Poutine, Lindt chocolate, pub glasses, and Grandma

So much for not going out till Thursday - my laundry detergent cup is ruined after doing some laundry, so I had to get another one. Thank goodness I can shop on my OWN schedule! Found some pub glasses at London Drugs which were $1.20 each, so I bought four of them... good to have spares around, just in case! Also bought a 300g on-sale Lindt dark chocolate bar (the sale expires tomorrow), and some Ruffles sour cream and bacon chips. Then I went home to put it away before going out again for A&W poutine at the Richmond Centre food court - Troy Anthony is to blame for this, since he was posting pictures of said dish in Puckheads! Since I was out anyway, I decided to go see Grandma at Dogwood - I knew my mom would make a big deal out of my not coming today. I didn't go last Tuesday (but I went the next day!), and to hear her go on about it, it's like I never visited Grandma last week. *rage* When my parents offered to let me tag along for baby-minding, I said no. Then when my mom said I should call her if I needed a ride to the long-term care home tomorrow, I said I probably wouldn't be coming out. YAY FOR "ME" time, until the weekend anyway! They gave me some white nectarines for Uncle Michael and Aunt Leslie, plus measuring tape to size out Grandma's feet / shoes before they left.

Grandma thought I was Steph AGAIN, and wanted me to eat food there; no thanks! Uncle Michael offered me two throat lozenges and a banana, which I took. We talked about transit, Aaron coming in November, their not coming to Sunday's dinner since they needed to pack, the long days involved in driving from Burnaby to Dogwood and back again, China, cruising, the Blue Jays-Mariners game, a monkey in a classic movie, and more. It was nice to actually talk to him, heh. When I decided to leave at 6 after Grandma had finished her dinner, I had JUST missed the Cambie bus! On the way home, two stupid bicyclists didn't see me and almost ran me over! FUCK!

Pureed food, Grandma, Baby Dragon, Vanessa, and Deb

Visited Grandma for a bit: she said the food wasn't very good (but it's pureed!), and said I could order stuff if I was hungry. Once again, your residence is NOT a hotel, hahaha! I had to feed her some of her salmon / veggies dinner before she decided she could do it herself, but she said she wanted to sleep first since she was very tired. I asked if she had seen the baby, and she surprisingly acknowledged meeting Baby Dragon Ayler! Then I told her that Uncle Michael would be coming soon, but she didn't seem very excited. Oh well.

Got home to take a shower and do some laundry, then Vanessa said hi on MSN / YM. She wants to go to Ironwood on Sunday with her friend Kim, who's going on the ferry from Victoria just to eat at Cora's, hahaha! Good thing I don't have to be at church, eh? I called Deb about tomorrow, and she called me back - sure, I can get there after 4 and my food shopping. Should be doable from Gilbert, anyway... 407? She says I can stay for dinner, and then Dylan can take me home!

Baby Olive, Hayden, Silas, Pho Thai Son

I was a bit late meeting Eric, but he said I'd sounded tired on the phone: NO, REALLY?! He joked that I was drunk, asked if I wanted to get tattoos (Steph and Lisa have that covered), wondered if I'd finished MOTHER 1 yet (then said that I was playing DRAGON WARRIOR III one too many times), tested me on PEACHES by POTUSA, said that yesterday's barbecue went pretty well with chicken drumsticks and thighs / raw veggies / watermelon, and said he'd gotten back on Thursday. GOOD THING I MANAGED TO FIX THE ROUTER MYSELF, THEN! I had brought some breakfast biscuits to eat in the car (but forgot water), and he thought they were cookies: close enough, I guess? When we got to church, I talked to Randal about his "nuts" message / waved back at Victor when he said hi / said hi to Jeremy and his parents / officially met Pastor Dan / said hi to Tim, Joshua (whose birthday is today), Keenan, and baby Emma. After service, I talked for a bit to Darren, who's back from Ireland for a month! Talked to Auntie Ying about getting together when Phil leaves, to Auntie Catherine about her father (Mom's attempted guilt trips don't work since I didn't even know he was dead till then! - Auntie Susan said the name wasn't recognizable in the bulletin), said hi to baby Rebecca and her mom Jane, and talked to baby Ayler. He smiled at me and grabbed my finger! ♥ [Harmony told people that the baby loves interacting with others, and babbles all the time!]

Before I went to Toddler Sunday School, I said hi to Benedict, Anita, Amos, and Harrison. Also saw Chung Ming with his wife Ellen: they have a nine-month-old baby girl named Olive! Also saw Dave and Tiffany, who are back in town for a short while - good to see them! Chrystal said hi, so we talked for a bit about Grandma and possible get-togethers; we didn't go see the fireworks since that scene is CRAZY! Said hi to Melia, who has seen puppy Havarti already! I saw Lanie, Quan, Silas, Danny, Anastasia, Hayden, James, Hymn, Natalie, and Ashley at Toddler Sunday School. Talked about toys, dragons in space, drawing, Lego, fake food, caramel popcorn, Chinese / Filipino festivals, and more. After Sunday School, I asked Kevin whether he'd seen Eric; nope! Talked to Andrew and Adam about being tired, my video games, seeing family, and more. Eric came up as I was doing that, and wondered if I'd seen Christon. He was helping to serve food in the fellowship hall for the senior lunch; a phone call later, we were meeting Jon at Pho Thai Son for our own lunch! Talked to Eric about that Native guy I'd seen before Sunday School; apparently, his name is Godwin. Haven't encountered that name in YEARS, man!

PHO THAI SON was interesting! We talked about yesterday's BBQ, Christon spilling iced coffee on us, girl children named Carson (?!), the "Food and Film" Evite (which Jon reminded me of), Jeremy's renovations, intensive French onion soup, weddings, the Olympics, Kent's Kitchen takeout, and more. On the way home, Eric said that we were going to Pastor Bob's on Friday for a Spiritual Care program and potluck dinner - oh, religion! We also learned that Our Lady Peace (4 AM) is adult alternative / classic rock... that's the stuff WE listen to, man! Managed to open my new whiteout, and then started some laundry. Mom wants me to visit Grandma on both Tuesday and Wednesday, too.

Saying goodbye to Yvonne, vase breaking, and Havarti

Good thing I checked my trash folder this morning, since Mom has stated that Yvonne is leaving soon, and I could go to Dogwood to see Grandma and say goodbye to Yvonne. That lined up with my own plans - thank goodness I finished copying and pasting enemy names to my draft posts at 2:30 AM, and finally finished the tag lists at 3 PM! Finally finished the bagels and wafers, along with the FARMHOUSE rice. Called Steph to advise her of my plans; I'm sure I'll meet their new dog Havarti soon, even if Big G didn't like the dog licking her face in greeting! My vase from Elizabeth (which I've been using to store laundry money) broke, too! I've had that for more than ten years! Managed to buy a clear case at the drug mart across the street from Dogwood, which was less than $1.75 - very affordable!

Saw Yvonne, William, and Andrea in Big G's room with Mom - Grandma was trying on some new shoes in her wheelchair. Talked a bit to Andrea, who said they'd gone to Whistler and did some shopping, and were leaving tomorrow at 1. I'm sure she was bored, but there's nothing to be done about that. Took some photos, and tried getting Grandma to walk a few steps; that would have been fine, except she fell down! Luckily, Dad was there to grab her! Andrea gave me a piece of peach Hi-Chew candy, prompted by her mom. I told her that I'd save it for later, heh. An angry person is living there who has an infectious disease... AIYA! When we said bye to Grandma (who thought she was in a hotel or at home - a floating hotel!), Yvonne was crying afterwards. That totally makes sense! At least I got a ride home; Mom wants me to go visit Big G at least once a week, which of course I shall do! Now. it's back to DRAGON WARRIOR III!

Spelling "malignant," physio, vocal baby Ayler, and Ted

Laundering my Canucks shirt worked for no more egg staining - YES! I told Ryan a short version of recent events, since I trust him as well. Lillian woke me up at 9:45 with a phone call, but that's okay because I got more rest! We got to the hospital at about 11 with Auntie Kwai, and stayed with Grandma; we supported her and held her hands as the physiotherapist was examining her later. She slowly sat up and stood for a couple of minutes after he tested her reflexes, then took a couple of steps. Later, she had some congee with rice. We had chicken, a turkey sandwich with cheddar and horseradish, coffee, and coffee cake from Starbucks. Ted (Mabel's husband) visited when she was sleeping. Mom got there after 4, but Grandma didn't seem to recognize her. When we asked Grandma who Mom was, we got the response "Leslie..." Ha, not quite! Jon had told her some details over the phone when they got in, so that's good. Then again, Grandma thought she was on a cruise! Nice!

Yvonne and William showed up a minute after Jon did at 4:45 or so, but Mom didn't really talk to them much. At least Jon and I talked to them for updates and such, since we have no issues with these people. I hugged Yvonne goodbye when Mom, Jon, and I went for dinner at Kwong Chow - yes, they have to see baby Ayler at some point when they're here! (and not just in photo form, haha) Auntie Eva kindly drove us to the restaurant, and I finally got to see the baby! Baby Ayler was making a lot of sounds as usual (we think he wants to talk already at two months old!), and seemed interested in all the lights that were on! It was good to see them, and I told Harmony that I'd been at the townhouse on Friday and not HOME. She'd forgotten, but that's okay. Later, Mom was apparently surprised that cancer patients will go through a lot of pain as they near the end. When I was NOT surprised at this, she wondered how I know, and concluded that I must know everything! I taught her to spell "brain," "philanthropist," "incontinent," "chemotherapy," "neurosurgeons," "palliative," "consultation,"and "malignant." Later, I finally reset my Trillian password, and replied to emails from Mandy / Deb.

Egg on shirt?! / Orca statues! / CONGEE!

This morning, I discovered that I accidentally laundered my bus pass last night. Then I decided that transferring my stuff was more important than going to church, so I called Lillian to inform her of this, then called Eric to let him know. I'm sure he understands! When Veronica answered the phone, I politely told her that I was good - she probably doesn't want to hear the real story, unless she's heard from Eric already. Oh well. Jon also called to see if we could locate his bus pass in the back of the rental car - sure! Told him that we'd gone for sushi afterwards, heh. Got an email from Vicky about things, which is good. Lillian came by later, and said that Jon had texted her about the bus pass, but she couldn't find it. After I had dropped off most of my stuff at home (and organized most of it), we discussed the changes in Richmond / orca statues near Dragon Ball / chairs / impatient drivers who can't wait for someone with a walker to cross the street / picking up Auntie Kwai / congee.

Grandma was at least awake when we got there, and was able to tolerate a lot of congee without choking... YAY! Her roommate is 96 years old, Jewish, and felt like she was going to die; her lesbian granddaughter wouldn't hear of that because of her wedding next week, haha! Auntie Paula and Auntie Helen came by later, and said that Auntie Eva would pick up my parents from the airport tomorrow and visit. I really need to figure things out with Jon, then - how to tell them if they don't know?! Lillian thinks that Grandma can no longer really control her right hand, which is definitely an effect of what's really been going on! A bit later, she bought me a honey Greek yogurt from Starbucks, and some egg / ham / Chinese buns. Unfortunately, the egg got on my Canucks shirt and ruined it. Maybe I'll try laundering it tonight since I really have no spare shirts! After we told Grandma to sleep some more, I decided to go with Lillian back to Richmond before Grandma's dinner since she's meeting a friend. She's seeing someone tomorrow to give out stuff from her colleagues, but that's in Port Coquitlam! Of course I don't want her to drive everywhere, so a central place to pick people up would be good. Found out that Helen Huynh (from Palmer) added me on Facebook - nice!

Healing power and authority? / Improvement

This morning, I got emails from white Eric and Raymond (of all the people) about yesterday's events. Also got an email from Mom - who doesn't know about things - opining yet again that she thinks Grandma just gave up since she doesn't want to live in a home. If only it were that simple... we know things that she doesn't. Replied to Raymond's email (who said "God has authority over all things, even tumors - witness my amazing healing from an old hand injury!"), and finally replied to Mandy's and Deb's to tell them about this.

Lillian came by at 10 from the mall where she was buying vouchers for her phone. Auntie Kwai had elected not to come today since she wasn't feeling well. We parked in the wrong spot; when we finally got to Grandma's room, she was sleeping quite soundly. After covering her up and talking to the doctor about yellow IV drips (folic acid and vitamins!), we tried waking her up. Eventually, she woke up. We tried feeding her a lot of orange Jello, water, and medicine. She seemed receptive to that; later, she recognized us after we told her to think about it, and talked louder than she has in a bit. Pastor Fulton, Auntie Teresa, Uncle Reuben, Auntie Christine, Mrs. Tung, Alan, Polly, Auntie May, and three church people whom I don't really know came and visited her, Jon came by after teaching violin, after William / my cousin Yvonne / their daughter Andrea came by. He joked that Andrea could have a birthday in the hospital after we found out that her birthday is next week. When she was out of the room, Yvonne cried a lot, and said that she didn't know how her dad would take it. Yeah, she also has no idea why our parents aren't speaking to each other.

After feeding her dinner, we decided to go for sushi at Kiyo. It wasn't too bad; Yvonne insisted on paying since we seldom see each other. Over rolls, cones, scallops, cold buckwheat noodles (soba), sashimi, rice, and more, we discussed Dairy Queen / a radio for Grandma / weird foods / tomorrow's plans / family updates / more stuff. Lillian figures we can transfer my stuff in the morning so we won't be tired later, which makes sense. I got home to do laundry, and talked some more to people. Too bad that Chinese Eric wasn't home when I called, since he's my rock - at least I emailed him yesterday! (also got an email from Christon about things)

Baby Ayler's first church outing!

As I'd predicted to Eric, I was up with the sounds of the traffic and such from below at about 8. SLEEP DEBT, OH YES! That didn't mean that I'd feel fully awake when it came time for the special meeting at church, though. I delayed Eric a bit by looking for a suitable jacket and stuff, but we were on our way soon after 9:35. He thought - as usual - that I was drunk, so I said NO! We talked about Kevin / Randal / Geoffrey being at the Burnaby hiking outing yesterday, coaching soccer, traffic, construction, and more. During service, I read my bulletin; tickets for Phil's farewell lunch will only be on sale for three weeks, so I got mine TODAY from Christon after confirming that Eric would be going. Later, I talked to Amanda (who has a big gash on her head from falling on metal) / Jane / Tracy, and peeked in at a sleeping baby Rebecca. Jon and Harmony had actually made it to church with baby Ayler, so people looked in at him. He was waking up from sleep, which is cute! Talked to Frances, Micah ("Is that baby Ayler? He has small hair!"), Isaac, Karen, Lincoln, Brian, Stanley, Auntie Cathy, and Auntie Ying while telling the baby that the noise was okay. He seemed to be kind of interested in my "PRICE IS RIGHT" shirt because of the bright colors, haha. Jon said that they might drop by later, as they're going to her parents' place for dinner; if not, I'll call him on Tuesday! Gave the rest of my Brookside chocolates away to Hannah W. / Natalie W. / Gladys, plus the Chiclet / Dentyne gum and Lemonheads candy. I knew I'd find willing takers!

Saw Lanie, Danny, Jessie, new kids named Silas / Janelle / Haley (the last two were too young), Anastasia, Ashley, Natalie, Ramen, Shira, Mattias, David, and Evelyn at Toddler Sunday School; the floor had changed from white tile to hardwood in the last two weeks, Lanie told me. There were also new toys that parents had donated, she added - NICE! I comforted Ramen while his mom was out of the room with a baby, and confirmed that Mattias knew who I was. Later, Eric and Jon were going for Pho, but I decided to stay and eat (egg / ham / ham and cheese) sandwiches with fruit to save money. Of course, I donated some money for the freewill offering! I spilled my fruit cup in front of Mattias and Marcus; whoops! Discovered that my handbag had sustained fruit juice, so went to Superstore to see if they had any - nope, but I did get a farewell card with a sad dog on it for Phil / Grace / Micah, plus a green apple shampoo and conditioner! To thank Mattias for doing a good job of watching my stuff, I gave him a bunch of stickers. He really liked those (after he asked what I'd bought - I showed him), and told his mom Karen about it! Phil figured that I always had gifts for the kids - sometimes, yes! We discussed his own son Micah, Steveston, Pastor John, Karmie, housesitting, quorum, and more prior to going in for the meeting. (Stanley and Jon were playing jazz on the piano while Danny W. and Eric played with Mattias and Marcus)

During the meeting, I talked to Jeremy about a light popular novel, and discovered that I really didn't believe in certain things like overly religious prayer. Guess I'm not really that religious, haha! Turns out that I didn't need to be there, since there were 184 people in attendance, and Pastor Dan was called to serve us with a 94% YES approval rating. Eric said that there were two voting against, and four spoiled ballots, heh. Jeremy told me and Eric that Big G should choose the name since she named him and Eric, hahaha! ("Bearded Man / White Kid") Nope, she doesn't have a name for Pastor Bob! Auntie Anita told me that Andrea's going to be a mom in December, too. On the way home, we just listened to the news since there wasn't much to say. He tells me that Bible Study is on the agenda for Friday; yay. *sarcasm* Decided to see if laundering my bag would work... it works as a temporary fix, but the bottom is loose. Jon just called to see if there was any freezer space for their stuff; not really, since Mom always packs the freezer to the gills with things! "Why is Mom always doing that?!" - NO CLUE!

Rice milk, cosmetics bags, sadness with Grandma, ZOOLANDER

Showered and started some laundry before I even touched the computer this morning, otherwise I'd get sucked into it as per the usual. After everything was done, I decided to take all my remaining things over to the townhouse first before visiting Big G. Chilled there for a bit before deciding to finally leave. I found a bunch of Pasta-Roni, cooked chicken, Sidekicks, chips, bagels, bread, Hungry Man microwaveable meals, apple juice, coffee, rice milk, almond milk, bottled water, other things, and instructions on how to use the hot-water boiler... like I don't know how to use it?! Oh well!

Went to London Drugs in the heat and bought a new cosmetics bag to use as a wallet, some peanuts, and some Kleenex. The last two items were for Grandma, and I got to the care home by 5. At the Canada Line station on Marine Drive, I witnessed a girl swearing at transit security... and some professional guy tried bothering me while I was reading. I WASN'T HAVING THAT! Sat with Grandma while she ate, and tried making conversation; at one moment, I realized that no, she is NOT going to live forever. Katherine came by later, and we talked for a bit about church things and the Caring Committee arrangements; since she could stay with Grandma for a bit, I felt free to just leave for the townhouse.


Quizzes from Matt:

You Scored as FUCK YOU FUCK OFF FUCK YOU 63% You don't suck at all 31% You suck a lot 19%

What does this have to do with "How Stupid Are You?", man?

You Scored as Mugatu You are Maguta. You're an evil fashion designer who does not care about child labor. You were kicked out of a band, and make a necktie with a piano design. Mugatu 56% Derek Zoolander 44% Maury Ballstein 38% Hansel 31%

Psychotically?! / Caleb, Marissa, Connor, Carol, Stuart at WHITE SPOT

Talked to Vanessa on MSN about ONLINE DRAMA before I tagged 1000 screenshot pictures and left for White Spot. For some reason, I decided to price out hats at Coast Mountain Sports... $31.99 for a hat?! OH, MY LORD! It wasn't too bad busing from Vancouver City Centre to that White Spot - thank goodness I saw it out the window! Unfortunately, that asshole Stuart (he IS very British) was there, but I did what I said I'd do, and ignored him all evening. (I'm very good at that) I had the Bishop's Curry - we discussed hockey news, Zach Parise, the Detroit Red Wings, the Bruins-Canucks Cup final, the Nashville Predators, Caleb / Marissa / Connor / Carol, Facebook people, Ayler photos, towing cars, baseball / cricket / football, losing Salo and Rome, Connor meeting Pekka Rinne, Seattle, Denny's, rides to the Canada Line station, and more. I played with Connor a bit, speaking into his mouth as his dad held him upside down. Got home at 9, and promptly started some much-needed laundry. Now I hear from Carol that Stuart thinks I'm a sweet lovely person because I was respectful and courteous while participating in what conversation I could?! Crazy times!


"And Ghido the Sage is calling Krile... like, psychotically?" HAHAHAHA!




Meeting Caleb and Marissa at the Georgia White Spot:

Pirates getting seasick / ROM restarts are ANNOYING!

Had to do laundry today; bloody hell! Mom said that they could pick Eric up at about 5:10 tomorrow for the baby banquet, and then pick me up soon after - I guess that works! Now, to see if Eric is going to get on MSN tonight, haha. Had to restart FFVA yet AGAIN - this time on a different rom file altogether - because of the stupid random encounter tiles on the Big Bridge being the same as last time and NOT WORKING! If this doesn't work, I'm glad I have a complete bestiary code for my photo albums! (also got INTERESTING news from James just now, har har)


A pirate who still gets seasick!

Vegas 2012: escalaphobia, weddings, and new friends!

This is in email form because I intend on emailing this to Eric, and I have no energy to rewrite it as a blog post!



Hey, Eric! I said I'd tell you about the trip, so here goes! This will be a long one, so feel free to split up reading it! If this sounds really disjointed, I'm really out of it right now as I think I caught something right when I got back - go figure!

Tuesday, May 29: Before we left for Vegas, my parents and I went to the hospital to help with baby Ayler because Jon and Harmony REALLY needed sleep! I got to hold the baby for about an hour or more - he's so cute! You need to see Ayler at some point! When we got to YVR, we discovered that the flight was delayed for about half an hour; good thing I had my books to keep me company! Lisa and Steph met us at the Imperial Palace hotel (MacCarran airport has slot machines - everyone seems to smoke in Vegas), where we discovered that the pre-paid room was booked in MY name! HAHAHAHA! Of course, my mom made a fuss about it, saying that it should be in HER name; the poor front desk clerk said that WestJet picked a random name from the passports. At the hotel room, we all talked about the bus route and schedules, since walking anywhere along the Strip would take FOREVER. Then I had to share a hotel room with my parents - oh well. Close quarters make for bad bedfellows, that's for sure! (especially since I don't LOVE being with my parents for an extended amount of time)


Wednesday, May 30: All the signs are in English and Spanish, and it's strange to me since I'm used to seeing directions / instructions in English and French. I noticed the "HOT BABES" advertising right away - my friend Jess had told me that they hand out cards for that right on the Strip, but I didn't want to take one in case airport security saw it in the X-rays, haha. My mom saw a coupon for a "free" T-shirt, so said that I should go stand in line for it. There were a lot of people in line for THE PRICE IS RIGHT, so I waited for at least an hour. When I got to the front, the guy said that I actually had to buy tickets to the show first BEFORE I got the T-shirt. However, he was nice and gave me one anyway. I noticed that redrum started AGAIN, and thought I should have taken hormones! (too much info, I know - but I trust you a lot... you know how it is with your sickness!)

Later, some woman asked where we were from, and then my parents were enticed by the free breakfast / free buffet tickets / free show tickets which went along with the WyndMark condo "scam" offer on Friday morning. We went to Wal-Mart later to pick up some basic supplies like oatmeal and cereal (as well as a McDonalds dinner), and then had to wait an HOUR for the bus! I got a bunch of postcards for myself, you, Jeremy, my friends Corey / Siobhan / Chrystal, and others... plus three $5 handbags. A bus did pass us by because there was only one lane of traffic, according to a road worker. The guy who was waiting with us called it "bullshit." I agreed, even though Dad called that "foul language" later - I guess it's a good thing he didn't know how much I wanted to swear at some things!


Thursday, May 31: My parents went to the Grand Canyon all day, which necessitated a wakeup call at 5:15 AM. I discovered the Apple Store at the Forum Mall, so I was able to check my email and Facebook on an iPad, swiping and using the on-screen keyboard as I went. (a MacBook Air proved to be too much for me :P) The "outside" ceiling was pretty nice, since it was like you were walking around in Rome! Lots of escalators, which I wouldn't want to take! There were plenty of fountains and statues, so that was cool. When I checked Facebook, I found that my intuition was sadly right: someone whom I liked (in Texas) was in a brand new relationship. He's an agent of betrayal and a perfidious blackguard, to boot! (Now James and I are talking about it on YM - he's trying to convince me that it's just one of life's changes since he was tired of being depressed, and all Rachael had to do was say "yes" if she wanted him, despite her not wanting him in April or May. I should have told him more clearly how I felt before I left. He is trying to make me believe that he didn't intend on being in a relationship when I left, but is committed when he's in one; good for her, but I can't help but think what's wrong with ME! At least YOU have never hurt me in that way!)

Steph and Lisa treated me to a dinner at the Main St. Station buffet; after taking the bus there (WE SAW ELVIS!), we went down the Fremont Street Experience beforehand, and went to Walgreens since Lisa's eczema was acting up. It was nice to meet a bunch of Lisa's family: her nephews Lucas (10 - with autism) and Liam (3), Grandma Joan, stepmom Sandy (whom Dad thinks he doesn't have to care for since she wore spaghetti straps - IT WAS 37 FREAKING DEGREES OUTSIDE! WHATEVER!), dad Mike, aunt Liz, mom Ruth (who's a bit of a control freak and stresses poor Lisa out), cousins Heather and Lindsay, brother Brad and his girlfriend Tanya, brother Shaun and his wife Nicole, plus others. I was too full for dessert, but Liam showed me his green Jello! Gotta love kids! Then we went down Fremont St. again, and saw all these characters: SONIC, Al Capone, Spongebob, and many others! We saw a Bon Jovi concert on the ceiling, ziplining (like the ones that were here for the Olympics), and lots of funny shirts. (baby onesie: "I'm What Happened in Vegas")

We saw a place called the Heart Attack Grill, where you can eat free if you weigh over 350 pounds. Since Brad weighs 359 pounds (he told us!), he said he'd be back the next day. (I asked him about it later, and Tanya said that they gave you a bib and utensils!) Since some people wanted to see a show which was at my hotel, I decided to go with them; I needed more of a break from my parents, y'see. We saw a show called DIVAS, which featured a lot of female impersonators / drag queens: Cher, Bette Midler, Joan Rivers, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, and more. It was quite enjoyable! Sandy thought that those couldn't possibly be men (but they were - as evidenced by the last segment where they all came out as men), while poor Nicole had to walk all the way from Circus Circus to Imperial Palace (a LONG walk!) since she missed the bus we were on by eight seconds, and those only came once every 15 minutes! Afterwards, Sandy wanted to gamble since she wouldn't sleep anyway because of insomnia. I think it was too hot to sleep! I went back to the hotel room at 1 AM, haha.


Friday, June 1: After the WyndMark presentation (credits for vacation?), we went to the Emperor Buffet in our hotel for lunch, but my parents made me take an escalator. Steph said that Lisa was REALLY stressed out because of her mom, but didn't want to upset her. Later, my mom had all these weird things to say, which are at the bottom of this email. We bumped into Shaun and the family at a bus stop after buying some shirts (I got one for me, one for you - which is an inverse of mine - and one each for Jon and Harmony) and souvenirs, and I played peek-a-boo with Liam. I went back to the hotel room since my mom wanted to go to the outlet malls, and I needed a break from my parents and the heat. (ice from the ice machine really helped!)

This is going to worry you, but please don't: I briefly thought of jumping from the 17th-floor balcony because of James - I guess I was / am more in love with him than I thought, but I'm just trying to NOT feel that way right now since it's inappropriate. (I did tell him that, and am not sure what he thought) The next morning, I just as briefly thought about cutting myself with my mom's little scissors that she brought along. The blades felt so cool against my skin... but again, I didn't. I was thinking that I wanted to see you and the baby, at least! You are a good reason to smile! :)

Dad and I had McDonalds for dinner: I loved the Hot and Spicy McChicken, for obvious reasons! These little black kids (Crystal / Bella / Lexie?) said hi to me and treated me like their new friend, haha. Maybe I *am* good with children to a certain extent! You know me and kids, anyway.


Saturday, June 2: My mom was really stressing me out in the morning, thinking that I didn't know how to soak things in the tub (maybe I temporarily FORGOT because of you?!), or thinking that I had to do certain things. Let's just say that while we were going through the casino at Harrah's (where I had to take the escalator) as a break from the 107-degree heat, I felt betrayed both by my parents and James, and friendless. I'm sure I made a GREAT first impression on my sister's friend Rachel's boyfriend Wade later on as I was telling her, Vivian, and Vivian's husband Gabe about exactly why I was stressed out and crying! I was worried that it was TMI for Gabe (the redrum part), but he's had a conversation with Steph, so he's used to our family.

The wedding itself at Joe's was small and to the point: we had steak, tuna, cheesecake, pie, and a bunch of other good stuff. I got to talk to Ross, Winnie, Jessica Lam, Jessica Marr, Alan, Tracy, Rachel, Wade, Gabe, Vivian S., Erin, Margaret, Mike, Denise, Karen Grace, and others about Alberta / fires / Ottawa / the baby / other stuff. I liked Steph and Lisa's vows: "if anyone hurts you, I'll beat them up and buy you ice cream - if *I* hurt you, I'll beat myself up before buying you ice cream!" Sandy has humor, too: "By the power invested in me by the Mad Hatter, the Wizard of Oz, and all the Elvises of the Las Vegas Strip, I pronounce you married!" When I went over to say hi to the kids, Sammy said he had a rock which cost a "thousand million dollars," while Liam gave me a high-five! Lucas got his beloved cheeseburger for lunch, at least! Ruth said the grandkids needed entertainment, haha.

Later, I elected to go to the Apple Store again after the wedding photos since I had to tell my online friends how I really thought about things. I missed my alone time, trust me! (I think you have an idea of how I feel) After that, I went to Toby Keith's bar in the evening at Harrah's by myself to meet up with whoever decided to go. Steph predicted that Alan would be face-down in a fountain then because it was also his birthday (which I told him later when they showed up), and her RCMP friends were surprised that his table had all her church friends since they were kinda rowdy at lunch! I got a couple of Budweisers plus plenty of water! Hugged Rachel a lot, talked a bunch to Lindsay / Heather / Andrea / MacGregor / other assorted cousins / Mike / Sandy, learned that Vivian and Gabe had checked out the slot machines, and rested a lot after dancing to cool rock tunes. You know my taste in music, haha! Rachel and I told Wade about how my dad used to make Rachel drink full glasses of milk even though she'd just found out that she was lactose-intolerant! ("Stop being fussy! Steph, pour your friend some milk!") Their friend Kate is also lactose-intolerant, yet never got the same treatment since Dad thought she was weak and her health would suffer! Wouldn't it have been the same thing for Rachel?! I mean, it WAS the family bathroom where she had to deal with the inevitable consequences... I guess Dad didn't care!


Sunday, June 3: My parents brought back some Panda Express food for me while I was watching FAMILY GUY / KING OF THE HILL / ARTHUR / LEVEL UP / THE REGULAR SHOW. Yup, the Cartoon Network was what did it for me on TV - I was tired of hearing about Obama and Romney, or even local Vegas news! (although I did watch DR. OZ and ELLEN once before ESPN) Later, I met my LJ friends Sheryll and her daughter Nyssa: they smoked in the casino before we went to see the flamingos, turtles, 400-pound fish, and doves in the habitat at the Flamingo Hotel. We talked about grates, Facebook, travelling, fears, and other things; it was pretty good! After that, I was ready to go home since I'd done everything I wanted to do in Vegas, and I wanted alone time by myself! However, I was there for a couple more days, and was determined to stick it out. We had FLAVORS buffet for dinner to use the free buffet tickets, and then used the free show tickets to see a LEGENDS show: Lady Gaga, Elvis, the Blues Brothers, Tina Turner, and more! Of course, my parents made me take escalators again, saying there was no choice: but I saw people in wheelchairs there, so how did THEY get up to Harrah's second floor?! My goodness.


Monday, June 4: I saw a display of cheap bling necklaces, so I got some for myself and other people in an attempt to cheer myself up. (you, Jeremy, Chrystal...) Then I found a quiet place to read for a few hours, which didn't go over well with my parents - guess I really wanted to be home to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted! Went to the Fremont St. Experience and the Main St. Station buffet for dinner again, where I apparently walked too fast for Mom's taste. Hey, I knew where I was going! Then we saw the NEW YORK hotel (Jelly Belly!), went on a tram, saw the EXCALIBUR hotel, saw the LUXOR, saw Mario / Luigi / Hello Kitty characters, and went back to our hotel all within four and a half hours! Of course, they made me take an escalator: then my mom thought that I'd magically LIKE them. NO! THAT IS NOT HOW THAT WORKS EVEN IF OTHERS HELP ME! We were on the bus, and I was sitting next to someone who wanted to get off the bus. So I moved to let him off. Mom saw this, and thought I was getting off the bus. NO! Anyone with two eyes could see that I was only moving TEMPORARILY.

Yes, she was concerned that I'd get lost or get off at the wrong stop for real, so I explained that to her. Unfortunately, she thought "I was LETTING HIM OFF!" was rude, and proceeded to say that she didn't care about me after giving me the silent treatment for ten minutes. I bet she thought I'd immediately beg for forgiveness. Honestly, if you're so stressed that your immediate reaction to someone raising their voice for emphasis - NOT NECESSARILY YELLING - is to think they're being rude and yelling.... yeah, no. I was like "Okay!" out loud. Ugh... the urge to kill her was rising! Parents!


Tuesday, June 5: After packing (I'd done it the day before to minimize stress) and leaving the luggage at the holding centre, we went to the Paradise Garden Buffet off Margaritaville for lunch. Next stop was the Forum, where I had to babysit Mom at the Apple Store: "You know how Hotmail works... You are the expert and know everything!" (never mind that I haven't used it in AGES!) Then we went to see the flamingos and other animals which I'd seen the other day with Sheryll and Nyssa. Later, we went to the Fashion Show Mall via the scenic route to avoid walking across the street; we had frozen yogurt (I had cheesecake flavor!) and look around at the expensive stuff! At the airport, we had Great Steak Philly cheesesteak sandwiches while Mom got even more stressed out, if that's even possible. She told me that she'd bought baby Ayler about 20 outfits at a baby store at the outlet mall (which impressed Harmony when I told her about it via FB), bought me four hats, some socks, and other things. I got two $10 teddy bears, one for me and one for baby - babies like soft cuddly things, so I didn't care if it was $3 more!

After the security screening / pat-down procedures at MacCarran airport, I swear I heard Dad call the female TSA agent a "f*cking whore" under his breath! At YVR, Dad agreed to drive me home afterwards. I was a bit confused when it came to the passport and customs machines, but got through it with help from an officer. When I finally got home, I checked my Trillian messages: white Eric wondered if I'd seen the baby Jesus, James wished me a safe trip (I didn't reply to that one since he didn't want to know what I'd say), and your messages about Vegas along with my friend Steve's email made me smile! Stayed up till about 4 AM, and went to sleep after unpacking.

Now, I'm a bit sick despite getting up at 6 PM, and out of it... I'm surprised I barely had the energy to go to Sears at the mall just now and buy some stuff which I needed! (I did laundry when I got home, and ran out of energy at 10:25 PM) Time to catch up on my screenshots album, then replay FINAL FANTASY V and IV in that order. That will keep me occupied while I try NOT thinking about what might have been with James, or what might have happened had I said what I was thinking before I left. *sigh* Shaun, Nicole, Heather, and Sandy have added me to Facebook so far. I also paid my phone bill since I got it in the mail this past week - yay for being responsible!


HILARIOUS MOM QUOTES:

Mom, on hats: "this Titan hat is better quality since it has a few holes to get your skin off!"
Mom, on Beyonce: "FIANCÉE?! What sort of name is that?!"
Mom, on the word DORK: "What does it mean? I bought the shirt since it was pink... I know the word is bad!"
Mom, on borrowing a complete stranger's cellphone to hop on McDonald's wi-fi (which I had NO INTENTION of doing): "you can use your charm and say 'my darling, I will give you a wet kiss!"

Mom, on fast food: "You know, this Fashion Show Mall has a JFK!"
Me and Dad: "What?!"
Mom: "YOU KNOW. A Kentucky Fried Chicken!"
Dad: "Old woman, that's..."
Me, simultaneously: "Mom, you mean..."
Together: "KFC!!!!!"

My MS Paint meme drawing for Matt

I just drew this picture based on Matt's interest of "more than 150 interests" ... or it could be based on his interest of "151." There wasn't enough room to write 151 made-up interests; sorry! :P




I know the writing is kinda small, so here's the list in case you can't read all the made-up interests:

Matt's interests

1. triangles
2. noodles
3. mousetraps
4. vents
5. echinacea
6. folders
7. vitamins
8. ice coolers
9. pasta
10. kettles

11. apartments
12. tinfoil
13. GWAR
14. laundry
15. ovens
16. children
17. toilets
18. uncles
19. David Crowder Band
20. Brian Doerksen

21. tools
22. hanging out
23. A&W
24. fun times
25. winning
26. booths
27. Greek food
28. free stuff
29. upgrading
30. nerds

31. information
32. sparks
33. washing machines
34. peanuts
35. chocolate
36. Kleenex
37. fortune
38. community
39. flowers
40. parties

41. waiting
42. angels
43. bugs
44. eagles
45. housewarmings
46. birthday cards
47. world records
48. settling in
49. good friends
50. burgers

51. whiteout
52. wires
53. relationships
54. fires
55. blindness
56. the universe
57. bookmarks
58. restaurants
59. acerbic wit
60. pawn shops

61. wildberries
62. new things
63. fishes
64. riddles
65. brains
66. editing
67. Greece
68. Final Fantasy
69. spells
70. directions

71. walkthroughs
72. Photoshop
73. nuances
74. moods
75. England
76. angels
77. butter
78. speakers
79. American Idol
80. cabs

81. noise
82. light
83. souvenirs
84. Salisbury Steak
85. being feisty
86. buffets
87. awareness
88. China
89. emailing
90. fur

91. the Ramones
92. mages
93. towers
94. dogs
95. chips
96. batteries
97. beds
98. rulers
99. mountains
100. blindness

101. potions
102. silver
103. antidotes
104. Dracula
105. unicorns
106. Shasta
107. libraries
108. psychology
109. growling
110. Latin

111. squid
112. soda
113. dust
114. giants
115. trials
116. arrows
117. wind
118. hammers
119. feathers
120. goblins

* and 31 more (at least)


from: glowing_dragon
to: matt1993

from: Leslie
to: Matt A. :)


more than 150 interests

OR

151

BROOKSIDE chocolate, $100 USD, and fashion

Right before I had to go to the doctor's appointment with Auntie Ruby, I discovered that I had to do a load of emergency laundry when I had no time... NOT IMPRESSED! Of course, I put clothes in the washing machine first before leaving, and THEN discovered I'd forgotten my bus pass not too far from the building. Went back to grab it, then was early for my appointment. Jenny's working there part-time, so it was nice to see her. Flipped through a fashion magazine while I was waiting, and found out that some people eat a lot while they sleep! Sleep disorders are CRAZY! Got a prescription for the drugs I had last time, but they weren't free today - oh well.

While I was at Shoppers Drug Mart after a pudding bubble tea from Big Orange (it was WARM out!), I got on-sale pads which I really DID need. Went to the bank, got $100 USD for Vegas (I didn't care if the exchange rate was $105 compared to $102 or @103), saw Ramynder Greyval at the bus stop, did some more banking, and went to London Drugs. Noticed the Brookside chocolates were on sale, so after selecting an on-sale Captiva Dark Chocolate Brownie from Pepperidge Farms, I got Dark Chocolate Acai Blueberry / Dark Chocolate Goji Raspberry / Dark Chocolate Cranberries / Dark Chocolate Mango Mangosteen. Finally went home after picking up the medicine (saw Roberta Rosner at that bus stop), and now I can relax after eating and putting the new purchases into Ziploc bags in the fridge!

Grand Canyon, laptop refusing to turn on, hyper / drunk

Got up at 9:15, but missed Eric's call five minutes later anyway. Apparently, I have only a couple of days to decide if I'm going to the Grand Canyon or not; maybe not, since it involves hill walking and an extra expense which my parents will bug me about if I complain! The Internet / computer was being slow earlier, but it seems to be back to normal now, although the laptop refuses to turn on right after I turn it off - it'll just shut down automatically. *fingers crossed* I've decided not to go, actually - too much hill walking, haha. After asking me whether I wanted gingered pickled pig's feet in vinegar with eggs (I am NOT the mother of a newborn!), Mom said Steph is going over for lunch tomorrow since she needs the scanner for photos; she's agreed to drive me, while saying that I seem hyper or drunk. HAHAHA, no! I'd finished a conversation with a good friend, is all. :D

Time to have a shower and then do laundry, as I only have one towel left. :P

Kenny, Guy Level 99 Magic glitch, and Against Me!

Talked to Kenny for a bit last night via Skype messages about transgendered people, ROLLING STONE links, Against Me! (the punk band's lead singer Tom apparently wants to be a woman named Laura?!), his being happy to be a man with the requisite parts, and implicit sexual behavior on his part. None of my business, but it's good to talk to him once in a while! Time to do my laundry now...


Why do Guy's first eight spells all require 99 MP to cast? This is a glitch for sure, since it should be ONE point as it is for the other eight!

Panties Soakers, NOT diaper covers! / Tsui Woo, last times, Superstore no tax

Since I got up at 11:15, I decided to go to Tsui Woo for the last time with my parents and grandma for lunch. Of course, we went with Alan and Polly! Mom thought that "diaper cover" was an acceptable name for "Panties soaker," which is what it was in the knitting pattern catalog - NO! Of course, she's been knitting a lot of stuff for the new baby! At lunch (ha-gow / eggplant things / noodles / all the usual), they discussed travel / NEXUS passes / Vegas / GOLDEN PHOENIX / Russia / China / Hong Kong / the playoffs / Bellis Fair / hockey news like Raffi Torres' 25-game suspension / the Bible Society / chicken feet / siu-mai / Steph (who is NOT Auntie Ying as Polly thought since their Chinese names are the same) / TVs / how long Tsui Woo had been in existence / Superstore's "no tax day" / Alan's iPhone and iPad / smartphones and apps and games / Awana / the news / cruises / Zellers / Auntie Catherine and Uncle Y.C. traveling a LOT this summer. Some of it was pretty boring even if I understood more than half of the discussion, but we also stayed an hour after eating. Oh well, at least Alan paid for the meal! An Xmas Belgium chocolate bear melted in the car, too!

Then we went to Superstore; Grandma wanted to buy pistachios, 1.1 kg of chocolate-covered almonds (which she later put back), Bartlett pears, ham, seven-grain honey and flax crackers, and apples. She thought she had enough cash, but didn't - Mom bumped into us at the cash register! We discussed Mattias, Marcus, money, a new CRAWFISH KING restaurant opening soon (which made me think of Jennifer L. - tehgreenfairy), and more on the way home. While doing laundry now, I'm reading about inbred royals like Charles II of Spain! Very interesting, haha.

Five Metal Babbles! / 3 AM toothpaste and emergency laundry

HOLY SHIT. I DEFEATED FIVE OF SEVEN METAL BABBLES AT 2 AM. 100,050 EXPERIENCE POINTS FOR EACH CHARACTER! :D

Then again, I accidentally put a lot of toothpaste on my shirt while brushing my teeth at 2:35 AM. Of course, this necessitated a load of emergency laundry so the stain wouldn't set in overnight (I had towels and other stuff in there anyway), which meant I didn't go to bed till 5 AM! BLEH! At least I replied to Mandy's email during this time, haha.

I woke up to find that the toilet wouldn't flush properly - guess this entailed a call to management! Hester came by shortly afterwards, and called Rob (the apartment handyman) after she looked at the tank and filled it back up. He'd just left, but I guess tomorrow morning works! Only Hester would tell me to "flush the toilet TENDERLY - not with a BOOM BOOM BOOM." HAHAHAHA!

Clemens, Nessie, DUCK HUNT, 5-4 shootout win!

Decided to do laundry today before the game. Corey told me months ago that I'd regret it if I deleted my NES emulator (Nessie), and I'm doing that RIGHT NOW since I want to play DRAGON WARRIOR 3 and 4 with codes. Guess I know how I'll be spending my time! Thank goodness I listed the codes for posterity in this post! Jon says there's a Filipino Food Night on Easter Sunday; well, I'm not going if a certain someone ELSE is, that's for sure! Since I couldn't write on the Canucks' FB wall during the crazy game (Anaheim and Vancouver exchanged goals ALL THE TIME) with the Ducks (DUCK HUNT), I instead exchanged messages with Clemens; he says it's fine and non-creepy if I said I missed the banter. Phew! 5-4 WIN IN THE SHOOTOUT, TYING US ON POINTS WITH THE RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

Macarons, Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café, and SUGAR!

Got some cash from the bank before meeting up with Steph, Lisa, and Harmony for Macaron Day at Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café. Turns out I didn't need it because they all refused my attempts to pay them back, but I'll use some of it to pay Eric back what I owe him! Denise snooped, and helpfully gave me directions from the Sears to Burrard; YAY FOR GOOD FRIENDS! They kinda helped, but I still got lost from Blenz downtown... good thing Lisa saw me in the half-dark on their way! Thierry was PACKED, but we managed to get a table after waiting a few minutes. We had four different macarons (lime / hazelnut / pistachio / chocolate), a fruit tart, chocolate pastries, water, and a lemon cake slice.

Discussed Winners, Mom's dog idea, the Sunday family dinner, pregnancy and the "baby gymnastics," Jon's personality as a kid, Harmony's childhood persona, what the baby MIGHT be like (hyper?), Daniel and Michelle's baby Maddie, how you can't call your own child "ugly," Lisa's sister-in-law Nicole, Gabe and Vivian, looking at open houses just because, contracts, Whistler, strata rules on Christmas lights and decorations (Feb. 5 is PLENTY OF TIME!), lychee, strawberries, kiwi, and taking one for the team as far as sweets went. Also talked about Purdy's hedgehogs (Lisa's never had them?! - then I'll buy her one in view of her diet since there's a store in Richmond Centre), diets, weddings, Dad not taking the heat in Singapore very well, the vinegar and egg concoction (NOT "afterbirth" protein source since there are better ones these days!), the lards' travel, the respite centre, our afternoons, and more. Got a train home JUST IN TIME, but really needed to pee by the time I got into Richmond - this had inevitable consequences like laundry and a quick shower (I didn't even need those on the ultrasound day!) and a TMI phone call to my sister!