Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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Dinner is served. Ribeye steak, baked potato, broccoli-cauliflower, corn-on-the-cob, and garlic bread.
Tiny veggies in a sea of carbs (bread, corn, taters). I love it. I’ve been taking a break from my own regime this week. Gonna start back on the discipline next week, after my birthday. You own birthday’s in a day or so, yes? Well, a Happy Pre-birthday to you, then.
I asked if she wanted to watch something on Netflix, and she responded that she was enjoying the music.
The old “Netflix and chill” move, eh? Ruined by Aunt Flo, apparently.
It was my honor and privilege to participate in this effort.
And they spelled your name correctly!
Good to see the charity work. I look forward to reading about what the doc has to say. Good luck with that.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/August/2023 @ 6:24 pm
And a close-up of my coffee mug.
On that mug: spot the error!
Yeah, I’m talking to you, too, Neil Young.
Neil Young can suck it. I’ve never liked his singing, anyway.
Good luck as you and Dr. Jo figure out what’s really going on. Did she do any poking and prodding? Any range-of-motion mobility tests?
That is a weird thing to do to French toast. Makes the heat escape from it faster. On the other hand, I’d be curious to see an $18 burger, but I guess you’d have to share it with a hungry companion.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/August/2023 @ 6:31 pm
Good luck with your stabbing pain. Doesn’t sound fun at all. I sincerely hope it turns out not to be appendicitis, but I’m pretty sure it’s not. To be safe, though, here’s what the US National Institutes of Health says about symptoms. They can:
– begin near your belly button and move lower and to your right
– start suddenly and may even wake you if you’re sleeping
– get worse when you move around, take deep breaths, cough, or sneeze
– be severe and may feel different [from] any pain you’ve ever felt
– happen before other [symptoms and] worsen in a matter of hoursThe location of your pain, way over on your side, makes me think it’s not appendicitis, and your pain strikes me as more of a sudden thing than something that progressively “worsens over a matter of hours.” Also, if you’re walking 0.6 or 0.7 kilometers to and from your lady’s residence, that doesn’t seem possible if you’re really stricken with appendicitis.
That said, the symptom “get worse when you move around, take deep breaths, cough, or sneeze” is worrisome. So is “be severe and may feel different [from] any pain you’ve ever felt.” That shakes my confidence a bit. I’m glad you’re getting checked out. Sincere good luck with the doctor’s appointment. It’s hard to enjoy life when your body insists on rebelling.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 23/August/2023 @ 4:18 pm
so I went to Sit-n-Bull for a light lunch before the Hash.
I hate that feeling of walking on a full stomach. Add heat and humidity to the equation, and… no, thanks.
The Hare, Fireman, providing guidance
How the hell did this guy get away with having a non-nasty Hash name? No fair. In French, one slang term for “give a blowjob” is “faire le pompier,” or “play the fireman.”
Onward and upward we go!
So nice to see the sun, though, instead of all that gloomy rain.
The Easter Mountain view
I’m weirdly reminded of the green, rolling hills of Virginia. That could almost be a view out a car window along I-81. Just add fences and cows.
The Barretto view
Looks to be rain in the distance.
The On-Home venue this week was at Fireman’s house. That’s him in the “boss” shirt. He even had food catered from Jewel Café for all the Hashers. Well done, Todd!
Looks to be a good spread, too. Chow down!
This strikes me as having been a particularly beautiful hike. Nice job.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/August/2023 @ 5:06 pm
Koreans collect umbrellas because they’re often caught out in sudden rain, to the extent that there’s a glut of cheap umbrellas. A side effect of this is that umbrellas aren’t that valued, so they get stolen all the time. It’s practically a running joke here—about as bad as bicycle theft in some parts of the States. Sometimes it might not be theft, though: when there’s a bucket full of umbrellas, people occasionally grab the wrong one.
At least the right people got fed.
Appendicitis: expect mounting pain at the juncture where your small and large intestines meet. For most of us, that’s the lower-right part of the front of the abdomen, not all the way over on the side. Based on your description of the location of the pain, it doesn’t sound as if it’s appendicitis.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/August/2023 @ 2:26 pm
Brian,
Swan may be hesitating because she instinctively senses he’s a saurian. It’s hot in the Philippines—even hotter if you have to wear a suit of human skin all day long to pass as a hominid. I’m surprised, really, that we don’t have more stories of him hiding under rocks all day long, biding his time and panting in the heat while flicking his tongue.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/August/2023 @ 3:26 am
The often-heard wisdom is: “Follow the money.” The ladies are obviously still a high priority for you, which is why your budget slews drunkenly in that direction. If you’re really trying for the focused commitment thing, you’re gonna have to de-prioritize the ladies by a lot. Just to be clear: before you started talking about Swan, I couldn’t give two shits how you managed your budget. But now, with Swan as your aspirational lodestar, things have to change, and a lot of self-undermining behavior has to go out the window… like prioritizing the ladies. This isn’t me and my prudish moralism talking—this is the logical dictates of your situation talking. It’s all very “if-then”: if you want Result X, then you need to follow Course Y. Sometimes, this isn’t obvious from the inside of a situation.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/August/2023 @ 7:26 pm
soju,
For what it’s worth, I think John has already done a few walks that followed a vaguely phallic pattern.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/August/2023 @ 7:15 pm
Now it feels like a scene from a Stephen King novel.
Those windows look like gaping mouths with teeth. Chomp!
The stairs to nowhere
We have a lot of those here in Korea, but I tend to call them “stairs to mystery.” There is something weird and compelling about stairs or paths that lead off somewhere, but you’re not sure where.
When I left the house for my night out on the town, I still wasn’t sure if I was going to attend the SOB or not. As I walked, I decided against it. No real reason other than that I wasn’t in the mood. Where to, then? I figured I might as well surprise Joy by visiting Hideaway on Friday. I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I went to John’s place first to order some food. I was the one who was surprised when I arrived because the place was packed–not a seat to be had at the bar. I forlornly sat at a table for a few minutes, and then a couple of folks departed, and I had my coveted seat. Joy was without a customer and joined me at the bar.
I think I got lost in this paragraph because, by the end, it sounded as if you had met Joy at John’s place, which was packed.
And Korean-style chicken wings were the evening’s treat.
Are those crunchy? They’re supposed to be—even after being sauced. Korean-style fried chicken uses a thick coating of potato starch and, like french fries, undergoes what is called a “double fry,” i.e., fry at a low temp first to get a little color, then crank up the heat and fry aggressively to finish.
We shared some good times together. Thanks for the memories.
The dark-side lightsaber in that picture gives the place character. Vader lurks somewhere.
re: Swan
Slow and steady wins the race. I imagine she’s still sussing you out.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/August/2023 @ 7:36 pm
It ain’t much, but it’s all I got
Yeah, “Alcazar” seems more reasonable.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/August/2023 @ 3:25 am
This is something new since the last time I passed this way a couple of weeks ago.
I’m trying to read that. “Allazan Grove”?
Showing the gals what a rural lifestyle looks like.
It’s interesting to think that you expats, with all your walking, know more about this lifestyle than the native townies do.
The famous Sit-n-Bull cheeseburger was on the daily specials menu, so I ordered one with a side of baked beans. I wasn’t disappointed.
No fries, eh? Almost healthy!
I stayed for a couple of beers, and we chatted about the happenings in the local bar business. Everyone is excited about the coming additions to the Maze complex, Alaska, and Sloppy Joe’s. They’ll be in the same building as La Oficina, but the consensus of everyone is that all the bars will benefit from the influx of customers to the Maze.
I assume this is a post-pandemic high. You guys are done with your mask policies, right? I’m afraid I’ve lost track. Sorry.
I’m thinking I’m going to forego the SOB this week. I’m just not feeling it for some reason.
I applaud this. But that’s just me.
People say money can’t buy happiness as if alcohol is for free.
My response would be that people who confuse drunkenness with happiness don’t know what true happiness is. But again, that’s just me.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/August/2023 @ 7:17 pm
Nature’s roadblock
Okay, so who is this big guy in the blue tee shirt? He seems new.
They do love their basketball in this country
Is that like the national sport or something? Are Filipinos good at the pro or Olympic level?
Hung out to dry
I saw that meme this morning: a pic of clothes hanging out to dry, and the caption, “Dry that in a small town.”
Who’s side are you on?
Spot the error!
it’s rude and disrespectful to fuck a loyal customer that way.
Maybe scratching Whiskey Girl off your rotation will improve your budget.
I did my nightcap at Queen Victoria, then took my sour mood home to sleep it off.
We should do a statistical analysis of how many of your days end sourly. Seems to be a significant percentage. Just keep looking forward to moving day.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/August/2023 @ 7:13 pm
shall suffer the penalty of prison mayor in its maximum period
So “prison mayor” sounds as if some Spanish ended up in the English. In Spanish, for example, edad means “age,” so una persona de mayor edad is a senior, i.e., “a person of major age.” Is that what’s going on here, or is the law really saying you get to be mayor of the prison?
I also enjoyed watching the sun go down from the living room patio.
Beautiful shot. And October’s not far off. Found anyone for your current place yet (I realize that’s not really up to you, but still)?
a nice[,] meaty dinner
Delightfully vague. Filipino-style? Amurrican-style? Something else entirely?
and then crazy reared its ugly head
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Hot/Crazy Matrix.
Here’s hoping I don’t do anything stupid.
You know, if you just avoided alcohol altogether, you’d cut way down on the stupid.
…Naaaaaah. Chemically enhanced living is better living!
Well, good luck as you figure out your near-future living arrangements. And make sure some nubile young niece doesn’t “accidentally” slip into bed with you one night so she can practice her reverse-cowgirl technique.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/August/2023 @ 6:42 pm
Hello everyone!
The vocative comma’s on vacation, I see. Wherever it goes, I hope it enjoys itself.
You mentioned my not seeing Joy in your photos for a while (can’t be more than a mere few days), but you know who else has gone MIA on your blog? Almoranus! Haven’t seen him in a long while.
Damn, see what I missed?
Beautiful view. So who took that picture?
Back On-Home at Smokes and Bottles
How much does the average block of ice weigh?
One of those concerns revolves around Swan’s reaction when I sent her this as a joke.
So, I’m guessing she reacted negatively.
If people in your Hash kennel are reading your blog, then your relationship with Swan is, at best, an open secret. Assume everyone knows. It almost feels as if Swan might be fooling herself into thinking no one knows about you and her.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/August/2023 @ 4:42 pm
Well, good luck on both fronts.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/August/2023 @ 4:25 pm
I hope you’ll indulge my photographing a girl I’m not dating–she’s new and I just wanted to document the event.
Well, you know my feelings on the matter, but that’s obviously not gonna stop you. I do hope you run every one of your girlie pics past Swan. She’ll love them, Mr. Not a Roving Eye But I Just Can’t Seem to Help Myself!
There are some things I need to address with her, so maybe I’ll get the chance to do so tomorrow.
Caretaker-related or something else?
Coincidentally, I’ll be Hashing in those hills on the horizon this afternoon. This will be our first dry Hash in several weeks.
Happy Hashing! Enjoy the lack of rain. Our typhoon departed on Saturday, and we’re back to the August heat wave. Can’t wait for mid-September.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/August/2023 @ 4:34 pm
Too bad the birthday-party vibe wasn’t better, but you at least got to share your brownies with an enthusiastic crowd.
“The Wanderer” definitely fits for those who can’t settle and prefer rootlessness. But do you have a “Rosie” tattoo?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/August/2023 @ 6:05 pm
Other than elevation, is there any rhyme or reason to the determination of whether you are going up or down a road?
I think you’re right that it’s relative to the writer.
• He went down the street a ways.
• He went up the street a ways.Both of the above produce the same mental picture for me.
Do you see what I see?
Nice—a Christmas song for Easter Mountain.
Over the river on Bridge #3
Nothing like a little moob sweat to punctuate the day.
Turns out I won’t–they are taking down the wall in the new location and it will remain an open-air bar.
As long as that’s not a load-bearing wall, then OK. I hope I don’t read about a building collapse later. Maybe they’ll fit the new opening with some struts or columns? Or sluts and Gollums?
One of the commenters on yesterday’s post said that while he liked Carly Simon’s music, he didn’t find her attractive.
It’s the huge, Mick-Jagger mouth and strong jaw. See here for example. Or here, when she was younger.
But hey, if you like her looks, you like her looks.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/August/2023 @ 8:05 pm
Nice view of Barretto. And Texas Joe’s looks like a good place.
And here’s a shot of Swan’s fingers blocking your view of the menu.
She’s doing that “tiny heart” gesture. Does she, like the Grinch, have a tiny heart?
They play country music at a low volume, but it sounds good to me.
Low volume is best for most country music. Heh. Did you request “Try That in a Small Town”?
And the waitresses dressed up like cowgirls was also a nice touch.
They don’t look entirely comfortable in their getup.
Swan did seem to enjoy herself, and I think I passed the first test in the “meet the family” category.
I was going to ask about that.
I played this old Carly Simon song
I’ve always enjoyed Carly Simon’s beautiful voice. I just wish she had the looks to match. That 주걱턱 of hers.
I think your patience with Swan will ultimately be rewarded. Just don’t be a man-whore, keep respecting her privacy, and you’re golden.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/August/2023 @ 5:40 pm
Was that poem a McCrarey creation to the tune of “Rock of Ages”? No source credited, so I assume it’s an original.
Now if’s forbidding shell feels creepy and foreboding.
I’m guessing that “if’s” is supposed to be “its.” Grammarly didn’t catch that, eh? Yeah, we love Grammarly.
Where trash that fails to become litter goes to die.
Nice. You guys ever thought of grabbing several giant trash bags each and stopping, along each path, to gather and bag litter? I’m not blaming you if you don’t have such thoughts: I’ve often thought of doing some trash collection myself, but I never do it.
I had meatball sub on my to-do list, and this twelve-inch beauty was on the list of daily specials.
Can’t see the meatballs for the cheese, but that looks genuinely fantastic.
I could only eat about seven inches of it before I was full.
Oh, how many women have said that very thing?
I gave my waitress friend Jenn the remains of my sub which she seemed to appreciate.
Spot the error!
And you thought my puns were bad…
The first two puns led me to think the entire thing would be puns based on brand names, but that was not to be. Then there’s the “Les miserably” pun, which is the only one not to include Tom. Had they gone for perfect consistency, they could have written
“You call this a musical?” asked Tom tonelessly.
—then it could have been all Toms, all the time.
Good luck with Swan’s rellies (Britspeak for “relatives”).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/August/2023 @ 5:21 pm
my first order of business was a visit to immigration to renew my tourist visa for another sixty days.
I keep forgetting you have to go through this nonsense every two months. Do you feel it’s worth it? (I guess you do if you’ve lived there for several years! But going through such a ritual every other month would drive me crazy.)
re: Buffalo wings… “maybe they’re not REAL buffalo”
I wonder if the menu writer realizes that the “Buffalo” in “Buffalo wings” refers to Buffalo, New York, where the wings originally came from. Oh, and that menu could use a proofreader. And with all the shouty ALL CAPS in the text, the menu writer could do with a bit less caffeine.
My ham and cheese tortilla wrap.
I hope it tasted good. Looked a bit meager.
Pecan pie is back in stock! Of course, I slathered that sweet goodness in vanilla ice cream and enjoyed a la mode!
The pie does indeed look good. I side with Rascal on that.
I hope Swan’s not going to turn out to be yet another of those women who assume men have ESP, thus obviating the need to verbally communicate anything. In Asia in particular, so much unnecessary conflict results from A assuming one thing while B assumes another, and neither party has the smarts to just check on what the other is thinking. Maybe we humans just like making drama for ourselves. We say we want happiness, equilibrium, and tranquility, but our actions show we really want drama, conflict, and ambient stupidity. And it’s all avoidable.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/August/2023 @ 11:00 pm
As ridiculous as wearing sunglasses indoors on a rainy day may appear, those zombie-like red eyes looked worse.
The glasses hilariously accentuate those Brezhnev eyebrows, though. Ah—there’s your next Halloween costume! Get a makeup expert to give you a unibrow, then go to parties as Leonid Brezhnev! Man, I ought to be charging money for the awesome advice I give.
Feeling young sitting next to the Fucking Old Man.
In that picture, the lady on the far right makes me think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. What’s AOC doing in your part of the world?
It was pitch black, lightly raining, and I was pissed (both angry and inebriated). Even with my phone’s flashlight, I couldn’t see shit as I walked. I was cussing out loud every step of the way. In the dark, I missed the first turn-up, so I had to continue almost all the way to the gate.
Doesn’t your phone have some kind of real-time navigation feature? Something to guide you step by step to your place?
And I was only recently moralizing about getting drunk.
As you say, though, you survived. Here’s hoping your eyes are better in a few days.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/August/2023 @ 5:16 pm
But better a socialite than a socialist.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/August/2023 @ 6:55 am
re: red eyes
Get well soon! I get eye infections about twice a year or so; I think it’s because I don’t wash my pillowcases often enough. I’ve been trying to remedy that by washing them more often.
More cookie lovers.
I like the little girl’s saucy pose (yellow shirt, serious expression). Hilarious!
No way around the mud and water. Wet feet, here I come!
Nightmare conditions for me. Especially if I know I have miles to go.
This huge tree was a storm casualty.
Looks like a dam made by giant, mutant beavers.
I don’t want to break my consecutive days streak.
So you’re considered to have Hashed as long as you make the On-Home circle? Interesting.
Good luck at the doc’s. I feel your pain.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/August/2023 @ 5:12 pm
As a matter of fact, I would. Seriously, there is nothing more than going on than a few bad jokes and me being my usual witty self. No sexual innuendo or other inappropriateness at all.
If you say so. But I seem to remember meeting you at some bar in Itaewon—Shenanigans?—and you practiced one of your few Korean phrases on the bargirl: “Take off your skirt.” I’m sure it was meant as a harmless joke, but stuff like that adds up and becomes a reputation.
But if you’re saying you don’t do anything like that here, well, okay, I guess. You’ll understand that I’m a little bit skeptical, but okay.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/August/2023 @ 6:51 am
Well, what you call “flirty” I call barroom banter, usually fueled by alcohol. Is it still flirting if there is zero interest or intent in a fling?
“Fueled by alcohol” is never a good thing since the booze makes one more of a village idiot than a village intellect. And would you engage in the banter if your squeeze were right there next to you? And if not, then why not? It’s as much a question of appearances as intentions. How do you look to those around you? There’s a reason why the ladies see you as a player.
Honestly, I’m not all that confident that when she is ready, she’ll be ready for me.
If you’re visiting her every day for a morning coffee, that strikes me as a good thing. You’re only a few months into the one-year mourning, so there’s still a while to go. If you can make it through that with your (and her) virtue intact, you’re home free, I think.
No, thanks. Nothing like being an afterthought. Clearly, I’m not a priority with her.
At this point, I can’t tell whether this is just you losing patience or her de-prioritizing you. I mean, you’ve made it clear how things feel from your perspective, but it’s hard for me, from where I sit, to have a handle on what’s really going on. I guess the fundamental question is whether you still see Swan as “worth it.” If she’s not, then I suppose you ought to respectfully cut her loose, and you can go back to doing your thing (which you seem to be doing, anyway). If she is worth it, then I hope you’ll keep at it, being patient with her while also being self-reflective about your own outlook and behavior (i.e., finding and uprooting the patterns that led to failed relationships in the past).
Don’t give up on Swan quite yet. I think she’ll prove to be a good catch. That was your initial instinct, too. Follow your instinct.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/August/2023 @ 4:04 pm
there’s no contradiction between between flirty
Nuts. “between being flirty…”
Brain farts. A sign of age.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/August/2023 @ 6:46 pm
It was Chris’ girlfriend Sheriyl’s birthday
“Sheriyl,” huh? I’ll never get over those bizarre spellings.
I offered to get the Sloppy Joe crew some food, and they wanted a pizza. And yes, they preferred the Hawaiian with pineapple. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Filipina order any other flavor.
If it’s done right, Hawaiian pizza can be good. Alas, our local Papa John’s does a horrible Hawaiian. I ordered it once… never again. I stick to their Meat Lovers or to their Spicy Italian (which is almost the same thing, just without the ham).
There was a pizza place close to a building where I used to work. It specialized in New York-style pizza, and for the most part, it was really good. Only thing was you couldn’t get a regular pepperoni there: all they ever sold was pepperoni and pineapple. First time I saw that, I shrugged, bit the bullet, and ate a slice. It tasted fine to me, so I kept ordering it over the next few months, but I’d change things up by ordering some of their other pizzas as well.
I settled for a cherry cheesecake to go instead.
Sounds like a good choice to me.
I’m in a somewhat better frame of mind re: Swan. My thinking now is to back the hell off and leave it all up to her. If she wants to see me, she’ll let me know. Otherwise, I’ll just go on with my life, such as it is.
I worry that “go on with my life” means continuing to be flirty with the girls because that’s “just your style.” Might be better to work on solidifying your commitment to Swan. Right now, it sounds more like, “Well, I’ll just be idling here, off to the side, doing my usual thing while Swan makes up her mind.” I don’t know, but maybe one of the things Swan is quietly looking at is your level of focus and commitment. You can’t strive for settledness while having a roving heart, and casual flirtatiousness—a sign of a roving heart—doesn’t mix with settledness. You might try fooling yourself into thinking there’s no contradiction between between flirty and being committed, but this doesn’t work. You can’t have it both ways. Look at the pattern of broken relationships up to now and ask yourself whether that’s the formula for success.
More positively, I think you’re right to give Swan her breathing space. Losing someone you love isn’t something you get over in a flash, like Crazy Horse losing a steed and leaping right onto another. (Not unless you’re my father, anyway, dealing with grief by not dealing with grief while desperately trying to find someone—anyone—to fill the wife-shaped gap in his soul because he’s too much of a pussy to know how to live alone.) My parenthetical rant aside, it’s wiser to let Swan deal with grief in her own way. On some level, I’m sure she recognizes the future you’re offering her. She doesn’t come off as stupid, from what you’ve written about her. So if you assume she’s aware enough to know what you represent, future-wise, then have faith that she’ll come around eventually. I’m pulling for you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/August/2023 @ 6:43 pm
I second the notion of beans and cilantro. Sear after wrapping and rolling. If you try searing before wrapping, you make it unnecessarily difficult to roll the tortilla up.
Yes, I’m less averse to green onions. And strangely, I’m okay with the minced onions in pico de gallo. Go figure.
Other things to add either in the burrito or on top of it:
pico de gallo (mentioned above)
salsa
sour cream
sliced olives
sliced avocado
guacamoleThe sky’s the limit.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/August/2023 @ 7:43 am
«« Back To Stats PageMy first burrito at John’s.
He could’ve at least seared the burrito on two sides. The photo he showed was obviously from somewhere else. If he’s looking for opinions, I’d definitely suggest searing on all future burritos. It adds an extra layer of flavor.
Truth be told, I might be overthinking things with Swan, and it is affecting my mental health.
Delightfully cryptic.
Up this morning to start another day, and sure enough, it was raining again.
But wait—how long did the stabbing pain last?
The innards
At least there’s no fuckin’ onions.
Time to eat!
And you’re not searing, either, I see. What’s with you guys?
Sounds as if you really might be overthinking things with Swan. “Take it slow” is not what you want to hear, but slow and steady wins the race.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/August/2023 @ 6:49 pm