That vise did eventually get rust treated, using that new setup. It's in use now, and is in far better condition than it's been in for years.

And yet again it's been a long time since I've written. May of last year? Sheesh! What a hoot.

Last night I went back into another depressive slide. More or less I ran out of reasons to wake up in the morning. I still do. I'm not that far gone yet. But it takes a lot more energy than it should. In the middle of all this I got an email from someone saying they were visiting, and they were already on the way, when can we hook up?

I'd be the first to admit I'm not the best company at the moment. But how do you tell someone this? "Hi, sure, stop on by. I'm sorry I can't figure out how to smile right now. Forgot. Memory's like that some times. Make yourself at home. But keep the lights off, please. They hurt." Yeah, that's a great way for someone to start their vacation.

But what's the flip side of that question? Put on the chipper face? Show them a good time even though it feels like you're tearing strips out of yourself? Watch other people bouncy happy giggly when you're trying moment by moment to stop the flood of tears? And at what point do you stop doing thing simply to make other people happy when those same things are making you more miserable?

I wish I had answers, but I don't. I tried doing a Google search on depression, but I can't stand the sites that tend to come up. Lots of "Gosh, just be happy, 'cause it's the right thing to do!" sites. Great bedside manner, folks.

If I can just avoid people for a couple of days and actually get some stuff made in the shop, that might help.

Pencil