Laurel
@laurelfynes.bsky.social
learning from the world, my family, students, birds, trees, plants, waterways, relationships. unlearning. biophiliac. growing roots along great lake ontario. settler. she/her.
class site: https://bsky.app/profile/k2westacres.bsky.social
class site: https://bsky.app/profile/k2westacres.bsky.social
Pinned
Laurel
@laurelfynes.bsky.social
· Oct 5
It’s as beautiful as I had imagined it. Dallas at Vision Seeker studio understood my vision, and made my dream come true. Chimney swifts, long gone to the skies from their summer homes here, gone until next May but with me forever, now.
A bucket of ducklings would fix me.
January 6, 2026 at 1:00 AM
A bucket of ducklings would fix me.
Reposted by Laurel
2026 is making an early start to a “Hold my beer, 2025.” play, and I don’t like it.
January 3, 2026 at 5:05 PM
2026 is making an early start to a “Hold my beer, 2025.” play, and I don’t like it.
I love how Lake Ontario changes with the winter weather… this is on the other side of the city and then some, but it looks just like home to me except that we can see the opposite shore when we look west (lake curves back around at Hamilton).
One day, slushy waves. Next, ice shelf. Pancakes next?
One day, slushy waves. Next, ice shelf. Pancakes next?
Slushy water continuing to build ice shelves on Lake Ontario in Darlington Provincial Park.
January 6, 2026 at 12:15 AM
I love how Lake Ontario changes with the winter weather… this is on the other side of the city and then some, but it looks just like home to me except that we can see the opposite shore when we look west (lake curves back around at Hamilton).
One day, slushy waves. Next, ice shelf. Pancakes next?
One day, slushy waves. Next, ice shelf. Pancakes next?
Reposted by Laurel
Wait! An elected municipal representative PROACTIVELY making noice to lobby for POLICY that will in fact PRIORTIZE the safety of vulnerable road users.
Do we PRACTICE this on any regular basis in #TOpoli? Asking for my friends in #TorontoDanforth
Cc: @progresstoronto.bsky.social
Do we PRACTICE this on any regular basis in #TOpoli? Asking for my friends in #TorontoDanforth
Cc: @progresstoronto.bsky.social
Mayor Mamdani said over the weekend that he wants the Department of Transportation to add daylighting before someone has been killed rather than wait to ban parking at intersections after a completely avoidable tragedy. nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/05/m...
Mamdani: Daylighting Before Death! - Streetsblog New York City
The mayor wants the Department of Transportation to add daylighting before someone has been killed rather than wait to ban parking at intersections after a completely avoidable tragedy.
nyc.streetsblog.org
January 5, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Wait! An elected municipal representative PROACTIVELY making noice to lobby for POLICY that will in fact PRIORTIZE the safety of vulnerable road users.
Do we PRACTICE this on any regular basis in #TOpoli? Asking for my friends in #TorontoDanforth
Cc: @progresstoronto.bsky.social
Do we PRACTICE this on any regular basis in #TOpoli? Asking for my friends in #TorontoDanforth
Cc: @progresstoronto.bsky.social
Reposted by Laurel
why are random Bluesky accounts asking better questions about this than everyone whose full time salaried job is to report on technology companies?
Serious q. Does this violate the terms with Apple’s App Store? Like are apps that offer/enable content that sexualizes women and children A-Ok to Apple?
January 5, 2026 at 6:44 PM
why are random Bluesky accounts asking better questions about this than everyone whose full time salaried job is to report on technology companies?
All that snow may have made for a slower commute, but it sure made for a fantastic start to the week. Happy, tired kids who got to be reunited with their friends in the snowy wonderland outside our classroom. Two hours, no complaints, only swapped gloves. Creativity, cooperation. Such a nice start!
January 5, 2026 at 4:37 PM
All that snow may have made for a slower commute, but it sure made for a fantastic start to the week. Happy, tired kids who got to be reunited with their friends in the snowy wonderland outside our classroom. Two hours, no complaints, only swapped gloves. Creativity, cooperation. Such a nice start!
Reposted by Laurel
They are all fantastic
www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6927...
www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6927...
January 5, 2026 at 1:32 PM
They are all fantastic
www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6927...
www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6927...
Reposted by Laurel
Good morning, Toronto.
January 4, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Good morning, Toronto.
Reposted by Laurel
They’re back!!
Made a bunch more Goth Grackles as they were unexpectedly popular!!
January 4, 2026 at 5:46 PM
They’re back!!
Helping me write my report drafts on this partly sunny afternoon.
*helping to distract me
*helping to distract me
January 4, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Helping me write my report drafts on this partly sunny afternoon.
*helping to distract me
*helping to distract me
Reposted by Laurel
The wisdom of Mr. Rogers is eternal:
January 4, 2026 at 11:57 AM
The wisdom of Mr. Rogers is eternal:
Reposted by Laurel
Don't forget folks: allowing yourself a vision of the future you'd want for our country and planet - not the one you'd settle for, not the one you fear, but the future of your dreams - isn't naive, it's a vital cognitive skill. That's how we articulate what we most value. What's worth fighting for.
Instead of whatever this is, we should have a government getting lots of new homes and apartments built, lots of clean energy built, lots of high speed rail and transit and bike lanes built, human rights for everyone, economic & healthcare opportunities for all, & innovation that leads the world.
January 4, 2026 at 2:34 AM
Don't forget folks: allowing yourself a vision of the future you'd want for our country and planet - not the one you'd settle for, not the one you fear, but the future of your dreams - isn't naive, it's a vital cognitive skill. That's how we articulate what we most value. What's worth fighting for.
Reposted by Laurel
We can hold compassion for the range of emotions Venezuelans may be experiencing — including positive emotions — and also be clear that regime change by a fascist superpower is dangerous, destabilizing, and sets precedents that will not stop at Venezuela. Those aren’t contradictory positions.
January 4, 2026 at 2:35 AM
We can hold compassion for the range of emotions Venezuelans may be experiencing — including positive emotions — and also be clear that regime change by a fascist superpower is dangerous, destabilizing, and sets precedents that will not stop at Venezuela. Those aren’t contradictory positions.
Reposted by Laurel
This definitely falls into the "chuckles nervously" zone of funny.
Mark Carney turns off geolocation on phone just in case
Mark Carney turns off geolocation on phone just in case
OTTAWA - This morning, in an unscheduled press statement, the Prime Minister's Office has said that Prime Minister Mark Carney has turned off geolocation services for all his electronic devices "for n...
www.thebeaverton.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:19 PM
This definitely falls into the "chuckles nervously" zone of funny.
I would go to that ballet. Repeatedly.
Third day of Goosemas.
Cc @stopfordianneil.bsky.social
Cc @stopfordianneil.bsky.social
January 4, 2026 at 1:24 AM
I would go to that ballet. Repeatedly.
Today started off with what felt like a cold shower of news, but then before errands my youngest took me out to brunch (and paid! My baby!) and we watched snow go by the big windows like we were in a pretty snow globe. So, when I remember this day, I’ll remember being very proud, and oddly hopeful.
January 3, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Today started off with what felt like a cold shower of news, but then before errands my youngest took me out to brunch (and paid! My baby!) and we watched snow go by the big windows like we were in a pretty snow globe. So, when I remember this day, I’ll remember being very proud, and oddly hopeful.
Reposted by Laurel
Reposted by Laurel
Being profoundly upset about the 51st state stuff was not an unreasonable reaction.
January 3, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Being profoundly upset about the 51st state stuff was not an unreasonable reaction.
Yaaay!
I like this ebook so much I went back and bought it as a softcover to give my youngest, as I did with @premeemohamed.com’s gorgeous And What Can We Offer You Tonight.
It’s good! Get it!
I like this ebook so much I went back and bought it as a softcover to give my youngest, as I did with @premeemohamed.com’s gorgeous And What Can We Offer You Tonight.
It’s good! Get it!
Also wow I don't think I've ever cracked the Kindle Top 50 in... anything, LOL. (They have some VERY esoteric categories and still no.) UNTIL NOW!
THE BUTCHER OF THE FOREST is still $1.99 at ebook retailers apparently! :)
THE BUTCHER OF THE FOREST is still $1.99 at ebook retailers apparently! :)
January 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Yaaay!
I like this ebook so much I went back and bought it as a softcover to give my youngest, as I did with @premeemohamed.com’s gorgeous And What Can We Offer You Tonight.
It’s good! Get it!
I like this ebook so much I went back and bought it as a softcover to give my youngest, as I did with @premeemohamed.com’s gorgeous And What Can We Offer You Tonight.
It’s good! Get it!
Reposted by Laurel
When Grok takes the blame for generating CSAM while Musk and X refuse to do so, Grok is still very much “acting” as a man-made artifact doing something it was imbued by a human with the capacity to do
January 2, 2026 at 6:06 PM
When Grok takes the blame for generating CSAM while Musk and X refuse to do so, Grok is still very much “acting” as a man-made artifact doing something it was imbued by a human with the capacity to do
Paired texts.
January 2, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Paired texts.
Reposted by Laurel
Also we really need to encourage any official accounts (particularly gov’t accounts and representatives) to get off that site. It’s abhorrent when they not only remain there but remain ONLY there.
Stop reporting on what a chatbot spits out about its internal processes and start holding the people who own the tech accountable.
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X
Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements ...
www.reuters.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Also we really need to encourage any official accounts (particularly gov’t accounts and representatives) to get off that site. It’s abhorrent when they not only remain there but remain ONLY there.
Reposted by Laurel
January 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM
No cheating, repost with the most recent photo of your pet
January 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
No cheating, repost with the most recent photo of your pet
Tonight’s choice for favourite film from back in the day - Down By Law.
“I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream. I SCREAM…”
“I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream. I SCREAM…”
a group of men are standing in front of a wall with numbers on it .
Alt: A jail scene from Down by Law with Zack, Jack and Bob circling their cell chanting “I scream, you scream…”
media.tenor.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Tonight’s choice for favourite film from back in the day - Down By Law.
“I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream. I SCREAM…”
“I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream. I SCREAM…”