things i think about while powerwashing 172

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This week's just been one of those where you're grateful for your everything you have. I had a great week — I biked 50 miles for the first time in forever, I had some great workouts, I got to go hiking and got to meet up with my team in person! Work life has been a little chaotic up to this point, so it was great to see everyone in person and remember that we are, indeed, all human.

This aspect of remote work has always been quite interesting to me. My previous experiences in primarily working remote were honestly very disheartening. It was hard to get ahold of people — and I would feel isolated in my childhood bedroom or even after I moved out, just waiting for a Slack ping. With this team, it feels quite different. It feels like a group chat that's always lively, even when people aren't posting. It feels like a Discord server that's always got something going on.

It's bordering on fun! Right as spring rolls around as well. The sun is finally shining and it's always above 50F now. I can roll the dice with a t shirt and pants and it'll even get ... too hot at some point? I'm finally shaking out of that winter rust and feeling alive again. Hopefully all you wonderful esteemed subscribers are as well! What everyone else doing now that it's warmer out now? Let me know in the anonymous subscriber news!

museum of the week

I mean, haven't you heard of the Toyota Land Cruiser?

I honestly had not. If I had, it had been dropped from my memory. There are other models that Toyota has produced that I have heard of before in this segment: 4Runner, even the Tacoma. But the Land Cruiser? Not before I first learned about the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Owned and somewhat operated by Greg Miller (more on him later), this is probably one of the most simple and beautiful museums I have ever encountered. It's a garage. There are placards in front of each card, some with a QR code for an audio recording. And there are a LOT of land cruisers.

Born out of an attempt at a US military contract, the initial passes at the Toyota Land Cruiser look suspiciously like a Jeep. It would make sense why they went that route — the US was looking for manufacturers already in Asia to help supply vehicles for the Korean War. So the initial looks were quite spartan. And did you know they used to use horse hair as cushioning???? Crazyyyy.

Its popularity skyrocketed from there on. By the 80s, the car was seen around the world, with the Brazilian and Venezeulan governments taking a special interest in them (or at least buying enough for them to show up in the museum). The land cruiser was also utilized heavily throughout Japan, serving the country as a fire truck in the early days and then as somewhat of a premier off-roading vehicle in the United States.

Personally, my favorite exhibit was probably the one where they displayed the car that had been on all seven continents? Basically the owner of this museum got together with a few guys and made a plan to take a modified 80s-era (I think) Land Cruiser on all seven continents and do fairly hard drives with them.

Just walking through the museum, I could really feel the love for this particular model of car radiating all throughout. I could hear it in the audio tours, and especially in the strangely specific placards that even listed where the car was procured from. It's somewhat rare to see a collection of passion these days that is so well-curated, but I'm honestly really glad to have gone to this museum. Just reminds me that there are people who really just take a special interest in a topic and want to share that with the world.

anonymous subscriber news

Simba is doing great thanks! He was not feeling too well when I got back from his trip and wasn't eating, but one vet visit and a weekend later he is feeling MUCH better and is back to his voracious self. Thanks for asking!

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• home remedies for tummy hurting: gentle little walk, slow drinks of water, ginger tea, child's pose
• "@readers: Say ""Hi Simba"" if you're reading this in the newsletter how is Simba doing "

animal of the week

Uhhh no animal submissions this week. I get it! We don't always see animals. Let me just post this seal I saw in 2024 in Iceland!

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co OR at this form https://forms.gle/NT3nSkKVbpkjCr1u8!