Dogwood Lodge / James / Slutty Grammar

Finally got Mom on the phone, who apparently wanted to see how I was doing. She said she'd sent me an email with Grandma's new address at Dogwood Lodge, so I combed through my Gmail trash folder (where I filter all her emails) looking for it, then wrote the information down. This caused me to not pay attention to the conversation, which is par for the course! James said hi this afternoon, which I wasn't quite expecting: I took the opportunity to tell him exactly how I felt. I asked him whether he was aware of exactly whom he was talking to on YM, haha. Gotta ensure certain things, since mistakes DO happen! Also, Visual Boy Advance 1.6 seems to work without too much slowness right now... GOOD, since VBA 1.8 and No$GBA had slowness out the wazoo!


Slutty grammar:

Shelley as smoking friend counteracting Mom's orders (dreams) / Helen S.

When I finally got to sleep, I had a dream that my mom was barking out orders and making me do a lot of work in a sunny environment. For some reason, Shelley showed up in this one as a smoking friend who had my back. However, Mom was having nothing of my taking it easy. We did eventually manage to meet a bunch of friends at a play: these included Shannon N. with wheelchair, little children like Benjamin and Noah in dressy clothes, and assorted others whether in wheelchairs or not. Mom wanted me to do ALL the dishes and arrange things in a certain order first BEFORE talking to people, but Shelley said that I was with HER and not to do anything. Boy, that pissed Mom off!

Ended up playing with the children ("a rock which is a thousand million dollars!"), and making Seabus plans with Shannon if my mom ever let me go anywhere. She checked her phone and said that we had no choice but to take the 7 AM sailing, and wait around Lonsdale Quay till 11 for a connecting bus to our eventual location. Mom seemed to have no problem with that because I would then learn that life was unfair. Man, I hope this is my subconscious processing some of what happened in Vegas... although I did see Billy (Benjamin and Noah's dad) last night, too! Helen S. added me to FB via the Puckheads, which is fine by me.

Distraction via BS and the Whip!

Eric was here at about 6:50 (giving me a LOOK because of my Vegas gold "rap bling necklace"), and he tried to inject realism as far as the whole personal thing went: at least he was right when he said something about my crying! Yes, I know that Texas and Vancouver would probably not really work out in some degree (especially with censored bullshit), but people DO do this sort of thing these days, whether or not they meet in person first or not! He also said that he'd been around my area once already today - that's bad since it means the hospital! Luckily, his dad is fine. After a while (talking about Randal's Fried Chicken Bash), we were listening to last year's live news reports of the Stanley Cup riots since it was the one-year anniversary... it was like a timewarp! Got to church, seeing Uncle Eugene and Chris Lam (who said hi) in the elevator. I told Eric that it made sense for him to bring his Bible since it was a church environment, and then he reminded me that it was Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 8. Whoops... luckily, I could share Kevin's Bible when I had to read part of the passage!

Talked to Eric, Kevin, Vivian, Randal, Raymond, Geoffrey, Jeremy, and Gino the rookie BS leader about working / personal things / Vegas - heat - Elvis - the wedding / managers / revenge / report cards / "eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we die!" / Bible translations / authority / Christon being in London now / postcards / maps / untangling the mess of bling necklaces (silver! red! black! blue!) and putting them in Ziploc bags / playing cards / buffets / bosses / God / Skeena Terrace and Frog Hollow / gossip / announcements / next week's BBQ with Daniel Fellowship / soccer / some Sunshine Coast Carnival which I am NOT up for! While I was bored, I wrote a bunch of tag prompts, and had an idea that I could help Jon and Harmony with baby Ayler next Friday before the BBQ if I go since I have plans with Auntie Catherine at Copa Café in the area anyhow. Emailed Jon about it when I got home, so we'll see about that. I never get religious, but "let go and let God" might be what I need to do. Waved hi to Julie S., Ivan, Sam, and Amy as well.

Jeremy wanted to know who was up for going somewhere later, speaking of eating / drinking / being merry. After discussing various restaurants (including one called Nine Dish), we settled on the Whip. Eric said that he was going, so I guess I was tagging along! Discussed the wedding and Alan's reaction to last week's financial stewardship talk (plus Alan's behavior at the wedding - "those are your CHURCH friends, Steph?! is he gonna be face-down in a fountain?!") some more while people had not gone anywhere yet, while Kevin / Geoffrey / Raymond opted out. Apparently, they'd gone to the Honolulu Café last week, which had consumed Kevin's "eating out" budget - understandable! I said that I was still thankful for the cool rainy weather after Vegas - that wedding day was 40 degrees, man! On the way to the Whip, I told Eric that I likely needed the distraction - if not the wallet impact - and it would probably be good for me. I bet that's what he was thinking, too! Oh well, I guess I can't blame him!

It was pretty loud at the Whip because of the house music, so I had to yell at Jeremy / Eric / Randal / Quan / Gino in order to be heard most of the time. We discussed Vegas, "liking" sad FB statuses such as "___ has died!" (I told Jeremy that you can't remove the LIKES; bad when it comes to ex-friends!), parental morbidity, what might happen if BOTH died at the same time, Pad Thai at Boston Pizza, my noodle bowl, Randal's salad, Quan and Gino's root beer, funerals, death, old grandmas, 92 years of age, Jeremy's grandma making great rabbit stew, my mom eating cat, goat, exotic meat, the Vegas shows, Jeremy meeting Ayler once, and Mark / long-distance phone calls / Victoria. Also talked about a Kelowna wedding last week where the groom is 28 and the bride 18 (smart to introduce her AFTER she turned 18) / their Volkswagen Beetles which are also ten years apart (FUNNY), sharing an expensive $7.50 Imperial IPA (Jer's lucky I'm not sick THIS week!), strip clubs, logging into FB during the Fried Chicken Bash so Jeremy can see Vegas wedding pictures / dresses (he can wait), and gambling. Yes, there are slot machines at the Vegas airport - and smoke EVERYWHERE, which Quan and her mom wouldn't like at ALL!

Conversed about British pubs, O'Hare's, Pastor Bob liking the Whip when he went, their artwork, Jeremy going there often, knowing the wait staff, the beer on tap, Russia / Alaska / Hawaii / San Francisco ("four guys going there isn't as gay as it sounds!" "you know me - I don't judge, so whatever!") / travel / bereavement leave, taking time off work, the UBC Apple Festival, apple cider / apple varieties / NO RED DELICIOUS, money, and more. Pretty good times - Eric and I were mostly quiet on the way home (except when he bugged me about being "drunk" or with religious songs OR coughing - I told him to TAKE MEDICINE), which I think suited us both fine! Tomorrow, I'll have to call my parents back since I note they called when I was out - I'll probably call my rock, too!

Ministry, Eddie, Mandy, Chrystal, Erin, John, and Eric

Went with Barry to the Ministry, but NO DICE there. Got home to check my email - Eunice and Eddie got my wedding RSVP, and sent me a link (useless to me) for driving directions. I replied to Mandy's email about the personal things which have been going on around here lately, and composed a draft for later use. Also called Chrystal and gave her a very brief recap on the past couple of weeks (Vegas / personal issues); we're getting together for dinner on Tuesday night so we can talk more about stuff without my feeling bad about interrupting her workday, even if Andrew is a good supervisor and normally doesn't really care about such things! Decided to try No$GBA again since the VBA slowness is REALLY bad! Erin C. and John S. from Puckheads added me to FB at the same time - meh, I'm up for it! Eric M. called to see whether I was going tonight - since I miss venting / ranting (and OH BOY DO I HAVE STUFF TO VENT ABOUT!), I decided to go.

FLAMSTERINA, Copa Café rescheduling, and Grandma

Since Auntie Catherine called me at 5 when I was busy thinking over stuff (and sending Sarah G. some FB messages about it), I called her back and left a voicemail message. She returned the call at 10:10, saying that she'd have to reschedule our lunch at the Copa Café because of Mattias' Sports Day at his North Shore preschool. I know she's concerned that we might not have enough time, which is fine by me. Apparently, she'd sent me an email - I never got it because it turns out that she sent it to the wrong address! (she verified the spelling of "flamsterina" with me, hahaha) Man, the church directory is mistaken - or maybe it's her sight? She also told me something which was news to me: apparently, Mom says that Grandma has moved to some long-term care home on Cambie, and shouldn't be taken out of there for about a week to get her used to the new environment. That last part sounds about right to me.

Spanish Banks Awana BBQ? HAHAHAHA!

For some reason, I got an email from Chris about the year-end Awana BBQ at Spanish Banks. WEIRD! I'm not going to that one, since I didn't even help out this year, and I'd feel bad about it. I haven't been getting any Awana emails all year - as it should be - and I get this one! HAHAHA! I've also been doing some heavy thinking: he's being SILLY if he thinks our friendship is over, but what Josh says does have weight to it as well. Time to think isn't all bad!

Randal, fried chicken, James, MY ROCK!

Christon used an Evite to invite me to something called "Randal's Fried Chicken Bash" at Jeremy's place the day after Canada Day / Pastor Rebecca's farewell dinner. Too many parties, man... might as well go to them, though! Oh, I see... it's a slightly late birthday celebration. Meh, nothing wrong with that. On another note, these feelings keep coming back - it's no good, I'm sure. THISCLOSE to taking a figurative plunge, but I will remember the person who keeps me going! YAY FOR ERIC! (also dealing with more emulator slowness... WTF?)

Thousand-piece puzzles, LDDUDE HOUR, Mattias being funny

The power finally came back on at 9:20, right after I'd called Steph to see what was up since I got really bored! She was doing a thousand-piece puzzle, which should be good if Lisa helps. Then I called Auntie Catherine, but Mattias told me that she was in the washroom, hahahaha. Later, I called Chinese Eric: we discussed relying too much on electricity, EXTREME COUPONING / HOARDERS / MY STRANGE ADDICTION, cellphones, payphones, technology, toothpaste, consumer goods (hit the hoarders' houses when the Zombie Apocalypse happens!), Hong Kong, Russia, travel, Jon and Harmony (sleepy?) and baby Ayler (pictures!), Facebook, looking things up online, baby knowledge, the one-month baby banquet, kids saying weird things, going to the movies, perhaps hanging out this weekend (hinges on parental stuff), yesterday's Stanley Cup, personifying objects such as Cabbage Patch Kids or mannequins (creepy!), Canucks news and speculation, eighth seed winning the Cup, Montreal, Florida, Luongo, Schneider, and more. Now, THAT was an awesome and "WOW" conversation which lasted almost an hour! Decided to finally call Auntie Catherine back (Uncle Y.C. answered), and it turns out we're meeting at the Copa Café with Mattias and Marcus - yay! (on Friday MORNING at 11 - oh well) Had to restart FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE when I was 19 hours in - stupid breath timers! Not sure how I did the sunken Tower of Walse / Famed Mimic Gogo last time under the same conditions...

Navigating darkness, dentist, Spanish rice on sale

This morning, I woke up at 10, and was surprised that I still had power because of the scheduled electricity outage. But since I was still sleepy, I went back to bed. Later when I did get up and get ready, I found it was almost 1:30 after checking the time on my phone - RUNNING LATE AS USUAL TO MY OAKRIDGE DENTIST APPOINTMENT! Good thing that my apartment isn't too far away from the side entrance, but navigating in the darkness was still challenging! I was only ten minutes late despite just missing a bus and a Canada Line train, though. Caught up with Sean during the appointment: we discussed his seeing Nathan and his dad in his building elevator, Nathan being thinner or changing since he's been in the UK, Vernon, Lucas having a kid now, Steph's Vegas wedding, Dorcas and her Uganda missions work, Jon and Harmony, baby Ayler, 50-hour labors (he's glad he's a guy!), Sarah, Hannah, and more. Set up my next appointment for January 15 while I was there, too. Afterwards, I decided to go to the library. Turns out that my library card number was invalid, so I had to re-register my barcode into the system!

Got Country Mushroom rice, Butter and Herb rice, Chicken and Broccoli rice, Harvest Rice, Spanish Rice, Mexican Rice, Butter and Herb noodles, Teriyaki Rice, Cheddar and Broccoli rice, and Singapore Curry Noodle on-sale Sidekicks at Safeway for only a dollar each! I could have bought more, but was conscious of my money situation... also bought on-sale toothbrushes, toothpaste, replacement margarine - as a substitute for vegetable oil, too - and replacement on-sale St. Ives Aloe / Chamomile lotion. Had a bit of trouble at the self-checkout, but everything was less than thirty dollars! Went to the Apple store later, so I could check stuff there in the afternoon. I just hope the margarine won't be ruined by it being out for a few hours till I get home!

Ghido munching on pizza for seven centuries!

Ghido the Turtle Sage to Exdeath, after the Interdimensional Rift and the Void have been created: "You think I sat around seven centuries munching on pizza?" According to the Wiki folks, this is a reference to TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Sweet!

L.A. Kings Stanley Cup / Feeling better on multiple levels

I feel better on more than one level today, so that's a start. Space is GOOD for me! Called Barry about money issues and the power outage, too. After about ten days or more, my emotions are not quite so raw, but it's still not a good idea to talk. Maybe a message tonight, but I don't know about that. He was a good listener; however, trust and hurt are big words. Actually, I sent one referencing emotions and such right after I heard that the Kings won their first Stanley Cup against the Devils... I gotta have the last word!

Archeoavis, Salisbury steak, milk, dumplings, John support

Directions to Archeoavis / the Earth Crystal in the Lonka Ruins of FINAL FANTASY V


Finished the Salisbury Steak microwaveable meal, my almond milk, and all the remaining dumplings before they would have been ruined by the scheduled power outage on Tuesday even though I really do have a diminished appetite... I ROCK! Had to throw out the almost-finished butter, as I don't want to eat sandwiches right now. Also, Visual Boy Advance seems to be working WAY better today than yesterday, where it was getting really slow every two minutes of gaming... YES! I've been exchanging messages with John S. today, who offered his support due to recent events; that really does help, and I thanked him for it. Chelsea S. and Joshua A. added me from the Puckheads today, too.

P.S. If you don't want me, then I sure as hell don't want you right now. Too much hurt, pain, and drama.


Everclear's Thrift Store Chair:

Jack FM, conducive rest, Mom not helping!

Decided to switch to JACK-FM for my radio listening pleasure last night since I was tired of hearing Gotye on the Fox; yes, it describes my feelings too perfectly right now. Of course, I will certainly hear RUSH on the station, but it's Canadian! Steve L. linked me to good new Rush videos in an email, so it can't be THAT bad! I do trust Steve, and it's excellent that he knows his stuff. Later, white Eric buzzed me on MSN about church. Especially since he had to be there early AND this hamsterette still needs rest, I said no. I gave him a very abbreviated version of how the trip had gone, and he mixed up the words "conducive" and "conductive." Not quite the same thing, my dear!

While he was bugging me about my calling Ayler "baby Jesus," I asked him whether he'd at least bought my ticket to Pastor Rebecca's farewell dinner on Canada Day. (NOT my "ticket to ride," you dork!) He said he had, and wasn't lying since he had tickets 151 and 152. Good, then! I'd gotten some email from Randal on the matter earlier in the day, which is why I'd asked. That was a better conversation than Mom trying to make me feel bad that I was sick since I didn't listen to her in Vegas about the pink shoulder covering... nope, this isn't caused by not wearing a jacket, either! At least I got up at 11:15, and can now do my own thing! (but will need to call Barry tomorrow for certain things)