Bad first. I have not had the opportunity to row since Thursday night due to my back acting up and having a full schedule all weekend besides. Tonight I was looking forward to getting back on it especially since Saturday I weighed myself for the first time since I started this and found to my shock that I am heavier than I was before. While the weight gain is probably more related to muscle building than me becoming even tubbier I still would like to actually lose some weight. So, I climbed onto the machine and after about five minutes I started feeling like I was pulling something in my inner thigh. I stopped after ten minutes and tried to stretch it out but whatever it is doesn’t want to be stretched it wants to be left alone and is willing to tell my brain that in no uncertain terms. I guess I’ll have to take it easy until it’s better. I can still do small strokes just with my back and arms but that wears me out quickly. I’ve been religious about my stretching so this is a big disappointment.
The good news is that staining is complete on the table. Huzzah! I have pictures to show of the top which are located here. Next step is the finishing and I have finally decided what I want to do for that. Oddly enough it is the least exotic of the things I’ve tried. Three coats of water based polyurethane and then sanded with 330 grit paper/sponge to smooth and #0000 steel wool to get a nice satin finish. It looks great on the sample (which does not photograph well at all so you’ll have to take my word for it unless you saw me Sunday when I was carting the thing around). I’m thinking the best course of action is to coat everything before I start worrying about rubbing out the finish so I avoid getting dust in something that’s still drying. I should also consider getting another grit of sandpaper between the 330 and the steel wool. I’ve put in for vacation the week of July 2nd to 6th which will be a nice opportunity to get this thing complete.
