#most stuff will come from there since buying from official stores is expensive with shipping prices

[cindersnowsstuff]

I started a vocal synth ita bag! I plan to add more to it over time, and I'll be updating this post as I do! I'll be looking for SynthV items to add to this. I hope I'll have enough room to fit all the charms I want to put in here 😅

UPDATE 1: Flower and Teto have been added!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Raven pls help a fellow out🙏 Do you know any website that sells cheap but good enough twst merch? I can't find any decent ones that aren't just pins:(

Wow, Mr. Fellow Honest himself is coming to me asking for help?/j

I don't normally give this kind of advice, but I figured I might as well since it's the holiday season and maybe people are looking for Twst merch to gift to themselves or to others. I included pros and cons along with each suggestion. Whether you decide to look into that particular method or not is up to you!

(Note that most of the time these are second-hand options, which will usually be cheaper than buying directly from Twst and/or collaborating companies at retail price.)

Book-Off

Pros: (generally) cheaper than other locations that import anime and manga goods, easy to find pins/badges and plushies here Cons: because the items are often unsold merch... quality may vary (check item before you buy), may not be able to find merch of your desired character, physical store locations are not organized by series so you'll probably have to spend a long time digging for what you want

Mercari

Pros: more variety of merch avaliable (including rarer stuff), can haggle the price and speak with individual sellers to negotiate or bundle goods Cons: may need to pay for delivery + other additional fees, price of item may be more expensive depending on the rarity, some items may not be brand new (check listing description; it will generally indicate the condition), item may be shipping from other countries so DOUBLE CHECK where it is shipping from before committing to the purchase or you'll be slapped with an expensive shipping fee to pay

Suruga-ya

Pros: excellent variety of merch, merch is often listed in yen so the price tends to be cheap, shipping is relatively fast (it doesn't take like A Month to get to you), quality is generally good Cons: shipping can be very expensive (unless you catch the site during a period in which they offer free shipping and/or do a group order to split the shipping costs with others)

fan artists!!

(Totally biased opinion, I recommend them the most 🥰)

Pros: you get to have a more unique piece of merch that's made from another fan's passion and love for Twst, you support a small independent creator

Cons: may not be financially feasible in some cases (for example, fanmade plushies may be more expensive than the mass produced official nuis are), fan artists are limited in the types of merch they can create if they don't have the means for bigger projects (like apparel, bags, etc.), you have to do your own research on who sells Twst fan merch (there is no centralized list or platform where all Twst fan merch sellers congregate)

Hope this helps, and best of luck with the merch hunt~

[cashmerebabyblanketblog]

Why Newborns Love Cashmere Baby Blanket

A traditional cashmere baby blanket means your favourite sweater won't ever exit of fashion. What do most of us do after we discover that one great pair of girls's jeans? Sure, it may take a while to build up your cashmere assortment however if you begin to feel the necessity for a brand new color in your life, you'll know exactly where to go. However, these qualities together with the complicated, time and labor intensive cashmere manufacturing methods make the fabric very costly. It is normal to see cashmere sweaters in luxurious designer retail stores priced at several hundred, even a thousand dollars. Prices differ on the type of cashmere fabric, as well as the standard of building.

A school official has a respectable educational curiosity if the official must evaluation an schooling document to have the ability to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. • The right to request modification of the student’s schooling information that the mother or father or eligible pupil believes is inaccurate or misleading. Additional data regarding the listening to procedures will be provided to the father or mother or eligible pupil when notified of the right to a listening to. This woodsy floral makes your space really feel as cozy as your favorite sweater. If you need to ship your items to a special location, choose it below.

Pure Cashmere Scarf

Cheaper cashmere products have turn out to be hugely in style just lately. These claim to supply the standard of cashmere for a lower cost, some might use a barely decrease grade of cashmere, or completely different processing methods to make the tip outcome extra inexpensive. And whereas they are comparatively low-cost, they're still usually a minimum of twice the value of wool. Our cashmere products in particular are produced from one hundred pc Grade A Mongolian cashmere, making certain the standard and longevity of our clothes. We don't use “cashmere blends” that compromise the product, which means our pieces have the traits that this material should have.

Store By Fit

Cashmere is soft and feels great in opposition to the pores and skin because the fibers are much finer than wool and are spun tightly to supply a clean, delicate texture. Not solely does cashmere maintain you warm with out including bulk, it also has natural stretch, so you'll be able to transfer easily whereas sporting it. Ease into fall in perfect sweaters for now and later. Powdery musks add an expensive interpretation to the iconic Kush candle. Connotating opulence and craftsmanship this scent hits deep with textured cashmere woods, white amber and earthy vetiver. Discover the distant and unknown via this exotic tonic of heady pot flower gum.

From cashmere hats to scarves, they’re a sumptuously delicate addition to any cold-weather outfit – and make the proper present too. You’ll additionally find sustainable knitwear that’s been spun with recycled cashmere fibres. Cashmere is a wanted and costly material, usually used in high-end clothes and textile products. It has a combination of distinctive properties which have earned cashmere its popularity as a luxury materials and justify its premium price. These properties are why cashmere is the material of choice for Jet&Bo journey equipment.

Sipping on a warm vanilla Chai and a getting lost in a good e-book. Lower-quality cashmere with a brief fiber length could additionally be more susceptible to shedding. Add a teaspoon or two of baby shampoo or wool wash, and swish it around. The tiny scales that make up the surface of the fiber are smoother and fewer than these on sheep’s wool. So regardless of being warmer than wool by weight, cashmere doesn’t overheat you simply.

Due to restricted, handmade production, these are after all very, very expensive. The cashmere goat has a protecting outer coat of coarse fibre that is four to 20 cm (1.5 to 8 inches) in length. The downy undercoat is made up of the nice, delicate fibre generally known as cashmere, which ranges from 2.5 to 9 cm (1 to three.5 inches) lengthy. Most of this down fibre is plucked or combed out by hand during the molting season. The annual yield per animal ranges from a quantity of grams to about 0.5 kilogram.

Pure cashmere, ensuing from removing animal grease, dirt and coarse hairs from the fleece, is estimated at about 6,500 tons . It is estimated that on common yearly production per goat is a hundred and fifty grams (0.33 lb). The wealthy, contrasting tones of Grey, Black and Charcoal make this impeccably-crafted throw vital accessory for upgrading your house décor. While the gentle touch of wool and cashmere create a grab-anytime piece you presumably can lay throughout your lap (and someone else’s) for those cozy nights in. Pompeii Quartz is made with natural stone products and shade variation is inherent.

Stick With Basic Colours

The data generated by the cookies about your use of the Site might be transmitted to and saved by Google on its servers, turning into accessible to webmasters by way of Google Analytics providers. Today the historical past of cashmere passes by way of the workshops in Solomeo, where since 1978 Brunello Cucinelli’s instinct has bestowed upon this yarn a model new enchantment and modern colours. Since then, the historical past of this wonderful yarn has cut throughout the evolution of different civilizations, tying together the East to the West, conventional heritage to up to date creations. We requested the consultants to inform us the difference between a $50 cashmere sweater and a $500 one. [newline]Then we found our six favorites at a wide selection of prices.

The Means To Wash Cashmere Within The Machine

This listing wouldn’t be complete with out this sustainably and ethically made staple. Naadam is all about sourcing its supplies in a way that’s finest for both the surroundings and every individual involved in the manufacturing process, including the goat herders in Mongolia. And whilst you may be skeptical of a 100-percent cashmere sweater that costs less than $100, maybe the 50k+ 5-star reviews will assist change your thoughts. The perfect method to layer up, our cashmere cardigans never go out of fashion.

High-quality cashmere-coating materials usually comprise less than 5 % of the coarse hair; fine-quality sweaters contain lower than 1 %. The fibres have diameters finer than those of the best wools. The Kashmir goats of China and Mongolia yield fibre with diameters ranging from 14.5 to 16.5 micrometres; that of Iranian goats is 17.5 to 19.5 micrometres. Colour, often grey or tan, varies from white to black. Additionally, an entire process goes into the creation of this materials.

And if value isn’t a problem, you may as nicely go for The Row. The model, which is designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, focuses on crafting attractive staples you can put on for years and years and years. The PureWow editor who recommended this stunner couldn’t overstate just how soft and splendid the material feels and the way, although she’s petite, the match is just the right amount of oversize. If I might solely buy one merchandise from the laundress, it will be this.

Prep for the fall with our new and improved Cashmere Wrap. For the best expertise, we use cookies and related tools to assist Etsy function, for efficiency, analytics, personalisation and advertising. Join the Good On You community to discover much more moral and sustainable fashion. At Good On You, we all the time recommend checking a brand before you buy from it.

Cashmere goats have two layers of hair — thick wiry guard hairs and a super-soft cashmere undercoat. While a sheep can produce a minimal of three kilos of wool each year, a cashmere goat will solely give you around 200 grams. The precise material comes from the wool of pashmina and cashmere goats, creatures as playful as they're valuable. Not to be confused with sheep , cashmere undergoes a unique process to turn out to be what we come to know and love.

The material having two identical sides also allows for the creation of reversible kinds. From reversible jackets to reversible coats and even clothes, this stuff are actually versatile. The pinnacle of pure fabrics is double-face cashmere, and it is an important element of the signature Akris look.

It's frizzy and dry and no matter what merchandise I've used up to now, nothing helps. I tried Olaplex which is a bonding system so many people love but it did completely nothing to improve the feel, breakage and dryness in my hair. I'm beyond satisfied and happy and shall be shopping for this again and attempting out you are different products as well. Thank you to the In Common girls for bringing this to us at house. I do have a Brazilian blowout treatment at present, and my different products usually assist blowout/air dry with physique and no frizz.

"I'd be scouring vintage retailers for the proper toss-on-and-go cardigan that I might wear with a tee or by itself, and this was the first one that checked all the packing containers," she says. Its gentle, relaxed silhouette and darling buttons make this a bit you'll have the ability to put on with anything. Quince is a minimalist's dream, providing up beautiful, basic cashmere pieces for wallet-friendly costs. The brand, which was created from the ethos that good issues should not be expensive, is home to the $50 Cashmere Crew.

Trading in industrial portions of raw cashmere between Asia and Europe began with Valerie Audresset SA, Louviers, France, claiming to be the primary European firm to commercially spin cashmere. The down was imported from Tibet by way of Kazan, the capital of the Russian province of Volga, and was utilized in France to create imitation woven shawls. Unlike the Kashmir shawls, the French shawls had a special sample on both sides. The imported cashmere was spread out on large sieves and beaten with sticks to open the fibers and clear away the dust. After opening, the cashmere was washed and youngsters removed the coarse hair. The down was then carded and combed using the same methods used for worsted spinning.

But as all the time with quick trend, if you get a low value, somebody or one thing is paying, someplace. But nowadays, with the advent of quick fashion (her again?), it’s turn into simple to seek out cashmere beanies, scarfs and crewnecks at very aggressive prices. Nowadays, cashmere still comes from Asia, where it’s produced and refined before being sent West. We’re engaged on a cashmere buy-back Program to scale back waste and provides your used cashmere a second life. All our cashmere is fair-trade & cruelty-free—and we always put the wellbeing of our shepherds and goats first.

Let the warm tones and 100% cashmere contact of this reversible throw transport you to a place of sweet internal peace and on a regular basis bliss. Two soothing shades of Beige ready the mind for deep rest while a contrasting shade line adds an elegant, modern twist for a recent look and feel. This fetching cardigan is all in regards to the fringe advantages. Doubles as a light-weight coat for chilly evenings or morning espresso outdoors. They are sheared once a year and a full grown grownup buck will yield as a lot as 2.5 pounds of fleece. The fleece consists of two kinds of fiber, cashmere and guard hair.

The 10 Greatest Child Blankets For 2021

This darling little cashmere baby blanket will add slightly sparkle to any baby's room. Kit includes Baby's Best yarn proven in White Sparkle/Grey or select any Baby's Best colors. Four pretty crochet child blanket designs, nice to give as items.

For an optimized shopping experience in your local forex attempt ordering from our European store.

Handmade with love and care, every of our blankets and quilts is exclusive with its personal candy details and is assured to offer baby a delicate place to nestle. The perfect gift for that artful someone special. Send a present card to any member of the family or friend by email. This is a kit to knit a sweater, bonnet and booties. Shown in Pink or select any color. A darling double ruffle border and a bouquet of roses for that special baby.

Cashmere baby blanket with wealthy textures and delicate lace border. Just a contact of lace shown in Mary Maxim Baby's Best makes the Lacy Edge blanket a particular gift for any family welcoming a new addition. The crafter is rigorously led spherical after round via the border of the Lacy Edge Blanket, building upon the center panel to create a delicate body of lace. Kit consists of Mary Maxim Baby's Best yarn. Our baby swaddle blankets are perfect for wrapping your new child up tightly, making them really feel safe and serving to them to sleep longer and more soundly. Our safety blankets — warm, delicate, thick and huggable at sixteen by 16 inches, are a baby’s good companion. We also provide three-layer quilt blankets, which you need to use to swaddle your child, wrap them as you carry them and so many different uses.

The Grace Lutheran congregation is involved as nicely, donating new child outfits and diapers for the babies to take residence as they are discharged. They usually have fun their year-long effort with a baby shower luncheon, but as a result of COVID-19 protocols, they were unable to assemble the whole group. The crochet sand stitch is a great stitch to be taught to showcase yarn colours that are daring and scream for attention!

In concept, the idea ought to work. But I surprise if the thickness of the fleece would cause the seam to be bulky. I'd recognize any suggestions should you've used fleece for a self-binding blanket. Begin by folding collectively the sides of the blanket to type a point within the corner. Smooth out the material to create a triangle within the nook of the blanket. Now it's time to sew the top to the bottom.

You can wrap your baby up nicely on this spacious blanket from Grandmas2Share, cool in color but ultrasoft, and heat in a pure cotton knit cloth with a delicate pattern. For parents who're all the time hitting the street or skies, you’ll desire a blanket that’s not just cozy, but travel-friendly. This highly rated minky blanket from Boritar is tremendous delicate and could be rapidly rolled up when not in use. [newline]It’s additionally machine cleanable for when the inevitable occurs. These candy flannel receiving blankets are produced from one hundred pc cotton and are available packs of seven. If you’re looking for an everyday blanket at an excellent worth, this may be a strong option. Bathing fits for youths are another nice child bathe reward for the summer.

At the HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, NY, as an example, the housekeeping staff buys 3, % cotton blankets a yr, and often makes use of 4 to 5 of them for every new child. Wondering what these white curds are in your baby's poop? Here are the possible causes behind it and when you need to speak to a physician. Parade’s blankets come in one measurement and get rave reviews from dad and mom. However a couple of note that the coloring truly does range from what you may see within the pictures, so manage your expectations accordingly.

We can’t think about a listing of one of the best child blankets that don’t have the Aden + Anais classic swaddle blanket at the prime of its listing.

Set your machine to the zig-zag sew .

It’s a crochet sew sample that’s easy to make however nonetheless intriguing to the attention.

To train your right to direct Brooklinen to not sell your personal info, please visit Do Not Sell My Info .

Alternatively the velvety exterior and fluffy interior of our Dreamsack™ is certain to keep your little LOVE heat and comfortable.

But in addition to being a cute memento of a second in time in baby’s life, they’re additionally extremely useful. Cool Casual Design Leanne Ford kids collection A recent lineup of furnishings, decor and accessories designed for kids who like to create, play and make magic together. All Little Giraffe products are created from the best quality, softest textiles, and supply not only consolation, however soothe and calm baby for restful sleep.

Givenchy Kids

One giant granny square labored in an eye-catching pattern. Shown in Rainbow or select any shade. This cute blanket will deliver a smile to everyone.

Organic Cotton Child Romper

I love utilizing flannel for baby blankets. It's soft, comes in plenty of patterns and colors and is cheap. It's also great for beginners because it's straightforward to sew with. Hopefully you now know tips on how to make a blanket so you might make cute child bathe presents. These are so easy to make, I stitched up a number of in new time.

This minky blanket is a perfect measurement for swaddling baby and for utilizing as a breastfeeding cowl. [newline]Keep your precious infant warm, cosy and fashionably cool with a luxurious designer blanket, baby nest or baby sleeping bag. Our carefully picked edit includes solely essentially the most fabulous luxurious labels from leading designers around the globe. You’ll find every thing you need in our assortment to maintain your baby wrapped in luxurious while they sleep. We have designs and styles to suit every nursery, and a few delightfully understated designer baby blankets perfect for christenings.

Adorable rattles for your little one! Each kit contains Amigurumi yarn, embroidery floss, crochet hook, tapestry needle, rattle insert, wood ring and polyester stuffing. When it comes to the best stroller blanket for child when she’s on the go, look no further than the Pottery Barn chamois blanket. It’s not too heavy or cumbersome, but not too flimsy either; it’s the proper weight for many days outdoors. We love the whimsical dot and stripe reversible pattern, out there in 5 basic, match-with-anything colors. This candy blanket is monogrammable like most Pottery Barn products, so you’ll by no means have to surprise which one is yours.

Every soft blankie shares the sensation of affection and a hug. Browse all of our child blankets now to surround your baby in comfort. This soft and cozy blanket from Hudson Baby is a superb choice for newborns. Not only is it super soft and snuggly, it comes with an identical stuffed animal lovey. Plus, with multiple gender-neutral prints to choose from, this set is ideal for gifting.

We search the world for the few materials that meet our excessive requirements so we could be certain you’ve by no means felt something softer! Our materials retain their luxurious finish and heirloom high quality after years of easy care. All of our materials retain their luxurious finish and heirloom quality after years of simple care. Simply drop your Little Giraffe plush blanket in a cold-water wash cycle and hold or dry flat to preserve the ultrasoft hand feel. Avoid utilizing bleach when washing blankets for infants and keep away from heat to guard the polyester fibers.

The groups of double crochets look like they're made in a zig-zag pattern. It is a versatile stitch that would swimsuit a variety of totally different yarns and tasks. The side saddle crochet stitch is just a combination of single crochets, double crochets, and chains, yet it looks so distinctive. It has an attractive, geometric pattern when seen straight on. Whether you are designing a collage or printing a single picture, creating the right customized product is fast, simple and enjoyable.

Dog Baby Blanklette

Whether you're buying for your friend's child shower or creating a present registry of your personal, baby swaddles are a useful item for any parent-to-be. For a thoughtful newborn gift concept, pair the child swaddle blankets with bibs, stroller blankets and bandanas in comparable prints. Wrap your baby in soft, trendy baby blankets from Crate & Kids. Choose the perfect infant blanket for your bundle of pleasure from our number of knit, waffle and 100% cotton materials. For an extra-cozy (and extra-cute) option, select a hooded child blanket.

Plus, the bag has facet slits so you can safely use your stroller or car seat’s straps to keep baby safe. By now you realize that babies should sleep with absolutely nothing of their crib except a mattress and a breathable crib sheet. But if you’re concerned that your little one might get a bit chilly, these wearable blankets are a nice way to safely keep them heat as they snooze. These one hundred pc cotton muslin quilts from Little Unicorn are a favorite of our editorial director.

It never appears dated or cutesy or Disney. Avoid child blankets with attachments like tassels, hanging ribbons, or buttons. Anything that may potentially fray, fall off, or cause a choking or tangling hazard must be averted. The Urban Bundleme bunting bag has a heat and comfortable sherpa lining.

We have plenty of free and simple patterns in your favorite yarns corresponding to Bernat Baby Blanket. Baby blankets are nice for novices, or for advanced knitters to jazz it up with a chevron design. Baby blankets come in a variety of sizes from the traditional receiving blanket to much bigger, thicker choices. You would possibly want quite a lot of sizes and thicknesses for different functions, from swaddling to tummy time. Keep in thoughts that you just would possibly need a special weight for cooler weather versus within the spring or summer season.

[detectiveharmony]

How I Planned My Wedding

  Hi guys! I realize this isn't normally the sort of thing I write. Usually, I write book advice that has to deal with writing, editing, publishing novels, and everything in between! But as I have recently been married, I thought I would release the secrets of dark magic I conjured in order to plan my wedding.

1. Set a Budget

   The first thing is first. Set a budget. If you ask yourself if this is really necessary, yes, it is. It is 1000% necessary. While you are setting a budget, I would also get a binder to make your wedding binder. Whether you want to or not, you are going to be purchasing a lot of things for your wedding, and it's best to keep all receipts together in case you need to return some things.

   Now, as far as setting a budget goes, I just downloaded a free spreadsheet online and printed it out. If you don't want to print one out, there are a lot of websites that have online budgeting and spreadsheets. Weddingwire.com and the Knot App were especially helpful for me because they had super helpful checklists plus budgeting, registry trackers, and online RSVP. I kept budgets on everything I made. My printed budget looked something like this:

   I didn't use all of the spaces, but it at least kept me on track. The goal is to set the absolute most you are willing (and have the ability to) spend on any certain thing. This was sort of a game for me. I'd set the amount, and see for how much cheaper I could get it, with quality, in reason. Mine and Josh's total wedding budget was around 11K. I think we actually ended up spending around 7K. A lot of our services were gifts from friends, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Which brings me to my next point:

2. Find Talented Friends Who Are Willing to Help

   I would first and foremost like to say that just because you have a photographer friend does not mean you should go up to said photographer friend and blatantly ask them to take pictures of your wedding for free. It's cheap and demeaning to them, especially if that is their only source of income, or if they work a job with low income. Even if they have plenty of money, they are not going to be willing to take 6-10 hours out of their day plus weeks in editing to take pictures of your wedding with no compensation. The same principle applies to other services. What I am meaning is to search out friends who render services, and ask them for quotes. In my experience, 9/10 times they cut us a deal or even offered the service for free as a wedding gift. If you are part of a church family, I would definitely recommend looking there first. In the spirit of the Lord, most people are more than happy to help you for free without you even asking. My church family is where my cake, sound, and officiant services came from, and they were all more than perfect. It's also worth noting that I tipped my friends anyway, even though they didn't ask to be paid, because I really appreciated their services (even though some of them returned the tips and refused any type of payment).

   The talented friend also applies to friends who have also been married before, who are good with money, or good with budgeting if you don't know where to start or how to begin.

3. Set a Guest List

   When you are setting your guest list, it's important to remember that you don't have to (and probably shouldn't) invite everyone you have known since kindergarten or on your Facebook. The more people you have at your wedding, the more expensive it's going to be. In our case, if our guest list exceeded 100 people, our security cost would double, so I tried to keep it at a minimum, only inviting close friends and family. A lot of people didn't understand this, and you'll probably make a lot of people mad in doing so, but it was important for me to cut costs wherever possible. At the time I was financing an 11k wedding by myself on a 20k salary. Long lost cousin Susie wasn't a priority on my guest list. People I hadn't seen or spoken to in years weren't a priority. I gave my husband a pen and paper and told him to invite whoever he wanted, but he also understood that we were trying to save money. Every penny saved helped, and honestly, the day went by so quickly I don't even remember a lot of the people who were there. If people truly care about you, they'll understand that married life is hard and will be eager to help you in any way they can, even if that help is not coming to the wedding. Most of my friends and family were understanding when I explained to them that we didn’t have the money to invite everyone we wanted. And at the end of the day, it's your wedding, nobody else's.

4. Do as Much as You Can Ahead of Time

   If you want to be so stressed out that you are incapacitated, then wait until the last second to book all of your services. I recommend, if you can, to book at least a year ahead of schedule. I didn't, and around four months before my wedding I was wondering how everything was going to get paid for.

  You will end up financing a lot of things, especially the more expensive things. Unless you have boat loads of cash just laying around, of course, and a lot of places will turn you down if you don't have an adequate time frame to finance. The most important of these are the wedding ring, your catering service, the venue, the cake, and your wedding dress. A lot of DJ and music services will also require you to book ahead of time. We did, but I ended up stressing anyway because our DJ canceled on us 2 weeks before the wedding.

  The process of looking for these people is pretty straightforward. I just googled the service I needed and made inquiries until I found someone within my budget. The venue will be slightly different though, as you'll want to tour venues and see which best suits your needs. It's also worth mentioning that before you choose a theme for your wedding, look at venues first. I originally planned for us to have a vintage wedding, but then we got married in a barn in Texas, so it ended up being a country fall wedding.

   The very minimum amount of time you want to have for your dress is six months, unless you are having a friend or family member make your dress. Besides it taking a long time to pick a dress out (for some of us, anyway), bridal boutiques need time to clean and do alterations on your dress. I went with David's Bridal, but I personally wouldn't recommend them. The first time I picked up my dress from cleaning, I was deathly ill, I had to wait for 3 hours after they said it would be done, and when I picked it up and drove almost two hours home, I noticed the next day that my dress had oil stains all down the front of it from the sewing machines. They eventually fixed it, and my dress turned out to be gorgeous, but I would rather not have had that stress, especially when I was running fever and lost my voice. Not to mention the arm and leg I paid for my dress. I know a few who have had similar experiences, but I also know some who have had great experiences with David's Bridal. Either way, it's up to you.

  Weddingwire.com had some great timelines to follow for booking all of your services. If you are past the month mark for booking your services, don't worry about it. I did the bulk of my planning in the last 6 months of my wedding (not recommended).

5. Wedding Shower and Wedding Registries

   I forget how early I made my registries. I think maybe 5 or 6 months in advance. Even if you are already living together and have house stuff, making wedding registries is a good idea because you can update all your stuff, or get new stuff that you've wanted for a while. People are going to buy you gifts regardless, so you may as well have lists people can shop from to avoid ending up with a bunch of duplicate gifts or useless stuff that will just sit in the garage or in the corner of the junk drawer in your kitchen for years to come.

  I registered with a variety of places. Amazon, Target, and Walmart were my top choices. I would especially recommend getting an Amazon registry because a lot of people are last seconders, and prime 1 or 2 day shipping will still give them a way to buy your gift even if it is the last second. Amazon was my most highly trafficked registry. Walmart was second, but a lot of people don't like shopping Walmart online because it can take up to two weeks for items to ship, and even if you go in store, most stores carry different products. Just because they have it online doesn't mean every Walmart (or any Walmart near you) carries it. When making your registries, don't be afraid to put anything and everything you could possibly want or need on there. I wish I had put more stuff on mine because nearly everything got purchased. I amended my registries right before the wedding, but very few gifts were purchased at that time.

   Your wedding shower is typically two months before the wedding, around the same time you send out the official invitations. A lot of people I knew didn't know what a wedding shower was, so here you go: A wedding shower is an event where people bring gifts to the new couple to usher them into their new life together, helping them settle in. No matter what you do, weddings will end up being expensive, and if you buy couples gifts, even small ones, it helps them out a great deal in the long run by helping them save money on house things they won't have to otherwise purchase.

6. Wedding Day Preparation

   Assemble a wedding day crew. Find people who are going to help you set up decorations, organize, direct, and put everything away once the event is over. It's easiest if you assign small duties to everyone who is helping you. I made lists of all my bridesmaids names, plus my grandparents, brother, parents, and aunt, who also came to help me set up. Under each name I wrote what I wanted them to do. It can be simple things like, “Decorate tables,”, “Set up head table,”, “Be in charge of handing out cake after the cake cutting,” or, “Decorate main stage.” Whatever small thing will make it easier for you, designate it to someone you can trust. My family was wonderful and helped me out more than I could ever thank them for.

   I also had a table chart everyone could reference, so when we were moving tables and chairs around, everyone had a picture of what I wanted everything to look like so they knew what I wanted without asking me. It's also important to set a wedding day timeline. Even before the ceremony starts, you want to have given time frames for any activities, including decorating, salon trips for hair and makeup, a love note exchange, or whatever else you want to do before the ceremony and during it. Unless, of course, your venue let's you decorate the night before, which ours didn’t.

7. Last Bits of Advice

   Your wedding day is going to happen one way or the other. Some things are just going to go wrong, and you have to let it happen and not worry about it. You're going to be married at the end of the day anyway.

   Do as much reading as you can on planning a wedding. Every little tip I read helped, and in the end, I think my wedding was perfect. The only thing I would have changed was shortening the ceremony a bit so we would have had more time for family pictures. The wedding itself ended earlier than I thought, but I wasn't going to complain. I was exhausted, and thankful to get to go to bed early.

   As my last piece of advice, turn your phone off on your wedding day and give everyone someone else's phone number to text or call for important questions. I designated my maid of honor for this task, but you could also use your mother or anyone else for this. Turn your phone off on your honeymoon too, or if you can't turn it off, don't answer text messages. And if you are that person who calls or texts on wedding day or honeymoon, unless it's of dire consequence, don't be that person.

Happy wedding planning!

[galacticbugman]

Costuming on a budget

Hi everyone Galactic_Bug_Man here now for most of us there is a lot of nerd and geek conventions going on in a lot of areas around this time of year and other parts of the year. So here I am going to give you some of my tips and show you a few of my costumes that I have put together on a budget. Starting with my Star Trek one as you see here. 

This costume comes from my Star Trek fan fiction Captain’s character. This was a very cheap one to make for me because most of the stuff I already had but I did go along and buy a lot of the pieces. This was taken outside my old house during the 2016 Dallas Fan Expo before with left the house to go on this day (Above)  

Now for this costume I used an old pair of black jeans, my brother’s old orchestra slip on dress shoes, the Phaser I bought online for about ten dollars or so it was very inexpensive, the rank pips on the right side of the shirt are not really official ranks pins at all they're actually rare earth magnets held on to my shirt with my Texas Master Naturalist badge backing. Sometimes you just have to be creative and use what you got not to break your bank. I got the communicator badge for about 20 bucks at my first comic con. The shirt I bought at a clearance rack at Kohl’s for about a few dollars and it is really comfortable. So many of these things you can get for under ten bucks if you know were too look. As you can see I didn’t add the red shirt to do my division color which for this character it is red like TNG or DS9 or Voy. this is shirt is very close to the off duty uniform that Captain Jean Luc Picard would wear sometimes in scenes where he is playing is Rusikan Flute and sometimes he would wear an open jacket on the bridge and underneath he would have this style of shirt. The red shirt is absent in the first shot but in the shot below I have it. I got this shirt at Michael’s for a few bucks on their DIY tee shirt aisle. In the shot below I am wearing a pair of slacks I bought in between events. The belt was found during holiday Christmas clearance at Target for a few bucks. How I made the latch buckle look like a Starfleet belt was I printed off a small Black and White emblem which I made myself on Power Point and printed it off and then used some really good clear tape to put it on there. The one above was colored but the one on the bottom was back and white. 

Sometimes it is just knowing where to look. Always check out clearance items or discount stores you get really lucky sometimes. My brother went to an old store once last year to make a costume for our high school pre-graduation party which was called Bahama Bash. I graduated a long time ago but he was just about to graduate and he went as Donkey Kong. They had a jacket that was brown for about three or four bucks, they also had a nice pair of brown pants for a little more I think. The most expensive things we had to buy were the material for his gorilla chest, and the batting for his muscular look. I don’t have pictures of that costume because it is all packed away but just getting setting a budget can really help you if you are a nerd that is tight on money. I prefer using what I have but sometimes you have to try and make it look good. That is why I bought the Combadge at full price but the Magnets I got with coupons. Sometimes coupons to craft stores and things are great and that is what a lot of us cosplayers do. No I am not a sewer but I have made a prop for this costume from some of the leftover fake fur we used for my brother’s DK costume. 

I made a Tribble to go along with my costume for a couple of events. We had a halloween event on our campus that I went to. We had a costume contest and I just decided to put this puffball together one night. It was kind of fun to make it and it was a good use of some of the left overs. If you are doing a Star Trek costume and have stuff like this you can easily make it yourself. For tribbles there are tons of templates online and sites that give you instructions. I made this one using another blog site. Instructables also has stuff like this and looks really fun to put together. 

So clearance, coupons, using leftovers, sometimes just using what you have are great ways to get started on you cosplay journey. There have only been a couple of costumes that I have had that were fully sewn and that was my first Luke Skywalker Costume when I was younger. My grandmother made the Jedi shirt, belt, and pants for me as well as the shoe covers to make them look like boots. So that was pretty costly to do. I also had to by a lightsaber which didn’t cost me too much it was just one of those hold down and flick out ones it was not one that lit up or made noise even though I did have one of those but I didn’t have one at the time. 

For the last few years now my campus has had an Anime Convention and Nerd con of sorts so this year my brother and I are going to check it out. And this year I am going to go as a Starfleet officer again but I am also going to go as one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite cartoons. 

Since Animaniacs seems to be coming out with a couple of more seasons in an updated form coming to Hulu in 2020 I decided to make a Yakko Warner Cosplay. It seems to be the road less traveled I don’t see a lot of Animanicas at cons but I have seen a few people cosplay as them so I deiced to try and do my own style while trying not to break my bank fully. Still using coupons and things but I also had a few items that I had in my possession and somethings I bought on the cheap end. 

Okay so here we have the red nose, the belt buckle, and the headband with ears. The headband I got at the Dollar store. On it I bought some enlarged pipe cleaners to make the ears and they were on the kid’s craft Aisle at Michaels. I buy a lot of my stuff from either Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s depending on who has the best deals at the time. The red nose I had when I had to have my kidney operated on I got a red nose from one of the volunteers at the children’s hospital when I had my left left kidney operated on after years of scar tissue built up after being born with an enlarged kidney and after years of chronic infection. It is okay I got that taken care but that is where the nose came from so it was free. The belt buckle was made from foam board and I colored it with a yellow sharpie. 

Now you might be thinking where is the hair for my costume. It is kind of funny but my hair line is receding just a little bit and when you put the middle part down my hair does what Yakko’s and his siblings does. It is kind of funny but hey that means I can just go with my natural hairline and natural hair. Sometimes you have to go with it and have fun. Me I am one of those that likes to roll with it and laugh at myself. That is all you can do sometimes. 

These are my slacks and tail. As you can see I used the pipe clearer to make a tail too. The slacks I got a JC Penny full price because I needed to get some slacks for some function. So I recycled those for this cosplay. I tied on the tail to the back belt loop. I can already tell you this part is going to be tricky so I am hoping that if I have to leave a panel to do something that I don’t shut my tail up in a door. I probably wont but sitting down will have to take some adjusting. Always try to make your cosplay as easy to maneuver as possible. It will help a lot by knowing just what events you will be doing and what it calls for. I am thinking it will not be all that bad but still I just got to make sure that I don’t get it caught in anything. This part of the costume was really fun to put together I was laughing at the end result because of the way it looked. I thought it looked pretty good and silly. I am a pretty fun guy so this cosplay will be really neat to do. I have never gone as a Toon before so this is something I have been wanting to experiment with for a good while now. 

Next up the Iconic feet of the Warner Trio. These are nothing more than painters shoe covers with toe marks on them. I got these at the Home Depot for about four bucks. I also bought some heavy duty white duct tape so that way I can make them somewhat wear and tear resistant from being on the concrete all day or the tile or carpet. I am going to wear some tennis shoe with these over them. I can already tell you that with this part you are going to need to tape the part that is not going to be to be the front of the foot down or it will look all funny looking. I have not wore the costume yet but I am already seeing somethings I am gonna have to do to make it look good. So yeah even your local hardware store is a good place to get some stuff for costumes if you have the right idea. 

I bought this black long sleeved shirt on clearance at Jo-ann’s they were getting rid of their long sleeve shirts for the season so I was able to get this fairly cheap. So yeah this was a pretty good deal. I am just saying things can look really good. This is one of the easier ones to make. The Star Trek costume took me a while to make. I had to find a combadge that was not sky high in price and where I didn’t have to pay for shipping and handling. 

And of course I got the gloves too at Jo-ann’s these were on their winter clearance and they had a whole bin of them and they were only a few cents so we got a few. It is not in here but I also have an all black belt so I have all the pieces finally to this costume. 

I love making costumes but sometimes it just have to play it really cheap. When I met Sylvester McCoy from Doctor Who I did a Doctor Degeneration theme where what would he look like if he was dying or something. So I have the scarf from four, the fez from 11, the sonic from nine and ten, I bought a Doctor Who Tee that looked like 12′s suite. and I had a my black jeans so I looked like that. that was actually more expensive than what I had for the other two costumes because I bought all that Doctor Who stuff online. So it just depends on what you want to do. Many of you know this but some of you may be new to cosplay. This is just showing you the way I do it. I am sure we all have our preferred method of doing our cosplay. 

I have to tell you that the Animaniacs cosplay is something that I am looking forward to wearing at our Campus Convention. I am very excited to see how it goes. Like I have said I am a huge Animaniacs fan and with this cosplay I am going to do something I don’t do a lot. I have a real knack to doing voice impressions and want to be a voice actor when I get out of college as well as a nature photographer and I can do both Yakko and Wakko impressions so I will be talking like Yakko most of the time at the con just to be silly and play the part. Sometimes if you dress the part you have to play the part. So I think that would be really funny and be worth some laughs. So until next time be safe at your conventions and have fun. I will see you next time on the trail of life. 

[rosalynbair]

Nerd Kylo Ren Headcanons

AO3 | Masterlist | Buy me a coffee

Summary: Kylo’s a nerd

Warnings: None

A/N: This came up in the group chat so whaddup bbs @damndriver @galaxygarbage @your-mom-kylo ((has this been done before??))

Kylo isn’t exactly the nerdiest of nerds. He’s not a geek (he’s horrible at math and Leia once sent him to math camp because he was failing so hard in school) He just really likes nerd content.

Math camp in itself was a horrible experience for him so please don’t ever ask about it (even if you see the cute little photo in the Solo’s living room of Kylo in his bright orange I Survived Math Camp t-shirt)

Kylo originally finds solace in comic books when he was only eight. He had a lisp as a child and hated speaking to people because they would always comment on it or make him repeat everything that he had said.

His lisp had made him retreat into awkward silence, refusing to speak which then showed itself through his high level of shyness.

It only gets worse when he’s prescribed glasses because he’s strained them too much from reading in the dark when he’s supposed to be sleeping.

They’re really big, square glasses at first. Until he gets into his teens and he finally replaces them with in-style rectangular ones with a black frame. Though once he graduates high school, he only uses them for emergencies since he’s discovered what contact lenses are and how to put them in.

When he’s in his tenth and eleventh grade, he’s collected a really incredible amount of vintage and original comic books, signed memorabilia (his favorite is the signed Batman poster he has above his dresser that’s signed by everyone who has played him on the big screen)

His bookshelf is lined with Funko Pops, they’re mostly superheroes, but he has a few characters from tv shows. He has a lot of them still in their boxes stacked up beside his computer desk as well.

He rides an old skateboard most of the time when he’s in high school. He gets his license at 16 and his parents buy him a second hand car, but he prefers his skateboard unless it’s raining or during the winter.

Nic wants me to let everyone know that Kylo wears VANS all the time. Every season, he’s always wearing the same type of VANS (black on black with old laces. He gets a new pair every school year.)

Kylo has trash taste in music. It’s eclectic and often includes movie scores and music that nobody has heard of. (He does have a few songs that people DO know, he’s a fan of Kendrick Lamar and a few of Drake’s songs.)

By the time Kylo is in twelfth grade, he’s completed his speech therapy so his lisp no longer exists. Though he still doesn’t like to talk to people that much.

Kylo goes to college on the East Coast for fine art and photography when he graduates. He lives in a shared dorm for the first year with a guy he actually makes friends with.

During his second year, he moves into a shitty apartment after staying at his parent’s place for the summer. He grows up a lot during that summer, he goes through a final growth spurt and he’s no longer lanky and awkward. His voice has lowered by a shit ton, and he grows his cropped hair out until it’s shaggy and Leia complains about it.

He’s not as quiet as he was when he was younger - he’s one of those kids that college does real well and when they come back to visit, you barely recognize them.

Kylo is snarky with a hilarious sense of humor. He also has a smirk that can make anyone swoon (he doesn’t know this though. He still thinks he’s still 14 and awkward)

When he goes back to school // moves into his new apartment, he takes as much as he can in his shitty little car that he’s had since he was 16 and has barely maintained.

Leia and Han end up shipping the rest of his stuff out to him so he can have everything he wants and needs for his ~aesthetic~

While he’s going to school, he ends up working at a comic book store a block away from his building. He gets a lot of shit from there on his employee discount, especially new games for his stations, or the Switch he had preordered for himself (he’s finished Breath of the Wild twice already)

This lame ass probably also streamed his playthrough on Twitch as well.

He meets you during November of second year.

Unlike Kylo, you’re not a nerd. But you do know a lot about what he likes. Which draws him towards you while you’re both in the cafe on campus.

At first, Kylo thinks you’re way out of his league. You’re pretty and have friends, you have your own study group and you tutor students when they need help.

You both end up near each other a lot, you work at the bookstore on campus to pay your rent. Kylo comes in a lot when he needs a snack, energy drink, or a new set of charcoal pencils for his class.

He doesn’t know it, but he’s really good at smooth talking you. He thinks he’s still the awkward kid with a lisp, so he thinks he’s just talking out of his ass. But he’s been late to class a few times because he’s so caught up in talking to you.

There’s one point where he’s running ridiculously late to class, and he has to stop by the bookstore to get a new notebook.

He’s also wearing his glasses in public for the first time since he’s started college.

His hair is a mess, his flannel shirt is inside out and he’s in the same shirt as the day before. He’s also wearing the wrong pair of VANS, which means they’re old and half tattered as he runs into the store.

You watch him, amused. He’s rushing to grab a spiral notebook for his lecture, his bag half open and hung over one of his shoulders.

You check him out quickly, making him take a deep breath as he pays.

It’s then that you ask him out on a date.

Kylo is an absolute mess, and doesn’t even hear your question as he yells ‘thanks!’ and runs out.

You’re embarrassed, but realize how rushed he was. And you knew he wasn’t too great with people.

Your question doesn’t even register to Kylo until he’s halfway to his class (which is on the other side of the campus)

He yells ‘Fuck’ really loud and pulls out his cracked phone from his pocket as he jogs, He searches up the bookstore number and dials it, cursing as it rings.

“College Bookstore, y/n speaking, how can I help yo-”

“Yes!” he yells, breathless as he gets into the building “Yes i’ll go on a date with you.”

“Okay.” You reply with a laugh “I have caller ID on here, so i’ll text you my number. Have a good class Kylo.”

Kylo is 25 minutes late to his class, and he’s so out of focus while he bounces his leg the entire time. Waiting for your text to come through.

He thinks you’ve forgotten until he remembers that his lecture hall doesn’t have any service. He forces himself to take notes at that point, trying to be productive until his class was over.

When he’s dismissed, he packs up quickly and rushes outside. Checking his phone every step of the way until he had full bars again. His phone lights up with a text from an unknown number.

He’s grinning as he sees the shitty DC meme you sent to him, followed by letting him know that this was in fact your number.

Kylo picks up a coffee after that, grabbing you the one you usually order and dropping it off to you at the bookstore. You thank him happily, letting yourself lean against the counter to talk to him.

You let him pick the type of date, saying that you would be done your shift in an hour, and then your class would be done at six. (he’s adjusting his glasses aggressively the entire time he talks to you, resuming the nervous habit he had as a kid.)

He picks you up from the campus in his car, the engine stuttering and the gear shift clunking loudly.

He takes you to the comic book shop, and the diner across the street from it.

That’s right. Kylo takes you to his work for your first date. (He needed to pick up something as well. So it’s like hitting two birds with one stone.)

It was originally going to be in and out, he didn’t want to bore you with the shop. But you end up staying in there for almost an hour, pointing out games you’ve played and arguing about which character and which game in the series was better. (also making fun of the people who think that Link is Zelda.)

It’s the best (and only) date he’s ever been on.

You both go out on a date once a week until you finally make it official after a couple of months. You had skipped the honeymoon/newly dating phase and had gone directly into the type of couple that has been dating for years.

No one really understands why you two are together. From the exterior, you look like opposites. But anyone who’s friends with either of you know how much you two are similar.

There could be a group conversation and you can banch off until there’s only the two of you talking about something the others don’t understand.

You always complain about his car. You hate it. You’d rather him carry you like a bride while he rides his skateboard.

There’s a particular moment where the car stalls and Kylo reassures you “Don’t worry, this happens every once in a while.”

“WE’RE ON THE HIGHWAY KYLO.”

Kylo gets a new car after that.

In his third year of college, you move in once your lease is over. You share his space, but everything has to be moved around to accommodate you and your stuff. So Kylo moves most of his stuff into the second bedroom that used to house his old roommate.

It’s like the dream nerd room. With all his memorabilia, posters, his really expensive gaming computer and a tv with all his gaming systems.

He wears his glasses whenever he’s at home. And you love it. He looks so fuckin cute when he wears them.

You really like the little indents he gets on his nose from wearing them for long periods of time.

You also pick up on his habit of adjusting them when he’s nervous, anxious, or shy. Which you find really cute. (he even attempts to do it when he’s not even wearing his glasses)

When Kylo’s with you, he feels like he’s all the superheroes he used to look up to. He loves the hell out of you.

Even after being together for a long time, he still takes you on dates to the comic store (which he ends up being the manager for in his final year) and you still get into heated arguments about games and comics.

All in all, you guys are like a dream team. Kylo still can’t get over the fact that you picked him out of all people.

Taglist: @tonguepopperr @ben-solo @lumifuer @secretlygrantaire @sdavid09 @imagine-this-motherfucker @bellaren18 @oh-adam

[piliinfo]

How to watch Pili episodes

Hello! I want to make an archive of the stuff in Pili so I figure id make a blog about it, and I might as well start by telling you how you can watch the series aired in Taiwan!!

Since Pili is such a long running show (1985-2018+) not known to western countries it seems intimidating to get a hold of most of the episodes if you don't live in Taiwan or China.

However this is not the case! The first obvious way is to buy the DVDs from the official store. This is one of the best places to get merchandise in general (as it is often not sold on eBay) including soundtracks and DVD!!! I'm very sure they ship internationally as long as you have the right specifications like address and correct payment method.

But unfortunately, the price can be very expensive!! Hundreds of dollars in fact!!! This is where one of the better methods comes in, and that is Bilibili. BiliBili is a Chinese streaming website similar to YouTube, and by simply searching something like (https://m.bilibili.com/search.html?keyword=霹雳) you can find Many Season chapters fully uploaded!!! Of course it would take some digging to find all of the seasons, but as long as you have the right season name in Chinese you should find it easily.

The last option is the official Pili twitch channel!! (epilinet). Episodes are often streamed with live chatroom and there's a very good variety of seasons. Currently they're focusing on the recently aired season 2 of Thunderbolt Fantasy, and it was being streamed nonstop with English Subtitle not too long ago.

Feel free to add other methods you may know of and I will add!!! I want more to know about the other seasons of Pili so more can know the greatness of the show :>

[thornstocutyouwith]

O.C./Anako’s Base&Home(O.C. Owned) - We won’t reveal exact location of the base but it’s in the Bronx and if you ask around you’ll probably find it. Located in a office building that Anako uses as a front for her criminal activities. Each floor is a different company but to get to her penthouse you need to jam certain buttons like a code to be able to unlock the elevator door. It’s a big apartment that takes up two floors which she really doesn’t need but since people often come and leave she likes to have room. Some rooms are blocked off for obvious reasons but there are about 5 open bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, huge living room and kitchen, and a deck that overlooks the city. Esa Bodega - It’s a small grocery store that anyone can come and buy beer or candy, anything you need food wise or liquor wise you can get it here. Salon Gorgeous (O.C. Owned) - An upscale hair salon that is located in the better part of the Bronx. Most people come here to get there hair done and the girls from O.C. can come here to get there hair done for free along with any other services they have available. Himitsu (O.C. Owned) - A very popular bar/ restaurant known for the best sushi in all of NYC. This draws in a ton of tourists which means more money for O.C.!! Like the name of the bar there is a rather interesting secret about the place. Because of the fact that it is constantly full, drug trafficking becomes pretty easy for those who know how to ask for it. Oishī(Unowned) - It’s a Japanese bases restaurant, however it’s a very exclusive place which only allows important business workers or maybe even high end criminals. Police have a watchful eye on this place but because of special connection of the owner the place is always left untouched. 8-Bit(O.C. Owned) - A video game based dance club. Everything you want in a club is here, flashing lights, loud music, huge dance floor, bar, and drugs of course. This club is usually opened all the time but business always picks up during the night. O.C. usually comes here for meetings or to test out new drugs on the party animals in the club. Luckily there have been no deaths associated to the club so everything is fine and dandy. Manhattan

Port Of Manhattan

(Unowned)

- Shipments from all over the world come in from the port of Manhattan. Curise ships, water taxi’s, and ferries also all dock and ship off from this port. Almost anything can be shipped in and out of the city with out a problem here and it’s open for everyone…for now anyway. Stay Afloat (Unowned)-A beautiful lounge that on aboard a yacht that is always docked in the port. The only time it pulls away is when it’s hosting an event and is no longer accepting guests. It also stands for a hotel from time to time depending on the person and how much money they are willing to spend. Warehouses (Unowned) - Located all around the ports, many restaurants, clothing departments, and ect. keep there things locked here until they are needed. Some where in the labyrinth of warehouses are some owned by O.C. and GiiChii but nothing is officially owned there. Laboratory - In the open there is a high end lab that is open and running. Most people think that they are doing normal run of the mill stuff but in truth humans are being tested on here. Those who are no longer needed at sold off to high end criminals in order to keep funds for their experiments. In order to get inside you have to scan your finger on a biometric security lock same goes for trying to get out. Everything looks normal on the outside but when you start opening doors you’ll want to forget everything you’ve ever seen in your life. Crazy.Lights.(O.C. Owned) - A two floored club located near Times Square, first floor plays mostly English music of all types but what the club is known for is it’s second section/floor of the club. It’s known for it’s international music and decorations of almost every country possible. There are also drinks from everywhere too but it’s a bit expensive. A huge stage can be found on the center of the room along with huge plasma flat screens that can be used for Karaoke or for when musical guest pop in to sing. Relax(Unowned) - It’s a rather laid back club that mostly couples go to either to listen to the music, dance, together, or hang out with friends. The music is somewhat slow paced to go with the mood of the place so that means a lot of slow dancing. From time to time they have comedy acts or a burlesque show to entertain the guests. P.P.P{Paper, Pen, and Pencil) - An art gallery that obviously show cases art from new or famous artists/ photographers. It’s very laid back place but if you go to the back room you’ll see that everything isn’t as it seems. The owner is a very skilled artist but he’s skilled on getting information as well, you need to know something ask him. He’d quickly came into town when he heard that the old information broker was turned into a gang leader. No-Senshi HQ - The HQ is a penthouse located in the middle of everything! The building it’s in is used for various business but mainly as a television studios and recording studios. Mostly artists and such actually live in the building, but that is only if they can pass No-senshi’s screen test. A lot of the artists that stay are brought from over seas as another form of income for the gang. They have many record deals and such, who knew! The penthouse is rather luxuious, it has two floors. The first has two living rooms, a state of the art kitchen, a dining room, laundry room, theater room, parlor, and game room. The top floor has a gym, 6 rather large bed rooms, followed by 5.5 bathrooms. There is a pool, but that pool is on the roof of the building where all in the building are allowed to use.

Brooklyn

GiiChii’s Base/ Otto’s Place(Owned By GiiChii) - What can you say? Otto’s place is a very laid back place and he has a very unique taste. The base is located at the top of a hotel located right next to the boardwalk of Coney Island. It’s very high end hotel and security is tighter then hell. The hotel is used frequently to hold black market auctions which the money goes entirely to the gang. Uflora(Owned By Michael)- This a very well known flower shop owned and run by Michael Salvatore. You can find any and every type of flower that you might need and they can even tell you the meanings or what the flowers are used for. But even though this is a nice flower shop it also does some illegal business transactions, there in a gun shop run in the back. Anyone looking for guns come here looking for for the best without it being traced back to anyone. The old GiiChii base is located above the shop. Delizioso (Owned By GiiChii) - An upscale Italian restaurant located on the board walk. Italian food and wines is served here, along with the latest music from Italy. It’s like being in Italy! Gift Shoppe(Unowned) - Located on the boardwalk, you can by little nicknacks to take home with you after your stay on the beach. They make personalized shirts, pants,shorts, and even underwear. Risque!(Unowned) - You want party outfits? Or just something that stands out from normal wear, you come to risque.There are clothes for any and every party or club event you could be attending. But if you do come here remember the clothing here is rather ridiculous, so unless your not willing to show some skin don’t shop here. That Gentleman Boutique(Owned By GiiChii) - A small boutique found on the boardwalk as well, it specializes in men’s clothing of all shapes and sizes. The clothes here are more elegant then anything, if you wanted to buy a suit you could find it here. Shape Up(Owned By GiiChii) - Barber shop, come get your hair cut or listen to old men gossip about different things happening around town. The men of GiiChii can come here and get their hair cut for free. Alta(Owned By GiiChii) - Another high class Italian restaurant, it’s like it’s been cut right out of Italy. The manager of the place is a rather scary looking person, there are rumors as to where he used to be before coming to work there. Place is mostly used for business meetings. Otto’s Mod. Shop (Owned By GiiChii) - You want a nice god damn car? You go to Otto’s, he has the nicest set of cars out there and if he doesn’t have it you best believe that you will get it. You can modify it however you wish as well but know ahead of time that you’ll need to pay a pretty little penny. Queens Old Warehouse (A.K.A. O.C. Queens hideout.) (O.C. Owned) - The warehouse seems abandoned but there is a whole lot more activity going on in there then what appears. No one knows about this hideout since it’s closely guarded secret. Jack’s Cement Factory. (Unowned) - Just like it’s stated, it’s a cement factory. You need to do something that requires cement? You come here and when I say a job that requires cement, we mean can do ANY job. Devil Tatt’s. (UnOwned) - Get tatted up here bros. The sweet shop. (O.C. Owned) - Looking for some sweets? This is the place to go. All types of candy is stocked up here and all different types of candy from all over the world is imported here. But if your looking for a little something else that’s sweet, just make sure you use the code word: Stickys and you’ll get more then what you bargained for.

Staten Island

Misty Peak Resort(Neutral Ground) - A beautiful resort located near the shores of Rock Away beach. Whether you want to go swimming in the amazing indoor water park or a dip in the outside pool there is always some fun activity to do. And if you don’t like being indoors all day then taking a stroll on the beach is rather romantic. Rat Circuit(Neutral Ground) - An underground race track modified by organizations and the likes to entertain themselves. There is a secret passage through the resort that will lead directly below ground level. The only way to get down there is if you have a secret pass given to members of said organizations.

Please Note this is an OC encouraged game. 

Open Males

Open Females

Taken Males

Taken Females

Master Follow List

Open All

Closed All

Obscure Chaos

Giichi

No Senshi

Police

Slaves

Others

“So what’s the plan for tonight?”

Not Right now, free roam. Currently it’s Saturday in the afternoon! It’s not a good day to be outside, it’s raining cats and dogs. The wind is blowing terribly, it’s recommended that everyone stays indoors.

“So what the hell happened so far?”

Slaves

These are humans that were either orphaned at birth, stolen from families, or volunteered to be apart of a study. However they were lied to as to what exactly they would be doing. They were taken away to underground labs run by the government. The plan was to create super soldiers; when I say super soldiers I mean humans who have mutant powers. Scientist jobs were to create different abilities and tame the humans to the point where they had full control over them. Surprisingly enough they managed to create said super humans however they couldn’t figure out how to do their bidding. So in came the torture sessions and Nero surgery in hopes to either break them or rewire their brains to think different.

Different Mafia’s, gangs, and organizations quickly caught wind of this from informant brokers. These humans were transported from lab to lab in order to field test them. Lucky for them some of these cargoes would go missing and into the hands of criminals in the city to be sold as slaves. Eventually the government shut down these labs because they were unsuccessful in taming them. Scientist were left without jobs and slaves with no where to go. Gang’s quickly built there own labs and hired the willing scientists with out any problems. Who ever is willing to pay the right price can have a slave.

Salvatore Family

The Salvatore family is one of the five families that make up the Italian mafia. At the head as we speak is Michael Salvatore who was once the leader of GiiChii. However because of that fact that he has started a family he has retired but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t participate in the mafia life anymore. The Salvatore have a good reputation with other organizations and is probably one with strong connections with people all over the world. They are dangerous when threatened and can handle any situation with ease while looking like complete gentlemen.

Rat Circuit

Located underground in Staten Island in old abandoned tunnels that were supposed to be used for building a new subway system. However the project was stopped because of the lack of funding and once the gangs caught whiff of this they turned it into a racing circuit for motorcycles and small cars. Races in the circuit usually take place on Saturday at night here, you have to pay a fee to be able to participate.

No-Senshi.

There clan had been around since ancient times, and were even sort of a gang back then. They were a group of samurai who offered protection to those who paid, and destruction for those who didn’t. After the world began to modernize the Gang became a little less violent and started exploring into more business like fields. Later in years, when satellites were circling the earth, No-Senshi’s team of scientists placed an undetectable satellite into space. It had been looking for any signs of high gang activity then out of no work New York started to buzz. It focused in and they captured photos and videos of the two gangs obtaining scientists and these genetically altered people which gave them special abilities. The satellites cameras were amazing and were able to give the gang an up close and personal view of how they were making these test subjects. The gang created their own similar way and created their own slave warriors. Now the leader is trying to spread his business. He has bought land in New York and is currently there trying to partner up with the O.C. He is hungry for large profit, and so is the Gang. However the leader quickly disappeared after a few nights in New York. No one knows what happened but there are rumors that he was taken out by another gang. A female quickly took his place and she runs the gang but it’s been a while since anyone has seen her.

Aqua~ - Drug

The new drug that’s been circulating around New York City recently and was created by none other then O.C. however no one knows how exactly it was invented. The drug got it’s name because of the fact that it’s the color of blue and it has a slight glow to it that attracts the younger customers. The drug is usually sold out in small vials and for a high price no less since a drop of the stuff can get you higher then a kite. But that’s not why the drug is so famous, the side effects are what makes everyone go insane for the drug. There is something in it that keeps people from aging as they are supposed. The bad side is that if used more then recommended one begins to have short term memory loss along with and nerve deterioration. Sad thing is that getting unhooked from the drug is probably worse then getting hit by a moving truck. After effects of not taking the drug is as follows: Trouble breathing, hallucinations, cold sweats, loss of appetite, tremors, lack of sleep for up to 3 days,sensation of skin being clawed off (that’s if your nerves haven’t already deteriorated). The distribution if this drug has long been stopped once Anako, the former leader of the gang was killed.

SLO-mo - Drug

A new and wild drug that has been running rampant in New York City! No one knows where it came from, who created, or who is distributing it. But whoever is, is making a huge profit off of this addicting drug. The drug is an aerosol that comes in a inhaler type dispenser which one inhales the drug from. The moment the drug hits your system everything slows down even though everything around you continues at normal speed. It’s just as the name of the drug says, everything is in slow motion. The perks of this drug is that it enhances your surrounding or in another sense, beautifies everything around you for five minutes. Some side effects of this drug? Well first, it is possible to OD on this drug. Inhaling too much can cause you to permanently slow down, you won’t even be able to function as a human properly ever again. Ever needed to wear glasses? Well another side effect is that your vision starts to get better and better, no one knows for sure just how well your vision gets but their is nothing like seeing better. Another thing is that inhaling too much of the stuff will eventually mess with your vocal cords. At some point you’ll lose your voice completely.

EGO - Drug

Lets see. Ego is going to be sold like a candy or something like it. It can be taken by needle, or snorted in a powdered form. It can also be smoked of course, and added like sugar to cereal if the user wishes. It’s very addicting. It comes in a crystal like form, that some say often glows in the dark. The more you use it, the more you lose yourself to the drug. It makes you live out your fantasies, with out moving an inch. When that is done with, on the come down it makes you feel like you have the power to do anything, and you will want to do anything on the come down. It tosses your fears out the window. Giving you a big ego boost to boot. It can be very beneficial to the person. If it wasn’t a slow ass poison, but shhh, nobody else knows this. Everyone thinks it’s a new, fantastic candy. The more you use. The more it begins to show on your. Overdoses happen frequently but nobody has been able to pin just how. When you’ve been using it to much, it starts to show in your veins, by causing them to pop out a little more, with a dark blue look to them, through your skin. In the dark, these veins glow. It begins to turn you into a ‘zombie’ ….Ego truly is one of the better drugs out there. Now selling at a store near you!….There’s no telling what it will do for you. It’s got endless effects.

More Soon

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Justin's Top 10 Games of 2018

by Justin Tomasello | @Oaf7724

2018 was a year of change for me. In January I moved back to South Jersey after spending six years living in Staten Island. I worked three (actually four) different jobs this year, trying to find the right fit. I spent a lot of time in my own head, trying to figure out a direction to take and force myself to stay on it. On top of all my mental deliberation, the state of the world continued its transition into a pretty depressing and embarrassing place. I'm not thrilled to admit that to save my sanity, my response to it all was to just bury my head in the sand, much like the noble ostrich.

Obviously, everyone's goal in life is to achieve total happiness in all aspects of it. That is not an easy task by a long shot, as new obstacles and challenges appear quite often to thwart us in our quest. Part of the game of life is not just overcoming these challenges, but acknowledging them and embracing them when they arrive.

Things like family, friends, and of course video games were great avenues this year for me to relax, have some fun, and forget about stuff that was bothering me. I am so thankful to have such a great support group close by to have a beer with and play games to get away from overthinking and worrying about things too damn much.

2018 was a great year for games! Unfortunately, it was quite a busy one for me and I wasn't able to play as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, the experiences I've had were all quite memorable, including a few games that had me thinking about them constantly while working or away from home. Please enjoy my personal top ten below, along with some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Steamworld Dig 2 - I started playing Steamworld Dig 2 moments after the curtain closed on 2017, and the more I played, the angrier I got that I had waited so long. This gorgeous 2D exploration platformer had such an excellent element of progression to it. Every item you received provided you the ability to get to a new area and get a little bit further down into the depths of the earth. The characters were unique and creative, the story was a surprise, and the music was kick ass (that main town theme is one of the smoothest tracks I've heard in quite a while.) Had I played this in 2017 it may have been in my top three games of the year.

Harvest Moon 64 - The summertime always gets me in the mood to play Harvest Moon, and this year was no different. I picked up HM64 on the Wii U's virtual console just to mess around in for a bit one muggy July day and wound up putting probably more than 40 hours into it. It had always been my favorite game of the series, and I was worried that it would feel too dated. But after an hour of playing I just got used to everything and enjoyed a hearty mix of good ol' farm-sim fun and nostalgia.

Tales of Berseria - Another game that came out in 2017 that I didn't get around to playing until this year, but I'm so glad I finally did. I've been known to enjoy a good Tales game from time to time and this entry did not disappoint. Yeah the battles are a bit repetitive and lack any real sense of strategy, but the characters are awesome and the bloodthirsty-for-vengeance themed story had me quite entertained. I got about 15 hours in until RDR2 came out and understandably fell off. But I'm hoping to go and finish it up in 2019!

And Now, The Top 10

10.) Starlink: Battle for Atlas - When this was first shown off in E3 2017 I recall being quite excited. The idea of a space-adventure shooter coming to the Switch was unexpected but welcomed. The toys to life angle may have scared a bunch of players off, but when StarFox was announced as a playable character in E3 2018, interest returned.

The gameplay is fun and the wealth of weapons is a cool feature (even if it is a bit annoying to keep navigating through menus to switch them - this is made easier if you bought the toy portion of the game, but they are not necessary to play). The game is pretty open too, letting you visit multiple planets at your leisure, or just absentmindedly drift through the cosmos. There is definitely a large No Man's Sky vibe in Starlink, with the ability to travel through space at different speeds and the vibrant colors and textures of the alien worlds. I've barely scratched the surface of Ubisoft's sci-fi adventure but am certainly interested in playing more.

9.) The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit - If you're a loyal listener of the pod, there's no secret that the Life is Strange series is quite beloved by some of our team. To get players excited for the sequel, DONTNOD released a playable intro/demo to Life is Strange 2 earlier this year. As expected the game provided us with deep and interesting characters, great dialogue, and threw our emotions in a tizzy. It's impressive how accurately the team was able to present the story through the imagination and mystic-eyed wonder of a young boy. This game also included the most bullshit, no-way-you'd-figure-this-out-without-looking-it-up puzzle of all time.

8.) Monster Hunter World - Capcom certainly made a splash at the beginning of the year when Monster Hunter World hit the store shelves. Releasing the game on all the big consoles (and PC) and changing some of the mechanics around to be a little bit friendlier to new players helped the series finally breakthrough with the core US audience (this game sold a TON of copies both here and in the East). The game looks the best it ever has and is packed with plenty of badass monsters to take down. While I did enjoy my time with it around launch, I quickly fell off as I always tend to do with Monster Hunter games. The required repetitive gameplay and the chunky online matchmaking were frustrating, and since I didn't have as much time to play as my pals, I was pretty quickly left in the dust.

7.) A Way Out - Chris and I played through the first half of this cooperative video game / team-building exercise earlier in the year. It's cliché as all hell, the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the writing was terrible (the characters were basically saying the same things over and over again, just presented differently). Beyond those flaws, though, hides a pretty unique and creative local-multiplayer gameplay experience. I cannot properly describe how hard we laughed when Chris drove our getaway vehicle directly into an oncoming 18-wheeler. Or at my failed attempt at sneaking into an old man's house, where he opened the door, saw me, and blasted me off his porch point-blank with his trusty shotgun. We need to finish this game, preferably with some friends watching alongside us.

6.) Subnautica - Something you may not know about me: I am fascinated with the sea, and what lies beneath. I've gone snorkeling a few times on vacations and watching the aquatic world operate right beneath you is a serene, calming, beautiful experience. So I am of course impressed when video games are able to recreate that world in their own artistic vision (Abzu, anyone?). Subnautica at its core is a survival game, which I tend to pompously turn my nose at. However, when fellow PAR teamie Butch showed me some videos wayyyy back in January, I immediately became interested. The art direction is gorgeous. The world of the sea is vast, menacing, beautiful, and unknown. The contraptions you can build (underwater base, a sub-like motorcycle thing) are pretty damn cool. I put this on hold when MHW came out and shamefully never returned. I'd really like to "dive" back in! Oh jeeze, I think I hear the Pun Police knocking on my door.

5.)  Octopath Traveler - I regrettably did not purchase Octopath Traveler in 2018 (this has since been rectified). However, I did play to completion the two demos that were released prior to the game's launch. The second of which is basically the first three hours of the game, and I'll be able to forward my progress once I officially start the main game. Octopath Traveler has everything a classic turn-based JRPG fan like myself wants: beautifully detailed sprite graphics, awesome music, interesting characters and writing, and a fun, strategic battle system. The art direction is a standout, offering a unique, pop-up storybook/diorama style of environment. Plus the game is helmed by the Bravely Default team, who already had a great pedigree with RPG fans.

4.) No Man's Sky - NEXT - No Man's Sky - NEXT, the content-packed free DLC that came out this past summer, is an inspiration. After NMS's absolute nightmare of an initial launch, no one would have blamed Hello Games if they packed up shop and moved to Morocco to hide under false identities as coconut farmers. Instead, they faced the brunt of millions of disappointed and angry fans. They endured Sony turning their backs on them and throwing them under the bus. They owned their mistakes, worked effortlessly, and silently, and managed to take a game we all thought was dead and buried and convert it into one of the most talked about experiences in 2018. NEXT added features such as online multiplayer, character customization, 3rd-person view, base building, better graphics and textures, and a better credit system that made buying ships and other more expensive items much easier. NEXT was only one of a few free expansions that came out this year. ABYSS followed, which provided swimming and a complete remap of aquatic life. VISIONS came out shortly after that, boasting a more diverse universe with new biomes, flora, fauna and architecture. While I would not argue those who say NMS's core gameplay is still weak, these new updates provided me personally with a relaxing and enjoyable starship-exploring experience for a good chunk of the year.

3.)  Donut County - It's rare when a game meets your expectations 100%, but Donut County absolutely did for me. I fell in love with the game's art style and quirkiness when I first caught wind of it at PSX 2017. The game is simply relaxing, fun, and bursting with charm. The wonky characters are a joy, the music is plucky and catchy, and the dialogue is modern and funny without being annoying (a lot of it is conveyed via text message, and I was never once rolling my eyes). The game is brief but I would equate it to a game like Octodad: it ends just before the mechanics would start to wear thin. Donut County was exactly what I wanted it to be.

2.) God of War - My prior knowledge of the God of War series up to this year was pretty weak. Being a strict Nintendo fanboy growing up, I never played anything from the franchise. I was pretty green going in on Sony Santa Monica's latest offering. The fact that I could enjoy this game as much as I did without having played any of the previous games is just one of the many reasons this game ranks so highly on my list.

The direction of this game is spectacular. Spinning the game's lore to mesh with the massive scope of Norse Mythology was so interesting and impressive (heck, we even did a whole podcast about it). Shifting Kratos from a one-dimensional revenge-driven character to a hardened widow noticeably troubled about having to raise a son on his own and prevent him from making the same mistakes he has was unexpected. Watching Atreus grow, and watching Kratos allow him to grow was a touching experience. I still think the scene of the two of them sharing a bottle of wine was my favorite gaming moment of the year.

Oh yeah, then there's the actual gameplay. The combat is fast, fun and intuitive. The progression system is well-designed and the variety of different moves you can perform is so vast I found myself losing track. The way that Atreus' arrows are incorporated is creative; they are also incredibly handy with some of the tougher fights. It should also be noted that in an era of every single player game feeling the need to be a grandiose open-world experience, I found a lot of pleasure rolling through a more linear-based type of gameplay. Sure, the world opens up eventually and there are multiple new areas to explore, but they are pretty paltry in comparison to the main game. Extra content and side quests are the weakest part of the package. Minor flaws aside, God of War was a must-have experience in 2018.

1.) Red Dead Redemption 2 - Give me a good story, give me deep characters, and give me exceptional writing, and I am one happy camper. With the added bonus that I am quite partial to a western/cowboy setting, RDR2 was my personal game of the year. I had only played through the original a couple years ago and I loved every moment of it. When Rockstar dropped the bomb on RDR2, my hype train was blasting through the station, even if I was a tad concerned with how the story would work as a prequel. To my surprise: remarkably well.

Arthur Morgan's character is well-developed and interesting, and as you progress through the game and witness him begin to question, doubt, and worry about his future, your bond with him only swells. The supporting cast of nomadic outlaws are also varied, detailed and bursting with life. Every single one of them is unique and has personality. They all have reasons they joined Dutch's crew and doing quests for each member became an absolute joy for me. None ever felt like a chore.

The environments are beautiful and serene. The NPCs are quite animated and often busy. They will interact with you constantly, even when you don't want them to. The soundtrack is breathtaking, and the animation and graphics on everything (yes, even those horse privates) are the best I have ever seen.

There of course were some minor nags for me. The clunky jog-wheel menus could often be frustrating to navigate. The shooting never felt great. There were some serious pacing issues in moments of the story, and a couple parts that kinda didn't make much sense that often disrupted the experience for me. Some of the gameplay I thought was a bit too similar to the original Red Dead Redemption. Ultimately, these were just bumps in the road that my caravan's wheels were able to roll over without causing any destruction. The game from start to finish (and the fun and lengthy epilogue at the end) was an engrossing, wholesome, and moving experience that anyone who appreciates good narrative and good characters absolutely must play.

[oldnintendonerd]

First Pickups!

Score! I can’t believe I actually got a couple deals. One through a coworker friend and the other... Through LetGo of all places. LetGo! What!? I never thought LetGo would be a place I would get a hold of anything for a decent price, let alone for something I would be willing to pay. I know I am one of those people that are on the lower end of things when I am looking for stuff. I am not the guy that is going to pay hardly even half of eBay prices for most things. I want the Yard Sale prices. $1 - $2 a game, $10 consoles, $2 controllers, that type of pricing. True get it out of my house prices. Thats why I’m hunting, if I wanted to pay eBay prices, I would simply go on eBay. I have harped on that enough in past posts, on to the finds!

We’ll start with the LetGo find. Unfortunately, this was not Yard Sale pricing, but it really was too good of a deal to pass up. I could still flip this for a profit even if I used eBay.

The guy had a HUGE lot of Gamecube items. It was a big picture of like a 6 foot by 6 foot square on the floor. There were several GameCube systems, a ton of games, probably over 35 easy. Several controllers, and some memory cards. Up in the corner of the picture I see a Game Boy Player. So I check the “More Info”, and it says Game Boy Player - $20. Now ironically enough, I talked about a Game Boy Player last post and how I want one but they are kind of expensive, etc. I’m like well that is typical, this guy knows his prices, he has Double Dash at about $40, he has controllers at $15. The GBP is $20 and if he has the disc, he probably wants $30+ for that alone making the whole deal $50. Then I think, well, his other hardware is reasonable, the consoles are at $35 with a controller and cords, it won’t hurt to just message him. Maybe the Game Boy Player is a set. Long shot. So I message him and tell him I am interested in the Game Boy Player if it has the disc since the player is useless without it. He said it does have it but he’s selling the GBP alone for $20, the set for $30.

Damn! That is still a good price, only $10 for the disc. But you can’t not haggle, right? Haggling is part of the hunt! So I said oh, I would have thought that the $20 was for the set, could you meet in the middle? Would you take $25?

He said yes.

Bam!

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the first actual game hunting score of this blog, a Game Boy Player with disc for between $40 and $50 under eBay prices.

Quite clean, very good shape, original disc holder and everything. I would have liked to have had the instructions too in case I decide to sell it, but what can you do? It is black, so it matches my GameCube, I can’t really ask for much more than that.

It does work, I have tested it briefly, and so far so good. I will need to snag a couple more Game Boy games though, the only ones I have left in my collection are Marble Madness and Revenge of the Gator. When I was testing it I thought there was some input lag on them but I am not sure. It seemed like there was, but it could just have been the fact I had not played either game I tried in a very long time. So if I can’t get any more games soon through hunting, I may borrow Metroid II from a friend of mine. That needs pretty precise control, so I should be able to tell pretty quick if there is lag.

If there is, I am not sure what I will do, probably go ahead and sell it for more game hunting cash as I will not tolerate input lag on my games. One of the primary reasons why I despise emulation and am after the real hardware and the real games. So more on that when I get a chance to test further.

As for the second pickup, a friend / coworker had a GameCube with a bunch of games. Probably 15 games. Among them, a copy of Mario Kart Double Dash. This is not an amazing deal, and yes I am mostly looking for games in the under $5 range while hunting, but this was a very nice condition copy of MKDD, with Bonus Disc, complete with manual, and it is black box.

This is the quintessential copy I would want for my permanent collection. I couldn’t not buy it. We agreed not to rip each other off, so essentially I wasn’t going to lowball him at like $5, and he wasn’t going to ask me to give him eBay fantasy prices by demanding $50. We checked eBay and saw $35 - $40 copies. Now, knowing eBay charges to list, Paypal charges to accept payments, and of course factoring in shipping, we figured he wouldn't get more than about $25 if he were to put it on eBay. So $25 for a $40 game, not the deal of the century, but I helped him out, he helped me out and we were both happy with it.

As you can see, it is very clean, only has very minor damage to the cover in-sleeve at the very top. About a half of a millimeter was exposed above the plastic and got some wear on it, and curled the upper right corner ever so slightly. No scuffs or discoloration. No creasing, no stickers (I hate stickers), no rings, dents, scratches, nothing. It is virtually flawless.

Manual is in great shape overall, there is room to improve with some slight curling on that upper right corner, but not much, and of course if a better copy comes along I won't hesitate to frankenstein the case/disc/manual/etc to make my copy the best, and sell off the other one. This one is near mint though, so it will be hard to top.

This game itself is fantastic, probably the best Mario Kart available on any console. Granted Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just released not that long ago and I have not played it yet, so I can’t make that statement with absolute conviction, but it is a really strong member of the Mario Kart line. A coworker told me he gets a lot of Mario Kart Double Dash feelings from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Like the soul of Double Dash lives on in the game. That is good news because I really like this game. Gameplay is unique to the MK series with two riders, each being able to hold an item. Because of this, and with the way some of the question mark block clusters are laid out, sometimes you can pick up two items as you drive through them by switching to the rider as soon as you pick up the first item. You’ll snag a second as you exit the cluster and have two from just one item group. It has a great drift mechanic. The difficulty is up there in the higher cc classes, so there’s lots of challenge. I just love this game.

So this one is officially in the permanent GameCube collection, which is now, in no particular order:

Mario Kart: Double Dash, Super Monkey Ball, Monopoly Party, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Quite a bit of stickers to deal with, but I’ll pick up some GooGone and hopefully clean those up in the next couple weeks.

$25 spent on the Game Boy Player

$25 spent on Mario Kart Double Dash

So a total of $50 spent on approximately $110 worth of items. Not too bad of a start.

Just to make this post even longer, I’ll let you know that I brought some Wii and Xbox shovel-ware games I had laying around to a video game store recently as well. Just trying to recoup some money as we go through this process. I figured we hadn't gotten to the Wii collection post yet so no reason to show that garbage, and I won’t be covering Xbox so why not just dump them. Titles like Trauma Center Second Opinion, a couple Guitar Hero games, and State of Emergency for the Xbox, just some really terrible games. The video game store gave me $14 cash for those items. I honestly doubt I would have been able to get much more than $20 for them on eBay, and after fees and shipping, meh. Just was not worth the hassle, much easier to just be handed cash.

So the official business:

$83.09 - $25 for Game Boy Player = $58.09 

$58.09 - $25 for Mario Kart Double Dash = $33.09

$33.09 + $14 for traded in games = $47.09

$47.09 Game hunting money remaining.

That was an expensive week, while still a really good couple of deals, we are going to have to look for even better ones moving forward, or find some stuff to sell, less than $50 left.

2017.05.09

[yehet-sebooty-ohorat]

Buying Kpop Merch Tips from me

A small disclaimer from me first. This is just what I typically use. I know where are lots of other places you can order things from (like korean mall and kmall24) but I thought I would give some tips since a few people have asked me in the past few days 

Also I will try to include as much information as possible but I may forget things.  If you have questions you can send me an ask and I can try to answer them 

Long post ahead 

Places to buy from online(excluding ebay and Facebook):

Asia based: (these are in order of how much I use them)

Ktown4U 

http://ktown4u.com

This will require you to make a login but don't worry about it 

They carry pretty much all artists and almost all of their discography. Often they will sell tour goods as well 

Is mainly just Kpop no drama stuff 

Shipping is charged by weight and size

When you are checking out there are like 10 shipping options. Don't be too nervous about the cheapest one saying “untraceable” and “20-40″ days. I have found that they are very reliable and your package often comes much sooner than that. 

Also sells some cosmetic stuff 

Im pretty sure sales count for the Hantaeo/ gaon charts

Has fairly good customer service that gets back to you in a couple days at most if needed 

Doesn't really save your cart but idk maybe I'm doing it wrong

Credit card or papal checkout 

Mwave Shop

http://mwaveshop.interest.me

requires you to make a login

Primarily for Meet & Greet -> you can get signed albums from artists that are absolutely genuine because meet runs it. They also usually do a live stream. For every album you buy from an artist before a stream too you get a tile and have the chance to win special photo cards 

It can take a long time to prepare the signed copies because of artist schedule and shipping can take a bit too 

It is a bit hard to navigate to see shipping announcements. I usually get the email that it has shipped before it actually does. 

Reliable 

KpopTown

 http://kpoptown.com

Requires that you make a login 

Carries pretty much everything including ost (but not DVDs)

Will usually offer packages of all posters or album versions just before or shortly after an album is  released

Confirmed counting on the Hanteo/ gaon charts

Sells accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, food, and fashion as well 

Will often have signed albums for sale as well as cheap posters. 

Album prices are low but you also have to pay shipping which is weight based. For them whey have teirs so you have to be careful, like a poster could change shipping from $7 to $25 really quick depending on the other goods you are purchasing

Sells SUM goods usually 

In my experience their shipping was relatively fast

Credit card, paypal , western union

CDJapan

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp

You can checkout without an account by using paypal but then you can't use discounts or gain points 

Focused on J-pop and ships from Japan

Does sell Kpop stuff too

Prices are relatively cheep as is shipping

Shipping time is a tossup because of customs. For Coming Over for example I got my albums in about 10 days but my friend got hers in 20 or so. 

Don’t worry about untraceable shipping it is trustworthy 

The user interface is a bit wonky but its functional

YesAsia

For US buyers - http://www.yesasia.com/us/en/home.html (they have a different site for different places around the world)

Requires that you make a login

Has Korean, Chinese, and Japanese stuff 

Free shipping over $40 

Has a wide variety of albums, merch, and Dvds 

Has some tour stuff but its hard to tell if it is still in stock. 

Prices are higher than other Asian based sellers but you can get free shipping fairly easily 

Has some SUM goods and things like that

Are kind of slow in checking stock and restocking when necessary.

Ships relatively fast 

Be careful when ordering DVDs and stuff that you check the region code on them and make sure you will be able to actually play the disc 

KpopMart

 https://kpopmart.com

requires that you create a login 

Searching is a bit weird and using the menus is often better than the search bar

albums, some goods, drama stuff, cosmetic stuff, clothing items, accessories, J-pop

Pricing is low but not super 

Shipping fees are sorta high and they only have 2 shipping options

I have heard they are kind of slow but still reliable 

Most people prefer kpoptown over kpopmart 

CatchopCD

https://www.catchopcd.net/en/

Requires that you make an account to order

As far as I can tell they do not do preorder stuff

Shipping is done by weight and they tell you that and how much weight you have. It is a little expensive. 

Pricing for albums is relatively low

Only really sells music no goods or accessories. 

US based (includes not online that I have been to):

Music Plaza ( online and physical)

http://www.music-plaza.com

Requires that you make an account to purchase online

Allows tracking and such. Charges US domestic shipping fees. 

They carry pretty much all albums, allow pre-order, and have some goods and magazines

They are located on Korea Town Los Angeles and I went there while I took a trip for the EXO’luXion. The store is kind of small but the amount of merch is not it is full to the brim. 

Customer service is absolutely amazing. Missing a photo card? Need help with something else? They respond quickly and resolve your problem quickly. 

Always includes an extra gift with purchase 

Prices are more expensive than ordering from Korea due to the items being shipped over 

They don't remove out of stock items from their site so you have to check. 

Often will make bundles of all versions or posters of an album

Kpop Shop of Chicago - Chicago  (physical only)

This store was very nice. Full of official and unofficial goods and a great atmosphere really. 

If you are in Chicago it is located in Chinatown 

Reliable and fair pricing

Albums, manmade goods, official goods, wall scrolls, shirts, etc 

A bit unpredictable in open times 

Very nice staff

Koryo Books - NYC (physical only)

They are actually a bookstore in Korea town in manhattan.

They have a little section of the store where they are stocked with the albums for most Kpop groups. 

posters, some unofficial merch, and some magazines and newspapers. 

Very nice people. 

What I buy where typically

Typically I will shop around for albums to find what works best and ends up being cheapest. Recently I have been ordering most of my albums and stuff from Ktown4U and most accessories from eBay. 

Keep an eye out for group orders too (typically Facebook or twitter) . Often they are good ways to get merch that you would not otherwise be able to get. 

If I am in a major city I always make sure to visit a kpop store if they have one because I love the atmosphere and kpop is playing and people there love the same things as you and its so great to pick up albums yourself and hold them all. 

Ebay tips

Ok first : eBay is the land of fanmade goods. 

While this is true you can still buy albums and stuff off here as well as goods and expect them to be official. 

The majority of fan-made goods are going to be clothing and plush stuff. Albums are almost always genuine as are posters and photo cards. 

I would say though that you still need to be careful. Always check seller descriptions to make sure they aren't fan-made and to be sure that if you order clothing you will get the right size. 

READING SELLER DESCRIPTIONS IS A MUST

if they don't have a good one they become less trustworthy 

If you are buying signed goods that is when it is more tricky. There is really no way to tell for sure if something in genuine but if the seller got it from the Mwave meet and greet or something like that you can probably safely assume it is genuine. 

Shipping

Typically shipping will only be free if you are buying from the country you reside in. Really you need to decide for yourself if extra shipping cost is going to be worth it or not. 

Also if you are shipping from a seller in Asia and you are not in Asia it will still take 1-5 weeks (depending on method though usually about 2) for it to get to you 

Facebook tips

For photo cards and such I find that Facebook groups are one of the best places to look. Typically you will get people selling or trading just about anything you could want and it is a good way to fill in your collection. 

Be aware that some people do scam on Facebook, especially since there is no garuntee because Facebook is not a site typically used for selling goods. Really the best thing you can do id pay attention to what other people are saying. If someone says someone is trustworthy they usually are and if someone says to stay away from a certain person then you should probably do that as well 

Amazon Tips

I don't use amazon like at all because things can be more expensive there than they need to be. It is still a good source though but like I said, usually unnecessarily expensive

Photo card tips

Photo cards are really exciting things to buy and trade but you have to be careful because fan-made cards are also relatively common

1. Know exactly what the official ones look like both front and back. Really if the card doesn't even look official then its not. Be aware though that photo cards do not only come in albums. There are often tour photo cards as well as ones for other goods that an artist may endorse 

2. Search around a bit 

Really you should never pay more than $15 for a photo card (unless it has a special circumstance like the ver A of EXO MAMA photo cards because those are limited and could go for more). Typically you should be able to buy one for about $7-12 

The best places for doing this are ebay (just boring) and Facebook groups (buy and trade). If you happen to live near a kpop store you can also usually trade there with other people. Many stores will offer places to trade. 

Poster tips

For me I have found that it is best to just pay $2-3 extra when buying an album to get an unfolded poster as well. It is much cheeper than buying a poster on its own later on. 

KpopTown will sell posters for $0-2 a lot but you still have to pay shipping and often people on the internet will sell for $8-$20 depending on the poster. 

Tour posters will either have to be purchased at actual concerts or searched for on eBay and Facebook and are typically acquired for the largest amount of money. 

Shipping price tips 

Really shipping comes down to your preference. 

If you are shopping from Asia shipping is something that will be paid. There are many teirs of shipping, typically tracking EMS is the most expensive but also the fastest. 

If you don't have the money though don't worry about getting the cheapest shipping option, even if it says untraceable. A lot of times you can ask the seller and they can help you if you have questions, though a lot of times they cannot take responsibility for mail getting lost. 

For SUM merch and stuff like that 

KpopTown definitely is most likely to have it. It will usually be kind of expensive though but still around the price it would be sold for in the actually Coex Arutm or SUM shop or company specific store. 

Ktown4U will sometimes have things though they have very limited quantities and often sell out quickly. 

eBay is also a good place to check. If you are searching here make sure you know keywords and exact names for goods like “Lotto Postcard Set” or “EXO Melody Fairy Badge” and make sure you try multiple searches because you never know what sellers will name things. 

Yep thats all I can think of right now. Like I said if you have any questions my ask box is open and I can try to answer them. 

Hope this is helpful!

- Alicia (Sehun trash and certified merch hoe)

[sphynxtee]

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Have you ever been window shopping? Just looking in the windows of stores...browsing? Did anything from the store ever just...follow you around? You’re browsing for a new hat and see one you like, but pass it by. Then in the video game store next door the hat is just...sitting on the shelf? And in the clothing store after that. Looking at you. Following you. Last episode we talked about advertising, and the long history of techniques for getting us to buy things. In today’s episode, we’re looking at what happens when those techniques move online, where you might be followed much more than you think. In the olden days, before online shopping, stores didn’t know what you were looking at. They couldn’t track your shopping habits and then place advertisements for stuff you like wherever your went. Hats were just hats; they couldn’t follow you around. Traditional advertisements were contextual, they were put in specific places – or contexts – where advertisers expected people to be. Commercials during must-see TV, billboards along traffic-filled highways, pages in popular magazines. Places with lots of eyes and people with nothing else to do. Advertisers had to jam all of the persuasive techniques and logical fallacies they could into expensive ads, and then HOPE the right people would see. But that was before the internet. And smartphones. And social media. And geolocation and cookies and pop-up ads and ad blockers and… Yeah. It’s about to get scary. [Theme Music] Old-timey advertisers didn’t know who would see their ads, and they also didn’t really know how well they were doing. Put up an ad for soda right by a high school, and maybe they’d have a rough idea of who walked by it everyday. But they wouldn’t know how many kids actually bought soda. It wasn’t a total guessing game, but it wasn’t a science, either. Because of this, advertisers targeted different groups of people, or demographics: teenagers, older men and women, business professionals, families, white people, black people, Asian people. Still, these groups are pretty broad. You could place an ad with a TV show that drew mostly female viewers or a radio program that had mostly teen listeners, but you couldn’t get too specific. So, ads had to be broad, too, and the products being sold were incentivized to be one-size fits all. Anything too niche for a wide audience couldn’t afford to spend money on big, broad advertising. Since the birth of mass media, advertisers have been looking for better ways to do this, to make sure their ads hit just the right people. Enter: the internet. In the early days of the internet, the ad world, was still just like print or TV advertising. Ads were created to reach as broad an audience as possible. First came display ads – and like print ads, they’d just sit there on your screen. And quickly advertisers tried to gussy these up: pop-ups (the worst) and animated ads. Everything to get attention. But the real innovation was turning ads into links. What happens when an Ad is a Link? It’s convenient. See an ad for a hat. Click. Bam – you’re at hatstore.com. But that also means hatstore.com can COUNT how many times that link was clicked. Advertisers no longer had to estimate how many eyes saw their ads or what they did in response. And for a while, the click-through was an unstoppable measurement tool. This brings us to: the web cookie, which made these ads even stronger. Cookies are like little breadcrumbs that websites and apps place on your device. They follow you around the web and report back on your habits. Suddenly advertisers could track who was clicking on those ads and where they’d go next. Did they browse the site? Did they download a coupon? Did they – [gasp] – buy something?? They could figure out who those viewers were, their shopping habits, and even what their life was like. Pre-cookie, advertisers put their targets – that’s you – in pretty broad demographic buckets, but now they could narrow that immensely. Ads can target just 18-24 year old women with an interest in science who live in Brazil or 34-45 year old men who like soccer in Canada. This is called addressable advertising, sometimes referred to as behavioral targeting. Take a look around this video. Are you seeing any ads? If so, are they things you’re interested in? That might be because YouTube is using cookies to display what it thinks you want to see. Your recommended videos work that way, too. Every time you use your phone or computer, you’re leaving data breadcrumb trails. The websites you visit log your IP address a unique set of numbers used to identify your computer as you browse the web. There are other kinds of unique identifiers, too. They can track what kind of device you’re using, where you are, how fast your internet is, who else you follow. All kinds of stuff. You may be thinking, “Isn’t getting better music recommendations and seeing actually relevant ads worth a few cookie crumbs?” The problem is, the websites and apps you do trust to use your data trails don’t keep it to themselves. Let’s take a deeper look at this in the Thought Bubble. When you open up a new app or website, or login to a social network, you’ll often come across some Terms and Conditions. Sometimes they’re called Terms of Service. These are the rules of the road. The company is telling you what you can and can’t do in the app – like use it to commit a crime, or share stolen work. But they’re also telling you what they will and won’t do. Most of the time when we create a new account like this, we just check the box to accept the terms and conditions and move on. But companies know we don’t read those ridiculous documents. 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Right now, that info mainly goes to advertisers, but you can see how our ambivalent attitude around privacy could make us vulnerable to bad actors. Or, say foreign influence on things like...you know...presidential elections. Thanks, Thought Bubble. Data tracking isn’t just used to serve you personalized ads, either. It can actually determine what kind of content you see elsewhere. When we browse Amazon or Netflix, they provide us with suggestions based on stuff we’ve already seen. These recommendation engines, in a way, are advertisements. It’s showing you one show or product over another and, by extension, hiding others. The companies that use them certainly say they’re just being helpful. But these can actually limit our options, and keep us boxed into the things big corporations want us to see. There are many different kinds of these low-key ads. But two really common ones are easy to overlook. The first is sponsored content. Sponsored content can mean anything from an Instagram post to a documentary, that an advertiser paid to make and publish. It may not be obviously selling anything – like an article about taking care of your car, but paid for by a car company with its logo at the top. Or it’s that weird list of outlandish, tabloid-y articles at the bottom of a more reputable site – like “you’ll never believe how they died” with a picture of a celebrity who is definitely alive. These are particularly hard to pick out, because publishers like your favorite magazines and websites, will place them alongside their own original stuff, the editorial content, so they blend in. First: Learn to distinguish between ads and non-commercial information. Look for phrases like “sponsored content” “native content” “advertorial” or “presented by brand name here.” Celebrities and media creators may say they’re “partnering” with a brand – that means they’ve getting money to promote that brand. 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The best way to navigate this hyper-targeted media environment would be to, well, log off. Forever. But we know you’re not going to do that, that’s why you’re here with us today. The next best thing is to be hyper vigilant about what information you share online and minimize it whenever you can. Be wary of anything that seems free, because chances are you’re paying for it with your attention and your life story. Right now, the biggest internet and tech companies make the rules, and we all follow along because we don’t like to read long legal documents. But, with any new technology, there are organizations and policies that try to reign in the power of big players like Facebook and Google. Sometimes they’re successful, and sometimes...not so much. We’re going to learn all about that next time on Crash Course Media Literacy. Until then, I’m Jay Smooth. See ya! Crash Course Media Literacy is filmed in the Dr. Cheryl C. Kinney Studio in Missoula, MT. It’s made with the help of all of these nice people, and our animation team is Thought Cafe. Crash Course is a Complexly production. If you wanna keep imagining the world complexly with us check out some of our other channels, like Sexplanations, How To Adult, and Healthcare Triage. If you'd like to keep Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can support the series at Patreon, a crowdfunding platform that allows you to support the content you love. Thank you to all of our patrons for making Crash Course possible with their continued support.

https://youtu.be/cmRcoJZRXEY

[jayfurr]

On Wednesday, August 22, the Furrs sailed into the grips of what had once been known as the Evil Empire:  Russia.

St Petersburg, Russia, to be exact.

And I remember the first words I uttered as opened the stateroom curtains and looked blankly toward the shore:  “That’s one tall building.”   The Russian need to overcompensate for perceived inferiority had once again reared its head: they built the tallest building in Europe miles north of the St Petersburg city center, surrounded by … nothing, looking for all the world like an invading spaceship that had come in for a landing.

That said, we were in St Petersburg for two days, with an overnight stay allowing for extra time to enjoy the city and its environs.   We had two days of tours (the exclusive small group tours, which as we found out in Estonia, didn’t mean we’d avoid crowds) booked.  On the first day, we were going to be taken to the Catherine Palace twenty miles south of St Petersburg proper, then bus back to the city for lunch, followed by an afternoon at the legendary Hermitage Museum (which is anything but a small hermitage.  Jeezum crow, that place went on for miles).

We originally hadn’t had anything planned for the evening of our first day, but Carole had spotted a “folklore dance show” excursion that we could go back out to in the evening, and that had sounded interesting enough to sign up for.

On the second day, we were going to go see a second huge palace, the Peterhof, known for its elaborate fountains, and then we take a hydrofoil back to the city, and then get trundled around to a series of lesser cathedrals and palaces and things.  It all sounded good in principle, but in execution, it ran us ragged.  We were dead beat by the end of each day.

Of course, before any of this could take place, we had to get off the ship and through customs and border security.  In every other port on our itinerary, entry had consisted of walking off the ship, down a dock, and waving idly at the customs employees in their little shed.   Not so in Russia.  Russia has some of the toughest visa requirements in the world and frustrating-as-hell border controls to go along with them.   Even if you’re on a cruise ship and the cruise line has sent all your information to the Russians in advance, you still have what can turn into a multi-hour wait to stand in lines and go one by one up to a window where a bored Russian guard asks you strange questions and decides to let you in.  (No, we couldn’t and didn’t take pictures.)

But take our word for it; it wasn’t fun.  And we, at least, got a bit of priority — all the tours that had been set up by Norwegian Cruise Lines got to go through security first; only then did the passengers who had booked their tours on their own get to go through. (You couldn’t go onshore under any circumstances without a ticket for a scheduled tour offered by a licensed vendor.)  We understand some of the folks who decided to save money by booking their tours directly had a two-hour wait.

A note about money in St Petersburg:  Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to withdraw cash from a Russian ATM, especially the ones lined up at the cruiseport just after you go through customs.  As far as we can tell, they’re not real ATMs and exist only to steal your information.   We tried to withdraw some rubles using our American bank card and even though a sign on the machine said you could do that, each time we tried the system took our PIN, asked us what account to withdraw from, etcetera etcetera… then said the transaction had encountered an error.  Or words to that effect.  So we gave up.

Well, it turns out that starting the moment I tried to withdraw rubles at the port, persons unknown started trying to buy $400 and $500 worth of goods from the Nike online store using our debit card information, goods to be shipped to Russia.  Our bank promptly put a freeze on the card, which meant that things like our utility bills that were on automatic draw didn’t get paid until we got back and found out what was going on.  (The bank was supposed to have sent us an email if something like that happened, but never did, so we only found out when we got back.)  We weren’t out any money as a result of the attempted thefts, but the Russians tried multiple times over multiple days to use our card info.  And since the only place we tried using it in Russia was in that ATM at the cruiseport… and since the attempts started that day… well, draw your own conclusions.

We found, later, that our regular credit cards could be used in stores… and even street vendors, like the guy we bought a music box from at the Catherine Palace were set up to use them.  (We also found that just about everything in Russia was absurdly cheap.  A McDonald’s Happy Meal sold for about $1.05 American in Russia, once you converted the price in roubles into dollars at the official exchange rate.  No, we didn’t eat at McDonald’s.  There were posters everywhere advertising McFood and the McPrice.   The only place we went that wasn’t cheap was a large store we were taken to on our second day there.  They were selling faux Faberge Eggs, vodka, Russian matrioshka dolls, furry hats, and so forth — all for about ten times the price that the vendors in the shops at the cruiseport proper were charging.

Anyway…

Once we were finally off the boat and in our little bus, we had about a half hour trip from the port to the Catherine Palace.  This afforded us a look at some really grim looking Soviet-era apartment buildings near the port and along the route.   It turned out later that a lot of St Petersburg was lovely and scenic and had great architecture, either from the Imperial era or from the post-Soviet years… but that didn’t mean that all the Soviet monolithic apartment blocks had just up and vanished.  They were all still there and still occupied.  And there were a lot of ’em.[spacer height=”20px”]

The Catherine Palace was immense.  It was located in the Pushkin area, south of St Petersburg proper.  Construction of the palace had been started by Peter the Great’s wife Catherine.  Tsarina Elizabeth tore a lot of it down and started over, spending money like water and basically bankrupting the country.  Catherine the Great, who more or less succeeded Elizabeth (it’s complicated) regarded the whole thing as a tacky white elephant.  But that said:  Huge palace.  Grounds that went on for miles.  Room after room with elegant fittings, furniture, art, etcetera.  After a while one got sort of numb to it all.   (The Russians, to give them credit, had done a tremendous job of fixing the place up again after the Nazis shelled the hell out of it.)  It didn’t help that we, of necessity, had to be rushed along if were going to see it all, to say nothing of the endless encounters with other tour groups and their guides all shouting in a veritable Babel of languages.

We had lunch back in the city at a restaurant (“Troika“) that turned out to be the local naughty cabaret (but not at lunchtime) where we were served the traditional Eastern European tourist lunch: chicken, potatoes, salad, and vodka.  Carole didn’t want her vodka and gave it to me; I promptly spilled it on the white tablecloth and wound up sopping it up with some bread, which I then ate — an action I dubbed “the most Russian thing ever.”  It was while we were going to and coming from the restaurant that we got to see a lot of the new St Petersburg, including the street with all the expensive foreign car dealerships lined up along it, one after another.

Then they took us to the Hermitage museum, right in St Petersburg proper on the banks of the Neva river.  (It’s called the Hermitage because back in the day, it was very very exclusive.)  The museum is situated in a network of linked palaces and buildings and the collection is just enormous.   They don’t have room for everything to be on display, but what they do have on display runs the gamut from ancient Egypt to renaissance Italy and France, neoclassical and impressionist stuff from the 19th and 20th centuries… I mean, basically they have everything worth collecting in the entire Eastern hemisphere.    And crowds in proportion to the size of the collection, crowds upon crowds upon crowds.  Imagine Walt Disney World on the busiest day of the year, only in an art museum, and give everyone cameras and an urge to photograph everything they see.  And that’s the Hermitage.

Now that I’ve seen both the Catherine Palace and the Hermitage, if you asked me to recommend only one of them for a future trip to St Petersburg, I’d definitely choose the Hermitage.  Its art collection was absolutely first rate.  It wasn’t all paintings, either.  Lots of sculpture, statues, artifacts, antiquities, doodads, thingamabobs.  You could spend days there and not really do it all justice.  Even if there weren’t crowds you’d need days.

After the Hermitage, we went back to the ship and had dinner and a quick swim to refresh ourselves, then rushed right back out to get back through customs for our trip to the “folklore dance show”.  We didn’t know if the Russians, just to be Russians, would make us take just as long to get through security as we had earlier (although we knew there would be a lot fewer people going through at 6 pm as opposed to 8 am), but since we’d already been through once and had a certain piece of important paper tucked into our passports (I don’t speak or read Russian, so for all I know it said I was a piano tuner from Addis Ababa), the trip through security took about five minutes.

We were bused to an older district of St Petersburg and taken to a building they identified as the General Assembly House of the Officers of the Army and Navy (aka the Officers House), a lovely concert hall on Liteyny Prospekt, where a nightly show called “Russia through Fairytales” was presented.   Tour groups were their stock in trade and it was obvious from the way the employees spoke to us that some groups had paid for the vodka-and-wine-and-crudities-during-intermission and some hadn’t and Heaven help you if you tried to help yourself when you weren’t supposed to.  We absolutely loved the show.  It was everything we hoped for; the troupe of male and female dancers dressed in what we assumed was classic Russian garb leapt and pirouetted and danced and tumbled and we were worn out just from watching them.   We would happily have purchased the souvenir DVD but the sour lady at the table selling them didn’t take any form of plastic and we didn’t have enough paper money in any currency she took on us.  C’est la vie.

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What We Did On Our Summer Vacation, Day 8 (St Petersburg) On Wednesday, August 22, the Furrs sailed into the grips of what had once been known as the Evil Empire:  Russia.

[kriterium3-blog]

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Before that, there was Motorola. Its Atrix phone worked the same way, but its laptop dock cost $500, the software you used with it was half-baked, and the phone was only “strong” by 2011’s standards. Again, few people cared.Still, the dream hasn’t died. The latest group to give it a try is Andromium, a startup headed by alumni of Google and Y Combinator. Its new Kickstarter project, the Superbook, essentially flips the Atrix concept, and applies it to various Android phones. At its core, the Superbook is just a laptop shell. It’s got an 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution, a QWERTY keyboard with Android-specific keys, a multi-touch trackpad, and a battery that Andromium rates at eight or so hours of use. (Though that’ll move closer to 10 hours if Andromium reaches $500,000 in funding, which currently looks likely.) In a recent Reddit AMA, the company said the device is composed of soft plastic.In other words, it’s small and basic. It makes up for that by being cheap — it starts at $99 through Kickstarter, and the company expects it to start in the $129 range if and when it hits retailers. (If the campaign hits $1 million, the company plans to offer a slightly more expensive 1080p display option as well.)

To power it, you activate the Andromium OS app — which is available in beta form in the Google Play Store — on your phone, then plug it into the shell over microUSB or USB-C. You’re not limited to any particular model, but the company says the phone should have at least 1.5GB of RAM, a dual-core chip, and Android 5.0 or higher. (It also has to support the USB-OTG standard, but that shouldn't be an issue for the vast majority of devices.)The idea, as it’s always been, is to leverage your phone’s power with a laptop’s form factor. In Andromium’s eyes, buying a new phone then becomes akin to buying a new laptop. Now, that probably won't hold true for everyone. A cheaper phone won’t be as smooth as a pricier one. Plenty of Chromebooks are affordable and perfectly capable. And while your phone is a tiny computer, it’s not a tiny laptop — much of the Superbook’s success will come down to how well Andromium OS turns Android into competent desktop software.

That said, it does seem to have the basics down — a browser, a file manager, a taskbar, a launcher, some level of multitasking, etc. — and as we’ve seen on Chrome OS, Android itself has plenty of apps that translate well enough to desktops. You can watch videos on YouTube, write documents with Microsoft Word, and play a bunch of games. The Superbook's display isn't a touchscreen, though, which could make using those a little less natural.Andromium says it’ll open its SDK so developers can tailor their apps for Andromium, too, though how much support that gets remains to be seen.In any case, the campaign has raised more than $400,000 in a couple days of funding, way past its initial target. While the usual risk with crowdfunding projects remain, Andromium says its prototypes are finished, and that it hopes to ship the Superbook to backers by February 2017.Either way, given how strong today’s smartphones have become, the time might finally be right to make this nerd fantasy a reality. Again.

A Thursday report from The Verge points toward a major potential problem with USB-C, the new cable standard that powers an ever-expanding group of devices.The power stream through USB-C cables is reversible, meaning a laptop can power a smaller device through the same port it uses to charge. When Verge writer Dieter Bohn plugged his phone into his laptop, it drank too greedily from the computer's battery:I used a cheap cable I found on Amazon to charge my Nexus 6P and it drew too much power from my MacBook Air’s USB ports. Apple did a remarkable job engineering the MacBook’s ports — they shut down temporarily to protect themselves — but when they came back online, they only worked intermittently.I've experienced firsthand the pain of a faulty charge bricking a device, so this story resonates.Gadgets are built to pull as much juice as they can handle from power sources, and generally those sources aren't build to cap the flow through their ports. A cable's job is to let a gadget sip as hard as it can without overtaxing the source.

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Bohn found a Google engineer, Benson Leung, who destroyed his Chromebook Pixel with another faulty cord. Leung's made a small reputation for himself online as the sole qualified person reviewing USB-C cords for safety online. He posts those reviews on Amazon. Here's his review of the cord that destroyed his laptop. But those reviews are hard to find — though an enterprising group of internetters have aggregated them online here.The problem here, which Bohn identifies, is that it's too easy to buy a USB-C cable that can fry your computer, and it's not enough to simply trust a few reviews. If USB-C is to succeed at becoming the universal data/power cord for gadgets, there needs to be a simple, quick method for anyone to determine if a cable is safe or not. And Amazon has to stop selling faulty ones online.Today, Lenovo took the wraps off the Yoga Book: A new tablet/laptop hybrid, offered in both Android and Windows 10 flavors, focused squarely on helping users be productive.

Like most tablets made in the last two years or so, the Yoga Book is taking its cues from Microsoft.Unlike most of those tablets, the Yoga Book seems to be inspired not by the Microsoft Surface, which even Apple has imitated with its iPad Pro— but rather the Microsoft Courier, a hotly-anticipated tablet that was first leaked to the press in 2008, and then killed on Bill Gates' orders in 2010, before it was even officially announced.The Courier would have been a dual-screen "booklet" PC. Rather than a keyboard, it sported two 7-inch touchscreens, connected by a hinge. With those two screens, you could use it as kind of a so-called "infinite journal," sketching or taking notes with a stylus on one side while reading the news or making appointments on the other.It's billed by Lenovo as a super-thin, super-light tablet. You may have noticed already that it doesn't have a keyboard, in the traditional sense. Instead, it's a funky kind of touchscreen, called the "Halo keyboard" by Lenovo, that basically tries to recreate the feeling of typing with a regular laptop keyboard without actually being one.

The Halo keyboard also gives the Yoga Book its best, and most Courier-esque feature:The Halo keyboard pulls double duty as a sketchpad, thanks to its neat wide-open hinge. If you lay down a piece of paper on top of the keyboard, and use the stylus that comes with the Yoga Book in its ballpoint pen mode (seriously, it switches), any notes you take will instantly be digitized and put on the main screen. It does the same thing without paper and with the stylus in its normal mode, but, well, that's less fun.Either way, as you can see, the spirit of the Microsoft Courier lives on in the Yoga Book. The second screen isn't quite the full-on touchscreen promised by the Courier (the Verge reports that Lenovo tried, but the second screen degraded battery life too much), but the core concept of a dedicated sketchpad has clearly endured. There's a case to be made that despite the hype, the Courier was little more than a science project that deserved to be killed. But times have changed since 2010, and maybe the moment is right for a stylus-driven tablet after all these years.

The Yoga Book will be available by the end of October, starting at $499 for the Android version and $550 for the Windows 10 model. And while it remains to be seen if Lenovo's gamble on a more offbeat kind of tablet will pay off, it's very nice to see a company finally think a little different.The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.Bluetooth speakers are a great way to take your music with you wherever you go. Capable of 15 hours of continuous play on a single charge, this speaker by Jawbone is a great asset for tailgates, camping trips, and when summer comes back around, days at the beach. It also has an internal microphone so you can take calls hands-free when your phone starts ringing.

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If you’re looking for a good value on a laptop, the Dell Inspiron is a solid deal today. It’s thin and light, with all of the specs you want out of a computer at this price point: a 6th generation Intel core processor, a 256GB solid state hard drive, 8GB RAM, and a 1080p display. It also features a touchscreen, which can make toggling through numerous tags a bit more convenient if you prefer the feel of a tablet. Also, for those specifically in the market for a touchscreen computer, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga is available at a discount at Best Buy today as well, so compare the two before you buy to make sure you find which is right for you.We are big supporters of portable chargers here at Insider Picks. They are great investments in that they will save you a lot of stress over time. Just pop one in your glove box, bag, or pants pocket and avoid the panic that can be induced when your phone dies at an inopportune time. This lipstick-tube-sized model is a great value for how much juice it holds.Everyone could use a solid backpack to travel with, whether on your daily commute to work or to fit into the overhead bin while vacationing. And of anything you might pack in your bag, it is likely that none of your worldly possessions are of higher personal value to you than your laptop. For this reason, NIID created a backpack with your computer in mind. It’s waterproof, and has a cushioned compartment for your precious tech.

The NomadPlus is perfect for those who are concerned they’ll forget to charge their charger (if there’s anything more frustrating that being stuck with a dead phone, it’s plugging in your portable charger only to discover it’s dead as well). With the NomadPlus, you can simultaneously refuel both your phone and charger through a wall outlet. When your phone is fully juiced, you can unplug the unit with the comfort that your backup charge is ready to go as well.Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners, including Amazon. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback.

[newstfionline]

As Power Grid Sputters in Puerto Rico, Business Does Too

By Lizette Alvarez, NY Times, Nov. 15, 2017

GUAYNABO, P.R.--Miriam Gonzalez stepped outside her shuttered restaurant in this municipality near San Juan and offered an exaggerated grin. “This is my happy face,” Ms. Gonzalez, 52, said, heavy with mockery. “It’s a very happy face. We all have it on.”

Every morning, Ms. Gonzalez puts on this happy face like a coat of makeup to ward off the depression that has festered since Hurricane Maria shut down her restaurant, trampled its well-tended garden and crushed her usually upbeat spirit.

Like much of the island, she has gone without electricity since the storm hit on Sept. 20, making do with glowing lanterns, a gas barbecue grill, daily trips to the grocery store and wide open windows to stay cool. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s grid is working at less than 50 percent, leaving much of the island in the dark. For Ms. Gonzalez and other residents, the catastrophe of Hurricane Maria has been followed by an economic disaster with no end in sight.

Manuel A. Laboy Rivera, the secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce estimated the economic losses at a minimum of $20 billion, although some economists and analysts put it as high as $40 billion, much of it from the drop in productivity. Puerto Rico’s economy is already $70 billion in debt and will be hard hit by the steep drop in tax revenue.

“The lack of power is the root of everything,” Mr. Laboy Rivera said. ���This is a very challenging time right now for Puerto Rico.”

Countless small businesses, like Ms. Gonzalez’s, remain closed because they do not have power or a working generator (there is an epidemic of broken generators). On an island driven by tourism, many hotels are not open for guests. Manufacturers have operated in fits and starts.

At the unemployment office in Bayamón, about a 20-minute drive from Ms. Gonzalez’s restaurant, hundreds line up every weekday morning to try to collect emergency unemployment benefits. More than 22,000 applied in October, compared with 6,800 in the same month last year, according to the Puerto Rico Department of Labor.

Others are simply leaving the island: As of Tuesday, 156,000 people have arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando on planes from Puerto Rico since the storm. Many of them are professionals and middle-class workers who have fled the island because their jobs disappeared and they can no longer live without power. They are likely to stay on the mainland, a crushing blow to the island’s fragile tax base and its ability to generate jobs. Government officials estimate that as many as 300,000 on an island with 3.4 million people could eventually leave.

Kesia Rivera, 29, who managed an insurance company, is thinking about joining her five brothers and sisters on the mainland. “I have a lot of expenses,” she said as she waited to fill out an application.

“There’s food. The kids’ stuff. My car was damaged by bad gas and I can’t fix it because it’s expensive. I don’t have a job, and I don’t have money,” she said. “It’s hard to find jobs right now; businesses don’t have money to pay employees.”

Chuck Watson, director of research and development at Enki Research, a disaster research and modeling company, said the lack of electricity had severely compounded Puerto Rico’s economic challenges. He called the government’s goal to restore power by mid-December “beyond wishful thinking.”

Without power, the economic losses will quickly multiply, Mr. Watson said.

“Once you uproot from Puerto Rico and come to the U.S. mainland, are you really going to want to go back, given the other issues like the Puerto Rican government and the unemployment, a number that will be catastrophic?” he said. “In New Orleans, there is a lot that left after Katrina and never came back.”

Tourism is among the hardest hit, Mr. Laboy Rivera said. About 30 percent remain closed, a number that has improved in the past two weeks. The loss in convention money is considerable, Mr. Laboy Rivera said. Most hotels that are open continue to house hurricane relief workers.

Manufacturing, which makes up 48 percent of the island’s economy and accounts for a third of the tax revenue, was bedeviled by the lack of power, structural damage, debris-strewn roads and, most recently, generator breakdowns. Many businesses, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device companies, have struggled to reach their pre-hurricane production and shipping goals, although the situation is rapidly improving.

Restaurants are either booming or flailing. Cooking at home without power is not easy, so restaurants with generators have plenty of business. But many suffered structural damage, did not have generators that were powerful enough or could not fix them when they broke.

The Association of Restaurants in Puerto Rico said about 1,800 of its 5,000 member restaurants, including some belonging to major chains, have not yet reopened. Generator breakdowns often prompt restaurants to close abruptly and repair parts can take weeks to arrive. A large new generator can cost upward of $40,000. It remains unclear how many of the smaller restaurants will be able to reopen, said Ramon Leal, the group’s president.

“Some days we open 50 restaurants and close 50 restaurants,” Mr. Leal said. The bigger problem, he said, is “we are losing tons of people from the restaurant industry. They are moving to Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, New York.”

Just as worrisome as the exodus, said Mr. Laboy Rivera, is the blow to the island’s small and medium businesses, which provide 80 percent of the jobs. These include accounting companies, advertisers, hair salons, law offices, media, medical labs and retail stores. As many as 50,000 of these businesses had not reopened as of the beginning of the month, he estimated.

On Calle Esmeralda, a once-busy commercial strip, Ms. Gonzalez’s charming farm-to-table restaurant, Believe, had flourished before Maria, earning up to $4,000 a day. Now she makes a fraction of that cooking hamburgers and shish kebabs on a portable grill out front, where locals sip beer on plastic chairs.

Ms. Gonzalez had a small generator for a couple of days but it broke down. She has waited weeks for repair parts and worries that the package, like so many others, might get stolen. Even if it arrives, finding someone to fix the generator is almost impossible. So is buying a new one.

The low point, she said, was laying off her 15 employees.

“That killed me,” she said. “I would lie here,” she added, stretching out on a bench, “with quartz on my forehead, chest and stomach, asking for electricity. I went to church, and I’m not a church person. I sat there and said, ‘Please bring the power back.’ “ Ms. Gonzalez said she cried so much she “dried up.”

Many nearby stores are closed, she said. At Peekaboo, a printing and school supply shop across the street, the owners said they had no plans to reopen. They have no generator and are afraid of being robbed. Next door, at Brain Games, the owner is on the mainland, unsure of whether to reopen. A spa and a restaurant across the street are dark.

Not all suffer equally. Hurricanes reward some industries, like construction, which had been moribund here for a decade. But the real boom is in joblessness.

Leisha Otero drove from Morovis, a mountain town turned inside out by Hurricane Maria, to the unemployment line in Bayamón. Having lost her small house and her $10-an-hour job as a practical nurse at a medical lab in Vega Alta, she came for news on her application for lost wages. But there was no word, only instructions to wait for a letter of approval from the federal government.

“I’m a nurse, a stylist, a nail technician,” she said, as her two children scrolled through photos on her cellphone.

Ms. Otero’s epileptic 11-year-old son contracted a bacterial disease from rodents shortly after the storm. His fever spiked at 103, he couldn’t stop vomiting and his lips were gray. She rushed him to the hospital. He is fine now, but she worries that his epilepsy medicine will run out and that his doctors will leave for the mainland. Plus, without a job, she has no health insurance.

Her husband already left, to Boston, where he found work in a factory. Her brother, a nurse, and his wife left for North Carolina. Ms. Otero said she has no choice. After stopping at the unemployment office, she would head for the airport with her children to reserve flights to Boston.

“It hurts my heart, seeing this all destroyed, and I love it so much,” Ms. Otero said. “Who knows when the businesses will reopen? They were already struggling before the storm.”