Entry 35

With my stomach problems out of the way I divided my day between working on a ramp and the apartment lock. I spent the first half of the day taking down a section of railing.

I ended up having to cut a section from the third floor to the length I wanted with a hacksaw as all the railing had been welded together. The hacksaw was very loud; after I finished I could hear some noise coming from a zombie or two downstairs. They never seemed to figure out where the sound came from. I then unbolted the railing and had a nice length of steel to build my ramp on. After figuring out how to get the railing to the second floor (15 foot long railing did not fit down the stairs very well), I set it against the stair. This way it was off the ground and I could stand on it to see if it was strong enough. It felt pretty strong and it did support my weight without breaking or bending.

The railing would not work well if I needed to roll something, but it actually worked pretty well since I could use it like a ladder/ramp as needed. I still need to figure out a way to raise and lower it as well as anchor one end to the second story. Trying to lockpick the door leaves me plenty of time to think so I headed to do that while I came up with a plan.

The actual lockpicking did not go any better than the day before. A few times I got one pin, but then it would fall back into place as I tried to get more. I think if I cannot get the door open tomorrow I will just cut into the apartment. In fact I may just begin cutting into apartments again. There could be something very useful in one of the apartments I am missing out on by waiting. Going through the wall will not stop me from learning to open the locks. After a couple hours working on the lock I get too bored to really focus on it.

For the ramp I think I will just lower it from where the old staircase went down but make it to the side slightly so I can tie it to the railing. There is some rope in the utility room that I can use. I can tie another rope to the bottom end of the railing and use that to raise and lower the ramp as needed. I came up with more elaborate ideas but I was never great at building anything. I figure I should make it simple and strong so I do not end up stuck on the bottom floor some day.

I made an interesting discovery when I tested if the railing would support my weight. I realized how much thinner I am now. As I was getting ready for bed I looked in the mirror and saw I am almost to the point of being skinny. I am not looking unhealthy, but I wonder if I should be eating more. I have rarely had much of an appetite in the last month, and before that I had none. I will have to pay attention and make sure I eat enough from here forward, especially when I have enough food.