Trauma can impact a person's libido, and it's possible you may be dealing with a traumatic stress condition after everything you've been through. The autonomic nervous system is usually in the parasympathetic response (also known as "feeding & breeding"/""rest & digest"), but when faced with threat we switch on the sympathetic response (also known as "fight & flight"). When in "fight & flight" mode, a lot of other functions take a backseat, especially those associated with "feeding & breeding"/"rest & digest", which as you might have gathered from the nicknames, include functions such as sexual functioning, digestion, and sleep. Especially with the gagging reflex you're getting when you think about sex, I would suspect your sympathetic nervous system is a key piece in this puzzle. I would recommend talking to your doctor and/or a therapist to address it - lots of treatment options exist, including anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) meds, trauma therapy, strategies for soothing your nervous system, etc. I hope you find the help you need!

So awesome to hear about your experiences with him. He seems genuinely interested in solutions. I agree, not an ideologue at all.

So awesome to hear about your experiences with him. He seems genuinely interested in solutions. I agree, not an ideologue at all.

Cool research, thanks for sharing!

The bad news is that your brain automatically assumes the worst (thanks, anxiety!), but the good news is that you have control over what you focus on. So whenever those unhelpful thoughts arise, challenge them (I.e., "I know that's not true") and redirect, and just keep repeating the process every time they come back up. The less you allow yourself to ruminate on the anxious thoughts and get yourself worked up by them, the less power these thoughts will have over you.

Unfortunately, erectile dysfunction (ED) is a known potential side effect of long-term diabetes and its treatments. The good news is that it has nothing to do with you, and there are plenty of options to enjoy and maintain intimacy in the relationship even when ED is involved (i.e., medications, devices, different kinds of intimacy, etc.). The bad news is that this might be a long-term condition that worsens over time, so I would consider how you both feel about that. Communication and a helpful doctor are key in navigating this together.

Good luck!

Cartoon-style dinosaur was absolutely my first thought! Glad someone else thought that, too. 😊 But it probably is just a regular old stocking. 😞

No, I just have reading comprehension skills.

You have to be "educated" to understand that common phrase, you know. 😆

This is incredibly juvenile flirting. They're talking about throwing her into a snowbank and learning how to pole dance, presumably bc this is an activity she does and it seems they're joking about going out dancing sometime and her teaching him how to dance. None of this screams cheating. But they're flirting like 15 year olds, and she clearly loves the attention she's getting from this guy and other male coworkers.

Scandalocracy?

I've seen some of his videos on social media, but I think it's a failing strategy to rely on algorithm-driven feeds (where your content will mostly just be pushed to people who agree with you anyway) or the attention of American hedge-fund-owned media companies. It probably won't make the news to release a statement to your base, but it might make the news if you can do something that attracts a crowd or has the potential to go viral. I just think they're thinking way too small here for how big the opportunity is.

I emailed the NDP saying they should take advantage of the anger at Smith by doing town halls and whipping support for the NPD, especially in Calgary, Red Deer, and rural seats that show any potential of flipping. They responded to me with a list of existing town halls and events they're putting on that I can attend if I want, implying that they have no intention of doing anything out of the ordinary despite the extraordinary anger at Smith for her cross-border treason and unending local corruption. They are taking the Chuck Schumer approach to opposition when the AOC/Bernie approach is required. What an absolute waste of an opportunity to build your base, guys, but ok.

Janz represents me and I LOVE him. I absolutely love that he asks the tough questions and pushes back on powerful interests like OEG and EPS. Long live Janz!!

Sounds like the ANDP should start doing town hall/rallies right now, doing the AOC/Sanders gambit of going in to conservative ridings and holding court.

I am so curious why they need that paper to go over so many rollers.

Love both those brands!

Ha! Didn't notice til you pointed it out. Love that!!

Oh good, I'm glad you found something on such short notice! I hope it works out. 😊

They're called em-dashes, I believe? Keep your eye out for them, as AI is notorious for them!

When you said short notice, I assumed you meant in the next week or so. I don't know any private practice therapists who would have same-day availability on a Sunday, especially not for couples counselling (which is a specialty that is in high demand). I do know that you can probably get in to see a couples therapist at Splash Psychology this week (their admin doesn't work Sundays, so if you call today you won't hear back til tomorrow); everyone else I know is booking weeks out. You can try Access 24/7 for the time being. There are also drop-in options like Momentum or Drop-in YEG, but those are single session drop-ins so they're limited in their utility, and I don't think they're open on Sundays anyway. And I do strongly recommend booking multiple sessions over the next few weeks with a couples therapist so you can continue working on whatever issues led to this current crisis. Good luck in your search!

😆 I also call them "bluebs"

I don't think it was worth the effort, because (IIRC) Health Canada was already working on a solution and had one in place before Smith ever signed this deal. However, she was hell-bent on showing up the feds, so pressed ahead against all logic to disastrous consequences.

Just a reminder for everyone: boundaries are OURS, not THEIRS. They are about protecting ourselves, not changing other people's behaviour. That means that instead of stating something like "I don't want you spending time with other people without me" (which is controlling, not boundary-setting), you might say "I feel jealous when you spend time with other people". And then saying it out loud, you realize the problem is ABSOLUTELY your own jealousy and not the other person's totally normal social life, so you do some self-work to address your own insecurity that is not other people's responsibility to protect you from. NOR.

Nice! I want to do that, too. I have been a long-time user of Amazon Subscribe & Save (started just before the pandemic - and it came in suuuper handy during the height of the pandemic) but I'm changing my ways. I cancelled all my pet food & litter orders through Amazon and subscribed to PetValu's auto-ship options (Cdn company), and I'm working on finding other ways to get what I need (I think London Drugs also has an auto ship option?). Didn't buy anything yesterday anywhere, and I'm working on ending my Amazon habit.

I lived in Toronto for 4 years and then came to AB for graduate studies - Masters in Calgary and PhD in Edmonton. For my money, I'd take Edmonton over Calgary every time. Edmonton is broadly more blue collar and artsy and progressive while Calgary is broadly more white collar and corporate and conservative. Edmonton is still more affordable and seems to have more of an arts and music scene. I prefer the river valley park systems here with its tree cover over the more grassy (and brown 9 months per year) park systems in Calgary. We apparently have the most extensive urban parks & trails system in North America in Edmonton, which is a huge bonus if you like green space. I also find that Edmonton is much easier to navigate because it's on a grid system rather than the bonkers quadrant system like they have in Calgary (I know Edmonton also technically uses quadrants but when like 95% of the city is in one quadrant it barely matters). Coming from Toronto, you may miss the decent public transit and may dislike the sprawl, but those are issues shared by both AB's major cities. Calgary's main advantages seem to be more corporate head offices if you're looking to get into the corporate world, and of course its proximity to the mountains.