(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best office & school supplies

You’re very welcome! I’m going to try to answer the first question the best I can, but it’s a bit out of my area of expertise. From my experience, if your pen is skipping with writing, the two things that I can think of is that the cartridge may not be inserted all the way or the nib is not alined correctly. The first one is an easy fix, as you just press on the cartridge a bit and make sure it’s snapped all the way in, but the second one is a bit more difficult to deal with. It requires more knowledge of how the pen works, etc. The easiest way to tell is if you look hold the pen at a 45 degree angle, nib facing towards you and the metallic/writing side facing down. Look to see if there is anything that is even the slightest bit out of line. If something is out of place, that could be the problem. The easiest way to fix it is to contact customer support from the pen company. There are other ways to try to realign them, but that goes way over my head at the moment. I’m trying to figure it out, but it takes some practice.

Now for an area I’ m a bit more familiar with. As for another pen after these, here’s the subreddit’s Holy Trinity of Starter Pen Recommendations:

You have the Pilot Metropolitan which runs around $15. It comes in a medium or fine nib and the pen body is made from metal. You can get them in a plain silver, black or gold or they have a retro pop collection with more “wild” colors. It comes with a black cartridge and a rubber converter if you want to fill it using ink from a bottle.

Then there’s the Lamy Safari. This one retails at about $37 but from a quick search on amazon, you can get it for around $20. This one’s made of plastic and comes with a cartridge. If you like the Safari but want one that’s made of metal, look into the Lamy Al-Star. It’s usually $10 more, but I found this one for the exact same price on amazon as the other Safaris. If you want to use ink bottles with either of these pens, you’ll either have to refill the cartridge or buy a converter. The converter is much easier to fill from a bottle with but reduces your ink capacity a little bit. Safaris come in a lot of different colors and special edition colors and nibs range from EF to B.

Finally, there’s the TWSBI ECO. This is right around the $30 mark. Instead of taking cartridges, the pen has what is called a piston filler. You hold the pen nib deep in a bottle of ink and turn the end of the pen and it fills for you. It has a large ink capacity because of this. This type of pen is also called a demonstrator because it has a clear body that you can see the ink move around in. It’s very cool. Another thing people love the TWSBI For is that you can take the entire thing apart and easily clean/replace parts. TWSBI nibs are pretty good too, and they come anywhere from EF to B and also carry a 1.1 stub, which is something similar to the flat calligraphy nibs on the speedball there. TWSBI also makes the TWSBI GO and I’ve heard great things about it but I have not personally used it, so I can’t say much about the differences between the go and the Eco. I think it’s mainly the filling mechanism (twisting the end of the pen on the ECO vs a spring loaded press of the button on the GO.)

Out of these three, I’d recommend the TWSBI ECO because the piston filling mechanism is really cool, you don’t have to worry about a converter, the nib is great, and I love the look of the pen. (However, I might be slightly biased as this was my first pen, lol.) I got a Safari recently and absolutely love the way it writes. It’s a fun, functional pen. I’ve used the Metro before and it’s a great pen when used with cartridges but I haven’t had good luck with the converter, sadly. When choosing a nib size, I’d recommend a F or M. I started with an EF pen and now almost all my pens are M nib. The broader the nib size, the smoother it writes as it lays more ink down when writing. The finer nibs (EF and F) have a bit more feedback but work better with smaller handwriting. I’d start somewhere in the middle depending on which experience you think you’ll like (F if you have smaller handwriting, M if you write larger and want it to be smoother). If you like the stub/flat nibs, don’t be afraid to get it in a 1.1 nib.

Now, here’s a few other recommendations outside the main three that come to mind when asking for a starter pen/are newer to FPs and want something else to try.

The Platinum Preppy runs anywhere under $10 and has a really good nib and in many different colors.

The Moonman M2 is a great eye dropper fill pen and has a really sleek design. It runs anywhere from $12-$20z The one I had before I lost it (oops) was a great writer and I really loved it. However, be warned that the QC isn’t the best with the nibs so you can get a good one or a not so god one. They also have a newer model, called the C1 which is really cool. I have this one and I really like it, but, again, you might get a bad nib. They also only come in one nib size (I think) so you can’t really choose what size you’d want sadly.

My last recommendation for you is a different type of Fountain Pen: the Pilot Parallel Pen. These are for calligraphy and you can get some really cool effects from them. They come with a little lettering/info book too so you can learn some basic styles with the pens. They come in 4 different nib sizes, and each pen costs around $10, but I attached amazon’s set of the 4 pens which you can get for $24 instead of around $40. These aren’t conventional FP’s, but are awesome if you really like calligraphy.

I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with this! Happy writing and happy pen browsing!

I was 36 before i was diagnosed. Here are a few things that worked for me - they may or may not work for you.

When I was 25 I had over 15k in credit card debt, 60k in student loans, had flunked out of college and my credit score was 455.

I now have now have less than 1k in credit card debt (school costs, going back to school) an Associates degree in cooking, and a credit score of over 790.

To be fair, I had a lot of great help from my family. But even with great help, you can't get that far without changing things about yourself.


SO Some of the things:

First: remember: every task is made up of a ton of little steps. Stop thinking it has to be done all at once, and instead think of the next step. To quote the Stormlight Archive: 'The Most important step a man can take is the next one' - So i will write this advice in small, easy to digest steps.

1) I closed all my credit cards. You can close them without paying them off.

Even now I only have 2 credit cards, one is joint with my mother, the other joint with my wife. I am not responsible enough without oversight. You want to close them so you -cant- use them. Draconian steps are sometimes needed. And no 'For Emergency' cards unless you keep that card with your parents or a very trusted close friend. Otherwise everything is an emergency.

2) I signed up for debt management If you can, try and do it through your bank, its more reputable, but if they dont offer it you'll need to do a bit of research to find the best one (remember. Small steps)

3) Mint.Com I used Mint to set up a budget for myself. Its a lot like the person explained at Simple, except 3rd party and can be set up with pretty much any bank. It allows you to set categories and see exactly how much you've spent.

4) Start a Bullet Journal Don't go into this thinking its something complicated. (i would completely ignore all the bullet journal videos and subs other than the one that started it ) This is literally all you need: a small pocket sized notebook, and a pen.

Take that notebook with you everywhere. Put it with your watch and your phone and your wallet and take it everywhere.

You can look up the official way to do it if you want, but all you need in it is a way to keep yourself on track. I recommend a habit tracker: make a little grid. One one axis put the day of the week, on the other put what you want to do: Brush teeth. Check Mint. Deodorant. Take Meds. - each day you do the thing, fill in that box. You'll see a nice visual representation of your habits and it will help to form them. Keep them simple. Don't fret if you miss a day, but use it as a reason not to miss the next day. Make it things you want to do for the rest of your life - not short term goals (like Learn C#)

If you want to add a daily to do list in there, then go ahead - just remember to keep the ToDo's simple, easy, and less than 5 a day for now. Time Management is one of our problems - don't overwhelm yourself by adding more than you can do and then feeling bad because you didn't do them./

5) Start a Routine - Every night before I go to bed I put my wallet, Bullet Journal, Watch, Keys, and Fidget cube in the same spot on my desk. I put my phone by my bed, charging, and my glasses next to that. Every morning i wake up, put them all in my pockets, and they stay there all day. Even my car keys. This is part of my routine.

It did not start this big. it started with remembering to put my keys on the hook. Every day. Keys on the hook. Find them somewhere else? Keys go on the hook. After I got that down, I moved on to add another task for a month or two. Then another. Small steps, remember?

Its taken me 10 years to build the routine I have, and I'm still building it. The last 2 months have been getting brushing teeth into it. I've gotten pretty good at it, but its still in my habit tracker. Again, small things. Small steps. In a month or two I'm going to try adding 'washing face daily' since I have light minor acne, but know I can't add it yet or I'll get overwhelmed.

6) If you want to learn a skill, see if you can sign up for a class The structure and routine of class can help a lot. It is a lot different to try and learn C# in a classroom, where you have homework and due dates that keep rolling, then trying to self motivate yourself to learn it. Sure I could, if the Hyperfocus hits. But it wont, and its not reliable when it does, and it wont last long enough to -really- learn everything.

7) Meds You said your meds don't work quite right and leave you unmotivated - have you tried others? I don't know what the procedure is in Canada, but mind/mood drugs affect everyone differently, and sometimes you need to find the right one, right does.



Through it all, Remember: Small Steps

The tasks seem so big and giant and thats why we never do them. I have felt that way about my book I want to write (like you do about your Port) and its taken 3 years, but I'm through 2/3rd of it.

The tasks don't have to be done tomorrow. yes, we want it done tomorrow, but teaching yourself - slowly, but resolutely - that you will still have time even if it takes you years to do it - is an important skill.

As is breaking things up into much smaller tasks




Here, as a parting gift, some thoughts about learning C# (or C+ if you wish)

1. Download an editor (if you go with C#, Microsoft Visual Studio is -amazing- and really one of the best platforms for coding C#)
   
   a) Learn how to write Hello World to print to a screen. Done that? Now walk away. Put it away. You have to learn how to do things without the help of Hyperfocus and that sometimes means walking away even if you don't want to.
   
   b) The next day, learn how to ask for a number, and print it back. Done? Now walk away again.
   
   c) the third day, learn how to take that number, put it through a calculation (Number+5-3*6/4 or something) and print that new number out. Now walk away.
   
   d) Fourth day: Learn how to use an If/Else statement - If the number entered is >5, print True, else print false. Now walk away
   
   e) Fifth day: learn how to use a loop: Take a number, and add 2 to it X times (where X is the second number taken).
   
   
   Congratulations. Those 5 things (Write lines, take in new lines, and perform calculations. if/else statements, Loops) are 95% of coding. EVERYTHING done in coding is made up of those. (sure there are more advanced concepts like Classes and Methods and Exceptions and Recursion ... but they are all made up of those 5 things)
   
   
   Finally, You CAN turn this around and do better It is not easy. But it is possible. What works for you may not be the exact as above, but it is possible to find it. No body told me what to do, these are all things I came up with for myself, over time, over experimentation. it wasn't even conscious thought of 'lets try this now' it was just ... hey this seems to work, i'll keep it. Meds can help. I certainly don't say no to meds to help. But meds are just a tool, and you need to do stuff with those meds too.
   
   And remember: There is a lot of world ahead of you. There is a lot of time to get things done. If it takes you a few years longer than everyone else, thats ok. Its your journey. The next step. Just take one small, tiny individual step. Then the next one.

> I just realized you might not be in the US! Silly American assuming everyone else is from here... There are other retailers with equal prices and you won't have to pay for the silly overseas/border shipping. I actually don't know any of them because well, I'm in the US :P, but if you make another post with your country and ask I'm sure you'll get an answer pretty quickly. Here's some from the wiki though https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/wiki/index#wiki_vendors

I haven't found an online retailer from Switzerland, or at least not a company with a bigger variety of different companies. We do have some stores, but they usually sell a few Caran d'Ache pens and the more expensive pens I'd say.

> No experience with the 3776 personally, but I see the name pop up a lot and haven't heard anything bad yet so that's a good sign! Personally I would see if you can find a Lamy 2000 (F) or (EF) on either /r/pen_swap, Amazon, or some local website for around 100. Retailers will be 160 USD, but you can find them brand new for 100 on Amazon for some reason. Or used for 80-100. I say (F) or (EF) because the Lamy2k always seems to run a bit wider than normal and it's a wet pen. If I could only have X amount of pens though, Lamy2K would always be in that list.

Lamy 2k for $100 on Amazon? That seems like an incredible deal to me. I haven't found anything though. Would you mind sending me a link?

> It's around 30usd, but a TWSBI Eco is nice for school. It has a massive capacity. Swirling around the ink when you're bored is nice too :P

Cool, I like the look a lot. I'll add it to my list and see which one I'd like to try. I can only assume that my next Gouletpens order is going to cost a lot. Do you know if there's any coupon or some sort of first purchase discount? :D

> For 60ish USD there's the TWSBI Diamond 580. Basically just a more expensive Eco from my understanding. I'll probably get crucified by someone for that comment, but oh well.

Haha, alright. Added to the list as well.

> For 40 there is the Faber Castel Loom, I've never used this guy, but I keep hearing great things.

Faber Castell seems to be much more readily available in Switzerand. Are the Faber Castell pens okay? I could also try these out.

> Hmm I'm not sure tbh. All my classes atm are online until August so I'm not really racing to take notes like I would be in a classroom. None of my inks seem to take long to dry though. A major part of this is how thick does the pen write, and how wet. Like my Lamy2K is actually a (B) so If I wrote with that on my Rhodia pad and flipped pages immediatly after writing it would 100% smear. That's the pens and papers fault though. The reason we want to use 'good' paper is so that the ink will pool ontop of the paper and dry instead of soaking in instantly and going through to the next page (bleedthrough) or spreading on the same page and feathering.

I think I just have to experience it myself to see what goes well for me and what not. Thanks for the input.

> For school I've been told to get Red n Black notebooks because they are cleaper and since they are a slightly 'worse' paper ink will absorb faster. I think this is it https://www.amazon.com/Black-Red-Notebook-Inches-C67009/dp/B000EFQG1I/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1496629691&sr=1-4&keywords=red%2Bn%2Bblack%2Bnotebook&th=1

I don't think it makes sense to import a cheap product to Switzerland, because shipping would probably cost more than the product itself. Maybe I can also find good paper in our local stores.

> I did quick search for fast drying inks and here's some that popped up. Most of these are 'bulletproof' meaning they are waterproof or really resistent. Good if you think there's a chance you'll spill a drink on your notes :P I still use fun colors because these are all pretty much black, but bulletproof is hard to argue with.

Not too sure if I like that or not. Honestly, the variety of different colours is what makes it a lot more interesting. Maybe I can try it out one day and see if I like it or not. Thanks for the suggestion!

> Last thing to note, about the Lamy2K (or any pen), If you decide to get one later you can get one with two nib sizes on the same pen!!! For example I have a (B) and you get get a nibmeister to reverse grind it so that it writes (B) one way, and (F) the other or whatever 2 grinds you want. You just have to buy the bigger size so they have something to work with.

Oh that's cool! Alternatively, I can also buy different nib sizes, right? But that sounds like a good option to go with.

I'm 18, I'm a student and a IT guy (pretty good one too). I like fixing stuff


What I put in my pockets


Verizon LG G3 An oldie but goodie, been weilding this phone for a little over 2 years. Currently is running Cyanogenmod 13. Also has a 3rd party Anker battery inside which are a bit nicer than the one the phone comes with

Buxton Tri-Fold wallet Very sturdy and nice feeling wallet. My grandparents got it for me half as a joke as my last name is Buxton. Holds a second battery for my phone in addition to all the money I dont have.

Keyring with 144GB of Flash Storage on it. Keys for my house, and assorted flash drives. 2 8GB and 2 64GB. One 64GB is for my portable build of Ubuntu, the other is for Storing files on the go. One 8GB is for Hirens Boot CD, and the last one doesnt work and i'm too much of a lazy ass to take it off. Plus it looks cool.

Feild Notes I think everyone on EDC has one of these. Super handy. Above it is my handy Pilot G2, my personal favorite pen. Ive been using that one for about a year and it shows it with all the chew marks at the top.

Random Skullcandy Headphones.

Things I put in my bag


iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit Probably the best toolkit for computer repair, has literally every single screwdriver tip imaginable, plus some really handy tools for things like phone and tablet repair

2016 Razer Blade A wonderful gaming laptop, that can actually be used in the real world. Is very thin and light considering what's on the inside. Holds a 5ish hour battery life, so I'm not tethered to a wall all the time.

Steam Controller Wonderful for Gaming on the Go. It's a very good controller for PC Gaming, but only for certain people. First person shooters would totally suck on this controller (but then again they suck on every controller), but works very nicely for the games I play.

Logitech MX Master Probably the nicest mouse I have ever used in my life. Fits super well in my rather large hands, and the thumbrest button, speed adaptive scroll wheel, and horizontal scroll in addition to wonderful tracking and bluetooth support make it my favorite mouse of all time.


Cable Matters Thunderbolt Dock Very handy for a laptop that doesnt have Ethernet or VGA output, and an Extra USB port never hurt anyone either.

USB 3 & Micro USB OTG, SD Card and Micro SD card Adapter. Can plug into either standard USB or Micro USB, works as an adapter for a Micro SD or an SD Card. Also useful for a computer that doesnt have an SD card slot.

Microfiber cloth. The Razer Blade is a fingerprint magnet, so this comes in handy quite often.

Sounds like fun! I'll have to do this later

1.) Something that is grey: Pelican Gray Nail Polish. (on private WL)

2.) Something reminiscent of rain: Shower Curtain is a barrier between the bathroom tiles and cascading, rain-like, waterfall that flows from the showerhead. (on dream WL)

3.) Something food related that is unusual: Candy Mold. Chocolate frogs, anyone? (on under $5 WL)

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!): Ice Cream Maker. No ice cream for me because I started keto last week. My friends and family would benefit from this when I make them some delicious ice cream. (on dream WL)

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!: The Knife of Never Letting Go. It's book one of the Chaos Walking trilogy, which has rave reviews. Apparently it's a dark, dystopian book full of suspense. (on high priority WL)

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!: Laser Finger Beams (not on WL)

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...): Westside Warrior Nail Polish. Lions, which are really big cats, are warriors of the jungle. (on under $5 WL)

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it: Origami Star Paper. I like folding these, but once I make them into stars, I literally have nothing to do with them. There's jars of them all across my house and all I can do is look at them (on under $5 WL)

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?: Song from Iron Man 3 Soundtrack. Everyone should see it because Iron Man + Tony Stark + RDJ = <3 (on digital WL)

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.: Spin-the-shot. If zombies attack, I would need to be drunk, so this would come in handy for some last minute fun before I turn into a brain eating zombie. Let's face it, I'm not surviving a zombie attack... (on $5-$10 WL)

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals: Coconut Oil. Everyone on the keto subreddit raves about this stuff. Being a newbie to this lifestyle, I feel that if so many people had great results using this oil, that it would help with my goals. (on $11-$25 WL)

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items: Anti-stress face mask (not surprisingly, found on my add-on WL)

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?: Globe Bar. I would feel like a super cool James Bond-esque spy who would have a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf. Plus I love alcohol and globes. (on dream WL)

14.) Something bigger than a bread box: Desk Easel. (on $11-25 WL)

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball: Earrings. (on private WL)

16.) Something that smells wonderful: Pink Punch Baby Lips (on add-ons WL)

17.) A (SFW) toy: Kindle. I would consider this a techie toy. (on dream WL)

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school: Fun Colored Pens. (on add-on WL)

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be: Paints. My current obsession is painting! (on $11-25 WL)

20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand: Mug. I love love love this literature mug. I not only love the varying typography all over it, but I think that there are some really striking first lines of literature. (on $11-25 WL)

BONUS

1.) Real name: PM sent

2.) Made in Oregon: Handwarmer Mug

Edit: raffle phrase - fear cuts deeper than swords

Couple of quick thoughts on this, the Preppy suggestion is a good one, and pens that are nice, plastic is fragile, especially the caps, but if taken care of, these are great pens.

Now, for a cheaper start, to see if you like the methodology of note taking in different colors, since not all like it. The Pilot Varsity https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA multi-color pack is great for this, but I would recommend the Thornton's https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E68AKTC multi pack. I believe they are the same basic pen, nib, etc. However, I think the Thornton's is a nicer disposable pen that looks a little better.

With this choice, you can get a selection of colors to try and refine what you want in a note taking system. Do you want 2-4 colors or do you like having 6+ colors. Once you get a good idea of your use, you can refine what pens you want to carry with you and the colors you prefer. I personally like 6-8 colors for note taking.

Finally, another cheap option are some of the chinese pens that come in colors, the Hero 007 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-ship-Hero-Pen-007-Dark-tip-Vintage-Ultrafine-Schoolchild-pen-Handwriting-calligraphy-free-nib/32567244662.html, the Jinhao 599 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/JINHAO-599-Student-14-Color-fine-nib-Fountain-Pen-New-Free-shipping/32648562107.html or https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Jinhao-599-Student-fashion-Color-Medium-and-fine-nib-fountain-Pen-New-Give-Family-leadership-student/32668993830.html are good options, especially if you like the Safaris.

Hope this helps some.

Materials:

Three 5-gallon buckets and one lid (Ace Hardware has white ones for $4, if you don't want orange or blue from HD or Lowe's.) All three cost $12-13.

THESE LEDS from Amazon. $13.59

THIS POWER SUPPLY, the Supernight LED Charger. It is $20.99. You will also need a power cord for it, which I recommend just going to literally ANY thrift store and picking out a nice three-pronged power cord. I'm fairly certain that any three-pronged power cord will work, so if you have one you're not using at home, you can use that.

THIS LED GROW LIGHT, which is 300w and cost $50.99.

TWO of these PC fans. Total cost $10.04.

I bought one of this black duct tape, one of this foil tape (although I recommend buying two, as I ran out with my first roll and had to buy another from the store), and also some double-sided tape, because, if your LED strip is like mine, the adhesive backing is almost nonexistent and the tape becomes necessary.

Oh, and good-quality velcro adhesive patches!

You will also need a power drill and a sturdy box cutter.



I started by taping the entire interior of one bucket with the foil tape, save for the bottom portion where the soil goes. Then I covered the outside with the black tape. Next I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage.

Then I took two of the other buckets and used a ruler's width to mark a cut line right below the lip of each bucket to create spacers. The process of cutting the plastic buckets was definitely the worst part of the process, especially since I didn't have a great cutter, so if you're getting a new one, don't be too cheap. I got this one and it's blade locking function no longer works after this project, so be advised. I lined the spacers with foil tape.

Using the remains of one of the other buckets, I trimmed more of the bucket down so that it's now only the bottom and stands 5" tall. I found some random large screws in my toolbox and drilled them around the circumference, which allows the rest of the bucket to be easily lifted off of the drain pan.

I then drew a circle about 1 cm in from the lip of the lid and cut that out. The light fits perfectly on it. There is lots of light escape at the rim, but it looks pretty cool, so I don't mind it for now.

For the power supply, I cut off the female end of the three-pronged cord I got from Arc Thrift and stripped the wires down a bit. There were three wires inside, green (ground), white (neutral), and black (live), which I then connected to driver. I was certain to unplug during any wire-play and I hope everyone else is, too.

The sidelights were sort of a struggle. I used a scrap of the buckets, like maybe 4-5 inches of bucket from about half-way down to a quarter, so not much. I then lined the inside with the double-sided tape, cutting strips, in an effort to conserve tape, which feels very stable. I drilled a hole and fed the cable through, then determined the best spot to drill a hole on the exterior bucket. It's about at the center of the bucket, or in my case, 13 cm down from the lip. Finally, I fed the LED cable through the exterior hole and the lights were basically in place, where it would sit right above the soil.

I didn't want to have to extend any cords, so I found an ideal spot to place the driver on the exterior so that all cables (LED strip, both fans) could reach their appropriate ports. I fixed the velcro onto the bucket and the driver and tidied the wires with some more duct tape.

Finally, I sealed the edges of both fans, inside and outside, with their respective tapes.


I'm pretty sure that's everything I've done to this point, but if I think of anything else, I'll add it. I'm likely going to black-out the spacers to reduce light leak.

Please let me know if you have any advice, questions, comments!

Thank you /r/SpaceBuckets, for the inspiration and wisdom!

Since you didn't say, I'm going to assume you're a palm gripper...and just in case (since some people get it mixed up), low sens = using a lot of mouse movement to turn around, whereas high sens = just needs a few inches to do a 360.

Mice:

• Razer Deathadder 2013 ($57): I haven't seen anything negative about this mouse's sensor, only praise...I'm assuming it's another Deathadder with a flawless sensor. You can't beat the Deathadder in design/ergonomics if you're a palm gripper - it has . Downside is having to use Synapse 2.0 drivers which I have heard are a pain in the ass...haven't used them myself though. Also, I feel that the braided cable is a downside too since it is much heavier and rigid than non-braided.
  
  
• Zowie EC1 eVo ($62): (Just got mine yesterday, I've used the Mamba (wireless Deathadder) for quite a while before this) Huge mouse feet for dat glide, non-braided cable, mouse is so freaking light that it feels wireless (especially with a cable bungee), absolutely no drivers - you just hold down certain buttons while plugging in the USB if you want to change settings. Flawless sensor and great for low sens gaming due to its lightness and optical sensor. Oh yeah, and it comes with a spare pair of mice feet, how can ya not love that?
  
  A wireless Mamba is gunna set you back $105 for the mouse alone, so I don't suggest that, even though this mouse has served me well.
  
  Keyboards:
  
  At that price ($110) for that Cooler Master board, it's just not worth it. Leopold is a better choice at that price range. Don't get me wrong, CM makes good stuff, but their niche is in the sub $70 range...that's when they are really good buys, but you'd have to wait for a sale, and who knows when the next one would be.
  
  
• Leopold: Mechanical keyboards are absolutely worth it and these guys make some of the best keyboards on the market (in our price range). You're going to have to decide what switches you want though. I went with red, they are incredibly light, but if I got to choose again I'd probably go with blacks (they are a little heavier to press). It all depends on what you mostly do...gaming or typing? If you type more than game then you'd probably be better off with browns or blues. These things are built like tanks though, really sturdy and heavy, also it's nice that there is a groove to route the cable to the left or right on the back, if you need that. This keyboard will literally last you forever.
  
  Mousepad:
  
  
• SteelSeries Qck Heavy ($21) or Qck+ ($17): The most popular low-sens mousepads around. The Heavy has a 6mm thickness and is good if your desk has an uneven surface. The Qck+ is just a skinny version of the same thing at 2mm thickness. I have a Qck+ but looking to buy a Heavy just because I want something thicker; the Qck+ does its job very well though. Btw, the Zowie glides amazingly on this pad.
  
  
• Xtrac Ripper XXL ($30): If you want something ungodly in size so that you can put your keyboard and mouse on it, then look no further than this desk pad.
  
  I don't know how you feel about cable drag, but it makes me want to do terrible things to innocent creatures. I mentioned earlier that I am using a mouse bungee ($17) from Razer and it works well enough. The Zowie's cable is a bit too thick to fit in the last clip closest to the base, but it fits in the other two just fine and does its job of no-drag. But, if you've got enough space for the cable to stretch out...Zowie's cable is so light that you might not feel it anyway.
  
  I went as close to the budget as I could/went over it a bit (depending on what you choose). If you're going to be dropping this much money on peripherals then you might as well get the best that will last you for years to come.
  
  Let me know if there is anything else...
  
  
  
  
  
  

LAASR is right... but, if you gotta a job and you gotta get it done you have to start somewhere now, no time for years of experience. I have been there and here is my suggestion.

Look at some great casual script fonts. Start typing out the words you need, do your kerning, spacing, sizing your capitols up a bit, give yourself a nice start. Now print out a ton of what you have in a very light gray. Buy some fun brush pens and mark over what you have produced. Practice line quality make each letter unique. Now save a few of the pages you like scan them in and use pieces from each sketch that you like and Frankenstein something together. You may need to go through the same steps again. Once you have something you really like take it into illustrator, trace it and clean up the vector.

People love a hand drawn feel, and short of becoming the master of a handful of styles I have used this technique with a fair amount of success.

one of the fonts I used recently for a similar look

Pens 1 2

1. I used to go camping a few hours north by this pretty river with my family every summer. I really loved it. I loved swimming in natural bodies of water (it's just so different then swimming in a pool) and I was the type of kid that never wanted to get out of the water. I also loved looking up and seeing the stars every night. I adore camping but I haven't been in the longest time. Now that I'm an adult, I've been talking with some friends about taking a camping trip to Yosemite and I really hope we can manage to make it happen, I've never been to Yosemite and I think it would be a lot of fun.
   
   
2. I don't have anything great. Though camping makes me think of smores, and what do you need to make smores? CHOCOLATE OF COURSE. Also I think something about writing in a notebook or on paper instead of a computer is really nice. I used to go to girl scout camp every summer and I remember sending home nice handwritten letters to my friends and family, [so here are some pens!] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U9TEEA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3QFC3MEUS1ELO&coliid=I1K9ZOTZI8U069) When I end up taking my Yosemite trip that I talked about, I definitely plan to send lots of postcards!
   
   
3. If I didn't have a load of work to catch up on I'd be taking a hike right now :(, but this summer I hope for lots of outdoor time. And I hope you have a wonderful trip with your family :)

I just realized you might not be in the US! Silly American assuming everyone else is from here... There are other retailers with equal prices and you won't have to pay for the silly overseas/border shipping. I actually don't know any of them because well, I'm in the US :P, but if you make another post with your country and ask I'm sure you'll get an answer pretty quickly. Here's some from the wiki though https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/wiki/index#wiki_vendors
> I'll do it that way: purchase the Lamy Al-Star, some Lamy ink and proper paper, probably Leuchtturm1917, which is available at a local online retailer.

Looks good to me!

> What would be your recommendation in the $50-100 range? The Platinum 3776 seems to be a good pen, right?

No experience with the 3776 personally, but I see the name pop up a lot and haven't heard anything bad yet so that's a good sign! Personally I would see if you can find a Lamy 2000 (F) or (EF) on either /r/pen_swap, Amazon, or some local website for around 100. Retailers will be 160 USD, but you can find them brand new for 100 on Amazon for some reason. Or used for 80-100. I say (F) or (EF) because the Lamy2k always seems to run a bit wider than normal and it's a wet pen. If I could only have X amount of pens though, Lamy2K would always be in that list.

It's around 30usd, but a TWSBI Eco is nice for school. It has a massive capacity. Swirling around the ink when you're bored is nice too :P

For 60ish USD there's the TWSBI Diamond 580. Basically just a more expensive Eco from my understanding. I'll probably get crucified by someone for that comment, but oh well.

For 40 there is the Faber Castel Loom, I've never used this guy, but I keep hearing great things.
> Which ink would you choose for university? I don't want to wait half an hour for it to dry, that's for sure.

Hmm I'm not sure tbh. All my classes atm are online until August so I'm not really racing to take notes like I would be in a classroom. None of my inks seem to take long to dry though. A major part of this is how thick does the pen write, and how wet. Like my Lamy2K is actually a (B) so If I wrote with that on my Rhodia pad and flipped pages immediatly after writing it would 100% smear. That's the pens and papers fault though. The reason we want to use 'good' paper is so that the ink will pool ontop of the paper and dry instead of soaking in instantly and going through to the next page (bleedthrough) or spreading on the same page and feathering.

For school I've been told to get Red n Black notebooks because they are cleaper and since they are a slightly 'worse' paper ink will absorb faster. I think this is it https://www.amazon.com/Black-Red-Notebook-Inches-C67009/dp/B000EFQG1I/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1496629691&sr=1-4&keywords=red%2Bn%2Bblack%2Bnotebook&th=1

If you want to use just generic notebooks for 99cents at walmart or whatever and are worried about feathering you can use an (EF) and/or use [Noodlers X-Feather] I don't use noodlers to try their random colors, but I would use this, If I had a need for it.

I did quick search for fast drying inks and here's some that popped up. Most of these are 'bulletproof' meaning they are waterproof or really resistent. Good if you think there's a chance you'll spill a drink on your notes :P I still use fun colors because these are all pretty much black, but bulletproof is hard to argue with.

Actually why am I typing out inks when I can just link the threads so you can read their reasoning...

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/6b51ge/exam_ink/

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/6b1szv/fast_drying_ink_but_inexpensive/

Last thing to note, about the Lamy2K (or any pen), If you decide to get one later you can get one with two nib sizes on the same pen!!! For example I have a (B) and you get get a nibmeister to reverse grind it so that it writes (B) one way, and (F) the other or whatever 2 grinds you want. You just have to buy the bigger size so they have something to work with.

Here's a thread about that https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/6d16ye/lamy_2000_with_cursive_italic_and_reverse_ef_grind/

I have had over the years several different ways, but the one I use today consists of several portfolio books/binders, three ring binders and ultra pro 9 card pages and two 4k card boxes.

• In the first small portfolio book like this: Ultra Pro 9-Pocket Black PRO-Binder I keep the true collectors items. These are the special, rare printings or just personally nostalgic cards I've collected over the years. These are NOT for play, I'll proxy the card and play with those. (Ex: Alphas, Betas, Unlimited, Promos, special foils, cards over $100, etc. It's really up to you and what you find meets your collector criteria)
  
• In the second small portfolio book (like above) I keep a copy of bench-marking cards. These are cards that I use to compare to others for fakes. I typically try to get two cards of each color, from each set, of those cards that often get proxied and pawned off as real. I take these and a jewelers loupe with me when I am purchasing a collection that I suspect and perform comparisons.
  
• In a large portfolio book like this: 12-Pocket Z-Folio LX Trading Card Albums, Black I dedicate to valuable lands (duals, shock, pain, filter, Scars, fetch, strip mine, tron lands, Urza's saga, cabal, man lands, etc etc. you get the idea). I only separate these because I place a high value in collecting lands for every occasion and pride myself on getting a full play set of each.
  
• In my three ring binder I have the rest of the rares and valuables I might play with. Example
  
• For all other cards, sleeves, counters, dice, etc. I have the 4k bulk card boxes 4 Row I separate by color, artifacts, tokens & gold/multicolor cards, and then divide by commons and uncommons. I keep sections for full art basic lands, foil lands, non-basic lands, etc.
  
• I have a 1k Card box for all the basic lands, I try to keep these to a min.
  
• I have an old school 1997 multiverse 1k Card box for decks Image, and just expanded in to a second one.
  
  I no longer maintain a trade binder. I did when I was younger and played more and frequently visited FNM and game nights. But now that I have moved in to more of a collector role I only play with close friends maybe once a month, so I don't really trade anymore (not sure if the kids still do these days). My trade binder disappeared when I really embraced selling off unnecessary items and started using buylists almost exclusively.
  
  Since these days I do more buying of collections and selling to fund my own collecting I have a great deal of extra boxes, 5k card storage boxes and binders. These are just to organize the sales. Most of the time I sell them with the bulk and replenish with each purchase. From the collections over the years I've acquired a great deal of starter boxes, deck boxes, dividers, stickers, foam inserts, etc that I use in my own collection and to help organize the purchases. These have been some of the most interesting finds, just seeing what other people use to organize is interesting.
  
  I've also purchased shelving from Home Depot to store my collection and the purchases I have going on. Each shelf is dedicated to shipping materials, empty boxes, my stuff or a purchase.
  
  What I see mostly from the collections I acquire is that most use three ring binders for rares/mythics and either separate by color or just leave it to utter chaos (the latter being the worst as its usually shoes boxes and random plastic tubes full, which damage cards).
  

Many of my favorites have been discontinued or changed.

The Koh-i-Noor Rapidomatic was my primary pencil for my first 4 college years. I even bought a red and blue colored versions to put red and blue lead in, which was nice for graphs or occasional emphasis. Lovely pencils made in Japan. However, looking at the Amazon reviews they no longer make these, but instead something with the same name and general look, but using all new parts and process in China. You can taste the sadness in the reviews. It looks like people are happy with the Alvin Draftmatic which looks exactly like the Rapidomatic.

The Pilot Vanishing Point has been discontinued. Sad. My favorite pencil, made in Japan. See reviews on Amazon. I introduced a number of people to this, and many of them started using it as their primary pencil. My manager even questioned why I had spent $200 on pencils, when I explained I was ordering a couple of these for myself, asked around, and 10 others in the office said they wanted one or two as well (after trying mine). No drafting grip, and shorter, but really good weight, good feel, quality, and I could write well with them.

The Uni Kuru Toga is nice, but too lightweight and plastic for my taste. The price is hard to argue with. I wonder if the Roulette model would be better as it sounds like it might weigh more.

Dave's review site recommends the Staedtler 925-25. I've tried the 925-05 which is ok (my 11yo uses it) but not the 925-25.

If you have more money, the Rotring 600 and 800+ come highly recommended (lots of metal, high quality, made in Japan). I have never tried one, but I'll buy a 600 sometime soon.

For erasers, I use Staedtler Mars Plastic. They last forever -- I still have one from 1985 with more than half remaining and it works fine. I only bought more so the family can each have one of their own. My tips are (1) don't get oil on them or the paper, and get it off if you do. This means don't run your finger along the eraser part. It causes smearing. (2) erase flat if you can, to save sharp edges for fine work. If you always use the edges, then you won't have a sharp edge to change φ' to φ in the middle of an equation.

Well, everyone has different preferences, but I'd suggest getting one with pictures (this is lovely and very popular - she might find her friends have got it also, if they color) and one with patterns, (don't have this one personally, picked it at random) so she can decide which she likes to color more.

Fine tip markers like Staedtler, and a set of decent but not top-of-the-line pencils like Prismacolor would be a good start. If that's more than you wanted to spend, a smaller selection would probably be fine, or a cheaper good brand such as Staedtler Noris colors which I personally love. Oh, and get her a pencil sharpener and eraser as stocking fillers :)

[edit for links] - not linking the Staedtler Noris colour pencils because I'm in the UK and am not sure the Amazon.com ones are exactly the same.

/r/mechanicalpencils is a good place to look. Generally it depends on your budget and what you want to do with your pencil. You can get some nice cheap ones (under 5 bucks) like a Pentel Sharp or Pentel Twist Erase, and some slightly more expensive but still cheap ones with gimmicks like the Kuru Toga (automatically rotating lead) and Zebra DelGuard (reduced lead breakage). If you want to spend some more on a more solid and well built pencil the Pentel Graphgear 1000 is a great option for around $10. And then you can keep going up with the Sharp Kerry, Staedtler, rOtrings, and the Orenznero.

Right now though, there's a incredible deal on Amazon for the next three hours, the rOtring 600 for about 9 dollars. All metal, really nice looking, great weight and balance, usually considered a $25 dollar pencil that is pretty close to the top end of nice mechanical pencils. Just don't lose it or drop it!

Cheap and good: Staedtler 925: 3-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm for $20. Individually sold at art/stationary stores for $5-$10 each.

The metal version by Pentel: GraphGear 500: 4-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm for $20. Individually sold at stores for $10-$20 each. They're okay, and people like the metal look, but I prefer the Staedtler.

The good stuff: rOtring. rOtring 600: $23. rOtring 800: $50.

I haven't tried the rOtring pencils myself; I've heard they're good, but I've been pretty happy with the Staedtlers. Although they're the cheapest I mentioned, they're also very comfortable and reliable. I've never had one fail (I have had Pentel pencils fail, including but not limited to the ones I linked), and I've been using them for years.

Make sure you get a decent mechanical eraser to go with them. A Tombow MONO zero in an amazing eraser for the details, and a Sanford Paper Mate Tuff Stuff is good for everything else. Buy an extra pack of the refills and you're good for a while. Note: Do not buy the Sanford eraser for more than $5. The price on Amazon right now is ridiculous. The Tombow is a little more pricy; $5-$10 is fair for it.

First, welcome to this sub-Reddit. Fountain pens are a blast! Be prepared for it to become a hobby. So many different color inks to play with that will vary in in different pens and nib sizes.

I'd agree with the recommendations of either a Pilot Metro ($15) or Twisbi Eco ($28.99 US). Does the Twisbi write $14 better? I don't think so but for me the Twisbi is less scratchy than the Pilot AND the Twisbi let's you see the color of your ink. The Twisbi does not look like a "normal" pen like the Pilot. For me, part of owning a pen is to be noticed writing with it. Twisbi does this easily. Also if you go With the Pilot, buy the Con-50 converter. This holds the ink a lot better and is easier to use than the supplied con-30 squeeze converter.

Notebooks - can't go wrong with Black & Red. $5.77 US as a addon item for Amazon. Great fountain pen paper that's perforated, so easy to tear out a clean sheet and turn in.

Ink - Noodler's X-feather is designed to not feather on cheap paper. I've never used it, but my go to black is Noodler's bad black moccasin. Never had a problem with it. If you want to experiment with different inks, Goulet Pens has a sampler of black inks. Why would want to experiment with inks? Because not all blacks are the same and because you can!

Other items you may want to add:

1. Bulb syringe - makes cleaning your FP a lot faster
   
2. Blunt tip syringe - filling ink into the FP is easier.
   You tube video showing bulb syringe https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwFvY0PUqs
   
   Lastly, good luck on your RN!
   
   

Not sure if you live in an area with Target but I have had a lot of luck with Greenroom notebooks. I got a bunch on clearance for like $.69 a pop or something ridiculous. Check for paper that is smooth, but not too thin at local stores.

Heavily recommended Black N' Red Notebook on Amazon for about $7 a piece. Again, not sure how much paper you run through, but it's good cost per performance.

If you need a lotttt of paper try HP Laserjet Paper on Amazon. Redditors vouching for it. If you need lines/dots, place a lined sheet of paper behind the blank paper to guide yourself and then three hole punch it.

Graph paper composition notebook from Staples posted recently.

---
Another thing to keep in mind you haven't discussed is what ink you are going to use. Pelikan 4001 comes highly recommended for it's cost while still being a dry ink that works on poor paper.

[[Noodler's X-feather]] can be incredibly useful for writing on cheap paper. It will not spread on cheap paper with a fine/extra-fine nib. I don't know if you are using cartridges or converters yet, but switching to a bottle ink can give you some better performance potentially depending on what ink carts you are currently using.

---

Some other pens that would be good for you at Uni would be the Platinum Preppy a $3.00 pen that starts as cartridge based but can take a converter or be eyedropper converted (where you fill the whole barrel full of ink). They come in EF, F, M and in a variety of colors.

Wingsung 698 in EF is another great bargain option for high ink capacity, uses the same nib as the Pilot MR line (Metropolitan, Retro Pop, etc.), with good build quality for under $20.

---

Another big takeaway for beginner fountain pen users is higher cost doesn't mean better functionality. Benefits level off really fast when spending more money when it comes to functionality.

FELIZ KAIK DAI!!! Sorry about your sorta depressing birthday, but I hope you make the best of your situation!

1. Beermaking kit for you, http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Equipment-Gallon-Glass-Carboy/dp/B002BU7CVM/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1375659498&sr=1-4&keywords=beer+making+kit
   
   
2. This super cool mechanical pencil Ive been wanting for a while... http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Mechanical-Pencil-Metallic-P1035A/dp/B0006SW6YO/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1375659788&sr=8-17&keywords=mechanical+pencil
   
   
3. welcome home
   
   
4. Funny because I'm also going to move to a boarding school on the other side of the world from where I live now (with my parents) in a month. Its different because I'm still 14, but PM me with tips and I'll be happy to share stories!
   
   

These:

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA

Are a great way to get into fountain pens. They're disposable, cheap enough to throw away, but good enough (as long as you don't let them dry out) to write comfortably until they're empty. They do have a larger/looser stroke than she may prefer, though.

http://www.amazon.com/uni-ball-KuruToga-Mechanical-Starter-1751934/dp/B0026ICM1E

Hands down one of the best mechanical pencils you can get. You won't see too much a difference writing in cursive, but it's a whole 'nother world for block/print script.

Rhodia and Leuchtturm make some of the best notebooks. If you've got cash and aren't averse to leather, Levenger makes a great disc-binding system that costs maybe $150 to get into. Staples has the Arc system which is compatible, and is maybe $20-$40 to get into.

Good luck!

For what it's worth, I think the LT1917 has become a standard because the original Bullet Journal web page sells them under their brand.

As mentioned here, LT1917 is 80gsm, which is relatively thin and makes a lot of pens bleed through and ghost. For more information about bleeding, ghosting, and general comparison between notebooks I recommend watching Which Notebook is the Best for Bullet Journaling?! (skip to 11:00 to see the comparison chart). I prefer Scribbles That Matter which is thicker (100gsm) and feels smoother to write on. My next purchase will probably be a Midori with 120gsm or a Rhodia to try them out.

One of the core principals of Bullet Journalism is that there are no hard rules. While it comes with some guidelines, you are free to use it however you see fit. Which means that there are no predefined pages. So for the most part you are going to be drawing the layouts. And this is why a Dotted paper helps because you can use the dots to draw your own layouts. You can checkout Pinterest for inspiration. The community uses the term "spreads" to signify two-page layouts used for all sorts of things.

As for pens, many recommend the Sakura Pigma Micron for good reason. While I use them for more "serious" work, when it comes to EDC I would highly recommend the Muji 0.38mm Fine Point Gel Pens. Unlike the Microns, they are not felt tip (which is why I wouldn't use them for EDC) but very sharp ball point pen with great consistency. A lot of people swear by the Pilot G2 0.38mm Ultra Fine Point but personally I wasn't pleased with them.

Finally, regarding the things you want to track, as I mentioned earlier, you can simply define the layouts of each page and track whatever you wish. A lot of the spreads you see from the community are really intricate. You can find a variety of them from very crazy daily layouts to minimal ones. It's all up to you.

Having said that, if drawing your own layouts daily seems like a lot of work (a lot of people actually spend a few hours planning them beforehand), then you might want to consider a more traditional Planner instead. As mentioned ITT, the Nomadic Planner has good paper (125gsm), weekly and monthly pages as well as lined and blanks for notes and the rest.

There is a whole universe of things to consider (and I'm more than happy to geek out about it), but I'd say just start with whatever. Don't think about it too much. Most of the negatives are personal, so while LT1917 doesn't work for some, it might for you. You'll figure things out as you go.

Okay, sweet. So, one of the cool things about fountain pens is their customization to how you want to write. Do you like writing small and precise? Get an EF or F nib. Do you like cursive-looking writing? Get an italic nub. Do you like sexy line variation? Get a flex nib.

My point is that I would get one of the two most recommended starter fountain pens so that you won't be stuck with an experience you don't like having spent $50 on a design or nib size that doesn't suit you: the Lamy Safari or the Pilot Metropolitan. After the first few pens, you'll have an idea of what you really like in a fountain pen. These pens are both inexpensive, relatively high build quality, and nice writers. I started with a Lamy Safari EF as my first pen and I still use is regularly because it is a nice pen, despite it being inexpensive. But I think you can look around Youtube or Google some reviews on the two and see which one looks more appealing to you. I personally recommend the Lamy Safari because it has a "tripod" grip that helps beginners position the pen so that the nib is in the right orientation. See the Safari here. The Metropolitan is also a nice pen. So again, whatever you think looks cooler.

Fountain pens can be refilled through disposable cartridges or through filling mechanisms that take up ink from a bottle.

My first bottle of ink was Noodler's Black.

And to refill the Safari, I had to buy a converter.

I started using fountain pens around 5 or so months ago, and my bottle of the same ink is still going strong. (Although I have bought tons more other colors. :D).

I wrote a slightly more extensive "beginner fountain pen guide and why you should use fountain pens" comment on another post, and I'll link that here if you want to read it.

I have a nice selection of fountain pens, and they're lovely. I enjoy using them immensely, and they make great gifts! Perhaps you should show her the price range of higher end fountain pens?! Watch her head explode. Good thing you like fountain pens, and not high-end automatic (mechanical) watches!!

If you haven't used a fountain pen before, you want something inexpensive and disposable to try out, the Pilot Varsity fountain pens are actually quite good (and cheap):

https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Varsity-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA/ref=sr_1_4

For something a little nicer looking (but still really inexpensive), check out the JinHao fountain pens (China). Here's an older review: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/131552-jinhao-x750-review/

Just keep in mind that you do need to clean out the ink periodically, and you definitely want to clean them out if you're not going to use them for a while.

The JinHao fountain pens are sold on eBay. Here are two examples:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/jinhao-x750-fountain-pen-blue-and-black-Medium-nib-new-free-shipping/312719179069

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JINHAO-X750-FOUNTAIN-PEN-Black-shimmering-sands-Medium-NIB-new-free-shipping/140641723784

Good luck!

I'm traveling right now! Currently sitting at my gate in the airport, waiting for boarding to begin. I'm very excited to be heading on vacation!

While studying, I like to have something playing in the background. I like to put something light-hearted on, such as Easy A or Bridesmaids. A funny movie is something that can help you relax if you need a break or is something to use as white noise. In terms of study help... color coding always really helped me. I don't know if there's any science behind it, but it definitely helped me with some anxiety associated with testing.

Idiocracy is an awesome movie. It's hard to describe why because it's just sooo good in all respects. I probably like it so much because I totally agree that we're going in that direction... BRAWNDO!

Who needs revision?! Not me! nervous laughter

Welcome my friend, my only real advice is don't let it become an obsession, at the end if the day, the lead you choose has a far larger impact on your writing enjoyment. Getting that out of the way, I highly recommend the pentel kerry. It has the unique design of being a capped mechanical pencil which makes it completely pocket safe yet has a fixed sleeve so there is no tip wobble when being used. I find that for everyday use, 0.5 mm lead in grade B (which is slightly softer then the common HB (aka #2) grade) is a solid choice because it puts down a slightly darker line. I have had my Kerry for 11 years now and I had to get it repaired once due to my own fault. Pentel repaired it free of cost in one week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006SW6YO?pc_redir=1412262079&robot_redir=1

I also suggest a Lamy Scribble if you prefer 0.7 mm lead size. It has a great feel to it, though is slightly thicker than the Kerry. There is something special about the scribble that just makes you want to pick it up and start writing with it. I will say that I do find lead breakage in the advance mechanism of the scribble more often than the Kerry.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00118Z0BY/ref=pd_aw_sims_4?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1

Both are great pencils and you can't go wrong with either of them for everyday use.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be glad to recommend some others if neither of those fit your fancy.

DP cables are mostly the same, can't go wrong with monoprice though, they sell some on Amazon too. I think mine is an Amazon Basics though. Yes the stock one is super short that comes with it. I have an odd setup but I originally got a 6ft DP then sent it back as it was to short and ended up with a 10ft.
 
I got this beauty of an arm mount for my X34. I went with the taller pole one as I like more height than most people. I love it, it's great! Anything Ergotron will be great though, the Amazon Basics arms are just relabeled Ergotron but come in black instead of chrome.

Just practice writing small! I've changed my handwriting on a whim just by doing this for half a page of regular notebook paper. I used to do it all the time in high school; I could never decide if I wanted to write my lowercase A's like "a" or "α", so I'd just write whichever one I wanted my handwriting to look like repeatedly until my hand got used to the motion.

I've recently sized down my handwriting as well in a similar way. Basically I've just been using a regular college-ruled notebook and when I take my notes in class, I make a point to make sure my letters are only 1/2 of each line because it's a lot easier to read (more white space between lines makes it feel less jumbled imo).

As someone else suggested, the dotted, grid, or lined notebook might help you quite a bit. But I would still practice in another notebook first (like don't go out and buy a $20 notebook immediately) to practice in, because it's probably going to look really messy until your hand gets used to the new way of writing.

I'd also suggest using a thinner pen if you aren't already. My favorite for general note-taking is the Pilot G2 Ultra Fine Point, though the Extra Fine Point (.5mm instead of .38mm) works well too. You can also find some pretty cute pens if you look on Korean and Japanese-themed websites (like Blippo), as they have many .35mm pens for pretty cheap.

Happy to help! What's your budget? I'm on mobile - let me see if I can grab links to what I would recommend based on what you want to spend


Edit: these are the markers I have and I love them. A bit pricy but worth it if it's in your budget: http://www.amazon.com/STD334SB20A6-Staedtler-Triplus-Fineliner-Pens/dp/B0007OEE7E
(There is actually a bigger set you can get from JetPens.com I think)

For a coloring book, I have a couple I like:
This one (and the other ones by this author/artist) is great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1780671067/ref=pd_aw_fbt_229_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0C8DWW0SZ6WKWXY2EX4N


This one also looks nice. I don't have it but one of my friends does: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1941325122/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=61DETogR%2BIL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=1NJH3VAEG30BFHGYWTF4

I just cleaned my kitchen, which makes me super happy--it was disgusting, and now it's sparkling clean!!!

If I win, could I have this? I want to give it to my best friend!! He's broke and in law school, and it would make me super happy to give him something :)

• I <3 these pens for writing!
  
  
• I'd love this if I win, please!
  
  
• Write On!
  
  
• I did all of the above, so I hope you consider me. :D
  
  
• I'd love for you to send me a postcard! I can send you a postcard too if you'd like as well.
  
  
• Thank you for this contest, I did have fun with this! I love writing.
  

Hmm. That's interesting that it bleeds so much.

If you're the kind of person who likes individual notebooks for every class/subject, there are a few good choices.
Clairfontaine and Black 'n Red are both very popular. I've tried both, although not extensively. The downside to these is the price. If you are taking 4 or more classes, or even some note taking heavy classes where you may need multiple notebooks, the sticker shock factor grows quick.

For loose leaf/3 ring I'd recommend HP brand Premium Laser Jet paper. Either 22lb or 32lb. 22lb is great, and has handled everything I've thrown at it. The 32lb paper is really nice, and almost as thick as cardstock. A ream costs a fair amount, however. If you want it lined, you can find notebook paper templates on line, and have it printed for pretty cheap if you're providing the paper. You could go further, and have them bind notebooks. You'd have to get quotes though, and see if it's worth it to you.

EDIT: Also, buying those HP brand papers is WAY cheaper at the box of 5 reams level. That could possibly be all of a persons collegiate notes. https://www.amazon.com/HP-Printer-LaserJet-Letter-115300R/dp/B004HME07G

If it costs 30$ to buy the paper, then $.07 per page printing(largely the dependant factor, this is a conservative estimate not including price of 3 hole punching), that comes out to be $.08 per page. Compared to a 10 dollar notebook that has 70 pages(black and red. Clairefontaine only has 50) that costs $.20 per page.

Now I'm starting to wish I had bought the paper in bulk! I've bought 3 reams separately so far!

I use the 3M Precision Mousing Surface. It's not particularly large, which I like because I'm a little cramped for space. It's about the thickness of a credit card, but flexible. The top is ridged in a way that makes my R.A.T. 3 just glide over it super smoothly. Never had any issues with it losing tracking or anything, and I can't speak for how well it extends mouse battery life as I can't stand gaming with a heavy wireless mouse.

As for speakers, I don't know if I can really help you since I use a pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM602 bookshelf speakers and a Lepai 20w amplifier. Those speakers might be a bit out of your price range, but I totally recommend going the outboard amp + bookshelf speaker route if you have the room and want really good sound.

You might try Staedtler technical pens, or Copic Multiliner SP markers. Both are extremely fine points - the Copics can go down to .03mm, but only in black, I think.

This set of Staedtler pens has pretty much every conceivable color you'd ever need to do panel lining: http://www.amazon.com/Triplus-Fineliner-Pens-Metal-Assorted/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416452707&sr=8-1&keywords=staedtler+triplus+fineliner&pebp=1416452711877

They also just started selling these precision Q-tips, which when soaked in rubbing alcohol will take care of your excess pigment pen ink. Just run 'em across the line, and if you run into situations like those vents, the end is pointy enough to get in there. http://www.amazon.com/Q-Tips-Cotton-Swabs-Baby-170/dp/B00604MRLA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1416452785&sr=8-4&keywords=precision+q-tip

If you don't wanna sink $10 on a 4-pack and they don't have them next to the Q-tips at your grocery or health and beauty store/drugstore I'll happily send you a package if you cover for the cost.

These are the greatest pens in the world.

The whole Pilot G2 line is amazing. But I particularly love the .38 ultra fine pens. I love a fine point tip. It's so precise and it writes so smooth. if I could only write with one type of pen for the rest of my life this would be it. I love it so much.

Also. If you really want to start doing this (yay!) I recommend adding these to your wishlist as your starter pens. They are the best for cheaper fine tips, and the colors are so bright. Mix these with a variety of black pens until you find one you like the most... Personally, I am still trying out new black ones, but Pilot G3 makes for a really nice pen for a cheaper end one.

Sorry, I just care a lot about this.

Also, things you can add to your wishlist if you don't want to just go out and buy a bunch of this stuff:

• A compass to draw beautiful circles
  
  
• Rulers - I have two I use the most, and both are cork-backed
  
  
• A protractor!
  
  
  If you do just want to go buy this stuff, everything is on sale right now at walmart and target for back to school, so this is a good time to start :)
  

Some things to consider to optimize your mouse setup:

• DPI: People have different preferences, and you gotta find what works for you and your current monitor resolution. It's generally good practice to buy a mouse with decent DPI settings. I recommend this.

• Mouse Pad: A large and smooth surface area for your movements is always better. This is why a lot of people prefer mouse pads like this and this.

• Hand/Mouse Ratio: I can't really recommend anything here, but it's usually best to use a mouse that feels right for your hand. In other words, ergonomics. The mouse I posted above works for me, but it may not be best for everyone. My recommendation here is to go to a local electronics store and try out their display 'gaming' mouses.

Good luck!

If you are looking to start calligraphy I would highly recommend just taking the plunge and purchasing some cheap calligraphy pens. They aren't super expensive and while you can just do faux-calligraphy with a ball point pen I have found that there is something about having a dedicated pen that makes me so much more motivated. If you are interested in Gothic calligraphy I personally love the Pilot Parallel pens for their ease of use and portability. Good luck on finding something artsy to do!

edit: grammar

I know this will get buried but I have decided to revamp my whole EDC.

/u/ieatedjesus I have taken the plunge on the Wallet you have recomended. I hate when a product has no reviews or I can't do research about it but whatever. I'm also super stingy with money so this is a huge deal for me lol ($42 with engraving)

As for the pen, I have decided to get a Fisher Space Pen $15. I have 3. Now I will have 4. (also bought a clip $5) ((also bought fieldnotes $10 for the wallet))

/u/odomandr I have decided to go with that knife $16. Nothing sexier than a good stone wash and minimalist design. I also need a knife. No idea about the quality but today I have decided to trust a total stranger on /r/EDC

/u/Ryl4nd99 Thank you for the great idea of a post! I hope to post again when everything comes in. I decided to add/replace my edc with the items above. I also carry a muthafuckin Casio as well as an Olight s2 Baton along with dollar store chapstick. Hopefully I can keep you updated or make a new post when all my goodies come in!

Sorry for the wall of text. Thank you for reading.

3/4" heatshrink to go over the ESC's. 0.25" I think to go over your battery cables. 5/8ths maybe to cover XT60 connectors. Wire sleeves aren't needed. I hold stuff down with double sided tape. or a wrap of electrical.

Thin solder, you'll thank me. Along with a pencil tip for your iron. You'll want ?14G? wire to solder a power lead, confirm this. I also didn't have a 5V step down to power my FC on my first build. You'll want one. Many PDB's have one integrated. That makes it easy.

Purple Loctite or your frame will vibrate itself apart, Real quick. Don't use this on Nylon, and don't get it on the motor shaft, but it is extra important to use on motor mounts though. Just be careful.

A battery buzzer that you can solder onto your PDB is nice. Adhesive velcro is good if you want to use that in addition to battery straps. Either that or hobby foam. A parallel charging board is nice to have so you don't lose an entire day charging batteries. Learn to use it.

I personally replace all my stock hardware with Aluminum Cap screws because I want to cut weight and I hate dealing with stripped hex heads. Not needed though. Zip ties are good to have. A bundle of black ones will work. I've found the colored ones are more prone to breaking. They are good to hold antenna wires.

90deg pin headers are nice. My FC didn't come with those, only straight, and stack height is a real problem with straight pins. Extra props. You'll want those. 8mm socket to remove prop nuts. 3mm allen key. USB to micro USB cable to update your FC. Some XT60 connectors.

Beyond that, I'm sure I'm over looking some things. After a couple of builds you just have extras of stuff so you overlook.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PS9S3M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.fastener-express.com/aluminum-fasteners-nuts-washers.aspx

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GOL5CQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094EJG3K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4BV/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Chairs that cost $1000+ are not out of the norm at all.

Think of it this way: if you are a working professional in a white collar job, and you have to spend 6+ hours a day sitting, it makes a lot of sense to buy a chair that you are comfortable in. People pay ten times as much for things they use ten times less (e.g. cars).

It's a principle that I apply to much of what I own. As a student, I use just a couple of things really often:

1. Keyboard
   
2. Pen
   
3. Notebook
   
4. Backpack
   
   For each of those I have spent a significant amount of time and money figuring out what makes the best tool for me. Because they are the tools I use the most, they had better be of good quality. They are, in order:
   
   
5. DAS Professional Model S
   
6. Pilot G2/Uniball Stick Fine Point
   
7. Moleskine Ruled Notebook A4
   
8. Timbuk2 Q Backpack
   
   All of those are more expensive, but they make working and doing what I do a joy. If they are going to be my tools, then they are going to be good.
   
    
   
    
   
    
   Also, I'm really sorry if that came off as highly pretentious. I realize now that my not have come across the nicest. Oh well, I've typed it out, I can't back out now!

This is semi-similar to how I store my collection. What I do:

2 ZenBin trays per release set with one cover
1 of these books for 2 release sets of cards http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Pocket-Protector-Sleeves/dp/B004T2CBD4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

How do I use only 2 trays per set you ask? the 'card' section of the ZenBins are perfect for storing a ton of dice. you can store 50 on the a single tray's rails and then 20 more in each card tray.

I've also had some issues with malformed dice making the trays not fit right, so I store 8 to a rail and the rest in the sides. it's not quite as neat but it works quite well and keeps the 'size' of the storage area down while making it easy enough to find particular dice.

Here's the math I did:

AVX 132 8 pages 38 dice 2 trays
UCX 126 8 pages 36 dice 2 trays
AOU 142 8 pages 44 dice 2 trays
ASM 142 8 pages 44 dice 2 trays
JL 138 8 pages 40 dice 2 trays
WOL 142 8 pages 44 dice 2 trays
BFF 138 8 pages 40 dice 2 trays
FUS 143 8 pages 45 dice 2 trays

assuming 28 sets of 4 dice per tray

this is what i use with my x34, not the cheapest arm but not too expensive either. there are also versions with shorter poles, but i wanted the taller one so i could get the monitor higher up off the desk as i was using stacked monitors for a time.

it holds it up perfectly though, tons of adjustments and is very solid, basically no shaking when i type or do anything. of course having a solid desk plays a part there too.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00689HXI4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


i actually have 2 of these, other is holding a much lighter/smaller 32" 4k monitor now and like the x34 does a perfect job. these arms are strong and very solid.

you can get these big thick spiral bound sketchbooks at dollarama, load tf up on those, they're great. aside from that, you can generally go cheap on most comic supplies. steadler HB pencils are fine, a nice gum eraser, and some sharpies of various widths. If you're feeling ambitious and have an arts store near-by you can get some inexpensive faber-castelle felt tip pens for fine lines, .5mm should be fine. And This! this pen is awesome and super versatile.

This pen is my current favorite

And this pen

This one is my number 2

Not sure on exchange rates but this one is really nice as well

I love a good pen, I have large hands and i prefer to take notes for class by hand instead of typing them out.

I'm a huge fan of Corsair's peripherals. I'm using a Scimitar mouse and K70 RGB keyboard right now. Never had any quality issues myself, but their customer support is superb. I really like their aesthetic.

Logitech is a solid choice if you like their products. Personally I'm not into it, but I don't care for "gamer" stuff in general.

As for audio, I wouldn't recommend a headset of any kind. Personally, I use a pair of AKG K553 Pros, a FiiO E10K DAC/amp, and an Audio Technica AT2020 mic. That said, I understand that not everyone cares about audio as much as I do. If you're happy with the sound quality of your Krakens, you could get most any Logitech, Corsair, SteelSeries, etc. headset in the same price range and get comparable results.

This is the mouse pad I use. I don't care about flashy lights or fancy designs, I just wanted a large mouse pad.

Some come with cartridges or converters, but you can always buy those separate.

• The Pilot Petit1 would definitely have originally had an in ink cartridge, but if you've lost it you can eyedropper the pen easily by putting silicone grease on the threads and just filling the body of the pen with ink.
  
• Lamy Al-Star uses Lamy cartridges/converters
  
• IIRC, Pelikano Junior & the Rotring Core should both use Standard International, which isn't quite as standard as you'd hope, but I would guess the inexpensive Jinhao converters will work.
  
   
  
  Congrats on a diverse set of nice starter pens :)

> Those cardinal binders look nice, but are awfully expensive on Amazon for me.

You're telling me, lol. I bought them at Walmart for $10 each, but spread over time as I needed them. You obviously won't need a plethera of binders if you're starting from scratch, although keep in mind supplies ARE ALWAYS expensive, you're just noticing it because you need it all at the same time.

> what sleeves do you recommend?

For your 3-ring binder, I use the exact ones you linked. The more you buy at a single time, the cheaper they are. I usually buy 2,000 at a time. They are perfect for 9-pocket pages.

A trade binder, to me, is one of those ultra pro/monster binders you were referring to in your older post Like This. If you aren't planning on going to locals and trading with fellow players, don't even worry about it. If you're just going about starting a personal collection, get a smaller 3-ring binder for valuables and a bigger one for collection. I personally do not recommend lugging a small 3-ring binder around to locals and tournaments to trade because the cards can fall out of the pages if you aren't careful.

https://www.amazon.com/Perixx-DX-2000XXL-Gaming-Control-Mouse/dp/B00GB0IFXM

This one is the one I have... its availible in various sizes, plenty thick for daily gaming and minor cushion. It's pretty hardy and easy to clean in case you spill...

Overall dope pad for the price. Going 3-4 years strong still.

3mm is plenty. However if that's a deal breaker I get it, just an awesome price and product if you are not needing that extra 2mm of thickness which IMHO is too much. If you seek more cushion than 3mm an auxiliary wrist rest would better suit you and facilitate that overall comfort/ergonomics without having a extra heavy thick mousepad on the whole surface instead of just where its needed.

Starter: Lamy Safari with some cartridges.

I have this pen at work and use cartridges rather than a converter to save time and prevent potential catastrophes of filling them. If you like the fountain pen in the GIF, TWSBI Vac 700, should be a great second starter or you can get a converter; just know you'll need bottled ink.

My favorite ink right now is Pilot Iroshizuku, lines are clean for most of my foutain pens, it dries decently fast and is easy to clean out of the pen aswell.

Nice, a cool uncle!

I would recommend either Zig calligraphy markers or a Pilot Parallel Pen. Both are cheap enough to mess around with while still being legitimate tools. I would definitely recommend broad edge over pointed pen because PP takes a lot of time and effort for good results and I know when I was 13 I would've just wanted fun things to mess around with.

The only thing is I would not recommend highlighters to practice with due to their angled chiseled tip. Most calligraphy markers have straight chiseled tips, like most real calligraphy tools I'm aware of.

Happy shopping!

I personally wouldn't recommend a Hackintosh unless you are willing to learn a little bit on your own, or have a friend who can help out. The problems with a prebuilt machine from a random entity are:

• Returns may be a pain, unless he provides you with receipts and everything required for all manufacturer warranties. Even in these cases, you need to take out parts and handle the process yourself.
  
  
• Updates can sometimes cause issues (not often, but they can) and if you don't have a rough understanding of things you could end up with a computer that isn't working and no idea how to fix it.
  
  
• Applecare - with an iMac you have the option of a solid warranty, and you can basically just bring the computer to an apple store to get it fixed with very little frustration or questions. I'm not saying you need the applecare, but it is a nice option for many.
  
  
• The resale value of an iMac will decrease over time, but it is still relatively easy to sell an iMac. Custom computers are much harder to sell, and often lose value much faster.
  
  
• This build doesn't have thunderbolt, which is very handy over time.
  
  
  This is obviously your decision, I just know from experience that I have had to extract data from my hackintosh, and reinstall everything because I managed to screw something up with an update. If I had purchased the computer it would have been frustrating to still end up doing al the work despite spending $300-400 extra to avoid it.
  
  If you do go this route and want a monitor suggestion, I really love LG's 34UM95. It is a 34" 3440x1440 res monitor with great picture quality. You need to hook it up via display port or thunderbolt (this build has display port) to get the full res at 60hz, but it is definitely worth the money. I use mine with an ergotron LX monitor arm with the tall arm (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00689HXI4)

WORK

PowerTank Retractable Pen All-Angle All-Weather Wet Surface… Standard quick draw go-to pen for the last 5 years

Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pen Recently got into fountain pens so I use this when I can to sign stuff or have time to take decent notes

Silver Sharpie for writing on dark surfaces

Pocket Level for leveling anything from pictures to 80” monitors and in between

Retractable Sharpie for permanent marking/writing everywhere else not covered by the previous items

Telescoping Magnetic Retriever

My First Pencil for temporary marking… large size for durability and novelty

House Keys, Personal Truck Keys (98 F150), Work Truck/Van Key (what is this thing), Building Keys

Fitbit Charge HR

Large Rubber Band because you just never know when you might need one… and I pop myself if I get a craving for something I don’t need lol

A little Cash, Our Energy Management Policy (our VP will randomly ask to see it and if you have it on you, you may get to be off the rest of the day, get a meal or gas gift cert, movie tix, etc.)

Vicks Inhaler, Every Man Jack chapstick

1/8” Allen Wrench

ThorFire throwaway LED Flashlight for quick peeks, or if the larger one’s battery dies

BP Rewards Card (Filling the work truck a couple times a week gets me a few cents off my own gas… shhhhh), Work Visa, License, Insurance, Carmike Rewards Card because you never know when you may wanna catch a flick.

Nitecore MH1C Rechargeable LED Flashlight… found this baby up in the ceiling and fell in love (once I read the manual and figured out how to work it.)

Zippo Spectrum Lighter… Don’t smoke but I love fire and Zippo’s even more. I have 16 right now but this is my throw around EDC.

Gerber Superknife

TAC Force Throw away assisted opening knife

RFID Access Badge

Medical ID Bracelet… recently diagnosed with Diabeetus and put on Xarelto after a huge blood clot (PE)

3x5 Index Card Daily Work Order Checklist, needed supplies, random notes/measurements/numbers

/r/KaizenBrotherhood 30 Day Challenge Checklist

Leatherman Rebar MultiTool… work buys these (bless them) and I usually break them enough to need one every 1-2 years. Had one model or another since my 18th birthday (36 now) and just found out they will actually repair them for free so I will have to round up some older ones and send them off. Once they are retired they wind up in a glove box, random tool bag/box, in the recliner, on my desk etc, anywhere I might need one and I am not in my work clothes.

NOT PICTURED

Folding Wood Rule

Motorola XPR-6300 Radio

iPhone 6 in Lifeproof Fre Case with Nite Ize Steelie Magnet on the back and $20 inside... used to take picture

*added phone

Yeah agree with most people here. I was gifted these staedtler pens and loved them: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens, .3mm, Metal Clad Tip, 20-Pack, Assorted (334SB20BK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jpOFDbNTXVM7W

Gift card for shoes for places like Clark's (need comfy shoes because we're on our feet all day). Or food- Starbucks, Trader Joe's, etc. Nice headphones.

Honestly though, during those stressful breakdowns just moral support is what's helpful. And.. it sounds like she's doing a lot. Not sure that it's all necessary, she could probably drop some stuff if it's affecting her mental health.

I've been asked this several times haha. I'll do a little explaining now, but I think it's time I put together an album explaining it with pictures.

I used the following wiring harness:
OPT7 Offroad Light Bar wiring Harness Kit (4 Items), 380W - Single Connector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K1NS0PS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_u9hrxb06G38RA

The wiring is in a protective plastic/rubber sleeve. I ran the sleeve up the side of the windshield. On my windshield there's a slight gap between the metal of the body and glass, like the Rubber seal is set in a little bit. I cut a thin strip of 3m exterior mounting tape and used a screwdriver or something to push it into the gap.

Scotch Exterior Mounting Tape, 1-Inch by 60-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Z4BV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UaLrxbHN01CVZ

The adhesive tape has held up all winter and about a total of 8 months, so I'd say it works well.

I ran it up the passenger side because the way my light bar was the wiring came out on that side, plus you don't see it easily everytime you get in the car. You could do the drivers side also. The wiring harness I used was basically just long enough. I'd recommend starting from the light and working backwards to the battery, that way you don't have any extra wiring up top.

You can also use some type of adhesive wire clip to guide the wire down the rain gutter thing so it's a little more secure till it gets to the light. I attempted to do this, but I had trouble getting the clip things to stick.I'll probably try to redo it soon.

Like I said, I'll try to get some pictures when I get around to it to help explain it further.

This way is a lot easier and "safer" than drilling through the roof or something.

I've got the Perixx DX-2000XXL. It's big enough for my mouse and keyboard to comfortably fit, and to provide a bit of cushion for my wrists. Super grippy bottom and nicely stitched edges.

It's been easy to clean (doesn't really pick up much dust/dirt) and was pretty cheap compared to some of the other offerings.

Before the list, I would just like to personally thank all of you on the EDC sub. Many of the things I use everyday, I bought after seeing them here and reading your reviews and recommendations. I love seeing the diversity of the tools and stuff you all use. I'm including links to where I got my things just to save anyone the time searching.

Here's my EDC on a budget...

Phone: OnePlus 5t (8GB/128GB). Recently replaced my aging Nexus 5. No phone has ever been perfect in my eyes, but the 5t is awesome and lightning fast, and it doesn't have a bunch of bullcrap and bloatware.
https://www.oneplus.com/5t

Knife: Gerber Suspension. I have several knives, but this is the one that goes with me everywhere. The pliers, screwdrivers and scissor get used more than the blade.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EDPT9K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Watch: Timex Field Chrono. Inexpensive, accurate and reliable. Plus I think it looks cool.
https://www.amazon.com/Timex-T49905-Expedition-Chronograph-Leather/dp/B0083XFHIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

Flashlight: J5 Tactical V1. Got this to replace my Mini-Mag LED that constantly flickers with even the slightest shake or bump. I used to love Mags when they had incandescent bulbs. They really f'ed up their LED tech though.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V7T1YRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Field Notes: I also do drone photos for real estate and I use this as a flight log.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034KDEMO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Other stuff: Cheap glasses because I lose or break them about every 6 months. Chapstick, Levis wallet, car keys, G2 pen, wallet survival card ($1 at Walmart) comes in handy.

Not pictured: Altoids to cover up the coffee breath. Ringke Fusion phone case.

The Staedtler Triplus Fineliner is my all time favorite. I'm all about porous point pens because they don't smear and for whatever reason make my handwriting infinitely better than any other pen. I followed a bunch of study blogs on tumblr when I was in school and all the people that had the best handwriting and cutest notes swore by these pens. I especially love how many colors they have and the convenient carry case that turns into a stand.

i bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AS8ROZ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 on sale for 11 bucks the other week. Its not exactly the same size but its still pretty big and the best part is that it doesnt have the logo. It's pretty solidly made and looks like it will hold up a long time.

Great pen choice, I have one in medium and I love it. I've never tried the journal you got and I'm not sure if it's fountain pen friendly--for a starter notebook, I'll add that Black N Red notebooks are fairly inexpensive and rather good.

And congratulations on joining! Enjoy!

Mom! Mom! MOM! Can I get this pen refill converter I cant use my new fountain pen without it please mom please please please I reeeeeally need this! You wanted me to work on my handwriting and I'm trying but I have to have this to be able to use my pen and it's almost out of ink. I know I just got it but I've used it so much it's really almost out of ink! No you can't see it, I left it on my desk. Mom I can't find it, I can't show it to you but can I pleeeeeease get that? Pretty please with sugar on top!

My awesome new fountain pen really isn't that close to being out of ink, but I will need a refill converter when it is ;P

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor | $179.99 @ Microcenter
CPU Cooler | Phanteks PH-TC14PE_RD 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler | $79.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z ATX AM3+ Motherboard | $214.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $117.35 @ NCIX US
Storage | Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $122.99 @ NCIX US
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $63.98 @ Outlet PC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card | $399.99 @ Amazon
Case | Corsair Air 540 ATX Full Tower Case | $129.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | OCZ ZX 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $99.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer | $52.00 @ Newegg
Monitor | Asus VG23AH 23.0" Monitor | $177.58 @ Newegg
Keyboard | Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard | $119.99 @ Newegg
Mousepad| XTracPads Ripper XXL Desktop Gaming Mat| $24.98
Webcam| Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, 1080p Widescreen Video Calling and Recording| $74.99
Mouse| Logitech G500s| $79.99
Fan Controller| Sentry 2| $29.99
LEDs| Sleeved LED Kit| $9.99
Case Fans| 3 x Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition 62.7 CFM 120mm Fan| $44.97
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $2023.74
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-05 21:06 EDT-0400 |

The whole build is red and black themed.
CPU is ideal for streaming.
CPU cooler is one of the best air coolers. You could overclock your CPU to its limits.
A high quality motherboard with good audio and tons of features.
16GB RAM is plenty for streaming.
SSD for OS and programs.
HDD for games and media.
GPU will max out every game.
Case you wished.
Fully modular PSU, so that you could get red sleeved cables. You could add another GPU in the future. 750W would only have a little headroom according to PCPP.
Blu-Ray driver with write functionality.
High quality IPS monitor.
Keyboard you wished.
Totally black extended mousepad.
1080p webcam.
The mouse is the improved version of the G500. It's the s model.
Fan controller. I would not get a fan controller because it is vertical in that case.
Red LED cable.
As many fans as possible.

Mac Mini (2018 model), named NOSTROMO

• 3.2 GHz Hexa-Core Core i7 CPU
  
• 32 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB PCIe boot volume
  
• 2 TB external rotating drive for Time Machine Backups, connected via Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C
  
• Dual 8 TB Western Digital Elements USB 3.0 drives for content, VOL1 and VOL2. VOL1 is replicated to VOL2, both are connected via Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C. These handy adapter cables allow you to connect a traditional USB 3.0 device into a Thunderbolt 3 port.
  
• Single 4 TB SeaGate Plus USB 3.0 drive which contains the majority of my media content, VOL5. It is a "floater" drive which I always carry in my backpack to have the majority of my content with me at all times.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
• Dual 27” Apple Thunderbolt Displays connected to the Mac Mini, daisy-chained off a single Thunderbolt 3 port using a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
  
• This Mac Mini is what I use to host all of my iTunes content to the three Apple TVs in my home
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2010 model), named SPUNKMEYER
  

  
  

• 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 100 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Running Mac OS 10.13.6 Server
  
  
  

  MacBook Pro Retina 15” (2015 model), named SULACO
  

  
  

• 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Core i7 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB SSD
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Client
  
• Time Machine Backups are being taken both on the 2018 Mac Mini as well as the 2010 Mac Mini
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2012 model), named FERRO
  

  
  

• This Mac is located at Mom & Dad’s about 1,000 miles away. It is a complete offsite backup of all of my content, it is also used for Time Machine backups of my mother’s Mac Mini and my niece’s MacBook Pro. I have both Remote Desktop and SSH access via the magic of port forwarding. Whenever I add a new movie, I place it is my Shared Dropbox folder, then about 30 minutes later it is available on the backup Mac Mini. I then move it over to VOL3, and all of my content is always in sync.
  
• 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Core i5 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 120 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Single 8 TB Western Digital Elements USB 3.0 drive for storing and hosting content, VOL3. It is a complete duplicate of VOL1/VOL2.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2012 model), named AURIGA
  

  
  

• This Mac is located at my sister's house about 1,000 miles away. It is a complete offsite backup of all of my movies and TV shows, it is also used for Time Machine backups of my sister's MacBook Pro and my other niece’s MacBook. I have both Remote Desktop and SSH access via the magic of port forwarding. Whenever I add a new movie, I place it is my Shared Dropbox folder, then about 30 minutes later it is available on the backup Mac Mini. I then move it over to VOL4, and all of my content is always in sync.
  
• 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Core i5 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Single 4 TB Seagate Backup Plus USB 3.0 drive (VOL4) for storing and hosting content, VOL4. As it is only a 4 TB volumes, it contains only the moves and television shows which are on VOL1, VOL2, and VOL3.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
  
  Both the 2012 Minis and the 2010 Mini are completely headless. Unfortunately, this means that accessing them via remote desktop gives you a measly 800x600 resolution. I use this handy little gadget on both of them to replicate a 1920x1080 display being connected. So, when I connect via Screen Sharing I get a nice big display.
  
  
  

  MacBook Pro (2018 model), named APLC02XV5W1JGH5
  

  
  

• 2.2 GHz Six-Core Intel Core i7 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 500 GB SSD
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.5 Client
  
• This is my work-provided laptop, mostly used for remote access. It is pretty locked down, I am not a local administrator so I cannot even rename it to fit my naming scheme
  
  
  

  iPad Pro 10.5", named APONE
  

  
  

• 2.38 GHz Apple A10X CPU
  
• 4 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB of storage
  
• Running iOS 13.0 Public Beta
  
  
  

  iPhone X, named RIPLEY
  

  
  

• 2.4 GHz Apple A11 Bionic CPU
  
• 3 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB of storage
  
• Running iOS 12.4
  
  
  LG Blu-Ray reader/writer in connected to NOSTROMO via USB 3.0, used for ripping Blu-Rays and DVDs
  
  Sabrent USB 3.0 Dual-Bay Hard Drive Dock, also connected to NOSTROMO via USB 3.0
  
  The microphone is a Yeti Blue with a Nady Pop Filter, coupled with a Logitech HD C310, used for Google Hangouts and FaceTime calls with the fam, and the occasional podcast. It is mounted on a RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm and a RADIUS II Microphone Shock Mount.
  
  The mousepad is an XTracPads Ripper XXL mousepad
  
  The chair is a Raynor Ergohuman ME7ERG desk chair
  
  I use Dropbox to expertly keep my content in sync. Due to the amount of content I keep in there, it is well worth the $100 per year for a Dropbox Pro subscription.
  
  
  Additionally throughout the house, I have...
  3 Eeros for my Mesh Wireless Network WiFi System
  2 Apple TVs (4K), named ASH and CALL
  1 Apple TV (4th Generation), named BISHOP
  1 Apple HomePod, named DIETRICH
  1 Nest Hello Video Doorbell, named HELLO
  1 Nest Learning Thermostat, named NEST (yeah, original af, I know)
  2 WyzeCam Pans, named WYZE-Kitchen and WYZE-LivingRoom
  4 WeMo Smart Plugs, named WEMO-Foyer, WEMO-SpareBedroom, WEMO-MasterBedroom, and WEMO-LivingRoom
  1 Amazon Echo Plus, named ECHO-LivingRoom
  2 Amazon Echoes (First-Generation), named ECHO-MasterBedroom and ECHO-Kitchen
  2 Amazon Echo Dots, named DOT-Office, and DOT-SpareBedroom
  4 Google Home Minis
  1 Brother HL-L2395DW Wireless Laser Printer, named LV426
  1 PlayStation 3 Slim 120 GB, named HICKS
  
  I have a total of 31 IP reservations according to my Eero app. This makes it a lot easier to manage my network, set up port forwarding, etc.

I'm pretty much in the same boat, except that I'm a real man so I use ultra fine point pens. :-P

I've had my Nexus 7 for just a couple of days now and think it is great. For the price point, it utterly trounces the Kindle Fire (which is getting passed down to my niece shortly). The screen is lovely, the UI is far more polished, and I'm generally enjoying using it quite a bit more. I suspect it'll get a bit better, too, as it is Google's flagship tablet right now.

I don't have a lot of interesting or really cheap stuff :/ but it's worth a shot! :) gifting is fun!

Magazine featuring my favorite band

Calligraphy brush pen!

Calligraphy pen :)

Happy, happy birthday! :) Are you feeling 22?

<$5 Earrings (Cosmetics WL)
<$4 Pens (Nursing School WL - under more buying choices)
<$3 Eye Shadow (Cosmetics WL)
<$2 Sunflower Seeds (default)
<$1 Decal (default)

Thanks for the contest! You are aweΣ!

I started over winter break, so sometime in January, and I used this workbook by Margaret Shepherd to teach myself :) I wrote this with the [2.4mm Pilot Parallel] (http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Parallel-Calligraphy-Cartridges-90051/dp/B002RJLS0S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395198034&sr=8-2&keywords=2.4+pilot+parallel) I got it from my awesome 100th Exchange Extravangza Santa, /u/niashux, last week! I absolutely adore it!

How about yourself? Do you write calligraphy? :)

It's not quite as large, but this mouse mat has no branding, pretty good reviews and it has stitched edges like the mat from Glorious PC Gaming. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AS8ROZ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_EK2wzbD57WS4X

It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

I need these pens because I love to doodle! And doodling is just so much more fun when it's in color. School starts next week, so I have a lot of doodling ahead of me. Please make my doodles colorful. :)

>playing on a glossy/ smooth wood desk

shiny or glossy surfaces could cause an issue, have you tried a mouse pad or other surface, it is good to have a surface that has bits/stripes of dark and light to get a good interference pattern

​

I use one of these 3M mouse pads that have a good pattern(works well with optical/laser) and is super smooth which helps accuracy https://www.amazon.com/3M-Precise-Repositionable-Adhesive-MP200PS-x/dp/B0017D5Z40

If you really like that pad, you could "resurface" it with a 3M Precise Optical Mousing surface. They're really thin and they have an adhesive backing (not permanent adhesive; it may or may not stick well to a fabric surface. It sticks great to wood and glass for me, though). So you could just stick it on and trim it to fit the shape of your favored pad. Best of both worlds?

It's theKazaira extended mouse pad. It's a little thicker than normal mouse pads, which is nice, and it doesn't have any logo distracting my more minimal look. I'm glad you like your set up! It's awesome for sure! :)

I'm replying to you so people who may be interested have a place to start:

My favorite fountain pens for beginners that are super cheap are Pilot Varsity. They're disposable and you can get a pack of them for pretty cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA

They can also be brought on planes (I know--I just flew with one and it didn't leak). It's seriously a huge difference to write with a fountain pen vs ballpoint or felt or gel or whatever.

I use an Ultra Pro 9-pocket binder, the one with a plastic cover and not the leather one. I love this binder because the cover is sturdy, even when I accidently left it on a very hot power adapter and the cover was still okay. The pockets are side loading so it is better for a trade binder, not to call out people but it is harder to take out the cards without someone noticing. The backing on the pages are black so it makes the cards look nicer. However, the black backing are not acid-free so you still want to use sleeves for the cards in there. Lastly, the four pocket binders tend to put a bend in the cards on the spine when you fill it up, which can pose a problem to your cards.

Here is a very helpful video I watched before deciding on a binder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5IauASYWjk

Here is my binder:
http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-UP82600-Pro-Binder-Black/dp/B004T2CBD4/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1397693590&sr=8-14&keywords=ultra+pro+9-pocket

Channel Fireball is having a good sale right now, here is the link for the supplies section:
http://store.channelfireball.com/2014_spring_sale_supplies

/u/Grep2grok's point about the speed of lectures is certainly worth considering. I'd parrot his pencil recommendation. For a premium pencil, I'd recommend any of the following:

• Rotring 600
  
• Alvin Draft-Matic DM05
  
• Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm with 2B lead
  
• Pentel Graph Gear 1000 0.5mm
  
  Of the above, start with the GG 1000. I think it has the most comfortable grip for writing at length.
  
  Pencil kind of opens the playing field when choosing a notebook, as you don't have to worry about bleed. I prefer large spiral-bound books as they lay very flat. Your work space will be very limited most of the time, so something that folds back on itself may prove useful.
  
  
• RITR 6x9 or 8.5x11
  
• Rhodia spirals
  
• Whitelines spirals
  
• Doane spirals

Since Razer was brought up, as it usually is, my experience with a Vespula has been good. It has two surface styles, one slick and the other with light texture. The whole thing is at a nice height for both work and play, but the mouse surface and wrist rest are separate so you can do without if preferred. The one negative (other than the name) is the wrist rest decal, which will peel off in chunks given half a chance. I don't know what they were thinking with that. Will it improve your game? Hard to say, but I think you'll find it nice to have a quality, dedicated space available when spending that much time with a mouse.

I also own a Logitech mx518 and it's been solid as well. The key feature is being able to adjust the sensitivity on the fly.

Warning: I'm a pen freak. I love pens for some reason.

My favorite pens!

these pens, because colors!

and sharpies for making labels!


They make taking notes 1,000 times better! Plus, all my professors now know me by my colored pens :)

Back to cool :)

This One is pretty excellent for the price, i've had it nearly 2 years now and the edges still aren't fraying or coming apart at all, mouse tracking is great and it takes nicely to being cleaned with some warm water and soap... really can't beat it for 12 bucks.

I just bought some basic Spencerian copy books off of Amazon, along with some pilot varsity fountain pens. I think it was less than $25. So far I am really enjoying it!

I've been thinking learning it with someone else would be awesome, to try to stay accountable on practicing. Interested?

Edit: The books and the pens if anyone is interested.

Colorific pens!!! my favorite dinosaur is the pterodactyl!!! That is the nice dinosaur in the Magic Tree House series my kiddo likes :) Thanks for the contest!

YAY! :D let me think.... I'll add things to this post as I think of them.

Bed Caddy

Bed Risers

Hamper

This Book (my cousin got it for me when I started college way back when, and it really has a lot of good advice)

Storage

Dry Erase Calendar

Small Room Safe

Dorm Security

Command Strips

This amazing food/beverage station

A freaking PURPLE fridge

Brita

Make pooping in a shared bathroom less embarrassing

This photo display

An electric kettle

Also a planner! I like to make my own and use different colored pens to differentiate between my classes! If you want the template I use for my planner, I can send you a link to it! :D

Agreed, greatest invention evar. I feel like people who still use non-mechanical pencils are like people who use hotmail in 2012. Or maybe old-skool hipsters. If you want a high quality mechanical pencil, check out something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Mechanical-Pencil-Metallic-P1035A/dp/B0006SW6YO

Personally I am ok with these cheapos:

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Velcoity-Mechanical-Pencil-MV5P21-Blk/dp/B000GOWAQM

I have this, which is pretty similar, but a bit bigger, and like it quite a bit. It's lasted over 2.5 years at this point and still going strong. Pretty smooth too.

Thank you!

The Mousepad is the XXL Ripper LINK

I love it so much I travel with one everywhere. Great way to deploy a mobile battlestation.

My favorite feature is the mouse and keyboard are on the same surface so the keyboard doesn't keep hitting the edge of the mouse pad when I game.

These marker/pens are really nice and much cheaper on Amazon than in a store
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007OEE7E?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Also I got a silk pillowcase, it's fantastic
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWWTACZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_bC3knUz3X1ttx

And these boots are pretty nice
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSJYJ75?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

/r/calligraphy
/r/penmanship
/r/handwriting

/r/fountainpens is neat but be aware you will not be able to do this kind of writing with a fountain pen. You also won't be able to do what many people think of "calligraphy" (german style lettering that has thick and thin parts) with a fountain pen.

If dip pens are a little scary for a beginner, try getting the Pilot Parallel calligraphy pen. Very simple like a fountain pen, dead cheap and you'll be able to do lots of calligraphy with them.

However, dip pens are super cheap and fun to play with. You can get a nice nib, nib holder and ink for $20 on Amazon. Calligraphy is a very cheap hobby to get into.

I think what you want is an Ergotron LX Mount but they're pretty pricey. HOWEVER, there are unbranded ones (branded by HP, but totally 100% ergotron) for almost half the price here. I have 3 of them and they support my giant Crossover 27Q. I can go from portrait to landscape just by grabbing the monitor and spinning it. I highly recommend them.

You also may want to check out some of the Monoprice offerings here for even less money. I had the dual one for around 60$, but it only moved side to side- not up and down.

On the VR lens lab adapters... I'm using poster putty to keep them in place. Works great for me and cheaper than printing a new adapter and getting new lenses.
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Fun-Tak-Mounting-2-Ounce-1087306/dp/B001F57ZPW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479924243&sr=8-2&keywords=loctite+fun-tak

FWIW, I really wish the Rift had been made more friendly to glasses - either with an optional "facial interface" or some mounting posts attached to the lens assembly. I don't blame VR Lens lab - there's just nothing in there to attach anything or corners for a friction fit.

If you're insistent on deconstructing before painting, but want to play a few first, try using sticky-tack or fun-tack to keep the minis together and on their bases. Keep in mind, if painted pieces before gluing and are using a plastic glue or cement, you'll need to get the paint/primer off the contact points before gluing or it won't work properly. Even if you're using regular super glue you should still remove any paint to make a stronger bond.

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Fun-Tak-Mounting-2-Ounce-1087306/dp/B001F57ZPW

Triplus Fineliner all day erryday. They're even finer - .3 mm. I discovered them when I was taking Japanese classes when I was in college the first time. Beautiful. I got them because they're great for writing kanji in small notebooks, but I use them all the time. And so many colors! I like to color code my notes (and pretty much everything else) so they're perfect.

OH my god, the struggle is real.

This is one I was able to find:

https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Chart-Notebook-Gelding-Publishing/dp/1502718111

However I never bought it. We didn't do a lot on smith charts, I wish I'd had more opportunity.

​

My favorite notebooks:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MP9D5AG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why:

1.) F-ing graph paper

2.) Thick pages. I like colored markers for notes, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Triplus-Fineliner-Assorted-334SB20BK/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Staedtler&qid=1570659385&s=office-products&sr=1-2

The thick pages doesn't allow (as much) marker bleed and the notebooks hold up for a long time.

3.) F-ing graph paper and thick pages.

I started off with a Lamy Safari and have now bought 3. They are wonderful and last. They aren't a trophy pen but if you are a student and want to take pride in your work then this pen can take the beatings a backpack will give. After you are sure you like the pen I would suggest getting the refill converter so you can use bulk ink instead of the little cartridges. What kind of writing do you want to do with it? There are different nibs (tips) for different thicknesses/feed rates.

Item to help me accomplish one of these things

Of course, I'd have to post the poems in my blog for 40 days. This would be an accomplishment, as I am a seasoned poet, with 4 self-published chapbooks out, a longtime poetry blog, and have been featured at numerous poetry/writing events. However, I've had a bit of a hard time writing lately...okay, for the last few years since being in school. My mind just isn't in it. And it needs to be, or my gift is wasted.

I will need lots of these

These guys always inspire me!

I have a list of things I wanted to do for 30 days...maybe 40 days won't be so bad?

Some of the things on my 30 days list:

Go 30 days without:

Eating meat

Wearing makeup

Swearing

Wearing shoes

Go 30 Days:

Write a poem every day

Send a letter to a friend via snail mail

Drink more than the recommended amount of water

/u/n_reineke , /u/G0ATLY , /u/Yokuo ...what do you guys think?

Think I could go 40 days with any of those?

I've had good luck with VIVO brand - I currently use the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Monitor-Mount-Adjustable-Screens/dp/B00B1D03GQ/

Easy to assemble, sturdy design, maximum adjustability in all directions. However, I don't know if they have a three-wide one that supports 27 inch displays - their three-wide seems to only support 24's:

http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Monitor-Mount-Adjustable-Screens/dp/B009S7ALH8/

After your suggestions my current amazon cart for her is:

Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide to Pointed Pen and Brush Pen Lettering

Hand Lettering for Relaxation: An Inspirational Workbook for Creating Beautiful Lettered Art

Strathmore 300 Series Drawing Pad, Medium Surface, 9"x12" Glue Bound, 50 Sheets

Rhodia No.16 A5 6 x 8 1/4 80 Sheet, Dot Pad.

Tombow 56191 Advanced Lettering Set.

Pilot Parallel Pen 2-Color Calligraphy Pen Set, with Black and Red Ink Cartridges in 2.4mm Nib size and 3.8mm Nib size with extra 12 assorted colors cartridges and 12 black cartridges. I assume the cartridges are not dependent on nib size as that would be infuriatingly stupid. Only dependent on the brands pen circumference? Correct me if I am wrong on that.

Hopefully that's pretty comprehensive but as far as speedball goes these are the texts I've found:

Speedball Textbook 24th Edition for $8.67.

Speedball Textbook: For Pen and Brush Lettering, 20th Edition for $113.35.

The Speedball Textbook, a comprehensive Guide to Pen and Brush Lettering, 23rd, Twenth-Third Edition for $51.01 new.

Did you have a specific edition in mind? A lot of the ones I'm seeing on amazon vary greatly as shown above.

> Do you sketch on the front and back or just one side?

Both sides. I sketch a lot with blue ColErase pencils, which aren't as smudgy as graphite, or in ink or gouache, which won't rub off onto the facing page. Usually I'm not too fussy about my sketchbook stuff but if I've got something I really don't want to get too fucked up, I'll tack a piece of tracing paper onto the page.

> Do you do multiple sketches on a page or just one per page?

Loads. An empty bit of space on a sketchbook page is a place to practice drawing, like, a hand or something like that. It's there to be drawn in.

> Do you have multiple sketchbooks going at once?

Yep. Different sizes; a big one that I keep handy in my studio space, a smaller one for carrying around, one with gray paper, one with tan paper, and a kraft paper scrapbook for doing gouache sketches in so I'll stop wrinkling up my regular sketchbook. (But that one I only use one side of each page, because it would get wrinkly otherwise. The paper's heavy but it's not that heavy.)

On a side note, I always keep one of these Field Notes notebooks handy for writing things down, separate from my sketchbook. Artists I want to look up, notes from a book I'm reading or video I'm watching, color palettes I want to try out, whatever. If it's art related and important enough I want to remember it, I write it down. I've tried using my sketchbook for this in the past, but I've just found it easier to keep the two things separate.

I have this mousepad and I'm loving it. I forgot the username of the person who sells it, but I bought it because I saw it on this sub. Anyway, I like it a lot and I especially love how it doesn't have a logo.

A pen like this falls under both Art Supplies and Writing!

It's also my $10 item on my artsy wishlist :p

An awesome $5 gift would be this eBook!

Thanks for the contest! I really really want it!

Please note the Safari doesn't come with a converter so if you don't plan to use cartridges (it comes with one) you will want to add a Lamy Converter to your order.

As for inks, any quality ink will work fine in your pen. Brands often mentioned in [/r/fountainpens ] include Noodler's, Parker, Daimine, Iroshizuku, Parker, and Sheaffer. Noodler's is generally considered one of the best values as its price per ounce is among the lowest. All of these inks should be available on Amazon. GL with your purchase!

For better cards, I use this: https://www.amazon.ca/Ultra-Pro-Pocket-Protector-Sleeves/dp/B004T2CBD4/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia?keywords=ultra+pro+binder&pd_rd_i=B004T2CBD4&pd_rd_r=bcb63363-d500-4d56-a6db-ede91821418a&pd_rd_w=8anbj&pd_rd_wg=0FOre&pf_rd_p=1831f6b9-0c20-4ab2-a931-987c40cd17c0&pf_rd_r=FNRSCEF7KJ3MQKAM80A7&qid=1554567204&s=gateway


I get some from time to time buying people's collections. Weee.


For higher-end NM cards, I'd just leave them sleeved in a toploader inside a closed box. You really don't want any damage on those, whereas a beat-up revised Tundra won't get more beat-up by you putting in it the above binders.


For low-end display cards (like a set of Tempest or whatever), I use normal binders with ultra pro sleeves. I stand them upright on a shelf so no card gets any binder dings.


If I had any very high-end cards in decent quantity ( 1k+ ) I'd probably rent a storage box at the bank and leave them in there.


Rudy ( alpha investments ) made a video on keeping your cards safe and basically once you get to a certain point ( like 100k+ ) you just have to install a vault in your house lol.

My friend, here's a great cheap upgrade in paper. Will totally improve how your pens feel and forgive me if you already have quality paper. *Forgot the link : )

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Red-Notebook-Sheets-K66652/dp/B000EFQG1I

I have a rotring. It's a beautifully made pencil. I've had it for 3 years, perfectly balanced and great for sketching etc:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotring-600-Mechanical-Pencil-0-5mm/dp/B00AZWYUA4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1458477042&sr=8-4&keywords=Rotring

Doesn't come in .9 but it's an excellent pencil.

Yes, get a pretty fountain pen or felt tip that makes writing fun! I like le pen, varsity disposable fountain and sharpie's calligraphy pens.

I would recommend using KMC Perfect Fit sleeves. They are great for double sleeving, and for storing cards in a binder. Also, make sure not to use a 3 ring binder with the loose ultra pro plastic pages, the rings can damage your cards over time. Use a side loading binder like This.

I agree with the other commenters, definitely want to use a fine nib and non-feathering ink. If the paper issue is the only thing holding you back from getting a fountain pen, I'd suggest investing a few extra dollars to buy notebooks with good paper. I'm in college and I really like these notebooks because the paper is bright white and shows absolutely no shadowing or feathering, even with my markers.

I was suspect that they would be sturdy for this price but they really are. My screens measure about 24" across including the bezel. I think they are 22" screens??

The top screen is adjustable vertically (only a small amount) but it's still just a little bit off. Not horrible, but it's there.

Good luck duuuude!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009S7ALH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Oh man, nobody's mentioned the rOtring 600 yet?! It's the love of my life. I had a Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm for a little over a year beforehand and it was awesome, too. My only complaint about it was the compliance in the tip made it annoying to precisely predict how tiny lines would end up (I write very small). The 0.5mm rOtring doesn't spin the lead or anything fancy like the Kuru Toga, but it is so heavy, so well balanced, and the tolerances are just awesome. I've tried the rOtring 800 with the retractable tip, but the tolerance stackup of the moving parts just made it feel of lower quality than the 600.

Neon!

(If I win, you may have to choose another non-Add-On listing)

Thanks for the contest you magnificent being!

1. You NEED this Disney Mickey Tuxedo Bath Rug. You can't be just stepping out of your bath with drippy toes onto a cold, hard floor. Nooooo, that will never do. Allow Mickey to cushion your steps in comfort and to dry those toes in full formal tuxedo style!
   
   
2. These pens would be mighty fly.
   
   
3. Have fun choosing, and enjoy whatever it is. Thanks for the contest!

I don't write a whole lot, and at work it's usually a whiteboard, but I do have a Pentel Sharp Kerry and it's really satisfying to write with. Great balance and feel.

https://amzn.com/B0006SW6YO

YES - Save this resource because you will eventually forget. Just writing a few keywords about a dream give you a mental bookmark to go back and retrieve that memory again. I've been using Field Notes notebooks as my non dedicated dream journal.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Notes-Kraft-Ruled-3-Pack/dp/B0034KDEMO/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1497441801&sr=1-1&keywords=field+notes

Leftie here. The best solution I’ve found is Noodler’s Bernanke Blue (or black, I think) ink. It dries almost instantly on every paper I’ve tried.

The Lamy LH nibs don’t seem to work for me because the flow is too heavy for my writing speed (i.e. I write slow and they seem to flood ink), but my leftie SO loves them.

Edit: Noodlers Ink 3 Oz Bernanke Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008YL1466?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Also requires: Lamy Refill Converter (Z24) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DVXWRI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yqxKAbCKKQQ4Z

You can get a stationery monitor mount, which allows you to pull the screen closer, tilt, and rotate, but doesn't allow individual height adjustment for each monitor such as this.


Or you can get three individual mounts, which allow full mobility (up, down, closer, farther, & rotate) such as this.

There's double/triple versions of these as well. Double. Or Triple.

Good brands include: Ergotron, Ergrotech, VIVO, & Amazon's version. Mount-It and Cable Matters both make some as well, but I haven't used these ever.

Bask in the glory of the greatest pens ever, The disposable fountain pen that works better and lasts as long as actual fountain pens

It's just a little thing, but a nice, bound, notepad with bookmark is essential for me. I like the quad-ruled ones:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-NH130210120V-S-Classic-Notebook-Squared/dp/B01DN8TEA2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1541454040&sr=8-6&keywords=quad+ruled+notebook&dpID=51WoQSZKalL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Could consider a nice mechanical pencil to go with it, too: https://www.amazon.com/rOtring-Barrel-Mechanical-Pencil-1904443/dp/B00AZWYUA4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541454178&sr=8-3&keywords=rotring+pencil&dpID=31NpYvK41ML&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I have a few suggestions:

Memo pads:

• Office Depot Sugarcane Paper (3 for $6.99)
  
• Staples Sustainable Earth (12 for $18.99)
  
  Notebooks:
  
  
• Black N Red 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 ($3.00 on sale at Office Depot)
  
• Black N Red 8.5 x 11 ($6.00 on Amazon)
  
• Office Depot Notebooks 8.5 x 11 -CHECK FOR MADE IN VIETNAM!- ($2.00!!!)
  Best bang for your buck. I have personally tried them, but be SURE to get the ones MADE IN VIETNAM. These will have a little bit of tooth but are fountain pen friendly, they don't feather or bleed.
  
  Edit: Formatting.
  

Definitely go toploader for anything that isn't base or even less valuable parallels.
But If you really enjoy the look of pocket pages, I'd suggest a side loading book like one of these:

Ultra Pro 9-Pocket Black PRO-Binder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T2CBD4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hrC5Cb8VJQ0H8

Thanks, I am pretty proud of it thus far.

for my main monitor, I purchased one of these
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0052ATODM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did however not pay that price, I payed half of that.

The other one that can move up and down and around
https://www.amazon.ca/DURAMEX-Professional-Monitor-Adjustable-SHIPPING/dp/B00MESCVEY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_107_18?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9APD2E2CVA15R8WCYS42

for your need would this work?

https://www.amazon.ca/Triple-Monitor-Adjustable-Screens-VIVO/dp/B009S7ALH8/ref=sr_1_1?s=office&ie=UTF8&qid=1480268872&sr=1-1&keywords=3+monitor+mount

I have dual sticks, not have a HOTAS, but I think my setup is still relevant.

I've been toying with the idea of making fold-away holders for my sticks that attach to my chair but it's probably a pipe-dream. I use my computer and desk mainly for work... so any solution has to be removable or tucked away for non-playtime. But until then... this is how I do it:

A year or so ago, someone on this sub suggested Scotch Restickable Dots. I attach 3-4 to the base of each stick and plant them firmly on the mouse pad. I also have many under the mouse pad to keep it secured to the desk top.

Works well for me. I simply pick up the sticks and put them off to the side when I'm done. I remove the Dots from the bases and put them on top of the bases to keep them from sticking to the desk elsewhere. I also cover my sticks when not in use (I have cats)... so the Dots remain fairly clean.

Oh, and the Dots are washable... so you can "refresh" them if they loose their stickiness.

Any will work! Right now I'm using a Lamy Safari pen. You can buy green ink cartridges or you can get converters to refill with any ink you'd wish. Lamy sells their own green ink but there are plenty of other options on amazon.

ALTERNATIVELY: I find that the converters don't hold enough ink, so once I've used up the default cartridge that comes with the pen, I wash it out and refill ink myself with a narrow-nosed syringe. Any kind will work as long as the tip is smaller than the opening of the ink cartridge opening, though you may spill some ink on your hands. I use this because no pokey-bleedy.


just remembered UK... so:
Lamy safari - amazon UK
green ink cartridges
converter
Green ink (Waterman, not Lamy, works fine)
syringe

Happy hunting!

You could start with disposable colors. http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA

Then move on to the others mentioned earlier. If ink color is interesting, join ink drop from Goulet pens. 5 new ink color samples every month. But you will need a pen with a converter at that point. I don't always clean my ink completely as it is nice sometimes to see the transition of colors. Careful though, some inks don't play well together. Hope she enjoys it. PM me if you have any questions.

Oh haha, that makes more sense.

This is the one - great for the price, it has braided edges, decently thick, and the surface is really nice. It's half the price of some bigger brands which don't even have the stitched edge.

Thanks! Yeah the different size monitors are far from ideal for multi monitor gaming, but it's not so bad. What I do is set the game to windowed mode, then stretch the window to the dimensions of my screen. Due to my center screen being taller in resolution than my outer monitors, some stuff gets cut off the top and bottom on the side monitors. It's not really an issue, but some games do have their huds on the top and bottom corners. So you have to watch out for that. Running a setup like this though you can not setup EyeFinity or nVidia Surround as the differing resolutions mess it up. But Live for Speed and all Codemasters racing games support the windowed method I've listed. Any other game I just run single screen.

My stand is a VIVO Triple Monitor Stand (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009S7ALH8). If you're looking into doing a triple monitor setup, I would not suggest this stand. I've had my share of problems with it and I can not get my side monitors to sit height centered with my main (so alignments are a bit off in games). Good triple stands are expensive. Once the summer rolls around I'm going to build my own mount to solve my problems.

I use a Pentel Sharp Kerry and absolutely love it! I attached a Leuttchurm pencil loop on the inside flap of my pocket notebook cover so that I can carry it. (Just fyi, my cover is about 3.5" x 5".)

EDIT: This also doubles as my wallet and I carry it in my back pocket. I need to keep the pencil inside the cover so that it's not too wide. As is, I never sit on the pencil. I chose the Kerry for the size and durability. Seriously, one of my best purchases.

The toggle bolt, or some type of fastener will indeed hold more weight and be a more permanent fix. However, you said you are a renter, which changes things.

In that case you might consider using a foam mounting tape, or the stronger exterior mounting tape.

Just make sure you clean both the back of the phone and the wall thoroughly, and then wipe both down with alcohol prior to tape application. If you put enough mounting tape on that phone, which looks fairly light, your troubles should be over. That's going to be your cheapest option that'll last as long as you are there and not require any special tools or wall surgery. Especially considering that wall looks pretty dodgy in the first place and trying to affix anything through it could be asking for more trouble than it is worth. If you owned it I'd advise different but that is not what you asked. Good luck.

I've loved this Vivo triple monitor mount. Iirc it supports up to 27" monitors, and once you adjust & tighten the arms it's fantastic.

I'm using one with a similar design to this one, and I'm very much satisfied. It says it supports up to 24", but if I'm not wrong, those are some dell 25" with tiny bezels to fit well below the 24" max size.

Another one, which looks even more promising

1. [Pens 2.78] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U9TEEA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I19H22AN4GNZDT)
   
2. [Row Counter 3.49] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007LHJXS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I14936QDCI9PVF)
   
3. [Peeler 4.48] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041BV0B2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I1ODM1MEFABTZ7)
   
4. [Coffin Box 5.30] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017R7DQO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I1P5F2ZEZ412A8)
   
5. [Lotion 6.22] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UTK76C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3SBJB5RE7GN4X&coliid=I18C5UFNH5ZAL2)
   
6. [Eye Shadow Base 6.03] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030O9LYY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I3GJQPN6EDDVTD)
   
   Meets the 25 minimum requirement Codename Duchess
   
   Thanks for the contest! Feel free to sub other add-ons from my list if you see fit.

http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Exterior-Mounting-1-Inch-60-Inch/dp/B00004Z4BV

or

http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Heavy-Duty-Mounting-Clear/dp/B00004Z4BU

Both should do the job just fine. The second one is weaker supposedly but I'm pretty sure it's the one I used for my power strips and they've held up well. I always worry about going too strong and trying to remove it later.

That would be the razer Vespula. Spendy but I really like it a lot. It's got a two layer system with a rubberized mat underneath, and the mouse surface sits on top, so it doesn't move around at all, and provides a really nice anchor point for your wrist (the wrist rest is attached to the rubberized layer).
https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Vespula-Dual-Sided-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B0036WTBFY

What do you mean sag? Looks like both links point to the same mount, just that one isn't clamped to the desk.

I know it's likely not quite what you're looking for, but I have two of these which each hold an Asus PB279Q perfectly, I can move them to any position I want and it stays rock solid.

https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Monitor-Adjustable-Screens-STAND-V003/dp/B009S7ALH8

This is the one I use and it does a pretty good job. The only thing is it's super heavy so I would get a desk that can support it and sadly the ikea linnmon can't just by itself

The Safari does not come with a converter, so if you were going to get a Safari, you would want buy one if you plan on using bottled ink. Safari is a good, modular pen that's easy to take apart and switch out nibs, which are half the price of the pen (!!).

However, personally I prefer the Pilot Metropolitan or the Pilot 78g, which comes with their own converters at a cheaper cost than the Safari itself. Subjectively, I find my Metropolitan writes smoother than my Safari.

If you plan on getting a Safari, understand that Lamy pens tend to run a little on the bold side. I suggest you get a fine nib or below.

I use these they are .38-I love them. I'm especially enjoying the green ink one.

I'm a grad student and I write a lot, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert ;)

That looks like Poster Putty. If it's good enough to hang my Monster Energy Drink™ poster on my wall, It's good enough for my car!

Thank you for the reply. I have some questions if you don't mind.

> Staedtler pigment liners ($20)


It looks like there's fiber tipped and metal clad tipped ones. I think the metal ones would hold up better, but I really have no experience.

http://www.amazon.com/Triplus-Fineliner-Pens-Metal-Assorted/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1425349204&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=Staedtler+pigment+liners+%28%2420%29

http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Triplus-Color-Fiber-323SB20P/dp/B000KJP7HM/ref=pd_sim_op_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FXXXBGH2Q80QP3C0VXY

What's wrong with spiral pads? I was thinking something I could fold over or just lay flat completely would be better especially since I'm left handed.

Thanks again for your time and help!

I own a SteelSeries Sensei and I want a Razer Vespula Dual-Sided Gaming Mouse Mat and I want a Corsair Vengeance K70 Black Cherry MX Brown (Though it comes with Red and Blue switches as well).

I can recommended the SteelSeries Sensei, it is one of the best gaming mice I have ever owned. Don't let anybody fool you, nobody needs 8200dpi (coughcoughRazercoughcough). The average top-tier professional gamer uses their mouse at an average of 3200 dpi. Not even considering the fact that dpi is not even a good measure of mouse movement. That being said... the Sensei feels great as long as you have a palm style holding. If you have a claw-grip style of holding your mouse, I recommend the RAT7 or RAT9, avoid the RAT5 it's awful.

I can't recommend the Pentel Sharp Kerry enough.

It has a cap so no lead or pointy ends poking you when it's in a front or back pocket. It's shorter in the capped configuration and longer with it open and writing with the cap on the back. It has an eraser in the cap and advances the lead when you push on the end, even with the cap on the back. It writes fantastic, feels nice, and it's the first .05mm I've owned that wasn't snapping leads every five seconds. It's very well designed, all metal construction and surprisingly inexpensive for what you get.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006SW6YO/

I think I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/XTracPads-Ripper-XXL-Desktop-Gaming/dp/B000HTDBWI/

...or whatever the biggest one is that that company makes. It has held up well over the past few months, protects the wood desk, and was pretty cheap. If they made a truly fullsize one i'd get it.

http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-DX-2000XXL-Gaming-Control-Mouse/dp/B00GB0IFXM

Get whatever size fits you best. Absolutely loving this mousepad and it's so cheap. Stitched edges too so no fraying/peeling.

That looks like a low priced knock-off of this Perixx DX-2000 XXL Mouse Pad. Same size, thickness, and even the seems around the edge are stitched similarly.

I would argue that the extended size Perixx is one of the best looking pads around. Certainly better than that god awful Razer pad.

As for the quality, I have the "Large" version, which is quite a nice pad. Feels good, there isnt any extra resistance when moving the mouse, nor is there too little resistance. It's got the same clean look. The only real downside I have with it, is that it rather minimally slides around on my desk as I have it positioned. Although a simple readjustment and that problem is remedied. The huge extended size one I doubt would have that issue, seeing as it is massive and should get stuck in place.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JG9RQ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 thats what I bought but the bottom stand on the current version is different looking...
all that aside its awesome really heavy and sturdy. I have the top monitor mounted in the tube on the stand, I just pulled off that silver thing on the bottom and put it right in no bolts or anything its supported on its own weight. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00689HXI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this stuff: Loctite Fun-Tak Mounting Putty 2-Ounce (1087306) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F57ZPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_pfp8CbWEJG0HD

I put some on a pops feet when it won't stand to help balance it out. There's probably better solutions out there but this one has worked for me. Hope it helps.

That's about the average price for that particular version. FYI, Camel Camel Camel is a must-have tool if you are shopping Amazon. You can track the price history, set alerts when a price drops, and they even have a handy Chrome plugin so you can just click the icon when you are on an amazon page instead of going to the 3camels website. I highly recommend it. For instance, I just got an alert yesterday because the Rapid Pro I was tracking dropped to $22.

How rough is your desk? Try using your mouse without the pad to see if it works properly.

The new mouse pad is obviously a problem, so you're going to need to replace it with something.

this mouse pad claims to be specifically for laser mice. The reviews are pretty positive too.

if you don't want to buy a new mousepad, you could just lay a piece of paper over it or your desk, or you could use cloth if you want something more comfortable.

I've had good luck with fun tack.

http://www.amazon.com/Loctite-1087306-2-Ounce-Fun-Tak-Mounting/dp/B001F57ZPW

Based on reviews though I'd probably go wtih this for posters: http://www.amazon.com/Command-Poster-Adhesive-Value-48-Strip/dp/B001KYSAN4/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1377529947&sr=1-1&keywords=command+strips

I agree. They'll probably buy the absolute best monitor mount you can get. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00689HXI4/
Which is $200

Heres a good one for just the mouse. Here is a pretty large one. This looks like one that you can use for the entirety of your keyboard and mouse.

Depends on what type you want, and what your space affords. The straight metal bar style usually runs cheapest and keeps the monitors closest to level, but takes up a ton of space.

I have this Vivo triple monitor mount and it's worked out nicely. It doesn't keep the monitors exactly in line (I have 2x24" on the sides and a 23" in the center), but close enough for my liking.

The one in the pictures is the XTrac Ripper XXL, it's 36" x 18" and I like it, the edges aren't the best though imo. It's a solid mouse pad but they could definitely use some work on the edges.

I ordered the Glorious XXL Extended Gaming Mouse Mat which will get here Friday. It's also 36" x 18" but the edges have a stitching of some sort so I believe it will hold up much better.

> Pilot G2 pens

If you're feeling like BD pen needles the Pilot G2 pens in the Ultra Fine (0.38) size is great. I haven't had to scrunch an address onto a prescription in ages.

a 1200 DPI mouse and a 9x12 mousepad can do wonders. it can also, depending on the material, be a good surface to place keys, coins or other stuff. help keep the desk scratch free.

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner are most similar to ultra fine tip sharpies without any bleed through at all. They are superb.

I personally find that I am quickest at writing with shitty old bic sticks. But I do love my red ballpoint ink, wouldn’t create an answer key without one!

Well, it's not that I can't get some of them for relatively the same price in-store, it's just a lot easier to sit down and check off the lists and not have to deal with pushy moms getting supplies for kids.

Like... I found these awesome pens, and a dozen mechanical pencils.. It's not that I can't get them elsewhere, as I said before. It's just easier to buy everything together and while I will get Prime eventually, my tuition check broke the bank. I'll get there, though! Paycheck is coming in soon! :D

Funny enough, one of the cheaper ones on Amazon. But I love it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009S7ALH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love my RipperXXL. Some people might not like the size of it, but it's not expensive and so far has served me wonderfully.

They have smaller ones also.

http://www.amazon.com/XTracPads-Ripper-XXL-Desktop-Gaming/dp/B000HTDBWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347499133&sr=8-1&keywords=xtracpad

If you get the grey outdoor mounting strips, it will take out your drywall before it falls off (that may be a problem to take down but it's easy to install). It's crazy strong after it cures. It's the consumer version of the VHB tape compared here with rivets. We use it in our small batch manufacturing business....

EDIT: Packaging looks like this

This set is fantastic for 0.38 mm pens. They aren't quite as inexpensive as the Pilot equivalent, but the color selection is fantastic for complex drawing. I found myself using a black pilot for writing normal notes, but the colors for diagrams and notation.

About that... There are tons of examples on Amazon of mechanical pencils that cost more than $10 and have tons of reviews and purchases. Once you get into metal bodied mechanical pencils you can easily spend more than $10 but chances are you'll be able to hand them down to your children they're so durable.

If you have a mouse pad that you are dead set on, then please ignore, but I switched to one of these, and I feel it is superior to all of the foam mouse pads running around. I'm not a hard-core gamer though…

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Precise-Repositionable-Adhesive-MP200PS/dp/B0017D5Z40

This would remove the need to inset it.


Things I really liked for my desk: legs with casters, a foot rest, a sit-stand option for when I want to work.. a trash bin?

I ended up using these for work and school these past couple semesters. Has helped a ton!

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Notes-Kraft-Ruled-3-Pack/dp/B0034KDEMO/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1517805883&sr=1-3&keywords=field+notes

Plus it also is neat having a bunch of these filled out and dated to see where you've come from and what you've accomplished- cool stuff.

Read the title and came here to recommend getting a mechanical pencil, and it looks like you were already thinking about it!

My rOtring 600 should be here tomorrow. Pretty psyched about it.

A good eraser is also a life changer.

Depends what size you want. I'd just look on Amazon and check out the ones with the most reviews and just go from there. I'm personally using this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GB0IFXM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A313151JUUD897

$20 for a big mousepad. You can't go wrong really. Far better value than anything razer sells which is all overpriced.

the Safari uses cartridges you can just buy and plug in or get a refillable insert to take advantage of all the cool inks out there. I rarely have to do maintenance on them. they are very nice LOW cost fountain pen. I also like the varieties of nibs available. I would assign a color pen to each nib so i wouldn't have to change the nib and clean the color out.

this

or
this

or

this



I love boobies

or

this

or [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-Retractable-Ballpoint-1781564/dp/B004U9TEEA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1377374923&sr=8-6&keywords=gel+pens)



Didn't I say, I love boobies?
The last two are add ons- helpful when there are contests for such!