Day #2 started on a high note. Already weary of body but in high spirits I marveled at the warm morning (+10 degrees!). The truck was so much easier to warm up and I sipped coffee while basking in the heat during my drive in.
At the workout I was comporting myself well enough given my age and physique but had to miss the last few minutes of the session. One of the fellas in our group turned pale and scampered off; presumably to die in some corner. We’ve all been there.
I was dispatched to ride herd on him and make sure he didn’t stroke out alone in the locker room. This is just good safety protocol and I agree with the sentiment. I sat 10 feet away trying not to breathe any germs while he hurled in the can and apologized for interrupting my workout. (This is something men do, they apologize for having physical limits.) Apparently, he’d picked up a “bug” somewhere and just couldn’t work though it. I assured him that there’s no shame in tapping out provided you’ve given your all. Besides, we were unanimously happy he barfed in the can and not on the floor. I meant it too, there’s no shame if you don’t make it across the finish line provided you tried to your limit.
After session #3 I went back to the grind and already I hurt everywhere. Three workouts in just over 24 hours had me on a diet of aspirin and coffee. (No surprise there.)
The predicted blizzard hit solidly and soon I was out there freezing my balls off trying to plow the driveway with our decrepit 20-year-old ATV. Stressors were building up during a time when I wanted to focus on just one thing! Was it about then that I heard the opening strings of a country music song? You know how those songs go; your tractor breaks, your dog dies, and you drown your sorrows in lite beer… something like that.
I barely cleared the driveway but failed to clear the parking area. The ATV died. Kaput. Done. It was dead as the Monty Python parrot. I had no time to mourn it. I pushed it into the garage and warmed up my truck to rush to session #4.
Meanwhile Mrs. Curmudgeon arrived home. She was looking a bit green around the gills. She works in an office and it’s a law of nature that office workers coddle their cold germs like treasured pets and lovingly set them loose in the nearest workspace. (Schools do the same with kids.) As with the dude in the morning, I refrained from getting too close to her. I hopped in my truck and fled.
Workout #4 was great. The morning guy was nowhere to be found, which was to be expected. I wished him luck and thanked the stars I wasn’t dealing with a “bug”. In fact, I was doing pretty well! I felt like a stud. How awesome is that?
Then it happened. While driving home something flipped a switch somewhere in my body and everything went pear shaped. I was hit with illness like a runaway train. Very sudden. Oddly fast. The full Ebola. I have no idea why. I’d avoided the morning guy and my wife but by the time I got home I was in trouble.
Four workouts in just over 36 hours and I was beat. More aspirin and sleep. My sudden illness and ominous sore throat were worrisome. Maybe I’d sleep it off?
The alarm went off again the following morning at dark thirty and there was naught for it. I was somewhere between very ill and slightly dead.
I turned the clock off and stayed in bed. I’d been looking forward to my workout challenge all year and crapped out far too soon. Damn it!
But wait… there’s more. Stay tuned.
Don’t give Amazon your money.. Get the lanterns from the Amish. And a lot of other stuff you can use if things go South.
https://www.lehmans.com/
You have a point. The lamps I use are quite useful & pleasant but not very rugged. They’re adequate and pretty but low end & disposable. I got one locally at a hardware store and liked it so much I bought a few identical ones from Amazon to have a matching set. (And a spare!) Amazon is convenient for ordering and shipping but it’s not like they’re oil lamp specialists.
Lehmans is for the cool kids! They have something about the same as what I have for about the same price (when you account for shipping). I presume (but haven’t verified) they’re as nice or nicer to deal with than Amazon (which never shuts up about Alexa). I found something that looks about like what I’ve got but sourced from Lehmans here.
Just beware; you can go down the rabbit hole on oil lamps and spend way more than you need. Within reason, oil lamps are just as good when they’re dirt simple as when they’re works of art. The light that comes off my $20-$30 cheapo (but adequate) oil lamps isn’t significantly different from Lehmans budget buster $160 wall mount oil lamp.
Also I’m attracted to Lehmans oil lantern that can also heat a pot but the reviews for them are mixed. They’re probably just a $35 novelty and maybe less useful than a wall hanger. I like the idea as a concept but I never got one.
Word to the wise. if you’re going to use oil lamps “for real” plan ahead. Right at the start buy extra oil (paraffin oil suits me) and spare wicks (you won’t need a lot of oil and the wicks last forever but it sucks to run out of consumables). Stash the supplies where you can find them again and they’ll store for an eternity. Have two lamps (or more) so you can service one while adequately illuminated by the other(s) (fumbling in the dark is for n00bs!).
Most importantly don’t be afraid to use them! Run them for “ambiance” once in a while and just enjoy the pretty light. That way you’re always sure they’re in usable state should you need them. Don’t feel guilty; lamp oil is cheap, they’re reasonably safe if you’re not an idiot, and the light is warm and beautiful. Lets face it, LED bulbs get on your nerves from time to time. Am I right?
Finally, full disclosure, if you click on any one of my Amazon links and buy anything (regardless of what I linked to) I get a kickback from Amazon. It’s a small amount but it costs you nothing and supports my blog expenses. It doesn’t matter what you buy; if you click a link to a 20 year old used $30 Aplhasmarat NEO (which I recommend) but you instead buy a motorized talking Japanese Chia Pet (I’m sure one exists on Amazon somewhere) I still get the same small kickback. If you do so, thanks.
Update: The cool (but possibly not very efficient) “cooker oil lantern” that Lehmans sells is at Amazon too
Lehmans wants or $35 plus shipping and it’s out of stock.
Amazon wants $57 and it’s free for shipping via Prima and it’s in stock.
Probably the same price either way, just a matter who you want to deal with and if you’re willing to wait for it to get in stock at Lehmans,
If anyone gets one make sure to tell me how well they work! Also Forgive the messy links but here they are:
https://www.amazon.com/Dietz-2000-Millennium-Lantern-Cooker/dp/B00MAFEIPQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1548648212&sr=8-3&keywords=DIETZ+OIL+LANTERN+COOKER+-+GREEN&linkCode=ll1&tag=adapticurmud-20&linkId=5836f5f40a4ff1265a4c2ed9a6a388fd&language=en_US
I forgot to mention, this is the lamp oil I use. (Messy link below.)
It’s cheaper if you just buy it at the nearest hardware store as opposed to Amazon but the point is that I prefer paraffin and that you should buy extra oil in advance. This brand burns nice and clean. Many others are just as good. Just avoid the really cheap sootier burning lamp oils, it’s not worth the minuscule savings because you’ll have to clean the glass more often. (Regardless, you get a pretty reasonable burn time from a bottle of lamp oil.)
The wick is 3/4″ wide on the lamps I use. Buy a spare or two. You won’t need to replace wicks very often unless you go grid down big time; like a couple weeks. In the unlikely event that happens, you’ll be very happy you’ve got a spare!
Please forgive the the messy link:
https://www.amazon.com/Lamplight-Ultra-Pure-Lamp-32-Ounce-Clear/dp/B005CBWIMK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1548649009&sr=1-5&keywords=lamp+oil&linkCode=ll1&tag=adapticurmud-20&linkId=1d9008edca7878c0f8a4f07cb9b671af&language=en_US