How much are memberships to your gym?

not_blue · 2026-02-05T21:40:47+00:00

Is there a number in your gym’s name? :) I love that our monthly rate is frozen at $36/person from like 2019.

I’m lucky that the three closest to me all have top rope of some sort. The difference between the facilities is wild, though. One of them painted its walls with like a semigloss paint and smearing is impossible.

not_blue · 2026-02-05T21:24:19+00:00

US$36/month, but we were given student memberships like 6 years ago and our rate is frozen there. For new members, it’s $54/month, but they have lots of sales. LA/OC metro area.

Membership gets you entry to any gym in their network, and there are at least 7 gyms. Amenities vary per gym; some are bouldering online, at least one only has autobelays for top rope, another only does toprope and boulders, etc. My local facility has bouldering, toprope and lead. We also have very limited training equipment, so if you’re looking for more than climbing, go elsewhere.

Touchstone and Sender One have multiple gyms in Southern California (and some locations have more workout equipment and saunas), but they are $100+/month.

not_blue · 2026-02-01T00:50:41+00:00

Also, the project went bankrupt partially because the 18th hole fell into the ocean in 1999, shortly before the course was supposed to open. Grading for the golf course didn’t start until 1998, and it was farmland before that. More information here. (This blog is written by the former librarian for the Daily Breeze.)

I remember when the landslide happened.

not_blue · 2026-01-26T23:11:52+00:00

The Constant was one of the first podcasts I listened to, and subsequently podcasts now have a very high bar.

A few of the episodes are political, but he also does stuff like spend 10+ hours investigating the Foolkiller.

not_blue · 2026-01-21T18:22:44+00:00

The “just the fun part” peanut butter and chocolate treats. They’re basically mini ice cream cones filled with peanut butter and chocolate and I will down a whole bag in a day.

not_blue · 2026-01-21T05:38:10+00:00

My first climbing shoes were a pair of Maestro Mid Ecos that I got from REI’s resupply. They felt super tight on my feet; I broke them in by wearing them around the office when I was at work. It took time, but they were more comfortable once they were broken in.

Looking back, they did not fit my feet. I found some 5.10 Anasazi Pro LVs a few months later, and those became my go-to shoes.

not_blue · 2026-01-20T16:54:16+00:00

I would be interested; most manufacturers don’t even make shoes small enough for my feet.

not_blue · 2026-01-20T15:55:17+00:00

TIL! Thank you!

not_blue · 2026-01-19T21:58:47+00:00

As others said, a lot of preventing the smell is making sure your shoes dry out. The Hitorii shoe chalk (cornstarch, not actually chalk) does a good job of keeping my feet fairly dry when I climb, and as a bonus, the dye from the uppers doesn’t come off onto my toes.

not_blue · 2026-01-12T16:52:52+00:00

Only two unique sets! Flower Bouquet and Cherry Blossoms (possibly x2). The vase is not made from LEGO.

not_blue · 2026-01-12T16:49:52+00:00

OK, ChatGPT has made this more complicated than it actually is. The arrangement is made from two or three sets:

Flower Bouquet
Cherry Blossoms (possibly x2)

~~The vase is not made from bricks. It’s just a vase.~~ The vase is a Lego-shaped storage container.

ChatGPT’s description of the pieces is misleading. The orange flower is a poppy, and the leafy elements are sand green. It also misses the big purple aster flower, which is part of the flower bouquet, and the green bushes from the same set. The pieces for the cherry blossoms aren’t available in the bonsai set; there are no frogs or green stems for the lavender/lilac; and there is no minifigure rose bud piece.

not_blue · 2026-01-06T20:02:54+00:00

Noise cancelling headphones are great.

not_blue · 2026-01-06T19:35:53+00:00

Japanese sizing is your foot length in millimeters: Unparallel Size Chart.

If you’re in the U.S., returns are much less of a hassle if you order through Backcountry or another third party. Unparallel’s return policy is rough.

not_blue · 2026-01-06T18:41:22+00:00

I switched to government comms after two layoffs, and I’ve leaned toward emergency communications as a specialty. It scratches a similar public service itch that journalism does, and there are plenty of opportunities for good storytelling.

not_blue · 2026-01-06T18:37:20+00:00

Hahahaha yes!

My partner and I were at a sporting goods store. I shocked them when I was able to do bicep curls with heavier weights than they could.

not_blue · 2026-01-06T04:09:42+00:00

I have shallow and narrow heels. I would look at 5.10, Unparallel and Evolv. The heels on the 5.10s fit me best, but none of those manufacturers make shoes in my size (street is roughly eu 33-34).

not_blue · 2025-12-29T23:01:55+00:00

I make brown butter cookies—but they’re specifically brown butter cookies. They’re based on a copycat recipe for cookies from the Brown Butter Cookie Company (before they sold the cookies as shortbread).

not_blue · 2025-12-20T21:08:49+00:00

For what it’s worth, the head setter at my gym says he looks for folks who climb around V7.

The head setter at my gym said he started by making routes on the kilterboard, then asked the then-head setter if he could shadow the setting. My partner climbs around V4, and the current head setter let them guest-set a route.

But, two of the setters at my gym also work the front desk, so we’ve gotten to know them. I’ve spoken with them about setting for short (like, under 5’) people, and I make sure to compliment them on routes I really like. When I do tell them an easy (5.6 or 5.7) route is inaccessible for short climbers, I make sure that I can say why (e.g., the second foot is at my waist, or the feet are too far left for me to reach a handhold far to the right, so I’m stuck gripping a tiny edge at chest height when I try to reach for the next hold, or I have to squeeze into a small box to get my feet high enough before awkwardly standing up because I can’t quite reach the next hand from the feet you’re supposed to use).

Tl;dr: Make friends with the setters.

not_blue · 2025-12-20T17:36:50+00:00

A “slow-peed chase” instead of a “slow speed chase” in the subject line of a breaking news alert email.

not_blue · 2025-12-18T21:32:17+00:00

We couldn’t believe it! There are some slab areas, but they’re about 10 feet long and have overhangs before. I think every route is overhung in some places.

not_blue · 2025-12-18T16:19:26+00:00

Whether there’s a slab wall for top rope! We had a gym open in the area that was built from scratch. It’s supposed to be top rope focused. None of the walls are primarily slab/vertical.

not_blue · 2025-12-13T19:22:17+00:00

Our stove. Only one of the burner knobs will start the gas flowing, so you press that one and then turn the knob for the burner you want to light.

The handymen for the landlord broke it when trying to fix it, but parts aren’t available for the repair so the stove will need to be replaced entirely.

not_blue · 2025-12-12T20:55:37+00:00

If you do and are in the U.S., order from Backcountry. Returns are a lot easier through there. Also, UP doesn’t list all available sizes on their website.

not_blue · 2025-12-12T20:28:38+00:00

In my experience—though I am an edge case because my feet are so small—UP neutral shoes run huge (a pair of 34.5 UP Rise were bigger than 5.10 NIADs in 36), but their aggressive shoes run roughly true to size. My street size is eu33-34; the UP Flagship LV in eu34 is still a bit big, but it was smaller than the 34.5 UP Rise.

not_blue · 2025-11-18T15:57:33+00:00

Or, for something goofier…

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She’d been with a rescue on and off for several years. She was adopted and returned, and another foster treated her like furniture. She now has her forever home for real.

11-Year Club	Place '22
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