Morning Brief: Must-Know Canadian Slang, What ADHD Is Really Like & More
9 things you need to know for Wednesday, February 8.

The Canadian flag at Banff National Park. Right: TikToker Olivia Lutfallah.
Happy "Hump Day" — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: In a way, LeBron James has fulfilled his destiny. The man once dubbed "The Chosen One" as a high schooler became the NBA's all-time career scoring leader on Tuesday night with a 14-foot fadeaway in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The bucket moved "King James" past fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his 38,390th career points. At age 38, LeBron is still putting up over 30 points per night. Not much more to say about it. He's one of the living legends of his craft, such that it is.
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In Case You Missed It
What Slang Do You Need To Know In Canada?
The Canadian flag at Banff National Park.
Every country on Earth has its own customs and traditions — and like any good visitor, having a good grasp of the local quirks is going to go a long way in making your visit more enjoyable. It took our Janice Rodrigues some time to nail the lingo after moving to Toronto from Dubai but after a few months, she thinks she's got a good handle on our Canadianisms — like the proper use of the classic "eh?" to all the various colloquial ways to refer to Tim Hortons. Check out her piece on the 10 Canadian slang phrases every newcomer and visitor should know.
- My Take: As a lifelong Torontonian, my favourite slang is a local mantra about tackling the impossibilities of the universe head-on: "The Leafs could win it all this year."
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Aspects Of Canadian Grocery Stores Are Surprising For Newcomers?
A grocery receipt. Right: A No Frills grocery store.
Charlie Hart | Narcity, Typhoonski | Dreamstime
Speaking of newcomers to Canada, when Charlie Hart moved to Alberta from the U.K., she assumed something as straightforward as a trip to the grocery store would be pretty much the same as back in jolly old England. As it turned out, there was plenty about shopping for food in Canada that has caught Charlie by surprise. For example, while eggs in the U.K. are shelf-stable, the eggs in Canada are always displayed in the refrigerated section. Read what else caused Charlie to raise an eyebrow.
What Is It Really Like To Have ADHD?
Olivia Lutfallah, TikToker.
When you envision the stereotypical case of ADHD — Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — what do you see? Is it a kid who can't sit still in class because he keeps looking out the window and spotting a squirrel? According to one Ontarian TikToker, that classic representation isn't that far off. Western U's Olivia Lutfallah has gained nearly 300,000 followers in just a year by posting fun and informative clips about living with ADHD. She spoke with our Mira Nabulsi on how the project started and why it's giving her so much validation as she works through her own condition.
- Go Deeper: In one viral clip, Lutfallah describes how a regular conversation can go off the rails by layering in more and more background noise — distractions that make it impossible to focus on what she's telling the viewer.
- My Take: Why do you think I do most of my writing before the rest of the world wakes up and starts distracting me?
- READ THE FULL STORY HERE
What Else You Need To Know Today
🎥 BLACK CINEMA
With Black History Month in full swing, we thought we'd put together a mini movie marathon for your viewing pleasure. Tristan Wheeler pinpointed nine movies currently streaming on Netflix Canada that boast Black directors — and several of them are from Canada to boot. Watch the trailers here.
😬 CALGARY ICKS
You won't see it on any award show In Memoriam segment but one Calgarian TikToker has sparked a major debate over the death of the courtesy wave among the city's drivers. "As someone who's born and raised here, that used to happen all the time and now it rarely happens," the creator said. Charlie Hart takes us through the reactions.
🏠 SURREAL ESTATE
In some ways, this $6 million house in the affluent Westmount area of Montreal is a great deterrent of crime. The century home basically looks like a giant, nondescript red brick — until you actually get inside the beautifully renovated 5,000-square-foot interior. MTL Blog's Willa Holt takes us on a virtual tour of the five-bedroom, four-bathroom homestead.
😑 GRAMMY GROUCH
The thing about star culture in 2023 is that you can count on a few over-the-top fans analyzing every piece of celebrity footage like it's the Zapruder film. After noting that Ben Affleck seemed unenthused to be at the Grammys with wife Jennifer Lopez on Sunday, sleuths deployed a professional lip-reader to figure out what was said, Asymina Kantorowicz writes.
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Vancouver 2010 songstress Nikki Yanofsky turns 29 years old today. Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson is 33. Julio Jones, the NFL's active career receiving yards leader (13,629) is 34. Rapper Anderson .Paak is 37. SNL alum Cecily Strong is 39. Wrestler Paul "Big Show" Wight is 51. The late Gary Coleman would've been 55 today. Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil is 62. Oscar-winner Mary Steenburgen hits the big 7-0. Nick Nolte is 82. Ted Koppel is 83. The late James Dean was born on this day 92 years ago. Jack Lemmon was born on this day in 1925. The great adventure novelist Jules Verne was born today in 1828.
Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — and if you learn nothing else this morning, you should at least know that — SQUIRREL! — sorry, what was I saying?
Have a question or comment about today's edition? Let me know at andrew.potter@narcity.com or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.
Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow!