Fri 20 Mar 26: Just as w/ the Honda... driving around in newly-minted car paint from a collision repair, does grit one's teeth But unlike the Honda, most of that paint were on the inside of a surface abutting the interior -- meaning VOCs greet me every morning. Not ideal as the sky's been spitting large dogs and cats of late. Roll down windows, let sopping breeze wash out 50% of it, then roll-up and get on w/ it... Despite a brief respite on the road home... perhaps solvents had already got to the old cortex but decided to go into worse rain -- uphill to the storage unit -- to get things taken out 2w ago. Despite being ~40 - 45 lbs lighter than w/o... I need the security of certain things, call me a traditionalist / curmudgeon / both, been called far worse What showstoppers do you need in your vehicle? Trash can -- straw wrappers, wet-naps, serviettes, blue mechanic's towels to wipe bird shite / sugary f&%*ng splats of bug guts off caps & glass... need somewhere to throw it, not the ground (apparently on Maui, finding a public tip to dispose your shite properly, 's a minority view -- 'why not, the tourists do it', is the prevailing 3rd-grade urchin logic ). Really missed it in the rental, just a plastic cereal container from Wally's w/ a flip-top lid. Dump by pulling the whole top off, snap back on / repeat Blue towels -- must be Scott SHOP towels, in dbl rolls (used to sell triples at Wally's for a nice price, until they figured out they can make more money only offering dbls, singles, and box-'o-towels for 30% more). Use this for all tasks incl. windows, which dunt apply to non-Scott towels but do fine wif. Also quite good at absorbing EVOO leaking thru two paper meal trays + dbl layer of serviettes from my salad spot, which are nothing but ordinary compressed pulp masquerading as food storage > 5 mins (sacrificial layers on any interior surface you value, will pay off). MUST have two rolls in-car (one can be partially used) after an incident where I'd crushed my hand servicing my old Toyota in WA... and because it's Kitsap Peninsula, had to wait 45 f***ing mins for the ambulance whilst bleeding enough to need to sit down (got a unit of blood hung for the half-hour ride to hospital... which was telling). If a whole fresh roll plus my used one weren't already at hand, might've been a different outcome Hand tools -- need for more frequent oil chgs, mercifully-easy on a 5G. If in the car no need to drive to storage to get them, plus are always available for other emergencies. 3/8" 14mm, 12mm & 10mm on 3/8" push-button ratchet (mine are Snappies but you no longer need pay exorbitant prices for equal if not better function -- personally keep Craftsman, Husky, Kobalt, and GearWrench tools alongside SO -- and whilst SO is defo good, no longer 2 - 3x-the-price-better). Back when pro wrenching, got Snappies for ~ 60% off going thru moto tech school, so not getting rid of 'em anytime soon. But for doing owner maintenance on your Prius, Craftsman's way better than what I've used (and Craftsman has been) in past Oh, and DMM, telescoping magnet, JIS cross-driver, and box of nitrile gloves too (here, use Raven from NAPA, pretty good so far and not too overpriced) Headrest hangers -- whoa whoa Fyooch -- 'the hell are those? Welp, I'd not used them until Amazon suggested them after picking up the 5G: clip onto the headrest posts, and hang behind to have a place for handled grocery bags and like. Mine wrap and cam-clip all the way around the post, with a hook that has extensions to accommodate different things / offer multiple hooks / provide for tablet shelf. Far more utility in a car not that great for it admittedly... plus it's cheap and fully-reversible Coiled USB-C cord -- due to being more familiar w/ the way LE 5Gs interact w/ your phone (the bare essentials)... using the car to PA phone convos requires corded connection to your phone (one of the few advantages an XLE / Limited has over LE -- your BT will f***ing connect to it for more than larfs). Have one that reels into a package the size of a half a Hershey's w/ Almonds pseudo-chocolate bar; ever since getting it, wondering why more USB-C cords aren't reelable w/ flat cables There's more, but only applicable to weirdos as myself... Driving my 5G around, was reminded how much smoother the whole drivetrain is vs. rental. Can't believe it had half the mileage, but was that much less efficient, more noisy, more reluctant to be efficient. Small things like the particular pattern of scratches and tiny nicks in the armrest and console cover I left there -- far fewer than rental -- reminded this was my car, and like a puppy it almost drove better, being in my hands again. Strange how that works... and reminds the butterfly effect does matter by the car's 1st birthday... and production tolerances even in Japan where they're far more controlled than in say Hermosillo, Mexico (obviously ) do make for distinct personalities, even if toned down every MY by more precise auto fab tech. Increasingly, dependence on humans to be consistent, are often where the weak links are in the build chain... and as long as they're present (and you don't own a once-in-a-generation sport halo model, where only old-school, senior JDM / DE assembly workers touch your hard parts, like GT2s / GT3s or R35 GT-Rs or Lexus LFAs or original Honda NSX Type-R NA1/NA2), you'll have perceivable if slight, differences in performance. Three gens back, Ferrari race models (250GTO / 250LM / P330 P3/4) were so wonky w/ tolerance / specs, each one were expected to be slightly different in character. And only craftsman handled all aspects of their construction then. Just glad to have it back, if in probably the worst weather to try to clean it off (tho was told by owner of body shop, washing even by hand isn't advisable this weekend even if storms clear... let the solvents evaporate off fully, then hand-wash next weekend, ceramic coatings weekend after that. Gotcha -- gonna be with me a few years, so will do --- Yesterday's chosen client case, reminds of a more infamous story oft repeated to my clientele... because at any time getting off my table, could be them one day (in a manner of speaking; been very lucky to have quality on my table consistently for the duration) Deep-tissue bodywork, no matter how carefully and competently it's done, is a pretty radically invasive proc, most obviously when working the core. Add another 50% criticality, when it's the client's first time w/ me, and ~30% more atop that, if they don't like being touched. Both cases are very easily noticed by the prac when they've reached the point of stopping the work... and if prac and client can't come to an agreement over shared responsibility on the table... sent candidates home before. Only countable on one hand but they do exist, even w/ exp'd clients of less-invasive modalities. This one was sort of a rush job -- heard about me, so wasn't formally referred. 'Scuttlebutts' -- which can be perfectly ordinary clients, or like this one... create obstacles that must be handled firmly. Didn't like the way they bullied their way to see me -- I'm ex-mil and Asian, know the type. Wanted to lord control over the session, and made sure I knew it. Some of these soften into great clients, if it's a shield they need from a rough upbringing or position of some authority they need to be a prick to get things done. Three of my awesome ex-mil clients were exactly this, and still with me. So braced myself for the truth - which rarely diverges from what it did. When the questions come out -- 'why do you have to go there'... self-discipline is key. They don't actually want to know, they're reacting defensively to where you're going, because they're not comfy being touched' . Most men esp who present like this, this is the case. Maybe they were beaten to within an inch of their life by a drunk father. Maybe their douchnozzle older siblings held them down and tortured them as kids. All these traumas defo survive into adulthood... and must be guarded by bravado and whatever works. That guarding, is what I as the prac, must consider the only thing that matters. But often compassion isn't enough... esp for men I like facing the truth about the human body and the souls housed in them -- and if that means taking some abuse because it's what soothes and reassures the client in themselves... no problem, as long as progress is made. But am in no way obligated to be a doormat. If your insecurities and unfaced trauma prevent me from working you... there's another client who'd gladly take your place, good luck on finding relief. If handled w/o judgement like that, calmly but firmly w/ eye contact... normally sort of snaps them out of the recurring nightmare they've integrated as a raft thru Everything Is Heaving Seas... and can finally reason with them, the real Them. Pain is a bitch. It makes one short-tempered, impatient, rash. And if one is to succeed in this gig, g otta have thick enough skin to tell the diff betw. someone who feels they must be douche-y, and one who likes to be douche-y. Luckily, this one was the former, as most are. If the latter, they're out the door and blacklisted, have pepper spray and one more resort, close at hand if ever needed. Bye, and don't come back -- you're on video, so don't try bouncing this off your little incel echo chamber Back to the good client Turns out due to their cultural upbringing, loads of two highly-inflammatory foods were regular meals: processed sugar, and cheese. Processed red meat esp bad, but too much steak even grass-fed and clean, can also cause non-controllable resting muscle tone increase. Caffeine were also involved, which prevents muscles from reacting to therapeutic pressure and relaxing in response. Not surprising then, they consumed two Venti Fraps a day, and ate steak as much staple as potatoes or rice. Cheese, esp milky cheeses like burrata, Brie, Camembert, Chevré, Muenster and Mexican Crema... are loaded with an acid so deleterious to relaxed muscle tone: lactic acid. Lactic acid is a waste product of muscular metabolism... and if allowed access to blood supply in all muscle types (heart, smooth, and peripheral muscle), will prevent the muscle from relaxing, as can't leave or be metabolised as efficiently. Red muscle meat is packed w/ lactic acid, less so whiter hooved meat like pork, venison and mutton, and further less organ meat from all hooved sources except heart (tho heart muscle is far more efficient at using lactate for fuel vs. skeletal or smooth muscle). So if your genes aren't adapted to constant cheese consumption and you partake far more than they can handle... acidosis can occur. Got their very, very painful leg and hip spasms covered, and taught how to keep from re-irritating them into TrP formation. But stressed their diet had to change, for this relief to stick. Luckily were training in crossfit to lose weight so once work had calmed down, they could try my reccies. Didn't see them again, which is good -- my impression of this client wasn't an unreasonable, petulant child... so probably didn't waste my breath. But half my clients don't check back w/ results good or bad... so will never know. But that were a showcase example of diet vs. proc efficacy on my table
Sat, 21 Mar 26: Man, yesterday's Spring Equinox rains have been drowning parts of the island in weird, non-dramatic ways. All the bluster from last week wasn't trivial (did knock out power during the morning commute, so people were out in 100-ft visibility rains, just to find out their workplace is dark)... but upcountry esp, flooding from saturated ground unable to absorb more of the unrelenting, Seattle-like rain... is putting formerly-safe properties in danger of either being under Katrina-like heights of soup... but washing away the ground from underneath such soaked red dirt and stones. Drainage is pretty chaotic in HI given the scarcity of hard bedrock (meaning slides are very common even in short storms)... but in Seattle it's found ample ways to get to the ocean so long ago (and the region is anchored in quite hard granites and basalts), properties usually don't have problems w/ drainage, and are generally more stable. This island hasn't seen this sort of weather but once in a generation only a few ago... but the reality now, is it's only going to get worse. Trouble is... bldg contractors have been selling luxury comm'ys to the County for generations, high up on a hill back then had little chance of washing away... but now faced w/ the truth, the rich may be the most affected by this pummeling, non-stop rain. more when finished with client...
... or not Sun, Wash(ed Down The Valley) Day, 22 Mar 26: So you get the idea. Haven't seen rain this intense since 2011 moving here, and that were eerily also Kona Low conditions (low pressure parks itself atop us and sends in weather opposite to trades direction -- SEasterly vs NWesterly. Very odd to see the leeward sides of the islands lush-green w/ weed and undergrowth. Difference this time... is that '11 storm lasted a week, and only damaged a bit of property. This has been going 6 days short of a month, non-stop... and people's homes are being Katrina'd as we speak. Obviously-obvi, not gonna wash the car today, even if desperately wanted to. Terrible. Closer to home tho... the VOC smell in the car's died down quite a bit. Apparently when humid is better; thought the opposite (solvents can't find room in ambient air to migrate off the paint, whereas reality is VOC smell is less than half what it was yesterday). Same opening windows 30s before setting off, windows closed obvi until getting home. No exp w/ new auto bodywork / paint adjacent to interior until now, so not much to compare against... but nice for those who're sensitive to them. Which until now, thought were me -- the med, remember. But if a day's lungful of yesterday's emissions haven't caused any ill effects to now... guess my liver isn't in as bad shape as assumed. Shame doesn't apply to caffeine -- which must be far more toxic to liver function than otherwise believed -- no wonder broke out in hives not spitting out test shots as an espresso machine tech fifty lifetimes ago -- and was a lot younger and yet to abuse the bod as much back then! Sure, go ahead and drink your Venti latte w/ 8 shots, barely perks you up right? Time to add another --- will fill in table stories after picking a juicy one from years-past log
... or not again Life, when procrastination on a local, cultural level... means in unprecedented natural conditions, a dearth of services and products you've been used to for years (and supporting good health). Paradise? Maybe compared to other places I'd lived, which might've been worse but not even in the ballpark of Hellish Zips in these Divided States. But despite lots more people in past residence cities... got things done a *lot* faster and with immeasurably more options than here. Not to mention when it all gets to you... just roadtrip a day trip on weekend, and all's better (by moto, was pure tonic). Impossible here, at least w/ my income --- Anyhow... so far so good w/ 5G out of the shop... just a touch of solvent smell in the car, and 1 min windows-down, no perceptible odour at all... so on its way to getting some of the old ceramic love. Kinda nice going to the corporate SB for morning tea, as long as the baristas actually get the order right. Give these girls a bit more rope than in person, because let's face facts: working the DT window in the rain, is a shite job no matter what you hawk. They want and expect exactly what's on the menu; well could do that, if I wanted a week-long migraine (caffeine from green tea not detox'd by the liver). So "tall passion tea in a Trenta cup, topped up w/ water and no ice" usually has to bounce thru the usual succession of baristas not used to it. Today got the mistake for free, which is nice as can pop in the fridge and dilute to desire later, saving at $8 - $9 People were pretty andale que tardes Gonzales this commute... but that's not unusual for a Mon, esp if you've just spent the weekend bailing out your living room w/ a bucket and filling sandbags... so just kept to the right for max mpg. Btw... this rain's really tanked my mpg -- started at mid-63s, and now down to low 61s -- given the 5G was driven short distances constantly in-shop was expected... but what I've seen is daily even in passing rain / humidity... this car really dislikes it, taking tenths for things it didn't in the dry. Again, the small air filter area can be to blame; may need another one soon. --- So that bodywork story I promised you... Had a new client ~ 6y ago, had a R elbow they'd gone to chiropractors, shiatsu pracs, acupuncturists, and Western med for, and never resolved. Would not straighten completely, and could not exert any bicep contraction past a certain angle w/o intense, nerve-y pain. Had client sit up and extend both arms towards me, palms up. Then turning palms down. The wince of pain and rest w/ palm up on R, tipped me to what portion of the diag tree could be pruned off. The elbow's one of the trickiest skeletal, high-ROM joints in the body to work quickly and competently. Multiple sensitive structures to avoid (arteries, nerves, and veins) as well as those vital for proper lymphatic drainage of the R arm. Plus multiple reasons for the same symptoms, all which need to be addressed before resolution can be felt. And depending on what the client did to produce difficult, extremely-tense compensation... can be a whole hour on just that joint. Only other joint like this, is the shoulder girdle (even harder). Client admitted being poor at hydration... and decided anyway to play a round of tennis with visiting friends, after not playing over a decade. Office job and weekend warrior on the basketball court... two things at opposite ends of the activity scale which the body compromises right in the middle, serving neither well. Mild swelling and sensitive to pressure, so this condition was actively causing damage. Flexors first: big bunch of bananas for the deep and superficial finger flexors, then the rock-hard thumb flexor flexor hallucis, which took all their pain tolerance and lots of breaks to finally calm. Then the extensors, which were equally indistinguishable from bone until they relax. Then the supinator and pronator teres, turning palm up or down. With those main movers processed... could more clearly see how bad this was. The radius bone of the forearm, on the thumb side of the wrist... has a little wheel-like end in the bend of the elbow where it interfaces w/ ulna. This allows the bone to rotate in a small cup lined w/ articular tissue, so one can pronate or turn the palm down. It's wrapped partially in the supinator, an unusual multi-belly compact muscle enabling the opposite (palm up, holding a bowl of soup). The other end of the radius should not move; all articulation should be at the elbow. So often to calm the muscles which originally pull the wheel side out of socket and cause the very symptoms observed... one has to proof and zero the wrist first. Yep. Asked client if they had a fall before playing tennis and this complaint -- and replied did take a tumble on the basketball court, slipping in someone's sweat. Land on R wrist? Yup. Wasn't swelling up, so they just ignored it -- which was a pattern for many things, coming to light for this client. The carpals of the wrist are somewhat easy to align, but hard to describe on a forum But did get the scaphoid and pisiform bones moved back to where they'd long ago been displaced to minimal symptoms... but the fall drove ligament stretch to report going over that line into splinting compensation. So had to remove any traces of that pulling on the radius (thumb / scaphoid side) before the wheel side would go in and stay in. I'd say about a quarter of all clients -- closer to half for men -- have issues with seating the elbow. This requires a special spreading of the elbow joint gently but firmly, then popping the radius back into place. Not sure why but men tend to hate this... so developed a gentler 'walking-in' tq what doesn't 'gotcha' the client. Women tend to be fine with it for whatever reasons. After processing elbow-crossing upper arm muscles (triceps and brachialis / biceps)... I'd say this was one of the more spectacular elbow pops I've ever seen irt. A muffled but solid 'POK', as their elbow literally changed shape, like a magic trick. Resting after a larf (it is rather an exp to get this done for the new client)... didn't even notice their elbow were completely extended and straight. I always test the integrity of the work, by taking their hand in mine like we're arm-wrestling... and first turning the palm towards their face, have them pull at about 50% strength. Next w/ palm towards centerline of the body and pull, and lastly, palm away from face. If all strong and pain-free in those three angles, the elbow's minted. After testing, they played with the elbow a few mins, in rapt amazement. Apparently far too much cash spent to get to me... and getting normal function back (smol amt of lingering inflammation's normal, esp if minor damage has already occurred)... they had to remember how not to compensate around. No wraps, no ice, no exertion w/ the arm 48 hrs... or this will come back w/ a vengeance (only other part of the body needing more careful reintroduction, is the neck). Paid and left. Months later, have gotten 10 - 11 other clients from this one, as they owned a gym in Lahaina, no longer there post-Lahaina-fire. That's how things work here, and I want my business to be meritocratic, if that's a word.
Mon 23 Mar 26: Jesus, it's Spring Equinox time already, days are finally getting longer. Not as dramatic as when living in WA or esp Germany (HI is 20N, WA 47N and the old Leighton Kaserne 50N) but tracking it's an old habit from WA days... Still raining. Target has reneged on opening tmw and will instead take another week (Sun 29 Mar). Thought the 24th was a bit ambitious, but corporate overlords tend to oversell to protect their image short-term more than set a longer timeline and suffer the wrath online. If you're anywhere near a Target esp on mainland, there's a reason these big boxes have come to dominate all other forms of consumer life in 'Murrka. Well... at least brick-and-mortar. No work today, so hitting the books as usual. Flooding's keeping the wealthier clients away, since their homes (up on either Hill) are most in danger of washing away. Cancelled trips hearing about such on s/m are reaching my bottom line, so Locals are the only source of income. Not permanent so just have to make good and study a bit... Bright note: should be letting up end-of-week. This being the second time that's been forecast... but would really like the workers cleaning up that massive mess at Target, to do so under clear skies for once. Wonder what corporate's going do re: about the infamous flood damage. Um, HI's known for having big storms, derps -- in fact, the only state afaik that has a 'hurricane season' prominently mentioned on all state news outlets (FL doesn't count; everyday's hurricane season). If the designer of that property -- remember, it didn't exist in 2014 -- signed off on drainage and elevation and impact for it and the bldg... they obvi cut a few corners doing so... or just went ahead despite existing threats anyway, plausibly-denying flooding as statistically-unlikely. Possibly even encouraged by the suits themselves. Be interesting to see how this month of 200-grand-per-day loss actually gets resolved... because flooding conditions / high winds / both, are gonna happen again. --- Ah, my bodywork story for today, hmm... Had a young client come in w/ their parents ~ 7 - 8y ago, a swimmer. Needed to solve a knee issue before heading to state tourney. Could not bend over nor climb stairs... Young people -- in my definition, 25 or younger -- don't have enough life exp generally, to know how to handle pain. Esp for the generation that has never known high-speed internet access or s/m never to have existed... their lives to adulthood are again, in general, filled with a lot more sitting in front the TV w/ a controller in hand, than skinning knees or climbing trees. One exception I was happy in that demographic this didn't apply to, were athletes. Can't be a shrinking violet as a football (soccer) player, running back and forth on the pitch 45 mins at a time. Exposes your kids to pain at a young age, which is how life is supposed to teach one of the foundational bricks of character other bricks get to be built upon. Teaches the value of teamwork, including both leadership and taking (lawful) orders well. Even individual sports like swimming, one has to make friends with healthy amts of pain. This client was exactly that -- confident in what their body could do, and ready to prove it in competition. But TrPs are malicious little energy vampires, whose currency is pain... and this was Client's first exp getting one, and the sense of helplessness it can wreak. Turns out the culprits were pretty nasty.... There are muscles in your legs, evolved millions of years, to handle the activity your ancestors had to do most -- walking. So not surprising 60 - 80% exertion of the legs, is so supportive of all sorts of healthy processes in the body. We had to do it, so evolution brought forward descendants that best adapted to this -- in fact for some ethnicities and genetic lineages, vital for esp cardiovascular and metabolic health. If your ancestors skied in snow to their waist 9 mos of the year, or lived on steep mountainsides, very likely your genes will like more intense regular exercise than other lineages. However... swimming you may be surprised to hear, is not a natural activity reinforced in this way. Sure maybe if your ancestors were Polynesian or SE Asian, where living on or near the sea is a given and hunting in it a legacy thousands of years old, then perhaps a bit more so. But the framework of the human body, was born to walk around constantly, sun-up to sundown. Anyone who's educated themselves in survival techniques and camps 100% off the land, is familiar with how much f***ing walking and climbing and physically working things into shelter / water / food / defense, a hunter-gatherer's life demands. The human thigh has 4 hamstrings, yes, 4 not 3. May be confused, since the lateral hams are listed in most anatomy texts as one muscle -- the biceps femoris, divided into two parts (long head and short head). Academically, yes. Functionally, they do quite different jobs. If you think of a muscle as depicted in emoji form... it's a muscle belly (the contractile part) with two ends that attach to bone in most cases, like your biceps. Also like the biceps, the muscle cross-section is round, not flat. The long head of b. femoris is just that, a long round muscle from pelvis (ischium) to lower leg (head of fibula). But the short head... that's a round muscle that doesn't go across two joints like the long head... instead stays on the femur (lateral supracondylar line / linea aspera) and connects to the same tendon that b. femoris uses to attach at fibular head. This means the short head can't do anything in the hip joint -- short head flexes the knee, and rotates the lower leg to the outside whilst knee is bent. Thus it often becomes adhered and super-tense, when long head's fine -- esp during swimming when lots of kicking to extend the knee happens and the quads develop faster than the hams (esp apparent in teenage or younger athletes). This is where Client had their TrPs, in both heads. Were a bit squirmy -- not surprising as a stranger's touching their most sore spots... which is why I always demand all minors be accompanied by either parents or other chaperone (even besties, whichever makes them feel more at ease with being on the table). But they had a surprisingly deep well of pain tolerance -- which I'd expect, being able to compete at the state level. Little wincing when pushing the blood thru the knots... but in the end with some breaks (and reminders not to hold their breath -- which was funny, as they're a swimmer -- luckily they too found this funny once called out ), managed to release two huuuge TrPs -- well done. Think this session's burned into my AuDHD brain, due to how they reacted once standing from the table. A leg that'd once been painful enough to limp on, was suddenly functional again. Their posture changed significantly in the pelvis and core, not just in how upright their spines are. The light in a young person's eyes when they can chase their dreams again tho... well, caught myself getting a touch emotional. Not only can they believe in their abilities to be there at the starter pistol again... but their own tissues can rebel against them -- but always because it has no other choice. There are helpers who can talk to your body's tissues, help convince them to stop doing that. They did go on to place well in state, which I felt now a part in enabling. This is why I most likely won't become wealthy doing this... but wealth is a relative thing
