Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:08 -0500
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Another factor about mounting tires youself to consider
In-Reply-To: <036301cc8aef$603059a0$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
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Lots of factors involved with what you say, as I'm sure you know, but
overall I have to agree.
During my brief apprenticeship banging on trombone bells, I had the
pleasure of playing chess with a much higher level player (he had, and
read, chess opening bookS). Over time I found I was able to "see"
patterns on the highway much more clearly. Like pieces of a potential
puzzle. Anticipating the moves of the other driver became much easier.
Just one example, but I feel this increased ability to "see" was due
to the hours spent playing chess (and not working on horns. ;)
There's no doubt in my mind that staying active, or becoming active
again, is paramount to quality of life. Though time will tell, recent
road work has seen me stumbling my way through tread mills and
Universal gyms in the hotels I've stayed at. This is a good thing. For
lack of a better description, I swear my mind has become more active
as a direct result of exercise. I hope to continue this healthier
pattern.
I'm not sure if the almighty dollar is to blame for the current state
of what may be a general lack of health, but I can't help to wonder if
it boils down to that. We see SO much garbage in the media about what
we should buy, how we should look/smell etc.
The distinction between needs and wants has become totally blurred IMO.
It's likely I've only opened up a can of fish by introducing my
thoughts on Scotts comments, but it seems to me that in general, the
world could be a healthier place.
Neil.
On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 11:03 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans
<scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> hi all..
> and about 'physical work' in general.
>
> The majority of people in our current culture has very little 'physicality'
> in their lives.
>
> 'most' .......or certainly many people over 60 are overwieght ...and many
> are diabetic as well.
> World wide..
> the rate of diebetes in people over 45 is something likie 44 % ..
> somewhere in there..
> maybe it's people over 50 , or 55 ..but some very large percent of people
> over middle age even ( not old age, middle age ! ) have significant health
> problems.
>
> I think it's safe to say, when people had to actually WORK ..
> chop their firewood..
> dig in the earth and grow their own food..
> pull their own van engines and wrestle things around..
> whatever..
> it WAS a more physical and more physically healthy world, once upon a time.
>
> now .........for people over 60 .......it's 'normal' that they are on some
> prescription drug ( I can think of 3 friends right off the top of my
> head...overweight, high blood pressure .....or even pre-diabletic.
>
> It's not just physical lifestyle of course.........or even 'diet and
> exercise' .........gentics play a huge factor, the main one almost I think.
>
> my main point though..
> 'hot dog' ! for some vanagon owner wrestling his own wheels off and on his
> van ..
> mounting them himslelf.
> He will be healthier overall for doing it that way. The guy just mentioned
> also happens to be a bicyclist and in excellent physical condition ..
> that is not something to take for granted, or turn our noses up at.
> It's becoming rare almost.
>
> ever hear this one ? ............'the less you eat the longer you live' ..
> does not mean malnouhished of course..
> but lots of eating, actually shortens life.
> Lots of eating combined with no exercise...........usually that's not good.
> Throw in lots of refined sugar.
> and you have a nice receipe for a shorter than would otherwise be life span.
>
> so let us celibrate physicality ..
> it's AT LEAST as vital and important as intellectualism and brain power.
>
> you know.......I am damn proud to be my age and be in a pick n' pull yard
> draggin' a DK trans out of a dead air-cooled van ..............and I wasn't
> even planing on it......
> didn't have the right tools .....no jack.......
> I used vice grips on the CV screws..
> drop it onto an oil tire ...
> that is being fiesty and healthy and tough ..
> that is what I hold as admirable .................fiestiness...
> the oppossite of wimpiness..
> and if it makes ya live longer ............right on ..
> because ............how long our bodies and minds last is the real bottom
> line.
> and wrestling things like engines ..
> when you know what your doing and know how to do it safely ..
> is just good for ya.
>
> in the spectrum of brain-power to physicality .........neighter is very good
> without a good dose of the other too.
>
> and I celibrate everyone who does anything on their vans..
> or whatever ..........with good old fashioned hard work. Grease under the
> fingernails, the occasional skinned knuckle.................blood, sweat,
> and tears ...........all that. Work is good. Work in not something to hold
> as 'bad.'
> And physicality ..
> it's healthy to have a good does of that in your mix.
>
> ----------------------------------------
> new subject, but related in my mind :
>
> I'll share two disciplines I have studied that make a HUGE of difference in
> car repair ..
> particularily in something like balancing a transmission on a floor jack in
> and out..
> ..or rebuilding an engine ..
> or trouble shooting a problem.
>
> One is chess. In chess you have to strategize, and contantly consider the
> consequences of each move ..
> many moves ahead too. Constantly thinking about the order to do things in.
> Really good for figuring out the right order to take something apart..
> or assemble an engine back together say. I spend a lot of time thinking
> about what order to do things in, on vanagon repair.
>
> the other one is Rock Climbing.
> In rock climbing .........you work in tiny increments of progress sometimes.
> You eke out a move upward from 'nothing' ..like an eighth inch barely a knub
> to put your weight on .
> In real rock climbing the tinest edge of a dime would be a whole foothold...
> and planning matters too ...
> and concentration ..oh man does it ever bring that forward .........you
> whole world gets down to that next move, next hand hold, next foot
> hold....tiny ones too. Invisible ones even.
> so when it's balancing a large heavy transmission on a floor jack.and
> needing to move it in tiny increments to just the right place..........what
> rock climbing requires and teaches comes perfectly into play. That and
> chess ...
> both are really good about developing visualizing an outcome..
> and sorting out and organinzing the many steps needed to get there.
>
> what fun !
> scott
>
--
Neil n
65 kb image Myford Ready For Assembly http://tinyurl.com/64sx4rp
'81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
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