Fatness

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Rexicorn

The assurances of the genuinely fat are not adequate, it seems, to tell the trim yet insecure to stop hating their bodies.

Of course, they aren’t alone in that. I hate my body.

There’s no insecurity that I don’t already possess. If someone says something thoughtless(or deliberately hurtful, though that’s not so common), it’s not a new thought they bring up. It’s an old one, a very old one. Just a reminder. I’ve got enough insecurities that I sometimes need that little help remembering them all.

I already know that I’m fat.

And I have oddly tiny ears.

And a bulbous nose.

And uncontrollable hair.

Hearing about them does seem to give them more power, but that’s only for a moment. It’s like it’s saying “Oh yeah, all the things that I believe about myself are right.” I’m reaffirmed in my beliefs.

But sidelong glances don’t MAKE new insecurities. It just validates them.

For now I remind myself that my body does amazing things for me, and I call that good enough. I’m picking my battles.

Did some discovery.

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Rexicorn

I was given this sketch of a drawing and told to fabricate a part. Plenty of information!

Here’s a little farther along.

The drill that I was using had been sharpened with a Drill Doctor, and as such was cutting about as well as a piece of toast would have. It wasn’t a drill, it was a clever imposter.

Some cutting and some bending later, and it almost looked like a real part!

Until we realized that the swing on the hinge was off. Once we corrected that, it became obvious that the window needed to be larger. Since fixturing and modding the old part is about as much work to start over with a new part, I will be starting over with a new chunk of steel tomorrow.

It’s a rough feeling, knowing that you didn’t actually accomplish anything. I mentioned it to my dad.

“I feel like we’re back where we started.”

He countered “But we’re a lot smarter.”

“I’ll try to think of it like that.” I’m not very good at thinking positively.

“It had to happen. That’s what I mean when I say I engineer by discovery. We did some discovering.”

The ice on Lake Michigan

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Rexicorn

When your boss asks you if you want to take a break from work and go for an airplane ride, the answer is always yes. My boss may also be my father, and airplane rides a fairly regular option, but it was a clear day and the Mooney hasn’t been flown in a month. My father, and the plane, both needed a trip up. I was happy to tag along.

I regret not bringing a nice camera along, but the camera you have with you is always the best one in the world. My phone’s camera still managed to catch some stunning views.

It’s amazing to see just how beat up the ice is internally. A good reminder of how tenuous the relationship between man and nature can be, a good reminder to stay off the ice!

This shows the edge of the ice. We were at about 4,500 feet. The time was about 5:45 pm. We advised air traffic control that we were over the edge of the ice and they informed us that we were about 7 miles off the shore.

Here you can see the pier in Holland. All the dirty brown smudges are where people have been trekking over the ice.

A great way to end the work day!

My day at work

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Rexicorn

Turns out that fiberglass will dull a blade really quickly.
My dad likes to casually mention the things that he would do if he hadn’t started his business. Sometimes it “I should have been an engineer for thirty years and then retired into doing what I do now.” Sometimes it’s wishing to be a pilot. Today, it was showing off a clever little chunk of bent steel meant for one of the handicap vehicles and declaring “When I grow up, I wanna be a fabricator.”

When he works, examining around things, checking for interferences, he’ll sucks his breath through his teeth when he discovers something he’d rather not have to deal with. He clicks the plastic of his teeth alignment mouth guards together as he works a way around the problem in his mind.

We couldn’t find enough spring clamps, so we improvised with a set of jumper cables.

When it comes to fabricating, any line is better than no line. The line you try to create with your mind is going to be off by the time you reach the end of it. Had an experience with that today.

A lady on the radio warbled “write your story” repetitively. I heard “Rightous Tory.” Righteous Tory sounds like a she’d be a bitch.