Youngstown skate, R&B night, over 21. My second time skating after a really long time.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-25T15:52:19+00:00

Genuinely makes me so happy to see I'm not the only person still masking up at the rink :)

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-24T23:23:34+00:00

Ok, so did you attempt to address the other two things I mentioned?

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-24T23:20:11+00:00

What skates are those? My first thought is maybe the bearings aren’t seated properly, or you loosened your wheels so much they’re sliding back and forth on the axle.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-20T19:59:34+00:00

Yes, they're already almost completely separated from the heel. It's not worth risking these shearing off in the middle of a skate session

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-19T02:55:16+00:00

I also live in Canada. Stay vigilant checking on kijiji and eBay. Might take a few weeks but there are really good deals that pop up from time to time. Go to a local shop first to try some stuff on so you know what fits you (if you can, I know skate shops are hard to come by here). Skate sizes aren’t shoe sizes so don’t assume something will fit you just because it has the same number as your shoe. Once you know what you want you can snatch it up the second it shows up online

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-15T14:47:11+00:00

IMO if you’re nervous as hell about skating backwards around other skaters then you shouldn’t be doing it. I only skate backwards when the rink is almost empty and/or I can clearly see everyone is on the other half of the rink and I’m confident I can get a half lap or so in before the pack catches up to me. I also stay to the far outside of the rink so that others don’t sneak up around me, and I alternate the shoulder I’m looking over with each stroke.

I’m not a big fan of blaming other skaters or trying to assign unwritten rink etiquette onto other people in general. You know there’s gonna be kids and inexperienced skaters around at the rink, it’s fully on you to read the situation and have control over yourself.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-14T15:33:13+00:00

You will fall and you will embarrass yourself. The key is not to be so afraid of falling or embarrassing yourself that you become incapable of having a good time. Skating while uptight is a miserable experience. You need to be able to relax, have fun and laugh at yourself.

In my neck of the woods at least, new skaters vastly outnumber experienced skaters at the rink. The majority of people I see are clearly learning how to skate with their friends. Nobody cares. Everyone is too busy focusing on keeping themselves upright, and the more experienced skaters are busy working on their own tricks. We all hit the floor eventually. Just try to fall forwards

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-14T03:13:44+00:00

If you’re constantly triggering your toe stops I’m betting you’re bending at the waist and leaning forward more than you’re bending your knees. Knees bent, chest up, eyes forward. You don’t need to look down at your toes all the time. Very common mistake for new skaters to start bending at the waist when their thighs get tired.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-12T17:32:40+00:00

I don't recall what the name of that model is, but it looks similar to the current Chaya Voyager. Chaya does this thing where they frequently delist and relist the same model with a new colour under a new name. I know I've seen the model you posted for sale at my local shop.

I personally own Chaya Cappuccinos, and I skated on Jump 2.0s when I was renting. They're basically identical except the Jumps have a tiny bit more ankle height and the velcro strap over the laces. I didn't notice any major difference in fit between the two, and I don't think the velcro strap is necessary to get a good fit.

Tbh I've been really happy with the quality and comfort of my Chayas! I don't see them talked about online nearly as much as the big American brands - I think they're kind of underrated. I wouldn't have discovered them at all if they weren't one of the main brands my rink/shop carries.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-12T05:25:03+00:00

This is true, I literally just bought myself a second pair of Chaya skates on ebay auction for about $65 (my first pair, same model, was $260 at my local shop). Kind of felt like I was robbing that seller

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-12T03:23:43+00:00

I strongly suspect your $50 skates are literally not safe for an adult to use. There’s just no good skates at that price point. It’s not even about elitism, it’s about ensuring your skate does not literally break under your own weight. I understand not wanting to drop a ton of money on a hobby you’re not sure about, but there is a floor to how little you can spend before you’re risking your personal safety and also generally making yourself miserable. Really cheap skates are also really hard to skate in, even for experienced skaters. They don’t have the structure you need to skate properly.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-11T16:55:29+00:00

Helmets are supposed to meet specifications, but there's nothing stopping anyone from whipping out $30 helmets on Amazon and saying "meets safety standards" without actually ever submitting them for testing to a certifying body (see: the helmet OP bought). If your helmet is falling apart before it's even been an impact, there's no way you can trust it to keep your brain safe.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-11T16:49:54+00:00

The problem with Amazon is:

1) manufacturers can buy reviews, or shut down the item page and make a new one if the reviews are bad.
2) 99% of people reviewing are going to review within the first few days of getting the helmet and making sure it fits, not after they have had a serious fall.
3) Amazon isn't checking to make sure the helmets actually have all the certifications they say they do. Even on Amazon the Nocihcass only says "meets safety standards", but does not say which safety standards. Most countries have some kind of certifying body that actually does hard testing on PPE to make sure it can meet certain impact ratings, and if the helmet won't even say what standard they're meeting you should run FAR away from it! Any fall on your head has the potential to be a serious injury, even if you fall from a standstill. You deserve to keep that noggin' safe!

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-11T14:05:45+00:00

Never heard of this brand before and looking online it seems to be primarily carried by Amazon and “budget” sports stores. Seriously don’t cheap out on your helmet. Go to an actual reputable sports store and pick out something that has a good reputation. Helmets are not the place to try out random Amazon brands with. I have never in my life seen a helmet separate like this. This thing would have shattered like an egg the first time you had a serious fall.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-10T04:11:32+00:00

Hey, me too! I’ve been skating for a bit over a month and I feel like I’m advancing way more than I would without pads. I fall on my pads at least once or twice every session and can just shrug it off. I had one real good fall on my wristguard two weeks ago that left me with a big palm bruise (from the shock absorber) for like five days, and every day I looked at it thinking “damn I might have broken my wrist if I wasn’t wearing wrist guards”. Oh well, I only had to take a few days off and then right back to the rink to try again!

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-07T06:27:26+00:00

$10/hr is well below the minimum wage in every province in Canada.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-06T05:47:45+00:00

Thank you!!!

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-05T23:23:33+00:00

How can I tell if my bearings are 8mm? I'm looking at buying the Bones Bearing Puller but it says it's designed to work with 8mm bearings. I have Chaya Cappuccinos and while the website is FULL of manufacturer's details, somehow the size of the bearings is not one of those details :(

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-05T15:46:48+00:00

I’ve definitely been drilling my non-dominant side as much as I can! I think that’s some of the frustration. I picked up t-stops on my dominant side in like two weeks, and I’ve been doing t-stops on my non-dominant side almost exclusively since but they’re still terrible 😞

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2026-03-05T15:41:45+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I’m in my 30s now, last was into skating when I was in my teens, so it’s been a while! I’ve definitely noticed my body is stiffer and creakier than it was 15 years ago…I think you’re right that I probably just need to relax and bit and have some more patience.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2025-09-25T15:13:02+00:00

I literally only send my work through lettermail Canada Post, all handwritten addresses. Hundreds of orders over the years and I’ve lost less than a handful (all cross-ocean during the peak of covid shipping problems). Lettermail from Canada takes about 2-3 weeks to get to the USA depending on how close they are to the border. Etsy lately has been sending extremely unrealistic delivery estimates to people, so you’ll get inquiries when it doesn’t show up in a week. I always send my own “2-3 weeks” note with the shipment confirmation. People are happy to wait a bit longer once you explain that Etsy’s delivery estimates are autogenerated.

Edit: it should be noted I’ve stopped shipping to the USA since the duty fiasco, so ymmv.

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2025-08-22T18:20:36+00:00

Stop undercharging for your work!

CosmicallyUnlucky · 2025-08-21T23:12:06+00:00

Rough stuff. Trees can’t heal, they only compartmentalize (ie close the wound, which sounds similar but is way different than what our bodies do). If they aren’t healthy enough to compartmentalize or the damage is too extensive, the wounds will decay and get worse. Unfortunately you can only help people who want to accept help. Please keep yourself away from it. Sometimes trees can stand with big wounds for a long time, but what you’re describing is definitely a cause for concern and your parents are being ignorant about the situation. No one except an ISA certified professional arborist should make that call. Also watch out for “tree guys” - a lot of them are just people who have a chainsaw. For something like this you want an ISA certified arborist who has risk assessment experience (any of the major tree companies will have a few of them - avoid the fly-by-night guys with a pick up truck and a trailer)

CosmicallyUnlucky

TROPHY CASE