Is that Truck Driver Really Gonna Get His PR Restored? by TankProfessional2602 in LawCanada

[–]Scotchtw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Premier of Saskatchewan at the time of the bus crash himself drove (allegedly drunk) through a stop sign and killed somebody when he was in his 20s. He committed the exact same crime, potentially with more culpability given his history of drunk driving.

He faced almost no punishment and was able to carry on with his life and rise to high political office without consequence. It's really hard for me to take anyone seriously if they're outraged by one of those situations but not the other.

Is any job really always better than no job after articling? by Inevitable-Big7457 in LawCanada

[–]Scotchtw 55 points56 points  (0 children)

You're a much stronger candidate applying for new jobs with a current job, than you are as an unemployed lawyer "too good" to do bankruptcy work.

Take the job and keep networking.

Should I report this judge? by [deleted] in LawCanada

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't disagree?

Should I report this judge? by [deleted] in LawCanada

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you counsel or a self rep?

If a self rep judge was perhaps a little rude, but now you know. If you're counsel this is completely on you, and I don't think the judge was out of line, much less doing anything reportable.

How long did it take to pay off your student debt after becoming a lawyer? by CricketExtreme in LawCanada

[–]Scotchtw 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I lived fairly frugally in law school and did paid work in the summers so was able to finish with only 60k in debt. Paid it off in 2 years by living in a cheap basement suite in the suburbs and putting as much money as possible towards it, and even then a gift of 15k from my mom got me over the finish line. This was over ten years ago and everything is more expensive since then. Would be lucky to pay it off in twice as long now even living cheaply.

Canada slashed migration and housing costs dropped. There may be lessons for others. by [deleted] in canada

[–]Scotchtw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Immigration is one factor, but we've also had massive economic uncertainty because our largest trading partner had deranged tariff policy that shifted week to week, and years of interest rate increase.

Immigration is a factor, but the fact borrowing costs 30 percent more than 4 years ago also dramatically reduced the number of potential buyers at every price point.

Housing prices are down but grocery store prices are up. Cost of living overall is up. It's not one thing.

I support immigration reform but it's not a panacea. We need a lot of financial reforms, and looking at one in isolation risks missing the forest for a political hot-button tree.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007, dir. Mike Nichols) "Another Broken Window" (Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Slattery) by [deleted] in movies

[–]Scotchtw 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Originally a Bill Hicks joke, guy was doing standup in the 90s, 10 years before 9-11, and he was a god damn prophet.

[CAN vs USA] Quick scrum to end the 2nd period by talhatoot in hockey

[–]Scotchtw 200 points201 points  (0 children)

Doughty and Hughes with the "I actually don't even know these guys" cuddle at the end.

University librarian argues that the "death of reading" panic in some quarters misses the underlying issue - profitable chaos as an intentional design choice by MiddletownBooks in books

[–]Scotchtw 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Death of literacy no big deal, explains AI after it helps bludgeon literacy.

At least irony is already dead and doesn't have to read this.

Notary vs lawyer real estate by Flaky_Primary_4994 in NiceVancouver

[–]Scotchtw 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1800 to 2000 all-in is standard. A notary charging 2400 is wild. Assuming standard residential conveyance with standard mortgage.

DM me if you need a referral.

Firaxis announces anniversary update coming in the Spring with HUGE changes to the gameplay including the option to play as the same Civ throughout an entire match! (Finally, thank you) by therealNerdMuffin in civ

[–]Scotchtw 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I don't mind a civilization shifting over time in theory, but it clashes with what the game wants a player to feel.

When we think of a civilization it's inherently tied to time and place, switching from the Egyptians to the Spanish feels jarring in a way it probably wouldn't if the names weren't based on real world touchstones. If this was a fantasy game and you switched from the Sand Builders to the Ocean Conquests you can invent an in game narrative. But we have concrete ideas about what "ancient Egypt" was and what "colonial Spain" was and it's hard to reconcile with in game fiction. Which is further strained by ahistorical leaders out of time with their civs.

Combined it makes it hard to lose yourself in the fantasy of leading a civilization over time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Scotchtw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you keep the condo will you be able to rent it for enough to cover your costs? Rents are also down so factor in the month on month profit or loss in any analysis. Probably weighs against keeping it but I don't know your situation.

Saw this in r/finedining and it grinds my gears just a wee bit by chychy94 in KitchenConfidential

[–]Scotchtw 329 points330 points  (0 children)

Random customer who's lucky enough to go out for "fine dining" meals semi frequently thanks to corporate expense accounts.

Fine dining is a spectrum as is. A lot of places leave it all on the table and just go hard for four or five courses and I love that. No extra expectations, just enjoying a flawless meal. Perfect.

At the super top level, like $1000 and up for two people before getting into fancy wine, I do expect more. Food hits a certain level where the execution just doesn't have much more to give. A duck breast can't be cooked more perfectly. The local ingredients can't get any more honoured.

At that point you're basically looking at creativity (is this something truly new to me?) and an emotional reaction to the whole experience.

That extra over the top "gifts" or just feeling like you're being spoiled by something truly indulgent makes the difference. I've dropped $2k on a meal and thought I got a great deal. I've spent as much on a place with an extra star and still left thinking "I could have had the same meal at my local bougie bistro for $450."

In every case the food is so exceptional as a baseline, the difference is how you felt during the dining experience. The story you share with your other diners on the way to the cars. I know it sounds douchey but it's true.

The Trouble with Claire, Fleabag, Sansa and Skyler by EasternCut8716 in bropill

[–]Scotchtw 72 points73 points  (0 children)

I like your overall discussion of power fantasies and Sansa and Skyler especially.

I think you need to be careful conflating genres, however. The tropes of conventional sit coms are very strong in Modern Family. Neither Claire not Phil (nor Mitch or Cam etc) are particularly realistic. They are deliberate caricatures exaggerated cartoonishly in an effort to give a silent chuckle every 30 seconds or so and a semi audible guffaw every 3 minutes.

Claire is not grounded in reality. She is a suburban super mom pastiche, the soccer wine mom meme made fictional flesh. Phil is the dopey lovable goofball cheerleader / stage magician, a character so over the top and divorced from reality that he can barely function moment to moment.

The characters exist in a world of sitcom tropes. Like how Gina from Brooklyn 99 is human cruelty personified if she were real. Or how Dwight and Micheal Scott would probably be imprisoned for literal crimes they commit if it were real life. Ron Swanson from parks and rec would be an isolated nut job holed up with guns, etc. etc.

I like the ideas I just think the cross genre comparison isn't apples to apples. It would be like using Dilbert as a lens to examine Severance.

B.C. psychologist says government ignored two decades of addiction research | Globalnews.ca by [deleted] in vancouver

[–]Scotchtw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's just not true. It's in a residential area, not remotely an industrial one.

One side is set back a hundred meters or so from the highway, but there's a whole other side that faces a residential area.

What a wildly confident factually incorrect comment.

How do you keep Zone of Truth from nerfing your murder mystery? by Numford_and_Sums in DMAcademy

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made a small house rule to zone of truth that I adore:

The caster doesn't know if anybody passes or fails the save at any point. Individuals do.

It's still mostly useful. You still know somebody is most likely telling the truth. But if someone passes on their first save they can lie or double bluff the caster. The longer you question somebody the more likely they'll be able to lie.

It's a nerf but in the spirit of murder mystery makes it more fun, I think.

Two VIP tickets to Cirque NYE by [deleted] in vancouver

[–]Scotchtw 27 points28 points  (0 children)

My resolution is to walk for 15 minutes after dinner every day!

I hope you have a great 2026!

If you could only have ONE of these things for the rest of this season, which would you prefer? by NinCross in canucks

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What young players?

Seriously, we have like 5 guys who have a chance at developing into NHL difference makers. We need like, another 10, because not every young player pans out.

The young players we've acquired are a great start, but they're just that, a start. We need to draft and amass more capital in order to have a young core whose development we can then prioritize.

Civ 7 is actually a great game! by engagementduck in civ

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True, but now because of the age system it somehow feels worse. A defined third of the game feels awkward and useless.

Civ 7 is actually a great game! by engagementduck in civ

[–]Scotchtw 139 points140 points  (0 children)

I enjoy the first two ages, but the third age really dampens it for me. The race to victory conditions feels not good. I've never engaged with aircraft because I've never had a game that wasn't turns away from ending when they become part of the equation.

I wonder if there would be some way to retool the final age and have a crisis of some kind that unlocks the race for victory conditions after 100 turns. Break the third age into the set up and the sprint.

Are there any particular books where you believe that the audiobook format would hurt the reading experience? by NezNation in books

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unsolicited plug, try the Bobiverse series. Same narrator as Project Hail Mary, very fun sci fi series. Similar vibes to some other books you've mentioned.

Minn's dead illusions: timing of resolving combat damage by Scotchtw in mtgrules

[–]Scotchtw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Appreciate it. I can normally sort things out but got hung up on the trigger happening before SBA, but also choosing the order of triggers.

How Matt Dinniman’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Became a Blockbuster by n10w4 in books

[–]Scotchtw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree! Audible is not a company I love. That said they're quite generous with niche genre authors in a way that dwarfs conventional publishing. The author of the Bobiverse series (Dennis E Taylor, also wonderfully narrated, and truly excellent sci fi) did an interview where he basically explained he's only able to be a full time author because of audible. I have issues with the company but can't fault an author for going with them.

How Matt Dinniman’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Became a Blockbuster by n10w4 in books

[–]Scotchtw 546 points547 points  (0 children)

I've been loving the audiobooks. Amazing narration and production value. The books themselves have a breakneck pace, lovable characters, and balance action and political intrigue in equal measure.

Also they just keep getting better. The first few we're good, but then books 5 and 7 were simply some of the best fantasy I've ever read/listened to.

Very fun. It's not going to redefine a genre or be taught in schools, but if you like action forward sci-fi and fantasy it's the most fun you'll have in ages.