Hey everyone!
As it’s been a while since my last post, I thought I’d send over an update on what I’ve been getting up to.
Between making a backgammon board, forging an axe, and checking off a life goal of running a half marathon, it’s been a exciting few months over in Brisbane. With time spent trying new things and setting big goals, I’ve been in high spirits and learning a ton.
I was bit by the crafting bug a while back, with my first project being inspired by a longing for my favourite boardgame; backgammon. Telling my flatmates about the game and the hope to make a set, I was excited to hear that my flatmate Rory was keen to join. A couple of days later, he showed up to the house with a couple of scraps of leather (bit of a mystery as to the type – maybe kangaroo, maybe cow), and we began our journey together.
I won’t bore you with the details, but we ended up cutting the bits of leather and burning on the layout using a soldering iron that Rory had lying around. For the pieces, after collecting a few pieces of driftwood, we borrowed a mitre saw from our landlord next door. Using it in the least safe way imaginable by not bolting it down (oops), we got to chopping. A bit of sanding and varnishing and we were good to go! After receiving a few sets of dice from China, I was a very happy guy.
Travel sized backgammon set, check.
If you were board reading about making a backgammon set, you might be more interested in hearing about the forging of an axe. One of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Long story short, I’d won a blacksmithing course at a silent auction party I’d gone to, and finally got the chance to use it.
The forge was at a compound called Hackerspace Brisbane – a haven for DIY nerds. With a car garage, metalworking and woodworking shops, a 3D printing lab, and of course the forge, walking around here gave you the feeling you could make anything. While it’s mostly a bunch of dads, people come from diverse backgrounds, and everyone is happy to tell you about the project they’re working on.
With the forge blasting at +1,200C (2,300F), it was a hot few days of pounding steel slabs with hammers, giving the axe it’s shape with industrial vice grips, and forge welding the blade to make an edge. A massive undertaking that thankfully I had my instructor, Alex, guiding me through.
What was supposed to take one session ended up as three 8 hour days. Thankfully I didn’t have to pay anything extra, but supplied Alex with a few beers each session to show my appreciation and cool off.
On the way to my last session, I took the ferry over as usual to Hackerspace and briefly took the axe out of my bag to have a think about the finishing touches we were going to be putting on. Little did I know, but that ended up putting me on one of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization’s terrorism watchlists for around 30 minutes.
Heh.
Read all about that story here, but I was very surprised when 4 of the largest cops I’ve ever seen approached me on the ferry as I was quietly reading my book. After getting me to move away from my bag, searching me, concluding that the axe wasn’t particularly sharp (gee thanks officer, I’m doing my best), and figuring out it was all a misunderstanding, I got off with a laugh and a lesson to not take out weapons while on public transport…or in general when people are around.
The more you know! A lesson for the books.
Lastly, I recently got the chance to check off a major bucket list item for me; I ran a half marathon! By far the longest jog of my life, I was ecstatic that I beat my goal of running the 21.1km in under 2 hours and of continuing to run, even as my thighs got sore, my calves burned and my feet felt like they were about to fall off.
I’m not sure why I had this as a bucket list goal, as I hate running.
However, I think after the half marathon, I have a newfound respect for the sport. Hitting a big athletic goal was rewarding like nothing else, which to me means that doing a half Ironman is next on the list! We’ll see how that one goes.
That’s all in my life for now! I’m spending the month of November travelling New Zealand’s North Island as I had the opportunity to do some remote work for my company and jumped at it.
As always, please let me know what’s happening in your life. I’d love to hear from you.
More stories to come!
Zev
