June 2019 – Jen's Orbital Platform

June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

Fake News

So recently I was told I was un-American for my political views, that I disrespect the code of having served my country and that I am in fact turning against it. This was from a woman I don’t believe I’ve ever actually met nor had a conversation with. A mutual friend on Facebook had posted a political meme (you know, those pictures with quotes on them) and it was patently false. It was what I would consider the very definition of fake news.

I did a quick internet search and verified the quote was entirely made up then remarked how many of my Republican friends often share memes and posts that tell a story very different from the truth. In short, I called my friend out for sharing “fake news”. This woman saw my comment and immediately made the assumption that I somehow supported what the meme stated (for the record is said Democrats believed social security was a right for illegal immigrants). I don’t know why she made that assumption so in my reply to her comment, I reiterated the meme was false and encouraged her to do her own research to find the truth for herself; to not take my word for it alone. Based on her reply after that, she did not take my advice and made further disparaging remarks about my character.

I think the part that surprised me most was that after a full day, my “friend” still had the post on her wall. Now if it were me and I posted something I believed to be true but later found out was false, I wouldn’t be able to get that post down fast enough! Is that because I value the truth more than this friend of mine? I hope that’s not the case.

I am supremely careful about what I share on my newsfeed because I don’t want to be the source of propaganda or misinformation. I recognize how dangerous that can be because I actually had to read books like Orwell’s 1984 when I was in school; it made an impression. I was taught in the Navy that integrity is what you do when no one is looking. The bible very clearly tells us “Do not lie” and to “rejoice in the truth.”

What I am seeing with this woman who said some pretty terrible things about me, is a trend among Americans where they’d rather stay with their own beliefs, however false, than challenge their preconceptions. Whether because of propaganda or xenophobia, I am seeing more and more people become entrenched in one side or the other, forgetting that there really are no sides if we are to remain one country; e pluribus unum.

To my friends who are Democrats, not all Republicans are bad and not all of them share the same ideological beliefs as the leader of their party. To all my Republican friends, I would encourage you to really consider what it is the Democratic party advocates for (and doesn’t advocate for) and not jump to conclusions based on your own bias or preconceptions. Maybe, just maybe, the divide between parties isn’t so great.

When I took my oath back in 1999 to defend my country, it was from all enemies foreign and domestic. Right now I believe misinformation is our greatest enemy of all and while I no longer wear the uniform of a United States sailor, I still consider myself under oath.

End Transmission.

June 20, 2019

The Trike Project

Toby's Trike 16" There’s no question, my six year old nephew is stubborn. Everything happens in Toby time and God forbid any one of us should rush him along. One of his favorite things to do is ride around on his trike. He has enjoyed ride-on toys since he could walk and it’s not unusual for him to come home with bleeding feet after a day riding around the block. You see, he often rides barefoot and refuses to use pedals.

As I mentioned, he is six years old and growing. Most trikes and ride on toys aren’t designed for kids his age. Six-year-old’s are on bicycles with or without training wheels. But Toby isn’t most kids. Training wheels don’t sit level with the ground so the bike teeters and that slight motion is too much for Toby’s comfort level. Since he doesn’t like to pedal, the crank on a bike just gets in his way. Even the pedals of his trike, which are mounted on the front wheel, bruise his legs as they spin. He prefers the “Flintstone” style of using his feet to push off the ground. He wants a trike, so how do I get him a trike big enough?

I scoured the internet figuring if something exists, it’s out there. Mostly, I came away with disappointment. There are a few trikes manufactured for adults which are expensive. There are a few companies that make trikes for disabled or developmentally delayed or impaired children but again the cost is prohibitive.

In searching online for a trike, I did come across numerous conversion kits. Apparently converting a standard bike into a trike is a thing people do. Again these kits cost more than I wanted to spend. After all, he will only be riding this thing for a summer or two before he grows out of it.

What I needed was a three wheeled ride on vehicle without pedals big enough for Toby and they don’t exist. I was going to have to make one.

I started with a basic kid’s bike. My sister had two of them that were the same size, one of which (a Barbie themed bike) wasn’t being used anymore. The other was Toby’s older brother Jackson’s Cars themed bike (Auntie has to get him a new bike for his birthday now). Between those two bikes, I had the wheels and a good frame. I just needed to figure out how to attach two wheels to the rear of the frame.

20190610_154147 Eventually I figured all I really needed was a long axle rod that I could put two wheels on. Amazon was the only place I could find the right size threaded rod (3/8” rod with 24 threads per inch). After getting a few nuts from the hardware store, I was ready to go!

I started by stripping everything off the frame of the Cars bike. I took the wheels off, the crank, and the chain. I attached the 2 foot threaded rod to the frame where the original rear tire went and secured it with nuts and lock washers.

20190610_154131 I had to study how rear wheels worked on children’s bikes. They have what is called a coaster brake in the hub assembly. When the rider attempts to pedal backwards the rear wheel stops, acting as a brake. This means there are extra parts in the hub assembly I had to account for when putting the wheel on the new axle. While front wheels are super simple, the axle rod they spin on is smaller than the rear wheel axle. I figured that out pretty quickly when I tried to put the Barbie front wheel on the rear axle of the Cars trike.

I took the rear wheel from the Barbie bike and painted it black so it better matched the two wheels from the Cars bike. I was able to attach both rear wheels to the new axle (I re-greased all the bearings for good measure). To my delight, it worked! The wheels spun freely and the new trike appeared stable!

20190610_155421 So I get the new trike over to Toby and…it’s TOO BIG! The bikes my sister had were 16” (wheel diameter) and Toby is just a little too short. Even with the seat lowered all the way, his feet didn’t quite touch the ground.

I was a bit disappointed but I had my prototype and proof of concept. I’m now in the process of doing it all again, this time with 12” bikes.

End Transmission

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019

Finding my Voice

NaNoWriMo2018 In November of 2018 I wrote like a mad woman for National Novel Writing Month. I wrote more than 50 thousand words and was exhausted creatively when the month was over. I knew it wouldn’t take long to recharge my batteries though. Once the winter holidays were over, I’d get right back into it.

The best laid plans..

Shortly before Christmas, the Pacific Northwest was hit with a wind storm that knocked down a portion of our backyard fence. This was the second year in a row we had a section go down. While we were making repairs, we turned on the outside hose bib to mix some cement for the new posts. Ten minutes later, we discovered our kitchen had been completely flooded; our hardwood floors ruined! I had neglected to remove the hose from the bib prior to the first winter freeze and a crack had developed downstream of the isolation valve but inside the kitchen wall. Calls were made and a claim was filed with the insurance but little could be done until the New Year.

On New Year’s Day my husband and I were cleaning up dinner when my phone rang. It was my aunt and she was hysterical. My brother Eric was found dead in his basement apartment. He was only four years older than me. We raced to the place he was living and were greeted with blue flashing police lights. I was the first on scene but the rest of my family soon arrived. Shock and grief ripped through all of us as we tried to sort out what had happened, who had talked to him last, and what had possibly been the cause of his death.

The next day was my birthday and the day a crew came to my house to tear up our damaged kitchen floor. My family once again gathered and we went through what little my brother had. He was the definition of minimalist. What few possessions he had were brought to my house where they would sit in our garage until we were ready to fully process what to do with them. That evening we gathered in my living room and sat as fans droned on drying out my damaged floor.

Eric Sketch My writing skills were put to use when it came time for the eulogy. How could I possibly find the words that matched the giant of a man my brother was? How could I, the sister who knew him least, capture his life in a short speech? Somehow I found the words and I hope I did Eric proud.

I didn’t feel much like writing anything after that. A snow storm in February shut almost everything down in the Northwest. My flooring material was stuck somewhere unable to be delivered and repairs were delayed.

In March my youngest nephew went in for open heart surgery; the last in a three stage reconstruction. I was one of two people who would tag team his 24/7 care while he remained in patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Six weeks would pass before he would get to go home. Somehow during that time, our floors were finally replaced.

I still didn’t feel much like writing. So much had happened and life just wouldn’t return to normal. Things did settle down in April and May gave us a chance to breathe again. After two long camping trips, I feel that perhaps now, I am recharged enough to find my voice and once again write.

End Transmission.