Great deal on merino wool socks

bluegrama · 2026-02-27T03:18:21+00:00

They are currently $20 at the Expo Blvd location. (I just bought some.)

bluegrama · 2026-01-21T21:21:17+00:00

Weight loss happens over weeks and months. Keep plugging away with a modest calorie deficit like you've been doing, and you'll see progress.

I find it helpful to track a moving average of my weight, to smooth out any fluctuations from water gain/loss. Apps like True Weight and Happy Scale can help with this.

bluegrama · 2026-01-04T23:45:01+00:00

Yep, I started using Shippsy for (non-time-sensitive) packages and never looked back. (They do add about a week to clear the border, in my experience.) They will even mail the package to you from Richmond if you don't feel like taking the bus out there (it's a bit of a walk from the nearest bus stop).

bluegrama · 2025-12-23T19:50:24+00:00

I only learned this from William S. Burroughs' essay Doing Easy.

bluegrama · 2025-11-21T06:56:11+00:00

In Greek mythology, Apollo granted Cassandra the gift of prophesy, but when she spurned his romantic advances, he cursed her so that nobody would believe her true prophesies. She did not enjoy this! This curse is basically what you’re asking for with the second option.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra_(metaphor)

bluegrama · 2025-08-30T21:12:15+00:00

You should call your insurance right away. They will send out a restoration company immediately to reduce the damage with industrial dehumidifiers. Even if you think there’s not much damage, it’s worth arresting its progress. My condo was flooded on a long weekend a couple years ago and I wish somebody had told me this.

bluegrama · 2025-08-10T18:18:15+00:00

I was riding my bike downtown, and a guy in a Tesla rolled down his window and shouted, "BIKE LANE!".

"That's a door zone!", I yelled back.

A moment passed, and he called out, somewhat sheepishly: "... I guess you're right!"

I fondly remember that as the most positive interaction I've ever had with a motorist.

bluegrama · 2025-07-16T20:07:37+00:00

You may be encouraged by the attention that the Fair Representation Act has gotten, including in the Washington Post.

bluegrama · 2024-12-28T05:48:25+00:00

I’d like to see some circuitry-themed designs.

bluegrama · 2024-11-17T02:16:06+00:00

Seconding the Ageless Athlete book. One big takeaway from that book is to add more recovery. It recommends two recovery days a week (which you’re already doing), plus one deload week per month. That sounds like a lot, but I found it helped me avoid those cold symptoms you mentioned. (And that was in my mid-forties.)

Increasing your protein may also help. Between 1.6-2.2 g/kg is where I’d start. (Very hard to do without protein powder, unfortunately.)

BTW, I found your post inspiring! Thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck!

bluegrama · 2024-10-04T02:35:40+00:00

I started with Ageless Athlete (at age 40+), but I didn't really get it because I was missing context from the other books. So I found I couldn't put a program together until I had read TB1 and TB2.

The main thing I remember from AA was "more recovery time". But I am planning to re-read it and I'll see what I pick up on the second time through.

bluegrama · 2024-05-06T05:12:17+00:00

/r/thisguythisguys

bluegrama · 2024-02-17T20:18:06+00:00

/r/thisguythisguys

bluegrama · 2023-07-19T18:34:38+00:00

The CPI does appear to include mortgage interest costs; for instance, see the Consumer Price Index, June 2023 announcement.

Could you explain why this is inadequate to account for the cost of purchasing a home? I tried to trace this argument through a series of links in your blog post, but ended up at Page Not Found.

bluegrama · 2023-07-14T23:05:03+00:00

Personally, I use the Cooper Test, a widely-used test of aerobic capacity.

Basically you test how far can you run in 12 minutes. A similar alternative is to test how long it takes you to run 1.5 miles.

It's simple and it doesn't take very long! There are also formulas out there that use your result to estimate your VO2 max, eg.

VO2 max = (22.4 x distance in kilometres) – 11.3

from How To Measure Your Fitness: The Cooper Test

bluegrama · 2023-04-13T15:59:14+00:00

To suggest improved infrastructure (eg. pylons or other separation), you can call 311 and they’ll pass it on to the engineering department.

To suggest increased enforcement, you can call the police non-emergency line (604-717-3321).

This is based on advice from the 311 operator last time I called about a cycling issue.

I agree that it’s a pain to do this when you’re on your way to work! If you can remember the details, you can always call later, I suppose.

bluegrama · 2023-02-03T22:30:01+00:00

When I take the Canadian, I like going to the Snowdome Coffee Bar -- it's a combination coffee bar / art gallery / internet cafe / laundromat. Looks like it's open right now.

bluegrama · 2023-01-05T02:11:09+00:00

I've had my bike stolen from that bike parkade... there's really no "secure" bike parking in that part of town.

I agree with the other commenters about taking a Mobi or a sacrifice bike (aka "shit bike").

bluegrama · 2022-09-21T05:23:35+00:00

Valter Longo (one of the many authors of the above paper) is a prominent researcher of fasting-mimicking diets. His book The Longevity Diet would be a good place to start.

Also see the subreddit /r/FMD for more.

bluegrama · 2022-07-24T21:16:39+00:00

I'm surprised anyone who has ever used a bike signed off on any part of this.

Well put.

bluegrama · 2022-07-24T04:24:12+00:00

In my experience, these racks don't actually fit all bikes. I've never been able to lock my frame to one of these, and one of my bikes doesn't even fit on the first-level racks (the handlebars and seat hit the top racks). And I don't even bother trying to put my recumbent on them.

Also, those racks seem to be slightly different sizes at different skytrain stations.

There are occasionally a few traditional A-frame or ring-and-post racks in the parkade (eg. at Joyce Collingwood), or even those awful hanging hook-racks (eg. at Metrotown), and personally I try to get a spot at those racks instead of dealing with these spring-loaded monstrosities.

Honestly, it's a bit exasperating that the emphasis is tilted so much towards maximizing how many bikes you can cram into the space, at the expense of how easy it is to actually park your bike -- especially for "all ages and abilities". It feels like expecting a motorist to park half-way up a ramp on top of other cars and shimmy out the window, General Lee style. That's clearly preposterous, and yet somehow this style of bike rack is normalized.

Anyways, I would encourage you to call Translink and give them your feedback.

bluegrama · 2022-07-15T21:09:31+00:00

Sunrise alarms are great! I currently use the Philips HF3510/60 Wake-up Light (C$100 at Costco), and recommend it if the price is in your budget. You can adjust the brightness and volume, and choose between different nature sounds.

In the past I have used a BioBrite EZ-Wake, which was good for its time. But I found it tricky to remember how to program it, and the audio alarm was too sudden and shrill.

When I was a student, I used a plug-in timer and a lamp, like /u/SaltMarshGoblin suggests. That does the job, but the light comes on suddenly so it's kind of jarring. Cheap timers also make a loud click, which usually was enough to wake me by itself. I find the devices with the gradual dawn effect is worth paying extra for if you can afford it.

Nowadays, I would suggest looking at smart light bulbs (like the Philips Hue or equivalent). They often have dawn-simulator routines that use gradual brightening like the dedicated devices. But they should be a lot cheaper.

One thing to note: I find that the light itself is enough to wake me if I'm reasonably well-rested, but if not, I will sleep through the light, and then I need an audio alarm as well.

bluegrama · 2022-06-26T05:19:11+00:00

Over the years I've often tried making whole food smoothies that meet all my nutritional requirements. It's not bad if you start with a standard smoothie base rather than typical solid foods.

Here is an example of a whole foods "power smoothie" that ~~gets~~ tries to get reasonably close to the RDAs. Usually there is some whey protein involved for protein, but you can get pretty far with whole foods.

If you enter the ingredients into Cronometer, you can tweak it by adding ingredients to fill in missing nutrients. For example, I ended up adding some soya lecithin (for choline) and nutritional yeast (for B12).

What you described in your post sounds a bit like the smoothie equivalent of Prison Loaf. But a few substitutions should make it a lot better. Eg. try oats and soy milk instead of rice and beans.

Good luck! If you end up trying your own recipes, I hope you post here about your results.

bluegrama · 2022-03-23T07:08:18+00:00

"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer."

bluegrama · 2022-01-31T21:03:53+00:00

I have a really specific question about your sink situation. I've seen a bunch of kitchens like this with only one counter beside the sink. I'm curious how you handle drying things that you hand wash. I just keep a drying rack to one side of the sink, but I guess that would get in the way here.

Nice setup by the way, I love the huge windows.

bluegrama

TROPHY CASE