Pocket First Aid Kit

I was derpin' around today and I'm not sure why, but the idea of making a minimalist pocket first aid kit came to mind.  Off to Google and YouTube for some research.  YouTube wasn't much help other than looking at people's EDCs.  Google didn't offer much either - mostly just retail stuff.  So I decided to just wing it.

I like having thing around in case of emergencies - I think I could live out of my car for quite some time (dehydrated food, Jetboil stove, gallons of water, towel, toiletries, etc.).  I have a small first aid kit in my backpack for school, car, and home.  But I don't have one that is always on my person at all times.  This is where my new kit comes in.  Best part?  Everything's kept in a slim business card case that I had laying around.

Here I have (top to bottom, left to right):

(1) packet of 2ct Advil

(1) single use "packet" of bacitricin - made by way of Mr. Brian

(2) floss picks & (1) interdental brush inside the small zip bag

(1) moist wipe

(2) alcohol wipes

(1) slim metal business card case

(2) standard size fabric bandages

(2) Loratadine ("Claritin")

(1) G.I. Joe Search and Rescue business card (w/ emergency contacts)

Like I said, this is a completely minimalist kit that is for my personal use.  I often get headaches, which is where the Advil comes along.  The Loratadine is for my allergies.  The floss and brush is there in the case that I get food stuck in my teeth.  The rest are for small cuts that seem to always happen when I'm out with friends.  The bacitricin packet cannot be opened by hand, but I always carry a small knife with me as an EDC item.

I already do keep 1 tab of Loratadine, 1 alcohol pad, and 1 standard sized bandage in my wallet.  But I just thought it'd be nice to have an extra set in the case that those don't suffice.

And this is how it looks like all packed together.  Everything fits perfectly and all items are easy to see and access.  The card case itself does not have any troubles closing since there are not enough items in there for it to bulge.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this little case.  :)  These items are just right for a minor incident while I'm out and is slim enough to slip even into the tightest of girl pockets (you KNOW those things are not very practical!).  And since it's nice and metal, I'm not worried about the container breaking or anything like that.

One of the reasons why I had opted for these contents is that the promotional first aid kits given out have more or less the same basic things.  After doing a quick comparison, I found that on average, those tradeshow giveaways only consist of 4 bandages (usually standard sized), 3 alcohol pads, 1 packet of aspirin (or sometimes non-aspirin aspirin) or ibuprofen, and one packet of antibiotic ointment of some sort.  I figured if those items were good enough for giveaways, then by golly, that would be good enough for my minimalist kit.

Bic Cristal 1.6mm Review

So I've never been one for ballpoints unless I was using either a Zebra 301 or Pentel R.S.V.P...  I'd always found ballpoints to be too ... "skittish."  They skip, their ink runs dry for no apparent reason, it involves too much pressure, there aren't too many ink color choices, my hand cramps too easily... all of these factors have lead me to use primarily fountain pens and occasionally rollerballs and gels.

However, after one of the members from FPN posted a thread in praises of a $0.10 ballpoint, I was intrigued.  The pen is the Bic Cristal in the 1.6mm thickness.

While at my local Wally World, I happened upon this pack of 10, featuring 8 assorted colors.  Curiously, I decided to pick up a pack considering the price stands at $0.97 per pack of 10, and with all of the colors, I figured somebody I knew would have fun with the assortment if I didn't want them.

When I got home, I immediately opened up the package and drew squiggles.

I.  AM.  AMAZED.

The lines are consistent and quite possibly the smoothest ballpoint I've used to date.  This actually knocks the R.S.V.P. out of the park!  It rivals the smoothness of gels, even.  And of course, the assortment of colors is fun to have on hand and I'm sure to be of great use during the semester.  I'm glad that the fellow FPN member drew my curiosity enough to pull away from my comfort zone and purchase a pack of ballpoints.  Bic company, I now have more respect for your pens.

UPDATE (20 February 2012):
A couple of weeks ago, the Sunday paper had $1.00/1 coupons for any one Bic stationery items.  I stocked up on these and some Wite Out since they're $0.97 and $1.00 each, respectively, making them free after coupon.  :)  I'm quite happy with them.

Like I had mentioned before, I got these pens at my local Wal-Mart.  But they go VERY quickly.  If you want these pens, you really have to keep your eye out on their website and check every few days for their stock status.  I had gotten 20 of these aforementioned coupons, but the first time I went to my store, they only had 10 packages of these pens.  Not wanting to clear the shelves, I took half and left the other half for other customers.  When I got home and checked online, they were out of stock.  15 more coupons to use.

The next day, it was still out of stock.  I got a little "worried" because I didn't want these coupons to go to waste since they were expiring the following week.  The day after, I checked again and they were back in stock.  I grabbed what they had (another 10) and continued to keep my eye out for stock at all of the local Wal-Marts.  These fly really fast.  So if you haven't had luck getting these pens, check the Wal-Mart.com stock thing and head out to grab them as soon as you can.

Notebooks - of the paper kind

Spring semester is coming up soon, which means ink up the fountain pens and get them notebooks ready!  However, I'm finding a hard time looking for notebooks online - the search term always brings up the notebooks of the electronic type.  Sad face.  :(

Two semesters ago, I used Cornell notes with grids printed on the backside of recycled paper.  It worked fine but it became a hassle to punch and put into their respective folders and rings (for the Rollabind ones). This year semester, I got a leg-up and have already gotten the pages printed and put into notebooks ahead of time for each course I'm taking.  :)  That should work out fine.

As for my journals, my pocket Moleskine has been filled up.  That one will be going into the bonfire for Joe, seeing as how it was a journal I'd kept for specifically for him after he'd passed away.  As much as I liked my graph ruled Moleskine, it proved to be too costly for my budget (~$10.00).  I'd then switched to the Markings brand I'd gotten from Staples ($3.00 - $4.00 on sale, $6.00 otherwise).  It was nice in that it was Moleskine-eque, with the back pocket and elastic band and all, but it's a little too bulky.  Or their covers, too gaudy (the patent leather is just weird).  Some of them are nice, I'll admit.  But their quality is a bit of hit and miss.

HOWEVER.  On a recent trip to Office Depot, I spied these little gems:

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be almost an exact duplicate of the Moleskine brand.  I love the thin hard covers, similar to that of the Moleskine (bleh @ Markings' bulky ones!).  They also had the soft covers available in a variety of colors.  And the best part?  The $3.99 price is their regular price~!  No more having to wait for sales and such.  I hadn't yet picked one up, but I'm hoping that the paper is decent and that there is enough of a demand that they can continue to have these in stock.  You just can't beat that price and that classic notebook look.  :)

2011, 2012, and a Dollar Tree Haul :)

2011 came and went fairly quickly.  I'm just glad that I've friends by my side no matter what.  G.I. Joe Search and Rescue has been growing steadily and is only going to grow bigger and stronger in 2012.  The new year weekend itself passed by just as any other day - it just didn't feel like anything special this time around.

One of my 2012 projects is to record acts of kindness that I've "committed" each and every day.  Anything from small acts such as picking up trash when I'm out and about to paying for someone's purchases.  It's coming along just fine and I'm quite happy with it.  :)  Why I'm documenting it, I'm not sure.  I guess it's to keep me aware of my actions each day.  :)

And today's Dollar Tree haul:  (more items than usual since I wasn't by myself this time)

From top to bottom, left to right, we've got:  2 boxes of 6-count soft pretzels, 2 boxes of clam strips, jalapeno cheese slices, a 12-pack of legit As Seen On TV cap-to-bottle conversion things, 2 packs of 4-count Dannon yogurts, Mr. Moo cheese spread, bag of Veggie Sticks, bag of Bugles, Tony's french bread pizza, and a 3-pack of super glue.  Not shown is a 4-quart water container 'cause I'd forgotten it outside during the time the picture was taken...

Honorable mention goes to:

The Bottle Top.  I was just surprised that it's a 12-pack and that it's a legit As Seen On TV item.  They'd also had plenty of Jupiter Jacks.

I was even more impressed by the packaging.  The backside has got perforations running along it so that you don't have to deal with scissors and those darned clamshell packaging.  Just pull the tab and you're good to go.  :)

The Dannon yogurt!  Priced at $0.50 per 4-pack, it was quite a steal.  But that's only because the expiration date is in 2 days and our family goes through yogurt like there's no tomorrow.  :)

It was a good haul today and the household is happy with the purchases.  The super glue is great too.  At first I was a little iffy because I wasn't sure if it was the same... quality as the super glue you'd find in other stores (I was at Home Depot prior).  But it works perfectly fine and at $1.00 for a 3-pack, I'm quite happy.  I just used it to fix the case on my phone and now it's good as new, if not better. :D