Comments Posted By John McCrarey
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I’d heard of it but never seen it before. It’s far from new, but well maintained. I’m guessing they must do alright. I saw a sign advertising Red Horse beer, a particularly strong brew the locals enjoy. Can’t imagine coming down that mountain after a couple of bottles of that stuff! Maybe the resort offers rooms with a drunken discount rate…
Building the resort must have been quite the endeavor.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/September/2019 @ 6:31 pm
Annie, great memories! Thanks for sharing!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/December/2024 @ 8:27 am
Glad to be of service. Thanks for stopping by!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/October/2024 @ 7:46 am
Glad to have added some value here, Donna! It’s weird how that song stuck in all of our minds that way.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/September/2023 @ 7:06 am
I appreciate you sharing the sweet memory of singing that song in class, Rhonda. It is so strange that the song lives on in the hearts and minds of so many and yet we can’t find it on the internet. What’s up with that?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 07/July/2023 @ 5:09 am
I had to look it up on YouTube, but once I heard it again it was familiar.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 05/June/2023 @ 10:29 am
Thanks for the clarification, Anne. It is strange how long ago moments like this song stick in our head and the rest of the time I’m lucky to remember my name…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/May/2023 @ 2:14 pm
Thanks for the comment, Vickie. It’s funny how some things stick in our minds. I recall some song lyrics better than I remember why I walked into the kitchen some days.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/April/2023 @ 5:26 pm
Hi Paige, yes, we did that song in 5th or 6th-grade music class. I went to school in Southern California. I seem to recall the music teacher saying it was a traditional song from Argentina.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 31/January/2023 @ 2:57 pm
Thanks, Howie. Yes, that’s it. I know we sang it in music class back in like 5th grade. Teacher said it was about the cowboys (gauchos) in Argentina.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2022 @ 5:27 am
Yeah, that sounds right. See “pampas” reminded me of a song we sang during music class in elementary school. I looked and looked (well, I had Google look, but you know what I mean) and couldn’t find it. All I remember of the lyrics is:
“see the gaucho ride the pampas, see the gaucho…” something or other. Oh well.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/September/2019 @ 8:34 am
And it also explains Tchaikovsky’s notorious bad breath!
I finally asked a Filipino what the hell that tall grass is called. It’s named Talahib. You can read all about here:
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Talahib.htmlHenceforth, I will call it fodder cane. Or perhaps thatch grass.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/September/2019 @ 9:19 am
Damn, that kind of unforced spelling error really rankles. I meant to go back and double-check the name, and then I neglected to do so. Utter sloppiness! Fixed now, thanks for the heads up.
Yeah, I vaguely recall hearing about Iyer, but have never followed him. It was pure coincidence that I found his piece after having just experienced something similar on my morning walk. He hasn’t learned the language? Gaesaekki! (modestly demonstrating my level of Korean skills after over 10 years in country)
Yeah, they gave me a shitload of sour cream, but I mostly used the salsa that also came with the quesadillas.
Yeah, even the most familiar paths will have subtle changes. Sometimes it is just different people out on the street. Or a new flower blossoming. I listen to music when I walk alone, and sometimes just a different song playing changes my mood and perceptions.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/September/2019 @ 9:40 am
Well, with a name like sojuHoncho, who am I to argue? 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/September/2019 @ 1:14 pm
The ribs were also a problem before I took your advice and went the slow cooker route. Now the meat just falls off the bone!
Pork roasts are also fine after 8 hours in the crockpot. For the steaks, some meat tenderizer and a couple of days in marinade helps some.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/September/2019 @ 8:20 am
He’s a Lucky boy!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2019 @ 9:37 am
Yeah, I’m sure the bridge was plenty sturdy, for me, it’s a question of balance… 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/September/2019 @ 5:52 pm
Haha! Indeed they would, along with most other sitcoms of the 1960s! Damn she was hot! I dreamed of Jeannie often! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/September/2019 @ 9:08 am
Yeah, from what I recall Cokie was a pretty straight shooter. Of course, back in those days, I wouldn’t have known any different. Cpkie was actually friends with a friend of mine, although I never had the honor of meeting her.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/September/2019 @ 4:50 pm
You got a problem with women on their period, Thirsty? Bloody hell! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/September/2019 @ 9:19 am
Damn, my brain hurts but here goes:
1. comma after Obama.
2. no comma
3. comma after beers
4. comma after sniper
5. no comma» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/September/2019 @ 9:26 am
Thirsty, keep coming back for more surprises. Maybe I’ll do a post that has women and periods…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/September/2019 @ 2:29 pm
Yeah, that’s my excuse–most-timers disease! Or now I can blame Grammarly. Although I am using the free version, maybe I have to pay to get correct corrections. For example, I rarely hyphenate at all, but Grammarly suggested the “low-content” change. Bastards!
Not sure I’ll ever overcome the “that” and “which” type mistakes, but I’m really disappointed I didn’t do better I’m my comma usage. I’m a work in progress, hopefully I’ll show some improvement soon.
Anyway, no worries about standing corrected. I always appreciate the feedback. I’m reminded of what a girlfriend once told me: “no man is totally worthless, he can always serve as a bad example.” Bitch!
And if I ever win the lottery I’ll hire you as my personal editor, Kevin. How’s that sound? [okay, I put a comma in after lottery, but didn’t like the way it looked. Maybe I’m just too much of an Englishman?]
Now, this is f’n hilarious–in my bracketed comment above Grammarly suggested taking out the comma after lottery. I left it in, but now I’m not so sure. I may be becoming comma-phobic…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/September/2019 @ 9:19 am
Ah, I think that was a deceptive angle in the photograph. Lucky has really grown, but he is still a little shorter and smaller length-wise than Buddy.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/September/2019 @ 9:34 am
It should end sometime next month. July-October give or take. Then it will be a relatively pleasant (not as hot and humid) time until February when “hot” season starts.
Yeah, just knocked them out for a bit. They were back to normal this morning… 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/September/2019 @ 7:05 pm
Yes, I believe you are right. I had a nice mountain walk yesterday and was thinking about how much more pleasant it was than being on city streets. Saigon had lots of urban parks and I did see a nice footpath along a canal. That would get old very quickly though I reckon.
I too can imagine encountering an old timer who lost a family member to American troops and getting the “Yankee go home” or worse. I’m curious if the hostile attitudes would be more likely up north. After all, South Vietnam was defeated and occupied. We bombed the hell out of the north…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/September/2019 @ 8:27 am
Good info! Appreciate it.
Yeah, what I’m doing is basically skipping lunch as opposed to intermittent fasting. Although I don’t like counting calories, skipping that meal (and doing low carb on the others) should keep me in negative territory. My fitbit says I’m burning 3500+ most days. HaHa! 600 calories? That’s my SM Zero intake alone! No way I could have the discipline to do that.
It’s funny, but walking has become a habit/hobby that I enjoy, rather than just a means to an end. Yesterday I got asked to fill in on the dart team. I said no. Then they said a guy was sick and they’d have to forfeit, so I relented. I was disappointed to not be out on the road instead of throwing darts and drinking. I’ve come a long way! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/September/2019 @ 8:31 am
Brian, a little more expensive overall. Beers were in the $1.50 to almost $3. range. But then, Manila is a bit more expensive than where I am too. I think rent is higher as well.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2019 @ 3:29 pm
Yeah, I know the difference between “cycle” and “sickle”. I fear it may be early onset of Alzheimer disease…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/September/2019 @ 9:15 am
«« Back To Stats PageYeah, definitely will do a wrap-up of overall impressions, good and bad, of my first visit to Vietnam.
I am pretty comfortable in my Filipino life. When I speak of a “Plan B” it’s more of an escape should some major disaster occur. For example, when I was first making plans to retire here, President Duterte was frequently going on anti-American rants. He’s calmed down some now that Obama is gone. But should the government here make it hard to get visas or otherwise target foreigners, I want to be able to just walk away. Also, if China starts taking over the country, I’d flee as well. Interestingly, the Vietnamese are one of the few Asian countries that stand up to China. I guess there’s some history there…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 10/September/2019 @ 9:25 am