 | erdos0 |
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Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:26:00 pm
re:
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I tried mowing the lawn todaySat Jun 4, 2011 9:34:55 pm
It's a woo hoo moment for me -- I have mowed a lawn all of twice in my life. My dad didn't trust me with the ride-on mower we had growing up, I guess, then I lived in a big city without a lawn for many years, then I had a husband who was too prideful to let me take over lawnmowing even though he whined like a fucking BABY every time he had to do it to the point that I was BEGGING to mow the fucking lawn...
A guy who was one of the housepainters has been coming around to do lawn stuff and handyman stuff since I moved in -- nicest guy in the world, totally conscientious, good head on his shoulders, good heart. His house burned down last week. He called the next day to apologize for not being by to mow the lawn; I told him that I was amazed that it would even be on his mind, and WTF go do what you have to do. (He has two kids, a wife, and a full-time job with the painting crew.)
So I tried mowing my lawn.
It went surprisingly well once I figured out how to start the lawn mower. (YOU HAVE TO PRIME THE PUMP! It's like yard machine foreplay.) I got about 1/3 done (big lawn) and then it... stopped. I suspect it needs gas, but that seems awfully complimicated to me at the moment.
So I vacuumed instead. Same diff.
A few weeks ago, a client of mine asked me to help her set up her new lawnmower. There seems to be a common assumption that I must be an expert in all machinery if I am a computer technician. She was willing to pay me my usual fee for this service, so I agreed to help. Assembly was very easy. I only needed to attach the bag. The first challenge was dealing with the oil and gas. I have chemical sensitivities, and breathing in those fumes messes with my mind in very bad ways. It activates my latent autistic tendencies.
I fought against the vapors to the best of my ability, but the situation got worse when I had to start the lawnmower. Never having operated a lawnmower before, I did not realize that it would be easier to start it on flat terrain, or to at least tilt the lawnmower. I had it on top of dense grass. The starter is directly attached to the motor. Pulling on the starter spins the motor, which turns the blades. Having grass underneath meant I had to pull extra hard. I was cutting the grass using muscle power, and I had to get it to spin fast enough for the engine to start. The intensity of that required deeper breathing, which resulted in inhaling more gasoline and oil vapors.
My mind was beginning to drift away from reality when my client came over and tilted the lawnmower. At this point, my brain was already too poisoned to think of a simple solution like that. I got the engine started on the next pull after the lawnmower was tilted. I immediately went upstairs to the office at that point, leaving my client to mow the lawn. I escaped the fumes by going upstairs, but the sound was inescapable. The sound coupled with the exposure to the fumes made the experience almost unbearable. I sat in a trance for a while and tried to meditate. I couldn't do it. When my client finished mowing, I told her that I was ill and I left.
I will never operate a lawnmower again.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:30:26 pm
:(
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:31:06 pm
How long did it take you to recover?
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:31:30 pm
re: comment#2
How long did it take you to recover?
Until the next day.Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:35:24 pm
Ugh. I think your decision never to go near a lawnmower is wise.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:36:32 pm
agrees with: comment#4
Ugh. I think your decision never to go near a lawnmower is wise.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:37:54 pm
I can't be around gas fumes because it makes me feel like you have described. I have never mowed grass before. I like how it feels when it is just mowed, though.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:44:10 pm
i mowed lawns and did some other landscape work over the summers in high school. got a nice tan.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:55:28 pm
I used to have a little hover-mower that I plugged in to an extension lead, flicked a switch and it whirred and cut and was light and fun to use. It was quiet too and I used to love mowing the lawn because I like the smell of fresh, cut grass. I'm sorry you had this experience, but it shouldn't be that bad always. I miss having grass now.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:56:49 pm
Like these: http://www.flymo.com/uk/products/lawn-mowers/ do you get them in America? (serious question)
Sat Jun 4, 2011 10:58:12 pm
re: comment#8
I used to have a little hover-mower that I plugged in to an extension lead, flicked a switch and it whirred and cut and was light and fun to use. It was quiet too and I used to love mowing the lawn because I like the smell of fresh, cut grass. I'm sorry you had this experience, but it shouldn't be that bad always. I miss having grass now.
I miss having grass now, too. It sure made the mowing and other stuff go easier. Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:00:01 pm
re: comment#8
I used to have a little hover-mower that I plugged in to an extension lead, flicked a switch and it whirred and cut and was light and fun to use. It was quiet too and I used to love mowing the lawn because I like the smell of fresh, cut grass. I'm sorry you had this experience, but it shouldn't be that bad always. I miss having grass now.
I realize it's not that bad for most people. It was extremely bad for me, because I do not deal with noises and chemicals the way that most people do.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:02:13 pm
Mowing lawns sucks shit.
"Why yes, I'd love to have dirt and grass pollen and grass particles in my eyes, nose, throat, ears, not to mention creeping into all my nether regions, as well as accidentally mowing over unseen chunks of wood and glass and dogshit and spraying it all over myself, as well as inhaling that sweet noxious gasoline/oil/freshly cut shit vapor! That sounds like FUN, and the lawn will be SO BEAUTIFUL for a WHOLE WEEK! MONEY WELL SPENT!" *Vomits his entrails*
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13) deleted, Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:05:54 pm
agrees with: comment#4
Ugh. I think your decision never to go near a lawnmower is wise.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:06:20 pm
agrees with: comment#12
Mowing lawns sucks shit.
"Why yes, I'd love to have dirt and grass pollen and grass particles in my eyes, nose, throat, ears, not to mention creeping into all my nether regions, as well as accidentally mowing over unseen chunks of wood and glass and dogshit and spraying it all over myself, as well as inhaling that sweet noxious gasoline/oil/freshly cut shit vapor! That sounds like FUN, and the lawn will be SO BEAUTIFUL for a WHOLE WEEK! MONEY WELL SPENT!" *Vomits his entrails*
"Why yes, I'd love to have dirt and grass pollen and grass particles in my eyes, nose, throat, ears, not to mention creeping into all my nether regions, as well as accidentally mowing over unseen chunks of wood and glass and dogshit and spraying it all over myself, as well as inhaling that sweet noxious gasoline/oil/freshly cut shit vapor! That sounds like FUN, and the lawn will be SO BEAUTIFUL for a WHOLE WEEK! MONEY WELL SPENT!" *Vomits his entrails*
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15) deleted, Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:07:44 pm
A FB friend suggested I get one of those push mowers (without a motor). I might actually try that.
One of my close friends has bad chemical sensitivities. She came to my new house for 15 minutes one day, and because of the paint (which was low VOC) and the new materials she was sick for two days after. I felt terrible. Sorry to hear you suffer, too.
Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:09:53 pm
re: comment#15
A FB friend suggested I get one of those push mowers (without a motor). I might actually try that.
One of my close friends has bad chemical sensitivities. She came to my new house for 15 minutes one day, and because of the paint (which was low VOC) and the new materials she was sick for two days after. I felt terrible. Sorry to hear you suffer, too.
I am very sensitive to paint.One of my close friends has bad chemical sensitivities. She came to my new house for 15 minutes one day, and because of the paint (which was low VOC) and the new materials she was sick for two days after. I felt terrible. Sorry to hear you suffer, too.
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17) deleted, Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:11:22 pm
re: comment#16
I am very sensitive to paint.
If your autistic tendencies are triggered by chemical sensitivities, do you think it's really autism? (I mean, it's an interesting observation either way.)Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:12:22 pm
re: comment#17
If your autistic tendencies are triggered by chemical sensitivities, do you think it's really autism? (I mean, it's an interesting observation either way.)
Your question seems to imply that autism isn't triggered by chemicals. Why do you believe this?Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:13:23 pm
re: comment#11
I realize it's not that bad for most people. It was extremely bad for me, because I do not deal with noises and chemicals the way that most people do.
I think your experience would be that bad for most people, it sounds awful. I'm telling you Flymo's are the future!Sat Jun 4, 2011 11:13:25 pm
re: comment#17
If your autistic tendencies are triggered by chemical sensitivities, do you think it's really autism? (I mean, it's an interesting observation either way.)
I never said I have autism. I said "latent autistic tendencies". I also sometimes use the word "autistic" to refer to "autistic spectrum disorders" and not to full clinical "autism".