I had a bad case of Friday-itis today, and as I looked upon my list of goals felt hugely indifferent to starting any big software projects. I also didn’t feel like expressing myself in anyway, so that ruled out drawing and music. I did remember, though, that I had found a box of 1-inch webbing with assorted buckles; it had been part of a project to fix a problem I had with my favorite day robe, the rare and wondrous Toddland Rich Folks’ Pajama Jacket.

Pajama Jackets

A few years ago I was on a big bathrobe kick, part of an initiative to be more comfortable working at home. I have a couple nice bathrobes from previous Christmas seasons, but one year my sister surprised me with the aforementioned “Rich Folk’s Pajama Jacket”. It’s a quilted robe, which gives it more structure and warmth. I absolutely love it and wear it whenever it’s too cold but also too inconvenient to get completely dressed up. However, there’s one big problem: the sleeves are too long and bulky for doing chores. When I wash dishes or cook, the sleeves tend to get wet or fall into the food. It’s also a bit of a problem when I’m typing, as the sleeves tend to slosh over the keyboard as I move. I can sort of hoist the sleeves up, but they quickly fall back down again.

I figured there must be some kind of device that holds up sleeves, and eventually discovered they are called “sleeve garters” or “sleeve holders”. They were more popular in the 1920s, and apparently are still used to adjust sleeve length so the exact right amount of cuff shows under your jacket sleeve. However, the Rich Folks’ Pajama Jacket sleeves are thick, and I eventually realized that perhaps I could fashion some kind of strap, like a luggage strap, to make my own heavy-duty sleeve stays.

And so I had purchased some supplies on Amazon. The plastic woven webbing is a mainstay of hikers and motorcyclists who need to strap stuff onto themselves, and a variety of parts can be had fairly cheaply. I got some 25-packs of plastic buckles and something called a tension lock tri-glide that I figure would somehow hold it together. After they came in, I promptly forgot about them until last week, when I found the box of supplies while cleaning up the basement.

It took a while to figure out how to actually thread the buckles. I ended up cutting 24 inches of webbing, melting the ends slightly over an oven burner so they wouldn’t unravel, and looked up how they worked on YouTube. For a tense moment I thought I might have bought the wrong kind of tri-glide or would need a sewing machine to permanently bind the webbing to the buckle, but eventually I figured out a combination that worked.

They fastened quite nicely around my pajama jacket sleeves, and it makes a huge difference while typing/doing chores around the house.

Bonus: Cooked Something!

I also cooked some Rendang Dry Curry Beef from a package. I had started marinating the beef last night. However, since I didn’t share this dish with anyone, no points were scored. I am not entirely sad about this…more curry for me!

Points Scored and Next Steps

I almost wasn’t going to make it today by doing any goals work. I had started working on a tricky part of the contract project at 1AM, finished at 6AM, slept until 3PM, then did more contract work, then fell asleep again. Next week is the beginning of major testing so we’re hustling to put in the last touches before the trials begin, and I’ll be on-call for a good part of the week. I’m kind of tired. Thankfully the fabrication project suggested itself to me, and now I have a slight improvement in my quality of life due to the POWER OF SLEEVE LENGTH CONTROL. Woo hoo! Here’s the point breakdown.

That’s 21 points! Not bad for a Friday.