Tag: ebay

I Bought a Bread Slicer

On By Michel McDonaldIn FoodLeave a comment

bread slicer

The bread machine that I bought at the thrift store seems to be the best thing ever, you could even say since sliced bread.  Pun well intended.  The bread machine is awesome, but there is only 1 issue that I have, and that is slicing the bread.  I have a long bread slicer knife, but the bread slices are uneven.  Sometimes they are too thick on one side, and paper-thin on the other, or some are too thick while some are too thin or some are just lopsided lol.  It’s very difficult to slice bread, so I have been researching bread slicers.

I wanted a wood bread slicer because wood is way better than plastic when it comes to something like this, but they are way too expensive.  I decided to buy this particular bread slicer on eBay because it was only $7.99 with free shipping.  Although, today it is $6.99, but I still feel like a got a good deal, so I’m fine with what I paid.

What I really want is to cut thin slices like you see in this picture.  I want thin slices because the bread that I make with my bread machine is really… and I’m not sure I’m using the proper term… dense.  It’s not fluffy like the bread you buy in the store, you know like Wonder Bread or Sara Lee bread.  It’s harder like the really expensive wide breads that you buy.  I like the airy or fluffy bread, but the problem with those is they rip to shreds when you spread peanut butter on it, but this bread doesn’t have that problem which is why I love it so much.  I think the thinner the slices are, the better the sandwich will taste and the less calories it will have.

I see from this picture that you can slice the bread at any size you wish, like the slices laying down are thinly sliced, but the one they are slicing in the bread slicer is double the thickness.  That is perfect if you want to make French toast.  If you are making pumpkin bread or banana nut bread then the thicker slices are better, so at least I have that option.

I really hope this bread slicer isn’t a piece of crap that will break as soon as I start slicing the bread.  That’s another reason I wanted wood, because plastic is crap and it breaks, wood is sturdy and will literally last a lifetime.

My new plastic bread slicer will be here next week.  I hope it was worth it.

Cycling again… FINALLY!

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, Diet, Exercise, Health, Noom, WeightLeave a comment

noom cycling 2013-07-20_09-51-23

Today was the first time in a very long time that I have been able to ride a bicycle for exercise.  Of course I used the Noom app on my Android cell phone.

This is the map, but the statistics are wrong.  The app froze at a few points and I was not given credit for 3.5 miles.  I mapped it out on Google Maps and the roundtrip ride was 11.8 miles, but I was able to add what I missed manually so I got credit for it.

The reason it froze is not the apps fault, I believe it’s that the music was causing it to freeze.  I wasn’t using the built-in music player, so I think that with the Noom app running and other apps running caused my phone to freeze up.  I also kept getting phone calls from home and I got a notification from Facebook and from eBay and from my emails, so I feel that everything was causing my phone to become slow.  So I don’t blame anyone but my phone itself for that happening.  Whatever the app doesn’t record, I can add in manually so I’m not worried.

It’s been a very long time since I was able to ride my bike.  In January I was 264lbs and I was worried about riding my bike because it says in the manual for the bike that it has a weight limit of 250lbs and at that heavy weight, I was afraid I would break something, so I just didn’t ride it.  I waited until I was 245 to ride it again and every time I tried to ride it, the back tire would go flat.  I lost more weight and bought a Bell No Mor Flats tire from Wal-Mart (it was the only place I could buy it) which was a huge mistake because installing it ruined not just the rim which was practically brand spanking new, but it also ruined the tire.  I tried using a tube and I don’t know if it was the scratches in the rim or the wires sticking out of the tire that popped it, but the tube wouldn’t stay inflated.  I was saving money for a new bike because I couldn’t see myself spending $30 – $35 for a new rim and $20 – $25 for a new tire.  My bike was originally only worth $60.

Fortunately we found a thrift store nearby that had a used rim and a used tire and they sold it to me for… wait for it… give me a drum roll please…  $5.  That’s it.  I saved $50 or $60 and saved myself from having to buy a new bike.  Check it out.

bike 1 july 20 2013 bike 2 july 20 2013

I wore my Black Nashbar Bib Shorts with my black Noom shirt and I put my wallet, my phone and my keys in my Noom backpack and set off with only my Noom water bottle to quench my thirst.  I actually didn’t think I would be riding more than I did, so I didn’t bring my Camelbak.  Next time I go out, I will load my Camelbak in my Noom backpack and put my keys, wallet and phone in the front pocket.  Although, I may put my keys in with the camelbak so they don’t scratch up my phone.

When I came home from my walk I was pleased to see that my Nintendo 64 had sold on eBay for $28 plus $21 shipping, so I took a walk to the post office to pick up a Priority box (if it fits it ships), so naturally I did a walking workout, so my total calories burned today was 736 with that extra 3.5 miles added that the Noom app missed on my bike ride.  I normally get a 1400 calorie allowance for my meals, but with the amount of calories that I burned today, I can eat 1770 calories.  Not that I will eat that many, but I know that if I feel hungry for an extra snack, I won’t feel guilty about it.

Today was also weigh-in day and naturally I didn’t lose any weight this week, which is disappointing, but now that I’m exercising again, perhaps this will kick my weight loss back in gear.  I hope so.

noom cycling bike store 2013-07-20_11-34-43 Oh and one more thing.  The spot that I stopped and rested at on the bike trail just so happened to be near a bicycle shop.  That’s the place where I bought my beach cruiser handlebars many years ago.  The store is called Finish Line.  You can’t see their sign or logo in the map, but that’s what they are called.  There is a seat right there on the bike trail which is where I took a break and that’s where I turned around to come back home.  There is a bridge right there too, so if I ever need to, I can cross the bridge and park my bicycle somewhere and go in and buy whatever it is that I need.  Not that I will need to mind you, because I usually buy all of my cycling supplies from Nashbar or Amazon.  I probably won’t need to go in there, but it’s nice to know they are there in case I do need to.

You have no idea how happy I am to be able to ride my bike again.  I really want to finish losing the rest of this weight, of which there is really only 23lbs.  I feel that if I could lose 70lbs with diet alone, I can certainly lose 23 more pounds easily with diet and exercise.  I’m so psyched!

I gained weight this week

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Diet, Food, Noom, Weight1 Comment

week_28-2

Well this sucks.  I actually gained weight this week.  A few weeks ago I hit a plateau at 197lbs, but throughout this whole journey I haven’t once gone up.  This is the first time I’ve actually gained weight.

I’m not worried though because I am confident that my weight will continue going down again next week.  Just the other night I weighed myself and I was 192.8 so this is just a minor setback.

I’ve been feeling a bit off today and yesterday.  I’ve been having dizzy spells and today I was dizzy and my stomach was feeling crappy, so maybe something is happening with my body that is causing me to not lose weight.  The only thing I can think is that perhaps the Michelina’s isn’t agreeing with me.  Who knows, but I am going to be strapped for cash this month so I can’t exactly afford to buy the weight watchers.

Perhaps it’s stress that I am unnecessarily putting on myself because I haven’t had a lot of views or sales on my Etsy shop.  Since I’ve been browsing other peoples shops and their items, things have been picking up for me.  People have been clicking favorite on my keychains and my shop, so perhaps being social will help me get some sales.  I was going to save the money from the keychains and earrings for a new bike so I can exercise, but if I have to use whatever money I get from Etsy for groceries then so be it.  I just put my Nintendo 64 on ebay, so hopefully I can sell that to help me with groceries, who knows if anyone will buy or even bid on it though.

I’m sure things will work out and next week I will have more weight loss.  Who knows, I might be 191 next Saturday.  I’m not going to expect it though, if it happens, then it happens.  If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.  No big deal.  It’s not like I’m trying to lose weight to fit into a particular outfit by a specific date or anything.  I’ve been fat all these years, what’s a little set back going to do?  Nothing.  I have to be patient and know that the weight WILL come off eventually.  I got this far in such a little amount of time, so I’m happy with the progress I’ve already made.  No worries.

Until next week I guess.

week_28-2 Update July 15: A few hours after I posted this, I… how do I say this without sounding crude?  I found out that the reason I hadn’t lost any weight that day was because I had a couple extra pounds inside of me waiting to get out lol.  As Jessica Simpson put it, I had to drop the kids off at the pool.  I can still say that I gained weight because I was 193.6 last week and this week I weighed in at 193.8.  This morning I weighed myself and I was 193.0 so at least I am progressing.  I’m not losing weight as fast as I was in the beginning of my weight loss journey, but I am still losing weight and that is all that matters.

My Nintendo 64 on Ebay

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games1 Comment

Nintendo 64

Today is a sad day for me because I had to put my Nintendo 64 on ebay.  I bought it from someone in 2002 and played it a couple of times, but then I didn’t have time for it because I was too busy playing EverQuest on my computer.  I had a lot of fun playing The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, and I never even got to finish it, but I sadly got bored with it when I got stuck and couldn’t figure out how to continue.  It has sat in my TV cabinet all these years.

I bought the other 2 games South Park and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil in 2010 I believe.  I played South Park for like 5 minutes, but I didn’t play Turok 2 so I never really enjoyed it.  I did however have a lot of time with the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of time.  I only got to a certain point and then couldn’t get past it and gave up.

So I made some videos of the game play so you can see that the system and games do work.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil – I have to admit, I have never actually played the game so I had no idea where to go or what to do lol.  http://youtu.be/sm_0yG-m1Ow

South Park: http://youtu.be/elYhbZu3Bls

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: http://youtu.be/698xbfc4QUE

My original thought was to sell this on ebay so I could save up for a new bike, but I have a feeling I’m going to need the money for groceries this month.  I hope we are going to be okay for food, but just in case, I would like to sell this so we can survive.

My Electronic Cigarette Arrived Today

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette1 Comment

Well after 15 days, my eGo-T electronic cigarette finally arrived.  I bought it directly from the wholesaler for $32.75 from a website called DHgate which looks very similar to eBay which is where I got the link from.  The e-cig came from China which is why it took so long to get to me.  By the way, the price keeps changing, so you may not find it for the same price that I bought mine for.  The other day it went up to $38 and now (as of this posting) it has gone down to $36.

I have seen a review of this model and found what a piece of crap it is because you don’t get a strong hit from it at all which I find to be so true.  I taste the flavors, which was the main reason for buying it in the first place, but not as well as I had hoped.  I even shook it the way he does in the video and it’s still underwhelming.  For this review, search YouTube for “THE EGO-T FAIL” by user GrimmGreen.

When it arrived, I took it out of the box and looked at the cartridges that came with it.  They all exploded so there was e-liquid inside the plastic of each individually wrapped cartridge.  The smell was beyond nauseating.  They sent me 5 cartridges filled with what they call Marlboro flavored e-liquid  They also sent me 2 empty cartridges, but without caps.  What good were those without the cap?  As I was rinsing the first one out, I dropped the cap and guess where it went?  Go ahead… guess.  Yep, you guessed it, right down the drain.  UGH!

After rinsing out all the cartridges, I smelled them and they still smelled like the e-liquid that they came with.  I took one of the clean and empty cartridges and used one of the caps and you could still taste the gross “Marlboro” flavor instead of the sweet flavor I bought.  I was told that sometimes it takes a few hits to get rid of the gross flavor before you get the taste of the new flavor.  That ended up being true when I switched from the Zeus Juice to chocolate.  When I switched it from chocolate to strawberry, I still tasted chocolate.  I think the best thing to do is to get clean cartridges and dedicate it to that one flavor, which I did.  I bought a pack of 10 empty cartridges from Amazon over the weekend and it shipped out on Monday, so hopefully they will come soon.

Earlier tonight I vaped some of the chocolate and took a sip of my iced tea and the chocolate flavor really came out more.  I think that I will get a lot more out of it if I vape while drinking (before or after, not during).  I know that sounds nuts, but so does a non-smoker buying an e-cigarette lol.  I think that if I switched over to iced water while vaping, I might get more out of it than just vaping it alone.  I’ll be drinking what I should be drinking all this time, water, while still getting the flavor benefit which is what I wanted to begin with.

Even though this turned out to be more disappointing for me as a non-smoker trying to use it for the flavor, I still think it’s an awesome idea for those smokers who want to quit smoking or just to make the switch.

I still recommend Zeus eJuice as opposed to buying the e-liquid at the cigarette store.  My cousin Tabitha told me tonight that she saw a sign that said e-liquid was $8 for 10ML.  Most would think that’s not a bad price, but you could get a 30ML bottle from Zeus eJuice for $10.49.  Now you tell me which is the better price.  They also claim to have more flavor than other places that sell the flavors, so you get the taste and you save a ton of money.  I think it’s worth it.

I only just got my eGo-T today, so I’m going to try to use it as much as I can to get as much out of it as I can before I decide whether I want to continue with this or not.  Perhaps I might find that a better model will suit my needs more.  These batteries only last for so long before they stop working, and I have 2 so I have a long time with it before I will need to buy a new one.  Perhaps maybe I need a new atomizer that will work with this.  Who knows, but I will keep trying with what I have and see where it takes me.  Maybe I might get used to it.  Maybe…

Oh and for those interested, the LCD display shows me the battery and it shows a number.  I found out that every time I press the button, the number goes up.  I read the manual and it said that the battery is capable of 800 puffs a day, so I guess that will show you how many hits you took, but there is no way of resetting the number back down to 0 so you can start over the next day.  I can only assume that you just keep going until it resets itself back to 0, then start over lol.  My question is, who is that addicted to smoking that they would take 800 puffs a day?  I mean, you would have to be a chain smoker who is just sitting there with it in your mouth all day long taking puff after puff.  I’m getting dizzy just thinking about it.  I have only taken 28 puffs today so I think I’m doing pretty good lol.

My Zeus E-Juice Has Arrived!

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, HealthLeave a comment

My Zeus E-Juice has finally arrived in the mail today.  I got 8 flavors total, all in 5ML bottles with NO nicotine and 50/50 VG/PG.  I don’t know if this is true or not, but I read on a website that 1ML is basically 1 pack of cigarettes, so basically I have 4 cartons of cigarettes on my desk all in the form of e-liquid, but they taste better and they won’t kill me.

I am still waiting for my Joye eGo-T eGo Tank 1100mAh e-cigarette Starter Kit to arrive all the way from Singapore.  I bought it from DH Gate through eBay because it was only $32.75 with free shipping.  I can’t afford to spend $50-$100 on an e-cigarette when I don’t even smoke.  I only bought it to help me lose weight and I don’t even know if it’s going to work or not, so I couldn’t justify spending too much money on something that may not even work for me.  Unfortunately they haven’t given me, nor are they going to give me a tracking number as it is untrackable for some odd reason.  When I check on the progress, it says it will take 20-50 days to arrive.  YIKES!  But I was reading the reviews where someone said that they got their product in 10 days, but I don’t know where that person lives so that doesn’t give me any information.

I don’t understand why the starter kits are so expensive.  I personally think they should sell them for $20 for 1 e-cigarette plus the charger and the 5 cartridges instead of making you buy 2 e-cigarettes.  That way it would be easier on someone who is trying to transition from smoking cigarettes to vaping to help them quit smoking.

The flavors of e-liquid that I got are Chocolate, Toasted Marshmallow, Caramel Cappuccino, Vanilla Ice Cream, Raspberry, Caramel Apple, Strawberry and Zeus Juice.  I can’t taste them, but I opened all of the bottles and smelled them and they smelled really good.

I am very impressed that all of the bottles have a child proof cap on them, not that I need to worry about that.  They also have printed right on the label an expiration date and how much nicotine is in them, although mine doesn’t have any nicotine in them so I don’t have to worry about addiction.  The bottles are plastic, which is something that I was kind of worried about since they were mailed to me.

Edit: I said glass is better based on the fact that people are always complaining about plastic taking a long time to decompose, but I just realized that you can’t squeeze glass to get the e-liquid out of the container and into the cartridge.  Plus, these can be sent back to be refilled again.

I saw a friend and his wife at the grocery store last night and was quite surprised to see that she was on oxygen and was using the Albertson’s motorized wheelchair to shop.  She told me that she hasn’t smoked a cigarette in 96 days, she had to quit cold turkey because of her health issues from smoking cigarettes all her life.  I went to tell them about e-cigarettes, but she already has one.  It’s not the same one that I will have, but it’s a good thing for her that she has switched over.

So I look forward to getting my Joye eGo-T e-cigarette in the mail one of these days so I can try these wonderful flavors lol.

My Dell DJ (Again)

On By Michel McDonaldIn Music4 Comments

YAY I got my Dell DJ back!  Darrin bought this for me for Christmas 2004 and I got it in January 2005.  During the summer of 2005, the battery started dying slowly.  The charge is supposed to last 8 or 12 hours, I forgot what it was, but suddenly it went down to like 6 hours, then 5, then 4 and so on until it wouldn’t keep its charge for more than 5 seconds.  I stopped using it when summer was over and I didn’t call Dell to have them replace the battery because I was too lazy and had given up on it.  It wasn’t until the warranty expired when I decided to call and they told me the battery was going to cost $70.  Well, I thought I had a 2 year warranty, but the warranty that I had didn’t cover the battery.  Yeah, thanks Dell for having your loopholes.  It sat in a drawer for many years.

I decide that I wanted to buy a new battery for it in 2009 and so I found a battery on eBay for like $15 (with shipping) and bought it, unfortunately it wasn’t the right battery even though they said it was.  It worked, it just didn’t fit inside of the DJ.  I did research on how to replace the battery and one website said to remove the wheel which is why it looks dented, because I was trying to pry that MFer off.  I couldn’t get it off so I found another website which told me how to do it and so I made a video and put it on YouTube.

That battery didn’t last very long and so the DJ has sat in a drawer for the last 2 years.  I decided that I wanted my DJ back so I bought another battery from eBay, only it was the right battery.  They have an instructional video on there, guess whose video it is?  Mine!  This battery is the correct one and it fits and is charged up and ready to play.  I’m so glad it fits, I hated that the battery was taped to the back LMAO.

I have wanted to buy Jane Badler’s new album called “Mistaken Identity” so I bought it from Amazon.  I recommend buying it because she is such an awesome singer.

The DJ still sounds really good.  It’s not an iPod, but this Dell DJ cost $200 back in the day when Darrin bought it for me.  He also bought me a remote control for $50 and a 2-year warranty for another $50 and I have felt bad all these years that I only got a good 6 months out of it.  So now that I have it back I can start listening to music again.  YAY!

You Tube Video:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svD_W3PCrSc

:Cue Cat

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

Do you remember the :Cue Cat?  It was made in the late 90’s by a company called Digital Convergence and was given away for free at Radio Shack in the early 2000’s.  When they first came out with them I got one and installed the software that came with it and had a jolly good time scanning boxes of cereal and cans of Chef Boyardee and my soda.  But that became boring after 5 minutes and it sat there plugged in for months until I decided it wasn’t doing me any good at all.  I unplugged it, removed the software and put it in a drawer never to be seen again.

Today I was sitting here and I saw it sitting on a shelf and I thought, I wonder what good that thing is anymore, should I just toss it or what?  Then I got to thinking, I kept it all these years because it scans bar codes, I wonder if it still does that but for other things like placing things on eBay or adding books to my Anobii account.

I did a little Google search and I actually found more information than I thought I would about it.  Apparently people were upset that the Cue Cat was sending information to Digital Convergence every time you used it and someone hacked it and made it impossible for them to get any information.  They found out and tried to sue that person but ended up going out of business instead which is why the software doesn’t work anymore.  You can’t use the software on the cd because it doesn’t have a website to connect to anymore.

But it still works, if you have a Cue Cat plug it in and try scanning something into Notepad.  You will get some long numbers because it’s made to send encrypted code to the Digital Convergence software to bring up a website.  You can’t use the software but the scanner works and there is a website at LibraryThing.com that can read that encrypted code to add your book to their website.  Although I tried it and only 5 out of 32 books would scan properly.  So my search continued.

I found the CED Magic website which gave me a bit more help with a program called CatNip which will remove that encryption from the bar code information so you can get the proper numbers to scan.  I tried it and it works.  I went to Anobii and scanned a book and it automatically added it to my bookshelf.  I removed it of course because that book was already there.

What I want to use it for is so that I can add things to eBay without going through the hassle of having to type everything in.  Even the bar code itself, I’d rather just swipe the bar code, since I already own a Cue Cat, then just go from there.  Darrin owns hundreds of LP’s and wants to sell them on eBay but figured it’s such a hassle typing in all that information.  Now it’s easier.

I don’t buy physical books anymore since I own a Nook so I really don’t have a need to scan book bar codes for Anobii but you never know what might happen in the future.  I might get a bug up my ass and want to scan all of my books, dvd’s, cd’s, and pc software bar codes for a catalog program lol.  Crazier things have happened.

Well at least if you have an old Cue Cat that you got for free 10 or 11 years ago, you can take it out of moth balls and hook it up again and scan to your hearts content lol.

BREAKING: Whitman confirms she’ll defend Prop. 8 in Court

On By Michel McDonaldIn EQCA, Gay, Gay Rights, NOH8, Political, Prop 8Leave a comment

I just got an email from EQCA saying this:

Dear Michel,

Yes on 8 supporter Meg Whitman has stepped up her anti-marriage equality campaign.

Late yesterday, she joined Attorney General Candidate Steve Cooley by saying that, if elected, she will use the state’s vast resources to defend Prop. 8 in court.

Make sure Whitman and Cooley are not given the opportunity to reverse California’s position in the federal Prop. 8 case.

Whitman says she will cut the budget due to lack of resources, slashing services for those most in need. Yet, she has no problem using the state’s limited resources—your and my tax dollars—to advocate for discrimination against two people simply because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and in love. Shame on her.

Meg Whitman was quoted in the Sacramento Bee, saying:

“And I think the governor, the attorney general today has to defend the constitution and has to enable the judicial process to go along and has to enable an appeal to go through. So if I was governor, I would give that ruling standing to be able to appeal to the circuit court.”

We need to defeat every candidate who believes that discrimination belongs in the constitution. It’s wrong. It’s un-American.

Let’s keep California on the right side of history, and equality.

Urgently,

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California PAC

I find this disturbing because California is already broke and she’s going to drain what is left to stop gay people from being happy? How ruthless, how hateful, how f’d up is that? Is she that anti-gay that she’s going to bleed this state dry to show how much she hates gay people? Same goes for Steve Cooley. I think they need to get their priorities in order, seriously.

I literally want to vomit, that’s how sick these anti-gay people make me. To think, I might have voted for her based on being CEO of eBay.

My Dell DJ Battery

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, Music, Products I LikeLeave a comment

On July 2nd I bought a battery for my Dell DJ on eBay from the seller battery.search who has a feedback score of 9122 with 98.9% positive feedback which is a pretty good.  That’s the only reason I bought my battery from them.

They told me in the confirmation email that it would take anywhere from 7 to 20 business days which means I could wait a month for the battery to come.  It has clearly been over a month and still no battery.

I contacted that seller yesterday telling them that I am still waiting.  The only thing I can think of is that the shipment was taken from Customs and never released because it shipped from Hong Kong.  But why would customs take the battery and never release it?  It’s a harmless battery that isn’t even charged when it ships out.  When it arrives I have to charge it fully because it won’t work right out of the box.

So the sellers response to me is “can I refund to you???”  My response was NO, I don’t want a refund, I want my battery.  I’m afraid that if they give me a refund then my battery shows up tomorrow and they are out $15 but on the other hand if it never shows up then I’m out $15.  So, after they asked me a 3rd time I responded with a yes, I would like a refund.  But if it shows up then I will issue them a refund lol.

Whatever…

So now I’m back at square one where I was a month and a week ago, with no battery for my Dell DJ and now I don’t want to buy another one because they are all coming from freakin’Hong Kong.  Aren’t there any sellers in the US who sell batteries for the 2nd gen Dell DJ?

I guess the only thing I can do is if I ever want to ride my bike with tunes, bring my PSP with me.  It really sucks because I’m so paranoid I’m going to break it.  The Dell DJ is old enough that even though I don’t want it to break I would feel worse if my PSP broke.  I’m sure the Dell DJ is tougher than a PSP is so I never worry about it.

The Dell DJ battery was my reward for losing my first 27lbs and I never got my reward which sucks.  So since I’ve decided to start wearing jewelry early which would’ve been my 2nd reward for losing another 25lbs, I guess my rewards have switched.  Although now I have to change my 2nd reward to something else, I think a Kindle would be something I can change that to.