Over the time I've been writing this blog, I've reviewed a couple of different staplers - and I'm about to do it again.  Why?  Because the stapler that is my topic today comes from a company whose products I have not liked.   I tried PaperPro staplers when they first hit the market years ago and they were touting their products as the greatest new invention since sliced bread.  I had continuing problems with them jamming - and jam-free stapling was one of their marketing points in their ad campaign back then!  I finally gave up and threw the stapler in the trash.  So, when the manufacturer rep gave me samples to try recently, I was intrigued to see if the newest model was an improvement over my last experience.  

This is my first "team" review.  I was given several samples of the PaperPro inPOWER+ staplers, so I distributed them to my coworkers and we've all been testing them for several weeks now.  There are several different models - we tested both the 28 sheet capacity and the 20 sheet capacity and today we are pleased to present our findings to you.

Okay, it's late at night as I write this and I'm a little slap happy right now, so this question is a bit on the silly side.  Today's topic is:

Useless Trivia

I'm going to temporarily stray from the Do's and Don'ts that I've been writing lately to address a subject that we get a lot of questions about:  paper weights.

Paper weights can be a bit confusing.  I mean, how is it that a 65 lb. cover stock is heavier than a 90 lb. index paper?  Give me a few minutes of your time and hopefully it will be a little clearer.

My mom always told me to dream big.

I can't believe it's already June - the year is half over!  But never fear - we have reason to celebrate.  My birthday is in June - Yay!   I'll expect a large party........  (Okay, maybe just a small one.)    

Speaking of June (and birthdays............)

Today's topic is:  June Trivia

In his song "American Soldier," Toby Keith sings "I will always do my duty, no matter what the price.  I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice.  Oh, and I don't wanna die for you, but if dyin's asked of me I'll bear that cross with honor 'cause freedom don't come free."

Those lyrics just take my breath away - and reduce me to tears every time.  I can't help it when I think about all the men and women who have served our country over the years, fighting for independence, for justice and for freedom.

For my freedom.  Willingly.  

And we're back - to the small screen!  Step through the time machine and go back to the mid-sixties.  Today's topic is:

Star Trek Trivia

If you have a large conference room (or two) in your facility, or if perhaps you are a teacher in a school, you probably have a PA system available to use for events with lots of participants.  But sometimes the microphone isn't quite the right tool.  What do you do if your event is outside? Perhaps you're the school's football or soccer coach.  Or your company is sponsoring a 5K charity run.  Or your subdivision association is having an Easter egg hunt.  Or you're conducting an emergency preparedness safety drill.  How do you make your voice heard above the crowds?

Last fall, I wrote a review of two new ballpoint pens from Bic, called the Atlantis Exact and the Atlantis Comfort.  I really liked those pens - I gave them 5 paper clips.  So when the Bic rep came to see me again with another new model in the line, I was eager to try it.

Introducing the Bic Atlantis Ultra Comfort ballpoint pen.

The official category for today's question is:

Useless Trivia

but I should probably call it New Parent Trivia.

Today I have two sets of rebates for you on Swingline Shredders.  The first one is on the Stack and Shred Cross-cut shredders.  You can get anywhere from $50 to $500 cash back depending on which model you purchase.  The offer includes purchases made from Jan 1 to June 30 and all submissions must be received by July 31.

We live in a digital age.  Transactions are electronic now - we pay our bills online, make purchases online - even buy our coffee with our smartphones.  Technology is wonderful, isn't it?  

Until something goes wrong.

ID Theft is everywhere - has it happened to you yet?  It has to me.  Fortunately, an alert bank teller stopped it before it became a disaster for me.  Trying to restore your identity and credit rating, as well as recovering your money, is time consuming and frustrating.  It can take years sometimes and require a lot of hoops to be jumped through.  And you can incur a lot of expense in the process.  Just what you need, right?

One, two, three, one, two three.................. forward, side, together, back, side, together...................  Look ma - I'm dancing!

Yes, for all the performing arts aficionados out there, today's topic is:

Dance

We all have those moments when something just strikes us funny or we wonder why something is the way it is.  As I was checking my battery drawer to see if I had the right battery for my flashlight, I wondered:

Today I'm going to give you a "Don't."  Here it is:

Don't wait until the last minute to place your order.

You might think this would be common sense, but many people don't understand what's involved in custom printing and they wait until just a few days before they need the item (sometimes the day before!) and then call it in.   In reality, there are multiple steps in the printing process and these take time.  

May the 4th be with you!

Sorry - I couldn't resist.  I've always liked that joke.

Having started off that way, I suppose I should do movie trivia today, but instead, I'm opting for the small screen.  Today's topic is:

TV Trivia

Now that the winter is over (am I going to incur the wrath of the weather gods for making that statement?) the season for moving and/or spring cleaning has begun!  If you're one of those people, the main thing you need is boxes.  Small, medium, large, wardrobe - you name it.  Or maybe you need storage boxes for the office (all those files have to go somewhere.....).

When you need to make a presentation at a meeting, you may be wondering how to make your ideas pop so that people will get excited about them.  Or maybe you just need a way to display multiple concepts and be able to edit as feedback is presented.  There are lots of ways you can do that - some that are high-tech like projectors and transparencies, some a little more low-tech like easel pads.  There are lots of brands of easel pads (regular and self-stick) out there, but today I'd like to introduce you to one product in particular - the Big Pad.

I had the truly amazing experience of vacationing in Scotland many years ago.  One side of my family is Scottish and I tried to find my family's castle while we were there.  I have a picture of me in front of a castle ruins that seems like it was in the right place, but I don't think that was really it.  (It makes a good story though.)  Scotland has some absolutely breathtaking scenery!  If you ever have the chance to go -do it!

So by now, I guess you've figured out that my topic today has something to do with Scotland.  This one is a gimme - it's going to be a race against the clock to see who can email the answer to me the fastest  (hope you're a good typist!).  Today's topic is:

If you're like most people, you have a desk tray of some kind that functions as your "In" box at your desk.  This is the central location where people drop off assorted documents for your attention.  It probably looks something like this: