Signs of the Times

  The pandemic has caused quite a few changes in the way we live our lives. Masks are being required at my workplace. Only essential businesses are up and running. Restaurants are conducting business online and by phone with curbside pickup or contactless delivery. Numerous EDC (every day carry) devices are being offered on Kickstarter. Most of these are made from copper or the copper alloy, brass. Brass, bronze and copper are known to be antimicrobial and kill a variety of microorganisms relatively quickly. The devices in question are meant to be used for touching frequently touched surfaces like keypads, elevator buttons, door handles etc. You use them to touch these surfaces thus keeping any microorganisms from coming into contact with your skin. The copper or brass surface then kills them.
  Some of these devices include the Safepoint Antimicrobial Door Opener, the Careful Key, CuPID and the one I've purchased, the Hygiene Hand. Search EDC on Kickstarter to see more devices like these. I've purchased three virus masks from a seller on Etsy. Now me, my Mom and my Dad have reuseable and washable face protection. I got the Navy camo pattern because the material is thicker on those and the Army camo masks.
  The pandemic has delayed many of the Kickstarters I've pledged to. Elderwood Academy was shut down for a time thus delaying the crafting of my mini Spellbook. The Hexacube, Overkill d20 and Critical Dice sets are status unknown at present. Since China manufactures the dice for these Kickstarters, the sellers have to wait until the factories are up and running again. On the plus side, the Debunked card games have been printed and are due to be mailed out soon. I'm still waiting to hear from the people that made my Mindflayer Turn Keeper regarding the extra set of magnetic and battlefield tokens I ordered.
  On the medical side of things, I had a meeting with my endocrinologist recently. I've been prescribed two new meds, metformin and dulaglutide (Trulicity). Technically, the metformin isn't new. When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was prescribed metformin. With the addition of these two drugs, my blood glucose readings have lowered. I'm finally getting readings below 150 mg/dl on a fairly consistent basis. If I can keep this up, I can get my a1c to 7 or below and get my right hip replaced.

Indulging Myself

  I'm a responsible person for the most part. I make sure my bills get paid. I'm slowly getting rid of my credit card debt and I try to put up the shit life throws at me. However, every once in a while, I need to indulge myself. I need to do something for me. Without these indulgences, my life would become intolerable. My past indulgences include my Scottish claymore, my kilts and my zentais. None of these were necessities. They simply were things I wanted because I wanted them. My latest indulgence is the purchase of a SDCC Torchwood: Miracle Day Soulless mask. This mask set me back $199.00 but it was worth it. I'll post a video of me wearing it when it arrives. The mask is my birthday gift to me. Here are some pics of me wearing my red zentai and Soulless mask.

Me at the Ren Faire

Here's a video of me at the Bristol Renaissance Faire on Saturday Aug. 17th, 2013.

Halloween Costumes

Halloween will soon be here. It's one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy the fantasy of it. I like seeing the costumes people wear. From time to time, I've dressed up for Halloween. I dressed up as King Diamond for a party some years back and last year I was the wrestler Mankind at Glenn's party. When I do dress up, I don't do cute. I can't stand cute costumes unless kids are wearing them. I'd rather wear something scary, cool or unusual. I also like costumes that hide who I am. Something with a really cool mask. Zentai make great Halloween costumes because they make you anonymous. Not all the zentai designs are to my liking though. Patterns that would make me look like an oversized puppy I won't wear. The same goes for zentai sporting animal ears and a tail. And the garment must cover my entire body. Once it's zipped up, there must be no openings. Granted this makes it harder to see and I'd have to unmask to eat anything, but I like being totally hidden. I ordered two more zentais recently. The order was placed mid October but it was delayed due to the Halloween rush. My original order was for a desert camouflage design for one and a cracked earth design for the other. Unfortunately, Zentai Box can no longer get the cracked earth design. I replaced it with a blue and white wavy striped pattern. It had a sort of cold themed supervillain vibe to it. Because of the problems I had with the metallic zentai I ordered a while back, they said they'd give me a discount. I asked them if they'd give me a free black metallic hood instead and they agreed. I also got another discount because the blue and white wavy striped zentai costs a little more than the cracked earth design. And the great thing is they suggested this design as a replacement. I can't wait for the order to arrive. It will be a great birthday present. Mike

The Mask of NHGH!!

Here's my latest YouTube video. Mike