Comments Posted By John McCrarey
Displaying 451 To 480 Of 6,593 Comments
Kevin, glad to help!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/February/2026 @ 2:11 pm
Brian, yes, we agree. As long as both parties are honest about it and are getting what the need, it works.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/February/2026 @ 2:10 pm
Kevin, the cafe wasn’t open at the time, but it appeared to still be in business. Surprisingly, given its isolated location.
Yes, I strongly oppose drinking and driving (I used to keep a breathalyzer in my car back in the USA to make sure I was never over the limit when I got behind the wheel). I suppose the overpriced taxis on SBMA would be an option.
I agree the video didn’t feel like a real story from a 91-year-old veteran, but the tales it told were all too familiar and illustrate classic mistakes expats make when they move here. So, it serves as a fair warning, even if the main character is fictional. That said, I disagree with the advice to flee the country. Best advice, be aware and don’t be stupid.
Yeah, my new workaround is to have multiple do-over lives and see which one turns out the best. Hey, I’ve got an eternity, right?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/February/2026 @ 1:10 pm
Brian, I’ve used my driver a couple of times for hikes in the past, but that has to be pre-planned and limits the number of potential participants.
Regarding the video, yes, my sense is that it does not represent one man’s views as claimed, but rather a conglomeration of multiple stories. Regardless, the issues raised are true enough. Unwise choices lead to bad outcomes.
I don’t disagree with you regarding the transactional nature of many, if not most, relationships. From my earliest days here, I’ve known that what makes me attractive to a woman is the bulge in my pants (I’m talking about my wallet). Still, back home, women want young, fit, handsome guys. I find that attraction every bit as shallow, if not more so, than being attracted to financial security. In my elderly years now, I’m most attracted to a woman who can and will take care of me. Swan fulfills that desire, and in turn, I make sure she has what she needs to live a comfortable life.
Having been married four times and been on the losing end in countless other relationships, I agree with Bob Dylan’s song: love is just a four-letter word.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/February/2026 @ 12:59 pm
Kevin, well, at least you gave me some hints this time. I take it the issue with the first two examples involves hyphenation. In my defense, I originally tried to use “grocery-shopping,” but my spellcheck underlined it in red and suggested removing the hyphen, so I did.
In the other example, I did not need the comma after usual. Yeah, it seems I use commas when I shouldn’t and don’t use them when I should.
And finally, another hyphen-related problem. When in doubt, hyphenate!
I didn’t know that music was a whole-brain activity. Maybe I should sleep with my earbuds on to wake up those grammar braincells. Especially since I’m commatose.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/February/2026 @ 11:08 am
Aaron, those were costumes, not trannies. Why are you so obsessed with baklas?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/February/2026 @ 1:51 pm
Kevin, I didn’t even notice the error.
Yeah, maybe next year I’ll go dressed to kill!
Lucky or not, it’s my last chance at love, so hopefully I won’t fuck it up this time.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/February/2026 @ 1:50 pm
Brian, I agree with you regarding the vlogger. He’s doing things his way, and that’s fine for him. It doesn’t mean everyone who chooses a different lifestyle is doing it wrong. I like living in comfort, and bottled water is part of that for me. And having a bunch of kids that aren’t his living in his house puts him at risk in a way I try to avoid. Anyway, his life, his choice.
“Can a plan not go as intended if a person is 100% in control of that plan?”
Um, this is me we are talking about. Since when have I been in control? Plans change, and so did I. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/February/2026 @ 1:47 pm
Kevin, Swan’s home-cooked steaks are plenty good. I’ll share the recipe you linked with her; she likes a challenge.
Um, yeah, the red dresses at the Hash were a lot like those pics in your link. You’ll see in my post today.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/February/2026 @ 2:03 pm
Brian, yes, I’ve seen prices going up across the board, but especially on imported products. The peso exchange rate has been great lately (currently around 58 pesos to the dollar), and anything above 50 is fine by me. My pension does get an annual COLA, so I should be good unless the US goes bankrupt and stops paying me.
The only problem with the Hash bar crawl scene is having 40 or 50 people trying to order a beer at the same time. It worked out better than I thought it would yesterday, and I wound up having a good time. From what I remember, anyway.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/February/2026 @ 1:58 pm
Dr. Greg, nope, I hosed it out of the pants.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/February/2026 @ 1:37 pm
Who is Sydney?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/February/2026 @ 1:36 pm
Kevin, it looks like I have achieved a new low in the quality of my proofreading. I’ll have to archive this for future reference.
Most of my walking is done in the morning after a light breakfast. I’m not sure how I’d do after a big meal. I don’t think those two slices of pizza affected me… hey, wait a minute, that’s why I wimped out on the trail. Not my fault, I blame the pizza!
When I was a young man in the 70s, I’d go backpacking without a care in the world. Now, as an old man in his 70s, I need my creature comforts: a comfortable place to sleep and Wi-Fi. My, how the world has changed. Maybe for the better, maybe not. You don’t miss what you never had.
When the next meteor hits, the human race is doomed. Well, a handful of hardy folks living in the wilderness already might still be around.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/February/2026 @ 8:16 am
Kevin, I’ll write about the adventure soon, but yeah, it wasn’t so much rough as it was uncomfortable. Toilets you had to walk a long way to reach, including stairs. No seat, and they don’t flush; you use a bucket to do that.
That 29K hike has become a pipe-dream, I’m afraid.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/February/2026 @ 2:21 pm
Terry, not as tough as I used to be, and getting weaker every day, it seems. I didn’t technically camp, but it was still roughing it to me. I’ll post about the trip soon.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/February/2026 @ 2:17 pm
Drain, I was busy living my insulated American life back in ’92 and had no idea what was going on outside of my cocoon. When Asia became part of my life a decade later, and I read the history of the base closures, I was amazed at how the elected “leaders” of a nation could take an action so detrimental to the nation. Yeah, that monument doesn’t say what they hoped it would.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/February/2026 @ 8:21 am
Kevin, yeah, I didn’t know Dr. Jo was testing for prostate cancer until she told me I didn’t have cancer. A surprise and a relief at the same time!
No pun intended, just one more example of sloppy writing/proofreading.
I’m not taking the laptop because I don’t think the camping situation will be conducive to using it or to store it safely while I’m out Hashing.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/February/2026 @ 8:51 am
Brian, I loved my time in Seoul but the memories of those happy days were too painful for me to carry on. And yes, the expense was also a factor.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/February/2026 @ 8:46 am
Kevin, it is much more fun to look at others’ errors than my own!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/February/2026 @ 5:35 pm
Kevin, “were” isn’t the right word; I’d go with “was” or “is.” I don’t see anything wrong with “function,” but I like “purpose” better.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/February/2026 @ 9:01 am
Kevin, clearly, I’m the drama king, at least according to Swan. 🙂 Then again, I guess it is pretty dumb to be overly dramatic.
As far as I can tell, that meme needs a comma after “apparently.”
It happened in a country with strict gun control laws, so that won’t fit with the lefty narrative. From what I’ve read, given the shooter’s history of mental illness, he could not legally possess a gun. It’s sad how laws don’t impede someone who wants to murder, which is also against the law.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/February/2026 @ 4:56 pm
Kevin, thanks for the verification that Grant really said the quoted words. I wondered about that, but then decided if it is on the internet, it must be true.
Nowadays, everyone by the lake would be jonesing for his/her cell phone and griping about the lack of a signal.
Sad, but true. Those were simpler times. Of course, nowadays, I’d be bitching about the lack of internet, too.Actually, my father was five years older than my mother. As for dating an old woman as a young man, you had me at “rich.”
As for where I fall on the spectrum, I’d say I lean towards ‘people can change.” Granted, I’m a slow learner, but I’ve made progress along this road we call life. At least, most of my mistakes these days are new ones. I don’t think I’ve ever been an optimist, but acceptance is worth striving for.
It sounds like your father wasn’t totally worthless; at least he served as a bad example. You are blessed to have achieved a level of awareness to have avoided living that way.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/February/2026 @ 2:01 pm
Thanks, Randy. That’s my plan for as long as I’m breathing.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/February/2026 @ 2:03 pm
Brian, if Swan said she wanted me to attend family functions, I would. It seems like it is no big deal to her that I’d rather not.
Yeah, Sohee never gave any indication that she was in a dark place. I was out of the country when she hung herself, but I suspect it might have had something to do with a failed marriage. I totally agree, though, that suicide is the most selfish thing you can do…your pain doesn’t go away, it is transferred to all who knew and loved you.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/February/2026 @ 2:36 pm
Kevin, yep, what doesn’t kill a relationship makes it stronger.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 10/February/2026 @ 12:14 pm
No worries, Aaron. Everything was fine during darts.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 10/February/2026 @ 12:13 pm
Kevin, I’d attribute it to mutual stubbornness, neither of us wanting to admit to our contributions to the misunderstanding. Admittedly, there are some things I don’t handle well, and a tampo response makes it worse for me. Anyway, this is our third year together, and these incidents seem to only come once a year, so maybe we’ll get better at dealing with the occasional potholes.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 09/February/2026 @ 11:26 am
Randy, I’m probably doing okay healthwise overall, but as the years roll on, the parts are wearing out. I think Dr. Jo wanted the ultrasound to take a look at my bladder function. What will be will be.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 09/February/2026 @ 11:22 am
Thanks for missing me, Yvon. Just a bump in the road, but I’ll be back.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 08/February/2026 @ 1:11 pm
«« Back To Stats PageRandy, a bump in the road. I’ll work around it.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 08/February/2026 @ 9:15 am