Tag: shipping

Video Professor Free?

On By Michel McDonaldIn ScamsLeave a comment

I see these commercials all the time for Video Professor where the “chairman” talks about how he gives away his lessons on CD for free.  Well, I hate to disillusion anybody but it ain’t free.

I ordered my “free” lesson and when it finally came in the mail I saw the fine print.  It’s free for a certain amount of time.  After that specific time is up they automatically charge your credit card $70.

I got the Frontpage lessons because I thought I was getting it for free for the cost of shipping.  I saw the warning and immediately called the number and told them I am sending it back the next day as soon as I wake up lol.  There is no way I am rich enough to be able to afford $70 for lessons for a program that I’ve been using since 1997 that I am clearly able to use without any of their lessons.  I just thought that they would be able to tell me something I didn’t know but every lesson in there was something I am aware of lol.

It would be one thing if they charged $20 plus shipping for a lesson, that’s at least reasonable but $70 that’s a bit much.  Is it false advertising that they say it’s free then you find out it’s $70?  I think it is.

Ok I have to admit something.  This happened like 2 years ago lol.  I just saw the commercial and it jogged my memory and so I thought I would blog about it lol.

Weider Total Body Works 5000

On By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

I bought this home gym from the Wal-Mart website a couple of years ago called the Weider Total Body Works 5000 and at the time it was $99.  I forgot how much the shipping was though.  But I just went to do a search on that particular brand that I have to see if there was any new information such as blogs or instructional videos or whatever to give me more of an insight into this gym which houses more dust and spider webs that it should and I find that they dramatically raised the price to $174.  It looks like I bought it just in the nick of time.

My friend Sue calls it my Weider Total Towel Rack 5000 lol.  My aunt Betty has a treadmill in her living room and when I was there the last time it was folded it and it actually did have towels hanging on it lol.  I had to joke with her about that.

Solution To My Back Problems

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

I’ve been thinking that maybe the solution to my bike seat problem might be easier.  When I was 17 I had a beach cruiser bicycle.  The seat was fat in the back and the horn was very small.  It’s handlebars were long enough that I could sit up while riding so I never had any back issues.

My bike is a mountain bike.  I only bought a “mountain bike” because of the price.  I bought it at Wal•mart for $60.  I really wanted a beach cruiser but they were too expensive at the time and same with the 10 speed road bikes.  The mountain bike was my only cheap alternative.

I’ve already changed out most of the bike and it’s mainly just the frame that is the same so why not just take the handlebar off and put a new one on lol.  When I get my next check I plan on buying one of these:

beachcruiserbar

It’s long enough that I won’t have to bend even a little bit to reach and I can sit up fully while riding.  As long as my seat is in the right position I won’t feel like I’m falling forward as long as I have some longer handlebars.

This handlebar is $10 plus $5 shipping from NYCBikes.com which is not bad at all.  However, I’m not sure if I want to wait for it to ship to me.  I mean, we have a bike store in town (they don’t have a website :() so I’m going to check with them first.  Hopefully they will have a black one so I don’t have to spray paint it lol.

I will probably have to wait another week or so before I can ride my bike again so by the time I get this I will be healed up again hopefully and I can resume my 4:30am bike rides.  I can also add more crap to my seat lol.

Oh the only issue I can see with this is that the brakes won’t be long enough to reach to the end of the handlebars but that’s ok, I’m sure that when I need them I will be able to reach for them.  Or maybe they will be long enough to get close to the end of the handlebars.

But you know what?  Maybe I’m going at this all wrong.  Beach Cruiser bikes are probably not that expensive at Wal-Mart.  The last time we were there they were $60 so maybe I should just get a new bike.  Beach Cruiser bikes don’t have hand brakes.  All you do is peddle backwards and you stop lol.  They don’t even have gears which might make it a bit easier.  I’ll think about it.

Bike Seat Issues

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike1 Comment

Lately I’ve been coming home from my 2 hour bicycle ride numb in an area that would normally make me blush to mention.  I know that it’s my seat that is causing the problem because of the “nose” of the seat (yes, my crotch sits on a nose for 2 hours lol).

I have one of those gel cushions for my seat because the seat (they call them “saddles”) is really hard and I refuse to sit on a seat that hard with my body weight.  I can’t recall how much the gel seat cost me, maybe it was about $10 I’m sure, I bought it from Nashbar and that is how much they charge for them.  I’ve been using that all this time, last year for a couple of months and now this year for a couple of months.

It hasn’t bothered me before but lately I’ve come home from my bike ride and go to use the restroom and notice I can’t feel anything in my appendage (giggle I said appendage).

So I decided that it’s time to find out what’s going on and what to do about it.  Apparently it is a common thing for men who sit on a bicycle for hours and hours.  It can cause temporary impotence (YIKES!) in men and it may also probably lead to serious problems in the future because you are pressing down on your arteries and your colon so you can expect problems.

There is a solution and it is a new type of seat which has no nose, instead your butt takes all of the impact.  Here is a picture:

large_seat_b

This seat is going to cost me $63 plus shipping of course because it’s coming from Canada.  It is called Spongy Wonder and frankly I can’t wait to get it.  It is going to relieve a lot of my issues and I won’t have to keep standing on my peddles during my ride to relieve myself down there all the time.  They have an optional seat cover for an additional $16 which I will not be able to buy right away but perhaps in August I can buy that.  I’m going to have to wait until July to buy this seat because I am flat broke right now but there’s only 2 more weeks until I get more money so I can wait 2 weeks.

Other models I have seen cost around $79 and up and this is just the right price.  The cheaper the better.  Well, cheap in price but hopefully the same good quality you know?  I’m probably going to be bashed for buying outside of the US during our bad economy but I really don’t care because I need something that I can afford and I really need this now because it is becoming a medical issue.  I will be looking at other websites, after all, I do have 2 weeks to decide before I place my order.  If I do find another place that is US-based then I will choose that and of course you know I will be making a post about it lol.

Update: I am looking at the 2 other noseless seats and the one that is $79 is also from a Canadian websiteTesco-Shopping and it looks exactly like the $63 one.  Then there is the Spiderflex which is $110 plus $12 shipping so I definitely will not be buying from them.  I don’t know if they are in Canada or not, they aren’t releasing that information but they ship there and to Europe but in their shipping page they do show a map of the US showing delivery times lol.  I’m pretty sure that these 3 companies are the only ones who are selling these seats but I will keep looking.  I’m willing to pay $63 because it is a small price to pay to prevent colon problems and/or impotence lol.

I found it! Bicycle Seats | Ergo Seats this is perfect.  It’s basically the same as my regular seat but without the nose so it’s basically a half seat.  The positive of this is the price.  It’s the right price for me at $30 – $50 plus $30 for a sheepskin cover (optional).  I’m thinking maybe I can get the seat in July then the sheepskin cover in August.  That is if the seat is really that hard that I need to buy the sheepskin cover.  This is the perfect seat.  Check out the link for pictures.  Oh and by the way, this website is in Washington State!

ChessMaster Game for PSP

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, PSPLeave a comment

I bought this game yesterday but only did the tutorial which was more of a lesson, telling you how each piece moves.  It was a lot to take in all at once.  Today I tried a practice game but I was stumped.  I didn’t really know what to do.  If you press the button with the square on it then it gives you a hint to show you where to go.  I kept losing so I started using the hints and I would’ve never even thought to do the moves that it was suggesting and after about 15 minutes I still lost lol.

Chess really is a game that you need a giant brain to play.  I don’t know how the people on Big Brother are able to wrap their brain around it because some of them aren’t very bright lol.  Apparently they are smarter than I am lol.  Unless they are just winging it to pass the time.  That’s my guess.

The whole reason I’ve been wanting to buy this game was so I could learn so I would have a reason to build that gothic chess set but I do realize that it would cost me at least $300 to build it.  It’s not really that worth it lol.  Oh well.

Edit: I calculated the cost of all the molds for making this gothic chess set.  It’s $199 just for the molds.  Then the chess pieces total to $57.42 and the pawns are $54.96.  Total for all of that is $311.38.  That doesn’t even include shipping and the expensive cement that you mix to pour into the molds, the glue and the paint.  I bet you are looking at probably over $400 to make the gothic chess set.  LOL Way too much money.  You have to be really dedicated to chess to want to make this.

eBookwise

On By Michel McDonaldIn eBook, Kindle, Products I LikeLeave a comment

I went to eBay to find how much the Kindle 1 cost used and it’s not that much cheaper.  I did find this though. eBookwise 1150 Reading Device for $135.95 +$10 shipping.  It has a sad 64mb of internal memory but you can add more with SmartMedia Memory Cards, up to 128MB.

Go ahead and read their website from that link above.  I’m thinking that if I am able to save the money for the Kindle 3 by the time it comes out and I still can’t buy it or it still doesn’t have the features I want then to heck with it, I’ll just buy this one.  Or I might just save up for eBookwise e-reader to use as a test e-reader and use it until the kindle goes down in price.  There is no sense in spending money I can’t afford to spend on something I probably won’t be able to use that often.  And if I bought books on this new one I’m almost positive I can transfer them over to Kindle if I do decide to get one of those.  Then I can give the eBookwise to Darrin.

Hehe I’m always giving him my hand me down electronics.

Dell DJ Battery a No Go

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, MusicLeave a comment

Well, I got an email from that website about their Dell DJ battery and the one they sell is definitely for Gen 1 DJ’s and that will not work on a Gen 2 DJ.  They said that people have bought it in the past and found it did not work and had to return it and pay a restocking fee.  This sucks.

They told me to go to 2 websites pdaparts.com or pdasmart.com.  The first website didn’t have anything for Dell.  They had lots of batteries that looked like mine but they were specifically for iPods.  The 2nd website has a battery but it doesn’t specific generations.  It just says “DELL Digital Jukebox, DELL Digital Jukebox DJ, DELL Digital Jukebox Series”.  I emailed them asking if it will work on a 2nd Gen so I have to wait for their email.

The thing that really  bites here is that the battery from this other site batteryship.com is that they were only charging $25 for a battery plus shipping which was like $7.50 or something and it would’ve been more economical to buy 2 because they offer a 10% discount for the purchase of 2 or more.  So because their battery won’t work for me I have to go to pdasmart.com and that battery is a whopping $48.

It just occurred to me to check via part number and came up with 1 thing on eBay.  Someone is selling the exact battery I need and the starting bid is .99 cents and there are no bids.  I’m tempted to bid $30.  The auction ends the day before I get my check.  The only thing is if I buy it on eBay I have no warranty and no guarantee that it will actually work and not die within a couple of months.

Chips Birthday

On By Michel McDonaldIn BirthdaysLeave a comment

YAY Today is Chips birthday.  He turns 29 (hehe).  I don’t think he cares about his age but I’m just gonna leave it at 29.  Anybody who knows us knows the truth.  I gave him his present early and now I feel really bad that I did that but he wouldn’t stop shaking the box and it was glass with liquid inside it.  I don’t know if he broke one of them or if it came that way in shipping but one of them is broken.  When it’s your birthday and someone buys you something and says DON’T SHAKE IT!  You don’t shake it dammit.  Listen when you are told lol.  Sheesh.

You know those Galileo thermometers?  It’s like this tube with liquid and inside the liquid are these balls with liquid and each of the balls are a different color and the bottoms of the balls have like these little aluminum tags which have a temperature on them.  When it is cold the balls go up, when it’s hot the balls go down or vice versa I don’t know, and when it’s a nice temperature like in the 80’s 2 balls are up and 2 balls are down at the bottom.  Well, since one of the balls got broken and it had pink liquid inside it, the main tube water has a little pink inside it now instead of clear water and so it doesn’t give an accurate reading.  Instead all the balls are all the way up while the other one has 2 on top and 2 on bottom.  I decided to just keep the broken one in my room for decoration rather than function.

So I really feel bad that I gave it to him early and now he has no presents to open.  When I get some money I’m gonna buy him a lava lamp.  I love lava lamps and I think it would be really cool to look at in the living room near his TV.  This website has them for a reasonable price Cheap DJ Gear.  I don’t know what color I’m going to get him though.  Since they are fairly inexpensive I think I’m going to buy 2 of them because I love lava lamps.  My parents had one when I was a kid and I just loved watching it.  I’m going to have to find out which color he prefers.  The color doesn’t matter to me.  Although I wouldn’t mind red.  I love black but a black lava lamp just doesn’t appeal to me.

Dell DJ Battery Replacement

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

Darrin bought me a Dell DJ for Christmas 2004 and during 2005 I was listening to it all the time everyday, on the way to the gym or sitting at my desk or even while doing the dishes.  I was always listening to it.  But over time the battery would die sooner than it was supposed to.  Sometimes it would even freeze up and I had to just wait for it to start playing again.  I couldn’t turn it off or do anything.  I just had to wait for it.

The battery is supposed to last like 5 or 6 hours or something and over time the amount of time it actually played kept going down until eventually it only played for half hour.  Now when I unplug it, it just dies immediately and gives me a screen saying the battery is low.

I’ve treated that Dell DJ like a baby by never dropping it or losing it.  I’m a good nerd, I respect my electronics enough that I don’t get them broken or stolen.

I’ve called Dell that first year when the battery started dying and they wouldn’t help me even with my warranty.  I was too late in renewing my warranty and so when I called for help they said sorry you don’t have the right warranty for this.  I was like dude, I have a $318 paper weight now.  Thanks a lot.  They were like I know, I can understand how frustrating you are but we can’t help you.  I was like well can I just buy a new battery and ship it to you to replace it and they said yeah for like $75 or something like that.  I’ve never had the money to do that.

Every once in a while I do a search on the net for Dell DJ Batteries and I found a website that has them for $24.95 + shipping and it has the tools to do it yourself.  It says it takes a few min but a testimonial says 10 min.  I don’t care, I just want a new battery and $25 is not a bad deal.  I will have to wait until I get some money because I’m tapped lol.

Craft-Lite Cutter

On By Michel McDonaldIn crafts, Products I LikeLeave a comment

I bought this Craft-Lite Cutter from Publishers Clearing House some time in December. Yeah I know I could buy it at Walgreens and save money on shipping but I was trying to get good credit with PCH so hopefully some day I might win. I will be in shock if I ever do win.

But anyway, I ordered it in December with the mail in things they send me which by the way I stopped sending in because of that one thing that I never got. Well, I finally got it today in the mail. I do like it, it takes 3 AA batteries but since i have a solar charger it powers it up so no need for batteries. Sorry battery industry. I’m not going to waste good money buying batteries to cut paper lol. I’d rather the sun took care of that job for me.