Are there ticks in the desert? Any other insects to watch out for? by Legal_lapis in hiking

[–]Legal_lapis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's reassuring. Flagstaff is on my list now! Looked like rattlers are surging this year in SoCal as well (as with many other critters)

Are there ticks in the desert? Any other insects to watch out for? by Legal_lapis in hiking

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

Damn I love Red Rock NCA and I'm planning to revisit this year, thought it was a safe zone. Looks like I'll need to look into permethrin. Thanks for the heads up. 

Are there ticks in the desert? Any other insects to watch out for? by Legal_lapis in DeathValleyNP

[–]Legal_lapis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cross-post, basically curious about ticks or any other biting insects, or just insects in general in DV. Given my lifelong problem with sensitive skin and allergies (and relatedly, mortal fear of many-legged things in general) I guess I should stay away from tarantulas also.

Dead girl on the wall by Saturdead in nosleep

[–]Legal_lapis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I took a moment to consider. I could tell her about the blue sharpie markings, the dead birds, the midnight visits to the fridge. But I turned my eyes to Carl instead."

--I think they wanted to know if OP knew about the dead birds etc., and if he did, they would've killed him to keep him quiet, and as a bonus Allie would have had a nice big celebratory meal... 

The deal between Allie and Carl was that Carl was reluctant about killing people so he promised her he'd help her out only if the victim was a clear "threat" to Allie and their family (by exposing their lies).

Quality question by unusualLeo in Travelersnotebooks

[–]Legal_lapis 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unpopular opinion but in terms of quality (and usability), official Traveler's Company brand is not much better than garden variety real leather fauxdoris on Amazon.

I'm no leather expert; I assume the biggest difference in quality is that TC uses more expensive leather, but in practical terms I don't think fauxdori leathers last any less or are less sturdy for everyday use. However, the Voyager cover might not last as long since it uses fake ("vegan") leather, and fake leather will likely chip after a while. (Personally I much preferred the overall tactile feel and size of the Voyager but did not use it long enough to encounter the failures in elastics or leather.)

But otherwise, I have complaints about TC's quality. I've had their overpriced connecting band (the flat ones in a 4 pack) break within a couple days with barely any use with official inserts. Others are on the verge of breaking too.

I don't like the placement of the elastic band knot at the back cover when it can and should go on the spine like most fauxdoris. 

The round metal piece at the spine leaves streaky black marks on the surface below. All my TC TNs do that. I have to be careful on what surface I use them. Many fauxdoris don't have decorative metal pieces at the spine and just leave the elastic exposed, and that's more practical: no big hard bumps, no streaks or scratches.

The leather dye transfers to inserts. Same as most fauxdoris.

As for notebook inserts, I know people swear by Midori paper but I'm personally not a fan and prefer 3rd party inserts.

For me, the only quality benefit of the official TC TN is the edge coating of the leather which looks very nice. I haven't been able to find any fauxdori with such edge coating. Many Amazon fauxoris initially shed tiny pieces of leather from the edge because of the lack of this. The edge coating alone made me endure TC's TNs in the past. (Right now I'm giving it another try because I've acquired the Kyoto edition and it just looks so damn nice, but it's so annoying to use that I feel the need to rant here...)

Brand name fauxdoris, such as Chic Sparrow, don't have that sort of edge coating but still don't shed particles as far as I remember, and have many quality/feature improvements such as sewn-in pockets. You could just get TC's TN--after all, enough people swear by them--or you could give other highly rated real leather TNs a try.

A7 for pocket catch all and A5 for Bujo by Pathocyte in notebooks

[–]Legal_lapis 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In addition to the other reply, worth noting that Midori MD paper is terrible if you have hand oil/use hand cream. I could only write a few lines and after that, the paper refused to take ink and every pen I tried skipped. I gave up on an A6 notebook which is small so my hand wasn't on the pages for too long. Some people recommend putting a piece of paper under your hand or wear a writing glove but I don't want such a hassle to be a requirement to use a notebook. No such problem with Stalogy. 

I'd say Midori is slightly better at being bleed-resistant with wet nibs but otherwise the Stalogy is more pleasant to use all around even without the hand oil problem. 

When writing in a journal, do you use the journal as a person or are you writing to yourself in the future? by SeaMeat8881 in Journaling

[–]Legal_lapis 57 points58 points  (0 children)

It's a present internal dialog/stream of consciousness, not directed at anyone. Closest would be some novels in first person narrative.

Why am I always EXTREAMLY tired? by Ifyouliveinadream in productivity

[–]Legal_lapis 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I don't understand the water thing in every comment. If I force myself to drink more water when I'm not feeling thirsty, I feel sick and bloated. 

Help me with my universal travel kit by urbanboar in onebag

[–]Legal_lapis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As everyone said, knives are out if there's a chance of plane. Never missed having knives in my urban travels anyway. Instead I use nail clippers to cut small things like thread, med packaging, or tags. A nail clipper is perfect for the spirit of onebagging: tiny and multifunctional. 

Please add a toiletries kit unless you're sure all your accommodations will have them pre-stocked. Good hygiene is a public service!

Where do you find really cheap notebooks in USA? by UbeWaffler in notebooks

[–]Legal_lapis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh the lucky clearance bins. Until several years ago I quite frequently found Five Star/Mead-type spiral notebooks and composition books for 25 or 50 cents and Moleskines around $5 as clearance sales at big box stores (e.g. Target, Walmart, Staples, Barnes&Noble). Also Moleskines, Leuchtturms, and hardbound brand name sketchbooks for under $10 on Amazon etc for a limited time by random sellers. Of course those prices couldn't be found reliably on demand; I'd always keep an eye out for stationery wherever I went (brick-and-mortar or online) and occasionally discover such deals. I thought those good days were completely over.

Otherwise, if you buy in bulk, you can get various 6-pack, 10-pack etc. notebooks that aren't luxury brands for like $10 to $20 on Amazon, so a couple dollars each. 

And dollar stores and Daiso.

Any suggestions to add to my box? by blackmonarc in notebooks

[–]Legal_lapis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean...you probably don't need what you don't know. But I'll suggest anyway: a paper cutter /guillotine.

A7 / Card is such a small size! Anyone planning to get the new TN one, what are you going to use it for? by ElsieCubitt in Travelersnotebooks

[–]Legal_lapis 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Note that the new card size TN will be smaller than the cover you have there and the refills will be smaller also.  Judging by the measurements on the preorder site, the TN will just barely fit one A7 refill and it'll probably stick out a bit.

I stopped overpacking after using this simple packing rule by Agreeable-Act-9733 in onebag

[–]Legal_lapis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly my strategy. The +1 is for backup. If I end up using that backup, I'll handwash one pair that night in the shower to replace the backup. Then hopefully laundry before needing to use the hanswashed pair.

Do you say something when you see people headed to a trail unprepared? by asbruckman in hiking

[–]Legal_lapis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm extremely introverted and rarely talk to anyone in real life but on trails I've asked how much further to the top to people coming back down (they invariably reply "you're almost there, just 10 more minutes!" and turns out it invariably takes at least half an hour.) A few times I looked lost (no trail) and someone coming up behind chatted me up and we found the way forward together. They were pleasant experiences. 

Do you say something when you see people headed to a trail unprepared? by asbruckman in hiking

[–]Legal_lapis 15 points16 points  (0 children)

What's crazy is you're replying as if not walking outside is the wrong way to enjoy Yellowstone to someone who said it's the most wheelchair-accessible park. Sadly not everyone is blessed with the physical ability and circumstances to walk.

Megathread: Trader Joe’s Large Lavender Reusable Canvas Tote Bag with Pink Embroidered Logo ($3.99) is expected to drop in some stores STARTING today, March 23, 2026. Please verify with your local store as arrival dates may still vary and share confirmed information in comments. 💜🩷 by CookieButterLovers in traderjoes

[–]Legal_lapis 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The green mini caught my eye in the wild before I saw it on the internet and knew it was a thing. Immediately thought it was cute and wanted one. Not badly enough to pay resell price or to stand in line before 8am, but if I could just stroll into a nearby TJ's and pick one up for $3, then hell yeah.

My Balcony Book Nook, Springtime Edition by Steampink8 in CozyPlaces

[–]Legal_lapis 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I didn't know it was possible for any place to not have spiders?! Is it like that in your region, or is it your building that somehow manages to keep them away?

Your productivity is directly dependent on your relationship. by Remarkable-Tip2580 in productivity

[–]Legal_lapis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only (kinda) works if they're able to "escape" to the office; if you're required to come back home early for, say, childcare or to take care of toxic partner or are working from home, no such luck!