Tisn't the Season to be in Debt

Hi all! With the holidays fast approaching, we run the risk of trying to purchase well above our means. That means we feel pressured and compelled to make credit card purchases for most of our gifts. While this seems like a quick and easy solution, credit card debt can definitely become overwhelming once the novelty has warn off. Now don't get me wrong, credit cards aren't inherently bad. They can even help you build up a credit score, but there are plenty of opportunities for pitfalls and misdirection when it comes to credit card usage. I will be discussing some lesser known credit card myths and do my best to debunk them.

Myth 1:

• Using a credit card for all purchases will increase a credit score

This is a huge myth because while yes credit cards can help you credit score, they can also hurt it. If you are wracking up high rates of spending, and only paying the minimum, you risk your credit score dropping.  Essentially, you are spending more than you can pay.

Myth 2:

• Applying for multiple lines of credit at one time won’t hurt my score

Unfortunately, this hurts your score because for every line of credit you open, your average account age lowers. As a result, your score may potentially take a dive. It also makes you look like a risky borrower, if all the lines are new.

Myth 3:

• Closing the account with the highest credit allowance/limit is better for your score than closing a lower limit account

 The main issue with this is that say you have four accounts: Three accounts are a limit of $500 each and one of the accounts is a $1000 limit. If you maxed out the three cards at the $500 limit, but have paid off the $1000 card and closed it. Before, it looked like you owed $1500 out of $2500, which isn't very good, but compared to owing $1500 out of $1500, it wouldn't have hurt your credit score as bad. When in doubt, look at the amounts owed on all cards collectively before considering closing out a high limit card.

Myth 4:

• Closing the oldest account can help my credit score

The primary issue with closing out the oldest account is that it makes your credit history look shorter by lowering your account age.

Myth 5:

• Tossing out old cards will make your account disappear

This is a big myth in the sense that unless you actively work to close your own accounts, they will not close on their own. Be sure to pay off your balances, call the customer service department, and insist that they close your account. Typically, upon closing an account, you'll receive letter confirmation about the account closing within a week or so. If you don't get that confirmation, be sure to call the customer service line again.

Lastly, remember to monitor your accounts in order to notice and address unexpected or authorized activity that could seriously hurt your credit report. When it comes to disputing errors that appear on your credit report, always address discrepancies immediately to avoid lasting damage.

I hope that my debunking of myths was useful to you, and be sure to check out the following guide to learn more about how a poor credit score can affect your financial health!

Let me know in the comments below what tips you have for people using credit during the holidays.


Till Next Time!

-Hachi

October/Autumn Favorites!

Hi all! Happy October! This is one of my favorite months because it's almost Halloween! :D So I'll do a list of my October/Autumn favorites for this blog! :)

October Favorites:


Fashion: I love dressing fairly casual during this time of the year. My go-tos are bootcut jeans, long flowy skirts, cardigans (when it's actually cold in Southern California), and simplistic t-shirts/tanks. If I do wear a dress, it's usually with boots and leggings. :)

Typical Autumn clothing - stock photo

Makeup: Darker shades of blue and purple for my eye shadow, thin tipped liquid eyeliner pens, black brown eyebrow liner, and NW-45 powder foundation.  My go-to brands are Urban Decay for the eye shadows, Rimmel London for the eyebrow and eyeliners, and MAC for the powder foundation. (There is nothing wrong with drugstore makeup! ) Occasionally, I'll wear a darker berry lipstick/gloss and that will typically be from Maybelline,  Rimmel London, or Sephora brand.

Make up for darker skinned women - stock photo

Drink: Apple cider has probably got to be the best thing ever for the autumn months. Whether it's sparkling apple cider, alcoholic apple cider, or hot apple cider, that is my go to drink. While most people flock to the PSL (which I had only one so far since they came out, sadly it was very watery tasting and sort of lack luster.  Thanks alot Sbucks!), my love is apple cider.

Apple Cider - stock photo

Meal: Something that I enjoy eating in the month of October/Autumn and pretty much all year long is Pho. Rare beef pho. It is probably the most amazing soup ever. I can even eat it in 100 degree weather. Crazy, I know. If anyone's turned off by the name, the beef actually gets "cooked" by the broth's heat. For me, I prefer rare beef pho to the well done beef pho because rare beef pho has a much softer texture.

Rare Beef Pho - stock photo

Movie: For the Halloween season, I love binge watching Harry Potter movies. I am still waiting on my Hogwarts letter, it's about 14 years late. :( I'm totally blaming the owl on that, by the way. Also, Slytherin represent! Woot woot! Anyway, I also enjoy watching Hocus Pocus, but Harry Potter is my all time favorite.  Side note: My favorite HP book is The Order of the Phoenix, which also happens to be my least favorite movie.  Oddly enough my least favorite book was The Half Blood Prince, but my least favorite movie is The Goblet of Fire.

Ron (left), Harry (middle), and Hermione (right) - stock photo

Nail Color: Any shade of blue or purple is also my go-to nail color for the autumn season. Last Halloween, I had Harley Quinn nails, but this year, I am looking for more of a simpler look.

Nail Polish - stock photo

Hope you enjoyed this blog post! Stay tuned for next week's blog! Also, leave you October or Autumn favorites in the comments below! :)

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Last Post of 2014~

Hi All~ It's been a while! I have been up north visiting family and friends. I am back in Southern CA now with my crazy cats lol. They really missed me; you never know how attached a pet is to a person until you leave them for a while. Anyway, it's time to reflect on 2014. The year itself was like any other year for the most part: school, work, making some new friends, losing some old, going to anime and comic book cons, playing new games. The main difference was having some family health scares, which put life into perspective for most. Especially when it's someone other than me for once. I am glad they are getting better and I hope 2015 is a better year for them. I am looking forward to the new year. New life changes, such as new school, making more new friends (I hope), finding love (I hope), getting a car, moving to a new city. Seeing old friends and family, who have stuck by me and continue to do so no matter where life takes us. I bravely anticipate whatever comes to me in 2015. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I will take it all with clarity and good reasoning. I wish that all of my friends, family, and readers have a happy and safe 2015 year, as well. Please keep each other close, hold each other tight, and keep the squabbles to a minimum. Life's too short to be lazy, remain sad, or be angry. Take each day one step at a time and think of at least one thing that makes you happy for that day. Instead of just 100 days of happiness, make it 364/5 days. Happiness is shown in many forms, just like many other emotions, use them all if you must. Just please be happy, please be kind, and please be healthy. I hope to interact with everyone more in 2015!

Till 2015 ;)

-Hachi

Lipstick Paradise

Hi all! Another weekend is about to come to an end, and I hope you have all had a restful time! So today I decided to play around with the lipsticks I own. These lipsticks are on Mac NW45 skin with L'Oreal Nut Brown highlighting under base. Instead of spamming my post with a billion photos, I decided to Photo Grid the pictures based on each color and far view/close up. I hope you enjoy!

410 Blissful Berry - Maybelline (Favorite)

540 (Moisture Renew) Burgundy Lustre -Rimmel

900 Red Alert - Rimmel

Confession - Urban Decay

All Heart - Clinique (probably my least favorite because it's too shimmery)

If you have any lipstick recommendations for darker skinned individuals, please let me know in the comments below.




Till Next Time!

-Hachi

"Yes to." Product Review

Hi all!

Sorry it's been so long in between blogs, I have been rather busy this week with work, and an online class I am quite "over". Since I am due for another blog anyway, and I just tried out a product for the first time, I will give a product review on it.


So if you remember in my old blog about my Target Super Mini Haul, I purchased the Yes to. Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes. I haven't had a chance to test them out until today so I did and have a bit to say about them.

Stock Photo of Yes to. Cucumber Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes

Firstly, the moistness of the towels is really good. To reiterate, it didn't come out of the packet mostly dry after a while like some do when purchased.

You could also really smell the cucumber in it. Intensely. In fact, almost overpowering. For some, that might be pretty awesome, but for me, it was a little too much.

Finally, application of the towel in makeup removing. It removed make up quite well, but remember how I said this is supposed to be hypo-allergenic? The reason I bought it in the first place? Well unfortunately, I guess it wasn't hypo-allergenic enough for me because soon after I applied it to my face, my whole face started to burn and itch. Hopefully I don't get a rash, but I have Benadryl just in case. I was so disappointed with what happened, that I can't even use the other nine towels.

Rating: 1/10, point going for moistness. The smell and the itching/burning of my face made my rating go way down. I would like to try their other products, but now I am a bit worried the same thing will happen again. Hopefully not.


So I decided to check the product reviews on their actual website and I am not the only person who got mild skin irritation from this. Other reviews discuss redness, burning, itching, rawness. I hope if you have or will try this product that it does not happen to you as well. So far, thirty minutes have passed and my face still itches. Sigh.

Update: One full hour has went by and I have applied my anti-itch cream. It took some of the irritation away, mostly natural, as well. Maybe I'll do a review on it later.




Has this ever happened to you before? Where something hypo-allergenic caused minor, mild, or major skin irritation on you? Also, what hypoallergenic skin care products do you recommend? Let me know in the comments below.



Till Next Time!

Hachi

*Cough, Cough, I'm sick* Cold Remedies on the Cheap

Hi everyone! (Cough, cough, I'm sick.) Or at least, it seems like I might be getting sick. Tis the season though, and I do work at a community college after all. I don't typically take OTC medicine, but on occasion, as some happens to give me nightmares. So while I wait for a normal prescription to be filled, I am doing my typical remedies in the meantime. They do help lessen the blow, at least I have noticed. (I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be so do not attempt some of these remedies without a doctor's approval. Especially if you are already taking medicine.) Most are natural remedies anyway, but I just wanted to put that out there that you should always get doctor approval when doing new health related things. Regardless of how simple they are.

Stock Photo of a woman sneezing

Humidifier!

Humidifiers come in two types: warm mist and cool mist.  It's basically just heated water in a machine that comes out as steam to clear the airways and allow for restful breathing. I happen to use a Children's cool mist humidifier, that I purchased at Target, a few years ago for about 30$. I also add to it what I will mention in the next category.

Essential Oils!

Essential oils can be bought at most health stores, for relatively cheap. You only need a couple of drops at the most for usage in your diffuser or humidifier. Never handle them on your skin directly. Some do come diluted in a base oil like almond, or jojoba, however, many are pure oils. I do advise to dilute them in the water without touching it. Less is more. Too much and it will be very over powering. Oils that are good for colds include : Lavender, Mints (Rosemary, Peppermint, etc), Eucalyptus, and Camphor.


Lemon and Honey!

This combination is awesome! Honey is a natural antioxidant. Some people use it in salves, I use it as an antibacterial cough soother. It also helps with sore throats. To make a very thick cough syrup out of it, mix equal parts lemon juice and honey into a table spoon and take it like that. Some people (like me) find that to be too sweet and prefer to add it to hot water as a sort of tea. (I sometimes add a shot or half a shot of Brandy and turn it into a Hot Toddy (folk remedy), but I am of age. If you are not of legal drinking age, just don't. Seriously. lol)

Salt Water!

This combination can be used as a warm soothing rinse to aid in a sore throat's healing process, or as a nasal irrigation rinse. In both cases, do not ingest the salt water. I also hate netipots, might I add. I do use saline to moisturize the nose, but nasal irrigation makes me feel weird.

Chest Rub!

Vicks Vaporub is quite nice too, but it is really expensive, unless you find it on sale. Store brand chest rub works just as well.

Warm Moist Towels/Hot Packs!

If you have sinus pain, a warm towel or a warm hot pack can help relieve the pain in your sinuses. The hot pack will stay warm a lot longer than the towel by the way. Test the temperature, and do not leave it on for long periods of time.

Vitamin C!

You can take some tablets, multivitamins, or just eat or drink your vitamin C if you are very anti-pills.



That's all for now! If you know of anymore useful and relatively safe/legal remedies, please feel free to comment below.


Till Next Time!

Hachi

September Favorites!

Hi Everyone! Happy September! We are inching closer to the greatest season ever! Fall, or autumn as I typically call it ! :) So I decided to do something a little different and list my favorite things about September.




PSL (Pumpkin Spice Lattes) -

Yes, I'm one of those lol However, I kind of prefer making my own drinks, so I think this year I will bet making my own. I know there isn't real pumpkin in it, because it's pumpkin pie spice haha (I'm a baker)

stock photo of PSL

Pho -

Well...technically it still feels hot as the blazes here in California, but I associate the coming of the autumn season with pho.  I actually had some yesterday because I was sick. Rare Beef Pho, please!

stock photo of pho

3/4 sleeve shirts -

They're really good for when it's not too hot, but not freezing cold. That'll probably be more useful as we get closer to the latter end of September.

stock photo of 3/4 sleeved shirt

Cardigans -

They are awesome go to's for those days, when you might want to cover up, but don't want to over heat.

stock photo of a cardigan

The changes in the leaves -

I love when the leaves change and fall to the ground. The crunch, crunch, crunch you hear as you walk on them or jump in leaves. Yes, I might be 24, but jumping in leaves never gets old haha.

stock photo of changing leaves

So that's a few of my September/start of autumn favorites.  Do you have any September favorites? Let me know in the comments below :)



Till next time!

Hachi

Cars, Cars, and More Cars

Hi All! So sorry I have fell a bit out of the loop with my blogging. This week was my first week of work. I have been relying on bus travel for the past 5 years down here in Southern CA, and let me tell you, these bus systems are HORRIBLE. The drivers are pretty good, although you get a few sour apples in the bushel, but it's the timing, the excessive amount of stops, the lack of more express buses. Now, I have to do a bus commute in between two counties for work. Imagine how much more trouble that is, dealing with two different bus systems. I have done my "Google-sensei" lessons and have discovered, the distance between home and work by car is only 19 minutes away. Get this, 19 minutes. However, with my buses of doom route, it takes me 1 hour and 48 minutes at the least to get to work. This is by taking one of the few express buses in the system. So this brings me to my current, and far more necessary need than ever, wanting a car.

There are only two cars I have a real interest in because I want to do far more with it than just go from point A to point B. I also want to join a car club, because back home in my Northern CA town, car culture is rather huge. So I want to be able to do car meet ups with other enthusiasts. I do not want any Hondas or Toyotas. The cars are really nice looking, but my area makes them EASY targets so I do not want to exactly risk that. I want to also do street legal races at the tracks down here, and street legal mods. As much as I love those movies, no Fast and Furious-ness up in here. So below I will list stock photos of the cars, (not exactly the specific looks I want, and I am asking for pros and cons of each.) So please help me out with that. :) The two cars I am currently looking at, based on the best used cars list from Consumer Reports are: the Mazda 3 (aka MZ3) and the Subaru Impreza.

2008 MZ3

Subaru Impreza Wagon WRX

So here's my task for car enthusiasts. Can you guys give me some pros and cons about the two cars mentioned. For instance, which generation is best, keep in mind, I tend to not go for the newest crayon in the box lol Also, in the future (when I choose a car) mod tips will be welcome. Thank you all! Also please be respectful of each other's opinions. In the semi-distant future, I'd like some American muscle too. :)

Update, I'll probably end up with a Kia for grad school, but then trade up in a couple of years. We'll see. (1/13/15)

Till next time!

Hachi

Busy Week

Hi All! So this week was rather busy for me, which is why I only posted on Monday and today. I started my job as an ESL tutor, this week and have to do long communities between counties using public transport. I am slowly getting used to it though. I am enjoying meeting new people and all my coworkers are kind people. I like when I have good relationships with my coworkers, it makes going to work all the more enjoyable. Another side thing I have been doing is "summer cleaning" trying to get my apartment clean before the summer ends. I am also in the process of starting graduate school applications so I hope that works out for me. I'll keep this short, but I think after the first couple of weeks of work I will adjust to this new schedule and be able to post tri-weekly again. Please do bare with me. I'll be doing a what's in my workbag post soon! :)


Till next time!

Hachi

Thank You!

Wow, it's been two consecutive "work" weeks that I have blogged. So far so good. I even have received over 85 views in these two weeks. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is a lot for me. The first time I started to blog was at the beginning of the year. I did it for literally the whole month, and only got 70 views. So I ended up burning out on blogging, and deleted the whole thing. Since it was the summer, I decided to start blogging again. This time, however, my new goal was two Monday through Friday weeks straight of blogging. If I ended up with at least 40 views, I would continue my blog. Since I actually went a little over double that in nine days, I decided to continue my blog. The only real change I will be making is that, since I am starting up a job and an online class soon, I will have to blog a tad bit less. So instead of Monday through Friday, I will be blogging on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or Monday and Friday, depending) to see if that is a good fit for me. I would like to thank everyone so much for reading my blog. My long term goal is to get at least 50 followers by New Years. Even if I don't make that amount, just having exponential reader growth is good enough for me. With that being said, thank you all once again so much for reading my blog and I hope you enjoy my future blogs to come! Also blog topic suggestions are always welcome, if they are in reason, so let me know in the comments below! :) 

Till Next Time!

Hachi

Grocery Haul!

Hi All! So I went to Ralph's today and grabbed a few things. Not everything is pictured though, got hungry and at it before I got home.lol So here it goes! :)

2x Kroger Brand Stir-fry vegetables with noodles and 3 pepper & onion blend

2x roma tomatos, 1 packed of teriyaki marinated chicken breast, 1 large package of Buttoni mixed cheese torellini

1 carton of Simple Truth Natural Cage Free brown eggs, 1 package of Banquet Chicken Breast Patties, 1 six pack of Crunch Bars, 1 package of Pepero "pocky" sticks

1 liter of Sprite, 1 small package of Kroger powdered donuts, 1 package of Kroger Swiss cheese, 1 package of sliced watermelon wedges

Overall, I purchased 22 items at $34.52, meaning that I essentially only spent $1.56 per item. :) A grocery shop job well done if I say so myself! How do you guys like to shop? I try to go for store brand items whenever I can to lower the price. For example, every package of frozen vegetables above was only 1$ each.


Till next time!

Hachi

Cinnamon Roll Recipe! :D

Home-made cinnamon rolls

Hi! So today I am writing about a very popular cinnamon roll recipe I use often, yet modify a tad bit. My mods will be in brackets

You'll need:

A baking sheet [9x13-flat would be fine]
Parchment paper

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 12 rolls 

         Rolls:

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature [I use brown eggs]
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted [I use salted butter, so I will either omit the salt, or use 1/2 teaspoon]
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour [All purpose flour works just as well)
• 1 teaspoon salt [If you use salted butter, you will not need as much salt]
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
•   1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
  
  Frosting:
  
  
  
•   1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened [I use 4 ounces]
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt [I use salted butter, so I omit the salt]
  PREP: 20 minutes, COOK: 15 minutes, and READY IN: 3 hours (due to letting the dough rise)

  Directions

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
  
  [For those without bread makers: Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.-credit: ANDYTAMI]
• After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Roll dough into a 16x21-inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
  
  
  That's it! It's pretty simple, and tastes just as good, if not better than Cinnabon. If you have the time to make them, go for it! You won't be disappointed :)
  
  
  
  Till next time!
  
  Hachi

Random Scenery Photos!

Hi there! So I was searching my phone, looking through old photos to make room for new ones until I get a new microUSB for my phone and came upon all my cloud, Amtrak train, and sunset photos. I love looking at the clouds and the sky so I have a tendency to take photos of my surroundings wherever I might be. Mind you that these aren't those amazing SLR or DSLR camera photos every would be photographer does, these are just lazy Samsung Galaxy S4 photos I take when I feel interested. So please don't judge them too harshly. With that said, I present to you some photos of Northern and Southern CA taken with my Samsung Galaxy S4.

Inland Empire, CA

Santa Barbara,CA (Paseo Nuevo)

Central Valley, CA (Amtrak San Joaquin)

Central Valley, CA (Amtrak San Joaquin)

Central Coast (on the way to Santa Barbara), CA (Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

So I hope you liked my random photos, I apologize that they aren't amazing. It's just a random hobby of mine. Do any of you like photography? If so, what kind? :)


Till next time!

Hachi

Super-Mini Target Haul!

Hi there! So yesterday, I went to the mall to find some clothing for my new job that starts later this month. On that score I came up short due to all the people at the mall and stores buying things up for "back to school" shopping. However, I went to target and picked up a few items and got one work shirt in a medium from Merona. I would have gotten more, but just about every medium in every color I liked was sold out. I will be checking online later to see if they have more colors later. A few other things I picked up will be useful for work too either appearance wise, or practicality so I will do a mini haul of the few things I picked up from Target. Once I get more things, I will do a bigger haul. A few of the items used I will make separate review posts about them in the near future. Without further ado, here are the items I got at Target:

Merona Women's medium ultimate V neck black and white striped shirt.

.

Rimmel London- Eyebrow Pencil 004 (Brown Black)

Sally Hansen - Strengthening Top Coat nail polish

Yes to Cucumber - Soothing hypoallergenic facial wipes

myCharge Energy Shot- Portable Charger

Hope you enjoyed my super-mini haul! Reviews to come soon!


Till next time!

Hachi

How about that shrinkage? (Natural Hair)

Shrinkage. My, oh my, the dreaded shrinkage. Or does it have to be dreaded? Can't it be embraced as well? We see everyday in the media, women with long, usually straight hair. So as a collective of  curly haired people, some of us come to desire this sort of hair. Typically it's achieved through the utilization of weaves, or wigs, and for others it is by heat styling. However, this euro-centric viewing can be damaging to the self-esteem of curlies. Some of us strive to achieve length in our hair after going natural, yet when all we see is shrinkage, we start to feel discouraged. However, why? If our hair is growing healthy and strong, why should we care how long it is? We are not defined by the length or style texture of our hair, but by the content of our character. We need to embrace what we have and flaunt it. Although, sometimes my shrinkage does annoy me, I do like the way my hair looks at that length too. My hair looks fuller and more youthful so to speak when the "shrinkage is real".
Also on the topic of natural hair, I get that the movement is more geared towards us African-American women, with "Afro-textured hair", but there are curlies from all walks of life.  Curlies from every country, every age, every gender, every ethnic origin,. What bonds us together is our refusal to accept the euro-centric concept of hair beauty. We refuse to chemically alter our hair. We leave it as it was, as it always will be, curly. We cannot cause this divide amongst ourselves, we must stand together if we are to stand at all. If you are wondering where this slight rant is coming from, it all started on Facebook. I am a "fan" and product tester for naturallycurly.com. This website has men and women from all nationalities and ethnicity and posts pictures of people in their wavy or curly glory, as such. However, I am sad to say that recently whenever Naturally Curly posts non-Afro textured people, others people will bash them as not "true naturals". Truthfully, it makes me sad. We should not be acting like this at all, we should embrace our curl family and support each other on our individual journeys. As our journeys do and will intersect each other, and we should all be there for each other. You can agree or disagree with me as that is just my opinion haha. Take care all :)



Till next time!

Hachi

Let's talk a bit about comics

Hi there! So let's talk about comics! Everyone likes comics! Well....not everyone, but it'd be nice if they did! Comic books helped people cope in the darkest hours of WW2. Although many of them were filled with anti-axis propaganda, comics did lighten the hearts of kids and adults alike. There are five ages of comics: Golden Age (1930s-early 1950s), Silver Age (late 1950s-1960s), Bronze Age (1970s-early 1980s), Iron Age (late 1980s- early 1990s), and Modern Age (late 1990s-present). So being said that there are five ages of comics, I will say as a comic book collector, I mostly just collect Silver and Bronze Age comics. I find them the easiest at comic book stores, and conventions, such as San Diego Comic-Con. Speaking of SDCC, I am a volunteer for them, and I find it a very rewarding experience. I highly recommend it, three hours of volunteering gets you a volunteer t-shirt, all the swag that regular attendees get, and you get the rest of the day free while you're not volunteering. Anyway, when it comes to comic book collecting, I look at the quality before I make the purchase. Here is the grading scale for comics. Typically, you want high numbers. I just buy 5's and up.
10.0 Gemstone/Mint GM
9.9 Mint MT
9.8 Near Mint/Mint NM/MT
9.6 Near Mint NM
9.4 Near Mint NM
9.2 Near Mint NM
9.0 Very Fine/Near Mint VF/NM
8.5 Very Fine VF
8.0 Very Fine VF
7.5 Very Fine VF
7.0 Fine/Very Fine FN/VF
6.5 Fine FN
6.0 Fine FN
5.5 Fine FN
5.0 Very Good/Fine VG/FN
4.5 Very Good VG
4.0 Very Good VG
3.5 Very Good VG
3.0 Good/Very Good GD/VG
2.5 Good GD
2.0 Good GD
1.8 Good GD
1.5 Fair/Good FR/GD
1.0 Fair FR
0.5 Poor PR

Ok enough of that, so why did I start comic book collecting? Well my father is a comic book collector as well, and I picked it up off of him. Now on to my latest comics I got from the last two SDCCs! :) Ps. I mostly just collect Marvel, but my father collects both Marvel and DC. Are any of you guys comic book collectors? Or do any of you read comic books? If so, leave something in the comments below. :)

Till next time!

Hachi

Well hello there!

Hi, I'm Hachi. Well, not really. Hachi is my nickname, my real name is Dawn (I do go by both, although more of my given name). I'm a 24 y.o Northern California native, living in overly sunny, Southern California. I am a natural hair enthusiast, and am interested in home improvement. Semi-fresh out of college, I am currently in education limbo while taking a year off in between undergraduate and graduate school. I have a bachelors of arts in Linguistics and intend to apply for masters programs in Linguistics with some sort of specific emphasis, as well. We'll see if I get in, fingers crossed, haha. In the meantime, during my limbo between school, I am trying to keep busy doing whatever I can. I am currently a research assistant in Psycholinguistics, and tend to do research projects for conferences. It's both fun and stressful, as is life in general. So other things I am doing are: "working" on a novel (I get bad writer's block), joining groups and committees, going to comic book & anime conventions (love comics, anime, manga, cosplaying and attending cons), comic book collecting, and working out. I also take one online class every semester at a local community college so I am used to focusing on school work and not to get too lazy. Not sure if you can tell, but I like to stay active. This blog of mine will mostly focus on various life observations and ramblings from me and my adventures in Southern California, with a few Northern California ramblings as well, when I go home to visit. I hope you enjoy the ride, because it will either be very long and boring, or very fun, and fast paced. We shall see, hehe. Also feel free to post comments, but please note, unpleasant comments will be deleted. Let's keep this blog happy and positive! :) Tell me about yourself too, if you'd like. :)

Till next time!

Hachi (Dawn)