In my off-time, I've been working on rebuilding a road-bike frame my brother gave me. I know it's not terribly weight-loss related, but I'd like to share my handiwork.
This is what I started with. No wheels, no seat, just a really ugly bike frame.
Next, I pulled the crank out.
Got most of the extras off here.
I stripped most of the paint off here. Chemical paint stripper is some nasty stuff. Probably not too good for the environment.
I stripped all the rest of the paint and rust off with a wire brush that attached to my drill. You can't really see it here, but the frame was gorgeous shining in the sun. It's almost a shame I painted it.
Next I primed. Had a little overspray on the bricks. Oh well, I think I'll just turn them over.
All set to paint.
This is how it looks now. It's drying in my garage, just waiting for those beautiful wheels. It's a shade more John Deere than I'd hoped, but I'm happy with the color.
I can't wait for the paint to cure so I can reassemble and get out on the road.
That's cool..At times it's good to write about other things and not only weight loss.
ReplyDeleteIt looks nice, are you using new components or did you pick up a nice new set to highlight the new paint? Can't wait to see the final pics :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the paint to cure either. It's been ill for so long...
ReplyDeleteThat would have been sweet to have the unpainted really shiny frame. Though it'd probably need upkeep to maintain the bling factor.
I realize that this is not a very weight-loss related post but it's your most recent one so I'll say this here.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading your entire blog, from start to finish. You're in a slump, and you're wondering why and what to do about it. What's different now, compared to when you lost 50 pounds in a year? I think there's 2 things. First, you were more short-term, detail-focused. You paid attention more to the everyday decisions and you tried to make every day just a little bit better than the last one. You were tweaking, improving, thinking, hunched over the easel of your life, making little changes here and there. And Second, you were more pleased with yourself. You celebrated, or at least acknowledged, all those little improvements. Since you were paying attention, you saw all the ways in which you did well and they gave you the strength and the perspective to forgive yourself and move past the mistakes. You weren't thinking about 100 pounds, because you knew that would break you, so you focused on this month, this week, today, this workout, and how you could make it make you proud.
Now you've lost your perspective and all you see is the big picture, which right now is bringing you down. You are thinking about 50 pounds, and it's breaking you. You didn't reach your goal, and though you know that losing 50 pounds in a year is nothing to scoff at, there is still the sharp taste of "failure" on your tongue and I don't think that you have fully acknowledged how much that hurt you.
I don't know what to tell you about what to do now. I am just telling you what I see, in hopes that it will help you answer your own questions. I can also tell you that you have inspired me a great deal. I will try to be like you were in the beginning, with focused but healthy attention to being a little better every day and learning to appreciate myself. I hope you can, too. It's in you to do it today as much as it was that first day. Don't doubt yourself.
-Phantom August
I realize that this is not a very weight-loss related post but it's your most recent one so I'll say this here.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading your entire blog, from start to finish. You're in a slump, and you're wondering why and what to do about it. What's different now, compared to when you lost 50 pounds in a year? I think there's 2 things. First, you were more short-term, detail-focused. You paid attention more to the everyday decisions and you tried to make every day just a little bit better than the last one. You were tweaking, improving, thinking, hunched over the easel of your life, making little changes here and there. And Second, you were more pleased with yourself. You celebrated, or at least acknowledged, all those little improvements. Since you were paying attention, you saw all the ways in which you did well and they gave you the strength and the perspective to forgive yourself and move past the mistakes. You weren't thinking about 100 pounds, because you knew that would break you, so you focused on this month, this week, today, this workout, and how you could make it make you proud.
Now you've lost your perspective and all you see is the big picture, which right now is bringing you down. You are thinking about 50 pounds, and it's breaking you. You didn't reach your goal, and though you know that losing 50 pounds in a year is nothing to scoff at, there is still the sharp taste of "failure" on your tongue and I don't think that you have fully acknowledged how much that hurt you.
I don't know what to tell you about what to do now. I am just telling you what I see, in hopes that it will help you answer your own questions. I can also tell you that you have inspired me a great deal. I will try to be like you were in the beginning, with focused but healthy attention to being a little better every day and learning to appreciate myself. I hope you can, too. It's in you to do it today as much as it was that first day. Don't doubt yourself.