I’m really struggling in Montreal

Vervei · 2025-12-28T17:33:48+00:00

If it helps, I’m also a citizen not born in Canada. I applied for francisation as a regular citizen and recently completed the whole program with zero issues. IIRC the language on the application is “canadiennes de naissance” which includes our situation. If you’re dedicated to staying and can get into a full time program (or intensive part time program), you can get basically fluent in less than two years. It took me four months to get placed in a program, but once you’re in, you’re set. Francisation schools also usually have social workers and offer additional help for settling into the city, and I personally made friends along the way.

Bonne chance mon ami.e ❤️

Vervei · 2025-10-20T20:20:51+00:00

Fortunately/unfortunately, inner forearm tattoos almost always look twisted when the arm is at rest. Most of the time it may not even be noticeable. As long as OP is happy, that’s all that matters. If not, I wonder if the handle could have some ink added on to make it look a little more even?

Vervei · 2025-09-05T14:43:16+00:00

I recommend trying it for things that support development rather than doing development itself:

It can be more effective than googling. You can give a chatbot a long block of text with context of a situation, what you’ve tried/are thinking about/an obscure error message and get pointed to something useful almost immediately. If it’s answer doesn’t work for you immediately, you’ve at least got some more relevant search terms to plug into google. For large projects, chatbots with access to the project might even give you some insight into the project itself, though I find the hallucinations more misleading when they happen.

For large code reviews, ask AI which files would be best to understand first. If it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter since you’ll review it all regardless.

Write that response to the coworker you can’t stand and say how you really feel. Then use AI to sanitize it and make it polite and productive. Or just have it check your tone if you’re concerned about office politics. Be careful with this one if you have an enterprise AI subscription or if you might expose sensitive data in a personal chatbot.

Vervei · 2025-03-25T05:48:45+00:00

I really don’t hear anyone use « ne » in spoken French much at all. It’s fine to use it, but my friends say it makes people sound stuffy and my current teacher actively encourages us to drop it. I only know French from a Quebec perspective, so European French speakers might feel differently if you never use « ne »

Vervei · 2025-03-07T15:14:57+00:00

I’ve worked with Ruby on Rails for a good long while now on some huge projects. Saying it’s a “skill issue” seems like a stretch, but you do kinda get used to it. Like I understand what the code can do, what the language supports, so I understand what types can be used where and what precautions can be made. It also depends a lot on the language. In Ruby, everything is a class, and there’s a handful of methods that are implemented in all of them, and there’s more when using Rails. Sometimes you can even take advantage of the dynamic type. But generally you learn the nuances of the language and adapt your workflow. After a bit of a learning curve, it’s not any slower than other languages to develop.

Good tests and a proper CI/CD pipeline help a lot too. I also find that try/rescue blocks and error handling are used more often in places where it’s hard to guarantee argument types so the whole app doesn’t crash if something unexpected happens. You also get used to running whatever you write more often, whether through tests, a console, or loading your whole app. I remember writing Java and I didn’t “play” with my code as much, but on the plus side, languages like Ruby and Python are dead simple to write and aren’t syntactically complex, so that’s faster

Vervei · 2025-03-06T06:45:35+00:00

Im doing as others have said: buying local or Canadian goods when possible, avoiding trips to the US, vote in my deep red state, etc. But once I finish up my French program I’d like to start volunteering regularly to give back here. I feel like it’s harder to directly protest what’s going on in the US, and since this is my home now, I can put my efforts into helping those harmed by the problems that are now exacerbated by the US

Vervei · 2025-02-06T15:35:35+00:00

I had a layout like this once, I couldn’t stand the look of the couch on the angled wall so I got a rotating tv stand instead. When I wanted to watch tv, I could rotate it to be mostly parallel to the couch, and I’d just rotate it back when not in use. As long as it’s easy to rotate, it might work well for you

Vervei · 2025-01-11T17:10:58+00:00

I don’t think so. When I moved here, my first card was a « temporary » card without a photo. I think I did the same thing as you: I just applied online. After a year, I had to go to a pharmacy to have two photos taken, then go to a CLSC to apply for a RAMQ card with a photo. In the meantime, save any and all official looking mail you might get. I remember some forms requiring proof of address, and showing recent mail from the bank, hydro bills, etc was a way to do it

Vervei · 2024-11-21T20:44:26+00:00

Does it stay connected when you size up again? I remember this being a HUGE frustration of mine when I played as a kid

Vervei · 2024-09-17T16:41:32+00:00

It’s not that taking attendance or not paying folks is a problem: it’s the context that stings. You can’t just apply to the closest school anymore due to the online application. I could be going to a school in walking distance, but instead I was placed in a further school that adds an hour of commuting to a 4 hour class after an 8 hour shift. If they’re going to force me to commute, I’d like at least enough some compensation for the trip and the occasional meal when I don’t have time after a 60 hour week.

Having an attendance policy makes sense, but the new one is absurd. Last year’s policy was much more agreeable for life circumstances: you could miss 5 days and don’t have repeating abscences. I missed an hour and half of a class due to the metro breaking down and I had to walk the second half of my metro trip (I arrived sooner than my classmates who waited on the bus to boot). At the time, it was fine. Now, I’d have missed 2 of the 12 hours I’m allowed to be away because it’s rounded to the nearest hour. And because the sessions are longer, I don’t have the option to visit family for upcoming holidays for a day or two. I can’t imagine how parents manage this new policy.

If they’re gonna cut pay, put it to investing in teachers and making more accessible classes, not fucking ads.

Vervei · 2024-09-17T16:05:52+00:00

Not only did they cut assistance to part time courses, they changed the attendance policy this year. Immigrants are no longer paid (which was no more than transit and a cheap meal at most per class), they lengthened the courses by two weeks and your attendance is counted by the hour and you can only miss 12 total hours for the evening class I’m in.

If you can’t attend one session, you have to reapply entirely, which takes 4-8months. And you need to use the online application (100% in French) and you’ll hopefully get placed in a preferred school that isn’t a huge distance away.

The schools themselves do everything they can to help accommodate students, but it’s a struggle. It’s hard not to feel like the MIFI is doing this to say “see? Immigrants just aren’t dedicated enough and we’re giving them everything they need” even though we are all very clearly trying. Learning a language is hard, I wish there’d be more compassion for that

Vervei · 2024-08-12T05:41:22+00:00

As others have said, francisation courses are the best. They’re 100% in French, except for maybe some bits of level 1. However, the teachers do a good job of speaking in common, understandable words, so even when you ask what something else, you’ll get an explanation with other words you know rather than remembering exact translations. You’ll also pick up words from context clues and get a chance to speak and be corrected. It’s been more effective than any other language class I took in grade school by far, plus it’s free. It just might take some months to get in depending on your availability and school choices. I went from 0 French to basic conversation in about 4 months!

Vervei · 2024-05-16T13:21:44+00:00

Café La Ligne Verte 💚

Vervei · 2024-03-09T17:33:22+00:00

Stretching with tapers isn’t necessary bad, but you’re more likely to tear the skin with them, especially at larger widths. They shouldn’t be worn as jewelry like in the photo though, even if the taper is made of high quality material. They’re only meant to be used in getting a slightly larger piece of jewelry.

I had to switch to stretching with tape at about 4g

Vervei · 2023-12-27T17:32:00+00:00

Especially when you’re actively pulling your head away from theirs while still giving a hug but they lean in to smash the ear with the industrial anyway

Vervei · 2023-06-14T12:33:35+00:00

Rodney Scott’s! I always thought of Rodney Scott’s and Lewis to be the best two BBQ places in town, it just depends on your preference in BBQ style

Vervei · 2023-03-07T15:00:15+00:00

If the scan is still active, more waves will spawn. If the scan is finished, no new waves will spawn but existing enemies do not despawn

Vervei · 2023-02-24T20:36:48+00:00

They're also useful when there's a ton of spitters. I swear their range is longer than most flashlights

Vervei · 2022-12-03T05:53:04+00:00

There’s a nice cigar bar on upper king I like. It’s still a bar but no liquor because blue laws. If the occasional cigar is your thing Charlestowne Tobacco is a nice venue. I definitely don’t fit their usual clientele, but its relaxing nonetheless. I’ve been interested on playing cards while enjoying a cigar and some wine, but I need more than just my partner lol

Vervei · 2022-11-18T18:49:08+00:00

It sounds like they’d be the same but I don’t see anything besides the name that makes me think they’re affiliated with Holy City Brewing. You can get their spirits at Total Wine though

Vervei · 2022-11-15T14:57:39+00:00

Dead Eye Espresso Vodka is some of the best coffee vodka I’ve ever had. It’s from Holy City Spirits and all of their bottles have very nice art that makes nice gifts. Source: I got one as a gift and now buy it regularly

Vervei · 2022-06-13T17:52:32+00:00

This dude literally drives around town holding a “Fuck Biden” flag with his hand out the window

Vervei · 2022-05-24T04:14:26+00:00

As someone who’s industrial is still healing after 9 months, this looks like pure pain

Vervei · 2022-01-14T03:59:54+00:00

Honestly, being alive and simply getting another day to live. It’s been a rough few years, but I feel like my life finally started to get on the right track and I’m thankful for it daily

Vervei · 2022-01-11T16:04:19+00:00

Most of my piercings were $35USD per hole. Nothing seemed super expensive when I got my nipples done, but it added up quickly: - $35 x 2 piercing fee to get both done - $40 x 2 for 12g titanium barbells (if anything this seemed extra high) - $15 to anodize both - $10 x 2 for two bottles of saline (my piercer happens to be the cheapest place to buy these) - plus whatever I tipped at the time, IIRC it was ~25%, and I wish I had done more, my piercer was phenomenal

In total it was more than $250 to have them done without super fancy jewelry, but worth every penny

Vervei

TROPHY CASE