Demo Derby, Postcrossing, and More

Wow, I've received quite a lot of stuff since I've last updated. I think I'll write about what's come in the mail first, although the Demo Derby was absolutely awesome!


Today I received a package for the Love My Cat # 2 swap from Swap-bot. They did an amazing job and it makes me feel bad about what I sent. Now what I sent surpasses the requirements, but it's nowhere near as fancy or neat as what this person accomplished. This is the picture they sent me of their lovely cat:





In what she wrote, she told me that he's a Snowshoe Siamese named KoKo and that he likes to sing while in the bathtub early in the morning. Haha. I wish the pictures I had sent had come out as nice as hers did!


A few days ago I received my first foreign postcard in the mail. It's from Germany and the person who sent it only speaks German, so that's the language the message is in. I could kinda guess what it said, but I used a translator from online to really figure it out. I love foreign languages, so these cards really are special to me. Here's the first one:





My scanner, for some reason, put purple and yellow lines all through the picture so it looks kinda funky. I've also received three other cards from the past few days. One of them is from today even. The first one is from Portugal, the second from the Netherlands, and the last one is the what came in today from Malaysia:











I am definitely enjoying Postcrossing so far and will continue to use it. I actually have four cards that I need to send out still. I was going to do it today, but just had too much to mail out and it was nearing closing time at the post office, so I had to leave with what I had.


The post office is crazy. I need to mail four hardcovers to the same person, but I don't have a box big enough for them all. I figured I would just get a box at the PO and mail them Media Mail that way. NOPE! They wanted me to pay $10.70 for a priority mail box. There is no way I am paying that much for just a box. I'm better off just finding something at home to mail the books in if I can't find a cheaper box. I never realized before today that they didn't have normal boxes to sell.


Saturday was the Demolition Derby at the fair grounds. I haven't seen it in a few years so it was really nice to be able to finally watch it with my dad again. They started a little after 7 P.M. and ended just a bit before 10 P.M. They were going through everything pretty fast, so I actually thought that they were going to end way early, but it turned out lasting till it was supposed to.


I think the first, third, and last matches were the best. At one point there was even a match with trucks and vans and one with garden tractors. People of any age could enter that last one.


There were some pretty cool moments during the derby though. The cars were so loud that my ears hurt for the whole night afterword. There were a few cars that I really thought were going to explode, but the people running the show weren't too worried about it. Twice an engine caught on fire and flames flew straight up into the air from it. Firefighters had to jump in to put it out and the people in the cars would jump out the windows really fast. One time two cars hit head on and sparks flew straight up to the top of the grandstand and back down. In the last match, when there were two cars left, the back end of one of the cars went up onto the hood of the other so the trunk ended up catching on fire that way as well.


Some of the cars would really smoke. When the derby was about half way over there was a car that was almost right in front of us that was smoking like crazy. It was stuck between two other cars that were stalled and so the driver was flooring it to try to push his way out. It smoked up the grandstand so badly that you couldn't see anything. It wasn't fun to breath in either, so a bunch of people left at that point.


There were only two female drivers through the whole thing. I hate that and would love to drive a derby car and smash cars up. Maybe I could ask my neighbors if I can borrow one of their race cars. Haha. The people who put on the event also allowed there to be passengers. The rules were a bit different from the huge derby's as well in that both passenger and driver side doors could be hit. It was basically an "anything goes" type of thing.


During the last match, when there were two cars left, the one that could still steer and stuff backed up into the other one so hard the the back end up it went up onto the drivers side and one of the tires went through the window. The driver of the car that had been hit was fine, but both cars were now kinda stuck. The car on the bottom had lost its steering a while ago and so it hadn't been able to hit any cars. Multiple times the announcer guy said that he would give the drive 10 seconds to hit something or he'd lose. Well...he'd count to two or three and then stop. The crowd got tired of this, so when the disabled car was stuck under the other car and the guy counted down again the crowd continued when he stopped. The announcer didn't really acknowledge this, but shortly after ended the match. Everyone immediately got up the leave and as we were pilling out the announcer declared the guy that should have gotten second, the winner, and the guy that should have won, second. The guy that should have won was so mad that he threw the trophy at the announcer. There were cash prizes, so it was a pretty big deal that he wasn't given first place.


Overall it was really exciting and LOUD. The last match was the loudest and biggest since there were 16 cars crammed into the small space. At some points it was so loud that it was like you weren't even hearing anything anymore.


I'll definitely be trying to attend the Demo Derby each time the Fair rolls around.

Terrible Day

Today has been an absolutely awful day. I spent at least 4 hours this morning trying to figure out classes and stuff for college. I'm really trying not to overload myself, but I'm also going out on a limb by taking Calculus 1. I actually shouldn't be able to take the class since I haven't taken the ones that come before it, but apparently my ACT scores in math were high enough to allow me to skip the other math classes and head straight into Calculus. I'm not a fan of math at all, but I'd eventually need to take it since it's a basic requirement and I would like to challenge myself a little bit. If I hate it within the first few days I can always drop it and take a lower course.

After I finally registered and what not for college I then did an online application for a job at the hospital here. That was the WORST application I have ever had to fill out. It had my put in just about everything, including my drivers license number and the license plate number on my car. It then had me put a cover letter and my resume on it as well even though I had already filled in the exact same information. After I submitted it, it had me answer even more questions before it finally freed me from its clutches.

I actually got to relax a little bit after that. Made a run to the post office to mail off a book and a DVD. Then I headed over to the college to pick up the Calculus textbook I need. Turns out they are currently out of stock, so I'll have to call the bookstore in a few days to see if they have any. I really don't understand why they wouldn't have any books considering the class is only about half full at the moment.

After that annoyance I headed over to a little fast food restaurant by my house called Mr. Goody's to get a smoothie. I was told by the cashier that they don't have them today...I have no idea how that is possible.

I finally get home and see that I have some books from Paperbackswap. One of the packages was ripped, but luckily the books inside were fine. Can't say the same for the other book. The wrapping on the hardcover book was completely fine, but when I opened it there was clearly water damage, and the inside of the dust jacket had obvious water stains and looked like it had mold growing on it. This is definitely against the rules of PBS, so I'll have to mark the book as "received with a problem."

Hopefully things will turn out ok in the sense that I'll finally have a job again. I swear it's nearly impossible to find a job in this town. Even Burger King isn't hiring; trust me, I've tried.

First Swaps

I have completed and received a few swaps in the past few days. Two have been electronic swaps, and two have been a mail swap. One was a coloring swap where we had to color one page and send it with an uncolored page to our partner. Each person had two partners. I also received a postcard today from my Basic Postcard Swap partner. Since today was cooled off enough I was able to scan the pictures. 



This is the colored picture I received from a member of the Character Coloring Swap.



This is another colored picture I received from the same swap as above. 



This is the uncolored picture I received from the same person that colored the one above. 



This is the PC I received for the Basic Postcard Swap.


Since I have completed five swaps and have a good rating I was able to host my first swap. It's called What's Your Favorite Animal? and in it you draw your favorite animal with whatever you want, however you like. You also write a note/letter about why you like that animal so much. I also made an optional thing where you can include some information about the animal as well. I figured I could make it a little educational...especially since I'm allowing people's children to be involved. So far 6 people have joined the swap and 18 people are watching it, which is more than I thought already. 


So far four of the five postcards I sent out about two weeks ago have made it to their destinations. The ones that have been received so far went to: Taiwan, Netherlands, Germany, and Finland. The one to Australia has yet to arrive, but I bet it will within the next few days. Four more people have been assigned to me from: USA, Taiwan, Netherlands, and Spain. Hopefully the next country I'm assigned will be Italy. Since my cards have been received I was put into the system to be sent a card. So hopefully I'll be getting a few in the mail within the next few weeks. 


I mailed out a few things today as well. I had to wrap five books, which took forever. Three of them are going to the same person so I was able to wrap them as a group instead of individually. I ended up not having an envelope big enough for them though so I had to wrap them in the brown wrapping paper type stuff. I also mailed two envelopes; one was for Swap-bot, while the other is to a personal friend. 


I also received several things today. Three were books; two from the same person. There was also a letter swap and then the postcard. The two books were wrapped in a plastic bag and then printer paper. The paper was half ripped and just hanging there when I got the package. Good thing they had used the plastic or else the books probably would have been damaged. 


Updated on 8/15/10 with pictures. 

Sites That I've Been a Part Of

These are several of the sites that I have been a part of longer than the ones in my last post. The first two sites I have been a part of for around a year and a half, while the last one I have only been a part of for three and a half months. 


Paperbackswap.com





This is definitely the site that I have used the most. Basically you post the books that you would like to get rid off onto your "Bookshelf." Members of the site are then able to order your books. If your book has been wishlisted by someone it will be put on hold so that the member can accept it. They have a certain amount of time to accept before it either goes to the next person in line or back to your "bookshelf." 


When someone requests one or more of your books you are then prompted to accept or reject the order. The normal amount of time given to mail a book is two days, but there is an option to extend that date. If you accept the order you are then able print off a label with the recipients address on it. After you mail the book you then have to click a button indicating that you have done so. It is your responsibility to pay postage for the books you send. Most books are mailed media mail, which costs $2.38 unless the package weighs past a pound; then it will cost $2.77 and so on and so forth. 


When your book is received the member will mark it as such and one credit will be added to your account. With that credit you are able to order any book you like. If it is on someone's shelf you may order it immediately, if not you can then wishlist it. There is also a "reminder list" for books that are in the system that you want to keep track off, but do not currently wish to order. 


So far, I have received 97 books and have mailed out 73. There are also forums and a chat on this site so that you can interact with other members. This site is only available to people in the United States.

Swaptree.com





On this site you can trade more than just books. You are also able to trade movies, video games, and music CD's. Just like with the other site, you list what you would like to get rid off. However, with this site you must create a "wishlist" of things that you would like to own. If a person posts something that you would like to have and they have something that you posted on their wishlist, then you may swap with them. When you receive your item you must then rate the other member either as "postitive," "neutral," or "negative." You are also able to leave a comment at this point. 


The system also sets up three-way trades where the person you are sending to is not the same person you are receiving from. Also, all parties involved in the swap must accept it before addresses are visible. If everyone accepts then you may print out a label. Once you accept a swap you CAN NOT cancel it, so make sure that you have the item. 


When you first join you are limited to the number of swaps that you can become involved in, but the more you swap, the higher that number climbs. I have completed 38 swaps using this site.


King.com





This site is all about playing games. Currently there are 119 games, with more being added frequently. When you first join you create an avatar and have a mini-profile type page. You can play whatever game you wish; some are single player, while others include multiple members. Each game gives you "jewels" which are basically experience points. If you are playing a multi-player game the winner is usually awarded the most jewels. Whenever your jewels reach a certain number you basically level up. This unlocks avatar items, website functions, and profile items. 


With your profile you are able to build a "castle" with stars that you acquire from getting certain scores in single player games. The rest you have to unlock, but when you do you are given a guestbook that people can leave comments in, able to send "gifts" and challenges (basically a bunch of people that play a single player game trying to get the highest score), send messages to members, and register yourself with a town. 


My top three games that I play are Dice King, Quiz Queen, and Pool. The first is Yahtzee, but with a different name that can have up to four players. The second is a quiz game where your score is based on how fast you answer a question correctly. This game also goes up to four players. The last one can only have two players and is self explanatory. 


Some games you can not play based on the laws of your state. For example: I live in Michigan and am not allowed to play any of the card games.  


Here are my usernames for each site:


PBS = Apollyn
Swaptree = Caligistic
King = Aryce_72

New Sites That I've Become A Part Of

Recently, I thought about how it might be fun and interesting to have a penpal. I absolutely love to receive things in the mail, so it would be very fitting. I also thought about sending postcards as well. These are the websites that I decided to join:


Postcrossing.com.





This site, after you join, has you click a "Send Postcard" button and randomly chooses a person, that has also signed up for the site, from around the world for you to send a pc to. At first you can only click that button five times, indicating five different people, until you have sent twenty pc's. After that the number of how many pc's you can send increases by one. Here is the chart:


0-19 = 5 postcards
20-39 = 6 pc's
40-59 = 7 pc's
60-79 = 8 pc's
80-99 = 9 pc's
100 - 149 = 10 pc's
150 - 199 = 11 pc's
200 - 249 = 12 pc's
And so on in increments one postcard for each fifty you send. 


Each time you click the "Send Postcard" button you are then entered into the system to receive them. This means that someone else in the world will end up sending a postcard to you. The site assigns each postcard an ID number that the member must write on the pc before mailing it. This allows the person who receives it to enter it into the system so that it is marked received. The only time your address is visible is when you are randomly assigned to a person, and even then it is only visible to them. 


The site is really easy to use and to understand. I have sent my maximum of five pc's out, but have not received any yet since I've only been there for a little over a week now. 


Swap-bot.com





This site allows you to check out everything about it before you join. Each swap is user created, so there are many different categories of swaps. Filling out your profile well on that site is highly recommended; almost required. At first you can join up to five swaps. There is also a "Watchlist" that keeps track of the swaps you are interested in. Swaps can either be regional or international as well, so make sure you check that out beforehand. After each swap is completed you rate your partner either a one, three, five, or a five with a heart. The last one is the best rating, and the one is obviously the worst. The swaps range from being electronic to envelopes to packages. I've decided to not participate in package swaps for now since I don't really have the packaging materials for them and do not wish to spend too much money. 


Interpals.net





This site allows you to search for penpals and friends. Whether you want to correspond via snail mail or email is up to you. After joining the site you have a profile that you can fill out and are allowed to post pictures as well. You also have a "Wall" (like Facebook) where people can post messages to you. They do give you the option to block people if you are being harassed and if someone's profile is inappropriate there is a "Report to Moderator" button. 

Besides just the profiles they also have a chat and a forum. I am mainly in the forum since it's a good way to waste time. Be aware that you may piss some people off with your posts. 


I have only been apart of these three sites for a little over a week now. They all seem to be pretty good though, but make sure that if you get involved with the swapping sites that you go through with each swap you join completely. 


I'll most likely have updates when I really start swapping and receiving things.