#so I was looking for some product (an arbor press) but everyone I found was trying to sell it to me for white boy prices

[blackirishweab]

If there’s one thing I’m gonna do it’s tell you the story of a really good deal I got on something innocuous like it was an interstate black market arms deal gone very good

[dinkypets-blog]

My Basic Ball Python Care Guide

What You’ll Need

* Enclosure: Locking Lid Plastic Tub or aquarium (20 gal recommended for a baby, at least 40 gal for adult male, 55-75 gal for adult female. If you choose an aquarium, I recommend investing in clips, to prevent your ball python from escaping)

* Heating: Under Tank Heater (UTH)

* Heat Regulation: Thermostat

* Humidity Regulation: Hygrometer

* Substrate: Cypress Mulch mixed with Eco Earth (substrate is based on preference, I highly recommend a substrate that hold moisture)

* Hide #1

* Hide #2

* Hide #3

* Enrichment: Fake Vines, Branches, Driftwood, etc.)

* Water Dish: any water dish your ball python can fit in

* Feeding Tongs

* Disinfectant: Chlorhexidine (there are other products you can use as disinfectant, this is what works best for me)

* 2 Spray Bottles (1 for misting, 1 for disinfectant)

* Feeders: mice or rats, depending on the size of your ball python. (I highly recommend frozen/thawed)

*Products can be found at Walmart, Amazon.com, and pet supply stores. Some products might be cheaper from other sources, compare prices as you wish.

Steps for Setting Up Plastic Tub

* Acquire all materials as seen in “Initial Costs”

* Drill holes for ventilation in the tub

* Deep clean and disinfect tub and let it air out (roughly 30-45 minutes)

* Deep clean and disinfect hides, enrichment, and water dish; let it air out (roughly 30-45 minutes)

* Set up enclosure, starting with substrate (2-3 inches worth), then placing hides, enrichment, and water dish in an organized fashion. Make sure the hides are evenly spread out, so the snake has the option to hide anywhere in the enclosure.

* Place the UTH to the far left or far right side of the enclosure (make sure it is UNDERNEATH the enclosure)

* Plug the UTH into the thermostat, and plug the thermostat into the wall. To set the temperature for the thermostat, press and hold the “Set” button until the numbers start blinking, then adjust the temperature to 90℉

* Install hygrometer and adjust humidity by misting the enclosure until the hygrometer reads 50-60%

*Steps for setting up aquarium are the same, except you don’t have to drill holes in it.

Care

* Heating: Ball pythons, like all reptiles, are cold blooded, so they cannot regulate their body temperature. It is very important to provide a heat gradient for your ball python. This basically means having a warm side and a cool side. The warm side should be between 87-90℉ (to be regulated by the thermostat) and the cool side should not drop below 70℉, but typically room temperature will suffice. As long as your ball python has can access the warm side and the cool side at all times and have hides at both ends, they should be just fine. The best heating element for a ball python is a UTH, which should cover approximately ⅓ of the entire enclosure. If you cannot maintain at least 70℉ on the cool side, invest in a ceramic heat emitter (CHE).

* Humidity: Ball pythons like their humidity around 50-60%. It is highly recommended to bring the humidity up to 60-70% during shed. What I’ve found to be both effective and more convenient, is to maintain 50-60% during shed, but also provide a humid hide during shed, and only during shed. The humid hide is a plastic tupperware container that your ball python can go in and out of freely. The substrate within the hide should be able to hold moisture, such as sphagnum moss (I will use paper towels from time to time, that works for me as well). Humidity in the humid hide should not be too high, so as to avoid a respiratory infection (RI), but high enough to help your snake have a good, full shed.

* Shedding: Shedding happens every 4-6 weeks, give or take. When they shed, it means they’ve grown. Younger snakes will shed more than older snakes, as the growth rate decreases, but never stops. Shedding happens in stages. Stage one is pink belly. At this point, you want to start dampening the humid hide regularly (once in the morning and once at night), OR up the humidity to 60-70%. After a few days the pink belly will clear up and you’ll notice your ball python looks dull and their eyes get cloudy, also known as “being in blue” or “zombie mode”. Your ball python will become irritable and sensitive, so it’s best not to handle them. “Zombie mode” will last a couple days, and then your ball python will shed. The whole process lasts about 1 week. Your ball python may refuse to eat until shed is complete, so it’s best to wait until they finish shedding and feed them the following night.

* Feeding: Feedings should happen once a week, or every 5-7 days for babies. Adults will eat either once a week, or every other week, depending on the size of your snake and its prey. Smaller snake and smaller prey = once a week. Larger snake and larger prey = every other week. Feeding schedules are subject to change. Prey should be about 1.5x the thickest part of your ball python. You should be able to see a little lump in their stomach after they eat. Ball pythons can be picky eaters, and sometimes go off feed for months at a time (typically November-February). This is no reason to panic, ball pythons have bizarre metabolisms and can go months without eating and barely lose weight. If your ball python is being picky and losing weight, there are tricks you can use to convince them to eat.

* Water: Fresh water should always be available for your ball python to drink or soak in. However, if they are frequently soaking, there might be an underlying issue you want to look into ASAP. At the bare minimum, change water once a week. Every other day is ideal, and 2-3 times a week is sufficient. You may never see your snake drink, as they get most of their hydration from their meals and the humidity. It is still essential to provide water.

* Lighting: Ball pythons are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. It is not uncommon to see them up during the day and in the middle of the night, but they will be most active at dawn and dusk. Since they are crepuscular, you do not need to provide them with UVB, or any other type of lighting. Natural day and night cycles are the best option. If you cannot provide natural day/night cycles, provide a light bulb that produces little to no heat (so as not to mess with the ambient temperature in the enclosure), and use a timer to manage the day/night cycles.

* Cleaning: Spot clean everyday. Check for poop, urate, and shed everyday and remove as necessary. Deep clean once a month. Dispose of all substrate, disinfect enclosure, hides, enrichment, and water bowl. Let everything air out for 30-45 minutes before replacing substrate and hides, enrichment, and water bowl.

* Bathing: It is unnecessary to bathe your ball python regularly. The only time a bath is required is if your snake is stuck in shed, has slithered through poop and is covered in it, or if they have mites. Even if they are covered in poop, a “sponge bath” may be more appropriate. Bathing too frequently can cause respiratory infections. Some mite treatments don’t require frequent bathing, look into different treatment methods and choose one based on effectiveness and what’s best for your snake.

Pros and Cons

* Pros:

*Quiet pets

* Little to no odor

* Easy to feed

* Easy to clean up after

* Docile animals

* Don’t require socialization

* Easy to handle

* Hardy animals

* Cons:

* It’s a snake...ew (jk)

* Easy to neglect

* Lifespan ~30 years (this is only a con because that’s a long commitment)

* Can sometimes be picky eaters

* IF they get sick, vet bills are expensive (ball pythons are hardly snakes, health issues are rare so long as husbandry is good)

* They don’t “love” their owners, they don’t form bonds like mammals do

Tips

* When replacing the cypress mulch, let it dry out for a couple hours so the humidity doesn’t get too high and you can avoid risking a respiratory infection. You can easily increase humidity, but decreasing humidity is far more challenging.

* Keep a bottle of Natural Chemistry Reptile Spray on hand. Snake mites are the most common ailment amongst ball pythons, and having a bottle on hand to start treatment ASAP is really helpful. You may never need it, but it doesn’t hurt to keep it as a precaution.

* Don’t handle your ball python for at least a week after getting it, let it get accustomed to its new environment.

* Don’t handle your ball python before it eats, sometimes handling can stress it out and it won’t eat.

* Don’t handle your ball python for a couple days after it’s eaten to avoid regurgitation. If your ball python does regurgitate, wait about 2 weeks before feeding again to allow its esophagus to heal from the stomach acid.

* Handle your ball python for 15 minutes a day (except before and after feeding) to get it used to handling.

* Do regular research, you may discover a better method of reptile keeping.

* Talk to other reptile keepers, everyone has their own method and you might learn what to do as well as what not to do.

* Change the arrangement of your ball python’s enclosure every once in a while. It’s added enrichment for them to explore, it’s good for their brains, and it’s fun to get creative.

* Ball pythons are semi-arboreal, so it may be helpful to provide them with something to climb on. While it is not necessary, it’s added enrichment and it’s pretty cool to watch them climb.

* You can never have enough enrichment!!! Obviously, don’t over-stuff your enclosure, but the more enrichment, the better.

***Disclaimer: Everyone has a different method of reptile keeping, this is what works for ME. I am NOT an expert. This is what I’ve learned over the last 2 years of ball python keeping. I’m still learning. Feel free to add your experience and what you’ve learned from reptile keeping and other research.

[katherinemacbride]

GHOST + Tender Center Study Group: Reading and…(Rotterdam, 2019/2020)

This text is also available as a captioned video with sound. https://vimeo.com/533486814

 The reading group is small: each time around ten people come, some returning, others new, an accumulation that fits round the pink and green and yellow table. We’re reading Edouard Glissant’s Poetics of Relation, little chunks of poetic density that build world-making thinking. I imagine him carefully choosing his words, fostering their multiple meanings, crafting the fluid, viscous opacity. I see pleasure and care, by which I mean care as worry, want, attention, and protection. “[T]hinking needs care…and that thinking and care need to stay in the wake,” wrote Christina Sharpe in In the Wake, her work on the reverberations of anti-Blackness. This is a call to read with feet and fingers and all the skin between.

I first watched Manthia Diawara’s film Edourard Glissant: One World in Relation soon after I started listening out for Glissant’s writing. When my ears were open, it formed a connective ocean of reading touching self-organised spaces, communities reflexively building tools, academics with epistemological heartaches, and art organising, with either abolitionist or appropriative ends. The film shapes a piece of methodological ground, something that holds in motion.

Diawara and Glissant cross the Atlantic Ocean on a cruise ship and walk on Martinique. They have one long conversation, or many conversations, depending on how you think about time and ends and beginnings. The edited fifty minutes offer a viewer a qualitative possibility of understanding Glissant’s work in a highly accessible form, as if his thought were a character in the film. 

Around that time, I was reading Daniel Stern’s elaboration of a therapeutic method based on staying with what he called “present moments,” fragments of relation experienced as “now” where meaning is consciously or unconsciously made. A structured interview repeatedly parsing a thirty to sixty second piece of someone’s everyday experience can hold the density of the person and introduce therapeutic themes meaningful to them that would more frequently be opened with a biographical conversation. Parsing the same material, working through a different register or mode on each pass – affect/movement/cognition/emotion/feeling – supports approaching and sitting with parts of experience it's harder to stay close to. The chosen material is so everyday and seemingly simple that it’s not as initially threatening as investigating a theme or event that is already narrativised. This supports the staying close, the sitting with. The whole structure is a Möbius binding of care and therapeutic possibility where “moments of meeting” – transformation – can occur.

Both of these methods – interview as filmmaking, interview as healing – perform a fractal thinking. The smaller carries the larger, the smaller contains the larger, the smaller is the larger. A relation of compression and expansion. What is being compacted isn’t forced to lose parts, or the uncertain but co-constituting space between those parts. The density is just still there, no matter how small the scale goes. To feel another part of the fractal, imagine holding diamond in one hand and coal in the other, and feel the extractive double helix of the histories of geology and capitalist value burying death and trauma in the carbon atoms. For much of the film, Diawara and Glissant are passing through the space of Middle Passage, the sea that holds particulate memory in its eternal movement and burnt carbon in its acidity. 

Glissant describes his concept of opacity with broccoli. He doesn’t like broccoli. Why is an opacity to him, he just knows he doesn’t like it. Neither the other parts of himself nor other people who may find this preference opaque and seek reasoning for it need to be given clarity. Other people do like broccoli, and that’s ok. This opacity is the basis for an ethics of relation.

We can only trust that the complexity of someone’s experience, and what they know about, can be held enough in a conversation for someone else to be able to understand something of it. Can only trust that this inevitable partiality, this edit, this mis/understanding that may occur for the listener is enough. Must trust that what is opaque also constitutes what is transparent or possible to get. This is a call to responsibility.

In Portuguese, the verb “ficar” is used, amongst other things, for “to stay” or “to remain” (I stayed at home) and something like “to become/to get/to end up” (I got wet, I got angry, I got drunk). It can do this because it has multiple forms that work on subjects and objects in different ways. In “to become/to get/to end up,” it is a copulative form, linking things, gathering mass around a subject without the need for an object. Sometimes, I translate this sense into English as “to get.” In English, “to get” is also used as a passive auxiliary for things being done by unclear subjects (the bed got made, I got found out); for straight up mercantile receiving of nouns, property (I got a book at the library, I got dinner); and for understanding: Do you get it? Eu fiquei. Remain. Get different. Hold. In motion.

What I don’t understand is present in what I do. This is a call to responsibility. Experience is made of understanding, misunderstanding, not understanding, and overstanding in its different Black and white etymologies. The moment of vibration. The moment of listening. The different feels of time passing at different scales and simultaneous possibilities.

In the reading group, we read aloud. Music. Reading in unison, we don’t take in much meaning but focus hard on the circle round the table, keep time, hold ourselves back from speeding up too much, still racing. Reading in turn, we go paragraph by paragraph. Some read smoothly, some bumpily, different decisions each time as to footnotes, pronunciation, and volume. Some prefer to listen and not voice. 

A person holding a large parcel stops and looks in the window. They ask about the space, note the website, and leave. They come bundling back and say they will join. An older couple arrive, they read about it on an LGBTQI++ listings page. Someone travels from afar to be seen in the clothes that fit how they feel. A neighbour comes to feel more comfortable than in other places. People are gentle with one another, make tea and conversation, make the space.

The group is developing its own structures. Asking questions. Sharing information about related subjects. Speaking quietly. Bringing different life experiences to the reading, thinking about it in relation to colonialism here. We’re speaking English so we talk about this awkward tool that lets us share here. We talk about the Dutch hospitality of speaking English that carries within and around it quiet hostility or open racism depending on skin colour. 

The group gathers bodies: non-binary, female-identifying, pregnant, chronically ill, neurodiverse, white, mestiza, brown. The early evening timing and small group attracts people who can’t stay up late or socialise in large numbers. Everyone came alone and is here together. 

A reading group is a piece of punctuation where relations can grow; it’s not a set of parentheses but could be if parentheses could contain infinity. Commas can form parentheses around the words or break the words into an infinite parenthesis around the point, a black hole. They accumulate matter. Commas make pauses, connections, gaps, breaks – moments where what can’t be contained in the language meets the words on the page, reminding the reader of what is there in opacity. Commas gently and violently pin transparency to what can’t be known. They collapse and explode simultaneously.

Thank you to S, who was there and is no longer here.

References

Diawara, Manthia. Édourard Glissant: One World in Relation. K’a Yéléma Productions, 2010. Distributed by Third World Newsreel.

Glissant, Édouard. Poetics of Relation. Translated by Betsy Wing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1997.

Stern, Daniel. The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. New York: Norton, 2004

[charllieeldridge]

11 Unique Gifts Every Traveller Will Love (and Use)

Finding travel gifts for your friends and family who like to hit the road can be a daunting task. Not only do you need to find a gift that they’ll like, but something they’ll actually use. What do you give someone who lives out of a backpack? What can you buy your friend who’s hitting the road for a year? Definitely not a piece of furniture or artwork!

As travellers ourselves who have been on the road for 10 years now, we’ve got the inside scoop on useful and fun items for travel that would make great presents. Whether it’s a birthday, Christmas or a going away gift you’re after, you’ll find some ideas in this article.

In this post, I’ll list 11 unique, fun and practical travel gifts for your special someone.

1. Tinggly

What better gift for someone who loves to travel than giving an experience. When it comes to travel gifts, this unique idea from Tinggly is a good bet. Visit their website and choose a category that’s relevant to the recipient of the gift – “Key to Europe”, “Perfect For Him”, “Perfect For Her”, “Merry Christmas”, “Ultimate Collection”, “Bucketlist”, etc.

  In each category are numerous tours and experiences for your travel loving friend to choose from (in some cases, there are over 700 options). Once they’ve chosen the event that interests them, they have 5 years to redeem it. Experiences and tours are available worldwide, so just ensure that the gift you choose is offered in the country the recipient is going to.

When it comes to travel gifts, you really can’t go wrong with a wine tasting in Tuscany, a helicopter flight over Las Vegas, a day at the spa in Bali or volcano exploration in Hawaii! As travellers ourselves, we can say we definitely prefer memorable moments over possessions.

You can opt to send a physical box to the gift recipient, or send a voucher by email. Click here to learn more about this fun gift idea.

2. JBL Portable Speakers

We’ve tried numerous bluetooth portable speakers over the years, and as far as affordable electronic travel gifts go, these speakers are the best. Everyone has a smartphone these days and connecting to these JBL speakers is easy. Plus, it weighs in at just over 1lb, making it practical for travellers.

Many people like to listen to music while they’re at the beach, chilling out by the pool, or having a relaxing night playing cards with new friends. Bluetooth speakers are a must.

We have the JBL Flip 3 and love the crisp sound this compact speaker gives off, and it’s actually quite loud. However, there’s a new model out now – the JBL Flip 4 and it’s waterproof! Click here to read reviews and compare prices on Amazon.

*Update: December, 2019 – we just purchased the latest model, which is the JBL Flip 5. It’s a little bit bigger, but the sound is great and they are waterproof! Great for taking to the beach or pool.

3. Handpresso Portable Espresso

Not only is this travel gift great for those who love to wander, but it’s an excellent idea for coffee addicts.

If you’ve gone on a long-term trip before, or if you travel on a budget, you’ll know that the coffee available at hostels and guest houses is usually sub-par filter coffee. To get that real latte or americano espresso coffee, you would need to purchase one from a cafe – and to a traveller, that’s an addition on the budget each day that not many want to spend.

Luckily, there’s the Handpresso!

This portable espresso machine can be taken on the go. It’s small, compact and all you need is some hot water (which is found in basically every accommodation), and some espresso grounds (which you can pick up at the grocery store).

You simply add the grounds to a little pod, add some hot water, pump up the machine to build up some pressure, press the release button and voila, a shot of espresso appears. You can then add more hot water to your cup to make it less strong, or, add milk like we do to have a latte.

The only thing is that you do need to be fairly strong in order to pump up the machine (men will have no issue, and women with good upper body strength will be fine!)

We’ve used our Handpresso machine in apartments we’ve rented on Airbnb, while camping, and in various hotels around the world. Click here to see reviews and compare prices on Amazon.

4. Lush Body Care

Whether it’s a man or a woman you’re trying to buy a travel gift for, with products for both sexes, and unisex items, Lush has you covered. During our recent trip to Chicago, we discovered this brand and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Lush products are vegetarian, handmade and nothing is tested on animals. Not only that, but the ingredients are practically all natural (with some safe synthetics), and for the responsible traveller in your life, they’ll be happy to know that many of the items don’t have any packaging.

When you’re thinking about travel gifts, consider the shampoo, conditioner and soap (all of which are solids and have zero packaging). Lush has shampoo and conditioner “bars”, which have no wrapping. They come in a reusable tin can (which you purchase separately) and are perfect for travellers for many reasons.

There’s no plastic waste and since it’s not a liquid, it can be easily brought on board a flight – great for those who fly carry-on. Plus, it takes up less space in luggage than a shampoo or conditioner bottle.

Nick and I both use the “Honey I Washed My Hair” Shampoo Bar and the “Big” Conditioner Bar, and I use the Ultrabland Facial Cleanser as well. I love all 3 products. Click here to learn more about Lush and to purchase items online.

5. Travel Hammock

Travel hammocks are great for those are looking to sleep under the stars, or on remote beaches. It’s also great for campers or for those who like to do some multi-day trekking (provided there are trees around to hang the hammock from!).

A travel hammock is also an excellent travel gift for those who just plan to backpack around. Setting up a hammock on the balcony of your beachfront hut, or bringing it to the beach for a day of chilling out between two palm trees is the ultimate in relaxation.

There are numerous travel hammocks to choose from, just make sure you get one that is lightweight and rolls up into a small package. Travellers like small items! The ENO Eagles Nest Outfitters and Arbor Creek hammocks have great reviews on Amazon. But, you can click here to compare prices and reviews on numerous travel hammocks.

6. Bluffworks Clothing for Men

If you’re looking for travel gifts for men, Bluffworks brand of clothing is a good option. Why? Because they are quick dry and don’t wrinkle, which is a huge issue for travellers. For business travellers, or those who jet-set, having a nice set of clothing in your luggage is essential. Even if the guy you’re buying a gift for plans on budget backpacking around the world, it’s always a good idea to have 1 nice dress shirt and 1 nice pair of pants.

You never know what can happen on the road. We’ve been randomly invited to weddings, found ourselves in the area when a new bar was opening up, and were invited to enjoy a 7 course fine dining meal. Shorts and a t-shirt simply wouldn’t meet the dress code.

Nick has owned the “Original” pants in charcoal for about 6 years now, and he wears them whenever there’s a “fancy” event happening – and they never wrinkle. Click here to learn more about Bluffworks clothes.

Bluffworks pants in action at a wedding!

7. Headphones / Earbuds

Having a set of bluetooth speakers is great, but having your own set of headphones is a must when on the road – they’re incredibly useful. Listening to music and podcasts while bumping along on a bus, chatting to a friend on video calling, or for those flight days when you want to watch a movie, headphones are a must-have and make great travel gifts.

Look for earbuds or headphones that offer noise cancellation and a mic, and also make sure that the earbuds you’re purchasing are compatible with your travel friend’s smartphone or tablet. For example, with the iPhone X, the headphones actually connect via a lightning cord, so regular headphones wouldn’t work.

We have Meze earbuds which give off a unique and incredible sound, and actually, they offer different sized silicone buds, which is great for those with small ears (me), or big ears (Nick). There are numerous option available when it comes to earbuds. Click here to check out Meze and click here to compare other brands and prices.

*Update December, 2019: We now both have Bluetooth Apple AirPods and although we can’t use them when connecting to the TV screens on airplanes, we watch our shows on our smartphones or tablet using them. Plus, when walking and working out, it’s nice to not have cords in the way. Click here to compare the different styles of AirPods. 

8. Carry Case for Earbuds and Cords

There’s nothing worse than getting a new pair of earbuds or a new smartphone charge cord and have it start to fall apart. Sadly, this happens quite often to us and it’s most likely because we just toss our cords into our bags, or into a drawer and don’t really take care of them. Regardless of whether or not you’ve purchased earbuds as a travel gift, consider getting a carry case for charging cords.

I’ve just found out about this product called the “Nest” which is a silicone carry case. This practical item is extremely affordable and incredibly useful! Click here to learn more about the Nest. *Update December, 2019: While most people have AirPods these days, this “nest” is still a great idea for lightening cords which always get tangled in purses and backpacks.

9. prAna Clothes

Another clothing company that is an excellent travel gift. This time, however, it’s for both men and women. The travel, adventure and yoga clothes that prAna makes are practical, stylish and ethical. This brand cares about fair trade and sustainability.

I personally wear the Halle pant on about 95% of our flight days and I’ve always worn them when trekking – they’re stretchy and comfy. I also own a sporty tank top, a cotton t-shirt and a hooded sweater, while Nick has a polo shirt, a dress polo and some loose cotton yoga pants. The clothes have lasted us for 6 years so far and are still going strong!

I wholeheartedly recommend this brand as a gift for the traveller in your life. Click here to see prAna products on Amazon. Or, click here to head to their website. *Pro-tip, prices are cheaper on Amazon.

Stopping for a water break while trekking Torres del Paine in Chile – wearing Halle Pant

*Update December, 2019: I fell off my bike and got a hole in my Halle Pants that I’m wearing in the photo above. So, after around 6 years I finally had to purchase a new pair, this time I went with black but in the same style. And, they are still built just as well as when I purchased my first pair 6 years ago. Also, for those women who are tall like I am (5’10”), these pants come in a “tall” length!

10. Water Purification Products

When it comes to travel gifts, this might not sound like the coolest idea out there, but it can be a lifesaver and is something that travellers need to have in their bags.

When travelling to more offbeat destinations where the drinking water is questionable, it’s imperative that water from the tap is purified before being consumed. Similarly, when you’re camping, cycling or trekking in the wilderness and the water source isn’t safe, it’ll need to be purified. We used a SteriPen when trekking in remote locations in Kyrgyzstan and it worked very well.

Not only do products like SteriPen or Lifestraw remove harmful bacteria and microbes from water, but travellers don’t need to purchase bottled water, which helps to save cash and the environment. There are a few brands out there, but SteriPen and Lifestraw are at the top.

Camping and trekking in remote destinations? Water purification is a must

With SteriPen, you simply fill a (reusable) bottle with 1 liter of water and “stir” the pen around for 89 seconds. As you stir, it gives off UV rays that kill harmful bacteria. Once you see a smiley face on the device, the water is safe to drink. There are different models of SteriPen, some charge via USB, others with batteries.

The Lifestraw is only good for one person as it is a personal straw, which has a filter inside of it. It’s small and lightweight and is a good option for drinking straight from streams or puddles in emergency backcountry situations – it also filters out debris. I think of it as more of a survival tool, which could be a cool travel gift if someone is going on an expedition. Click here to learn more about the SteriPens available and click here to learn more about Lifestraw.

11. Games (fun travel gifts!)

If you’re looking for fun travel gifts, then obviously purchasing a game (or 2) is a good idea! If the person is travelling solo, then games for 1 or more are preferable but consider games that can be played with a group over a few beers.

We always have games in our backpacks and play when we’re waiting for flights, for our meals to show up, or when we’re in our accommodation. Keep in mind that travel games need to be somewhat small and lightweight.

For us, our go-to travel games are Cribbage, a simple deck of cards (to play shit head, rummy, bullshit, twos…and numerous drinking games!), pass the pigs, dice for playing Yahtzee.

Our latest purchase is Bananagrams which is kind of like Scrabble but without the board, and it’s more fun. Other hilarious adult games include Cards Against Humanity (a great way to get to know people – and their sick humour), and The Game Of Nasty Things (travellers would just bring the cards and not the actual box, obviously). We recently purchased Skip Bo and played it a lot together during our trip to Ecuador and Peru.

Bonus #12: Mini Projector Screen

We recently picked up a cool Aaxa mini-projector and we’ve been using it a lot. At 400 lumens, it’s bright enough to display with a little bit of ambient light and with a resolution of 720p it’s surprisingly crisp, even when displayed at 75″ on a wall.

The best part? It literally fits in the palm of your hand! This little thing would be an ideal holiday gift for that person who travels on a budget and loves watching Netflix. It’s affordable, sleek, useful and very portable.

Happy Gift Giving!

There you have it, 12 fun, unique and (more importantly) practical travel gifts. In reality, no matter what you give your travelling friend, I’m sure they will love it. But hopefully this article gave you some good ideas for products that can actually be taken on the road. Every time your friend uses your gift while they’re away, they’ll think of you. Happy gift giving!

Are there some cool travel gifts that I missed? Leave a comment below!

*Note: this post contains some affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase a product using our link, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

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[learnwhatshotmail-blog]

Proper Preparation Is Essential For An Effective Book Launch

Numerous brand-new authors, delighted and passionate about promoting their book, will often approach everyone in the media. This is the wrong way to set about book promo. Bear in mind that individuals in them media receive many calls and media releases every day, and your book is not as important to them as it is to you.

Make certain that you have your site and download hosted on a devoted (NOT shared) server. This makes certain you do not distress your hosting company by utilizing a lot of resources and get your site closed down. Constantly, always, always over price quote how much you will require and get more than you believe you will require. This guarantees you will be able to fulfill demand and keep your site up.

Therefore, it is tempting for a brand-new author to work with a service to examine his or her book. When you Google "book reviews" you will find this sources easily. These services promise they will write a favorable evaluation of your book for a modest cost, varying from $15 to $50. Some sites likewise promise to release the evaluations on an article marketing website.

2) Start to follow the kinds of occasions they do at the store. Get an events calendar or get on their email list. You'll begin to see trends emerge. For instance they might have an independent author night you might take part in. Also be cautious for big releases like the recent Stephanie Meyer occasions lots of stores had prepared. When they're in the middle of a significant book launch you're likely to get disregarded, if you are attempting to catch the attention of a store.

Little business a virtual book tour is a "tour" of numerous book-related blogs. Where an author "appears" in a various place every day for a period of one week to a month and even longer. For many book blogs are popular among general readers. The authors have actually found that composing guest posts on other blogs helps raise awareness of its name and the book. Small company there are numerous business to promote. Organize and arrange the blog site tours for authors. Blog trips books supplies a budget-friendly and fun method to book promotion. One such advantage is starting a program that you are likewise a couple of events in your look for. When blog writers release their posts stay live on these blog sites forever, little organisation.

However, there are a couple of little publishers (like Cold Tree Press or Arbor Books) who have excellent book marketing plans, varying from numerous hundred to a number of thousand dollars (you get what you pay for!).

Fact is, many such marketeers have actually succeeded extremely in producing profane internet earnings using precisely such approaches. And here then is my movement. I recommend that while discussion and product packaging is necessary and will definitely "clinch" the sale, Item is still KING. Permit me to validate my case.

You become aware of a good seminar however you really don't require it. For example, You become aware of an actually stellar seminar on marketing, and how to get more customers. You might currently have heaps of clients coming your way so you don't require these tools, even if they are incredible.

ebook launch pr

[flowermandalas]

Guest Post: “Waiting to Die”

NOTE: This is a guest post by Kenneth Ring, PhD. Dr. Ring is an internationally recognized authority on near-death experiences. His writings on this phenomenon include five books and nearly 100 articles about near-death experiences. He is the co-founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and is the founding editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. Dr. Ring’s book Heading Toward Omega, the Journal of Near-Death Studies, and IANDS were all very important to me following my own NDE in 1993, and I’m honored to have him as a guest.

Waiting to Die © 2017, Kenneth Ring

The bright realization that must come before death will be worth all the boredom of living. – Ned Rorem

What’s it like, waiting to die? Of course, it’s different for everyone. I can only say what it’s like for me. On the whole, it’s rather boring.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have many pleasures in life and – knock on silicon – I’m lucky not to be suffering from any fatal illness, though if I were, that would certainly add some drama in my life. I could then follow the example of the poet Ted Rosenthal, who after contracting leukemia, joyfully called his friends and said, “Guess what’s happened to me!” Well, no thanks. I’ll take my boring life any day and intone a hymn of gratitude every morning I wake up with only the ordinary indignities of an old man – coughing, wheezing and sneezing, and, oh, my aching back!

But still….I’m used to having productive work — writing books, helping other authors with their books, being involved in various professional pursuits, and so forth. But recently I published my last book, which I puckishly entitled, Pieces of My Mind Before I Fall to Pieces, which was a kind of potpourri of stories and interests from my later years, and just after that I wrote what I expect to be my last professional article, the foreword to a colleague’s memoir. Now what? More precisely, what do I do with my time now that I have clearly entered the epilogue to my life? Honestly, I feel as if I have stepped over the threshold into my afterlife before dying.

Of course, I can watch films – I’ve become quite a “film buff” in my later years; I still have interesting books to read. I am blessed with a wonderful girlfriend. Still, since life has become a spectator sport for me, and I can no longer travel, except locally, I find that I am spending more time on my sofa, honing my couch potato skills, watching sports. Yet I must confess that even they have lost a good deal of their zest for me. My home town baseball team, The San Francisco Giants, finished in the cellar last year; in golf, Tiger has gone away; in basketball, Michael Jordan is long gone; and in tennis, which is now the only sport I follow with some avidity, it is chiefly because of the great Roger Federer. Nevertheless, I can only wonder how long he can at 36 continue to produce one miracle after another? Surely, he, too, will begin his inevitable decline soon, and with his descent from the heights of glory, my interest in tennis will also flag. So what will be left then? I will tell you.

The body. Mine. It has already become my principal preoccupation and bête-noire. These days, I can’t help recalling that St. Francis referred to the body as “brother ass.” It seems I now spend most of my time in doctors’, chiropractors’ or dentists’ clinics, as they strive to preserve my decaying body parts by inflicting various forms of torture on me that would even impress Torquemada, or doing physical therapy in what is most likely a vain attempt to delay the encroaching onset of wholesale physical deterioration. Really, is this any way to run a navy? There are many days when I think the only surgery that will preserve me would be a complete bodyectomy.

Well, okay, I realize this is only par for the course of the everyday life of an octogenarian. Wasn’t it Bette Davis who famously said “old age is no place for sissies?” It isn’t for wimps like me either, it seems. (I can often be heard crooning, “turn back the hands of time….”) Still, I wouldn’t go so far as the saturnine Philip Roth who said that old age is “a massacre.” I guess at his point I find myself somewhere between Davis and Roth, but the waiting game still seems to be a losing proposition and I might very well come to think of my current boredom as the halcyon days of my decline.

Nevertheless, consider a typical day in the life of this old wheezing geezer.

It begins with the back. Every day does. In the morning, you get up, but your back doesn’t. It hurts. Even though you take a hot shower before bed, by the time you wake up your back has decided to take the day off. When you try to use it, as for example, when you bend over to pick up the comb you’ve dropped into the toilet, it begins to complain.

And finally, it gets so bad, you have to lie down on your once neatly made bed, remove half your clothing, and apply some ice to it while listening to mindless music and cursing the day when some enterprising hominid decided it would be a good idea to change from the arboreal life to a bipedal one. Big mistake. The next one was the invention of agriculture, but never mind. We were talking about the back and its vicissitudes.

Nevertheless, a little later, you decide to take your body out of a spin. “Don’t look back,” the great Satchel Paige advised, “something might be gaining on you.” In my case, it’s the man with the scythe whom I hope to outstrip for a few more years.

Of course, the back, which had only been moaning quietly before now begins to object vociferously, asking sourly, “what the hell are you thinking?” Nevertheless, you press on, thinking your will will prevail, and your back can go to hell.

But the next dispiriting thing you notice are all these chubby old ladies whizzing by you as if they are already late for their hair appointments. How humiliating – to be passed by these old biddies! You think about the days in junior high when you were a track star, setting school records in the dashes and anchoring the relay races, which you used to run in your bare feet. Then you ran like the wind. These days, you are merely winded after trudging a hundred yards.

When you can go no further, you turn around only to become aware of still another distressing sight. Actually, it is your sight – or lack of it. It ain’t working. You could see pretty well after your corneal surgery last year, but now you can’t see worth shit. What is that ahead of you? Is it a woolly mammoth, a Saint Bernard or merely a burly ex-football player? Where are the eyes of yesteryear? Gone missing. Well, they didn’t give me any guarantees as to how long my vision would last before it decided, like my back, to begin to object to its continued use outdoors. The way of all flesh doesn’t stop with the flesh; it continues with the cornea, so now I am cursing the darkness in the middle of a miasmal morning.

I finally arrive home in a disconsolate mood, but now it is time to hop onto my stationary bike, which is the only kind I have ever been able to ride since my balance is worse than that of an elderly inebriate on New Year’s Eve. I used to be able to pedal reasonably fast and for a long time. But lately someone must have snuck in to affix some kind of a brake to the bike since suddenly it seems that I am pumping uphill at an acute angle. Heart rate is up, speed is down, my old distance marks are a treasured memory, which I can only mourn. All I am aware of now is the sound of someone huffing and puffing.

At last the torture is over, but now I really have to piss. That damn enlarged prostate of mine has no patience – it must be satisfied now! I race into the bathroom, unzip my fly before it is too late, and make sure, because I have my girlfriend’s admonitions in my ears as I piss that she will behead me if I continue to treat the floor as an auxiliary pissoir, I am pissing very carefully into the toilet bowl. Of course, these days, my urinary stream is a sometimes thing. It starts, it stops, it pauses to refresh itself, it pulses, stops, dribbles, starts up again with what seems to be its last mighty effort to produce something worthwhile and finally drips itself into extinction.

I’m relieved, however, because at least I haven’t soiled my pants this time. But wait. What is that? Pulling up my pants, I can feel some urine on my left thigh. How the hell did it get in there? Is there some kind of silent secondary stream that runs down the side of my leg when I am otherwise preoccupied with trying to keep my penile aim from going astray?

Now I have to find a towel to wipe off the offending liquid and just hope my girlfriend won’t say, when I return to the kitchen, “what is that funny smell, darling?”

Well, you get the idea. Life is no longer a bowl of cherries, or if it is, some of them are turning rotten. And naturally I can’t help wondering how long I have to go before I really cross that final threshold over the unknown. For years, I’ve joked that I’ve wanted to live to be 1000 – months – old. Now I’m at 984 and counting. I’m getting close, and it’s no longer just a joke.

And of course I now also have to wonder what will be next? I mean, after I die, assuming I will ever get around to it.

Well, in my case, I have some inklings because I’ve spent half my life researching and writing about near-death experiences and in the course of my work I’ve interviewed hundreds of people who have told me what it was like for them to die – at least for a few moments – before returning to life. And what they have told me has been, I am frank to admit, profoundly reassuring.

I remember one woman who said that in order to grasp the feeling of peace that comes with death you would have to take the thousand best things that ever happened to you, multiply them by a million and maybe, she said (I remember her emphasis on the word, “maybe”), you could come close to that feeling. Another man said that if you were to describe the feelings of peace that accompanied death, you would have to write it in a letters a mile high. All this might sound hyperbolic, but I have heard such sentiments from many near-death experiencers. Here’s just one more specific quote from a man I knew very well for many years, telling me what it was like for him to die:

It was a total immersion in light, brightness, warmth, peace, security….I just immediately went into this beautiful bright light. It’s difficult to describe….Verbally, it cannot be expressed. It’s something which becomes you and you become it. I could say “I was peace, I was love.” I was the brightness. It was part of me….You just know. You’re all-knowing – and everything is a part of you. It’s just so beautiful. It was eternity. It’s like I was always there and I will always be there, and my existence on earth was just a brief instant.

After listening to so many people describe what it was like for them to die, it is easy for me to imagine what it might be like for me – for anyone – to take that final journey. And many great writers have said much the same thing as those I have interviewed have told me about what is in store when we die. Walt Whitman, for example, who wrote “And I will show that nothing can happen more beautiful than death.” And Herman Melville, with even more eloquence, said, “And death, which alike levels all, alike impresses all with a last revelation, which only an author from the death could adequately tell.” It seems that in our own time, these authors from the death are today’s near-death experiencers, and the revelations they have shared with us appear fully to support the claims of these famous 19th century American authors.

So having immersed myself in the study of near-death experiences for so many years, I’m actually looking forward to my passage when my time comes. Still, I’m not looking forward to the dying part. In that regard, I’m with Woody Allen who quipped, “I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” I just hope that all those stories I’ve heard about how wonderful death itself is aren’t some kind of a spiritual trompe l’oeil, a cosmic joke played by a malevolent god. Or as that marvelously antic diarist and composer, Ned Rorem, whimsically jested, “If, after dying, I discover there is no Life After Death, will I be furious?”

Of course, when I am faced with the imminence of death, I hope I’ll be able to comport myself with some equanimity, but who knows? Think of Seneca who wrote so eloquently about suicide, and then horribly botched his own. Well, naturally, I’m not planning to hasten my death by such extravagant means, though I wouldn’t refuse a kind offer of a little help from my doctor friends to ease me on my way if I’m having trouble giving birth to my death. It can, after all, be a labor-intensive enterprise. I just hope I can find myself on that stairway to heaven I’ve heard so much about and can manage to avoid a trip in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, when did you say Federer will be playing his next match?

Books by David J. Bookbinder Paths to Wholeness: Fifty-Two Flower Mandalas 52 (more) Flower Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book for Inspiration and Stress Relief 52 Flower Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book for Inspiration and Stress Relief Paths to Wholeness: Selections (free eBook) … and coming soon, The Art of Balance: Staying Sane in an Insane World

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from Guest Post: “Waiting to Die”