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
Sun Warsh Day, 24 May 26: Hoo-boy -- it's gonna be a busy week! Haven't said that since last summer... but as things go, not like you can plan more than a year in advance for anything anyway, given how delusional those in charge are these days. August was probably the last month I can remember, where the work was anywhere near this good... and that was defo trending downward since 2017 or thereabouts (used to work 8 people a day 10y ago, now lucky to get half that). So bring on the work -- time to fill a few notebooks up a year like the old days Have gotten the drying, blowing water out of crevices, and horizontal-surface-waxing of the 5G down to about an hour now, which is half what it used to be. Mostly figuring out what actions I can pull that don't have any serious downsides on the car I drive to the 2nd spot, where the vertical surfaces get done. Tend to follow a logical progression doing things needing done, when learning how to do it or adding other factors to an established routine. But my problem is tending to crutch on what I do initially rather mechanically, as progression seems logical so easy to remember what comes next. When you're the artisan it's a bit hard to think like a foreman, I guess But since the knee injury and this med which causes presyncope and nausea when working too long over a certain exertion level has behooven this sick and injured geezer to rethink the protocol, as much as dig into this particular job (since I can't afford a proper detail every weekend, and don't have a garage like all the other pretty and sano car owners out there). Today was an unusual day in that we had pounding rain for one effing hour yesterday -- right in my commute window -- and today at least started as if that was never a thing -- a bit breezy yes, but absolutely clear and cool. Was so nice in fact, debated needing to go to the second spot (do that, just to escape the encroaching storm fronts that inevitably make it around Haleakala and Upcountry, and glom onto the WMM right above where Spot 1 is, once the roof and bonnet are waxed at the 2 hr mark). So got them done early, then got lunch and headed south. Traffic not heavy, not light, and getting more ornery getting into Kihei as usual. But most are well-behaved -- this island is predominantly Catholic, so Sunday tends to be their gentile day of respite from the week's douchery on-road Was just parking and finishing my doors... when something weird happened. You know me and 'weird' But this was a little bit of a surprise, given the morning. Was finishing the rear end cap (good ol' Hybrid Solutions doing its work as effortlessly as usual), noticed a breeze of about a walking pace, suddenly in a clear sky, turn to 30 mph -- enough to blow my bottle of ceramic spray off the car. Heralded itself with a strange howl from about a quarter mile away -- which had me scrambling to grab the buffing cloths before they disappeared into that sky. 'TF was that all about... not 15 mins later, clouds began to rapidly come around the mountain, greying the south horizon... and the wind hasn't let up since finishing the car (luckily for me, died down to about 15 mph, so could finish jambs and hatch... but never dropped below this, thru coming home. Swaying-palms-kind of wind). Well if that's what summer holds (blustery wind and dust on everything; winter is of course pounding rain)... guess need to make sure my flashlights are charged when power poles inevitably go down in a couple of months... That said... doiing the rest of the car seemed to happen much faster, too. Is the pain of standing and bending at the waist rather than squatting, with this f***ing med weakening me 20y older... forcing the most efficient way to detail the 5G...? Don't seem to be putting any more effort into this chore, physically can't. But since 1) doing the vertical surfaces by hand, and 2) being on this med an extra 30d... seem to get what needs done in significantly less time. Not shortcutting due to pain, can't be -- I'm still doing the same car, in the same order as always, same way largely... except I'm aweigh an hour earlier than usual, before 1100 rather than noon. That's with a lunch break, too Oh -- don't trust those furry detailing cloths: come in a roll, and tear off like Bounty? Feel great for Muppet skin, but are shite for applying and buffing ceramic spray coatings. Get better, more consistent results, from plain ol' microfiber cloths, in the $5 bundle at Wally's. Significantly cheaper too, so that's that for experimentation there Another thing I'd been tinkering with, is rather than spraying directly onto the paint, and overspray dotting everything around where you put it, esp on windy days... spraying into my joined fingers, and rubbing that onto where I need coated, which avoids overspray entirely and affords much better control. Even the finicky Griot's seems to like this method, no powdery residue as with a buffer on vertical surfaces. Buffer's only for roof and bonnet now Busy day tmw... may be in, may not. Life in the 2020s -- lowering expectations since 2016
Prior to second-time-around “body work”: Completed “bodywork”: I would have done the front 2 corners, but someone has “borrowed” my ramps. I’m thinking that I’m gonna hav’ta buy some new ramps.
Wed 27 May 26: The usual mid-week rush of droids hurrying to punch timecards; but the weather mercifully backed off a bit. Seemed to've rained overnite tho, as the morning were a crisp (for us, not y'all) 63F... Am getting the intuition to retorque spark plugs, as all of the modern cars I've owned (post-2000) have loosened over 25 or so K, new or not. Had to hit a VA appt and get vampire'd. How in the heck do I make an 0730 with prior-30 mins check-in, when the bldg (thus rent-a-cops) don't open until 0730? Why on earth does this facility -- catering to military veterans -- open at 0730 and not 0700 like island businesses have since the Nisei built everything of value here? Can understand Costco's logic, but requiring a vet to check in when the bldg isn't even open, suggests a huge hole in some collective heads up there on Floor 3 Well at least this tech didn't bruise me for four days getting their twenty ml of flesh -- and holy moly -- how long have butterfly needles had auto-retract...? Sort of startled me, as usually tech has to draw out the barb carefully then staunch flow, which takes two heartbeats longer than this Wolverine-ing out of my arm (with a serviceable 'shwip-PAK' ). Noice! And much safer apparently, than those non-VA techs last time w\ solid butterfies, taking my property It's Wednesday, so the neighborhood's landscrapers / rock-throwers / organic confetti makers need at least til 10am before I can park with some reassurance it won't be covered in sticky clippings, red dirt dust, and guard forbid, a broken window (only mentioned it, because it's happened here, and no one in mgmt would fess up, despite costing $450 before labour to replace in the previous Honda). To their credit it's not been a problem since talking to mgmt about it, so hopefully it'll be a matter expecting everyone to do their part (which parking a full yard from the concrete verge since The Talk, will prove my part). Landscaping is going on all over town -- had to park elsewhere to avoid tree trimming, leaf blowers hurling pea gravel and grit with little regard for people's vehicles, and the old nemesis of gas-powered weed-whackers. One thing this neighborhood svc has gotten rid of but for a pair left, are the stone-flinging Achilles devices that apparently has cost more irate residents than I'd realised -- otherwise nothing would've changed. Good old push lawn mowers replaced something that should have ten yrs ago, which isn't trivial to me, already nursing several rock chips in the paint from ex-con-hiring svcs everywhere else, despite best efforts. Just got a 99.9 mpg in-dash for a 7 mi+ sortie this morning -- as before, think my two-fillup-per-month habits on-road, are being taken in by the 5G's PCU and applied to long-term trend, finally. Wasn't all that granny'd either -- this bleeding edge for max mpg seems a delicate thread to tread, and doesn't give up its secrets easily. Rest of the jaunts were all in the 70s or 80s in-town... --- back after the morning's clients, maybe
Fri 29 May 26: Whew -- what a couple of days Nope, just working. Sort of in a groove at the mo -- everything sort of channelled into getting the work done. Luckily, weather's been cooperating so not a bunch of storm-related mess cleanup to do as well -- no thanks to the 'landscrapers' mentioned before. Hoo boy tho -- getting amazing mileage in the 5G. Clocked two 7+-mi sorties with 99.9 on dash (which as someone here correctly pointed out, means it could be higher, if I didn't want to reveal my battery charge state to every tweaker within sightline). Given I'm not super-granny-ing it's just weird this kind of mileage hasn't surfaced earlier, since I'm doing the same sort of driving with the same distances, just changed a few habits during them (as outlined in previous posts). Looks like I'm gonna stick with the $0.50 / gal premium for the station I go to, vs. the Safeway with the lowest midgrade on-island -- saving $3 per fillup and risking getting crap from an underground tank which hasn't been properly serviced due to temptation keeping the pumps pumping and makign money (why anything fails these days -- greed) obvi not worth the convenience (is 3 mi closer and on flat land rather than 2000 ft up a hill... but when sh*t petrol gets in your tank, it's staying until you R&R it). So seriously -- is just this micro-crack / micro-glide method getting me literally 20 more mpg...? Well tbf, one of the 7-mi sorties were south, which means wind-assisted -- and with up to 30 mph gusts being the rule this Spring at least, that's not trivial. But some were northeasterly, and the rest in town -- where wind-assist is moot... and nothing's changed there but the micro-crack-glide tq. Don't get me wrong -- prior to this were getting 62+ on the dash, 64 actual so even if it all fell apart, that'd still be 6 mpg over EPA. But f*** -- if I can get 99.9 mpg sorties over my commute distance (or large portions at least), may even move my fillups to once per month -- which is batshirt bonkers. So far fuel stop measurements of true mpg have been super-consistent (hope so -- PITA to keep going to the same pump then parking caddy-wampus so the incline on this hillside station doesn't affect fill level, esp if the station's busy and takes 20 mins wait to get it)... hasn't gone below 63.6 after a month out of the shop. Would like to see it top 70 actual -- would be definitive then. Also noticed grannying throttle angle during the crucial warmup phase of ICE operation, has diminishing returns -- as before, as if Toyota engineers wanted on-purpose to keep Americans from having to resort to pre-5G modes of driving (rolling roadblocks) in order to change perceptions about this 'Prius Reborn'... you'd think that less throttle, less consumption. And to a point, that's true -- your dash mpg will improve the less Gonzales you are about throttle angle when the ICE's cold. But it must be said, your goal is to find a sweet spot, not an open-ended, lazy search for 'if less is better, then even less should be best'. Can get literally 15 mpg difference (32 vs 47) with just 10 mph difference at the end of a set distance heading north to get breakfast. And the kick in the balls, is that it actually wants that 10 mph higher, not lower. So grannying is a pitfall, and foot-to-wood-tweaker-ishness, is also 禁止. 'Tis important tho, when you apply throttle. In about the first 10 mins of operation, in an LE (no shutters to help keep airflow from cooling the engine), best to keep throttle angle low, and try not to bump the ICE to life, staying in EV mode as long as possible (parking lot speeds). But once you're rolling in traffic... can't do anything about the airflow... so actually a bit more angle, to warm ICE faster (remember 5Gs have dynamic cooling iinm, so rad is bypassed until temps rise to nominal). This is where I was still babying the car, thinking I'm saving fuel, when really I were just keeping the ICE On, wasting fuel that could be saved in EV mode. Currently going about 50 mph at this point. This is where the micro-crack / micro-glide comes in. Once warm, m-c / m-g takes care of the rest. Disregard any larger angle when needed, as long as you stay within ~1 sec in it. Longer, and the consumption will tank your average and alter short-term trim on fueling in the PCU, methinks -- all wasting fuel. D u nno how much more I can squeeze out of this Prius w/o stupid mods / more short-sighted methods... I mean, over 90 mpg on any long leg of my daily drive? Remember that warning about 'more is better', canon for the stuffed shirts getting all the tax breaks in this country. Sweet spots are far more common in nature, this 5G included --- Bodywork: again, not a lot to mention, tho tbf this kind of traffic's more common this time of year, when people want to be doing what they do summers, and not lie on your table facing their pain. More band-aid work, which is intrinsically more boring, routine stuff. But doesn't change the income, just my fascination with their problem (and being publish-worthy, besides). Since I hate repeating myself (ironic given how much I repeat stories and idioms here), try not to give you rehashes of the same, if interesting, problems too. Have to consider my two readers' feelings Better luck next check in -- despite more banal work summers... all of my most interesting jobs have been in summer, just way more rare then Spring or Winter
Bumper stickers? On bumpers, not here Hmm -- deleted their comment. Well not the first, and defo not gonna be the last
Your english needs work. It's not the words; its the rambling. Clear and concise is the key to good writing.
Sun Write Extra Long 'Rambling' Post Not in English Day, 31 May 26: --- Yep, gonna be my usual longform today -- even more longform, just because I loathe pandering to the bumper sticker crowd in my own thread Didn't end up warshing the 5G, as the whole day were threatening -- good thing too, as supposed to rain tonite. The car isn't that bad filth-wise (even the bugs so far have been merciful), so next weekend it is. There is a lot of dust in the air due to spiking gust conditions... which is the rule any time of year here these past few yrs, whenever it's not raining Have been noticing a bit more about trying to nurse the 5G into its most efficient modes -- and as mentioned before, it's about sweet spots, not cynical, lazy brinksmanship. That said, feel the least efficient moments in the phases of operation, are in the warmup. Not sure why, but despite sorties in the 80s and even 90s on distances that used to net hi-50s / lo-60s prior... if I even dip a bit into the throttle esp during the warmup phase (that 30 secs or so above 10 mph when cold), get 20s -- which is about 6 - 7 mpg lower than it were the first two yrs of ownership. It also takes longer in this mode, to warm the ICE to whatever metric the PCU has... which I'm thinking may be plugs (need to fish my torque wrench out of storage, so haven't yet done it -- too busy this week, which is actually manna from heaven). That said... perhaps due to less airflow needed overall thru the undersized ICE air filter... hasn't affected mpg that much -- which is another reason to think about adopting your own muckraked version of micro-crack / micro-glide, imo. Does make your shin a bit sore at first, as you'll be constantly doing small precision movements (esp in Normal mode) with muscles normally not used to them (tho my riding days did prime nervous system in the R foot, as that's the rear brake -- which enables capabilities in the wet impossible w\ just the F brake). Having not ridden since early 2010s tho... did bother me at first but seems to have gotten the memo. Got another 99.9 today, which is bonkers But since the usual back-and-forth sorties were out when the buckets got put up... also saved a bit of fuel not doing my usual Warsh Day -- which works out. $5.89 for midgrade -- and 5.405 gals on the fillup -- got into the 65s again, yeehaw... as they say in Hill Country What's more bonkers... is again, it were 14d between fillups -- 2 a month. Spent $65 on fuel in May. Spent that much in less than a week with the turbo Honda Reinforcing the adage there are different 'cliques' of drivers out there, esp on Maui -- and having slowed the f*** down and noticing who were around me when I did... have decided it's a lot easier on my adrenals, toodling around with these lawful, courteous, and usually-consistent drivers. More are crowding in from the Gonzales crowd, because fuel's a buck more dear -- they're pretty easy to spot, since they trigger so easily... just like I used to. But the devotees to 'slow and smooth' (who aren't actually that slow tbh) who've been doing this for years in ICEs... when a tweaker triggers and does their usual 30-over trying to save face we don't give two shites about... it's as if there's this implicit nod to each other, by driving just like we always have, that's just this side of badass-ery, tbph. Another phenom I'm behind... is when there's a tweaker obviously trying to weave thru traffic recklessly (only for us to roll up on their six at the light ) and those less-exp'd drivers around us who they've obvi ticked off, see those of us whom they've also passed, tow the line and stay on msg 'nope, f*** you I ain't fallin' for it'... they seem to want to join in too. As mentioned here many times before, people on Maui -- esp the real, generational younger Locals -- are quite easily triggered. Why? Sure, because they're young and their universe is smaller than yours experientially; haven't done enough f***ing up yet to know otherwise. But because also they haven't had any examples other than 'f*** them before they f*** you', their whole time behind the wheel. When I was a like-aged punk kid, had Boomers from the musclecar age drive very relaxed, choosing their moments very carefully -- and those are whom I rejected in my youthful arrogance, to become the tweaker I once was. So to return to driving like my dad, my uncles, my teachers, my friend's parents... has a resonance for me not just nostalgically, but logically -- things are so much less stressful, if you plan your life around driving at this pace -- which has the side effect of feeling like those days are somehow back again... even if they aren't. I think that's the human reason why, I've latched onto this as well as have so far. Does help this behaviour also nets 99.9 mpg, in a car that rewards this, and punishes that But alas, don't think I'd ever reach where I am with driving, if were still under that doomed turbo Honda, bet --- As before, no bodywork on Sundays... but do have a tidbit about my body off the rather unusual traffic of this week... I do ache a bit, mostly in the wrists. Heavy clients this week, in girth... and tucking hands palm-up under their torsos and working the long erectors of the back... will exact a toll if you do 12 in a row over 3d Working median nerve in the forearm has helped beautifully, but what I'm concerned about are the lasting effects of hard use in the carpals, after I've relieved all muscle tension compressing them from extensor and flexor sides. My injured L wrist has always had a jog in it, which is the head of a screw of stainless plate the moto-hating surgeons at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, WA saw fit to leave proud of the bone surface, where it still rubs everything around it the wrong way. Thanks for your selective professionalism, bias against motorcyclists, and cynical surgeon's 'what are they gonna do, sue me?' attitude, which I'll advertise anytime the subject comes up, 'docs' This means certain angles become the same as the injury in the torn meniscus of the R knee: fine for most tasks, but when pushed, will show flaws and weaknesses, and the nervous system's attempts to stop use of the joint by weakening muscle contraction, or increase pain sensitivity. Have been exp'g both in the L wrist this week. The solution which seems to work, is to take a form of Mg, glycinate -- which is normally for cognitive health -- along with easy-to-digest proteins like beans, tofu, fish, and chicken, rather than hooved Fleisch. Not sure what these do together... but feel so much better after having needed eat just that over the course of the week. Right after sessions my L wrist would be compratively screaming... but dinner with that and a night's sleep -- have been able to tackle the same schedule pretty easily. Mg is both a metabolic element and one which directly serves nerve function... so gonna go with that. But the add'n of esp the fish (in my case, Hawaiian poké form) really helped the wrist carpals (which some facets I can literally feel the wear on articular tissue) recover and heal properly. No add'n of untoward adhesive connective tissue -- which when I eat even a bit of pork nowadays... blooms this stuff in a bodyworker's hands and arms (and everywhere else). My old std has been beans & greens -- which still works, but as I get older, seem to want tofu more than beans -- especially if they happen to have a lot of less-pleasant compounds like phytates, lectins, and saponins (thank dog, black beans treat me very well and are some of the most healthy protein sources on the planet, as well as chickpeas). Tofu's expensive tho and requires a steady supply chain that is muy untrustworthy these days, esp on Maui. So will save it for these eyebrow-raising schedules, when the machinery needs some love. So far, wrists are fine today... but having not warshed the 5G... also haven't pushed it much. More on this late in the week
Tue 02 Jun 26: --- Looks like the banhammer skipped off the anvil a bit, and deleted my content as well Welp, when orders come down from echelon-above-Corps, orders come down from echelon-above-Corps Anyhow... to summarise Mon's post... getting 99.9 mpg -- I mean, at least on dash display, that's as close to legit rounding up as can legitimately happen, up that high in mpg (only what, 24 mpg off the SE PHEV's stratospheric EPA?) Tenths normally take a while to catch ime -- even with 4 consecutive days with at least one 7-mi+ sortie hitting the buck... so am sure not all of the 99.9s were 99.99s or legit 100s (loathe looking at the 8" touchscreen for what the PCU actually thinks my mpg is, which does go above 99.9... as I despise raising BP needing clean fingerprints off that weird tinted-copper, smudge-attracting, cleaner-hating capacitive surface every day ). But again, some of 99.9s could've been 100s, perhaps even mid-aughts. But even getting to the 90s consistently was a struggle the past two yrs, so not complaining. Oh -- broke that streak today, as needed to zip past a f***Ing Mach E driver who just had to change lanes into me leaving the breakfast salad place, but then slowed to 10 below (in a 35) once past. Well I'd be a pissy mood too, had my $50K been spent on one of those Verdict: drumroll...... ... ... ... ... 99.8 mpg Today, The Load taketh away Found something interesting in this quest for sprinkling more mpg onto a rather reliable method for 80s / 90s... Normally if the need to zip around someone not present in the driver's seat happens (esp on a humid, drizzly morning like today), the tenths bleed off quicker than a 787's hang time when something unknown cuts fuel flow to its engines on takeoff for no reason. How to get around this, was to primitively-granny a few days, until penalty -tenths were restored -- which can take a week, even going out of way to the drives I knew added tenths (caveat: in non-4-season conditions, in my climate -- where driving a Prius on black will never happen, unless I somehow want to climb 10K feet at 20 mpg, to get to it). So headed home on the long, net-slightly-downhill slog back home... had a 4WD V6 Tacoma with toolboxes in back (somewhat hypermiling by the way he were driving) slow a bit after a downhill, then wake up and start slowly accelerating back to the pace of the car in front he were matching. Now, slowing at the bottom of a hill here, elicits all kinds of triggering reactions from most people, especially if it's slower (rather than maintaining same-speed) than you were rolling down it. The 5G due to its slight charging recovering energy from the hill, does just this -- so normally either kick speed up with a slight tap (so I end up at bottom with more speed), or just wave those craving more pace around. Thusly concerned ICEs behind would do something stupid in a rather crowded 15 - 20 mins (right around 0745 - 0800) rush hour... once Tacoma sped up, accelerated to match them. In doing so following the micro-crack-micro-glide method, added throttle angle to juuust off Power level, backed off to glide briefly, and repeated this thru 40, 50, and our cruise of 56 mph -- maybe 5 - 6 times. Then drove my recent-normal pace the rest of the drive... and found the tenths that pass in town would've normally punish me a week for, had indeed taken a tenth -- not on the average display (shown when car is On) -- but on the 'sortie' dash display, after the ⏻ button's switched Off. Given this was the only point in the drive in which m-c / m-g wasn't followed, made me curious about what made 'pulses' of accel more attractive to the PCU than just accelerating gently in one go to speed, then getting off throttle completely -- which made into tiny movements under m-c/m-g, is what I'd been doing otherwise. Not sure. But had never seen accel to that level not penalise me a week (not even close to foot-to-wood, but defo trying not to trigger the guy behind, who were decent about gap and pace up until that hill). Did feel rather natural tho... just felt since Toyota themselves and my own experimentation w\ 'get up to speed gently but quickly, then glide' showed results, it seemed canon. Apparently not... so there's even more potential in this powertrain yet? Apparently
Thu 04 Jun 26: Well looks as though the work's not letting up anytime soon: Wed were defo too busy to be criticised by peanuts about my writing style No really -- it's been schedule-sold-out since Tues -- which hasn't happened in some time (actually off the top can't remember the last sold-out week; been pretty spotty since the fires). Which means finally, some actual bodywork talk after the day's clients... There's a modality called AMR I've not used in a while... but this week including today, have needed it for 6 separate clients -- that's a massive ratio. In this gig however, there's real legitimacy behind the notion the work tends to send clients with the same malady, until I learn about how to treat it: the same clients (most unrelated in any way to each other) show up until some breakthrough... then on to the next run of some kind of problem. Eerie but defo true, in now hundreds of instances since apprenticeship. AMR (Advance Muscle Rejuvenation) is a tq I use mainly to separate flat muscles of the back and ribcage, but can be used to release adhesion all over the body -- even inside the mouth for the jaw muscles. In my case were used most often for the back -- in all 6 cases, due to long-term compression and/or adhesion of the back (from long-term convalescence, back-sleeping > 8 hrs a night, sleeping on a futon or hammock, sleeping in their car in freezing weather over a long holiday, frequent air / rail travel, or superficial injury to the back, like abrasion). AMR's really helpful in these cases, as manually separating two flat muscles from each other is extremely painful with more common methods. May've mentioned this before... but the fact AMR even works at all, would be shocking to the layman -- it's little more than a kilo of finger pressure in most cases, and specific movement of the tissues. Looks like you're just playing wth their flesh. But when a client gets >30 mins of AMR, the back feels as if you've beaten it with a ping-pong paddle all that time, as one spry old client described The depth, direction and frequency of the stroke determines effectiveness, so needs training and lots of bodies processed to get acquainted with its limitations... but ime results are still baffling to me, how well this works. The client coming to mind from this week's selection, remind of one right at the beginning of learning AMR, about covid time. Had gotten a good grasp of the basics on my own body a year, ready for clients. The easiest place to start, are the erectors of the spine. If you take the AMR stroke away from the spine on the ribcage, in most cases you'll feel a 'grrrrick', like passing your fingers over the edge of a pack of cards. This sensation's the telltale you've found an adhesion. Changing tq a bit, you stroke until the 'riffle's gone. Test with fingers to see if the area processed moves more fluidly than before, vs. unprocessed right next to it. Easy as that -- the hard part's figuring out how to both find and process these 'riffles' in structures besides back and ribcage. Can't describe the feeling in hands, other than at start they can feel 'mid-frequency' ('peaks' of the riffle far apart and riffle feeling very 'coarse') or 'matchbox striker' (peaks so close they blend together, and feeling much like running your fingertips over the striker of a big BBQ match matchbox)... then rather melt into a 'thick'-feeling fluid until no riffle at all. The treated tissue loses its high muscle tone, and feels relaxed, light, and pliable (like a raw chicken breast). 10m after the treatment, area gets hot and quite tender, despite my best efforts staying safe with this modality -- the tenderness and redness are a sign the treatment worked, besides immediate gains in range of motion. Have restored someone who'd recently (last five yrs) pivoted from IT to manual labour, in the freefall that's the 2020s in this country... who had terrible adhesions in the back from a life of cube-farming, to actual farm (and other) labour -- two activities that couldn't be more different. Their L upper back were so bad, the tissue felt like someone had hot-glued all the muscle layers to the ribs... a solid mass of 'gormless', stiff, non-contractile muscles about the size of my hand. The usual cross-graining didn't even put a dent in it. But AMR took that burnt steak under the skin, and turned it from strips of diner bacon, back into plumped, healthy tissue -- with a kilo of pressure used in a certain way. Astounded at the time, bought the only books on the method on sale, that night. Nice thing about this flood of clients since May, are there've been many great sessions -- way out of normal frequency. Met some really f***ing neato people from all kinds of career paths and backgrounds -- some of which know where I learned this from, even (maybe 5 people in 16 yrs). Hell wish there were more people like that, on this forum (Don't worry, there are -- and those who either are or know these posters, don't need to be told who -- it's not a secret And no, don't give two shites if I'm one of them -- this is an anything (well, anything the banhammers mint )-goes thread on a Prius forum -- not like my words are why people come here ) So nice to get reacquainted with an old tool in the box, and meet some really cool people. The social aspect of this path isn't why I got into bodywork... but durp there's no f***ing way you're go nn a succeed as a bodyworker, if you don't know how to communicate with a plethora of different kinds of people. Have hated mixed crowds since the military and nights after the military, full of goddamned Marlboro smoke, cheap beer, and drunks... so don't seek them out, which unfortunately most civilised society feels is where it all happens Had my share at 500% intensity almost 10y in mil, so all my tolerance for it's long-gone. But the interactions on table, that's my speed... and when you get to a certain level, you stop needing deal with the boring old something-for-nothings (tho tbf, they never fully go away, as if keeping me on my toes )
Sun Holy Ferk An Actual Warsh Day, 07 Jun 26: Yup -- couldn't be better, lack-of-rain-wise -- beautiful horizon to the north w/o the ominous charcoal gray wall of nimbus-wannabes, or clouds atop both mountains whipped smooth and lenticular by 40+ mph winds. A sight I'd not seen... well, since last year, really But alas, 'nope' were still in force -- the chance of winds being over 20 mph were quite high judging by the hourly forecast... but despite, took my time getting ready, even leaving later than my weekdays, which I'd never done before. Why? Because today, is the 1st day in 120, that my liver doesn't have this med inflaming it... There's something to liver disease causing ascites, or a swelling of the abdomen with fluid. I'd been noticing since the start of the original 90d regimen, that my pooch were rather, well... pooch-y. And when that didn't kill what it were supposed to... the add'l 30 really leaned into the mid-50s beer-swilling cirrhosis brinksman -- were rather embarrassing, actually... as several clients and few others in my world, had markedly pointed it out. 'What's the deal with your belly, dude?' Uh, medication? ('yeah right' seemed to be the initial non-verbals that I could see anyway )... And wouldn't you know... the first night not taking this stuff, the belly's noticeably un-pooched itself -- not all gone as some of it were from inability to work out... but the balloon-like, W.C.-Fields-esque arc of bloat's gone -- now to shave some arse off the rest of the belly And btw -- doing the 5G detail today -- which on the med were an easy 4-hr job w/ multiple breaks -- now done in 2. Yes *two* hours. The backache were gone, the knee being super-temperamental were gone, the need for breaks obvi, gone. Holy shite, careful going on this med, or any that are hard on the liver -- ages you 10y easy A weird coincidence related to this tangentially, will be in the Kwink thread Ach, today for some reason, was a two-tenths-eater -- maybe it were the wind (which for whatever reason here on Maui, has always meant bad luck in a few of the East- / SE Asian traditional beliefs here); maybe were some other reason the tweakers were out to play. But just could not maintain my usual laid-back pace, to mpg detriment. Made back a tenth after the detail so only down by one (will probably get it back tmw on the usual weekday slog)... but still, it does remind, my pace (and the micro-pulse/glide success) isn't always going to be possible. Speaking of which... mentioned Griot's Garage Ceramic Wax before... but've made up my mind, this product isn't going on the 5G anymore -- at least until it cools down again. Realised it were windy. Realised it were warm. But neither of those conditions have stopped this stuff making a shine, esp on the roof and bonnet. Today, it did, with a vengeance -- recall I'd mentioned it created this white haze when applied to vertical surfaces like doors, and when buffed, made more haze than shine. Solved this by replacing the Griot's with Hybrid Solutions and only applying by hand... which still works as HS can be applied in direct sun. But the G's always did its job on the roof, plus has better UV protection than HS, lucky break... whilst it lasted. Yet again... sitting in the car at ~90F all day sometimes, does something to a half-empty bottle of G's, that renders it utterly useless. Going to relate my exp on G's Ceramic Wax ad on KaBlam-azon (a la recent rocket 'plodey), since this has never happened... when you pay $23 for a bottle, you want to be able to use the whole thing, not just the first half. Were gobsmacked, really... it were sieeeeu bad. Splotchy and smudgy, just the opposite of what it's always done. Supposedly this can be applied in direct sun too... but with carnauba in it, highly doubt that (HS has zero carnauba, or any wax in it). So sadly, my experiment with this pricey stuff has come to an end -- HS is super-forgiving, gives an equal shine for less work, and doesn't need an orbital buffer to do the roof (will still do so, but now spend much less for product -- same volume bottle is $16 with vet's comp at my auto parts store -- almost half what G's wants for their rather tempermental stuff). Just cannot get over how much better I feel, without this med in my bloodstream -- and tbh, I were doing full client schedules on it, so after 120d, had forgotten what that felt like, rather ominously. But the rebound after only one day (need to take milk thistle to clean up some of the carnage I'm sure this stuff has left behind) has been encouraging. Only have one liver... so if I'd actually damaged it trying to rid my body of something only this stuff could achieve... would be depressing. Dodged that bullet, looks like
