Family meetings are 500 hours long, man!

Found myself awake at 8:40 this morning, so I perforce decided to go to church, even though the family meeting afterwards would probably last 500 hours on a day where we had DINNER afterwards! Ugh. Eric called me and put on a weird voice, but I told him that it was NOT endearing! When he picked me up, he asked if I hated British accents in the morning - shit's not funny when you've only had five or six hours of sleep, man! Discussed curling, ice expense, religious / rock music, commercials, the misspelling of "INDESCRIBABLE" on a bus ad, tonight's ride plans, the new pastor (not "Ann Williams"!), joking death threats, and more on the way to church. Got to church, where it was Auntie Rebecca's last sermon ever at VCEFC; Zoe kinda shared something about Awana, too. Later, I told Jon that whoever put the little Kleenex box on a pew was a genius (since I needed one right then) - he said that he'd moved it, and I couldn't retract what I said! Then I asked how the baby was - Ayler had been fussy and crying when he left this morning! (sounds about right from what happened on Friday) Auntie Rebecca said she'd seen lots of photos of me on Facebook; not surprised! I waste no time with those when I can!

Said hi to Amanda (CHIPS AHOY), Martin, Danny, Geoffrey (birth news / BBQ / rainy weather on Friday / Facebook / baby pictures), Vivian (her mom's invited tonight!), Alan and Polly (they're coming tonight - I had a ride home from church), Jeremy, Anita, Jeff, Allison, Joanna, Nathan, Uncle Peter, Auntie Ying, Esther, Harley, and others after service. After little Joanna played with Mike K. for a while, he asked me how it was like to be an aunt. Dude, I feel old... and of course we had to make sure that Jon wasn't joking about Harmony's pregnancy when he announced it to us since he DOES joke around a lot! Yeah, I'll get used to it for sure! Went upstairs after a bit; I told Chris Lam that I had received the Awana BBQ email, and he said he'd look into it! I'm sure he wants to know for general security reasons, heh.

I saw Auntie Catherine, Rachel's grandma, Danny, Lanie, Hymn, Mattias, Marcus, Jessie, Ramen, Shira, David, Evelyn (who called things "stupid"), and Ashley during Toddler Sunday School. Talked about aunthood, rules, crackers, coloring pictures, crayons, apple gum, aunthood, toys, cars, holding them, hamsters, and more. Ramen seemed to like Marcus, at least. Got downstairs afterwards, where Auntie Ada offered me a dry ham and cheese sandwich - I saw a bunch of other people standing around and eating them, so that's what I also did. Made sure that my parents knew Eric's number so they can call him later, and talked to a confused Grandma for a couple of minutes. She thought that I was going with them for lunch, and also that the one-month banquet didn't exist! I said hi to little Sean, and admired his blue dragon metal shirt - it is COOL, man! Shook hands with Uncle Johnny, and said hi to Auntie Paula / Joe / Helen. Stanley and I entertained baby Marcus for a while, too. Saw Gavin, Nathan, Nathaniel, Abigail, and more kids clustered around an iPad playing games (or HELLO KITTY coloring books) to keep them entertained during the long family meeting with Pastor Dan and his wife Sharon - good strategy! Auntie Ada offered me ANOTHER sandwich since they had lots left over; Margaret declined one, although I said not to feel bad, hahaha. Wrote tag prompts myself to try keeping awake, although I fell asleep once. (I'd fallen asleep twice during service, heh)

Talked to Jeremy briefly about tonight: he's going, and has no idea where the restaurant is. I told him that it's on Kingsway, but I didn't know anything more (even the name) since my parents were picking me and Eric up! He figured that I didn't need to know then, but he should reread his email before he leaves - so agreed! Met Dylan on our way out at around 2:55, and we briefly discussed tonight's dinner. I had no idea that it was apparently traditional to wear red to these things (having only been to one other, for David's son Ian back in 2005) - Dylan goes to them all the time for Deb's family! He had to go back to Richmond and pick Deb up for this thing, which doesn't surprise me. Eric and I discussed recent James developments, my being "drunk," what we'd do till 5:15 or so (my plans involve a coherent blog post, while his involve braziers and torches - GAMING!), the sunny weather, traffic, and more on the way home.

$100 bill, jellybeans, vodka, transitions, Philadephia, Pittsburgh, and new babies

When Eric picked me up this morning (after I discovered a stain on my sweatshirt which won't launder out - NEW ONE AHOY!), he joked around about my being "drunk" as per the usual, but he didn't know that the "buzzed" interpretation was actually true! I vented about Paul, and he said that nobody said I had to date him - well, thank goodness for THAT! He also wondered whether there was any progress on a certain front, so I updated him on things there; Eric also asked whether I'd watched any hockey games with Eric Ho. HAVE NOT - WE SHOULD! (perhaps I should call him tomorrow evening?) Eric thinks that Paul being away now doesn't give me a chance to forgive him - trust me, I won't do it in front of him since that'll give him a reason to do similar shit again. We also discussed the Fox, Blur, 90s music, my sleep issues, Christian music, Vegas, escalaphobia, Julie C., Friday's potluck at Pastor Bob's definitely interfering with the weekly tradition because it starts at 6:30, his selling points as to the age gap between Fellowship groups, and more.

I saw Grace, Micah, Winnie, and her kids Megan / Connor / Cameron. I'm aware that Winnie goes to Tenth now, but misses everyone at VCEFC too. Good thing I saw her! Pastor Bob started out his sermon with the tired lighthouse joke, and the whole thing turned out to be on conflict. As I thought, Eric later asked me whether I could apply any of it to Paul - escape?! NOT DENIAL. I was distracted by the kids, but that's okay - I might be more so that way in a short while myself! The sound was a bit off; later, Mike K. was telling me and Jessica that we should have had some black gospel music as a backing tape ("we need Whoopi Goldberg!"), and I suggested that we should have vocals and singers' projection lessons! Melia told me that she and Angus might make it to Steph's wedding in Vegas. Heard that Wes and Esther had a baby boy on the 9th, and that Edwin and Jane had a baby girl just yesterday! (called my sister to update her - we forgot what we put in that baby pool!) After service, I exchanged laid-back greetings with my brother, who said that last week's dinner was pretty good, and the next one might be soon. Dad asked where Harmony was, but she had just woken up; Mom wondered about that, but even *I* know that late pregnancy makes you tired! (and my sister-in-law DOES like her sleep!)

Talked to Gino about the potluck; he thinks I'd cook something, which is definitely unlikely! Asked Quan and Julie S. if they'd seen Julie C. - "in the sanctuary during service" doesn't help, man! Discussed stuff with Eric for a bit, then said hi to Lily / Victor / Amanda / Karen I. / a sleepy baby Marcus before going upstairs for Toddler Sunday School. Saw Jessie, her kids Ramen and Shira, Anastasia, her dad Danny, baby Natalie, a new kid named Karen, Wesley, Ada (who went to the older class), Mattias, David, Evelyn, and Rachel's grandma. (I gave out a bunch of jellybeans, chocolate coins / eggs, and Easter bunnies - Jessie said I was always so thoughtful) Said hi to Frances, her sons Micah and Isaac, and her sister Sophia as well before they left. Frances hasn't seen my parents at church in a while; that's funny since I'd just talked to them a few minutes beforehand! She also wondered when I'd talked to her husband Mel about THE HUNGER GAMES: it was a FB status, hahaha. Talked to the kids about going to the bathroom (EVERYONE WENT - I even went into the men's room!), Lego, toys, noises, throwing things, and more.

Went downstairs, saw Grandma, talked to one of her friends in English, got change for my $100 bill from Uncle Adrian, and assumed Eric had left already. Geoffrey was waiting around for Uncle Hansel, anyway. Finally saw Julie C., and gave her the huge Ziploc bag of candy - I told her to share it with her mom or her friends at school after she hugged me twice. ("Oh my God - Mom, look!") Margaret was bugging Rachel about the Easter candy I'd given her, too. Said hi to Sean and Ian, as well. I was about to call Eric on the upstairs phone when he came out of a room and saw me. On our way out, I saw Auntie Grace and Uncle George. Auntie Grace asked me when the baby was due, so I told her. SO NICE!

We went to Pho and ate lunch with Jeremy, Lesley, Ivan, Alan, Tracy, and Kevin. Discussed paella, Sunday Dinners, Joe and Helen doing the Sun Run together today (someone has to look after their kids Nathaniel and Abby, though!), Billy and Stella, proposals, rings (Lily and Lesley thought Stella didn't have a great boyfriend if he was asking her to pay for everything = not knowing about the ring in his money belt), getting robbed while traveling in Thailand / Europe / other places, Prince George, school, staying up till 4 AM, Christon, Amy, Paul, Alberta, and more. They talked about transitions, Sarah C. / Emily L. / Sam / Quan / Vania / Jen / Connie / Vivian L. / Harmony, age gaps, an IRON CHEF program, planning, lawyers, Brian, and such at their meeting while I focused on the crazy Pittsburgh-Philadelphia hockey game on TV. Later, Jeremy waited for Eric to give him a cheque. On the way home, Eric and I discussed my accidentally blocking Vicky (it IS awkward like Scott says, and not easy like he thinks!) / Jason / Friday's potluck / #4 and Alderbridge / sleeping / stickers with a TELUS calendar / $5 and Jon at the Hog Shack / gum / Vivian S. / Danielle moving and other topics. Got home and blogged some of this up before taking a much-needed nap! Good thing I got up before the game started, although I still do need sleep.

Josh's hair covered his face?! / Cory and Nicholas sharing my tomato rice (dream)

Talked briefly to David S. on YM and Troy A. via Facebook messages before going to bed last night, and am talking to Brandi now about stuff. Dreamed of talking to Josh in a multi-floor school with blue-and-pink carpets. Suddenly, his hair went down and covered his face, causing him to go blind and not remember what happened for half an hour! I was with Helen's kids Cory and Nicholas, since they were sharing my plate of rice with tomato sauce. Nicholas told me that this was their favorite thing to eat - I didn't mind sharing the huge amount of rice! Their parents Helen and Danny didn't have to tell me to hide the kids' faces in my lap when Josh's hair covered his face! When the effect on Josh wore off, we asked him why his hair had done that; he couldn't think of why.

Later, Uncle Sam and Auntie Susanna came in with a cane and a black dog, which apparently helped them get around since they both had eye disorders. I briefly went out of the room to see what was going on outside, and saw kids turned around and lined up - someone could almost leapfrog over the kids' backs! Auntie Bessy genuinely thanked me for wandering around in the halls: this allowed Auntie Eva to see where I was, since she would be looking for me later. Triggers: Seeing Josh post family pictures of him / Joanna / little Nina on Facebook, reading Mom's email in which she told me to go to church on the 18th (or else Auntie Eva "will have a heart attack"), and seeing Uncle Sam at church a few weeks ago. Weird!

#9 with Rita and the parents

When Mom called at 12:15, I told her that I couldn't go to the passport office because Phil hasn't given me his information yet. She still invited me to lunch with Dad and Rita, so I went with them to #9. We talked about travel, England, the Pantry, Jon / Harmony / Steph, Rita's turntable from London Drugs, Chinese food, Flora the waitress, the thrift shop, Germany, rent for a huge place, the lease, money, and the Russia cruise in July. Also talked about Rita's nephews living in Powell River, Italy, rock sugar, South America's heat, wonton soup, various noodles, Grandma, how Rita doesn't like garlic, chicken chow mein, Skype and technology, Danny's Wonton House, Ironwood, Lansdowne's past as a race track, and the numerous changes in Richmond in the past 40 years. When I got home with some leftovers, I had a surprise YM message from the usual suspect wishing me a happy Valentine's Day - maybe things will be okay after all. Thank goodness he wasn't online, though; it was great so I could leave apologies for my behavior last night, and I need a nap!

Craigslist forums, degenerate Tess, and 5-2 wins

Vanessa got on MSN to make final plans for tomorrow; I guess going out at 10-ish should be okay since I've been getting up earlier than usual these past few days! Also have rediscovered the CL forums, hahaha. Better than glitchy games! Noticed that Tess unfriended me, but that's perfectly fine - she IS one of those degenerate types, after all. I listened to the Canucks and Wild play hockey... I heard that Scott Gomez finally scored a goal, hahaha. Heatley scored 13 seconds into the game, so WTF?! Both the Sedins scored, and Ryan Kesler got an empty-netter near the end of the game, though. It was a 5-2 win!

8 AM, octopus balls, CHINESE ERIC, Grandma-sitting?

Got up at 8 AM for some reason, but it was okay. Discovered that BREATH OF FIRE I really is glitchy - since I refuse to play without codes when possible, I guess this is it for the game! Although I guess I could try it on Vizzed when that site's saving function is up again, but see above point about codes. Ugh! Vanessa got on MSN and wondered why I was up at 10 AM... good question! She also tried calling me after we talked about stuff like passports / octopus balls / Granville Island, but I missed it... at least she'll be back in Richmond by the end of the month! Auntie Candy (Billy and Danny's mom) tried adding me on Facebook; somehow, I don't think so!

Mom and Eric Ho tried calling me, but I missed those calls because I was reading! I saw the messages Eric left on MSN later, though. He got my email about Tuesday, apologizes since he's been busy (no worries on my end!), and says that my plans could be okay. It doesn't matter if he confirms on Sunday or Monday, since of course he hopes to chill with me... and I hope for the same. TRADITION! It's all good with him, anyway. :D

Then I called Mom to see what she wanted, which was to see if I could Grandma-sit because the respite centre can't take her for three weeks next month. Apparently, the lards aren't going to Russia anymore, but they were invited on a South American cruise thing by Auntie Wing Yee. She told me stuff about what she REALLY thinks of Steph and Lisa's upcoming wedding, breakfasts, Dairy Queen, Alan and Polly giving me lucky money, microwaveable dinners and waffles bought ahead of time (way to assume?), and adult daycare. Told me about Translink, money, keys, #9 Restaurant, dinner / physio, exercise, Auntie Paula's leg, Auntie Teresa's cancer surgery on her neck (good thing Mom isn't asking HER to help out - that woman can be ANNOYING AS FUCK!), and more. Of course I can do this; it won't be too bad, although trying to deal with Grandma's memory issues can be frustrating! However, it won't be as frustrating as dealing with Auntie Teresa!

"I, Garland, will knock you all down!" / Strawberry Shortcake gum

Vanessa didn't want me to miss the hockey game against Carolina, but it's a lucky thing that it started at 4 since the Canucks are on a road trip. She went to pick up her mom and go to Zellers before picking me up at 6:45 to go to Walmart and Pho Lemongrass as a change from the usual Specialty Chicken and Wonton House, heh. The Canucks lost 4-3, though. We bought stuff at Walmart and the liquor store (where I was stymied by ID) first: wine, beer, coffee filters, chips (only $1), Lindt chocolate, massive one-pound Reese's peanut butter cups (I bought one for Julie C.), Ferrero Rocher, pads, chocolate mousse Jello cups, toothpaste, Juicy Fruit dessert-flavored gum (Orange Creme Popsicle, Strawberry Shortcake, and Apple Pie), Canucks stickers, Coke Zero, canned mushrooms, bacon, sour candy, "cool touch" Kleenex, and more.

Talked about Krista, Teunis, my family, Yaohan, Danny's Wonton House, Ironwood, Subway, Mexican food, Greek food, stupid "gay" notions, peanut butter allergies, meat, vegetables, pasta, Granville Island, Guinness, heavy chocolate stout, spaghetti, noodles, video games, Wayne, and other stuff. She thanked me for the cards and Almond Roca, saying I didn't have to. I know, but I like doing things such as that for people who deserve it! Julie is also surprised I bought stuff for her, so insists on reciprocating at Walmart or Metrotown, haha. (box of chocolates, haha) Candy says she got my Christmas card, too!


HAHAHA! Another classic line, this one from the FF1 Temple of Chaos! Too bad for him that it wasn't true, since I one-shotted him immediately afterwards!

Jason and Karen's wedding - lots of little kids, and Pastor Glen!

Lee picked me up at about 10:15, and I was certainly ready in the nice sunny weather! Said hi to the kids (Hannah and Gavin), who seemed to like looking for taxis. Yes, I've seen yellow / blue / black / orange / green / white ones! (but no pink or rainbow ones!) As an auntie who wasn't driving, I was enlisted to look for taxis or buses - haha, there ARE a lot in this city! When we got to the church, we had to find parking - and then Lee told Hannah to hold my hand when we crossed the street. Gotta watch out for cars and such! I didn't care about being at the back of the church - I saw Vernon and Sarah, Danny and Helen K. with Nicholas, Kelvin and Evelyn with their third baby, Warren and Lauren with the kids Brandon and Matthew, Pastor John and Karmie, Michael and Amanda with their daughters Seren and Megan (who are growing up fast!), Stella with her kids Benjamin and Noah, Jeff and Anita with Allison and Joanna, Frances and Mel with their sons Micah and Isaac, Kenny and Winnie with their kids Megan / Connor / Cameron, Wes and Esther with little Harleigh, and more people I hadn't seen in a while like Josh. I simply HAD to hug him hello! I also saw Jessica Lai, who says she isn't going to the banquet tonight because her sister Elaine is getting married tomorrow at Queen Elizabeth Park. So many weddings...

Jason and Karen got Pastor Glen to officiate, so that was a nice "retro" touch, haha. They handed out little favor bags at the beginning, and kids got a different one than adults (who had Hershey's Kisses)... I think even the little boys got something different than the little girls! Probably a good idea to keep kids entertained during the ceremony, haha! The kids got mini basketballs, candy, little notepads with either a princess or sports balls on them, stickers, crayons, a mini wand with bubble solution, Ernie / Elmo pictures to color, and more! As for the ceremony and pictures, it all went by pretty quickly! The wedding was small compared to extravaganzas like Jon and Harmony's, haha. I picked up a few pennies, too!

Afterwards, everyone went outside to take pictures and such. Of course, the children were more interested in blowing bubbles (or eating) than taking pictures with their parents and their friends! I took a picture with Hannah and Gavin, heh. Connor told me that he could see the moon in the sky - I just saw the sun and a lone white cloud! Later, he wanted me to hold his raisins, so I took them from him gently while he played... yes, of course I returned them later! I talked to Lauren briefly about Facebook - she only got an account so she could see Karen's engagement pictures, so I told her to ask me if she needed help using it, haha. On the way home, Lee and I discussed how quickly the time had flown by - as long as they call me when they get here at 4:50 or so for Kirin, it'll be fine!

Jackets on head, Daniel being organized, Gloria Leung, mouth full

Henry picked me up a bit after 3:30 in the sunshine, and we were off. He said they'd done some kind of Bible Discovery thing last night which wasn't quite understandable, and had forgotten his notebook and four colored pens just now. Whoops! I told him that the forgetting would happen much more often - trust me on this, young one! He retorted that it was FAITH IN YOUR OWN BELIEFS AND ABILITY TO REMEMBER! Hahahaha, I used to think like that myself! At church, Phoebe and I were trying to scare little Ray, but he said it wasn't working! I also said hi to Ian M., who said that he'd gotten a haircut, confirmed by his mom Rosenda. His cousin Olivia wanted her aunt to go to the drums / stage area, so I said she could do it herself since Rosenda was busy with her sister Anne. I said hi to Amos and his friend Gordon, greeted Joshua and Keenan, saw the kids gang up on Victor with toy swords (I called to him to brandish his own sword in defense!), and told Annika to take her jacket off her head so she could see people before bumping into them. It doesn't matter if your dad put it on your head, you silly girl!

During Awana, Chrystal and I were quite impressed with Daniel's organization skills... he's a keeper, haha! I started putting red / green / blue jewels from the stock into the usual place - yes, I know we can get them from the cupboard, but I feel better if it's in Ziploc bags! I can always finish it next week, heh. I did a double take when I learned that one of the Sparkies is named Gloria Leung - just like my childhood church friend with siblings named Kent, Roanna, Nina, and Vicson! Talked briefly to Stanley and Daniel about the boring Awana leader training that they had to go through: "It was like a six-hour lecture!" "I hope never to go through that again!" I remember those days, haha. Afterwards, I said hi to Reigan - I also overheard his sister Jinny tell Cynthia, "if your name was Winnie, I'd call you Wiener!" Jinny understands "mouth full" quite well, as I was eating a chocolate wafer when I asked her what she'd call Cynthia.

Andrew called me "scary" again, but couldn't come up with a reason as to WHY! He tried defending himself with his sword whenever I cam near him; to be honest, I just liked seeing him run! I could tell that Ian had been crying, so I asked him what had happened. Turns out Danny had forgotten to put a T&T book section sticker on a placard which attached to his uniform! I guess at least he didn't cry in front of Alan, heh. He also wanted one of my Maynard Swedish Berries Candy - "Only the leaders get that for free?!" Hahaha! In the car, I talked to Ian / Sean / Ada about the dark weather, Sean's schoolwork (his printing is good) / their cousins / Nintendo Wii / dancing / STARCRAFT / candy. Interesting times, for sure! As it happened, Ian had either forgot about or didn't say anything about the candy, so I'll go out to get some now since I see him tomorrow!

So my nose is dirty, and I'm scary because I give presents to your brother?!

Henry picked me up a bit later this morning, but I guess he figured we didn't need to be there at 8 AM after yesterday! Didn't feel the need to discuss too much, which was just fine by me! (although his sister did treat him to rack of lamb for dinner!) Saw Victor L., and commented that he was hardcore for being up at 6 AM - Sabrina said that he needed to prepare, haha. Noticed a HUGE jar of peanut butter in the kitchen - TWO KILOGRAMS of the stuff?! You definitely wouldn't need that for home use unless you were Teunis or had twenty kids to feed! (Jason and I bantered about that - our second official conversation, haha) Said hi to Olivia and Ian - the cousins are so cute! Cordia was helping out today, too. Her brother Citrus showed up "on duty" again, so we told the kids that he'd arrest them if they did anything bad! (fear of the police isn't necessarily GOOD, but...) Mike figured this wasn't anything new to me (which I confirmed), and we discussed various aspects of his work with him before he left. Also said hi to Phil, who at least gets the busing thing, haha - Henry is definitely a help to me, as he lives three minutes away!

Athena, Victor C., Sean S., Andrew, Jordan, Erin, Rosanna, Odelia, Hannah S., Carrie, Garry, Ryan, and Andrea were in the yellow group led by me / Rosenda / Mark / Hannah W. After talking to me about her knitting, Hilary asked me why I was only there since yesterday, so I told her about Henry's exams: "What does that have to do with you?" "He's my ride - if I bused over here from Richmond, it would take a very long time!" "Oh yeah - I've been on the bus twice with my mom from Coquitlam to Lougheed Station, and it takes AN HOUR!" I interacted with some of the other kids, too - especially when Fun Fair time rolled around in the afternoon! Aaron said hi to me, Amos / Harrison / Sean L. / Midora / Justin and Kayden (CUTE HONGER KIDS! - I agree with Julie!) went to some of the games with me (I later helped Rosenda and Danny with the hula hoops), Keefe told me that some of the games were cool, Sean S. (who wanted to rub his tummy - not a private part, but please save that for HOME!) and Victor had to experience a timeout because of dangerous horseplay on the stairs, Nicholas talked to me about his cousins, and Conor liked the "bowling" game.

I yelled at Jordan a lot (not YELLED yelled, but discipline!), who got tired of it... well, you can't pick and choose your tacos because they don't have meat! The snacks weren't up to the kids' quality standards - Erin was reading the recipe to see why they tasted so bad, haha. Victor said that his jacket hood (with Velcro) could protect him against zombies - I don't think you need that sort of protection (or a pretend fire hose) at the church, little friend! Garry was a good boy, and let me know whenever he wanted to go away from the group - that, I did appreciate! Sean S. told me that he sometimes didn't like me because I gave presents to his brother Conor sometimes, and that I was scary because of that! Andrew asked what my keloid scar was, then told me that I had a dirty nose. Jordan decided to elaborate and say that it was losing skin - thanks for the honesty, kids!

Sean said that he'd written the F word with his pen which has invisible ink - AIYA! Talked to Conor about tiny lollipops and Sunday School - he'd noticed that I wasn't there (I explained what happened to him - he didn't care!), and said that I'd missed all the fun of a scavenger hunt last week. He asked why I didn't drive, so I said that it would be chaos if I did - after I explained "chaos" as "a lot of accidents," he said that HIS mom drove! Heh, it's probably best that the kids learn that not everyone drives! I remember learning that when we first knew Dawn's family, since her mom doesn't drive either. Later, I was surprised when Auntie Rebecca handed me an evaluation form - I could only do it based on two days - I ended up skipping a lot of questions, haha. David noticed a typo (the T in "what" was replaced by a Y), so I had to tell him and Steven about the "WEED for week" email that Auntie Rebecca sent out once. Yeah, that's not the type of kiddy program we want to promote here, hahahaha! (got two Chupachup lollipops to take home)

Sabrina was following me and Henry into Richmond since she didn't know how to get there, so that reminded me of Dylan's ineptitude around the same thing! I asked Henry if he were going home before Fellowship tomorrow - since he is, I'll see if I can steal a minute at the end of things to call Eric on the upstairs phone to see what the plans are! Probably I'll just have a skeleton draft of a post by the time I have to leave home again! Henry also said to CALL HIM AGAIN (of course), and that I'd woken him up this morning. Hey, it's all good... got home to discover that Barry had called me, but I won't have time to call him back till next week. (same goes for the banking I need to do - it closes at 4:30 EVERY DAY, and I get home at 4 or shortly afterwards) Cindy sent an email to our small group, wishing Kevin a happy birthday - Jeremy says "Hey strangers! I'll be there, so don't miss it!" Hahahaha, nice! At least if I go (half-decided), I'll have something halfway interesting to say!

Belcarra Park with the kids - Addison, Rossini, Keefe, Kayden, Kaden, and more?!

On the way to church, Henry and I didn't discuss much - we were both trying to get used to being awake! He'd unconsciously pressed the snooze button twice, including right after I called him to wake him up / remind him to pick me up. As I told a number of people (Sabrina / Andrew / Rosenda / Jennifer), trying to sleep earlier did NOT work! Had a bit of breakfast in the kitchen when we got to church in between bantering with Jessica / Zoe / Elaine / Victor / Jason / David. When Steven passed me the jam, I declined - if I ate too much that early in the morning, I would feel like puking it out right away! At least I found out who was behind those mysterious calls from the church - it had been Auntie Rebecca, trying to figure out where I was. I had told Chris last Sunday night, and had tried calling her too... guess it didn't get through for some reason! At least she didn't tell me to be responsible (though that might have been implied in "tell me directly") - I would have HATED that, haha.

I looked at a list of the kids - Addison, Keefe (who saw me in a blue church shirt and asked me for help with his name tag!), Odelia, Kaden, Kayden, and other such "names" were on there! One of the leaders is named Rossini, too - nice for a LAST name! I interacted with Hannah S., Rosanna, Samantha, Rachel, Amanda, Eric, Arthur (who held my hand when I went to get him some chips later), Ian x2, Sean, Gabriel x2, Olivia, Carrie (Cynthia's sister), Harrison, Conor, Sean x2, Amos, Kiersten, Victoria, Eunice, Isaac, Reigan, Jinny, Jordan, Thomas, Matthew Ma #2, Aaron ("it's you again!"), and other kids. Was awake enough to ask Chris when Awana started this year - Sept. 11, the same date as the Walkathon again! (so replied to Maxine's Evite for Karen's bridal shower to say I wouldn't be coming - phew!) Saw Hannah W., Andrew L., Stella H. ("you have FACEBOOK?!"), and Julie C. as leaders - Julie thought I didn't recognize her! Short shorts and lip gloss already - oh dear! Rosenda said her mom was sick, and it's hard for her since she's so far away in the Philippines... that's too bad! Discussed hugs, weight loss, the park, being hungry, and more.

After a while of prayer / singing / announcements, we were off to Belcarra Park. I went with Mike / Cynthia / Chloe / Danny in a car (passing Port Moody / Ioco Road on the Camp Sasamat route) - went into McDonalds briefly so the guys could get something to eat. Then we discussed the DOUBLE RAINBOW SONG ("so intense!"), how Danny's Canto-pop made Mike's ears bleed, iPhone usage, Cordia saying that there was a teacher at Terry Fox named Mrs. Gay-Lord, Vivian S.'s prospective real estate agent being named Gaye Males, Cynthia taking off the deep-fried chicken skin from yesterday's KFC (Mike called me "Les," which I certainly don't mind) / the batter from tempura, map directions, and more. At the park, most of the kids played games or went down to the beach to look for small crabs. When it was my team's turn to go down to the beach, I asked Mike to tell Rosenda that I'd be going back up to the playground - I didn't feel too comfortable going down the steps with no rails, what with my balance issues and all! Hopefully, she understood without my saying so - I might tell her tomorrow, haha.

Conor talked to me about the hot weather, his brother Sean S. said something about his uncle's house being near the ocean, and I tried keeping the wandering kids within our sight and such! Everyone was impatient for lunch (chips / burgers / drinks... BILLY IS SLOW, haha) - Matthew wandered a little TOO far and was upset, Jordan was also upset and called all the leaders UNFAIR, people called a jester a JOKER, people used spray-on sunscreen (I should get some of that!), and the kids generally had fun. (water bottle wars and such - NO GOING NEAR THE BARBECUE IF THE PARK RANGERS ARE CLEANING IT!) On the way back to church, the girls and I fell asleep a few times. At church, we waited for the kids' parents to arrive... one of the kids asked why I was their new leader. Hey, there's nothing I can do about my friend's exam schedule! (as I was telling the leaders in the morning)

I proved myself to be patient and a good listener once again (even if I do say so myself) when Sean L. came into the fellowship hall and said something to me about "24 x 3!" I went back out with him to find that he was talking about the bus seats / rows / capacity! Then we discussed the yellow notices, the ride arrangements, Awana, this week, where my name was on the seat, the food car, and more - he leaned against me for some of the discussion, but I certainly didn't mind that. He knows who I am, at least! (always glad to help this kid, with his ISSUE) I laughed at Julie and David setting a bad example for Amos and the remaining kids by slapping each other with pool noodles. Henry drove me home (while fielding a call from his sister about a dinner tonight) - he says to call him tomorrow morning, too. I can probably do that once I decide to get out of bed, haha! Got home at 4 and caught up on stuff, answered the Evite (NO), checked my email (Mr. Creep had emailed the entire group to let us know that he found a job - "a victory," he calls it... I DON'T CARE!), paid my hydro bill (it's higher than it should be - a combo of taxes and Teunis?), paid for the next year's bus pass, and fielded an email about a family dinner for my birthday / Jon and Harmony's going-away. AWKWARD! Maybe now I'll do some work - if I nap, I'll screw up my schedule even more!

Lime mojitos, BBQ chicken pizza, and being accommodating to old ladies

Steph came to the house early, so used the computer to check her email and other things while Grandma was in the shower. She checked the valve under the sink to water the plants - Jon had forgotten where it was, so she verified that it was the red thing. After trying to accommodate Grandma's dietary preferences, we were off to Ironwood. Steph almost settled on Danny's Wonton House until she remembered that I'd had BBQ food earlier for lunch. Of course, Grandma forgot already, and it had just been at 1 PM! We decided to try Brown's Social House, AKA the place that wouldn't take my party on my birthday in 2008. Steph asked if Grandma wanted sushi at Kisha Poppo next door - knowing she'd say NO - and got this response: "No! NO NEED FOR SUSHI!" It's plain to see that she still doesn't like the Japanese!

They were actually accommodating to a 90-year-old's requests, and didn't end up changing us extra to substitute cooked vegetables for a salad, which she doesn't really eat anyway. We had halibut, spicy capicollo pizza, BBQ chicken pizza (the pizzas were only $9), a lager, and a lime mojito. Discussed Vivian's wedding (June 10), Andrea and Chuck's wedding, Grandma hijacking Eric and not recognizing Jeremy, getting drunk, water, Grandma being forgetful, packing, Grandma just people-watching (finding the skanky waitresses and high heels bad), Pei Lyn's quitting a job over being asked to skank it up, text messages, and more. Grandma seemed happy to be out with us, and even initiated a toast! Got home to find out that Benito Camelas had added me on Facebook - no way, I don't know you! Steph also discovered that Grandma's TV actually worked now for some reason. It was a good time - not sure if I'll take Steph's suggestion to drink more because it'll be free. Hahaha, nice! Grandma also wanted us to get milk at Super Grocer, so we humored her paranoia. (1% it is!)

True self, commitment, and more / Strippers on FRIENDS

I took a personality test on Facebook, taken from Adam and Kaitlin:

Who is your true self: You are mature, reasonable, honest, and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes, you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
Your view on yourself: You are intelligent, honest, and sweet. You are friendly to everybody, and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful, fun people are naturally attracted to you, and like to talk to you.
The type of girlfriend / boyfriend you are looking for: You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship: You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person, and you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you meet that person.
The seriousness of your love: You are very serious about relationships, and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply, beautifully in love.
Your views on education: Education is very important in life. You want to study hard. Learn as much as you can.
The right job for you: You have plenty of dream jobs, but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something. Go for it to be happy. Achieve success.
How you view success: You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career. Nothing will stop you from trying.
What are you most afraid of: You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.


Trivia fact for Sunday, Feb. 21: Who guest-starred on the TV sitcom Friends, playing an ungainly male stripper in a policeman's uniform? Danny DeVito, in a 2004 episode titled "The One Where The Stripper Cries."

Transformers, quotes on writing, and NOT being a sheep!

Henry picked me up in a car which had received a facelift - yup, I noticed that there was something different! When we got to church, I noticed that Steven Wei was now a leader in training; cool stuff. Talked to Chris Lam about teaching / education; he loves kids, even if his courses seem very intense - seven last semester and two more completed in January alone?! Interacted with Jordan, Catherine, Golden, Chrystal, and some others: Canada Line, pencil crayons, chocolate squares, sickness, and more. Mike said that Danny sounded like a pedophile when he sang ALIVE FOREVERMORE; even Margaret told him to stop, haha!

Eric Ma, Reigan, and Eric T. led the Sparks in singing - interesting to see. Melia, Auntie Rebecca, and Chrystal asked why I was ripping pages out of my "Write it, baby!" journal - those had quotes on them! After Awana, Conor said that his last name didn't begin with a K (he was looking at a list of names) - I told him that it stood for "kindergarten," which he is in. He also said that he'd bring a motorcycle Transformer to Sunday School tomorrow; should be cool. Ian (who doesn't want to go to a sleepover) and Sean were quieter than usual, but it was still okay.


Here are a list of quotes from my "Write it, baby!" journal, which I got for only five dollars:

"The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish." - Robert Louis Stevenson

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." - William Wordsworth

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." - Francis Bacon

"Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted." - Jules Renard

"If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." - Lord Byron

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. As those who move easiest have learned to dance." - Alexander Pope

"There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes." - William Makepeace Thackeray

"Looking back, I imagine I was always writing. Twaddle it was, too. But far better write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all." - Katherine Mansfield

"More than kisses, letters mingle souls." - John Donne

"The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels." - Hazrat Inayat Khan

"You will have written exceptionally well if, by skillful arrangement of your words, you have made an ordinary one seem original." - Horace

"Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe." - Gustave Flaubert

"Words are only painted fire; a book is the fire itself." - Mark Twain

"Words without thoughts never to heaven go." - William Shakespeare

"Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man." - Francis Bacon

"True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read; and in so living as to make the world happier for our living in it." - Pliny the Elder

"Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and the apparent ease." - Charles Caleb Colton.

"I always write a good first line, but I have trouble in writing the others." - Molière

"To be a well-flavored man is the gift of fortune, but to write or read comes by nature." - William Shakespeare

You Are Not a Sheep

You don't follow the crowd. In fact, whenever it's possible, you try to avoid the crowd. You don't like blending in, and you are a complete rebel. Being like everyone else is boring. You are a distinct individual, and you're definitely one of a kind. People probably consider you to be quite quirky. If anything, the herd ends up following you. And you find that to be highly annoying!

Are You a Sheep?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Most of this sounds right... and someone used to say that I was too different. HA. He just couldn't handle me, that's all. :D

Delightra, Dixie, Effie, and Evangeline

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

D

Dachele (duh-SHELL) - Source of processed fossil fuel, high-nitrate lunch meats, and gallon-sized carbonated beverages. "Where did you get dat 180-ounce soda and Slim Jim snack?" "Down at Dachele."

Daffodil: An early bloomer who leaves the farm to try to make it in the big city.

Daisy: A desirable country cow or front-parlor maid. All the boys will ask for a dollop of Daisy. Also, child will have a penchant for old Levis, cut at the crotch, several sizes too small.

DaNae: Vietnamese city known for its strategic location during the Tet Offensive.

Danetta: The lady who sets your grandmother's hair in little metal curlers.

Danielle: A bipolar rodeo queen. Do not call her Danny, or you'll have good reason to fear her wrath.

D'Ann: Friend of Pat, Chris, or Leslie. D'Ann will have gender identity confusion throughout her life.

Daquari: A frozen, rum-based alcoholic beverage best served poolside.

Darnese: A method of expressing exasperation. "Darnese kids! They keep trampling my flower bed."

D'Asia: Didn't you already name your child this? It just sounds so familiar.

Dee-Lee: Member of the male genitalia. Also, what's up or what's happening. "Don't touch his Dee-Lee." "What's the Dee-Lee, yo?"

Déja: I swear you already named a child this. Didn't you?

Delightra: A delicious substitute for sugar. May cause anal leakage.

Demeatrice: A second-rate S&M practitioner. Group discounts available.

Deputy: Will have hangdog eyes and big ears.

Destiny: Kismet, fate. Also, a stripper.

Divine: Loveable but scary transvestite. Looked best in a housecoat.

Dixie: Perfect for a shemale, whether an exhibitionist or voyeur.

D'Nay (duh-NYE) - To assert adamantly that something did not happen. Also, a river in Egypt.

Dodge: Children's playground game that leaves mental and physical scars.

Dominiqua: A small banana republic in Central America. The chief exports are coconuts, sisal, and tarantulas.

Drucilla: A great drag name, particularly if one is heading across the desert in a broken-down tour bus.


E

Eden: The garden from which life sprang with the creation of Adam and Eve. Home also of the wily serpent that offered Eve a taste of the forbidden fruit and led to the first eviction. Nice work, Eve.

Edna: The great-ant that comes to visit and takes over your room. The trade-off for the lingering old-lady smell is a crisp two-dollar bill.

Effie: Network censor who bleeps out all profanity for tape delay.

Elizabeth / Lizzy: An ax-wielding murderess and preteen star.

Elvira: Large-breasted, Gothic late-late-night talk show host.

Emeline: A thick, oil-based emollient used to remove mascara in the late '50s before it was discovered to have addictive properties and cause liver deterioration.

Erasmus: A holiday for the eradication of stray pencil marks.

Ernestine: Kick-ass, gum-chewing truck stop waitress who can serve the entire dinner shift without cracking a smile or running her support hose.

Europa: A slow, bovine girl with pretty eyes. Also, a specialized Starbucks blend.

Evangeline: Bus service notable for comfy seats and in-ride sermons.

Awana Hot Dog Day / SIN replacement

DANG IT! This thing restarted while I was out at Awana! Martin picked me up, and I thanked him for the ride - we talked about Dad, Jon, Steph, Harmony, the very rainy weather (and it was so sunny yesterday!), his family moving to Richmond from Vancouver in 2005, his brother being in Hong Kong, engineering, jobs / sun / rain in Hong Kong, the Public Market / Save-On (he lives nearby), expensive plane tickets right now, Jason the new Awana leader and his brother Daniel, Eric T., and more. Then we picked up Jason, and talked about Chris / Billy W. / Sarah / being late. When we got to the parkade, Benedict said that he could see Henry's car - what the?!

The kids seemed to enjoy Hot Dog Day - I gave Conor's drawings back to him, and noted that he was being too loud for his friend, who had to cover his ears! Chrystal said that she'd lost her ID before too, and had to pay a fee to have it replaced. For once, I don't mind it costing money (I don't think I ever paid for Korey's to be replaced after he thought *I* had lost it...), but still. It can be ANNOYING! I've just been reading that it costs $10 for the SIN card to be replaced, so that's okay-ish. Good thing there's a centre really nearby, if I can only find it...

Talked to Ian, Sean, Lanie, Midora, little Eric M., Henry, Angus, Danny, Jordan, Maxine and Tim (Felicity had called Maxine up to say "guess who is teaching your niece violin?!" hahaha - Jon had told us that he recognized her accent; "I know some people from South Africa!"), Keenan, Auntie May, and others: friends with your niece's teacher, it being a small world, Nicholas / Helen, vacations, Hong Kong, "missing kids," Ian and Gabriel being active and messy, chips, pubs instead of high tea, Felico's Greek food birthday stuff, wet chairs, chalkboards (squeaky sounds and nails scratching it - NO!), and more. I didn't get to give Henry his present because he left early, but did give John the present for his family - the kids seemed to like the idea of chocolate and candy canes, hahaha. Saw Dad a couple of times, and at least figured out the time they'd pick me up tomorrow. It was all right, but I only took one bag of chips for home - I'd already eaten a few leftover wieners and a bag of chips, though.

I'm too awesome for you! / Boats, precautions, and hot pot

NO MORE CREEPS, PLEASE! He only wishes my awesomeness would rub off on him, but I'm not gonna let that happen!

Henry picked me up, and told me about a fire at work - seems they were making a Thanksgiving turkey, and the extra grease dripped in the oven, so there were ALL THESE FLAMES! Of course they put the fire out, but WHOA! I had to hear a bit of a Christmas song, and commented on it - way too early for ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH, thanks! That just made me think that the Christmas commercials will start right after Halloween - UGH. Managed to get rid of a bunch of change at Awana, and talked to Jessica / Sarah / Golden / David / Nicholas / Chrystal / Danny about points, new ways of doing things, Awana dollars, and more. Sean S. had folded one of his Awana dollars into a boat (how creative!), and Sean L. wanted help opening up his package of crackers. I expected him to say "thank you," since his condition is no excuse for NOT saying so - I had to prompt him, but he knew what to say! Henry and Eric were trying to scare him, so I asked if he were scared; "no!" Haha, good!

Told Golden about a four-hour class I had once; SO LONG! Briefly touched on teaching Sunday School, too. I'm glad that my alert has resulted in an email reminding us to be more careful with the kids, and increased safety precautions on Kids Night / Halloween... YAY! Said hi to Annie, Olivia, Anne, Sophia, John, and other people. Seemed to be a day for going out to dinner, especially with the rain. Cooking takes up a lot of time, that's for sure! I asked Matthew Ma #2 whether he remembered my name: he remembers my telling it to him, but not what it is! At first, he thought I was Auntie Rebecca, and looked like her - so he asked me for an Awana dollar! Nope, I don't have any! I wanted to see if he'd remember my name tomorrow if I told it to him right then - maybe. We'll see!

I saw the kids play tag before we went home - the kids were excited about hot pot (which is NOT a restaurant!), which made me want some. Talked about October / December / Christmas / going to bed anywhere from 900 minutes early to 200 minutes late. I don't think Ian and Sean should be going to bed at 11:10 PM, even if they DO share a room for now! Told them about my grandma going to Hong Kong - Ada was much amused by Cindy's story of her student asking her in the supermarket, "You have a mom and dad, and they're still alive?!" It was an interesting ride home, for sure.

Four large Superstore pizzas save the day before a Food Bank scavenger hunt!

Henry picked me up, and he asked what I'd done for Fellowship last night: Bible Study! They'd had a potluck with fifty people, which wouldn't have been so bad if that number hadn't included TWENTY new people who (of course) didn't bring any food! Danny had to buy four large pizzas at Superstore, which thankfully tided them over! Henry also said that he wants to make a Thanksgiving turkey, and figured that the appreciation dinner next week would be free. It would be wrong if they attempted to make the volunteers pay for it, after all...

When we got to church, Sabrina waved at us. I stopped outside the fellowship hall to watch some of the Cubbies play - said hi to Rosenda, and got a couple of high-fives from her son Gabriel. He's so cute! Said hi to his older brother Ian, who just turned four - he and Jeremy share a birthday. (later, Eunice told me: "I'm already six years old! It's my birthday today!" YAY!) Priscilla, Emily, and Nina said hi to me, I greeted Martin and David, Auntie Vivian and I both bought staplers, Golden warned me against a stapler spring, and Conor grinned at me while his brother Sean asked what was happening with the scavenger hunt. While I was looking at the StoveTop stuffing mix, Bob grasped me by the shoulders and bugged me about stealing the stuff destined for the Food Bank. "Thou shalt not steal, you know!" "There's a difference between looking at it and stealing it, y'know!" Annie attempted to scare me for fun, and Golden said the whiteout tape didn't work on weird paper.

Said hi to Esther's mom, and to Hannah and Amanda's mom Catherine. Asked Auntie Rebecca about the dinner next week, and she thinks my parents might be going. Just in case, I'll see whether Henry can give me a ride. Jordan wanted a piece of paper whole Chrystal (her cruise was FUN!) and I were talking to Auntie Bessy about her bruised rib. Slippery floors or inadvertent lace loops certainly do a number to you! Saw Uncle Tom, Auntie Allyn, Uncle George (shook hands!), Auntie Grace (don't talk to me when my mouth is full of cookie... told me the Canucks lost 3-0 to Colorado this afternoon!), and Auntie Vera. On the way home, Ada and I talked about mooncake / Thanksgiving while her kids played a "good news / bad news" game: princesses, girls, lava, crazy heads, garbage, disco, dying, hot, small cars, damage, and more!

Dreaming of swinging on ropes, and a bag full of books

Note: LJ Soulmate Blogquiz, by Amber.


Erin finally got my "lazy" wedding reception RSVP of three weeks ago, which is a good thing! I had a weird dream last night where a bunch of us were shepherded into this brown building, and told by a bunch of Secret Police types to find our way to the gym on the bottom floor by using the stairs only. Jen tried to obtain a map, but she was told that it would be cheating. So we went up and down the stairs, but found that they all stopped short of our destination. There were no elevators that we had access to, which was disappointing. My sister finally found a rope setup that required us to jump to a net and navigate it, then to the first red rope, then swing from there to a blue rope, then to a yellow rope, then to a green rope, and finally to the gym floor.

I was quite happy to leave stupid Raymond in the lurch when he complained that I was taking too long to sing. Deal with it, and grow some patience! He looked way too pale, and was wearing an unflattering white sweater anyway. When I reached the bottom, I was greeted by Eric H. and Danny, who wanted me to talk with them unobtrusively. Of course this could happen, so I went. We wanted to set up a time to meet up, but Chung Yan distracted us with a bag full of books: romance, one with a heart on it, history, literature, and more! Some of the books were NOT in resellable condition (one had its cover almost completely torn from the binding), but it was still okay for home use! The dream ended when we were discussing various aspects of life and bubble tea.

Not sure why I had it - I borrowed a bag full of books from the library the other day, and talked to Eric H. for ten minutes yesterday. Haven't talked to Danny since July, and he and Eric don't know each other anyhow. (last saw Chung Yan at the grad banquet, and Jen on Wednesday night at bubble tea) I remember liking Raymond's white sweater, but that was another lifetime ago... and yes, he IS stupid, so that's very accurate. Although I do note that red, green, blue, and yellow are the Awana colors - and Danny is a fellow Awana leader, so maybe that ties in with the orientation email. WHO KNOWS.


Facebook quiz taken from Angela:

Leslie took the What Ice cream flavor are you? quiz and the result is Vanilla. This may not sound so exciting, but everyone loves you. You're a classic!

Beef Jerky Underpants... do we really wanna know?!

Sam and Jeremy picked me and Grandma up for grad banquet at about 5:30, then we went to get Karmie. Discussed the imminent axing of the 98 B-Line, the Canada Line, Josiah volunteering for a fruit company which gives the extra fruit from your trees to the Food Bank, the Screamers at Danny's Market (never had them myself), specific employees for pizza crust AND Screamers, Sam going to Manitoba soon, and other things. Got to the church in time to see the catering van in the parkade - excellent! Talked to Phil, Michelle, Auntie Cynthia, Emily, Isabel, Darren, Alan, Tracy, Daniel, Auntie Catherine, baby Mattias, and others. Temporarily lost track of where Grandma was, but I wasn't about to ask a perfidious blackguard where she was! Then I saw her sitting in the seats beside the stairs - good, because Phil was telling us to go inside the fellowship hall!

Steph and I decided to sit her down away from the speakers because we were concerned she'd say it was too loud. Turns out she thought we sat her there because it was closest to the food! I could have had my food first instead of having it last, but switched tables once it was apparent that she could talk to a few people in Chinese. Eric termed it "abandoning her," but she'd be fine! I was very careful where I sat, and decided to sit as far away from certain people as possible: I didn't mind sitting by Lesley, Harmony, Jon (when he got there), or white Jeremy (ditto)! After getting dessert, I stopped to talk to Mattias, who looked as if he wanted some - not now, but maybe when you're older!

The catered food was SO GOOD: orzo pasta which looked like rice (NOT OUZO), strawberries with salad, chicken in sauce, penne with vegetables, coffee, fruit slices, pastries as dessert, bread pudding with whipped cream, and more. Talked to Auntie Elaine, Uncle William, Winnie, Nathan, Eric, Andrew, Christon, Margaret, Elaine, Hannah, Stanley, and others: "spreading your legs," Kelowna, brewing, bloopers, outtakes, Youtube, weddings, Sunday Dinners, Nathan's "manly" Pink Energy drink, lack of sleep, pregnancy, trips, and more.

The roasts were VERY FUNNY (Sarah: "These baby pictures are all of my sister... wait, that's only this one because the others are of my brother!"), and Nathan's was EPIC! Rubber chickens, Steve Irwin impersonations, images of Jon and Harmony on plants in Eric's yard, Christon impersonating my dad, HOLY MO-FO, beef jerky underwear, going crazy in Nathan's basement, etc. SO EXCELLENT! Chris apparently got carried away in editing Sam's roast, so that fifteen-minute epic featured random shots of Lucas, J-Mak, Joey, Julie, Sarah, Ivan, the parkade, Chung, Karen, Mattias, baby Allison, Anita, Jeff, and other people. Grace roasted some people I didn't know, while Melia had to do a speech for someone she'd never met... oh dear. Steph left early since she noticed that Grandma was getting tired - Jon, Harmony, and I made plans for dinner tomorrow so at least Grandma doesn't have to cook! Sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mike at the end, too!

After Pastor John gave a message, we were free to mingle. Mattias loved my blue shiny shirt and (later) Calla's buttons on her jacket. Talked to Phil about Montreal and Dave, waved bye to Danielle and others, and played with Megan. Saw Joshua and Keenan, too! Megan loved the air vents in the fellowship hall - she was very entertained! I ignored a certain person while asking Eric for a ride home, although I'd have LOVED to gloat in his face about his proposals being rejected! For some reason, I was drawn to a conversation in which Nathan was outlining a use for beef jerky underpants: S&M, anyone? Cufflinks, handcuffs, and all that stuff... oh my. Calla told Harmony just to throw them out when she and Jon got home, haha. Talked about a possible Sunday Dinner at Jeremy's to say bye to Nathan and happy birthday to Eric, Jon and Harmony's housewarming on the 29th (an eight-hour affair?!), "Grandma duty" conflicting with the Fellowship small-group outing, school / exams, relationship, psycho-babble, "child / parent / adult," and more.

Stanley decided to kick us out, so we continued our discussions outside. On the way home, Eric thought I said a certain word - NO! He also didn't remember about the townhouse, so we inadvertently spent more time together. Discussed video games, sleep, sharp pains in his head (um...), #4 / Alderbridge, Sunday, reminder phone calls, fees for rides to church, mice in flour (I have bought none after THAT incident!), keys, and more. Good times! Got home and found a good email from my sister - YAY!