Saturday, April 10, 2010

"YOU HOMO!"

Turned out I had JUST enough time to take a shower, since Henry called to say he was outside as soon as I was finished! Good thing I'd defrosted my pot pie before I went to take the shower, so cooked it for the required time, then dumped it in a Ziploc container along with a spoon so I could eat it in the kitchen when I got to church. It was stressful because he'd called a little earlier than I thought he would! On the way to church, we talked about his sneezing cat / taking medicine (and the body's natural immune system) / snow on the mountains / weird weather and windstorms / my mom's expectations from her garage sale ($7.50 is a bad take - better luck on Craigslist, but NOT $100!) / junk. Got to church and ate my lunch in the kitchen (washing my dishes also), then came out to help Golden and Chrystal with counting the money - special Quebec toonie and some special Olympics quarters were good, as well as some more laundry money! I don't keep track of the special coins anymore thanks to certain people, but it's still good to have them!

Chris and Sabrina reminded me to sign up for helping at Vacation Bible School during the last two weeks of August - if something changes, I'll let them know! Rosenda's older son Ian didn't want to go in, yet his brother Gabriel seemed happy to see his grandmother Auntie May! Matthew Ma #2 called Eric T. something very insulting when he didn't get his way. "YOU HOMO!" he said, in front of EVERYONE... BAD BOY! Auntie Rebecca asked me and Chrystal whether we were attending the Fellowship retreat in Whistler - nope, so we'll go to the FREE Awana park outing instead that weekend! I gave Chrystal her birthday card, and we talked about Richie's farewell / the Canucks-Flames game / Jon cooking Pad Thai tonight / hanging out sometime so she can take the Canada Line to Richmond. She'd feel guilty about attending the farewell since she doesn't really know Richie: "Hi! I'm only here for the food..." I feel guilty for eating the meals from the food Sunday School class, but at least I pay for it myself... and it still has more sanity than the alternative! Conor was being cheerful as usual - YAY!

I saw Christon, Jon, Jeremy, and Mr. Creep going to the kitchen with a bunch of stuff at about 5:30. Jeremy saw me through the door, and nodded in greeting - I waved back, but I had to make it quick since Mr. Creep was right behind him! Harmony came out of the kitchen a while later, and tapped me on the shoulder from behind - I am not a big fan of that, but whatever. I asked her if she'd heard about dark chocolate Cadbury mini-eggs... she hadn't, but figured I'd gotten them on sale. Definitely, and I put the package in a Ziploc bag when I got home! (can share tomorrow) Ian wanted to get home by 7 to watch STAR WARS, hahaha... Ada is sick with a headache since she works twelve to fourteen hours a day sometimes! Not surprised! My grand plans for tonight: laundry, catching up, and calling Eric later!

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Bus drivers shouldn't pull away RIGHT when you get to the stop!

I am SO NOT IMPRESSED. Went to Sears earlier to get a couple of things I needed. Good thing they were on sale, but of course I took forever deciding what I really wanted! That's the thing with buying clothing items - you gotta make sure they fit, are the right style for you (no built-in cups for me right now... more shimmery if anything!), and are somewhere near the correct price. Undershirts / camisoles seemed to all be expensive already, and it seemed that the price went up by 50% if you weren't a small or medium. I know I'm not exactly a svelte model or anything, but SERIOUSLY?! At least I found a black and a yellow one (wasn't banking on white) which you could wear either way... no worrying about labels or wearing it backwards! Too bad they didn't have two black ones, but I'll deal.

Got out of there at around 2, which I thought would give me PLENTY of time to get home and shower / eat before leaving again. Thank goodness Sears offered little pieces of banana loaf at the fitting rooms, otherwise I'd be FAMISHED right now! (I had three) But NO... the 407 took FOREVER to arrive, so I was home at 2:45 with just 45 minutes to go before I leave again! I thought I'd get the 401 when it got to the stop just 50 feet away from the 407 stop, but that wasn't to be... the stupid bus driver pulled AWAY from the stop just as I got to the front doors of the vehicle! I understand that the drivers need to be focused on the traffic ahead when pulling out of bus stops, but it wouldn't have totally killed the schedule to wait an extra 30 seconds! UGH! It would be SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT if the 401 and 407 both stopped at the same place like they did before they changed the bus bays around a while ago! At least Dylan got the Evite to work for the Pho thing we were talking about yesterday...

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CHEESECAKE AND COFFEE, OH MY!

At least Henry didn't provide me with a wake-up call today - that would have been embarrassing! So I guess it's okay that the weather is REALLY SUNNY out! Of course, I may be saying something different at about 5:30 or so, hahaha.




You Are a Blueberry Cheesecake



You are a unique and quirky person... the type of person who's suited for purple foods.

You are bouncy and hyperactive. You're always excited by something!



People may be surprised to know how deep you are, too. You are brave and willing to face your fears.

You are also quite emotive and expressive. You're not afraid to show how different you are.

Trivia fact for Saturday, Apr. 10: How did "a cup of Joe" become U.S. Navy jargon for a cup of coffee? It was named for Secretary of the Navy Josephus "Joe" Daniels, who banned "ardent spirits" from the officers' mess in 1914. This made coffee the strongest drink offered aboard ship, and inspired the slang reference to coffee as a cup of Joe.

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Parkarelle, Pebbles, Prudence, and Quorum

I got up to go to the bathroom, and this thing restarted! Yes, I heard it!

This is from What Not to Name Your Baby by Joe Borgenicht.

P

Pagan: Lead character in the '80s romance novel Lace by Shirley Conran. In the movie version, Phoebe Cates (as a famous, orphaned porn star) posed the famous question "Which one of you bitches is my mother?" to Pagan and her two friends from finishing school. (I read that book when I was about 11 or 12... my mother's fault for leaving it lying around! :P)

Panache: A sense of flamboyant style.

Panda: A large, black-and-white fuzzy animal that eats bamboo shoots, and never looks at people in the zoo.

Pandora: One who unleashes a pox upon the world when she loses her virginity.

Pansy: As long as this name is for a daughter, fine. Never, but never use a spring flower name for a son... unless it's Snapdragon and you live in Chelsea.

Paradise: Let's just say it. Name a child Paradise, and you raise a stripper.

Paris: The capital of France that, while beautiful, festers with poor personal hygiene, ethnocentrism, and dog poo. Also, a hotel heiress known for her skills as an amateur videographer.

Parkarette: A tiny but strangely comfortable valet parking lot.

Passion: An intense emotion. Also, the signature perfume of an over-the-hill actress. (Elizabeth Taylor)

Patchouli: The hideous-smelling signature perfume of the hippie.

Patsi: A daughter who always takes the brunt of her brothers' cruel jokes.

Peace: A sense of calm. Also, a section of cake.

Peaches: Fruits, a term of endearment, another headline stripper.

Pearl: A highly valued white or black gem created by the irritation of foreign matter within the shell of a mollusk.

Pebbles: Daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Also, a '70s singer best known for her hit Do You Want to Ride in My Mercedes, Boy?

Polly: A naive child.

Pork Chop: A portion of meat cut from the flesh of a pig. Delicious when served with applesauce on Yom Kippur.

Porsche: A car popular with the midlife-crisis set. Expensive to procure and cost-prohibitive to maintain. Remarkable for the whiny note of its exhaust.

Portia: One of the satellites of Uranus.

Precious: A child so highly valued by those around her that it will lead to strife. It will not be uncommon to hear shouts of "No, I wants to hold the Precious!"

Princess: A high-maintenance child given to tea parties, tantrums, and ordering the execution of her dollies for their insolence.

Prudence: A cautious Pilgrim most comfortable when clad in a bodice and floor-length skirt.

Purity: The state of being pure.

Pussy: Though an endearing term for a cat, when this name is applied to a man's physical prowess or the anatomy of a woman, it is less than endearing. This name should be avoided at all cost!


Q

Queen: A man who enjoys dressing as a woman and performing dance numbers in front of small crowds while lip-synching to songs by Cher and Abba.

Queenie: An obese cat that has developed a taste for tuna fish and is unable to walk four steps without passing out from exhaustion. (The latter part is also a good description of my ex! HA!)

Quorum: Similar to a minion, only not as many Jews.

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Friday, April 09, 2010

NOT talking to Ivan, escaping Mr. Creep and Raymond, cycling facts, and more!

Eric picked me up, and (after trying to fix the seatbelt since I may have done something to it last night) almost immediately started talking about what I should plan to do tonight - I hardly ever talk to Ivan on the weekends, so it's unlikely I'd get THAT done! He wondered if I planned to talk to Dave Wong - well, er, yes. Discussed scissors as a weapon, preparing to kill people, deaths, and more. Some time later, he started talking to me in French, and laying the blame for the sewage pipes project on Nanaimo at my feet. I don't think my bathroom activities at the old church really had any impact on that project, thanks! When we got to the church, we were a little late. I escaped being in a group with both Raymond and Mr. Creep by THIS much - Raymond, fine... but NOT MR. CREEP! Found out that he was calling himself by some Chinese name for the activity where the group silently lines itself up in alphabetical order - Grace and I couldn't figure out WHY, until some Agape guy said he had the same first name. Fred, Dennis, Kelvin, Johnny, Jon, Dylan, Deb, Grace, and I had a moderate amount of fun with learning things about each other. Liquor store, the electric slide, pregnancy cravings for McDonalds, computer, discounts, rainforest layers, ads, songs, chocolate, remembering birthdays, Pho activities (which we will do the first weekend of May), emails, marriage, silent treatment, sleep needs, and more - nice!

After that, I talked to Dave about his cycling hat - apparently, some cycling dude had a bunch of records in place BEFORE aerodynamic bikes were invented, which even I think is pretty cool! He said he hadn't been keeping up with my blogs (status messages), but I figured that was okay - he says the communication between him and the other Asian workers at Kin's Farm is a bit lacking because of the barrier, but I also understand that. Seems he plans to run errands with his brother on the weekend: "We're a Griffin family!" Hahaha! I said that I might link him to Oddee ("a site full of bizarre lists") - he seemed to like the idea, although he did say that sometimes he deleted things from his FB wall, and it was nothing personal. Hey, I understand people use Facebook in different ways, so it's cool... even *I* do that on occasion! "Feel free to send things over!" he said - I'll definitely take his word for it, although I bet I sounded awkward when I said that maybe I should send it as a message then, heh. OH WELL! He wondered if I'd heard about the Double Down - I have indeed read about that KFC monstrosity, and apparently he wants to have one! It reminded him of the Luther Burger that he'd sent me - oh yes, I see the resemblance! Then I asked whether he was going to the Whistler retreat (even though I already knew the answer) - apparently, he's been to enough retreats already, and also needs to save money. I hear him there, believe me! He had some pineapple, and wondered whether I'd had a chocolate chip cookie dipped in the chocolate fondue - that would be chocolate overkill, man! I told him about the time that Jon had dipped broccoli into some chocolate fondue, haha.

I was trying to get to another part of the room, but Mr. Creep kept getting within a foot of where I wanted to go! GO AWAY, MAN! Talked to Annie and Vicky about flight prices, Europe tours, and more. Then I asked Teresa whether she was going to Andrea's wedding... this was partly to stop her from asking Annie and Vicky the usual questions like where they went to high school! (noticed Dave in a group with Dylan and Mr. Creep - oh well) She said that she was working at McDonalds then, and asked Cindy what time the ceremony was. While we were talking about Andrea and Chuck's future plans, I noticed that I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction going on, as the top portion of my undershirt was quite visible above my blue bling sweater! Resolved to get home and throw it away (along with another one I had which is too easy to wear backwards :P), so I was kinda antsy from then on. Met the female Mickey Pun when Dianne was talking to her about stuff like kayaking and Deep Cove. Eric tried playing a little piano once Dylan, Cordia, and Quan had their turns (saw Sonya too) - Stanley wanted him to attempt a Bach prelude, hahaha! He also told us about some 16-bar arrangement which he termed the best piece of writing he'd done yet. Bass guitar, piano, and drums - sounded cool enough!

Talked to Cindy about being cold, to Deb about how Dylan had a jock side and an artistic side, to Grace about being really tired, and to Wes / Kevin / Cindy / Jon / Dianne / Christon / Pastor John about snowboarding / Pastor John's family liking snow sports (but not chocolate TOO MUCH unless it's certain people) / a chipmunk iPhone app / Richie's farewell / playoff tickets. Jon's making Pad Thai for the food class tomorrow night, and was all "NYAH!" at me / Eric / Wes because we wouldn't get to eat it. Eric wanted downtime, and I'm not in the food class anyway - even if I were, I would probably want the downtime too! Someone wondered where Harmony was, so Jon said that she was at home sleeping or resting. Her sleep issues are better now, but she still needs Jon in the bed in order to sleep well - of course, since Jon is a night owl, that doesn't happen as often as she wants! She'll give him the silent treatment if she's mad - Grace will do the same to Phil, but will start slamming doors and such if he doesn't notice! Haha, sounds like interesting married life! Dave said bye to a bunch of us, telling me that he was being let loose on the streets. I joked that he should put out a warning EVERY TIME he did this, haha. I asked Jon whether he was going to the church early tomorrow - when he said that he was going to be there at 6, I said that it would be the approximate time I'd start getting ready to leave after Awana! He termed that "NICE!" hahaha. Shortly afterwards, Uncle Eugene kicked us out of the kitchen - okay, we're leaving already! Then I pressed the wrong elevator button - oops.

On the way home, Jon thought I incriminated myself a lot - I don't know about that! He said that he didn't notice me sitting by a certain someone tonight... well, Eric and I got there late! At least he seems to have a good rapport with Jon - always a good thing! After we got gas and dropped Jon off at home ("it'll take from five minutes to forever if I diagnose your laptop print spooler!"), Eric and I discussed the lich king / random dungeons / Jack Skellington / LOST / ETERNAL DESTRUCTION and its sanity meter / NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (ST. PATRICK'S DAY) / Failblog vs. Failbook / odd lists, and more. Interesting times, as usual. He said that he should confirm whether he's doing sound - this after I almost assumed that he wasn't doing anything on Sunday. The audio-visual team doesn't need a full hour of practice, duh! Guess I'll call him sometime tomorrow evening, haha!

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Dark chocolate mini-eggs and yogurt body wash

Went out to cash a cheque before the bank closed, then I mailed Tara's card before I forgot, despite having it in my bag. While I was at Shoppers Drug Mart, I remembered that I needed body wash - I got Dial Yogurt Vanilla and Honey, and Dial Yogurt Aloe Vera since I'd never had them before. I also remembered that I wanted some chips, so got Ruffles HOT WINGS! Then I briefly looked around at the Easter stuff which was still there - got a pack of DARK CHOCOLATE Cadbury Mini-Eggs, which Nathan wanted a couple days ago. When I left, I realized that I'd forgotten to buy wax paper and some scissors for one of my kitchen drawers. I waste so much time looking for scissors in a drawer which doesn't have them that I might as well buy an extra pair! (yes, I know... I have memory issues!)

So I was off to the nearby London Drugs to get that stuff: the Reynolds wax paper was billed as "perfect for the microwave!" That sounds good for my chicken plans, as I didn't want to get the parchment paper which was right next to it, and then find out (after opening) that it's totally the wrong thing! After grabbing a pair of scissors, I briefly looked around at the Easter stuff - I had to get an "Egg Hunt Pack" (marshmallow / Reese / Oh Henry / eggs galore!) which was $5 off. Was briefly tempted by Wolfgang Puck's organic soup, but didn't get those cans. Didn't see any instant noodles or buy any milk, which is probably just as well, since I was JUST IN TIME for a 407 heading home. I was home at 6:25, which gives me enough time to put stuff away / blog / change / eat a beef pot pie for dinner before Eric picks me up! Thanks to the Evite reminder, I now know that Richie's farewell starts at 6 on Sunday at Alan and Tracy's party room! And he just called, so I have ten minutes to drink something too!

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Dream of tatami trees and lots of kids / Movie theaters!

I dreamed that I was teaching a CROWDED kiddy Sunday School class in a small room. The two parents who chose to stay behind and talk were in my way when I tried telling a story to the kids, so they moved to another part of the room. Then the older kids wanted to color, and were asking me all kinds of questions... I was glad to take them on a boat trip to see tatami trees and Edmonton on the water. Chung was there, holding his baby son Mattias and telling him about the trees and water. He actually seemed interested! The kids liked playing with toys, and viewing the trees and caves out the window, too. Weird stuff!




You are Intellectual and Expressive



You are popular and well-liked. You know how to please a crowd and work a room.



You tend to respect authority and value expert opinions. You are well-read.



You have an idealistic take on life. Things aren't perfect, but you're doing your best to change them.



Spending time alone makes you more optimistic and ready to take on the world. You like to recharge.

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Aberdeen noodle houses seem to be fine as a plan! / Grand Rapids

High-scoring word of the night:

CAPSIZE (732 points) - against Tiffany M. [4W, 2W, hook off HARD to make CHARD] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Called Auntie Ying, who seemed happy to hear from me. She just had some relatives in town, so told me about the cute granddaughter who wore her clothing - nice! Discussed the toddler Sunday School, Bible verses (too many passages!), Easter Sunday, Jason's dad getting baptized, getting together at a noodle house near Aberdeen on the 20th (so she doesn't have to rush), prayer, and more. Considering how I wanted to cut our time short on the previous occasion we got together, I don't know if my giving her the whole afternoon is a good thing. Maybe it's because I had to allow myself enough time to catch up before going out to meet Eric, haha. And I can always watch NBC DATELINE on the 16th!


Trivia fact for Friday, Apr. 9: On what body of water is the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, situated? On the Grand River. The city was named for its proximity to the river's rapids.

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Thursday, April 08, 2010

I don't know if I like LIVING WATERS...

I was on time to meet Eric, but he was ten minutes late... at least he apologized to me after trying to make me sit on his Kleenex box! Talked about the usual subjects, receipts (Kevin is the man for them now - but we're in a BIND!), Subway, some odd numbers being weird, some even numbers being weird, my liking even numbers in general, my age, Pac-Man, scores, chicken pot pies (no weed or brownies were involved!), "opportunities with hidden risks," horoscopes, Dylan, and other things. At church, Pastor John let us in - he, Eric, Dylan, Kevin, Jen, Johnny, and I talked about money / Andrea and Richie leaving / Albert, Carmen, Dave, Mr. Creep, and others being (relative) newcomers / hospitality / guests with gifts (not when it comes to Mr. Creep!), Living Waters (I am morally opposed to them because of the "ex-gay" thing), and the retreat.

We booked venues for programs, discussed how Andrea and Chuck's wedding MIGHT affect a program, and figured out how tired we'd be. Johnny says that he's going to six weddings - that's a lot! Dylan gave us his new number, since he and Deb switched phones. Eric drove Jen to her mom's, and drove Dylan home. We talked about ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, MELROSE PLACE (soap operas as family time?!), BEVERLY HILLS 90210, "girl" books, playoff game tickets for Eric and his family, A WRINKLE IN TIME, "DEATH!" passion while watching hockey, refs, Lillian's Sunday School class on sexuality, applications, and more. At least I will probably take the 16th as an off-day, haha.

Eric said that he thinks I should attend the Living Waters talk (and not pay attention if they bring up ex-gays), and call Ivan... we'll see! He bugged me about Dave Wong, as per the usual. As if he'd be a distraction during the talk! Just because I sat next to him for two weeks in a row probably doesn't mean anything, although maybe I should quit disturbing him with my stuff when it seems like he wants to reflect. (he told me a couple weeks ago that Eric was Kool like the cigarette, haha!)

Eric says he's watching LOST / CAPRICA / FRINGE... and he was surprised to learn that I think Mr. Creep looks like a sex offender. I know that's mean, but it's kinda there! Says he'll send me an email ten times as long as the original "CALL IVAN!" one... haha, no thanks! He's going from home tomorrow, so shall pick me up around 7. At least I won't have to rush to mail Tara's card off or do other things! "CALL YOUR MOTHER!" he says - HA, THAT WON'T RESOLVE THINGS! I also told him about a guy with the same last name as him who was featured on an ODDEE list - I'll send The Ten Most Bizarre Legal Defenses Ever to him later. (I also had to tell him that the ODDEE lists were not the same as the US sex offenders list!) Got home and made hangout plans with Billie for retreat weekend - hot and sour soup should be fine.

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Dream of naked cold women / No time to do anything! / Five Personality Traits

High-scoring word of the day so far:

SANDSHOE (110 points) - against Julie N. [5W, 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Had a dream about a naked cold woman being left out in the snow after a sports competition, so people took her in to shelter and warmed her up. Then my mom showed up, and wanted to see Christon and Chung... she did, then wanted to take their food. Christon explained that the food was his and his dad's, so she'd have to go somewhere else. She wasn't impressed, so she got Uncle Ted and Auntie Grace to take her out to a Chinese restaurant. There was a movie showing, so we watched that - it was one of those epic generational ones. We took the leftover food from other tables, and somehow nobody found anything wrong with that, haha. Weird dream!

Eric called to arrange a ride for tonight's Committee Meeting - you bet I want to arrange a ride, and then quickly check stuff and eat a chicken pot pie before leaving! No time to answer email, as I did get up past 4 PM, briefly interrupted by some idiot knocking at my door at 11 AM. UGH! Oh well, maybe when I get home!




You Are Agreeableness



You are an unselfish and considerate person. You don't easily find fault with others.

You are helpful and polite. You forgive and forget. You try your best not to start drama.



You are warm and welcoming. You are truly happy to see people, and you're willing to give almost anyone a fresh start.

You like to cooperate, even if it requires a little give and take. You have a low threshold for drama.

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Being a total sports freak

This thing just restarted! Oh well, I should be trying to sleep anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if I don't get up till 4 PM... o_O

Note: Your LJ Christmas Party Memegen, by damianarose.


Are you a sports freak? by true_blonde
What's your name?
What sport do you play?
How long do you practice?
you area total sports freak

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Zipline, Lego, being there for Grandma only, polygamy, contentment, and Sinatra

Got out of the apartment in time to meet Harmony at the Canada Line station - it was certainly pretty rainy and windy! We talked about Holly's birthday, trying to get gifts for someone who likes EVERYTHING in general, my not really being on speaking terms with Mom, Grandma appreciating my being there at the dinner (of course - it was BIG G!), Dave Wong (HA!), and some other stuff on the way to Karmie's. I know she was trying to keep me covered with her umbrella, but with the way I walk and such, it wasn't really happening - at least I had my dragon hat! At Karmie's, Helen C. and Andrea showed up eventually - we discussed Leah, Rachel, polygamy, the Salem witch hunt, naming, the Olympics / Richmond Oval, Josiah really liking to build things out of Lego (custom pieces are EXPENSIVE!), Nathaniel / Abby loving to watch people go by on the Zipline, puzzle / educational games, the weather, and more. Asked Andrea for a ride home - we talked about being content, Chuck, grabbing opportunities in Hamilton, Elaine, major life changes, and more. I'm glad to have friends like these!


Trivia fact for Thursday, Apr. 8: What country once implemented a policy that its leaders jokingly referred to as the "Sinatra Doctrine"? The former Soviet Union, in 1989, when then-president Mikhail Gorbachev announced that his government would no longer intervene in the internal affairs of its Eastern European neighbors. The doctrine's nickname was a reference to the Frank Sinatra song My Way, because it allowed the USSR's neighbors to go their own way.

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Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Shay / Don't comment endlessly if you're just trying to find something! / Gardens

High-scoring word of the day so far:

SHAY (118 points) - against Colleen J. [two 3W, hook off BANNER for a plural]


Kelli (neonrose5) was annoying me by posting endless comments on my status messages. She says she was trying to find the one where we talked about books... well, then don't comment on all the other ones! SO FRUSTRATING! It made my inbox and notifications explode, and of course I had to keep track of all the comments since I'm OCDL like that. Luckily, AFTER the spate had died down, I found the appropriate privacy setting so she can't see my posts for now. PHEW!




You Are an English Garden



You are creative and vibrant. You are inspired by everything around you, and you don't have any one style.

You like a mix of old and new. And you always have something unique to add to the equation as well.



You are informal, open-minded, and flexible. You love to play around with art and design.

You tend to change things up a lot. Whether it's your own clothes or your home, you can't stay with one look for long!

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Misty banners and exobiologists

Bingo of the night:

BIMANUAL (1140 points) - against Angela V.

High-scoring words of the night:

CRAZY (207 points) - against Marie H. [two 3W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
BIMANUAL (1140 points) - against Angela V. [2W, two 5W, 3L on B] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
BIOASSAYS (160 points) - against Trista K. [4W]
BARONAGES (165 points) - against Diana S. [5W, 3W]
BANNER (100 points) - against Colleen J. [5W, 2W, hook off OW to make BOW]
MISTY (325 points) - against Serina M. [two 5W]


Trivia fact for Wednesday, Apr. 7: What does an exobiologist study? Extraterrestrial life.

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Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Dream of Teunis and Julie / Changing dentist appointment / "Mice treatment" / Love

I had a dream where Jon and Harmony lived in an extremely cramped place, and yet they wanted to take the family out - me, Grandma, Mom, AND Dad. I really didn't feel like seeing my parents, but got them to include Teunis and Julie S. because it was their birthday coming up soon. We went to a place with escalators and an amusement park, and then had to set up a bunch of desks in an open area. My friends kept me sane, and that was the extent of what I remember. Not sure why I had it - Teunis and Julie's birthday IS coming up on the 13th, my friends have always kept me sane, and I still don't want to interact much with my parents. That's about all I can think of!

Was able to change my dentist appointment to a better time (no Sean, and more money) - Friday the 23rd at 2:30 works for me! I bet I'll still have to set my alarm to get up, given my sleep schedule lately. Ugh. The apartment manager Hester called this morning, so I called her back to see what she wanted - apparently, my sleep schedule has made me miss another "mice treatment session." I'm still going to report them, for sure!




You Find it Somewhat Easy to Love



Love is never easy, and while you try your best to let love into your life, it's a struggle.

You find it a bit difficult to get close to and trust other people. You've been burned before!



You keep your heart as open as possible. You would like to love more, and be loved in return.

Wanting love is half the battle, so keep up the hard work. Eventually, you'll get all the love you crave.

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Don, prizes, vain glory, earrings, thanks from Dylan, ODD THINGS, and strikeouts

Bingo of the night:

EARRINGS (185 points) - against Tracey H.


High-scoring words of the night:

EARRINGS (185 points) - against Tracey H. [two 4W, hook off DINT for a plural]
NEEM (175 points) - against Paul M. [two 5W]
PRIZE (228 points) - against Michelle L. [3W, 4W]
FAQIRS (105 points) - against Diana S. [5W]
VAINGLORY (590 points) - against Serina M. [5W, 3W, 3L on V and Y]
DON (137 points; 5W used twice, 4W, hook off JUICY to make JO and UN), LAVABO (240 points; 4W, 5W) - against Laurie T. {both good deficit-erasing words!}
ENOUGH (110 points) - against Sean R. [5W, 2W]


I emailed Dylan a reminder about the Committee Meeting minutes and agenda. He's thanked me personally and corporately, and sent out his own reminder email... so I'll believe it when I see the results, haha. Noticed that Jane Knox (justsurvive) unfriended me from both LJ and Facebook - okay, then! Just found Oddee, which is a site for strange and bizarre lists - HAHAHAHAHA!

Trivia fact for Tuesday, Apr. 6: What baseball legend struck out only 369 times in 6821 at-bats during his 13-season major league career? Yankee great Joe DiMaggio, who hit 361 home runs.

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Monday, April 05, 2010

President Hassan is dead, and he got a silent clock!

Weiss locks Warden Norton in his office, and goes to talk to his accomplice, the General. Weiss wants to get help for Warden Norton, but the General refuses. Taylor has a statement she wants Warden Norton to look over, and she asks if anyone's seen him. Weiss and the General look at each other conspiratorially while you hear that sound effect they use whenever someone realizes that a) there's a mole, b) there's a traitor, or c) there's a larger plot going on. Luckily for them, Taylor didn't hear it. President Hassan is upset, and doesn't want to be the cause of so many people losing their lives. Renee tries to talk to Jack about Hassan, but all she does is distract Jack long enough for Hassan to hit him in the back with a crowbar. Bobby "the Brain" Heenan would be proud. I'm guessing Jack will feel absolutely no ill effects from it, even though most people would have suffered a broken back. Hassan decides to turn himself over, and gives his gun to the soldier.

The General gets the good news, and tells Weiss to make the call. Weiss is still concerned about Warden Norton, but the General doesn't care. Man, what did Warden Norton do to the General? He must have put the General in solitary confinement for two months because the General called him "obtuse" or something. The General wants to know if Samir will call off the attack, but Samir hangs up on him. The General is outraged that Samir might be going back on his word, and feels violated. I mean, if you can't trust a terrorist with a nuclear bomb, then who can you trust? Tarin is seriously freaking out, but Samir calls 10 seconds before the bomb is supposed to go off, and tells him to shut it off. Tarin looks like he just got a stay of execution from the governor.

Sure enough, Jack's C-4 vertebrae is fine, and he smashes through a glass window with his elbow. He calls in to Chloe, and tells her to get a clean line to the President. Dana's mole sense is tingling, and she wanders over to find out what that was about, but Chloe tells her to make like a bee and buzz off. Jack tells Renee to take the Hassans back to President Taylor while he goes looking for President Hassan. Renee looks disappointed. She wanted to spend some more quality time in the field with Jack. After all, their entire relationship is built on shooting people and interrogating suspects, right? Jack hails a cab for Renee and the Hassans. That's not a good idea. After all, aren't the cabbies sympathetic to Samir?

Jack gives President Taylor the 411 about the plot. He then sees some guy get out of his car while leaving the engine running. Sure enough, it's as if Jack's like a kid in a candy store as he nonchalantly commandeers the vehicle and drives off. Chloe's nonplussed reaction as she watches Jack commit his 10th GTA is pretty funny. Hassan and the mercenary park somewhere on the Upper West Side, and I'm not even going to comment on how ridiculous it is that they found a space. Anyway, Tarin calls Hassan's cell phone. When Hassan asks if it's Tarin, Tarin looks a little embarrassed, and is about to lower his voice and go: "Uh, no, uh, this is, uh Mustafa..."

Tarin tells the mercenary ("Bishop") to get out of the car and walk towards the intersection. Tarin drops a set of keys on the sidewalk, and I'm surprised no one swoops them up. Bishop is looking around, trying to see who's talking to him, and he manages to miss the tall, hunky Kamistani walking past him. I guess Tarin's not his type. Bishop does, indeed, find the bomb. I guess Samir really is a man of his word. Why he went through the trouble of procuring the nuclear rods if he was just going to hand them over is beyond me. Secret Service breaks into Warden Norton's office, and find him on the couch. They arrest the General and Weiss, but first, Taylor wants a word with Weiss. He tries to justify his actions, but she slaps him in the face. She talks about how the peace process has gone down the toilet, but Weiss thinks New York City was worth saving. Ann Coulter would disagree.

CTU finally gets their lights back. Really? It took three hours to get the lights back? Bubba wants Dana and Chloe to locate Hassan, but Dana does the mole walk - turn your head to the side, look suspiciously into the camera, and walk towards the door with your head down. Luckily for her, no one picks up on it. Chloe calls Jack, and they try to set up a rescue operation for Hassan. Cole is back in CTU, and Dana makes an excuse to go see her Cole Slaw. She tries to make a call to Tarin, but Cole interrupts her. They make small talk about the probation officer, but Dana says she took care of it. See, that should have tipped off Cole. Earlier in the season, Dana couldn't find her way out of her own jacket without Cole's help. Now, she's taking care of everything on her own?

I know this is beating a dead horse, but Freddie Prinze Jr. is a horrible, horrible actor. He tries to reassure Dana that they'll get through this, and shoots her his "I'm being heartfelt and serious" look. In reality, he looks like someone just asked him what the square root of 294 was. Hassan tries to reason with Tarin, but Tarin isn't receptive. They have some kind of philosophical debate that's really kind of boring. So instead, I'll just point out that, even though they both come from "Kamistan," Hassan and Tarin have different accents. I guess they must be from different regions.

The medics take Warden Norton away, and Taylor wants him back at work as soon as possible. Go easy on the guy, Madame President! He just had a heart attack. Even W. let Cheney take time off from being President after he had his eighth heart attack. The President makes nice with Renee, and thanks her while alluding to some of her problems from the last season. Renee looks surprised when the President goes to shake her hand, but ultimately she looks relieved and somewhat proud. Cole has everyone in place, and has a great plan in place to retrieve Hassan. As such, we can expect everything to go exactly as planned. Dana makes an excuse to check out the "trunk line" and leaves. She brings up the satellite coverage on the computer, and is about to call the terrorists when Arlo catches her. He is suspicious of Dana, but is distracted, once again, by her – uh – computer skills. Arlo goes to doublecheck her work, and Dana grabs a cable and is about to strangle him like she did with the probation officer. I guess that's her M.O. Dana finally calls Tarin, and he freaks out. You know, he really isn't cut out for the whole terrorism gig. Stick to being a gigolo, Tarin.

Jack is following Tarin, and guess what? Only one of them is driving a stolen car – and it isn't Tarin. Tarin suddenly drives into a parking garage, and Jack follows him. Cole redistributes his troops, and has them set up a perimeter around the parking garage. I think we all know what's about to happen. Tarin keeps driving up towards the roof, and Jack is in hot pursuit. Tarin drives off the roof and crashes onto the ground below. Jack goes to the wreck and finds Tarin in the driver's seat, but Hassan is nowhere to be found. Deus ex machina time as, apparently, Tarin had the foresight to have accomplices inside that garage. Sure, why not? It's not nearly as implausible as some of the other stuff this show has pulled off over the years. They load Hassan into the trunk of a Honda hybrid. At least those terrorists are green-friendly. Jack tells Renee they have a mole in CTU, and she's shocked. Guess she hasn't been watching this show.

Dana is trying to leave, but she now has to show her pass before leaving per Bubba's new security protocol that he managed to institute despite devoting all this time to recovering Hassan. Isn't that like buying a ticket to get out of the movie theater? Dana tries to sweet-talk the guards, but to no avail. She should have said she needed her tampons or something. That would have sufficiently freaked out the guards. CTU updates President Taylor about their latest failure to maintain a perimeter. Just build a wall around New York and be done with it. Meanwhile, the Russians suddenly show up and want to talk to President Taylor. That can't be a good sign. They always bring bad news, at least on this show.

I wonder if Suvarov is still the leader of Russia. Or if he pulled a Putin and stepped down to be the "Premier," even though everyone knows he still calls the shots. The Russian ambassador wants to pull out of the treaty if Hassan dies, but Taylor goes off on him. She talks about how the Russians have been looking for a reason to do this, and I'm guessing we'll find out soon that the Russians were behind this all along. It would explain how they get Logan back on the show. Renee is with Chloe, and they talk about the mole issue. Chloe sounds surprised. I can't imagine why.

Dana goes to talk to Bubba, and finagles her way into Bubba's workstation. That's a lot of trouble to go through just to get out. She could just do what Jack does, and force her way out with a gun. Dana's been made, and sure enough, she did use the Jack method. She shoots a few guards, and tries to escape. Cole looks shocked. Now, it's CTU's turn to play the "Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight" as they can't hit Dana. You know, Dana is a pretty good shot for someone who sits behind a desk all day. Dana manages to start her car and get away, but luckily Cole is there to stop her. He yells with a gun pointed at her, and asks her who she really is... Bubba tells him to let her go. This is exactly like the scene in the first season when Jack stopped Nina from escaping. She wants to talk to Bauer? What is she? Crazy? He has ways of torturing you that haven't even been written about yet.

Cole comes clean about Dana's past – well, except for the stuff about how he disposed of those two hillbillies. Cole wants to stay on duty, but Bubba isn't convinced even though he's been burned both personally and professionally. He sends Cole to be debriefed, and hopefully, that means we'll be free of Freddie for a few episodes. Jack tells Bubba that he's fulfilled his part of the deal by securing the nuclear rods. He's only here because he promised President Taylor he'd recover President Hassan. Oh, and because his contract stipulates he appear on all 24 episodes in the season. Jack goes in to talk to Dana. Of course, she wants immunity. Don't they all? Take a number, lady. Seriously, they could give them out at the DMV. If they can wait in line for hours, then they will have earned it.

Dana also wants to be compensated for the deal going south. Jack has his own way of negotiating, obviously, and introduces his hand to her neck. Dana tells Jack that Hassan is alive so that the terrorists can force him into reading a statement online. I doubt anyone would care, though. All the journalists are busy covering Tiger Woods at the Masters. Finally, Dana talks about how there have been enough screw-ups, and wants Jack to handle this. Well, she is right about that much. The conveniently-stationed terrorists take Hassan to an apartment. Good to see they're branching out and staying away from warehouses.

Samir is going to make Hassan read a statement, and broadcast it on the Internet. They have a face-to-face that goes something like this:
SAMIR: You betrayed our country!
HASSAN: No, you did!
SAMIR: No, you!
HASSAN: You!
SAMIR: You!
HASSAN: You!
SAMIR: You!
HASSAN: Me!
SAMIR: ME!! Me! I betrayed my country! Shoot me!

Okay, maybe that was a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Anyway, they inject Hassan with some stuff. I'm guessing sodium pentathol? I have no idea how that would help. I don't know of any other chemical compounds, though. Don't blame me. Taylor goes to visit Warden Norton, and you can cut the sexual tension with a knife. Warden Norton is coherent enough to talk about the Kamistani Constitution and the political situation in the African (?) / Middle Eastern (?) / East Asian (?) republic. Who knows? It's probably located in the Caribbean or something. Anyway, here's the gist of it: they're screwed if Hassan dies.

Arlo is upset that he didn't notice Dana's subterfuge. That's what happens when you spend more time looking at Dana's rack than her face. Arlo actually admits as much, and that's the first step to recovery. Chloe tells him to get over it, and clearly she's gearing up for the end of the show by transitioning to a career as a motivational speaker. Cole is upset that Dana has immunity, and goes off on Bubba. Jack has vouched for Cole, though, so Bubba agrees to take Cole off the bench for the mission. NO!!! Dana says Samir has about three men left because Jack killed the rest. Jack looks unimpressed. It's been a slow day for him.

Samir tortures Hassan, and tries to get him to agree to read the statement. Hassan tells him to kiss off, and Samir Tasers him. Samir needs another solution, and apparently, using CGI footage of Hassan from Slumdog Millionaire isn't an option. So... Samir goes online and talks about all of Hassan's crimes, and vows to carry out the appropriate sentence. Of course, he isn't man enough to show his face. Chloe figures out Hassan's exact location based on the angle of the light and some other stuff. She got all that from a window? And we're supposed to believe that she was actually having trouble earlier in the day with the new CTU software?

Jack tells Renee he wants her to stay behind him and do exactly as he says. Are they talking about the mission or something else? Samir is still rattling off the charges, and this is giving CTU valuable time to get in position. Just read the top charge, Samir. No one cares if you find him guilty of disorderly conduct. Jack sees a Muslim man in the hall, and shoots him. He declares that it's one of Samir's men, and removes a gun from the guy's vest. Or it could have been a cabbie. Oh well.

Jack and Renee enter the apartment, and see a Muslim woman and child. I'm guessing the terrorists aren't there – maybe they're really a few blocks away or something. Jack keeps hearing Samir rattling off the charges, and moves towards a secret room. Jack takes out the hostiles, and looks to have saved the day once again. But now he realizes that Hassan is already dead. Turns out the Internet feed was on a delay. I have to say, I didn't see that coming. So the terrorists are dead now, and there are still eight episodes or so. Who will be new villains? I'm guessing the Russians, which is kind of a cliche at this point. Still, at least it isn't the Chinese. Things are bad enough between the U.S. and China right now. We don't need this show to add fuel to the fire. Silent clock for Hassan. Guess he's really dead.

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Blocking AMERICAN rooms with laptops / "Medicine is alive!" / My Canadian name

Another day, another weird phone call... 714-360-8121, anyone? This one was from California! The only part I remember from my dream is going to this HUGE library with a bunch of people, and wondering why people were blocking the door of the AMERICAN room (huge US flag) with their laptops. They were also sitting on top of the bookshelf, yet somehow holding on... and wanted to be there past 2 AM. Weird, man.

Yesterday, I asked the kids what they thought was alive, because Jesus was risen from the dead and is alive again. Conor had the right idea, naming Sean (his brother) / Harrison / Amos / Amanda because they move around. Ramen and the others might not have, saying that chocolate and medicine were alive... HAHAHA!




Your Canadian Name is Anais Brooke Gagnon



Ehh... whadya think eh?

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Reminders to Eric and Dylan / Police in Different Voices

High-scoring words of the night so far:

HEPCAT (330 points) - against Lisa C. [2W, 5W]
JAYS (137 points) - against Kim S. [5W, 3L on Y]


I noticed that Alex Lee unfriended me from Facebook - I can understand that, I guess! Tomorrow, I'll send Dylan a reminder email about the Committee minutes and agenda since I said I'd do that last time. We do have a meeting on Thursday, after all... and I'll remind Eric about Richie's farewell on Friday!


Trivia fact for Monday, Apr. 5: What world-famous poem was originally titled He Do the Police in Different Voices? The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, whose editor (Ezra Pound) is believed to have pressed for the title change. The poem is dedicated to Pound.

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Sunday, April 04, 2010

Baptisms, sharpeners, Romano's, "I'm REALLY OLD [at six]!", and walnuts in salad

I called Eric just as he and his parents were leaving, but didn't recognize the car that backed into the parking lot... it turned out to be theirs, however. I'd prepared several safe answers in case Ron and Veronica asked me about my parents, but they didn't - phew! We discussed the mountains, snow, Cypress, Grouse, Seymour, working from home, watching Olympic events on TV, the O Zone entertainment, making conversation about Kieran, what Karmie's name was (Ron had called her Grace last time!), Sunrise Service weather guesses, and more stuff on the way over. When we got in the church (saw Eunice / Flora / Isaac on the way in), I wondered if they'd like to go into the sanctuary... then I saw Mom from a long way off, and directed them towards her instead. Then Veronica wondered if I was okay with my stuff... definitely! I saw Steph, who said that I was BAD for not attending Sunrise Service, so I said that Eric's parents were here today. HA!

I went into the sanctuary first (felt a bit guilty at just leaving Eric's parents to fend for themselves - but figured they knew what to do), and noticed Dave sitting in his usual spot. There was just enough room for me to put my stuff down, which was fine. He didn't seem to mind my sitting by him again, haha. We were closer than last week, but I still gave him enough room for his arms, hahaha. Told me some stuff about Kin's Farm Market, which is apparently "balling" from the research he did - nice! (siblings, Queenie, Oakridge, UBC, Chilliwack...) He asked about the Good Friday night service - when I asked what he'd done, he said he'd "peeped" the Chinese one in the morning! HAHAHA! Steph came by to whisper that she'd bombed ABC Restaurant, so I had to tell her that I'd been EPIC in the usual place, haha. She wasn't impressed, I bet! Harmony noticed where I was sitting, and gave me a thumbs-up... when Jon noticed it later after he'd led the first song set, he gave me a LOOK, so I had to shake my head at him.

Jen, Lanie, and Cordia's baptismal testimonies were pretty good - even if they were nervous, the humor shone through. "I thought God was a big cloud with a really huge lens flare! Or maybe some bearded guy with a white robe which always had a blue thing on it!" Dave made some remarks to me about the baptismal tank being a spa, plus some other stuff which I didn't catch... DARN MY HEARING! I couldn't really say "Sorry?" to that, since we were focused on the audio-visual showing on the Powerpoint overhead. At least I knew it was humorous! (I was a bit surprised when I saw Eric's parents go up to take Communion, but figured it was all good... also saw Frances' baby Isaac for the first time - and Micah, too) During the offering, he couldn't find his money in time, so wondered to me whether it would be okay if he just slipped it in later on in the back... should be, I guess! (I need to step up my game too, hahaha) Dave said that we should go to Romano's Macaroni Grill as a group since he hadn't been there in some time - EXPENSIVE, haha! But I did like drawing on the tablecloths.... yes, I'm such a kid. :P

After service, I went to the fellowship hall - my beloved coffee was there, and I needed it! I said hi to Tracy, who wondered if the baptismal candidates would be coming in, because she had cards for them. Usually, they would... but they were out in the foyer taking pictures and such. Discussed the shaky audio-visual, and the position of the baptism tank being such that you can't really get a good view unless you're RIGHT THERE! Then we discussed how FITTING the weekend's weather was - stormy and windy on Good Friday, and beautifully sunny on Easter! After grabbing my own cards, I went out to find the baptismal candidates with coffee in hand. Found Jen first, and Shally said that I was so organized with my cards! Later, I found Lanie - Jon and I were blocking the door as he hugged her in congratulations, and I gave her my card. Last, I found Cordia near the stairs with Quan, Julie, and others... I said I'd hug her, but had coffee in my other hand as I gave her a card. She said she'd hug me, but she had all this stuff! Quan asked if I wanted a picture, so we did that before I went off to talk to others.

Saw Dave with Raymond, whom I ignored as per protocol. I asked Dave if he were joining us for lunch - he did ask me beforehand whether I had any plans afterwards! He said he wasn't, which is fine - I figure he had plans with his mom or something. Said hi to Cindy and baby Mattias, who was much more interested in his cracker than in interacting with us. Phil came up and waved to the toddler, who had a series of great expressions - I agreed with Phil that Mattias had quite a range! His mom Karen said that he knew what he wanted... haha, it's all good. Saw Daniel with Megan's brother Connor, so asked him how the UK was while saying hi to the baby... he said it was fantastic. Asked Eric about his plans afterwards - he said I should be able to see where they were eating later. True, true... Steph reminded me that I should go to Toddler Sunday School; I did that once I tore myself away from the weekly distraction which is the little kids! (Megan danced for me, and showed off her stuffed animal named Sushi)

Said hi to Auntie Catherine before I went upstairs, and Auntie Ying said that her relatives were in town till Thursday. For some reason, I apologized for not calling her a couple days ago! She thanked me for taking over the class, and said that we'd get together next week in Richmond or somewhere. I didn't recall making THOSE sorts of plans, but figured this was a spontaneous thing. She said that it was FINE since we were a TEAM - okay then! On my way to the toddler class, I joked that Hien and Golden were hanging out and texting each other (while standing right by each other in a quiet place) instead of going to Sunday School.

Went into the toddler room, where I tried apologizing to Conor for yelling at him last week - he was more interested in talking about strawberry / chocolate / vanilla ice cream, so it was fine. Said hi to Shira, Ramen, Harrison, Amos, Margaret J., Jason, Jessie, Rachel's grandma, and Amanda too. Discussed the Easter story, and of course Conor wanted to hold the visual aid / pencil / his little notebook. "Me likes holding things!" Hahaha, so cute! The kids drew rainbows, angels, leprechauns, things which didn't make sense, and more. Amanda told me that she was six and a half (... your birthday's in early February), and also that she was REALLY old! HAHAHAHA! Conor just turned six himself a couple weeks ago, and figured that he wasn't old at all... nice! The problem of not having enough Easter egg packages was solved by Ramen sharing with his sister Shira - I never expect to see Margaret! Talked about sharpeners for a broken pencil, pen ink (Conor took one of my pens apart!), smelling each other's shirts, and more. Gave one each to Rachel, Hannah, and Sean when they came in the room, too. Jason kept saying something in Mandarin to me, which of course I didn't understand. Jessie luckily understands a little.. he wanted water! Saw Dave walking around outside the toddler room, haha.

I went downstairs to see if I could talk to Grandma only, since I haven't seen her in a couple weeks. She turned to be in the sanctuary, where of course my parents were. Ugh... oh well, at least I saw Auntie Anita too, which is something else I'd been wanting to do. Grandma asked where I was last week, since she didn't see me - I couldn't answer that because she'd think Eric and I were dating if I told her that I went to lunch with him (and others), despite the fact that we've gone to a LOT of places as FRIENDS for the past 15 years or more! Mom said something about candles, but I pretended I didn't hear her. (bad?) Went into the fellowship hall, where lunch prep was under way. Ducked out to ask Natalie whether she knew if her brother had changed his cell number, or replaced the stolen phone - not really. Said bye to Dave, who was still around - I joked that he wouldn't make a good spy since I'd seen him a few minutes before around the toddler room! He asked if I did stuff with the little kids every week - you bet, even if you joke that they're running amok in there! (as long as they stay in the room - JASON doesn't! - without injury, then it's FINE!)

Went back into the fellowship hall, where people were eating lunch. Grabbed a plate from the kitchen drainer, and did likewise - sat about as far away from Mr. Creep as I could get while being technically across the room from him. (it's a big room...) Steph came in, and said that my scooping salad dressing answered her question as to whether I was eating lunch with the parents or not! (trust me, it's worth the cost to NOT be around them!) She also wanted me to answer Mom's emails about stuff... sorry, those aren't on my radar anymore, AND I'd answered the Grandma question at the last family dinner! Then she talked to someone about the roundabout at the Accent Inn, so I asked her how many times they'd gone around this morning: four times on the way to the restaurant, and ten times after breakfast! CRAZY! I joked that the Accent Inn people were getting ready to call people, haha.

Talked to Noah about the food briefly - he's still shy, but at least he answers me. Spoke to his brother Josiah about hockey and feeling better, too. Karmie said that the Women's Group was meeting again this Wednesday, so after a bit of hesitation, I yelled across three people to ask Harmony whether she were going. She was, and could meet me at the Skytrain / Canada Line station unless it was nasty - at first, It thought she was talking about the Skytrain, but she clarified that she meant the weather! Jon, Jeremy, Christon, and Jen made plans for the late afternoon / early evening (after a much-needed NAP!) to buy Jen drinks to celebrate her baptism.

Jeremy asked me whether Andrea was going to get a planning position with the city of Hamilton when she marries Chuck. I really don't know, but I've heard that one of her other co-workers is going on maternity leave around the same time that she leaves in May! Then I asked how his brother Mark was doing at Queens, and Jeremy said that he was doing okay... he just needs to find a city planning internship. Maybe Vancouver will be hiring since they lose two people next month, haha! I asked Eric if he were going to Richie's farewell - he is, so I asked him for a ride. He told me to call Ivan, even though he's pretty sure Ivan isn't coming. Speak of the devil, Ivan came into the room! I told him that we were just discussing him, and recapped the "does he have a cell phone yet or not?" phone conversation that Eric and I had had last Friday. He finally does, and it's the same number - phew!

Jeremy then rhetorically wondered what we did before cell phones, and I added an equally rhetorical query about what we did before Google. (I was looking up a bunch of stuff last night, to be sure!) Yes, I remember the crappiness of Yahoo! and AltaVista search engines very well! Asked Martin whether I'd forgotten his birthday - he knows I remember anyway, and gave me a hug. Went into the kitchen after paying the hat $5, and bantered with Michelle C. and Hannah W. After some more talk (Christon's family doesn't eat whole wheat pasta - he donated it to Eric), Jon and Harmony dropped me and Eric off at a Canada Line station near their place. Discussed a ridiculous arrangement that one of their friends has - when he told his parents that he was leaving the house to get married, they CRIED! So now, he and his wife have to sleep over at the parents' house EVERY WEEKEND. Man, you'd have to have two of EVERYTHING! Also talked about farro (pasta?), rollerblading around the seawall, interesting walks, Portland's Rose Garden, downtime, Baptisms, the Sun Run (which Jeremy is doing), and more.

I felt like watching my steps down the stairs carefully, as usual these days. Eric decided to take the train that went to the airport, so I reminded him that we'd have to change trains - I suppose it was worth it for him to get out from under the cold air vent! He joked that I'd be deported to Afghanistan because of my biological weapons... whatever, man! He also asked which dish I'd liked the best - I like the walnuts in the salad! Christon got the recipe from the American Food Network site, since their layout is vastly superior to the Canadian site. (you can also search for things, and do an "ingredient to recipe" thing)

I had also told Noah that I liked the pasta - the garlic butter bread was good, too. Then he wondered if I'd had any of the cheese bread, and mentioned that SOMEONE had made it - without close supervision for the first part, too! Oh dear me, haha. At Brighouse Station, he bid me adieu since he was taking the 410 in the opposite direction - if it goes near his house, it's all good since he thought he just missed the 401. Once he was across the street and out of view, I threw away the candles that Mom had given me - I don't USE them, although maybe she's thinking of power outages or something. However, tealight candles might not be of TOO much practical use in that event! At home, I downsized a TEENY bit, and put a pencil sharpener in my bag in case Conor wants to use it at some point. Then I responded YES to Grace's Evite - I'll figure out money issues later, haha. (and cancel my dentist appointment) Learned that Raymond has to leave that farewell party at Alan and Tracy's early so he can get to the airport... it'll be all good if as Eric and I stay longer than he does, hahaha!

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Happy Easter! / Jews, ZOOM, not getting too much sleep, and promoting peace

HAPPY EASTER!

High-scoring words of the morning:

ZOOM (270 points) - against Carol G. [3W, 5W]
JEWING (198 points) - against Janelle I. [two 3W]
EDIFICE (799 points) - against Colleen J. [two 5W, hook off YET to make YETI]


Okay, so I thought I'd get a bunch of sleep and be okay for Sunday morning. Nope, I found myself totally awake at 4 AM after I was REALLY sleepy at just past midnight. WTF?! I got some rest after deciding to go back to bed at 5:40, but it wasn't really as useful as I'd hoped. The upstairs neighbors were SHOWERING AGAIN, and light was starting to make itself visible. Oh well. I got up at 7:45, which is just fifteen minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off... Eric and his parents should be along in a while! And if they're not, I get to kill Eric next time I see him, on Friday!




You Sometimes Promote Peace



You probably consider yourself a peaceful person, but you're not as peaceful as you could be.

You tend to avoid conflict or even sometimes actively prolong it. You need to be right.



If you truly want to promote peace, you're going to have to put your ego in check.

Make amends even when you don't feel like making them. Forgive and forget. That's how peace happens.

This is correct, and now I feel guilty... but not when it comes to certain people!

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Banjos, essays, and Rex / Microwaving chicken and ground beef / the Easter Bunny

High-scoring words of the night so far:

BANJO (864 points; 3W, two 4W), ESSAY (324 points; 4W, two 3W), TULIP (183 points; 5W, 2W) - against Brenda J.
REX (126 points) - against Tracey H. [5W, hook off WAIR to make WE and EX]
CONTEST (117 points) - against Janelle I. [two 3W]


I have learned that cooking chicken in the microwave should be okay as long as you use wax paper, and put the thickest parts NOT toward the centre of the circle. Browning ground beef in there, on the other hand, is probably nasty. Finally getting sleepy, so may go to bed.

Trivia fact for Sunday, Apr. 4: Where in the U.S. was the Easter Bunny first introduced? In Pennsylvania - in what is now known as Pennsylvania Dutch country. It was introduced by 18th-century German settlers who brought the folklore about Oschter Haws, the Easter Rabbit, with them from their homeland.

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