Comments Posted By Brian
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John, hope things work out with Swan, but the “it is just a sad fact that she has no interest in doing the things I enjoy.” quote doesn’t bode well. What DOES she like to do? Are they things that you enjoy doing, or could find yourself enjoying those things in the future?
The relationship, such as it is, doesn’t even seem one sided at this point. Seems pretty no-sided. I realize that she is probably still grieving to some extent, but has it ever been clarified what the live in helper/roommate really entails? If you decide to move on, what does that mean for her? Seems like things could get pretty awkward pretty quick.
Good luck as you navigate things.
» Posted By Brian On 31/October/2023 @ 1:57 pm
Looks like a good Hash. I get the impression of a bit more rural vibe to that place. Nice change of pace.
BTW, how many Hash shirts to you have? Seems like the make one for every occasion, big or small. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 30/October/2023 @ 12:33 pm
Give me patience and give it to me NOW!!!!!!
Anyway, at least you’re making progress and things seem to be trending in the right direction.
I think all of southeast Asia is on the “no fixed time” schedule. Must be something to do with the heat. In Indonesian, they even have a term for it, “jam kurat”, which means “rubber time”. Time can stretch or contract, but generally isn’t completely fixed.
» Posted By Brian On 27/October/2023 @ 1:15 pm
Looks like it was a fun event, except for the one dick (pun intended).
Though, with some of the rituals your has does, beating off in public, while over the line, does not seem to be a huge leap. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 25/October/2023 @ 12:09 am
The 926 calories burned is from what exercise? Is that the daily amount? I don’t think it is possible to burn that many calories in a 1 mile walk. Everything I have read says that a person burns about 150 cal/mile walked.
Anyways, the journey of 1000 miles miles begins with the first step.
» Posted By Brian On 23/October/2023 @ 10:57 pm
Good luck, Discipline is the key, though I know I am not telling you anything you dont know.
Maybe decrease the # of bar nights by one. That by itself, would be about a 15% weekly decrease in your beer caloric intake.
» Posted By Brian On 23/October/2023 @ 8:01 am
John, this post kind of has a Groundhog Day vibe to it.
Heres hoping that the fifth(?) is the charm re: beer drinking, bar girls, etc.
There is also that weight lose drug that is all the rage – Ozempic (also known by the generic name semaglutide). DOnt know if one of the drugs you mentioned is a derivative or other name for Ozempic and too lazy to check. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 21/October/2023 @ 2:19 am
This comment is for @Kevin. Was not able to comment on his walking blog (possibly because I minimize cookies?), so will leave a comment here for him.
Regarding a hiking hat, I have the following with works well.
https://www.rei.com/product/894435/sunday-afternoons-ultra-adventure-hat?redirect-pup=falseInstead of a brim that goes all the way around the hat, it has more of a flap at the back, which may eliminate the problem you are having. Looks dorky but works well.
Another thing I also use wihen hiking with a large backpack is a Gossamar Gear hiking umbrella, which (with an optional kit) attaches to the shoulder harness of the backpack to allow hands free usage. Works quite well.
https://www.gossamergear.com/collections/accessories/products/liteflex-hiking-chrome-umbrella
» Posted By Brian On 17/October/2023 @ 11:53 pm
Second to what Kevin said on getting the knee checked out. WIth hiking being a big part of your life, you don’t want to be in fear on every hike such that it limits your enjoyment.
Re: Dwight Yoakam song – great song!!
» Posted By Brian On 17/October/2023 @ 11:37 pm
Looks like a weekend well spent.
Beautiful looking sea!!
Hope you get the knee checked out soon.
» Posted By Brian On 16/October/2023 @ 1:13 am
@Kevin, John will know more about the cab/trike economics in the PI, but in Thailand, taxis do not want short rides, and if they accept one, they almost always refuse the meter. Tuk-tuks (the Thai equivalent of trikes) pretty much have the market on relatively short rides and can set the price higher. I am sure it was a pleasant surprise that this particular taxi used the meter.
John – Pad Thai is always a good default Thai dish. Basically stir fried noodles with meat and veggies.
» Posted By Brian On 10/October/2023 @ 10:49 pm
Re: Media. It obviously has gotten worse with the explosion of the internet. I believe that one of the biggest problems is that the search algorithms push a person further and further down a silo that shows only a particular viewpoint.
A lot of people have fallen into that “trap”.
So, if a person generally read only views that skew to the right, eventually all that person sees are right wing viewpoints, and that becomes their baseline. Eventually, anything even a bit outside those guardrails seems to be extreme. Radicalization theory and all.
Anyway, enough of that. LOL
Re: weight of the girls. The richer a country is, the fatter they become. I have spent a lot of time in various Asian countries over the years and have seen the average weight creep up. We, as US citizens, have nothing to talk about. Pretty large % of the population is overweight.
(Same goes for if a person focuses exclusively on left wing media. They believe that extreme views propagated by the left are the norm.)
» Posted By Brian On 10/October/2023 @ 1:03 am
John, new place looks pretty nice. Nice chill out space on the roof. Good luck with the knee. To second what the others have said – yeah, get it checked.
» Posted By Brian On 08/October/2023 @ 6:55 am
Ouch!! Surprised that happened with Lucky.
Second the thought about getting things checked with a doc. Dog bites (and people bites) are notorious for causing infections.
» Posted By Brian On 01/October/2023 @ 12:20 pm
While I have been somewhat critical of John‘s relationship strategies in the past, I can see where he is coming from in regards to visiting the bar‘s, etc. I do not see that, in and of itself, as showing a lack of commitment to Swan.
In the US, there are plenty of married guys who go to, for example, a Hooters restaurant without their spouse or partner, and I would bet that most of them are still committed to their spouse or partner. I have spent enough time in developing countries to understand that something like a lady drink is the equivalent of a tip in the US.
I don’t think anyone would say that if a guy goes to a Hooters on a fairly regular basis, maybe with some friends, maybe solo, sits at the bar, chats with the female bartender, and leaves her a tip at the end of the evening, he’s showing that he is not committed to his relationship.
Now if in the future, John always prioritizes going to the bars rather then spending time with Swan, then that is a red flag. For example, Swan has something planned for a Friday evening and John says, “sorry, have to go watch the SOB contest”, then yeah, that’s a problem.
I’m not overly optimistic on how this current relationship will play out, but hoping for the best.
» Posted By Brian On 01/October/2023 @ 12:15 pm
Yeah, walking along the National Highway does not seem like any fun at all.
» Posted By Brian On 27/September/2023 @ 12:10 pm
A couple of days late, but this is in reference to another bar opening in your neighborhood.
Seems to give rise to the saying, “You want to make a million dollars in the bar business? Great – first, start with 2 million dollars………….”
They all seem pretty interchangeable, with even the ladies moving from one to the other quite frequently. But, it is not just a PI thing, I see the same thing in Thailand, and to some degree, it happens in the US also. A bar/nightclub, etc. will get a buzz and be the go-to place for a while and then usually, that star will fade and something else will be the latest and greatest.
But I have no idea what type of place that would distinguish itself from the competition in your neck fo the woods. Seems like a bar with relatively cheap alcohol along with dancers and/or GRO’s is the way to go as that is what the targeted demographic wants.
» Posted By Brian On 22/September/2023 @ 9:51 pm
Is your bar crawl going to be part of your highly anticipated refresh of your Bars of Barretto series? LOL
» Posted By Brian On 15/September/2023 @ 9:43 pm
Re: Nerissa – not sure whether to give her kudos for stepping out of her comfort zone or to shake my head at the (potential) stupidity of traveling thousands of miles to a strange country where she doesn’t know anyone, doesn’t speak the language, etc. to meet someone she just knows as pixels on a screen. I am leaning more towards the latter, but from her perspective, she gets to travel to a foreign country and meet the love of her life, so who am I to be a Debbie Downer.
Good luck to her!!!
» Posted By Brian On 07/September/2023 @ 11:33 pm
Seems like, at the moment, you are firmly in the “friend zone” with Swan. Things may change and here’s hoping that October brings something more to your liking.
Re: Bars – what % of bars in your area have GRO’s/gogo girls vs. a place you can go and have a beer with no expectations? From reading your blog, I would expect that 80%+ fall into the former category.
Re: Lady drinks – Instead of ordering a 170 peso lady drink, maybe just tip the waitress 100 pesos instead. That way, they make more money and you save money. I suppose the bar itself is losing out, but………..
» Posted By Brian On 07/September/2023 @ 12:06 am
Re: your buddy Ron – working stateside hours from the PI.
Wow! You are 12 hours ahead of EST, correct? Pretty much working night shift. Personally, that would be tough for me to do long term. But, I do know some people who have worked nights and slept days for years, so it does work for some. (pun intended)
» Posted By Brian On 01/September/2023 @ 9:31 pm
Happy Birthday John! Here’s to many more!!
Re: I dreamed of being a professional darts player when I retired. Turns out I wasn’t good enough
I know that there are physical things I thought I was pretty good at, and then you meet someone who is at a “major league” level at that same activity and I realized just how far away from them I was. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 28/August/2023 @ 4:43 am
I am not sure how the various bars distinguish themselves from other bars. Especially a new one just opening up. The girls seem to move from one to the other, so having a favorite bar because of the service staff seems like that would be a pretty short term proposition. (no pun intended). As for ambiance, are they really that different from one to the other (excepting maybe the view)?
I would guess that if you revisited your bar rankings, there would be big changes.
» Posted By Brian On 27/August/2023 @ 8:20 am
Would possibly a muscle relaxer help? Maybe it is just a spasming muscle or something like that? Just a thought.
Regarding your begging friends. I still think you should get some business cards printed up explaining you donate to charities X, Y, and Z and you recommend that they contact them directly if they need assistance.
» Posted By Brian On 25/August/2023 @ 3:16 am
I am sure that it is a result of the camera angle/flash or no flash/ etc. but the vertical slit for your pupil seems vaguely reptilian. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 21/August/2023 @ 12:09 am
It ain’t much, but it’s all I got
I read it as Alcazar Grove.
Whatever it is, your faithful readers await what lies behind the sign!!
» Posted By Brian On 18/August/2023 @ 11:31 pm
I have seen vouchers that say, “This voucher has no cash value”, but it appears that this one did not.
On the other hand, you did basically get 5 beers for free, so there is that……..
IMNSHO, I side with the bar in this. If it is “buy one, get one”, technically, you did not “buy” any beers. The voucher gave you 500 pesos of food/drink in the bar. And you didn’t purchase the voucher. You won it.
Anyways, there is quite the variety of bars in your neck of the woods, and if this sticks in your craw, then take your business elsewhere.
» Posted By Brian On 18/August/2023 @ 12:45 am
In general terms, I agree with Kevin’s comment about avoiding alcohol to prevent stupidity, but on the other hand……….
Alcohol – because no great story ever begins with someone eating a bowl of lettuce!!!
» Posted By Brian On 16/August/2023 @ 11:46 pm
I was expecting the below song to be the musical accompaniment to your post
……..Lets Go to the Hop………..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVcTueT2No
» Posted By Brian On 16/August/2023 @ 1:53 am
«« Back To Stats PageMarisel is a cutie, but “look but don’t touch”!!
Remind me again, when does the rainy season generally end?
» Posted By Brian On 14/August/2023 @ 10:44 pm