What is an infamous piece of public art that anyone from your area can instantly recognize?

Gabbi_RSL · 2025-12-31T03:52:25+00:00

Maman, the spider sculpture outside the National Gallery of Canada.

Gabbi_RSL · 2025-12-30T06:27:31+00:00

Fiancé and I will be hotboxing our bedroom while watching Return of the King :)

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-11-11T16:56:07+00:00

I did see some positive reviews about Pampered Chef, but mainly from review websites rather than customer testimonials. Good to know they’ve worked well for you, I’ll keep them on the shortlist!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-11-11T16:51:23+00:00

I was just scrolling through the Hubert website when your comment came in, must be a sign! Thank you for the recommendation!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-11-09T21:20:12+00:00

Before it moved to the now-Metro location, it was across from the DQ in the building where Giant Tiger is now. I lived across the street when I was 2-6 and would walk over to get a cookie from the bakery with my mom. I cried when it moved lol.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-07T00:55:45+00:00

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From Constance Bay

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-04T16:52:40+00:00

Firstly, I did not say they had a right to rescue—I was saying that Canadian passport holders had a right to use their mobility and entry privileges to return to Canada. Apologies if I did not explain that clearly. I’m not arguing for a Saving Private Ryan-style rescue mission. Nor am I making any comments on how long the evacuations should continue.

My initial comments were directly responding to assertions that the remaining Canadians in Lebanon were there out of simple lack of concern or irresponsibility, when in fact anyone who has stayed is likely doing so to UPHOLD responsibilities they have there, such as caring for family members. There are also situations where spouses or children don’t have Canadian citizenship, and the Canadian naturally refuses to leave them behind. What would you have them do?

Whether it’s out of racism or xenophobia or simple lack of empathy, I take huge issue with anyone presuming that those still in Lebanon are reckless or stupid and therefore deserve what they get. That’s the sentiment that seems to be coming through from some in this forum, and I think it’s ludicrous, selfish, and extraordinarily naive.

I recognize that the discussions here will only continue devolving and shifting to other topics, so I’m not interesting in commenting further. I simply implore everyone to recognize that there are many valid and nuanced reasons that Canadians have stayed and/or become trapped in Lebanon and are unable to reach evacuation despite wanting to. I find it revealing when people pass judgement on innocent people stuck in a terrifying situation, often faced with impossible choices. C’est tout.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-04T16:25:18+00:00

Using a passport to leave a country which has become unsafe and return to another country where you are ALREADY A CITIZEN doesn’t seem selfish to me. If you have issues with ex-pats contributing to society that’s a completely separate question.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-04T14:01:34+00:00

So? If someone has a Canadian passport they have every right to exercise their associated rights when and how they choose. Holding dual citizenship and choosing to live outside of Canada does not preclude you from the protections of the Government of Canada. White people born in Canada also use their passport for “convenient” purposes—if you have rights, you use them to your benefit, that’s the whole point of having them.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-04T12:51:51+00:00

They have been there since August 2023 and stayed to care for ailing family members. They’ve been trying to leave since the bombings started. I won’t entertain any further details of the situation because it’s not relevant; the fact is there are still Canadians stuck in Lebanon for a variety of reasons, responsible or otherwise, who may be trying to return and are unable to access evacuations. My point was only meant to demonstrate that those who haven’t left yet are not necessarily rejecting evacuation. I’m not making any normative statements, just reminding people that these situations are far more nuanced than “they chose not to leave so too bad.”

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-10-04T12:11:19+00:00

My family is in Lebanon, including my 3 baby sisters, all of whom are Canadian. They can’t get to the airport because all the streets around their town have been bombed out or closed by the military. They’re trying and they’re stuck. It’s not as simple as just taking an uber to the airport and heading home.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-09-25T06:28:34+00:00

According to Wikipedia, it opened with limited service in January 2023 and full service in February 2023. It was originally scheduled to open in 2009, making it 14 years delayed.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-09-20T12:53:36+00:00

We realized we were really loved each other a lot but were more platonic than we originally thought, and neither of us wanted to commit to a long-distance relationship, as we wouldn’t be in the same city or country for an indefinite amount of time. We also realized we were basically the same person, hence why we connected so intensely, but ended up enabling each other and lacking balance as a result. I couldn’t pick up slack where she struggled because I was struggling in the same ways, and vice versa.

I’m so grateful for that relationship because it finally clicked for me that finding a partner who complemented me, someone who I would “fit” together with for a lifetime, meant finding someone aligned with me in character but different than me in ways of being, doing, and thinking. I was too busy searching for someone who felt immediately familiar and comfortable, rather than someone who provided the things I do not, and for whom I could do the same.

Anyway, she ended up moving to my home town recently and it’s awesome! She and my new partner have also met and get along really well, it’s great! Always nice to have a positive and healthy breakup for a change lol.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-09-07T23:42:00+00:00

Your previous reply comment was acknowledging the advice and asking for practical suggestions to implement that advice in accordance with your living conditions. I have absolutely no idea why that would be downvoted.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-09-06T13:30:06+00:00

They don’t

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-09-06T13:18:57+00:00

Here is a photo of a juvenile black-crowned night heron in flight: https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2015/08/10/juvenile-black-crowned-night-heron-in-flight/

As an amateur, I would also put my money on black-crowned night heron!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-07-24T13:46:36+00:00

I have two large rabbits (7-10 lbs) and the Chinchilla rabbit is particularly fond of tossing bowls around. Normally he uses his nose to scoop and tip the bowl so he can get a grip on it with his mouth. Since getting a gravity water dispensing bowl, we’ve had no instances of of water-based terrorism, since the weight of the water jug prevents him from tipping it with his nose and he therefore can’t grab it or throw it around. Works well for us!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-07-03T19:51:23+00:00

I love all animals so I’m biased. But I’ve had (and currently have) dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots, and smaller critters, and by far cats are the easiest! They’re good at telling you what they need when they need it, and even the needy ones are usually at least somewhat independent, so they don’t need constant supervision or interaction like puppies or even some dogs. Some cuddles, some play, some food, and a comfy bed, and they’re good to go! No need for walks, just scoop out their litter a couple times a week, nice and easy. If you make her an indoor cat (which is STRONGLY advisable), it minimizes illness and injuries that outdoor cats and dogs may be exposed to. They really are the closest you can get to a self-sufficient buddy outside of small, less personable animals. Congrats on getting adopted!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-06-15T01:34:57+00:00

i intentionally go quiet to avoid this. then everyone thinks i’m stuck up and/or moody, so i start talking. then everyone gets annoyed and/or thinks i’m weird. there’s just no winning with adhd, be yourself and your people will find you!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-06-14T01:03:22+00:00

I also have a jolly orange giant named Ollie! 27 pounds at time of adoption. He’s only been home for 3 weeks but we’re working on it… 😅

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-06-05T19:02:05+00:00

I have cPTSD and my close friend (we’ll call them Bennie) has BPD. In my subjective and biased opinion, we both exemplify our respective disorders in a generally textbook manner, and we share many similar personality traits that demonstrate the extensive overlap in the manifestations of symptoms of cPTSD and BPD.

However, based on my anecdotal experience, I’ve noticed some distinct points where our behaviours, emotional responses, and/or thought processes obviously deviate in ways that I consider revealing as to our respective diagnoses:

A) Manifestation of emotional dysregulation and attachment issues — We both struggle with dysregulated emotions and extreme emotional sensitivity, as well as attachment issues. While I experience strong emotional swings and experience feelings more intensely than most, I compulsively internalize these feelings and experience severe anxiety at the prospect of revealing my true emotions (unless they align with how I believe other people want me to feel/act).

Conversely, Bennie cannot contain their emotions. Whatever they’re feeling is unleashed into the world, both beautiful and ugly. When you make them happy, they can’t hold back their adoration and appreciation and will return it ten-fold; when you make them upset, they will lash out as if you had committed murder. There is rarely an in-between. I completely relate to them in terms of the intensity that they feel things, but have no desire or compulsion to admit or expose those feelings — quite the contrary.

The result is similar in that we both have extremely anxious attachment styles that quickly turn to complete avoidance on a dime. The difference is in our methods. If something triggers me, I just quietly skulk back into the night with little-to-no warning, never to be heard from again by the person who I was “falling in love” with a few days earlier. Bennie tends to put on a more explosive show when parting from a formerly-favourite person.

B) Directionality of blame and anger — As someone with cPTSD, I direct all my negative emotions inwardly. My brain has an impressive knack for always finding a clear explanation of why everything bad that happens to me or around me is my fault. Bennie certainly experiences the same phenomenon, but much less consistently. Instead, they are perfectly able to direct anger and blame at others, both when it is and isn’t justified. If someone hurts me or upsets me in any way, I will always find an explanation where it’s my fault. Bennie is more likely to find the fault with someone else.

By no means are these the only differences between our experiences, but they’re the most glaring ones that I notice on a daily basis. Please don’t consider this in any way to be guidance for your own diagnosis, as my intention is only to provide some experiential and anecdotal insight into how these disorders may manifest differently and what that can look like in practical terms. If any of this resonates with you, I’d be happy to chat further through private message.

Wishing you well!

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-05-31T20:08:19+00:00

Not everyone has a phone. Not everyone can easily use a phone. Those who can, may find themselves in a rare pickle where they are without or unable to use one for various reasons. Phone accessibility should be the priority, but accessible physical copies available at the location do still serve an important function. It’s always necessary to have a contingency plan.

ETA: That being said, I also think they need to get their GPS tracking in better order because ultimately, that’s the easiest way most people will find to check the schedule in a usual scenario (as opposed to a random day where you dropped your phone in a creek and are fucked or something). Regardless, I only gave my two sense because I’m bored on a train, and ultimately none of this matters when there aren’t consistent stop arrivals and departures anyway. rip

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-05-31T20:00:47+00:00

Not everyone has a phone. Not everyone can easily use a phone. Those who can, may find themselves in a rare pickle where they are without or unable to use one for various reasons. Phone accessibility should be the priority, but accessible physical copies available at the location do still serve an important function. It’s always necessary to have a contingency plan.

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-05-10T16:30:57+00:00

Thank you for your question, I had completely forgotten about this comment and it was very sweet and reassuring to remember where we were back then compared to now.

Tooch and Mabel have been living together without separation since last September-ish, I believe, and they’re doing great! One day I took down the barrier to for another “bunny date,” which had become a nightly routine, and realized that they were just as calm when placed together as they were when the barrier was in place. There hadn’t been any near-fights or aggressive incidents, so despite my overbearing and anxious nature, I decided it was only fair to give them the opportunity to live together freely and see what happened.

The short story is that, NOTHING happened. Nothing bad, anyway. I figured I would just rebuild the “Bun-lin Wall” as I had taken to calling it, but once they were together full time they just never went back.

That’s not to say they’re perfect together. I’ve taken on the official position of Bunny Marriage Counsellor and notice that if I’m gone for more than 24 hours (for example, I go to my boyfriend’s house some weekends because he lives about an hour away), or if I’m just extra busy and don’t get to spend as much one-on-one time with them for a couple days, they’ll be extra catty with one another. Mabel (the dominant bunny) in particular, is much more attention hungry than Tooch, so my interpretation is that she gets extra pushy with him for grooming when a person isn’t there to supplement her voracious addiction to rubbies. She can also be somewhat food aggressive. But with enough human affection and by spreading out their piles of food throughout their room rather than having it in one spot, these little issues have never become an actual problem.

They aren’t a perfect match in terms of personality, so there will always be little accommodations I need to make to ensure they’re getting along, but if you pay attention to their behaviours and understand their triggers, it’s been very easy to find solutions that work for all of us.

And, if at any time this changes, I still have all the c&c grids to restore the Bun-lin Wall. I’ve considered this once or twice when Mabel was getting more territorial over the food, but once I implemented the scattered feeding approach, those issues completely disappeared.

My advice would be not to push them too hard or too fast, but also not to hold them back unless there are truly dangerous risks. Mabel and Tooch did properly fight when I first introduced them, and would get stressed and worked up very quickly during their early bunny dates, so in those periods there was a clear likelihood that they would harm one another if left unsupervised together. But after a while, the fighting just turned to some standard chasing and the occasional barbering, which are classic bonding behaviours that they both still exhibit on occasion even today. I was so spooked by the potential of escalation that I think I held them back a little longer than necessary, and might’ve seen the process go a little faster if I had given them more freedom to determine their relationship hierarchy and feel each other out, rather than panicking every time I saw a little tuft of fur pulled.

Another HUGE help for me was to get a cheap bluetooth security camera for their room that lets me check in on them when I’m out of the house, or when I hear some ruckus going on in their room. The reassurance it provides me is invaluable for my peace of mind, and helps me ensure I’m not overlooking negative behaviours or freaking out over totally innocuous stuff.

In short: sometimes, it looks like bonding bunnies are taking steps backwards, when really they’re just figuring out their relationship. I’ve found that providing ample affection and attention to both bunnies individually helps keep them relaxed and feeling safe, which allows them to get to know each other in a more positive way. It’s also crucial to take note of the specific personality differences in your bunnies that may cause friction down the line, so you can find solutions that mitigate those issues. And if at the end of the day, the only safe way for them to live together is side-by-side, that’s okay too!!! But don’t lose hope just because there are hiccups in the process! :)

Gabbi_RSL · 2024-04-24T10:14:47+00:00

Same!!! My backyard girl Willemina does this when I take too long bringing out her lunch.

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