Trying harder still part 2 (Patreon)

Greetings everyone,

I wanted to share more about what I'm up to since being laid off.  I had forgotten to add it to the post I made earlier today.  But it turns out I had written so much that it deserves its own post.  I also put this up on Kofi then figured that more people would see it here.

Never let it be said that I'm not trying EVERYTHING simultaneously, as I am the king of throwing the whole of everything against the wall and hoping something sticks.

Anyway, here's a fun little story/update about taking the first steps to starting one of my business ideas.

Mainly the one where I've started work on my workshop.  Let me rewind even further for those who don't know.  The house I bought came with two extra buildings - one of which is a workshop.  And that thing is in absolutely dilapidated condition.  

But nevertheless, I have a plan.  Crafting; starting with simple wooden martial arts supplies - swords/tonfas/staves.  Then working my way into metal working such as casting, welding, forging, milling.  And if I ever get REALLY good I'll add etching and anodizing to the list.

So at the beginning of the month, a couple friends and I took a weekend to finish getting it cleaned up and organized.  We installed locks on the doors and a security camera.  Good lord, the amount of spiders and silverfish was something to behold.  Not good for the metal health of an arachnophobe like me.

There was also the dust and dirt.  Not just outside but inside too.  My clothes were a black shirt and gray pants when I went in and they were both completely brown when we got done.

Big props to one of my friends who was brave enough to go on the tin roof with a leaf-blower and get God-only-knows how many years of leaves and branches were up there.  That tin sheet roof with no plywood under it was not safe to walk on.  We ended up needing to tag-team it between him with his leaf blower and me with a large push broom.  The pile came up to my shins when we were done.

We took out another literal ton of trash, found some more Christmas decorations, some old electronics I may or may not be able to put use to or sell, and some power tools that got overlooked the first time.  One of which is a giant miter saw.  I've actually never used miter saws before.  But it powers on.  So I'll have to add that to the list of things to self-teach.

The next minor problem we need to take care of is fixing some lighting fixtures.  The next major problem we've run into is that there is practically no floors.  One section doesn't have any floor at all.  I believe it did at one point.  But it's been rotted out (and probably dug out by wildlife) so thoroughly that when standing on the carpet, you feel like you're going to fall through into the massive hole that's definitely millimeters beneath you.  The rest of the floor has several severely rotted out sections that feel much the same way.  So I'm going to need to invest in getting that whole floor completely torn up, leveled and then filled in with concrete.  If the plan is wood/metal/forging/welding/milling/casting/etching in there, it needs to be as little wood as possible.  I shudder in fear of the cost that will be.

Even after all that would be said and done, I have no idea if the electricity of that building will be able to handle what I want to do with it.  If it's anything like the other two buildings on my property; it's done horribly and tied into something else completely wrong.

Soon I'll finalize the designs and show you all.  I can't wait to show you my progress.

On a lesser note; I've also been scavenging for venues that I can rent and start a fitness/karate class in.  I've already got a few students.  And we typically meet either at my house to lift weights or we go to a park to exercise.  But at my house we are limited on space and equipment and at parks we are subject to the elements of bugs, grass and general weather.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to find a permanent indoor location and expand.

Remember if you're on the $25+ tiers, I teach content creation, writing, fitness, and photography.  The fitness option was on the shelf for a little bit while I had my laptop out for repairs.  But now that I've got it back I'm ready to resume teaching.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

--- Brawny Buck