Escape Canada to go where?
If Canada is like you say, it's the same in every so called 1st world country :/
Thinking about that... I'd really don't know where I'd go if it's chitty everywhere. I guess that only when you're rich it wouldn't matter as you then have & buy your freedom anywhere and everywhere.
But I sure wouldn't do that in The Netherlands!
18+ million people on a pinprick of land doesn't make anyone happy. Kinda like putting too many rats in a small cage.
At least in Canada you still have wilderness and space. Australia as well for that matter.

To compare: Alberta is approx. 16x larger than The Netherlands with only 5 million people.

Hope you were lucky in the casino, Slim!

OT -- Not feeling very energetic today. Maybe the change in weather, dunno. So I'm staying home, shower, bit of painting, chilling.

Watch a little bit of The Odyssey - 2026
Switched it off though as I didn't find it captivating at all.

IMdB rating is 8,4 so I gather it gets good later on. It's a 2,45 hr long movie.
I decided not to wait that long for it to get good.

I was happy I hadn't gone to see it in movie theatre and spent money on it.

Thinking... hang about, today is that day, the 12th. Which has only just started as it's 00.24 and I have yet to go to bed, hihi.

Thinking... today was the exact day I move in here in 2012.
I had not expected to live here for 14 years though!
I think the longest I've ever lived anywhere so far.

Yeah, summer basically gone, no Indian summer here, kids back to school...
I used to like autumn too, but last couple of years it's often rain, overcast, storm winds, cold evenings --> heating on. With the current gas prices I had hoped to not need heating for another month at least.
So far I'm managing :D

Feeling... happy & excited --> I got a very beautiful plan to revamp my grizz painting!

Isn't it weird that petrol price varies so much?
You get it dirt cheap while we pay a fortune here.
And I do believe standard of living / wages are pretty similar in Canada and The Netherlands.

Our last petrol price raise was E0,40 -CAD 0,64- from one day to the next. So a 7 cent raise is nothing! Yet you whinge about it, hihi.

The last time petrol cost only E1.15 -your current CAD 1,84 per litre- was in 2000-2001!

Just remember to stay in Canada, never ever move to The Netherlands!
You get ripped off here for just being alive and breathing.
Petrol price here is 53%-57% tax, Canada only 20%-35%. Then there's 21% VAT over the total price including over that tax.
In Alberta, BC etc you only have 5% GST.

Dangit, I wanna move to Canada now, haha. At least life is affordable there.
I should find myself a nice Canadian bloke!

Hihi, maybe a missed opportunity but for me the age gap was too big.

As for Europeans cycling... petrol costs E2,35 per litre in The Netherlands at the mo! Which is CAD3,78. Doubt you pay that per litre.
I nevertheless only cycle the 400m to the supermarket, hihi. Rest is by car. I live just too far away from everything to cycle and I don't have an E-bike like most people do these days. I have to generate the power myself and with the strong winds here...

Feeling... a little sad that summer is over...
We had 2 lovely summery days, but what awaits us now are colder temperatures and rain.
I'd secretly hoped for a long summer and nice weather for at least another month!

Thinking... how funny it is that you can change mood so fast, hihi.
The guys that had to connect my fiber optic internet turned up an hour early. I wasn't too chuffed.
Then the one that did the indoors work, the nicest & politest one of the two, was really nice and we had a good chat while he was working.
So by the time he left my mood had shifted from narked as they were too early to good.

For the most part him being able to keep a good conversation going (many can't or don't know how to or can't be bothered, dunno).
And having things in common.
Like humor, it's not just "humor", but a similar sense of humor --> things in common.
Also having enough differences -not too much- so you can learn from one another. Differences keep things interesting & lively.

And yes, looks are important too but not in the sense he has to look like God's gift to women. Not at all. But he has to be attractive to me.

Certain things won't ever be attractive, this is directly related to looks also being indicative of good health. And the mind is so incredibly smart, it subconsciously notices these things.
This exact thing is also the reason why certain features are found attractive by most everyone.
Like Oscar Patel says: Health is looks.
This has nothing to do with looking like a model, having a good haircut, fancy clothes, putting on makeup. It's about health.

Feeling... fuzzy in my head after the cranial-facial treatment, phew.
Going to take it easy. Coffee, bit of painting, yawning a lot, easy dinner.

1923
With Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
Second time watching it.
It is good but takes getting used to after 1883.

It feels... good to be focusing on something else than painting. I have to mow the lawn for which I first have to cut away hard weeds that persistently grow in it.
I still cannot get on my knees due to my knee injury so that's going to be difficult.

And I got a wash going that I intend to dry outdoors when it's done :)

After that I will paint again, haha.

Thank you so much for your reply, Soufie!
Wonderful to read and yes, you got a great guy.
You're lucky to have him and he's lucky to have you!

Thinking... where has the sun gone, and the wind for that matter?
My washing is outdoors, needed only some 15 mins more of either sun or wind or both. Dangit

Feeling... quite chuffed that I put up the new solar lights on the garage :D
Can't wait to see them on in a few hours!

SIR that indeed doesn't sound like a good idea! Hope you didn't!

OT --- thinking it's that time again that I have to cook. And thinking how much I dislike cooking.
I like to eat good food, but not having to prepare it.

Too many men have headaches these days, another problem in relationships :p

Michael McIntyre's success is based on him mostly making good sketched out of real life things that are recognisable for most everyone.

It's a given that for most romance & intimacy fizzle with time. This often already begins to happen once a couple has decided they're in a committed relationship.

Then when a couple has kids this adds to that dynamic. Less energy, sleepless nights, kids taking up time & attention etc. And usually way less sex.
It changes the entire vibe of a couple. In most cases.

Men don't make so much of an effort anymore for his woman. He figures he won her over so why should he?
The woman often has less time to make herself look good. Too busy working 2 jobs: the kids & household and outdoor job.

It's not for nothing that couple sometimes get the advice to have a weekly date-night to keep the fire burning!

Then back to the question that still wasn't answered: do men in long-term relationship still know how to romance their woman?
Is it enough if she says she needs and wants more romance to keep the relationship alive & kicking?
Or does she have to spell out what he has to do in order to achieve that?