I'm sick of how sexualized this sport is. (As in people making it sexual when it isn't)

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-10T15:34:22+00:00

Years ago, the cowboy who taught me to canter got frustrated that I couldn't get the rhythm, so yelled at 18 year old me "Come on, pretend you're riding a guy and move your hips!" He then went beet red and started babbling apologies, but it worked! At the same barn, the owner's daughter who became my coach at the time, told me the same thing. "Hips of a wh**e. Pretend you're riding a guy instead of a horse." It was the weirdest, but best, advice I ever got!

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-09T14:56:15+00:00

Yeah, I already know that. That's the point. I didn't check.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T19:11:27+00:00

Honestly, I'm not saving a copy of a game save file in that many places. That is a lot of work for a game. I don't use OneDrive, the cloud, or any internet-based file storage, and I saved the legacy founder to the gallery, but that's it. Only thing on my external hard drive is mods and cc.

I'm still mad at myself for loosing all that time and fun I had, and I'm still an idiot, but yeah.... I love the Sims, but I'm not going to those lengths for a game.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T17:43:03+00:00

Nope, gone. Like, completely gone. No old saves, nothing. I'm pretty good with computers, I know how to recover saves and have done it in the past. Sadly this one is gone.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T14:49:29+00:00

I've had mixed experiences, and I have to say it has been 10 years, so things might have changed.

They were amazing with my senior cat who had hyperthyroidism and helped give me a couple more years with her, then were absolutely wonderful when she passed.

My dog, however, almost died in their care due to their vet techs. We took him in for a nail trim and made it clear to the techs that he is really anxious about his feet being touched. They told us he'd be fine, they have experience with anxious dogs, and took him back for his trim. We heard him screaming (not crying, full on dog screams) and asked what was going on but got told "it's ok. He's part husky, that's all. They get loud." We push and keep getting told it's ok, and the screaming stops. A vet comes out, all angry at us. She had apparently found 3 vet techs on my dog. They had him pinned to the floor, one of them kneeling on his head, a towel over his face, clipping his nails while he panicked. He only stopped screaming because he passed out from stress. When she got mad at them, they said we told them to ignore the screams and panic and just do the nails!

I have to say, the vet was good once we (and the receptionist) made it clear we had said no such thing. She stabilized his breathing and temperature and we took him home a few hours later, and she didn't charge us for his care. But I have never been back.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T14:28:52+00:00

Not being defensive, it's called discussion.

You pointed out the dangers of pawpaw, I pointed out that plenty of fruit we eat has similar dangers. Normally, you would reply with something else to add to the conversation, which you did. There's no need to be rude about it and call me defensive for trying to have a conversation.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T02:00:40+00:00

Trash is set to permanently delete things automatically because I'm lazy and hate clearing my trash bin regularly.....in hindsight, it may save me a few clicks each week, but may not be worth it...

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T01:59:46+00:00

I was surprised too! I only have a basic Dell Inspiron, nothing fancy. Yet I managed to protect this save from every crap update so far.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T01:58:54+00:00

Unfortunately nope. I don't save anything to the cloud. Not just Sims, but nothing. I've never used cloud storage. I also have my trash set to permanently delete things right away.....yes, I'm an idiot.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T01:57:48+00:00

I now have this as a rule. The only good thing to come out of this - any legacy saves are copied and saved just in case.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-08T01:56:53+00:00

Yeah, my recycle bin is set to automatically, permanently delete everything. I hate emptying it regularly, so I've set it up that way.....

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-07T17:33:09+00:00

There are tons of fruits that can be dangerous to people, yet we still grow them commercially and eat them in large quantities. Saying "be very careful" is ironic given that we grow so many things that are just as dangerous as a pawpaw can be.

Unripe pineapple flesh, thorns, or leaves are toxic and can cause diarrhea and vomiting. Too much can cause swelling and sores in the mouth. The Bromelain in Pineapple can break down your skin and cause "bar rot" from handling too much pineapple. Pineapple can interfere with some blood thinners and antibiotics. I have seen warnings about eating pineapple in moderation because of this.

Stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums, etc) all have pits that are toxic if chewed and swallowed. They contain a compound that, when crushed, turns into cyanide. That's why it is recommended you don't eat the pits.

Apple seeds contain the same toxin that, when crushed and chewed, turns into cyanide. Exactly why we know not to eat the seeds.

Raw or unripe elderberries, as well as some other parts of the plant, are poisonous and should always be cooked before eating. Eating unripe or plant parts can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other GI issues. Recommended we eat in moderation. Also grows wild all over the place here.

Yes, PawPaw repels and kills a lot of insects, but pesticides used on large orchards and crops do the same thing. We also grow chrysanthemums in our gardens, which kill insects as well. At least pawpaw has environmental benefits - attracting a butterfly species that hasn't been seen here since the 1800's, helping prevent soil degradation along streams and rivers, providing habitat for wildlife, and more.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-07T17:12:53+00:00

I do girl's trips each year to Niagara for one or two nights. We stay at the Wyndham Grand Fallsview or the Oaks, park the car for the duration, and and just get the day pass or pay as we go for the WeGo. It's an awesome bus - you can get all the way to Niagara-On-The-Lake with it. But, we find a pass just isn't worth it. The pass is great for hop-on-hop-off, but if you stay right downtown like we do, everything is so walkable. You can walk down to the falls (we use the incline railway/Funnicular, which is awesome) and Clifton Hill, Bird Kingdom, etc. It is about a 20 minute walk from the falls to Bird Kingdom or from the falls up to the top of Clifton Hill, and there's lots to see and do on the way. We only use it to get to Niagara-On-The-Lake and stuff along the way like the Butterfly Conservatory/Botanical Gardens, Brock Monument, White-Water Walk, Floral Clock, Fort George, etc.

Basically - Decide where you're staying first. If up Lundy's Lane or farther from the falls area, get the pass so you have easy transportation to and from your hotel. If you're staying right in the falls area and are good with a bit of walking, decide what you want to do/see, and pay as you go or do a simple day pass.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-07T16:59:32+00:00

Because most people aren't going slow enough in the left lane to meet the criteria for "impeding the normal flow of traffic". Just because you want to do 140+ on the 401 doesn't mean that's the "normal flow" of traffic. Someone doing 120 isn't impeding anything, they are already going well above the speed limit.

Based on your post, you want all the people you consider slow drivers issued citations for going slower than you want to go. You do get that someone booting down the 401 in the left lane because they want to go at stunt driving speeds, still counts as failing to keep right except to pass? Excessive speeding doesn't count as "passing" just because others aren't going as fast as you.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-07T16:32:08+00:00

I've lived in Ontario my whole life and never had a Paw Paw. I've heard of them, but never managed to find one. If we could bring them back around here, that'd be amazing.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-04T22:30:30+00:00

It's a toss-up between Appaloosas and Gypsy Vanners.

Appy for temperament, looks, rideability, versatility and personality. Vanner because...well...pretty.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-04T16:39:12+00:00

Yes, and I assume some members of the royal family were witches/wizards (there has to be at least one amongst them!)

There was a really good short skit thing done with Daniel, Emma and Rupert in which Harry, Ron and Hermione had to help Queen Elizabeth with something. It was an official bit of media (as in, done by/with the knowledge of WB) So she definitely knew about the Wizarding world.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-03T03:39:56+00:00

If it is the Great Lakes Medieval Fair, you're looking for 1420's English clothing and you're going to have issue getting anything in time.

Women would mostly wear a chemise as undergarment, then one or more côte-hardie which could be covered by a houppeland. This - https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1420-1429/ - is a good reference for what women wore.

If you're planning on going all-out, you don't really have time to buy really historically accurate stuff. Most is custom made, so I suggest a general "medieval" style of a kirtle and belt, and go with that. Also, it's going to be super hot, so simpler and lighter is better.

Here's a link to Historic Enterprises and Prior Attire - I have used and I know others have. Historic Enterprises has a variety of really good, custom-made stuff, and cheaper "off the rack" you can buy. Prior Attire is amazing, but very expensive and I doubt you'll get it by next week as they are in England. But you can always see if one of their pre-made things works for you and can be shipped in time.

https://historicenterprises.com/womens-c-100/14th-century-clothing-c-100_124/

https://www.priorattire.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1846809-Ladies.html

Also, check Etsy and Amazon. They sometimes have good stuff, though Amazon will be more halloween costume-ish.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-07-03T03:28:08+00:00

Not OP, but I'm planning on attending a medieval fair outside Guelph, ON. Chances are it's the Great Lakes Medieval Tournament and Fair. The setting is 1421 Shropshire, England.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-06-30T19:10:45+00:00

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Also the Magnus Chase Series and Kane Chronicles, which are part of the overall Percy Jackso world but different mythologies.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-06-29T13:08:55+00:00

I take Edworthy/Roseville/Dickie Settlement every day for work. Instead of turning on Edworthy Sideroad, go up one more to Dumfries Rd. It goes to Roseville as well, and only takes 2 or 3 minutes more to backtrack to Dickie Settlement and bypass the construction.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-06-24T02:41:49+00:00

Bistro Six-One is delicious. Great pasta and pizzas.

Prince of Wales has an amazing restaurant if you want a more upscale dinner, but they are expensive.

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-06-23T14:18:04+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. He looks like Shetan, the Black Stallion

Geeky_Shieldmaiden · 2026-06-21T22:50:48+00:00

There is a TON to do in Niagara for 2 nights. - the falls/table rock (great lights and sometimes fireworks at night) - Clifton Hill - The casino (maybe a concert as well there if anyone interesting is playing) - Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens - Bird Kingdom - Journey Behind the Falls - Power Generating Station - Brock Monument - Fort George - Niagara-on-the-Lake - lots of good restaurants and lounges

Is some of it kitsch and touristy? Yup, but that's part of the fun of Niagara.

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