Worst part is that this was for work. I hate driving up to LA, so when I have to I take tolls, but wasn't intent on being robbed...
For a minute there I thought the gubmint was fining you for avoiding taking toll roads. Whew. Things haven't totally slid into the abyss . . .
Cyclone dust separator, sheet metal punch, crimping pliers, folding bar, snap punch, blast kit, hopper and walnut shell media. It should be noted that it was about 30 seconds after he saw it that my son suggested filling the hopper with air soft pelets. We spent the next two days modifying the blast nozzle to accept the new 'media'. Turns out they come out like a 30mm A-10 cannon, they hurt a lot, they shatter on impact, and only fly a short ways before massive spin and light weight steal their energy. Also turns out that it makes an excellent media for cleaning dirt off lumber with little dust and no water. Oh yeah, and it's really fun! Fuck pressure washers! Daddy has a new toy!
Vitamin B1 skin patches to use as insect repellent. (We have the British version of chiggers in our yard—harvest mites/berry bugs/ Trombicula autumnalis—and they are AWFUL.) Trouble is, I'm scared to try these patches out. If they work ...brilliant. If they don't, I get covered in horrendous bites that last for weeks and get infected and blistered. Damn. I don't really enjoy summer very much any more.
That works WONDERS on midges, and we always have some around. Best thing ever. But these little Berry Bug critters? Nope.
The worst thing is, you can't see these bugs with the naked eye. And they get onto you, crawl around till they find a place they like (usually someplace very tender, like backs of knees, underwear lines, etc) burrow in, eat your skin for a while—they're not bloodsuckers, which might explain why normal repellents don't work at all—and then drop off, leaving a horrendously itchy site. The bites don't usually manifest themselves for at least 18 hours after you get nabbed, so you don't even know you're getting bitten. Until it's way too late. Here's one I made earlier ...one of the bites I got in mid-July. It's much better now, but there is still a mark. And no, I didn't scratch it. This just happens. The only defense against the bites is to immediately come into the house, strip down, put EVERYTHING you were wearing in the washing machine, go take a careful soapy shower, wash hair, etc. If you do this quickly enough and thoroughly enough, you don't get bitten. But what a palaver, every time you step on grass or brush against a piece of vegetation? It's a nightmare. You can see why I'm reluctant to risk the Vitamin B1 patch not working.
I always notice the guy's tie, but almost never the shoes. A good tie always brings out the eyes. A bad one is equally noticeable because it either clashes with his complexion, is worn too tightly, or is too narrow or wide in proportion. Shoes I rarely notice unless they're dirty or the guy's wearing sandals which is always a gigantic no. Invest in the ties.
Meat tenderizer on anything that welts or turns color. Head net? Chili oil? Makes me think of the Tabasco commercial with the exploding mosquitos. There's a carnivorous gnat thing here in CA that comes out late-afternoons - except when there's dragonflies. I have a dragonfly hat. It's not like a cammo-pattern. It's a sun-hat with plastic dragonflies tied with strings. Very effective! Yeah, I don't go out much. Speaking of sun-hat, there was a sunwear product called SunChasers that blocked UV - and bugs! It seems their little bastard feet and schnoozles get caught in the fine filament weave and are sheared off. I wore out several of the garments over the years, and now I have only one full set (head-to-toe) left. I would love to discover a heap of long lost inventory somewhere. I think they were out of GA, but it's been years since they bellied-up. I'd kill for a comparable product. They were like oversized pijammies made from nylons. Light as a feather. Mist em a little and they chill your bones! Alas...
I knew you'd pipe in! Don't get me wrong--given the photos you've posted you have some very nice shoes. But IRL I'd never notice unless they were pointed out to me. I'm looking up at eyes, not down at shoes. I couldn't even tell you what kinds of shoes any of my exes wore. ETA: And hands. Hands, I notice, always. OT, a book I needed for a project, a notebook, and a bottle of champagne.
A marshmallow mocha coffee. It tastes....like coffee. I don't taste anything special, but eh, least it's not disgusting. Today I'll be buying a washer and dryer. That way I don't have to go to the laundromat anymore. In essence: It'll aid my laziness.
I recently bought a GoPro. I also recently went on a 3-day backpack trip. The video quality is impressive.
Dainite soles for my "sunk cost fallacy" Allen Edmonds shoes. Damn things toes ground down after six or so wearings, but I'd never had leather-soled shoes before so I assumed it was just a wear pattern. After less than two years of far less than once a week wearing I was seeing cork on the bottom of the soles. Probably half again the original price in repairs, but Gods willing this will keep them going for a while, because they are really nice shoes in the cooler, suit-wearing months.
Picking up a coffee maker at Best Buy for my mother. Younger brother sent me a picture of the one she's currently using and damn, why didn't she tell me her's looks like hell? Maybe Macy's would have better ones....I'll see.
gym clothes: 2 pairs of shorts, a pack of 3 t-shirts, a pack of 3 sports bras, and ankle compression socks
Yeah, I was gonna say, but in-ear ones are good, just the old style large round ones are horrible - don't stay in and hurt your ears due to bulky size. I prefer light sports over ear phones, but they're now becoming hard to find, so I'm adjusting to in-ear ones.
I like the large over ear kind. Sure, they may make me look like a rejected character for Jet set Radio, but they're way more comfortable to wear for long periods, have way better sound, and have the added bonus of being very isolating in public settings. Which doesn't sound like a good thing, but really is if you've got a touch of asociality and need to be in crowded public venues.
Agree on sound quality and isolating one in public, but comfort varies as not good in hot weather and no good on a treadlee or when I used to work on houses, thus I had to compromise and get smaller over ear ones with the joining piece horizontal and goes behind the neck.
One of these. I want it rather than need it, cos I'm a sucker for little electronic gizmos and devices like this. Anyway I'm blaming @animagus_kitty because it was they who suggested I audio record my poetry ideas
