The removal of the hot tub that sat there absolutely broke my heart.

But you’re saying it’s been replaced by a cold plunge that I need to pay 5 dollars for every single use? And that i need to ask the front desk to give me a slip to then give to a life guard to sign and then give back to the front desk and then reconnect with the life guard so they can stand next to me while I plunge? And the maximum plunge is 2 minutes?

Why did you do this to me, YMCA?

For my grandma's wedding dress- not really a typical wedding dress but a (tentatively) cotton/wool suit skirt set that she wore on her wedding day. It's not crazy delicate but it is very old, and irreplaceable.

Does anyone know a dry cleaner in Bloomington or surrounding areas that has experience with this kind of delicate older item?

Hi everyone — I’m looking for recommendations for a good HVAC contractor in the Bloomington, IN area who can also handle ductwork.

I have a room over my garage that is uncomfortable year-round (too hot in summer, too cold in winter). After some investigation, I found:

The garage ceiling is finished (drywall). HVAC ducts run through the ceiling/joist space between the garage and the room above. There are vents in the garage that are actively blowing conditioned air into the garage. I’m assuming this is contributing to both energy loss and poor comfort in the room above.

I’m not super experienced with HVAC systems, so I’m looking for someone who can: Inspect the ductwork in the garage ceiling. Seal or remove any ducts that shouldn’t be supplying the garage.

Check for leaks / insulation issues in the ducts Potentially improve airflow to the room above the garage.

If anyone has recommendations for reliable HVAC pros (or companies to avoid), I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

We've got a non-working riding mower, a bunch of old shutters, and other stuff. Would rather hire someone to take it all away than hire a truck and do it ourselves.

Who knows somebody reliable?

Does anyone know why it’s closing? I hear that Taqueria Acapulco is moving into the space

I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I already complained about Kroger off of Kinsler Pike being full of expired food before, but this is another Bloomington thing that gets me. IUCU is not a bank. It's a credit union, and, yes, there is a difference. A bank is privately owned, for-profit, and is owned by the shareholders, whereas a credit union is owned by the members, and not for-profit. The amount of times I hear people outside of the IUCU branch off of Winslow say over the phone "I'm at the bank" or say bank instead of saying "credit union" or "IU Credit Union" really gets me because its not the same thing. While, yes, both provide financial services, and it functions as a bank, it is not a bank and there is a difference. I use IUCU <em>because</em> of the fact its a credit union and not a bank.

Hi guys I was wondering if there’s any cute picnic spots in, or around town! Me and my friend wanna do a picnic tomorrow preferably somewhere not too crowded!

With the rain will fireworks still be happening tonight? Especially the Lake Lemon ones

What are some of your favorite places to take a day trip outside of Bloomington?

I have two free tickets to Jack Johnson today. They are free! I had two friends who can’t go. Tickets are yours - message me quick please 🙏🏽

Quite a few people have been commenting about Duke Energy's recommendation to set thermostats to 78˚. Most comments I've seen, here and elsewhere, are from people who don't like the idea. That's understandable. A lot of people don't want a giant corporation telling them what to do. As a general rule, people don't like to be told what to do in their own home.

I'm going to suggest that you do this anyway. Not for Duke Energy's benefit. Not because Duke Energy told you to. Do it for your own benefit.

If 78˚ sounds like living in an oven to you because you normally keep your thermostat set much lower, try bumping your thermostat up by just one or two degrees.

If you're thinking, "nope. I want to be comfortable," I get it. I grew up without air conditioning. I clearly remember lying awake in bed on hot August nights, sweaty and miserable. There's something about being hot when you're trying to sleep that's much more unpleasant than being outside in even hotter temperatures during the day.

Here's why bumping your thermostat up is still a good idea.

First, you'll save money. How much is hard to say. There's a pretty wide range of estimates out there, and the actual amount you save will probably depend on things like the size of your home and the condition of your HVAC system. But keeping your thermostat set a couple of degrees higher in the summer could potentially reduce your energy bill by 5% to 10% or more.

From personal experience, it seems like you can potentially save a lot of money. In the summertime I keep my thermostat set at 78˚during the day and 76˚ at night. I lived in Florida for a number of years and did the same down there. I remember talking to a few different neighbors and being shocked by how much more they spent on electricity per month than I did. One big difference seemed to be that they kept their AC set a lot colder. I've experienced the same thing when talking with people here.

Another benefit is that the heat will likely bother you less when you do go outside. When I was living in FL I mostly worked outdoors. I was out in the legendary FL heat and humidity all day long. I didn't use AC much in my car, and had the AC at home set to 78˚ like I wrote above. The heat didn't really bother me. I noticed that people who spent their days going from their air conditioned house to their air conditioned car to their air conditioned office seemed to be bothered by it way more than I was.

Our bodies adapt. These days I mostly work from home. I'm not as accustomed to being out in the heat the way I used to be, but I suspect that the heat outdoors would be much more jarring if I kept the AC at home cranked way down. And honestly, 78˚ indoors feels totally comfortable. I'm used to it.

I suspect a lot of other people could get used to that temperature, too, and find it totally comfortable. You don't have to go there all at once. You can bump your thermostat up a degree or two, get used to that, then bump it up again after a week or so. Eventually, you might find 78˚ to be totally comfortable. You might start saving a bunch of money, too.

I’m moving to Bloomington in August and will be a student, does anyone know a good place to work? I’m nervous about being able to pay my rent but also having enough time for classes and studying. Thank you!

If you go to Target this weekend, beware the electronics & technology section. A third-party vendor will try to talk you in to switching to AT&T. These guys work for companies known as "Devilcorp," (otherwise known as "Smart Circle," "Cydcor," and "Credico") who exploit young, naive recruits under the guise of life-changing wealth and entrepreneurship opportunities (even though most of them end up making barely a couple dollars per hour). Additionally, most contracts you sign from these guys will raise your rates or screw up your cell phone and Internet plans.

As somebody who used to do basically the exact same work, I can tell you that the vast majority of in-store solicitations (and door-to-door solicitations) are scams and will end up costing you much more in the long run. These companies scam recruits and customers equally.

edit: These guys are usually at the stores between 10am-7pm.