u/Zendomanium

Greetings. I wear a 10.5 shoe and am looking at a pair of size 11 K2 Trio on Facebook Marketplace. Price is good, skates look good and the seller is interested in meeting.
I understand it's a 'soft boot' style of skate which can loosen up slightly over time. I know trying them on is always best, but if anyone can comment on the fit, possibility of stretch and the suitability of a size 11 skate for someone wearing a 10.5 shoe that would be great. Thanks!

ETA: The K2 Trio comes in a size 10 and 11. No 10.5 available. I am a 10.5 shoe. Also, some brands make their skates on the snug and/or on the spacious side. Thanks for the advice thus far!

Greetings. I'm an older guy starting a YouTube channel which may branch out into a podcast. Definitely starting with YouTube. I have an old Snowball which works pretty well but am considering the Ride USB Podmic.

I do not have a ton of cash, but have been told that for videos it's more enjoyable for listeners when there is a higher quality mic and sound. Easier on the ears, more enjoyable, better chance of sticking around.

Does the Rode USB Podmic offer THAT much more of a superior sound quality? If I were to stay with the Snowball, what can I do to maximize the sound quality? Just looking for experienced feedback and advice.

I should mention that I haven't started the channel, but will do so soon. Perhaps spending more on the Podmic and Rode boom arm is putting the cart before the horse? I just found a great deal on the Rode boom arm on FB Marketplace (new in box at 75 CAD, a good deal), so this is one of the reasons I am thinking in this direction. I can get the Podmic at a later date.

Thanks!

Greetings. Have been enjoying Bukuowski's Selected Letters books. Wife got me all three for Father's Day which is nice. Peppered throughout the books is this symbol [***] which does not appear to be explained in the books themselves--or perhaps I have overlooked the explanation.

My best guess is it represents something edited from the letter, but it's just a guess. It doesn't seem like anything's been cut and doing so seems opposite to the purpose of the books.

If anyone can clear this up, I'd appreciate it. If there's some place in the books which explain it, I'd love to be directed there. Thank you and have a nice day at the races!

Greetings,

I am experimenting with underpainting using Faber Castell markers as they are high quality and archival and I have them. I'll be using Derwnts, Polychromos, and Caran D'Ache colour pencil products

Is it best to go a little lighter than the colour I am trying to achieve using colour pencils on top? Or, is it better to select a marker that is as close as possible to the colour I am after and work with that?

My intuition tells me to go a little lighter, but thought I'd inquire here for solid advice.

As I am inexperienced with this process if anyone has any random and useful tips for any kind of underpainting, any kind of tools, or your own preferred techniques--I am your student and would love to learn!

Thanks!

Is there a medium which colour pencil works well on top of, for adding finer detail?

For example, would colour pencil work well over acrylic paint? The problem I am trying to solve is to lay down a base colour on a large area. Following this, coming in with colour pencil to add lights, darks, and details.

I've seen folks do this with airbrushes (which use ink). As I'm not too sharp with an airbrush, I figured I'd use paint.

So just wondering what works well under colour pencil as a base colour.

EDIT TO ADD: I am concerned about lightfastness. It’s important that I use lightfast products. Cheers!

Hey all,

My wife's Dad is in need of a new laptop and I'd like to get him one.

He uses it for very basic online activity: YouTube, Sudoku, and word games. His current laptop is about 12 years old and not cutting it. It runs Microsoft, which he is familiar with. That is all I know.

Can anyone recommend something light, easy, and not necessarily expensive for an older gentleman to enjoy his online games and YouTube videos about fixing cars and building farms?

Thanks!

EDIT TO ADD: I'm located in Canada. I think he's not too keen on an Apple product. It's for when he travels up here from the States to stay with us. He has a nice desktop at home. Probably needs a larger screen because he can't see so well as he's older.

We did just get a Neo for our daughter entering high school and she loves it!

My wife's Mother passed recently and her Father remains alone in the States. He's into his 80's, owns property, and has funds in the bank to last a while. He's not rich but has resources.

He'd like to come to Canada and stay with our family. He's looked online to navigate this but hasn't had much success. This post is my first foray into finding out about the logistics of this.

His primary concern is health insurance. We're in BC near the border so ferrying him across for those needs is doable. He's got access to reliable health care state side.

What are the primary considerations we should be aware of taking these first steps? What are some common mistakes made by folks in our position?

Thanks for your time.