Apple Barrel Paint Review

I do a lot of painting and most of it is done with acrylics. Unless I'm doing a commissioned painting, I will only use either Apple Barrel or Folk Art acrylic paints by Plaid.

I've had a lot of good luck using them, I like them and best of all they won't cost me an arm and a leg. As a matter of fact I pay 50¢ for Apple Barrel matte colors and 97¢ for the gloss paints at my local Walmart. I use the 2oz bottles although some come in 8oz bottles for a bit more than I would pay for 4-2oz bottles. There is a satin finish paint in the 2oz bottles which cost me about $1.29 a bottle. Prices vary from location to location so what you might pay for a 2oz bottle might vary.

Paints are rated on a light-fastness scale that runs from 1 to 5.

1=Excellent
2=Very good
3=Good
4=Fair
5=Poor
All of the Apple Barrel Acrylic Colors and Apple Barrel Gloss paints are rated Excellent or Very Good (1 or 2). These paints are made from some of the purest pigment available, which results in its superior quality.

I currently have at least 75 bottles and half of them are unopened. Since I paint daily, I go through a lot of paints and don't want to take the time out to run out and buy more if I run out during a painting. Whenever I'm in a Walmart, I'll just go ahead and buy a few bottles that I use more often. The problem with Walmart is that the paints seem to be out of stock often, that's why I stock up in advance. I know buying them on the internet will cost me  a lot more.

I've used them on just about every kind of painting from landscapes to portraits. The Apple Barrel paints are thinner than the traditional acrylic paints but work just as well for what I do. I've even used them on crafts and as long as I seal the paint with an acrylic sealer or varnish, they will last me a life time and then some.

I did have a problem about a year ago with the paint. They would smell like rotted flesh in the bottle and after I applied the paint. I contacted Plaid and received 50 new bottles for replacement. Fortunately I had a receipt for them all. Their answer for the smell was that someone had exposed the paints to extreme temps but I doubt that was the case. Never the less I have not had that problem since.

Here are a few paintings I did using just the Apple Barrel Matte acrylic paints.

squirrel in my backyard

Luna our dog

a bright fall day

a walk thru the forest preserve

melting ice on the lake

mountain side brook

sunrise at fall

my review of sleekform coccyx seat cushion X001GKG3HX

I had my daughter order this cushion from Amazon.com hoping that it would give me some comfort and support. Sitting for any length of time was agony especially for one suffering with prostate cancer and having sciatica along with it. I found the Sleekform coccyx seat cushion X001GKG3HX on Amazon. Here's what I read about the seat.

About the product

• *Enjoy Our Special Launch Price* SIT COMFORTABLY - The Sleekform Coccyx Seat Cushion is composed of 85% memory foam and 15% cooling gel to keep you cool and comfortable while sitting for long periods of time. Measures 18" x 15" x 3.5" (front) / 4" (back)
• PAIN RELIEF - This state-of-the-art seat cushion includes a special rear cutout to help relieve pain and tension in the coccyx (tailbone), hip, spine and lower back areas. The ergonomic design helps promote good posture and equal weight distribution for more comfortable sitting.
• NEVER FLATTENS - This chair pad is built to last - the memory foam has a density of 50kg/m3 and will not flatten with continued use. The outer cover material is made from long-lasting polyester. The outer cover fabric is 90% velboa and 10% mesh. The inner foam material is 100% polyurethane.
• CONVENIENT - Now you can sit comfortably wherever you go. You can take this lightweight and portable support pillow with you to use on any chair or bench. You can also use it in cars, buses, trains, planes, wheelchairs and more. Plus, the non-slip bottom will keep it firmly in place no matter what the chair surface.
• FIRM SUPPORT - The premium memory foam and cooling gel contour to your unique body so that you get firm support and form-fitting comfort. This support seat cushion is also very easy to clean. There is no better way to add cushioning to any seat. Click Add to Cart to get yours today. Your purchase is backed by a 90 day no-questions-asked 100% money-back guarantee.Try this cushion for 90 days - if you don't love it you can return it for a full refund.

It seemed to be exactly what I needed not only for my office chair but for my car as well and because of all of those positive reviews went ahead and ordered it. I received it a few days later.

 Due to extreme cold temps, when I received it it was cold and hard as a rock, probably frozen. I let it sit and thaw out for about 48 hours out of the box before trying it out for the first time. When I sat on it, the cushion below me simply flattened out within 30 secs. giving me zero comfort and support, instead more pain. I wasn't expecting the cushion to flatten out as stated and figured that according to a pic I saw would give me the same support.  I only weigh about 150lbs. I had other family members try it in their car only to have the same experience. They hated it!

I contacted Sleekform, told them what happened and that this was unacceptable for something that didn't do what it was supposed to. They gave me a full refund.

Later, I tried it on a hard surface as they just let me keep the cushion. This time it did not flatten out but it felt as if I was sitting on a wooden surface and ended up with more pain. For me, it did not do what it was promised to do and unless you use it on a hard surface, it will flatten out, contrary to their claim of never flattening out.

You can't always go by reviews on amazon or any other site for that matter, especially if they are all positive. There will always be someone with some issues with he product and you need to take that into consideration, There are plenty of phony product reviews out there. I was once offered to get paid to write them.

my thoughts on the Amazon fire tablet hd8

My kids pooled their money to get me the Amazon Fire Tablet hd8 for Christmas.  I've been confined to bed as I suffer from cancer so they thought that it would be a great distraction for me from boredom and pain.

It's advertised on Amazon.com for about $80 available with either 16 or 32 gigs of memory. Mine is only 12.46 gigs total, not 16, with 10 gigs of free memory available. For more memory, a different memory card would have to be purchased. The box came with the tablet, USB2 charger and power adapter. There was also a folded up card showing a diagram of the external function buttons and inputs. There was no manual. For one, you have to purchase it for about $5.00 from their book store.

There are videos for the tablet found in the help section of the tablet if you can find them.
There are 2 camera lenses, one in the front and one in the back which can be easily switched. The pics are HD but unspecified pixels. Video at only 720p is available. They can all get stored on Amazon Prime if you choose that option.

The tablet comes with a battery that holds a charge up to 12 hrs. I had to charge mine for several hours before I could turn it on. Once turned on a set up page appeared and went through the uncomplicated process. You set up your e-mail address, social sites and an account for amazon.com store and amazon prime account. You can also set up  Alexa, a voice interaction for purchasing and making contact with those added to her list.

The rest became a bit more challenging and frustrating, especially since things just didn't seem to want to work, perhaps because I hadn't a clue as to what I was doing. Without a manual, I had no clue to where anything was as the screen was filled with nothing but ads followed by apps. To do anything you need an app for it. There is a browser: Silk by amazon and an antivirus needs to be installed from the app store along with others to keep your tablet clean and running smoothly.

Basically, the tablet was designed specifically for Amazon.com store for easy and quick access and a way for amazon to hit you with ads. Each and every time you turn the tablet on, you get an ad, a full locked page ad. Social sites and e-mail have limited viewing. What you do, what you see and where you go are controlled all for one purpose-sales. With free children's games, videos etc. the tablet has become a substitute baby sitter which keeps even the youngest users hooked.

As for me, I prefer to be free to explore the internet and can do the same as on the tablet except much more, using either my desk top or lap top, which have a larger screen and no built in adware.