Bodywork

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

 

Tue 24 Mar 26:

Target still not open, well that wunt a surprise Instead, they debuted a cloth banner outside on the wall, reading 'Target is closed temporarily' or some-such. Not like it got my hopes up then disappointed like so many other things in the modern world

Mostly a calm if perpetually-pissing-down morning, can't complain too much. Tho did get a call from Mum her car's alarm were going off all night. Usually a sign the battery's going flat... but got in and started it just fine. May have to get water in the cells maybe, or the constant soak finally corroded something to short in the security system in that Honda.

So told her she needed a new battery at least, and that I'd be doing the swap (easy, just remove, take to battery store (dealer) rcv discount for the core, install, boom-juice). Oddly enough, the only other car with a batt going flatt in my care, was the last Honda. See why I'm glad despite the flippant recalls Toyota's creating trying to make too many cars, I'll not be shopping Honda anytime soon? Even their consumables seem designed to generate revenue more than avoid pricey PITA replacements...

Caveat: glad I don't own a new Lexus right now... you thought Toyotas were getting beaucoup recalls, Lexuses are dropping like flies, some models on their second fix for the same problem, much like our 5G rear door debacle. Phew, nowhere as bad tho -- the most recent one's w/ NX / TX, and involves the backup camera not coming on in R again. If anyone's been following YT channels like Car Care Channel w/ AMD and LSFT... in a modern Lexus SUV, when you need to access the components involved on this nutbuster of a recall... the whole dash incl. consoles, instrument cluster, many kilos of wiring, framework and HVAC components, plus the steering wheel and its wiring and fasteners, all need removed. So your Lexus will spend however long it takes, in line with all the other owner's SUVs, in the dealer svc lot taken apart, waiting for parts and labour (being an ex-tech... what the flat-rates'll most likely be doing is cherry-picking the easy-money jobs, meaning even longer waits). Not a great look

will fill in w/ a bodywork story after clients come in

 

You can imagine my ambivalence to a young white guy not raised here, talking with authority about how things are in Hawai'i. And profiting from talking about it

I mean... demographics have been changing in HI at least 25y now. Back last time I lived on Maui, a lot of Local institutions were still Local, just 'flavoured' by encroachment of the larger world, mostly mainlanders moving here if you follow the money. But in 2026, the generations who'd normally inhabit positions of authority my gen enjoyed, preserving the balance of power Locals vs. transplants... they've all moved away, never to return. There are some cogent reasons why Hawai'i but for the tireless, red-misted stubborn resistance of native Hawaiians and plantation-era Locals (also my gen mostly)... has for all intents and purposes, become a suburb of L.A. County:

• when you grow up on an island, you cannot grow in tandem properly in a world increasingly global
• state's leadership's never risked their careers backing investment in any industry other than tourism... and now can reap the conseqs
• my generation's failed to convince themselves, the only way to keep Hawai'i Local, is live here, ideally after living in the real world

Knew once I'd graduated HS, I needed off this g oddamned rock. And for many, that led to staying away from Maui permanently.

At the time (latter half of '80s), that made sense -- still had Boomers to carry on plantation-camp-era traditions and paradigms. But as they aged into their 60s and 70s another demographic was taking hold in local gov't power, like they do everywhere else. And Local Boomers, for all their education and serving in Vietnam... all they really wanted were their childhood memories, why work so hard as a mayor or governor, all I want is peace from that noise. And so as in nature... those who thrived in that crucible, also rose to fill slots vacated by the aging Nisei in '90s, who did care about their island and didn't mind working that hard. Thus handing our island to them.

It's a bit disheartening, to still meet GenX Locals -- actual descendants of the WWI-era first wave of plantation workers from all over -- talk about Maui as if it's a lost cause. Have deeply imprinted, deeply beautiful memories of how things were in the '70s and '80s... and to think that's gone... well can't win a battle if you've already surrendered.

Politicians here tho... holy sh*t they've been dogsh*t for generations. But feel the real reason defiling of this County happened, were when two particular state Governors made Maui their debris fields: Ben Cayetano, and that evil harpy Linda f***ing Lingle. Too long to talk about why these sh*tbirds should be remembered for selling the whole State out, but know this: once their reigns were over, Hawai'i and Maui County, would plunge into the very abyss of factors your white kid mentions in the video.

So the only way any Local born here can know how to save the State from Angelino-ism... is to leave it, and for a long time, then somehow come back to stay for good. Exactly why we as GenX Locals here, missed the boat. Some of us knew and acted, but way too few to make a difference. So my gen will be the last to know a truly plantation-era Local hegemony culturally and fiscally... and that halcyon's quickly fading into the distance

 

Nah, you and I are cool. Not offended in the sense of 'ETC bad, bad ETC', but just generally how much authority can be stolen if sturdy, BS-resistant walls aren't built around every g oddamned institution these days. As if 'oh, no one's correcting me? guess i can control the narrative with this video to other ignorants'. As if corrections will take down the video, or negate its views and likes. Wonder if the kid even feels any sense of responsibility for what he's confidently, algorithm-enforced-words...edly, spewing in that video

My turn to feel ya Man something about being in L.A. just wigs the crap out of me.

Is it the throngs of young entertainment career hoard, 99% doomed to fail climbing the mountain, yet whose faked-make + casual douchery permeates almost everything about daily, public interactions with Angelenos? Is it the reality there're both massive amts of money floating around just out of your reach everywhere, and people making your cocktail / citing your speeding / handling your taxes, may've someone buried under their shed in the back yard? Or just the intense feeling (even in '80s, when I first visited cousins there) the whole city's so big, it's enabled both the above to grow and evolve into something socially I've still no checksums for, as an aspie?

Have been to NYC briefly on layover -- equally hard city for a n00b to read; have to learn by failing as well, which isn't ideal as dangerous as certain parts can be. But 40y on still can't read how to get by in L.A. Got along much better w/ East Coasters in mil than from SoCA, which is telling

But do also feel you about being grateful to've lived in a place, served in a place, that didn't jive with you, but got thru anyway. Sometimes so many wild things happen (AZ ) that you go from hating every f***ing second feet in boundaries, to looking back fondly (for me, remembering how many other gluttons for 110F-, small-arms-on-freeway punishment there were, suffering but with a helluva lot more grace than I).

Mil, same -- glad to've suffered and occasionally won in long years in... but like a casino, the house always wins if you keep playing

 

Fri 27 Mar 26:

Wow -- a clear sunny morning for once! Don't pocket your schadenfreude yet, as coming home squalls -- from the wind direction allowing sun to appear (trades, which bring cool NWerly air vs. storm direction which brought Bali-like SEerly hot and humid) -- were just starting to cross the highway, as had been a month now, just 180º reversed...

Another day before Target opens -- which'd sound pathetic were I still in WA, so many other options to get routine sundries. Do hope these workers are on the back half of this cleanup, which granted for such a giant floor means all sorts of headaches past just getting the soup from around your shins. But this place has so many advantages allowing one to depend on it -- also a hallmark of everywhere else I'd lived with Targets -- finding alternatives proved difficult. As before, a bad habit stores here have re: stock, is not to carry the same things other stores do, so to find something you must patronise one store... and usually even w/ big boxes, one (1) store only. Has to do with vendors having way more power on Maui than on mainland, and less competition. "Where else you gonna go? Deal with it" is the knobby-headed call of the Maui retail store, chain or no...

5G is running great, getting good mpg again. Behaviour on-road is much more similar to the rental 5G -- so my inner-ear sensors were calibrated. Everything's a touch sharper than before... which is great for the last comp'd svc.

have a client this afternoon, more after I work them

 

Sat 28 Mar 26:

Since I didn't update the story yesterday (apologies to both of you reading)... will start off with it.

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Had a client long pre-adhesion-release, probably 7 - 8y ago. Were having a weird issue in the core that cramped up whenever doing Pilates, and eventually go to the point of not being able to exercise anymore.

Pilates isn't popular with me, due to its 1) attraction of beginners to goal-oriented exercise. and 2) for overworking them quickly and efficiently Same w/ Crossfit, which attracts a different demographic but gets them knotted up and injured just as often. Both warn of a pretty long session if the client's done themselves in, even on the conservative side of such a debris field of abuse and neglect.

So looking at the core... wasn't affecting the usual lower body telltales there, few of the compensation chains so familiar to the work. So had to be something started in the core, meaning the core itself had been used to excess, or subjected to forces leading to this condition. Don't need to ask if those reading can figure out what those forces could be... but not that uncommon in this work, tbh...

But whoa -- conditions internal to the core muscles can also refer TrPs to them, like ulcers, metabolic syndrome, and gluten sensitivity... so some respite from the dark side of life for many.

So started as always, with the muscle group most familiar to clients, both figuratively and physically... the abs or rectus abdominis.

A segmented muscle is always stronger than a single long set of fibres bone-to-bone... so since the ab blocks must secure the front of the core during forward movement upright, as well as a litany of other jobs it's a main mover for... they often get over worked with things only really inflicted in the technological age: tech neck posture; long hours sitting on a sofa which doesn't enforce correct anatomical posture sitting, thus exposes esp lumbar column discs to strain and eventually failure; driving long hours commuting in seats which the mfr rarely considers comfort and ergonomic health over nickel-&-diming costs out of.

Then the obliques -- which ime, provide all the conditions for core misbehaviour and pain, about 80% of the time. Layers of flat muscle right angled to each other and diagonally oriented vs. the vertical axis of the body, plus a deep layer perpendicular to this -- meaning any atrophy will often result in overly-tight fibres pressed atop flaccid ones... eventually sticking them together. And as we all know from Velcro... the natural contraction direction of these muscles, cannot separate them... so my hands have to do it. Mind you, this client was worked long before I learnt tissue adhesion release, let alone nerve release.

One tip-off you're at the problem area -- and frequently the source -- is the existence of high inflammation: 1) red 2) hot, and 3) tender. If the client's leaping into jump sign when normal therapeutic base pressure's used... then you can narrow down what can refer to cause what you see.

Client was jumpy, a lot. Usually this is simple ticklishness, which doesn't necessarily imply causation by inflammation. Just checking for the 3 signs tho, found nothing. But jump sign's rarely wrong, even if there may be remote-referring actual causes in other cases. The usual checks in the usual places for that, came up empty. Hmm...

So on a hunch, let them rest a few seconds... then went in again, but watched closely, their face.

Saw in other places they had more banal issues like TrPs, their response to pain, even intense, were very different from when sinking into the 'cramp' in their core. A 'desperation', more open-eyed than closed-eyed (latter which is most people's normal 7/10-level of pain). This reaction wasn't normal... so set about trying a different way in...

Had the client take a break, and asked them a couple of questions about how the cramp came to be during their Pilates exercise. Said were from a tennis match after a long time away from the sport -- usually a common reason genuine cramps in the core happen. Painful, but not w/ the reaction to the work they exhibited. So the issue must've existed before the tennis incident occurred.

Asked what they did: retired. Asked what they retired from, and replied '[vehicle driver], back in [big city]'. What did you do for fun back in those days? And at this question, showed the usual signs of retracting from the question, into self-censoring we all know. 'Not a lot'. Which meant, something more than you'd think

Eventually when confronted with the fact talking about the thing in their core's related to how effective the session would be... some back-and-forth but did concede to a reveal. Won't say what it is here... but was defo conducive to holding a trauma in the tissues of the body. The mind and body cannot be separated when alive -- they're two aspects of the same thing: physical structure enabling the mind to exist, along with the existence of channels of energy thru the body and the consciousness, moving it or not thru space. So when the mind experiences a trauma too severe for the conscious mind to process, ancient automatic processes step in -- and apparently. store it in the tissues of the body. Once bodywork principles are applied towards a solution, the client can release it... but only by facing the pain in their body, no matter what happens -- complete commitment to facing their trauma, thru their pain.

Client seemed unnerved by the reveal, to a complete stranger. Assured them nothing we talked about would identify them in any capacity, as here. Only the pathology and its solution are important to talk about, not clocking my clients... but for the sake of storytelling, some non-identifying details are included

So went in again, being careful to look for certain signs the client needed help, but in an intermediary phase of release... which is psychological. Remember, mind and body are the two sides of the same thing, a literal mind-body.

When the client, in the midst of facing their pain breaks thru -- as in the memory of what happened to embed the trauma, is being re-lived -- they often enter a sort of catatonic state. Client wasn't there yet, but could tell by the expression in their eyes, they'd gotten the memo, and understood the truth of why face this excruciating pain.

When they did break thru... very strange. Every client gets to this point in their own way... and agreed, this was far different than the last break-thru nearly 4y prior, as an apprentice w/ Mentor at my side whispering orders. Client began to fall slowly limp, eyes partly open, mouth agape slightly. They've retreated into themselves, like sliding out of their human shell into the depths of memory. At this point the work itself stops... and 1) you hold Client's R wrist w/ your L hand 2) R hand on the solar plexus, and 3) DO NOTHING FURTHER.

Whilst in this fugue, they're of course very fragile -- they've braved the agency to touch body and mind together at the only spot this can be done safely, facing a trauma. Something somewhere in their past, a violence happened to their oblique front core, and suffered immensely due to it. Doesn't necessarily correlate to amt of physical force used, as when a drunk father comes home and take out his frustrations on a helpless sub-dbl-digits son, mother screaming at them to stop whilst being beaten herself... there are more factors involved in held trauma, than simple force (was an example btw, not what happened).

Client heaved a tiny bit on the table, as I held them gently but firmly. Last time this happened took about 15 mins for them to come out of it... but Mentor had a case where client began screaming top-of-lungs, 45 full mins So were prepared to explain and apologise to neighbors this was exceedingly rare, if it happened.

But they went still a couple of mins... and eventually blinked and shot up to a sitting position, wiping face, eyes settling on my mine. 'The f*** happened to me...?' Explained... and in the midst of the educational spiel... felt at his core, which brought my own hands to his still-sitting-up trunk. 'Cramp' was gone, at least to my fingers -- zero jump sign. Laid them back down to process what'd happened...

Client were in their 60s... and was weird the changes apparent to me, even 8y ago, in their face: looked 10y younger, maybe more. Their eyes sparkled now -- a common reaction to both bodywork and a profound, dual-front release. They also stunk a bit, an acrid but organic odour, which is dammed-up toxic debris backed up behind natural flow in a persistent knot, now lahar'd into general circulation. The older, the more rank... and given this may've been there decades, wasn't surprised.

Drink plenty of water, and put a bit of lemon in it -- not enough to taste sour, just the essence. Lemon helps the tissues absorb water, one of its miraculous uses (lot of citrus does same, but few like a humble lemon). Water's needed not only for cellular hydration, but to carry away the toxic wastes we released. Looked at their face -- the street-trained doubt in the work, gone -- replaced by a much warmer, much more joyous and grateful self free of a pain they'd no idea was burden all this time... reaction of course self-censored as per their generation

Out the door, saw small compensations, saying their brain and spinal cord were not yet accustomed to the cramp area being open for business... and that heartened me. That day was coming soon, and could finally live a life free of that shackle

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will talk about the morning later

 

Addendum, Sat 28 Mar 26:

Where was I... ah yes

Wouldn't you know it, was pissin' it down again. Not the almond rain thank effing God... but defo the same permeating, constant heavy drizzle so familiar from WA days wiping this slop from my visor. Did sort of clear up later in day, to passing pissy drizzle... but given the ground's about 500% saturated right now, I'll take it...

Target's opening tmw, and I'm here for it. Tho tbh, they've not taken down the 'closed temporarily' sign on the front wall of that massive monolithic façade... so hopes are still tempered. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, etc. Am a bit tired of the 2nd-string alternatives in this first shutdown of the place since covid... but you know how when you kludge up a solution around a problem sometimes, it becomes the solution soon enough? Only diff betw. 2nd and 1st string at the mo, is pro lly one more week

Were thinking about this psychological phenom, could be called the 'Cast Away' effect. Someone's at the top of their game at home, entrenched in a set of paradigms written in virtual stone... then forced to adopt to vastly different conditions and routines so far outside that set of paradigms, almost resets the mind thru a hair's-breadth from trauma. Then to suddenly return to the old home ground... and see how fragile and unimportant your investment in the universe you left, actually was. Alt title: 'There And Back Again'.

Have met that paragraph situ wordlessly many times... tho tbh, am not that well-traveled via airliner nor novels. HS nerd and undiagnosed high-functioning autistic, joins US Army... is at home one moment, then 12 hrs later stuffed on a rickety school bus in the dark, to meet the dusty-canvas-and-pine-oil-life of an indentured servant, the next near-decade. Then to exit that life, back into one where the boundaries aren't nearly as well-defined -- bad for parts of my aspie self, good for everything else. Then to realise, were 24yo and lost -- yet again, in freefall.

Guess those 2 decades of bubbling turmoil and forced choices whilst struggling for direction, are why my rather non-intuitive choices (like this journal) exist where and when they do. And zoomed into a tiny microcosm of that, this Target situation's just another forced choice, which of course rankles someone who needs routine to feel grounded. But over the last 30y of getting after it anyway... there's a rather quiet side of me, perhaps one from further back in my lineage... that needs this turmoil, as much as front-end, frontal-lobe Me, hates it. Operating in the shadows Frontal Me casts, flitting about the stage... whilst suggesting alterations to executive decision, completely out of verbal and cortex-cognitive reach... interpreted only thru feelings, washes of things over me: the so-called right brain.

more a bit later