Retired

 Retiring this blog. 

New blog @ aceofmonsters.blogspot.com

Depression

I'm using Google's speech to text, so things are probably not going to be very accurate. I just don't feel like typing.

Things have been very rough today. I'm not very sure how to explain how I'm feeling right now, but I feel as if there's a strange numbing sensation from my upper arm down into my fingers. I feel like I can't fully move my hands, like they're stiff, or bit like pins and needles. It's as if my grip is not as strong as it should be, or my spacial awareness of my hands is not proper. I know that sounds very strange, but that's the only way I could possibly explain how I'm feeling at the moment. In addition to that, I feel completely despondent. Nothing I do gives me any sort of satisfaction. Nothing gives me any pleasure. Being alone has been really getting to me as well, it is so incredibly lonely being in a space that was once always occupied. I find myself crying and mourning, although I'm not sure what I'm mourning for. Am I just crying for myself? I really can't tell, and that's what's driving me crazy. I can't put my finger down on what I'm feeling, and I think a lot of it has to do with the withdrawal symptoms. I'm sure there's some depersonalization that I'm going through right now, because a part of me feels like I'm just playing pretend. That my whole life is just an act, and I'm just the actor. That I'm just saying things, and I don't feel anything. This emotional flatness is really terrible, and I wish it would stop. I just want to be able to feel something other than feeling dissatisfied with the current state of affairs.

Survey + Beermoney Apps - Followup Report

Hello again, everyone!

If you have read my first Survey + Beermoney App blog post, you might be wondering... How did these apps hold up in the long run? Which did I end up keeping? 

Well, here's a follow-up to my original post.

I have used each of these apps for approximately three months now. (My previous summary was after a month of use.)

Remember that my experiences with these apps might not be reflective of yours! Every survey has a different target audience, and while I might be rejected from every survey an app throws at me and think it sucks, you might adore it and hit bank.

ONTO THE REVIEWS!!!

#1 iPoll

Since my last post, iPoll has been completely reworked to be oddly familiar... 

...because it looks and fuctions exactly like QuickThoughts. The difference is that there is no $0.10 consolation prize for being rejected from a survey, and you most likely will get rejected from most. The pay is also a lot lower, with most being under a dollar.

Final verdict: The amount of money I have made from this app has not changed at all. I'm still at $0.30, and frankly this app pisses me off. It's like QuickThoughts' illegitimate cousin. I would honestly pass on this one.

Referral Link: http://bit.ly/pSgd31

#2 1Q

Oh 1Q, how I love and hate you. Questions come rarely, but I always seem to be asleep or busy when they do... And then they expire. 

As you can see, I haven't been too lucky when it comes to answering questions as soon as they become available. I went and switched my notifications to pop-ups and am hoping for better luck.

Final Verdict: Okay, so I only made $0.50 more since my last review, but remember... This is cash that gets sent straight into your PayPal account. No thresholds, no gimmicks. I'm still holding out hope that more companies will use this app for data collection, and thus more questions will become available.

Referral Link: http://1q.com/SJLPd

#3 Surveys On The Go

Surveys On The Go still fails to live up to its name as being a go-to for a bored person with some free time.

Still, I've been getting a new survey every once in a while, and they're rather short. If you don't qualify, you get a $0.10 consolation, which I was previously unaware of.

Final Verdict: Since my last review, I have amassed $7.60 which is pretty close to the cash out threshold of $10. I'm definitely going to stick through to get my money.

#4 Survey.com (the app!)

Survey.com continues to disappoint in a whole new way.

Rather than giving actual surveys, they're now giving me work opportunities to do product demonstrations. What the hell? I'm trying to make money from my phone... In my spare time. I don't want job offers.

Final Verdict: This app has been a complete waste of space. My account remains unchanged at $1.00 and I don't see that changing. What a waste of a good app name.

#5 Swagbucks

Though many people love Swagbucks, I just haven't been feeling it. Being rejected from lots of surveys sure gets you down.

I don't check this one as often as I probably should, but I just hate survey disqualifications so much.

Final Verdict: Don't let my lack of enthusiasm for Swagbucks get you down. Ask any Beermoney expert, and they will put Swagbucks on their list of essential sites/apps. Also keep in mind that every survey is looking for different demographics. I might just not be what they're looking for.

Referral Link: http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=1186798&cmp=197&cxid=2001-app

#6 CheckPoints

This app confuses the hell out of me. Nothing has changed, but I get notifications to "check in" to shops all the time.

I open the app, and I receive no points. I haven't been shopping lately either, so I haven't had a chance to check out the bar-code scanning feature.

Final Verdict: I'm still keeping this one despite my confusion and lack of use. There will be a time when I'm at the mall and will have a use for this app. It just hasn't come up yet.

Referral Code: hellointerloper

#7 Acorn Hunt

I'm going to be honest... This app is a drag. Videos give you barely any acorns. The GIF section was broken for a while and may still be broken, but I wouldn't know because it's been ages since I bothered to open this app.

I don't want to complete offers, and surveys provided by Peanut Labs suck big time.

Final Verdict: Peanut Labs is awful. The pay rate is awful. Offers that make you pay to get a little bit of money back are awful. I just dislike this app altogether.

Referral Code: MLAMEDICA

#8 QuickThoughts

This app is the absolute bomb. It continues to provide surveys that pay a dollar each, $0.10 for surveys you don't qualify for, and just generally has been my favorite app.

The surveys have been released on a consistent basis and I can't say enough good things about this app.

Final Verdict: If there is one app that you should have, it's this one. I have already cashed out a $10 iTunes gift card and am working my way towards my second. Keep in mind that if iTunes isn't your jam, there are many places online where you can sell or exchange your giftcard code for something else. I personally used mine on an app game. No regrets.

#9 Inbox Dollars

This app annoys me. The surveys are constantly broken (whether they're dead links, never load, etc...) and the money just isn't coming in.

Did I mention the telemarketers? I get at least 4 calls a week. I'm convinced it's thanks to InboxDollar's "offers."

Final Verdict: If you're into masochism, then be my guest... Download this app. I'm done with it.

Referral Link: http://www.inboxdollars.com/?p=z&qid=1370608954&ic=c5ZYZ8894525&aid=9

Well, I hope this review write-up helped you determine which survey and money-making apps are worth your time and which to avoid.

Cheers and happy hunting!

ADHD Mini Essay

ADHD was actually an evolutionary advantageous adaptation to hunter/gatherer societies. The ADHD brain needs constant stimulation and short-term rewards. Hunting and tracking an animal, or searching for food/resources is full of stimulation, sensory data, and great reward. In other words, people with ADHD were amazing hunter/gatherers, and it started to become more genetically common because hey, people who can bring food home were sexy back then.
When we moved towards an agricultural society, aka very boring, repetitive crop and animal care with long-term instead of short-term rewards, ADHD started to become a "problem." Watering crops and weeding each day is boring, with very little reward on a daily basis. Feeding an animal, breeding it, waiting for it to give birth, and waiting for it to reach maturity for eating takes a very long time too. People with ADHD do not thrive in these kind of jobs. It's boring, it isn't stimulating, and has a low reward factor.
In our society ADHD is no longer an advantage, because we are all expected to do the same shit every day, keep the same routine, etc... Wake up, go to school, sit still, graduate, get a job, wake up, go to work. It's a terribly boring routine. This is unfortunately why so many kids and adults with ADHD look for outside stimulation. Some become addicted to tech like video games (constant stimulation and rewards), drugs (instant reward), or high-risk behaviors (high stimulation and rewards). They get punished or drugged for trying to seek what their genetics and brains crave.
This is why people with ADHD need to throw away other people's expectations and do what they know they enjoy, and schools need to stop expecting every kid to "sit still, shut up, and learn."
I have ADHD, really fucking badly. Meds gave me really scary heart palpitations and sent me to the cardiologist, because my heart rate shot up to 140. That's not normal. It was so hard to make it through school. But you know what? Now that I'm done with it, I finally figured out what my real talents are. I love mycology, the study of mushrooms and fungi, and hunting for them out in the wild. I love dogs and taking care of them. I love herping... literally hunting for amphibians/reptiles. I love making art. What I really want to do is breed pacman frogs. Can't do it now because of my living situation, but it's a legitimate job that a lot of people can't handle or can't be bothered to do because it's a shit load of work. For me though, that constant stimulation sounds like a dream.
So fuck the system, and fuck society trying to make people with ADHD fit into their idea of what a "normal" person should be. Drugging people with ADHD isn't the answer. We're just good at different things. We just need to stop being told that different is bad.

- originally a comment I was making on Facebook, but it devolved into an essay

Anxiety and the daily suffering it brings

I feel that a lot of people get anxiety and stress confused. Sure, they both sound like similar afflictions, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Stress is something that we all feel, usually in response to something that makes us uncomfortable. For example, an upcoming exam could be stressful because we do not know for sure what is on that exam, or if we have studied all the material that is necessary to pass it. Anxiety, however, is very much a different thing, and I would go so far as to say that it is more of a medical condition.

Of course, is very difficult for people who do not suffer from anxiety to understand what exactly it feels like. There are so many possible symptoms of anxiety that one cannot simply summarize it by its symptoms alone. To give a quick example, it is a common misconception that a panic attack is when somebody begins to hyperventilate and lose control of themselves. While that is one type of panic attack, and it is true that many people do react that way in response to their anxiety disorder, there are many different other kinds of panic attacks. Someone suddenly overheating terribly and feeling as if they need to throw all of their clothes off, even when it is not warm in the room, can be a panic response. A panic attack is just a very extreme reaction to anxiety, and that is really all that can be said about that matter in particular without over generalizing.

In order for one to actually understand what anxiety is compared to stress, we must keep in mind that all humans have a flight or fight response. Is something that is ingrained in us and passed down through Evolution. It is what has helped us survive and evolve all this time, and it helps us in our daily lives to this day. When we are faced with stress, like that exam for instance, we know we must either study for it, or just give up completely. It is very simple to do either one, and therefore we are only stressed out. We can fight the exam through studying, or we can just simply concede defeat and not study at all. We could even drop the class if we so choose. We are uncomfortable, but we do not have anxiety. We have a solution to our problem that we can act upon, and that is solvable by our own means.

Now, here is the main difference between Stress and Anxiety. Anxiety is the response that we have when a fight-or-flight response is triggered, but we can do neither. Whether or not we are missing the means to fight it or it is all in our own mind does not matter. Mental illness doesn't have to be rational, so perhaps one could fight it yet their own afflictions are keeping them back from doing so. We could also just not have the means, because fighting back in every situation is not possible. The same goes for flight. We cannot run away from every problem, and there are some things that we simply cannot give up on or avoid in life. When you can neither fight something nor run away from it, anxiety takes over and begins to consume you. You panic, and it hurts whomever it affects tremendously.

In order to explain a little more accurately, I will begin to get into my own personal case. I have been diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist with what is known as situational anxiety. It is different than generalized anxiety disorder because it is caused by a certain environment or life situation. Once I am away from that environment or that situation ends, the anxiety will be alleviated and no longer be a problem for me. For me that environment happens to be my own home, and the situation is that I am 27 years old, currently disabled, unable to work, and have no income. That is probably over simplifying things; what is needed to have some background into my source of anxiety. One of the most prominent sources of my anxiety is specifically the topic of income.

Without telling my entire life story, I did have to drop out of 4 year college because of a bad case of anemia. After my recovery I began to work and was making very little money. I had decided to go back to college after almost a year of working, and despite my worsening physical and mental health, I continued on with my education. It was only when I got to the very last credit needed for graduation, English literature, that I realized that I had a huge issue with the class. It actually triggered anxiety in me, where I had night terrors, extreme chest pain, and terrible dizzy spells. I was trying my best to fight, but was losing the battle. I absolutely did not want to flee, because all I wanted was to finally graduate. Either way, no option was possible because I could not mentally handle the symptoms I was suffering from taking that class. Though in the end I did have to drop the class, and subsequently tried and dropped two more times, flight was never considered an option for me until the very last moment. Then it was the guilt that I could neither fight nor flee from, along with the overwhelming feeling of failure.

When it was clear that I could no longer continue my education and I could not work, that is when I began to look into signing up for disability. It did take a very long time to come to terms with the word. Disabled sounds so negative. I felt ashamed, and almost as if everything was my fault, though I know all of it was out of my control. When I did finally muster up the courage to apply, I felt a sense of relief knowing that perhaps I would get a little bit of financial aid to help me move out someday. When my application was denied I couldn't have been more crushed. I did not have enough work credits because I had chosen to go back to school instead of working, and because my health was so poor during that time, I had quit my job in favor of going to college. The only way to possibly get more work credits would be to get a job, but that was exactly why I had chosen to apply for disability in the first place. I obviously would never graduate college, and I couldn't work, so I needed help.

And here we have the biggest conundrum of all. How can I gain work credit if I cannot work? Simply put, it's impossible. I am stuck in a terrible situation, one which I can either fight, because I cannot work and get those work credits comma and because rules are rules. There's no way around the work credit problem, so there is no way to fight it. I can't just flee either, because there is nothing to flee from. How can I run away from all my troubles? Do I become homeless? Clearly, I would never want that to be an option, so I continued to stay at home with my parents. It is an absolutely miserable life though, because I have no sense of independence.
I cannot drive a car due to my anxiety and the medication that I take. I'm not allowed to operate heavy machinery. I tried to learn how to drive, and just ended up getting screamed at by the instructor. Trying to drive with my boyfriend got me screamed at by my boyfriend. It is clear I'm just not competent enough to drive, or maybe my brain is too addled to focus on it. Either way, it is not an option for me.
I can no longer sculpt with clay or cast in resin because of the mess involved. There is no work space in my house where I can do either of those things that I used to love so much. Previously, my parents were unaware of the process that I would go through because I did everything in the morning hours while they were asleep. It was an accidental awakening that clued them in to what exactly I was doing, and how it could possibly damage the surrounding area. Even though I insist that I am neat, I can no longer do either of these things. I could potentially work in the garage, but once again, there are problems. There is no room whatsoever to work because there's too much being stored there. I would also need to open the door for ventilation, which could be potentially dangerous in the middle of the night. Our neighborhood is a prime area for car robbery, and I do not want to be out in the open like that.
I tried painting on canvas, but none of my paintings sold. That was very disheartening and I no longer feel like doing any more paintings. I don't cope very well with failure.
I wanted to raise dragonfruit cacti, but my parents did not allow me to bring my cactus into the house this year because it was way too large, and it died due to the cold weather in the garage. That was six years of nurture and around $200 worth of actual cactus and trellis wasted. It absolutely broke my heart.
I have taken up an interest in frogs, and proposed raising a few in order to start a breeding operation. In order to do so, I would have to keep each frog for about a year until they are mature enough to go through the breeding process. By then, I would hope, I would somehow have moved out so my parents would not have to deal with the breeding. There is no room to do that anyway, as I previously have stated. They absolutely will not allow a frog in the house, not even in the garage if I rigged it with heating.

Every potential thing that I want to do is blocked from me somehow. I do not have the means to fight. To be honest, I don't know if I even have the strength anymore. I've suffered from depression since puberty, because unfortunately the case I have is hereditary and comes from both sides of my family. I feel like all of the restrictions I have on my life through my parents, my health, and just society in general, are causing my depression to come back in full force. Still, the most prominent thing that I am suffering from is the anxiety. The anxiety is absolutely terrible.
I have no income. I cannot work. I cannot make art in my spare time to possibly sell. I cannot start new hobbies that might potentially lead to money. Even hobbies that I was into previously have been destroyed, like my cactus. I am stuck, constantly stuck in this fight or flight mode, always dealing with the symptoms of anxiety. I wake up at night and don't know what to do with myself. I cannot fall asleep some nice. The chest pains, the dizziness, the lack of appetite, the voracious hunger, the racing thoughts, the feeling of being a caged animal, I absolutely cannot take it.

I am not stressed out. I have anxiety. I have it badly, and I feel like I am slowly being defined by it. It has made me want to avoid contact with people. It has made me unable to fall asleep without the aid of a sedatitive, because being alone with my own thoughts eventually leads me into a panic. It has taken the fun out of my hobbies because I can no longer focus on them without having the worrying and pain of knowing tomorrow will be no different gnawing at the back of my mind. It has kept me from keeping up completely with my personal hygiene because sometimes I feel too dizzy to stand in the shower. I still try my best, but some days I just fall asleep in my clothes, and others I don't change out of my pajamas for the entire day.

In summary, anxiety is horrible. It is so much different than stress. It is an all-encompassing mental affliction that saps away your being... and I feel like I am fading away more than ever.

A Glimpse Into the Shitshow

Okay... so I know that lately I've been just complaining about how life sucks like a little bitch, but in all honesty I am just so fucking lonely that posting how I'm feeling is actually a semi-effective coping mechanism for me. Saying it instead of keeping it inside is like relieving pressure in a shaken soda bottle. It takes a bit of the pain away.

So now I will finally explain PART of why things have been so bad lately. Fuck, life is bad for a variety of reasons right now, but the most recent development is that Bruiser is still heartworm positive. On top of that, he's now showing up positive for a tick-borne illness.
The thing is, his heartworm injections AND monthly preventative are effective at killing both these parasites. There is absolutely no reason for these to still be in his body. This means something is either wrong with the testing equipment, which the internist said is very highly unlikely, or the worst case scenario is that Bruiser has the new, dangerous, drug-resistant "Mississippi Valley" strain of heartworm. He's from Tennessee. The chance that this is likely is... well, very high up there.
Bruiser is a 6lb chihuahua. A very small dog. This treatment has been hard enough on his little body. It's incredibly worrying, because heartworm is such a deadly disease. Google it, and check out Images. I fucking dare you.

Today he has an echocardiogram to see if the worms can actually be seen in his heart. This will determine the next course of action. The price tag on this test though? $400! Not covered by our vet plan, either.
I'm too ill to work, my art isn't selling, and I already liquidated some of my most prized possessions last time he incurred a huge vet bill. This is absolutely breaking my heart and my savings, which I have been hoarding desperately in order to help make a downpayment on a house someday.

So there. You have just the tip of the iceberg of why depression is eating away at my mind currently. I'm not being a little emo shitbag. I'm not seeking attention or even sympathy at this point.
Things just fucking suck.

Just please wish Bruiser luck today. Jon and I love and adore that little bugger, and we just want him to be okay.

Blarg on a Blog

Haven't really been up to anything artistic lately.

Unfortunately, I think I've been relapsing into depression, and things just aren't very appealing at the moment. I definitely haven't been playing PC games as often, haven't watched a movie in quite a long time, haven't touched any of my art stuff, and just have been a bit of an apathetic mess.

Pokemon GO has gotten kind of stale, so I don't really have much motivation to walk around anymore. Plus I have this sense of anxiety when I go outside and walk alone... I guess that's what happens when you get honked at too many times, and spoken to by strange older men. I don't feel safe. Sure, call me a pathetic fear-mongering woman all you want, but when a creepy guy walks past you and then circles back to complement your fucking boots, which REALLY aren't that special, you start feeling a bit uncomfortable. (Not to mention that our neighbor had a truck pull up next to her once, and  a few years ago a woman got kidnapped and raped about 2 minutes away from where I live.)

I've tried to force myself to work on art things, I really have. I usually just get bored and stop. I don't feel inspired or motivated. I've even tried going shopping for art supplies to try and get my creative juices flowing, and that hasn't really helped at all.

I'm not really sure what I need to do in order to fix this. I guess it's just tough to be in my position. I'm 26, I live with my parents, and I'm too much of a mess to hold down a job. I can't even spend my time on my hobbies, how the hell can I hold a job? It's so hard to feel like anything I do matters.

Speaking of being a mess, I got pretty sick this past week. I haven't been sick for a while. I've had migraines and anxiety, sure, but this was a pretty nasty sort of head cold. Thankfully I'm getting better. Maybe being able to get out of the house again will help a bit.

Another frustrating thing has been trying to explain to people that I can't attend their parties/social gatherings. Something has come up and I really just don't feel comfortable being around alcohol for the time being. How do you explain that without it sounding like an excuse, or having to explain your reasoning why? I don't have to share every particular of my life with everyone, I share enough. I just hope that nobody feels like I'm brushing them off, or am a "sober party-pooper" now.

Town of Salem (the game) Wills I've Written Up.

Name: Lychee
Role: Arsonist
Will:

I AM LYCHEE.

I HAVE A BURNING HATRED FOR OTHERS BECAUSE I NEVER BECAME A STAPLE FLAVOR IN THE UNITED STATES.

I AM SO DELICIOUS THOUGH! HAVE YOU TRIED ME? I TASTE WAY BETTER THAN THAT FREAK STRAWBERRY WHO HAS THEIR SEEDS ON THEIR OUTSIDE LIKE A DAMN SLUT. KEEP THAT COVERED, STRAWBERRY.

I WILL BURN YOU ALL.

Name: Giles Corey
Role: Veteran
Will:

HEY I'M GILES,CHECK OUT MY FILE.
I SWAM THE NILE
FOR MANY MILES;
IT WAS QUITE THE TRIAL.
THREW UP SOME BILE
ALL THE WHILE,
BUT I'M IN DENIAL,
SO I JUST SMILE.
WASH MY HANDS WITH DIAL,
AND INSTALL SOME TILE
THAT I PUT IN A PILE
WITH MY BUD KYLE
AND HIS TWIN LYLE.

Name: A Weird Puppy
Role: Amnesiac
Will:

 

Who will I be? Who will I be?

I'm king of the graveyard,

been given they key.

Almost every role is open to me!

Oh my lord, I have to pee.

Bruiser is not well again. (a rant)

Fuck people who neglect and abuse their pets.

My pup, Bruiser, had to be brought back to the vet. (His normal vet, not the emergency vet, thank goodness.)
He was peeing blood again after a long walk last week with lots of marking, so we booked an appointment. He also lost a tooth while rolling around in the grass, of all things.

Initial findings were:

• he lost a pound since his last visit, from 6.5lbs to 5.2lbs 
• his gums appeared to be pale, to which the doctor assumed he's anemic/losing blood 
• his temperature was normal 
• he has a heart murmur (which may be because of the anemia, or may be a new issue) 
• his pee is unusually yellow despite access to water at all times 
• his tooth likely fell out because of continued periodontal disease 

They did a blood draw and are doing a full blood panel and urinalysis. We'll get the blood test results back tomorrow, and we'll know whether he needs a bladder/heart ultrasound based off of these results. The doctor is also concerned that there might be something wrong with his liver.

I am fucking seething because I know that most, if not all of this, is because of his past life before he was dumped in the shelter and pulled by the rescue we adopted from. After owning him for almost a year now, we've figured out some things about him that hint at his past.

• Sometimes when you touch his ear he will yelp. Nothing is wrong with his ears. I think his previous owner used to pinch or pull his ear when he did something wrong, so he yelps preemptively in fear. 
• We think he may have lived in a hoarder house because he does things normal dogs would have to be trained to do. He is an insane acrobat. He jumps from furniture to other furniture, squeezes through small spaces, squeezes under things, nests in weird places, can climb over crazy obstacles by balancing on them... He climbed over a 3 foot tall cardboard partition by leaping up, balancing on the edge on all fours, and leaping off. It was impressive. 
• He's terrified of sinks. He obviously had bad bathing experiences. I tried to help this by bathing him in the tub, but he hates it. It's a necessary evil. 
• His teeth were so bad when we got him, that he must have either been eating human food scraps, the worst dog food on the market, who heck knows what. He needed a full teeth cleaning and 5 teeth pulled. I know bad food also affects organ function, so... Yeah... 
• When we got him he hadn't been washed, and he was COVERED IN FLEA DIRT. Flea dirt is basically flea shit, which is basically blood. The water ran red when I bathed him for the first time. He was also underweight and had to be on puppy food for a while. 

SO FUCK YOU, PAST OWNER. Bruiser is the fucking sweetest dog, and you fucked him over. Now we have to pay to make his life manageable. But you know what? We will pay what it takes, because we love Bruiser. We love him so damn much. We will try our best to undo the damage you've done to his tiny body.

A shoutout to one of my favorite blogs: Kaiju Korner

Today I just have to make a brief shout-out to one of my favorite blogs...

Kaiju Korner!

Basically, there is no other blog like this on the net.

Andy, the owner of the blog, makes sure to photograph and attend toy festivals in Japan so those of us overseas can see the new releases and general amazingness that these festivals have to offer.

He also does write-ups on various aspects of Japanese culture, from vintage toys and memorabilia to modern customs and more!

If you want to take a peek into the world of kaiju, sofubi, and Japanese madness, please take a visit

by clicking here!
Or by just visiting kaijukorner.blogspot.com

Microworkers: An Honest Review

Today I review a site called Microworkers, which is a site that most "beermoney" enthusiasts either love or hate.
The fees that are taken from withdrawing your money annoy a lot of people, but some swear by the site, saying it's a great way to make cash in your spare time.

PHASE #1

For my first foray into Microworkers, I chose tasks that I thought I could complete fast under the Jobs section and HG jobs section. (The HG jobs are also known as Hire Group jobs, where job posters put specifications on who can actually do the work. They're usually timed and require a certain amount of success in previous jobs, or a clean record.) These usually consisted of leaving comments on blogs, searching on Google for top hits, or following someone on Instagram/Facebook.

My Phase 1 experience:
Microworkers (new user): 5 hours of work = $9.24 = $1.85/hr
This, of course, was barely worth my time. Being a new user, a lot of jobs were closed to me, so though I grinned and beared it, I came up quite short of what I was hoping for.

PHASE #2

After my first foray into Microworkers, I saw that "PL jobs" had unlocked. Intrigued, I was faced with my nemesis: PEANUT LABS.
For some background information, Peanut Labs partners up with many "make money" sites/apps and provides surveys to do. The catch?
If you do not report your annual earnings, you will probably get disqualified from ALL the surveys you take. Living with my parents, I'm not privy to our annual earnings. 50% of the time I get disqualified as soon as I check "Prefer Not to Answer." The other 50% is for something dumb, like not having kids, not drinking/smoking, or stupid shit like that.
After a grueling 20 minutes of non-stop rejection and frustration, I just gave up. The wealth of information they manage to glean from you before rejecting your participation in a survey is insane, and it's simply not worth my time.

My Phase 2 experience:
Microworkers (Peanut Labs): 20 min = $0.00 = n/a
Peanut Labs is a joke, and I recommend staying far, far away from their surveys.

PHASE #3

With my newfound success rate, I spent approximately an hour and a half doing various tasks on the site. A lot of these were Google+ reposting, searching Google, and a survey. Frustratingly the university that held the survey deemed my answers "unreliable and too quick" which I guess is a product of me being a wizard at taking surveys. (Been at this a loooong time.)

My Phase 3 Experience:
Microworkers (user with 30+ jobs completed): 1 and a half hours of work = $4.82 = $3.21/hr
That's still a long shot from even minimum wage work, but it's better than the new user rate I was making. I also have become better at identifying easy jobs.

PHASE #4

This time around I focused mainly on jobs I knew I could complete quickly. There was a lack of Google+ post jobs, so I did a few YouTube and Google search related jobs, as well as posting a link to an app on Yahoo Answers. I meant to only spend an hour on jobs, but ended up spending around an hour and fifteen minutes.

My Phase 4 Experience:
Microworkers (user with 50+ jobs completed): 1 hour and fifteen minutes of work = $7.20 = $5.76/hr
Hooray! That's better than Georgia's minimum wage of $5.15! (Not sure how exactly that's possible when the national minimum wage is higher than that, but oh well. I never understood law jargon.)

A CONCLUSION

So, it seems that Microworkers won't ever be a real replacement for a job. Seeing that the USA's federal minimum wage is $7.25, and Connecticut (where I live) has a whopping $9.60 minimum wage, Microworkers just can't cut it as a "real job."
That being said, the more you work and the more jobs you complete, the better the jobs you receive. You also soon learn which jobs can be completed in the shortest amount of time, and for the most money.

In conclusion, Microworkers is a great website to make money in your spare time. If you have some time to kill, it's worth it to log in and check if there's a survey or some easy tasks that you can complete in a few minutes and make a buck or two from.
Sometimes you'll get lucky and get a great task that pays well.

At the end of my experiment, I have $21.26 in my account.
Withdrawing that money to PayPal cost me $1.47, leaving me with $19.66, and $0.13 left in my Microworkers account.
I think I'll bank it and save it for a new headset...

Survey + "Beermoney" App Roundup - Which Apps Are Worthwhile, and Which Deserve a Delete

Hello everyone!

Since I'm sure this post will likely make the rounds past my original audience, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself.

My name is Maddie, and I am a 25 year old thrift-a-holic. I love to save money, I live in the clearance rack, and I love a good bargain.

That being said, I'm a bit of a failure in life, or at least as far as society's opinion goes. I live with my parents, am still in college, and have more health conditions than I have fingers. (And I'm not talking conditions that I've brought upon myself through bad habits, either. If only, that at least would mean I could fix them!)

As you can probably assume, I can't work right now, so I've been doing what I can... Selling my artwork, selling plants (yes that's a thing!), and keeping a tight grasp on my wallet.

I used to do a lot of surveys-for-cash years ago, blogged, and made YouTube videos, but my favorite survey site closed down and the advent of AdBlock ruined any hopes of ad revenue from my other two ventures...

You can assume my surprise and joy when I discovered that there are now apps that allow you to make money through surveys! I can make money while eating breakfast! I can make money on the toilet! I can make money while hopelessly waiting for sleep to grace my insomnia-riddled brain! 

MONEY IN MY FREE TIME OMG!

But alas, not all survey apps are created equal.

That's why today I am writing up a whopping HUGE summary of my personal experience with every survey app I have downloaded.
I have used each of these apps for approximately a month.

Remember that my experiences with these apps might not be reflective of yours! Every survey has a different target audience, and while I might be rejected from every survey an app throws at me and think it sucks, you might adore it and hit bank.

ONTO THE REVIEWS!!!

#1 iPoll

iPoll has a very simple interface and while it has some claim to fame online, it falls flat as an app.

First of all, iPoll is a bit of a misnomer. There really aren't any surveys available at all. The only survey I have available to me requires a photo of my cell phone bill, which I'm not really willing to share. The "missions" are all not available in my area, though their payouts seem to be anywhere from $3-$10. 

Why are quizzes and scavenger hints greyed out? Who knows, but I wonder if it's because I haven't earned enough yet.

Final verdict: Absolutely not worth my time. I have made a total of $0.30 with this app, which isn't even enough to cash out. There are never any new "polls" to do, even though I always have "new profile questions" available. Stick to the desktop version of iPoll if that's your thing, but this app has been utterly useless to me.

Referral Link: http://bit.ly/pSgd31

#2 1Q

1Q is a bit of an odd app because despite its smart concept, the lack of questions to answer makes it a bit of a dud.

1Q operates unlike any other survey app, because it gives you instant payments straight to your PayPal account. That's right... Instant. No waiting for a certain threshold to cash out. The problem is you will never get questions other than the first two, and when you do get a new question to answer the window of opportunity is so short that if you don't answer within a few hours, it'll be gone.

Final Verdict: This app is worth downloading just so you can put the initial $1.50 in your pocket in less than 5 min. Is it worth keeping on your phone? Yes, because maybe one fine day you'll get a new question to answer and you'll notice fast enough to participate... But don't count on it. It's been weeks, but I'm holding out hope. After all, I have nothing to lose.

Referral Link: http://1q.com/SJLPd

#3 Surveys On The Go

Surveys On The Go is once again, a bit of a silly name for an app that doesn't dish out as many surveys as the name insinuates.

Surveys come up a lot more often than 1Q or iPoll, but they usually pay about $0.50 and are mainly about you and your habits. These surveys do add up though, and if you keep your notifications on you shouldn't miss any surveys. Some are time sensitive though, and I have missed quite a few because I was taking a long nap.

Final Verdict: This app is one to keep your eye on because it does seem to have more surveys to do than the previous two. Though it does have a $10 payout threshold, I have reached $4.55 so far. Payouts can come as Amazon credit, Visa rewards, or PayPal cash. The convenience of the payout options makes this app a potential keeper.

#4 Survey.com (the app!)

It's sleek, it's minimalistic, and utterly devoid of surveys. With a name like survey.com, you'd expect to be drowning in surveys.

Unfortunately, this is what you will usually be greeted with upon opening this app... Nothing. No surveys, but a promise of surveys that never seems to be fulfilled.

Final Verdict: This app is a total bummer. Though the payout threshold is low at a mere $7.50, you probably won't get there within even a month. I have amassed a mighty $1.00 off of this app, and don't expect that number to go up anytime soon. Another waste of space that I still pathetically keep on my phone... Just in case.

#5 Swagbucks

Swagbucks is something probably everyone has heard of. It started out as a search engine that rewarded you for searching, but as abuse of the system flourished they scaled down the amount of "bucks" and continued to change their business model. Though it still is a search engine, they offer other services and ways to earn "bucks" too, such as surveys.

If there is one thing that Swagbucks has an abundance of, it's surveys. The issue is these surveys are tough to qualify for (you'll usually get disqualified halfway) and they don't pay a lot of bucks. With 1 SB = $0.01, you're very likely to only make a few dollars a day... If you're lucky. Still, the daily poll, profile questions, and large range of surveys available each day can potentially man you a good amount of money over time.

Final Verdict: They say the more you hear about an app or program, the more likely it's worth a try. Though being disqualified for surveys is infuriating at times, the satisfaction of completing a survey worth nearly a dollar is great. Though I don't mess around with cash-back offers and such (after all, I'm looking to MAKE money, not spend it) there are some interesting offers that under the right circumstances, may be beneficial to you. I've amassed 1760SB ($17.60) but a good portion of that was from before I downloaded the app itself. I'd say at least $6.00 of that is stuff I've earned in the past month. With lots of giftcard payout opinions, this app is a keeper and worth checking out daily. Just don't throw your phone at the wall of you get disqualified from a string of surveys.

Referral Link: http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=1186798&cmp=197&cxid=2001-app

#6 CheckPoints

Alright, so this isn't exactly a survey app, but it's pretty similar in concept. You can watch videos for credits, check into stores for credits, scan barcodes for credits, and all that random stuff.

I'm going to be honest, I haven't really used this app much. I don't go shopping very often, and I rarely have time to just leave my phone on to let some random videos play. It seems like it has potential though for shopaholics.

Final Verdict: I'm keeping this one around for one reason only: mall trips and holiday shopping. Those are times where I am scrambling in every store, tight on money, and I'd be more than happy to scan barcodes if it means I can nab myself some Amazon gift cards. Speaking of gift cards, there are more choices that you can shake a stick at, so if you shop and have some time to just leave your phone plugged in and run a bunch of videos to farm credits... DO IT.

Referral Code: hellointerloper

#7 Acorn Hunt

Another app that is very similar to CheckPoints, except this one includes two interesting things: Reddit exclusive codes weekly, and surveys.

Acorns are an odd form of "currency" because unlike Swagbucks, which are equal to cents, one acorn actually equals $0.025. That means 4 acorns = $0.01, making conversion a bit silly. Being said, between the offers, surveys, Reddit exclusive codes, and daily poll, you can start slowly collecting acorns.

Final Verdict: While the pay is a big subpar, the biggest downfall with this app is the fact that the survey company they have partnered with is Peanut Labs. They are notorious for disqualifying you in the middle of a 10 minute survey and leaving you angry and empty-handed. I only have amassed a grand total of 720 Acorns ($1.80) but to be honest, I don't put in a lot of effort into this app. While it may be worthwhile to those who have the time to run videos and do offers, and those in niche demographics that surveys are looking for, this app just doesn't cut it for me. It also has a minimum withdrawal threshold of $10, so I don't see myself being able to cash out very soon.

Referral Code: MLAMEDICA

#8 QuickThoughts

QuickThoughts completely lives up to it's name by giving you the quickest surveys with prequalifying questions before the actual survey itself. This means a lot less disqualifications, and if you are disqualified you still earn $0.10. Yes, that's right... You get paid if you get disqualified.

This app gets everything right. A sleek interface, surveys formatted perfectly for mobile, and new surveys almost every day.

Final Verdict: Out of all the survey apps I've used, this one has been by far the least frustrating and fair one out there. The sting of being disqualified is softened by the $0.10 consolation prize, and the surveys are usually so short and worth one dollar that you can get it done on the toilet. Yes, you can make a buck while you poop. As you can see from my screencaps, I've made $7.70 so far and the threshold for payment is $10, so I'm almost there. This is definitely one app that I check daily and is so pleasantly simple to use that I recommend it with full confidence.

#9 Inbox Dollars

If I had to humanize Inbox Dollars, I would describe it as an abusive boyfriend. It screws you over again and again and yet you keep coming back.

InboxDollars works like this: you do offers (which usually means submitting your information and getting spammed to death by emails and inundated by telemarketers) or watch videos, do surveys, and enter sweepstakes for a buck or two. The problem is you will likely get disqualified from every survey minutes in, giving you a chance to "spin the wheel of prizes," if you can even call it that. You'll most of the time win nothing or get a "sweep" which is a sweepstakes entry, and you're probably not going to win the sweepstakes anyway so it's an empty prize. You can also confirm you've read an email for $0.02 each, which is pretty much as useful as searching your couch for change.

Final Verdict: This app reels you in with an amazing $5 survey, then lets you down with impossible-to-qualify surveys and general douchery. Many of the surveys will send you in endless circles of "you didn't qualify, but you can qualify for this longer survey!" ...and even then, you'll likely get nothing. I managed to collect $7.03 so far (remember, that's the guaranteed $5 survey included) and you need a whopping $30.00 to cash out. In other words, this app blows chunks.

Referral Link: http://www.inboxdollars.com/?p=z&qid=1370608954&ic=c5ZYZ8894525&aid=9

Well, I hope this review write-up helped you determine which survey and money-making apps are worth your time and which to avoid.

Cheers and happy hunting!

Movie Night With Maddie: Inside Out + Afflicted

As usual, I find myself awake for no good reason and I'm too tired to do anything else but sit on my ass and watch some TV.

A few nights ago I was bored and started looking through the premium channels' movie listings, and I actually was surprised to see quite a few that looked interesting.

First off:

Inside Out

I've heard a lot of good stuff about this movie, and heck, it's Pixar... What could go wrong? To be honest, nothing. It was a pretty fascinating movie especially since I'm taking General Psychology this semester. Pixar's portrayal of different aspects of personality, memory, and the brain's functions were quite humorous and clever.

That being said, I do believe it is one of Pixar's weakest films. I know a lot of people may disagree with me, but I found the plot to be somewhat lacking. Rather than being a movie that followed a strong story arc, I felt like I was rather watching a series of events unfold. 

I also felt like there wasn't enough emphasis on the conflict between Joy and Sadness. It's insinuated that they are a bit at odds, but it never really coalesced into an actual conflict. When they do have their differences put aside, it isn't quite as cathartic as it could have been. Joy is just too rigid a character to get upset at Sadness.

I guess that's one issue with the movie... Every character is so tightly locked into a role that certain interactions aren't possible.

That being said, it was still and enjoyable movie that had me thinking for a few days... And especially wondering why my imaginary friends weren't as interesting as BingBong.

(Mine were cats. Just... Cats.)

Moving on to...

Afflicted!

Now here's a movie that truly caught me off guard. When I read the description and saw "found-footage," I cringed. I almost just passed over it, but plugged it into good ol' Rotten Tomatoes and was surprised to see a positive consensus. That intrigued me enough to press play.

I was relieved to find out that this wasn't a "Paranormal Activity"-like movie where grainy footage and jump-scares were the norm. Think more in the direction of "American Werewolf in London" with Go-Pros. Two friends go on an around-the-world adventure, document their stops in Europe, and... Bam, a one-night stand at a bar turns into a strange assault that leaves one of the pals, Derrek, out cold and bloodied. His behavior begins to change, he can't keep down any food, but he insists he's fine. He shows off crazy feats of strength as proof, running past motorcycles, breaking rocks in two, and insisting that he's at the peak of health. That doesn't last long though, and as his condition deteriorates, it isn't long before both he and his friend figure out what is going on: he has become a vampire, and his need to feed is growing.

I won't spoil the rest of the plot line, but this movie does a great job at keeping vampires in the realm of horror, and not the sparkly romantic bullshit Twilight so elegantly crapped on top of Hollywood. It humanizes Derrek's suffering and his downward spiral into madness and isolation, to the point where you can't fault him for anything he does. 

This movie isn't about the boogeyman, and that's why I enjoyed it. It's not about evil. It's about an affliction. (Hohoho see, that's the title!)

So that's a wrap!

I'll probably post more opinions on movies I watch as time goes on.

I'm so bad at this

Seriously, I don't know how everyone keeps up with all their social media.

Guess I need to get back to writing and stuff, though.

I'll actually ATTEMPT to keep up with this blog starting now. 

If I don't succeed, forgive me... I just have other things going on.

The (Past) Adventures of Maddie: The Ungrateful Kindergarten Bitch

This was a response I wrote to this image on Facebook that a friend posted.




Yes, I learned this lesson in kindergarten. True story.

Girl went to the bathroom, dropped her ring in the shitter, flushed it and cried while the janitor pitifully tried to plunge it in case it'd come back up. (It didn't, but he tried.) She bawled for the rest of the class.

I had lots of rings back at home. My aunt had bought me a whole box of rings with different colored gemstones, all fake of course, but to a kid they looked super real. I put one inside one of those little plastic containers you get from supermarket vending machines, sealed it with one of my most precious Lion King stickers, and brought it to class the next day.

I presented her the ring and she was so happy. I felt really good about myself. Then later during class I feel a poke on my back, and this bitch, this fucking bitch is poking my back with a gray marker. SHE IS POKING MY FAVORITE MICKEY MOUSE SHIRT WITH A FUCKING MARKER. I tell her to stop it and she just laughs and turns around.

Fuck that little ungrateful bitch. And people wondered why all my friends in 1st grade were boys.

The Adventures of Maddie: The Disgruntled Apprentice

This is a cross-post from my personal Facebook page, so don't think I've written up anything special for you blog-followers. I don't have the time for that, so at least enjoy your scraps.

ANYWAY.

THE ADVENTURES OF MADDIE!

Today's adventure: The Disgruntled Apprentice!

I've been donating my time after my sculpture class to add glaze to abandoned ceramics pieces, so they can be sold in November to buy new glazes for the next semester. I ended up glazing all of the scrap box, so I asked the ceramics teacher if she had any more pieces. She said I could glaze her own personal demonstration pieces, and put them in the scrap box for me.

Cut to after class, when my "charity" glazing time begins. I grab this nice little serving dish, decide to glaze it up with earth tones. I finish in about an hour, go to put it the kiln room, and I notice THE BOX IS EMPTY AND THE PIECES ARE GLAZED ON THE SHELF. And they look like they were glazed by a 5 year old throwing a tantrum.

So I go outside the kiln room and ask one of my buddies if he saw anyone glazing. He says he saw the ceramics teacher's apprentice hanging about in the kiln room, and it all makes sense.

This girl, this apprentice, is a little full of herself from what I've seen. Back when I was taking Ceramics class she hovered over my shoulder and grabbed a plate I was making, and took a tool and said "YOU MUST USE FINESSE!" and she literally starts smoothing my piece while repeating the word "finesse" over and over, and I'm just sitting there like "wtf is happening" until she hands it back to me and is like "SEE?" and leaves. 

Anyway, she must have either recognized her "master's" pieces or overheard our conversation earlier in the day (she's always lingering about somewhere in the studio) and was jealous as all hell, so she grabbed the remaining pieces and glazed them as fast as she could so I couldn't get to them.

At first I was like "wtf" but then it was just funny because here's this chick who is supposed to be an artist's apprentice, and here she's intimidated that I'm glazing her master's scrap pieces... And in the meantime she makes them look like shit. 

I also think that this plate might have had something to with it.

See this plate? I glazed that. It's not the most amazing thing on the planet, but it was a scrap piece and I decided I'd freehand a pattern onto it while testing out some fun colors. Well, today when I walked into the Ceramics studio, I had the entire group of older ladies and even an older gentleman crowding around me asking me which glazes I had used. This silly plate was the hottest thing to come out of the kiln, and I think that might have sparked some animosity in the apprentice.

Too bad, so sad.

Gonna keep on glazing, AND sharing all of my glaze secrets, because I'm cool like that.

I'm an awful blogger (and social media user in general)

Holy crap, am I horrible at keeping a blog.

How do you all manage to keep up with social media? I mean, between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and blogging, how the hell has half the population of the Internet not gone mad yet?

I can barely keep up with TWO of those platforms, and some people seem to have wires coming out of their asses, keeping in tip-top social media standing. 

Do you secretly have clones of yourselves splitting up the work? Have hired minions to do your work for you? Previously unknown twins that you've managed to keep under wraps for your social media updating needs?

Maybe I'm just getting fucking old.

It's Creepy Story Time! (Story from Dawn of the Dragons)

Dawn of the Dragons is a fun game/app that I played for a few months. What amazed me the most about the game was the lore. Every quest had story text, every item, goddamn everything. It was a reader's dream in game form.

One of the best stories that came from that game was that of good ol' Timothy the Butcher.
Thought I would share it with you all, because it's pretty damn good, and deserves to be seen outside of a game.

 

Timothy, the butcher's son, was a precocious child. He was always filled with questions, which he'd pose to all and sundry. On one occasion, after a service at the temple he and his parents attended, he approached the priest and asked whether it was a sin to devour human brains as zombies did. The priest wasn't shocked by this question, for he was used to the boy's eclectic curiosity. So he merely smiled and told Timothy that it was a sin to eat the flesh of creatures which possessed souls. The boy frowned. He asked the priest how anyone could know which creatures possessed souls, since souls were both invisible and intangible. The priest thought about this for a moment. He considered saying that the scriptures revealed which species bore souls and which were mere beasts. However, he knew that answer would only bring forth another barrage of questions. But as it happened, the priest's order was one which embraced philosophy alongside theology. Thus he explained to Timothy that some beings -- such as humans, elves, and gnomes -- were sentient. They possessed self-awareness, and were capable of recognizing themselves in mirrors. Whereas other creatures, such as cows or chickens, weren't sentient. The priest cautioned Timothy to never eat sentient creatures, lest he consume their souls and in turn do harm to his own. Timothy thanked the priest for instructing him. Then he returned home with his parents and enjoyed a meal of roast beef.

As a butcher's son, who was already being trained to help his father, he ate a great deal of meat. Thus the priest's teachings were comforting. He was glad to know that he wasn't eating any souls, and risking corruption to his own. That knowledge served him well a few years later, when it was time to slay his first chicken. He looked at the creature, saw that it possessed no signs of sentience, and lopped its head off. Then he sat down and smiled as its decapitated body ran around. In time his father died, and Timothy became the town's butcher. By then he'd slain many hundreds of animals, and hacked countless slabs of meat. He knew his craft, and the townsfolk said that if anything the boy was even more skilled than his father had been. So he killed and cut, both for his customers and for himself -- he loved his meat, as any good butcher would. Each breakfast, lunch, and supper, he dined on chicken or beef, lamb or pork. But he always remembered what the priest had told him. When a merchant offered to sell him monkeys for slaughter, Timothy examined one of the creatures and learned that it understood mirrors. It even made use of its reflection to pick food from its teeth. Thus he refused to buy them, for he knew it was wrong to eat things with souls. 

Pigs. He had eaten them all his life. One of Timothy's earliest memories was of his father setting a huge plate of bacon in front of him, and of the rashers' almost intoxicating scent delighting his little nose. His father had smiled, and told him that bacon was a proper butcher's breakfast -- something to get him through a hard morning's work till lunch. Over his life he'd probably eaten enough pigs to form a porcine army. They'd helped nourish his big muscles, and the thick tendons that wielded his cleaver. But in the end pigs became Timothy's nemesis.  

One day, when he was visiting the farm that bred many of the animals he slaughtered, served to customers, and ate himself, he saw something in the pigsty. One of the hogs had managed to work the latch on the wooden gate. He'd used his snout to lift it and maneuver it, slipping it aside so he could escape to freedom. The farmer was there in time to grab the gate, hold it closed, and clout the animal over the head. But Timothy's mind reeled. If a pig could do that, what else could it do? So he tried the mirror test. And that was what proved it. When he set it before cats or dogs, they acted as though another animal had appeared in front of them. Yet with the pig... The pig seemed to recognize its reflection.

That night Timothy lay sleepless in his bed. Pigs... Pigs were sentient. That meant they had souls. And he'd eaten them. Porcine soul after porcine soul had been drawn into his body. They'd become part of him. The priest had warned him against such terrible deeds. He'd told him that his own spirit would suffer if he transgressed. And he had done so... As he tossed and turned, images of ghostly hogs and sows floated before his vision -- glaring at him with red eyes. He heard the sound of distant oinking, each oink a grim accusation. He was doomed. His soul had been corrupted.

Timothy rose from his bed. He pulled on his bloody garb, the clothes he wore when he slaughtered animals. There was a pig's head on his block, from a beast he had butchered before his terrible discovery. He took its face and donned it as a mask. Then he seized his heaviest cleaver. He had sinned. But so had all the other townspeople who dined on the flesh of swine. Timothy was the one who'd learned the truth. So it fell to him to visit justice upon them.

Stolas "Weathered" Clutter Edition - SOLD OUT!

Thank you everyone for making my first gallery feature a success! And a huge thank you to Clutter Magazine for the opportunity.

Skullbrainer Show @ Clutter Gallery

I'm exhausted from all the excitement so I'm not going to type much (again), you can read about my experience on my Instagram post.

Some crappy phone photos from the show. Wish I got more photos (I know for sure I didn't photograph everything) but there was a professional photographer going around and I didn't want to get in his way. Then blah blah blah I forgot.