Corporate Benefits email came today for private healthcare and dental options (our window to choose this starts in March and runs for a few weeks)
Company has decided to fully subsidise healthcare premiums this year. We only pay the tax (as a benefit in kind)
Nice. Happy days.
Is your UK benefits plan a “jump the queue” coverage enabling you to bypass NHS waiting lists and get immediate treatment from private sources?
That was the main benefit provided 35 years ago when I worked in the UK so I was curious if that was still so. As a supporter of public health care I had mixed feelings about the “jump the queue” insurance but fortunately never needed to use it.
Yes. We use BUPA for Group cover so we still have to pre-authorise treatment + use their hospital and provider network.
You can still use the NHS but it just takes way too long now for major issues. This is really the primary concern as you can be waiting months for any critical medical appts and scans.
My wife had cataract surgery last September and was subsequently told the second eye could not be done until this summer because of the waiting list. My wife was adamant she would endure the wait and use the public system (on ideological grounds). However it became impractical as she had corrected her astigmatism as well as having cataract surgery in her first eye so her vision was a bit wonky.
After much urging on my part she reluctantly went private for the second eye. Sometimes ideology needs to be sacrificed!
The Canadian public health system has unacceptable wait times for non-life threatening procedures. It is scant consolation that our system is usually ranked ahead of the US on many measures. Being the second worst in the developed world is no achievement! We need to spend more.
Finally got the RPS Tournament set up for 2026!
Please go sign up now: March Madness 2026 (a.k.a the annual Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament)
Noticed a few bald eagles on my bike ride this afternoon. They are a dime a dozen in Vancouver but I thought some folks here might like the photo. Didn’t do a closeup as I wanted to include their nest.
fairly common where I am but I still am very pleased to see them when I do.
We have a couple in our city, but a rare sighting all the same. I was still inspired to see them all over the place when we visited Alaska! They are quite majestic creatures.
My bonus is paid on Thursday.
last week for me! I’ve already spent 80% on birds, booze, and fast cars. the rest I pretty much wasted
So…what are you going to splurge on?
An Alaska cruise, and then the rest will go to saving. Not super exciting…
Went on one last year in July. Didn’t have as much rain as expected but didn’t see any salmon running either. Only saw whales once. But it was a pretty relaxing week.
Have fun.
We did August 2024, and it was HOT and very sunny the whole time. This year we are doing early June, and with the kids. Hoping for some cooler temps this time. Probably will skip the whale watching in favor of more glacier stuff this time.
You might want to look into Uncruise. Small boats, 60-100 people. Very much active: hiking / bushwhacking / kayaking. At least some now have some snorkeling. Very different from big traditional cruise ships.
Thursday’s pay day. Friday is bonus day.
It’s a very nice bonus this year.
I suspect my wife is going to insist I take Friday off to take her shopping.
nice, did one in 2019. enjoy.
My spouse does ‘twin time’ every night just before supper. Her, her twin, my daughter, our neice, and our granddaughter all get on facetime and coo over the granddaugher. I guess it gives her something to do for a few minutes after supper.
Well, now the granddaughter is just old enough, she’s been calling me every other night or so. I get the call, hear some gibberish, I call her name, she says grandmpa, I tell her I lover her, I get I love you in return, and a bye. So a nice 3 minute break at the end of the day.
But since it comes from my daughter’s phone, I’ve been looking at the call thinking, why’s my daughter calling me? Is her car broken down or something? (she calls my spouse daily in addition to twin time, me maybe once a month lol).
For someone who likes being outside/active/hiking, that does sound fun. And that someone is not me! 
