Most useless is the recurve bow with 8 carbon fibre arrows. Most useful (which I'm hopefully getting from another member of my family on Saturday) will be the target to go with it. Only then will my wife finally allow me to fire the damn thing! (the target is big enough to shield the greenhouse which stands at the bottom of our garden).
General / Off-Topic Most Useful and Useless Christmas Present Thread.
- Thread starter CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
- Start date
Oooh, archery!
I love it. I need to join a club or something. And get all the bits. (I shared my friends stuff when I lived down south)
And not wear glasses. Last time I fired them down range, much to everyone's amusement.
Sadly I can't practice in my "garden". It's longest part is a mere 8 feet. Lol
This year mum went off-piste and decided to buy a gift card (from Wilko's of all places) for some random food company.
Usually it's a card for a well known gig-ticket company that always gets used. Because myself + the other half go to lots of festivals + gigs over a year. Family knows this.
The missus and I rarely eat out, and never at the (quite literally) handful of chain/child-infested pizza/italian/burger (cough) "restaurants" that this card can be used at.
It was a real what-is-this moment. (actual disappointment and confusion may have been expressed in rather more 15+ rated terminology)
So honestly a heart-felt plea here to anyone else out there who thinks on taking the "lazy option" of gift cards at the supermarket checkout. DON'T!
Not unless you know for a fact it's somewhere that the recipient goes to/shops at - and they will use it in short order.
Many of these cards are limited to 12 months expiry. And none of them are refundable/exchangable like other gifts.
(Ironically, if it'd been a Wilko's gift card it'd been easy to spend on ... something)
Quite simply - if you want to gift cash to buy a meal or a gig, whatever - send the cash/cheque and say you'd like them to put it towards one of their choice, not some restrictive lump of plastic that only benefits the shop you bought it for.
And don't even get me going on the scam experience/hotel gift "deals". Avoid them too. Like the plague.
Had one for a "milestone" birthday to stay at a hotel that was in any case, completely and utterly useless unless we wanted to take work days off to use it. Couldn't even give it away to anyone because the availability was actually nil by the time we came to use it just a couple of months after purchase, and yeah thanks family, but all that money was totally wasted - no refund allowed. When it gets to the point of swapping virtual 'money' between siblings/parents/friends just agree to send each other a card and be done with it!
Anyway, that's my "Bah Humbug" for yer!
I can't think why nobody buys me presents any more...
(Most useful - At least the missus bought me a nice big hoodie. It's freezing here today and the CH has developed a mind of it's own!)
Usually it's a card for a well known gig-ticket company that always gets used. Because myself + the other half go to lots of festivals + gigs over a year. Family knows this.
The missus and I rarely eat out, and never at the (quite literally) handful of chain/child-infested pizza/italian/burger (cough) "restaurants" that this card can be used at.
It was a real what-is-this moment. (actual disappointment and confusion may have been expressed in rather more 15+ rated terminology)
So honestly a heart-felt plea here to anyone else out there who thinks on taking the "lazy option" of gift cards at the supermarket checkout. DON'T!
Not unless you know for a fact it's somewhere that the recipient goes to/shops at - and they will use it in short order.
Many of these cards are limited to 12 months expiry. And none of them are refundable/exchangable like other gifts.
(Ironically, if it'd been a Wilko's gift card it'd been easy to spend on ... something)
Quite simply - if you want to gift cash to buy a meal or a gig, whatever - send the cash/cheque and say you'd like them to put it towards one of their choice, not some restrictive lump of plastic that only benefits the shop you bought it for.
And don't even get me going on the scam experience/hotel gift "deals". Avoid them too. Like the plague.
Had one for a "milestone" birthday to stay at a hotel that was in any case, completely and utterly useless unless we wanted to take work days off to use it. Couldn't even give it away to anyone because the availability was actually nil by the time we came to use it just a couple of months after purchase, and yeah thanks family, but all that money was totally wasted - no refund allowed. When it gets to the point of swapping virtual 'money' between siblings/parents/friends just agree to send each other a card and be done with it!
Anyway, that's my "Bah Humbug" for yer!
I can't think why nobody buys me presents any more...
(Most useful - At least the missus bought me a nice big hoodie. It's freezing here today and the CH has developed a mind of it's own!)
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Deleted member 110222
D
This year mum went off-piste and decided to buy a gift card (from Wilko's of all places) for some random food company.
Usually it's a card for a well known gig-ticket company that always gets used. Because myself + the other half go to lots of festivals + gigs over a year. Family knows this.
The missus and I rarely eat out, and never at the (quite literally) handful of chain/child-infested pizza/italian/burger (cough) "restaurants" that this card can be used at.
It was a real what-is-this moment. (actual disappointment and confusion may have been expressed in rather more 15+ rated terminology)
So honestly a heart-felt plea here to anyone else out there who thinks on taking the "lazy option" of gift cards at the supermarket checkout. DON'T!
Not unless you know for a fact it's somewhere that the recipient goes to/shops at - and they will use it in short order.
Many of these cards are limited to 12 months expiry. And none of them are refundable/exchangable like other gifts.
(Ironically, if it'd been a Wilko's gift card it'd been easy to spend on ... something)
Quite simply - if you want to gift cash to buy a meal or a gig, whatever - send the cash/cheque and say you'd like them to put it towards one of their choice, not some restrictive lump of plastic that only benefits the shop you bought it for.
And don't even get me going on the scam experience/hotel gift "deals". Avoid them too. Like the plague.
Had one for a "milestone" birthday to stay at a hotel that was in any case, completely and utterly useless unless we wanted to take work days off to use it. Couldn't even give it away to anyone because the availability was actually nil by the time we came to use it just a couple of months after purchase, and yeah thanks family, but all that money was totally wasted - no refund allowed. When it gets to the point of swapping virtual 'money' between siblings/parents/friends just agree to send each other a card and be done with it!
Anyway, that's my "Bah Humbug" for yer!
I can't think why nobody buys me presents any more...
(Most useful - At least the missus bought me a nice big hoodie. It's freezing here today and the CH has developed a mind of it's own!)
I actually did get a gift card. But for me it's one I absolutely will use, and my mouth is drooling just thinking about it.
Costa Coffee. I like Costa. A lot.
There's a small one in town that I like to keep because it's nice and quiet. Naturally, not really any noisy kids about because it's a coffee shop, lol.
Oh man... I want a giant mocha now!
Ah yes, the useless gift card present.
Here what I do, if I'm feeling lazy, and want to get someone a gift card, but I don't know which shop.
I buy them a Tesco(or any other supermarket) gift card. Lol
Then I write on the card saying, "use this to buy a gift card you'll actually want!"
I also get the satisfaction of knowing they'll look like a right idiot buying a gift card with a gift card.
Win win.
I also love coffee.
But this year I got a cineworld gift card. Woop.
Shame there's no movies out I want to see.... Lol
And I usually watch movies in the Odeon anyway. VIP seats FTW.
Yeah, i tell people not to buy me things because I'm annoying. But they still do.
My girlfriend gets it. She just gets me things I need but can't be bothered to buy, like socks and pants. Then offers to pay something towards a larger gift, if I ever need one.
I wonder if any of you remember my last year's Christmas fiasco I ranted about?
Most people would absolutely love a new TV!
Not me. Especially when it's worse than your old one, just a bit bigger.
Atleast I managed to find enough problems with so my dad could return it.
For reference, avoid Panasonic 600 and 700 series TVs. They skimped on the image processing, so if you want to use the fancy processing, instead of nice smooth added frames, you get choppy stuttery unwatchable crap. So you have to turn it off.
And it has terrible trouble rendering black people, and turns them blue. This can be fixed by muting the color quite a bit.
And the sound is awful.
And the viewing angles are atrocious.
But all my dad cared about was it was 4k, and slim. That's all.
I have plenty of room for a fat TV, and I had no 4k content, nor could my PC even display 4k resolution. Nor is my internet capable of streaming 4k.
So basically, I ended up with a 40" full HD 60hz, black and white TV, which needed an sound bar, which can only be watched at a very narrow angle, which because of the TV stands low height, was sitting on the floor directly in front of it. Not the sofa.
This was supposed to replac a nice, crisp 32" full HD, with gorgeous colours, and excellent viewing angles.
Admittedly, the sound on my current TV is also crap. But hey ho.
I've told my family 100s of times, that researching and buying the gadgets myself is one of my favourite parts to buying a new gadget.
I Do Not Like Gadgets Being Chosen and Brought For Me.
(Unless I've given them a direct link). Lol
Rant over!
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Here what I do, if I'm feeling lazy, and want to get someone a gift card, but I don't know which shop.
I buy them a Tesco(or any other supermarket) gift card. Lol
Then I write on the card saying, "use this to buy a gift card you'll actually want!"
I also get the satisfaction of knowing they'll look like a right idiot buying a gift card with a gift card.
Win win.
I also love coffee.
But this year I got a cineworld gift card. Woop.
Shame there's no movies out I want to see.... Lol
And I usually watch movies in the Odeon anyway. VIP seats FTW.
Yeah, i tell people not to buy me things because I'm annoying. But they still do.
My girlfriend gets it. She just gets me things I need but can't be bothered to buy, like socks and pants. Then offers to pay something towards a larger gift, if I ever need one.
I wonder if any of you remember my last year's Christmas fiasco I ranted about?
Most people would absolutely love a new TV!
Not me. Especially when it's worse than your old one, just a bit bigger.
Atleast I managed to find enough problems with so my dad could return it.
For reference, avoid Panasonic 600 and 700 series TVs. They skimped on the image processing, so if you want to use the fancy processing, instead of nice smooth added frames, you get choppy stuttery unwatchable crap. So you have to turn it off.
And it has terrible trouble rendering black people, and turns them blue. This can be fixed by muting the color quite a bit.
And the sound is awful.
And the viewing angles are atrocious.
But all my dad cared about was it was 4k, and slim. That's all.
I have plenty of room for a fat TV, and I had no 4k content, nor could my PC even display 4k resolution. Nor is my internet capable of streaming 4k.
So basically, I ended up with a 40" full HD 60hz, black and white TV, which needed an sound bar, which can only be watched at a very narrow angle, which because of the TV stands low height, was sitting on the floor directly in front of it. Not the sofa.
This was supposed to replac a nice, crisp 32" full HD, with gorgeous colours, and excellent viewing angles.
Admittedly, the sound on my current TV is also crap. But hey ho.
I've told my family 100s of times, that researching and buying the gadgets myself is one of my favourite parts to buying a new gadget.
I Do Not Like Gadgets Being Chosen and Brought For Me.
(Unless I've given them a direct link). Lol
Rant over!
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
I specifically asked my mum to not get me the Doctor Who wall calendar for the nth year, pointing out I was an adult and had been for several decades now. So she bought me the desktop calendar instead. I may disown her.
Getting a target first is sound advice. Still remember some years ago when my colleague was gifted a bow and a small stock of arrows from her gf, we promptly took it in the woods to "play" a bit. Not a single arrow came back unscathed, a couple didn't return at all. Turns out that when a steel tip plunges more than a couple centimeters into a trunk, it almost irrevocably becomes tree's property.
Regarding Christmas presents (bit late I know), got a bunch of nice ones this year (I don't feel comfortable with receiving gifts, so the less the better for me).
A comfy scarf and a new pair of fingerless gloves from my parents (really needed those), a good ol' bottle of Disaronno Originale from my brother, and a couple of books from my better half: Volume 21 of Isaac Asimov's Great SF Stories (only four to go, yohoo) and another one from a famous Italian mathematician that probably had no translations outside of Italy, "Dalla Terra Alle Lune", a scientific discourse on the exploration of the solar system taking cues and inspiration from the works and conjectures of Plutarch, Kepler and Huygens; a bit hard to explain really, but a very good read.
About useless presents, I was born in a (relatively) poor family and I've lived a (relatively) poor life, I don't know such thing as a useless present. Everything counts, one way or the other.
Avago Earo
Banned
The best present this year was shaking hands with an old friend after falling out over Brexit. And that has set up my New Year's Resolution: Be elastic when it comes to politics and really listen to others whilst they speak, instead of just nodding whilst thinking about the next line.
Best present ever: Scalextric 400. Elite comes a close second.
Worst Christmas present: Eastenders, every year.
Best present ever: Scalextric 400. Elite comes a close second.
Worst Christmas present: Eastenders, every year.
I remember when I was a child, my father had built a Scalextric circuit in the cellar (for him ... and also for me
). The circuit had good between 15-20 meters long. Indeed, it is one of the memories which remains in the memory until the endI remember when I was a child, my father had built a Scalextric circuit in the cellar (for him ... and also for me
I remember when my friend and I hot wired a track up to make a ramp out of the upstairs bedroom window, and then flew all our old cars out the window.
Fun times.
That garden is probably littered with old toy cars we used to destroy in various manners.
I remember when my friend and I hot wired a track up to make a ramp out of the upstairs bedroom window, and then flew all our old cars out the window.
Fun times.
That garden is probably littered with old toy cars we used to destroy in various manners.
Sacrilege !
Getting a target first is sound advice. Still remember some years ago when my colleague was gifted a bow and a small stock of arrows from her gf, we promptly took it in the woods to "play" a bit. Not a single arrow came back unscathed, a couple didn't return at all. Turns out that when a steel tip plunges more than a couple centimeters into a trunk, it almost irrevocably becomes tree's property.
Finally got my target and have put MANY holes in it. Best christmas present I've had for years!
Edit: and the greenhouse is still intact!
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Finally got my target and have put MANY holes in it. Best christmas present I've had for years!
Edit: and the greenhouse is still intact!
https://i.imgur.com/UqtNUyY.jpg
Nice pressies, archery's loads of fun.
Your vertical isn't messy at all but your grouping (and the older holes in the face) seem to spread out sideways, that's usually from holding the bow too tightly adding twist at release. Try loosening your bow grip as much as you can whilst still keeping hold of the bow. If you have a wrist strap don't grip the bow at all keep your bow hand open.
Naaa none of this, Alec just be honest, you shot in the yellow at point blank for photo-op purpose only.
Naaa none of this, Alec just be honest, you shot in the yellow at point blank for photo-op purpose only.
Nothing wrong with that, it's walking up and stabbing them in by hand that gets frowned upon.
At first I read "walking up and stabbing them in the hand", and that I suppose is *really* frowned upon.
At first I read "walking up and stabbing them in the hand", and that I suppose is *really* frowned upon.
Of course, it's among the least effective places to stab people[yesnod].
Still early days but yeah, sideways is my problem atm, typically shooting to the left. Thanks for the advice, you could well be right about the tight grip ... I'll try that next time I have a go.
You can always close your fingers beyond the grip, so the bow isn't being twisted but won't go flying out of your hand. Bare bow traditionalists don't use wrist straps at all they just steady up through practice, consistency of stance grip and release is the key to accurate groups.
Put a large panel of wood to protect the greenhouse ?