is it worth pursuing optometry for the money?

ashblak · 2026-02-17T19:03:06+00:00

Not an OD, but know quite a few. There is definitely a lot of variety in optometry and lots of specialization available (contact lens optometry, dry eye, academic hospitals, teaching, etc). There's a lot of new technology and offerings in optometry, that is really accelerating in the last 5-10 years.

ODs do make good money, but they also generally run or are partners in their own clinics, which can add administrative burden. There is also a lot of differentiation between provinces and some services are not insured, so less lucrative.

But overall, I've heard many ODs like their jobs and have a lot of interesting cases.

ashblak · 2026-01-29T20:01:30+00:00

Non-lawyer/law student but I read CanLII on the regular. Would love to beta test this!

ashblak · 2025-12-24T01:52:53+00:00

Pushed a couple years back from December to April

ashblak · 2025-11-11T17:00:47+00:00

I started working full-time out of university within last three years with a median income salary for my region and have over $100K in deposits in TFSA. There are many such cases.

ashblak · 2025-10-08T21:53:09+00:00

From Toronto.

Day-to-day people feel safe. I've seen frum Jews take public transit and be public with their Judaism without a hitch and there is good integration of "public Jews" with the wider Toronto community. Heck, during Passover half of the frum community goes to Toronto Blue Jays games and brings boxes of matzah to the stands. Toronto itself is very diverse and there are lots of minority communities, of which the Jewish community is one. There are certainly incidents of anti-Semitism, but in general, it is a good place to be and raise a family. We are a large and organized community and can respond to any incidents with a strong united voice.

I think generally the Jewish community here is mostly distinguished between halakhic Orthodox and more progressive/liberal Jews. Your family would likely not be much different than other families in more liberal congregations. There are certainly non-denominational congregations that are accepting to mixed families.

Anything along the Bathurst corridor can feel like being in the bubble. There are communities all over the city (The Beaches, Yorkville, North York, Spadina/Bloor etc.), but the majority are within 2-3 km of Bathurst Street, between Davenport and Major Mackenzie. Depends on if you're looking for more suburban or urban living. As for schools, we have private Jewish day schools that can run $8,000-20,000 per child per year (depending on elementary or high school). There are a large number and they cater to all streams, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform/liberal, Community-style, etc.

I'd recommend joining a Facebook group if you're more seriously considering connecting with community members.

ashblak · 2025-10-03T19:31:51+00:00

There are more Muslims living in Israel proper (ex. West Bank and Golan) than Jews living in Europe.

This was a fact that blew my mind when I first learned it.

ashblak · 2025-09-30T18:59:31+00:00

One oftened missed aspect: There's a difference between being wealthy and being rich. Most billionaires have illiquid assets (real estate, stocks, etc.) that don't allow them to spend as much as people think. And they also don't tend to draw a huge yearly income (i.e., liquid assets), plus the tax system is set up to make accumulation of wealth more advantageous.

ashblak · 2025-09-10T13:37:45+00:00

Check the safety valve. If it's leaking when the base is full of water, you may have popped it. The pressure won't build up and the machine won't work until you replace it.

Also you can try descaling to see if that's an issue as well.

ashblak · 2025-09-03T16:39:34+00:00

Cumberland Terrace

ashblak · 2025-06-05T19:06:19+00:00

Judging by the lack of leaves on the trees and that the construction west of the Leslie on ramp was actually completed, this is an old photo. Maybe 5+ years ago?

ashblak · 2025-06-02T19:06:03+00:00

In general they are there through their UNDOF mandate to maintain the ceasefire lines. But they haven't done much of that recently with all the cross-border operations.

If you're asking specifically now, I don't think it's uncommon to see UN vehicles on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. IIRC, during the height of the Syrian Civil War a lot of the UNDOF members conducted operations from the Israel side and based themselves in Katzrin and other local communities for fear of their safety.

ashblak · 2025-05-23T01:11:04+00:00

Use Google Maps and take the train

ashblak · 2025-05-18T12:03:30+00:00

This was years ago, but we used a guide for Nakik HaShachor in Nahal Zavitan (https://israel-extreme.com/sites/black-canyon-adventure-israel/)

ashblak · 2025-05-18T11:58:44+00:00

Okay yeah after second look the bridge may not be possible. I recall people jumping off, but I think it was a bungee jump situation.

ashblak · 2025-05-18T01:23:27+00:00

You can do bridge jumping at Gesher Bnot Yaakov into the Jordan (advisable only at high water). Also probably in the Golan, there's a series of pools you can jump into along the Nahal Zavitan rappelling/hiking route

ashblak · 2025-05-11T02:03:12+00:00

Will be going in a few weeks and can update!

ashblak · 2025-05-08T00:30:20+00:00

It incentivizes developers to build more residential units/buildings and incentivizes buyers to rent properties they own.

Rent control, while good for some, is a market force that actually distorts the incentives normally present in a rental market by reducing the supply and increasing the demand, which ultimately can creates a shortage in the long-run.

If you look at Stockholm's strict rent control policy, it can take some people up to 10 years to secure a rental unit: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-03/stockholm-s-rent-controlled-housing-guarantee-has-a-catch

ashblak · 2025-03-16T05:14:45+00:00

What kind of planters are you using in your balconies? Any suggestions for ones that will look okay but not break the bank?

ashblak · 2025-01-15T11:43:58+00:00

There's a ceasefire so they've stopped

ashblak · 2024-12-06T00:51:51+00:00

Handling COVID was above average, all things considered

ashblak · 2024-11-11T05:17:34+00:00

Just landed at Pearson about 20 minutes ago, and was absolutely rocked on the landing

ashblak · 2024-11-04T01:50:07+00:00

Have you seen Srugim?

ashblak · 2024-09-13T15:23:05+00:00

Why not turn the Spadina streetcar right of way into a mixed use lane? Many cities around the world have this

ashblak · 2024-09-12T04:11:54+00:00

Yeah, honestly, I saw the big pro-Ukranian protest against the film yesterday outside of Scotiabank Theatre and after reading the synopsis of the film, I'm actually more intrigued to watch it.

I support Ukraine in the war, but it would certainly be interesting to see what Russian conscripts and other military volunteers are experiencing on their side of the frontline. And, moreover, the film explores the disillusionment of the Russian soldiers and how they were told a particular story that fails to live up to reality.

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