The Masked School Library Tech

High School Library Technician, proud #CUPE Education Worker. I drink too much tea (Yorkshire please), love knitting, being ignored by my cat, and reading too much.
Wear a Mask!

#Knitting #Libraries #Cats #Tea

Pronouns: She/her

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npub14rhyth45upqa20alwemnnft69xf49vptfkcfxajzut8w0puaflesaaaup3

NIP-05 Address

libraryandtea_at_ottawa.place@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs23mj9m66wqsw487lhvaee54azny6jkq45mvynwepw9nh8s7w5lucpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds7quwcj

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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Last Notes

2026-06-18 16:36:54 UTC

This has made me unreasonably sad. The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest has been officaially declared as dead this Spring. Such a massive part of my life. I loved going to Sherwood to say hello to the Oak. And it was one of the places I insisted we had to take the kids when we went back for a visit. Fuck climate change.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyer9m0jmko
#Trees #MajorOak #Nottingham #ClimateChange

2026-05-06 03:39:37 UTC

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teachers don’t like ai because the kids are using it to cheat, but they love using ChatGPT to write emails for them. They assign shit assignments that use the “art” ai. Or one they love is to compare how an LLM did on creating a timeline in the name of media literacy.
It doesn’t help that it’s coming down from the boards either. “Use this great tool to create your tests and slides! You’ll have far more time to spend with the students!”
There has been no thought into environmental impacts, or hallucinations. It’s bleak in education right now.
(Sorry. Rant over)

2026-04-23 00:49:26 UTC

The Province Wide Day of Action is next week! April 29th wear purple (or red) and show solidarity to education workers and teachers across Ontario. AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSBCU and OSSTF are organizing and fighting for education together!
#OntEd #OnPoli #UnionStrong #UnionSolidarity
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/116/451/255/377/121/428/original/9e8fa05a2f4152ba.jpeg

2026-01-04 18:22:40 UTC

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And a pompon completes it. This is the 4th hat I’ve knit using the Bernat All the the family hats pattern. It’s so easy and I can just knit whilst watching my stupid British soaps. I hope my Mum likes it!
#Knitting
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/115/838/208/451/593/170/original/14dafcdb69bfdee2.jpeg

2026-01-04 17:50:46 UTC

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It worked! Hat now feels lovely. It’s the first hat I’ve blocked and I’m very happy that my bumbling worked.

2026-01-03 23:37:43 UTC

The world is shit. Here’s a picture of a hat drying on a blocking mat in the hopes it stretches just a bit. I love how the wool worked out with the stripes.
#knitting
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/115/833/790/060/627/283/original/9538bcfdb9058df9.jpeg

2025-10-09 01:22:07 UTC

What a great interview with Teresa Heffernan about the problems and general awfulness of AI and chat bots. Everyone should listen to it, especially the second half. I don’t think the interviewer expected it to go the way it did. She’s awesome.
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-37-mainstreet-ns/clip/16173858-the-hope-hype-sad-reality-ai-chatbots-conversations
#AI

2025-08-27 00:03:55 UTC

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it really is.
(and about 15 mins after I wrote this we got all of 2 mins worth! It was the most exciting thing to happen out here in a while haha).

2025-08-26 23:42:33 UTC

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what’s this rain you speak of?

2025-08-26 11:09:30 UTC

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a teacher told me that they asked ChatGPT what to do when a chromebook is dying. I told them it isn’t a search engine. She was confused.

2025-08-19 21:50:46 UTC

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I bet it was created with AI. That was one of the “amazing new powerful pieces of software you can use to make presentations for your class!” we were told about last school year. It will take all the PDFs and make a presentation for you. The presentations weren’t very good.

2025-08-19 17:27:27 UTC

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I doubt it. Students are always being told to do presentations and think if it isn’t on the slides then they won’t get marked for it. So they put it allll on the slides and then read off them. And aren’t told otherwise.
My kid had a teacher who made them do presentations nearly every week. They know to limit the text and work on visuals but had to reteach themselves to add all the text because the teacher kept insisting on it and marking them down for lack of information on the slides.

2025-08-19 02:12:42 UTC

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say it ain’t so!

2025-08-18 23:45:57 UTC

Rally at Parliament Hill tomorrow to Stand Up to UNFAIR CANADA!
9-11 and 12-4. Meet at the Queen's Gate.
#AirCanada #Union #CUPE #CdnPoli
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/115/052/403/815/565/430/original/d7fee7af3d5f5ca5.jpg

2025-08-17 18:21:45 UTC

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I love Mer bleue. Always see some great wildlife.

2025-08-17 16:53:06 UTC

Makes my union heart sing when I see that the FAs are going to remain on strike. Also makes me feel a bit like a pioneer as that’s what we did back in 2022 against Ford and won. It’s the only way we can win as workers.
#CUPE #Unions #Canada #CdnPoli

2025-08-14 13:03:49 UTC

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we normally have loads of the false sunflowers out by now that the goldfinches loves. But this year they’ve just not grown. The neighbour still has a big chunk of them by the fence, but they are half the size they would normally be by now. And the ones that had taken over most of the bottom of our garden (before we’d moved in) just haven’t materialized this year.
The city finally fixed the culvert that runs across the back of the gardens so we are thinking that the loss of flooding may be contributing to them not growing in our yard. But I guess the lack of rain has made the neighbours not grow too.

2025-08-14 12:43:58 UTC

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as long as politicians are landlords this will never happen sadly.

2025-08-10 20:22:26 UTC

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but we really don’t want to.

2025-08-03 14:50:43 UTC

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not a great start to my 2 weeks away from work.

2025-08-01 15:10:14 UTC

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ours runs back and forth across the fence and over the branches at the bottom of our garden. It will occasionally run up the side fence to our tiny deck and eat some of the seeds from whatever tree sprung up there before we moved in. Super cute.

2025-07-30 22:27:51 UTC

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the conditions are not good that Palestine have to meet to be recognized.

2025-07-25 00:52:04 UTC

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it’s really quiet out here now. There’s a bit of thunder but the wind has died down and the rain has stopped.

2025-07-25 00:06:54 UTC

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we just went to move the BBQ and washing line.

2025-07-24 19:43:12 UTC

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strong hot wind too.

2025-07-22 00:55:57 UTC

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I need to get on and use mine more. But I’m so disorganized I forget.

2025-07-20 20:49:41 UTC

My search for Canadian carrots is complete. Finally went to Farm Boy and got Canadian carrots, peppers, spring onions, potatoes and mini cucumbers. I will just have to get off me arse more often and drive a little further to go.

2025-07-18 17:08:58 UTC

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love hummingbirds so much.

2025-07-18 14:43:51 UTC

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ahh. Thanks for that. I figured I couldn’t reply but it’s the only way to semi follow Ott city outside of everywhere else. I don’t care about replying thankfully.

2025-07-18 14:29:37 UTC

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I’m still puzzling this all out in my head. The bridge thing only happens if you follow the bridge account itself, or if you follow an account that is being bridged? I don’t have a BS account and I don’t follow this bs bridge account on masto, but I do follow from my masto account OttCity and a couple of other people who have bridged. I’m so confused. And tech doesn’t normally confuse me.

2025-07-18 00:47:30 UTC

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I’m still mad about this too. Plus the suburban councillors are all very much more conservative in their views too. I was going to say that it’s amazing that Ottawa is so red… but then I remember red = blue lite.

2025-07-16 19:26:33 UTC

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we ran errands. Massive suburban car parks do not help with the heat.

2025-07-14 12:39:31 UTC

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it’s gross. I put my mask on to exit the car and walk into work. Then was told I needed to move my car. Took my mask off when I got outside and immediately put it back on again just to get to the car. It’s not nice out there. And mask breaks will not happen today 😔

2025-07-13 19:02:44 UTC

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we just had a crash of it out here in the East end.

2025-07-10 21:35:53 UTC

Still not been able to get carrots from the local Metro. It’s been US ones for the last couple of weeks. What happened to the ones from Mexico? Sigh.

2025-07-10 19:05:07 UTC

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I’m so happy. This is the little bit of garden I created when we moved in. It started with a hosta, Iris and day Lillies. It now has Iris, bee balm, black eyed Susan, some creeping thing, some other thing with purple flowers, something else that smells nice, and some weeds 🤣. I’m really not good at remembering things.

2025-07-10 18:55:28 UTC

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let me go and read the label past me so thoughtfully remembered to leave with it!!
Panorama Bee Balm. Here’s the whole plant. I planted it in May and it was half that size.
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/830/453/680/732/453/original/44742f210e28ff67.jpeg

2025-07-10 18:50:50 UTC

The Bee Balm is flowering! I do get happy when I plant something and it doesn’t die.
#BloomScrolling
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/830/436/824/440/231/original/f72892500f0a7031.jpeg

2025-07-09 12:25:00 UTC

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every time we see them trying to climb the tree we rush to get the camera and they just know so run away 🤣

2025-07-09 12:20:59 UTC

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we have at least 2 baby groundhogs this year. They are so cute. And keep trying to climb one of our trees!

2025-07-08 23:27:49 UTC

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as someone said in that thread, why aren’t they selling off the buildings they own and killing the rental of others and doing more WFH? There’s a whole lot of “day-to-day savings” for them.
@npub1lud…8056

2025-07-06 21:12:02 UTC

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they are so bad and cover so much around out here in the suburbs. Even the LRT work hasn’t killed them.

2025-07-05 15:30:37 UTC

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but does it have pockets?

2025-07-04 19:19:40 UTC

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And yes we would love to get rid of the lawn, but when you rent you don’t really have much of a choice. I did make a little flower garden out the front when we moved in. But the back is just a giant lawn.

2025-07-04 19:18:31 UTC

Mowing the lawn is hard work. But it’s oh so satisfying once it’s done.

2025-07-03 19:59:41 UTC

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I saw that after I posted 🤣. Maybe we should just start calling multiple libraries librariea as it sounds like something from a fantasy novel.

2025-07-03 19:57:42 UTC

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no typo. Just forgot that # isn’t just number anymore. So it should read call numbers 🤣
As for tech tubs, they are annoying boxes that hold a power bar and up to 6 Chromebooks and chargers. Many teachers are great at keeping said Chromebooks and chargers in with their tech tub. However, some come back missing something or with broken Chromebooks. And it’s my job to sort them all over the summer so they are all ready to go on the first day of school. It’s tedious and boring and I hate them.

2025-07-03 17:30:26 UTC

I decided that I would work on our Manga collection this summer. Cleaning up the records, changing call #s and location so they are easier to shelve and locate. I’m now in stickering hell as I put the new spine labels on. But it’s still far more preferable than dealing with the giant pile of tech tubs.
#SummerInTheLibrary #SchoolLibrariea

2025-07-02 01:31:02 UTC

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my wardrobe is wild. It all depends on who it’s purchased from and if it’s a top or bottom. I even have a pair of my husband’s shorts that are sized larger than my other shorts but fit me perfectly.

2025-07-01 14:30:42 UTC

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same.

2025-06-29 15:17:01 UTC

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we’ll I’m glad I didn’t make the effort. Dang it. Our farmers market out here is during the week at stupid times so that’s out. Sigh.

2025-06-29 15:13:17 UTC

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even in Metro it seems more US stuff is creeping back in. I haven’t been able to get carrots over the last few weeks because they are all US. And the closest “Independent” wasn’t much better. I keep wanting to head up to Farm Boy but by the time I’m done at work I just need to get home.

2025-06-26 20:02:17 UTC

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Sadly their recs are 5'6 and up. I'm way off that lol.

2025-06-26 19:56:41 UTC

Canada people! Where can one find a good ergonomic/gaming chair for short people?
We have a couple of Secret Lab chairs in the house, but was hoping to go more Canadian this time. But all of the options seem to be for people 165cm or up. I don't quite fit that and always have to compromise when it comes to chairs for me. Secret Labs has a model for short people... but it's also a hefty price.
#shopCanadian #BuyCanadian #Canada

2025-06-26 13:25:14 UTC

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that was the first thing we did this morning. It was bliss.

2025-06-25 21:17:25 UTC

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*sigh*

2025-06-25 19:03:59 UTC

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I’m bad for saying guys to a group. Slowly changing my vocabulary but can’t bring myself to say folks because of a certain asshole who runs Ontario (into the ground).

2025-06-25 11:22:26 UTC

With not knowing who else might run, right now he’ll get my suburban vote.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-leiper-mayoral-run-1.7569914
#Ottawa

2025-06-23 13:58:01 UTC

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my kid is doing their first exam today. There isn’t much AC in the school so we sent them in with a mini fan and a giant bottle of water. I hope it’s enough as they still mask at school and it’s miserable in this heat.

2025-06-19 20:56:03 UTC

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😭

2025-06-06 19:33:12 UTC

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saw a convertible car with its roof down on the way home this afternoon.

2025-06-06 00:03:09 UTC

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Im glad I still mask so had them on hand to wear whilst I watered my plants this evening.

2025-05-15 20:25:05 UTC

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I had one go past me on the highway at the split. They are as ugly in real life as in a picture. More so really.

2025-05-09 14:10:13 UTC

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we got better pics with the proper camera so I will post a clearer one later.
I love when the birds come back. We had pileated woodpeckers last year as well as downys and northern flickers.
I’m still deciding what to do with the bird feeder. The rats are kind of killing my vibe for it so we still haven’t put anything out or looked at getting new things. And as renters I’m not wanting to do much garden wise that won’t be easy to take with us if/when we have to move.

2025-05-09 13:57:12 UTC

This beauty nearly made me late this morning.
#Birds
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/478/096/121/360/115/original/faafa5038cdb420a.jpeg

2025-04-29 02:27:34 UTC

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Ottawa central missed out on an amazing MP.

2025-04-29 00:07:26 UTC

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I’m catching up on Corrie and knitting. I’ll ignore it all for as long as I can.

2025-04-27 20:57:34 UTC

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I know you aren't meant to say where on the post on SilentSunday... but where is this? It's really pretty.

2025-04-23 10:48:20 UTC

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I’ve played through the demo a few times. It’s really not long enough but definitely leaves you wanting more.

2025-04-23 00:44:50 UTC

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Dinkum is about to come out of EA. Then there’s Tiny Bookshop which has a demo and hopefully a release date soon. It’s so freaking cute I can’t wait to play the full game. I’m still plodding through Balder’s Gate (it got a bit stressful so I’ve had to put it down), and I’m always drawn back to MTAS and Coral Island.

2025-04-22 18:36:45 UTC

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same.

2025-04-14 13:13:21 UTC

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I’m taking this as a good sign. Someone has to be first. Although I’m not changing my tires till next week 🤭

2025-04-13 15:31:19 UTC

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we had a retired teacher in on Friday. He’d cut his Florida time short by coming back a month early. Got tired of the nastiness of the people in the community. Calling him American and how did he like being the 51st state.

2025-04-10 14:16:48 UTC

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I’m happy here too!

2025-04-09 23:28:00 UTC

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how is this not satire? Were previous administrations fact sheets like this? My head hurts just reading this.

2025-04-09 17:09:15 UTC

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Looks like most of drive is free too! The sun is beautiful today.

2025-04-09 15:16:44 UTC

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Same. I imagine my driveway will be clear in a couple of days.

2025-04-04 11:24:13 UTC

Bird feeder advice please. We want to get a longer pole and make our bird feeder station more rat proof. Any suggestions on where to look for a good quality but won’t completely break the bank? We also need to upgrade our actual feeders too. The rats and squirrels broke the metal bits off the feeder holes so the metal bits that come down don’t block the holes anymore.
We get chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, house finches, sparrows and more. What kind of set up would people suggest?
#Birding #BackyardBirding #BirdFeeders

2025-04-01 17:08:55 UTC

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I’m still bitter that they got rid of AMICUS and went with WorldCat (oh look, a US company). As school libraries we can no longer pull in records as we aren’t WorldCat subscribers.

2025-03-30 15:01:40 UTC

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we won’t be getting one either.

2025-03-28 19:44:49 UTC

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my husband got a great shot of it as it was taking a break but keeping the crows away.
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/241/767/390/029/873/original/4e50806bbc841a8d.jpeg

2025-03-28 18:23:38 UTC

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beautiful picture. A few years ago we had one in the garden. They were having a lovely munch of a bunny.

2025-03-27 23:20:10 UTC

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winter cozy vibes leave on January 6th 😇

2025-03-26 17:19:03 UTC

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Even just 1 hour a day of game play would obsess me to play every day. At least with MTAS and Coral Island, I can play occasionally and not feel like I have to do it everyday. Things got bad with Animal Crossing for a while 🤣

2025-03-26 16:06:07 UTC

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I love that you two keep posting stuff about this game. It’s a great reminder for me to not buy it as I would obsess!

2025-03-24 13:54:53 UTC

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I wore my Birks on Thursday. I think it was me.

2025-03-22 15:54:51 UTC

If you are in Canada and want to help the Haskell Free Library build a Canadian entrance you can do so through their Canadian foundation. They are a CRA registered charity. You can ask for your donation to be used for the Haskell Infrastructure Overhaul in the drop down of the donation.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-haskell-library-foundationla-fondation-de-la-bibliotheq/

2025-03-22 14:02:04 UTC

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I believe you can only do that before it’s actually available.

2025-03-19 21:27:40 UTC

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we can see 2/3 of our grass! It’s wonderful.

2025-03-18 01:25:27 UTC

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After being completely obsessed with Animal Crossing, I don't think my hubs would be happy with another real time game for me 😆 It looks really cute though!

2025-03-14 22:41:22 UTC

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I agree! Our cat has been an indoor cat for 15 years. She’s not been annoying about it either. It annoys me when cat owners say it’s hard to keep them inside. It really isn’t. Give them love, attention, and some stuff to play with and they’ll be fine.

2025-03-11 15:33:46 UTC

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yep, the other sibling has been sending crocus pictures already. I get it from both across the pond and across the country. Why did I move here again??

2025-03-11 15:29:00 UTC

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my sibling moved from northern Ontario to BC. They miss the cold and the snow and sun but I think they are secretly happy because they get to hike even in the rain.

2025-03-11 15:05:08 UTC

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getting on for 20 years in Canada and I still hate winter*.
*Snow from Mid December to mid Jan is fine. The whole winter starts early November and goes till sometimes April is just horrible 🤪

2025-03-11 15:00:36 UTC

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I’ve been ready since January.

2025-03-10 21:01:37 UTC

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I would post the display but that would show my library. This was the quick poster I made instead.
https://assets.ottawa.place/media_attachments/files/114/140/127/289/273/737/original/6f2a18e400e1b3da.png

2025-03-10 15:05:09 UTC

Today in the school library, I am ignoring Chromebooks and creating a “Read Canadian” display instead. It’s nice working on a display with no interruptions.
#Libraries #MarchBreak

2025-03-10 13:42:08 UTC

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there isn’t any discussion about environmental impacts either. It’s just bonkers. Education have been shown a shiny thing and run with it.

2025-03-10 13:36:47 UTC

"My biggest fear is having students create everything with AI and then a teacher using AI to grade everything. And basically it's just two AIs communicating and the humanness of that relationship is completely gone," she said.
Having sat through some of the AI evaluation sessions this is getting closer than we think…
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ai-charter-school-1.7478284
#OntEd #Education

2025-03-04 22:32:39 UTC

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I’m getting whiplash. Is there a cave I can live in for the next 5 years?