progress

I wasn’t going to post about it, my progress, because up until right about now I felt like it wasn’t significant enough.

However, that’s something I’m working on in therapy, being happy with any progress. Also I think it hit critical mass for being worth heaping praise on.

First thing; I’ve been getting out on my bike more often. Last Monday after my interview I did a little 10 mile stint, today I did 14-15 miles. I was still sore from last week, and that’s the real measure of progress for me (apart from losing weight), my recovery time has been going to pot, and it has been bothering me.

The issue up to this time was that I had linked my physical fitness to my employability. My last gig was electrician apprentice, a very physical job that soured me on physical activity for a long time. However, I’m shooting for a desk job now, and somehow that makes it easier to work out.

Also, I’ve only been 10 pounds heavier than I am right now, and by whatever higher power you please I will not relent and allow myself to get heavier than I’ve been before.

Second; our hot water heater started working again. No clear idea why, apart from that it seems that sometimes things get fixed by me ignoring them for a few weeks. I (playfully) think it’s some kind of reverse gremlins, or gnomes. You know, like the gnomes that made shoes for the overworked shoemaker.

That’s huge progress though. I’m about to take my first hot shower at home in a month. Nothing else like it, and I appreciate it all the more for having gone without.

Finally, I achieved in my hobby goal by making my first two paracord bracelets. I’ve been collecting materials for a few weeks, and last night I felt good enough to work on it. The first one came out okay, but the second one I’m really proud of.

Okay! People wanted to see my work, I’ll oblige

Top Right is my favorite so far, a Trilobite bicolor, I also used a better joining method (the Manny method) joining the two colors, so it’s never coming apart. It’s using a traditional side buckle in black metal

Bottom Right is my first attempt, I have no idea what this weave is called. I also melted the ends together, so less than ideal workmanship. The buckle is a u bolt clasp

And on the Left is my current work in progress, a single color Trilobite with a u bolt. It’s a bit more challenging because the pattern I used to learn the trilobite weave doesn’t have an adaptation to this clasp, but I like this weave a lot and would like it with this clasp.

Also cool (I think) is that the Trilobite bracelets require 20 ft of paracord. I didn’t measure the first one beforehand, but I think it’s around 10 ft. Also this paracord is different from what most crafts are done in. Most are done in 550 paracord, which can hold the weight of 550 pounds, but I seem to have stumbled into 1000 pound cord, because the whole point is to have survival utility, and greater weight capacity was a cheap and easy upgrade.

It’s been really good for me, my frustration tolerance and self worth. I actually had to reweave the second one from start because I put the wrong buckle on it. I’ve been wearing that one, and it gives me a small amount of pleasure every time I look at it. PLUS, my dexterity is up, always a desireable outcome.

So I’m sorry to be a reverse Debbie Downer, a Freddie Feelgood perhaps? But, I worked hard, and I’m feeling better than I have in a long time, at least a year and a half.