Did you actually hear the bearings grinding before you pulled it apart, or was it more of a gut feeling? I've skipped lube jobs on my rig for way longer than that and never had an issue, kinda sounds like a one-off thing.

Honestly, gas station slaps harder when you're actually hungry.

That landing idea is genius, felix147. My own basement steps have about eight inch treads and I added a handrail on both sides last year, which honestly helped more than I expected. Halfway landings sound like the perfect middle ground between keeping the old bones and not eating shit on the way down with an armful of laundry.