WTF-Beta

I don’t know much about this but I recently listened to a podcast episode (probably 99 Percent Invisible but maybe not) that talked about how it’s almost impossible to build things in California to fix major problems because there were so many (well intentioned) laws passed in the 70s. I assume this is related?

Ok just went through the list. Some of my favourites:

Pierogies are delightful! They are also super cheap, so I ate a lot of them growing up and when I was broke as an adult.

Donair: one of my favourite things to get at a restaurant as a kid! There was a great place in the next town over that made them and they were one of the few take out food beyond pizza and Chinese that we would get. That place has since closed but I found out a restaurant in Windsor does them really well so it’s on my list to check out this summer!

Butter tarts: I love a really good butter tart (no raisins please). A mediocre butter tart I will pass on, but a really good one is to die for.

Bannock: I grew up eating bannock, but now my favourite way to have it is as the “shell” for NDN tacos. Picture super Americanized tacos (spiced ground beef, chopped tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar, salsa, and sour cream) on a thick, fried bread. They are often served at Powwows but there are also food trucks that do them.

@wtg Nanaimo bars are amazing! They are quite sweet, but delicious. Even the ones you get from grocery store bakeries are excellent!

I have a Watch. I have to wear a watch at school because we are tied to the bells. So a Watch allows me to do things like have alarms go to my wrist rather than my phone (as in, “recess in 3 minutes”) and I use it to do things like set timers for kid activities or to talk a quick note without having my phone out. I find it really useful. I also use it to monitor my heart rate, since I have SVT and I like to have some recorded data to show me how frequently I’m having episodes and how long their are lasting.

Thanks again, folks! We went out for dinner with the kid and his girlfriend. It was lovely.

Thank you so much, everyone!

Oh thanks for that tip about Marion’s world! I love upcycling thrifted stuff! FYI there is a fantastic place here called Our Social Fabric which only sells donated leftovers from clothing manufacturers. That is where I have been getting my merino wool jersey. It keeps it out of the landfill and it’s super cheap! The merino is $10 CAD a yard! I am sure there must be an equivalent in the US!

Bernard, all of your fibre work is always so lovely! I love this medieval style. I have some Teresa Wentzler (sp?) cross stitch patterns (and one about 1/3 finished) laying around the house and I need to decide if I’m ever going to go back to it or if I should donate them. I love her patterns and she retired years ago so I am worried about getting rid of them in case I ever want to go back to it! Right now I’m on a break from fibre arts but I have been making my own clothes. I made some merino wool pieces for travel (two dresses, travel pants for the plane, two sleeveless Ts, a short sleeve T, and a long sleeve T). I also made three pairs of pants for work and upcycled some vintage children’s bedsheets into a blouse and a vintage children’s sleeping bag into a puffer coat. It’s been nice to be able to wear what I make but it’s a different kind of satisfaction from doing fibre arts that are made to be displayed rather than worn.

So relieved. My area is still totally Conservative (and it shows) but at least the country is in good hands.

I took French from Grade 1-9. When we were in Strasbourg a couple years ago I was able to stumble through a conversation with a shop keeper from whom I was buying linens. But she was VERY kind about slowing down, rephrasing, and dealing with my very simple sentences. Also, there are significant differences between Quebecois French and France French, as shown in this silly video with Justin Trudeau and some French speakers…

https://www.tiktok.com/@atfrenchies/video/7424155769278352671

I picked blueberries for a few summers at the farm my grandparents worked at. We were paid anywhere from 30 to 90 cents a pound, depending on the size and abundance of berries. The baskets were 10lbs. We usually picked 6-8 baskets a day. Of course this was in the early 90s and I was a young teen, so it was enough. I can’t imagine doing it to earn a living though.

Omg someone on one of my boardgame groups just referred to him as “Mango Mussolini” and I’m dying.

Oh thanks for that story! I will definitely order a few things!

I had no plans of voting Liberal in the upcoming election (I was going to vote NDP, which is left of Liberal). My son and his girlfriend were also going to vote NDP. We all feel that the party was going to move a bit to the right after Trudeau’s departure. But given the current circumstances, all three of us will now vote Liberal. We feel that Carney - a person who none of us would have previously aligned with - is the right person for this moment. So the Liberals are getting voters from both the right and the left.

Carney was smart to call the election. He’s following Doug Ford’s playbook, taking advantage of the Elbows Up sentiment, rather than waiting until the fall (which is when the election was going to happen).

https://apple.news/AsVhaNzqYSquVod0HtrKtYA

@Bernard I don’t know if you are on Instagram but I love this account about restoring Knockderry Castle in Scotland! https://www.instagram.com/knockderrycastle?igsh=Mms0ZHRyaHV6cTVv

@Steve-Miller said in What are you watching?:

Couldn’t engage with Severence.

Again, terrible writing.

I vehemently disagree! I think the writing, acting, directing, and cinematography are all brilliant. However it’s definitely not a show for everyone. I wholeheartedly recommended it to my mom but told her to watch it when my dad wasn’t home.

Our order of operations for what we will buy:
Canadian made by a Canada owned company
Wholly Canadian made by a company owned elsewhere
Some parts made in Canada by a Canadian company
Some parts made in Canada by a company that is headquartered somewhere else in the world, but not the US
Products made in another country, but not the US. We favour Europe and Mexico.
Some parts made in Canada by a company that is headquartered in the US
US products, only if there is no alternative

It will take a long time before I cross the border. We used to go very frequently, popping over for dinner or a show or to visit a specific store. I have no intention of resuming that until I feel like we can trust the US again, and unfortunately that will take more than a change in the president.

We really like Paradise! I think the first episode was actually the best one though.

Severance. I am so into it that I’m also listening to the podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott and that’s also excellent.

Mythic Quest’s new season isn’t as great as the first couple, but still loving it.