Addendum, 19 May 26: So far, so good. Onward --- What a nightmare this morning has been -- typical Horse Year drama, just like a real horse -- they're fine, until they're triggered by something, and then 2000 lbs of prey animal's barrelling around and over your fence, onus on you to figure out why. But when (if?) you do... can be dealt with, and will willingly be led by the bridle back inside your pen, gate shutting behind them, like nothing happened Didn't think it could be worse... then realised, will have to do this all again, tomorrow Them's the Cliff Notes version, no sense going into something that'll put me in a foul mood again... but quite a PITA. Bodywork-wise... did get in some good sesh (tho had to delay one session at the last moment... one example of the seethingly-frustrating, perfect-storm nonsense borne of this day). But that client did well on the table, so hoping tmw will be more of same. Question for fellow 5G owners percolated into the melon, trying not to red-mist at the absurdity: has anyone else had the same exp with their windscreen washer aim on the driver's side? More and more, seems rather dumb Toyota engineers would willingly aim the washer spray right into the fat bulbous cover over the cantilever mechanism for the passenger wiper (good ol' Lamborghini rake). Did I get two passenger washers rather than a proper driver's one? That would make more sense... except 5Gs are only made in Japan, not here or in Mexico. If this is how far gone Toyota's JDM assembly QA methods have become chasing volume, holy shite (given they've lost billions paying out warranty for casting sand in the 3.5L turbo Tundra V6 tho... workers installing the wrong washer nozzles suddenly seem plausible). Will look up prices for said nozzle, and if the right price, will pick one up and install -- probably record this process, just to see if that worst scenario actually happened. Can't see that being the real deal, as not having washer spray in say MI or FL where salt spray and bugs can easily obscure vision in seconds, would expose the company to legal risk. But if everyone's driver-side washers are spraying into that cover... doesn't say much for the attention-to-detail Toyota paid everything else around the drivetrain (door seal newly replaced after the wreck, is also not sealing, mostly due to how the seal was stored on the shelf, causing a whooshing noise w\ no way to fix it, other than to buy another door seal, and install it myself)
Thu 21 May 26: Yep -- had to go again at 0630 on the f***ing wake-up, to the same place I'd spent all morning with my mother, w/o breakfast, to stamp out the embers from the fire she'd created day before yesterday Not like I'm turning away clients to deal with this crap, right? Anyhow... came out okay in the ed, and got the problem solved -- f***ing finally So you'll forgive me if these posts are now more every other day as rule more than exception. Not that anyone follows, but do want to treat those that actually do, with some respect --- Rain were threatening... but not the sh*tshow on the road, the past two days had been. It's enough just trying to get a healthy breakfast on this space station in the middle of the Pacific... but then to raise my parent at the same time? You're welcome for being spared the red-mist nonsense I'd spew here, adhering to a schedule It did mist a bit... but if doesn't leave the road wet, not a problem at least for me. Actually may help the wind not kick up all this dust coating the 5G mornings again -- seems like either pounding rain or winds kicking up dust and spores and walnut-like kukui nuts off trees, to dent your brand-new hood and roof, are the dystopia we've created, rolling f***ing coal and running container ships on HFO since post-sailing days Growing up, we never had to worry about half the things that cost us money in '26... Since been discussing it... were experimenting at bit more with the 'cracked/pulled throttle' method to running the 5G most efficiently, with a great litmus test of 25 mph gusting wind in our faces, heading north to Kahului for breakfast. Parked behind a family in a 4-cylinder rental Mustang (older driver probably the dad, not pushing the throttle average-4-cyl-Mustang-driver-like , since he probably took a gander at the fuel prices and thought yeah nah. So crawled up thru 40 mph quite slowly -- where in $4.09-per-bathwater days, everything ICE would be zooming past already. A smart person in a Wrangler 4xe (well, not that smart ) had parked behind me, and didn't characteristically zoom around as would expect tourists from the mainland to meet stereotype. Backed off to ~2.5 car lengths... and toodled along at 45, until being passed by a Honda Pilot, whereupon Dad's dadness had to match speed -- so pulled away for a second. Kept the throttle in that twilight between feeling acceleration and seeing the gauge read out of Power throttle angle, alternating about once a second, in a 25 mph headwind -- and lo, despite feeling as if I'd not made any headwind (sorry) into speeding up... looked down to see I were now at 58 mph -- same distance behind the 'Stang fam. That were impressive -- it means that way of high-frequency but lo-amplitude pulse-glide, was actually moving me forward deceptively quickly. Had to back out into regen, to slow myself down... but since concentration were on spacing from the 'Stang most of all, never got dangerous -- keep your f***ing eyes on the road, like the aviation saying: 'when in doubt, fly the f***ing plane'. Not obsess with gauge graphics. Kept about 51 - 58 mph on this northerly sortie -- and when getting out at Target to get my day's Starbie's drink... 57.1 mpg, a record for that direction, regardless of weather. Normally, even granny-driving the 5G... it's more like hi-30s / lo-40s. The cracked throttle method, and its increased torque / efficiency / maybe both, is here to stay, I guess -- northward's the usually the lowest-mpg stretch of the day, since I'm also warming the ICE from a night's sitting. Off to process a client, see you in a couple of days
Fri 22 May 26: Surprise! Have some time today... 92.3 mpg, for the morning sortie coming home going south... but 49.9 mpg going north. That's how much a now-30-mpg-steady wind costs the 5G, with also a slight average incline going north -- nearly halves the 5G's fuel economy Man this wind isn't going anywhere, seems like. Fine with me, as global warming increases overall have evap'd more sea moisture and raised humidity at this latitude, way past the old 80 it used to be into reliably 85 and up -- usually peaking mid-afternoon in the high-90% range At least a breeze keeps the heat moving and evaporative cooling can happen. Pretty Deep-South-miserable here at sea level in proper-June-July-August-September summer, when the air's still (didn't used to be that way; 82 was the high for summer for this area in the '80s)... Still... does help the 5G get ludicrously good mpg, esp when you're stuck in 51 - 55 mph-max traffic the whole way down. 90s are pretty hard to get when the air is still. Think I could've gotten even better numbers, had I needed to toodle around town in Normal mode, where the PCU's finally shedding its ignominious time at the dealer and body shop (being started cold constantly and driven to trigger the ICE to start in warmup mode, 2 wks). So feed your 5G as much of that crack/pulled-throttle diet as you can... well, for those of you who aren't commuting in one thru late Fall, Winter, and Spring when it'll barely matter. Snow and near-freezing temps kill pretty much all the benefits of owning a Prius, besides reliability Had a great day on the table yesterday -- new clients, and thank the stars, all were esp'y good at receiving the work, and not doing something obstructive or time-consuming with their responses. Rare day when 100% 1st-time clients, in a row, all require barely any coaching or advice irt on the table -- so rare, I'm sort of caught out being so used to robotically assuming the usual -- which is the 80th percentile first client, tbf. And got another two clients in that bunch getting sleep for the first time in weeks, dealing with pain in a limb their docs told them the only route to pain-free, was surgery. Grrr... Have weighed the benefits and detriments of wearing Kirkland's new blue nitrile gloves when working. Pros: avoids contamination thru the skin of any harsh meds they may be taking (in worst case chemo and recreational drugs, which can be stored in fat and release when palpated). These're rated for prolonged resistance to penetration by a nice list of these, which grants a certain peace of mind, given all the risks of working on the bodies of the public. They're also vastly better-fitting and resist tearing 1000% better than the old grey gloves; feel more like surgeon's gloves, which works a treat trying to feel finer structures in the body. And they're no more expensive than the Inferior Grey... Cons: Wearing gloves isn't a hardship (I mean, used to wear nitriles as a mechanic 16y), but there are downsides. Mainly, not being able to ultimately feel certain things like fine nerves thru them, as is an insulator (tho not nearly as obstructive as latex). This is the only aspect the grey gloves had over them -- sensitivity (probably a more porous structure letting ions -- and pathogens / fine-enough molecular toxins -- pass vs. blue ones). So protection against pathogens / toxins comes at a price if slight... but defo noticeable. If it's just an acclimation issue, great -- just a matter of time in service. But if not... will be settling for less-skillful sessions, to stay more safe avoiding vectorisation. But with this hantavirus epidemic now genuinely in the US (Nebraska couple on that ship have been ordered to quarantine), cannot ignore vigilance, ramping up to what I feel may be coming -- and that an unfortunately large portion of clients'll simply ignore these threats, until they or a loved one falls sick -- just like covid, just like all epidemics when it's too late to depend on the actions of the petulant, delusional schlub modern American to contain it. We can't even mask, how the hell can you expect fomite discipline?* So really have no choice but to assume for the ignorant -- just like I do riding a motorcycle. If you assume -- and act accordingly -- that all cagers (and an unfort number of other motorcyclists & bicyclists), will act like douchenozzles... you'll ride 20+ yrs without an incident as I had, despite hugely fast day rides in the countryside of Oly Peninsula, with like-minded friends / mentors. When it comes to a deadly disease spreading, all lesser ones will also be avoided with strict protocol. What I did during covid (no positive test since covid broke in 2020, and haven't tested positive ever, and no one reported me as vector to the medical establishment -- in a time when that was the only way to trace the spread of covid back when)... feel pretty good about staying open for those who weren't teething children about a little common-sense caution Which means yep -- get ready, if you're going to come see me for work -- I'm not petulant about epidemiology... which seems to be a trait most exemplified in Americans since Millennials came onto the scene, unfort -- being 2nd-graders about important matters, and spreading their ignorance globally... a different kind of pandemic no one seems to have any solution for --- * this is how this hantavirus strain likes to spread -- not to mention dry rat feces can aerosolise with the virus in it thru agitation in a bit of breeze... risking being breathed in. In the Y2Ks, using an expensive N99 respirator cleaning out a shed on the property for a full wk, decades-neglected and full of fallen pink insulation and rat shite to my waist whilst living in WA... that and common sense practices like vacuuming off if I needed enter my cottage and bathing after the day's loads of giant trash bags were hauled out... avoided the more mild hantavirus infection 100%, zero symptoms post-work and until leaving WA -- which I hadn't expected but couldn't afford more protection at the time)
Sat 23 May 26: Whoof -- been a busy week. Ups and downs but overall, really glad this month is shaping up to be one of the better ones this year (which is almost half over, holy f***)... Had clients today reminding conscience to constantly re-read old manuals and books I've kept as guides for the path -- because for one reason or another, were constantly into the bookshelf today, with light-bulb moments pulling out tomes I've not opened in years. Alluding back to talking about re-reading in another thread... Pete Egoscue's books (mine being 'Pain Free', 'Pain Free for Women') and Sue Hitzmann's 'The MELT Method' are certainly rarely referenced books re: to the table... but this week have light-bulb'd them all... MELT Method is a deceptively-gentle modality that nonetheless can accomplish more in many cases than my own base modality of Zentherapy. Fro those whom facing their own pain directly cannot be done (usually due to a mental block caused by significant historical trauma), often MELT is the only solution they can handle. Does not work however, if the client's being deceptive for a variety of reasons about their capacity to tolerate pain, due to sociopathy or god forbid, psychopathy -- I don't play games, thus can and have ended sessions when shens are detected. If you're not here to address something in your body you can't handle, then leave; have real clients your presence here denies care for But imoe... MELT has broken entrenched cycles of pathological resting tone, developed over decades of poor health and lack of exercise, my other tools can't even put a dent in. Still don't fully understand the exact reasoning behind why it works... and tbh, neither does Sue, methinks. But as many things in bodywork, if it's safe and effective and doesn't exert any downside in exchange... you can always write a paper about theories of whys later All I know, is I can defo help more people achieve relief and vitality with it, vs. without... so glad that book was in my library. What I can say about Pete Egoscue -- any Vietnam-era Army operator, who finds thru seethingly-painful trial / error experimentation on his own borken body, a systematised method to get someone the medical establishment repeatedly dismissed as pastured and unsaveable back functional... well surprise, three of his books found a home on my shelves. Unlike MELT, his methods favour those who're simply sick of being sick and lame, and are willing to put the work in to get back their youth pre-injury. Clients earlier this week restored my faith in one of his book's wisdoms: 'My working principle as an author and exercise therapist is that the most important consultation is the one you have with yourself. Healthcare starts with personal responsibility.' A pictoral bit of advice given to a client that popped into mind from mowhere, was his explanation of the phenomenon of chronic pain in the modern world in 'Pain Free', 'The Vicious Cycle of Modern Pain', which is as follows: We live in a motionless world We develop pain we don't understand Without self-reliance, we skip self-help and immediately seek help from outside experts We get a quick fix to our immediate problem that often fails to address the root cause of our pain The pain continues and because we don't understand it, we become scared still We live in a motionless world -- rinse, repeat (my words) My advice to clients who show obvious signs of decades of sedentary hedonism and pathological lack of natural movement has, since reading his books 10 yrs ago, been to get cracking and start doing so. Let me tell you, by the time some clients, proud with chests puffed about how much pain they've been able to ignore their active lives, then finding that habit turning to betray them and start to complain, then seek help... the window they could've used to change their behaviour well-past, crutching on attachment to ego denying the pain was a problem in the first place... is astoundingly high in a certain demographic (already well-skilled in denial anyway). This sort of straightforward advice is the very thing they don't want to hear... and if they want help from me, better get used to executing and not expecting trust without verification, to allude to a quote from one of their heroes And it's not as if Egoscue Method is some torture rack -- like many things on the path to turning a self-deluded person's life around, it's simple enough to intimidate anyone who's been lying to themselves their whole life. And like a New Year's resolution, once the cat's away... the mice who can't walk but expect to romp around Europe pain-free in two months just because they paid my fee... play Pain has always been an evolutionary adaptation to remove attention from what you're currently doing, to an area of the body that needs help. When the body is damaged by factors in the environment or thru inattention, itself... pain attempts to make you aware of the problem so you can look at it. Pain is a coward, tho -- if you stare it down, into its innards... it loses most of its fearsome power over you and critical thinking. But if you constantly try to escape pain, it becomes larger, more intense, so until you cannot do anything, but look at it. The capacity for modern humans to delude themselves into believing their pain should never be looked at, is epidemic now -- reflected in the amt of coaching I have to do in order to get people to simply admit to themselves, genuinely and honestly, they even can look at their pain, without melting like the Witch of the West. It's not and has never been a pushbutton solution, and no influencer who actually wants to make a living at that dubious life, will wave this herald over their heads to lead a movement... thus younger the gens get, the less this appeals to them, convinced some yokel with a Mouth of Sauron actually knows the truth. But if you surround yourself with three people, all whom believe the solution to their inescapable pain exists in some green powder you blend in a Nutribullet... you'll tend to believe this rubbish as The Truth. So, that subset of people, I can't help. As long as they pay their fee and leave, my responsibility to them ends at the door, like the horse you bring to water. And earlier this year, plenty of those kinds of (ex-)clients, as you'd be a fool to obsess over saving everyone, Instead, concentrate on those you know you can help. Echoes what my teacher said to me in cloister at the dojo so many years back, paraphrased: 'When you shake hands, you don't reach towards the other person to bring their hand up to yours, both must extend their hands to shake. If you're not willing to extend your hand, I can't be expected to help you -- you must want to help yourself.' Have held that as a mantra for clients my whole career, and will continue to do so. Ignore honest, effective advice at your own peril... and for your own reasons you and no one else, must take responsibility for
