwards concert at the O Zone. Since I was up for distraction, I went. (I put laundry in the washing machine before I left, and now it's on Round #3 in the dryer...)

Even if it was raining, it was good stuff - not familiar with her work, but it sounded pretty cool. I ignored Jon and Harmony as they practiced swing dancing, haha. Grandma had seemed amused by that, heh. Yay for distraction! We attempted to check out Heineken House later, but it was apparently closed despite two lineups - maybe tomorrow during the day! Noticed that my socks had holes in them, and that my shoes seemed to be on the verge of falling apart - I had taken note of that on Saturday night, but didn't think too much of it then. Now, I think I'll get new ones on Wednesday! (best not to have wet feet and stuff when stepping in puddles and mud)

Wheelchairs on shuttle buses (dream) / Evites / Seven Dwarfs

Had a weird dream about being on an unusual community shuttle bus, because wheelchairs could fit on this one if they were in the back. There was barely enough room for two of them, and the wheelchair riders didn't like how the bus was being driven. Apparently, they felt like they'd slide out of their chairs onto the floor (despite seatbelts and everything!) whenever we went down a hill. Well, the driver HAD to employ certain driving techniques... and you didn't see everyone ELSE doing that even if we DID have poles and such to hold on to! Finally, the wheelchairs were off the bus, and we were all surprised to see that they immediately lit up joints... WELL THEN!

Then we went to my old church, where there was a sleepover going on. There was a china cabinet in the basement, and I had to sleep right next to it. Apparently, the Philadelphia Phillies were in town, and there was all sorts of stuff on TV about their visit. Later, I had to help discipline the kids - I had to take pens and pencils away from two kids because they weren't listening to Auntie Bessy or Anita AT ALL. We could tell that they had a lack of respect for them and others - they then chased me all around the church (including the washrooms), trying to get their things back. Instead, I decided to keep them for myself, and joined everyone right after service had ended, talking to people. That's where the dream ended! INTERESTING! The only trigger I can think of is disciplining Harrison - makes sense, haha. Oh, and maybe the pot at the Bedouin Soundclash concert on Saturday night, which also fits.

Steph sent us an Evite for her housewarming party. Karen Lew, Eric M., Lincoln, Phil, Grace, Jon, Harmony, Margaret, Karen Grace, Isabel, Vivian L., Tracy, Wesley, Melia, Angus, Cindy, Dianne, Eunice, Randal, Jen, Christon, two people I don't recognize, and I are all invited. Should be interesting times, haha. Yes, we all will sign her guestbook! (this means I can't see Marianas Trench for free, however...) Hopefully, I'll go shopping later - or at least pick up those sweatpants!

You Are Dopey

That doesn't mean you're a total dope, but it does mean you are sweet and silly - just like Dopey. You are innocent and playful, but you're a lot smarter than you look. You can be downright wily. You have a good sense of intuition and often understand what's really going on. You are a keen observer. Unlike most people, you don't show your hand right away. You keep your cards close to your chest.

Which of the Seven Dwarfs Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

I dislike the last question - it's BOTH for me, depending on the situation and the people I'm around!

Lots of BALL words here, which don't mean what you think they might!

This computer restarted on me! Thus, I'll bring you the approximate first half of the "B" words from this book that Jon and Harmony got me for my birthday:

This is from Butt Rot and Bottom Gas: A Glossary of Tragically Misunderstood Words (Eric Groves, Sr.)

B

backhoe: a hydraulically-powered digging machine with a metal bucket attached to an articulated mechanical arm that removes large amounts of soil to create large trenches and excavated spaces for foundations, septic systems, etc.

bagasse: [From the French bagasse and the Spanish bargazo, meaning "pulp"] the refuse remaining after sugarcane is pulped to produce sugar {Crushed bagasse is a renewable biofuel routinely burned in sugar mills to generate electricity and to power machinery.}

bagging: fabric used to make bags

ball change: two-step movement used in a variety of dances, in which the performer shifts a portion of his or her weight onto the ball of one foot, then follows with a step on the opposite foot (often counted in a snappy manner: "A-one and a-two and a-three," etc.) {COMBINED USAGE: kick ball change - a dancer kicks, before executing the ball change; heel ball change - a dancer touches the heel to the floor before the ball change}

ball cock: a valve attached to a floating ball, which opens the valve when elevated; most commonly used in flush toilets

baller: a player in basketball, tennis, or paintball - in basketball, one who scores aggressively for the team; in tennis, one who has a powerful swing; in paintball, any participant

ball-in-hand: the occurrence in billiards or pool of a player placing the cue ball anywhere on the playing table, and hitting any ball desired; typically occurs after an opponent has committed a foul (such as scratching the table)

ballistic entry: a type of entrance that occurs when a vehicle (or spacecraft) entering a planet's atmosphere uses only drag or air friction to reduce speed... this contrasts with spacecraft that use aerodynamic lift, or the directing of airflow downward {The manned Mercury spacecraft (1959-63) were ballistic entry vehicles, whereas the winged space shuttle (1981-present) is an aerodynamic life entry vehicle.}

ball mill: a pulverizing machine used in industry to reduce materials such as ceramics, ores, etc. into fine powder; consists of a horizontal cylinder filled with steel or ceramic balls that rotates mechanically on its axis and can grind materials to tolerances of ten-thousandths of a millimeter; ALSO, a device used to mix materials such as paints and chemicals

ball out: in water polo, a call for a ball to be thrown to the referee

ball-peen hammer: a hammer with a rounded head used for shaping and forming sheet metal; commonly used to repair damaged automobile parts such as fenders

ball whisk: a kitchen utensil often used to whip eggs

banger: an English sausage made with pork meat

bareback: a type of horseback riding without the use of a saddle

BARF: the acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, a term used in the pet-food industry

barfi: a sweet, cheesecake-like dessert, popular in India and Pakistan, made with condensed milk, mangoes, cashews, and often a bit of edible silver leaf

bastarda: [From the Italian bastarda, "bastard" (akin to "not quite genuine") - often capitalized] an elegant font or typeface used in France and Germany in the 1300s and 1400s that was a hybrid of earlier scripts, and a simplified version of more elaborate Gothic scripts - often used in the hand copying of books deemed to be of lesser significance than the Bible or other religious treatises

bastardane: an alternative term for ethano-bridged noradamante, a chemical compound similar in composition, odor, and appearance to adamantane, a crystalline chemical compound {The chemical structure of bastardane contains a unique ethanol bridge, or connection between molecules, which differentiates it from other hydrocarbons - chemical compounds made of hydrogen and carbon. Bastardane gets its name from the fact that its ethanobridge varies from ordinary hydrocarbons, making it an irregular compound.}

bastard sword: a type of sword used in Europe from about 1350 to 1550; almost a true longsword, it is a hybrid between a longsword (two-handed sword about four feet long) and a shorter one-handed arming sword, about two to three feet long

batarde: a French sauce made with butter and egg yolks

Bath bun: a type of yeast bread, colored with saffron, that originated in the city of Bath, England

beat around the bush: to delay, procrastinate; to fail to get to the point

beaver: a land-dwelling and an aquatic mammal, a member of the order Rodentia and one of the largest rodents on Earth, weighing an average 55 pounds {Characterized by sleek brown fur and wide tails, beavers abound in forests throughout North America, and are known for building dams and lodges or hut-like shelters across streams and rivers, creating beneficial wetlands.}

beaver hat: a type of hat made from beaver pelts that was popular in Europe from 1550 to 1850; the hat was prized for its softness and durability {demand for pelts to make beaver hats caused a temporary disappearance of the beaver in western Europe}

["On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle sat,
But his face you could not see,
On account of his Beaver Hat."
- Edward Lear, The Quangle Wangle's Hat]


bedfellow: an ally or friend

bedhug: an Indonesian drum used in traditional musical performances

bed load: particles of gravel carried along a streambed by the current

beefeaters: (often capitalized) the 36 royal guards of the Tower of London, a large castle built along London's Thames River; also called the Yeoman Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London {The name Beefeaters probably came from the large ration of beef given to the guards as partial payment for the performance of their royal duties. For most of their history, dating back to the 1300s, the Beefeaters guarded prisoners in the Tower. Today, they escort approximately 1.3 million visitors annually to view the famed British Crown Jewels, which are stored in the Tower.}

beefwood: a pinelike tree native to Australia

between a rock and a hard place: to be in a difficult predicament that offers only unpleasant options for getting out

BFOQ: the acronym for Bona Fide Occupational Qualification - or a legitimate job requirement - as described in the United States Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, volume 3, chapter 5, part 651, section 651.10 {a BFOQ is an exception to the general prohibition against employment discrimination based on age, disability, gender, race, etc., because it may (in certain circumstances) prevent individuals from physically performing a job... therefore, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must determine that the BFOQ is legitimate, and not simply a ruse to prevent select individuals from gaining a particular job}

billycock: a derby hat

bissextile: [From the Latin word bissextus, meaning "two sixes" and referring to ancient Roman leap-year calendars in which two consecutive days were dated March 6] a leap year, or a year with an extra day added to maintain accuracy {because a solar year consists of 365 and a quarter days, our calendar would be inaccurate if it maintained the same number of days each year... by alternately adding an extra - or intercalcating - day in February, accuracy is maintained}

blackball: a vote against someone or something that is taken or assumed in a secret or underhanded manner

blackcock: in the black grouse family of birds, the male of the species

bloviate: to speak for quite a while in a pompous manner

blowball: a herb of the genus Taraxacum having bright yellow flowers

blowfish: a type of fish; also called pufferfish

blowhard: an obnoxious braggart

blowhole: a nostril-like opening in the heads of cetaceans such as whales and dolphins

blow valve: a valve in one of the cylinders of a steam engine

blow your own horn: to boast about oneself

blue ball: a blue-colored ball worth five points that is used in snooker, a type of billiard game

blue peter: a nautical signal flag, with a white square centred on a blue field, hoisted by a docked ship to indicate a readiness to get under way

blue sucker: a species of freshwater fish

blue tit: a member of the family Paridae (also called tits) and a small tree-perching songbird with an attractive blue crest, wings, and tail that is found throughout forests in Europe and Asia; also called Parus caeruleus {the blue tit has always been popular among bird watchers due to its lively antics while feeding on wild nuts, and its shrieking "Tee, tee, tee!"}

boner: a kitchen knife used to remove bones from meat and poultry

Bathroom Readers and breathing / Serving as U.S. President

I think I'll buy a Bathroom Reader for a certain person, too - we'll see, haha. Although maybe I should ensure he likes reading weird random stuff first... I have eleven months in which to do so, but I'll probably do that on Friday, knowing me. (excuse for Eric: "He breathes too much!" HAHAHAHA!) Toy trains, kiddy Easter cards if possible, Transformers, a DORA book, and more! The crayons will be for Harrison, haha.

Trivia fact for Monday, Feb. 15: According to the U.S. Constitution, how many years must a natural-born U.S. citizen have lived in the United States to be eligible to serve as president? Fourteen, under Article II, Section I of the Constitution.

Pigeon for Chinese New Year! / GOLD MEDAL ON HOME SOIL! / "White Kid"

While I was reading some hilarious stuff on the "People Who Always Have To Spell Their Names For Other People" wall, my parents came home with Alan and Polly. A few minutes later, we were off to Chinese New Year dinner at Top Gun Restaurant, which is in some hard-to-find plaza stuck between two strip malls. We spotted Edmond at the restaurant while we had pork / pigeon / fish / tofu / red bean soup / more. My parents, Alan, and Polly discussed Jordan Liang liking hockey (whom my mom confused with Jordan Lui - a 2001 Awana kid whom Steph used to drive?!) / Nai Chiu / Auntie Vivian / other people who COULD do Powerpoint for the Chinese service / their Olympics event / Martin T. / Awana.

When I got home, I found that Canada had FINALLY won a gold medal on home soil, and received thanks from Corey for my reminder to pack his nose (sinus) bottle / razor / combs for Taiwan. It'll be phone MSN for the next month, if he's lucky. He should go and have a good time... and I have no doubt he will! Maybe I can get lots of editing done, haha. I was also way too amused at a certain person responding to a wall post; you'd better BELIEVE that I have a dragon hat and T-shirt ("BOSS!" he says), but that'll have to wait a couple months! Plans before dinner tomorrow: nothing too ambitious! I'll just get my sweatpants from the alteration shop (call ahead to make sure they're ready), plus the kids' gifts perhaps!

Grandma, on my single status: "You don't have a boyfriend? Are you sure? You should pick White Kid! (Eric) Or maybe your brother's friends! Or someone from church!" Hahahaha... she has no idea this is Valentine's Day, and thus an odd time to ask. :P [good thing she didn't say anything about Jeremy, hahaha]

Three birthdays coming up next week in toddler Sunday School, oh my!

Gave Grandma a Chinese New Year card - she wondered who had written in English. Your grandchildren and granddaughter-in-law, who else?! I guess she was okay with it, haha. Got into church, and saw Flora's kids Eunice and Isaac in their brand-new clothes for Chinese New Year - they looked cute! Isaac said hi as he got a cute red envelope with a Mickey Mouse design, and Eunice wished me a Happy New Year. Of course, I greeted her back with "Happy Chinese New Year," haha. I was going to sit in my usual seat (near Eric / Jeremy / Cindy / Melia / Christon - Joe and Jeannie's wedding invitations are NOT the 2009 tax receipts!), but saw Dave all the way across the room.

On the pretext of talking to Karmie and Noah about the O Zone, I decided to see if it was indeed he - it was, so after talking about the outdoor ice rink / free concerts / other stuff, I moved myself over there instead. I'm sure Jeremy and Christon might have wondered what was up, but I'm equally certain this will lead to teasing on Eric's part later this week if he saw where I was going! OH NO, haha. Then Dad wanted me to give tax receipts to Calla and Lesley, so I told Noah that my dad asks me to do things for him too - accomplished during "handshaking time," thank you very much! Dave commented that he had cold hands (from cycling over), but that was perfectly understandable! Noticed that Dave seemed to breathe and sigh a lot - maybe it's just him, but it was still cool even if he did call me an instigator of some sort. (thought he'd be wearing his tiger shirt since the year of the Metal Tiger starts today, but I guess not - too cold still!) I just had to be careful not to look to the back of the room because Mr. Creep was in the very back row. (Uncle Peter and Chrystal don't know what they're dealing with, since they talked to him for a bit!)

Turned out that it was a good thing I moved, since Dave had to go back home afterwards - no lunch this week, but it's hardly surprising with Chinese New Year and all. Saw Karen and Lincoln, so wished Lincoln a happy birthday - he was impressed, haha. Talked to Chrystal, William (the Olympics), Joey (as a volunteer, he was backstage at the opening ceremonies), Sarah (Joey had found her eventually), Emily Lam (Jordan had made a card for Alan... hahaha), Jeremy (coffee and work!), Hien (the whole BS drama with Kenny - I have no reason NOT to believe him!), Cordia (mouse costumes!), Quan (downtown on the Olympics and Wayne Gretzky), and more people. Was surprised to see Steph (she was between shifts), but she invited me to a get-together on Saturday - should be good times, and Melia could give me a ride too. I'll give her the birthday gift tomorrow and Chantal's thing on Saturday or something - at least, not in front of the parents, haha.

Jon and Harmony had seen the Wilco show last night, so we compared notes on that and the Bedouin Soundclash show. They'd gone to Steamworks afterwards for a drink, and it had been PACKED! Steph was shocked when she heard that their bill had an automatic 18% gratuity - YIKES! Saw Auntie Catherine and her grandson Mattias, so said hi to them. I definitely didn't want any pre-moistened Cheerios, man! Auntie Catherine asked me whether the top fit me; awkward moment averted, as I told her that she'd given me a fringed scarf instead of a short-sleeved sweater! I'll just give it back to her next week, and find another bag for Conor's birthday gift! Saw Sam, who apparently was trying to make it look like he had accidentally stuck a drumstick up his nose, hahaha.

I saw little Allison later, and she gave me a high-five after letting me look at her cookies. After talking to Deb about the violent Olympic protesters yesterday (we'd both be behind peaceful protesters, or will enjoy what we can now the event is here), I went upstairs to toddler Sunday School. I was happy to see the twins and Amanda there, as it meant that I could offload four Ziploc bags of Valentine's Day candy! (one was for Amanda's older sister Hannah) Auntie Bessy was there too, which is fine - I wasn't TOO nervous when telling the kids a Bible story, haha. Harrison asked why my yellow hat had buttons on it, and seemed to be of the opinion that only shirts had buttons - no, kid, they make pants / hats / other things with buttons too!

Conor told me that a pink felt was running out of ink - it'll do that if you use it to color in a rather large heart on a drawing for your mom about how much you love her, yes! I asked Linda when the twins' birthday was, as I thought it was coming up - she FINALLY seemed to understand me after a few months, and said that it was actually next Monday - the day after Harrison's! Guess that means I could be buying planes / Transformers (one for Amos too) / DORA books this week! Auntie Ying forgot about paying me back for the Valentine's Day stuff, but I'll remind her on Thursday maybe... or even tomorrow since it's her day off. Or maybe she didn't want to do that in front of Auntie Bessy, who hugged me and thanked me for teaching the kids - she did give me some feedback like continuing the story instead of giving into the rowdy interruptions. I'll keep that in mind, haha.

Went downstairs to interact with baby Mattias some more - he's so cute, and seemed to be having fun with a shiny pink scrunched-up candy wrapper! I guess it's like a really tiny ball to him, heh. After a bit of that, Dad said we were going to the old Green Village with Alan since Polly was at the Mozart GLORIA practice - so after collecting Mom, we left. First time ever that we had a table right away after arriving at the restaurant, too! Discussed Jordan, Eric Ma not being impressed with Awana lantern crafts, the O Zone (which Alan, Polly, and my parents have gone to check out), the busy crowded downtown, and more. Since they're having dinner tonight at Top Gun, I might as well join them since I couldn't make it for dinner tomorrow. It appears that Mom is fine with my not doing anything for them on the 18th, but I could speak too soon again, so I'll reserve any final declarations on that till later. When I got to the townhouse, the Internet almost gave me a heart attack by not working for a while JUST when I needed to update and get all this stuff out of my head!

Mom, on the Broadway / Commercial Skytrain: "Oh, did I tell you? I had an EPISODE yesterday! I took the wrong Skytrain with your grandma, and went all the way to Burnaby! But it was WORTHWHILE because we were on there for over two hours, and spent only $1.75! They should only have one line there, since it'll be less confusing!" HAHAHAHAHA, so Asian! Steph and I both told her separately that they had signs, too!

Dream of Hawaii phone calls and nose bottle favors / Valentine's Day Gifts

Had a dream where I was frantically looking for my debit card, I had a LOT of calls from Hawaii since my mother was there (plus calls from a telemarketer who showed up on the Caller ID as "2006"), and Auntie Ying and I were trying to see if we could find some combs / a razor / a nose bottle for Corey. (his "reminder" favor for his nose made it into my dream!) I woke up about twenty minutes BEFORE my alarm, and initially thought the time said 10:03. o_O

You Should Get a New Laptop

Let's be honest... you're not exactly the most romantic person in the world. And there's nothing wrong with that. Flowers, chocolates, and stuffed animals don't really do it for you. Your eyes only light up for a new toy. You are a bit of a geek, and traditional romance just isn't a priority for you. You find somewhat unusual things romantic. You'd prefer a laptop to an expensive piece of jewelry. At least you'd actually use the laptop!

What Valentine's Day Gift Should You Get?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

SO TRUE!

Bedouin Soundclash / Romantic novelties / Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day

新年快乐!

GUUNG HEY FAT CHOY! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Happy Valentine's Day, I guess... just avoid the smoopy-poopy! :P

After seeing Jennifer Heil win silver, and hearing about the Dutch Olympic skating record at the Oval, I decided to go to the Bedouin Soundclash concert tonight. It's free, ten minutes' walking distance from my house, and they already played at the Ontario Pavilion. Passed security very easily because I was wearing nothing over my clothes but my Regina coat. Hey Ocean were JUST finishing up, and it wasn't terribly crowded. Reggae-pop is interesting, although I felt like I could be getting a contact high from the three marijuana joints I smelled during the show! Was also about three people away from a bodysurfing guy, and stuck near a group of about eight people who seemed to be having fun with digicams and a Canada flag. We all sang the national anthem and STAND BY ME, haha - it was fun despite the light rain, and I got home by 11! Apparently, they'll have "the world's biggest dragon" down there tomorrow, haha.

Trivia fact for Sunday, Feb. 14: What romantic novelty did hotel owner Morris Wilkins introduce at the "honeymooners only" resort he opened in the Pocono Mountains in 1958? The heart-shaped bathtub. Wilkins invented the tub for his Cove Haven resort in Lakeville, Pennsylvania.