They’ll revoke my Canadian citizenship if I do this, so I can’t. Sorry :(

So, what do people throw their trash away in?

I’ve been reusing plastic grocery bags multiple times for years now. However, our municipality has now outlawed the use of plastic bags in stores. So we now need to buy single-use bags to throw our garbage out in.

I agree that the reduction of plastic bags is a plus in…

Oh interesting! I’m familiar with Lawson’s from my 2 visits to Japan, but I didn’t know their origin story. That’s fascinating, thank you!

Japanese 7-Elevens are amazing because some Japanese businessmen came to the U.S., discovered the American convenience store phenomenon, signed an agreement to open the 7-Eleven chain in Japan, then realized they could do it vastly better and built an empire on it. They even opened the first 24-hour convenience store.

All-round excellent advice. I’ll use it the next time there’s a battle of wills with Mr. hazelsdottir. In fact, I may just ask myself that question, and include my answer as part of the conversation too.

So, possibly stupid question. You’re using rubber gloves to protect your hands. What do you use to wash the gloves thoroughly so that you don’t accidentally get the oils on your skin the next time you touch the gloves?

Marry me.

Me too. I can just about manage to sleep if I luck out on an empty seat next to me AND no passengers behind who bump my seat. But I’ve had too many “this flight is full” scenarios where I’m the middle-seat filling in a manspreading sandwich. Which... isn’t as exciting as it sounds :(

The shelter where I volunteer also takes bed sheets (including pillowcases) and towels. We use them for all kinds of things — the sheets are easy-wash flooring for some small animals (rabbits, guinea pigs), the towels create extra snuggly layers for the dogs’ bedding, and so forth. Unless we’ve recently received an…

I might suggest looking up a clip Atamanuik did on “The President Show” where a big truck goes by and (in character) he loses his shit. It was apparently completely improvised and it’s genuinely hysterical, even if you hate Trump jokes like I usually do.

When I was in primary school, a common school outing was to go out to the nearest sugar bush and learn about how maple syrup was made from sap (and “optionally” buy some maple syrup or maple sugar to take home).

What you said about maple butter. *moan*

But maybe the real issue is that Emily doesn’t have a lot of money?

Came here to say this. If Emily’s ordering appetizers all the time, it’s very possible she can’t afford the entrees, especially if this is a weekly thing. I can see how a group of friends with “adventurous” tastes and no financial worries could end up choosing a string of comparatively pricey restaurants that might…

Is Oxo-Brite still around? I used to love that stuff, but it’s devilishly hard to find in Canada (for prices that aren’t astronomical).

Is Oxo-Brite still around? I used to love that stuff, but it’s devilishly hard to find in Canada (for prices that…

Yes, the axiomatic part is that it’s considered to be more polite to sniff, and sniff, and sniff ;)

Two big ones that I didn’t see mentioned:

* Don’t blow your nose in public (or in front of anyone, basically). If you have to do it, go someplace private and away from other people, like a lavatory. If you really can’t avoid blowing your nose in front of others — say you have a cold, and sniffing vigorously isn’t doing…

My spouse and I both use colour-coded packing cubes. We also each reserve a cube to pack one full change of clothes. Then we swap these cubes to each other’s bags.

Some nouns may take the (optional) honorific o- or go- in front of them in Japanese. In some cases the o- is so customary that the word never appears without it (ocha = [green] tea), but in most cases it’s just used for added politeness. Women tend to use these honorifics more liberally than men, as it is often…

A homemade mix of (unsalted) roasted almonds, raisins, cashews, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and maybe some sunflower seeds. You can adjust the mix according to your preferences and it’s damn tasty.