Tag: heck

Bell No-Mor Flats

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike1 Comment

no more flats

I am starting this blog post over from scratch…

Okay, so I have wanted to buy this for such a long time and I finally bought it at Wal-Mart, my favorite store (that was sarcasm).  They were the only ones who sold them for $20.  I was going to get it on Amazon because of how much I hate going in Wal-Mart, but Amazon wanted $30 plus shipping.  Screw that!  So I bit the bullet and we went to Wal-Mart.

I didn’t try to install it right away because I was still nursing a broken arm.  My arm was all healed up, but it still hurt.  I think I waited a week or week and a half before finally attempting it and it was not easy at all.  I tried soapy water, but that didn’t work because I didn’t drench it with soapy water.  I tried 2 other methods which one didn’t work and the other did, but the tube wasn’t in all the way like it should, and it popped the tire out on both sides.  I had a hell of a time getting the tire back in and scratched the hell out of the rim and even punctured the tire bead where it is supposed to fit into the rim.  Big mistake.  Now if I want to switch to a regular tube I won’t be able to because the tire has metal wires in it that are sticking out, so that will definitely put holes in the tube.  I was thinking about returning the No-Mor flats, but naturally I crumbled up and tossed the receipt that same day and that was weeks ago, so it’s long gone.

I did what I should have done the first time and that was Googling for videos on how to install it.  I didn’t find any videos, but I did find an “Instructable” where the guy was saying how easy it is and gave detailed instructions on how to do it.  My arms were (and still are) too sore to attempt it again, so I put the tube back in it’s box and put the tire and rim in the patio for a few days.  I just attempted it again by soaking the heck out of both the tire and the tube and I am still having trouble getting it in.  It’s just not working for me.  If this was as easy as that guy claims, then perhaps he needs to come install it for me lol.

Well, I have had this bike since 2004 and I think I am ready for a new one.  I’ve sunk so much money into this bicycle and it’s just a real pain in my ass.  It’s… get ready for this… a Wal-Mart bicycle.  Yes, I bought it at Wal-Mart way back when I didn’t know how homophobic they were.  So, I think what I will do is keep the tube and perhaps sell it on ebay or my Etsy page for $15 and call it slightly used, since I basically didn’t really use it, I just tried installing it and it didn’t work, but it’s REALLY clean with all the soapy water I put on it lol.

My birthday is coming up, so I think I want to get a cruiser at Target.  I know, you get what you pay for, yada yada yada…  But Target is a good store and the bicycles are Huffy, and that is a brand I have been familiar with since I was a kid.  I have more faith in Huffy than I do with the bike I have now.  The cruisers are $104 to $139 which isn’t too bad.  Of course I don’t have that much money to spend on well, anything actually, so I will have to set aside half of the money in June and pay for the rest in July.  It will be a late birthday present.

Whoever heard of someone buying their own present?  Screw that, I’m gonna ask for it and see who gets it for me LOL.

If anyone ever asked me if it’s worth it to buy the Bell No-Mor Flats tube, I would simply say NO!  But if you must have one, buy mine LOL.

Writing on and putting up walls

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

brick wall

I think as a human being we all have the right to our own happiness, right?  I mean, it’s what I would love to believe.  So when I write something silly or even stupid on my Facebook wall, blog and/or Twitter, I’d like to think that I shouldn’t get criticized or yelled at for sharing random personal information about myself.

When people start talking down to me and I have never even said boo to them, I build walls in my head and they usually never come down.  I like to think that I give people enough chances before I put up this wall.  After 42 years of having people treat me like dirt, the amount of chances a person gets goes down.  You have heard of the three strikes law right?  Well, I used to give people 3 chances.  But then I’ve heard the saying “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”  So screw 3 strikes, if you are rude to me a second time then that’s it, I’m done.  And believe me, when I say to you “I’m done” at the end of an argument, that means I’m finished with you.  I may not unfriend you, but I will remove you from any streams so I can’t see what you are saying and I will restrict you from seeing what I say in the future, that way I don’t give you any chances to be rude to me.

Why is it that people are always rude to me though?  I never say or do anything bad to anyone.  I’m never rude or belligerent with people on purpose.  I don’t tell people how to live their lives, so why do people do that to me?  I don’t get it.  This is my life, I pay the rent, I pay the bills, I buy the groceries, I am who is responsible for my life, not other people, so why do they feel the need to criticize me when I say something that is meaningless to them?  I never talk down to people because who the heck am I to do that to them?  So who the heck are people to talk down to me?  Screw them!  Who needs them anyway?

I have built so many walls that if I were building a house, I would have at least 1 floor of a 2 bedroom house completed.  I’m not joking either.  It sucks that I have to live this way.

I am just venting… sorry you had to see that.

Saliraptor Mount in EverQuest 2

On By Michel McDonaldIn EverQuest, EverQuestII, GamesLeave a comment

I have been loving my new Saliraptor mount in EverQuest 2.  But the only problem that I have faced was how slow it was.  It says that it only increases ground speed by 60% compared to my mount which was 130 % and because I had them both equipped I was still getting the 130% in my stats section, but I just wasn’t seeing the speed.  The Saliraptor said that it gives you 200% air speed (flying) which for some reason I assumed meant for riding griffins, but then I saw someone flying with a Saliraptor today and it got me thinking, how do I do that?

I went to YouTube and found a video of someone flying with their Saliraptor mount and I was kinda frustrated.  I nearly left a comment asking how they did that, but I remembered that every time I do that, I end up finding the answer somewhere else and then regretting my question because it makes me look like an idiot.

There had to be a way that I could get it to work so I went back to where I got it from and I clicked the Saliraptor that is still there and it gave me instructions.  All I have to do is hit the space bar while running.  Well, I’ve been doing that and I barely make it off the ground.  I thought, how in the heck is this not working?  I decided perhaps my horse was the problem, so I right-clicked him and turned him into a house item and then tried it and I actually flew into the air.  So it was the horse that was hindering me that whole time.

The only reason I kept the horse was because he ran faster than the Saliraptor, but he doesn’t run anywhere near the same speed as the Saliraptor does when he is soaring through the zone.  So my beloved horse is relaxing inside of my house, probably pooping all over the furniture as we speak.  Oh well.

This is not my video, but this is the video that I found earlier today demonstrating how you fly with a Saliraptor.  It’s pretty awesome.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31LBYs8nAso&feature=g-hist

Beard Beanie

On By Michel McDonaldIn Christmas, crafts1 Comment

I saw this on Attack of the Show today. At first I couldn’t stop laughing because of how silly it looks but it occurred to me that maybe it might be a good idea in really cold climates.  Instead of having to wear a ski mask you could wear a beard beanie.  I mean, if someone sees you walking down the street in a ski mask they might think that you’re gonna rob them but if they see this guy, they’re just gonna think he has a beard.

I think it is inventive and I endorse it lol.

Their website is http://beardbeanie.com/ and apparently they started on Etsy.  I’ve never even seen a beard beanie until today and even though I think it’s cool, it’s still a bit silly.  I mean, they sell them for $50, who is going to pay $50 to wear a crocheted beard?

With that in mind, I decided to go on a little pattern hunt since I can crochet.  I found a few websites actually.  Here is my favorite one and it’s a free pattern on Ravelry.  The pattern was written by Jen Spears and I have already made the beard so I know it’s a good pattern.  You can also substitute the yarn for fun fur so it looks more like a beard.

I also found a Santa Hat and Beard pattern on the Red Heart website.  This pattern seems a bit complicated because of the way you have to crochet to the right instead of the left.  I haven’t tried it but I’m sure once I get the hang of it I might find it to work easier.

I was thinking of using the Santa beard pattern with the brown yarn instead of the white and putting that on a regular hat.  I like the Santa beard because it has more texture to it and it looks more believable than the other ones.  Ok so it’s not really believable but you know what I mean.

Then again, when the heck am I ever going to wear one of these?  Probably never so why bother right?  Even though I will probably only wear it once right after I make it then put it in a drawer forever, it would be funny just to see what it would look like on me just once.  And who knows, I might wear the Santa one every year for shits and giggles.

Forced Days Off

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I’ve been writing my autobiography which takes a long time, especially for someone who is still learning how to write.  I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

Yesterday I couldn’t get anything done because I got a phone call from a friend of mine in the mid west who likes to talk on the phone for a long time.  We were on the phone for over an hour.

I tried to go back to editing a chapter and I start hearing “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” because the city was resurfacing the street in front of my house.  So instead of working I decided that I would get on the instant messenger and see who was online.

I talked to someone for an hour then went to the store to buy some lunch.  Frozen pizza by the way.  It was good.

I didn’t get anything done yesterday.

This morning I get up and walk the dog and the city men are back.  They are working on the other side of 3rd street.  They sprayed the oil on the street so the resurfacing stuff, whatever the heck it’s called will stick to it so they can spread it out and smash it down.

“BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” is all I am hearing right now from my bedroom window.

I can hardly concentrate on writing or editing anything right now.  I can barely write this.

My new motherboard is coming today between 2-4pm via UPS so when that comes I will be able to transfer all of my chapters to my Open Office word processor so I can continue writing on that instead of my Chromebook.

Tomorrow is Chips day off which means another day off because there is no way I will be able to write with him home.  So… back to work on Friday lol.

Google Plus

On By Michel McDonaldIn Social Network1 Comment

Do we have enough social networking websites or are there not enough?  It all started with MySpace, not everyone was on board with it at first but people started flocking to it when they found out how cool it was.  Then Facebook came along and proved that it was better and it literally killed MySpace which people stopped using.

Google Plus is one of the newest social networking websites and it doesn’t seem like anyone really wants to give it a chance because they don’t really want to leave Facebook.  I think they think that they can only do one social network and that’s it but that’s simply not true.  You don’t have to limit yourself to one.  Heck, I should know because I’m using Twitter and Facebook every day and now I have added Google Plus.

What I like about Google Plus is the circles feature.  You can put certain people in your circles and when have friends and family who have such different interests as I do, you need to segregate them into those groups when you post the crap that I do.

Some of my friends and family love my sick sense of humor, while others think I’m disturbed and have even threatened to block me so they don’t see the things that I post.  I also don’t want everyone to see my posts from my blog which is why I have created a Facebook fan page and only invited those whom I want to read my blog to like the fan page so the others don’t see it.  With circles you can post whatever you want and you can choose which circles get to see it and which circles can’t.  That is what I’ve been looking for.

There is another feature which I absolutely love.  You can start a hangout, which is a cool new webcam tool, and invite people to join you.  It’s not just a video conference tool for 1 on 1, it’s a group video conference so you can invite as many people as you want.  I’m sure there is a limit, I don’t know what it is though.

When you are in a hangout, it adds a post on your wall saying that you are hanging out with 1 or 2 people or whatever the number is.  There is a button that says “join this hangout” so other people can join without inviting them.  I’m pretty sure that the only people in the circle you invited when you started the hangout can see that invitation though.

What’s great about the hangout is that when someone starts talking, the video focuses on them.  When someone else starts talking, it automatically switches to that person.  If you click someones video then you can’t get out of that auto switching for some reason and you have to leave the hangout and come back to allow the auto switching to continue.  Also, sometimes someones video will freeze and the only way for that to fix is for that person to exit and come back.  Other than those 2 issues it’s perfect.

I love the hangouts because I think that will be a great way to have a family reunion with family members you haven’t seen in a long time.  Or you can have your book club join via hangout.  Or maybe you just want to chat with a bunch of people.  Whatever the reason is, it’s a very cool tool.

I think that Google Plus will eventually catch on.  It doesn’t have games like Facebook does but given time I’m sure it will eventually.  I don’t care about games as much as I care about connecting with people.  At least that’s how I use social networking websites anyway.

I personally hope that it catches on because I really like the circles and hangout feature.  I’ve been telling people about it but so far I only have a few friends.  Hopefully they will come over and allow me to segregate them in my wall posts (LOL) and hang out with me in a group video chat.

Join me in Google+  If you can’t get in, ask me for an invitation via Twitter @xanapus.

My Desktop Computer Blew Up

On By Michel McDonaldIn ComputerLeave a comment

I never thought this would ever happen to me but the power supply in my desktop computer blew up today.  The last couple of times I had it turned on, it shut off without any warning.  When I had my previous computer that would happen while I was playing EverQuest but it would reboot.  I was told that was a memory issue so I assumed this time it could either be memory or power supply but I wasn’t sure.

My computer has been off all day yesterday and today and I figured today I would look in the back and see if the light was on for the internet wire and it was turned on so I started thinking, if the power supply was bad then why is there power going to that light?  So I flipped the switch off then on then off then on again and the light was still on.  I pushed the power button and the computer turned on.

I was playing Lord of the Rings Online for at least 2 hours and all of a sudden it just made a popping sound, the computer screen went black and my brain went into panic mode.  I pushed my chair out of the way, fell to the floor and rushed to unplug the power cable.

Now, I have a bad back and I’m overweight which means I don’t get around too easily.  It takes a lot for me to get back up off the floor but I was up instantly.  It must have been adrenaline that got me back up on my feet.  I mean, I’m not that fat, I’m only 100lbs overweight but still, it is hard for me to get back up.

I called Darrin to tell him not to worry about getting me a new power supply then like 10 minutes later this happens so I called him back saying never mind, I do need a power supply.  He mentioned that it might have blown out the motherboard which I had already been thinking about but didn’t want to admit it because that’s how much more money?  About, what $150-$200?  As it is the power supply is $45.

Ok so if it’s also the motherboard then who knows what else might have been affected that was plugged into the motherboard like the memory, video card, cpu, heck even the hard drive and dvd burner.  This could have fried my entire computer.  Or maybe not, we’ll have to find out when I get a new power supply.

I have a Win XP laptop but the screen doesn’t work but even if it did I don’t have enough hard drive space for Lord of the Rings Online and it doesn’t work with my monitor.  So for now I have my CR-48 to keep me in touch with the world via email, websites, Twitter, Facebook and my blog.  Thanks once again Google.

If I get a new power supply and it works but my computer doesn’t come on then I will know it’s because I fried the motherboard.  If so then I will be screwed.  I will have to get a new computer if that is the case.  It’s not going to be easy to save the money for a new computer, that’s why I’m still using an old computer.  It’s funny I say old because I built it in 2007.  Holy crap!  Technology sure doesn’t last very long does it?

Update: Good news, when Darrin came home from work yesterday, he picked me up at the house and we went and got a new power supply, actually a better power supply with 2 fans on it.  We asked about the motherboard and the guy said that the power supplies have a safety built in so that if something happens to it and it surges like it did then it won’t fry the motherboard or anything that is plugged into the power supply like the dvd burner, floppy disc drive and hard drive.  So all is good.

Nook Study

On By Michel McDonaldIn eBook, NookLeave a comment

A friend called me asking about how my Nook works because her son is doing an online college course and is required to buy textbooks but wanted to find out if there were a cheaper alternative. He only gets so much with his grant that he can only afford to pay so much for a textbook.

He had hoped that if he bought a Barnes & Noble Nook that his eTextbooks would be cheaper but I did some research for him while on the phone and found that they do sell textbooks new or used or you can rent them but in actual book format. Not e-book format for the Nook.

Although, they do have a new thing called Nook Study that is a program for your PC or Mac that you download/install and you can buy eTextbooks for 50% less than the actual textbook.

I was looking at the features that they offer such as being able to highlight in many different colors, leaving an asterisk and typing notes as well as bookmarking. Very similar to the actual Nook (although the Nook doesn’t have a color highlight choice or asterisk’s). Many other features like highlighting a word to look it up on Wikipedia, Google, dictionary etc. Printing pages, copying text to your homework, importing notes and many others.

I told him that if he wanted to buy a Nook for reading books that’s fine but don’t waste your money if your purpose is for textbooks because it doesn’t work. With his grant he was able to buy a laptop for taking tests on their website and whatever else they require of him to do there so he can just use that laptop to install Nook Study.

I wish that they had all this technology when I was a kid. It would’ve been a heck of a lot easier for me, who am I kidding, I probably still would’ve ended up the same because of my dyslexia, A.D.D. and learning disability. But who knows, maybe it might have been different. I guess I will never know. Maybe in the next life…

Education School Security Orders CO Teen to Remove American Flags From Pickup Truck

On By Michel McDonaldIn News, PoliticalLeave a comment

Imagine if you will, a scenario where you are living in a country like the United States where you are told you are not allowed to be patriotic because it might upset someone. That is what happened to a Colorado Junior at his high school.

He was caught squealing his tires in the high school parking lot and got into trouble by the security guard who suspended his parking privileges for 2 weeks but then she had the nerve to tell him to take down the 2 American flags he had waving from the back of his pickup truck. She told him that it might upset someone.

If I were living in Mexico and I saw the Mexican flag waving proudly from a Mexican’s truck, I would not be offended because I am in Mexico. If I were living in Italy and I saw an Italian flag waving proudly from a Italian’s truck, I would not be offended because I am in Italy. And if I were living in ANY other country over the planet it would be the same thing. I would be proud to wave the flag of the country that I live in, even if I wasn’t born there.

What makes this security guard think that being proud of your country would upset people? It makes no sense. I think this security guard needs to re-evaluate her patriotism before she tries to tell someone they cannot be patriotic. In fact, I’d venture to say that she doesn’t deserve to have a job where she is in charge of telling people that they cannot wave the American flag in the United States.

Heck, the school itself waves an American flag on the flagpole, what makes her think that it’s not ok to wave a flag from your vehicle?

I’m sorry, it just upsets me to hear this kind of thing especially with September 11th coming at the end of this week.

For some reason I couldn’t amplify the video in this article so please follow the link below to visit the website that this article comes from to see the video. It takes seeing the video to get the full story, besides the text from the story that is.

Amplify’d from www.theblaze.com

Education School Security Orders CO Teen to Remove American Flags From Pickup Truck

Jeremy Stoppel is man enough to admit that he deserved getting a ticket for squealing his tires in the school parking ticket. But he has a problem with the order that came down from school security — no more American Flags. He told KMGH-TV:

“She said I should take my flags down. She said this is a school that focuses on diversity and she doesn’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable,” Stoppel said. “How do you suppose anyone would feel uncomfortable in America with an American flag? That’s where I’m confused.”

Jeremy and his dad told the station they are looking for an apology:

“To me, she’s just threatening him, hoping that she can just bully him so he’ll just take ‘em down and just put his tail between his legs and say, ‘I’m done. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.’ And that’s just not gonna happen,” said Dan Stoppel, Jeremy’s father.

The principal is promising to look into the matter. Stay tuned.

Read more at www.theblaze.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/9wo9

Leggo my ebook

On By Michel McDonaldIn Books, eBook, Kindle, NookLeave a comment

I feel so stupid for waffling so much on this issue. I want a Kindle real bad because it’s the iPod of the e-book reader world. When I got my mp3 player I bought the Dell DJ but I was stupid, I should’ve gotten an iPod. Now, Dell doesn’t support fixing the Dell DJ. Heck, they don’t support anything with that product anymore. They won’t give you software updates, firmware updates, nothing. Not even tech support. They won’t even help me get a battery that works. I’m on my own with that and I can’t even find a company that will send me one that fits. I bought one in July and it still hasn’t shown up. I did get a refund though.

I got a tweet from Sony when I asked someone on Twitter if I should get Kindle or Nook and Sony said to get Sony Reader. So I thought ok I’ll check out their website. I did look at the Sony Pocket reader and although they have a good e-book reader it’s not as good as the touch BUT I did see some video reviews on that and they say that you can barely read the screen because of the touch feature. Also I can just see the screen getting so marked up from using that stylus pen that I won’t be able to read anyway. You know I’m gonna be drawing on it all the time on the books and on the drawing screen.

The Sony touch is what I really want BUT I wish they had an online store that I can buy books wirelessly through the reader and not have to plug it in every time I want to buy a book. I don’t want to be visiting family and have to use their computer to buy a book and have to install the software on someone elses computer. Ya know?

In their tweet, Sony told me about being able to check out library books and so I downloaded their software to check it out and went to the library link and they said I can only check out library books if I have a library card which I do for the Kern County Library which unfortunately is not in their system. So that feature is 100% useless for me.

The review I watched, the e-book reader was flawless but then when I watched another video, the Sony touch was slow to turn the page. He would swipe the screen and the page didn’t turn at all. He had to swipe again and other times he swiped the screen and it took 10 seconds to turn the page. I am way too impatient to wait 10 seconds for the page to turn.

Also, they said that they do supply a USB for it but that’s it. No A/C adapter for charging. Hello? They said that is a $30 accessory. What? Seriously? Although I did read that it uses the PSP power cable which I do have but I find that ridiculous that they are charging so much money for an e-book reader and they won’t even supply you a freaking a/c adapter.

The Sony touch has some good and bad and the bad outweigh the good for me.

I really want a nook or kindle because of the wi-fi feature and online store. I don’t care about 3G, I really don’t. I just want to be able to connect with a WiFi connection at home or at a friend’s house using their WiFi or if we’re out and about then I can use the public WiFi at a Starbucks or McDonald’s.

The Nook has the lend feature which is totally useless to me as well. I don’t know anyone who has a Nook and I highly doubt that me buying a Nook is going to bring me Nook buddies. Also the little screen on the Nook is too slow for me.

Although, the good thing about the Nook is that if I have an issue with it I can just bring it to a Barnes and Noble and maybe they can help me with it. I do want to go to a Barnes and Noble to play with one to see how fast or slow it is. Not just the color screen but page turns and startup and all. I want to be convinced with a in store demonstration.

If I don’t like it then I will go Kindle. But, there are still 2-3 weeks to waffle er um I mean decide.