Heart and soul

Posted on 11/October/2024 by John McCrarey

First things first:

Gonna have to rush through today’s post. I’ll explain why tomorrow. For now, let me briefly cover how my two doctor visits (pulmonary and cardiologist) went yesterday. Nothing new with the lungs other than a change to my inhalers. The heart doc reviewed my results from the echocardiogram I did in Angeles and declared, “You have a big heart.” Naturally, I thanked her for the compliment. Turns out, she meant the left side of my heart is enlarged. The good news is my body has compensated, and at least so far, the blood is pumping through in normal amounts and leaving nothing behind. So, there is nothing that needs to be done for now other than monitoring every six months to ensure everything is still functioning as it should be. As for the aortic stenosis, it is in the mild range and, for now, does not pose a problem. That will also be part of the six-month review to make sure things aren’t changing for the worse. The doctor was concerned about the fluid retention in my ankles and prescribed a new med to hopefully correct the edema. These symptoms are all precursors of congestive heart failure, which is what my mother died from at seventy-eight years old. My goal is to make it to eighty-three (to match or outlive my father), so I’ll do my best to follow the doctor’s advice. The bottom line is that, as of now, I am not displaying any of the symptoms that are indicative of imminent heart failure. That sounds like news I can live with!

After the appointments were done, I headed home to enjoy an evening at The Rite Spot On The Roof.

***When the sun was gone, the moon tried to fill the void***

***And the city lights were nice to see as well***

And then it was time for a rooftop dinner.

***My dining companions at The Rite Spot***

A good finish to the day.

Charity: 2400 pesos (candy and Mama)
Doctor Visit: 1400 pesos (two docs, 700 each)
Trike: 400 pesos
Jeepney: 50 pesos
Total for October 10: 4250 pesos

Staying at home is definitely a cheaper option. I’m going to have to do that more often—but not tonight!

The YouTube video I’ve chosen for today is about the poor province girls working at bars in Angeles City. I haven’t watched it yet, so I can’t comment on the content. I do tend to feel sorry for the girls when this line of work is their only option, but taking that option away doesn’t help them either.

And this is where I attempt to put a smile on your face:

***May I ask what the fuss is all about?***

So, a great Friday group hike today way out in San Marcelino. With the travel time and after-hike refreshments, I didn’t make it home until three p.m. Usually, no big deal, but today is the grand opening of the newest bar in town, MacArthur’s. I promised my friend Jessa that we’d make an appearance. Again, not a problem, except I accepted a dinner invite with the neighbors for six-thirty at Papagayo. Hence, the rushed post here (can you tell the difference?) and lack of a nap since I need to shower up and head out. At least I’ll have something interesting to post about tomorrow. See you then!

From 1938! Wow, still nice to hear.

Feelin’ kneedy

Posted on 10/October/2024 by John McCrarey

***I don’t give blowjobs, nor do I pray, but I do occasionally fall down on my knees when I’m hiking. Like I did yesterday.***

So, the plan for the Wednesday Walkers was to go up and over Kalaklan Ridge, then down into Olongapo City for a street walk before catching a Jeepney back to Barretto. It didn’t work out that way. The climb up was more than a little challenging, and then, about three-quarters of the way up, we encountered a carabao tied to a tree and blocking our path. We give those creatures a wide berth these days after learning about the damage one did to some Hashers in Angeles City. Anyway, as our frontrunners looked for a way around the mad cow, Scott and I were looking at the trail ahead. It appeared to be a lot steeper than I remembered it, and it was very much overgrown in the tall grasses that dominate the hillsides at this time of year. Ultimately, we decided it wasn’t worth the effort, so we retreated and took a different way back down. As fate would have it, the path we chose to descend was one of the more difficult downs we’ve ever taken from Kalaklan. Oh well, I made it to the bottom by the skin of my knees.

***Arriving at our departure point on Rizal Extension***

***I’m not as slow as molasses because molasses can’t flow uphill. I do so at a snail’s pace.***

***At least my hike mates can rest while waiting for me to catch up.***

This kid approached me with a gun in hand. It reminded me of the time I got held up by a dyslexic robber: “Okay, mother sticker, this is a fuck up. Get your ass in the air, or I’ll blow your hands off!” (sorry if I’ve used that line before)

***I handed over the cookies and lived to tell about it.***

***There was a time in my life when I got high on grass. These days, the grass is high on me.***

***A view of the ridgeline we failed to achieve***

***Taking a rest before the final push up***

**You can’t really see it from here, but that carabao I mentioned is tied to that tree in the middle of this pic.** ***We could have likely found a way around, but the remainder of the climb didn’t look appetizing, so we demonstrated valor by exercising discretion.***

***Our retreat was lucky for these kids who earned a cookie reward.***

**We rarely see** ***snakes on our hikes, and when we do, it is nice to see them dead.***

***And then things got a little rocky***

***On down. It was somewhere near here where I tripped on a branch and fell to my knees.***

***Going down through a shanty village***

***After hike refreshments at Harley’s Pub***

***It felt strenuous, but my heart rate didn’t seem to think so***

When beer o’clock arrived, I made my way to BarCelona. Swan was visiting a friend in Olongapo and joined me there later.

***From my perch at BarCelona, I could see where I’d been. The yellow is as high as we got; the tower is at the top of Kalaklan.***

And then a scene played out in front of me that was unexpected.

***It’s unusual to see an expat in a wheelchair. I first spotted him on the highway, and then he had his helper push him down the street in front of The Maze. I wondered where he was going.***

Well, there are a couple of homeless folks living on the sidewalk. One of them is a tall, bearded guy who looks a bit like Jesus. I see this guy all over town, picking up recyclables from the trash to sell at the junk shops. He never begs, though.

***The wheelchair guy rolls away after rejection***

So, the guy in the wheelchair has his gal roll him up to the homeless man. Then he holds out a one hundred peso bill for the homeless fella to take. And the homeless Jesus waved him off! I’ve never seen that before. He rejected more cash than he made collecting trash and walking around all day. Maybe pride does goeth before a fall. But what impressed the most was that cripple I was feeling sorry for going out of his way to help someone he viewed as less fortunate. Good for him!

Swan arrived shortly after the abovementioned event and enjoyed a glass of wine. I, of course, didn’t make her drink alone.

***My hero! I’m not in his league, but I can generally down three beers in the time it takes Swan to finish a glass of wine.*** ***(and yes, the punctuation and grammar in this meme is awful, sorta like LTG)***

When we left BarCelona, I was ready for some dinner, and Myleen’s was practically right across the street. So, off we went.

***Enchiladas for me. Spicy they were!***

***Swan wasn’t that hungry and snacked on chicken fingers.***

We did our nightcap at Green Room—wine, beer, lady drinks, and watching some pretty good pool players. Oh, and I brought Choco Pies to share with the girls. Also, some lollipops so they’d have something to suck on. Home again by 7:30 for the second night in a row. I must be slowing down in my old age.

Finally, a day under 5000 pesos!

Prescription Meds: 1400 pesos
Alcohol: 1070 pesos
Dinner: 720 pesos
Lady Drinks: 370 pesos
Tips: 320 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 9: 4080 pesos

Ah, those Facebook memories. Twelve years ago, my wife Jee Yeun and I had a visit with Dr. Yoo at his Soonchunhwang Hospital clinic, and this happened:

Jee Yeun and I had our doctor appointment with Dr. Yoo today. Jee Yeun’s doing great and I’m still fat. And we also got our flu shots.

Anyway, after Dr. Yoo finished checking Jee Yeun I said “Doctor, Jee Yeun’s always complaining about being bored. Can you prescribe something for that”? Without missing a beat he said “Viagra”.

Everyone’s a comedian these days.

Eight years ago, I was exploring Bangkok:

***It’s a beautiful city, even if they do drive on the wrong side of the road***

***I also enjoyed the nightlife there.***

Today’s YouTube video from Reekay attempts to explain why so many of us baby boomers are choosing to retire in the Philippines. When I moved here, my homeland wasn’t the total fucked up mess it is today. I never intend to live there again. There are options other than the Philippines, of course. I like Asia, so my alternatives include Cambodia and Vietnam. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Dominican Republic, but at this stage of my life, that’s just a bridge too far.

Things I find kinda sorta funny:

***The real reason all those boomers are moving here.***

Today, I’ll visit both the pulmonary doctor and the cardiologist (one after the other). I’m hopeful the news will be mostly good. And I’m overdue for spending some time at The Rite Spot, so I’ll be coming home after the docs are done with me and staying here for a change. I’ll share what I find out here tomorrow.

Blasé daze

Posted on 09/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Tuesdays around here are nothing to get excited about, and yesterday was no exception. That won’t keep me from writing about it, though. One of these days, Guinness will recognize the most boring blog in history, and Long Time Gone is bound to be in the running. Thank you, dear readers, for your support!

Let’s get on with it then. Those groceries ain’t gonna buy themselves, so the first order of business was the trip to the Royal Duty-Free Supermarket on SBMA.

***Mama was waiting for me in her usual spot at the time she knew I’d be coming by. I gave her two banana-nut muffins and 100 pesos to start her day.***

Nothing exciting to report from my time in the grocery store.

***I did manage to stay close to the amount I budgeted for groceries, so there’s that.***

On the way home, we stopped at the local print shop to get copies of my echocardiogram results made. I’ll be doing my consult with the cardiologist tomorrow.

A quiet remainder of the morning at home, a nap, a blog post, and then it was time to head into town.

**Along the way, I saw** ***that my first residence in Alta Vista was vacant once again. I like my current place much better, and it is cheaper.***

***And seeing this lonely truck made me feel a little sad***

***Our first stop of the afternoon in town***

***A haircut for me and a foot spa for Swan***

My haircut was done before Swan’s feet, so we agreed to meet at Cheap Charlies. I hadn’t visited there for a couple of months because they didn’t have wine the last time I went. I’d seen the CC bartender the night before, and she assured me wine would be available this time. It was.

**The view from my seat hadn’t changed since my last visit. As I looked at Hot Zone across the street*, it occurred to me that I had climbed that hill in the background more frequently lately than I had visited the bar.***

***The Maze is where you are most likely to find me these days. BarCelona, La Oficina, Alaska, Sloppy Joe’s, Green Room, and Wet Spot all under one roof.***

Swan did, in fact, enjoy the wine she was served when she arrived at Cheap Charlies. My beer was cold and wet, and none of my old regulars work there anymore, so I didn’t have any need to buy lady drinks. I’ll try to fit CC back into my bar circuit.

We had planned on visiting Green Room next, but a peek in the door revealed the place was packed with a pool tournament. So, we plopped ourselves down at Sloppy Joe’s instead. Another wine for Swan and beers for me as we watched the world go by on the street in front of us. And as shocking as it may sound, when we were ready to move on, I didn’t feel like going to another bar. Instead, we went to Sit-n-Bull and ordered some food to bring home. Our night out was over by 7:30. I warned you it was a boring Tuesday!

Here’s where the money went:

Groceries: 13,360 pesos
Driver: 1000 pesos
Charity: 100 pesos
Tips: 350 pesos
Alcohol: 1200 pesos
Foot Spa/Haircut: 400 pesos
Dinner: 1070 pesos
Trike: 100 pesos
Total for October 8: 17,230 pesos

Facebook memories reminded me of a cake I baked six years ago:

**Happy Birthday, RuRu (the gal on the right)****. These days, RuRu is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) in Qatar.** That’s my friend Jessa on the left, and I still run into her occasionally. She’s helping her boss open a new bar in Barretto and a resort on Baloy. I’m looking forward to a potential beach bar at the resort.

Today’s YouTube video has the Filipina Pea interviewing a recently arrived expat who had all his plans ruined by a thieving woman he’d spent months courting in a long-distance relationship (LDR). Shit happens, as I can attest as a past victim of scammers. As I learned the hard way, the ones you’ve never met can burn you the most. Although truth be told, I got fucked over by ones I had met as well.

Today’s humor offerings:

***My heritage is Scotch-Irish. My father introduced me to the bar culture at a very young age. I recall sipping a Coke in a beer joint while my dad held court at the bar*** ***when I was in kindergarten. As I’ve often said, beer is in my genes.***

This morning, I went on a short but grueling hike with the Wednesday Walkers group. More on that in tomorrow’s post. Next up, I hope to enjoy some of that beer my genes make me crave. And life goes on.

I enjoy these “hearing it for the first time” videos, hope you do too…

Red alert!

Posted on 08/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Hashers in the house! That house being Red Bar for the Hash On-Home festivities. Getting there involved a long slog up into the hills and back down again on the other side. Well, it did for me. The actual Hash trail had another down and another up, which I chose to avoid. Why? Because I like to keep it fun, and I just wasn’t feeling it. That’s the way I roll these days.

***Different strokes for different folks. Purple is the long trail, green is the short version, and blue is my way.***

***The Hares did a nice job, even if I only did a portion of the trail they so diligently marked.***

***Hashers gather at the starting point***

***I don’t know what it is about an uphill road, but they kick my ass.***

***This damn thing reminded me of those streets in San Francisco***

***Finally, onto the dirt. The climb wasn’t over yet, though.***

***You knew that was coming, didn’t you?***

***I’ve lost my sense of smell, but I still enjoy the flowers***

***The first three runners (blue, yellow, orange) passed us as we entered Alta Vista near the end of the hike.***

***And we arrive at our On-Home destination***

***I don’t visit Red Bar very often, but I always have the best lady in town with me wherever I go.***

***Fuck Buddy demonstrates why you don’t wear new shoes to the Hash.***

***The heart did okay during the climb, even if I didn’t like it much.***

As is the custom, the after-Hash gathering was at It Doesn’t Matter. We packed the place last night. Swan invited another Hasher (Beth, our Wet Spot friend) to join us at IDM for food and drinks. We stayed later and drank more than usual but had a nice time.

***Even after the bill came due. One thousand three hundred hundred of that is for food.***

***No tacos last night, but plenty of beer!***

It was a good Hash Monday. Here’s where the money went:

Alcohol: 640 pesos
Dinner: 1310 pesos
Lady Drinks: 200 pesos
Tips: 130 pesos
Charity: 3850 pesos
Hash Fees: 8500 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 7: 14,830 pesos

Those big-ticket items are pretty much one-offs. The student I sponsor in Bohol needed money for his monthly transport to school while his mother is working in Cebu, so I wired the requested 2700 pesos. My peanut vendor friend Emmanuel has been ill and unable to work recently. He messaged me that there was no food for his family and asked if I could help him. So, I told him he could meet me at IDM. When he arrived, I slipped him a thousand pesos. Seven thousand nine hundred of the Hash fees are for the Haggis Bash in La Union coming up this December. That includes our hotel for two nights and two days of Hashing. I’m looking forward to taking Cums Alone on her first out-of-town Hash event.

In the memory department, Facebook reminds me that seven years ago, my trip to Boracay continued and featured the discovery of an aptly named bar:

***I still didn’t have a clue about how grumpy I was soon to become.***

Ah, well. It all turned out okay. I’m still alive and kicking, and that’s the important thing. Which is a nice segue for today’s YouTube video. This gent, whom I watched for the first time, is also sixty-nine years old and offers some good advice and insights on growing older.

WTF? I guess he doesn’t allow embedding his videos. Go ahead and watch it here if you like. I won’t be linking him in the future. Blogs were a thing before there were vlogs.

And now for some humor:

***I understand it makes it hard to swallow***

***This one leafs a lot to be desired. (I know, I know, it is not grammatically correct, but that’s the punster exception. Who says you can’t make a bad joke worse?)***

I’m going to take Swan to her foot spa, and I need a haircut. That sounds pretty exciting, eh? I saw the Cheap Charlies bartender at IDM last night and she said they have wine in stock, so maybe I’ll end my boycott and pay them a visit later today. So many options, so little time!

***I will if I write about them here!***

And the “hearing it for the first time” take:

More Sunday sweetness

Posted on 07/October/2024 by John McCrarey

It seems that the more candy we bring, the more kids we encounter. Yesterday, we maxed out our carrying capacity but still had to shorten the Candy Walk when we ran out of goodies. Maybe I need to buy a bigger backpack.

***A beautiful morning for a sweet walk***

***Tending the lawn outside the chapel in Marian Hills***

**One kid brought a wheel barrel for her candy.** The little boy in the black shirt is Jason, the kid Swan helped enroll in school. He asked for 100 pesos for lunch money, and I gave it to him. I somehow avoided Facebook jail when I posted the naked pussy in this photo.

***We ran into the Hares for today’s Hash out marking the trail***

***Swan is the most popular gal in town, at least on Sunday mornings.***

***A quiet street scene in San Isidro. Where is everyone?***

***As I suspected, the temporary bridge will not be maintained now that the new bridge has opened.***

***But while it lasts, that bridge has created a popular swimming hole for the locals.***

***The river swimmers besieged Swan, and this is where the day’s supply of candy ran out.***

***Without the final loop, we finished at just under 5K***

Next up on the Sunday agenda was the Hideaway feeding.

***A stop at Jewel Cafe to fill the food requests from the Hideaway girls.***

1- breaded breast chicken with steamed veggies and fries
1-sisig with rice
1-garlic prawns with rice
1-longasilog
1-tapasilog
1 five-piece chicken wings (crispy)

***I always leave a tip for the Jewel crew: cookies, lollipops, and coins. I also give the gal who delivers the order 100 pesos for her trouble.***

Owner Griff was there yesterday, along with a couple of other customers. That always improves the vibe. Some good music videos also helped pass the time enjoyably.

***The girls say their thanks and grab their boxes***

See you all next week! Next up, John’s Place.

***The usual view from our third floor perch***

John was relaxing in his recliner on the second floor when we arrived and departed. His headphones were on, so we just nodded our hellos and goodbyes.

***I was craving me some pulled pork. John’s is still the best in town.***

***Swan went with the chicken chow mien*** ***and said it was good.***

***I’ve found it is easier to take a photo of the receipt and itemize expenses later.***

We made Wet Spot our nightcap venue and enjoyed spending time with Irene and Beth, who is also a Hasher. Another wine, a couple more beers, and some lady drinks to close out our Sunday.

In over six years of residence, this is the first time I actually paid attention to my Wet Spot receipt. I get a 10% Hash discount on my drinks, but I never knew about the 18% VAT. I checked the math and saw that the VAT is included in the price of the drink, ***but it is just separated out on the bill to keep the taxman happy.***

So, here’s how Sunday added up:

Dinner: 790 pesos
Alcohol: 1300 pesos
Tips: 340 pesos
Lady Drinks: 990 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Charity: 2300 pesos
Trash Collection: 100 pesos
Total for October 6: 6000

The charity expense includes the food from Jewel and also the 1000 pesos I give Joy (a single mother of two) each week to help her keep the kids in school and pay the bills.

I saw this short video of a Trump-hater in action this morning and it reminded me that Karma is a beautiful thing.

And it was also a reminder of this:

Today’s YouTube video left me shaking my head and saying wow repeatedly. The nightmare of being a homeless and destitute foreigner, the poor living conditions of the typical Filipino, and the good heart and generosity given to help a stranger in need are all on display. Yeah, I’m living a rich life here and will do all in my power to ensure that is always the case, but it is good to remember that many others are not so fortunate. It puts my meager charity budget in perspective, that’s for sure.

And now a dose of humor:

***Damn, don’t be so hard on the guy!***

***Back in the day, it seemed like all the girls were checking out my butt. I’d overhear them saying, “What an ass!”***

So, here it is, another Hash Monday, and the trail awaits. I’ll let y’all know how that works out for me tomorrow. Swan will be joining the fun today, so that will be nice.

I’m not sure how it came to pass that I’ve never heard this song before today. Or maybe I just forgot about it.

I’ve had Saturdays

Posted on 06/October/2024 by John McCrarey

And yesterday was one more!

***Don’t worry; this isn’t another rainy-day post.***

Swan wanted to join me on my Standard Saturday Solo Street Stroll, making it a Modified Saturday Duo Street Stroll. Always nice to have her along, though. And, of course, she wanted to hand out some sweets along the way.

When evening time arrived, I asked Swan where she wanted to hang out. She shrugged and said it doesn’t matter. So, that’s where we started. At first, I thought we had made a mistake because some guy on the other side of the outdoor seating area was holding court on the upcoming US elections. He was being so loud that he may as well have been sitting next to me. It was all standard lefty anti-Trump talking points: mean tweets, lies, not respected by our allies, blah, blah, blah. Someone at his table would state obvious counterpoints about how fucked up things have been since Trump left office, and all the guy had in response was it was worse under Trump. Illegal migrants? Trump didn’t build the wall he promised. And Haitians aren’t eating pets. High fuel prices? Not the government’s fault (ignoring the executive orders Biden signed on day one taking away our energy independence. Anyway, it went on and on. Swan told me to ignore him, but he was so loud I couldn’t even hear the music. If I had been sitting at his table, I’d have pointed out the ignorance of his arguments, but I wasn’t up for getting in a shouting match across the bar. Someone at the table next to the asshole occasionally interjected an inconvenient truth, but the guy kept insisting Kamala would be better.

The loser eventually ended his rant by saying something I finally agreed with: Politics makes people stupid. He was the perfect example of that.

Anyway, once he was gone, we were able to relax and enjoy our visit to IDM. Swan bought two lady drinks for the owner’s wife, and they had a good time chatting in that language I don’t understand. Later on, we moved to Green Room and hung out with our regular crew. We ordered some Sit-n-Bull takeout food and then triked on home.

***My tasty shredded beef burrito, called “The El Padre” on the menu.***

What did all that fun cost me?

Dinner: 1120 pesos
Lady Drinks: 980 pesos
Alcohol: 1060 pesos
Tips: 350 pesos
Snacks: 520 pesos (Angel’s Bakery)
Trike: 200 pesos
Charity: 250 pesos (Mama the Umbrella Lady and a beggar)
Total for October 5: 4430 pesos

Facebook memories carried me back seven years ago when I visited Boracay Island.

***I took Loraine there to celebrate her 50th birthday.***

I thought Loraine was going to share my upcoming life in the Philippines. Three weeks after our trip to Boracay she gave me the devastating news that she was in love with someone else. I wrote about that in an aptly named post, FUCK ME!

I took the time today to tweak my lefty friends on Facebook:

***A picture is worth a thousand words***

My old pal John from the UK left this comment:

Whereas in reality, your guy is a convicted rapist who has banned abortions and flies round in epsteins old plane. The end of civilisation indeed!

I usually don’t bother engaging this kind of ignorance, but I did say this: John, enjoy your Kool-Aid. It’s scary to think you believe those lies, but you don’t get to vote, so no worries.

Today’s YouTube video claims that once you go Filipina, you’ll never go back. It’s hard to argue with that. He also makes the point that the less the age gap, the better. He suggests a twenty-year maximum differential. I’ve got twenty-nine on Swan, which seems like nothing, especially compared to my fifty-one-year difference with Mary.

And now for some humor:

***He’s giving her a chance. Will she blow it?***

***Sounds like you won’t be getting that pussy***

And now it’s time for those Sunday routines. Already got the Candy Walk done. Next up is the Hideaway feeding. Then I’ll treat Swan to dinner at John’s place. After that, we shall see.

And here is one of those “first time hearing it” videos:

Beach stew

Posted on 05/October/2024 by John McCrarey

There may not be a magic formula for maintaining contentment, but here’s the recipe I used to create a satisfying Friday. The first ingredient was a group hike:

***Gen, Ed, Michael, and Gary were my fellow travelers***

***Into the ocean of thatch grass we go***

***The first recipients of sweets. I carry four bags of cookies and four sacks of lollipops when I leave home for a hike. I usually have leftovers, but not yesterday.***

***Our route took us through the Naugsol valley***

***It had been quite a while since we last did this passage between Sawmill and the Govic Highway.***

***I didn’t see it, but one of those cows chased after Gen, forcing her to make a muddy escape.***

***Back to the relative safety of the highway***

***A rarely seen side of Easter Mountain***

***I wussed out and caught a trike after a little more than 8K. I was tired and didn’t feel like dodging traffic on Sawmill for the last kilometer.***

The next ingredients in the satisfaction stew included liquid refreshments and beach views. We found both on Baloy.

***Our first stop was McCoy’s, where we enjoyed this view from our table.***

***After a couple of beers, we did a beach walk.***

***And enjoyed watching the sun go down.***

***Our next stop was the rarely visited Kokomo’s. We were the day’s first customers, so we treated the gals to a lady drink in celebration of our arrival.***

***A bit later, owner Steve and his wife arrived, and we had a nice visit. The good news is the floating bar is scheduled to be back in place by the end of the month.***

I felt a hunger inside that needed to be satisfied, so we crossed the street and grabbed a table at the Lagoon Resort.

***The Kokomo’s folks joined us for dinner***

***The “entertainment” was this guy singing solo. A bit too loud, but at least the song selections were pleasant.***

***Pretty quiet for a Friday night at Lagoon. Those dartboards on the wall brought back some memories. Back in my playing days, Lagoon was the team I played for.***

***I enjoyed my Irish beef stew, although I’m not sure what makes chunks of beef with veggies and mashed potatoes on the side a stew.***

***Swan also enjoyed her chicken cordon bleu***

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a downpour of rain commenced. I didn’t see that coming! On the way home, we had our trike stop at the 7/11, where I purchased some ice cream as the final ingredient to a sweet day. I bought some extra cones for the gate guards and trike driver, so it was a happy ending for everyone.

Here’s what a Beach stew day costs:

Salary: 2000 pesos (part-time weekend helper)
Water Bill: 600 pesos
Dinner: 730 pesos
Alcohol: 1405 pesos
Tips: 400 pesos
Lady Drinks: 580 pesos
Snacks: 600 pesos (ice cream)
Trike: 220 pesos
Total for October 4: 6535 pesos

In other news, the bridge to San Isidro is now open to traffic. They had a big ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday that I could hear from the house.

***I could see it from here, too. It’s wider and nicer than the one it replaced. I’m sure the residents will appreciate having reliable vehicle access once again.***

Twelve years ago, I drove to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to participate in a darts tournament.

***Traffic was a bitch that day in both directions.***

I haven’t driven a car in over five years now. Probably for the best.

Communism is in Kamala’s genes (and her jeans, right Wille?):

Today’s YouTube video from The Filipina Pea was a fun exploration of Filipino myths and superstitions. Someone should write a book featuring those evil creatures. Where’s JRR Tolkien when you need him? Oh yeah, he’s dead. Anyway, the one superstition I’ve seen and heard about the most is the belief in ghosts here. There’s a hotel in Angeles City that bargirls won’t visit because they believe it is haunted. And there’s a tunnel leaving the old Navy base that drivers honk when they pass through to scare off a ghost rumored to live there. Hey, believe whatever you want. I believe I’ll have another beer.

Let’s see if I can scare up some humor:

***I recall the story of a snail who bought a Nissan 280Z on the condition that the dealer change the “Z” to an “S.”*** ***Eager to make the sale, the dealer agreed but asked the snail why.*** ***The snail replied that when he drove past a pretty female, he wanted her to say, “Look at that S-car go!”*** ***(sorry, that was bad even by my low standards)***

***I actually had a taste of monkey brains once. Once was more than enough.***

The plan for this evening is to attend the 20th Anniversary party for Harley’s Pub and Hotel on Baloy. I’m not a regular there, but Swan has some Australian friends staying there, and we’ve been invited to drop by for a visit. And so we shall.

UPDATE: Swan changed her mind. She says Harley’s will be too crowded, so I guess we’ll find a different venue to get our groove on.

Another group I grew up on, thanks to my father’s love of music. I hadn’t heard this song in I don’t know how long, but it’s still a nice listen.

Dog gone

Posted on 04/October/2024 by John McCrarey

I’m sure I must have mentioned the unruly dogs down the street from me. It got to the point where I’ve been forced to carry a stick with me to fend them off as I pass by. Swan and some of the neighbors even filed a complaint with the Barangay to no avail. The owner has a fenced yard, but more often than not, left the dogs outside to harass passersby. Honestly, I had seriously considered paying someone to poison the dogs because they were a danger to others (at least two neighbors have been bitten in the past). I never followed through on that plan because I didn’t want to risk running afoul of the law or being deported. So, I was surprised to see this when walking by yesterday morning:

As much as I hated this dog, it saddened me to see the way he died–stuck under a fence gate trying to escape from the yard. I have no idea how long he suffered trying to free himself. The corpse was still there when I passed by again late in the afternoon but was thankfully gone this morning.

For my Thursday walk, I joined Swan on an excursion to the Subic market. Naturally, we brought some sweets to hand out along the way.

***We detoured through this village right outside the gates of Alta Vista and made some kids who live there happy.***

***On the journey to our future destination, we walked past this present***

***A boring highway walk getting there***

***Perhaps one day I’ll pop into the 2N2 Resort and see if things add up. I’ve never been there B4.***

***My plan is to buy an electric vehicle like this for Swan. Christmas is coming!***

***The store where Swan buys the weekly candy ration***

***Candy in hand and soon to be handed out***

***A tad over 6K from beginning to end***

I knew Swan would be wanting to get her beach fixation satiated, so I offered her the choice of Baloy or Kon-Tiki. She chose Baloy, but as we were walking, she changed her mind. We’d usually take a Jeepney to get to Kon-Tiki, but a trike driver called out as we approached the highway, offering us a ride. Hell, why not? We get in and start on our way, and I see Mama, the homeless umbrella lady I’ve been helping some since before I moved here. I had the driver stop, reached for my wallet, and it wasn’t in my pocket. Swan had a hundred pesos and gave it to my Mama. I knew I had refilled my wallet after my shower, so I figured I must have left it on the dresser. So, we had the trike driver take us back to the house. On the way, I checked my other pocket (one I never use), and I’ll be damned, but there was my wallet. Fuck, I should be President! So, we had the driver turn around once more, and we completed our journey to Samba Resort without further incident.

***The last time we were here, the inflatable island had been deflated and beached. Now, it’s back once more in all its view-disrupting glory.***

***It’s a dog’s life living free on the beach***

We both ordered the fajitas for our evening meal…chicken for me, shrimp for Swan.

When we arrived, the chef greeted us and said he had seen us hiking on the highway that morning. Ah, life in a small town, even when you are out of town.

***A last photo at Samba Resort before catching a trike back to Barretto***

We did our nightcap at The Green Room. Lady drinks for Chu and Sally, a wine for Swan, and some more beers for me. Headed for home around eight after a full and satisfying day in the life.

Here is what the day cost me:

Charity: 2300 pesos (candy for the Sunday Candy Walk)
Alcohol: 1425 pesos (my beer, Swan’s wine)
Dinner: 675 pesos
Trike Fare: 450 pesos
Lady Drinks: 370 pesos
Tips: 325 pesos
Total for October 3: 5545 pesos

I also received the results of my echocardiogram. Obviously, I’m not qualified to interpret them, but I’m seeing the word “mild” a lot, and I hope that’s a good sign. I’ll be going back to the referring cardiologist next week to see what it all means.

***I will also get a second opinion before making any potentially life-altering decisions.***

Twelve years ago, I was living my darting life in Columbia, South Carolina:

***Dart league at the local pub, Puddlin’ Duck.***

It’s always amazing to me to look back at what I thought would be my life until, suddenly, it wasn’t. I guess that’s a lot like dying.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t normally follow, but the title of this one caught my eye. Koreans have pretty much taken over the bar scene in Angeles City, and a lot of the Western expats there don’t like that fact. Here in Barretto, the only Koreans I see are the occasional tourists. They seem to be generous and popular with the girls. Now, that said, when I lived in Korea, I met Filipinas who worked for assholes, or worse, married them. I’d also occasionally encounter the “Koreans Only” signage at nightspots. Didn’t bother me much; I don’t want to go where I’m not wanted. I will always remember my girlfriend Eun Oke ending our relationship because I wanted to retire and move to a “poor country.” I’m not sure that qualifies as “looking down” on Filipinos, though. I have no other data points to consider, so I’m going to just say that some Koreans may think Filipinos are inferior, but no more so than other nationalities. Assholes abound, but the good outweighs the bad.

Hopefully, here’s something you can smile about:

I’m going to skip the SOB this week. Instead, I’ll check out what’s happening on Baloy Beach. It’s been a while since my last visit. See you here tomorrow.

I was one year old when this song came out. I don’t remember ever hearing it before today. Doggone it!

Faster than a speeding snail

Posted on 03/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Those hours aren’t just going to fill themselves. Here’s how I spent my time yesterday.

***During the dog walk, I challenged this guy to race me to the curb. It was a photo finish, but I won!***

***The morning sky just before the group hike looked more than a little threatening***

A little rain isn’t going to stop the Wednesday Walkers from their appointed rounds. I needed my umbrella on the way to the start, but once it was time to hit the trail, the rain ended. The biggest challenge was picking a route that wouldn’t be a complete bore. I decided we’d had enough street walks lately, so I led the group on a familiar route into the hills, but one we hadn’t done recently. This time of year, the tall and wild thatch grass creates a problem, and yesterday was no exception. We pushed on through it, and my hike mates all said they enjoyed the trek.

***Swan, Sheryl, Gary, and Michael were my fellow adventurers***

***At the end of La Union Street, we headed up through a shanty neighborhood***

***Climbed some steps, then hit the grassy trail***

***A brief pause to catch our breath, then on up we went***

***Where’s Michael? He was just right in front of me. (Look closely, and you might see the white of his shirt)***

***I’d considered hiking Kalaklan Ridge, but we’ll save that for another (drier) day.***

***Finally, a respite from the thatch grass***

***Cookies for the wilderness dwellers.***

I seem to have forgotten to photograph our descent into Marian Hills, but it was uneventful.

***Our first time crossing the nearly completed new bridge to San Isidro***

***Swan picked up some buns at the Santo Tomas marketplace, and we invited the Wednesday Walkers to The Rite Spot for burgers and beers.***

***It wasn’t long (a little over 5K), but it was a pretty sweet hike***

The hill climbs during the hike weren’t as challenging as Kalaklan, but going up is never easy for my tired old body. That said, I didn’t suffer over much, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I didn’t exceed my recommended maximum heart rate.

***I haven’t seen the results of my latest echocardiogram, but I’m clinging to hope that maybe things aren’t as bad as I imagined. I should know more soon.***

Later in the afternoon, it was time to head into town to spend some money.

***We kicked things off at BarCelona. We stayed for an hour and were the only customers for the duration of our visit. I just don’t get why the bar isn’t more popular.***

I took this zoom shot of Cheap Charlies because I thought I recognized someone there. But they had a pretty decent crowd. People say the stairs to the third floor deter folks from BarCelona, but the steps to Cheap Charlies are almost as high.

**Looking down from our perch at BarCelona** ***at some homeless folks encamped across the road. They collect recyclables to sell to junk stores.***

I had an SOB coupon for “buy one, take one” at Alaska Club, so that was our next stop. Damn, those coupons always wind up costing me a lot of money.

**I bought our waitress a drink** and tipped the dancers (six of them) fifty pesos each. But you know what? That’s a small price to pay to see those smiles. Once again, we were the only customers for most of our visit. Granted, it was early (around 6 p.m.), and the bars probably do more business later in the evening.

***Swan seems to be enjoying our trip to Alaska***

We went next door to Wet Spot for our nightcap. There were no other customers there, either. I treated Irene (our regular waitress) to a lady drink and enjoyed my final beers of the night (Swan had had enough wine and switched to water). We ordered some Sit-n-Bull food to bring home (and some lumpia for the Wet Spot girls). Owner Dave arrived, we exchanged greetings, and he bought me a beer. Then the food was delivered, so we called our trike driver, and headed home to eat.

***And Swan and her sister dug into this meaty overload pizza***

And I filled the rest of my Wednesday hours with some well-earned sleep.

So, let’s see how much money I spent yesterday:

Meat: 6000 pesos (ribeye steaks, ground beef, pork chops, bacon)
Prescription Meds: 1600
Alcohol: 1380 pesos (my beer, Swan’s wine)
Dinner: 1200 pesos (including lumpia for our waitresses
Tips: 660 pesos (300 for the Alaska dancers, the rest for our waitresses)
Lady Drinks: 320 pesos (one in Alaska, one at Wet Spot)
Snacks: 200 pesos (nuts for the bargirls from the peanut vendor)
Trike Fare: 150 pesos
Total for October 2: 11510 pesos

I spent a bit more than usual in the bars, but I was feeling generous for some reason. I guess the lack of customers made me feel sorry for the girls. We’ll see how it goes today.

Facebook memories carried me back fourteen years to my Seoul life:

***A dart tournament at Dolce Vita Pub, my former Itaewon haunt. Damn, I miss those days.***

Ah, ’tis the season for political bullshit:

Today’s YouTube video features Reekay sharing his views on what a good Filipina brings to the table. I can vouch for his accuracy. It took me almost six years, but I finally found one worth keeping. Now the challenge is to not fuck it up.

And now more of what passes for humor in my addled brain:

***When it rains, it pours. Anyone else remember Morton salt?***

***That’s probably funnier on a starry, starry, night.***

I’m not sure what’s next on my agenda, but it’s Thirstday, so I’ll do my best to quench it! I’ll be back tomorrow to let you know how it goes (and how much it costs me!).

The Rite place to be

Posted on 02/October/2024 by John McCrarey

***The way the day began, as seen from my desk***

Be it ever so humble and all, I never left the house yesterday. My landlord, Alicia, came up from Manila to collect the rent and have me sign a new lease on the house. So, this will be the Rite Spot for me for another year. Happy to be here! Alicia brought her sister and son along and we gave them all a good feeding before they headed back home. I had set things up to eat on the roof, but just before the food was served, it started raining again. So, we all retreated downstairs and enjoyed our meal in the dining room.

***Welcome to The Rite Spot, Alicia (in yellow)***

After my guests had departed and I’d completed my chores (blogging and napping), I decided to spend the remains of the day at home.

***Chips and salsa, a cold Zero, a fan, and my Spotify playlist had me rockin’ at The Rite Spot***

***This girl what lives in my house came up to join me.***

So, that’s how I spent the day. Here’s how I spent the money:

Income: 365,000 pesos (my monthly pension deposit)
Rent: 38,000 pesos
Caregiver/Domestic Helper salary: 26,000 pesos
Swan’s allowance: 16,000 pesos
Charity: 12,000 (the monthly allotment for the Mountain Mama family I support)
Total October 1 expenditures: 92,000 pesos

On to the memories. I inadvertently came across a 2006 post titled “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” that nicely captures the life I was living in Itaewon all those years ago. I was shocked to recall that there was a time in my life when I wasn’t going to bed at nine p.m. That night ended with dinner at McDonald’s at three in the morning. And lots of fun and adventure that led me there. Wow.

***And the reason I was in Seoul back then. Damn, I really enjoyed working with this crew!***

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is a follow-up story about the jobless folks she set up with a business. I admire the effort. Time will tell if it is successful, but at least she provided an opportunity for these folks to help themselves. Long-time readers may recall that I helped my ex-girlfriend Marissa open a food business. It failed after a few months, but I have no regrets.

Humor time:

***Welp, there was a lot of meat on those bones, Miss Piggy.***

***Yeah, it would suck to be misunderstood.***

That one just reminded me of this old video of a Korean woman teaching how to say “Coke” in English.

You sound thirsty

Anyway, it’s time to move on with my Wednesday evening plans. I don’t really have any, but I’m sure whatever I do will involve cold beverages—other than Coke.

In the best of all possible worlds

Posted on 01/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Cause there’s still a lotta drinks that I ain’t drunk
Lots of pretty thoughts that I ain’t thunk, oh yeah
Lord there’s still so many lonely girls in this best of all possible worlds

Mortality sucks, and I was especially saddened to learn that Kris Kristofferson has now exited this world of ours. I’ve been a big fan of his music through the years. He had a long and well-lived life, and here’s to hoping he’s in a better place.

I’m still among the living and trying to make the best of it. Part of that effort was a trip to Angeles City yesterday for a heart check-up.

***A change of scenery is always nice***

***I experience the need for frequent urination, so these highway rest area comfort rooms came in handy.***

***And for those who identify as female, there is your own place to squat.***

***I had never heard of this hospital, but it appeared modern and organized.***

So, the only test performed was another echocardiogram. I’m not sure what’s up with that. I got the impression my cardiologist didn’t trust the results of my first test. This one did seem to take longer to perform, so perhaps it was more thorough. I was expecting a stress test but was told, “Not yet.” Hmm. The results will be emailed to me in three days. I hope they will be worth the trip.

***Waiting for*** ***our driver after the appointment.***

Since we were in town anyway, I had my driver take us across town for some shopping at S&R, a membership store similar to Costco. My membership will expire later this month, so I wanted to cash in one last time.

**On the way*, we passed by the American Veterans Cemetery at the former Clark Air Force Base.***

I was actually pretty disappointed with the S&R experience. I was hoping to find some long-sought-after items I can’t buy at Royal. Alas, even the things I could get at Royal weren’t available here, so I had to stop at Royal on the way home to fill in the gaps.

***Everything comes in large sizes/quantities at S&R, so I still managed to fill two shopping carts.***

In a surprise coincidence, we bumped into Ron (the owner of Sit-n-Bull) while loading up our groceries. I’m used to chance meetings in my little town, but it was unexpected out in the wilds of Angeles.

After the Royal detour, I arrived home a little after two p.m. in a downpour. The Hash had started by then, so I decided to wait an hour and then walk to the On-Home gathering at Hasher Tung N’ Gruve’s place on the beach across town. The rain had ended when I did my own Hash trail.

The Hare’s trail (green line) looked like this and featured a climb to Kalaklan Ridge—no regrets about missing that hike on a rainy day. The sane Hashers (the majority yesterday) did the white line street walk.

**Hashers** ***doing what Hashers do after the hike–rain or shine!***

***The Gash had no testosterone around but made up for it with soju shots.***

***The view from here…TnG stands for Tung ‘n Gruve, our Hash host.***

***It’s Nice On Ice! L-R: Always Wet, Tung ‘n Gruve, Derby’s Bitch, and Leaking Willy***

A couple more after-Hash beers at It Doesn’t Matter, some pumpkin pie from Myleen’s, then into the trike for the ride home. And so ended another day.

And now, here we are in October. I’ve decided to track my expenses this month to get a handle on where it all goes. As a public service to my readers, I’ll document my daily spending here on LTG. Stay tuned.

A Facebook group about Westminster, California, the town I grew up in, included this photo today:

**The football stadium at WHS** ***appears to be in the timeframe I attended (1969-1973). I was neither a scholar nor a champion, but things turned out alright for me, I reckon.***

The vlogger in today’s YouTube video characterizes his move to the Philippines as “escaping the Matrix.” I hadn’t heard it phrased like that before, but it does kinda make sense. I know I’m glad not to be living a vanilla lifestyle and dealing with bullshit politics on an up close and personal basis. This guy made the move in his 40s, younger than most expats I encounter. In my do-over afterlife fantasy, I’d retire from the military at 40 and come to paradise. Of course, I’d be rich from the tech IPO stocks I’d purchased. God has not as yet confirmed my idea of Heaven, so I’ll be holding onto this life for the time being.

To the comic section, we go:

***You could be in trouble if she is hungry AND horny and offers you a blowjob.***

***Better get that heart checked, pal!***

***At least he’s no longer in the dark***

Since I did the shopping yesterday, I was homebound this morning—just as well since it was raining again. I haven’t decided yet if it will be a stay-at-home all day and night thing or not. My landlord came up from Manila, and I’ve signed a new one-year lease. I fed her and her crew and then paid the rent. Exciting shit, eh? Well, come back for more of this crap tomorrow!

In honor of Kris Kristofferson’s memory, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite songs he wrote. Here’s hoping he’s still beating the devil.

"If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen,
"To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear?
"And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about,
"Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?"

There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind,
Who were crucified for what they tried to show.
And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time.
'Cos the truth remains that no-one wants to know.

You see, the devil haunts a hungry man,
If you don’t wanna join him, you got to beat him.
I ain’t sayin’ I beat the devil, but I drank his beer for nothing.
Then I stole his song.