Corset Training - Part 1

I have scoliosis, it isn't noticeable and I only found out I had it after an x-ray to look for something unrelated. (they were checking my lungs)

I don't know if this may be related to my neuropathy (probably not), but I found that my spine and arm felt better when I was wearing a corset. (One I was wearing for a party).

If I can't trust one of you nerves, I CAN'T TRUST ANY OF YOU!

So, before we go any further: This is my body and if I want to be an idiot and do this to myself, then all bad outcomes are my own fault. DON'T COPY ME!
I won't be held responsible if someone tries to copy me and gets hurt! 
I repeat: DON'T COPY ME! I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE COPYING ME!
This may very well be the tale of how I messed up my spine real bad!

Ok, so let's get on with the story.

My starting waist size is x (A girl has to have her secrets). Any changes will be + or - x.

*In traditional me fashion, I did not take a before shot.
I guess my stomach is a sensitive area for me (I won't call it a problem area, because it isn't a problem, it does its job.)
It's a little weird, I don't worry about my stomach area when I am naked, but I worry about how it looks in clothes... perhaps it is because when I am naked, I'm distracted ;P

On the 25th of July (2016) I started wearing an exercise cincher.

This is to prepare myself for a proper corset (steel boning and all).
So I started on the widest setting and within a few days, I transitioned to the second set of hooks.

The material on this cincher is elastic and has holes so you don't overheat when you work out.

4/8/2016 - Nine days in, I noticed my spine was "cruncher". Instead of larger cracking that requires a fair bit of stretching, it was giving lots of little crackles with just general movement.
I personally take this to mean my spine is more stretched out (I am NOT a medical doctor) and decided to take this as a good thing.

5/8/2016 - On the tightest hooks now... really looking forward to my proper corset (will still be a few weeks).

9/8/2012 - Wearing a 'dress' corset (can lace up but doesn't have the proper steel boning or construction) today. I like how it goes further up my rib cage and holds my back straighter. I slept in it the night before without issue.

Similar to this

I wore the athletic cincher beneath to protect my body from any warping/breaking of the weak boning.
It was good in the sense that it gave a tighter compression on my body. It also helps me practice breathing higher (so my body doesn't panic in the proper corset which will be even tighter).

It felt a bit like an asthma attack during work, but because I knew I could reverse it at any time, so it didn't worry me.
Did I say don't try this at home? Don't try this at home!

11/8/16 - I find I walk around like Peg Bundy now XD

People in a certain group that I interact with (who don't realise the rudeness of the questions) keep asking if I have lost weight or joined a gym. I don't tell them that I am wearing a corset because I like to keep them guessing.

13/8/16 - Ma figured out I have a brace on because she couldn't get me away from her by tickling me. (I like to try and pick her up/ hug her but not let her go)

14/8/16 - I found that the top of my lacing was always wider than the bottom (my ribs were less tight than my abdomen). So I switched from one lace to two.

This way I could tighten the rib area without worry it would loosen over time.

15/8/16 - I wish the front would dip inwards as well as the back. At the moment, my corset is very straight at the front.
The back plastic boning was digging in too hard at one particular point, so I removed it, and you can see how warped it has become.

This is why I need a good boning (hur hur hur!).

16/8/16 - Ok, all the boning has been removed. It is all warped and was digging into me.
To make up for the loss in structural integrity, I moved from 2 to 4 laces.

I need to think of a way to keep the bust up (currently using a bralette but that isn't the best option).
Ok, I have sewn straps on.

And now Ma helps me lace it.

18/8/16 - New athletic cincher!!! Looks the same as the last one, just smaller. So lets start at the biggest setting and work our way down!

23/10/16 - my steel boned corset finally arrived! It is heavy, sturdy and well made.

Image from seller, this is what it looks like.

It is a size x-4 inch waist with room to tighten.
Tonight is my first night in it and it feels really good.
I'm glad I went with over-bust.

25/9/16 - I have never sat so straight in my life!

My house either has too much light or not enough,,,  this is the former.

I've started getting aches on the middle, right hand side of my back, where my back has spent so much time prior compressed.
But I don't care about a little pain, my body is just adjusting.
I can wait it out.
It is annoying that I have had very poor sleep since wearing it to bed, but I can't stay awake forever.
(Look up 'Peter Tripp' and see what he did in 1959!)
There are some points when wearing the corset is agonizing.
Just being honest, I sometimes think about ripping it off.
But I am going to wait it out. My body will adjust. 


27/9/16 - It is getting easier to put on post-shower, my back is conforming to it very quickly.

1/10/16 - Sleep is back to normal, the corset no longer disrupts it at all.
Movement in it is also getting easier and more normal.

2/10/16 - It is beginning to feel too big now! :O 
The back is almost completely closed, with the lacing panels almost touching.
My stomach doesn't even feel restricted (so my lumbar vertebrae are loosing support).
I placed an order for a x-8 size corset, which will arrive in about 6 weeks.

7/10/16 - Some points on my skin, at the end of my rib cage, are getting marked. Not heat rash, but patches of broken capillaries.
I imagine these will pass, I just have to wait it out, but I'll keep an eye on it.

It's either the corset or a demon who attacks me in my sleep.

It isn't glamorous but it is the truth and it makes you think about what women of days past went through. 

Don't put them on babies!!!! O.o

On the bright side, the neuropathic pain in my arm is virtually non-existent now! This alone makes it all worth it! That was a pain I sometimes thought I may never be free of.

14/10/16 - Ok, so I was at a party and (because my internal organs are shifting and I don't have that much control on my new arrangement yet) I accidentally produced an incredibly loud fart! Hahaha! 
Thankfully it did not smell (that is just awful) and I owned up to immediately. No one cared. 
But I mention this because it is a truth of this process.
You will need to relearn some things. 
It isn't glamorous but it is the truth.

16/10/16 - I have started treating the skin every second day with Selsun gold (love the stuff).
Another not so glamorous side effect is acid reflux.
I previously not had issues with acid reflux, but since being bound in steel, I use a lot of Gaviscon.
Not all food is made equal and it doesn't matter how much I eat, it comes on randomly.
For example, tonight I ate a brownie whilst working (I was starving) and it felt like Satan himself was trying to crawl up my throat.

I may need to start carrying Gaviscon with me.
This sounds awful but it is STILL better than neuropathy!

27/10/16 - my skin is getting used to it, the rash is going.
I do get really itchy at night before bed, because I have nothing else to occupy my mind.
This is remedied by the application of lotion (just normal lotion, not medicated).

The corset is really easy to put on and take off, my body has adjusted to its shape.
My abdomen feels like it is swimming in it, there is so much room.
This will be fixed with a tighter corset (that I have already ordered).

Movement has become more fluid, I feel more at ease with it on.

11/11/16 - So my skin has gone from blood bruises to wounds to dry/eczema. My newest approach is making it 3-4 days between showers.
My skin hates washing at the best of times, so perhaps I'm showering too much for the skin under the corset to be happy.
No, I don't smell. I clean myself each day with a cloth and basin. just not the skin under the torso.
I'm moisturising ever day.

My spine has not clicked/cracked in so long! It is no longer compressed!

16/11/16 - My skin is really appreciating the reduction in water contact.
This is probably TMI, but this is my dry skin that is flaking off.

And this is a great improvement!

21/11/16 - The skin dandruff is gone! It was just too much exposure to soap and water! :D

23/11/16 - I had my corset off for most of yesterday (for sexy reasons) and now that I am bound again, my lower ribs hurt a little.
Totally worth it though ;D

26/11/16 - Went to Sexpo and looked at some corsets there.
All of the brands there had metal spring boning, which provides greater flexibility. However, it also permits buckling.
The spring boning is better for the casual corset wearer, not for my spinal support reasons.
The metal boning in my current corset is rigid steel :)

This is S, not me... Although I will steal that cincher... XP

S purchased one of these spring boned corsets (cincher), more of a dress/outerwear piece.I'll check in with her occasionally and let you know how frequently she wears it.

29/11/16 - Day three of a cramp/ache on my left hand side.
It has been annoying, but I hope it passes soon.

Right on the lower ribs!

30/12/16 - I have also noticed that my breasts have changed shape a little.
I have a diagram, my breasts have been flattened a little and pushed up. I think they look good. 

Either way, my boobs are nice.

Don't start wearing a corset just to change your breasts though, that is a terrible reason to start corset training.

2/12/16 - The back pain is gone, it was just a virus.
Has anyone else found that their parents are just a constant source of illnesses entering their household? 
People call children 'germ bags' but I'm starting to think we have the wrong end of the stick here.

8/12/16 - Oh no! Some of the stitching tore (too much freedom in movement, methinks!)

Before the repair, nothing too major.

After! All better!

I am still waiting on the new corset. I didn't want to be one of 'those' customers and I allowed a lot of extra time for American Thanksgiving, but I will email the company.

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Stay tuned for Part 2!

Book Review - The Complete Works - H. P. Lovecraft - Part 1


Brace yourself, this is a big blog.

I became interested in looking into Lovecraft stories after the Blurry Photos Podcast episode on him.
Prior toy it, I had avoided it based on descriptions about them from my ex.
But to be fair, my ex once described 'The King In Yellow' to me, I had read it, he hadn't and his description was completely in inaccurate and bullsh!t (and made it sound dull, which it is not!).

So 99¢ later and I started reading it on my phone.
There are quite a number of stories so I'll do a short review of each.

So as I go along, the symbol # next to a story means it is worth reading.

Multipart Introduction - Go away! I don't want you colouring my view of the following stories!

The Beast In The Cave - I can see what you were going for, but you completely missed the mark.

The Alchemist - Wholly forgettable.

The Tomb - blah.

Dagon - meh.

A Reminiscence Of Dr. Samuel Johnson - I don't know why you even bothered writing this.

Polaris - meh.

Beyond The Wall Of Sleep - We are starting to move into better story telling. Did not like how the main character thought the mountain people as lesser beings (this may have particularly pissed me off knowing that Lovecraft was a Racist and Anti-Semite).

The Transition of Juan Romero - Wow, really ramping up the racism!

The White Ship - I don't know what the point of this tail was. Like a shitty 'Moby Dick'.

The Doom that Came to Sarnath - An obvious story with a little jab of white supremacy at the end.

**Guys, I don't know how much poor storytelling and racism I can take. And don't say he was just 'a man of his time', he was a c**t.

# The Statement of Randolph Carter - Ooh, this one was good. Not the best I've ever read, but stellar for this collection so far.

The Street - And back to crippling racism! 

Sweet Ermengarde - A poorly written soap.

The Tree - This could have been good, but it's like he got bored and just phoned in the ending.

The Temple - This was okay, although this time he turns his preconceived notions towards the Germans.

Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family - A lot of lead up for something so obvious halfway through the story. 
Lots of racism as well!

** The night after I dreamt that I was reading a better written story. XD

Celephaïs - Is he on drugs? Has he been smoking while writing these? Could explain a LOT!

From Beyond - Only a few pages in and I am already bored, quit repeating yourself and eat the damn oranges!

The Picture in the House - I was wondering how long it would take him to drop the N word (and I don't mean 'Necronomicon'). 

The Nameless City - I'm not feeling this trope of 'I saw something horrid, but I won't try and describe it because it's too horrid for words or your imagination'. 
Honey, I've had more nightmares than you have had racist thoughts.
I bet I can see it without going mad and then suggest something worse.
At best, it is a poorly executed idea.
At worst, it is lazy writing.

The Quest of Iranon - Iranon sounds insufferable. I'd hit him if I met him.

The Moon-Bog - He really doesn't think kindly of anyone he sees as 'below' him. If he wasn't dead, I'd hit him.

Pictured: A place you may find me dancing.

The Outsider - Another one that is obvious half way through.

The Other Gods - Don't poke the bear.

Herbert West - Reanimator - STOP REPEATING YOURSELF! I remember what just happened!

The Music of Erich Zann - Meh. That horror-beyond-imagination-trope again.

** Note the lack of recommended stories so far.

Hypnos - Talk to your doctor about your disturbed sleep, consult a specialist, and don't believe everything you see in your sleep. 
If I believed my nightmares I would still be hiding from the authorities and zombies, and I have better things to do.
Also, does our narrator want to bang his 'friend'?
I doubt this story would get so interesting.
Is he using the nightmare-world as an excuse to get close to him?
I'm going to believe this now and make this story a secret love letter.
He talks of sensations he cannot describe, and following torment, I'm going to assume he is getting used to hot butt sex with his mysterious, handsome 'friend'.
Also, his 'friend' is an addict and the narrator is getting hooked.
It's like 'Naked Lunch' meets basic homoerotic fiction meets racist/classist people.
Is that the secret to Lovecraft stories?! Have I uncovered the unwritten tales hidden behind the shitty attempts at horror?

**I think I'm losing my grip on reality.

Ok, let me just address something that he keeps incorrectly repeating. Moonlight is silver or white or pale, NOT GOLDEN!
The sun is golden, you f&%kwit!

The Hound - First mention of the Necronomicon and I don't care. The narrator and his friend are already undertaking things worse than what the stupid book has detailed so far.

The Lurking Fear - My guess is the two hired men used the castle and our narrator's feeble mind as a means of escape from his company.

The Rats in the Walls - Did you have to call your cat that?! I have NO sympathy for you!

The Unnamable - Good, it looks like he was called out on his bullsh!t trope whilst still alive! It was like someone told him that that humans fear the unknown but was too stupid to understand it properly.

The Festival - For this one, I drank some vodka then read the story out loud to Parental Unit 1.

Notable comments:
PU1: "So far I like it. I just wished they had translated it better."
Me: "It was written in English."
PU2: "Oh!"
-------------------------
PU2: "He's a ghost as well, isn't he!" 
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She thought the whole thing was scary, that it was possibly all in the narrator's mind.
She thought the creatures were the Luck Dragon from 'The Neverending Story' and that they were in a volcano/centre of the earth.

Pictured: Unspeakable, maddening horror.

-------------------------
SPOILER ALERT!
When I asked her what she thought was behind the wax mask, 
she suggesting it was just hollow and the narrator was okay with the mask because it may have been part of the festival.
When I told her what I thought was behind it, she was horrified.
I then asked her who she thought was more morbid, Lovecraft or myself, she said it was definitely me. (WIN!)

Ok, I'll leave it there and pick it up again in Part 2!

Art break - part 1, the sketching

Want to watch how my latest painting progresses?

Well, tough bickies!

This is going to be an oil painting on board (over acrylic paint)

Normally I don't share this process, but I thought it may be interesting for you (my lovely readers) to see one of my other hobbies. 

The idea behind this work is the biblical quote:

"When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him."

Why this topic interests me is I have a pet cat called Hades (named after the god, a cat who I love more than anything) and I thought it would be humorous if it was him and not the grave that followed Death.

As I paint this in, I will explain symbols and choices I made. 
Also, this will be a long process, oil paints take days to dry so at the very minimum it will be weeks before sessions. (Even then I have other things to do).

But lets go on this journey together!