bankers

[Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>]

George,

What I'm trying to do is figure out what it is that I should do in terms of
lifting and moving stone, with the following considerations: I know I'm an
amateur and I won't be quitting the lab anytime soon, but at the same time,
I like carving a lot and want to do more and larger. I already know its not
a good idea even now for me to be bending over and picking up a lot of
weights, even if I am fit -thats asking for trouble. At the same time I
don't want to be looking for a setup that turns out to be limiting too soon,
or ever -I probably won't be doing this more than once maybe twice so I
would like to get it approximately right the first time. Its not like I've
got tons of money or that places are so easy to find near where I work that
I can keep on tuning the system.

So in short, I'm listening, learning and doing a lot of imagining at the
moment. I know this must bring a bemused smile to those of you working this
stuff everyday. However, I did learn a good lesson years ago when I was
getting into mountaineering. Gear is not cheap and there were a lot of
recommendations to try half-ass solutions to see "if I liked it". After I'd
thought about things for a couple of years and done a lot of informing
myself I went with top shelf stuff as much as I could. If I'd done it the
other way I'd have had the hassle and the cost twice over. Also, I've never
regretted a single piece I bought, and twice now having the right gear has
meant that I'm still sitting here writing this.