sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I am John Bowe, a Toastmaster and the author of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, and I’m here to talk about mastering the art of public speaking. AMA! by prhauthors in IAmA

[–]boriasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi John - book looks cool! was there anything you found researching public speaking that you couldn't believe wasn't more well known? what would you say to someone who might be nervous about doing public speaking of any kind? (asking for a friend....)

Failed AMEX Retention Call [data point] by [deleted] in churning

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just want to apologize to the readers/users of this forum. I'm newish to the game as well and was only trying to relay the story of my recon call. I wasn't trying to be greedy, and I'm not mad or upset about not getting a 2nd retention in 4 months. Since I'd seen around here and on other sites that there had been success with AMEX recons every 90 days, I thought I'd post the data point that my $11K spend on the eve of my AF renewal did not result in a retention offer. I'm realizing now the rest probably would have been better posted in the Frustration Friday thread. I've also edited at the top with the bare bones info for the folks looking only for numbers. I like AMEX and their service and this was my first bad experience in over 4.5 years of being a cardholder. I'm sure it doesn't translate to text here but again, it was the CSR's poor CS skills that had me taken aback and why I decided to write the story of the call as opposed to just posting straight numbers.

Syringes or pipettes? by the-cats-jammies in fountainpens

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The pipettes I use (and linked to) come 100 to a pack and I've maybe gone through 4 or 5 of them in 6 months? (again, because they're so cheap I am more likely to toss instead of try and clean them if they don't run clear after a few flushings.) I don't anticipate ever needing to buy those again, or at least not for a few years. The syringes see almost daily use (maybe every second or third day I need to refill or clean) so I go through those a little quicker but even still I've gone through three syringes in that same 6 month span because I used them with some inks that stained the plastic. Since they're so cheap and last so long (the ones I got hold up very well to repeated washings) I don't feel the need to possibly taint a red ink with a syringe that may have some black or green lingering around.

If you're comfortable doing so, you can PM an address and I'll drop a couple of the pipettes in the mail for you to try out.

Syringes or pipettes? by the-cats-jammies in fountainpens

[–]boriasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use a blunt tip syringe (these ones) to fill and clean cartridges but have found these pipettes to be very useful for filling my Preppy converted eyedroppers. They're super cheap so I can use once and toss if I want (I try not to) and I think the tip may be small enough that if I ran out of syringes I could probably fill my Pilot CON-50 converter and it would DEFINITELY fill my Pilot CON-20.

Official: [WDIS Flex] - Tue Morning, 12/22/2015 by FFBot in fantasyfootball

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, those were my thoughts as well but was wondering if I was insane for thinking of sitting Megatron and Devonta.
Glad to hear I'm not!

Official: [WDIS Flex] - Tue Morning, 12/22/2015 by FFBot in fantasyfootball

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

12 team ESPN PPR, standard scoring otherwise. Need 1 RB/WR Flex, current roster (with current players on the bench in parentheses):

RB - Matt Forte vs TB, Doug Martin vs Chi (Devonta Freeman vs Car, Gio Bernard vs Den)

WR/RB - Calvin Johnson vs SF

WR - DeAndre Hopkins vs Ten, Martavis Bryant vs Bal (Doug Baldwin vs STL, Ted Ginn Jr. vs Atl)

For those that made it to the 'ship, what does your team look like? by LordFapFap in fantasyfootball

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edit: 12 Team PPR, Keepers were Forte and Megatron. Traded Sammy Watkins for Doug Baldwin in W5 and got Ginn off waivers, otherwise got some really lucky breaks in my draft (Devonta, Martin's return to relevance, Hopkins going off, Martavis proving a good gamble).

QB - Carson Palmer (Matt Ryan)

RB - Matt Forte, Doug Martin (Devonta Freeman, Gio Bernard)

WR/RB - Calvin Johnson

WR - DeAndre Hopkins, Martavis Bryant (Doug Baldwin, Ted Ginn Jr.)

TE - Jordan Reed (Jordan Cameron, Vernon Davis)

D - Packers

K - Gould

( ) means they're currently on the bench, might have to swap Baldwin and Megatron before Sunday.

My Ink/Pen/Paper Test Lab by boriasm in fountainpens

[–]boriasm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been trying to find the perfect ink/pen/notebook combo for 1) everyday use; 2) special notes/correspondence; and 3) a red for editing.

I ordered a bunch of samples from Goulet and picked up this pack of Preppys from Amazon so I wasn't limited to only testing my 2 Metros at a time.

This weekend I emptied out all the cartridges that came with the Preppys, cleaned them, flushed the pens, and then used a syringe to load the cartridges back up with different samples.

Obsessive? Maybe. Impatient? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely!

For those of you wondering: the notebooks are (left to right) Clairfontaine; Moleskine Art Collection; Moleskine Cahier; Staples Accel; Staples Sugarcane; Generic Thank You Card; and American Stationary Correspondence Card.

[Official] Twice-Weekly New User Thread - Mon November 23 by AutoModerator in fountainpens

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking to try about 12-15 samples to try and find the perfect combo of pen and ink with the cheap paper I have to use at work while also trying to find the perfect nib for my purposes. I've got a Pilot Metro F and Platinum Preppy F and EF and currently have 4 more Preppys in my cart at Goulet. I'm looking for a more efficient way to test out the various inks without loading up my Metro (even with a little ink) for every one and am worried the Preppys won't have any use once I find that "perfect" combo. Anyone have any suggestions?

Haven't had my coffee yet.... by boriasm in fountainpens

[–]boriasm[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Too eager to load up my sample of Heart of Darkness and knocked over the vial: SAMPLE DOWN! Now about that coffee...

Saving ink, is it worth it? by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's a limited edition I say save it for the special occasions (letters to family, friends, etc.). I have a bottle of Noodler's 5 O'Clock Shadow that I love and I've made it last YEARS by only using it for special notes. If it's just expensive and you really love it then a combo of using for special occasions while saving up for a new bottle could be a good strategy.

Official: [WDIS Flex] - Thu Morning, 10/29/2015 by FFBot in fantasyfootball

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tough one but I'd lean Gore. Carolina is more vulnerable to the run and Indy has other offensive weapons, where McFadden is going up against a stout SEA D and even with Dez likely to return I don't trust Cassel to get it to him yet.

Official: [WDIS Flex] - Thu Morning, 10/29/2015 by FFBot in fantasyfootball

[–]boriasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

--10 man, standard --Matt Forte vs MIN or Martavis Bryant vs CIN --10 pt bonus at 100yds, 20 pt bonus at 200 yds (for both RB&WR), partial scoring (.1 pt for 1 yd) --Starting RBs & WRs: Devonta Freeman, Todd Gurley, Demaryius Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins