Tag: other ones

Nashbar Bib Shorts

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, Diet, Exercise, HealthLeave a comment

nashbar bibs

I have been scouring the internet trying to find a good quality, but inexpensive pair of bib cycling shorts.  I already had a pair picked out from Bike Nashbar.com that were on sale for $30.  They were black with red at the bottom, which perfectly matched my red and black theme, but when I had the money to buy them yesterday, they shot up in price to $45.  I was back to the drawing board.

My hunt for a good quality pair of bib shorts at a reasonable price started over from scratch and I had to scour the internet again.  Unfortunately, bib shorts are expensive.  I have seen them go for as low as $100 and as high as $300.  They are just too expensive for my budget, so naturally my only option was to go back to Nashbar and see what they had and read the reviews before making a final decision.

The shorts (image above) that I bought have the padding in the back, which is what I need for my ergo bicycle seat.  Although I’m sure it’s not enough padding, but that’s the only padding I’ve seen so far for bike shorts so it will have to do.  If it doesn’t work out then I’ll try a new bicycle seat, preferably a beach cruiser seat.  I’d like to keep my $70 ergo bicycle seat because it won’t make me impotent like a regular bike seat would (which it was doing and why I had to buy an ergo bike seat).

The shorts that I bought are called Nashbar Gel Ride Bib Shorts and they were $40.  I know, I could have spent $5 more on the ones that I wanted with the red, but I figured with shipping and tax, it would end up being much more, and it was $50 with shipping and tax.  I guess $5 still wouldn’t have mattered, and in retrospect I’m starting to wish I spent the extra $5, but that’s fine.  I really don’t care what color they are as long as they do the job I need them to do.

Of course I will update this post when I get the bib shorts with my findings of the fit and feel and the feel of the gel on my ergo bicycle seat.

To be continued…

I wanted to buy a shirt to go with the bib shorts, but couldn’t afford to spend any more at Nashbar.com.  We went to Sears to pay the bill and to buy a new scale and they had EverLast sport shirts on sale for $10 each.  They are the kind that wick to keep you dry, which is what I needed.  Here they are.  Red and black.

2 everlast shirts Red everlast logo

Brand Thunder Holiday Browser Theme Contest Results

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily Blog2 Comments

On November 29th 2011 I wrote a sponsored blog post for Izea’s Social Spark to advertise for Brand Thunder, which is a cool website where you can create browser themes for Internet Explorer and Firefox.  One of the requirements was that I create a holiday browser theme and enter in their contest to win an iPad2.

On December 17th 2011 I found out that my browser theme was good enough to be in the top 5 browser themes eligible to win an iPad2.  I asked for votes here on my blog, and on Facebook and Twitter.  I wasn’t as successful as the 3rd and 4th holiday browser themes because not enough people voted for me, so I lost.

Well, I didn’t really lose, I was still in the top 5 so I consider that to be successful enough.  Because I was in the top 5, I won a $25 gift card for Amazon.com, and tonight I bought a new webcam for my desktop.

The webcam that I have on my desktop is a Flexic@m which at one time was acceptable, but it’s such a horrible webcam that I no longer want to use it.  I would much rather have this Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 because it is HD 16:9 and it has a mic.  I would like to be able to call my aunts and friends with Skype, but I can’t because I don’t have a mic.  I can use the built-in webcam on my Chromebook, but it doesn’t do Skype.

I would also like to be able to do time-lapse videos to put on YouTube.  I have a time-lapse video of my Scooby Doo Chia Pet, which is not that great because of the horrible webcam.  Tonight I tried making a time-lapse video of my lava lamp, but the webcam is so horrible that you can’t see the beautiful colors of the lava. That was my motivation for choosing to buy a new webcam.

This webcam was only $24 and it was available for free shipping if I paid $25.  In order for me to get the free shipping, I had to buy something else, so I chose to buy a $5 4GB USB memory stick.  I needed a new memory stick anyway so this is perfect.  The USB memory stick I have now is only 1GB and it’s almost full, so I had planned on upgrading anyway. What I’d like to do is take all of my photos off of the 1GB stick, and put them on the 4GB stick.  I can use the 1GB stick for my book as a backup.

I wasn’t expecting to win the iPad2, and frankly I didn’t think my holiday browser theme was as good as the other ones, so I’m happy for the person who did win because they certainly deserved it.  Even though an iPad2 would have been cool, I’m happy to have a new webcam and USB memory stick.  So thank you Brand Thunder for the Amazon $25 gift card, I really do appreciate it.

*This post is not a paid advertisement for Izea‘s Social Spark or Brand Thunder.

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.

The Price of Tea

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

In my blog I talk about things that I find interesting or disturbing. My blog is more like a bad episode of Seinfeld. So… now I’m going to talk to you about the price of tea lol.

I went to the grocery store to buy some tea bags. I grew up on it and I like to make it as an alternative to soda. In my opinion it’s cheaper than anything else out there, all you need is a coffee maker, a tea jar and some sugar or sweetener. My mom used to brew it in the sun but I find it much faster to brew a pot of water in the coffee maker with the tea bags clamped on the coffee pot lid. I had an aunt who used to boil the water on the stove in a large saucepan then steep the teabags in the water then pour it into the jar. I like my way better.

I was a little confused about how much they charge for their teabags though because it didn’t make any sense. I was looking at the 100 count box which was $3.99. Ok that is a bit high but it’s not that bad I guess. But, I don’t need a big box, I just need enough to get by until Next week when I get some money. I looked at the box with 50 bags and it’s $3.49. What? It’s only .50¢ less? Well that’s not right. It’s half the bags, it should be half price right? $2! Then I looked over at the one that only had 25 tea bags and that one was $5.49 WHAT?!? How can it be possible? It has 1 quarter of the bigger box. How can it possibly be more? The box with 25 tea bags should cost $1 not $5.49.

Then I look and see all these boxes that only have like 10 tea bags and they cost more than the box of 100 bags. What is wrong with this picture? Why is tea so expensive when it’s in a smaller package? Why is this big box of 100 tea bags so cheap compared to the other ones? I don’t understand. And the box of 50 and 25 was the same exact brand and same exact flavor as the box of 100 bags.

Lipton, Lipton, Lipton, can we have a chat please? Is there something we can do to fix this? It just doesn’t make any sense what you are doing here. I just don’t see your logic in charging so much money for smaller packaging. It should be less but you charge more. Why? Is it because you are going broke? Is it because the packaging cost more than the tea itself? Maybe we can think of a cheaper way of packaging the tea bags then. I just can’t understand why you would charge so little for 100 bags but then jack up the price for the smaller boxes.

I’ve been a Lipton fan since I was a kid and I remember in my 20’s buying the smaller boxes of 25 bags and they were only $1.50 per box. I’m sure there was a mistake in pricing at the grocery store but it looked like it had the correct label so I don’t know. I just think that it’s a big waste of tea bags and packaging if nobody is going to buy the smaller boxes when they can get the bigger box so cheap. You know what I mean?

Ok, my tea bag rant is over lol. I’m stepping off my soap box now. Carry on.

Yes… that just happened.

Gay Teens Commit Suicide Thanks to Bullies

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gay RightsLeave a comment

It’s Time to End Teenage Bullying – via The Ellen Degeneres Show

I just heard the news that 5 teenagers have committed suicide in the past 3 weeks. These kids were bullied in school and/or outed on the internet as being gay. They just couldn’t take it anymore so they killed themselves.

I heard that one of the 13-year-old boys hung himself.  13 years old!  You cannot imagine how bad he must have been made to feel to hang himself.  I don’t know the circumstances or the way the other ones killed themselves but things have to be pretty bad to get to that point.

My heart truly goes out to the parents of these children as well as the children who are going through this.  You know, when I was their age I was this close (holds fingers close together) to doing the same thing.  It’s bad.  It really is and I know how they feel.

I would like for all parents out there to please sit down with their children and tell them that being a bully is such a waste of your teenage years.  Stop teaching your kids hatred and to be a bully and start teaching them that it doesn’t matter what color someone is, if they are fat, if they are gay or even the slightest bit different from them.  We are all human beings no matter what.  There is no reason to go around bullying anyone period!

I would also like to send a message out to all of the LGBT children out there.  I know first hand how bad it is for you.  I was a teenager once myself.  I endured the bullying for years but I had to keep telling myself that it’s going to be better someday.  It won’t last forever.  Just keep telling yourself that.  Ignore what the other kids say or what they call you because in 15-30 years they are going to have children and there is a 50/50 chance that their children are going to be gay and come out of the closet.  They will have to learn tolerance then.

Your life is too precious and valuable to do that.  Please, if you feel you need to talk to someone, use these resources that Ellen Degeneres has put on her website (link above).  They can help you in a way that even your parents and family can’t (or won’t).

I promise you, it will get better but you need to give life a chance and talk about it with someone.  Let them be your lifeline.

  • The Trevor Project at 866 4U TREVOR. It’s a 24-hour, national help line for gay and questioning teens. You can learn more about The Trevor Project at their website: thetrevorproject.org.
  • Angels and Doves is a nationwide anti-bullying non-profit organization.  Their website isAngelsandDoves.com
  • The National Center for Bullying Prevention is helping to promote awareness and teach effective ways to respond to bullying. You can learn more about them at their website:Pacer.org/bullying
  • The Matthew Shepard Foundation runs Matthew’s Place, an online community and resource center for LGBTQ youth. The website is matthewsplace.com
  • GLSEN is also a great organization that is working to eradicate bullying and bias in schools. Their website is: glsen.org
  • STOMP Out Bullying is focused on reducing bullying and cyber bullying. Find out more on their website: stompoutbullying.org

Suffering Side Effects

On By Michel McDonaldIn Doctor, HealthLeave a comment

Well I’ve already started to suffer some of the side effects from these medications that the neurologist gave me for my shoulder.

I’m taking Methylprednisolone 4MG Dospack 21’s which is this pack that has all the pills that you pop out the back.  The first day is at the top and you have to take 6 pills in 1 day.  2 before breakfast, 1 after lunch and supper (I guess that drug company has never heard of dinner) and 2 at bedtime.  Then day 2 you take 5 pills at various times throughout the day.  Day 3 4 pills and so on until day 6 you are just taking 1 pill.  This one is the steroid drug.

Then the other one is Baclofen 10MG tablets that I have to take 3 times a day so like every 8 hours.  That is a muscle relaxant drug.

I read the possible side effects for both of them and some of them are similar.  The muscle relaxant doesn’t have nearly as many side effects as the steroid but I’m getting quite a bit.

1 of them isn’t even listed and I’m not going to air that dirty laundry in here but believe me, it’s painful to sit down hint hint wink wink.  The other ones are that my teeth don’t feel like they belong in my mouth lol.  They just feel strange like the dentist shot something in there to numb them.  Also I’ve got major joint aches and pains especially in my legs at the hips and well just everywhere in my legs.

Let’s see, I can’t sit, I can’t stand and my teeth don’t feel like they belong in my mouth lol.  What else can go wrong?  Oh shoot, I just jinxed myself by saying that.  One of the other side effects are that I’m hungry more which happened today, I got extra hungry, I had 2 sandwiches for lunch, not just bread but these really big rolls with 3 slices of turkey each and lettuce and mayo.  Oh and we went to Hometown Buffet and I stuffed myself silly and one of the other side effects is weight gain which I guarantee you tomorrow I will see that side effect come into place thanks to the hometown buffet but we’re just gonna say it’s a side effect from the pills ok?

UGH and my shoulders are experiencing joint pain too.  Ok, I think I need to lay down because I’m becoming too fragile to be sitting here typing.  One of my fingers might fall off and we don’t want that.

Recycling Numbers

On By Michel McDonaldIn GreenLeave a comment

Today we went to turn in our plastic to recycle and found out that different plastic containers have different numbers and they cannot all be recycled together.  See I never knew that.  I found this website that shows you what the difference is.

What do those recycling numbers mean?

I had all these different types of plastics.  I had clear soda bottles, milk cartons, yogurt containers etc. and they had to separate the clear bottles with the rest.  The clear soda bottles had the 1 on the bottom inside that little recycle symbol.  Those get you more money than the other ones which were 2 and up.

We had basically half number 1 and the rest were 2-6.  When the guy gave us the receipt it showed us how much each plastic cost.  The plastic with the 1 was a lot more than the rest.  I think it was $7 something for all the number 1’s but all the rest we got like .45 cents and that’s it and it was half  number 1 and the other half was all the rest and that rest was less money.  So basically it’s not even worth recycling the rest.

They basically told us that it’s a waste of time to save anything but the number 1 plastic as well as even paper.  The reason I am recycling isn’t for the money although it helps in today’s economy but also because those Brita commercials where they say like 30 minutes on a treadmill, forever in a landfill.  Those make me feel guilty for buying anything that comes in plastic or anything lol.  But, you know if they are so concerned with it then they will have a machine that goes through the trash cherry picking all the certain types of plastics and paper etc.  Darrin told me that he read in the newspaper that there is like a mountain of recycled paper that they are having trouble getting rid of, that’s why paper is so cheap to recycle.  That’s probably also why the plastic that isn’t number 1 is cheap.

I’m not saying to not recycle because the CRV items like the soda bottles/water bottles and soda/beer cans give you a lot more money but I’m certainly not going to waste our patio space recycling milk cartons and yogurt containers and other plastics anymore.  I’m going to find out about steel cans too before I waste any more time with those.  I want to save the planet but at the same time if they don’t want to recycle certain things then it’s out of my hands.  I can only do so much by using the cloth grocery bags and recycling plastic and aluminum.