Best RAOK Ever! (016/365)

I think this was the most fun I had doing an RAOK/semi-surprise package for anyone.  The lucky member over at EDCF, is the recipient of this fantastic lot of awesomeness.  (Minus the green Pelikano Jr... that's MINE!)  hahahah  It's just to show that we're twinsies!

Anywho, included in this package is:

• purple pencil box (haha just 'cause!)
• Pelikan Pelikano Jr., A nib, blue
• Pelikan ink cartridges, purple
• Hero 616 Doctor, F nib, black
• Bic disposable, M (?) nib, black, black ink
• Pilot Varsity, M nib, black, purple ink
• Platinum Preppy, 03 (fine) nib, "demonstrator (clear)"/purple, purple ink

I hope you have fun, little munchkin!  :)

Why's this the best RAOK ever?  How often do you actually get to buy and gift items that you love?  My own close friends have never shown an interest in fountain pens.  I have a passion for it.  It was nice to not only help someone get started, but also pass on what limited knowledge I have for this passion on to someone else.  :)  What fun!

Best wishes, all.  :)

Labels! / Tin o' Stuff (015/365)

Whoo!  I got a new embosser not too long ago.  I got my very first label maker at the age of 11.  It was a small Dymo that cost about $6.00.  I like it was called the Label Buddy?  I absolutely loved it, but when I got into high school, I lent it to my friend, who unfortunately broke it.  It was the perfect size and everything.  Since then, the embossers were a little hard to come by since Dymo, Brother, and other companies dabbled into the print type. Dymo still does make the little gun looking ones, but they are much larger than I would like.

Fast forward years later to 2012.  Smashbook, that one company that changed the face of the scrapbooking world, introduced this little guy (in purple, at that!).  I found it at Michaels and it retails for about $10.00.  I had a coupon, so it brought it down to just about $6.00.  I've been labeling just about anything that I could ever since!  This works out perfectly because as far as I know, it takes my old Dymo cartridges.  I picked up a bunch of them when they went on clearance years ago for about $0.30 per pack of 5 (much better than the current retail price of these!).  Yes.  I really love labeling my items.

It works perfectly fine and is absolutely tiny, but I wish that they designed it like the Label Buddy in that there was actually a place for the embossing tape cartridge to sit in.  This one just has it sitting off to the side and half the time it unrolls itself.  I tried latching it on, but it just messed up my labels since the tape couldn't roll out properly.  Oh well!  It works!  :)

Hmm... I wonder if they still make the Bubble Tape embosser!  I'll have to keep my eye out for that.  :P  I find it now and again in the candy stores that sell a lot of those novelty type candies.

As for the Tin o' Stuff...  Just giving an update that it's suffered a few dings since it was residing in my Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon, which I was sporting throughout the skating accident on Sunday.  It's only got some dings on the lid, but it still closes perfectly fine.  :)  Yay for hard love!  :)

Pilot Prera (014/365)

I came home from school to find this Pilot Prera waiting for me.  :)  I got the Slate Gray with fine nib.  It's currently filled with Noodler's Bad Blue Heron.  I think I'll switch out the ink for Lamy Blue-Black or something.  The Bad Blue Heron isn't as dark as I like it in this nib - looks great in my OHTO F.I.N.E. though!  Maybe I'll try Private Reserve Chocolat in it as well.  If all else fails, Noodler's Heart of Darkness!  :)

This is to date, my most expensive pen (as far as I know; I've gotten some pretty nice ones as gifts in the past).  It's definitely worth it, as I've always fancied having an Eastern Fine nib and have eyed this Prera for a couple years now.  Perhaps one day, I'll have that Namiki Vanishing Point in my hand, either in Raden or Black Carbonesque.

So far, so good!  After inking it up and trying it out, it's definitely a smooth writer.  Though I've only had it a few hours, there hasn't been any startup problems whatsoever.  The fine nib allows me to write on both sides of the paper with no bleed through, even on cheap paper.  My writing's actually much more legible now that I have a thin nib to match my tiny writing.

I look forward to using this pen throughout my grad school years.  It's definitely going to be great for notetaking, given its light weight, good balance (whether or not posted), and great ink flow.  I think the ink capacity is good enough for daily use.

This will definitely be in my EDC rotation.  :)

New Watch! (013/365)

I finally got a new watch after... 6 or so years!  :)  I got this inexpensive little Casio from Wally World ($15.00) after thinking that my 6 year old Grenen/Skagen was broken after my little skateboarding accident a couple days ago.  It turns out that the Skagen was only chipped a little bit on the edges of the glass face (from 12 'o clock to 2 'o clock)... and very bloody.  But it's still alive and ticking!  Whoo!

:)  Oh well.  As much as I love that watch, it was a nice excuse to get a new one.  :)  I kinda want to eventually have a small handful of inexpensive watches so that I can accessorize.  :D

I find it extremely hilarious that I have to adjust the watch to the smallest hole to get it to fit.  :P

First Day of School! (012/365)

This was mine and Blurple's first day at school on the new campus.  :)  It was a great day!  I'm very excited for my classes this semester and can't wait to get crackin'.  One of my teachers is extremely down to earth and hilarious.  The other is a little strict, but that's alright, since it'll force me to really build up my fundamentals in Criminal Justice.  :)

Ouch! (011/365)

Looks like I've got no EDC photo today, which kind of defeats the purpose of this thread.  Oh well.

Today was supposed to be the picnic social for G.I. Joe Search and Rescue.  Instead, I ended up with stitches, a sprained hand, and a slight concussion.

Before the picnic even started, I was skating around at the park where it was held.  I came down an hill that was much more inclined than I'd thought it was.  Because the trucks on my skateboard was so loose, I did the "wobble of death" and totally ate it.  I sat up only to find blood dripping down my forehead.  Luckily, Sis was right there and helped me clean up while Pat called for the paramedics.

I ended up with a gash about 1.5" across and got stitches to fix that up.  The other injuries were a sprained left hand (which, they said would take about a year to get 100% mobility), and a bunch of scratches.  I have some fairly large scratches on the left side of my face.  I feel kind of like The Phantom.

Here's a picture of my hospital food, though.  :)

Minimal Carry (010/365)

Today's minimalist carry includes:

• Benchmade Custom Mini Griptilian
• Keys
• Maxpedition Micro wallet
• Zebra F-701 pen (carried IWB!)
• bandana
• Motorola Atrix (not shown; it was taking the picture)

:)  I also had my new mug with me in the car today.

Sanitizer Leash/Germ Grenade (009/365)

:)  I keep one of these on each of my bags.  It's just a very quick and easy cobra stitch around the front and back of the bottle with a split ring at the bottom.  Usually I gut them, but I decided to keep this one intact.

One of these 2 ounce bottles (from Dollar Tree) uses up just a tad over 5 feet of cordage.  I like these particular bottles because the top portion is more square, which means that the cord won't slip off the "shoulders."  I've yet to be able to actually do the ITSTactical way of making the Germ Grenade, as I've never been able to make the side lashings look nice.  That's quite alright as this method takes up less cord and if done tightly enough, it takes some effort to slide it off.  After a dunk in the water, the cord will shrink and it'll be fine.

School Carry for Fall 2012 (008/365)

Whoo!  I finally got around to packing up my stuff for school.  There isn't much, and there definitely isn't anything new other than the backpack and books.

All housed within the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II, I've got:

• First Aid Kit (details here)
• academic planner
• textbooks, x2
• Maxpedition Micro wallet w/ ID, license, CC, some cash
• Tin 'o Stuff (details here)
• Rayovac backup battery + USB cable
• backup set of pens/pencil/eraser (Pentel RSVP in 5 colors, Zebra M-301 in 0.5mm, generic stick eraser, G.I. Joe SAR ballpoint)

Pencil Pouch (No Boundaries, canvas):  <-- This sits in one of the side bottle holders.  :)

• mini tape dispenser (inside Altoids Smalls tin)
• paper clips, rubber bands, binder clips, binder rings (inside Altoids Smalls tin #2)
• highlighter
• Sharpies, x2 (purple + black)
• G.I. Joe SAR ballpoint pen
• Zebra M-301 pencil w/ purple grip
• mini Swingline stapler w/ extra staples in the storage compartment
• 6" metal Wescott ruler
• BIC 4-color ballpoint**
• Pentel Hi-Polymer eraser (black)
• Pentel Super 0.5 mm lead (HB or 4B) 
• Pilot Frixion (purple, 0.7 mm)

Not shown:

• lunch sack
• Camelbak Better Bottle (16.9 ounces)
• bandana/hankie
• fountain pens (since they change from day to day)
• notebook (too lazy to pull them out right now), x2 
• snacks
• hand sanitizer

On my person (also not shown):

• keys
• phone (Motorola Atrix)
• knife (most likely the custom Benchmade Mini Griptilian, but things will be rotated)
• watch (Grenan/Skagen or cheap Casio Illuminator)
• notepad/"fauxlant"

** I'll be switching out this BIC for a customized Hi-Tec Coleto.

Lamy Vista (007/365)

haha  This Vista has been in my possession since 2008.  I got it just after graduating high school.  I actually had another Vista prior to this with an EF nib, but somebody at work stole it.  :(  Sadness.  A couple weeks after, I got this one for graduation (F nib).

It's true that these nibs run wider than others, but it's alright.  I have tiny writing, so my preference would be an EF or F eastern nib.  This one's fun for when I'm writing a quick postcard/note to somebody.  It glides over the paper and because it's clear, it's fun to watch your ink swoosh around.

This Vista is currently inked with Private Reserve Chocolat.  :D

Though this has a wider nib than I'd prefer, it still always ends up in my rotation no matter what.  :)

Salvaged MREs! (006/365)

Someone at PD was going to toss these out at PD today!  I ended up salvaging them for myself.  I think they tossed it out 'cause the manufacture date reads 2007 and most of those people only keep 'em around for 5 years.

After seeing these, Mom wanted the family to make BOBs.  I never knew that my mom thought about this sort of stuff.  As far as I knew, I was the only one in the family to have emergency kits and such around the house and in my car.  Prior to recent events (the larger scale earthquakes and power outages), I was never able to successfully convince my family to have anything more than a first aid kit in the car.

Time to whip up a "wish list" of sorts!

Googly Eyes! (005/365)

Dang!  Googly eyes makes everything more fun.  :)  Blurple looks like a shark.  Teehee!  :P

How is this related to EDC?  Well... for one, my EDC items are in the pictures.  ;)  Secondly, I'll be bringing along some googly eyes in an Altoids Smalls tin along with sticky tack** so that I could take pictures of random things I've googlified.  :D  Perhaps that'll be another project if I can keep up with it.

"You've been googlied!"

** I chose to use sticky tack because it's reusable and won't damage anything I put it on.  Great stuff!

EDC Losses (004/365)

I see now why the members over at EDCF always forewarned me about these Nite-Ize Key Racks.  :(  Today after work, I looked down at my key rack only to find that one of the clips fell off.  No biggie, right?  Except that attached to that little s-biner was my TEC Glow Fob and my Pico Widgy bar, both of which were gifts.  :(

A sad day for the EDC world.

I am, however, glad that it wasn't any of my important keys...  But still, ya know?

Power of Tower (003/365)

Here's Blurple, posing with Tower's birthday shirt, counting down the minutes until we meet Tower for the first time.

It's been a month since this idea has hatched, and it's finally coming to fruition.  The EDCF Family has created the Power of Tower 2012 tour shirt for his birthday.  While it was supposed to arrive on his birthday, exactly, some complications came up.  But that's okay.  :)  What better than to present it to him in person at today's SoCal Meet 'n Greet.  :D

On-Person Work Carry (002/365)

These are the minimum things that I carry on my person at work.  Not shown are a memo pad and the Camelbak Better bottle (16 ounces) because I had to pick up a new notepad from the office and the bottle was in the car.

This setup includes:

• ID/key fob
• Maxpedition Micro wallet (cash, CC, ID/license, micro FAK)
• Nite-Ize SS Key Rack (house keys, car key, Fenix E01, TEC Glow Fob, bike lock key, flash drive, Uncle Bill's tweezers, Pico Widgy pry bar)
• Parker Jotter
• Custom Mini Griptilian (thanks!!!)

HB Pier (001/365)

Today I went fishing at the HB Pier.  I didn't catch anything other than a few small fish, which I ended up releasing back into the water.  Here's hoping for a better turnout on Monday when I go with my bestie.  I think I'll have to try my hand at a different bait.  I went with squid today, per recommendation of the bait shop, but the old man next to me was catching fish like no other, using nothing but the fake bait.  :)

R.I.P. Crystal N.

Crystal, I only wish you the best on your journey beyond.  My buddy Joe is up in heaven too, looking down on us each and every day.  I'm sure you two will be good friends.  :)  He'll show you the ropes.  Your family and Hat Cai family love and care for you.  You will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Again, best wishes on your journey.  You are loved.

Sipik SK-68 - Good Example of Value vs Cost

Don't you love the feeling when you find something that's relatively inexpensive, yet performs like a champ?

For me, that's the Sipik SK-68 flashlight.  I'd gotten this months ago (according to my order history, March 2012) from Meritline when they had it featured in their "Daily Deals" tab for $6.99 shipped.  I'd gotten it at the recommendation of the guys over at BLF.

The Sipik SK-68 is one of the most highly recommended lights (for modders and amateurs alike) over there and I can see why.  It's a great light to start out with; small and compact, and definitely bright for what you pay for.

And it can sure as heck take a beating:

This was the result of getting tossed into traffic and fair patrons kicking it about after accidentally dropping it.

Even after that ordeal, the SK-68 still pulls through.  It's just as bright as its ever been and functions well.  I'd used it for over 2 hours straight at work when the lights went out and it didn't get hot or even flicker.  It didn't even go through the batteries as I had expected it to (Energizer NiMH used).

For a small, single AA flashlight, I was expecting no more than 1 hours' straight use, considering that it boasts an enormous lumen output.  The website description claims 260 lumens.  I think it's closer to 180-200 lumens, since it's about as bright as the $7.00 3x AAA Costco ones, and comparable to my $30 Maglite XL200.

Overall, I'm happy and I would definitely recommend this light.  There are also colorful ones (red/blue/green) available, as well as another with 3 modes (low, high, strobe).

Sure, there are others to try out in the same price range and great build quality, like the Romisen, but it's all good!  I still love my little light.