Physical labour making its mark

It's not just the cuts that appear on my hands from nowhere. Or the giant slice in my knuckle from bamboo cutting in the rain during class.

Bamboo construction is rad, by the way. This exciting ravine in my knuckle took me out of commission before we polished things off, but I am highly anticipating the arch we are building. And the best part is that I think, given a pile of bamboo, a pruning saw, a short machete-type knife and a rubber mallet, I might just be able to recreate one on my own.

But, dude. I was wearing a tank top as I brushed my teeth in front of the bathroom mirror the other day, and it would appear that all this mattock swinging and terrace shoveling is showing itself as upper body strength. I can almost see muscles in my arms and shoulders, which is cool, but doesn't feel very womanly.

Tips for constructing with bamboo
- Make your cuts near a node for added strength when possible.
- Fill nodes at joints with concrete for added strength.
- Twist the bamboo towards you as you saw through it. Pruning handsaws cut on the pull (not the push), so keeping the bottom edge of the blade near the handle in a constant position (where the tip moves through new wood) helps make smooth cuts without a little lip at the end.
- When cutting lengthwise, you don't actually need a sharp knife. Any thin, longish knife and a rubber mallet for hammering it past nodes will do since the crack always originates a few inches below your blade. (Though a sharp knife is handy for trimming edges down to size after the initial long cuts have been made).
- When weaving bamboo, make strips as uniform in size and as flat as possible. 3/4" is a good width, 1/4" is a good thickness.
- When anchoring constructions with steel rods (or whatever else), lift bamboo off the ground with a rock so that soil microorganism don't rot it out.