I guess there is something to be said for being fat and happy. But it probably isn’t too fun to be fat and prematurely dead. And taking a half-assed approach to weight loss is marginally better than not trying at all, so that’s what I’m doing. Maybe instead of hitting that brick wall at the end of the alley going full speed, I can downshift and delay my arrival at death’s door. We’ll see how that works out for me.

So, I’m giving up the ice cream (miss you, baby!) and sweets. I’m also making an effort to reduce my beer consumption by slowing down the intake. That’s a work in progress, but I’m getting there. I’m getting in 15,000 steps per day, so hopefully, I’ll burn off some fat along the way.

Speaking of beer, I came across this article from a “longevity doctor” who drinks in moderation and doesn’t see that as a bad thing. Of course, I drink more than he does, but the doctor notes that genes make a difference. I’d say my daily beer intake is similar to what my father would imbibe, and he lived to be 83. It’s that Irish blood, I reckon.

In unrelated news that proves things can always be worse, this guy fell in love with one of those AI girls, and it didn’t end well for him.

Meanwhile, things continue on in my daily grind much as they always do. An uneventful Sweet Stroll kicked off the morning.

Sunday is usually our Arizona floating bar day, but given the overcast skies at beer o’clock, we opted not to bother since there would be no sunset to enjoy. We started out at Red Bar instead.

When it was time to eat, we cautiously crossed the highway and popped into Jewel Cafe.

We crossed the highway once more and did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. I played a couple of games of pool as much to slow my rate of beer ingestion as anything. I played pretty well against a skilled waitress opponent, but still lost both games. That’s okay, I had fun anyway.

Then it was time to trike on home. I’m going to need to make some adjustments to my schedule, though. Getting back to the house so early, I’m finding myself going to bed at 8 pm for lack of a better option. The problem with that is I’ll wake up four or five hours later and have a hard time getting back to sleep. It could be that I need to fire up the TV for an hour or two before bedtime. We’ll see.

Moving forward in the December 2017 LTG archives, I’m back in the Philippines as I prepare for the upcoming move. Gem, the gal I met on a dating site, joined me for the adventure, and she seems to be enjoying herself. Met up with my vlogger friend John and his new girl. They are married now, but John is in late-stage Parkinson’s and has moved to the wife’s province, where she and her family care for him. And I also did some exploring around Alta Vista and Club Morocco in search of somewhere I might live. A good trip thus far, we’ll see what happens next. Why wait? Here’s another post about the small-town vibe Barretto has, as evidenced by my running into a guy named Scott, whom I had recently friended on Facebook, several times. And I haven’t even done my first Hash run yet.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the seven things you should not do after turning 70. Yep, I’m guilty of #4, labeling myself “too old” to try new things. I also struggle with #5, letting memories of the past invade my present. Well, there is always time to do better. Until it runs out. I’ll get right on it.

You are never too old to laugh. I hope.

Another Hash Monday has arrived. The Hare sent me a preview map, and today’s trail involves a 400-meter climb to the top of Kalaklan Ridge. It’s been a while, and I miss the views from up there. But alas, I’m still feeling off, and upon further consideration, I’ve decided that today is not the day to undertake that challenge. Instead, Swan will join me for our own Hash trail. We’ll still do a climb, but only about half as difficult. But I’ll be back on the ridgeline one day soon.

Country Joe McDonald has passed away. Back in my teens, I was big into the anti-war movement, so songs like this one resonated with me. And look at me now, all “bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran.” Anyway, here’s Country Joe firing up the audience at Woodstock. Thanks for the memories.

Nothing to get pissed about, though. I hope to keep peeing well into the future. Speaking of health, Kevin Kim left a link in the comments to a video about measuring visceral fat. The video provided a link to a webpage with an easy at-home method to calculate the amount of visceral fat you carry in your innards. So, I did the measurements, and the results weren’t pretty.

Not good, not good at all. Somehow, I don’t think I can walk this off. I’ll think of something. Or die trying.

Meanwhile, life goes on. We did our usual Decay Dance in the morning.

At beer o’clock, we journeyed into Barretto and kicked off our evening at Sloppy Joe’s. I’ve decided the downsides of doing the gin-and-soda thing outweigh the benefits. So, my new plan is to drink beer at a slower pace. My goal last night was to limit myself to one beer every thirty minutes. I had my first beer at 4:30 and my last for the night at 7:30. By my reckoning, I had seven SMLs during that 180 minutes, or one every 25.7 minutes. I didn’t achieve my goal, but that’s still slower than normal for me. I’ll keep working at it.

Two beers at Sloppy Joe’s, then we headed to Myleen’s for dinner.

One beer to wash the tacos down, then we moved on to Wet Spot for our nightcap. Green Room is closed for renovation, so all the staff from there are doing duty in Wet Spot (same owner). Wet Spot was a lot more crowded than usual, including some of the familiar Green Room customers. We found an open table, and I treated our regular Green Room waitress and our regular Wet Spot waitress to a lady drink. Hey, I didn’t want them fighting over me! If I had stopped at three beers, I would have met my 30-minute-per-beer goal. But it was too early to go home, and Swan hadn’t finished her wine yet, so I enjoyed beer number four before calling it a night.

Swan captured the moment where I managed to play my air guitar and sing some Money for Nothing before we departed Wet Spot. The chicks weren’t free, though.

From the December 2017 LTG archives is a post in which I recall the dozen times I’d loved and lost in my life and assigned blame for those failures as appropriate. You can see for yourself that I wasn’t always at fault. One of these days, I’ll have to update the list with my relationships since moving to the Philippines.

Today’s YouTube video talks about how living in the Philippines is a different experience from short-term visits. No duh. I’ve certainly encountered some of the difficulties he mentions, but that just goes with the territory. The “sorry, out of stock” thing still irks me, especially at a big grocery store like Royal. And when the shelf goes bare, it often stays that way for months. Um, ever heard of inventory control? (Heh, I just now remembered what my father would sometimes exclaim when he became frustrated: “Damn, that just frosts my balls!”) Of course, here in the tropics, they wouldn’t know what frost is. Anyway, when you choose to live in a third-world environment, sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way.

And now to lighten things up some:

And on that note, this post has come to an end.

Live ’em while you got ’em, that’s the best and only option. Here’s how that worked out for me yesterday.

Our housekeeper, Jane, is Swan’s niece and resides in our basement apartment with her hubby and three kids. It’s equipped with everything they need to live comfortably except a television. Our mission yesterday morning was to rectify that situation. There’s an appliance store on the far side of town, and I told Swan we could make that our walk destination. She was a little surprised when I took her the back way via the My Bitch trail and Rizal Extension, arriving at Robinson’s a little over 6K later. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:

And then we arrived safely at the Robinson’s appliance store, where I purchased a 50″ Smart TV for a little under $400. Our downstairs residents were ecstatic.

Later in the afternoon, Swan and I made our way to the Kokomo’s floating bar.

Our visit to the floating bar proved to be a disappointment. No wine for Swan, so she had water. They wanted 120 pesos for a gin shot, plus another 100 for the can of soda water. I had one, and then we decided to move on.

But we weren’t giving up on our beach time. There’s a small resort named Tropical Garden, further up Baloy, owned by a Hasher (Goat Fucker). We decided to check out the vibe.

So, Tropical Garden wanted 180 pesos for a gin shot. Add in a can of soda water, and it’s nearly three times more expensive than a beer. Nope, no can do. I’ll have to find another way to reduce calories and carbs. I still haven’t been able to find out what’s going on with the unavailability of San Miguel Zero beer.

I’d given up on gin and soda by this point, but I enjoyed a couple of cold San Miguel Lights, then we called it an early night and headed on home. Notwithstanding the Kokomo’s disappointment, we enjoyed our beach time.

It’s December 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recount the once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking over 50,000 steps. It’s chock full of pictures of the area surrounding Camp Humphreys and the city of Pyeongtaek. Thanks to Kevin Kim for the challenge and inspiration to make the journey of a lifetime.

For today’s YouTube video, we’ll take a journey back in time and see what traveling on a stagecoach was really like. Spoiler alert: it was not a comfortable experience.

Now we will travel on to where the humor is:

Another day, another post about yesterday. And now to get on with today.

As I’ve alluded to in my recent posts, I’ve kinda sorta been feeling out of sorts lately. I’m sure some of this derives from being in an emotionally weird place, but there are physical aspects as well. Light-headedness, lethargy, weird aches and pains are some of the symptoms I’ve been enduring. I need to schedule another consult with Dr. Jo to see if any of this is liver-related. God knows, my liver gets plenty of exercise, but it ain’t as young as it once was. I saw an ad on Facebook that described what happens when your liver begins to fail, and it was a little too familiar for comfort. And since it was an advertisement, they suggested an herbal remedy called Lymphoria. Well, it was “only” 1800 pesos ($35), so I decided to order a bottle. I figure it can’t hurt, right?

Wednesday went as Wednesdays usually do, starting with the Wednesday Walkers group hike.

A 6K trek on a hot day was plenty.

Swan took a “me day,” so I was on my own for the evening adventure in Barretto. I plopped my sorry behind down on a stool at Cheap Charlies and put my new drinking strategy to work. On the plus side, my gin shot with a can of soda water lasted around thirty minutes, about twice as long as a bottle of beer. On the negative side, after two gins, I was feeling a tad more buzzed than I wanted to be, so I switched to beer for the remainder of the evening. I’m not giving up yet, but I’ve got to learn to pace myself better.

Otherwise, my visit to Cheap Charlies was pleasant enough. My hike buddy Todd popped in for a while, so I had someone to chat with, which is nice. I fed the girls in lieu of lady drinks, and they were very appreciative. I was even given the rare beer on the house as a thank you.

I wasn’t quite ready to call it a night, so I popped into Alaska for a final round of drinks. Still made it home before 8 pm, where Swan was awaiting my return and the smoothie I promised to make for her. And that was all there was to Wednesday.

From Facebook memories:

In the November 2017 LTG archives, I share my Thanksgiving blessings. I’m not sure why it is that it seems that it is always in looking back that I realize how good my life was, despite my feeling that it sucked. Hopefully, I’m not going look back on the present in a similar fashion.

Today’s YouTube video features people even dumber than me. Yep, you read that right. The most dangerous thing I do is crossing the National Highway, but I’d never try to take a selfie while doing so.

Shit, I hate when a video I select to share won’t embed. You’ll have to click this link to see it. Sorry!

On to the humor, then.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

I’m going to make the effort to change things up around here. We’ll see how that works out for me. Me being me, I’m not taking the hard road, but I intend to tweak my lifestyle by eating smarter. No, I don’t plan to count calories or anything like that at this point. I’ll just try to show a little more discipline and self-control when it comes to what I put in my mouth. As a first step in that direction, while grocery shopping yesterday, I successfully avoided purchasing the usual half-gallon of ice cream. Instead, I made a sugar-free pudding before heading out to the bars, and my drunken dessert was waiting for me when I returned.

Speaking of drinking, I’m making some modifications in that regard as well.

So, one shot of gin is around 97 calories. That’s not much less than the 100 in a bottle of San Miguel Light. But I get the shot in a tall glass and order a can of soda water (no calories) on the side. That turns one drink into three, reducing the calories consumed and lessening the alcohol volume. But I’m not giving up on beer entirely. My current plan is to alternate between the drinks. Hopefully, that will moderate the impact of the gin intake whilst also reducing my overall consumption of calories. In my previous switches to gin, I suffered some repercussions that included getting drunker than I wanted to be (like falling down getting out of the trike drunk). Wish me luck as I move forward with my new plan!

Oh, and if you are wondering about my motivation, for some reason, I stepped on my bathroom scale yesterday. 259.7 pounds. Yikes!

I walked home from the Royal supermarket after yesterday’s shopping excursion.

As nice as the views along the highway are, there isn’t much shoulder space, and people drive here like pedestrians have no business being out walking. The scooters are especially bad, treating that small roadside space as a motorbike lane. It tends to take the joy out of the hike for me.

I did my drinking at Sloppy Joe’s and Wet Spot yesterday. Green Room is closed for renovations now. As I understand it, the new owner is adding restrooms (yay! no more going next door to pee) and a dance stage (boo! we don’t need another dancing bar). We’ll see how that works out. In the meantime, all the Green Room staff are working out of Wet Spot. That meant buying twice my usual number of lady drinks. Anyway, I was still standing when I got home, so my moderation plan is working so far.

From the November 2017 LTG archives comes a post about my working life. With less than six months to go before re-retirement, I felt appreciation for the meaning work brought to my life and some trepidation about what my life might look like without it.

Today’s YouTube video offers five signs that your life may be ending soon. Other than my expanding abdomen, none of them is yet in evidence for me. Well, the memory is fading, but not to the extreme extent the AI voice talks about. I still can’t shake this feeling of impending doom for some reason, but I’m going to keep on doing what I do for as long as I am able.

Bad puns and bad humor are always here to be enjoyed:

And now on with my snack-less and sweet-less life. Thank God for alcohol!

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it. –Groucho Marx

Easier said than done, but worth the effort, I suppose. Yeah, I’m having one of those days, but this too shall pass. In the meantime, I can take comfort in knowing that things can, and have been, worse than they are. It’s easy to forget your blessings when you take them for granted, but you don’t have to look far to see that the struggles of others are infinitely worse.

When I decided to move to the Philippines, one of my goals was to try make things better for people by my being here. Yeah, you can’t help everyone, but you can make a difference for some. To some degree, I’ve achieved that goal, even if you don’t count providing lady drink commissions. One of my current projects is helping an acquaintance who is currently fighting uterine cancer. I help out with rent, food, and medical expenses, but damn, the struggles of getting proper treatment in a public (versus private) healthcare system here are phenomenal. Here’s her latest message to me:

Hello John, update for today; I couldn’t undergo chemotherapy this Monday, and I was also confined for another day because I had a blood clot in my catheter. They conducted some tests, and I was discharged from the hospital after the tests. I will return to the hospital this Friday for my CT scan urogram. I hope it gets done so we can know what the urology department will do regarding whether I will need surgery or not. I’m back on antibiotics again because chemotherapy didn’t go ahead due to my cough and cold. It’s really frustrating because I seem to catch coughs and colds quickly now.

Always fighting, John. I don’t want to die yet; I don’t want to stress myself over what’s happening with my treatment. I constantly pray that I can get through all of this.

What happened to me earlier was intense. Before my CT urogram, I fainted; suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, my legs started to tremble, and I had a headache. I thought it was the end for me, and I ended up praying unexpectedly, saying, “Lord, please don’t take me yet.” My blood pressure and sugar levels weren’t low; I just couldn’t handle the prolonged fasting because I needed to fast for the CT scan. They’ve postponed my schedule today, and now I’m rescheduled for the CT scan on March 5. Aside from the severe headache I’m experiencing, the equipment for my CT scan isn’t complete, so I have to go back on March 5. The effects of the chemotherapy they are giving me are hard; they are not just attacking the cancer but also weakening my good cells and immune system. I need to find a clinic that prescribes fenbendazole and ivermectin because they have been effective for colorectal cancer patients. I need to try it; I don’t want to die, Lord. Please help me; don’t abandon me.

Endless gratitude, John, for all the help you have given me, and thank you for not abandoning me in this fight. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude, as the Lord sent you to help me financially. Thank you, Lord, for everything, and please do not forsake me in my battle against this illness.

What a nightmare to go through. I believe she is in her 30s. At my age, I wouldn’t have the strength or the will to fight this battle. When my time comes, I hope I go easy into that gentle good night.

Here are my blessings from yesterday:

Sunday Sweets Stroll:

Later in the day we made our way out to the Arizona floating bar:

When our time on the floater was done, we popped into Red Bar for some libations before moving on to Jumpin’ Jacks to check out their menu.

I did play a game of pool with one of the waitresses while waiting for our food order, and I won! Maybe that darts practice is paying off.

And that’s all there is to the Sunday story.

As expected, the Iran memes are exploding across the internet. I found this one worthy of sharing:

From Facebook memories, John’s place opened in its new location four years ago:

On to November 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I was reminded once again how stupid I am when it comes to matters of the heart. Jesus, what was I thinking?

Today’s YouTube video provides 10 reasons not to retire in the Philippines. Damn, NOW you tell me. But seriously, going on eight years now, and I don’t regret coming here. Most of these can be overcome by invoking the mantra I learned long ago as a tourist: Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way. That said, the noise does still bother me, and if I drove here, I would be insane from road rage by now. Still, I’d rather be here than back home in the USA.

Humor me:

And now to prepare for another Hash Monday.

I’ll tell you tomorrow.

I woke up to the first morning in March and the news about the big takeout in Iran. I’m not a big fan of regime change wars, but Iran has been a worldwide threat for decades, and sadly, the USA has enabled its terrorism. With the leadership now dismantled, it’s on the Iranian citizens to stop being victims and stand up for their freedom. The clips I saw of the people in the streets in Iran celebrating Khamenei’s death were telling. Just like the outraged American leftists protesting this bold move that may lead to a more peaceful Middle East, they have shown where they stand in opposition to freedom, peace, and human rights. We shall see what happens next.

An oldie but goodie:

Meanwhile, life goes on in my little piece of paradise, such as it is.

Decay Dance:

In the afternoon, I practiced darts and threw halfway decent, but I wasn’t feeling the Saturday tourney at Alley Cats. Instead, we made our way out to Cheap Charlies.

We decided to try somewhere we seldom visit next. Our first option was Cyclone Bar, but before we even got to the door, we could hear the crap music blaring. That was a good reminder of why we stopped going there. So we ventured further up the highway and popped into Nipsey’s Bar. We were the only customers, but the girls on stage stood up and went through the dance motions as we sat down. The music was shit, but I am more tolerant when young gals are movin’ to the beat of songs they know. And then the thought occurred to me that the music genre shouldn’t matter to a dancer. I called the waitress over and asked if I could request a song, and my request was granted. I had them play the Glenn Miller classic, “In the Mood.” That song is even older than I am. I couldn’t resist dragging Swan up from her seat and doing a little swing dancing with her. The gals on stage seemed to enjoy watching, too. After my requested song was done, the playlist reverted to some classics from the ’50s and ’60s, and I was really enjoying the vibe. And then a couple of the gals on the dance stage tried their hand at swing dancing and did a nice job of it. Naturally, they earned a tip!

We did our nightcap at Queen Victoria, and they actually had some customers. I guess they are doing something right. I even got comped a beer for the first time there. A nice way to end our Saturday night.

And now, from the October 2017 LTG archives, is the post entitled “FUCK ME!” Yeah, one day into my new “love” affair, I got fucked good and hard. At least I didn’t have to wait seven years to get screwed, as I did in my previous relationship. And for those who might be interested in the epilogue, after years of no contact, on a whim, I sent Loraine an email a few weeks ago to see how she was doing. I was a little surprised she bothered to respond, but she told me she is doing well. She and Kev are still together, but he’s living in the UK and can’t yet afford to retire in the Philippines. Also, Loraine’s annulment still hasn’t been granted, so the marriage Kev promised hasn’t happened. She chose the path she considered best for her, and I wish her a happy life. Things turned out okay for me in the end.

Today’s YouTube video is the story of another man’s unhappy ending in the Philippines. As is the case in most of these sad tales, stupid choices lead to bad outcomes. Obviously, avoiding the quagmire of the Philippine “justice” system should be everyone’s primary goal, but sometimes shit happens.

And now for the happy ending:

And that’s all he wrote. For today anyway.

Today’s post title comes courtesy of a t-shirt graphic I observed at last night’s birthday party. I rarely attend parties, but in some ways, my daily life is almost like a party. There is always plenty of cold beer to enjoy! Here are some scenes from another party day in the life.

The day’s big event was attending Ashley’s birthday party at Red Bar.

And it appeared a good time was had by all.

From Facebook memories, a happy day that didn’t stand the test of time:

Big news in the October 2017 LTG archives: Despite my pledge to never fall in love again, I threw caution to the wind and took that leap of faith once more. We’ll find out soon enough how that worked out for me.

Has anyone been missing Smart Girl Philippines? It’s been a long time since I shared one of her YouTube videos, so here we go. At this stage of my life, her words of warning no longer apply to me. I’m already in the last relationship I’ll ever have, for better or worse.

There’s always time for a smile or three, right?

Had enough? Yeah, me too. I’ll get on with the rest of today and tell you about it tomorrow.

I’m not sure what the secret to a long life might be, but I reckon being lucky is part of it. Life comes in daily doses, and here’s what my medicine looked like yesterday.

A nap, a blog post, and a shower later, it was time to go and see what was happening in Barretto. We kicked things off at It Doesn’t Matter. Turns out it did. The bar has a totally different vibe now that Cliff and Ashley have departed. That’s okay, as long as there is something to fill the void. So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case. And yes, that matters. Only one of the waitresses offered a greeting when we arrived. Another, a recently returned long-term employee who was friendly in the past, didn’t say a word the whole time we were there. The waitress sitting next to Swan’s stool had long hair, and when she flipped her hair, it hit Swan in the face. Swan wasn’t pleased, but instead of apologizing, the waitress made some rude comment that Swan should sit elsewhere. And that’s what we did — paid our tab and left.

We went to Myleen’s next and grabbed a bite to eat.

We hadn’t been to the Alaska Club for quite a while, so that was our next stop. Got warm and friendly service, and owner Jerry sent me over a free beer. I did my usual tipping-the-dancers thing and bought a couple of lady drinks. It was nice to be treated right after the IDM experience.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot next door and enjoyed our “regulars” status there with the crew. Neighbor Mike popped for a beer, and we all had a good time. Then a trike ride home brought another Thirstday to a close.

From the October 2017 LTG archives is a post about an incident I would not have otherwise remembered. It involved a bar called IDK (I Don’t Know what that stands for) because I guess It Doesn’t Matter now *ahem*. Anyway, I had already quit patronizing IDK when I caught them adding drinks to my tab that I hadn’t ordered. But when I learned they were refusing to pay a Filipina employee, I threatened to report them to the USFK Provost Marshal for human trafficking, and they relented. Ah, the good ol’ days. Some nice pictures of the Pyeongtaek area in that post as well.

Today’s YouTube video discusses the health implications of naps for us senior citizens. I had no idea there was such a thing, but luckily, my daily naps are early in the afternoon and last less than an hour. They don’t seem to affect my nighttime slumber either, so I should be good to go.

HaHa, reading that title just now, I had to say, isn’t everyone getting closer to death every day?

And on to the humor:

Okay, Ashley, aka Lick-and-Spit, is celebrating her birthday today at Red Bar. Swan and I will be attending. Should be a good time.

Here’s the lowdown on the Wednesday that was:

Scott drove us out to where the new bypass road is allegedly under construction. I say ‘allegedly’ because, since our previous visit several months ago, it appears little progress has been made. I’m no engineer, but damn, I still can’t figure out how they are going to make it up and over the top of the Kalakalan Ridge. I hope I live long enough to find out.

Welp, not our problem, we headed down to the valley for the rest of our walk.

With the walkaholic urge satisfied, at beer o’clock it was time to quench my thirst. Swan had been visiting a friend on SBMA, so I awaited her return at the seldom-visited Snackbar near the Baloy 7-Eleven. She arrived as I was finishing my second beer, and we headed for the beach.

I joined in from my stool:

And that’s all there was for Wednesday.

Facebook memories reminded me of this old advertisement I’d shared:

Carrying on with the October 2017 LTG archives, and I’m back from my Boracay adventure with a new plan to get over my sorry state of mind: acceptance. Reading this again today from a whole other perspective, but it still seems apt. I may not like certain aspects of my life that come with age, but I need to learn to accept them.

In today’s YouTube video, the vlogger explains why he doesn’t want to live a long life. Interesting perspectives for sure, and honestly, I’m living like there is no tomorrow already. But I’m blessed to have not lost my mind (although it is fading fast) or suffered some catastrophic incident like a disabling stroke. So, I’m not in any hurry to let go of what I have, but when it is gone, I’ll likely not resist.

And on to the funny business:

I’m outta here for now. Thanks for dropping by.

As we used to say back in my time with the Army, NSTR. Which translates to: nothing significant to report. So, here’s a quick rundown of the insignificance I enjoyed on Sunday:

There was the Sweets Stroll.

Later in the day, I lost some hair.

Next was some time rockin’ on the water.

Swan was ready for dinner and wanted to go to the Coffee Shop. I asked why the Coffee Shop, and she told me, “You know I love tacos.” Yes, dear.

Some after-dinner drinks at Red Bar.

Arrived home safe and sound, then blended up a batch of strawberry-banana smoothies for my bedtime treat. And so concludes the NSTR I warned you about.

Facebook memories took me back to my high school daze and the student newspaper I proudly edited back then.

Welp, I was also an advocate for free speech:

Speaking of the past, from the September 2017 LTG archives is a post about getting friend-zoned. I kept insisting I was done with love forever, but as I would soon learn, I was lying to myself. Seven months left in Korea, and they were painful ones.

Today’s YouTube video is not like the usual shit I post here. It discusses some unique geographical features of Luzon Island (where I reside). So, will I die in an earthquake or from a volcanic eruption? Time will tell.

You gotta laugh before you die:

And now it is time to prepare myself for another Hash Monday. I shouldn’t have any trouble finding a viable shortcut on today’s trail. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Not that it matters, but you know the drill by now. I’ll try not to waste much of your time with another meaningless post. So, here’s the down and dirty:

Decay Dance.

Beer o’clock.

Here, let me show you what I mean:

You’re an inspiration!

Dinner from Foodies downstairs.

Next stop, Gold Bar. Deader than I’ve ever seen it. Nightcap at Queen Victoria, only slightly better. Called it a night at 8 pm and triked back home. As we passed through the Alta Vista gate, the guard handed me a bag with my name on it.

And that’s all I have to say about yesterday.

Facebook memories reminded me that it was five years ago that I rented a room for my homeless friend “Mama.” I took her to dinner at DaKudo’s, then showed her the room (also on Baloy). She took a look around, handed me the key, and said, “No, thank you.” It seems strange that she prefers living on the street, but it just goes to show you can find happiness in whatever the circumstances may be.

From the September 2017 LTG archives, I’m still carrying on with my WWBD (working, walking, biking, drinking) lifestyle in Pyeongtaek. I was very unhappy with my empty life, but looking back now, I should have let myself enjoy it. The pictures in the post make it seem almost like paradise. Silly me.

Today’s YouTube video claims that the aches and pains in my legs mean my time is almost up. That may or may not be true, but I’m going to keep pushing the envelope. That guy I posted about above sure as hell isn’t letting being crippled stop him from getting out and about. Shit, it won’t let me embed the video for some reason. It’s only six minutes long; give it a watch and see if you agree with what it says.

And now for those “funny” memes:

That’s the way it goes.

I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, not really sick or anything, just a tad lethargic. Luckily, my lifestyle doesn’t require much energy, and I made it through the day without incident, aside from an extra nap.

The only item on my “must-do” list was getting a visa extension at the immigration office in Olongapo. That meant getting there via public transport. Morning rush hour going to the city includes crowded Jeepneys with traffic delays compounding the discomfort. So, we waited until 10:30 to depart, then walked down to the highway and squeezed into the first Jeepney that came by. We got off at the Kalaklan gate to SBMA, then crossed the river onto the old Navy base. There’s a taxi stand right at the entrance, and I had Swan walk ahead of me in order to avoid the cursed skin tax applied to foreigners. I was prepared to pay up to 100 pesos for the short ride (less than 2K), but when Swan asked how much, she was told it would be 150 pesos. Bullshit! I’d rather walk than be scammed, and that’s just what we did.

Coincidentally, later in the afternoon, SBMA posted on Facebook in response to complaints about taxis overcharging customers. So, they shared the approved fare chart that drivers must adhere to.

Yeah, I can afford to be overcharged, but my pride will not allow it. Anyway, I needed to get some steps in anyway. Things went without a hitch at immigration, and my tourist visa was extended until March 23 for “only” 4100 pesos (you only get 30 days for the first extension after entering the country). Then we caught a metered taxi (which aren’t allowed on SBMA) for the ride back to Barretto. It’s about 8K and thirty minutes, and the fare was just shy of 200 pesos. I knew the driver had a slim chance of finding a fare back to Olongapo City (we don’t even have a taxi stand in Barretto), so I gladly tipped him 100 pesos and wished him well.

Exciting shit, eh? Well, when beer o’clock rolled around, we made Sloppy Joe’s our first stop. I had beers, Swan had a glass of wine, and we sat and watched the world go by until hunger prompted us to change our venue.

Next stop, the seldom-visited Myleen’s. After perusing the menu, we agreed we’d share an order of chicken quesadillas and birria tacos.

I told Swan that these are the best birria tacos in town. She said she still likes John’s better. I told her John’s gone, and these are the ONLY birrias in town. And that, my friends, is how you win an argument.

I had another coupon for “buy a lady drink, get a free customer drink,” good for one night at both Green Room and Wet Spot, and we didn’t let it go to waste. Two lady drinks in each bar meant four free beers for me. Of course, when you do the math, it would have been cheaper for me to just pay for my beers. On the other hand, I always buy two lady drinks when I visit these bars, so it is still a win.

And that, dear readers, is how I quenched my Thirstday.

I’ve moved on to August 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this “ketchup” post, I share the happenings of my work life along with some photographs from my adventures hiking and biking in Pyeongtaek. I also reveal that I won’t be re-retiring in September after all. Too hard to let go of the gravy train that comes with a six-figure salary with free housing in addition to my monthly pension check. Talk about living large!

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Reekay, and in today’s YouTube video, he talks about what your goals in life should be after you turn sixty. I’ve been well aware that my timeline is shrinking, and I’ve noticed a drop in my energy levels as well. But I’ve been focused on living comfortably for a long time now, and I think I’m prepared for the inevitable declines to come. I’m sure my routines seem boring and redundant, but they’re certainly better than playing cards in an old-age home somewhere. I’m still actively hiking, and I schedule at least one out-of-town trip each month to liven things up a bit. Swan is a certified caregiver and has promised to stay with me for the rest of my ride. I’m providing her a monthly stipend so she can prepare for a life when I’m gone. I’d say I’ve followed Reekay’s advice before I even heard it.

To the humor, then.

And now to find out what’s going to happen next.

A very nice hike yesterday at the Cubi Point area on SBMA. I hadn’t been up that way in years, and we walked through a place I’d never seen before: the JEST Camp.

JEST Camp, or Jungle Environment Survival Training Camp, was a training facility at Subic Bay Naval Base that provided a five-day course on jungle survival skills, primarily for military personnel. After the U.S. Navy left, the camp was transformed into an adventure camp for tourists.

The camp is closed to tourists now, and the security guard aborted our efforts to do a walk-through, but it is still an interesting area to see, even from afar. Here’s a video about the history of JEST Camp.

I recall visiting the Cubi area during pre-move reconnaissance, scouting potential places to live. Despite the area’s beauty, it just felt a little too isolated and a little too much like Americanized suburbia for me. And so I made Barretto my home instead.

Here are a few photos from the journey:

And then something weird happened. We came upon a series of signs, each bearing a line from a poem, every twenty yards or so. Since we were coming down, we saw them in reverse order. Let me fix that for you:

Thanks for that!

One of the nicer hikes I’ve experienced here. Next up, our weekly visit to Baloy Beach.

Next stop, Treasure Island.

A sweet ending to our Thursday at the beach.

Still in the July 2017 LTG archives, and in this post, I recount the only time in history that three McCrareys were in the city of Pyeongtaek at the same time (the other two were my nephews Josh and Justin). There were pictures from our barhop, including one of my friend, Mi Young. Alas, she was not interested in anything more at the time, but we remain friends to this day.

Today’s YouTube video was a tad disconcerting in that it is a reminder that life is indeed fleeting. I try not to overthink it, but since turning 70, I’ve not been able to shake the feeling of impending doom. It might come in ten years, ten months, ten days, or ten minutes. But it is coming. And there ain’t a damn thing I can do about it, so I’ll just keep on keepin’ on as best as I am able. Unlike the story this vlogger tells, I don’t regret my time in the Philippines, and I have nothing to go back to in the USA. He made his mistakes and will die feeling the consequences. That’s just the way it works. I have a lifetime of sad memories and “what if” thoughts, but the past doesn’t dictate the future, however short it may be, unless you let it. It’s sometimes a struggle, but I’m going to pack as much happiness into each day as I can. And when it is done, it is done. As much as I like to fantasize about a “do-over,” there is no going back.

Let’s try and lighten the mood:

I’ve been feeling off the mark all day today. Here’s hoping for a better tomorrow.

Tuesday’s are rarely the best day of the week for me, but that doesn’t mean they are bad. Yesterday wasn’t anything terrible, but it wasn’t quite right somehow either. The good news is it won’t take long to tell you about it. Here goes:

So, I had marked my calendar to remind myself I needed to renew my tourist visa. I always go on grocery shopping day because the immigration office is nearby the Royal supermarket. I got dropped off at SM Mall as usual, and walked to the door where the elevators are located (immigration is on the 6th floor). The security guard asked where I was going, and when I told her, she said, “Immigration is closed today.” I asked why, and she responded, “Chinese New Year.” Oh shit, I had forgotten about that. I honestly didn’t even know it was a government holiday in the Philippines. And now I do. Plan B is to go back on Thursday for my extension.

The other big supermarket on SBMA is Puregold. I stop in there every couple of months to see if they have anything in stock I can’t get a Royal. Yesterday wasn’t worth the trip because there was almost nothing there that I wanted or needed. Well, they did have something I hadn’t seen since I left Korea nearly eight years ago:

Then it was on to Royal for the usual weekly grocery cart fill. I usually keep an eye on items being rung up to ensure nothing untoward is taking place. Usually, it isn’t, although I’ve learned that if something is on sale, you need to watch to make sure you are getting the lower price. Cashiers normally count when you have multiple units of the same item, and then enter that number before scanning the item. Swan had four bottles of soju on the counter, and when the cashier entered the number and scanned it, a weirdly long number popped up. Before I could say anything, she had moved on to the next item, so I made a mental note and let it go. But when the last of the groceries were scanned, and she totaled my bill, it was a multimillion amount (my weekly shopping at Royal is usually around 10000 to 15000 pesos). She called the manager over to enter the correction, and then things got weird. I told them the soju was the problem, but it felt like I was being ignored. And then they started searching through all my boxed and bagged groceries, looking for something. I repeated that it was the soju, and Swan told me to calm down. Finally, after several minutes, they pulled out some tuna cans and rang them up again. As best as I can understand things, she had entered the multiple tuna numbers, but failed to scan. Then she entered multiple soju numbers, and the scanner spat out a wild number when the soju bottle was scanned. Oh well, it was only ten minutes of what is left of my life. I did feel bad for the customers in line behind me, most of whom bailed in disgust.

Back home, I did my nap and blogging thing, then headed to my dartboard for some practice. I warmed up pretty well, but then the bot on my darts app kicked my ass twice. I was not feeling confident as we headed out to the Alley Cats tournament. Upon arrival, I did my warmup throws and wasn’t pleased with my inability to hit the target. I would hate to draw someone who throws like me as a partner, so when I was told it would be a doubles tourney, I declined to participate. See, I have moments of unselfishness.

As we left Alley Cats, Swan told me she was hungry. Welp, it just so happened that I had a 15% discount coupon for Sit-n-Bull in my wallet.

We paid a visit to Green Room after dinner, then did our nightcap next door at Wet Spot. As we departed for home, I met the new owner, a guy named Philip. We’ll see what changes may be in store in the days to come.

And that’s the story of my Tuesday.

Continuing with the journey through the July 2017 LTG archives, I found this post of interest (to me). It’s about a bank teller I was crushing on in Prescott, Arizona, but I didn’t have the balls to tell her until I was leaving for a new job in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She looked at me sadly and said, “I wish you had let me know.” Another road in life not taken.

Today’s YouTube video is a bit out of the ordinary. I had never heard of Frederick Wiseman (or at least I don’t remember hearing of him) until I saw a post on the Althouse blog this morning about his recent passing away at age 96. He was a documentary filmmaker, and Althouse included this clip from his 1968 “High School” film. Well, I did high school from 1969 to 1973, and the clip really resonated with me. I thought of myself as something of a poet back then, and wish I’d had a teacher like the one portrayed. I’m also a big Simon and Garfunkel fan, so hearing “Dangling Conversation” recited was nice as well.

Here’s more on Wiseman and the “High School” documentary. Fascinating.

Now for the funny business:

It’s weird getting old. My brain ain’t what it used to be, but the things it forgets and the things it remembers seem strange. There was a girl I dated when I was living in Oklahoma. She was the last one ever to give me her virginity. That’s a pretty big deal. And now, try as I might, I can’t remember her name. Then, last night at Green Room, they played Don McLean’s “American Pie,” a song that runs over eight minutes. And I remembered every damn word in the lyrics. Go figure.