Saturday, September 04, 2021

my new backpack (and other stuff)

It was a choice between a backpack with a hip belt or five belt pouches that would make me look like Batman, and in the end, I went with the backpack. It's just easier. What I bought was a small backpack that I found in Itaewon; it's some no-name brand, and all it has to do is last a month. The hip belt is the important thing, here, as it will minimize the amount of pressure on my spine. Hip belts aren't flawless, of course: you can never reach a point where there's zero pressure on your spine. And that's fine by me; as long as I can manage any potential pain, I'm good. At least the hip belt fit me; I've lost enough weight for that to no longer be a problem. (Come to think of it, I should see whether I now fit the hip-belt assembly on my big Gregory backpack.) And now, for what it's worth, here's what my new travel companion looks like:

She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. As you see below, the hip belt is a simple affair. I hope it won't start slipping while I'm walking. I can try to prevent slippage by bringing along one or more of those binder clips that have a lot of pinching force.

And while we're on the subject of new equipment, my new New Balances finally left Korean Customs hell and arrived yesterday. They got used today for both my stairs walk and my trip to Itaewon, and in 30 minutes, they'll be accompanying me and JW on a trip out to the Jamshil Bridge along the Han River. The specs:

A wider shot:

And an even wider shot:

The New Balances were so light that, when I picked up the package, I was sure there was only one shoe inside the box. I actually started to get angry as I was opening the box; that's how convinced I was that I had been shortchanged. So imagine my surprise (and relief) when it turned out there were two shoes packed in there, waiting for me. They're really light.

With a new goat's foot already on my trekking pole, the only things I have left to obtain are my meds. On September 16, I'll visit the hospital and will probably go through the same procedure as before, going out to the local pharmacy and picking up a hundred days' worth of meds to keep me alive for my next appointment, which I imagine will be in late December.

Christmas. What a terrible time not to have a cheat day. I hope they move the appointment to sometime in January.



No comments: