I picked up the finger snap thing somwhere when I was about 8, used it once and was shut down by my aunt so fast my ears rung. I've never used it on a fellow human being since.

I wish my tear ducts were more like yours. I can deal with "truly upset" and "heartwrenching scene in novels" tears. However, tear ducts the tears during yawning and sleepyness, tears when I'm cold and waking up with teary, itchy eyes for no discernable reason have gotten really old really fast.

hmmm...Both my mom and I can't donate blood and the reasons are personal medical info that I wouldn't be comfortable going into on a first date. My mom's stem from a type of medicine she took 20+ years ago and mine from a phobia. I have an anti-anxiety prescription that can get me through nessesary medical tests but…

Ugh, ticks. My mom just got diagnosed with Lyme's disease, which she got in utero from her mother. She may have passed it to us too. That is scary stuff!

Everything I've heard about him indicates he's fairly down to earth so even if your body type or personality isn't what he's looking for I doubt he'd be mean about it.

Don't be shy, he's a nice Canadian boy who still makes time to visit the fringe festival in (our shared) hometown.

hahahaha!! That was a great song, and it can't even been ruined by my experience in the local production of Dr. Horrible. During "Everyone's a Hero" the local cptn. Hammer actor put his foot on my chair, thrust his hips in my face and used my hand to feel up his chest and my friend's hand to feel up his thigh. O.o I…

hearted for your point and your awesome screen name. I think I need to go to tim hortons for lunch today now...

Good luck with the permanent residency! With your fluent English you should have no problems in my experience. (I've done lots of volunteering in Calgary with new immigrants and refugees.)

sorry dude, we tried.

In your link, I laughed at the part about "please no x rated harry potter fanfiction." I discovered the disturbing lengths rule 34 can go in harry potter fanfiction and have been trying to forget ever since.

I'm moving from Canada in a month so I'm sort of in preemptive mourning right now as well. (healthcare!!)

There's no shutting down coming from this department, only a gentle reminder that "female" is an adjective not a noun. So you spend time with althletic women and those female athletes diet for a variety of reasons. ;)

I don't care if you're running behind on your cosplay costume no sleep+ energy drinks + sugary crap "food" + crowds is an effing BAD IDEA. Trust me, not only will it be a bad day for you, it will be a bad day for your convention HR director, your convention security head, venue security and the paramedics who have to…

It sounds like her insurance company was too cheap to actually send her to a physiotherapist who specialises in pelvic floor rehabilitation. Kegels only scratch the surface. I am so grateful that I had access to those specialists when I needed them.

Sorry if I wasn't clear: I was speaking of death certificates. I was comparing an infant born alive with one born dead to make my point. One would have a birth certificate and one wouldn't. But would they both have a death certificate?

Yes, a certificate of stillbirth was what I was thinking of. It is a complicated issue and to an extent a taboo one as well. It's horribly insensitive to ask a recently bereved parent these sorts of questions. However, Wikipedia tells me that while Canada and the US don't seem to require registration of a stillbirth…

Do they do a death certificate for stillborns or just those infants that die minutes after birth? I wonder if there could be a certificate that somehow combined the two? That way the identity fraud issues discussed downthread wouldn't be an issue.

Your point about stuffed animals and developing empathy is a good one but many places won't allow toys that can't be washed. A doll can generally be wiped down and the clothes tossed in the wash whereas several stuffed toys are difficult/ impossible.

That would be a very interesting name!