A former BC Liberal winning as a BC Conservative feels very 2026 😝

I was looking through my Ava photos as I often do when I simply want to feel good and this one makes me smile because she still does this (photo is 3 years old) every day.
She sits on the moon as I ready myself to do my nightly stretches and she meows while looking up at me. Makes me laugh every time. I love her so much 🥹

#cats #Caturday

She even rested her head on it 🥹

That tube thing is a crinkly toy that cats can hug and kick. The people who fostered Ava a few months before she came home to me included it with a few other toys.
She has ignored it for 4 years (except the fuzzy tail that I cut off, which is now her favourite comfort toy).
I couldn’t figure out why today she suddenly noticed it and even rubbed her face on it.
It’s not catnip. She doesn’t even react to catnip.
Then I remembered I sprayed Feliway cat hormones on her bed (which is above) during a storm, and I guess some of it sprayed onto this tube toy.
That confirms the spray really works 😄

#cats

The urge to edit a typo after people have boosted a post even though you know the meaning will be understood by everyone without a correction.

Fedi folks I need guidance on where to direct someone who is seeking therapy in Ottawa, ON, for a divorce that seems to have been triggered by the one admitting to exploring gender non-conformity and the wife not handling it well. They are both Muslim and are fairly new immigrants.

I don’t have direct contact with this person so I’d be passing on some suggestions. It seems like they have the means to pay for private practice if needed. It would be for individual counselling (not for the wife).

It also sounds like this person isn’t out or open about their gender exploration (so I’m not sure an LGBTQ centre would be their preferred place to find resources), but has expressed a wish to be in a woman’s body and in women’s clothing.

#Ottawa #LGBT

I’m also 20 out of 20. I have a feeling there’s a few of us in the Fediverse who used all 20 ancient tools 😄

Lots of 45+ year-olds in these parts 👵🏼 https://kind.social/@Shards/116978163069105667

My body is exhausted and sore today, and my migraine persists, but I am thankful for the rain and cooler weather.

This painting was inspired by the Star Wars: Outlaws game, specifically this screenshot, but a bit softer skies.

Sunbeams

#HumanArt #DigitalPainting #Art

I love how so many trans women get excited about the changes in their body.
I’ve never met cis women this hyped about their own boobs 😅

People who boast about not getting much sleep (because they are too busy with things they choose to be busy with) like it’s a badge of honour and then judging me for prioritizing sleep over socializing can go fuck off to the moon.

Honestly I’ve gotten more flak in my life for not being a morning person than for being gay or unemployed. The judgement comes even from the people who supposedly care about me and who are usually loving.

The collective urge to shame people or to be embarrassed by people for not being productive before noon is… I don’t even know what that is but I instantly don’t trust you if you do this. My entire family does it.

The fact that I worked many years at the crack of dawn counts for nothing either, but I shouldn’t have to prove myself worthy by being alert and ready to be social at the hours the industrial world decided is acceptable.

Being around people is sometimes when I feel the loneliest. This is an example why.

Some common questions answered about the #CDCP (Canada Dental Care Plan):

https://cmha.ca/brochure/frequently-asked-questions-canadian-dental-care-plan/

A reminder to Canadians (with income below $90,000/year) who have or want to have access to the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) there are some important dates coming up in June to apply or renew your dental insurance.

If you didn’t already apply for 2026 then it’s too late for this year. Application for June 2026 to June 2027 will open next week (see info in link).

To maintain this federal dental insurance (through SunLife) you need to renew each year to confirm you qualify. I was able to renew online today but they won’t process it until next week.

I also found out today that even though SunLife says 100% coverage for income below $70,000/year the dental clinic said they make that estimate based on old dental fees from maybe 4 years ago.
So I was quoted something closer to 85% coverage, which is still better than full price obviously but just be aware if you have no income. There’s still charges.

It’s also unclear in the SunLife info but dental clinic said coverage for cleaning is only once per year. I’m still unclear if I can get other treatments covered more than once per year.
SunLife does not reimburse patients so make sure you get a quote from the clinic before confirming appointments so you know if and how much you’ll need to pay. The dental clinic has to send messages to SunLife to pre-approve treatment and only the clinic gets reimbursed, not you.

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/apply.html

#Canada #CDCP #CanadianDentalCarePlan

My teeth-clenching in my sleep aggravates the ringing in my ear and the pain in my sinuses. The pain in my jaw and sinuses from the teeth-clenching causes more teeth-clenching as a response to the pain.
I started doing some jaw stretching exercises as part of my sleep and waking routines but I fear the damage is done.
I’m stuck in this loop.

One observation I have about USians based on how athletes talk about their hometown or home state is that people in the US seem very attached to the idea of “home” being where they grew up as children.
I have no such attachment.
I don’t know if this is an overarching sentiment among most people who grew up in the US but I don’t hear that level of attachment from Canadians.

I wonder sometimes if that attachment in the US is intertwined with nationalism.

Maybe it’s because I lived in 4 different homes in two different cities and two different provinces as a kid.

As an adult I’ve lived in 4 different cities in 3 different countries and the longest place where I lived (Vancouver) was filled with people from somewhere else. I think I only met three people who actually grew up in Vancouver in the two decades I lived there.

The stories of athletes returning to play on a team in their hometown is talked about somewhat in Canada (mostly for Toronto for some reason) but it’s a huge storyline in US sports leagues.

I suspect college rivalries adds to this sense of attachment. Most people in Canada would say the city where they’re from but not usually the province.
In the US it seems important which state you’re from. Sometimes it seems more important than the city.

I remember someone in Vancouver asking me once if I was going home for Christmas and I was so confused since I had lived in Vancouver so long and considered it home. I was already home. What I realized is that they wondered if I was going to my parents’ home.

My parents don’t live where I grew up. I have no childhood history with the place or neighbourhood where they currently live.
Even if I did, though, my home is where I choose to live, not where my parents choose.

Maybe in the US people have wonderful childhood memories and can’t wait to go back to the place where they lived those memories. Maybe people rarely move. That is such a foreign concept to me.

Not one person in my family has lived in Vancouver except me and that place is the only place where I felt at home. I was 21 to 41 years old in that time and place.

I think about the concept of “home” quite often. I miss feeling that.

Humans are just scared little animals and we have these silly rituals to let each other know it’s safe to approach.
Small talk is like extending a hand to a feral kitten so she can sniff it. Not allowed to touch yet (maybe never).
The words don’t really matter. It’s just a little gesture to show good intent.

It took me a while to accept this but I had lots and lots of practice over the years as a barista/cashier.
People pick up on vibes more than words.

I once bumped into an ex coffee shop manager while I was walking around with my mom in Vancouver and the manager told my mom I had some of the most unique conversations with customers.

I didn’t even know that about myself.

I just liked to come up with different things to ask. I almost never talked about myself.
Most people love a good listener and they obviously felt safe to express their quirky side with me.

I’m out of practice now but I appreciate the training I had as a barista on how to be human around other humans. https://plush.city/@sharkNserg/116531444530304628

Ava and I do a blinking game but instead of staring at each other until one of us blinks, we gaze lovingly at each other and take turns slow-blinking until one of us stops.

It is possible to insult fascists without being ableist or fatphobic. A physical feature does not equal values, behaviour, or intent.

All you’re doing when you make fun of fascists’ bodies in your meme is tell your peers that you hate anyone who might share some of those physical qualities.

Those fascists don’t even see your meme and will likely never see your meme. Your audience is your fellow social media users.

If your insult could apply to non-fascists then it’s not an effective insult anyway. People will act violently no matter what they look like.

My other RDR2-inspired painting

https://fandom.garden/@stephaniepixie/110442908047420323