Greenland paddle workshop

I attended a Greenland paddle making workshop to help get me motivated to finish the Greenland paddle I was working on. I didn't really have that much work left to do but I haven't been able to finish is as I really didn't want to sand inside the apartment. I did that once and it took a while to clean up the mess. The workshop started around 9:00 and was outside. The weather was a little cooler then I expected but the sanding kept me warm. I also forgot to bring a lunch, good thing I remembered to grab a few snacks. Some kind soul had also brought homemade brownies which were great.

For the paddle, I found that I needed to thin the blades some and shape the loom more. Other then that it was a matter of sanding down the edges to make everything round and smooth. After about 4 hours of work, I had a beautiful polished paddle. I wish I had a picture of the paddle. I took it to the pool session tonight and tried it out and it was so much better then before. The person who organized the event was also at pool session and he tried out the paddle and thought it was great. I didn't manage to roll my kayak with it, yet. I tried once when I capsized and didn't some back up so I just did a wet exit. I am not sure I like the paddle enough to switch over to it. But I do like the feel of the wood in my hands. I also really enjoyed working on the wood and seeing a paddle develop out of it. I want to make another but really don't have a need for one. Also the cedar is a bit expensive.

Getting there

Another lesson for learning how to roll. It is interesting how relaxed I am in the pool with an instructor there helping me. He keeps making me go through the motions and I mostly have it down I just need to keep my shoulder in and try to not over extend myself. I am a little nervous about trying to roll on my own without the instructor there to help me but I will have to do so eventually. This time I took the time to just go through the motions and reinforce the muscle memory. I hope to try on my own next time. I have also been told that learning how to scull properly also makes for a good comeback. So I will start to play with sculling as well.

In the kayak side of things, I still have to finish the Greenland paddle I started. I found out they are hold a class in March for people who want to make one but people in progress are welcome to join in. So I will join in on that and finish it off. Mostly I feel that the blades are a little thick and the shaft is also a bit too thick for my hands. One of the points of making a Greenland paddle is that it is custom fit to the person. This is someone else's paddle that I am working on but our measurements are close enough that I can made the modifications in the shaping without too much trouble. I have used the paddle once but I want to use it more to see if I actually like the techniques. It is supposed to be easier on the shoulders and joints. Always a bonus as I sometimes have wrist troubles. Too much typing in one day is not good for me. I know better and yet I still do it without realizing it.

Some assembly required

So I went to IKEA this weekend as I really wanted to get a dresser and bookshelf so I could clean up and organize the apartment. I also wanted to unpack the boxes of books I didn't have shelf space for. So I picked out a nice dresser and bookshelf. When I got back, I discovered the bookshelf was missing the back and had the wrong hardware so I had to bring it back the next day and fight with the return staff when the next one I bought had the same problem. After at least 30 minutes, everything was finally sorted out. The dresser had all the right parts and went together quickly with help from a friend and a cordless drill. Thank goodness for that cordless drill. It made all the IKEA assembly go so much smoother and faster than if we had had to hand screw everything.

After all the assembling, I moved the new dresser into the bedroom, the old dresser is in the linen closet and had some towels and hiking gear in it. The closet is mch better organized now. The little bookshelf that was in the linen closet will go in my bedroom closet and the new bookshelf is in the livingroom. I managed to switch all the clothes into the new dresser and fill the old dresser with towels and gear. I still have boxes lying around with stuff that I either need to sell, donate or toss. That is a project for another day.

My poor body

Woke up today regretting all that lifting and assembling. My hands hurt, my back hurts and my legs hurt. On a good note, my knees feel fine and I was actually squatting a few times and kneeling. Today was supposed to be more unpacking and rest. I ended up going to the auto store to get tools to replace the brakes. I also hit the grocery store then the home hardware for sandpaper. I impulse bought a Rosemary plant.

The brakes actually took a long time to do, one hour from set up to clean up, but went remarkable smoothly. I think most of that had to do with the large powerbar I got to remove the lug bolts. The calipers didn't want to open up at first. I forgot to pick up a very big screw driver to pry with so I had to be careful with my tiny one. After getting the brakes off, I realised this side should have been changed at the same time as the other side. The shoes on this side fell apart too. I finally managed to open up the calipers enough to get both new pads. Getting the pads in was not easy and I had to watch the brake line too. After that I regreased the pins and closed everything up. I gave the car a test spin and they sound a little rough but that should go away soon. One of the guys at the auto store was impressed I was doing car work. As I type this, I still have grease and grime ground into my hands. I had fun. I think I need a pair of work gloves though, my hands were so black that I had to use a little grease to clean them up a little. I will try the inspection again tomorrow and hopefully I can then get licensed and registered. I really need a parking permit.

The kitchen is mostly unpacked. I made some chili for supper while I fixed the brakes then I had to track down the box of spices. I think I have one kitchen box left and that has the shot glasses and booze in it. No idea where to put it for now so I think I will leave it. I will start working on my desk next. I do wish I could find my little tool box. I remember having it in the car but after that I don't remember where it went. I thought I had brought it into the apartment but I can't find it. It had my desk screws in it. I am sure it will turn up. The desk will not fall apart without the screws but it is annoying.

Another down point to my day, I stopped off at work on my brake spin to pick up my plants. I decided to take the lab cart to cart them down to the car. So I piled them on and got them down to the curb. Grabbed some pots and put them in the car then I heard a crashing noise. The cart took a nose dive of the curb and my basil was smashed beyond hope. My Norfolk pines were also on the cart but they survived the fall even if the pot didn't. I picked up the shards, put the pines in a plastic bag and the dirt in another bag then put the cart back in the lab. I will have to go back to the home depot to get another pot. I was going to pick one up as it had out grown the one it was in but I decided to wait. Oh well. At least it appears to be okay. I would have felt much worse if I had killed it after all that.