Some Good Feels + A Small Life Update

Let's start with the Good Feels:

I thought that was pretty awesome.  :)  It sure lifted my spirits.

And now the update...

I hadn't written much in the past few months.  I think they've all been just gear photos (oops!).  Truth be told, I was a little depressed after that breakup.  Okay, a little more than a little.  But it's all good.  :)  Baby steps, right?  I've got the most supportive bunch of friends anybody could ask for.

The biggest thing coming up for me is a bike ride.  It's not just any bike ride... it's one done in honor of fallen officers, and doubles as a fundraiser for those they left behind as well as charities in our locale.

Thanks to a great bunch of friends, I've got a new bike coming in on Tuesday (my old one was never gonna cut it and it'll be sold to help fund this new one).  The ride will be from the Peace Officer Memorial in Sacramento and end right in my home town.  630 miles.  4 days.  1 team.  1 goal.  It'll be awesome.

Hmm... I also started hanging out with my old friends again.  They're truly the best... I had shut everyone out of my life after that breakup.  But they supported me - even when I didn't want anybody around.  They were there when I was ready, and that's one of the best feelings in the world.  :)  True love, y'all.

In doing so, I got [back] into playing Magic the Gathering.  Yep.  I'm that big of a nerd.  I had bought my first set of cards when I was like 10.  But I never knew how to play and didn't have any friends who were interested in learning.  So I put it aside.  During my Disney days, I met some guys who played and they taught me.  But that was when Return to Ravnica was going on.  They stopped for a little bit, as did I.  Fast forward to a few months ago, we started hanging out again and Theros had come out.  I've been playing with them since...  What started out as a small deck of commons given to me by these guys turned into a whole collection, and dare I say, a new addiction?

haha!  It's easier to put aside a $10.00 budget for cards than it is x-amount for a new knife.  While I have gotten many new knives in the past several months, they were all gifts, less the Mayo prodo.  However, I'm sure that those little $10.00s have added up to quite some sum that I can't even keep count of anymore - some amount that would have gotten me the gear that I've eyed for some time but never justified.  

I think more than anything, I'm just happy making new friends.  I don't care for the getting the best/most sought-after cards (I do admit though, it's kind of nice to be able to pull a $20 card, sell it to make up for the rest of the cards, and essentially have gotten the cards I own for "free.").  I don't care to make the best deck and beat everybody.  The strategy of creating a deck is fun.  But most of all, going out and meeting new people and just talking to them, whether it be about day-to-day stuff or about MtG... that makes me the happiest.

Cheers.  :)

Mooshbot Minions: Update

It seems that I'd hit a snag on this.  Short hiatus while I try to figure things out.  First thing's first comes my family - a few emergencies have come up in the past month and we're still scattering trying to get things settled.

Second thing... I miscalculated the cost of the coins/tokens + shipping for international orders.  Well, USPS did.  What was quoted as ~$5.00 shipping online came out to be $12.xx when I went to the post.  Ouch!  Took a major hit there.  Shipment on these will be on hold until I can find a reasonable fixed pricing.  All "original" Minions have been taken care of but all new orders/requests will be put on hold.  E-mail to the "original" Minions to follow.

My work schedule has also changed, so updates will come here and there as I can get them out.

A few things to toss out there:

1. Eventually I'd like to have a page where everyone can submit their RAOKs.  Tumblr maybe?
2. Along with that, perhaps on Fridays or something I can post one of the submissions in a feature blog post.  :)
3. I still need to update the Mooshbot Minions static page on this blog.  Any ideas?  Thinking of putting a "creed" of sorts on there.  haha Just gotta sort out my thoughts.  OMs, e-mail to follow.

Cheers!

May 2013 EDC Update Video

Just another update video for the month.  :)

February Carry Update (185/365)

I don't think I've ever posted an EDC carry before, let alone an update.  My carry definitely has changed over this past year.  I've definitely streamlined my carry and below is my most current:

This has been the most static carry in the past couple of months.  Not too much changes from day to day and I'm really happy with it.

I'll try to be in depth as possible with everything since I'm certain this is my first EDC dump that I can recall of on this blog...

1. Wallet:  Big Skinny's Leather Open-Sided Skinny Mini
• top slot:
• Fresh & Easy Friends card
• credit card
• Starbucks Gold Card
• bottom slot:
• Costco card
• debit card
• inside: 
• receipts (gets emptied at the end of the day)
• HFT freebie & 20% off coupon
• some cash ($20.00; that usually gets me out of most situations)
• ID window:
• school ID
• work ID
• driver's license
2. Notebook:  mini composition notebook from Dollar Tree (I hope they never stop making these!)
3. Flashlight:  Olight i2
4. Phone:  Motorola Atrix (first generation) w/ generic case
5. Knife w/ lanyard:  Blurple :)
• Benchmade Mini Griptilian (custom)
• light blue + purple scales
• N680 steel upgrade
• all silver components
• silver arrow clip
• engraved w/ EDCF logo and username
• WillyDigger's custom medallian - purple ninja
6. Lip balm:  Burt's Bee's tin.  My favorite!  :D  Nice and minty.  There's just something about tins that I like.  :P
7. Pen:  Zebra F-301, black ink, fine point
8. Watch:  Skagen.  I'm not sure what model it is.
9. Jacket:  TAD Ranger LT Hoodie w/ Affonso mini PVC patch
10. Keys:
• Nite Ize Key Rack
• car key
• home keys x 4
• safe keys x 2
• TEC SS glow fob
• Affonso
• USN tag
• SteelFlame tag
11. Other:  vial w/ chew sticks (this one happens to be tea tree flavored)

:)  I think that about covers everything.  This setup is usually what I check my pockets for before I leave the door.  Occasionally the knife will be switched out.  Other times, I'll add on the Goal Zero Guide 10+ and respective charger cable if I know that I'll be out long enough to deplete my phone's batteries.

Cheers!

Update Roundup (165 - 180/365)

Holy moly.  It's been one heck of a hiatus.  Let's see if I can recap the past couple of weeks day-by-day...  There will be a few days' worth of writing missing since I can't remember what I wanted to write about those days.  I should really note those topics down in my notebook...

04 February 2013 - 10 February 2013:

I couldn't break these dates apart.  Not really.  Things were crazy that week - I spent all of my time prepping with the Joes for the annual Tet Festival.  If I wasn't at school or work, I was at Sis's to prep food or shop for food prepping.  The weekend of the festival (08 - 10 February 2013), I spent 12 hours of each day doing nothing more than driving back and forth between the festival and the shops to stock up on supplies.  It was crazy.  I'm glad that's over...  Seriously.  The most down time I had was about an hour to grab a bite to eat throughout the entire weekend.

07 February 2013:

This date deserves a special notation.  :)  *mwah*  I love you, Hubby.  :3

11 February 2013:

Class was freaken chilly!  Good thing Hubby gave me his TAD Ranger LT to wear.

12 February 2013:

On one of the days during the festival run, I made use of my Goal Zero setup.  :D  It worked out very well for me!  Considering that I was running back and forth all day, phone constantly ringing, I needed a way to keep my phone charged without access to an outlet.

To remedy this, I had my Nomad 7.0 sitting on the dash of my car, connected to my Guide 10+.  :)  So it was charging all day while I was doing my stocking runs... :D

14 February 2013:

 Happy Valentine's Day!   :3  Hubby got me a Titus.

 15 February 2013:

I made breakfast for the first time in a long time.  :D  There's Titus again.

*****  That's pretty much it for this update.  I can't remember anything else.  ;)  I do know one thing though... I love my Hubby.  :3  *****

Altoids Tin Update (02 July 2012)

After coming back from camp, I'd found out that one of the members of EDCF held a competition to see how many times I'd used my tin over the course of my 2 day/2night camping trip.  Turns out that within that short time frame, the tin was used 10 times (that I could recall):

1. needle/thread/threader to sew my team flag
2. bandage/alcohol swab for a camper's scraped knee
3. needle/thread/threader to sew team flag to a stick
4. bandage/alcohol/needle for a splinter
5. super glue for a broken phone case
6. super glue for a team competition
7. ibuprofen for a headache
8. lighter to seal paracord (used to tether down a tent)
9. needle (sterilized) for minor "surgery" to a foot (camper had a teeeeeeeeny pebble/fragments of rock lodged in there after stepping on one )
10. interdental brush for teeth cleaning

Upon reading about this, another member asked that I posted up a picture of said tin.  I figured with that, it was time for an update.  :)

Most of the contents are still the same.  I'd added a couple things here and there or replaced others with "better" items.

From left to right (somewhat):

• quarters, 4: Usually used to make copies and prints at school.
• Vic Classic: I'd found that even though I had another Vic Classic on a "tools" keychain, I didn't always grab it as I'd found it too bulky. The tin always stays on my person (or in my bag) and it was just easier to add one to the tin. I love its scissors. 
• 200 lb test, ~10 feet: Just in case I need to tie stuff together. I've yet to use it. It's done "donut" style around a small keyring.
• "fauxton": It comes in handy. Not quite as handy as the Tempo on my keychain, but again, I don't always grab that keychain.
• safety pins, 3: Just a quick fix for any torn clothing or missing buttons. I've used them plenty.
• alcohol prep pads, 2: I've used this as a quick firestarter, cleaning up small injuries (I've yet to get antiseptic wipes, so these will do for now, as I only use them on small scratches), and even disinfecting the needle for splinters (that's last minute. I normally carry sterilized needles for that reason).
• bandage, fabric: You know. For scratches and stuff. I also carry a couple in my wallet, so this is a backup to that.
• Bic mini: Usually used for paracord crafts though I've also offered it to anyone who has asked for a light.
• paper clip: I've only ever used this once at school when I couldn't find my stapler and had to turn in my homework.
• razor blade: multiple uses. The most recent use was to open up a blister pack for my friend. It was one of those packages from Costco and I didn't want the SRM to rip through it, as it had a camera inside (her graduation gift!).
• electrical tape, ~3 feet: I prefer this tape to most others. I used to carry duct tape in here but it now resides on the tool keychain as a fob (seen here)
• rubber bands, 2: just 'cause.
• interdental brush: I'll be honest... I'm only 22 but have had a root canal.  I'm kinda happy it wasn't really my fault? Turns out that the dentist actually chipped one of my back teeth during an exam. At the last checkup, they had to do the root canal. TMI, but these are brushes are great for cleaning out that tooth since the crown causes food to get stuck.  These get tossed after each use. This green one is there 'cause I couldn't find the ones that had the cover. I know it's around here somewhere...
• antacid chews, 2: After headaches, my second most symptom complaint is an upset tummy. These are Wally World's generic version of the Pepto chews. Works fine and I love that each tablet has the expiration date printed on it.
• Derma-Safe razor: Love this thing! Another backup blade. Great for tasks that need something as precise as a razor with the comfort of a folder. 
• super glue: 'cause I love it and it has come in handy SO. MANY. TIMES!
• ibuprofen, 3
• generic version of Zyrtec: for allergies. 
• sewing kit: thread wrapped around a small piece of cardboard, needle, and threader. Each are taped to the lid and each piece of tape has a "tab" so that I could easily put the items back in place after use.
• emergency contacts, (not shown): On a half-slip of post-it paper, I have my emergency contacts as well as a "If found, please return to..." message just in case. 

And this is how everything fits.  :)  There is absolutely no bulging and it stays shut without a problem. It's not overstuffed whatsoever. The items I'd chosen to put in here are things that I know I will use all the time and is not meant to be a "survival kit" of any kind. It changes from time to time, but a lot of the items in there stays static, as I've found that these items work best for me on a daily basis. 

As always, my little "disclaimer":

The items I'd chosen are also items that are easy to pack. As long as the 4 largest items are put in first (lighter, folding razor, fauxton, quarters) everything else can just be dumped in and I don't have to worry about have to strategically place anything in. I wouldn't want to spend any more time than necessary to place my items back into the tin after use.

And as always, if you're interested in making your own tin, please check out my blog post, which lists all the items I've gathered (after MUCH research) that could fit into an Altoids tin. Pick and choose what you please and feel best fits you. 

Updated EDC Tin (02 May 2012)

After entering TEOTWAWKI's Altoids tin contest and explaining the contents of it, I had decided to give it a makeover. I wasn't completely happy with my "original" setup since most of the items I had in there didn't apply to my everyday life.  They were mostly things I'd found interesting or "too survival-ish" for day-to-day usage.

If I had applied these items to my "survival" kit, then they would be mediocre, duplicate supplies that would already be on my person or very close by.

Everything all nicely packed.  :)

This newer kit covers the basics of things that I use nearly everyday and supplements my main EDC/PFAK setups.

The items I've decided to include in this kit are as follows:

(1) razor blade
(1) antibacterial wipe
(2) alcohol wipes, 72%
(2) standard sized bandages, both fabric since they're my preferred types
(1) tube of super glue
(1) bundle of 550 cord guts, 8 feet
(1) small pencil
(1) electrical tape "pill"
(1) baggie of medication

• (4) pink bismuth tabs; generic Pepto chewables
• (4) ibuprofen tabs; generic Advil
• (2) allergy tabs; generic Zyrtec
• (1) floss pick
• (1) interdental brush

(1) tiny bottle of triple antibiotic cream - filled in a tiny 0.1 fluid ounce liquid breath mint bottle

Everything laid out.  :D

The way I'd decided to arrange my tin is different than most. I prefer to keep my flatter items on top, while others prefer to have theirs at the bottom of the tin. While I understand that they do this to save space and add more items, I'm more concerned with easy access. The bandages and wipes are probably the most used items in this setup, next to the lighter and electrical tape. Then probably the razor if I needed to do something more precise than my primary blade can handle.

:)  With the flatter things on top, I can more easily access the most used items.  The moist wipes also makes a great "cover" that keeps everything from rattling.  It's the perfect size to do so!

All of these items were able to fit perfectly without the lid coming up whatsoever.  I've tossed this kit into my bookbag and even with all the jostling, has not opened up on me once.