Monday, 23 April 2007- Life and cliché?

Is my life is a cliché – the one that goes “the only thing that is constant is change”… It kind of suits me to some degree, but it can be challenging for me and must drive some of my friends and email companions mad!

So much has happened since I lasted posted that even if any of it were on topic, it would be too much to post. Needless to say, I have been living through both “interesting” and tragic times. But at least I can see the end of the tunnel now… or is that a train hurtling towards me?

OK, to catch up and give the briefest of insights, my time living with a terminally ill individual has come to a natural, if sad, conclusion [that is as far off topic I want to go]. During this time, the pressure of the situation and my near house bound existence has taken its toll. The stress of having to drastically increase the amount of time I must live without being encase in my protective rubber skin has also resulted in an almost perpetual feeling of anxiety.

All this has meant weight gain and virtual dependence on alcohol to help me relax! The last week seems to have seen a turning point and I think I should be back to normal in a month or 3.

So, when things settle down here, I just have to wean myself back on to routinely wear rubber for longer and longer periods. I am looking forward to this, but experience leads me to imagine it may well be quite challenging, particularly as the summer is arriving. It’s much easier to take to the idea of being fully encased and snug when there is frost on the windows.

I wonder if it will be as challenging as it was the first time. I seem to remember it was a bit like how people describe growing a beard, quite difficult to feel at all comfortable for quite a while and then all of a sudden, it starts to become the norm. People who eventually shave their beard off also say they could never face the prospect of going through the discomfort of growing one again. I hope this does not apply to me and going back to a more rubber oriented (dominated?) life.

I am wondering if it may make me think again about exactly how I approach it and maybe what I chose to wear, etc. It seems to a god opportunity to re-investigate the whole what / why / where / when of my rubbery existence.

Anyway, I may be calling for practical and moral support as I get back into the fold.

Just before I sign off, I would like to say hi to Brock, who seems to be a serious devotee to the idea of training for a rubber encased life. Welcome to the blog and I hope that we hear more of each others efforts. With what I found of you on the web, it sounds like you have a planned some ideas around particularly ”total” total enclosure, including intubations, which I think many with our interests will find very interesting. I have found that there is so little meaningful info on the topic, such that I would like to encourage sharing of even the most seemingly modest experiences and endurances.

Although I agree with Brock that latex encased lifestyle is totally achievable, no one who has actually tried it would say there are no challenges, compromises or implicit limitations. On the one hand, life can get hellish and even dangerous if someone is locked in TE for even a few hours. On the other, with correct planning and conditions I have been able to spend fairly long periods hermetically sealed with zero contact with the outside world, in total comfort.

Daily life usually comprises of some necessary activities and unexpected circumstances that result in a compromised existence which, while tolerable, could be improved upon in terms of both degree of encasement and comfort. I hope that by everyone sharing ideas the whole rubber existence can be continually improved and fine tuned.

I am hoping we seem some comments or links which lead to descriptions of peoples ideas and experiences. Bear in mind also, if you go for an extreme approach to being totally sealed in rubber or plastic, then I think there’s really no such thing as a short amount of time to spend totally encased.

Sealed