Comments Posted By John McCrarey
Displaying 3,091 To 3,120 Of 6,593 Comments
Yeah, I won’t be back there, lots of other options I haven’t tried yet.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 04/February/2023 @ 6:57 am
Thanks, Dan. Every little bit helps. And your wish is my commend! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/February/2023 @ 6:54 am
That “road” thing is scary and happening with increasing frequency–you should see the mistakes I catch BEFORE hitting the “publish” button. For whatever reason, I rote it wrong and read write over it. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself)
And thanks for the hyphen lesson; I never really knew the rules for that, and your examples made it much clearer. The challenge will be finding new ways to screw-up. (yeah, that’s me being funny again)
Walking that plank wasn’t so bad because the consequences of failure were minimal. Had the bridge been higher above the water I’d have taken the wet feet option.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/February/2023 @ 6:51 am
Dan, I just asked ChatGPT if it is wrong to cavort with prostitutes. As the answer began to be displayed (the first line said it was not right to have sex for money), the answer and my question were flagged with: “This content may violate our content policy. If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.”
Another example of how worthless this AI program really is–it doesn’t want to engage in real world issues.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/February/2023 @ 7:11 am
QP, I’ll let her know you’re cumming!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/February/2023 @ 7:05 am
Kev, guilty as charged re: the dangling modifier. I think that’s the first time I’ve been called out for that offense. My excuse is that I was focused on getting my commas right. I’ll try and do better in the future. I enjoyed the lesson and the examples you provided. Thanks!
Wow, ChatGPT has lost all credibility with me now. It is one thing to use “nice” words (i.e. server versus waitress), but to distort facts and deny reality is blatant propaganda. No thanks!
I could see myself sitting on the beach contemplating nature…with an ice chest of beer next to me!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/February/2023 @ 7:00 am
Nice to see you back, Robert. No worries, I’m no Brit, although I’ve got some Scottish lineage.
As for the photos, I just ask the girl if she minds my taking a picture. They almost always agree, sometimes with the caveat that I don’t share it on Facebook. Some bars don’t allow photography, but most don’t care, especially if you are limiting the shots to people at your table. I wish I were more skilled with the camera, but as long as the beauty shines through, mission accomplished!
The exotic girl, Tanya, no longer comes to the Hash (her sponsor has moved on to someone else), but I believe she still works at Blue Butterfly, a bar I rarely visit. I’ll try and pop in for a visit and photo with her soon.
Yeah, that Sweatcoin sounds like a scam, but I’m not sure how they make their money. I’m certainly not going to give them any of mine. We’ll see what happens.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/February/2023 @ 6:47 am
It was a burger slider. I should have been more diligent about taking some photos of the food.
The snakes I’ve seen were here in Alta Vista, so yeah, that’s disconcerting. And think we make enough noise when hiking to scare them off before we get too close, and that works for me.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 01/February/2023 @ 6:23 am
Mama walks her own path in life, that’s for sure. Still, I was surprised to see her revert to her past life as a bargirl and want to come home with me. The thought of that kind of intimacy makes me shudder–I see her as a sweet old woman who is a little off in the head and nothing more. I don’t think she took my rejection to heart, though, and she’ll be her same happy self the next time I see her.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 31/January/2023 @ 6:43 am
Brian, that was pretty funny! Truthfully, listening to Trump gets on my nerves–he’d be better off shutting up some and letting his actions tell the story. That’s not his style, though. Anyway, I’m glad Mr. Trump is not a regular commenter here! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 31/January/2023 @ 6:30 am
I was at Sloppy Joe’s for one drink and wearing a faded orange shirt. Yes, I do tend to focus on my phone too much when I am sitting by myself. I don’t have a group of regular drinking buds, so I’m more often alone than not–that’s why I frequently purchase the company of a bargirl with lady drinks.
Ah, but I no longer wear glasses–either it wasn’t me, or it is YOU who needs glasses! Feel free to introduce yourself next you see me, it’s always a treat to meet a reader.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 31/January/2023 @ 6:37 am
Kevin, I’ve always enjoyed writing, even if I’m not that good at it. Short stories and poetry as a young man, with dreams of one day becoming a journalist. I wound up writing discipline letters and briefs for arbitration hearings in the service of my Uncle Sam. Long Time Gone is a failure’s revenge!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/January/2023 @ 12:31 pm
Jezza, glad you spotted the AI tag clue!
Yeah, the AI made up that “favorite bar” line; all I said was that BarCelona has nice ambiance. To be fair, I did get good service there on my last visit. The other parts, like names, were true, but some descriptions were off–I called Juliet sexy, not “lovely.”
Yeah, I saw that post about the police in Manila shaking down the same driver THREE times in ONE day. I’m not sure AI could make that sound any more believable. I don’t think ChatGPT actually visits locations on the web, just has access to a huge data pool.
We weren’t talking about anyone local, just the young and healthy athletes around the world who are dropping dead for mysterious reasons. And I’m no Trumper, but he was a better choice than Hillary (who you gonna take, the crook or the clown?) and was a much better President than that guy who is currently pretending to be. I’m hoping for DeSantis in 2024.
I spent a lot of years in the south but didn’t acquire the accent. Well, I’ll drop a “y’all” now and then, but without a twang.
You ought to sign up for ChatGPT and give it a try while it is free. I’ve heard it can write stories, so don’t miss your chance for the best diving novel ever published!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/January/2023 @ 7:49 am
Kev, yes, I had to provide the background story, and the ChatGPT app chose some of my words and tweaked others. But they weren’t pure “McCrareyisms.” For example, I never said they were my favorite bars, only that BarCelona has a nice ambiance, I didn’t call Juliet “lovely”; I said she was sexy, and I don’t call waitresses “servers.” I do get your larger point that it sounded enough like me to fool readers into thinking I wrote it. Yeah, it would be an interesting test to have ChatGPT write an entirely fictional post about me and see if it was plausibly believable. I’m not sure it would be capable of doing so–yet.
Grammarly dinged you in a different way: which is not safe and is illegal in many countries–changing “not safe and is” to “unsafe and”: which is unsafe and illegal in many countries.
I accept Grammarly’s punctuation corrections most of the time, but I seldom use the suggested changes to my word choices. I’m not saying the suggestions are bad, just that I prefer writing in my own way using my “voice.” I feel the same with ChatGPT.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/January/2023 @ 7:23 am
Jeremy, be sure to see the latest post for an update.
The actual name of the bar is It Doesn’t Matter, but we all call it IDM. Once I had a lady friend text asking me where I was, when I told her “It Doesn’t Matter” she got angry. 🙂
I have concluded that that sleeping on the couch must have been a dream. It makes no sense.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 29/January/2023 @ 5:34 pm
Kev, I don’t know what’s up with my camera–I’ve noticed that distorted effect in other photos too. She’s got a little paunch in her midsection (who am I to talk, right?) but is far from obese. Her not remembering my name just shows I don’t matter to her other than as a purchaser of lady drinks. Yes, I’ve noted the similarity in names, but that’s about the only thing those two have in common.
Yeah, those captcha images can be a real bitch. Your blog used to torture me frequently when I left a comment, but almost never these days.
Thanks for the links on smoke and beef (hey, that could be a good restaurant name!) I’ll give them a look.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 29/January/2023 @ 7:47 am
Oh, shit. I hadn’t thought of that! I don’t think it would be capable of taking photos on the hikes and pictures of the bargirls, though…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/January/2023 @ 5:51 pm
Dan, I did not tell them. When someone commented, I let them know I didn’t write it.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/January/2023 @ 3:08 pm
Re: the shower schedule: Like you, most days I do a late afternoon shower, and that suffices. I don’t sweat much when I go out in the evening and don’t have any time around other people after the morning hike. Tuesday is the exception because I go shopping in the morning.
I don’t store water for emergencies, but the helper usually manages to fill up a couple of ice chests from the neighbor’s garden hose when needed for things like flushing the toilet. I always have plenty of drinking water on hand.
Yeah, I get that ChatGPT is just going to regurgitate what its creators think you should hear. I was taken aback by how popular that unattributed response was on my Facebook page. Although I try to respect the opinions of others, I also like to consider the source. You can’t do that with an AI provider. I doubt ChatGPT has much experience with the nuances of the bar scene.
Yeah, I just asked the app what http://www.mccrarey.com was about, and it couldn’t figure that out with eighteen years of data to access. Lately, I’d probably just call Long Time Gone one man’s diary. I think human eyes could have answered the questions sufficiently by quoting the sub-heading: “Trials, tribulations, and adventures of an American in the Philippines.”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/January/2023 @ 7:15 am
Dan, thanks for the tips. I actually don’t normally experience hangover symptoms after a night of overindulgence, but now I’ll be prepared for the next time.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/January/2023 @ 5:07 am
Kev, impressive. That carabao is indeed being pulled. The farmer had it on a rope and was walking to the rice paddy.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/January/2023 @ 5:04 am
Hello, James. Nice to see you back!
Your comment implies that I need to be rescued, but I’m living a life I’ve chosen, and I’m making the most of it while I can. Not always ideal, but I’m doing okay.
I’d definitely join Narissa on a museum visit or a trip to the zoo. And it is not a deal breaker for me if she doesn’t care to go hiking with me; to each his own and all that.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/January/2023 @ 5:00 pm
You are right, life is hard and usually harder if you are a woman. As I recall, they even amended the Constitution to provide for women’s suffrage. (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
If we are on the road in search of Nirvana, I’m the guy handing out drinks to thirsty female travelers.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/January/2023 @ 4:53 pm
Well, I’m just searching for the exception to the rule! Actually, I think Tom is right about the girls in the prostitution bars, but I rarely frequent those.
Nerissa’s looks aren’t that attractive to me either, but her brain has me intrigued. I hope to get to know her better, but I’m keeping my expectations in check. She’s new to the bar scene (or at least, so she says), so she may not be jaded yet. I honestly don’t see the women who choose the bars as being in need of rescue. Most of the ones I’ve met are there because it is their best option. Sure, they dream of meeting a “rich” man and living happily ever after, but I doubt many expect that will ever happen.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/January/2023 @ 5:53 am
It depends, but usually, there is someone of like mind. Yesterday there was no one else nearby when I deviated, so I was alone for the remainder of the hike.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/January/2023 @ 6:35 am
Glad to be of service, QP!
And Kev, those can’t be real words, right? Otherwise, it is the best double entendre ever!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2023 @ 6:24 am
Well, wearing did seem to make me a target of sorts.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/January/2023 @ 6:56 am
Thanks for the link. Yeah, there have been a couple of other onion smugglers caught recently. I guess onions are more lucrative than drugs these days. The shelves are bare of them in my grocery store.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/January/2023 @ 5:55 am
Yes, I don’t know how that “feature” got turned on, but I’ve turned it off again. The photos from the hike without it I cropped, but I didn’t have the patience to do all of them.
It’s Gen, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t thinking of her as a “Gem” when I wrote this post. Kind of ruins my playing off “jumpin’ Gemini.” Oh well, another milestone on the road to dementia.
She still hints around about being more than friends, but there is always something to remind me how wrong she would be for me.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2023 @ 6:17 pm
I don’t mean to be condiment sending…
«« Back To Stats PageI saw Pam briefly last night, and she has not seen nor heard from her former friend, who has now blocked her on social media. I asked Pam if they had an argument or something to make her friend angry (jealousy is common among Filipinas), but Pam denied it. Quite the mystery.
Well, the power company had scheduled maintenance/power pole replacement, and I had missed the notice, so I guess that’s on me. I have a gas stove (shame on me!) and my grill, so I don’t have to go hungry during an outage.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2023 @ 6:48 am