Handyman

I once worked with a guy whose last name was Hands. Really. 3 guesses what his nickname was, and the first 2 don't count.

Being a guy, it's natural that I think of myself as a bit of a handyman around the house. So far I haven't done any serious injury to myself, just run of the mill cuts and scrapes and such. Unlike when I was working at the City taking apart a big V 12 gen set. A wrench slipped off a bolt, and I banged my knuckle against the metal. Not hard and I didn't think anything of it because it didn't hurt. Then I realized it was a machined edge, and there was this huge slit in the back of my hand that spurted blood when I flexed it.

After a while I ended up getting stitched up at my doctor's office, back when you could still get into one. He showed me how I had been THAT close to severing the tendon that helps make that finger work, and if that had happened they might as well amputate the finger since there was nothing they could do about it. Not sure if that's still the case now.

It just reminded me of the time I nearly lost a finger to a snowmobile clutch. If there had been a ring on that finger I might have lost it. I've been really careful about my hands ever since. Even when we married, I didn't wear a ring at work. Periodically I needed to put my hands into small spaces, and I feared getting a ring caught. It would certainly get bashed up.

Plus, I hadn't seen a ring I liked. That had to wait till I was on a trip to California, and saw one I really liked by an SCA jeweler. It wasn't terribly expensive as these things go, but it sure seemed like a lot of money then. Later I got Linda a matching ring from the same guy.

10360 or so days ago we moved into this house. Over the years I've done a bunch of work on it:

• There is a rose coloured tile floor in the back room. Never going to do that again, though I need to fix some grouting.
• Helped a buddy strip up a hardwood floor, then put it back down in our bedroom. Never going to do that again.
• Painted. I'd like to never do that again.
• Drywalling. Never, ever again. 
• Took out walls and put in new ones. Maybe would do that again, but probably not in this house.
• Installed toilets. An ordeal I'll probably have to go through again.
• Uninstalled sinks, and reinstalled new. Would do that again.
• Sealed up the basement better in the Great Vapour Barrier project some of you might remember. Parts of that might need redoing over the years. It would be fun, almost, except for all the stuff in the way.
• Installed shelving and storage. An ongoing task.
• Done some electrical work. Cautiously, very very cautiously.
• Assembled no end of IKEA stuff. There may be more of that. 
• Replaced a recessed light pot (not the bulb, the pot itself) which involved many trips up to the attic, each time involving something like a muscle up. No more, please. 
• Sealed up gaps between shingles and other stuff. Shouldn't have to do that again, warranty with new shingles.
• Fixed loose siding. Would rather not do that again. 

But more and more, I want to bring someone in and pay them. Just because I CAN do something no longer means I HAVE to. We can afford alternatives that do not involve the risk of much bad language, and me leaving skin behind. My skin is getting more and more precious to me as the years go by.

Wednesday's seem to be a quiet day at the pool, at the time I go in. They had the training pool set up for 50 m, and there was only 3 or 4 people in the pool. I'm always slower on 50 m. 1K 19:45 getting lazy and slow in the middle. Some intervals, not many. Some backstroke, and a bit of thoughtful stroke. Here is where I figured out that my thumb is off in left field, when it should be cuddling my fingers. Worked on that a bit, but it will need constant attention for a while. Soaked in the hot tub for a bit.

I remain baffled by the readership of Retractable. The torrid pace has backed off a bit, but still going strong. Run for Sherry is still pulling in the readers, it should crack the top 10 pretty quick if this continues.

Looking forward to yoga tonight, I hope it's things that will make my tight legs happy.