Scrapbooking

Join other Gaymers this evening to work on your DIY project with others and show off your work in progress! Come chat, craft, and work on whatever project you wish! (Or just chill with us!) The only thing you have to do is bring your project, materials, and yourself! Your host, Nef, is also happy to teach you how to crochet :) While this event is free, we encourage folks to get some food or drinks if possible! (Only if this is a possibility for you!) We provide nametag stickers with a pronoun field; we want this to be a comfortable environment for everyone, kindly respect people's listed or stated pronouns. If you are unsure of someone's pronouns, don't assume: Ask, Respect and Practice Definitely ask before taking pictures/videos. \*\*\*Please reach out to [info@torontogaymers.ca](mailto:info@torontogaymers.ca) with any accessibility concerns. [https://linktr.ee/TorontoGaymers](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://linktr.ee/TorontoGaymers&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1753646882381297&usg=AOvVaw00IFqJeQVIkNQH04yjTL6E)

🪞 My Inner Mirror – Inner Alchemy Workshop Through Art Therapy 🎨 Immerse yourself in a unique and transformative workshop, blending artistic creation, meditation, and inner exploration. This guided introspective space will allow you to manifest your inner reality through art, shifting perceptions and strengthening your connection with your subconscious. 🌟 Why Join? ✅ Visually express your inner world and uncover its hidden messages ✅ Deepen your connection with your subconscious through guided meditation ✅ Use art as a tool for transformation and self-analysis ✅ Learn interpretation techniques to better understand your creations No artistic skills required – this workshop is accessible to everyone! 🧘‍♂️ Workshop Flow: 1. Breathing Exercises – Mental and energetic preparation for meditation 2. Guided Meditation – Activating the subconscious and awakening intuition 3. Mirror Drawing Creation – Representing your inner reality through art 4. Interpretation & Examples – Understanding the symbols and messages within your artwork 5. Sharing & Q/A – A space for discussion and guidance 📌 Required Materials: 🔹 Paper: Blank sheets (A4 or A3 format, no grid lines) 🔹 Artistic tools: Pencils, brushes, markers, or any medium of your choice ⏳ Duration: 2 hours 💫 Guidance: This workshop is led by Ludovic, exploring inner alchemy through yoga and art therapy. 🪞 Let your true essence emerge, observe your inner reflection, and uncover the secrets your subconscious wishes to reveal. ✅ Reserve your spot now and embark on this transformative journey! **✨ Join Our Wellness Community** More on [https://www.yogasource.org](https://www.yogasource.org)

# 🎾 Pickleball + Contrast Therapy Afternoon (Markham) **📅 Date & Time:** **Friday, September 19th, 2:00–5:00 PM** **📍 Location:** Athlete Hub – Ronin/MyAthlete.io, **217 Idema Rd., Markham (Steeles & Woodbine)** **💲 Cost:** $25 per player (save $5 with promo code below) *** ### 👋 About the Event Join us for a unique **3-hour sports & recovery experience** at our Markham gym. * **2 hours of Pickleball** (rotating doubles on 2 courts, max 16 players) * **1 hour of Contrast Therapy** (cold plunge + heat cycle, guided recovery) * **Recovery tools throughout the session** — compression boots, red light therapy, and massage guns available during off-court breaks * Don’t want to get paired randomly? No problem — bring a friend and you can play together! This is not just a drop-in — it’s a chance to **play, recover, and connect** with other athletes in the community. *** ### 🏓 Format * 16 players max → 8 per court * Rotating doubles every \~15 minutes * Everyone gets 6–8 matches across 2 hours * While off court → access recovery stations (compression boots, red light, massage gun) * 1-hour contrast therapy block: * Wave 1 (8 players) → Cold plunge → Heat station → Lounge (\~25 min) * Wave 2 (8 players) → Same cycle (\~25 min) * Social hangout in lounge to finish *** ### ✅ What’s Included * Guaranteed pickleball play (2 hours, rotating format) * Pro-style contrast therapy session (cold + heat cycle) * On-court recovery tools during breaks (compression boots, red light, massage guns) * **Towels provided** * Light refreshments *** ### 📌 What to Bring * Paddle (if you have one — extras available) * Court shoes + comfortable clothes * **Bathing suit + toiletries** (for contrast therapy) * Water bottle * **Bring a friend!** If you’d like, you can register with a partner to guarantee you play together during the pickleball rotations. *** ### 💲 How to Register This event is limited to **16 players only**. To confirm your spot: 1. RSVP here on Meetup 2. **Register & pay** on **[MyAthlete.io](https://myathlete.io/org_profile/1757696830905x685739735532699600)** 3. Buy a **Trial** and use promo code **MEETUP20** at checkout to save $5 for your first time. ⚠️ Meetup RSVP alone does *not* guarantee your spot — registration must be completed on MyAthlete.io.

Use parallel working/body doubling to help focus on your art, trade critiques or zines, study reference books or just get inspired! Meet on the ground floor of the Toronto Reference Library! The organizer will be wearing a bright orange t-shirt.

Join us for presentations, snacks, and discussion! This time around we have an agenda of monitoring topics on the complete opposite spectrum. We'll talk about pure hobbyist monitoring topics, AI prompt based workflows and debugging your production Kubernetes clusters when they are on fire. **Special thanks to Nokia and Mark Prosser for hosting us at their downtown office.** **Agenda:** 6:00-6:15 PM: Arrivals and introductions 6:15-6:35 PM: Observability Sidequests 6:35-6:40 PM: Q&A 6:40-7:10 PM: Uh, is this a good idea? Examining the viability of reusable AI prompt-based workflows for developers 7:10-7:15 PM: Q&A 7:15-7:35 PM: Debugging your Kubernetes Cluster when it's on fire. 7:35-7:40 PM: Q&A 7:40-8:00 PM: Q&A, networking and wrap up **Talk 1: Observability Sidequests! - Eldin from Grafana** Eldin will demo some of his personal use dashboards, like monitoring his 3D printer and household CO2 and temperature sensors. **Eldin** helps people make sense of their systems through better observability. He's spent years in support, services, and advisory roles, so he knows what it really takes to make tech work in the real world. These days, he's all about helping teams solve modern observability challenges and systems that actually make life easier. **Talk 2: Uh, is this a good idea? Examining the viability of reusable AI prompt-based workflows for developers - Adriana - Dynatrace** It’s tempting to throw AI onto everything we do these days. But do we have to? Can we be lazy enough to tell our AI assistant to set up our local developer tooling for us with just some well-constructed prompts, without having to rely on our platform engineering friends? Can we achieve the Star Trek dream of saying, “Computer, run level 10 diagnostic.” and the computer would just know? And could it be repeatable and shareable? This talk explores the developer's journey of creating a natural-language, reusable prompt-based workflow with Block's Codename Goose to provision a local development environment. Attendees will learn about: \* MCP and Goose \* The target demo workflow \* Challenges faced, and key takeaways Attendees will also come away with an understanding of the possibilities and limits of creating reusable prompt-based workflows, answering the question: can developers self-provision tools using natural language? And just because they CAN, SHOULD THEY? **Adriana Villela** is a blogger, host of the Geeking Out podcast, CNCF Ambassador, and maintainer of the OpenTelemetry End User SIG. By day, she focuses on Observability and OpenTelemetry, as a Principal Developer Advocate at Dynatrace. By night, she climbs walls. She also loves capybaras, because they make her happy. **Talk 3: Debugging your Kubernetes Cluster when it's on fire - Nikola Grcevski - Grafana** Imagine you have a Kubernetes cluster that’s hosting some number of services, perhaps these services are written in different programming languages, perhaps there are some databases in the cluster too. Now, imagine that this cluster is intermittently experiencing errors and it’s not easy to tell what’s going on. In this talk I will show you how you can add detailed telemetry immediately to a problematic production environment cluster, without any changes to your existing cluster configuration or applications, with the new OpenTelemetry eBPF Instrumentation project. We’ll show you how you’ll be able to get insights into what’s wrong with your cluster or services, by leveraging on-demand distributed traces and connectivity graphs, even if it’s the first time you have heard the term OpenTelemetry. **Nikola Grcevski** has worked as a software engineer for more than 20 years, mostly in the field of compilers, managed runtimes and performance optimization. Most recently he's working on low level application instrumentation with eBPF at Grafana Labs.

| February 9, 2026 | | ---------------- | | Send me an email to let me know you are joining us at: | pcalleri@thegaap\.net \| **The CPA Toronto Accounting Group Presents a Casual Get Together** for a few of us to get together, network, learn, have a few laughs, share ideas, make new friends. become more successful etc. I will put a very casual agenda together, but the goal is having a good time. I tried to find a venue that is easy to get to. It is near the 401 and DVP. We will meet at: Swiss Chalet **[Address](https://www.google.ca/search?sca_esv=197713b87bf2beb1&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIKmSo8ztb94J6BUHqec-EeQUWwHRw:1725296229930&q=the+queens+head+pub+scarborough+address&ludocid=4250126838100046784&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS46qn3aSIAxUS5ckDHbw5GJQQ6BN6BAgrEAI):** 2555 Victoria Park Ave, Scarborough Our reservation is made under Paul. I look forward to seeing you. PS Seats are limited, let me know you are attending; quickly. Send me an email to let me know you are joining us. pcalleri@thegaap.net Sincerely yours, Paul Calleri, Founder of TheGAAP.net, TheGAAP.netCareers, and the CPA Toronto Accounting Group

Thank you for your interest in 101 Canada Mingle 🇨🇦✨ This group was founded in January 2026 and hosts language exchange events every Monday or Tuesday. This event is a Language Exchange 🔄 where you can enjoy learning Japanese and English through fun worksheets. Beginners are more than welcome ☺️You can practice conversation in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere 🙌 ⏰ Date & Time: Monday\, February 9 \| 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM 📍 Location: Formocha (near Eglinton St) 55 Eglinton Ave E, Toronto, ON M4P 1G8 💰 Fee: $5 (+ one drink order per person at the café) ※ Please note that photos and videos taken during the event may be shared on social media 📸🌟 **💳 Payment** The participation fee must be paid **in advance**. 🚫 Cancellation Policy Due to preparation requirements, same-day cancellations are not permitted. If unavoidable, please notify us as early as possible, preferably by the day before. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions, feel free to send us a DM on Instagram 📩 [@101.canadamingle](https://www.instagram.com/101.canadamingle?igsh=ZjVtb3Jscjc0anhx)

Hello everyone! Join us for our next meetup! Bring along any art or craft you’re currently working on, drawing, painting, knitting, writing, or anything else, and enjoy a relaxed, creative hangout together. Date: February 15th Time: 2 pm Place: Paris Baguette (midtown location) \*Note: If you RSVP 'yes' but aren't able to make it, please try to change it to "no". This will allow people on the waitlist to join in!

Join us for the next Creative Sundays: a relaxed, hands-on creative hangout focused on **air-dry clay**. We’ll be working with clay to create small functional pieces like ring dishes, trinket trays, or pinch bowls. This is **not a class** and there’s no instruction to follow step-by-step, just a calm, shared creative session where everyone works at their own pace in a friendly, low-pressure setting. **All supplies will be provided**, and no prior experience is needed. A **$15 materials fee** will apply to cover supplies. Location details will be shared with confirmed attendees.

*Unwind, get creative, and connect with cool people.* Looking for a calm space to do some art, have meaningful (or silly) convos, and meet new friends in the city? This is your spot. I’ll be bringing **colouring pages and markers** for anyone who just wants to show up and relax. You're also totally welcome to bring whatever creative activity helps *you* unwind — think **sketchpads, mini canvases and paint, journals, clay sculpting, wire bending, model building kits, and collage supplies**. We’ll hang out, make art, and enjoy chill conversations in a cozy, no-pressure environment. No experience or talent required — just bring yourself and whatever helps you feel creative and calm. **✦ What to Bring (optional):** * Any relaxing art or activity you enjoy **✦ I’ll provide:** * Colouring pages, markers, and good vibes **Where to Meet (MADO Cafe at the Food Hall inside The Well):** * The easiest way to get to the venue is to make your way to La Plume restaurant or The Dorset restaurant and turn towards the statue then take the stairs to the lower level. * Shoppers will be on the right and across from Shoppers will be an entrance to The Well's food court. * Make a left and you should see the long tables and MADO cafe. * **We'll meet at the long tables in front of MADO Cafe** Come solo or bring a friend — this is all about slowing down, making connections, and enjoying a creative evening together ✨

🪞 My Inner Mirror – Inner Alchemy Workshop Through Art Therapy 🎨 Immerse yourself in a unique and transformative workshop, blending artistic creation, meditation, and inner exploration. This guided introspective space will allow you to manifest your inner reality through art, shifting perceptions and strengthening your connection with your subconscious. 🌟 Why Join? ✅ Visually express your inner world and uncover its hidden messages ✅ Deepen your connection with your subconscious through guided meditation ✅ Use art as a tool for transformation and self-analysis ✅ Learn interpretation techniques to better understand your creations No artistic skills required – this workshop is accessible to everyone! 🧘‍♂️ Workshop Flow: 1. Breathing Exercises – Mental and energetic preparation for meditation 2. Guided Meditation – Activating the subconscious and awakening intuition 3. Mirror Drawing Creation – Representing your inner reality through art 4. Interpretation & Examples – Understanding the symbols and messages within your artwork 5. Sharing & Q/A – A space for discussion and guidance 📌 Required Materials: 🔹 Paper: Blank sheets (A4 or A3 format, no grid lines) 🔹 Artistic tools: Pencils, brushes, markers, or any medium of your choice ⏳ Duration: 2 hours 💫 Guidance: This workshop is led by Ludovic, exploring inner alchemy through yoga and art therapy. 🪞 Let your true essence emerge, observe your inner reflection, and uncover the secrets your subconscious wishes to reveal. ✅ Reserve your spot now and embark on this transformative journey! **✨ Join Our Wellness Community** More on [https://www.yogasource.org](https://www.yogasource.org)

Welcome! Join us at the North York Centre to colour and chat. You can bring your own colouring books and colouring pencils. There’s a Dollarama across the street to buy them. If you’re coming empty-handed, no worries, you can use ours for $2 cash. You can do other art related projects such as sketching, crocheting, etc. As long as you bring your own materials :) We’re meeting at the North York Centre food court by 5:55pm, at the long table in front of the subway. Please contact me if you’re coming late, have trouble finding the place, or have any other questions. Hope to see you soon:) P.S. The group will grab some food after the event in a nearby area and socialize. It is totally optional.

Let's Crop!

**Our February novel is: Julia by Sandra Newman** **This month is a classic, dystopian, fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and science fiction novel. The book is 394 pages in print and 14 hours and 20 minutes on audiobook.** **An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell’s 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover, Julia, by critically acclaimed novelist Sandra Newman.** Julia Worthing is a mechanic, working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. It’s 1984, and Britain (now called Airstrip One) has long been absorbed into the larger trans-Atlantic nation of Oceania. Oceania has been at war for as long as anyone can remember, and is ruled by an ultra-totalitarian Party, whose leader is a quasi-mythical figure called Big Brother. In short, everything about this world is as it is in Orwell’s 1984. All her life, Julia has known only Oceania, and, until she meets Winston Smith, she has never imagined anything else. She is an ideal citizen: cheerfully cynical, always ready with a bribe, piously repeating every political slogan while believing in nothing. She routinely breaks the rules, but also collaborates with the regime when necessary. Everyone likes Julia. Then one day she finds herself walking toward Winston Smith in a corridor and impulsively slips him a note, setting in motion the devastating, unforgettable events of the classic story. Julia takes us on a surprising journey through Orwell’s now-iconic dystopia, with twists that reveal unexpected sides not only to Julia, but to other familiar figures in the 1984 universe. This unique perspective lays bare our own world in haunting and provocative ways, just as the original did almost seventy-five years ago.

**I’m planning future book club meetups and would love your input. Please choose your top three from the list below—your picks will help decide what we read next!** **Book Options** *The Hong Kong Widow* – Kristen Loesch *American Spy* – Lauren Wilkinson *God of the Woods* – Liz Moore *Listen for the Lie* – Amy Tintera *The Swallows* – Lisa Lutz *The Drowning Kind* – Jennifer McMahon *The Eights* – Joanna Miller *The Quiet Librarian* – Allen Eskens Thanks so much for sharing your pick! Please **reply in the comments** with your top three. I can’t wait to see which books rise to the top and to discuss them together at our next meetups.

Join us for our February Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *A Master of Djinn* by P. Djèlí Clark in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.