Hey guys! I'm heading out early next week to get all the things I need to renovate my office. I'm buying a new pc, a desk, a mouse and keyboard, a tv (to be used as TV and monitor) and a printer. (I'm waiting until next summer to upgrade my chair--I have a fabulous chair for now, so there's no need to switch that yet. For anyone else thinking of setting up any office or workspace, though, the chair is your #1 priority--ergonomics are everything.)

Three questions:

Any tips or suggestions on particular brands or items? (I'm a writer, if that helps any.)

Does anyone here use / has anyone here used HP's Instant Ink program? It sounds fabulous, but it's a company's job to make their services sound great. I'm interested in real-world feedback.

Anyone interested in before and after pictures once this is all set up?

Thanks.

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I don't buy myself ponies very often. I usually get them via swaps, which is fun and deliberately slows down how many I get each year. But sometimes when I go shopping for a swap partner, I find someone I need to add to my own collection.

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That's how I ended up getting Pretty Beat. A seller here had her and a pony I needed for a swap box, so I decided to buy both to better justify paying shipping for one pony out of the three or four I'll need for the box.

She's very striking in person. I really love how vibrant her colors are; especially the orange streak in her hair and her pale blue eye shadow.

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My other new lovely is Princess Stargleamer, who was actually a gift. I'm very excited to finally have her in my collection. I love how the bright blue she is contrasts with the gold and pink of her mane, tail and symbols. I also love how her mane, tail and symbols all share the same color scheme and how beautifully the gold and pink blend together.

Looks like my collection is off to a nice start for 2017. It will be fun to see who else will join my existing herd as the year progresses.

I've decided that I am going to buy a tablet. I'm leaning toward an 8 inch model like the iPad Mini 4, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 or Nvidia Shield. I can't seem to make up my mind how much space I want it to have.

I plan to use it for: writing / web browsing / e-mail / social media / gaming / reading e-books / listening to audiobooks or music / backing up writing and art / occasional photography (photographing items from a swap box; not taking it out and using it in public! this part is short term til I get a new phone. ) I may also grab a stylus and mess around with art programs, but that's a bonus; not a primary purpose.

I find typing on a touch screen less painful than using a keyboard some days (I have arthritis), so I figure I'll grab this and then update my main pc since that'll take longer than getting the tablet will.

Anyone have any thoughts on which tablet would be a good match? Thanks for taking the time to look.

It's time to welcome a whole new year. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to start a thread about the things we are looking forward to in the months to come. Here are some of mine:

January 10th -- My Dad will be released from physiotherapy.

January 12th -- Nintendo will be more fully revealing its new console, the Switch.

February -- Valentines and my birthday

March 17th -- Beauty and the Beast

March -- Nintendo Switch's scheduled release month.

March -- Kingdom Hearts disc with a bunch of the older games is being updated for ps4.

June 2016 -- E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)

Year of Superhero Movies: Lego Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Wonder Woman, Spider Man, Thor 3, Justice League... I love Superhero movies, so I can't wait.

... And this is just the stuff I know about now. It can only get better from here!

A new year is just around the corner. What better time is there to try and develop a calendar or planner habit?

When it comes to life, are you a planner or a pantser? If you use a calendar or planner, is it a physical one or an electronic / digital one? I've been thinking that it's time I look into getting something to keep my life more organized and figured I would see if anyone here has any thoughts or suggestions.

I always thought that this kind of stuff had to be very boring, but from the research i'm doing on planner websites and YouTube, I'm actually both excited and optimistic.

I'm currently leaning toward a Happy Planner, but nothing is written in stone yet. My bf is teasing me that I'm just looking for excuses to use more washi, stickers and crafting paper.

Halloween is tomorrow night, and then the lead-up to the holiday season will be officially underway. With names already handed out for the holiday swaps, I've been thinking about which ponies I'd most like to find under the tree this year--from friends, from my bf, from myself... I've also been reflecting on holiday seasons past, remembering the toys I wanted most as a child: both those I got and the occasional 'one that got away'.

It is with these two thoughts in mind that I decided to start this thread. Feel free to share pony related holiday memories (for Christmas or whatever you personally celebrate this time of year) and feel free to let us know who's on your holiday wishlist and why.

Childhood:

I didn't receive ponies at Christmas as a kid, because I was not an active MLP fan back then. My love was Barbie, and wow did I have a lot of those.

However, there is one MLP I did want for a Christmas gift, and the fact that I didn't realize she was an MLP is likely the reason I didn't get her. That would be Pretty Puff, I kept thinking she was a Keyper. The year I wanted her (I didn't know her name; just that she could store things and what color she was) my parents had both been laid off from work. The large Keyper horses were likely very expensive and they decided to get me a pink and blue ladybug instead. An additional irony to the fact that I didn't know I wanted an MLP then is that the little ladybug I had back then is the only Keyper I want now.

This Year:

This will be my second year with ponies being a big part of how I celebrate. Some of last year's pony highlights included Princess Primrose, MGR Sunnybunch, Baby Starburst, my first custom (Happily Ever After), Swirly Whirly, and Twinkler (sparkle pony).

So, who's at the top of this year's most wanted list...?

Princess Starburst -- She's the last of the first set of princess ponies that I need to have my first complete set. I'm usually not a set collector, but the princesses are one of the few sets I want to own fully and completing them this year would be exciting.

Starshine -- It seems kind of unfair to her that I have so much of her merch, but I don't have her. She's one of my favorite rainbow ponies, and she is a white g1 which is something I don't have a lot of. (The only ones in my collection are Princess Tiffany and Baby Stocking).

Tuneful or Pretty Beat -- I've wanted these two from the first moment I saw them. I love their bold patterns and striking colors. I also love the fact that they are music ponies.

Bright Night and Sunblossom -- The glittery sweetheart sisters are another set I want town fully. I have Twinkler and Starflash, but I still need these two ladies.

I'm also really interested in anything that would be a 'first' for me:

-- First adult male g1
-- First winger / summer pony
-- First baby sea pony
-- First princess from the 2nd set of princesses (haven't started that set yet)

... And of course, I still want Pretty Puff. Because some things never change.



So, who are you looking for this holiday season? Feel free to share.

I'm considering starting a blog / website about swapping.

I want to talk about:

-- swap basics (of course, since not everyone knows or understands what a swap is, how they work, why they are worth doing, how to not get scammed / find a safe community, etc.)

-- tips, reviews and ideas surrounding craft supplies,

-- gift guides for certain holidays

-- advice when buying for certain types of dietary / allergic needs

-- listings of treats that are unique to different countries / that can't be found in certain countries

-- posts showing off teasers from swaps I am doing, swap boxes I have received, and my thoughts here and there on interesting things I buy to send to others

-- Wishlists for my various collections and my general likes and dislikes. (Nice to have that all somewhere easy to get to, especially on days when my arthritis is stubborn and copy / paste is a lifesaver. )

I'm sure I'll come up with more content ideas, but that should at least be a start.

What I'd like to know from you guys is:

1. Do you think a site / blog like this would help anyone?

2. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started swapping?

3. When you started swapping what were the things you found most confusing / wished there was more information about?

4. Do you have any suggestions on articles or topics that you think would help new or current swappers?

Thanks for taking a look at this. I've been trying to build up the energy to get this going for months and I think I'm finally ready to see about getting it off the ground.

Last, do you think "Confessions of a Swapaholic" is a good title, or should the blog / site title just be Swapaholic.ca like the url is going to be?