Or should I say, seven downed? I report, you decide.
Welp, Tuesdays tend to be a bland day for me, but yesterday was at least bland in a somewhat different way. Did the usual, then added some tweaks. Here’s how it looked:
I wasn’t in the mood to dodge traffic on the National Highway again this week, so I refrained from walking home from Royal. Instead, when the groceries were unloaded, I took a stroll through the neighborhood.
Tuesday was traditionally the day I don’t hike, but things change when you gotta burn off the calories. 12,000 steps is better than nothing.
Swan was not feeling up to going out last night, so Plan B was invoked. When I departed the house alone, I still didn’t know where I was going. A block or so away, I considered turning around and just hanging out at The Rite Spot, but my forward momentum carried me onward toward town.
I had once again skipped lunch, so I was feeling hungry. Hitting the bars on an empty stomach didn’t seem like a wise course of action, so I made Sit-n-Bull my first stop.
It had been a while since I’d been out on the town without Swan by my side. I missed her and didn’t feel like visiting our regular haunts alone. So, I changed things up by popping into one of my old hangouts that I seldom visit these days: Cheap Charlies.
A really different vibe in CC last evening. Just me and one other customer. Other than the bartender and cashier, there was no one there I knew. All my old regulars being gone, I drank alone and saved on lady drinks. After two Zeros, I was ready to move on.
I headed down the highway to the side of town I rarely visit these days. A bar has just opened in the space previously occupied by Adam’s Bar. So, I decided to pop in and see what it was all about.
I didn’t find the music to be to my liking, content or volume-wise. So, I moved my ass outside and sat in the smoking area.
Two more Zeros and I headed out. I don’t think I’ll be making the Hangout bar a place I hang out.
I moved on to my final destination of the evening, Snackbar. I used to be a regular here, but times and circumstances change. The only two waitresses working were both friends from the old days, so it was nice to see them and catch up on things. A lady drink for each, two Zeros for me, and I was ready to call it a night.
It was only about 7 p.m. when I caught the trike for home, and only seven Zeros were consumed. I guess that means it was seven up and seven downed.
Here’s the stats from yesterday for those following along on my dietary adventure:
And some sad news to report. I mentioned that I didn’t see John Kim when we dined at his place last Sunday. Yesterday, his wife posted this on Facebook:
Hello our Dear Friend’s,Customer’s & Followers
My name is Lin and I’m writing this post for my Loving life partner John Kim.
He was admitted last Sunday at Ulticare Medical Center ( ICU department ) here in Barretto. My partner had severe head pain and couldn’t focus and later on became disoriented. Bad condition had CT Scan and found out that he had STROKE BRAIN BLEEDING and need to undergo Brain Surgery as soon as possible. to add with his bad condition he also need a blood transfusion at least 6unit of Blood A+ to stabilize and 6 unit more if he undergoes brain surgery. Again our dear friends, Customer’s & followers. I’m calling for any donation & support I could gather for him to survive. Please Pray
for him, Maraming Salamat Po.
The situation sounds dire, especially given John’s other health issues. I’m O+ and so can’t contribute to the needed blood donation. The word has gone out through several other sources in town, so hopefully we have some A+ folks willing to help. I’m hoping for the best.
Today’s YouTube video recites eight qualities that attract women to an older man. Alas, only #7 seems to apply to me, especially after I purchase a lady drink. I remember asking once, what attracted you to me? The girl replied, “To be honest, it was the bulge in your pants. ” I looked down proudly at my crotch, and she said, “No, not that one,” and then pointed at my wallet.
Well, maybe you will find these funny:
And life goes on. An 8K trek on SBMA this morning was nice for a change of scenery. I asked Swan if she was feeling up to going out this evening, and she said she wanted to walk barefoot in the sand. So, Baloy Beach, here we come! I’ll have a full report tomorrow.
Here’s some Traffic noise to enjoy:
Sorry to hear about John Kim. Seems like he has really struggled with health issues over the last couple of years. Here’s hoping things get better for him.
Yesterday, it was the blueberry variety. Alas, I can no longer partake (each muffin is worth 385 calories, plus the carbs).
There are definitely recipes for keto “bloob” muffins out there. (See here, for example. Click the “jump to recipe” link and click off all of those damn pop-up ads. Or just Google “keto blueberry muffin recipe” and find a site without obnoxious ads.) If you make enough for several people, you can either share them with the non-keto crowd (see how they like them) or just save them for yourself.
so Plan B was invoked. When I departed the house alone, I still didn’t know where I was going.
Interesting “plan.”
I’m O+ and so can’t contribute to the needed blood donation.
According to the Red Cross Blood Donation site at least, while O-negative is considered “universal donor,” O-positive is actually red-cell-compatible with any other positive type, including A-positive. Being a stroke victim myself, I feel for poor John. Please give him and his family my regards.
About those keto blueberry muffins at that link: you don’t have to buy the specific brands of ingredients recommended in the recipe. Any blanched almond flour will do, for example. The artificial sweetener doesn’t have to be the monkfruit/allulose blend the recipe suggests, either. Use whatever Swan got—Stevia, erythritol, whatever. You also don’t have to use almond milk; regular whole or skim milk is fine (if a bit carbier), and even heavy cream, despite the calories, is more keto-friendly than whole or skim milk (fewer carbs per unit volume in cream because of cream’s higher fat content; regular milk takes out a lot of that fat, which concentrates the lactose, i.e., milk sugar).
By the way, I watched two videos on intuitive eating by two very chirpy, hyper white girls, one Canadian and one American. I did my best to see past their annoying mannerisms, and in the end, I’m not sure how I feel about intuitive eating. I don’t think it’s for me; with my addictive personality, I’d go about it the wrong way. But the approach still sounds interesting. Look up “intuitive eating basics” on YouTube, and you’ll find plenty of videos. If you have the self-control and the willingness to be mindful of your impulses and satiety levels, this might be for you.
Praying for John Kim. Hope he does better.
Thanks for the baking advice. I’m not sure I like muffins enough to make the effort worthwhile (I’ve always been an “out-of-the-box” baker). I know Swan has been looking at different recipes for healthy sweets, so I’ll pass this info along.
I will definitely look into “intuitive eating.” The name reminds me of that old “seafood diet” joke—I see food, and I eat it. My lack of self-control and discipline got me into this fat mess, so I may not be a good candidate either. Still, I’m doing well at avoiding most of the bad stuff (including pie and ice cream) so far, so anything is possible, I suppose.
Kev, I’m hearing that hospitals here don’t use universal blood matches, but I am not sure why. I know that back in the USA, if someone needed blood, I could donate to the blood bank even if it weren’t a match, and the patient could withdraw the type of blood they needed. I understand that’s also not an option here.
Apparently, A+ is a rare blood type among Filipinos. This isn’t the first urgent request from a foreigner for this type of blood I’ve seen. I’m hoping for an update on John’s situation soon.
Yes, a stroke is bad enough without non-functioning kidneys. He’s got a tough road ahead for sure.