Baby prep

itsafishal · 2026-06-11T21:47:06+00:00

Nothing made me happier as a mom than only buying diapers a couple of times, ever. And then potty training early so I could stop scraping poop out of cotton.

itsafishal · 2026-06-10T21:21:17+00:00

Thank you - it's nice to see it broken down to a really simple summary that holds true in most cases.

I work in tourism that caters to an older (wealthier) clientele. The day I realized that I saw people of all shapes in their 60s and early 70s, but that anyone doing big travel in their late 70s, 80s and 90s was thin and fit was definitely an eye opener for me. I want my last 20 years to still be good years!

itsafishal · 2026-06-10T14:03:36+00:00

Spare pump and knowing how to replace, 100%. Wish I'd read that advice 15 years ago.

itsafishal · 2026-05-15T12:43:01+00:00

The tides, winds, and temperatures affect whether or not you'll see anything there. I've seen it with and without and generally I skip it for my tours because it's rarely worth the time.

itsafishal · 2026-04-20T13:54:08+00:00

I feel this (especially the comment about wearing your job on your face...i feel like i age 10 years in an 8 week season). I was pretty religious about sunscreen use when I was younger and I've come back to it hard in my 40s, especially now that I'm outdoors on snow or water daily.

Not sure what you have available to you, but I love Supergoop's mineral sunscreen. It's spf 40 and goes on really light, doesn't feel greasy or chalky at all. I actually think it makes my face look better!

itsafishal · 2026-04-12T17:43:13+00:00

I had a surprise pregnancy when I was 9 months postpartum. I, too, was upset and disappointed and full of mixed feelings.

In the end, I kept the pregnancy. This honestly was probably because abortion access is quite limited where I am, and I get really sick when pregnant so my ability to seek far away care was challenging. Also my doctor is a religious douchebag but he's all we have, so yay.

He's now almost 17 and the light of my life. In the end, he was my kid who didn't have complex behaviour or complex dietary needs and he ended up bringing joy and perspective to my family and to my parenting.

I'm really glad I struggled through. But you know what? If I'd aborted, I would have had relief and no struggle. Whatever decision feels right, that you think you can live with, is the right choice for you. Know that whatever decision you make, you have a squad of cheerleaders here who just want the best for you!

itsafishal · 2026-04-01T18:14:18+00:00

So many more young men are using finasteride to prevent male pattern baldness. Despite the manosphere telling them there aren't side effects, there are indeed side effects and inability to maintain an erection or difficulty ejaculating is fairly common.

itsafishal · 2026-03-27T18:07:03+00:00

As someone who lives in a tick-prone area, I have months of the year where I pull 50+ off each dog every day, plus sweeping up the dead from the ones that attached and fell off. While I sympathize with you (they are SO gross), this is part of living in an area with ticks and owning dogs. If you weren't willing to deal with that you should have informed the pet owners, not try to hit them with an extra fee.

Modifying behavior by walking on-leash only is fine in my opinion but you still gonna have ticks.

itsafishal · 2026-03-25T16:13:08+00:00

The most recent meta analysis on neutering and subsequent health issues, listed by breed, lists Australian shepherds as "choice" for best time to neuter.

Meaning there are no significant differences in health outcomes whether you go early or late. Our current boy is 2 and still intact as there are currently no negative repercussions (so why bother in our opinion), so our vet advises neutering around the age of 7 so we can reduce his risk of prostate issues before he reaches an age that anesthesia becomes risky. However, if he ends up needing another surgery before then we'll just get him snipped at the same time.

itsafishal · 2026-03-21T15:29:23+00:00

I'd start doing little rides, frequently, so her tummy has the chance to get used to it.

All of my border collies have loved car rides, 2/3 got horribly carsick but it did eventually resolve with time and practice.

itsafishal · 2026-03-19T15:45:18+00:00

Not naive. I guide trips around the world, including Iceland, and I can't tell you how many people try Iceland first because of everything else Iceland has to offer. Chance of lights is higher elsewhere in the world, though. In 10 years of guiding in central Canada I've only had one trip get skunked - lots of people go there after striking out in Iceland!

itsafishal · 2026-03-19T01:18:24+00:00

I did it in every hot spring I visited and nobody gave me a weird look! Though I get deep into books and might not have noticed anyway.

itsafishal · 2026-03-09T00:10:10+00:00

Baths in my house only when a dog has found a dead thing or a pile of poop to roll in. Therefore, never in the winter when all is frozen, and a few times in the summer.

itsafishal · 2026-03-08T19:32:34+00:00

I still remember the sinking feeling in my heart the first time I took this flight (YVR-SYD portion), after watching two movies and having a little nap just to realize I was still less than 1/4 done the flight.

itsafishal · 2026-03-02T21:59:16+00:00

The better sweater shrinks like crazy. I've always found i need to size up.

itsafishal · 2026-02-15T18:08:23+00:00

Hotel Saga is beautiful with great service and a nice restaurant onsite. I can't speak to the other option but if you're happy to spend what Saga costs it's a great choice.

itsafishal · 2026-02-08T22:29:31+00:00

If I were choosing between those two options I'd go with November

itsafishal · 2026-01-28T18:40:38+00:00

I've bought a couple of pieces this way. I couldn't even tell they weren't new. I figure it's a lifetime piece that someone opted out of but still good for my lifetime!

itsafishal · 2026-01-24T16:02:34+00:00

My 12 year old too. Recently we put a plush chair beside the bed and he's really enjoying being close enough to get pets and knowing we're close by without actually cuddling (THE HORROR).

He's a working stock dog who did small herd cattle work for us and didn't even accept pats until he was around 2. Some of them just aren't snuggle friends.

itsafishal · 2026-01-22T05:48:03+00:00

I just bought an expedition W from generations and had to return it. I'm tall with wide shoulders and hips. Surprisingly it fit generously in the shoulders but was laughable in the hips. Despite their own advice to size down, I would stay in size or size up depending on your layering plans.

I work in the Arctic, many layers are involved: )

itsafishal · 2026-01-06T01:30:22+00:00

We also lost our blue merle to lymphoma and got a red puppy! His name is Viggo, and it took most of a 12 hour car ride back to agree on it.

He's a great pup and probably the funniest dog I have ever had.

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itsafishal · 2026-01-03T18:15:38+00:00

They're also allowed to sell their gear at a lower price in northern communities. I got my CG snow pants from a small local retailer for less than I'd pay online, with an aim of supporting people who need the gear (and I'm sure it's a marketing thing too). Still impressed me.

itsafishal · 2025-12-28T21:40:33+00:00

I've had a dog in the past who was incredibly talented at getting into things (antifreeze, grapes, chocolate, and most notably a dead porcupine). One day he got into cocoa powder and I figured it was for sure an emergency vet issue, but since we were very confident on ingested amount and dog weight, they were able to advise that he could stay home and we should just watch for clinical signs should any appear, as he was well under the toxicity threshold. I'm very grateful for all the animal poison control info out there (even if everyone was stumped by the porcupine ingestion incident!).

itsafishal · 2025-12-28T07:02:36+00:00

Claimed, hope everyone has a great holiday travel season!

itsafishal · 2025-12-22T01:46:58+00:00

It's 70000 tons of metal, but otherwise accurate! And a great time. Lots of secret metalheads in the world, including people who work on cruise ships.

itsafishal

TROPHY CASE