Tag: Amazon

AmazonBasics Laminator

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

Amazon Basics Laminator

Last week my partner mentioned to me on our way to Los Angeles that he would like to have a laminator so he could laminate some insurance cards to prevent them from tearing or wearing out in his wallet. I had to laminate my insurance card many years ago, but I didn’t have a laminator, so I simply covered it on both sides with clear contact paper. It did the job, but it doesn’t look as good as it would if it were laminated.

It got me thinking that I could use a laminator for my Etsy shop, so I bought one on Amazon. It’s the AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator and I bought a box of 100 AmazonBasics Thermal Laminating Pouches, 3 Mil Letter Size for laminating full size sheets. I also bought the Universal Laminating Pouches, 5 Mil Business Card for my earring cards and my partners insurance cards.

Laminated earring card

I did an experiment with 1 of the new business card pouches to see if it would work. I have perhaps 40 business cards that I use for earring cards. I have the earring display card punch, and I have already punched all the cards. They’re just sitting in a business card holder waiting to be used. I laminated 1 of them and cut it around the edges of the card, then I used the earring display card punch to punch through the existing um… punch? Holes? It didn’t work, as you can see. I tried it on both of them, and you can see in the above image that it just shreds the plastic. But then I punched it on the left side of the card and it worked just fine. You can also see the plastic on the edge of the card.

So here is what I will have to do for future earring cards. I will have to print out the business card sheet and laminate it with a full size laminating pouch, then cut the cards out and then use the earring display card punch. That will be the only way I can do it that will make it look normal.

The reason I want to do this with my earring cards is because the cardboard is flimsy by itself. I’m sure when a customer receives their earrings, they will most likely toss the card in the trash, but it’s all about presentation and quality of the brand.

My partner didn’t want any of this, he just wanted to laminate 2 cards, that’s it. He told me to put it in my room because I can get more use out of it for my Etsy shop. If he wants something laminated in the future, well he can either ask or tell me to do it for him, or he can do it himself. It’s not his or mine, it’s ours.

I was thinking we could both use it to laminate our school papers from when we were children, but he told me that would ruin the charm of the paper. I still think it’s a good idea, but at the same time, all my school papers will be just fine in the plastic storage container in my closet. No one has ever asked to look at them, so it doesn’t do me any good to take them out of the box to laminate them. I do plan on printing some cool patterns to laminate to use as a placemat for our dogs food since she gets food all over the floor. I can also make placemats for the dining room table, not that we ever eat there, it would just like nice to me.

Update: Ok so I was wrong about being able to print a full sheet, cut the cards out and then stamp it with the earring display card punch. I cut a couple of cards out with scissors, and it looked like a 4 year old cut them out. I’m sure a 4 year old would’ve done a better job. Then I used the punch and it was horrible. I tried again with another card and the punch jammed, so that’s not going to work for me. I’m just going to have to deal with laminating the cards I already have printed out and used the earring display card punch, and just poke holes for the earrings. It’s not going to look professional, but at least the cards will be stiff. It’s really the best I can do since I don’t have any other option.

PSP Back In Action

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, PSPLeave a comment

psp-star-wars-battlefront.jpg.jpeg

Being disabled and not being able to work has it’s disadvantages, and it’s boring, so when you are bored, you watch TV, read a book and/or play video games.

I bought my PSP back in 2007 and had such a fun time. I compared it to my Nintendo Game Boy and I always wonder how I was ever able to see the Game Boy screen since the PSP screen was so huge.

Why did I ever stop playing my PSP when I have not finished playing 99% of my games? They were either too difficult, or I got bored and moved on to another game. I do believe I managed to complete one game all the way to the end credits. The Lego games were so fun and some were easier than others, yet I still have not finished them all. Some of them are just about finished, but I never finished them 100%.

I wanted to get a PS Vita because that talks with my PS4 and I already have PS Vita games in my library from games that I got for free with my PlayStation Plus membership. But the problem with me buying a new PS Vita is that I haven’t earned it and I still have a perfectly good PSP that I stopped playing, and I have loads of games I never finished.

Yesterday I brought my PSP to the gym with me so I could see if there were any system updates, and there were. I had to bring it with me to the gym because I haven’t been able to get online with it ever since we got our Bright House Wi-Fi box. The security is not compatible with my PSP, so I guess I figured it was too out of date for my Wi-Fi. Last night I Tweeted Bright House and they actually fixed it, so now I can get in the PlayStation store again and do updates and even use Skype, not that I ever would since it’s audio only.

I have 2 Star Wars Battlefront games for my PSP, and I’m anticipating the new Star Wars Battlefront game for my PS4, so I figured I would play the PSP version while I wait. Yeah, I remember why I stopped playing now. The little analog stick on the PSP is so difficult to play games with because it sticks. You will be trying to run to the right, and you end up running to the left. Or you won’t even be touching the analog stick, and your character is running in all directions, and you can’t do anything about it. I also have a bad habit of pressing the power button while I’m playing and it shuts the PSP off. Also, the battery doesn’t keep its charge. It says it’s a 5 1/2 hour battery, but I might get 2 hours, if that. I could buy a battery on Amazon that doubles the power.

So, yeah, I will be playing with my PSP here and there now that I can connect to the Wi-Fi again, but I still would like to buy a PS Vita to be able to play all those free games I’ve gotten this year with my PS+ membership. Also, the Vita has the 2 analog sticks like the PS4 game controller that I am now used to playing with. I don’t want to buy a used one because I’ve had bad luck with used electronics, but I will have to wait until I’ve saved some money in my Amazon account. Until then… I want to try to finish all of my PSP games.

Laminator

On By Michel McDonaldIn Etsy, Products I LikeLeave a comment

laminator

I have a funny story. My partner told me a few days ago out of the blue that he wanted a laminator to laminate his new insurance card that he recently got in the mail. I don’t know what happened to his last one that made him decide he wanted to laminate it, but I started thinking that this might be something both of us could find useful.

When I was in my early 20’s, I worked in a bath house. I was the guy in the office when you first checked in who took the money and gave you a key for a room or locker and handed you the towel. When a new customer would come in for a new membership, or when someone was renewing their membership, I would laminate the card for them. It wasn’t a huge laminator, it only laminated business card sized sheets.

When I was searching on Amazon for a laminator, I was under the assumption I could buy a small one specifically for business cards like the one I had at the bath house. I also naturally assumed they were expensive, like hundreds of dollars expensive. I was actually surprised to see how cheap they are. Well, the AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator is inexpensive. I did a little more research and found some at Office Depot/Office Max that are $100 and up. $21.65 is more in my price range lol. The sheets are less expensive than I thought. I figured while I’m getting a full sheet size laminator and the business card laminating sheets, I might as well also buy AmazonBasics full size Laminating Pouches. I mean, I’ve never needed them, but it could happen.

One thing I know I could use the business card sheets for is my Etsy shop earring cards. I have a earring display card punch and I print the design on a sheet of business cards. The earring cards are nice, but they are very flimsy because the card stock isn’t that thick. I figured that perhaps laminating them would make them stiff enough that they would work better for earrings. I don’t know if I can cut them on the edge of the cards, but I’ll experiment when I get them and find out.

I can also use these to laminate regular business cards to place in the padded envelope with every order. There are many possibilities for laminating things, and I’m sure I’ll think of something later down the road, like post cards and bookmarks. Maybe place mats at the dinner table or for the dog bowls. Who knows? I’m sure I’ll come up with some new things as time goes by.

One thing I noticed was that these laminating sheets don’t come with a foil pouch. The laminator at my last job required using a foil pouch. You put the card in the laminating pouch, then place that in a foil pouch that is paper on the outside, and foil on the inside, then you run it through the laminator. This one doesn’t do that, and I know this because I watched a video and the guy who made the video ran a full size sheet of paper in a full size laminating sheet straight through without a buffer. I know technology has come a long way since 1992/94, but still. I would just naturally assume if I ran plastic through a machine that has to melt the plastic to create a seal, that if not protected inside a card stock sheet with foil inside, it might perhaps melt all over the machine. But from what I saw in the video, the guy ran the full sheet in full sheet pouch without any buffer and it didn’t melt. It makes me nervous lol. I’ll try it and see how it goes when it arrives.

PlayStation Vita

On By Michel McDonaldIn GamesLeave a comment


I have a Nintendo Game Boy that my partner bought for me in 1994 or 1995, I honestly can’t recall when. I was so bored because we didn’t have much in the way of entertainment, other than the TV with 7 channels of course. He used a Sears credit card to buy the Game Boy and he would buy me games every now and then. It took me months to play one game, and if I knew we couldn’t afford a new game, I would just play the game multiple times. Occasionally we needed the money for food, so we had to sell the games to game stores. We only got a fraction of what the games were worth, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s sad too because I still have my Game Boy, but I only have 1 game; Tetris.

In 2007 I bought myself a PlayStation Portable Slim aka PSP -2000. I bought many games, and didn’t have to sell any for the money. I played the heck out of that game system, and now it’s tricky just to turn it on. The power button is glitchy, so it’s difficult to turn it on or off. It still works, but it doesn’t connect to our WiFi because the security is different from when I first bought it, so I can’t buy and download games. If I want to buy a new game, it has to be on the UMD format which I can only buy on Amazon and eBay.

Last Christmas my partner bought me a PlayStation 4. My PSP-2000 talks with a PS3, but not a PS4. If I want to play my PS4 games in the living room, I need a PlayStation Vita. I can also download tons of PS Vita games that I have gotten for free over the last year with my PlayStation Plus account.

I know that I don’t deserve to buy a PlayStation Vita because I haven’t worked for it. I know that I would prefer to play the games I own on my HDTV instead of a smaller screen in my hands, but I feel like there are times when I can’t play games on my PS4 because I’m watching tv in the living room with my partner. He stares at his iPad the entire time, that is if he’s awake, and I sit and stare at either my Nook HD+ or my phone. Sometimes I’d prefer playing Minecraft or whatever game I have instead of staring at Facebook. I have Minecraft PE on my phone, but it’s harder to play on a touchscreen because the screen gets too hot, that’s why I prefer to just stare at Facebook on my phone.

I know I’m coming off as the most spoiled brat in the world, and it’s true, I am. That’s why I haven’t bought the PlayStation Vitayet, because I know I don’t need, nor deserve it. I just want it, and that’s not a reason to spend the money I don’t have to buy it. I could put it on a credit card and pay it off over time, but it’s just not right for me to do that. I have this stupid need before greed thing, and I honestly don’t need it, but I would really love to have it lol.

When my hands heal from the recent order of 200 mini DNA keychains that I recently finished, I will start making different kinds of earrings and keychains to put on Amazon Handmade, that is if they approve me. I recently applied, and they don’t have a category for “Accessories” which is what I classified my craft as. I can’t really call keychains jewelry. My earrings and chokers are considered jewelry, but since they don’t actually have jewels in them, are they really jewelry? The earrings are plastic stems with plastic lanyard. The chokers are hemp with wood beads. Not exactly jewelry. I also make the friendship bracelets, which I really need to make more of. They sent me an email telling me I can change my category to jewelry, so I did. I can’t sell keychains as jewelry, but I can sell earrings, chokers and bracelets.

I’m sure I will need a huge inventory for Amazon Homemade, so when I can start working again, I will make a bunch of things and put them in a drawer to have them ready to ship if anyone orders them. If I make any money, I will keep the money in Amazon so I can buy a PS Vita. I could also start buying Amazon gift cards every month and put them in my account. I’m also playing around with Swag Bucks, so I’ll do surveys and watch videos and install useless apps for SB’s so I can get a Amazon gift card. If I do all those things, then I can say I deserve a PlayStation Vita.

By the way, all these links for PlayStation Vita will earn me money if YOU, the reader click them and buy one for yourself.

Baleaf Men’s Thermal Cycling Tights

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

Winter is coming, and it’s going to be brutal in Bakersfield. People in the mid-west don’t believe that California is capable of getting cold, but trust me, it can get pretty chilly in Bakersfield. That’s the main reason I stop riding my bicycle for exercise when it starts to get cold in October.

I can handle a little bit of cold weather, but not on my bare skin. When I ride the bike, I try to wear tight fitting clothes. The only bicycle clothes I have are bicycle bib shorts, I never bought the pants because I could never afford them. I prefer to buy my bike clothes online because they are much cheaper than at the bike store. You can shop at the bike store, but they are going to jack up the prices and you won’t be able to try them on. Bike Nashbar is usually reasonable, but their prices are still a bit out of my price range right now. I bought my bib shorts from them only because they were on sale. I went back to their website for the bib pants, or even just a regular pair of bicycle pants, but they were too expensive for me right now.

My next option was Amazon. I searched for bicycle pants and found Baleaf Men’s Thermal Cycling Tights Size XL for only $20. The shipping was free if I bought $35 worth of stuff, but I didn’t have that much to spend, so I paid the $5 shipping.

These pants have a few features that I was hoping for. They are tight enough for the bicycle and they have fleece inside to keep my legs warm while I’m on the bicycle. They also have a drawstring which will come in handy when I start to lose some weight from going to the gym 4 days a week. They also have pockets, not that I really need them since I keep everything in my gym bag. I don’t like to keep things in my pockets on the bike because I’m afraid they will fall out. These pockets have zippers so there’s no chance of anything falling out. The pockets are good for those times I’m just riding the bike to the mall or to Michael’s because I will have a place for my wallet, phone and keys.

This makes me so happy because I really like exercising, but I hate that I can’t exercise when it’s too cold outside. Now I have a reason to keep going to the gym this and every winter.

Update: Well, so much for this idea. Unfortunately, my calves and thighs are way too big. These pants were so tight that there was no possible way I could put them on without the seams bursting lol. It would be a shame to waste $25 on a pair of pants I would probably end up having to throw away because the seams kept coming apart. So I sent them back. I have awhile before it starts getting too cold, and I have a pair of sweats that I can just wear to the gym for now.

Pathfinder Game Arrives

On By Michel McDonaldIn GamesLeave a comment

pathfinder box.jpgCall me a happy nerd, because my Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Boxcame in the mail today.

pathfinder soloI’m really excited to learn this game, but what makes me really happy is this. It says:

“If you are on your own, but still want to experience an adventure before reading the rules of the game, grab the Hero’s Handbook and turn to page 2. Inside, you will find an adventure you can play by yourself that teaches you the basics of the game.”

YES! That’s what I wanted with the D&D Starter Set. I want to be able to learn on my own without having to ask strangers to teach me. I’m not exactly outgoing, I’m the kind of person who likes to do things alone, you know, soloing. When I play video games, I play by myself. I’m not anti-social, I’m just an introvert.

What I want to do is learn the basics of the game so that if and when the day ever comes when I can start a group at the Bakersfield Gay & Lesbian Center, I’ll know exactly what to do. They don’t have a D&D or Pathfinder group that meets there, they told me that if I wanted to start a group, I could, but I’d have to find some people who also want to play the game, otherwise, I’d be there by myself once a week lol. But I figured if I am going to start a group, I should at least know how to play the game. I can’t expect a bunch of people to show up and not one of us has ever played D&D or Pathfinder. If I can’t find anyone who has played, then it is up to me to be the Dungeon Master, so I will not only have to learn the game as a Hero, but I also have to learn to be a Dungeon Master as well.

The instructions in the Hero’s Handbook are easy to understand. It’s like they wrote this book specifically for me to understand. Then again I haven’t really read the entire book yet, so I’ll save my judgement or review for later when I’ve actually read the entire book(s) and have played the Solo Adventure. But from what I’ve read so far, it is like they knew that D&D was hard, so they made it easier for people with a learning disability to understand and remember. At least I hope so.

So let me read and play the solo adventure and I will get back to you. Otherwise, if you want to learn Pathfinder, this is a great place to start. Click the image or the link above and it will take you right to Amazon.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, GayLeave a comment

I am very excited because I finally bought the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box. I bought the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set (D&D Boxed Game)in July, but it didn’t have everything that the Pathfinder beginner box has, which is probably why the Pathfinder beginner box was more expensive.

The D&D starter set came with 2 books, 1 book was the player handbook and a quest book that teaches you how to play the game up to level 5. The Pathfinder beginner box comes with a Hero’s Handbook, Game Masters Guide and a transition guide to bring your characters into the Pathfinder world. I assume that means to bring your D&D characters into the Pathfinder world. Both come with dice, D&D has 6, Pathfinder has 7. What sets the Pathfinder Beginner Box apart is the 80 full color pawns of heroes and monsters including a dragon. Pathfinder also includes a huge map to play on that you can also write on with dry erase markers and a blank map on the reverse side to create your own map.

The problem that I had with D&D is that I couldn’t understand what I was supposed to do. I asked for help and people answered my questions, but I do better when I’m in a room with people who are teaching me face to face rather than reading in a book or reading someone’s text. I learn by doing.

I know of a store in Bakersfield called “Otto’s Video Games and More” who have game nights, but I would feel more comfortable with people I can be myself around. You know what I mean? I am sure the random people who go to a video game store are good people and you have to get to know people before you judge them, but I don’t know that they or one or two aren’t homophobic. I’ve had many experiences in my life where I have tried to do things with people who turned on me when they found out I was gay, so I would much rather find a group of people who are gay and gay friendly and join or start a D&D/Pathfinder group at the Gay and Lesbian Center here in Bakersfield. It’s just easier to go where you know 100% that you are accepted and you aren’t judged, well, unless you wear the wrong belt with the wrong shoes of course. Just kidding.

I have already asked someone at the Gay and Lesbian Center and they said that there is not a group like that, so I would have to start one. I think it would be a great way to get people who have the same interests together to play a game for a couple of hours every week. I think it would be fun. Even if people aren’t interested in that kind of game, they could try it and see if they like it. And no one has to bring anything because I have spent a few bucks here and there on D&D and Pathfinder stuff and I can even bring all the character sheets and blank note cards and I already have 2 sets of dice and the Pathfinder Beginner Box will have a 3rd set. I also have a bag full of fake gold and silver coins, and a box of pencils and a bunch of erasers. I’m all set lol.

Now it’s just a waiting game and I hope to find people who are interested in starting a D&D/Pathfinder game night. I think it will be fun.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

On By Michel McDonaldIn GamesLeave a comment

pathfinder beginner boxI was so excited about playing Dungeons & Dragons, but I have a hard time comprehending everything I’ve read in the player’s handbook and dungeon master’s guide. They just aren’t explaining things in the way that I can understand. I have a learning disability, so I need things to be broken down for me to make it easier to learn.

Amazon has the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Boxfor only $25. I’ve read a few reviews saying this is much easier to learn than D&D, and that’s enough to convince me.

I was looking at the description and this is what is in the box.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Beginner Box includes: a 64-page Hero’s Handbook, a 96-page Game Master’s Guide, a 16-page Transition Guide to bring your hero to the full Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, a complete set of seven high-impact polyhedral dice, more than 80 full-color pawns depicting tons of heroes, monsters, and even a fearsome black dragon, four pregenerated character sheets to throw you right into the action.

Pathfinder also has a huge map that is basically a dry erase board with a dungeon on one side, and blank on the other side so you can draw your own dungeon. You can erase it and draw another one, and so on.

pathfinder beginner box minisWhat I love the most about the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box is that it comes with 80 full-color pawns depicting tons of heroes, monsters, and even a fearsome black dragon. I was disappointed with the D&D starter set because it didn’t come with these. These are what make the game playable in my opinion. I mean, I have the D&D Wilderness Tiles and I was forced to buy all these plastic toys like skeletons and what have you. I’m sure those will still come in handy, but these are what I actually wanted because they fit in the little squares. The skeletons I bought are too big and take up 4 squares.

This video is from the publisher. He shows you exactly what you get in the box so you can see for yourself. I personally think that this is going to help me learn to play better than D&D’s starter set did. Enjoy and thanks for reading.

UNIFUN® 10400mAh USB External Travel Battery

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

20150811_100328The last couple of months have been very difficult. I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals with a dead phone. My phone keeps a charge for several hours when I’m at home on the Wi-Fi, but as soon as it switches over to 3G/4G, the battery drains fast. I bring my charger with me, but I may not be lucky enough to get a seat next to a outlet to plug it in, so I have to just deal with my phone dying.

I saw a battery at a store 6 months or so ago, but it was too expensive and I didn’t really need it then. I started to regret not buying it when I actually needed it. I recently went on Amazon to look for a battery and discovered there are many different kinds. I’m actually glad I didn’t buy that one all those months ago, because it may not have been as awesome as the one I found.

I discovered there are many batteries with different capacities. There are 3200mAh up to 20000mAh and I’m sure higher. I chose the UNIFUN® 10400mAh USB External Travel Battery based on the price, the fact that it has a light and that it’s waterproof. I’m really clumsy. I also chose it based on some of the reviews. One reviewer said they were able to charge their phone 3 times with this battery. I too have charged my phone 3 times on 1 single charge, and there was still some power left in the travel battery charger. Our power went out and I had to grab this battery for its light, and boy did it perform better than I expected it to, and it charged my phone while I was using the flashlight.

There are many purchases that I have regretted because I didn’t do research and/or didn’t read the reviews, and I do not regret this purchase at all. It was only $20 with free shipping since my cart was over $35. I think if you need something like this to charge not just one, but 2 devices, and have a light and have it be waterproof, well, this is the portable battery for you.

King’s Quest for PS4

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, PS4Leave a comment

King's Quest

I am SOOOOO excited right now. I saw a post on Facebook earlier this year that King’s Quest is coming back to life. The person who posted it was one of the people who was working on the game who works for The Odd Gentlemen. They said it would be out later this year, but couldn’t give me a date. I was under the assumption it would be late in the year, like around Christmas time, but I’m excited that it’s going to be THIS MONTH in July instead.

For those who have no clue what King’s Quest is, I urge you to buy the original PC collection which can be found on Amazon. The original PC collection works with XP, but I’m sure it will work in Windows 8, but I don’t know that for a fact. I have the earlier version that only worked on Windows 95/98 and wouldn’t work on XP at all. I had to find a program which I blogged about that has Sierra installers to allow the games to install and run. So if you have trouble installing the XP version, try the installers. If not then awesome, but you should really play the old versions. My first King’s Quest game was King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella.

Anyway, the game is going to be out in 26 days and I will count the days like it’s my birthday lol.