Car Accident

I haven't made any blog posts about this but on Friday the 13th of June Eli and I got rear-ended at high speed on the interstate. The neon is dead, which is a blessing. That car needed a lot of work and now its gone. We bought a new car (brand new WTF) and its a 2008 Honda Fit. We love the damn thing so much.

Aside from that I've been injured. Its not a terrible injury as far as they go and I didn't have to stay in the hospital or anything. I thought I would be fine for the first few days after the accident I didn't even really feel too bad. Then the neck pain started. Its been crippling me more every day since then, with constant aching pain interrupted by sharp stabbing pain when I try to do normal things like bend over or pick up the cat. My work has suffered terribly, as my capacity to unravel the sweaters has gone way down and I fear I'm making it worse by continuing to try to work. I push my self too hard and injure myself. I do that kind of thing a lot.


I've been to the doctor twice and every drug that they have given me I can't take. They switched out the muscle relaxant that made me doped up and stupid for one that gives me stomach aches, terrible nervousness, and makes me slightly dopey. They switched out the relatively side-effect free ibuprofin for the diarrhea causing naproxen. It feels like I can't win.

I've just started physical therapy yesterday and I'm going again today so I hope that helps more than the other things I've been trying. Yesterday though, I had to cancel going to the farmers market because I hurt so bad afterward. I can't even get a massage because my muscles are so spasmed that I scream when anyone touches them. I've been crying a lot. All I want to do is work. I want to make my business grow and prosper and I was starting to do that and now I've been knocked down. I can sell as much as I can make it seems, but I can't hardly make anything.

This is the first time I've ever been so badly injured. Its really really difficult for me and for Eli. Its hard too, because I don't look like I'm injured, or sick or anything. I look just fine, like I should be able to do anything, but it all causes me so much pain. Even typing this is making my neck kill. I'm beginning to think I would have been better off with a damn fracture. At least with that you put a cast on it and wait for it to heal. Muscle damnage is so very hard to deal with. All the body's compensation methods actually make it worse.

So I'm hoping that I start to heal soon, and that I can have the strength to let myself do so. I hope everyone sends some healing thought my way. I could really use them. Hopefully I'll have a nice post soon with all the lovely projects I've been working on and all the new equipment I've been able to buy.

K'nex Motorized Skein Winder Part 2

So I've gone ahead and made a little video about the k'nex motorized skien winder I created telling a little bit about how it works and how I built it. I'll get around to making more detailed instructions some day I'm sure.
Anyway here's the vid -




A couple of notes; the skein winder can used as a swift by pulling the motor gear out away from the axle gear. You can also give it a handle if you don't have a motor, they are fairly inexpensive however. Also I think if you use this with a cone I would put the guide at a right angle so it hovers above the cone. You'd get better feed I think.

Enjoy!

Vintage Car Mark Tin Plaque Belt Buckle

So I started work today on those belt buckles I've been talking up. I started varnishing one to see how the glossy varnish would work and if I should get some satin. The verdict is that some of them will need glossy and some will need satin so I need to go buy some satin. I did my test run on the one in the poorest condition which happend to be the Dodge one. (Have they ever made anything quality?) I decided to varnish them with polyurethane because it seemed the the paint was a little fragile and I didn't want them to get all the paint scraped off if you bumped into something. I've my buckle backs and I'm going to use epoxy to glue them on to the backs. That stuff should last longer than the metal and is super strong so I think its a good, if toxic and stinky choice. So I'll post more about these when I get them more done. All I can think about them is "Damn, these are SOOOO cool!"

OK So I made the k'nex motorized skein winder

I did I did. And I love it. I can unravel a sweater with the ball winder, then hook the ball up to the machine and in about 5 min I have a nice 2 yard skein. I'm so going to post a tutorial this week I promise. This is TOO awesome not to share.

30's Marital Scale

So I'm the WORST wife EVER

-4 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

And an AWESOME Husband. I always knew Eli made a good wife...

84 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!