Comments Posted By John McCrarey
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Thanks, never saw it before.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/April/2024 @ 2:21 pm
Kev, I forgot to address your question about weird folk encounters. We’ve got a couple of well-known homeless crazies on the streets of Barretto. They’re likely drug addicts, but other than being annoying beggars, they seem harmless. The guy on the jet ski was weird because he appeared “normal”—dressed well and had enough cash to afford (rent?) a jet ski. Of course, drunken foreigners are a whole other category of weird.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/April/2024 @ 9:02 am
That “Giving Tree” book sounds familiar. I was nine when it was published, so maybe I read it back then. Anyway, I don’t give till it hurts, so I should be okay.
Alta Vista is surrounded by shanty villages. A few steps away, you are in a whole other world. I haven’t seen your post yet, but I look forward to your perspective.
I wasn’t familiar with that Star Trek scene you mention–makes the meme even funnier!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/April/2024 @ 6:25 am
There is only one gate in and out of Alta Vista, but there are several footpaths you can access in the unfenced perimeter. I use them more frequently than the gate.
Yep, the Aussie-owned Outback is a step down under. You can even buy an Aussie hotdog there. Well, I was one of those Itaewon guys. Working on base was like going to America every day and then hanging out with the expat crowd in the bars at night. I did manage to travel around some and marry a Korean girl, at least.
You think crewman was bad; you should see what I DIDN’T miss when I proofread! It’s scary.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/April/2024 @ 7:29 am
Brian, No, I wasn’t aware of the 4/20 album connection. I thought 4/20 was for pot smokers. Then again, I guess the two do go together.
Alan was taller than me (I’m 6’1″), and Swan is 4’8″, so that’s a pretty big difference.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/April/2024 @ 7:15 am
Ah, yeah. I guess it is worth repeating, then. I’m going to look at some of those WOP videos, starting with Planet of the Apes.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/April/2024 @ 8:11 am
That would help for sure…but it could close at 9 p.m., and I’d still be happy.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/April/2024 @ 7:56 am
Ha! It just goes to show how out of touch I’ve become. The vast majority of businesses I frequent don’t even accept plastic payments. I use my card once a week at Royal, and they do it the old-fashioned way. It’s all good.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/April/2024 @ 5:31 pm
Hardly any leftovers by the end of the night, so no one went home hungry.
What!? You didn’t hand your card over with two hands? Shame on you! I just made the two-hand thing a habit–paying at the convenience store or pouring drinks at home, all the same to me. I’m over it now.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/April/2024 @ 7:26 am
No, Jeepney drivers own their vehicles and work independently. They can do pretty much what they want. I think if we had a Filipino with us, we might have had a different outcome.
Yeah, there must have been a breeze that took down some of the laundry before we got there. Felt bad for them–hand-washing clothes is a chore I don’t envy.
You nailed it on the Monte Cristo! The first one I ever ate was in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and it had that confectioner’s sugar sweetness. I missed that taste in the one I had at the 13 Resort, but it was still nice to bite into the kaleidoscope of flavors.
The pennants are not always there; I assume there is a local event taking place soon.
Yeah, either I left out the negation, or I’m a selfish asshole. We’ll see what happens when I die. Well, I won’t see, but… I am going to make at least a “who to contact” list, and you’ll be on it.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/April/2024 @ 7:27 am
Brian, Yeah, this medicine is probably based on that theory. I’m not sure what’s in it, but it is working good so far.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/April/2024 @ 7:44 am
I had an awareness of the “catbird seat” phrase and understood its meaning; although I don’t recall ever using it, it was still interesting to read about its origins.
I wasn’t technically coloring my hair, but I did use Grecian Formula, which gradually restores your natural hair color. It’s too hard to find here and expensive, so I stopped using it a while back. I went gray pretty quickly after that, but I honestly don’t care anymore.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/April/2024 @ 6:14 am
“Maybe if you wiggle your feet with each step.”
Doesn’t everyone?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/April/2024 @ 4:45 pm
Kev, yes, it was another lesson that somehow escaped my feeble brain. On the other hand, a close inspection of my hike route shows some unnecessary twists and turns near the end, so I could argue it was tortuous and torturous. What surprised me was routes I never take back to the highway are much shorter than my usual path. So, I did learn something, at least. Provided I can remember it.
Yes, I can’t walk highway stretches without thinking about making the ditch leap to avoid being squashed.
Well, there is no easy way up Kalaklan, but we had no doubt Vienna Sausage would choose the hardest. We made a less challenging climb, but it was still pretty damn challenging.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/April/2024 @ 7:20 am
Brian, talk about a happy ending! I wonder how they proved it? I get that after a one-night stand, the guy never knows he fathered a child. But I’ve seen many cases where an acknowledged father abandons his kids and returns to the homeland. One woman I help out has two kids from an American father (they were married, and he left her). He was sending some support, at least, but then he died. If he had bothered to get his kids certified as US citizens, they’d be getting social security until age eighteen. Citizenship would have provided them the chance for a better life. I don’t understand the selfishness of some people.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/April/2024 @ 7:10 am
Yeah, that kidless dead-end line felt off…now I know why. Since it was a caption on a picture with kids, I thought I might get away with it. “Some streets were dead ends or had no kids, but in the end, we found what we were looking for.” Better?
I hadn’t heard of the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” before. It’s nice to learn something new. In the case of the candy kids, once the first group has been given their ration, they run up and down the street telling all their friends about free chocolate. Just when we think we’ve got them all, another group comes charging in. It’s pretty funny.
Yeah, a couple of the gals were a tad chubby (like I’m one to talk), and one had a massive tattoo, something I find very unattractive, but the cuties were in the majority.
I love that Prince joke! I just told it to Swan and she burst out laughing.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/April/2024 @ 7:51 am
Swan says that over 300 kids were seen during the event.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/April/2024 @ 6:42 am
Sometimes I wonder what I would look like if I DIDN’T walk. Walking is good exercise, but a poor diet (and beer) can overcome the benefits. I’m trying to eat healthier (and less) these days. We’ll see what happens.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/April/2024 @ 6:41 am
Glad you liked some of the pictures. And thank you for inspiring me to pursue a new career as a beer belly model–that guy in the picture ain’t got nothin’ on me!
Cum Together does have a nice ring to it. Would make a good Hashtag…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/April/2024 @ 6:27 am
Damn, Ground Hog didn’t feel right somehow, but I couldn’t be bothered with confirming. Now I know. But will I remember?
You knew I’d have to look up Volkskunst. Now I know that, too. There’s another group of wall paintings further up the highway in Kalaklan, but they are nearly as appealing. They were done in 2020 and are full of “Be Good Sheep” COVID messages. So far, they haven’t been ashamed enough to paint over them.
Yeah, I’m doing what I do because it is what I want to do. When I want to do something else, I will.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/April/2024 @ 7:36 am
Yeah, I thought of Kevin when I saw my toe, but I’m nowhere close to being in his league.
Thanks for the heads up on “I’ll Be Me.” Looks like Amazon Prime has the rights, damn it. Well, there’s always Pirate Bay.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/April/2024 @ 7:25 am
DS, yeah, I think if it happens, an anti-littering culture will be a generational change. I see other things I find irksome, like gaping holes in sidewalks that are left unrepaired, which tells me the well-being of the people is not a government priority.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/April/2024 @ 7:38 am
Time will tell if Aine has indeed embarked on a new path. She seems like a nice gal, but she has been in the bar business for many, many years. Those are hard habits to break.
People need to be shamed into putting their trash into proper containers. Of course, here in the PI, you never see trash cans. They do put up “no dumping” signs, but they are usually surrounded by mounds of garbage. I don’t expect to see a change in my lifetime.
I’m no biologist, but it seems that old men like hot young women and hot young women like rich old men. It’s funny how that works.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/April/2024 @ 8:15 am
Brian, I’ve visited Japan several times, and I don’t recall any litter either. You are right; it’s a cultural thing. I tease Swan sometimes by tossing an empty Coke can on the floor and saying, “Don’t worry, it’s the culture.” She just shakes her head and replies, “Not in your own house!” She’s still getting used to my off-the-wall sense of humor.
During my last visit to Phnom Penh, I noticed many tourist families and several backpacker-type ladies on their own. There were some single gals in Pattaya, too, especially on Beach Road at night. Oh, wait.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/April/2024 @ 7:53 am
Drain, you make some solid points about the contributing factors to a littering culture here. From my observations, people just don’t care. Poor kids throw a candy wrapper on the ground, and the parent says nothing. Middle-class folk in fancy cars roll down the window and toss out plastic cups as they drive. It’s insane.
Yes, I’ve seen what you describe where the yard of the poorest shanty is kept raked and clean, but the household trash is dumped into the vacant lot next door. Of course, out in the sticks there is no trash collection service, so I can kind of understand it, although I have seen people in that situation at least burn or bury the garbage.
I remember as a kid growing up in the USA there were lots of anti-littering commercials (like the crying Indian). It must have worked because, as an adult, I never even threw my cigarette butts on the ground. I just don’t see similar efforts here to change the litter culture.
Your observations about the old Navy base kind of prove that enforcement works, but I don’t expect that will ever be a government priority. Anyway, it is part of the Philippines experience, I suppose. I don’t like seeing it, but I don’t let it get to me like it used to.
Thanks again for sharing your insights.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/April/2024 @ 7:45 am
I can do one without the other
Well, the bright side for me is I’ve never had to pay taxes since I retired. It’s a pain to have to file to get my refund, but it is worth it. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/April/2024 @ 8:06 am
Thanks for the berry good advice! Yep, still tweaking things as I move forward and learning as I go.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/April/2024 @ 6:23 am
Yes, it is. I can see the bridge from my house, but because of the river, you have to go all the way to the highway then back up to Alta Vista. The red dot is where I said “fuck that” and caught a trike.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 09/April/2024 @ 7:30 am
Yeah, there is signage up now saying Bridge #1 will be repaired. It is the only vehicle access to a large San Isidro neighborhood, and it is also only one lane. I don’t know how they can fix it without closing it, and I don’t know how they can close it without isolating several hundred homes. I hope no one needs an ambulance.
Yeah, it was just weird being told how to pronounce an English word. I should have said, Oh, you mean eun-saek?
Damn, now I remember! Love that version of the song and the ashes disposal. The worst part of dementia is all the cool things you forget.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 08/April/2024 @ 7:41 am
«« Back To Stats PageWell, there was nothing memorable about this skinny little waterfall. I’ve done several “falls” hikes, and they are all about the same–a trickle of water falling over a hill to a pond below. Getting there is always the best part.
I think the bamboo was left there to serve as a raft, but yeah, I get what you mean. Bacteria in the water never crossed my mind (well, except in the bay), but I’ve not heard of any creek swimmers getting infected. Don’t drink from it, though!
Divorce is illegal in the Philippines; I’d have to go back to the USA to do that. Or Jee Yeun could do it in Korea. It was her idea to begin with.
The way I see it, getting older and uglier is still much better than the alternative.
I just pasted that Quora answer from what I wrote there back in 2020. Looking at it now, I see I should have put the punctuation inside the quotation mark.
What? You don’t enjoy local cultural dances? Whatever floats your boat. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 07/April/2024 @ 7:57 am