Model building

This is something that I had written for a creative writing group I'm a part of.  Thought it would be interesting to share here.

The Model Kit




There are many types of models in the world, some physical and some abstract. Most times an abstract model is also known as a mental picture of something that is written out on paper. A physical model is usually a physical object that represents something larger or in a simpler form to testing purposes. When most people talk about a model they usually mean a hobby model kit. These kinds of models are good for people to have a representation of something they like and usually unable to have themselves. There is also the satisfaction of being able to put it together.



I have many such hobby models. Growing up I didn’t get into many sports or other vigorous activities. I would usually build things out of LEGO bricks or build a hobby model. The two models that I used to build were the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard and KITT from Knight Rider. They are both cars that I wanted and still want to have. Being a kid I would damage and or destroy the models. This was not on purpose and I would get another and put it together. I did give one of my General Lee models to my surgeon when I was 10 in gratitude for the work he did on my heart. I did get other models as well and enjoyed putting them together. As the years went by I got better and better. Now instead of a day to put one together I now take up to two to three weeks putting one together.



One of my favorite models I have is one that I just got. It is a model of the Enterprise from the first six Star Trek movies. It was put out by Polar Lights and reissued by Round 2. I have both. I messed up the Polar Lights one and was able to get the reissue and I have put that one together. The kit comes with the ability to build the Refit version or the –A version. I prefer the refit from Star Trek the Motion Picture. There are pictures of the actual filming miniature on the internet. I have used them as reference to painting it properly. This model is one that I have been waiting for a long time. I do have several other AMT models of the Enterprise but they were full of inaccuracies so they never looked quite right. I did light one up though and it looks good.



The Round 2 reissue of Polar Lights’ Refit Enterprise took me about two weeks to put it together. I did take some pictures of it as I was building it. Even after it was completed I sill did a little bit more painting to be more accurate. I still have a bit of painting to do on it. It is a big model about 3 feet. It takes up a good amount of room on the top of my one bookshelf. I was given a tip on how to fix what I messed up on the other first Polar Lights model and will make that one the –A



I am currently working on two cars right now. One of the cars is a ’78 Firebird Trans Am and the other is a ’83 Firebird Trans Am. I have a 2008 Shelby Cobra Mustang, a 1966 GTO and Anakin’s Pod Racer from Star Wars all waiting to be done next. I do have others but I will not be able to get to them for some time. I don’t have a real place to build them yet but when I’m in the same room as my wife and she’s watching something I’d rather not I build them there. Sometimes I even get her to help with the painting. She even did some of the painting on my Enterprise even though she likes to joke about getting ride of all my Star Trek stuff.



Putting together these models keeps me busy. I don’t work on them as much as I would like because of a lack of space to work on them. I can get set up and work but them have to clean it all back up because the middle of the living room floor is not a place to keep models, paints and glue.



Model building can be a fun hobby but you need patience and so it is not for everybody. My wife laughs when I get her to help because I have her paint parts that need a steady hand but she has no patience for it. But she still helps and I appreciate it. I and my brother both like to work on models and it seems it is something we got from our father. He had models all over our house when I was very young. I like it because now I get to have KITT, the General Lee, and the U.S.S. Enterprise all in the same room.

Here are some photos of some of my models:

Living with a congenital heart defect

This is one thing my wife said I should talk about.  First a little bit about my specific defect, tetralogy of Fallot.  Wiki has some basic info about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetralogy_of_Fallot.  My heart was a little different then described there.  In my heart the pulmonary artery was not even attached to the heart. 

Growing up I knew I had something wrong with my heart but I didn't really experience it.  My experiences consisted of frequent trips to the hospital for pokes in the finger or arm, some fun tests and some not so fun tests.  I also could not really keep up with the kids I would play with.  I really preferred playing by myself with my LEGO sets and Star Wars toys.  There were no "emergencies" due to my heart.  The only part I really remember "suffering through" was the hospitalizations.  I would have hospital stays for one of two things: surgery or a heart catheterization.  All of these things I will touch on in future posts. 

As an adult things have been a bit different and yet the same.  Most of the hospital visits and stays are pretty much the same as when I was growing up.  However I have had something new added: emergencies.  The first emergency was when I had a minor stroke.  That was a weird experience.  But probably the worst was last year when I had major heart arrhythmia's.  That caused a lot of ambulance rides and stays at the hospital.  It even included one night when I had about 10 shocks from my ICD within 2 hours, six of which were within 10 minutes.  The only other thing I can think of that I now notice and that I do get tired a lot more and a lot easier then I used to.  I'm also having to go through a treatment for a viral infect I got from some bad blood as a child.

What has kept me going?  Christ has been there the whole time.  Without Him I probably would have given up.  Despite of and because of all I gone through God has really blessed me, which, I will also talk about in later posts.

For now just wanted to get things started and general feel for what this will all be about.

God Bless!!!!
RyanKCR

The Heart of the Matter

After 16 years I should have known better.  I let the House Majority Leader (as a friend likes to refer to wives) know I started this and gave her what I originally was going to call this blog.  I should have consulted her.  She preferred that one over the name I went with.  What would I do without her.

This title works better because I'll be talking about what it is like for an adult with a congenital heart defect.  I also don't like to "BS" when writing or talking, I just want to get to it.  Also I believe that Christ wants our hearts and so this makes the "heart" important to me.

Introduction

I thought I would try out a blog.  I don't think it will be all that great.  Just for an introduction about a part of me is here: http://tchin.org/portraits/michael-8.htm.

I'm thinking of talking about what I'm currently going through, about the books/stories I'm working on and maybe some other general thoughts.

This is very new for me and hopefully will help me to write more and more.