#its the cheapest feeling plastic case

[grimandghoulish]

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[diskmess]

ABOUT THESE EXPLORATIONS

(This is already posted on the 'about' page, but no one's gonna see that so I'm making it a normal post as well)

I listened to music differently in middle school. My relationship with music was different.

For an amount of reasons, LimeWiring songs had become a sort of non-possibility. This left me at the mercy of whatever I could find on YouTube (circa 2008) and whatever CDs I could get my grubby, nasty little hands on. Single pieces of music meant a lot more to me. Just one entire album of songs would suffice for at least a month’s entertainment. 

In the eighth grade I remember getting a teenage-sized lecture on monthly budgeting. As a basic exercise, we were individually given a monthly budget and several necessities we had to spend that money on. Each necessity had tiers from least to most expensive. For entertainment expenses, the cheapest option was one $10 CD every month. After that, the options got significantly more expensive. Of course, I chose the humble Compact Disk.

The teacher chuckled. “Really? Just one CD a month? No movies or anything?” 

Really. 

Some guy my mom was seeing at the time gave us a portable CD player. I used it almost every night alongside some cheap sound-canceling cans that were originally a gift for my dad, but he never used them. I’d blast the air conditioning, flip on the noise cancellation, push the “2x Bass” button on the CD player and just lay in bed with my eyes closed, listening as the disk spun.  

Which brings me to Now:

I recently threw my Spotify subscription in the Kill Pile. I have been discovering (and rediscovering) other ways to Love music. The first of these discoveries (and rediscoveries) was The Joy of Catching the Radio. Maybe someday I will write about The Joy of Catching the Radio. I will not write about it now.

The second of these discoveries (and rediscoveries) was The Joy of the Compact Disk. 

I like writing it with a K. It feels tougher and chunkier. Maybe calling a smooth, glossy little disk “tough” and “chunky” sounds incorrect. Maybe writing it this way comes across as teaboo posturing. That’s fine. I understand that CDs were once the sleeker and sexier Music Circle, killing vinyl dead. 

Why buy a big, fat, clumsy, skippy-crackly record when you could buy this ultra-convenient little disk that you can even play in your car? 

Some years pass, and it changes: 

Why buy an easily scratch n’ scritchable rotting disc when you could just stream it? 

And the tables turn: 

Why even buy a CD when you could buy a huge record that loudly displays your Deep Love for the music in all of its crackly, analog charm?

The Compact Disk is no longer sleek and sexy. These things hog up valuable real-estate in record stores. One of my local record stores even has a ‘buy three, get one free’ deal for CDs. They line the walls of that store, becoming one with the border that separates the Out There from the In Here. They sit in cardboard trays underneath the neat rows of vinyl and assimilate into the furniture’s sturdy legs.

HENCE:

I insist on using the equally correct, chunkier spelling of the word ‘disc.’ These things, in their pointy-cornered little plastic cases, are proper disks. 

Last month, newly free from the SHACKLES of Spotify, I popped into a record store on a whim. Underneath the shelves of vinyl records, there were boxes full of CDs. I got down on my hands and knees and carefully dug around each and every box, my fingers getting dust-crusted in the process. These things were dirt cheap. I bought about five of ‘em for a piddling fifteen American dollars. I bought some albums I know and Love, some albums I kinda know, and some stuff I’d never heard of in my life. 

The Joy of the Compact Disk turned my blood into gasoline fire. My heart exploded into larger versions of itself.

Finding music this way elicits a sense of exploration and discovery that I never got from just browsing related artists on Spotify. It’s impossible to describe. Even so, I’d like to try, if I can, to share a small morsel of the fruits of these explorations with Whoever Feels Like Reading All This.

Here is the CD player I will be using. It’s actually very similar to the one I had in middle school, although it lacked the swanky Walkman branding. It even has a bass boosting button, cutely labeled “SOUND.” This thing delights me. Beyond the joyful color and wonderfully bubblous design, it also reminds me of a Walkman MP3 player I used to hog from my older brother. I think I hogged it so much that it eventually became mine. I also happen to be borrowing this particular device from my younger sibling. It feels like the most appropriate machine to use on my voyage of music discovery (and rediscovery).

With all that said, I’d like to have these Online Postings be brief, for the most part. I’d like to share the experience of my DISCOVERY, followed by a description of my own EXPLORATION of the disk’s contents. As always and forever: you can read it or don’t. I dare not hang such annoyances upon anyone who doesn’t Want to be annoyed. There is no expectation. I only want to extend an invitation.

I intend to listen to these disks while laying in bed, distraction-free. I intend to become a vessel. I will go wherever I am led. Whatever I find upon arrival, I will describe to the best of my ability.

Thank you.

(I posted the first of these Reports a short while ago. You can read it here if you'd like — and only if you'd like.)

[britishassistant]

I will go back to our regular AU for a bit : Yuu is told from the First Year squad+ Kamil , Ortho and the Twins it's soon the birthday of their respective boss (at their respective date) and they all plan to kidnap them for the party they hold (minus Jamil- it's Kamil who organize it in secret. And Ortho for obvious reason) . Yuu get a present for each villain . What kind of present would it be ???

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

And hmm, that’s a toughie! After all, most of our supervillains are quite well-off and Yuu’s salary is…

Not the best. To put it nicely.

The reporter could always “give” them the gift of their company, but that feels a bit like a cop-out to Yuu.

So after wracking their brains long and hard, they’d probably give the following items to each of the supervillains on their birthdays:

Royal Flush: A felt hedgehog, the kind normally used to store pins and sewing needles (Riddle does not use it for its intended purpose. He mainly keeps it on his bedside table and smiles when he sees it, or occasionally tries to let the real hedgehogs make friends with it)

King: A chess set themed after the King of the Beasts (King makes fun of it for being plastic when Yuu first gives it to him, but he refuses to surrender it when they get irritated. The next time he kidnaps them, the set is waiting on the chessboard for a game)

Leviathan: A tell-all biography from one of the minions of the Witch of the Seas. (Azul loves it. He doesn’t tell Yuu he already bought a copy the day it came out and has to physically shut up Floyd when he tries to spill the beans)

Snake Charmer: Spirit gum and spirit gum remover, alongside other materials for fake beards (Jamil pretends to be annoyed at them, but he and Kalim spend a lot of time trying it out later. At least with this kind of a fake beard he doesn’t have to worry about it smudging even if it does take a little longer to come off)

Poison Queen: A portable case for his skin creams and emergency makeup. (It’s one of the gifts that costs Yuu quite a bit. Vil takes it everywhere with him as Poison Queen, and has a narrow escape one time he brought it onto set with him out of habit)

Charon: A figurine of a character from that one anime he and Yuu are watching together (Of course it’s the cheapest one of the normie background character everyone loves to dunk on. But Idia accepts it with minimal grumbling and places the figurine with his collection, at the very, very end. He finds himself beginning to defend this character in forums and message boards, weirdly enough)

Tsunotaro: A build-it-yourself mini gargoyle (Malleus is, of course, delighted. While he and Yuu spend a fun afternoon building it together, he debates with them over whether it’s actually a grotesque or not given that it can’t funnel rainwater anywhere)

[furniturecastle1]

Do You Make These Simple Mistakes While Choosing a Sofa Set?

Choosing the perfect sofa set for your home is an important decision that influences both the aesthetic and functional aspects of your living space. Yet, many make common mistakes that can lead to dissatisfaction and regret. In this comprehensive guide, we will highlight these mistakes and provide practical tips to ensure you make the best choice for your needs.

1. Overlooking the Room Size and Layout

Understanding Space and Proportions

One of the most critical mistakes is not considering the size of your room and the layout. A sofa that looks fantastic in a showroom can appear overwhelming or insignificant in your home if the proportions are wrong. Measure your space accurately and consider the sofa’s placement. Use blueprint tools or apps to visualize how the sofa will fit into your room.

Traffic Flow and Accessibility

Ensure the sofa does not obstruct pathways or make the room feel cramped. Proper traffic flow is crucial for functionality and comfort. Arrange your sofa in a way that enhances accessibility and complements other furniture pieces.

2. Ignoring the Sofa’s Functionality

Purpose and Usage

Think about how you will use the sofa. Is it for a formal living room, a family lounge, or a space for entertaining guests? Each use case demands different features. For instance, a family room sofa might require durable, stain-resistant fabric, while a formal setting may prioritize aesthetic appeal over functionality.

Additional Features

Consider sofas with multi-functional features like recliners, storage compartments, or convertible designs. These features can significantly enhance your living space’s utility and comfort.

3. Disregarding Comfort and Support

Cushion Firmness and Fillings

Comfort should never be compromised. Pay attention to the cushion firmness and fillings. High-resilience foam, memory foam, or down-filled cushions each offer different levels of comfort and support. Sit on the sofa to test it before making a decision.

Back Support

Good back support is essential for prolonged use. Look for sofas with well-designed lumbar support. Ergonomic designs can prevent back pain and enhance overall comfort.

4. Choosing Style Over Substance

Material and Fabric Choices

While the sofa’s style is important, choosing a material that matches your lifestyle is crucial. Leather, microfiber, cotton, and linen each have their pros and cons. Leather is durable and easy to clean, while fabric options offer a wider range of colours and patterns. Consider the maintenance requirements and longevity of the material.

Colour and Pattern Coordination

Select colours and patterns that complement your existing decor. Neutral tones are versatile, while bold colours or patterns can make a statement. However, remember that trendy designs might not age well. Opt for styles that you will appreciate for years to come.

5. Neglecting the Quality of Construction

Frame Construction

The sofa’s frame is the backbone of its durability. Look for hardwood frames, such as oak, maple, or teak, which provide longevity and strength. Avoid frames made from particleboard or plastic.

Joinery Techniques

Quality sofas use superior joinery techniques like dowel joints, corner blocks, and metal screws. These methods offer better stability compared to staples or glue alone.

6. Failing to Set a Budget

Balancing Quality and Cost

Set a realistic budget that balances quality and affordability. While it might be tempting to go for the cheapest option, investing in a higher-quality sofa can save money in the long run due to its durability and better construction.

Financing Options

Explore financing options if available. Many furniture stores offer payment plans that can make higher-end sofas more accessible without straining your finances.

FAQs

Q1: How do I determine the right sofa size for my living room?

A1: Measure your living room dimensions accurately, including doorways and other furniture. Use these measurements to determine the maximum sofa dimensions that will fit comfortably in your space. Consider the scale and proportion of the sofa relative to the room size.

Q2: What are the best materials for a family-friendly sofa?

A2: For a family-friendly sofa, consider durable and easy-to-clean materials such as leather, microfiber, or performance fabrics. These materials can withstand wear and tear, resist stains, and are easier to maintain.

Q3: How can I ensure the sofa I choose will be comfortable?

A3: Test the sofa in person by sitting on it to assess cushion firmness and back support. Consider cushion-filling materials such as high-resilience foam or down. Ergonomic designs and adequate lumbar support are crucial for comfort.

Q4: What should I look for in a sofa warranty?

A4: Look for warranties that cover the frame, springs, and cushions. A good warranty should last several years and provide comprehensive coverage. Additionally, review the return policy to ensure you can return or exchange the sofa if it doesn’t meet your expectations.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can choose a sofa set that not only enhances the beauty of your living space but also provides comfort and durability for years to come.

If you want to read more information about Furniture Castle, just visit

Website | Facebook | Medium 

[firstofficerwilliamriker]

What Type of Garden Furniture Is Popular?

With regards to Garden Furniture you need something that will keep going for many years to come however you additionally believe the furniture should have as little upkeep click here as could really be expected. Presently this can be accomplished nowadays. 4 primary types of materials are being utilized right now and these materials are:

· Wood

· Aluminum

· Gum Shaped Plastic

· Rattan

A few types of furniture really do likewise utilize a blend of materials. For instance, Rattan Garden Furniture ordinarily has a metal from work and afterward the Rattan is hand woven around this framework. The prices of these types of materials can change from fifty pounds (Sap Formed plastic) upwards.

The Sap Formed Plastic is by and large the cheapest material and is much of the time found in general stores and Do-It-Yourself stores and such. You could say that this type of garden furniture is "discard" furniture as you use it for a brief time and afterward dispose of it.

Because of its price and design, it isn't something dependable. During the year, there are many climate variances in temperature. This frequently made this type of material become fragile and will ultimately break quite simple.

Wooden garden furniture has been around for many years will in any case be around for many years to come. Wooden furniture has a classic look and feel to it and some of the time it simply suits its environmental elements better than different types of furniture. The main downside to wooden garden furniture is that it needs a ton of love and consideration regarding keep it in excellent condition. Upkeep ought to be done consistently to assist with safeguarding the wood.

Aluminum garden furniture isn't exactly new yet it isn't old by the same token. This type of furniture can come in many shapes and styles and is generally cheap too. Being made of Aluminum is a reward since it shouldn't rust. Be that as it may, with a portion of the Aluminum set I have come across, the screws are steel which rust after some time and can cause issues over the long haul.

Rattan Garden Furniture is genuinely new to the market however it is demonstrating exceptionally popular as it is solid, durable and stylish. The Rattan material is a plastic base which is the reason it endures so lengthy contrasted with the genuine article. This type of furniture additionally has some sort of metal frame work that the Rattan is woven around. A portion of the cheaper Rattan Furniture set will utilize a steel framework which will rust over the long haul where as different sets utilize an Aluminum framework which makes it light weight and rust safe.

[caddydemo]

Vidia geforce g105m + intel gma 950

The laptop would feel more sturdy if they had done so. The screen hinges are made from shiny black plastic, and I would have appreciated it had HP made it from metal. As with the previous generation of HP Pavilions, nothing actually holds the screen lid down when you shut it there seems to be some magnetic attraction that allows the lid to snap shut. The finish makes this laptop feel more expensive than it actually is. It really feels sturdy and is quite nice. The palmrest and areas surrounding the keyboard are also made out of BRUSHED ALUMINUM. Because of the material, the case has virtually no flex. Of course, HP has its logo stuck on it’s laptop. If you already put one on the box, you don’t need another one on the case itself. The top part is entirely metal (BRUSHED ALUMINUM), but HP chooses to attach an Energy Star sticker to it, which really is quite tacky. This part is perhaps the cheapest part of the laptop, but whatever. The bezel of the screen is quite thin, and the screen itself is surrounded by shiny black plastic. I think HP calls this the Modern Argento or something like that. The dm3t, as I have emphasized before, features a brushed aluminum design.

The laptop was built after 5 business days (8 days including weekends) and took a total of 4 days to ship from HP’s laptop factory in Shanghai to the North Campus of the University of Michigan.īuild and Design, including ports and keyboard/touchpad The total came out to be $1,000 with free shipping.

Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n Card with Bluetooth (Dual Band).

13.3" diagonal High-Definition LED BrightView Display (1366x768).

Intel 160GB Solid State Memory Module (model number SSDSA2MH160G1HP, X25-M).

4GB DDR3 RAM at 1066 MHz (2x2GB modules).

Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 processor with 512MB nVidia GeForce G105M + Intel GMA 4500 MHD (Intel Hybrid Graphics Technology).

In total, the call lasted for no more than 10 minutes and my order was placed. The rep was efficient, as he did not attempt to persuade me to add on options like warranty, and was courteous and accomodating-in fact, to the degree that he applied the $350 coupon even after it expired! Bravo, HP. My call was almost immediately received by a human sales rep (after going through an automated system) based out of the United States, which is really impressive considering the current trend of outsourcing. Why not? At this point I had nothing to lose but something to gain. Unfortunately, the coupon expired, so I instinctively picked up the phone and called HP. I weighed my options and, at the last minute, changed my config to have the upgraded processor. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really decide between having an extra 2GB of RAM upgrade and an Intel processor upgrade from the C2D SU7300 to the C2D SP9300. I had found a $350 stackable coupon, and since I’m a student with a tight budget, I was more than ready to order my laptop. More on that later.Įarlier this year, HP offered a multitude of stackable coupons, so I ordered online from HP Home and Home Office Store. The aluminum finish really is outstanding. What really won me over from the Sony CW was the build quality of the dm3t. I visited a Best Buy to check out some of the laptops, and I can say that I was absolutely repulsed by the build quality of the Dells these days.

My options were the HP Pavilion dm3t and the Sony VAIO CW. I had shopped for a while to look for a new computer to replace my aging dv6000t from back in the Windows XP days. Borrowing from design cues from Apple’s Macbook Pro line, HP launched the dm3 in late October and the tm2 earlier this month, with designs that feature a brushed aluminum finish. In less than 2 years, HP unseated Dell as the undisputed leader in PC shipments and maintains that lead today.ģ years later, HP is back again (perhaps) to change the game. In 2006, in an ambitious bid to gain market share, HP launched a massive and hugely successful marketing campaign known as, “The Computer Is Personal Again,” and redesigned all of its laptops with the extremely popular high-gloss Imprint finish. Apple specialized in design, and still does, and the PC industry won over customers by wooing them with the best bargain available-features for the price charged-and almost always at the cost of a pedestrian design. Prior to 2006, there was a distinct difference between Apple and the PC industry.

[kagedbird]

For shits and giggles on a late night where my insomnia is acting up, I’m play testing some “gacha claw machine” games on my phone.

For these tests, I’m: -Only using the freebies they give me -Not using any money to buy more ins -Calculating how many tries you get for the prices available for their in game currency. Y’know, to see if they’re jipping you on tries versus the amount of money you’re putting in. (These things are pretty big for people with gambling addictions obviously, so maybe this could help someone iunno.)

Info below in case anyone wants to read my findings, I don’t wanna clog dashes.

In any case, I have found so far: Toreba is the fucking Worst! I was jipped of one of my five freebies after I moved from one, the app crashes constantly, and the prizes are so slippery (and according to one review, some are taped to make even harder to get which should be illegal, because what the fuck) you can’t get them no matter how much you try.

Some people have obviously gotten their prizes and what not, but I do not trust this company At All. Their price differences to in game currency ratio was “5.49$ to 5000 coins.” Most machines in the app require 2k coins, so that’s about 2 tries for every payment. Not only is that ridiculous, their second level is roughly 10$ and it gives you such an arbitrary bonus of 500 coins. You’d have to pay 40$ for that to pay off! What the fuck! That’s like, the Worst trap for people with gambling addictions. -100/10 do not reccommend.

Next up is: Claw Toys- 1st Real Claw Machine Game. This one I actually liked a bit better! So let’s get the bad stuff outta the way.

The menu feels like a copy or rip off of Toreba, set up very similarly. It’s not very unique in that aspect, so it loses points for anyone looking for an alternative to Toreba for something new. The claw is also very staccato like, the registry was a little slow, so if you think it didn’t go through, it likely did and is taking a second to process. I over shot a lot, but unlike Toreba where you only get to click the button once and then were forced to move the other direction, this one let you move as much as you please.

They do a “sign in everyday” for a lottery type thing, which is interesting, but a little concerning for people with addictions. But all apps have to have a gimme right?

The differences though, are good! The prizes aren’t actually what you’re shooting for, they’re stand ins. None of the ones I saw were wrapped in tape or plastic film to make them “harder” or anything. The app didn’t crash, they have an infrared sensor to let you know where the crane is in context to the prize- which I love. I was able to use up all five of my freebies just fine, and.. didn’t win anything. That was more on me though, someone in the reviews mentions some prize stand ins have heavy heads, and I did not lift by the head. So fair warning on that if you intend to try! (I actually got a stand in to literally stand on its head.)

The prices for these are so much better than Toreba despite the... very weird format they use. They recommend a price above the smallest price.

“558 coins for 49.8$”

“99 coins for 9.9$”

29 coins per try for each machine.

Doing the math, the cheapest price will get you three solid tries. All ready a step up from Toreba. Higher price will get you roughly 13 tries, which feels like it has a small bonus in it in of itself.

Reminder that an addiction is still an addiction though, and this can be arguably better and worse than Toreba for keeping people in its clutches but for a better “bang for your buck.”

2/10, I’m not recommending gacha games, but this is far superior to Toreba.

Final for the night (this is getting long for something I decided on arbitrarily): Clawee.

Right off the bat it’s very different from both. It gives a little introduction, and mentions specifically that you’ll have to pay for items to be delivered to you. Interesting choice?*

*After a while, I’ve noticed that they’re asking you to pay 3.99$ for VIP: 150 coins, huge daily rewards, prize exchange, free shipping, extras, award tickets, and “new adventures.” (Whatever that means.)

Highly tempting! Very good sales pitch there. It’s to be noted that this prevents you from getting into some machines, so that’s a very good (terrible for addicts) business plan. Someone thought this through!

However it gives you a 400 coin freebie for entering, so the format is all ready different. No longer “five freebies” but actual in app currency. However, this is Not a great sign as the coins needed for each machine is 200 (on the beginner front page). So they’re all ready shooting themselves in the foot. You only get two tries! Moving around the app shows me they’re actually varying prices all over. Still a very interesting tactic, maybe they’re trying to entice you to buy in for a more interesting item?*

*(I’m amending this as I’m in the app) I’ve found that you can Only go through the beginner section Unless you buy into the VIP thing. Very sneaky.

Also interesting to note, the claws are different for beginner versus other sections. Hm.

The prize pictures.... look god awful. The quality went down for sure here. They also have a freebie shop but currently it’s..... closed? Hm.

In the machines they show the prizes as the prizes and not stand ins. I think I preferred the stand ins so the actual prizes wouldn’t be “injured” by the claw or anything. The interesting- and a bit scary- difference in this one is that it lets you see who’s in the machine currently, and a video for the last winner.

The camera is terrible though, the picture quality is rough.

....They have a claw game for more coins. What. I can’t tell if that’s a brilliant business process or what.

For some prizes, instead of the prizes themselves is a stand in of their mascot! Very interesting to choice for some of the smaller items. (This is including the coins as well.)

I witnessed a win! Very pleasing.

Someone apparently got multiple charmanders in their grab, which is pretty awesome. (Can’t imagine the shipping cost though.)

I... won a Bulbasaur. I hadn’t meant to play it, I was rubbing my screen and it registered me touching the play button. Neat. (It’s very ironic I got a bulbasaur considering I have one named Nori on my bed. Won’t he be surprised.)

I also got two (almost three!) charmanders. It’s seemingly only registering one though? Ah, it just shows one in your little inventory screen of having certain prizes. Good idea to not clog up the screen! The two charmanders show up in the “buying” area.

Free two week shipping is for VIPs, min 2 weeks, max 8 weeks. For me though, if I don’t buy into their scheme, is standard 2 weeks max 8 weeks for 700 coins?

Looking into their prices finally, they’re having a sale! (Wonder how long that’s been on.)(According to the notification, today. How hilarious.) 2.99$ or 3$ for 220 coins. Given the two I just did (as all beginner machines are) 200 coins, that’s only good for one use. Shit price! You’d have to build that up for a loooooong time to get any use of the bonus 20. But the sale brings it up “from” 100 to 220, so... “deal.”

Next one up is 1,100 coins for 5.99$ or 6$. If we’re sticking with the beginner model, for even prices, you get about five tries, with 75 coins left over. A better deal in the end, but is it really? (This would be the minimum you would have to spend if you weren’t a VIP, so doing VIP would be cheaper than this. Very sneaky.)

It has a leveling system (probably another thing preventing going to other claw machines, I saw a lock and number so that’s likely a piece) as well as a freebie of coins every day (which were my 400 coins). This may vary the freebie coins? You can also get more coins for doing certain things (inviting friends, connecting accounts) and get bonuses for doing things. Very into keeping you enticed.

All in all, dangerous. They keep things well stocked so you have actual chances to get you prizes, more so than the other two. The only ones that aren’t are coin based, which, make sense. They want money, not to give you freebies.

*I’m breaking one of my rules (for various reasons here) and paying for the VIP- I’m more curious to see what it gives you.

So far, you get the daily free round by also becoming a VIP, but it still adds a day to the counter. Making you either continue to buy in with real money for “another round” or wait two days. Terrifying.

Weirdly enough, being VIP changed standard to 50 coins?? Instead of 700?? That’s a weird design choice. Why would you decide on that versus free?

BEGINNERS PRICES BECAME 1000 COINS??

Am I having a fucking fever dream I refreshed the app and it took away my extra Charmander what the fuck. :( (Exchanging prizes also costs coins. Because of course.) I had to refresh the app because it wouldn’t let me ship my items (saying I had too many of one item, which is likely why I had it removed; which, what the fuck. That’s so rude. I’m definitely leaving a bad review for That. Don’t fault me if I get lucky, fuckers.)

-900/10, varying dangerous aspects, various problems. Very good in design business wise, a few things I didn’t touch up on, but like I said before, I am Not leaving these here for recommendation, this was just a random idea. Please don’t use this as an excuse to enable your addiction if you have one, I’m not held responsible for your actions, etc.

This was fun though! Looking forward to my new babies when I get them. :) Uh, thanks for sticking around this long if you did. It was fun to write, so thanks for reading through. You cool. :) Okbye

[piermanwalter]

I had a dream that I got myself a shapeshifting Nicki Minaj makeup set as a birthday present. I just got home from a long trip and impulse-purchased the makeup set at an airport duty-free shop. It was pitch black outside and felt very late at 9:30 like when you are a little kid and feel 9:30 is late. When your time is controlled by someone else, staying up late feels like a luxury. I’m not sure how old I was in my dream, since I travelled alone but still felt as though someone set a bedtime for me. 

The makeup set was a mystery box from the newly released “Nicki Siren” collection, which was mostly mermaid and sea-themed clothes and accessories. It cost 900 dollars, but the crushing sadness of being stuck in an extended layover on my birthday and the Fear of Missing Out since it was the last Nicki Siren set in the store compelled me to buy it. It was the volume of a shoebox. Top-down, it was square and slightly taller than it was wide. I opened it in my bedroom. The cardboard box was white with dark blue gouache-like writing and the front of the box had Nicki’s face in the corner wearing a pearl and seashell studded tiara and a teal wig with a surprised expression. The overall mood was bright, fun, and unusually unsexy. 

Inside the box was a teal plastic cube with gold accents. Inside the cube was custom light blue bubble wrap flecked with gold glitter. Under the bubble wrap was a 30-inch gold chain necklace with pearls at 3-inch intervals and two huge clamshells hanging off it. The clasp of the necklace had an 8-cm long flat silver pendant in the shape of a fan coral on it, studded on one side with tiny white crystals. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a real chain and instead gold beads fit together like a chain strung onto braided teal leather. The information packet in the box under the cube said the beads were 20-ct gold-plated sterling silver, the clasp pendant was cubic zirconia and platinum-plated sterling silver, and the pearls were cultured. 

Despite being quahog type clams, the clamshells had the color and texture of a teal turbo snail shell. This is biologically impossible and I assumed the shells were fake or some weird manufacturing technique was used. Luckily, the shells could be removed from the necklace. which made it much more wearable. I was worried about the shell toggles being right on the pearls, since pearls are fragile, but the pearls were extremely slippery and couldn’t be scratched. I spun the clamshells around the pearls until I got bored. The shells were hinged containers. The smaller clamshell I could close my hand around and had 13 loose non-slippery pearls in it, while the big clamshell was the volume of two double cheeseburgers, extremely heavy, made sloshing noises when shook, but couldn’t be opened. 

The giant clamshell also had a big rectangular magenta sticker on it, which looked very good against the teal shell. Peeling the sticker off, there was product and copyright information printed directly onto the shell, which was ugly as hell and the opposite of normal giant stickers.

When I gave up on opening the giant clamshell, I noticed the necklace chain had grown a cigar-like steel tube around one of the pearls. The tube unrolled into a 3-inch-long hamsa charm with a cloisonne enamel design of white birds flying over fields and forests on it. I went downstairs to get a string and a chair. When I hung the hamsa on the ceiling fan in my bedroom, it started bending again and the birds had left the forest and were now flying over the sea. Although the design changed, I never saw the birds or the hamsa move.

After I got down from the ceiling fan, the pearls were sprouting like seeds, growing into cubic zirconia pavé coral like the one on the clasp. Unlike the hamsa I could see them grow and change in real time. As an experiment, I pinched one of the sprouts until it broke. The broken sprout withered until it disappeared and instead of faceted gems set in perfect prongs, the pearl started producing cloudy industrial accident crystals and twisted wires, before slorping it all back into itself and turning black. 

I felt bad about that and grated a block of parmesan over the pearls to atone. I had to clean cheese out of the prongs afterwards but it felt like the right thing to do. I noticed the coral was “eating” the cheese calcium crystals and growing little pearls so I put them back into the cheese and by the time all the parmesan disappeared, they were twice as big as the original with a seed pearl at every place the coral branched. When the coral pendants stopped growing, the pearl “eggshells” crumbled into powder and flowed back into the little clamshell, which grew a mirror and became a highlight powder compact. 

I looked back in the box and found a little redwood box taking up the remaining space. In the wood box were sheets of stickers made of dyed suede leather, more cubic zirconia, and metal foil. I put some on my phone case and decided to cover the product information on the giant shell with stickers because it looked so bad. This caused the big shell to open. In the shell was a bottle of “Cali Coast” Nicki Siren perfume, a mini lip palette, a mini eyeshadow palette, three tubes of mascara, a teal lipstick, a magenta lipstick, and a sea salt bath bomb. There was a dent in the shell the exact size of the stunted black pearl so I put it in and closed the case. When I opened it again, the black pearl turned into a pearl-handled powder brush.

I looked up the makeup set on the internet and there was a #NickiSirenChallenge on instagram where people bragged/commiserated about what they got. Always, the pendant on the clasp was some kind of immobile sea animal like an anemone or sea pen or sea star and there were always two teal turbo-patterned bivalve containers, like scallops or oysters, one big and one small. The necklace also varied from choker to floor-length, some with real chains, some beads set with larimar cabochons, some with solid gold chains, some with no metal and all natural pearls. Instead of stickers, some people got sample-size vials of different perfumes, keychains, silk scarves, or vouchers for free Nicki Siren clothes. One in 150 makeup sets had clasp pendants with real diamonds and solid platinum. 

To open the big case, you must cover it in stickers, put a key on the keychain, wear the scarf, or redeem the vouchers, depending on what you got. The big case always contained normal makeup and the little case contained 5-30 pearls which turned into different things depending on how you treated them, usually more makeup if you broke them, jewels if you didn’t. It was discovered breaking pearls before they sprouted turned them into applicable products like face creams or nail polish remover. Breaking pearls after they sprouted turns them into tools like nail files or lash curlers. Naturally people cared more about the pearls than the makeup even though it’s technically a makeup set. 

The little case could turn into anything with a hinge, usually corresponding to what the pearls turned into, like my compact and brush. Most people got jewellery boxes but some people got phone cases. 

There was a small chance of getting a bonus animated lucky charm. Someone got a clear resin horseshoe with a functioning ecosystem of malachite seaweed and peanut-sized copper sea urchins in it. Someone else got a palm-sized glass nazar which changed eye patterns before fading to a solid blue disc, then a brass goldfish would jump out of the center of the disc (not literally, it was a flat sheet of brass embedded in the surface which was etched using perspective to make it look as though it were leaping out of the nazar) before falling down, creating ripples that looked like an eye again. Another person got a blue faience ceramic Egyptian fish amulet that changed poses like it was swimming and sometimes moves to different rooms by itself. There were only 20 lucky charms in the world.

In one video, a pole dancer did a routine to Nicki Minaj songs and opened the box on stage. She got vouchers for a cameo in a music video and an entire free outfit. When she pulled the necklace out of the box, the strands of pearls just kept coming and when she turned the box upside down, the stage was engulfed in pearls like a giant shimmering mop.

In another video, someone poured Veuve Cliquot champagne on their case pearls and they hatched into huge round life-size faceted topaz sea apples encircled with braided gold wire instead tube feet, sprays of diamond-tipped gold as feeding tentacles.

Someone was able to score a rare full size Nicki Siren SuperBase foundation tube and she made a video where she applied the foundation, then complained it didn’t match her skin tone. The foundation immediately darkened to match. Later she made another video proving SuperBase foundation was like holy water because it could be refilled with different foundation but still be the same no matter how diluted it gets. SuperBase was the only product that behaves like this.

Someone ran over a case pearl with a Ferrari and it exploded into an 80-piece skincare set. 

I felt bad because aside from the hamsa, I got the second cheapest versions of everything. But as I scrolled through instagram, I became grateful that I didn’t incur Nicki’s wrath. 

Someone bought ten Nicki Siren sets and when she opened one, the stickers were paper, the necklace chain was that weird golden alloy that turns your skin green, the clasp pendant was a lead picoroco barnacle with a giant chunk of plastic for its beak, the small cockle had two pearls in it which turned into another lead barnacle and a sea salt bath bomb, and the big cockle had 8 sea salt bath bombs in it. When she tried to open the other boxes, there were more boxes inside and the boxes grew as though they were being put into more layers of boxes. She resold a box to someone else and in it was one of the rare larimar necklaces and a plate-sized bronze disc with the face of Medusa molded on one side and a shifting mosaic of an ancient Greek harbor on the other side. Consumed by greed, she kept opening the boxes until they were the size of refrigerators. Nine boxes in her garage, she now parks outside. She makes increasingly desperate unboxing videos and with every update her comments are filled with “i can buy a box for $3k dm me i’m serious” and “Ma’am. Please give up.” and “pouring out my superbass foundation for u when u cant fit in ur house ne more LMAO”.

Someone smashed open her big shell instead of opening it properly and it was filled with moths which followed her around eating her clothes. 

An influencer who infamously bugged Nicki into giving her a free set for promotion was crying next to a 10-foot-wide crater in her house because she broke all the sprouting pearls in her little mussel case and the pearls became so heavy they broke the table, broke through the second floor, broke through the first floor, broke through the foundation, and sank into the earth. Then the little mussel turned into a 2001 flip phone and Nicki called her through it and said she was a “fake-ass copy-ass jealous-ass bitch”. She still wore Nicki Siren eyeshadow in the video.

Someone lied about getting a lucky charm for clout and it turned out she strung sea-themed Pandora beads on a mass-produced dreamcatcher. After she redeemed her voucher for a silk dress, when her big freshwater oyster case opened, there were 8 sea salt bath bombs in it and also moths. The moths ate her new dress.

There was a news article about the finder of the resin sea urchin horseshoe being banned from casinos because it increased his luck in gambling but most importantly made his bets on horse races always win. Since the hamsa is a hand, I assumed it would make me unbeatable in card games. 

There was also a news article about German material engineers trying to get as many Nicki Siren pearls as possible to study their previously unseen anti-friction properties. 

Not to be one-upped, Megan Thee Stallion announced the “Hot Girl Eternity” line of hoodies, t-shirts, and booty shorts which will allow the wearer to be immune to fire, heat, and radiation (hoodies), conjure flames (t-shirts), and absorb power from things they burn to add to their own lifespan (shorts). Even though they have yet to be released, it’s already impossible to get Hot Girl Eternity hoodies because they have all been preordered by hazard area workers and x-ray technicians and also stans. 

I think in my dream all rappers are powerful enchanters because that makes the most sense given everything that happened. 

[lacelajewelry]

How To Choose The Best Jewelry For You

Jewelry is a lovely addition to our world, adding sparkle and beauty for many occasions. This article administers expert advice on jewelry. Using a few tips prior to purchasing jewelry and what you should look for in quality jewelry will help you make great decisions when wanting to buy jewelry.

Know which kind of stone you are buying with your jewelry. The types of gems available are synthetic, imitation, and natural. Natural stones and synthetic gems are both real, but imitation gems are probably just colored glass or plastic. Natural comes from the ground, while synthetic ones are created in a lab.

Take off your rings when you're in the shower. It can be often tempting to keep your wedding band or promise ring on all the time, but the chemicals in soap, body wash, and shampoo can have negative effects on your ring. Another great reason is that rings can often slide off and disappear down the drain. Keep your ring everlasting and safe by removing it before stepping into the shower.

If you need help purchasing that special piece of jewelry for someone you care about, you should ask someone close to your special person. For instance, maybe a close friend or relative would be willing to help you pick out that special piece of jewelry. They are certainly very familiar with the individual's taste and preference and could help you select the perfect piece.

When buying jewelry, you may want to consider semi-precious stones. Semi-precious stones can be found in a wide variety of colors, cuts, and price ranges. Not only will you be able to get more for less, but, since many people choose precious stones, your semi-precious gemstone jewelry may seem ever rarer than diamonds!

Vintage crystal drop earrings: http://lacelajewelry.com/

Stay inside your budget. Splurging outside your budget can cause many issues, not just financially. You may end up feeling over-stressed if you realize the piece you bought is causing you to get into debt. Financially over-stretching yourself is not the best way to purchase jewelry, so stick to your budget.

When buying gold, be sure that your receipt is clearly marked with the karat weight, as well as the manufacturer. These are things you need to know in case you later want to appraise or sell the piece, or perhaps have it re-sized. The information included is also necessary for any returns processes you may have to go through.

Clean your jewelry for next to nothing. One of the simplest and cheapest ways to keep your diamonds sparking and your silvers shining is to use an antacid tablet. Drop them in water with your jewels on top and let it do its work for a few minutes. Take out, and enjoy the splendor of cleanliness.

To add the perfect amount of flair to any outfit simply add one statement piece of jewelry. Whether it be a big ring, some bold earrings, a thick bracelet, or a chunky necklace, adding a statement piece to any outfit will not only bring it out of the ordinary but will also make it more 'you. Furthermore, a statement piece is sure to make a great conversation starter on any occasion

[chiseler]

Glad Rags: Fashion and the Great Depression

Some years ago, in a breathtaking lapse of taste, The New Yorker published a fashion spread that aped iconic photographs of Dust Bowl migrants. I was as appalled as the next right-thinking person by the pouting models in $400 distressed cardigans pretending to thumb rides along desert highways. But if the charge is infatuation with the aesthetics of the Great Depression, I am guilty, guilty, guilty. Throw me in the clink—just so long as it resembles the hoosegow that Barbara Stanwyck saunters around in Ladies They Talk About (1932).

Why was everything, from automats to automobiles, from nightclubs to radios, from skyscrapers to bus stations, from cocktail shakers to the battered hats on homeless men, so elegant in the thirties? Why did bums back then look better than bankers today? Why are the movies and music, the clothes and every aspect of design from typefaces to elevator panels, so intoxicatingly stylish?

The easy answer is that art deco glamour was a form of escapism, a consolation to the down-and-out, and an expression of irrational optimism. Cruise ships, trains, office towers, mechanized restaurants: art deco was all about speed and modernity, the thrill of zooming into the future. (Then why does deco still look modern and alluring, while the space-age design of the sixties just looks dated and silly?) If cynicism was society’s ballast during the Depression, style was the kite-string tugging upward, the flag that kept flying.

It’s not the swells in their glad rags that I admire most, or even the bootleggers in silk shirts, but the wardrobes of working girls. Take the plain, slinky black dress that Stanwyck, as an ambitious office worker in Baby Face, accessorizes with a series of different detachable white collars and cuffs. Those starched cuffs and collars—chic, yet as humble as table-napkins—are perfect, almost poignant symbols of Stanwyck’s determination to better herself with the small means at her disposal. In Golddiggers of 1933, out-of-work chorus girls draw lots for the privilege of wearing a gorgeous, borrowed outfit to an audition. The little hats that hug one side of the head, the soft dresses molded to the hips, the scarf collars and pleated hems, create a look that collapses the two meanings of “smart.”  Neither frivolous nor utilitarian, it’s a neat, streamlined look that is still seductive; it signals quiet confidence and also wit, the sort of wisecracking verbal self-defense these girls mastered.

Movies like Baby Face tell their stories largely through their heroines’ clothes and belongings: they climb from cotton frocks to furs, from paper matchbooks to jeweled cigarette cases. (Clothing is no less crucial to the gangster’s rise; tailored shirts and luxurious overcoats are almost the point of his law-breaking.) Like Stanwyck in Baby Face, Joan Blondell in Blondie Johnson starts out in the drab, shapeless clothes of the down-trodden. Alight with anger after her mother dies, denied aid by a sanctimonious government official, she vows to get hold of dough, “and plenty of it.” Next we see her, she’s wearing a snazzy velvet suit that fits like a glove and conning suckers out of ten dollar bills by pretending to be a damsel in distress. She’s willing to bat her eyelashes and exploit her curves, but it’s really her brain she uses to get ahead, rising to become the head of a criminal “corporation,” and fiercely defending her virtue, even while clad in diaphanous pajamas. In Hold Your Man, Clark Gable calls attention to the warmth of the room, trying to talk Jean Harlow into doffing her coat. She complies, but when he suggests she remove her hat as well, she quips, “I’m pretty cool about the head.”

It’s this sense of wit and sass that’s often missing from latter-day reconstructions of the thirties, making people in period pieces appear overly formal. Current actors, looking embalmed in handsome clothes and make-up, fail to capture the way Cagney in his pin-striped suits was always poised on the balls of his feet, ready to crack into a tap dance; or the stunning bodily freedom with which women wore their thin, fluid, backless gowns, somehow never looking unduly exposed. Carole Lombard in shiny satin wide-legged lounging-pajamas and high heels furiously riding an exercise bicycle: there is the deco spirit in a nutshell. I sometimes wonder if it was the sheer delight of wearing such flattering clothes that gave women in thirties movies their unequaled zing.

Their sleek clothes don’t hide the female form the way dresses of the 1920’s did with their dropped waists and bosom-flattening bands. Neither do they exaggerate it with structured undergarments like those abandoned after the first world war and re-introduced after the second. It takes little insight to observe that the times when fashion has been most extreme in its devotion to the hourglass figure have been repressive eras for women, and periods when their clothes were more androgynous have been times when women made strides toward equality. In the early thirties, however, fashions were feminine without being cartoonishly so; they simply revealed the way women really look. The ideal of beauty was slender but not boyishly skinny, effortlessly athletic without gym-workout muscles.

Thirties dames look sexy on their own terms, not trussed up for male consumption like women of the fifties in their waist-cinching girdles, teetering stilettos and torpedo bras (often filled out with falsies on actresses of the fifties.) Many women in the early thirties wore very little under their clothes, as pre-Code movies prove with their obligatory lingerie shots. One almost feels sorry for pre-Code men faced with gals like Blondell, who in Blonde Crazy allows Cagney to inspect her flimsy underwear but repels his every advance with a slap that sends his head snapping back against his spine.

It is surely no coincidence that the interwar period was perhaps the only time when fashion was dominated, or at least heavily influenced, by women designers. Chanel borrowed from men’s tailoring to make women’s clothes simple, comfortable and sporty, without making them mannish. Madeleine Vionnet pioneered the bias cut, constructing garments so the grain of the fabric ran diagonally across the body, creating that smooth, clinging drape that defines feminine style of the thirties. Stanwyck’s lithe, bold stride wouldn’t be the same without the skirts that show off her beautiful hips and just enough of her killer gams. The jazzy, diagonally-striped ensemble that Claudette Colbert wears in It Happened One Night—something she has apparently purchased with the proceeds from pawning her wrist-watch—is the sartorial equivalent of her cocked eyebrow and throaty, sarcastic delivery.

These are Hollywood movies, of course, in which actresses often wore dresses so tight they couldn’t sit down between shots. But there’s plenty of documentary evidence that ordinary women, while they made have had less perfect figures, had just as much stylistic sass. Inept, small-time criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow might never have become folk heroes if police hadn’t found a roll of undeveloped film in their hideout in Joplin, Missouri in 1932, and if the pictures hadn’t shown Bonnie wearing a snug beret, a skirt and sweater as jazzy as Colbert’s, and standing with her high-heeled foot hiked saucily on the bumper of a Ford V-8.

Or consider the stout matron in Walker Evans’s 1935 photograph of a New Orleans barbershop, sporting a blouse with sizzling concentric stripes, a jaunty black tie and a black hat with a rakish white feather. Men were no slouches either. Evans’s 1936 pictures of street scenes in the “negro quarter” of Vicksburg, Mississippi feature men lounging idly in shirtsleeves, unbuttoned vests and felt hats, each one a fashion plate. Lined up in a row in the wood-frame buildings behind them are hand-painted signs for the Savoy Barber Shop, the New Deal Barber Shop, and the Brother In Law Barber Shop. These men may not have jobs, but at least they have well-trimmed hair.

One can always ask, was there really such an epidemic of elegance in the thirties, or did photographers just seek out images of dignity? In the same way, one can look at the photographs of Robert Frank or the documentary footage of Los Angeles in The Savage Eye (1960) and wonder if there was really an epidemic of ugliness and vulgarity in the late fifties and early sixties, or whether artists just emphasized it. But the question is moot: either way, the images reveal how Americans—or at least their professional observers—saw themselves. Struggling against deprivation and anxiety, they were proud, stoic and stripped to their lean, essential spirit. Prosperous and secure, they were hapless victims of an aesthetic crash. A movie like Murder by Contract (1958), about a hit man killing time in L.A., staying in suffocatingly tacky motel rooms, seems to be the portrait of a man sleepwalking through a society where taste has flatlined.

Fifties style was artlessly boastful; its ideals were plastic mannequins of happiness, innocence and surfeit. This is why when it failed it failed so hideously: the old, the poor, the ugly, the lonely look caught in a pitiless glare, all their shortcomings exposed. The beehive hair, bouffant skirts, school-girl necklines and cat’s-eye glasses made young women look stodgy and matronly, and older women look grotesquely girlish.  In the thirties, haute couture expressed sublime hauteur, but it was based on aesthetic principles so sound that even when they trickled down to the cheapest knock-offs and most threadbare hand-me-downs, they still looked good. And so we come to the paradox of men in breadlines, women in migrant camps, whose je-ne-sais-quoi can inspire fashion spreads.

I am haunted by a bit of archival footage from the superb documentary Riding the Rails (1997), which shows a group of teenage hobos gathered on an open flat-car. Their elegance is unforgettable. It’s partly that their ragged clothes are so well-cut—in those days before baggy, one-size-fits-nobody garments—and partly that they’re worn with such an air. One boy wears an overcoat that’s too big for him and a handkerchief knotted on his head; he looks like a Napoleonic soldier retreating from Moscow. Men today who affect newsboy caps tend to wear them as though they were balancing a plate on their heads, but these boys wear their soft caps pulled down low over one eye, making them look at once tough and shy. They also seem, like everyone Dorothea Lange photographed, to stand and move with uncommon, easy grace: idle, but charged with contained energy. Their faces are wary, reticent and disillusioned. In another archival clip, boys sitting around a fire in a hobo jungle respond to a reporter who asks them why they are on the road. “Out here for my health,” one deadpans. “Just riding,” another tersely shrugs.

These are the real-life versions of the characters played by Frankie Darro and the Warners juveniles in Wild Boys of the Road (1933). Several things about that film are startling. One is how the kids dress and act like grown-ups (at a school dance, they wear evening clothes and circle the floor to “The Shadow Waltz”), as opposed to today, when grown-ups dress and act like kids. Another is how quickly and completely two middle-class boys turn into outcasts, panhandlers, embittered scavengers living in a garbage dump. But most startling of all is the way stoicism and dignity are taken for granted, the universal determination not be a burden or feel sorry for oneself. The elderly interviewees in Riding the Rails are candid, matter-of-fact, wry and compassionate. There is more to elegance than dressing well, than being tasteful or—that overused and inelegant word—“classy.” There is an intangible quality, a kind of mental and moral grace. Elegance has spine, but it’s not rigid; it bends but doesn’t break. It is understated; it is reserved. It knows the virtue of holding something back—some strength, some anger, some sense of irony—because there is more than one rainy day.

by Imogen Sara Smith

[fbwzoo]

hey i was just wondering what tips you have for making an outdoor cat into an indoor cat? our outdoor cat has been getting hurt lately and we're keeping him inside now but he's so bored and depressed and idk what to do for him

I’m sorry your buddy has gotten hurt, but I’m glad you’re keeping him in now! I know it’s rough on them to have such a big change, but he’ll have a better time of it in the long run. Thank you, on his behalf. ♥

So, keeping him happy inside!!

- Increase the places he can spend time in, where he can hide & relax when he wants to. Especially if he seems to like high places, and if you can afford it, get a cat tree to give him a good Tall Place to hang out on. If you’re in the US, this is one of the ones I have & it’s a great tree for the price! If you can put it by a window or sliding door so he has a great view, even better! 

If you can’t afford a tree at the moment, do the best you can - maybe clear off a bookshelf if you have one, or see if you can get some free boxes or crates from a local grocery store to make a DIY tower (be careful of splinters or exposed nails/screws with crates & such). Or even just a cheap end table set next to a window for a lookout perch. You can also give him places to relax with just a box set up somewhere to hide in, a blanket or a bed placed somewhere comfy, etc. If he doesn’t use it right away, just leave it be for a week or two. I had a “box castle” with a bed in it that sat in front of our fireplace for weeks & Ebony never looked at it until one day I was trying to find her & she popped her head out. 

- Give him ways to mark his territory. Make sure you have at least two litter boxes, placed in different areas. That gives him more options for marking his scent around your house, which may help him feel more at home. Likewise, make sure he has access to scratchers. If you don’t know what material he likes to use, you might have to try some different things & see what perks his interest. The cheapest option to try first would be cardboard scratchers - they have flat ones & slanted ones, and I believe ones that hang from doorknobs as well. If you get a scratching post, spend the extra money to get a nice big sturdy one - cats aren’t as likely to use the dinky little 2ft tall ones because they usually like to get a good stretch going. You also want it to be stable - not very fun to go flying if you’re trying to scratch & the post immediately tips over!

- And of course…toys! You can google pretty easily for DIY and cheap cat toys if you’re looking for something cheap at first. You can test him out with just little things like rubber bands & hair ties (make sure he doesn’t eat them & take them away if you’re unsure & can’t supervise him), bottle caps, the plastic rings from milk jugs, zip ties, pipe cleaners, etc.It’s also worth trying out some different things to try & narrow down his prey preference. This article discusses that more. If you guys haven’t played with him a lot, it might also be worth reading this article for some tips. It’s not uncommon to accidentally move the toy the wrong way (too fast, too constantly moving, etc.) so that the cat quickly loses interest. Try combining toys in new ways with other things too - a favorite of Ditto’s is if I hide a feather wand in a cardboard box so that just a couple tips are sticking out of a crack & wiggle it.

I know there’s a ton of cat toys sold out there, which might be overwhelming, so for a few suggestions to try out - Cat Dancer (good for simulating bugs), fishing pole style wand, comes with feather attachments & you can also get a variety of other attachments to go with it, crinkle feather wand (a favorite of both my girls, it makes delightful scratchy sounds against paper or cardboard, or sounds like rustling leaves when shaking it on its own), & while I don’t have a specific toy to link, check out larger kicker-stick type soft toys (simulating a larger prey item for them to grab & kick at). For more specific favorites, Ebony’s favorite are these little sparkly balls, and Ditto really likes ball track toys.

- If you have the ability to do so in your routine, try to do playtime with him before you feed him, as that will follow their natural routine better. Hunt the prey, catch it, then eat it. Then they typically groom & sleep for a while. Having a couple different play times through the day will help fill his time better.

-  Another thing to check into is puzzle feeders! Make him work for his food so it’s more interesting. http://foodpuzzlesforcats.com/ has tons of suggestions & information about different food puzzle toys, including ideas for DIY ones so you can try them out with him before spending money on commercial ones. Likewise, you can even make mealtime more interesting by varying the location of where you put his food, or splitting his food up in to several bowls placed around the house so he doesn’t get it all in one go. 

And finally, here’s a site with more articles to check out, in case they mention any ideas/suggestions that I left out! https://catsindoors.weebly.com/bringing-in.html That site also has links about harness training (under cat care, enrichment, outdoors) if you want to give that a shot with him!

(Sorry for all the big blocks of text, tried to break it up a bit!)

I hope this helps some, good luck with your kitty! I hope he’ll settle down soon. ♥

Edit: I know this is already really long, but I just realized I meant to also mention pheromone plug ins! They can help with lowering overall stress level of a cat, especially while you’re working on other changes to help him settle in more. And if you can order from Chewy, they’re on sale right now!

[erotiqueb]

Can you afford being healthy?

So let’s say my goal is to have optimal health, both physical and mental, what should I do? Off the top of my head I’m thinking gym, organic food, green smoothies, psychotherapy, social life, maybe supplements. All of which sound very expensive compared to staying at home watching TV and eating corndogs. So for a long time, I thought I couldn’t afford taking care of my health. But then I had to, so I got creative.

Health is an investment

The first thing to keep in mind is that taking care of your health now will save you money (and trouble) in the future. Being sick is expensive: medication, hospital bills, missing work, etc. I try to remember that every time time I want to go for McDonalds instead of.. anything else really.. to save a buck.

Time to hang out with friends

Taking care of your mental health also means having a social life and leisure. What do you need for that? Time. Why don’t you have enough time? Mostly because of work. Why do you have to work so much? Because life is so fucking expensive. So my logic is: if I need less things, and if I spend less on things I have to buy, that means more time for me. I’ll summarize this in two words: thrift stores and simplicity.

First, go for simplicity

Try to buy less stuff and when you want to buy, ask yourself if you really need it, that’s basic. To avoid feeling in a place of scarcity and lack, think of something you really do want, and make it your goal, your reward. So instead of thinking “I shouldn’t buy this, I don’t absolutely need it. That sucks, I can’t have anything nice

” You could shift that to: “If I don’t buy this dress that I probably wouldn’t wear much, it means I’m $45 closer my trip to Bali :D”. Consistently doing this keep you exited about your goal because, how often do we want to buy things we don’t really need? That’s right, you’ll have your reward in mind very often.

Simplicity in your products

I think that a good first step to take towards health is eliminate toxicity. To do that, what often makes sense is to simplify: go for foods that have the less ingredients, or that are totally unprocessed. Same goes for cosmetics. Look for products that only contain a few ingredients that you can recognize, or if you’re so inclined, you can even make them yourself, thus, saving more money. So, weather it goes on your body or in your body, a healthy and cost effective solution is to buy ingredients in bulk and start cooking.

Save on food and reduce food waste with apps

Get this: you install an app on your phone (Flashfood is one but I’m sure there are a couple others), and it shows you products that are close to expiration date that groceries near you are selling at a discounted price. I can’t stand seeing food go to waste, and my cheap ass just loves save 50%, so this concept really is pure gold for me. These apps allow me to have access to meat that I couldn’t normally afford, which allows me to pursue my quest for the best diet for my body (I used to be a vegan, I’m now on an API diet, what’s next?!). You can find vegetables, bakery, seafood, anything. I’d say I buy 80% of my groceries through these apps now. Buying in bulk and cooking? Well that is possible with the apps. Having a truck load of bell peppers will sure spark your creativity, as you have to use them before they go bad.

Freeze food

That brings us to the freezer. If you can get a second-hand freezer (I suppose some models consume less electricity, you might want to look for these), that might be the best investment you make this year. Because if you’re half as obsessed as I am about health and simplicity, there’s just not enough room in your standard freezer for all that healthy food you’ll buy at a 50% discount. See where this is going? Buy basic ingredients in bulk, cook huge batches, freeze portions. You saved time and money and you get to eat as healthy as you want to.

DIY your skin and hair products

You’re lucky there is a big trend on DIY products right now, so recipes are easy to find for pretty much everything you want to make. There are some ingredients that have multiple uses, like castille soap or baking soda for instance, so these are a good choice for a starter kit. I tried making solid shampoo and I must say it’s very satisfying to successfully wash your hair with a shampoo you made with your own two hands! And to know you’re not sending chemicals in the water, and in your scalp. And not buying another plastic bottle. And throwing it away when empty. The shampoo bar cost approximately $7 and will last for.. I dunno like ten million showers. I also make my own face serum with two ingredients: jojoba oil and tea tree. Speaking of oil (sweet almond in this case), it’s the best and cheapest makeup remover, period. I used to buy very expensive natural face care products but I was frustrated that there was no visible improvement of my skin. I wanted to test them on half my face for a couple months to demonstrate how ineffective they actually were but I never had the required discipline. If you don’t see noticeable improvement in your face after using a product for a while, stop buying that shit and just rub your face with oil. Because the one you’re buying probably contains mostly oil anyway and the rest of the fancy ingredients are probably in traces amount and completely useless. And don’t even get me started on the non-natural products. Ew.

Get rid of plastic

They say (the same “they” I always talk about when I don’t have sources) that if you store food in plastic containers of drink out of plastic bottles, plastic gets in your body and can cause health problems, hormone imbalance and whatnot. A good alternative are glass containers. The tupperware style with lids can be pricey if you buy them new, so the strategy here is: no stress, buy just a couple at a time when you find them at the salvation army and gradually eliminate the plastic ones. When I say eliminate I mean re-purpose or give to good will. As good hippies, let’s try to produce less waste! There’s also the very trendy mason jar, so practical to store food and – Pinterest shows us every day – anything you can think of.

Drink the best possible water

I’ve heard that tap water contains traces of birth control pills, antidepressants, antibiotics, etc. I don’t have the expertise to know if it’s true but it did scare me. I’m the kind of hippie that will avoid taking a small innocent ibuprofen if I can. I don’t want drugs in my body, unless it’s going to be fun and psychedelic. I certainly have a lack of scientific evidence about traces of drugs in the city’s water supply but my nose and taste buds tell me that chlorine isn’t something I should drink. There’s also fluoride in the water, that is arguably bad for you. These are the reasons I decided to stop drinking tap water. What are the alternatives? I had a Brita but it doesn’t eliminate much of the bad stuff. Plus, it’s made of plastic. The high quality water filters are just ridiculously expensive so my only option was to buy bottled water. Not small bottles, the big ones that are reused when you bring them back to the store. It felt weird to buy water when there’s plenty in the tap but, my god, does it taste better. And I’ve read it hydrates you better too. Hydration is a key component of health, that’s for sure, so if you can’t afford to buy water, still, drink a liter a day, you’ll be healthier than if you let yourself dry like a raisin. I hesitated to make that water bottle move for a bit because I thought I needed to buy a water dispenser, but it turns out I don’t need it at all. I just leave the bottle on the counter and I got used really quickly to flip that giant heavy thing. Now I can pour myself a shot glass of water without spilling a drop. No need to buy a machine. Also, it’s best to drink it at room temperature, and it’s empty within a week of two so I figure it doesn’t have time to grow bacteria, or algae or whatever happens to water when you let it sit.

Sleeping is free

We underestimate the role that sleep has to play in our health so we often neglect it, but a good sleep hygiene can make a huge difference in your energy level, I’ve experienced it. I was always tired, couldn’t get through the day without a nap, couldn’t concentrate, I was unable to get up in the morning. Then a doctor prescribed that I take melatonin every night at 6 pm for two weeks, go to bed at 10, wake up at 7 and blast a light therapy lamp in my face for half an hour every morning. I did that and guess what? It. Worked. I didn’t follow the exact hours he prescribed and I’m not sure the melatonin had a good effect on me so I only took it for a couple days. So I think what does the trick is consistently waking up at the same time each morning, regardless of what time you go to bed. Occasionally I get only four hours of sleep and usually the next day I’d be unable to function. Now that I wake up at regular hours, I can go through the day and have so much energy that I even forget I got only 4 hours of sleep. A phrase he said about staying in bed later to catch up on you sleep stuck with me: it’s too hard for the system. It had not occurred to me that it could be difficult for the body to change its sleep schedule. I thought “as long as I get 8 hours I’m fine” or even “the more sleep the better, I’ll sleep 12 hours today”. So if you happen to have sleep problems, irregular sleep pattern or fatigue, set an alarm and get some light in the morning, see what happens. Hopefully your body will adjust to the schedule and you won’t need the alarm after a week, and your mornings will be less painful. Another thing I didn’t take seriously was avoiding blue light in the evening. But it turns out it’s serious, it really does mess with your natural sleep hormones. So I installed f.lux on all my screens. It’s an app that will cut the blue light out of your screen according to the time of day. My screen is yellow right now because I’m too silly to go to bed at a normal time, I prefer to write a blog post. I used to binge watch TV on my computer very late in the night and not feel tired. I realized after installing the app that it was the blue light that was keeping me up. Now I watch an episode and start to yawn, so that’s a good thing, less TV.

Meditation is free

According to every damn article I read or podcast I listen to, meditation is one of the healthiest thing you can do. Good news: all you have to do is sit there and breathe. Now that, you can afford. No time? A minute a day is still better than nothing. If you need a little help to begin, there are tons of free apps you can install. I use Breathe and Calm, which also has some nice sleep stories.

Functional training

Exercising at home requires more discipline, at least in my experience, but if you can pull it off, it means more money in your pocket. You don’t necessarily need those machines to have an effective workout. The weight of your body will do. Remember those good old push ups? Yep. YouTube will help you find some exercises ideas for what part of your body you want to work out. Weights can be found easily at thrift stores. Elastic bands offer multiple possibilities and are not too expensive. Cardio is important too so if running outside isn’t an option, because breathing smog will annihilate any benefits of working out, for instance, maybe look for a stationary bike in the ads.

You can still party

Even if you’ve decided that for health reasons, alcohol, sugar and carbs are to avoid, you can still allow yourself to have them every once in a while. Just don’t binge, and limit the damage. For example, I drink on rare but meaningful occasions and I choose low sugar and gluten free drinks like vodka-soda or gin-soda. That’s the protecting my health part, now for the protecting my wallet. Go to the liquor store and find the best value alcohol. Not the will-make-you-go-blind kind of alcohol, because that’s not healthy. Usually a big-ass bottle of average quality vodka will be a good price to quantity ratio, and will give you an occasion to let go of what the cashier thinks of you as a person. Vodka is pretty much tasteless so that leaves you more drinks possibilities. (plus, you can DIY perfume using vodka: avoiding chemicals on your skin and saving $200, yay)! Sugar in food now. It’s always best to choose natural sugars like honey, instead or refined sugar, or use stevia. Man, stevia is the best: it tastes like sugar, but it’s not. It’ll make your food taste sweet and do zero damage. Buy in a giant bottle to save money. Hell, you could even grow your own stevia plant! Let’s go crazy! You can also pour a drop in your vodka. Now that’s starting to look like a party to me! The use of the word honey and saving money just made me think of a fine browser extension you can use for online shopping. It’s called Honey and it can notify you when a product you watch goes on sale. It can also find and apply coupon codes for you. Here’s the only referral link in this article: my link to Honey. So, where were we. Sugar. When I stopped eating sugar, I bought dark unsweetened chocolat in bulk, thinking it would taste like dark 70% chocolate. Oh, was I wrong. It tastes bitter. That’s the only thing you’ll taste in sugar free dark chocolate. But it’s cheap to buy in bulk and I can control what goes into it, so from time to time I like to melt some in a pan, add stevia and eat that with bananas.

Let’s talk! What are your secrets to stay healthy and how do you afford it?

[reversemoon255]

I don’t have anything to review this week. I had plans to do a few BeastBoxes, and held out until the end for them to get here, but Customs has been a right pain with slower shipping over the past few months. Instead, I thought it might be fun to go over the past years worth of builds I did and see which ones I enjoyed the most, whether it be because the build itself was fun, I put a lot of work into it, or the end result was just neat.

RX-零/覚醒 RX-Zeromaru Shinki Kessho 

These aren’t in any particular order, but we’ll start with the updated Zeromaru. While this wasn’t a particularly interesting kit from a build perspective, it did have a fun gimmick. It’s mostly on here because this was the first time I recolored every part in order to color match. I’ve done it a few times since then (mostly with gold pieces), but this one was particularly interesting since I’d done the kit before without doing so, so seeing the two of them next to each other was really cool and felt like I was really stepping up as a builder.

GN-0000DVR/S/HWS Gundam 00 Sky HWS

While this build had a couple issues, I had a lot of fun with the 00 Sky; I tried some different panel lining techniques, experimented with paint to emphasize details, and the HWS was the last kit I added to my first series display. While the overall plot may not be the best, I stand by that Build Divers is a very good series if you’re looking to find some Gunpla Builder inspiration.

OZ-08MS-SP-K Leo Kanabo 

This was the last custom Leo I built, and ended up being one of the ones I’m most happy with. It doesn’t deviate very far from the original Leo’s design, but the ways that it does are very simple and effectively get the design intent across. Still wish I could have gotten that hip skirt to look a little better, though.

XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1

RGs aren’t very fun to build. They look great on a shelf, and can be fun at times to pose (if you’re not building a rickety one), but are typically something you build for the end result. While the Crossbone is no exception, it gets some bonus points for effectively using its parts and being one of the cheapest RGs to date. It also has a ton of accessories, gimmicks, and effect parts for its price, and is probably my favorite RG I’ve built.

Matchless Raijin-Oh 

Now we start getting into some non-Gundam stuff, with the only kit that’s not made by Bandai. Coming from Good Smile’s Moderoid line, Raijin-Oh feels like toy art. While not necessarily the most interesting build, the end result is fantastic, finding interesting ways to cheat anime proportions into both the combined form as well as the three separate mecha that make it up. Also, behind the scenes, totally forgot to attach Hou-Oh’s tail in every picture. Oops.

eEXM-17SOS Alto Sub-Orbital Sniper Kai III 

The only other custom on this list is, again, not from Gundam. The 30MM line is made for making custom units, and this was my first attempt with an idea I’d had in the back of my head for a long time: a sniper that attacks earth-bound enemies from orbit. I used four different upgrade kits to pull off the transformation from basic Alto to its third iteration, and it turned out great other than the very thick white paint. (I am my own biggest critic.) I know I say this every time, but you should totally look into 30MM if you haven’t; it’s a great way to create custom units with almost no barrier to entry.

PFF-X7 Core Gundam + PFF-X7/V2 Veetwo Gundam + PFF-X7/E3 Earthree Gundam + PFF-X7/M4 Marsfour Gundam

This is the coolest gimmick I think I’ve ever seen on a Gundam. While building Core Gundams has gotten a bit monotonous (and I may have to build a ton more of its new upgrade, at least one Core Gundam Rise, and maybe more than one Enemy Gundam Core), the end result is always fantastic from a meta perspective. While a lot of their parts are shared, the minor variations you can do to not only modify a Gunpla’s performance, but also its appearance is really cool. I’ll give extra praise to the Marsfour since it also inspired me to try doing some dry brushing techniques for the first time in a while.

ZGMF-X19AK Gundam Justice Knight

Now this was a fun build. All kinds of added joints, special gimmicks, and good use of parts. This was also another time I did gold color matching if only because I painted the chest vulcans and wanted everything to match. But to be fair, I probably wouldn’t be as fond of it if I didn’t. It’s a poser’s Gunpla built to pose, and it can outlandishly do so. They did also announce a standard Infinite Justice release, if that’s more your thing.

WarGreymon (Amplified) 

I’m a big Digimon fan, and I’ve talked before how I was disappointed that the Digimon Reboot model kit line went under after only one kit. WarGreymon was a Grey(t) reinvigoration of that old idea. He has amazing use of plastic at bizarre angles to create a very involved and interesting sculpt while still maintaining all of his recognizable elements. His main issue is he’s a brick, having joints but not the strength or sometimes clearance to move them. Still looks great, and is cheaper than most of your other options.

神竜合士 Valkylander

I’ve been giving a lot of love to Re:Rise, but they just keep producing solid kits (of their hero characters). The Valkylander is an SD Gundam with two separate combined modes, one of which is a dragon. This was also another case where I went ham on the paint to great effect. I believe the Avalanche Rex Buster parts release next month, and I’ll be excited to put those together. Y’know, before Par builds something else in season two that replaces them...

Overall, I built 27 model kits over the course of 2019, and I can’t help but feel I’ll end up building even more throughout 2020. I’ve got a few P-Bandai kits on the way, a massive 30MM custom project I’ve been collecting kits for, I’m going to be starting work on a Build Divers Sidestory Display, and the second season of Re:Rise is releasing in April. I’ve already got 16 model kits on the way or on preorder, and that’s just through April. If all goes well, hopefully this will be the last week I don’t have anything to review for a while.

[pvcfloortilerandburg-blog]

Best Flooring options for industrial areas

Flooring is the act of applying a finishing touch on the floor so that people can be able to walk on it. The floor covering is there to provide the following uses:

(a)    Feet Comfort

(b)   Protection and durability of the floor

(c)    Give aesthetic value and appearance

(d)   Colorful feel

(e)   Impervious property

(f)     Cleanliness

 There are several floor types that industrial areas can choose from, depending on how you want to achieve one of the 6 uses.

A.      Cement flooring

B.      Carpet flooring

C.      Pvc Flooring

D.      Wood flooring

E.       Ceramic Tiles

 1.       Cement Flooring

Cement flooring is one of the hardest floor types available for industrial flooring. It is made from concrete mixed with concrete and water to give it a hardened feel. This one of the oldest types of flooring which is still available till today. It is one of the cheapest flooring ideas for industrial areas and hence most popular of all flooring types where feet comfort is not essential. It is easier clean as a mop and a bucket of water with floor detergent is only needed to clean it. It does not require vacuuming;A colorful feel can be provided by just painting the floor with any colour of your choice. The only draw back on this action is the floor needs to be periodically painted if there is heavy feet traffic movement

 Cement flooring is very impervious and hence provide a durable floor characteristic that most of the floor types don’t provide, hence it is not affected by moisture of floods. It however has one disadvantage when it comes to heavy commercial vehicles such as forklifts are needed to pass through them, within a shorter space of time they will begin to disintegrate. Hence it is advisable to put an extra layer of rubber flooring or Pvc interlocking locking tiles to give it an extra hardening edge.

 2.       Carpet flooring

Carpet flooring is another type of flooring that can be considered in light industrial areas. This type of flooring can provide feet comfort than any other industrial flooring available. Only heavy-duty carpets with much grip are recommended to be applied in these instances. It protects the floor only to the extent of light traffic of humans and very light machines like sewing machines. Above all these, the floor can easily disintegrate.

 Carpet flooring therefore gives an average aesthetic value than cement flooring and rubber pvc tiles or rubber floor tiles. Therefore where heavy duty commercial movement is required, carpet flooring is not the best option, Advised to use rubber flooring and therefore the carpet would have to be removed as rubber flooring cannot be placed on top of the carpet unlike in a cement situation.

 Carpets can come in many different colours which cannot be discolored and provides an aesthetic value. It should be noted that carpets generally are pervious or porous therefore where there can be a lot of moisture and in case the floor is flooded, it can lead to it getting rotten.

 Carpets generally by their nature are fibrous and contain hidden dust dirty and can be cleaned by both applying a brush and vacuuming. It is not one of the cleanest floor types available.

 3.       Pvc rubber flooring

Pvc flooring is one of the recent developed type of flooring that was introduced a couple of decades ago to cater for the shortfalls of other types of flooring in heavy industrial areas. Pvc flooring was introduced specifically to cater for commercial and industrial needs. It is both impervious and durable.

 Pvc floor tile is the only heavy-duty flooring that allows commercial vehicle and other heavy movement to take place on it without deforming the floor. This type of flooring can withstand very high temperatures of over degrees without being affected. Though this type of flooring is quite durable, it is not one of the best appearance wise, though to improve aesthetic value the installers will have to alternate different colours.

 Pvc floor tile is impervious and easy to clean, it has the same properties as a cement floor type. The only draw back provided by pvc floor tiling is that it is not great in appearance and that it cannot be installed straight into the ground without concrete flooring, therefore some people will take it as an extra cost, but the benefits of having this far outweighs the reasoning of not put it in an industrial area.

 4.       Wood flooring

Wood flooring as the name suggest, it is floor made from wood, there are many wood flooring types, they range from natural wood to engineered wood.

(a)    Engineered wood.

It is a type of wood that has a veiled expensive top finish and a bottom cheaper wood, overall, that make sit cheaper than natural hard wood. Because it has a thin veil, it can easily scratch and therefore less likely to be used for heavy industrial use.

(b)   Hard wood flooring

Hard flooring is an expensive type of flooring, it is hard wearing and it carries high impervious properties than carpet flooring, it is great for commercial flooring but then again it is not the best of flooring when it comes to heavy duty machine movement like fork lifts therefore again pvc flooring is recommended in only areas where there is traffic movement. One can even put rubber flooring on top of hard wood to increase floor durability.

 5.       Ceramic flooring

 Ceramic tile is one of the durable materials for flooring, it can be used as an industrial flooring product. It is easy to clean and cannot fade on its colour and is very versatile in terms of its are of uses, mostly it is used in household areas. It is a very lost cost form of tile and it has a very high-water resistant property. It will not change in high and low temperature areas

It has very few draw backs, in that it looks like plastics, and it is very difficult to repair.

Again when it comes to movement of forklifts and other machines, it is advisable to include pvc flooring on only the areas that are affected by this movement.

 For More Info : - Interlock Rubber Mats

Interlocking Rubber Floor Tiles

[mysticsparklewings]

Starfall Mountains

Alternate title: Reasons Not to Buy the Dirt-Cheapest Acrylic Paints You Can Find I normally do like to keep an inexpensive stash of acrylic paint around because even though acrylic paint is not a medium I dabble in often, it much like fabric/puffy paint can come in surprisingly handy. And every once in awhile I will use it for it's intended purpose just to stretch my artistic muscles. Well, one of my art students recently started asking questions about acrylic painting and through giving them what advice I could (knowing arguably too much about acrylic painting for someone that rarely if ever does so) I felt that familiar artistic itch settle into my brain. And then I remembered that between my own one-off projects and a couple that my mom borrowed my small paint stash for, the stash that I had is down quite a few tubes that are just completely gone/empty. And what colors are left (mostly browns and greens, maybe a yellow) are not terribly pretty or useful colors. Thus my wandering art supply eyes started watching for some cheap acrylic paints to add to and replenish the stash. And admittedly to a certain extent, I wanted to take the rare occasion to take a stab at making a proper painting, partly just to see if I could do it and partly so I wouldn't just be throwing my student to the wolves with my advice. I found such paints in the form of an 8-pack set of 9.5 ml. tubes from Dollar General. The set was $4. Now, I know and can accept that this set was not meant to be artist-quality by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever. What bothers me is that my pre-existing stash was a very cheap set that was probably at best meant to be student-quality paint (and there's a good chance that's being generous) and you can get craft paint from Walmart for less than $1 for much larger tubes, and both options are more pigmented than these paints were. Do not be fooled by the results before you; I am fortunate enough that I have a moderate amount of artistic skill, pretty good knowledge of the medium (at least for someone that doesn't use it often), and I've done enough experimenting and encountered enough problems before to be comfortable trying to power through and work with what I had. If I were a humble beginner with much more limited knowledge of art supplies and how to use them, I highly suspect this would be one of those supplies capable of turning someone away from that type of art supply, if not art as a whole, in its entirety. If you've ever used finger paints for kids--you know how in the container and one congealed drop of the paint it looks like a nice, solid color, but then when you start to spread the paint around it's way more transparent and you have to really commit to get the color pay-off you were expecting? That's an accurate description of these paints. The thing is that they aren't totally lacking in pigment. They're about as pigmented as cheap watercolors or gouache. The problem with that is that they are still acrylics at the end of the day--the paint binder is a plastic, which means they dry relatively quickly and typically will not reactivate after they've dried. So if you want the same experience but a medium that's easier to work with, watercolor or gouache would be a better option. But it gets weirder.   I noticed that these acrylics dry a little on the slower side compared to what I'm used to, which is a mixed bag. It helped with blending a little, but it also made the lack of pigment more frustrating, as it meant I had to wait longer for the paint to dry between layers, which I needed in order to make sure I was A. covering the canvas and B. getting the color payoff I wanted. Additionally, it is probably a very good thing that I was using a small 4"x6" canvas board and not one of the 8"x10" canvases I have on hand, because the size of the paint tubes combined with the lack of pigmentation means I very likely would've run out of one or some of the colors. (Almost definitely I would have run out of white because white is always my most overused color). To a certain extent, I did expect to have to layer and do a lot of "put paint on, cover it up. put paint on, cover it up, put paint on--" you get the idea. Acrylics, even when they are better pigmented, can be a more challenging medium to work with because of the aforementioned quicker drying time. But even so I feel like the work I had to do to get good color pay off, decent coverage of the canvas, and smooth blending all at once was still a little more than I should've had to put in. The most egregious and obvious offenders of this would be the orange behind the mountains and the snow/ice caps on the mountains, the latter of which I'm still not totally happy with, but I kept going back and forth with it and eventually just said "y'know, that looks pretty okay, I'm tired of messing with it, and I'd love to not use up the entire tube of white on this one small painting, so I'm done with that." The orange I think turned out fine, though the transition between it and the rest of the sky is a little harsh for my liking. (I'd say it doesn't match the reference photo but that's not really fair as overall I took quite a few intentional and unintentional creative liberties between my reference photo and the final product.) Anyway. Once I had layered enough various shades of purple and bluish-white on this thing to make an eggplant and blueberry salad jealous and fed myself up with the mountains, it was 4 a.m. and I was tired and so I decided to let what I had dry overnight and then finish it the following day. I did wrap my tiny 6-well palette up in a plastic baggie to preserve the mixed paint that hadn't already dried just in case I looked at the painting with fresh eyes and couldn't help but touch it up some more. But fortunately, that didn't happen. Instead, I used some washi tape to make a mask over the mountains and then broke out a bottle of white ink to splatter some stars across the sky, because I knew the white acrylic paint was a serious risk that was likely to not work out the way I wanted it to. (In this case. I have used white acrylic paint before that would've probably worked just fine using the same splatter method, but I didn't want to take the risk with how not-pigmented this white was.) And then I went in with white gel pens to emphasize a few stars, add some white spots in that I wasn't able to do with the paint, and I did end up adding a little extra highlight to some of the mountains in the vain hope of making them look a little better. This is where the title comes in; I think I got a little carried away with the highlight on the mountains vs. the stars in the sky, and so instead of the traditional "snowfall/snowy" mountains, I thought calling them "starfall" mountains might make more sense based on the visuals. One that was done and I was confident that everything was dry, I went over the whole thing with some gloss-finish ModPodge (which smells horrible by the way; the matte-finish ModPodge has a way less offensive smell to me), in two coats, and then re-applied my gel-pen signature in the top corner because for some reason the ModPodge just kinda wiped it off. I don't like ripping on a supply so hard, and I'm sure if you look at some other supply tests of mine that it's pretty obvious I try very hard to give the benefit of the doubt when I can. These just disappointed me on so many levels. Don't get me wrong; the end product still turned out decent, but that's because I more or less know what I'm doing. As I said before, I'm not confident that a beginner wouldn't be totally frustrated by these paints. And yet I can't deny that they're probably fine for younger kids that don't really care about proper acrylic painting, and that's really who they're probably for anyway. If nothing else, I can say this experiment has pushed me towards getting a better quality, wider color-selection set of acrylics to keep in my stash, because I really don't see these working out as a good stash set for me.  It's going to be a tricky decision though, because I want something that'll give me the option to do a proper acrylic painting like this if I want to, but has a price I can justify even if I don't use the paints terribly often. So we'll see how that turns out for me further down the road. I really don't think I'll ever be primarily an acrylic painter (not because of this particular experience--there's just something missing that doesn't draw me into the medium like other mediums have drawn me in before), but sometimes you get an artistic itch and you just have to scratch it, and I have to admit that I don't think I've fully satisfied this itch just yet, so there may be more acrylic paintings to come out of me yet. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[halilog-blog]

Acer Aspire 5 Audit Light-weight and 1-5 Incher at $399

While still PCs prove that, no matter the shake outlays, they are sometimes consummately proficient great high quality PCs are becoming thinner, lighter, lighter, and expensive. The machines, as an instance, the Acer Aspire 5 are still noticeable by the bulk of those PC buyers. Acer Aspire 5 is more light-weight and costs around $399 2500 (AU$500).In the place of using plans and the latest invention, a numbers of the mid-officers perform their undertakings and unobtrusively while striking a balance among ground-breaking and refreshed specialized components and staying in touch costs only can be expected under the conditions.Medium-run PCs would be the well along the best way to get from a substantial quantity folks and therefore so are perfect at case you will want some thing future-evidence, simply because they've significantly more dominant and more fresh parts compared to high priced machines, yet they'd like never to handle the price of those chances.Acer has Morning Acer Aspire 5 to now add Intel Center chips from the age, therefore today is the moment.

Access and Altered:

In the united kingdom, probably the most paid off expected Aspire 5 features a8 GB DDR4 Slam, Intel i3-6006U process or, inch incorporated examples, also 5.9-inch 1080p display. The Acer Aspire 5 is currently extended in a range of settings and costs, starting at approximately $399 (roughly #300, respectively AU$ 500) to your Acer Aspire 5 A515-51-3509 together using Intel Center I 3 7100U Processors and also a 15.6-inch Total HD Display. Aspire 5 Australia is your cheapest version and highlights an I5 8250U chip with an Intel Center i5 15.6″x 768 display, a 15.6 GB Smash plus a GeForce 940MX charge card.There are still an enormous quantity of Acer Aspire 5 installments to select, that may differ depending up on your geographical area, together with best in category models including an Intel Center i-7 8550U, 17.3in. 1080p, 1-2 GB Smash, a HDD and also SSD and outstanding Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU designs sparkle to get $999.99 (roughly #700, AU $1,200). Beyond these constraints, just really a exhibit is of controller alternatives.The version analyzed here may be your Intel Center i-5 8250U layouts, 8 GB DDR4 Smash, 256 GB SSD, along with Acer Aspire 5 A515-51-50Y5.

Plan:

The design of this Acer Aspire 5 will be likely to be thin as ultra-books such as Dell's XPS 1 3 or a sus' ZenBook 3 nothing is striking. It does not mean it has nothing to offer you. The Acer Aspire 5 is just really a significant PC having a magnitude of 2.16×38.16×26.3 cm and burden of 2.20 kilogram, but it is not overly big or difficult to vehicle. Be as it can, it is possible to believe that its difficult to whip outside and have an attempt at a train.It's really a system with a handful of of structures. The body has been created of vinyl and also it includes an symbol from Acer along with a surface.The screen is significantly far much better than ordinary, using a huge bezel After an PC start. The half an base backings as you are able to without much of a stretch switch web-cam console.

 The bottom bezel has an Acer logo and under the work station pivot, graved'Aspire' gives an touch. The pivot makes it possible to improve the display at borders it's nothing but a PC which may reverse 360-degrees into a position.Acer Aspire 5 comes supplied with two USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 memory jack, USB C memory jack, Ethernet memory-card, and SD companion.We would desire to get the following USB 2.0 interfaces, the USB C interface can be definitely an invitation expansion, which supplies you with a particular level of prospective assurance.

Console and Touch-pad:

There has been A coating revealed at the lower 1 / 2 the work station having its console and touch pad. It has been given a conclusion by acer, yet it is less superior since aluminum lovely. It did not require much energy to this touch pad.The console is tremendous, making writing about it pleasant to get a term it isn't the console that is pleasant games or very responsive that we've attempted with consoles.The Acer Aspire 5's tremendous framing component rendering it possible to put up the touch pad, that is counter-balanced to a single side of their body's point.The size would make it easy to use moves, for example tweaking two palms however a few may believe that its aggravating after writing once they break the hands of their curser onto it to zoom out. The touch-pad feels small and plastic, and it is actually just really a disgrace.

Value--ACER ASPIRE 5:

Acer Aspire 5 is still a work station for undertakings, that's that the variable within it. The strong nation drive (SSD) keeps Windows-10 quite fast and invisibly multi-functional chips with 8 GB of Smash along with quad-center Intel Center i78550U. Aspire 5 works for Windows work space software that are overall --it will not feel as quick as PCs it's perfect for missions.Even as we have established, the SSD of this version we tried guarantees matters work quicker, so we'd advocate a SSD version -- ideally with a conventional drive if your spending instincts. Even the 256 GB SSD was 5 to finish establishments you might wind up needing putting funds into an plate that is hard to oblige media and your applications.The IPS monitor is fine; as we all watched portables, the distinction isn't as eloquent. Whatever the scenario, a full-hd (1920x 1080) screen is welcome also produces pictures and films seem far more advanced than PCs with lesser aims, and also the Acer Shading Knowledge innovation aspire to improve gamma and immersion onto the screen as ardently as possible to produce it look at precisely exactly the exact identical class as possible.We never have seen comparison, by, and very enough , the screen could be suitable for missions that are standard . On the off likelihood, you will see an system Whatever the instance you want to improve records or photographs.Intel 620UHD's illustrations that are card can not deal irrespective of a handful games that are great with day matches. Any sensible man would agree.

Battery Life:

Acer Aspire 5 maintained going minutes and half an hour utilising the PCMark 8, replicating moderate to use batteries that were large that was notable. It can occupy battery lifetime if working with the internet, you reduce the display.It in virtually any event indicates that you are able to burn off up the most of a day.The battery normally can take a little time three hrs to rekindle.

 The Acer Aspire 5 has been very theraputic for all of people separated out of the touch-pad that is loosed, it's quality and a plan. The range of vents is welcome also leaves this toaster and workstation with a couple peripherals lifetime.We did not care for your touch pad, and it is really a point.The screen is a tiny washed off, much less incredible as we may want to look in regard.

Last Choice:

The Acer Aspire 5 is still really just a decision on the off likelihood that you're browsing to get a PC it does not cost substantially does not bargain the essence of ones that are older and segments. The version we've tried was perhaps not competent while with respect to layouts.Together these traces the Aspire 5 values considering that you desire daily missions without linking to an energy attachment, battery lifetime has been amazing.But in case you want your work station manage graphics and video shifting or to conduct day matches that are present, you ought to choose still yet another.

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