Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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See you on Thursday!
Nice-looking turkey! I wonder what the story is about those tail feathers.
They are still living a happy life together.
Even as they stare sourly.
re: that turkey pic
I expect your turkey to be even more tarted up. The thaw began yesterday, I assume. Will you be dry-brining on Wednesday? What’s your prep method?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/November/2024 @ 6:24 pm
re: that first pic
Definitely looking slimmer! There’s visibly less gut. Keep up the good work.
Joy feeding
No tooth-flashing for once!
Another gin and soda night, and I am starting to learn my non-beer boundaries. Whether that will stop me remains to be seen.
Since you’re a conservative, you don’t believe in the “I can’t help myself” school of thought. Everything is decisions, not uncontrollable compulsions. So don’t leave yourself an out by saying something “remains to be seen.” That’s totally up to you.
Skipping breakfast does help with staying on the calorie budget.
You’ll eventually start to realize you don’t miss it.
I’ll be curious to read how the Hash went. And how do you determine whether to follow the original path? What if it’s flat 90% of the way, then there’s a big hill right at the end? Do you have contour maps on your phone or something?
Ah, that Dire Straits video. Back when CGI was primitive.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/November/2024 @ 9:04 pm
On that banner, Thelma’s last name is Elbo.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/November/2024 @ 9:38 am
Romeo was seven years younger than me when he passed. Sorry to Juliet for her loss.
The English on that banner is a bit shaky. If you end up with such a banner, have Swan make sure the thing says exactly what you want it to say, no typos. (Not that you personally would care at that point. Maybe, in the sight of heaven, such errors are merely amusing.) But this caught my eye: “Love is share bonds are strengthered.” I’m guessing that’s really supposed to be “Love is shared; bonds are strengthened.” And “faith is stored” makes faith sound like either fat or data. “Faith is restored”…?
Thelma was four years older. Hope Louise is okay.
Maybe it was just Thelma’s “elbo” that died. See? Now I’m getting as bad as you.
Swan wants to use it for her cheesecake recipe. We’ll see how that works out.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that doesn’t affect your blood sugar (supposedly). It has that weird “cooling” effect on the tongue that spearmint has. Some people find that off-putting. I’ve found that it works just fine as a sweetener in things like hot tea, and it’s generally safer to use than Splenda (sucralose) or Equal (dextrose, maltodextrin, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium) or Sweet’N Low (saccharin). Not that any of these other sweeteners is harmful except in ungodly huge amounts, but erythritol is certainly one of the most innocuous of the sweeteners. If you can get past the “cooling” effect, that is.
What an asshole!
You need to visit YouTube and look up all the un-PC Skeletor meme/joke compilations. Those are hilarious. I slapped one video up on my blog a month ago.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/November/2024 @ 5:36 pm
Heading out up the highway
I like that that pit is safety-walled off on the side with the car traffic, but the pedestrian side has been left totally un-walled. Just like Korea.
Seven brave souls for the journey this week
I like the colors in this photo.
And then the climb to Black Rock commences
I’d definitely need my trekking pole.
A balloon vendor. That’s something you don’t see every day.
Ministry of Lectors? Sounds rather cannibalistic to me.
Probably more benign than Hannibal. The French lecteur means “reader.” In the Catholic Church, lector has a more specific meaning.
Apparently, the so-called manager has no real authority in the bar.
What about Daddy Dave? And if I ordered a Coke, would that also not be a “local drink”? Coke comes from outside the PI, after all. (But you were at a different bar, ja?)
I take it as a challenge to consume my money’s worth. … But the real culprit in my missing my calorie goal yesterday was the twelve San Mig Zeros I downed during the evening.
Gee, who could’ve seen that coming?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 23/November/2024 @ 5:48 pm
My fantasy is to do a 29K walk to Mope Resort in San Narciso. I almost made it halfway there yesterday. We’ll see what the future brings.
Joo can dew eet!
Yep, that’s rice drying directly on the pavement.
There’s usually a grain/husk separating stage, and washing the grains is up to the household, so the road’s dirt and pebbles probably don’t matter so much. Still, biting down on even a grain of sand can be a bitch.
My feet deserved some kindness after what I’d put them through
Can you put your feet through 2X that distance for 30 days in a row (with scattered breaks, of course)? Let’s talk about blisters after you try that.
No reduction this week in my belly circumference (49″). My waist is down 1/2 inch to 43.5.
I’ve written before about beer bellies versus food bellies.
That’s something I’m trying. Swan doesn’t seem to appreciate it, though.
At least she gets to know what you’re like on the inside.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/November/2024 @ 7:40 pm
What’s that say?
“US Labor Subcommittee Chairman,” I think. You can thank Google.
I guess the joke[‘]s on me
Given that guy’s striped shirt, I guess that’s what happens when you take too long to find Waldo: he grows old while he waits, then he starts drinking. Oh, and where does the comma go in that image?
They actually have a word in Tagalog for when Filipinas give you the silent treatment: “tampo”
Tampo sounds like being pissy and on the rag.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/November/2024 @ 5:53 pm
(I prefer berries to sauce)
I wasn’t sure what to make of this. Canned cranberries come from berries. Cranberry sauce also comes from the same berries. Are you saying you prefer the canned, jellied cranberry sauce to the fresh/frozen-cranberry sauce that’s served in a bowl? That’s what I’m guessing. Or is it vice versa?
As a kid, I used to love having the job of slicing the jellied cranberry up into disks. Truth be told, I’m not sure how much I liked the taste of cranberries the first few times I ate it, but it grew on me as I got older.
To add to the confusion: there’s also a goopy cranberry sauce that’s available in cans. Pour it into a bowl and serve. I think this one has the cranberry solids still in it (berry skins for the most part, plus maybe some pectin-y pulp). The jellied cranberry sauce has normally been strained of all solids.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/November/2024 @ 7:13 pm
John,
This year’s luncheon will pretty much be last year’s, but with homemade pumpkin pie only, not two pies from Costco. The dinner rolls will be store-bought this year (there’s a nice bakery at the B1 level in the building where I work). The bread for the stuffing will also be store-bought, but almost everything else, including the stuffing, will be homemade or home-prepped.
Good luck with your whole turkey! You got a recipe you’ll be following?
If your turkey is frozen (and I hope it’s not sitting anywhere warm, collecting salmonella), it needs about 1 day of refrigerator thaw time per 4 pounds. A 10-pound turkey needs about 2.5 days; a 20-pounder needs about 5 days. If you’re not currently storing your bird frozen… why the hell not?
Are you brining the turkey? Before you do… first, carefully separate the turkey’s skin from the flesh, pre-baking. Put on some rubber gloves, make a nice, herbed compound butter, then spread the butter under the skin. Spatchcocking is recommended for more even cooking of the white and dark meat. Here’s a good reference for turkey prep. You’ll need meat shears. You are, of course, free to ignore all of this and just prep the turkey in whatever way is most comfortable and/or most well known to you.
Good luck finding cranberries, but frankly, I’m not a snob about the canned stuff. I grew up on canned cranberries, so I’d say go for it. That being said, cooking the sauce from fresh berries is absurdly easy; the berries contain natural pectin; wash and de-stem them first before sticking them in a pot. Heat on medium-high, maybe lowering as you go. As the berries heat up and burst, the pectin is released, and it thickens up the sauce (the berries naturally turn into a sauce as they cook; the sauce thickens more as it cools). If you get a standard bag of berries, add about a cup of sugar (or less if the ladies in your house freak out at that amount), about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or orange juice, and pumpkin spice to taste. If you don’t have the actual “pumpkin spice,” just sprinkle in a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (but mostly cinnamon!). Adjust ingredients while occasionally tasting the sauce. Try not to burn yourself (blow on it before tasting!). Seriously, though, cranberry sauce is super-easy to make. But stick with the can if that’s all you can find. Or make do with your aunt’s fruit salad. There’s no rule saying you must have cranberry sauce. Besides, the meal components we think of as “traditional” these days weren’t really part of the original Thanksgiving: that meal was mostly game meats, local seafood, and local vegetables. So yeah—you do you. I’m sure you and your guests will enjoy the results.
I see a lot of YouTube videos, lately, about “The Most Common Thanksgiving Mistakes.” Fuck all that. Ignore the videos and just enjoy the process of making your humongous pile of food. If mistakes are made, who cares? Realize, though, that Thanksgiving is pretty much your one day to go nuts with the carbs. So any leftovers need to be doled out to your housekeepers, friends, neighbors, and other guests. You can’t leave the food there to tempt you. Have cheap containers ready for the people who declare they want to cart off your food that very night. Let them do so.
Righto—have fun and good luck with meal prep. I wish you enjoyed cooking more.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/November/2024 @ 12:04 am
Since you’ve started listing what you’ll be making for Thanksgiving, I’m throwing down the gauntlet and showing off my own menu. Ten items:
1. Turkey breast
2. Maple-and-brown-sugar-glazed Ham
3. Stuffing
4. Mashed Potatoes + Gravy
5. Sweet-potato Casserole (+ marshmallow & candied-nut topping)
6. Creamed Corn
7. Green Beans, Bacon & Shrooms
8. Homemade Cranberry Sauce
9. Dinner Rolls
10. Pumpkin PieThe most carby day of the year, and right before I leave for my walk. I’d better not die the next day.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/November/2024 @ 4:05 am
Just a little over 3K, but better than nothing.
Thanks to that little crossover bit right at the beginning/end of the walk, I have no idea which direction you walked in. Was the first turn a left turn or a right turn? That’s all I need to know.
re: key situation
I live an entirely keyless life these days, but I remember being in the States and having occasional senior moments involving car keys, house keys, etc. I was once asked by some church friends to house-sit while they were away, and when I came back from an evening walk with their (very nice) black Labrador, I somehow managed to lock myself out of their house. I stood stupidly in their patio while I cast about for a solution, the dog looking patiently at me. I finally looked through the house’s window into the kitchen and saw the keys just lying on the table. Thank goodness the kitchen window turned out to be unlocked. It was too small for me to crawl through, but using some items I saw on the patio, I constructed a makeshift fishing rod and managed to snag the keys, allowing me to open the door. The dog must’ve thought that this was the weirdest walk it had ever been on.
Again, condolences about John. A friend of mine, when his grandma died, told me he thought viewings were barbaric. I’ve been to three viewings in total, and I’d have to agree. There’s no real way to pretty up a corpse. It’s cold and hard and unnatural-looking, and it’s not the person. The person is gone. The Jews and Muslims (and some Hindus) have the right idea: get the burial over with within 24 hours. Or cremate ASAP. That’s what we did with Mom; it’s also what I want for myself. I had a friend in college who said she wanted to be cremated, mixed into a can of paint, then painted into her favorite room. We all looked at her funny. What happens when the family moves out?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/November/2024 @ 7:58 pm
Shorter than it should have been
Looks to have been a good Hash.
I don’t fear bad relationships; I’ve lived them my whole life. Hopefully, Swan will put an end to that.
“Will put an end…”? Are you still in a probationary period? And what happens if/when Swan passes through this period? Marriage? I thought that was a no, and besides, you’d need a divorce first.
Now, there’s a fight I’d like to see!
Yeah, that Paul-Tyson fight was a fiasco. And possibly rigged.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/November/2024 @ 6:58 pm
I’ve never been that big a fan of “Walk of Life,” but whatever. It’s not a bad song, I guess, just kind of sleepy and simple.
Good luck with the Hash, even if it don’t mean sheeit.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/November/2024 @ 5:46 pm
I hope you won’t sour on the candy-delivering routine. It’s a good thing you two are doing.
Fitbit says I burned 3600 calories
That’s BMR + activity calories?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/November/2024 @ 9:03 pm
We were nestled in our private Karaoke room. This photo was taken before the gals had their wine delivered. The patriarchy dictates that beer be served first!
In that pic, you look as though you really have lost weight. I bet your docs are happy about that. Kudos. And nice “falls” walk.
Where are the real waterfalls at, and are they worth a trip and a hike?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/November/2024 @ 7:17 pm
I’m sorry to read this. My condolences to you and to John’s family.
One mile in, I stood in front of Barretto’s Catholic church.
Nobody tell the church, but in Tibet, those could almost be prayer flags.
And when was the last time you saw a jukebox?
Standard issue at the Silver Diner chain in the States. But it’s been a few years for me. I haven’t flown overseas in a plane since the pandemic began. I did fly to Jeju for that walk, but that was a domestic flight, and that was otherwise it for planes for me. I’ll hit the States, and maybe France/Switzerland, next year.
Overall weight loss: 16.9 pounds
Sounds as though you’re past the water-weight phase and losing real weight now. Try not to engage too much in the “less food = more alcohol” thinking. Even vodka, despite its lack of macros, has calories. You went over-budget again, I see. Still, congrats on the weight loss. This time next year, we look forward to pics of a much slimmer you. Can you get down to 200?
“Another One Bites the Dust” might be in poor taste, but I bet John himself would’ve approved. I’m really sorry he’s gone. So much for the fantasy of my ever meeting him to talk food. And I know how much he meant to you. Again, sincere condolences to you and to his family.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/November/2024 @ 6:58 pm
Macros for 100 g of vodka according to Google AI:
Calories: 97 (about a calorie per gram)
Carbs 0 g
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 gIt’s like caloric water!
Macros for 100 g of vodka according to Fat Secret:
Calories: 231 (big difference!)
Carbs 0 g
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 gMacros for 100 g of vodka according to Healthline:
“A single shot typically has less than 100 calories.”
Carbs 0 g
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 gI’m guessing 100 g of vodka is closer to 100 calories than 231 calories.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/November/2024 @ 1:12 pm
Um, if you say so…
I thought they were doing the Captain Morgan pose at first, then I saw the sign in the background for “Sexy Legs Chicken.” I also thought, at first, that the guy on the left was floating.
I’m going to begin chelation therapy to improve my heart health.
Were you suddenly diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes or something? Anyway, good luck with that. I hope you find whatever improvement you’re looking for. You must really trust your doctors. I have doubts about mine.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/November/2024 @ 4:44 pm
About those keto blueberry muffins at that link: you don’t have to buy the specific brands of ingredients recommended in the recipe. Any blanched almond flour will do, for example. The artificial sweetener doesn’t have to be the monkfruit/allulose blend the recipe suggests, either. Use whatever Swan got—Stevia, erythritol, whatever. You also don’t have to use almond milk; regular whole or skim milk is fine (if a bit carbier), and even heavy cream, despite the calories, is more keto-friendly than whole or skim milk (fewer carbs per unit volume in cream because of cream’s higher fat content; regular milk takes out a lot of that fat, which concentrates the lactose, i.e., milk sugar).
By the way, I watched two videos on intuitive eating by two very chirpy, hyper white girls, one Canadian and one American. I did my best to see past their annoying mannerisms, and in the end, I’m not sure how I feel about intuitive eating. I don’t think it’s for me; with my addictive personality, I’d go about it the wrong way. But the approach still sounds interesting. Look up “intuitive eating basics” on YouTube, and you’ll find plenty of videos. If you have the self-control and the willingness to be mindful of your impulses and satiety levels, this might be for you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/November/2024 @ 1:25 am
Yesterday, it was the blueberry variety. Alas, I can no longer partake (each muffin is worth 385 calories, plus the carbs).
There are definitely recipes for keto “bloob” muffins out there. (See here, for example. Click the “jump to recipe” link and click off all of those damn pop-up ads. Or just Google “keto blueberry muffin recipe” and find a site without obnoxious ads.) If you make enough for several people, you can either share them with the non-keto crowd (see how they like them) or just save them for yourself.
so Plan B was invoked. When I departed the house alone, I still didn’t know where I was going.
Interesting “plan.”
I’m O+ and so can’t contribute to the needed blood donation.
According to the Red Cross Blood Donation site at least, while O-negative is considered “universal donor,” O-positive is actually red-cell-compatible with any other positive type, including A-positive. Being a stroke victim myself, I feel for poor John. Please give him and his family my regards.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/November/2024 @ 7:15 pm
I saw “Reagan” on AppleTV. It’s there; it’s also on YouTube (rent or buy, I think), Google Play Movies, Fandango, and Amazon Prime. Clips of it are doubtless available for free on YouTube.
If you eat when you’re hungry, you might be the perfect candidate for what’s called “intuitive eating.” I need to look into this more myself. Part of me wonders whether it’s faddish or just plain common sense. My worry is that, if my intuition has been screwed up by years of bad eating habits, how can I let intuition be my guide going forward? But maybe the diet doesn’t work like that. Research is necessary.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/November/2024 @ 1:35 pm
Splendor in the grass
Nice shot! Get that one framed!
Gasman walking in the rain
Looks as though he encountered some slipperiness.
I did skip lunch completely, which is something new for me. I’m not sure I’ll be doing that on a regular basis (although I skipped lunch today, too), but the less, the better when it comes to eating.
You’re better off skipping breakfast. That “most important meal of the day” nonsense has been thoroughly debunked.
If not, then I’ll make a Plan B.
Watch “Reagan.” You might enjoy it more than I did.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/November/2024 @ 5:53 pm
Nice legs, eh? I bet she’s 60.
I remember those gyros from the food stand in Itaewon, which were a Turkish variety and had a unique flavor.
If it was Turkish, it would probably be called shawarma or döner, but I get you. Döner can be more sandwich-y or more wrap-y depending on the type of Turkish bread used. Great döner video here from one of my favorite foodtubers. What does “döner” even mean? See here.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/November/2024 @ 3:49 pm
I’m sorry to read that Swan’s not doing great. May she get well soon. Going out while sick is a positively Korean work ethic.
Joy seems pleased
This must be one of the few pics of Joy I’ve seen where she doesn’t have food in her mouth.
I had a craving for John’s birria tacos, but my calorie counter said that would cost me 750.
I probably shouldn’t say this because it’s a “devil on your shoulder” thing to say, but some people do their calorie counts as a weekly thing, not as a daily thing. That way, if you suddenly have a desire to eat something tempting, you can do it, but you’ve got to pay for it the next day or later in the week, via exercise or fasting or simply reducing your food intake.
This can easily go wrong, though. If you’re like me, and you have an addictive personality (as I’m pretty sure I do), you can fall into the rut of constantly eating big, constantly promising yourself you’ll make it up later, then realizing you’ve crawled too far into the dark side, which leads to just giving up on the diet. It’s an entire rabbit hole of bad behavior. Forget I said anything.
I guess I’m not the only one wanting to know the difference. The link says gyros are usually served on pita bread, but the one I had was on a wrap, hence contributing to my confusion. Regardless, it was quite tasty and worth the 500 calories I expended.
I wouldn’t stress about it. There are gyros, shawarmas, döner kebabs (or just döner), and good ol’ wrap sandwiches. They all overlap. Gyros are generally (or originally) Greek, named for the spinning (gyration) of the spitted meat. As you said, they’re generally served on or in pitas (“in” = in the pita pocket). The sauce is a white sauce called tzatziki. Meat can be anything from beef/lamb combos (typical of Greek-American gyros) to just beef, just lamb, or even chicken. Shawarmas and döner are similar, with shawarmas often served on larger flatbreads than pitas and rolled into slightly thinner cylinders than gyros. Vegetables tend to be different, and the variety of sauces for shawarmas can vary from creamy/sesame-based sauces to pomegranate-molasses reductions (syrups) to various chili sauces (harissa, etc.). Döner, a popular street food in Germany and Switzerland (where I first encountered it), can be anything from a wrap to, more commonly, something more recognizably sandwich-like. There was a Turkish döner place in Fribourg, Switzerland, the town I studied in during my junior year in college, that made its döner with the most awesome Turkish bread I’ve ever eaten. The sandwich was made by taking a huge, circular bread a couple feet across, cutting out a huge wedge, cutting the wedge into something almost like a hinged pita-pocket shape or a bird’s beak, then stuffing that sucker with lamb slices and fresh chilies, finally finishing the whole thing off with some kind of white sauce. God, those were good. I dream about those sandwiches. Now, not all döner look that way; many are a lot smaller, and quite a few are made with small, round Turkish sandwich breads. They’re all good, though, whatever form they come in. Regular old Amurrican wrap sandwiches are usually made with (large) flour tortillas as the wrapper and are stuffed with typically American sandwich ingredients and sauces ranging from mustard and mayo to ranch/Caesar dressing to whatever might strike your fancy.
Trivia: tacos al pastor (shepherd-style tacos) derive from the influence of Lebanese immigrants in Mexico. There’s a vertical rotisserie for the meat (click the link and scroll down to see the rotisserie), and the taco itself is a cousin of the gyro/shawarma.
I’ve foodblogged plenty of my gyro/shawarma dishes (recent examples here and here). You can definitely see overlaps in style among the different wraps/sandwiches/whatever. So again, I wouldn’t stress too much over nomenclature. There are too many variations to count.
I hope the Hash was good.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/November/2024 @ 5:19 pm
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…so to the extent possible, we took backroads through different neighborhoods.
Do you use a map app to navigate, or do you know all of the streets and local trails by now? I imagine you do. Are there apps available for newbies, or is it just Google Maps?
I asked the Green Room manager what was up. He told me they had changed the bar order, and Green Room was now the fourth destination.
How did this get communicated such that everyone else knew, but you didn’t? Are you being shut out? Are you not on some kind of phone tree or something? Communication between expats and natives is a huge problem in Korea, as you know. Expats always end up learning things last because no one ever bothers to tell them anything.
Saw a post today where Tucker Carlson claims Mitch [McConnell] is plotting a [Senate-leadership] vote with the intention of undermining Trump. I’ll need to read more about that before weighing in, but it sounds like something a RINO would do.
McConnell, his fellow RINO-neocons, and the Dems are doing their stupid best to “Trump-proof” the White House. Biden will do his best to break all the toys on the way out. A lot will happen between now and January 20. Much unnecessary waste will have to be undone in the first month.
Top pick for Senate Majority Leader is Rick Scott, but there are rumblings of an attempt to give the spot to JD Vance, who will already be VP and president of the Senate. This would make Vance more directly involved in influencing policy decisions.
From what I’m hearing, Rick Scott is a good and popular pick. but along with the Vance thing (way-back precedent: John Adams, who was also VP and majority leader), some people are rooting for Ron Paul. At present, neither Vance nor Paul is in the running for the seat, so Scott is the likely new head. At least he won’t be a GOPe obstructionist.
re: “adopted parents” meme
I’m pretty sure the kid didn’t adopt the new parents; those parents are adopting him, i.e., to the kid, these are adoptive parents.
#NerdRuinsJokesWithPedantry
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/November/2024 @ 9:46 pm
And passed by a leaning tree
Impressive. Is this one you’ve photographed before? I seem to recall a few leaning-tree shots in the past.
I hadn’t noticed that the center pillar is looking a little bit dicey.
Yeah, it looks as though the pillars and their foundation are not long for this world. Quality construction!
Another life shorter than mine
Those banner-sized tributes are practically a cultural trope. How long are they up for, do you reckon? Do you ever come across old, moldy ones? What gets done with the banners after they’re taken down? Do any ever wash up on shore?
The Drunken Sailor. Technically open, but not quite ready for customers.
And every Wednesday, it’s Talk Like a Pirate Night!
The bar affords the bay views Swan longs for.
Is it possible to do a coastal walk of your entire island? If not, is it possible to dodge inland on occasion and do a mostly coastal walk of the island?
Chicken fajitas for Swan
Damn, I was almost skinny back then. I want to go there again!
And there’s Garfield off to the side, thumbs-upping your future!
My rule after that was never send money to anyone you have never met in person.
Some of us know this through common sense; others of us need to learn about human nature via the school of hard knocks. Live and learn. Of course, we’re all stupid about something, so none of us is really exempt.
You might want to abort that diet
“Lethal Weapon 2” ends with a silly “decaffeinated” joke based on a South African racial slur. Can you fix the comma problem(s) at the top of the meme?
Don’t make a pig of yourself, Pooh
Finally, one that makes me laugh out loud!
It’s a heartbreak
And what three (or arguably four) bits of punctuation are missing here?
I guess it won’t be an early night this time…finishes at 9:00! OMG!
I can see how you go from 1 to 2, and from 2 to 3… but how, on that maze, do you go from 3 to 4 without passing through 2 or 5?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/November/2024 @ 7:41 pm
I’ve also seen it written as one word and also as “Manggahan.” Good catch, though!
Yes, that spelling is also at the link I provided. But I wasn’t suggesting changing your spelling over to a completely different word; I just wondered about the “Manga Vacca” part. For further study: what’s the relationship between the two names, “Manggahan” and “Barangay Mangan-Vaca”? Why two names? Is the first one ever “Baranguay Manggahan”?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/November/2024 @ 7:06 pm
7-Eleven #1 in Subic’s Manga Vacca barangay
I got curious about the “Manga Vacca” name, but when I looked it up, I got “Barangay Mangan-Vaca,” with a hyphen (see here, for example).
Store #3 in Calapandayan
Some of these photos are horizontally flipped.
An unexplained uptick in soju sales for 7-Elevens yesterday
Is soju really that popular among PI women? What about Japanese shochu?
This place needs to up its game to achieve 7-Eleven heights.
Interesting to see “5-Fifteen.” In Korea, the number “25” often signifies how hard people are working: not just 24 hours a day, but 25 hours a day (think of the Beatles singing “eight days a week”). A popular convenience store here is, as you know, GS25.
A 7-Eleven sighting just ahead!
I assume all of this was mapped out in advance. Was it all road, or were there moments on the trail when you had to cross over mountains?
Net loss: 8.4 pounds
Congrats! But remember that the first 10 pounds of any diet (lifestyle change) are almost always just water. Now, you’ve got to keep the weight down and start losing actual fat.
We can’t find anything keto locally, but Swan has had success ordering online
That’s great, but be careful with ready-to-eat products labeled “keto.” A lot of them have carbs in hidden places. Keto overlaps with the “primal” diet, which basically calls for eating as much unprocessed food as possible. The closer the food is to coming out of the ground or off the hoof, the better. Seasoning should be minimal—salt and pepper. The keto side of things would be to minimize carbs. Most fruits are super carby; stick with berries, which are generally high in fiber and have a relatively low glycemic index (20-ish). No dried fruit (or only a sprinkling, as on a salad)—dried fruits are “carb bombs” because, being dried, they have concentrated amounts of carbs per unit volume.
As your other commenter suggested (and as I’ve commented before), minimize your insulin spikes by drinking beer and eating less frequently. Every time you eat, every time you drink beer (or soda, or whatever), you’re spiking your blood sugar, which spikes your insulin. Think about doing intermittent fasting, maybe a 16-8 window: 16 hours of fasting, 2 meals in an 8-hour window. Beer only with meals if you absolutely must have your beer. No breakfast, then lunch at noonish and dinner at 6-ish. That’s not unreasonable, is it? No dessert later on, or if you do have dessert, have it along with dinner and make sure it’s keto. (Pecan pie should be a once-a-month cheat-day indulgence.)
Insulin is a good hormone in that it lowers your blood sugar, but it’s a bad hormone in that it promotes fat storage. This is why weight loss is tied to minimizing your insulin spikes.
Since you’re pretty good at staying below your calorie budget, adjust your budget to 1800 calories max, and let that be your new standard. I’m not suggesting you starve yourself; if anything, feel free to stuff yourself on foods with a low calorie density (leafy salads, etc., not carby veggies like taters, carrots, etc.).
A reminder that I’ve written about the two major and seemingly conflicting theories of dieting: CICO and CIM. See here. Continued good luck!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/November/2024 @ 7:01 pm
I’m hopeful that he learned from his first-term mistakes and that he appoints competent and loyal team members.
As I recently wrote:
FINAL NOTE: the lesson I take from Trump’s having scooped up the likes of JD, RFK, Tulsi, Vivek, Elon, and others is that he has indeed learned his lesson about poor staffing picks. This time around, he will not be surrounded by ass-kissing yes-men but by people of intelligence who will put the country first and might risk having a falling-out with him. It will be up to this inner circle to keep everyone else honest, including The Donald himself. And I didn’t fail to notice how many of this new crew are former Democrats… just like Trump himself.
Through the streets of Marian Hills. Oddly enough, there are no hills in this village.
No hills in the Hills? I’m reminded of the sad commentary that, in America, we often pave over all the trees, then we name our streets after them.
Our attempt to do a valley walk was stymied by a newly constructed fence.
This seems to happen rather often. Do you feel your options are narrowing down, or are you able to find equally fun alternative routes? I guess this means you can’t trust maps much, what with obstacles constantly being thrown in your way, but the constant changes to your routes at least offer some excitement.
I wasn’t feeling like getting wet feet.
Why not? You rarely walk more than 10K, and as you’ve claimed, you never get blisters from wet feet. So what’s the problem? Grit in the shoes? Squishy sounds? Something else?
The strap on my backpack broke[,] so I had to carry it on one shoulder.
Equipment malfunctions suck. Will you repair the strap or get a new backpack? Will you buy that brand again, knowing what you now know?
By my reckoning, the vast majority of expats who still care about politics in the USA are Trump supporters.
Here in Korea, a huge fraction of expats are woke lefties. Sad.
His reasoning? Trump is a Nazi. Yep, he drank the lefty Kool-Aid and lost the ability to think for himself.
A lot of these people listen to and naively trust the mainstream media.
My Fitbit says I burned 4144 calories
I should get a Fitbit. Yours is very generous. I burn over 4000 calories after walking over 36,000 steps on an all-day trek.
The last time I heard Dennis sing. I’ve been unable to reach him for months now, and frankly, I fear for the worst.
If you can’t contact him from a distance, it may be time to fly out there and find him.
It happens twice a year (on seven November and July 7th. See how that works?).
Let’s see…
seven November = 11/7 by US dating (7/11 in the UK)
July 7 = 7/7I can see that one event is in July (7th month), and the other event is in November (11th month), so there’s your “7-Eleven.” But the date doesn’t need to be the 7th at all; it could be any time during the month! If the dates were, say, 7/5 and 11/18, it would still be July/November, i.e., 7/11. So I kind of get it, but not completely. Someone help me out.
Anyway, enjoy the event. This is a different style of walk. I’ve heard of temple walks, cathedral/church walks, and even venerable-tree walks (in the British Isles, kind of Druidic), but 7-Eleven walks, with convenience stores as waypoints, are utterly alien to me. Good luck. Let us know, please, how urban/smooth or how hilly/rough the walk turns out to be. Or do you already know thanks to maps with contour lines?
Happy walking.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/November/2024 @ 7:40 pm
«« Back To Stats PageAs usual, my homeless friend, Mama, was waiting for me at the highway intersection.
I’m confused. You used to refuse to capitalize her name/label, always writing it as “mama.” So out of respect for that, whenever I commented about her, I wrote “mama” as well. But “Mama” is how it is now?
Not sure what “drug cleared” means, but it ain’t drug free from what I’ve seen.
The police eagerly await your eye-witness testimony, I’m sure.
John’s place, featuring [a second-floor] restaurant and [a third-floor, open-air] bar.
Looks smaller from that angle. I thought it was much bigger.
Happy celebrating.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/November/2024 @ 7:42 pm