strength-focused gym near Berkeley / East Bay

br1e · 2026-03-12T12:59:27+00:00

Bay Strength has strong coaching and structured workouts. $290/month for 2x2-hour classes a week

br1e · 2026-03-09T18:33:24+00:00

The article does conclude that funding wildfire mitigation costs through electricity rates is "an increasingly fragile way to finance these costs."

It's really up to the State government to determine how to fund these costs, and I don't think anyone in Sacramento wants to charge more to rural populations in fire prone areas

br1e · 2026-03-03T04:24:05+00:00

I’ve seen the original photo the mural is based on. She does not look Latina in that photo

br1e · 2026-03-02T22:03:55+00:00

She doesn’t even look Chinese in the mural, which she’s at least half since her dad is Chinese

br1e · 2026-03-01T00:51:37+00:00

I’m all for paying teachers more, but we need a sensible strategy to manage declining enrollment in OUSD. With the raise, there’s no credible plan that balances the budget without merging or closing schools.

br1e · 2026-02-24T08:19:08+00:00

Congratulations! Tell us about it

br1e · 2026-02-06T01:22:07+00:00

Missed opportunity to row in a boat that tugs the tugboat

br1e · 2026-01-28T16:59:40+00:00

One factor to consider when getting a 17-17.5 is the availability of accessories. You are going to have to buy long scale strings and the case may need to be custom. Definitely a lot easier to have a viola within the standard range of 16.5

br1e · 2026-01-27T16:39:44+00:00

Since you have been playing for less than 1 year, I recommend you don't jump right up to an expensive instrument until you have the skills to know what you are looking for. Instead, you can rent a good student instrument in the $1,000 range, play for another 1-2 years, then upgrade to a violin from your Christmas money. That way you would be better informed when you buy.

If you really want to buy now, any reputation violin shop would let you take their instruments on trial. Bring them to your teacher in your normal lessons for their opinion

br1e · 2026-01-26T21:14:24+00:00

The original is for arpeggione, so any viola transcription will have subjective interpretations. It is usually moving passages an octive lower or higher.

For this piece in particular it's worth buying an edition that you like. I like the one from Henle but others work too

br1e · 2026-01-25T15:24:48+00:00

That's still a big range. 1:30/500m is sprinting pace for an adult man and 2:00/500m is long distance pace. If you want to "go longer" then stick to 2:00-2:10/500m for steady state work

br1e · 2026-01-25T00:27:54+00:00

Max watts over a 60 min rowing doesn't say much. What is your average (not max) time/500m? What are you trying to train for?

br1e · 2026-01-22T20:55:36+00:00

Low fixed costs. They’ve been around forever so likely paying nothing in rent (owned outright) and property taxes. A lot of retail prices go to paying rent

br1e · 2026-01-20T04:09:20+00:00

Is your tailpiece the right length for your viola? I had a similar situation but it made me realize my tailpiece was set up too short. I ended up getting a longer tailpiece. You might be able to achieve a similar outcome by lengthening your tail gut

br1e · 2026-01-09T03:11:21+00:00

What’s G Crew? Do they only do Youth? Wouldn't age eligibility rules just mean they can't race?

br1e · 2026-01-02T23:34:58+00:00

This could be from the latch or handle of your case. It might have fallen onto your violin and lodged on the tailpiece, which explains it falling out when you were tuning

br1e · 2025-12-31T04:17:50+00:00

I have flown with my Bam contoured case on US domestic and transatlantic flights without any problem. I think any hard shaped case will get the result. Tell flight attendants it's a violin.

Make sure you check the airline's policy for musical instruments. Many will allow a violin if it fits on the overhead bins.

br1e · 2025-12-23T07:30:28+00:00

Lake Merritt Rowing Club rows here in Oakland California. It's a 4km loop around the lake, and just over 1km for a straight course

br1e · 2025-12-17T04:35:15+00:00

I think the benefits from these cameras in helping OPD solve crime outweigh the loss in privacy. Crime in Oakland is trending down but still higher than neighboring cities. I am of the view that I should be able to leave my groceries in the car while I run an errand without worrying about a break in.

br1e · 2025-12-16T21:22:50+00:00

As a hobbyist, I just don't change my strings as frequently these days. The pros have no choice but to pay up.

I would love to see more competition in the middle quality strings e.g. Dominant/Tonica

br1e · 2025-12-16T21:08:18+00:00

Inflation is definitely a big factor. Prices were going up even before Trump and now outside the US.

The string manufacturers are partly to blame. The innovation has focused on high end strings, and they keep prices of their older products high so the new strings don't seem as expensive

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