Distant Friends of Dorothy
We used to talk about random things, now we talk about The L Word.
Distant Friends of Dorothy
Hospital Runs, Cosplay Fun, and Our Comic-Con Journey
What happens when your Comic-Con dreams collide with a sudden trip to the hospital? Picture this: Our eight-year-old son on crutches, a whirlwind of hospital visits, and last-minute changes, yet we’re still determined to make the most out of Comic-Con. With heartfelt thanks to Patrick at Comic-Con for helping us rent a wheelchair, we discuss the logistics of attending an event with crutches and the unwavering support from our son's school friend. Join us as we navigate the chaos with optimism, focusing on must-see activities like the cosplay makeup seminar and the kids' craft corner.
Ever wondered how you’d survive in a world where 98% of men and many women have vanished? We dive into a gripping post-apocalyptic novel featuring Meredith and her fight for existence amidst scarcity and loss. Our discussion weaves fictional analysis with personal reflections, from job loss to our son's medical appointments. We’ll also share insights on end-of-school-year activities and the emotional 'grief bridge,' drawing parallels between Meredith's struggles and our own life experiences.
From nurturing childhood passions to planning tattoos, this episode is a melting pot of personal growth and nostalgia. We reminisce about choir memories, the importance of supporting a child's love for singing, and the challenges of finding affordable music lessons. Excitement builds as we discuss new Skype features, hilarious moments reading outdated stories to kids, and our jam-packed Comic-Con schedule. Wrapping up with tattoo aspirations and the coordination of our busy weekend, tune in for a rollercoaster of humor, heart, and candid reflections.
Hello, welcome back to Distant Friends of Dorothy. This is the Distant Dorothy Friends. In other news, we are going to Comic-Con this weekend. Yeah, we will be moving around slowly because my son is going to be in crutches. Oh no, oh no, he honestly he was just being an eight-year-old boy. They were playing in the gym, he was wearing flip-flops, he landed funny on his foot and so I spent the last half of yesterday in a merge with him as they x-rayed and assessed and they think they see a fracture on the x-ray.
Speaker 1:But kids bones are seriously fucked up, especially at eight. Like bendy, they're bendy, and there's bones that haven't stopped growing yet. There's growth plates, there's all this weird stuff and it's hard to see a fracture on a kid's x-ray because they are, they're bendy, they're not these hard things that we have as adults where you can clearly see a fracture. So he's got a little splint and he's got crutches and then next week he goes into the cast clinic in um in the like middle of the week and they're going to reassess to see if it's actually fractured or if it's just sprained. But I'm pretty sure it's actually fractured because the swelling was only like this big around where it was swelling, which is usually an indication that it's a fracture because of sprain. The entire thing swells, swells up yeah, yeah so that fucking sucks it's just
Speaker 1:gonna crutch around, well, and so, like I emailed comic-con today and I was just like, hey, sorry to bug you, totally okay, whatever your answer is, I'm just reaching out because yesterday my son had an accident and now he's in crutches and I'm wondering if you guys have any like wheelchairs or anything available, um, or what that looks like. And so they got back to me like we don't have any wheelchairs available but, um, the Red Cross is close by and you can rent one. So I mean, sad they don't have wheelchairs available, but props to you for actually finding a place I could rent one from, and and me that local. Like that was going above and beyond and I really appreciate that Cause you could just be like, no, we have none, sorry, you'll have to figure it out. And they were just like I'm going to figure out if you can. So, like I like this person, patrick.
Speaker 1:Patrick at Comic-Con is an amazing person and he has answered all of my questions so far and I've bugged him a couple. Patrick, shout out, patrick, to the nobody who listens to our podcast. Just shout it out. Shout you out, mr Patrick, you're amazing. Oh, but also in the meantime, like, my kiddo has a loft bed, so obviously not sleeping in the loft bed now. So he's sleeping on the couch again and like his little buddy at school that's moving across the country next in the summer, is like his actual like buddy at school. So he like helps carry things for my little guy it is, and we have soccer wind up tomorrow and it's supposed to be like parents versus kids.
Speaker 1:That's not gonna happen. I'm going to sit on the sidelines with my child and we will cheer everybody on and then they get like medals and stuff, because everybody gets a medal. But you know what? I don't mind, that's fine. Yeah, we're very non-competitive, so like it's totally fine to. I don't, I don't care that, like some parents are, like some of the parents there, there's this one guy whenever that our team plays against his kids team, he's up there and he's totally into it. He's like, yeah, push him, push him, push him, you got this, you got this. Keep going, push hard, push hard, push on the heat, put on the heat. And I'm like you know they're eight, oh, anyways, the fucking moral of the story is children suck. Now I don't know what's going to happen at Comic-Con. I don't know where we're going to like. I was hoping to like walk around a lot of the like vendor hall and artist alley and like do a lot of shopping. That's probably not going to happen. What about a dolly?
Speaker 2:What's that? Back on, like a dolly that he could just lean back and you could just dolly him around.
Speaker 1:Well, I wish that, like we still had someone in our family with a little kid who would have like one of those umbrella strollers. Yeah, but all the kids that we know are too big and nobody has them anymore, but it is what it is.
Speaker 1:I mean, I foresee comic-con. Definitely, we have to do the cosplay makeup seminar, um, we have to watch the cosplay parade, and then there's like the kids craft corner and there's like saturday morning cartoons, and that's probably all he's going to really be interested in. So it is, it is what it is, it's fine, it'll be fine. It'll still be an experience.
Speaker 2:That's all that matters yeah, he won't remember the injury part when he's older.
Speaker 1:And looking back, no, no, he'll remember all the fun things he got to do and see and whatnot. Um, also, I bought myself a new cup. It's massive, very big, little dark, little shiny. It's a. It's like a 40 ounce tumbler, like a stanley. But it's not a stanley, because it's obviously not stanley. I thought it was glass or I thought it was plastic. It's glass, glass, yes, glass with a handle. It came with this little rubber thing that you put on the bottom so it doesn't like go smashy, smashy. Oh yeah, it's glass, it's cool. And so tell me your update. You're all done, your report card I am.
Speaker 2:I read the first hundred pages. Uh, it's like scary though. Oh yeah, it's not a happy story. No, no, it's a scary story, like like a zombie movie or like a zombie book, but there's no zombies. Right, and like some of the math I find a bit confusing. So if 98 of men died, then who are all these men?
Speaker 1:there's men yeah, I mean, but you got to figure like 98 of 8 billion people still leaves like lots and lots of people and they like find each other and they go into their little groups I don't know, and like the women there's so few women's like.
Speaker 2:If it's 98 of men who die, then how many women die?
Speaker 1:that's so it's like 99.8 or something, I don't know.
Speaker 2:it's a more, but they're still running into women everywhere too. They are Like what are the chances that these women are?
Speaker 1:around. Well, the thing is that the women become a commodity because there's so few of them.
Speaker 2:True, and that makes sense. It does make sense that that's how it would happen. Yeah, I was devastated when Meredith was like ditching her to go hang out with that guy. Oh, that's within the first 100 pages, and I'm like honey, even if he seems nice, and I don't know where Chickie is headed. Alex, where is she going? I don't think there's no she doesn't know. She's just going. It's like she's in a hurry to go somewhere, but like she doesn't seem to have much of a purpose. She doesn't.
Speaker 1:But like, so she, yeah, she doesn't have much of a purpose, but she ends up having a the theme of the book. She's just a really important person and, yeah, it's, it's interesting. Uh, I'm just glad that you read it a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's the only time I've had to read. That's the only reading I've done in a long, long time. I just, I don't know.
Speaker 2:There's stuff going on like lots of stuff, just lifey stuff like a bridge and uh sweet and yeah, my god, she works on the bridge so much and like that's really cool and everything. She's not gotten groceries in months. I'm working super hard and I tell you that she got let go from her job. Oh yeah, so she doesn't have a job. She's not bringing in any money. Oh dear, yeah, when did that happen? Well, I guess you can't just get as much time off as you want to go do fertility stuff and be like not coming to work every day, like she's taken off like three or four days a month, right, and you just can't do that.
Speaker 1:So like was it like a you're fired, type of thing, or was it like a maybe come back when you have more time, kind of thing? It was very that.
Speaker 2:It was like he liked you. You're good. We need someone who's going to be at work, though, and like let us know if you ever are going to be at work okay right.
Speaker 1:So how is that going to affect things financially?
Speaker 2:I have to get another job I mean, like she's pretty resourceful she is. She's not working right now, um, she's just working on her grief bridge and she's made good progress. Most of the bridge is done. She's put the railing up, I think, if she hasn't built it completely, um, and she's doing stairs all at the back too Nice Is she?
Speaker 1:at the point that she's still enjoying it or that she's, like, ready for it to be her bridge okay, she left, that's good.
Speaker 2:I don't really get it, but she loves it. That's all that matters. Yeah, it is actually, and then I'm just waiting out the year. Waiting out the year. How many more days of school?
Speaker 1:do. Those are still school, like monday, tuesday yeah, but no like.
Speaker 2:So tomorrow's classes, and I honestly don't even know what I'm gonna do. They all know that there's no like classes, like no, no real marks or anything, and it's all pointless. So I'll just find games, I guess. And then friday I do support so I don't have to worry about it, and then monday is the last real class day, okay, so then tuesday it's like they have presentations, I think, in the morning, and then they're doing like, oh, like games, like sports day type of games, activities in the field and stuff.
Speaker 1:I have to supervise those well, that's fun well, fun Well for the kids, for the kids boring for me.
Speaker 2:I'm doing gaga ball pit on Tuesday, and then I'm doing I'm still doing basketballs on Wednesday, thursday, they get their report cards and they're out of there, and then Friday, we have our last day. I think we go until lunch.
Speaker 1:We're technically supposed to go. That's like how, on Christmas Eve, we totally go until 4.30. Exactly, I just realized, as we're talking about school, I need to sign up my child for the morning because he has his counseling appointment. He has to go to the counselor in order to keep his IEP and we missed the last one because he had a violent flu, and the one before that we had to not go. It was canceled by the counselor because her kid super duper sick it's like you guys are the same right.
Speaker 1:So I will sign him out until 10, 30, oh, but it was so okay. So he's got like this splint right, like this. It's like they soak it in water and they form it to your foot, but like your foot just kind of sits in it and you can pull it out, and so you just like, wrap it with a tensor, yeah, keep your foot in it, um, and like, so I I've been unwrapping it at night and then rewrapping it, unwrapping and rewrapping at night and then unwrapping and rewrapping in the morning to make sure that there's blood flow, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I rewrapped it this morning and I came home and I had to unwrap it tonight and his friends had signed the tensor. I was like that's sweet, but I need to unwrap it now, buddy. Oh, I should have. I. They'll sign it again tomorrow. It's going to be like a fun thing to re-sign it every day.
Speaker 2:Oh I know I've had my assessment since I talked to you really okay.
Speaker 2:You oh yeah, you were going on saturday, but then your doctor wasn't gonna be okay with it oh, I just did it anyway, oh, because I didn't want to wait, okay, um, what can I tell you? Uh, he asked me where I was from when I went to elementary school and then he asked me how I would feel if he was driving in front of me and he was driving slowly, how I feel what I would do, and I said I would first check to see if he was from alberta. And he is from alberta, oh god. But I mean, like it depends. He's like those bc drivers, you guys just go so fast. And I'm like well, at least you're not from saskatchewan. And he's like I know, right, and we all chuckled together.
Speaker 2:Uh, what else did? He ask me what I was like and what I like, what I remember what I was like from like age was like six to like 12. And I'm like well, funny story, not much I talked about how, but it's tough too, because, like I was, I cruised, like I was smart and so I didn't have to study. He's like how did you study in high school? And I'm like I didn't, not really, or if we did, it was like with our friends and it was more for fun. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. He asked me what kind of stuff I got on my report cards. He's like, can you get a hold of your report cards in grade six, seven, eight, nine? And I'm like, sir, that is around 1999. I don't think you'll be able to call them and get it. I honestly don't really remember much of what we talked about. I told him that I've been on well-being for six months and, oh, he's like what got you started on this journey? And I was like, okay, so it was covid. And he's like laughing. And he's like, okay, okay, okay, and like, so, in covid, I'm trapped in this hotel room in malaysia, blah, blah.
Speaker 2:I dealt the whole story. And I'm like, okay, so I realized that I'm gay. And he just burst out laughing. I'm like, no, no, like it connects, I promise, um. And I'm like, okay, like, if there's that big of a thing that I didn't realize about myself, what else do I maybe not realize about myself? And he's like well, so this is like a whole journey for you. And he was like excited to like be part of the process instead of, like me, just seeking stimulants or something, which I think is what they're trained to, like sniff out, yeah, yeah, so, yeah, um. He couldn't tell me anything, though, so he needed like two weeks. Oh my god, so funny. So, um, he was talking about the people that did fill out their reports like referral forms on my behalf, and so I got michael too, and that was boring, and I got karina to fill out a form on my behalf, and he's like. So this person, karina, her report was very honest.
Speaker 1:Oh boy, and we're like well, yeah, so I think that that's you know good though, and July 3rd, I think, I have a follow-up appointment.
Speaker 2:I don't know if he'll tell me or if he has to send a report to my doctor or if he needs more information before he can make an assessment. Yeah, we talked to him again on july 3rd. See what's up? Not all of us have doctors who have known us since birth who can just help us, but I had to sign this waiver thing saying that, like, if I do get medication, that I can only get it through them and no other way. I can't get it from my own doctor because that's how they get their 80 bucks a month. Yeah, so like they'll help me and I don't have to wait for two years, I don't have to pay thousands of dollars, but it's gonna be 80 bucks a month if I, if he decides I have it, or if, if he decides I have it, he thinks I need medication, right, I mean like yes, sir, get your money, I don't survive does it have to be in the backs of, like, poor middle-aged women with adhd who didn't get diagnosed as children because we were following the rules, right?
Speaker 2:he's like do you get up out of your seat in appropriate times? Fucking, no, I was against the rules. Yeah, I'm excited to find out.
Speaker 1:No, I think you're probably good.
Speaker 2:I mean, I would think so, but I'm going to try not to get my hopes up. I also signed up for courses for my master's on Tuesday, yesterday. I should have probably signed up for just one course.
Speaker 1:Oh, how many did you sign up for?
Speaker 2:Two, oh, how many did you sign up for? Two? Two, okay, well, that's like part-time, but it's also. It's gonna be like 15 or so hours a week, but I play video games that long, so I could just not play video games, video games can be your reward yeah, and it won't take me that long, because I'm a real fast reader.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I'm a good bullshitter. This was a math teacher who said that she spent 15 hours a week. Oh yeah, I don't believe you. Just right. So I'm taking the like um, history and philosophy of education, which is just gonna be blah, blah, blah. I think I've taken that equivalent before. And then I'm taking introduction to counseling skills. Oh, because, fuck me, if I can't get a therapist, I'll become one and therapize myself.
Speaker 2:Why most people become therapists honestly all therapists are really just needing therapy themselves I was trying to get an appointment so I'm like I have things I need to talk about, can't do it. The soonest appointment I can get is july 30th, I'm like. But it's pressing, I don't have a month that I have to not be able to handle my life for an hour with this woman. Yeah, she must be really good. Yeah, apparently she was like a teacher, like she taught other therapists in like london and england for years so she's pretty good.
Speaker 2:So I'm hearing that she's worth it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably Worth the wait.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just in the meantime, I don't know what to do, so I bought a book on Amazon.
Speaker 1:Okay, tell me about the book Okay.
Speaker 2:so like all of the lesbian romance books I found have been very like vanilla, like everyone's asking each other about their feelings and getting consent before touching each other's butts and I'm just, it's just boring and a little bit of spice. So I found some spicy, sapphic book and I ordered the first one and it should arrive tomorrow all right.
Speaker 1:So when you said book, I was thinking like, not like self-help, but maybe a little selfie healthy well, I have a bunch of self-help books.
Speaker 2:They're fine. Okay, I got the children of emotionally immature parents but I haven't read it yet.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, I've heard good things about it, okay I Well, good for you for starting this journey of self something. What's the word Self-bettering?
Speaker 2:There we go. Yes, Personal development. And then I'm camping. You're camping, Like next weekend, next next weekend I'm camping, and at Christmas I got everybody drunk and I sang. And now one of the people who we're going camping with, they want me to bring my ghoulie and we can all sing songs on the campfire. But I'm terrified of being that person, the one who nobody actually wants to play and sing. But they're too oblivious to realize that they're being obnoxious and everyone's being too polite to tell them to fuck off, I think.
Speaker 2:As long as you're being asked to do it, then that negates that right, and I'll set the time limit to like a half an hour and not go over that, no, either way, and I'll try and pick things that are, like, really well known. So I'm printing off a bunch of really well known ukulele songs because, let's face it, I can't play the guitar, so it should hopefully be all right. Some of the other people there are pretty decent singers, so I'm really happy for you. It was so funny in middle school when you were in choir for one day and then you were like it's not my cup of tea well, it's because I can't sing.
Speaker 1:Why'd you go then?
Speaker 2:I don't know because you, you were like let's do choir, I know. And then I asked you why? And you just kept talking about tea, and I'm not british.
Speaker 1:I was so confused and it's like it's just a nice way to say like I don't, I'm not good at it.
Speaker 2:I thought you just hated it. No, I just liked it quite a bit. Why would I do something that I'm not perfect? At um relatable. You've never spoken more truth. That was an exciting one. It was Microsoft auto update. It's not that exciting, sorry. You said you had to go pee.
Speaker 1:What no, I thought you said I had to go pee. No, no, I need to get my little angel into singing lessons. Is he good?
Speaker 2:No, Does he love it? Yes, that's all that matters.
Speaker 1:I know right.
Speaker 2:Like Kevin, for instance Love Kevin, amazing piano player. But like he, sings for the love of the singing, yes. And like my mom, poor mom, her voice is all ruined from all that, like inhalers and steroids and her puffers. She sings for the love of the game, but that's all it is right, I don't know. I think the idea that you have to be good at something to do it is toxic.
Speaker 1:Well, and he's singing, like he right now, so he has his like comfort movie that he'll watch over and over and over again, and so right now it's the swan princess, and so he's singing, and he's singing and he's like um, this is my idea, that's the best. Yes, this is that's the one he's singing, and and and he's so, and no, he doesn't, he can't, but he does, and he just I can tell you wants to, so bad, and I just I need to get him into singing lessons yeah, like you take whatever your natural talent is and they help you to develop it to as much as you're going to be able to.
Speaker 2:Everybody's able to be like mediocre-ish if they practice and get skills and develop it and have help like half of those pop girlies who make all those records. They weren't born singing good like that right and it doesn't matter even if they suck like I don't know well, it doesn't that's just it, like it's just, he's got.
Speaker 1:He does the soccer thing, that's his sporty thing, and he does swimming, which he's been in level two the last three times, because he just, he just has fun, so he doesn't actually learn. So every time they're like, okay, I recommend that you go into level two again. Um, but like what's that?
Speaker 2:that's too real and like.
Speaker 1:So he's got the sporty thing, he's got like the not so sporty but just like activity thing, and then he needs, like, a well-rounded thing, and that well-rounded thing needs to be singing. But it can't be something he does over the summer, because he goes to ontario in the summer. It has to be like a school time thing can also be very impressive. That too, and I mean, if he could like and like, when he's singing, like I can tell he's moving his voice to where he thinks it should go, like so it's not that he like doesn't know that it's supposed to go up and down and so like, if I can get him to have that skill, perfect Something and something that he'll have.
Speaker 2:And let's say in the end he doesn't like the level that he gets to, Then he'll be the age where you start doing musical instruments. So he clearly loves music and maybe he'll find other ways to get that love of music happening If he's not singing. But that gives him the fundamentals of how music works.
Speaker 1:Yes, so now I just have to find a music teacher, a music teacher that I can afford, not 160 an hour yeah, it is expensive. I'm like I make better money, but I don't make the best, but I do make better money I can get into that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:What's twin cam? What the fuck? What? There's a button and that button wasn't there before and it's called twin cam and I want to press it. Oh, I'm pressing it. Add any video from your phone. Download skype. Scan the qr code.
Speaker 1:I don't really get what it is oh, let's see, let's see, let's go on. What is twin cam, skype? Other people are asking the same question. With the twin cam feature in skype, you can do that by adding your mobile phone's camera to a desktop, called during presentations, tutorials, or simply sharing your environment with friends and family. What I don't understand? Oh, oh, oh, okay. So, oh, oh, my god, I'm so fucking old. Um, twin cam allows you to use your mobile phone as a secondary camera feed for a call. So, like you know how there's you and there's me, you could do twin cam and there would be a third screen of whatever your phone is looking at that's kind of useful, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah you're doing like a tutorial or something, maybe. Uh see, my parents are really worried about my car not making it to Kelowna, so they're lending me their car to drive to Kelowna. Yeah, I mean, valid, my wheel rotor just, or wheelbarrow wheel bearing just went. Not ideal, not ideal, um what? Oh, I'm listening to my kid talk to Lexi, oh, um, and it was um, no, we. So I just like left work yesterday and went to the hospital, which, like for him, which it is what it is, but when?
Speaker 1:I got there, I realized my phone, my personal phone was at like 50%, Uh, my work phone was at like 28%, and so I gave him my, my phone. I turned off the wifi, turned off Bluetooth and, like, I just let him play the games that were already on my phone. But that only lasted an hour. And then what him? Play the games that were already on my phone, but that only lasted an hour.
Speaker 2:Anyway, he got bored, well, and then the phone died. Oh yeah, 50% in an hour, yeah, well, I have an old phone.
Speaker 1:I have an old phone and so then I have my work phone, which was at 28, so I turned off the wi-fi and I had to keep the data on though, because I went on to the internet and I went on to my kobo and, like, I have the wizard of oz book on my kobo, so then I'm reading him the tale of the wogglebug, which is fine, until he realized it was written in like 1902 oh no, is there racist things in it?
Speaker 2:so many racist things, oh no.
Speaker 1:And so I'm trying to read them. Teach you to read them. The story of the wogglebug yeah, the wogglebug in the story has a Chinaman, oh dear, that's not a bad word. Bad word for Chinaman rhymes with no, no. So it refers to the Chinaman as this word. And here I am in the middle of the emerge, like emerge, thing. I'm in public too. I'm in public and like I'm stressed because I'm with my kid in emerge, and so my brain isn't functioning at a high capacity right now and I have to think of words on the fly. What did you come up with? Well, I just kept saying the word Chinaman, which is also not a great word, but I feel like it was a lot better than the word that was written.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's not a well-known racial slur? So you're set in the bar where the word to be yeah.
Speaker 1:And then and then, after the Chinaman, there were the coloreds and then and then after the chat, there were the coloreds. No, why didn't you just end the story, karen? Because he needed me to keep reading, because he was hurting so much. It was all I could do to keep his mind off.
Speaker 1:It couldn't you just make up something so well, I, I, so it was um, I. I used the word for the and it kept using the word coloreds, so I used the word people, which was fine. Also used it for the other extremely bad word that you're never, ever ever allowed to say, for the coloreds. No, there was that in there.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, my god, you poor. Thing.
Speaker 1:And I was like, oh my god and I mean trying, I was just trying, what is this? This is the story of the Wogglebug, which is in with the Wizard of Oz stories. Hey, look, it's a little butterfly. Oh, it's this. It's so. The the wizard of oz is not just like one story of the wizard of oz, like there's a fuck ton of stories in there and this is just one of the stories. And and and throughout the the series, it does use, though, that kind of like vocabulary and like when I'm at home and I'm reading to him to fall asleep, I'm in a much more calm state and I can just like slip, in other words, as they're coming up, and it's not an issue. But like I just I stumbled over my words as I was in emerge and I knew that other people could as much as I was, like and I'm trying to talk as quietly as possible and whatever, but like I know that other people can hear me and I'm just like reading this old racist story, amazing.
Speaker 1:But it's also like the only story that I had on my kobo that I hadn't read him yet because I'd read like the other stories that are on there. I've already read him, so he doesn't want to hear them again. He already heard them once. Yeah, and they're like the modern ones, the dragon stories and whatever. They're modern and and kid-friendly and blah, blah, blah. This is the only one that I had and I couldn't like go and purchase more and download more because I didn't have the battery to do it, so I'm stuck with what I have. Oh, my god, never again like I seriously debated, like calling my mom and being like hey, can you go grab harry potter and bring it here and I will just read that.
Speaker 2:I mean it would have worked, yeah, but then I was would have been bugging my mother it's such a small town, it's barely out of our way, true, but even harry potter is kind of problematic, oh just with cho chang.
Speaker 1:Well, cho chang. But also like they use the word, she uses the word stupid a lot and in our house stupid is a bad word. Like stupid is a worse word than like the swear words yeah, I feel that way about shut up.
Speaker 2:I feel like shut up really mean word or really mean phrase, like meaner than like some of the big bad words. Yeah, it's like I don't want to hear what you're saying. Your voice is not welcome to me. That's a awful thing to say to someone, it is.
Speaker 1:I really try and avoid saying shut up. I will say I need you to stop talking right now. I will try my best to be like mommy needs a minute. I need you to stop talking, or I will actually, as he is following me around, because that's what he does when mommy is overstimulated he likes to follow me around and yell at me. I will walk into my room and close the door and lock myself in the door and then he is like on the other side of the door he's continuing, but at least there's that barrier between us and I can like do some breaths.
Speaker 2:Um, what the cats are like. Meow at me outside the bathroom door. Are you in there? Are you pooping? I want to be in there. Are you there? Leave me alone.
Speaker 1:Now just imagine that they're pounding on the door and screaming at the top of their lungs at the same time. I'm good.
Speaker 2:Although I do get to hang out with 25, 13 year olds regularly and my go-to's are zip the lip or quit your yapping. Quit your yapping, you poop yapping. That's adorable. They're fucking awful right now. This is the worst time of year for kids. Like I'm so impatient with them right now. Not on the outside. On the outside I'm still very nice because I smile when I'm mad. I learned it in customer service but I definitely am like mad on the inside. Like fucking chill out. I don't care that he took your pencil, I don't care, you don't even need it. They're so dumb.
Speaker 1:There's no validation at this point, just stop.
Speaker 2:Like why have I dedicated my life to a bunch of humans who haven't developed their brains yet? They're just idds. They're just a bunch of idds walking around ricocheting off each other, and it's so annoying. They're so annoying. They can't look at their dwarf frame without slapping the top of it to prove how tall they are. They're all wearing socks and sandals. I've got to conversate with you. My God, what are socks and sandals are in? Okay, I wear them too, and they're really comfy and I love them. Oh, hold on, I'll be right back. I'll be right back. So many people I'm back.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was here the whole time. You were definitely back. I forgot that I have this project that I'm working on that I need to get finished because it's oof. It's this. Look, it's a book. It's a book, but I have hollowed it out. That's cool. What do you hide in there? It's gonna be my e-reader, so that when I am reading on, my e-reader looks like I'm reading an actual book, so that my kid sees me reading an actual book when I'm reading a book why do you feel the need to hide your bookie self?
Speaker 1:so I want him to see. I want him to see me reading an actual book when I'm reading on my e-reader, because it's a really high predictor of kids reading or whatever it is more than actually reading to your kids, yes, and more than having a library in your home and more than making your kids read 20 minutes a day, have watching your parent read.
Speaker 2:Watching an adult figure read for pleasure as a child is the greatest predictor of literacy.
Speaker 1:And so I'm just I'm so cheap and I don't want to keep buying books and it takes so long for me to get them. But I want him like I remember my mom reading voraciously, and to this day she is constantly reading. Now she's reading our e-reader but like I remember her just reading, like that's all I remember, and so I want him to have that too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we would all just read in different locations, like my grandma will be reading, my mom will be reading, my sister will be reading, I'll be reading. Even my brother loves to read and he hates everything. My dad loves to read. Although audio books count and e-readers count, does he understand that the e-reader is full of books? I don't think so. Okay, that makes sense then, like he has an iPad. Yeah, I see, I see, so that's it.
Speaker 1:And so he's going to see me reading the same book all the time, but he's still going to see me reading.
Speaker 2:Can I tell you about the book I'm listening to? Cause I don't, I'm not reading it, but I'm listening to it as an audio book. Is it Gideon the ninth?
Speaker 1:No, I heard. Okay, do I know this because you told me about it, or is it in one of my book reading?
Speaker 2:clubs. I might have told you about it last time, because I think I started reading it over a week ago. But yeah, it's the girl who hooks up with her best friend's mom. Oh, yes, because she realizes it's the mom. So she goes to the club. She sees a hot older woman. They hook up in the back of the mom's car and then she's like give me a ride back to um. So yeah, like they're like well, we're never gonna do this again, it's a one-time only deal. And then they, of course, continue doing it. And then she invites her home for christmas. So she goes home for christmas and they're like, okay, we're gonna bang for this one week and then we're gonna stop and we're gonna never do it again. And of course that doesn't happen. And then they're just like, okay, we're gonna just text each other and we're gonna facetime while we're cooking dinner and I'm gonna not go to Caltech, I'm gonna go to MIT, just like any closer to you. But they're just hooking up, but no, they're falling in love with each other. So I'm not sure how this is gonna work, because she's her best friend's mom.
Speaker 2:That's not long-term relationship material. Well, I mean, in the world of literature it could be. I think in the world of literature it is gonna be. But the sex scenes are kind of boring, like they're okay. I guess they like their moments or whatever. But the book I'm gonna get seems better. Let me tell you about it. You're not getting another book, you're gonna read the book of the unnamed.
Speaker 1:Well, I am gonna keep reading it, but it's depresso, espresso okay, but like and I mean so the first one is very much like establishing everything and there's like elements of um, like sexual, not not like gender identity coming into question, like whatever. But then, like in the following books because there's three um, but in the following books it very much like dives very, very much deeper into like sexuality, gender identity and um, like the what would happen if this were to be a real thing? Like it all seems very plausible and like I don't know. Is is lgbt friendly? Is it is?
Speaker 2:friendly and so, like I like that, the book I just bought is a comic book. Oh, a comic book signed. I couldn't find any other like I was looking for, like bdsm or like something a little spicier, not necessarily like hardcore, but something more than just like she kissed her and then went down on her and then they went to sleep. Yeah, I wish it wasn't a graphic novel, because you want to make your own pictures. But I refuse to watch porn. It's not my style. I don't think I would like it. I've heard it's all really inauthentic and like male gaze-y. Anyway, I need to go to like Wattpad and read somebody's fan fiction, like I did in grade seven.
Speaker 1:It was Sailor Moon fan fiction. But, um, my little angel has decided he wants to know all about sailor moon. Sailor moon is amazing, the sailor moon? Well, and he saw it. He just, he saw me dressed up as sailor moon. And then, when I explained, like, I'm so jealous.
Speaker 2:I wanted that so bad, but I just didn't have it in me. Oh, it was all my mother good job.
Speaker 1:Your mom, it was 100. My mom, like she, she made that costume. She sewed it for me Because she's all it was like all she sewed it. She sewed it From a pattern, like she did. She sewed all of our costumes. She also sewed both of my sister's grad dresses. Yeah, no, mom sewed everything.
Speaker 1:Mom was like like, and I and I really try and avoid that sentence the we can't afford it thing and I've found that I can avoid it by just reloading him before we go into stores. So as we're going into the store, I say like I have our shopping list and I say these are the things that we're getting in the shopping list. We're not getting anything else. This is what we're getting. And in the area on the shopping list that has a little bit of room, it's usually around like lunch snacks. Then I say you can get three different things for your lunch snacks. No more, you can pick three different things out of the snacky aisle, which is, like you know, dunkaroos and fruit snacks and pop tarts and gummies and whatever. But like, that's basically how I've curbed that with him. Or like we're going into the dollar store we're not getting toys, we are not getting candy, mommy needs to get garbage bags and a box and a card and you can look at the toys.
Speaker 1:But we're not getting any and as long as I pre like, front load him, we're okay yeah but I have to remember to do that, and if I don't remember to do that then it's hell. And then he does pick something but it's not that we can't afford.
Speaker 1:It is that I just don't want to sit there for an hour while you pick out a fucking toy, because we have to walk up and down the aisle seven times while you're picking. And then you're like well, mommy, I really want this, but I also really want this, and I can't pick between the two, and then I just go, I don't fucking care, get both of them, and then we go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, dolarama is the place to do it, if you can, Except that they go up to $5 now In Dolarama.
Speaker 1:Yeah, goes be the one to ten dollar store. That's their like I don't know tenure plan or whatever is that they want to have everything in their store ten dollars and under and that they're going to like undercut that part of walmart I still love dollarama so much like I can't, I will always. It's my favorite, I love like I'm just saying we went to no frills. Spam was like four dollars a can for fucking spam, and at dollarama I think it was like two dollars. Yeah, spam's hugely expensive, though.
Speaker 2:Like it used to be super cheap, did it, I guess?
Speaker 1:sure, in world war ii, but like lots of things have changed since then well, no, I mean like pre-covid it was like a dollar and change for a can, which was great because one can of spam would do like two separate meals for four, for two people, like it would do like rider and I for like two suppers. We could have one can of spam okay, but like the more expensive it gets, don't want to do that I've heard the spam is good.
Speaker 2:I just haven't uh tried it much.
Speaker 1:See, I live with asians yeah, it's real, it's so big like I remember for dc what's that?
Speaker 2:you can make it quite tasty you can.
Speaker 1:I went over to I can't remember her name cindy, cindy. I went to cindy's house once in university and she was like I will cook you dinner. And I was like okay, cook me dinner. And she made rice and eggs and spam. And she was like all excited to make me rice and eggs and spam, oh yeah, and I was like it's fucking spam, but like it was like a normal thing, like you just eat spam, yeah, yeah. So between that and then, like canned tuna we do a lot of that now which is also really frustrating.
Speaker 2:You gotta be careful not to eat too much, and mercury.
Speaker 1:It's not great, but also it's frustrating. Because it's such an easy thing. I get to have a half a can of tuna for lunch and then another half a can for a snack and mix in a little bit of mayonnaise and just nom, nom, nom, nom, nom and fucking set on a piece of bread and toasted and it's perfect. But you can't have that when you work in an office. Nobody wants anybody to be eating too much. When you work in an office it's so frustrating because it's like such great protein and I can't even eat it yeah, unless you have, like, a lot of gum and air freshener.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, just sit outside and eat it out of the can, but like so. Tonight I made him tomato soup and he just drank out of a cup and I just made it with, like the extra protein milk, because he is so skinny, it's just itty bitty and he needs to put some meat on his bones. But the other day when I was talking to him about eating and he was like, well, mommy, I don't want to eat, I don't want to get fat, and I was like you are eight years old, no-transcript, I don't know what else to do?
Speaker 2:you can't give him like cannabis.
Speaker 1:So they give um anorexics, I know, but he's eight, so it's not really that great of an idea.
Speaker 2:But I don't know, Can you give an eight-year-old no you can't, can you give an eight-year-old CBD, but that doesn't give the hunger, does it?
Speaker 1:Oh, it causes a decreased appetite. Well, that sucks. There's nothing I can't.
Speaker 2:I've looked up a bunch of Gideon the Ninth like smut now. Oh hey, are we getting tattoos. Oh hey, are we getting tattoos. Okay, so explain your tattoo idea, because I definitely thought it was the letter B or some boobs.
Speaker 1:It wasn't. It was a pair of aviators with the words one flesh, one end, or whatever the fuck it is.
Speaker 2:Okay, but I have a bias. Why no words? I hate words, I know words. Oh right, okay, I can't do words. Words end badly. We don't have to get the same thing. If we get it together at the same time, it'll be a bonding experience. If it's thematically linked and chronologically linked, then we forget different things. Why do?
Speaker 1:you hate skulls. I don't know. I just I don't see myself as having skulls on my arm. Facts, it's just kind of the way it is. I'm just not a skull person. I am you, so you know what. Maybe in like a while, when I have like more already because I have so much right you do do, and I'm just I'm not there yet.
Speaker 1:I need to have more. So, like, once there's more, and then the skull can just like blend into what I have. That would be completely appropriate. But like, no matter what, if somebody looks at it, they're going to see a skull, whereas with like more, they would just be like oh, there's a lot of pictures.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would definitely like look at a bunch of artists in town, find one who already does some skull and then be like, okay, just do your regular skull, but put a little nine on the head of it. So if you were to get one flesh aviators, one end, where would you get it? Um, well, okay, so here's the thing I would.
Speaker 1:I was thinking about two because like I don't get them very often and so I gotta like get the bang for my buck and I still want a snake. So I was thinking about getting like a snake, ish, gear, ish, but without scales, and instead of scales like little curly cues just in a line up its body. Cute, but that makes sense. So then the the snake with that and then like the aviator like honey bun.
Speaker 1:Nothing's gonna be available within three days warning right there I know there is a walk-in tattoo parlor where, and as long as I have his ipad charged, he'll sit anywhere.
Speaker 2:That'd be so cute, actually. Okay, all right, colonna tempest. I mean, inkroom has some walk-ins, yeah, but is it? Everyone there is good, I like owen, but I had a lovely time with lorena. I really like in bloom because it's all. Only we can always just visit them and if they have time they do, and if they don't, they don't. Yeah, I'm not into dynamic anymore. I've learned too much. So they open 10 to 6 every single day in Bloom For walk-ins, just in general. I don't know if they even do walk-ins.
Speaker 2:I like the idea of an all-female place. We encourage you to stop by and check out the space. Hang out anytime. All tattoo styles. One of their artists is actually like the sister or the cousin or something of a girl I work with, oh yeah. And they do woodcut, which is my favorite style. I don't know what that means. It looks like old-timey, medieval, fucking manuscript drawings. Oh, I just Walk in. Yep, you can stop by our studio anytime during our opening hours to chat with an artist. Fuck yeah. Okay, there, we go In the room. I think we should check out, okay.
Speaker 1:Because I do like hopefully rather quickly, between this visit and maybe the one that I'm going to have in October I want to fill up my arm as much as possible in black and white. Yeah, colors suck, colors suck.
Speaker 2:Well, suck colors suck well, and in black and white, with as much like white space as possible, because I like the idea of just sitting down and my kid coloring all my tattoos.
Speaker 1:Honestly, done it before for me with this one like flowers, but like it's got a lot of white space in it, so she like colored a bunch of flowers in it was fun yeah, that's exactly what, like I, just I just that's what I imagine, maybe not even wrapping around my arm, maybe just all staying on the inside, because that's easy for me to like sit like this and just covering the inside and then he can just sit. In color, that sounds amazing, okay.
Speaker 2:So this weekend, yes. What times should I not make plans Like what times should I reserve for you?
Speaker 1:Where did my phone go? There? It is Okay. So what? Where's the schedule for the weekend? I don't know. Oh, comic-con Comic-Con Helena.
Speaker 1:On comic con, alona, uh, no, uh, schedule. So saturday let's see, because we're driving back on sunday, so it's going to be saturday. Um, so the only thing that I could see him wanting to attend goes until 1 30 and then after that we're probably we're done like, and I'll be surprised if he lasts until that long, but he might want to because, um, so saturday, I anticipate us going to saturday morning cartoons which go until 10, and then from 10 30 until 11, I think 10, 30, maybe, I don't know. Um, is the cosplay makeup like thing, like talk, and that I see him wanting to go to that 10, 30 to 11, and then we'll probably just wander around for a bit, and then the cosplay parade goes from 1 until 1 30 or maybe 1 45, and that I think he would have a lot of fun to watch. The cosplay parade goes from 1 until 1.30 or maybe 1.45. And that I think he would have a lot of fun to watch the cosplay parade.
Speaker 1:Because, although there's, it's really cool. Well, there's one on Sunday, but I actually think that we're going to be on the road before the one on Sunday, so I don't want to like take him out of that. But there is also the lip sync battle. Lip sync battle till 3 on Sunday. I don't know, we battle till three. I'm saying I don't know, we'll see what happens, but so saturday we will be done by 1, 30 145.
Speaker 2:I don't know what it actually says because their their way. That they did the schedule is weird.
Speaker 1:Can I show you yeah so when should I lock off time to come visit? So okay, so whatever, let's see, we'll meet on. Let's say that we will leave right after the cosplay parade. We'll be back at the hotel by 2-ish, probably 2.30. It goes till 2.30. Gives me time to wash off all my face paint, because I'm not walking into a tattoo parlor dressed up like Gideon 2.30 Saturday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, that sounds good, yeah, because the rest he's not going to be interested in anything else. That's going on like we'll do the saturday morning cartoons that goes until 10 cosplay makeup, and then we'll have like some time for him to go to like the craft thing, or we can even go to crafting sunday morning beautiful sunday morning cartoons, and there's nothing that he's really going to want to go into well, you can tell him change the time, like you can always adjust the time.
Speaker 1:It just gives me like a sort of idea okay, 2 30 is a good time, because then, yes, I gotta wash off the face, I gotta go to bed. You do so, do I? I gotta go see if he went to sleep too, and then I can turn off his iPad.
Speaker 2:Well, I loved, it was lovely talking to you and interruptions, but it's good, it's always good. We're back on track. I know I'm excited to see you in a few days too. Yeah, it's gonna be so much fun, yeah.
Speaker 1:All.