Fri 12 Jun 26: Kinda like this new schedule -- ticks all the boxes, great --- A weird morning. Du nn o how to put my finger on exactly how, just the normal rhythm's changed somewhat. The morning commute's weather were a lot better than the past wk, which were at least that much better than rain... but all the usual touchstones haven't been working, as if goalposts have moved somehow... Not for the important stuff, really... but as an aspie I tend to notice details more than most. Patterns are things that sort of buzz under my skin... and I get used to those frequencies as a sort of familiar, calming thing, best I can figure. So when they change, I notice. People are oddly beginning to diverge in their habits, between accelerating pace, and decelerating. So the delta between's become broader and more noticeable. The feeling's collectively more disjointed, more cynical (which I'm convinced, the bulk of drivers on-road on this island, are looking for any trigger to leave a semblance of unity and order), whilst the new slow-and-fine-with-it group I've noticed and settled into, are actually slowing down even more -- past the practical speeds the 5G needs to get best mpg -- which is pretty slow, given I'm rarely over 55 now, if can be helped (old average was about that, so peak speeds were 60 - 65). Not only on-road tho -- even walking around, for a Friday it all seems rather scant... and who is there, actions feel quite scattered. Little things at the usual haunts, are being left undone all week (even thru the flaky weather which can unnerve us tropical schlubs and fortune-paying tourists). Usually Friday has the tweakers doing their dumbarse shens near pau hana time... but today, mostly they're absent. But little bits of sand in the figurative speedos, were everywhere. For example, no straws at Starbies in Target, all week. They constantly run out for a day, but never a whole week. Next were prices at the co-op market I love, which had snack preserved plums and other treats from China, Taiwan, and Japan I lurrrv: anything savoury with animal meat in it (mostly seafood), were over $12 a bag now, of perhaps 4 - 6 oz of product (pretty sudden jump from the ~$8 - $10 it used to be for same just 2 mos ago. Guess need to check up more often, as couldn't eat these snacks on the med). Next two were close calls, all because I'd resisted the urge to listen to the dying-but-still-present voice, to rush (behind wheel of 5G). Lastly, the bank employee, who were usually literally seconds off my wristwatch for opening at 0830 sharp... got there 2mins late and for the life of her, couldn't get the door to open -- we in line outside uncharacteristically waiting for her to get it together All are examples of things usually as reliable as life can be in this day and age... failing all at once, today. Being careful and taking that extra second, made these events roll off the back without incident... but still not as in-the-pocket as has been -- oddly enough, when it were raining more. Does someone born in a storm, still fit into the fractal of daily life better, when it's crappy outside? Nah, doubt it -- otherwise I'd have noticed. But doesn't rule out that certain things may tend to fall into line, at least as relates to the course of my life...? Have noticed signs of that, more than in-general. So maybe I think the kicker that let me know, someone up there wasn't going to let me keep riding this luck wave any longer than I have... was spilling a very troublesome food on the carpet, once home. Needs vacuuming and chemical cleaning... so a down-tools, non-deferrable FFS moment. These, am not all that good at figuring out the purpose of... as in past they've both heralded something good (almost like paying Charon the Ferryman, passage in a few coins), or just reinforced my day was going to be like this, until something (rarely known to me what) changes. So just trying to stay present, trying not to miss anything obvious, either everyday-practically, or in the weeds with my batshirt personal exps, I do know what to do about... Sorry if this seems overly foo-foo today -- not my intent. But more than other days, this feeling I need to be on alert, seems obvious enough to overcome my typical cognitive density --- more when afternoon's clients arrive
Sat 13 Jun 26: Sorry -- yesterday's client's cut in half by someone's classic excuse: 'O hai, left my place on the West Side 30 mins later than I shoud've, and didn't scout out the route despite a week's lead on the appt... but am going to be late 30 mis, is that alright...?' Nope -- times 2. So only two others for a very short day... and unfortunately didn't have anything really to talk about not already mentioned here. Better luck next week... Tbf, that excuse used to be epidemic for this biz, when I charged a lot less for fewer modalities and exp, before covid. Apparently have moved into a new demographic where people are much less apt to act like children and much more to show to appts on-time... seems important distinction, is they do the the xtra work for that eventuality never to happen, which is how everyone around me growing up and especially in mil, were socially-contracted to conform to. Am very sorry your life is hard enough, you can't bear to take a few mins to even look at the email and directions video I send every client, with detailed maps and instructions in plain English (refined over many years)... then when you're late, blame me for being unreasonable. Nope, not having it, better luck next time (or with another provider). And to be crystal-clear, this is from the past and not a phenom today, charging what I'm worth... My rules are simple: treat me like your medical provider. Do they let you slide when you're 20 mins late for an appt in a packed waiting room? Nope. Do they care your sister's boyfriend's mom's dog died? Of course not -- it's not their problem. There have to be rules, boundaries that are clear and apply to every client. You can't make your appt, call 24 hrs ahead and reschedule. You can't make them on the day? Reschedule again, take the hit and learn from it -- it's not my fault you didn't make it here by 15 mins after the hour you're supposed to be at the door (yes, do grant 15 mins grace, just like the local clinics do). But you don't make even that, don't get in my face, or sh*t-talk me on your choice of echo chamber, because you didn't make you own chosen appt on time, when goalposts hadn't moved a micron That used to be the stressor pretty much 3x / wk, back in those lump-taking days. And these kinds of clients now, apparently had very coddling providers to spoil them (and will never completely go away). But can't run a business like that -- nigh-on impossible to accomplish anything worth the price of admission in 45 mis -- need often more time (and more cash) for select but common problems. Can't see whether they do, until on the table... so need more time to start, then atop that, show up >15 mins late... penalises the following client w\ severe hits on their time. So have to draw the line somewhere... Rant over -- the client in question yesterday, wasn't anywhere near as aggravating as those older clients in the day. But just goes to show this gig should be more about healing and vitality, than it ends up being in practice. And yep, I still love it
Mon, 15 Jun 26: Interesting -- my Sunday post was taken down. Hope I didn't hit any nerves... --- Weird day, in doesn't feel at all like things are settled, like in past 3 wks -- which felt a relative lull in the storm that's been '26. Summer is bona fide here... but tbh on-road of late, has felt like any other time of year, save the ghost town of tax time. Except today People are defo triggering hugely in traffic -- most of it blowing by almost at tweaker-ish (normally rare) levels, but today it's everyone. Have missed a big event locally in past, and people zipping around doing the weave thru the bulk of us, as w tf moments... but nothing big's happening here, other than World Cup? And that's oceans away... Could people actually be this effing excited about futbol? Thousands of miles from a sideline seat? There are zero WC matches happening any closer than Seattle, LA and SF, all 5 hrs away at least. So if say, flailing doing rounds for buying stuff for viewing parties after work are what's actually causing this mess... futbol will go in the same mental bin as US ball sports -- unless your gear includes an engine / EV motor, count me out of that glandular jock stuff Oh don't worry, I don't discriminate against US sports exclusively -- never offer to take me to Japan's or SK's version of baseball, as I will doze off in my seat on the amazing food -- yep, and they've been doing it better a lot longer than US. Then there's the traditional bloody violence of esp UK football... man whatever, I'll be at this supermoto or local WRC stage, dodging marbles and not drunkard spittle Don't remember my dad driving like an idiot prior to Super Bowls growing up -- in fact back then, were so much fewer tech-enabled runs on nosh ingredients and beer and such, had to shop ahead -- which prevents these bottlenecks procrastinating, I guess. The last one I regret attending, made my inclusion of a Central Market 7-layer dip and blue chips feel slightly insulting to the host, grilling effing wagyu burgers and poor wife slaving over something in a molcajete, whilst he poured a row of shots on a home bar. Count me out -- this isn't leveling-up, it's increasing the cost of entry for a sport I care nearly 0 about, other than quasi-socially that one Sunday a year Haven't gone to a SB party since -- and that were 17y ago. Slight aside... do like watching Olympic sports, because you don't need as much advance, season-cultivated knowledge to be wowed at what they can do. Like women's judo esp -- and last year Japanese judokas handily cleaned up. Do love the lightning-quick decisions from exp at that level, without a lot of the jock posturing I see in that sport on the men's side (not as much with male Japanese senshu, but other country's judoka, oh yeah -- some even on the women's side). Today's sessions were kind of aggravating, as one had to be interrupted because of an emergency I provided the solution to the person responsible, years ago and constantly, just to be ignored until it drops in my lap as a showstopper, right in the middle of my f***ing session. I comp'd the client for the trouble (they ended up rescheduling, seeing the pickle this had put me in w\ no option)... and found the issue couldn't be resolved without a part swap -- meaning it couldn't be fixed anyway. FFS... But past that... pretty smooth for bodywork 2 & 4 hrs after that. Nothing like a great (and new -- even better) client exp, to iron out the scorched earth from a hardheaded procrastinator's problems cutting into my income
Thu 18 Jun 26: Whoa -- that was a lull Nah, just trying to flow with the summer schedule heating up, I guess. Some interesting clients since last post, but realised I'd written about similar problems less than a month ago, drat. Anyhow, did some volunteer work as well for O-Bon season here on Maui, and the temple I go to had some interesting exps to share... Haven't volunteered for this event in pro lly 6 - 7y -- mostly due to work as summer's the bumper crop... but also since had little interest in noodling with the public vs. just temple members (as is New Year's ceremony, which I don't miss). Luckily, found tonight was just prep for the cooking tomorrow, as the temple will sell food, nice. I like busywork. Think about a restaurant family in Taiwan, gathered at a table before opening, to make the next day's pot stickers and talking shite. Same sort of vibe, except with us, were untangling sticky flat noodles for the dish we're selling. Come in compressed bricks, that must be cut in 4 then oiled to loosen their defrosted carb manes (otherwise the noodles don't cook evenly in the pot). Think of Fruit-Rollups cut into cm-wide strips, then stuffed into a bag and compressed for weeks -- that's what we were unf*cking for 4 hrs Tasks that require strict attention to detail, but once you know what to do, very little other mental i/o... been attracted to it since kiddo days. My dad used to gather up these tangles of fishing line from a generation of lines and weights and floats in the bottom of his tackle box, toss it to me, and say 'see if you can untangle this', whilst he fished. Knew he was doing, because I'd be both stationary and quiet, the whole time Whenever I'd get frustrated, he'd say to calm down, there's always a way to untie a knot, just gotta find it. Then I'd be back in aspie-hyper-focus-land, and look up to see the sun was about to set So really enjoy doing this 'potsticker work', which was a delight for NCOs in mil, as they knew I wanted the kind of bonkers tasks that'd drive most people nuts with boredom. Not raking leaves or scrubbing heads... but things like 'SPC, look thru all the fan-fold printouts in these 15 boxes of output, find and remove all the pages that have '0056D' printed at top right, tnen bring them to me'. Done... So was nice after a lifetime away from that environment, to again lose myself in this task, riding vs. fighting the aspie urges... whilst five other people all doing the same thing, were also silent and rapt in their own worlds, untangling noodles. Plus we had chicken tenders in ranch as a reward. Don't mind a bit of junk, if I've worked for it --- What is the deal with young people in the news dying all over the country? Run over, mauled by bears, drowned, fell from a horse carriage in NYC? And the fires (not Moscow btw, which tbh are spectacular) and explosions and plane crashes and other mayhem? Was Spring just a calm before the storm or wut? --- Times like these, get curious if the Chinese zodiac reading shows any interesting parallels, in the rollercoaster-like Year of the Horse. And the Horse is known for even more mayhem, when its element is Fire -- 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Even less auspicious -- think about it, the mercurial, hair-trigger and fickle nature of the Horse, with the all-consuming nature of Fire. Yeah, sounds like this year alright
Fri 19 Jun 26: Whoof, getting warm all of a sudden. Which is weird then, that despite not having the A/C on all night (just the fan)... the towel atop my bedding hasn't been soaked in sweat for once. Did stand for 3 hrs doing volunteer work yesterday, but also sat for 2 more. This to me, reinforces the notion that low-level busywork most of your day... keeps you healthy. Slept like a rock (had already been taking Mg glycinate for sleep... but last night was a noticeably more lovely night of rest). Bit ache-y, as not used to standing that long doing a task at just-above-waistline-level... but obvi body liked it in the end, even if protesting from lack of familiarity -- means I need more of it. Back to warm: yeah, that summer's here-on-Maui heat what saturates the air, defo back. Had been getting my tea (hallelujah, drinking actual Camillia sinensis with lemongrass again!) w/o ice all winter & spring... may have to get it back in at this rate. The 5G seems not to mind, at least not yet. It's not late August / early September, after all -- that's usually when the b*tching starts But didn't mind much last summer, or the August I bought it. Still up in the high-80s / lo-90s for mpg... which is stunning. Refueled before the volunteer work yesterday... and found my last fillup was 19d ago, getting close to dbl the 12 it used to be at one point. If you want a reason to adopt the micro-pulse-micro-glide method, that should be it In other news... holy crap, avoid cheap motels (and business-traveler ones apparently) in MI and OH Even generally-tidy SK and JDM have problems with their hostels and BnBs being infested with these nasty things, so be careful and check your bedding, ulch
For some odd reason, things were going good for me today. While shopping at Harbor Freight, for new car ramps, I ran into the guy that borrowed and still had my old ramps. We went to the lot, he got them out and put them in my car. For that, I gave him the 25% coupon I was gonna use since it expires tomorrow, and I no longer needed it. The point of all that is that I was able to do the front-end body work I have put off. HERE it is … Prior to work: Post work: Prior to work: Post work: There was a lot more biffage on that second corner, so I used considerably more tape; Gorilla Tape. LOL, it just happens to have the same example for a “Pro” and a “Con”. It don’t come off easily. It was a serious drag getting the old stuff off. If/When I ever do this activities again, I will probably just put new tape over the old tape. Whatever. In maybe an hour or so I’m gonna do the headlight covers. If it comes out good … I’ll post it up.
There are about 60-some choices for headlight lens cover cleaners. I made my choice using three(3) metrics; price $14, ease of use w/ no extra tools and only two(2) steps, and name brand, “ArmorAll”. HERE’S how it came out: Before: After: I’m thinking they look good. I’ll find out the next time I’m driving at nite.
Sun Warsh Day, 21 Jun 26: Zepp: thx for the update on your car bodywork repairs -- they look good! If it keeps another Prius on the road, by all means... However, this thread isn't about automotive bodywork. It's about deep-connective-tissue bodywork. Well, mostly If it's what you feel's best for sharing your car bodywork adventures tho, I'm willing to let it slide. Just as long as this thread doesn't become one for Bondo and fender benders, you get a pass --- Welp, the forecast seemed to portend a clear day -- not much wind, no rain at all; < 5% chance around here usually rounds down rather than up. But that all fell apart, shortly after leaving the house Did get up somewhat rested... however was in a weird headspace. Couldn't put my finger on it, but was distracted more than usual. Best culprit: missed taking my glycinate does last night, as was a rough day on the table with a last-min client, of course more difficult than expected. So tired once out of the shower, hit the pillow 2000 hrs and were out -- as in, didn't rouse until 3am... and of course, couldn't fall back asleep... so just watched NF until 5am and the Sunday Warsh rigamarole Well sh*t -- can't forget to take that stuff anymore -- esp after enough of a hard table day, my hands still ache But missed my turn to go to the warsh place, 3x -- hoooly. Got the 5G washed and dried... then saw it. The car was 100% as clean as if I'd already waxed it. Didn't feel freshly waxed... but damned if I could tell the difference, walking around the car. Even the feel under a fingernail, were just like it'd been waxed. Well guess the universe were trying to tell me something... as realise it now... after summarily ignoring it So headed south to the secret place (I am a servant of the secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Arnor... ) and began to inspect what my eyes were telling me, I'd done this warsh day, for almost nothing but the initial warsh. And yes -- the vertical panels were so untouched by the past week's weather (which wasn't totally dry, btw)... the reflection of my feet 2 - 3m away, is exactly what it usually is post-wax. Why do it? Well, because it's my day to move, to peractice what i preach. There was other stuff to do like the sills and interior... so left the vertical panels alone. Also found something rather irritating about the Hybrid Solutions ceramic spray: despite it not doing all of the things I dropped Griot's like a lump of lava from my ever using again... it does have limits (like it's inferior durability to Griot's on horizontal surfaces... but for how much it costs vs. Griot's, reasonable to overlook that, waxing every week). But just found out today, pro l l y 8y after finding and using it for my silver cars... that it can fix the Griots's problems -- with an orbital buffer Recall, one of the reasons I even sought another ceramic spray, were the HS were clouding up vertical surfaces when orbitally-buffed. So went to hand-buffing on doors and nose & tail cap, Griot's for roof and bonnet. Soon found the less you mess with HS, the better it initially shines to... but after a day or so of exposure to UV and / or heat... it looks even better -- and gains more desirable qualities, like resistance to scratching and deeper lustre. So when Griot's (which I'd been using on the roof almost since buying the 5G) began to give problems w\ the rising heat and earlier sun exposure (Griot's is not great at being applied in direct sunlight as opposed to HS which shrugs it off), thought I'd have to clay-bar the whole roof and bonnet, then start virgin with HS. After doing the roof by hand, ah sh*t -- see some splotchy areas, probably where the two brands don't like each other (I'd guess the carnauba in the G's hates the all-polymer base in the HS). So a bit dejected, drove south to my spot and resigned to scrub the roof until it went away. Except, I didn't... Just to see what would come easy and what would fight... dribbled a bit of HS on the splotches... then rubbed with a clean microfibre cloth. And stepped back, to see how much of a fight this stuff would put up. Nothing -- that dribble of a few drops of HS and a hand rub, erased 90% of the flaw. Hit it with an orbital buffer with a spritz of HS on the microfibre bonnet (on the buffer, not the car)... and like magic, it all f***ed off... So you mean to tell me , that I could've used HS on this roof, with a buffer, and nothing like the mess on the doors would've happened...? The answer, to Fyooch's dismay... was 'yes, you moron' Why the eff didn't I try this earlier? Guess I were still under the spell of the Project Farm test where Griot's 3-in-1 dominated all ceramics in '24... but of course that test didn't use bottles that sat in a 120ºF car interior in Hawai'i for the other 6 days of the week I wasn't warshin'. Griot's, do better. For now, my magic warsh day potion, is Hybrid Solutions ceramic spray, in the green and silver bottle, $5 cheaper
Tue 23 Jun 26: Ach, drizzle and wet flingable spots on road from an early-morning squall. Weather is turbulent, and didn't feel great about keeping the Prius non-filthy another day, as had to stay in town for errands Wind was also in front of it blowing slightly north-northeasterly (for those not Navy vets or aviators, wind coming from the NE. I didn't know this until an embarrassing age, so just paying it forward )... so were another sign the weather pr0lly wouldn't be cooperating. Had to go to the vampire clinic to donate blood again (have been stuck more since turning 50 than the previous 50y, 2 - 3x easy by now). Wasn't too happy about the last stick... as for the first time at this clinic, got a massive bruise. Nothing had changed what I'd done for years to avoid them, so had to be the tech. Brought this up to today's tech, and they said to put more pressure on it. So what was the elbow-bend I'd been doing since a child, not doing all of a sudden? So a bit miffed, bent the elbow as I'd done for years. No bruise Poopdeck-CPAP-y requires destilliertes wasser, so headed to Wally's for my $2-per-gallon jugs of steam-descaled... when the dumbest handles ever designed for lifting something as heavy as a paper-thin water gallon jug, of course broke off the neck, and just missing my foot. Great Value, my arse No damage to the jug, so tried to reapply this DHED back onto jug... and of course, didn't want to go back on. So left a non-leaking jug of distilled with the handle off on the floor, so no one else gets a gallon of water dropped from waist level on top of their arch --- Yesterday's client was an interesting one... reminds of one from about a year ago, last September thereabouts... Know the month, since last Sept the rains came early -- which cooled the island off a lot, but brought with a lot of wind, too -- filthy days. Client drove thru a nasty run of that from West Side over the winding Pali cliff road (around the south point of West Maui, where traffic backups are legion), and got to me a few mins late. Tbh am usually a stickler for punctuality... but given the backups over the Pali at the time... being a hardass wasn't appropriate. They made the proper effort, and I'll never turn pennies into wire when due diligence even close to military initiative's, actually executed They did come in pain, tho. Listening to Client's routine (described by their daughter), they're defo not the sitting type -- actualise just about all the things I try to drill into clients on the table about actions catching up w\ procrastinating about moving around more. But their usual routine of busywork, like human beings over thousands of years keeping problems out of their bodies, had recently been too painful to do -- and I know more than many... that's a very bad thing for a family matriarch. Looked at the front of the core and lower body -- usual atrophy... but for their age, nowhere near what it could be (and usually is, if they're here). But laying them on side and palpating the lower back, posterior hip, and ham area... bingo Even touching certain areas of the 90º-flexed hip joint whilst on their side, produced audible gasp and jump-sign, where the client involuntarily reacts to pain with jerking movements away from my hands / elbows / knees. About 1 - 2 lbs, or the weight of a nice steak and potatoes meal, was impossible for the client to bear without jump-sign -- classic sciatic nerve adhesion. Got worse when extending the hip joint (legs straight whilst still on side), and palpating the same depth. So had them lay semi-fetal on the same side again... and felt around the back of the hip joint -- where dragons live. Turns out after a bit of probing questions, found the reason for this suddenly rising to kneecap their daily routine: they'd recently had to get a procedure done, which left them convalescent for a few months. Was their usual chair, a recliner? Daughter looked at me puzzled, how did you know? Well, when one has to inhabit a recliner (usually La-Z-Boy -- the bodyworker's jokes write themselves), your hip joints are bent nearly to 90º, but your knee joints are nearly fully-extended. I couldn't feel the sciatic nerve tense bending / extending either knee, so had to be a recliner (or an F1 car seating position, can't be ageist ). Addition of medications possibly increased rate of inflammation, which brings on faster dev of the bodily glue that eventually binds a body into permanent, irreversible debility. Luckily we caught it before then... but just. More howling and rest, howling and rest... as we systematically tore apart the funnel-web-made-of-soft-caulk adhering the nerve to surrounding structures, like the piriformis muscle esp. Then between the greater trochanter and pelvic ischium (the loops on the bottom of Halloween skellington pelvises), where the sciatic's supposed to slide free of bondage. It was defo not... and unfortunately after clearing the majority of the R hip... there's one more to do from scratch. But the difference just helping them to a sitting position, then daughter and I slowly putting her back on her feet... was immense. Asked her to sit completely on the nearby couch, and rise to standing -- and could do this like a person half her age. Jumping up and down but warned the work wasn't over yet, needed to insure everything was out. And after roughly 15 more mins doing detail work.. she paid and left, almost dancing out the door. She needed ribcage work for same reason... but seeing her mirth, will cross that bridge when it comes. Whilst doing my yesterday-client's problems... strange thought came to mind, as this'd happened about 8y before: Airbus had planned to debut a system in their passenger planes, to add two more rows to their most-used routes, turning the seats into bicycle seats. Who. in. the-f*ck... is gonna parse that mess over a 7-hr fight? Existing seats already cause enough problems in the lower body, wifout supercharging problems in the pelvic floor, posterior hip and posterior thigh, making your 250+ passenger manifest a giant peleton
OK ... I sincerely apologize for overstepping into your thread. Whereas I don't read all that much into many threads, I just sorta thought that this is where my posts belonged. Foolish me I guess, thinking that this is a PRIUS FORUM in general, and "Bodywork" is a general thing that goes along well in automotive forums, I guess I kinda got stupid a little bit. As I really like to point out ... RIF "Reading Is Fundamental". SORRY. HEY ... by-the-way ... I'm not at all much into Bondo.
No worries at all Zepp -- may find an relevant thread over in Gen 2 Prius forum... but if you feel more akin to the crowd here at the House, feel free
Wed 24 Jun 26: Long 2-parter, you've been warned... --- Another one of those weird days when nothing seems to go your way... but tbh, could be worse -- I could be in the hospital again, like the 1st panc attack Strange -- birds had been divebombing my car out on road... and the morning had a strange, I dUnn0 -- rhythm to it. They always step in front of or refuse to clear the road when I'm driving the neighborhood streets... but to divebomb on hwy... that's a figurative defcon of sorts to keep eyes peeled for... The weather's been quite unusual, even for 2020s-climate-changed-Maui. Windy, but very humid too -- hardly ever a thing outside a big tropical storm, hurricane, or Kona Low. Guess with the biggest, hottest El Niño ever, gonna be some changes to the dance card, on the space station. Nothing seemed to make sense... and people's actions rather reflected this inability to find whatever wild rhythm the day wrought. Cars slowing to a walking pace in the middle of the road for no reason, or people not knowing what I mean when I flash headlamps to go -- I wouldn't call it a petulant or malicious lack of response... more like confusion. And treating it as such... seemed to produce the least amt of unwanted reflected effect back onto me, at least driving around. Another point for micro-pulse / glide as my default It's times like these, where super-interesting to go to my usual haunts for the breakfast run... and see who is and is not affected by this. If they seem normal, know this particular person is either: 1) for whatever reason not subject to these kinds of esoteric changes, but blissfully unaware of such, or 2) they are susceptible, but strong enough these ripples of whatever it is that's disturbed, can't harm them (also without any conscious intent needed). And you can be sure I'm taking notes on who's affected and not -- because from past exps like these... the ones who're actually strong, are often non-intuitive But of perhaps 30 people I say hello to on the regular, 8 were unaffected, and only one seemed actually benefitting from it, in a better mood with more energy (which btw is not me). Those 22 peeps were all over the place this AM, dropping cups, forgetting where things are when they've worked their counter for years, and even calling me by someone else's name (apparently, I have a doppelgänger on island, if the explanation for the flub is to be believed )... There's an old saying here, 'windy days bring misfortune'. Even from childhood, can remember my parents telling me to be careful on windy days... as the roots of belief stretched far beyond 3 gens of living family. When pressed to explain why as a single-digit kid in '70s, my father would always change the subject or mumble under his breath -- because his generation didn't know either, they just obeyed their Greatest-Gen parents. And mother's source of this stretched probably as far back, just not from cane worker roots but Shogunate-era or even earlier Shinto dogma. Though I've come to believe, esp in the past 30 yrs since dojo days... that at least for nature-worshipping Shinto dogma, beliefs are rarely perpetuated that long, w\o some basis in tragedy and stumbling upon a fix, cementing them into people's minds. Oddly this AM winds were only porolly 15 - 20 mph (stiff breeze), not gusting to 50... and were from a trades direction, but so laden with moisture, it all piled atop the ridge near Upcountry (Makawao - Pukalani, where the mountain's sharp corner of ridgeline usually creates the conditions to dump rain on those two towns before entering the central valley)... cascading like a spectacular slow-motion cloud waterfall around that cornedr. But rather than continue out and dump buckets on Kahului as usual... it stopped and stayed on the mountain. Ha never seen this before, either growing up or recently. Wailuku looked absolutely clear -- were capped with higher cumulus clouds at the peaks alongside, but could see the western sky thru Iao Valley, all the way to the West Maui side -- which means whatever moist air was hitting Haleakala and staying dammed by it, wasn't making it to WMM as usual, petering out on only half the Valley. No idea why... but gut rather screamed to me, this weather's the source for strange behaviours all around, eech Not sure why birds don't approach when out of my car, only underway in my car. Did the same w/ the Honda shortly before trading it in (still had it during the batshirt drum circle in Spring '24 that began this weird relationship with birds, and several freaky occurrences since described earlier in the thread). But birds don't pay me much mind, ambling about? Question mark there too, I guess. --- Back... Interesting one today -- family came in to get b2b work. Tend to reccie bringing family members with, esp if you're a new female client; feels much more secure getting bodywork from a stranger, if you have someone else there with you. Fam work tends to be hilarious, as the banter's good usually. Very rarely have a row on the table (not zero percent) so since people are more comfy, the conversation's good as well. Very similar to a family who's moved since off-island re: covid -- lots of those, I'd say a few dozen of my pool. Local families tend to be easier to work physically (something about their genetic exp with pain mgmt) and a known quantity with soft skills -- something I defo had a hard time with, living on mainland where social contract (mostly deep prejudice) is completely different. Dad, Mom, and daughter along to watch (and drive). Dad had a different issue than today's client, but about the same conditions causing it. Mom had years of intricate work making leis -- which also didn't match today's matriarch. But what does connect them, is how I treated the issues. I'd mentioned AMR once or twice here -- it's a strange modality I still don't understand fully, how on earth it manages to do what it does. Dad had an issue lifting the hand above the head, that nothing except AMR would even dent. We talked about his service in the Marine Corps whilst I found the packs of cards and treated the side of his ribcage, under the arm. Had daughter hold the arm at limit of ROM, whilst I did this... and irt, could lift the arm higher and higher... I'd not been that familiar with AMR yet, so was gobsmacked as well, given how little work AMR costs the bodyworker. To see inches of arm ROM return (not wifout some tenderness and ticklishness in the treatment area -- the bane of working on the side of the trunk in males)... when every other tool in my quiver did next to nothing, was sobering. But the body has rules -- either you obey them and make progress, or you sit diddling yourself for an hour... Was able in the time they could pay for, to get them to place hand atop head -- which he'd not been to do for over a year (even scratching an itch on the face, enforced 6 - 7/10 pain). Had to come back for the other directions of movement, but just being able to wash his own hair again wifout a spaghetti ladle (not a typo) was more emotional than I'd expected. Mom's issue were in the ankles, seeing if I could do something about the L one, as they wanted to walk their dogs again. This one were pre-nerve- and tissue-adhesion-release... so went about using AMR and ZT to try to get their muscle and connective tissue playing nice again. Severe atrophy in the L lower leg; asked after a surgery or nerve damage. Replied no, just got weak in the last 5y. Looked at the front of the leg, not much atrophy. Back of calf however, very asymmetrically wasted away. That's odd... but a flag popped up in my head. There's a TrP affecting the gastrocnemius muscle, where you don't feel it in the calf, you feel it on the same side of the tailbone as your affected calf. I'd seen this a few times but it's not at all a common TrP. Where this knot sits (there are four in the gastroc), was where the calf was most atrophied. So on a hunch really... looked for, and found a whopper of a TrP knot... When the usual therapeutic pressure were applied to this knot... Mom literally yelped and almost jumped off the table. This was a bad one -- but was there an ache in the tailbone? She'd broken her tailbone as a child falling off a swingset so didn't think the pain there was anything new. And a knot was stealthily robbing her of use of their leg, at some time in the past 5y. So with some sweat, lots of breaks, and literally going to the wire for time (had only an hour each they could afford)... declared the knot released. Wouldn't be able to walk properly until the muscle grew back, so baby steps first, no dogs. When they could walk a mile or two wifout needing a rest or feeling burning pain in the calf... then including puppers might be possible. Paid and left on a cloud... and I felt pretty good as well, given the limited number of tools to bring to bear back then. Never saw them again, as another client who knew them said they'd moved to AZ (still baffles me that so many Locals move to Tempe / Mesa / Gilbert / Chandler, as the balmy weather and 90% humidity they're used to, are so far away (maybe it's years of prep going to Vegas for gambling, another Local tradition I can't wrap my head around). So didn't get to hear whether or not they'd followed advice and rid themselves of those not-trivial debilities -- esp the AMR work, which was a new frontier to discover. But current clients are also planning on possibly moving, just ifs for now. But given my modalities aren't widely available on the mainland... hope they find someone they can trust who's more of a badass at bodywork than I am -- heck I'd like to meet that bodyworker
Thu 25 Jun 26: Better morning weather, worse luck Got a great night's sleep -- even a bit more than usual (bit worn out by the fam on the table yesterday, so easily slipped into depths hitting the pillow). But soon as getting s/s/s-ing almost, seemed the whole day would be a fight to stay atop it all Little things first, like forgetting something in the house -- my keys -- and realising it milliseconds before latching the front door. Luckily keep a spare handy, so sorted... but had been what, 6 - 7 mos since last incident? Literally not since last year -- and as pounded in most of '25... were a rather dangerously-shite year to keep eyeballs peeled for, for sure (until of course, the last few hours of the last f***ing day of '25, when let my guard down). Traffic were rather tame, which is always welcome. However that general sentiment causes those who at best get 15 mpg on a good day (Silvies -- esp the older, pre-cat-eye-ones -- plus contractor / commercial vehicles) were slowing down too much -- can't deny barely idling but ambling by at below 50 here, will get a lot back for a 5.7 or 6.0L '90s V8 pickup... but does create the triggering conditions for the morning commute here, unpleasant to be stuck in the middle of. So had to do a bit of passing, sacrificing a tenth. Worth it, as the Gonzales' would be flashing past at their usual regret-it-later speeds anyway... but had to maintain about 54 - 56 in order to get that coveted 90-mpg sortie in the bag. Have changed my diet of late slightly, seeing my blood draw results... so could be my body's visceral reaction to that. If a brain's used to getting a certain supply of resistant starches-turned-sugars to consume... then it'll of course get used to it. Since I've begun transitioning off that hellbrew of pink passion tea back to good-ol' Asian-American green tea... these sorts of days have become more frequent. Sigh Of course this is all a matter not even dreamed of, 20y ago... and just a warning of what's to come, deep into my 60s and later 70s, if I make it that long in my state of health. But whilst that's always going to be a factor in how sh*t my day goes can't account for the things not related to my doing or not doing (not prompted by my moronic self)... like getting every red at every light, no matter where I turned No, that's pretty hard to do on purpose around here... What's helped lever me out of that funk tho... is simple courtesies. Flashing a big commercial truck turning across my lane, letting them turn as they're holding up a bunch of other pre-morning-coffee-adult-toddlers. Rather trigger the one bloke behind me, to defuse the row of 8 behind that truck. This is the kind of thinking alongside my moto-tuned self-preservation, I try to fold into every commute and town troll -- it does help. And the best thing, is when you do this, unprompted, no gain to yourself at all, on principle... people seem to snap out of that dog-eat-dog nonsense passing for adulthood these days... and consider the fact the scriptures emblazoned on their bumpers, their phone backgrounds, and FB pages... were being ignored so often, they literally didn't think they were doing anything wrong. The good ones, pay this forward -- and whilst I beeyotch about how crap drivers are around here... as with discovery of my little 'club' of chill-&-slow drivers in the right lane... there are a lot of islanders here, Local or transplants, that want to feel good too. Desired 5G engine air filter, never once since buying the car, ever been out... out and need shipped from O'ahu. NP, as didn't need it immediately, and will be here tmw for free. Said hi to the stealership faces I've come to know by name... and headed back out. Must be said, still had a bunch of crap still happen Just because you want to do some good and show some aloha to your fellow space station inmate, doesn't result in instant karma erasure. As with anything in life, nothing's truly pushbutton but consequences -- and if you're a good geezer, maybe it'll throw you a bone if you show loyalty to the concept --- more after clients
Fri 26 Jun 26: 26.06.26 -- worse weather, unchanged luck --- There were the ominous slate-blue wall of cloud in the north sky, and peeks of the aerial cloudfall were visible even from the house, already 'round the corner of the mountain (at high elevation too, prolllllly 6 - 7K ft)... so tensed the ring expecting to drive into rain by the time were turning back south and home... The majority of people around here, meaning transplants -- are largely from two places, really: SoCA, and the interior of Canada, oddly. And they do very different but obviously well-practiced things, when drops of rain fall on their windshields. The stereotype re: Scalis freaking out on-road when it rains... you'd think with all the weather turmoil dissipating myths about picture-perfect weather there, would result in their drivers closing the gap to the rest of the non-balmy US... but having driven alongside them in both WA and here... not enough to dispel the stereotype, esp practically as have no choice but to share the road with people way too self-involved (texting or shouting to someone on the phone in traffic, then brinksmanship-ing from far left lane to the 100-ft away turnoff across several law-abiding bows, because 'I deserve space, get out of my way', like driving is some HS playground). Not too bad in SoCA-like weather... but make it rain -- jesus sweetie, take a breath and chill the f*** out. Canadian diaspora? Again, just a stereotype. But the fact I'd 100 / 100 times rather be in 'rush hour' traffic here with them vs. CA plates, should say volumes for what kind of driver I am... and also what kind of driver then, I cease having to react to Got into a bit of a slog behind a diesel F-250, with a cloth gate with landscaping tools piled atop it... so a little bump could toss a f***ing pickaxe into my windshield. Posthaste got around, whew -- not too surprisingly, the know-nothing SUVs behind eating my tailpipe also gapped the truck, once the Prius wasn't their shield From there tho... driving like the driver I want to see pays satisfyingly palpable dividends here -- which tbh is still the main reason I keep doing it, teaching by example. Sounds pretentious, but is what it is. Also helped by the fact people cannot stand seeing vehicles with '64.5 Mpg' on the dash zip past, when they granny to make 28 mpg... so pats down their insecure red-mists, seeing me also comply. Hey it's also more efficient to do so... two birds one stone everybody happy, yadda-yadda And cherry on top, no rain -- but just. Could smell it just as we pulled out of town, so Kahului's prooooolly soaked by now. Welp, good thing work will keep me here the rest of the day. Have reverted to a diet chg I'd pivoted from a little more than a year ago, mostly to get some variety into it. But having tired of the commute to the only store selling it, and deterioration of my health 'scores' from various sources... back to this plain-Jane diet. And you know what? Body remembers it, and obvi likes it -- so we'll see what the effect on future tests reveal (oh -- it's more beans -- tofu and chickpeas, in particular). Kale was back at the salad place -- had been gone from the bar two days... and honest to dog, were missing it. I know much of you all may hate esp curly kale, as it's the same stuff garnishing the borders of PIzza Hut's salad tables 30y, like parsley to a non-Italian: no one eats that but livestock. But I luurrrv it -- its health benefits alone are worth it over the substitute at my bar, 'mixed salad greens', pfeh. A step up from iceberg, fact... but only just. My gut hated it and punished me, right on schedule... That said -- cool thing however, have been purposely tapering down the amt of salad in any case, even when kale was available -- down ~$5 less than the old damage, so roughly a third less by weight. More tofu -- on purpose -- and fewer greens and other yummy-but-disposable add-ons, like cauliflower salad (turmeric curry and coconut creme dressing -- och, addictive... but also heavy and unnecessary). And in the 13d since doing this, gut has adjusted, thank goodness. But the cravings, esp first 3d... holy smokes you'd think I were poisoning myself, not piling it on. At least that's what my gut -- a convicted felon for panc arson -- pleaded with dewy eyes. Oh ok... so how about you f**k yourself, gut -- I'm in charge, and you cave over time, not me. See how long your tantrum lasts this time... 13d, got a figurative coin. But really as always, addicts are always in recovery, never cured
Sat 27 Jun 26: Lots less objection to the smaller portions (saving ~$40 a week) from the gut -- mine is well-used to getting its way, because for 30y I was weak -- mostly because Ultimate Cheeseburgers and Baconators were satisfying (and formerly affordbable) grease puddles, if not mind-blowing in flavour. Don't forget ludicrous amts of fries and Frosties, whilst we're piling on deadly amts of empty calories A thirteen-dollar salad had not been punched up since oh, pre-covid? Tho back then were the former weight of the old salad, but now seems the right amt. Just had to pick the ingredients more carefully than before. Do love Sat commuting most weekends. The drunks are still in bed along w/ tourists, and pace before 8am is sleepy in kind. Got a nice big gap both in front and behind, all the way into town -- just bliss when the norm's tweaker-ish. Clouds were less the wall of just-enough-to-spot-your-car drizzle curtains... and more mostly-clear, except for the freight train from Upcountry Luckily had no errands in town, so headed back south as the smell and gusting wind began giving fair play. 90 mpg -- since my engine air filter had come in yesterday (in the car, still in the parking lot)... easy to figure out the oil were spent as improvements were spare if any... so need to budget for that. But oddly, still getting 90+ on this sortie, esp south. Wind may be helping... but used a bunch more throttle than my micro-pulse / -glide... so should be dropping? Nope -- and neither did the average mpg readout on dash. Yesterday, got high-80s -- was much more humid tho. Bedroom portable A/C filled up its condensation catch lots faster than usual, then woke atop my duvet towel soaked a bit this AM, both pretty reliable telltales. Can't imagine what horrors it'd be like, were I living in Miami or Key West right now. Touch more dry today, and low-90s. How is the air filter, rather caked with crop dust and general filthiness where I live, less a factor than the humidity? Is the 5G's PCU programmed to do its best when the filter's past 80% flow or something? No idea, but I'll take it, natch --- Have been thinking about the season, meaning O-Bon season here... and the propensity for stories about ghosts and paranormal, to crop up from normally lucid and unfazed people w\ only tenuous if any connections, to its Japanese origins. Japanese immigrants have been here to work in the fields since the 1860s, and in waves of immigration since late 1890s - early 1900s. Those who chose to stay of course established their cultural touchstones here -- temple, shrines, the Japanese practice of mandatory donation to help those in need (called a kyoudou bokin 共同募金 in Japanese, but similar community chests existed for Korean and Chinese comm'ys as well). But along for the ride, were the spiritual lore that's an inescapable part of being Japanese, esp living and growing up in Japan -- you're indirectly exposed to it, every day of your life. Such were the stories elders would tell juniors, thus cementing it in their minds as real, in a highly-vertical society. Here are some spooky stories about Japanese legends, imported from Japan to Hawai'i, in the minds and bodies of Japanese immigrants: In a more empirical sense -- why on earth would any spirit manifestations as violent as the inugami, even be here, unless immigrants physically brought them here and powered them up with their belief and fear? Shouldn't any spirits or paranormal events be Hawaiian in origin and nothing else, if it's time that creates the manifestations? Have always been rather sensitive to it, probably most since living on the borders of Arlington Nat'l Cemetery at the former Fort Myer, in NoVA. Had a batshirt-crazy exp with the paranormal (detailed somewhere in the thread) after years of nothing... and since then, esp in AZ -- could intuit, sometimes obviously, sometimes weakly, when things weren't right that way. Every year here about this time, I feel it -- supposedly when the spirits of the dead wander that of the living, around O-Bon season (usually the latter half of June, but can also extend into late August). Now, if you were the spirit of a Hawaiian warrior felled in 1790 in the Battle of Kepaniwai, body dammed in the corpse-clogged Iao Stream to rot in place... and you noticed a strange ritual happening every summer from hundred-years-hence trespassers who don't follow the old rules... wouldn't you, and any other spirits you could muster, want to take advantage of this 'opening' and belief system from another culture, to also wander about? That's kind of what it feels like, every summer end of May: like something weird is happening but just beyond being able to put your finger on it. At least, until something unexplained happens. O'ahu strangely, is far more packed with these kinds of 'feelings' for me, than Maui. On Maui (at least for now)... has far fewer schlubs mincing about with things attached to them, dying in car crashes caused by their iniquity, or being murdered for or by same. O'ahu, with both 6x the population and its own blood-soaked battle for Hawaiian unification (Battle of Nu'uanu)... is a much-denser, spooky-rich environment. Looking back at enlisting in mil in the '80s, staying in a hotel in Waikiki waiting to go to the MEP station... could feel the marked difference between my hometown on Maui and O'ahu, even sitting in my hotel room there -- a creepy sense there were many, many more examples of what I'd felt since childhood on this island. Been a dull roar most years... but perhaps because of the rather more gorey, crazy nature of Fire-element years -- esp this one, the Horse -- this season feels a bit more unmoored, save the weather which so far's been tame. Noticed how many heat- / fire-related incidents are in the news lately? Explosions of houses, wildfires, record temps in weird places? Just neat seeing any correlation at all. Did volunteer for O-Bon duties at the temple last week, so since been years since attending at all... hopefully that keeps any misfortune away -- was sure to be present and in-the-moment as practical during the work there, and not to stay too long past sundown. Was nice, even if defo parked 2 blocks away in an empty parking structure, just to fully-eliminate any possibility of the 5G being crumpled again Will have to do more research re: when spooky season in Japan ends, because'll be most likely when ends here. Thinking after the 2nd week of Sept, but no harm in checking. All I know, spooky things or not... it's gonna be a scorcher this Autumn
Addendum, Sat 27 Jun 26: --- Last client reminded of one from recently, about 5 - 6 mos ago... Males on the table -- sorry for anyone sensitive about it -- can be wusses about pain You'd think a gym rat would shrug off less than 10 lbs of pressure on the body... but for whatever reason, the ones who can't, overwhelmingly are 1) male, 2) drug addicts or recovering. Drug addiction alters brain chemistry and check and balances of pain perception -- even if all you do is weed. Pakalolo reduces pain perception down to well, embarrassing levels by flooding the brain with dopamine all the time... which it then grows to expect. When the same pressure required to lift your relaxed arm off the table, causes a jump sign, or protective jerk-away / rapid contraction of muscle... there's a bit more at play with the complaint, than simple soft tissue issues. Six-months-ago client, were female and much younger than the median middle-age-beset client -- not only that, but played rugby in HS and college -- so as exp'd with processing pain and getting the job done, as any male peer. Liked them as could get into the body, do my thing, then get the hell out -- as expected of a bodyworker. Such saves much time and effort when the client's fear or subconscious misgivings about being touched, aren't in the way of the tqs. Just to show what a difference this makes... finished both 6-mos-ago client and today's client, in only 1 hr of session -- most clients, given the problems these two brought me, require 1.5 easy. The body does not respond to being dictated to, or forced around -- if you want to antagonise the body and prolong a deep-tissue bodywork session, go ahead and act like you give the orders, and see how your client's body responds to Cheetolini-like thug poseur nonsense. Be my guest, I'll wait Once in a while like today, get in clients whose bodies just love the work... immediately obvious, just from their response to treating the worst of the issues. A body which has loads of capacity to not only resist fear of pain, but look at it, inhale into it and exhale it out... isn't any easier to work physically -- a bad knot is a bad knot. But the key, is being able not to hold onto that pain, where it can fester into a mental trauma. Athletes familiar with their old friend Pain, know its secret -- it's a coward. Stare pain in the eye rather than panic trying to escape... and it caves, falling by almost half. And those who don't maintain an attitude that the pain is some kind of punishment, will also be able to fully let it go -- which is how animals do it, being unable to create a mental attachment to escape six-sense perception of the present moment. 6-mos-ago-client had a fall which tweaked their neck -- nothing they did -- ice, heat, NSAIDs, even chiro, would take the stiffness and pain out. Just seeing their ashen face, knew this were bad, as they had immense pain tolerance. Got them set up with some small pillows to prop the head in an off-center neck posture... and got to work on the upper back. Yep -- just as hunched... they'd not tweaked their neck, they'd tweaked their upper back. Spinalis, longissimus, and L iliocostalis, were reacting to a T5 misalignment, a bad one. Asked if they could take a deep breath, could not -- and easy to see why: one rib joint were poking out proud of the others, even thru a basketball jersey. Spine takes precedence, so set to work on that first. When a spinal vertebrae moves laterally out of alignment with its neighbors north and south, 5mm can cause almost complete motor inhibition of surrounding muscles attaching to said vertebrae, thru pain. This is splinting, or a wholesale contraction of every muscle to nearly 100%, to prevent the displaced joint (here, betw. 2 vertebrae) going even further out. So had to stop the stretched ligaments reporting the misalignment, from needing do so. Realigned... and watched both the splint melt out of the local area, and their breathing articulation of the ribcage, improve. Pressing on the ribcage, could feel individual ribs moves when pressed -- meaning a compensating splint in the intercostal muscles between the ribs, was also going away. That were the source sorted, now for the main character... Their longissimus muscles, long erectors of the back originating on the occiput, or base of the back of the skull, and inserting atop the sacrum, were soft and healthy below T5, but rock-hard above, slightly asymmetrically. This created the turned-head posture that were the only way she were getting any sleep with this issue. To fix it, one need rid the source (done), then remind the powerful muscles they can relax and return to healthy tone. To do the solution on such highly-tense long muscles (long. is the longest skeletal muscle in the body), is where her high pain tolerance would come in -- working long. is uncomfortable enough... but when it's pathologically tight, can feel crazy-bright in intensity. But, she were not a shrinking violet: took the cross-graining like a champ, gave a breather and reassessed, back to normal. Aligned the neck and reset tone in the SCM (head-turning) muscles... and with a bit of fine-tuning, had them sit up and test. Bingo Almost exactly the timeline with today's client, just a much different set of problems but just as crucial to follow a specific sequence of steps with. And a non-wussy pain tolerance (no reefer for this troop, obvi) made the session short and satisfying -- not a frequent combo in this gig. Luckily today's client didn't get the incompetent chiro-crack-ter 6-mos-ago did
Sun 28 Jun 26: Not a warsh day -- storms coming to dump tmw evening and later in the week, but should get a respite by the weekend. Believe it when I see it... but had gotten to the wash place this AM... and were deserted. Nada, not a soul. Can count on one hand in the past year, that's happened on a Sunday with no overcast sky -- have even seen it packed when it was raining. Good sign even the moderates who do this ritual alongside me, felt it best to wait out this couple of waves of storms, from what the forecast predicts. So instead, took a walk... meaning headed to the mall. I'd not been looking forward to going, since it'd been a site where I'd endured a fair bit of pain, rehabbing the knee... so the novelty, then utility of this place just wasn't enough anymore. But was about to find out why 2026 was ppppprolllly going to be the last year I'd be exercising there on the regular. Might've noticed in past pics I'd posted in the thread of this mall, it were designed with a series of overlapping cloth canopies as a roof. Rather bold statement back in late '80s, when this mall were being drafted up -- however the treated canvas was light, replaceable and repairable for a fraction solid roofs would be, and weighed nothing vs. metal or wood -- huge benefits. But its one weakness wasn't its design, it were the society that moved on, around it. Queen Ka'ahumanu Center has been in decline 25 yrs, easily. Have crystal-clear and fond memories of it when it were only ground level, before the cloth roof and steel girders and parking structure. This setup had not been designed with even an inkling of the effect Amazon and online commerce -- then social media -- would have on its bricks and mortar. So of course it festered -- as it limped on things went unaddressed or buried under coats of paint, as all desperate mgmt companies constantly passing the deed amongst them, would and did do -- chisel it to death. During my knee rehab lap days, had reported here the stairwells on the parking structure were visibly cracking and creaking enough to make one of them (the NW one) leery to place your full weight on, as it felt and sounded with each step, like the whole lot would crumble off under your feet. Not long before stopping the mall laps, yellow tape were tied across all levels of this stairwell, perhaps saving lives in this afterthought (this was the only well with direct exposure to trade winds laden with salt, almost 40y -- of course, not factored into engineering its existence 4 decades later). I'd expected decline, showing up -- trash not picked up for weeks if not months, dog shite everywhere, beer bottles and chicken bones strewn all over the place in the parking structure... but this in no way prepared me for what the next phase of this... would look like. Walking under the Queen's name from the structure, onto the 2nd level as usual... saw the light was a bit odd. Paused to put my sacrum back in, as would need to be comfy to reintroduce myself to the laps... when noticed all at once... the roof was gone. No one had seen this mall without a canopy, since prior its grand reopening in 1994. As a kid I remember feeling the sun blaze down on the single level original mall throughout the mid- to late-'70s (first opened in 1974). For 3 generations no one dreamed brick-and-mortar malls would ever not be needed, never be the place for businesses to collect and thrive (and fall too). But the whole concept of going somewhere to inspect, sample, and buy goods, becoming obsolete? No '94 exec ever thought such a farce was possible. Welp, not like they're having to suffer the consequences -- those involved in approving, funding and making malls on this island are all retired or dead by now, or less that, moved to mainland / abroad like I did (twice). If the end for malls were coming, may as well be where shipping isn't 7 days minimum for my Scamazon, and can take a day roadtrip tonic, whenever I need it So after 40y... there they were again -- clouds and sky, sun beating down on storefronts with obviously not-weatherproof signage. Most of these stores are barely clinging onto life anyway, not as if this place has huge foot traffic like in mid-late-'90s. Fun Factory, an old arcade from the reopening that's frankly been a joke of sorts most of the millennium, is filled with nothing but 20-yo standup coinops and lucrative claw games. The odd tourist may happen to bumble inside, exploring from a trip to Starbucks downstairs... if they haven't been turned off by the plasticky indifference of it all. The cinema which also opened with the upper-floor refit in '94 -- one of the only kinds of businesses that could still create foot traffic in 2026's box office comeback from covid... shuttered under the strain 3y ago, now filled with a multi-denominational church -- just like the old cinema (where I'd seen 'Splash' as a kid) next to Burger King near the north terminus of Pu'unene Avenue, that shuttered in the early '90s -- a succession of them have inhabited this shell two generations. Not hard to see why churches like to move into old cinemas -- stage and seating are perfect for sermons. Three of the old guard from '74 -- Ben Franklin Crafts, Camellia Seeds (a Local-style snack shop), and Sew Special (old-school fabric crafts store) -- are all on the ground floor, all having mutated multiple times to adapt better than businesses collapsing all around them 40y. Used to be a quite lucrative Sanrio store in this mall... which gives one a sense of how much better times were. Further back in time, used to be a cookie and sweets shop (David's Cookies) on the corner of the west side next to Macy's (when it was still Liberty House), and that shuttered ages ago -- pops used to manage it in HS days*. How on earth does a cookie and sweets shop go out of business? Because it's Maui, yo -- prrrrolly rent, like everything else that's choked to death on this island. Took three laps around the upper floor, as hundreds of times before... and couldn't help but be struck by the realisation that roof, which often leaked big streams of water onto the slippery tiles of the entire floor (no one predicted 40 mph gusts and chronic Kona Lows being a daily thing in '94)... hid gorgeous north skies almost 2 generations. Yeah you feel the heat of infrared sink deep into your face and beads of sweat sticky-up in pits, even at 8am... but couldn't help in my initial re-troll around this decrepit, crumbling throwback of a mall... that removing the roof was about as poignant and desperate an act as it could bear. Restoring a view not seen since '93... feels truly like its last gasps for relevancy, before it literally becomes too unsafe for people to inhabit. Finishing my laps, walked out where I came in, across the same filthy parking structure floor with the same years-non-op dummy cameras... got into the 5G, and rolled out. Looking back from the light atop the hill, a forlorn mall with its hatless upper floor, naked teal-painted girders unable to hide the rot long consuming its bones. Like a shot from a dystopic manga page, was first thought to surface. Drove to basically what replaced this mall, for relevancy -- the Target complex 10 mins away, for a refill of my green tea. Not that I patronise anything other than TGT and Starbies in this comparatively-new (11yo) strip-maul... but really, a group of somewhat-relevant stores in a slab of macadam alongside a big anchor like TGT, or all alone like that Lowe's across the street... is how Ka'ahumanu Mall should've stayed, rather than conceit to an unsustainable Queen Ka'ahumanu Center, back when growth seemed infinite and life were still good, near the end of the 20th century. Greed always leaves a debris field of ruin in its bubble-chasing, stockholder-fellating brinksmanship. Better realise it late than never, I guess. Who knew
Mon 29 Jun 26: More rain threatening, but didn't soak me on the breakfast run, anyway... Rather peaceful drive in, despite being abt 10 mins later out the door than usual. WWM had a sombrero of dark ominous cloud fringing it on the windward (our) side... and that can only come from one place, the corner of the mountain, which also had a veil of pounding rain soaking Upcountry as I'd trundled north. Hmm, probably going to drizzle a bit if not justify why I didn't Warsh Day yesterday... Have been reverting to an older diet + routine as mentioned earlier... and so far, the gut loves it. Trots are routine and random these days, no one's fault but my own 30y... but recently with this change, completely stopped. Which I reckon are for 3 reasons: eating less, like 25% less main protein being plant-based vs. animal-based, which used to be roast chicken walking more Didn't have to walk the mall again, as literally couldn't as errands ruled it out... but did get a walk in, arguably better than I'd get at the mall. Since the 5G reg were due next month (and tags can take a month to reach me typically)... did it online and got it out the way... but for a Prius, it's pretty high. Nothing like the brodozers will pay, but a fair chunk of my earning power per month for sure. So, went to front-load the checking acct, just to keep my spending buffer in a good place (oil chg for the 5G's here, so more spending to do). This meant after getting my drink and salad, had about 45 mins to burn before the bank would open... so headed to where I used to buy the chicken bentos, a fair drive further into town, on the other side of it, then down a beach drive another 2 mis. Sounds trivial to most of you mainlanders... but the traffic caused by morning 'rush hour' + tweakers who have to be in front of everyone in front of them, this can take a while to negotiate without triggering these ne'ers, causing even more slowing There's a stretch of industrial area needing drive thru, in order to go to this place... and it's notorious for big commercial gas and diesel flatbeds, short-buses, and lifted brodozers all being squished into this blind uphill turn, where trucks parking on the street not only further reduce room to drive, but also eliminate being able to see anything coming. Most of the time if you stay slow, nothing expensive will happen to you... but given the business right in the middle of this curve (the bodyshop that fixed the 5G)... overzealous / tweaking / both lot rats treating customer cars like in their PS4 game, can and have been dangerous risks, backing blindly into the street, expecting everyone else to yield to them Having survived yet another run thru this gauntlet (but further increasing odds)... got some snacks Mum would appreciate, the thing I were there to get for myself, and head back -- this time, not back thru that section. The bank of course were barren, being ~10 mins before you should even stand outside in line as usual. So despite not knowing this area for walking... set out to burn the the interim time, doing something useful. Walking this part of town, may've set foot here maybe twice in my life -- it's just not anywhere with anything or anyone, I needed to be on foot to goto, or see. Did try to hug the beach side of the small strip of land, as I hate walking alongside 45 - 55 mph traffic (in a 35, welcome to Maui). Was only ~ 10 mins to walk... but turns out the 4 mos+ I'd not been able to work out, would show itself here. 1st 5 mins going out, not too bad, esp since I'd warmed up my nervous system to the ask of walking probably twice as far as I'd done in 140d -- work well worth it from yesterday. But coming back... nothing earth-shaking, but did feel myself begin to sweat. From 6 mins of walking. That was notable, as shows my metabolism was beginning to 'remember' the demands of simple short walks. Which is sort of humbling... but I were out 140d from the routine (only walked 10 mins sporadically in TGT, which wasn't all at one time). Felt a little bit wobbly in the ankles, which is just the body finding the weak links for this task, loud and clear... went away as I stood in line at the bank, so peachy. This will all go away as the muscle and nerves are tuned better thru repetition -- even if it means more muscle must be grown. Tho in recent past this reaction to walking usually doesn't manifest until about twice that distance and time -- again humbling but not surprising. Just need to keep at it consistently until becomes 2nd nature... and this pooch burns off a bit. Nothing like less weight to give your ankles a break Air were thick with humidity, ulch... so whilst didn't dump on my head this AM... doesn't mean a 2nd trip into town for lunch won't. Humidity, esp with trades, means rain, full-stop. Forecast says rain tonight, tmw AM, and the rest of the week all the way thru the weekend, when the tropical storm waves finally arrive (next week's warsh day's essentially canceled btw, if this 'cast holds true -- another 2wk wash cycle, sigh ). Coming from the west vs. east, so at least not a hurricane / TS fueled by the classic warm air from there. Guess the trend this year, is 'get used to popup Kona Lows' Final errand brings us back across town to TGT, where decent-quality food's surprisingly cheap vs. the usual vendors. And their tofu's easily cheapest + far more likely to be on shelves stocked, than the ratchet chaos of Wally's -- which tbh don't plan on ever buying their store brands anyway, which are non-organic vs. same money and certified @ TGT. No brainer -- helps I also hate the parking and traffic there, for aforementioned reasons. Another high-80s mpg sortie, and had stints over 65 mph -- still not sure exactly where the sweet spot for staying in this amazing mileage is, or what I'm doing to get it... but real talk, not gonna micromanage high-80s per gallon, despite my tendency to figure out how things work If the car nets me 18d without a fillup, on its own, without me knowing... who gives a f***? Not me
