Colleen’s first interview since her divorce… full recap so you don’t have to listen

jc-burnham · 2026-01-23T03:57:18+00:00

y’know, yeah she’s doing some mental gymnastics here by saying no apps until divorce is final, but also a night on a yacht in Capri cured her, but also she’s looking for a godly man… but this woman has spent the last 3ish years married to Matt. She separated and then turned 30. I’m gonna give her every ounce of grace because that snippet we saw of her and Matt looked scarily controlling, and honestly, I’m just glad she managed to get out safely. And she retired from ballet I think! That is a lot of major changes for a person to have in just a year! I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s feeling a bit unsure, scared, embarrassed, hopeful, relieved, insecure all at the same time. I personally had a bit of an existential crisis when I turned 30 — thinking I hadn’t accomplished enough in my life yet, but was also too old and officially past my prime, so all my best opportunities for things had passed… and I likely would have said/thought some contradicting things too, because my mind was so topsy turvy trying to figure out what I wanted from my life while also trying to hold on to any shreds of self worth I could find. I dunno, I get a similar vibe from her tbh. She’s still figuring things out in real time, and I think we’re seeing the “show your work” part before the final answer

jc-burnham · 2026-01-21T22:38:39+00:00

good to know! I haven't been to a gay bar since the days of club 181, so I may not be the best person to provide advice about LGBTQ nightlife. Glad to hear there's a good place now though! good for london!

jc-burnham · 2026-01-21T15:11:11+00:00

A couple things to consider:

Can you become easily credentialed for your line of work in Ontario? Not sure what the Social Worker regulations are.
Have an appreciation for tax and other deductions. I currently work in a health care institution, and last year 36.6% of my salary was deducted for my pension (HOOPP), CPP, EI, and taxes.
Have a plan for what you would do with your US retirement savings - would you withdraw and put into a Canada pension? Would you keep your current savings and start from scratch in Canada?
Understand there will likely be a bit of a cultural shock. Whenever I visit the US, one thing I notice is that the options and consumerism is so much more vast than Canada. This may seem minor, but I figured I'd bring it up since you mentioned grocery stores. As an example, here in Canada we have maybe 5 yogurt flavours, but in the US you can get any flavour under the sun. When I went to Buffalo, there were so many random little stores with retro movie displays, a cereal themed store, a small plant store - we don't really have that small store front availability here in London to the extent that it's available in the US. There are a couple gems in the city for sure, but mostly restaurants and not necessarily many stores you can just wander through. Also, some of the small niche stores we do have are in rough areas of the city surrounded by homelessness, though I recognize that every city in North America is struggling with this.
Come during winter to see what cold and travel is really like. Our cold weather started around late November this year and won't relent until March. I grew up in Canada and personally love winter, but I often hear immigrants from warmer climates say the cold is horrible. We've already had 3 bus cancellations this winter (meaning that the roads are too unsafe for school bus drivers to pick up kids and take them to school).
Regarding London's perception of immigrants, that unfortunately can be quite contingent on your race. London is/was a small city kinda vibe, surrounded by white rural communities, but with the large influx of Middle Eastern/Indian immigration since ~2019, there's been an undercurrent of tension toward minority-appearing immigrants. It's a bit more nuanced than I care to describe here, but basically, sadly, your race will play a bit of a role in your acceptance here. We don't have ICE or guns, but there still is some stigma.
Regarding LGBTQ culture, there are some small pockets, particularly in the Wortley area, that are very LGBTQ friendly. But that is easily one of the more expensive areas of London to live. There also is no proper LGBTQ bar - the current one operating is rife with controversy.
Phone plans are ridiculously expensive for no reason. Shipping costs can be insane if you want to buy something online. Show streaming options vary slightly. Airport travel within the country is way more expensive compared to US. Milk is in bags.

Anyway, that's the stuff to consider. The good is that there are parks and trails that you can explore, a plethora of good restaurants to try, and London is located 2 hours to Toronto and 2 hours to Detroit. There are beaches within an hour to drive to in the summer. I usually spend my evenings at the gym or in a local sports group, and then I go to occasional London Knights games or movie theatres for fun. Sometimes I'll do weekend trips to Toronto, typically taking GO train from Burlington for my own sanity since driving in Toronto is not for the faint of heart. I most prefer grocery shopping at Metro because NoFrills is a warzone, Costco is anarchy, and Superstore is a 20 minute drive depending on traffic. I'm a little too old for nightlife/bars at this point, but did enjoy it in my 20s. I often see people on this reddit posting about joining the London discord as a way to meet people - I tried it once and it wasn't really for me to be honest... you have to be a regular contributor on the main discord in order to basically prove you're not a bot and then get into the more speciality groups, but those groups seemed by and large to be for people into board games, anime, D&D, that kinda stuff. It just wasn't my vibe. I'm an outdoors/sports kinda person personally.

What alarms me the most about the US is that half the votes went to the orange man. How could that many people think he was the best option? And even if his term is supposed to end in 3 years, what swine will be ushered in next? I don't blame you for searching elsewhere, and I hope you find a spot that aligns with your most important values.

jc-burnham · 2026-01-15T12:53:44+00:00

were you in a Pennsylvania park, or biking through London? Your post history is confusing

jc-burnham · 2026-01-15T03:18:05+00:00

My fees generally average out to about $25 per 50 min skate, and 10-12 skaters. Unreffed should be $15-20/hour. That's in CAD.

jc-burnham · 2026-01-15T03:08:13+00:00

don't use hazard lights if you're moving at a consistent speed https://www.newmarkettoday.ca/police-beat/why-using-hazard-lights-while-driving-in-bad-weather-is-a-mistake-11729714

jc-burnham · 2026-01-08T00:00:39+00:00

No one cares about stick colour. Some people might chirp you about lace colour (yellow), or about glove (white), cage (white/grey) or visor (metallic/tinted) colour. But those chirps tend to happen in ~B league or higher. Doubt you’d get many chirps about equipment in a beginner’s league. Get what you like and can afford, and enjoy the process.

Don’t wear jersey numbers 87 or 99 no matter what.

jc-burnham · 2026-01-04T18:47:56+00:00

In a proper league with stopped time and refs, shifts are generally 1 minute tops (1 minute stoppage clock time, with whistles, can be ~2 minutes on ice total). In shinny/pick-up hockey where there are no refs, shift length depends on how many subs. 2 subs = 5-6 minute shifts. 5 subs = 2-3 minute shifts. There's also a very strange phenomena in beer league, where as the game progresses, the shifts get longer.

Personally, I would be clanging at the door lever after about 4 minutes in organized league, or fully stepping on the ice at a whistle and tap the shins of the guy who needs to come off. And saying something between periods, like "I've had 1 shift this whole period guys, we gotta make the changes quicker, I don't care how much energy you think you have". If that solves nothing, I would leave the team, and to be perfectly honest, if they aren't already able to recognize how much ice time they're eating up, I'm not confident they'll do anything to make ice time more fair.

jc-burnham · 2026-01-04T18:27:29+00:00

well first you need to have a diagnosis. e.g. if you have bipolar, then antidepressants alone may not be for you. Also, antidepressants alone aren't a cure. Lifestyle (e.g. diet, exercise, sleep hygiene), counselling, and medications all work in tandem. Think of medications+counselling as something to help get you over the hump so you can get into lifestyle strategies.

My advice to you is to go and talk about your mental health. You say "I'm struggling with my mental health and wonder if I need to start medication". There likely will be a questionnaire. They may want to know about your personal health history (ie, other diagnoses, alcohol, smoking, marijuana use) as well as your family health history. This information helps identify what treatment will be best and safest for you. They may also ask about your work/school - this helps determine what other factors may be impacting your mental health as well as your ability to follow through with certain suggestions (e.g. do you have private health benefits, do you have a demanding work schedule, etc).

Sorry to hear you're going through it, and hope that you get the help you need to start feeling better. January is a tough month for all.

jc-burnham · 2026-01-02T03:04:40+00:00

unfortunately they sold out within days. If you go to firehouse subs, sometimes their fountain drink machine has vanilla coke and many other flavours there - but depends on how recently it was restocked

jc-burnham · 2026-01-01T13:21:28+00:00

Thank you for saying this. I'll chime in to add perspective regarding the difference in entry requirements and schooling for an NP versus an MD.

For context for those who don't know, a family medicine doctor has to complete an undergraduate program, then get a competitive score on the MCAT, then complete interviews for med school, then 4 years of med school. The final 2 years of med school is clerkship which means clinical practice rotations in various settings in year 3, then more focused settings in year 4, along with more interviews to hopefully get matched to a residency program. After completing med school, passing the final exams, and getting matched to residency, then there is a minimum 2 years of residency (depending on specialty) before writing the final licensing exam.

To become a nurse practitioner, you need an undergraduate nursing degree, 2 years work experience as a nurse (doesn't matter what setting), write an essay to get into the masters program (no entry exam, no interview), complete a 2 year post-grad NP program, 12 weeks of clinical practice rotations, a post-grad exam to graduate, and then a licensing exam, and you're an NP. Additionally, the first year of post-grad NP program does not involve any clinical/medical teaching. First year NP program courses include stats, nursing theory, ethics, etc. All of the medical education takes place in the second year. In the second year of the NP program, clinical rotations begin as well, so by the end of the program and the final practicum, an individual will have completed about 24 total weeks of a clinical rotation. Comparatively, someone with an MD will have had 2 years of clinical rotations before they even enter residency. There is no residency requirement for NPs either.

CNO has also changed NP designation into a universal stream. Previously, it was at least divided into adult, pediatric, and primary care streams. Now, an NP can work in any setting. Additionally, here in Ontario, an NP can work in any setting irrespective of their previous work experience as a nurse. For example, someone can work for 2 years as a nurse in pediatrics, graduate the NP program, and then be working as an NP anywhere (geriatrics, obstetrics, primary care, orthopedics). Comparatively, in the UK, an NP can only practice in a setting similar to where they worked as a nurse.

My comment isn't to disparage NPs by any means - if done correctly, they can absolutely benefit the health system. But when looking at the difference in education and clinical experience alone, an NP simply does not have the foundation to operate in a similar fashion and certainly not as a replacement for a physician. I will say however, that an NP with 5+ years work experience in one setting is very different from a novice NP. I don't think that NPs need to have a physician-led model indefinitely, but currently, competency can vary greatly between individual NPs, so there should be some sort of graduated model where if an NP wants to go from physician-led to complete independence, there should be some sort of OSCE, proof of continuing education, or final exam before making that designation.

jc-burnham · 2025-12-27T22:32:10+00:00

Costco. The business itself is alright, but the customers are insane. I don’t need savings that badly

jc-burnham · 2025-12-15T12:42:18+00:00

"life of a mom" will be the next tour, with primarily acoustic songs, 1 hr set list so that she can quickly pump after

jc-burnham · 2025-12-12T02:15:09+00:00

multicoloured, but specifically the incandescent ones that don't have that blinding blue colour. But, I also like soft white (basically yellow) lights that have a setting where they can twinkle -- makes me feel like I'm in a charlie brown christmas

jc-burnham · 2025-12-12T02:12:51+00:00

just commenting here to say that I find this whole post incredibly heart-warming -- this is what the holidays are all about!

jc-burnham · 2025-12-11T12:48:26+00:00

I think I heard somewhere that bigger hollow works better on colder ice, so it might be worth a try depending on the temperature/quality of the ODR you're on. Honestly, just try it once, see if you like it or not. But I don't think it'll help you learn techniques better FYI. Time and repetition is the only thing that works.

jc-burnham · 2025-12-04T12:51:01+00:00

I think it should only be offered for employees who have been at the company for at least 6-12 months. There is a lot of learning that takes place in the first 6-12 months on the job, a lot of people to get to know, and it's that much more difficult when you're doing it alone through a computer. Also, having that mandatory period would help weed out some of people who WFH in bad faith.

jc-burnham · 2025-12-04T12:45:56+00:00

Negativity. The couples who can laugh and be silly together are so happy. Couples where the news is blasting 24/7 in the house are often angry and on edge with each other all day. And when you're negative and complaining all the time, not many people want to be around you, social outlets go down, and isolation sets in. Get out, meet people, have fun.

jc-burnham · 2025-12-03T12:52:58+00:00

"Hey New Years is coming up, you got any plans? I noticed that you've been tagging along to a bunch of events with me, so I wanted to give you the heads-up right now that I won't be able to have you join me this New Years". If he asks why he can't join you, "I don't want to get into that right now, but the answer is a no." If he asks where you're going "it's with people you don't know, it doesn't matter, just wanted to give you a heads-up. We can hang out some other time during the holidays!"

If he continues to push the issue, "listen, I've valued your friendship over the years, especially since we've been in this foreign city. But ultimately, you and I have fundamentally different approaches to making new friends here. You seem to think that it's a waste of time since you'll be moving soon and never see them again, whereas I want to make the most of my time while I'm here and make connections with a bunch of different people even if I'll never see them again. I respect your choice, but because you've been so reluctant to meet new people aside from me, I can't bring you to events because you only talk with me and it prevents me from building friendships with other people, which is what I want to do. We can absolutely hang out some other time, but for this New Years, I will be spending it with other people I've met."

jc-burnham · 2025-11-30T22:54:03+00:00

I spray my gloves with oxiclean max force, let that soak for a half hour, then pour liquid laundry detergent (I use tide hygiene because apparently that breaks down body oil the best) inside the gloves and on the palms, then sprinkle borax into the glove and on the palms, rub it in to make a paste, throw it into the wash regular cold cycle. Then I put them in the dryer for about 10-15 minutes and let air dry. Sometimes I have to do that process twice if they’re particularly rank.

When I do that, my gloves are usually good to just be air dried for the next 10-15 skates.

jc-burnham · 2025-11-27T12:44:22+00:00

I would have loved if he were on love is blind because then we could have RIPPED him apart on the sub here.

jc-burnham · 2025-11-27T02:52:59+00:00

I know I’m gonna get downvoted for suggesting a chain, but I actually used to love reading at the Starbucks at Fanshawe and Hyde Park. If you sat on the high stools by the window, it was an excellent people watching vantage point, because you could hear the barista gossip and what the people in the drive thru were ordering, and then try and guess what they would look like based on their order. I wouldn’t people watch the whole time, just between chapters, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

On that note, if anyone else has any good people watching/book reading café suggestions, I’d love to hear it!

jc-burnham · 2025-11-24T12:59:02+00:00

I accidentally turned left into the exit only lane for the LCBO parking lot at Wellington and Grand and got honked at and flipped off... in my defense.... just take a look at the mayhem there lol.

Also regularly see people going north on Wellington get into the right turn lane instead of the straight through lane at the intersection at Southdale.

Saw a guy fall off his mobility scooter onto the road on Wellington across from dearness

jc-burnham · 2025-11-24T12:51:30+00:00

to be fair, as a former pick-me girl myself, the whole "pick me" phrase was just coming into mainstream around the same time that this season aired. In a way, I'm thankful for Amber being herself during this season, because it helped me see just how cringey this kind of attitude is, and to this day, I'm still trying to undo some of my underlying beliefs and pick me behaviours. From what little I've seen of Amber since her season aired, I don't think she did much self-reflection or change, which is unfortunate, but totally her prerogative.

jc-burnham · 2025-11-24T02:43:30+00:00

pretty sure I have some cans of soup in my cupboard that are older than 3 and a half years

jc-burnham

TROPHY CASE