Cloud Infrastructure

**An opportunity to serve the homeless and those at risk as a group.** During our recent sessions, we served meals, chopped veggies, made sandwiches, and helped prepare pasta. Each session is similar; however, tasks may vary depending on the need at hand (e.g., sorting food). *We had a great time serving together with lots of smiles and good energy.* **Only 6 spots available. If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to reserve your spot and help us plan.** When you arrive at **Reception**, the staff will guide you to the volunteer room, where you can place your belongings in a locker and meet the group. Below are simple guidelines from the Ministry on what to wear, safety, etc.: **Guidelines (what to wear, safety, etc.):** [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1piAyloECv9YUDkPJuoJBdCmh3x8n1un1rGvJSFIkbs4/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1piAyloECv9YUDkPJuoJBdCmh3x8n1un1rGvJSFIkbs4/edit?usp=sharing) **Good to know:** * Closed-toe shoes are required. * Tie back long hair; minimal jewelry. * Please arrive 5–10 minutes early so we can start together. * **If something urgent comes up and you can’t make it, please send a quick message when you can 🙏** Grateful to serve alongside you.

We are a warm, welcoming community of meditators that offer meditation instruction and opportunities to practice meditation twice every week, every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. No need to register, just show up! FREE MEDITATION INSTRUCTION Perhaps you’ve heard about Mindfulness, or read about current research showing the many benefits that it brings. Maybe you've decided you want to learn to meditate, or you’ve tried it on your own but have difficulties or questions. We offer free meditation instruction in an environment with other new people. Our trained meditation guides will provide you with all the information and structure you need to begin your meditation practice. Wear comfortable clothing. Meditation cushions or chairs are provided. No experience necessary, no need to register ahead of time. GROUP MEDITATION SITTING - open to the public Every Sunday at 10:00am - 11:00am we have silent shamatha/vipassana (mindful/awareness) group meditation + an informal teacher-led discussion about meditation related topics Every Wednesday at 7:00pm - 8:00pm we have silent shamtha/vipassana (mindful/awareness) group meditation. DONATIONS (of any amount) are gratefully accepted. We are a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that relies on your donations to support all that we offer. SUNDAY TALKS - every week after Sunday meditation After meditation we offer tea and a 45 min. informal group discussion lead by an experienced teacher. Topics are wide-ranging, but in each one we have the opportunity to learn how Mindful/Awareness meditation skills can bring more resources, resilience and calm to our everyday experiences. For more information about our meditation community and the Courses and Retreats we offer, please visit https://mississauga.shambhala.org/programs/

Please join us for a traditional worship service every Sunday, with music from our wonderful choir and organist. Communion (the Lord’s Supper) is a part of every Sunday service. Join us for coffee hour after the service for conversation and a snack

Hello everyone, I'd like to invite you out to our **End of Year Dinner Party with Friends!** -Reserved seating, friendly people, good conversation and great food awaits! So please plan to join us if you can :) \*Joined by my other groups too; so we can anticipate a fantastic evening **Time: 6:30 p.m. -9:30 p.m.** **Location:** La Carnita - Good Fortune Bar (Main Floor) **Address:** 130 Eglinton Ave. Toronto, ON M4P 2X9 Event Details Bellow: Sincerely, Steve Flemming (Organizer/Host) Event Details: **The End of Year Dinner Party with Friends! (Cocktails and Conversations)** -The great thing about this dinner party is you're free to move around to different tables and meet the other members too throughout the evening -A fun way to make new connections, enjoy a nice meal and share some laughs together **Dinner Party Topics** may include but not limited too: Travel, Culture, Spirituality, Relationships, Modern Dating, Work/Life balance, Art, Technology, Economy, Music, Movies, Sports, Fashion, Hobbies, Books, Current Affairs, The Good Life, Psychology, Philosophy, the Future, History, Pop Culture, Theatre, etc.) **Arrival Time:** \*Join us any time between 6:30 pm and 7:15 pm (if you can) for a fun and highly interactive evening as we get to know the members over dinner and great conversations (of your choice) Event goes until roughly 9:30 pm **Event Fee:** 5 dollars (cash only please) (HST included) or in advance by e transfer to **[steveflemming11@gmail.com](http://steveflemming11@gmail.com/)** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Friendly Reminder:** \*One beverage or appetizer minimum to support the venue- this is greatly appreciated :) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Parking Available:** \*Plenty of free street parking on Eglinton and (Residential area south/east of venue for free) **Close to Subway Station:** \*Also right beside the Yonge/Eglinton subway station \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-

**Want to help bring your city’s community together?** We’re looking for local hosts to organize small group lunches, evening drinks, mixers, movie get-togethers and curated experiences. **No experience necessary,** just a friendly attitude, some local knowledge, and a willingness to meet a few new people. After each event, we’ll send a short feedback form so we can improve and support you. The host will also be able to provide feedback so we can learn what worked and what didn't. **[Click here](https://form.questionscout.com/6926c9ab87a828a5c11a79fc)** to apply and get started: if you’re selected, we’ll reach out for a quick screening call.

Welcome to the Sunday meetup for Toronto Heavy Boardgamers @ Face-to-Face Games! The purpose of this event is to meet up to play heavier / longer board games, and have fun while doing it! We will start off small and if there is sufficient interest we will add capacity for future events. **Scheduling details:** \- If you have a specific game that you would like to post for\, feel free to do so in comments\. In your post\, include the name of the game\, number of players needed for the game\, whether you are offering a teach or not\, and the start time \(please try to start before noon if possible\)\. \- If you would like to join a specific game that has already been posted\, feel free to comment on it confirming your participation\. Make sure you have noted the details posted by the host\. \- You are of course also welcome to organize / join games onsite on the day itself\, assuming sufficient players / tables are available **Rules around COVID:** \- Given this is a public event\, we respectfully ask that only i\) fully vaccinated individuals\, and ii\) those not exhibiting any COVID symptoms\, participate\. This requirement may change in the future based on provincial guidelines and group requirements **Admission Fee:** \- There are no table fees for this event

Learn to meditate with a certified Heartfulness trainer. Experience yogic transmission, a subtle energy that helps practitioners to attain deeper states of meditation. Heartfulness Canada hosts group meditation sessions and learn to meditate every Sunday at this downtown location. All backgrounds welcome. There is never any charge for Heartfulness. The venue is a dance studio located on the second floor. **Enter the door at 527 Bloor St West (directly under the Dance Annex sign) and proceed up the stairs**. Come and meditate with a group of friendly meditation practitioners. There is free street parking on Sundays and the location is also close to both Bathurst and Spadina subway stations.

Struggling with motivation and focus as you hammer away on your manuscript at home? Want to join a community of writers as we embrace the joys and pains (mostly pains) of writing together? Bring your laptop, pen & paper, old-school typewriter, or futuristic writing gadget, and join an enthusiastic community of science fiction and fantasy writers as we work on our current projects in the same space. The format will be similar to our online writing sprints: 30-minute blocks of focused, quiet writing time (the sprints), interspersed with breaks where we can chat, ask questions, and share our writing experiences.

Best way to get a hold of us is on our [WhatsApp chat](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kj63TzHIqYL5hPrRJolhyD), also great way to join a community of amazing like-minded people :) ***Let's Dance!*** ***¡Vamos a bailar!*** ***DJ Geronimo 🎧 will be playing your favorite Salsa 🎵 Bachata 🎶 Chacha 🎵 Merengue hits 🔊 DJ Sweetlike will be jamming in the Kizomba room*** Cover $10 includes: ***Free Bachata and Kizomba Lesson at 6pm (you choose)*** ***Dancing til 11pm*** ***\*Casual dress code*** ***\*Cash Bar*** ***👠Please wear comfortable & clean shoes👞*** **Location:** Islington & QEW [Map](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NiBwLRbovskPkUZp9) 110 Jutland Rd, Etobicoke, ON M8Z 2G6 ***FREE PARKING*** Cover $10 before 7pm - $15 after 7pm

Attendee list will be updated.

**Smoking Cessation Workshop:** **Mindset, Habits, and Healing** **Tired of the struggle? Let’s change the internal script.** Most people try to quit smoking using willpower alone, but true change happens when we address the underlying causes. Join us for an evening of insight and subconscious retraining. **What we will cover:** * **The History of the Habit:** Understanding your "smoking story" so you can finally move past it. * **The Habit Equation:** Self-Hypnosis + Actionable Daily Habits = A New You. * **Guided Session:** A personalized meditative experience. I provide the framework; you insert the personal details that resonate with your life. * **Optional Tool Kit:** Physical items to busy the body to try, take home, or inspire more customization. **Pricing:** * **$15** – Advance payment (before Dec 25) to [Tanya@Hypnosage.com](mailto:Tanya@Hypnosage.com) * **$20** – **After Dec 25 or at the door** 4:30-6pm Space is limited to 6 people Seating is on floor mats but a chair or stool can be available with advance notice. Masks are welcome but not required (anyone with symptoms of illness is asked to please stay home). There is one washroom. There are a few stairs to get to the front door, and then 14 steps to get into the second-story space.

Cost: $16 per person (includes feather birdies). Plastic birdies are available upon request. Payment: Cash is preferred and should be made before playing. E-Transfer (EMT) or debit card payments are accepted (plus applicable taxes). Time: Sundays, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Location: 1370 Birchmount Rd, Unit #6 (Closest intersection: Birchmount Rd & Lawrence Ave) Requirements: Racquets: Bring your own racquet. Rentals are available at the club if needed. Shoes: Please bring indoor gym shoes and change into them at the club before entering the courts. Winter Reminder: Ensure you change into court shoes before stepping onto the courts during the winter months. Rules and Guidelines: No outside food is allowed. This meetup is open to players of all skill levels (beginner to advanced). The primary purpose is to play friendly doubles games. This event is not intended for singles matches or formal training sessions. Attendance is capped based on court availability. Waitlisted participants may be moved to the confirmed list as space allows, with priority given to regular attendees and those with reliable RSVP history. No Drop-ins: Only individuals on the confirmed “Going” list are allowed to attend. Unregistered participants will be asked to leave. Cancellation Policy: Please cancel at least 48 hours in advance if you cannot attend. Failure to do so will result in being marked as a no-show. Repeated no-shows may lead to removal from future “Going” lists.

We will have a Meet and Greet at The Cherie Bistro on 538 Church Street in Toronto from 2 – 4 pm. The Cherie Bistro is a fully accessible restaurant. Please understand that each guest will be paying for a meal and/or beverages of their choice. Since the reservation is for six people, please RSVP to give us an idea of how many people will be attending this event. To be clear, we will still be continuing our online weekly meetings on Sundays at 11 am. These Meet and Greets will be scheduled as optional in-person gatherings depending on the attendance and feedback we receive over time.

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/

### Tools in your AI's Toolbox : An introduction to MCP Servers The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way? This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents. Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to: Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture. Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases. Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI. Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem. Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does. Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! [https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/](https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/)

## Learn Infrastructure-as-Code (the FUN Way) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: Azure CBUS × Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. ### What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time ### Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐 Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

Start the new year with your local IxDA pals. Join members of the Central Ohio UX and design community for our monthly breakfast.

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. I've been hardware hacking a See N Say to make it say whatever I want - while the project is in progress still, it should be working by this meetup! I'll bring it for demo. [See N Say Project](https://github.com/cdeever/esp32-see-n-say) While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Worthington Park Library in the Olentangy Meeting Room.

The January Ohio North Database Training user group meeting will be held on **January 6th, 2025 at 5:00PM**. This will be a **HYBRID** event and we will be joined online by **Jason Romans**. You're welcome to come meet in-person at our meeting location, the offices of Improving at **[6000 Freedom Square Dr,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Unit 110,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Independence, OH 44131](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** [Teams Link ](https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_N2Q3ODVjM2YtNDQ1NS00MDBjLWI5MzYtNDQ3YmFlZjkzMjAx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b966f302-6b93-4686-9041-c084635642c5%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2278c760cb-657f-46aa-bd2f-7066d9403bdb%22%7d)if anyone needs it after RSVP-ing for in person. If you would like to subscribe to our email list outside of Meetup, we have changed platforms recently and you will need to register [here in Kit ](https://ohio-north-data-training.kit.com/b8f036f615)instead to receive emails. Agenda: **5:00 PM EST**: Online and in-person meeting begins with a social hour. This is an unstructured hour where you can join us to catch up and meet other group members before the session starts. There will be food brought in for in-person attendees. **6:00 PM EST**: Updates and announcements, followed by our feature presentation. See below for presentation details. **7:30 PM EST**: Optionally after the main presentations, the in-person crowd may go out for snacks and drinks at a local establishment. We hope to see you there! Session Abstract **Data on Fire: A Hands-On Intro to Spark in Fabric** Curious about Apache Spark but not sure where to start? This hands-on session introduces you to Spark in Microsoft Fabric Notebooks—a powerful and accessible way to process and analyze big data using familiar tools in the Microsoft ecosystem. We’ll break down key Spark concepts like distributed computing, DataFrames, and lazy evaluation, then show how they come to life inside Fabric’s notebook experience. You’ll see practical demos that cover loading, transforming, and analyzing large datasets—while leveraging Fabric’s modern data stack, including OneLake, Dataflows, and Pipelines. You’ll also learn how to choose between Spark and pure Python notebooks in Fabric, based on execution needs, data integration, and use case fit. Whether you're a SQL pro, BI developer, or data engineer, this session will give you the tools and confidence to start using Spark in your own projects—no cluster management required. \*Please note, that we will be using Microsoft Teams for the online portion of this meeting. You may want to join a few minutes early to ensure you do not have any issues. If you are attending in person, there are large TVs at the office, and you do not need to bring a laptop or use Teams.