Stepping back, Plumbing is for plumbers, and my future with abs of steel.

I wanted to get an early start on this week's blog because I have fallen off the wagon of reading and writing while I have been busy healing.

What am I reading this week

One thing I have been missing since last months surgery is the weekly 3-2-1 newsletter from James Clear.  It is short thoughtful insights based on his book Atomic Habits.  I make a ton of mantras out of the quotes he shares from his reading and studying.  I don't know how to describe the variety of his sources he draws gems from all of humanity. Following is an example.

Author Cheryl Strayed on the trap of self-pity:

"Nobody's going to do your life for you. You have to do it yourself, whether you're rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice. And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard. No matter what unjust, sad, sucky things befall you. Self-pity is a dead-end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It's up to you to decide to stay parked there or to turn around and drive out."

Source: Tiny Beautiful Things​ | By way of James Clear 3-2-1 Newsletter

Projects This Week

I finished my lamp rewire project from last week on Friday.  I nearly had to buy more parts at the last minute because the threaded shaft holding the old light together would not unscrew from the broken bit of the old bulb socket.   I soaked the old bolt head and threaded rod with WD 40 and let it sit overnight.  The following day I successfully separated them and finished my project. Taking a step back is my new best friend.

Plumbing is for plumbers, the short story

My project today was to snake out a clogged sink in my bathroom.  I will cut to the end.  Plumbing is for plumbers. You can not youtube your skill set enough to win at plumbing with an old building. First, I tried to  snake the drain with no success. Secondly, I decided to try something new. I unscrew the p-trap and have a go at it from there. Just don't do it.  The  black sludge that came out is now on everything. It's as if The Christmas poo smugged every surface and handle in my tiny bathroom. My finger nails may never recover.

The longer story. My buildings plumbing is 70 years old.  I took the p-trap off and snaked out the line behind.  The line is clear, and I found a selection of toothpaste caps that had fallen down the drain over the years. Huzzah! I rinsed off the p-trap part and screwed it back on to give the fitting a try.  Unfortunately when I rinsed out the p-trap I cleared out the "sludge plugs" that were filling the holes in the pipe.  It leaked like a yard sprinkler. I should have given up there.  No, I went to Baller's Hardware with the bad p-trap in a baggie. I bought the piece that looked exactly the same. Huzzah!  No good dead goes unpunished. When I got it home it was not the same size. I had to go back and actually ask for help.

The 25 cent solution

The guy who helped me in my second round started piecing together a few parts that would solve my problem.  I was worried.  I have Crohn's which limits my stamina. Trying to do anything with more than two steps is beyond my mojo envelope of realistic expectation, and I had already gone to the store twice.  I suggested there might be a bigger compression ring that would fill the 1/4" gap.  between the piece I had hanging down from the sink at 1 1/4" and the new p-trap at 1 1/2". Indeed, there is, it's on the next aisle, and it cost 25 cents. Huzzah!

What am I working on now

My brother Mark check up on me by email to see how my recovery is going.  It made me laugh that he asked if I was doing ab work?  I can hardly sit up at my desk for more than an hour at a time.  There is room for improvement that includes ab work. I pumped up my exercise ball to start working on core stability for my step one. Step two, I challenged myself, and want to share my goal of having abs of steel by March of 2023.  I am shooting for that end date because I would like to be healthy enough to go on an adventure with my husband for our first vacation.

Crohn's Supplement of the week

New blog segment, I supplement to make up for shortfalls in my blood work as well as to slow down my digestive track. My blood work is checked by my Keck Hospital care team and they had me restart iron this week.  I was taking it prior to surgery but they had me stop to get a new base line. Now I am taking 65mg a day to help build up my blood.  Let's see if that helps with my stamina and abs of steel project.

An interesting historical study about Crohn's and the Black Death I read this week.  It lays out that because my ansestors also had an overactive immune system gene they survived the Black Death. Having past the overactive immune system genes down to me, that  set me up for this autoimmune condition.