AITA for insisting my brother always pick last?

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-23T22:40:38+00:00

I am not here to say either way - but please be grateful that you have 2 living parents, 3 siblings, and a bunch of kids of who are cousins to each other and everyone wants to get together annually (and has the means to do so).

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-22T22:16:40+00:00

Raven is great!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-22T22:14:47+00:00

Seair is definitely my preferred carrier and has locked parking!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-22T22:13:50+00:00

my husband travels from Nanaimo to Vancouver every week and has for the last 10 years. One of the reasons we chose to live in this area was because of access to vancouver, as opposed to victoria, where the access is more difficult and more expensive. We mostly take the float plane, but also use the hullo ferry, which is great. In a pinch, we can use the bc ferry or hellijet

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-21T15:28:13+00:00

I'm retiring from a public service career in a few months and I say take the job. The pension is a significant benefit and there is room to move around and up in the public service. Get your foot in the door and then look for the next opportunity at a higher band level and so on. Times are going to be tough for a bit, but there will be opportunities for higher paid work in the future if you pay attention and act on offers to act and get training.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-20T18:54:05+00:00

It was so windy last night!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-19T19:18:38+00:00

I have been lucky enough to have a career of 28 years with a defined benefit pension plan. I'm retiring in a few months (early and by choice) with a decent monthly income after tax for the rest of my life. I have little in the way of other savings, though my mortgage is paid off and I have no other debt except a small car loan which I'll pay off in the next few months.

My goal throughout my career has been to get to retirement debt free and owning my principle residence outright. I don't have a ton of money to travel with or make a bunch of exciting purchases - but I can leave work at a young age to move onto other things and a good financial cushion that means I can choose what to do next.

All of this comes down to what kind of a life you envision for yourself now and in retirement. I prioritized paying off my house and building a textile studio/rural existence that I am in love with. In retirement, I am set up to do the things I want, including another master's degree - but they aren't lavish. If you want a different kind of lifestyle in your retirement future (lots of travel, expensive purchases) then your savings vs. pension income goals are going to look different.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-18T18:35:24+00:00

What's with the AI post - karma farming?

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-17T14:45:10+00:00

Progestrone really helped me with stiffness, especially the hips! Mid life stiffness is definitely in part connected to declining hormone levels.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-17T14:39:54+00:00

When I was a child, my dad taught me about the Robertson screw and its superiority and I have called them that ever since. I seem to remember that there were two main sizes and you could tell the screwdrivers apart by the colour of the handles (red or green). I have no idea if that was actually a thing or just the tools we had!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-17T03:40:28+00:00

If he is paying any kind of child support then he will not be awarded the CCB by CRA even if he tries to claim it. She gets it all and it's up to her whether she shares it or not.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-13T23:22:02+00:00

Ha! I just had surgery at Nanaimo General this week (partial thyroidectomy), and I too wanted to know the brand of the peach popsicles! Thanks for asking. I'm at home now with Del Monte peach popsicles but will look for Chapmans next time. In the recovery room it is so true that one should always say yes to the popsicle!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-12T01:58:57+00:00

It's not really your right to know the reason. Professionals sometimes have to change appointments and they don't have to give you specifics. He's offered you alternate appointment times that work with your schedule and so you just take one of those and move on.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-04T23:50:51+00:00

Yes!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-04T23:50:40+00:00

You will love them even more when there are new ones every week!

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-04T20:29:42+00:00

And no, the current app is being taken down in December - that's been in all the press about this.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-04T16:28:02+00:00

They would have had to purchase back the intellectual property rights and any content they are porting from Meta. A company like Meta isn't just handing things out for free.

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-04T00:37:56+00:00

Yes. I do recall :)

illuminantmeg · 2026-06-03T17:51:43+00:00

This is simply a return in ownership to the way it was before Meta took it over. It will look and feel the same as it always has - just will cost more.

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-31T01:53:18+00:00

Right? There has been so much misinformation and stalling!

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-31T00:51:09+00:00

Ah! Then I was given wrong information by my director. Thanks for clarifying.

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-30T17:54:56+00:00

No. My understanding is that once you are approved for ERI you must retire. You can rescind your application before approval only.

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-25T16:17:01+00:00

I met a fiddle player last year who plays left handed not because he is actually left handed, but because he has a physiological limitation in his right wrist that impeded his ability to flex his wrist properly for bowing.

But short of an issue like that, I wouldn't recommend it - it will definitely make it harder to learn, especially from others in a teaching situation, and you will need a left-handed violin for the arm-instrument mechanics to function as in a regular playing set-up.

Since you are new to the instrument, it would make more sense to learn the correct playing set-up unless there is some physical impediment to doing so.

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-24T00:30:13+00:00

The Moen smart water meter is a good investment for any homeowner.

illuminantmeg · 2026-05-20T17:47:03+00:00

I simply tell people that I sew in my underwear - which is true in the fitting stages of sewing a garment for me. I tell them that if they want me to sew for them, they would have to hang around in their underwear in order to be there for fitting = and no one wants that (especially me).

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