WTF-Beta

Flying into Rome in July, during the welcome to Rome, the temperature is… they told everyone to watch out for pickpockets.

@Bernard said:

I've only seen 2. The Office (UK version), and some episodes of The Great British Baking Show. Most of them I don't even recognize the names.

I am thinking I'd like to see Downton Abbey at some point. It gets talked about so much.

The first season is brilliant. I think each season gets a little more soap opera-y but Maggie Smith makes it all worth it.

I have seen at least one season of 29 of them. Current favourites from that list: The Bear, Slow Horses, Schitt’s Creek. The Pitt, and Severance.

I would argue that The West Wing and MASH both deserve spots on that list. Edit: never mind - just realized it said 21st century.

I have a lot of original art in my home and I love it all. We never entertain because I am so introverted and the only regret I have about that is no one gets to see what we have on our walls but us!

I have several paintings by an old friend, Rob Croxford. I met him in theatre school - we was a designer and scenic painter. Eventually he became a full time artist and we reconnected. I have seven of his paintings - 3 large, 2 medium, and 2 small. This is the first one I bought (14 years ago!). I lived on what is now Dundas Square when I lived in Toronto so there was nostalgia element to buying this piece. He actually hates this one and I tease him about that all the time. A couple years ago the TTC (the public transit authority for Toronto) commissioned a painting for the front of their transit map. He sent me a couple copies and I have them tucked behind the canvas.

We bought this one from Rob last year. It’s my favourite of the ones we own.

Switzerland is one of the countries I have been to but not really. One of our river cruises ended in Basel and there was bad weather so our flight was cancelled. We ended up taking the train to Frankfurt to get a better flight out. So my entire Swiss experience was about four hours in and around the train station. I had caught a cold on the trip so popped into a pharmacy for something for a sore throat. The pharmacist gave me anti bacterial lozenges and they were the best lozenges I have ever had. They actually worked. They tasted decent. I hoarded them and only used them for the worst of sore throats until I finally ran out.

@jon-nyc said:

@dolmansaxlil Do you do an ECG when you have an episode ?

I do. I also record any accompanying symptoms just so I have a record.

I love my Apple Watch for the classroom (setting timers etc without grabbing my phone) and my mom uses hers for fall detection. I also use mine to record SVT episodes as I am currently unmedicated but want the data in case I get to a point where further intervention is needed. The HRV piece might be enough reason for me to get the new version, since it would help me to track my SVT episodes.

I love the Brooks Falls Bears and when I taught grade 1/2 we would vote in Fat Bear Week. I even have a board game called Katmai which features the bears of Brooks Falls!

@AdagioM said:

I just read Yesteryear, which is this years buzzy novel. I enjoyed the first half, started wondering how she was going to write her way out of it, and decided the end was a flunk. YMMV.

It’s been a long time since I have seen so many people split on a novel. Every review I see is either “life changing” or “I don’t get the hype”.

But when I say we should have a universal basic income I’m suddenly evil??

Also maybe I’ve been watching too much Handmaid’s Tale but because of the source it feels like the next step is MAKE “a spouse” (let’s be honest, they mean wife) stay home and sell it by saying they get paid anyway.

@Daniel said:

@Rontuner said:

Mom got the old shot and was planning on the new jabs when Covid came to town... She got shingles that turned into a long-haul version that I guess sometimes happens? Ugh. Pain across her side and back that never goes away.

I got both of mine and didn't lose any days, but it was tough to work through.

Wow, Ron. I'm so sorry.

I didn't know it could become chronic.

I only knew because when I went in to my PCP with the rash (which I suspected was shingles - it was a pretty classic case) he grilled me on the timing. He shared that if you start the meds for it within 72 hours it greatly decreases the chances of it becoming a chronic case. I was puzzled (I was picturing a chronic rash - I really knew nothing about shingles). He explained that some people get nerve pain when they have shingles and that the pain can just stick around if it becomes chronic. True to his word I spent about a week with the trunk of my body (left side only) feeling like it was on fire. Nothing could touch my skin without extreme pain. Wearing a shirt was excruciating. Thankfully it went away pretty quickly, but it scared me enough that when I think carefully about that pain (ten years later) I can (psychosomatically) feel my skin crawl in those same spots.

I think I have only seen The Birds and Psycho. I really enjoyed The Birds!

I had shingles about ten years ago and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I didn’t even have a bad case but it was still awful. I’ll get the vaccination this year, as Ontario has it on the vaccine schedule for fifty year olds. But given these accounts, I’ll plan the timing carefully!

@AndyD said:

Showing my age.
Indian, indigenous. Is the word tribes acceptable these days?
First nation? American aboriginals?
Australia I know have gone through this process and is still evolving the non-offensiveness.

Transfer that to the UK and you get a real messy jumble of us mongrel folk

Personally I like 'aboriginal', even though it is an Italian rooted word.

It’s definitely a bit fraught! Tribe isn’t used here - Nation is a safe term. We use First Nation Métis Inuit as a catch all sometimes but Indigenous has more or less replaced that terminology as well - I think largely because it isn’t acceptable to omit any of those three groups if you are using it as a generic term so it’s a mouthful. Aboriginal was used at one point, especially in legal documents, but it fell out of favour as it was seen as too general. Basically Indigenous leaders have asked that Indigenous be the general term unless you are speaking of a specific Nation or community in which case you should name that Nation. Be specific as possible, and use Indigenous when you are being non specific. When I am talking about a friend of mine with my students I will say that she is an Indigenous person so they understand where I am going with it and then will say that she is an Anishinaabe woman from Bkejwanong. Then I will usually tell them that Bkejwanong is also called Walpole Island, because that is a place name my students will sometimes recognize.

I think of the word “Indian” the same way the one might think of the word “Negro” in the US. While it remains in legal documents and the names of some agencies, it would be offensive to use the term to talk about a person or group of people.

@AndyD said:

How about renaming Canada Geese as Donald Ducks.

I could not believe this Lake America story at first, so ridiculous; and anyway, wasn't Ontario named by the native Indians?

Yes. It is a Wendat word meaning “beautiful lake” or possibly “Great Lake”.

Side note: in Canada the more correct term to use is Indigenous to broadly refer to the original inhabitants of North America. While I know it is still accepted/preferred to use “Indian” in some places, and by some people, unless you are specifically discussing legal documents (such as The Indian Act), in Canada the word is considered offensive.

Time is fleeting.

One of my favourites.

We have lots of ticks in my neck of the woods and our public health offers identification for free if you send the ticks to them. We have a conservation area beside my old school so I would take my students there for walks and we would often come back and find ticks on the kiddos. Always dog ticks, thankfully. There are deer ticks in our area (which carry Lyme) but mostly in wilderness areas so I don’t stumble into them.

Truth.

@steve-miller You know, I’ve never had a bad one!

@wtg I have an Apple Maps Guide I’ve started with different places folks have recommended or that I’ve found while poking around online. About 1/3 of them are chocolate shops To be honest the reason I have so many is because I adore hot chocolate so it will replace gelato for my mid day travel treat! I am sure I won’t be able to resist picking up some solid chocolates as well though!

@bernard I’m so happy to hear that the concert at Sainte Chappelle was memorable! I will definitely book it now that I have confirmation that it’s a good experience. I am always a bit nervous about how touristy these little concerts in amazing venues will be (and usually book them anyway!) To be fair, we have only had one bad experience (Vienna Musikverein) and the venue was so stunning (and the acoustics so brilliant) that it was still worthwhile to go!

@adagiom We won’t be climbing the Eiffel Tower but I’m very excited about seeing it in general! I read Eiffel’s Tower by Jill Jonnes and that added to my desire to visit. Right now Versailles is one of the places we have left off our list. We didn’t want to give up a full day in Paris for it and while I know Versailles is THE palace to visit, palaces in general are never our favourite. We will save it for a second trip!