Thursday, May 4, 2023

Still looking for cure for headache

 I went to sleep about 7AM, and my headache woke me up at 1PM. I've been throwing everything at it, and so far no luck. 

I have a theory: maybe that propane tank I brought in, that I think has a slight leak, is leaking propane into here in levels that are not obvious but are there. Propane is heavier than air and I sleep at floor level. The first thing I can do is take that tank out of here and leave it out for someone to take. That sounds a lot better than having it around here to sit for years because Ken will never get around to using it, and it's mine to do with what I wish as I'm the one who went out and got the thing. 

Besides, Ken didn't complain when he saw that I'd gotten rid of 4-5 of his beloved many-drawer things that were not being used, to have space for the larger all-metal one, so he's not going to resent my getting rid of a dodgy propane tank. 

In other news, I practiced a bit but as usual, the deep breathing required made me sleepy so I didn't practice that much. 

The new shinobue, a 6-hon which is pitched in B-flat, is as big as I want to go. I have to use a "piper's grip" on the right-hand holes. This means, instead of using the fingertip pads, spreading the hand out more and using areas behind the pads. I thought it would mess with my ability to half-hole but it works fine as it turns out. 

The little book I got in this last order, all in Japanese, is mildly interesting but interestingly, it's published by Aulos, the maker of my 8-hon shinobue and also the maker of my first recorder, all those years ago when I still lived at my dad's. Thus is wins on nostalgia points. 

I spent some time on the Mejiro site last night though, because it turns out they *do* sell a 7-hon Aulos, it's just sneakily hidden in the beginner shinobue page. A 7-hon is pitched in B, the same as a standard 1.8 shakuhachi. Plus I want a cover that fits my new 6-hon (I thought it came with one) and I could possibly toss in a shakuhachi book so there may be another Mejiro order in my near future. 

I really want to get this headache problem solved because it's affecting my ability to practice any sort of flute. I'd like to become a sort of shakuhachi evangelist. There are three count 'em three, harmonica schools in this area and all of them booked solid. This is because the harmonica is a well-known instrument, we all grew up with a few of them around the house, and it's encouraged for old people to play it because it encourages healthy breathing. 

But the harmonica is a finicky beast with tons of tiny parts to jam up and go out of tune, and it takes modern manufacturing to produce. Whereas the shakuhachi is very simple, plastic ones like the Yuu are just about indestructable, and if modern manufacturing goes away, well, the shakuhachi is something that literally grows in the Earth and you harvest and cure and put holes in, and there you go. Simple, simple, simple. 

But right now the shakuhachi world is very gate-keepy. What if the guitar was gate-kept to the degree the shakuhachi is? But instead anyone and everyone is encouraged to run out and buy one. I'd love to see the shakuhachi become super popular, and out of a sea of players, mostly amateur just like it is for the guitar, we'd have virtuosos on it like we do for guitar and violin, and everyone who plays even just a bit, becoming much healthier because it's so healthy to play. 

My headache did eventually largely go away, due to everything I threw at it but probably because it seems it just takes some time. 

I'd gotten up early enough to have plenty of time to pack a couple more things and get going a bit before 4. I dropped off the things at the post office, then went to the bank. I was happy to see that the IRS had cashed my check and the money got to them OK. That leaves me in the sub-$1000 bank balance range so, time to build it back up. 

After the bank I went to Whole Food and got some sausages from the hot bar, with some zucchini slices. That only cost $6-something. I went upstairs and got a near-beer and ate my sausages and drank (most of) my beer, and had to move to avoid the rain. 

Yes, it was raining, but no problem, I thought, it's just going to sprinkle. I finished my food and walked to the bus stop across the street. It was raining now, not just sprinkling. It took a while but eventually a #22 bus showed up and I rode that downtown to 2nd street to wait for a #23 which would take me to Cupertino. 

I ended up talking with a (Hank?) Green, who used to drive for the VTA and before that worked for IBM and other tech companies. He's also just raring to move back to Hawaii as he'd lived there about 7 years, and is presently baffled at why he can't set up a place to stay from here. I tried to explain that even when I moved up here to the Bay Area, I was only able to secure a place when I was here physically and had a local phone number. And even then, the place I moved into was owned by the same company that owned the place I lived in Newport Beach, so they had themselves as a reference. 

I think it was completely foreign to him and thus not ever understandable, that not being local or even looking or sounding local, and being 1000s of miles away, is going to make it very difficult to find a place to slot right into in Hawaii. Even in my own case I assume I'll be hotel'ing it for a while at first. (I take for granted that I'm going to burn through a fair amount of the money I'll have saved up in my first 3-6 months before I go into "local kine cheapskate mode".) 

Mr. Green got off at his stop and as I assumed, by the time I got to Cupertino the rain had stopped and it was dry out. I got off at Stevens Creek and Wolfe, and walked over to Marukai Market. First I actually went into the Daiso next door - $1.75 for a Mr. Brown? Really? At a Daiso? - then used the loo in Marukai's and had a look around. 

Frankly it's far outclassed by Mitsuwa. Prices are significantly higher. But it has its bright spots - there's a little folding grill I like, although at $60 I think I'll pass. Small - and heavy! - hibachis in a couple of sizes. Boocoo rice cookers. And they have a lot of Hario coffee stuff and a nice little Bodum grinder at a good price. I ended up getting a couple of packs of Hario coffee filters and a bottle of Suntory "Boss" black coffee. 

I got a #323 bus back so the ride back was quicker. And here's where my theory was proven wrong. I assumed it was pouring downtown because a squall was passing over, and that when I got back from Cupertino it would be dry downtown. Instead, it was still raining. Yuck! I got on a #22 and got off at Whole Foods, bought a few things, put some more money on my Clipper card, and prepared for a wet ride home. 

I shortcut through San Pedro Square (no buskers) and by the time I got to the St. James light rail station I'd decided I'd hop on a light rail, take that up to Karina, and ride in. Once I got out of downtown, it was dry again. 

There's something about mountains attracting rain, and maybe the tall buildings downtown do the same. It was dry at First and Brokaw, and the ride back easy and pleasant. I got back and took everything out of the bike bags and have things spread out to dry. My bike had gotten soaked, and when I'd pulled out some napkins to wipe the seat at Whole Foods, they were a soggy lump. 

Once this one neighbor had buggered off for the night I went out with a bag and picked up some trash and put in the can left out by the welding place, and took the propane cylinder and put it out there for someone to take. It leaks all right. I can smell it when I'm up close. 

Last night I'd checked online and indeed, propane is a heavier than air gas so it's going to tend to accumulate at floor level. And the tank leaks. And looking at how my headache develops, especially lately, it seems to intensify based on my time in the shop here, especially when lying down. 

I'm also thinking there may be other nasties coming in from other shops, especially the machine shop that shares the back wall with me. But that propane tank is the most obvious thing. 

 


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