…but still I didn’t feel so great.

Even a shit day is better than nothing. That said, I don’t want to waste the days I do have left. I was on my own yesterday and feeling out of sorts. I carried on as best I could, but I wasn’t a happy camper.

For my morning walk, I did a boring stroll through the neighborhood. Then I wrote a shit blog post (aren’t they all?) and took a nap. As beer o’clock approached, I showered up and headed into town. I was going to get a haircut, but couldn’t be bothered, so I kicked things off at Sloppy Joe’s.

I had a second Sloppy beer, then paid my tab and headed up the highway to Red Bar. When I arrived, the music was blaring so loud that I turned around to leave. Bartender Rolen asked what was wrong, and I pointed at the speaker. He nodded and said he’d turn it down, so I ordered beer #3. My next aggravation was two loud drunks sitting at the table across from me. It was painful to watch their obnoxious behavior, but thankfully, they left shortly thereafter, so I had another beer.

It being a two-and-done kind of evening, I paid my Red Bar tab and hit the road again.

I only visit Alaska once or twice a month, but it is a sentimental favorite. Owner Jerry shouted out a greeting when I arrived, and I plopped myself down at one of the empty tables and ordered beer #5. When the Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, I ordered me some chicken fingers and some lumpia for the gals. I only ate four of the fingers and gave the rest to the dancers. Then I had another beer before departing for home.

I had a bowl of sugar-free pudding, but wasn’t sleepy yet, so I grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed upstairs to The Rite Spot. I did find some comfort in the rocking chair and the city lights below me. So, I went back to the kitchen for night’s brew #8, then up to the roof again.

I went to bed but didn’t sleep well. In fact, I had my worst sleep score since I began tracking via my Fitbit.

And now I have shared my pain and sorrow with you. Please forgive me!

Onward in the August 2018 LTG archives, and here I am sharing my lived wisdom with a broken-hearted friend. Of course, I talk a better game than I live, and the lessons learned didn’t prevent the heartbreaks yet to come.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the vlogger’s provincial life. The beach town of Mulanay looks nice enough, and one of the things that he likes best is that there is only one other foreigner living there. Hmm, I get that living in an expat town like Barretto isn’t the “real” Philippine lifestyle. Still, I enjoy the company and camaraderie that come with the shared experience of growing old here amongst the familiar faces.

Forgive me once again:

So far, today is going somewhat better than yesterday, so there’s that. We’ll see what comes next.

Not having the best of days today, so let’s get on with this post about yesterday. No other Wednesday Walkers except for Swan and me, so we decided to pay a visit to the lola (grandmother) we help out once in a while. We took the riverwalk from WalterMart option to get there. (Ha-ha, my spellchecker says it should be Walmart. Nope.)

Swan declined to join me for the weekly Baloy Beach excursion, so I went alone.

I had one beer on the Kokomo’s floating bar, then left because of the crap music. I noticed they changed it as soon as I got on the departure raft. Hmm.

So, I dropped into the seldom-visited Kim’s Place on the beach.

Then I walked further down the beach and had a beer at Tropical Garden.

Walked back to Treasure Island for some grub.

After my meal, I walked to the highway and had my nightcap at Snackbar. Then I triked home and went to bed.

Onward to the August 2018 LTG archives, and in a post on my three-month anniversary of living in the Philippines, I list the top ten ways I’m likely to die here. Almost eight years later, I’m still kickin’, so there’s that. Oh, and I predicted that I was heading for a train wreck with Marissa. But of course, I didn’t get off the train.

Today’s YouTube video discusses how different life in the States feels after living in Asia. I haven’t been back for seven years now, but sometimes in the sports bars I see American television commercials, and it seems like another world. I’m pretty sure I won’t ever be going back “home.”

Funny or not, here they come:

Okay, enough of this. Until next time.

Sometimes, you have to give yourself credit. It took me two days, but I managed to jump through the hoops required to get my credit card reactivated. There was a suspicious purchase on the card, and when I reported it as unauthorized, the credit union blocked my card. I went online with them to try and resolve the situation, but was advised to call a number in the USA. I tried to call on Monday, but the automated system said the wait time to speak with an agent was over 1 hour. Um, no thanks. Granted, it was Easter Sunday there, so I kinda sorta understood. I called yesterday morning again, and this time the wait was “only” 10 minutes. When the agent came on the phone, she asked the usual questions to verify who I was, had me jump through a couple of confirmation hoops, and then told me she would transfer me to the person who handles credit card issues. Yep, another ten minutes on hold. I once again explained the situation (my card hadn’t been skimmed, like what happened in Vietnam; this was a vendor double-billing me). We agreed that my purchases would continue to be monitored on both ends and that my card would be reinstated immediately. Yep, that was the highlight of my day.

With my newly restored purchasing power ensconced in my wallet, I was able to take care of the weekly grocery shopping. On the way back home, I had my driver drop me off at Dr. Jo’s office for my third Ozempic injection. I informed her that my appetite continued to be suppressed, with an almost total elimination of between-meal snacks and a tendency to be satisfied with smaller meal portions. The only adverse side-effect so far has been bouts of acid reflux. So, I got my third shot. One more week at the low dosage, then we’ll see how I react to the big jab. Next, Dr. Jo put me on the scale: Down 2 kilograms since last week. Progress!

At the appointed hour, I attended the Alley Hideout Tuesday dart tournament. Overall, I’d rate my game mediocre, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself. Won one and lost two. It is what it is, and since I lack motivation to practice, I’m not likely to show much improvement. But chucking the arrows once or twice a week isn’t a bad change of scenery. The beer at Alley Hideout is cold and wet, just the way I like it.

After my elimination from the tourney, we popped into Gold Bar next door for our nightcap. Surprisingly busy, and we wound up seated behind the stage for the first time.

Then we were homeward bound for a smoothie and a good night’s sleep.

In other news, I loved this Earthset as seen from the Artemis spacecraft:

My pal Scott shares some of his old photo albums on Facebook, and it is nice seeing shots from the good ol’ days, most of which were before my time here. But sometimes I recognize someone in the pictures:

From the July 2018 LTG archives comes this post where I’m bitching about the worst Hash trail ever. Well, I’ve seen worse since then, but I was still relatively new to the Hash experience at the time. Anyway, it was days like this one that convinced me I needed to take responsibility for my own safety and well-being on the trail. So, I have no shame about taking a shortcut or making my own way as circumstances dictate. The post also mentions the opportunity I had to hook up with a couple of Hash cuties for a threesome, but I wound up bailing on that adventure as well. At least I’m consistent!

Today’s YouTube video shares five things you need to avoid to keep things hoppin’ when you hit 70 years old. I think I’m doing alright for the most part, although I probably do need to drink more water. I’m also going to have Dr. Jo revisit the meds and vitamins I’m dosing daily to make sure there are no internal conflicts. I’m trying to move past the mental stress that comes with knowing time is running out, and I think I’m doing somewhat better in that regard. I want to live to see how I feel when I turn 80!

At least I still have my sense of humor. Such as it is:

Life goes on, so I’d best get on with it. Come back for more tomorrow!

I’m not a religious man, but I do maintain my rituals. And not all of them involve beer. Even on Easter Sunday, we hit the road for a Sweets Stroll. But instead of calling Swan the Candy Girl, I declared that the Easter Bunny was in the ‘hood! Here’s some of what we saw on our walk:

The last three funeral banners I’ve encountered have all been older than me, which is very rare to see. Maybe there is hope that my turn, turn, turn can be similarly delayed.

And then we changed things up by inviting Swan’s extended family to join us for Easter dinner at The Rite Spot On the Roof.

We kicked things off with the traditional Easter egg hunt for the kids. We didn’t have any chocolate eggs, so we substituted candy bags left over from the morning walk.

After dinner, the Filipino adults in attendance played a weird game. Kinda like hopscotch, but with dice and drinking.

That kind of fun is not my style, but I had an ice chest full of San Miguel Light to keep me company.

The party was still going strong when I ran out of gas, so I said my goodnights and headed to the comfort of my bed.

It was nice to see Swan enjoying some family time, and they all seemed to have fun at The Rite Spot.

Facebook memories reminded me of an incident that happened eleven years ago. I was still a smoker back then, but as a long-time resident of Korea, I tried to use my limited ability to speak the language as a sign of politeness and respect. So, I could do things like order a beer and get a pack of cigarettes in Korean. Or so I thought until that night at the local 7-Eleven store:

I went to the neighborhood 7-11 to buy some smokes. As is my custom, I told the clerk, “Dongbae Marlboro silver chuseyo.” He pointed at the black pack, and I said, “Anio, silver.” He pointed at the gold pack, and I repeated “silver”. I finally had to gesture to where the ones I wanted were. He pulled them from the rack, pointed at the word silver, and proceeded to instruct me in how to pronounce the word “silver”. Apparently, it’s “sil-buh”. Who knew? Still, it was a unique experience having a Korean try to teach me how to properly say an English word.

Good times! I quit smoking tobacco shortly thereafter.

From the July 2018 LTG archives, my first relationship in the Philippines came to an abrupt end. I was all full of wisdom and accepted that it was for the best, as we were obviously so wrong for each other. Spoiler alert: the wisdom didn’t last. Oh, and that Muslim gal I was considering never happened. How can I date someone who doesn’t enjoy grilled pork?

In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea is back home in the Philippines, sharing her pasalubong with her family. The surprise encounter with her mother after not seeing her for a year was pretty hilarious. The Pea is always a fun watch.

You knew these were coming:

And now it is time to prepare for the Easter Monday Hash. I won’t be doing the mountain climb this year, but the “easy” trail is long (around Easter Mountain instead of over it), and it’s hot outside. That’s plenty challenging for me. Come back and read all about it here tomorrow.

…in fact, you could call it a Good Friday!

Trying to make the best of these golden years while recognizing the limitations that come with old age has sometimes been a struggle. I think I’m doing better at finding my sweet spot. Ironically, that means giving up the sweets I’d come to know and love. The Ozempic is helping to impose the self-discipline I’d otherwise lack by eliminating my cravings for the most part. Hopefully, you’ll be seeing less of me in the future.

The group hikers gathered as usual for our bi-weekly excursion. It was a Good Friday for a hike (sorry, I’ll let that lameness go now). Another hot day (aren’t they all?), but we overcame and had a mostly pleasant 6K stroll through Calapacuan.

I was on the fence about participating in the Friday dart tournament at Alley Hideout. Turns out, Jesus saved me because the bar closed for the holiday. That allowed me to leave my darts at home and enjoy a guilt-free evening on the town. I elected to visit Cheap Charlies first, and Swan consented to join me.

Nothing like a little free entertainment while you sip your beer.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. Or should I say Wet Spot/Green Room, since both crews are working out of WS while the renovation at GR continues. I usually limit myself to buying lady drinks for only two girls, but since I have four regulars here now, I have to double the pleasure.

After fifty bucks’ worth of fun, we called it a night and headed on home.

It’s the end of June 2018 in the LTG archives. I’ve got a new best friend, a winning date with Marissa, and another broken heart. Sounds like the story of my life.

Today’s YouTube video is something a little different—the story of a Japanese man who lived alone on a deserted island for 32 years. It was by choice, and he loved it. A voice in my head kept saying, “Is this for real?” but I’ve found nothing to the contrary.

I’ve got the jokes if you’ve got the time:

Hallelujah, another post has come to an end. Praise the Lord!

I grew up in a pretty religious family, but I had never heard of “Maundy Thursday” until my first trip to the Philippines. I made the mistake of coming during Holy Week. I remember landing in Cebu, checking into my hotel, then taking a walk around the neighborhood, and just about everything was closed. I asked someone what was going on, and they gave me a look like I was stupid before saying, “Maundy.” Really? I thought it was Thursday. Anyway, the story has a happy ending— I found an open bar and even brought a girl back to the hotel that night. She was up before dawn, and I asked her what her hurry was. She told me she was going to attend the Good Friday mass. Fuck me, I said under my breath. “I already did,” she said with a shrug. Okay, that last part I just made up, but I remember thinking it’s weird to be a religious prostitute.

Yesterday’s Maundy was much more mundane. Swan and I did a 5K morning walk.

Later, we went into town for a foot spa.

After the foot spa, we headed to Jewel Cafe for dinner. We were the only customers, and we both ordered the baby back ribs. I had a beer while we waited. And waited. I’m thinking, why is it taking so long if we are the only ones here. Then I saw what was happening. The kitchen was pumping out orders in take-out boxes, and the Grab drivers were picking them up for delivery. Ah, the 21st century. Even when you are the only one present, everyone connected is ahead of you in line. Swan was planning to meet up with a girlfriend after dinner, so we finally just asked for our food to be boxed like everyone else’s and took it with us. That’s twice I’ve managed to skip dinner since I began the Ozempic regimen.

We went to Sloppy Joe’s for the meet-up, and the joint was packed. A big pool tournament was going on, and our preferred street-side seats weren’t available. We ordered a beer and a glass of wine while we waited for the friend, and then Swan saw another friend from the neighborhood heading to the Alaska Club with her hubby, so we decided to join them there. And there I was, the only guy at a table with three Filipinas chirping away in Tagalog. Good times!

At the appointed hour, we said our goodnights and departed for home, where a bowl of sugar-free pudding was waiting for me. It served as my last supper.

Continuing on with the June 2018 LTG archives, after six weeks in the Philippines, I finally had my first date with a gal I met at Alley Cats named Marissa. Long-time readers will recall she was destined to become my first girlfriend here. It turned out to be quite the roller-coaster ride.

I’m a big “Lord of the Rings” fan, having read the books multiple times (including reading them aloud to wife #3). I also enjoyed the Peter Jackson films more than once. They were also well done. Today’s YouTube video shares a scene I admittedly missed, or at least didn’t pick up on the context of the moment. And now I have.

Funny you should say that…

Yeah, I’ve had enough, too.

It is pretty special to have a day on the calendar every year in your honor. But lord knows I’ve earned it. That said, my foolish life doesn’t compare with some of the idiots I encounter. With the wisdom of old age, I just tend to laugh at them these days. I don’t engage in much political discourse here at LTG. I learned long ago that there is no point in arguing politics on social media because minds aren’t going to be changed. I mean, honest discourse and sharing viewpoints are still possible even if you disagree (commenter Brian and I have had some decent back-and-forths lately), but sadly, that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I still find it entertaining to post a political meme on Facebook just to witness the lefty heads exploding. Like that Trump quote I shared here yesterday, telling our “allies” that if they need oil, they should keep the Hormuz Straight open. We’ve got plenty of our own oil. Now, I usually save the humor until the end of the blog, but this comment (which I didn’t approve) from reader “Hugo” is worth sharing here to illustrate my point:

Dumbing down???? You’re a racist Trump supporter who is unable to think critically. I don’t think it’s possible to get any dumber than you. No wonder your family has disowned you; you’re a disgrace to anything human.

Dude, take a look in the mirror. What makes me a racist? Because I’m white, support Trump, and have different viewpoints than you? Calling someone a racist for any of those reasons makes you one. I’m from the Martin Luther King era and was raised to judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. And if this comment is indicative of your character, you are the disgrace.

We’ll leave it at that. Now, back to our regular programming.

The Wednesday Walkers headed out to the old Navy base (SBMA) and did a pleasant 8K walkaround.

But the fun wasn’t done! It being Wednesday and all, we ventured out to Baloy Beach later in the afternoon.

And then our dinner plans hit a bump in the road. We plopped down at Treasure Island, as is our custom, only to be told there was no red wine available. It doesn’t make sense for a dining establishment to be out of wine, but so be it. We decided to walk up the road and have one of those steak dinners at Viking Resort. But when we arrived, karaoke music was blasting at full volume. I found that irksome, but this is the Philippines. I don’t have to listen to that shit while I’m eating, though, so we moved on, then grabbed a trike for Mango’s. And guess what? The waitress said she was out of red wine. (queue up: take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way). Luckily, the manager, someone I’ve known for years, was standing nearby, and I said to her, How can you not have red wine? She responded, “We have it”, and took the waitress with her to the stockroom. She returned with a big bottle of red wine, and the evening was saved.

Then it was time to head home for a strawberry-banana smoothie and some blissful sleep.

I woke in time to see the moon go down this morning:

In other news, it’s official. I’m elderly.

This wasn’t my idea; Swan did all the paperwork required to have it issued. I’m not sure I’ll take advantage of it because, from everything I’ve read, only citizens are entitled to the discounts. Not worth getting deported over.

It’s still June 2018 in the LTG archives, and I’m starting off my second month in the Philippines by finally securing the deal on a house to rent in Alta Vista. Not the one I thought I was getting, but one that was good enough under the circumstances.

For today’s YouTube video, we’ll take a trip back in time and take a gander at life in Olongapo during the Navy days. I’m told by the Navy veterans (and there are a lot of them living here) that Subic Bay was everyone’s favorite port of call.

Now for some funny business:

And that, my friends (and enemies), is all I’ve got for today. Let’s try again tomorrow.

Man, it’s been a LONG time since I’d heard this one. Damn, that shoe is a good fit.

They say it’s the little things in life that tell the bigger story. If that’s the case, I’m getting dumber by the day. Every Tuesday morning, my driver picks us up for the grocery-shopping excursion to Olongapo. As we neared our destination, I suddenly realized I had no means of payment because I’d forgotten to put my credit card in my wallet before leaving home (for security, I only carry it when I plan to use it). So, we had to make a U-turn on the highway and go back home to get it. This caused additional stress because I needed to finish shopping in time to make it to my 10 a.m. appointment with Dr. Jo. Stupid is as stupid does. Anyway, it all worked out. I gave my driver some additional pesos for the extra fuel expended and arrived at Dr. Jo’s with five minutes to spare.

I received my second injection of Ozempic and reported no adverse side effects other than some occasional acid reflux. Dr. Jo advised that this is a common reaction. My appetite seems somewhat repressed, at least to the extent that my craving for between-meal snacks has been, for the most part, eliminated. I was a little disappointed that I only lost 1.4 pounds last week, but progress is progress, I suppose.

At beer o’clock, I made my way to Alley Hideout for the Tuesday blind-draw dart tournament. And as fate would have it, I once again drew Amie as my partner. We once again threw mediocre darts, winning one of our three matches before elimination. Still, playing with Amie, I feel no pressure as she takes it all in stride and enjoys herself, win or lose.

Swan was attending a gathering of friends, so I did a solo nightcap at Gold Bar before calling it a night and dragging my sorry ass home. Probably the smartest thing I did all day.

I posted this on Facebook and more liberal heads than usual exploded:

From the June 2018 LTG archives, almost a month in the Philippines, and I STILL haven’t found a girl. In this post, I share my observations on the dating game as played in my new homeland.

Today’s YouTube video discusses the state of emergency in the Philippines. Rising prices here have a significantly greater impact on the working poor population. I’m hoping things calm down soon. I heard a rumor that the government may declare a lockdown to reduce energy consumption. Crazy times.

The laughs are still free:

I’m still smart enough to know when it is time to end a post like this one. Done!