Comments Posted By John McCrarey

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Getting our Mugshots

The only steaks I’ve ordered through Swan have been USDA ribeye. I’ll check the menu closer for other options. Thanks for the link.

I’m usually faster than Swan. I must have slowed down for a photo and was catching up. She looks good from behind too, though. “Had a friend”? I remember the walks you posted with your walking buddy, but none recently. What happened?

I think next time I eat at Mugshots, I’m going to try the fish filet. I’ve been craving one, and I discovered on my last visit to McDonald’s that filet-o-fish sandwiches are not on the menu. Remember those?

Saw John last night at the restaurant. He was sitting mostly upright in his recliner and seemed to be in reasonably good spirits. He was happy to have survived the public hospital experience.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/September/2024 @ 7:05 am

On a rainy day

Yes, I have had lumpia numerous times…it’s called Shanghai lumpia here, so I assumed it was Chinese.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/September/2024 @ 1:20 pm

There must be a Filipino restaurant somewhere nearby in Seoul. You should see for yourself. For me, it’s not that I hate the food, but there are usually options I like better.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/September/2024 @ 7:40 am

Keep on pumping!

Thanks, Dan. Hopefully, it’s fixable.

The cartoon was gently mocking Kamala Harris’ answer to an interview question that went like this:

TAFF: You talked about creating an ‘opportunity economy.’ I wonder if we could drill down on that a little bit. When we talk about bringing down prices and making life more affordable for people, what are one or two specific things you have in mind for that?

HARRIS: Well, I’ll start with this. Um, I grew up a middle class kid. My mother raised my sister and me. She worked very hard… I grew up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn, you know? And, um, and I was raised to believe and to know that all people deserve dignity, and that we as Americans have a beautiful character… So, when I talk about building an opportunity economy, it is very much with the mind of investing in the ambitions and aspirations and the incredible work ethic of the American people and creating opportunity for people, for example, to start a small business. Um, my mother, you know, worked long hours and our neighbor helped raise us… She was a small business owner. I love our small business owners… Our small businesses are so much a part of the fabric of our communities, not to mention, really, I think, the backbone of America’s economy…

So, now when you someone asks a question you can’t or don’t want to answer, all you need to do is say, “I was raised in a middle class neighborhood…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/September/2024 @ 7:35 am

I guess happy endings would fall under “exercise.”

Yes, I call that sexercise.

John posted this morning that he has been released from the hospital. He can stand up with assistance but still can’t walk. I reckon that’s progress.

My understanding is surgery until the blockage is severe, and as of now, I’m in the moderate category. Still, aortic stenosis is progressive, so my day under the knife may be coming. I’ve waited all my life to be considered “elite,” but it turns out I could have lived without it—one more milestone on the road to being a grumpy old man.

Yes, the electrocardiogram was just a first step. I’m sure there are many more tests to come. I am curious to learn more precisely where I am on that scale of doom. I’m also interested to learn whether the blockage in the artery that was diagnosed ten years ago has progressed.

I’m trying to keep a positive attitude. I’m “only” 69, after all. My mother had heart disease and made it to 78. I hope to do better than that. It ain’t over yet!

Thanks for your support and encouragement.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2024 @ 8:05 am

Thanks, Brian.

Yes, I’d like it better if these vloggers said, in my opinion, rather than this is the cold, hard truth. Their truth isn’t necessarily mine.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2024 @ 7:44 am

Thanks, Drain.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/September/2024 @ 7:39 am

Candles in the rain

Scott, nah, we keep a bottle at home, but she only drinks here on special occasions. She’ll have a glass of wine (or two at the most) when she is out barhopping with me. I usually have three or four beers for every wine she drinks.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/September/2024 @ 7:25 am

Every day is a new adventure, rain or shine.

“Then we know what his calling is.”

Asswipe?

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/September/2024 @ 7:23 am

Yeah, I agree. Bob had her quit a job, move to Davao, had her kid move in with them, and THEN decided he wanted to chase other women. Bob was an asshole, but that shouldn’t be a crime.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/September/2024 @ 7:11 am

How can you mend a broken heart?

You know, it’s funny how that superficiality works. I recall once sitting in an Itaewon bar, and these hot Korean gals came in, looking for fun. They scanned the room and didn’t even pay me a glance–I felt invisible. I remember thinking, “Yeah, you’ll hook up with some young soldier, and he’ll use and abuse you when you could have had a mature and respectful man like me.” Maybe thirty minutes later, some ugly girls came into the bar. I didn’t give them a second glance and laughed at my hypocrisy.

I also remember a new waitress at the Barretto dart bar where I used to hang out. I didn’t find her attractive at all. But over the next few months, I got to know her and was really impressed with her personality. And then I looked at her one day and thought, “damn, when did she get so beautiful?” It was too late for me by then, but it was a good reminder to look for the inner beauty as well.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/September/2024 @ 7:37 am

Thanks for the link, Drain. I’ll definitely check it out. Your assessment of CBS’s news standards and quality matches my own, so nothing you say is surprising. And yes, trouble is on the horizon with China. I expect to have a front-row seat when China pulls the trigger. That fancy shipyard across the bay I can see from my window is an obvious target. Whenever I hear a jet engine overhead, I look up and wonder if the time has come.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/September/2024 @ 8:32 am

Kevin, Your experience is what inspired me to have my heart looked at. I’m not displaying the severe symptoms you had, but I want to know if the breathing issues may be heart-related. Hopefully, I’ll find out more later this afternoon.

I’ve made lifestyle changes in the past for health reasons–I took up walking after that heart diagnosis ten years ago. If drinking indeed were a matter of life or death, I’d probably give it up or at least reduce my consumption. I doubt (and hope) that is not the case.

But what do you call a woman who only wants you for your good looks? The motivation for an attraction to money seems more genuine somehow. Anyway, Swan loves me for who I am, bless her heart. She is definitely high-quality, AND she likes to cook! I’m a lucky man, indeed!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/September/2024 @ 8:23 am

Thanks, Brian. I’m anxious to find out more this afternoon.

Regarding love versus the attraction to money, it seems to me that Western women being drawn to young, handsome guys is no less shallow than a Filipina looking for a meal ticket. I think the fringe benefits you get from a Filipina are better, though.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/September/2024 @ 8:08 am

Not much, but better than nothing

Yes, the person doing the ECG talked about a “treadmill,” so I think that might be the next step. Of course, every f’n hill I try to climb these days feels pretty stressful…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/September/2024 @ 7:34 am

A sweet walk in the rain

Kev, when we first started our walk, some of our regulars were nowhere to be seen. I thought we would have leftover candy for a change, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

“The kids usually come to us, but tried to keep them dry yesterday.”

I left out “we” before tried. I was trying to convey that we usually stay on the street, and kids come out to us. Due to the rain, we ventured into the housing compound to hand out the candy.

Back in those days, I thought I was a rebel, and punctuation rules didn’t apply to me. Or maybe my typewriter was a cheap model without those punctuation keys. One of those.

Yep, those red ink pens must have been running dry when the teachers graded my work. But no writer is totally worthless–s/he can always serve as a bad example.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/September/2024 @ 8:26 am

Did Phil say koh?

I have no idea what’s up with my lack of stamina these days. (trigger that old apathy or ignorance joke)

Regarding Streetwalker, I think a double entendre is almost as funny as a pun.

Yes, John was asking folks to patronize his restaurant to help him generate revenue. They told me last night that he is still in the hospital. A public hospital (Gordon) with a bad reputation. Expats call it “the place where people go to die.” I couldn’t help but wonder if I was having my last supper there yesterday. John has been dealing with kidney failure and getting thrice-weekly dialysis for a couple of years now. I assume his current issues are related to that.

The “land of opportunity” isn’t so much these days. That’s sad, but I’m glad Filipinos see opportunities back home in the Philippines.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/September/2024 @ 7:37 am

Walking it off

Kev, nope, preventive maintenance just isn’t a thing here. I don’t walk in a couple of places during the rainy season because of the slimy concrete. I’m tempted to carry a bottle of bleach and go on an algae-killing mission.

I wimped out because my legs were feeling sore and tired, and we had a couple of kilometers to go on a narrow, traffic-infested road that was no fun to walk. I’d just had enough.

The bar is named La Oficina, and that’s how they spelled it on the signage. I hadn’t noticed the misspelling until you pointed it out just now. It’s a stupid name for a bar, regardless. The story I heard was they wanted to call it “The Office,” but the owner of a now-closed bar by that name objected.

Yes, for the love of “h”! My name is spelled Jhon more often than it is correctly. Or maybe that’s right here, and I’m wrong. I’ll just stick to Gwapo.

I forgot, is David older or younger than you? I have it in my head that you are the middle child.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/September/2024 @ 8:39 am

Drain, yes, I agree. Set a good example, and maybe others will follow suit. I’ve had a girl pee in the street before, too, but it was dark, and she was discrete. Guys pee anywhere and everywhere, and anytime they want. I’m not so blatant to piss against a wall on the highway, but when I need to go, I’ll look for a tree or a post to have a little privacy.

The noise is still shocking. We have a Sam’s Pizza with an outdoor speaker on full blast, so loud I hate walking by. Some guys modify the mufflers on their bikes so you can hear them a mile away. I hate that.

But these are small things compared to the shit show back home, and I will gladly deal with them to live here happily ever after.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/September/2024 @ 8:20 am

Close to home

Mike, taking an occasional break makes the bars even more fun!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/September/2024 @ 7:28 am

Swan has some kitchen talent, that’s for sure. A pleasant surprise almost daily.

I like the social aspects of bars, but being alone on the roof is a nice change of pace now and then.

It’s scary to think that people are so sick with TDS that they prefer to watch Kamala and her puppet master destroy our country.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/September/2024 @ 7:26 am

In the village

It’s rare that I get soaked enough to rub me raw, but thanks for the
Spandex tip!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/September/2024 @ 7:27 am

Kev, yeah, I hope the technology improves and becomes more efficient. This is the biggest power project I’ve seen since moving here. And if they maintain it the way they do the roads, it won’t function long. Maybe it will be run by a private company. Someone has already invested a ton of money in this, so the motivation to get a return on that must be strong.

I’ve been fortunate not to suffer blisters when walking in wet shoes. When it was raining the other day, my wet shorts rubbed my thigh raw. That was painful enough!

Regarding connoisseur, I know the word but can’t spell it. My attempt was so bad that when I clicked on the red correction line, it offered “coinsurer,” and I stupidly accepted that obviously wrong suggestion.

Even if I was divorced, I’d never marry again. I’m a bitter old man.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/September/2024 @ 8:07 am

Brian, I agree that solar energy has positive aspects, especially if technology continues to improve. It would really be cool to distribute those panels to the poor and powerless to light their houses. Maybe someday.

It was astounding to see the resources going into this project. Just the bridges and roadwork to the hilltop are amazing. I’m curious how they’ll build the actual solar farm. If it is only up top on the ridgeline, it may not look so bad.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/September/2024 @ 7:48 am

Wear it proud!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/September/2024 @ 7:35 am

What a Tuesday looks like

Brian, you are talking to the original techno-peasant. I am literally clueless about how “drag and drop” works. I’ve never seen it as an option when uploading photos. I’ll see what I can find out about it.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/September/2024 @ 7:51 am

Brian, Indeed.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/September/2024 @ 7:52 am

Yeah, they need to cut the bread size in half, thereby “doubling” the meat.

The post took me an extra hour to complete. It had over sixty photos, and they are a pain in the ass: Upload to Facebook from my phone, name and save to my laptop hard drive, upload to my WordPress server, then post and write captions.

The suffering I endure for my readers!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/September/2024 @ 7:51 am

A Hashy Beer Day

Yes, when I saw a woman whose beauty was pure, the chaste was on!

My guess is pubes. Damn, if you are gonna shave it girl, do it right!

Sad story about your friend’s marriage. It reminded me of my ill-fated romance with Pearl. She was approaching 30 and told me her dream was to have a child. I was in love (or so I thought) and honestly told her that I couldn’t make babies anymore. I was willing to adopt, but she wanted to be a birth mother. So, no matter how much you love someone, if you can’t give them what they need to be happy, you let them go to pursue their dreams. It hurt, but we promised always to be friends. That didn’t last long. She’s had at least three boyfriends since me, but still no baby. Go figure.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/September/2024 @ 7:22 am

Sweet sunshine

Kev, I can still take the stairs, but they do get tiring. Some of my fellow expats would have much more difficulty than I do. With so many ground-floor options, BarCelona loses customers. I think a small elevator would fix that issue.

Other than a Salisbury steak, that’s the first time I experienced gravy slathering on a good piece of meat. It would have been much better as a side dish option instead. The size was what I expected for the price. John messaged me that he purchased wine yesterday, so next time, I’ll get a full-size steak for 1500 pesos or so.

Yeah, it sucks to get old and lose the joy that comes with the finer things in life.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 10/September/2024 @ 7:57 am