This old town

Back in the saddle again with a Tuesday night bar crawl handing out the precious pasalubong gifts to my favorite bargirls. I have another delivery to make tonight at Hideaway and, of course, another Wednesday feeding.

That is the last of it. It seems no matter how much you bring; it is never enough.

I took a break from Barretto for a week, partly for a change of scenery but also hoping for a change in perspective. Maybe I needed another week or two to accomplish that. There were things I liked about seeing Pattaya again; after all, it had been one of the finalists when I was deciding where to retire. Returning this trip confirmed that I had made the right choice–Pattaya is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to small-town living and enjoy being recognized around town. That doesn’t come easy in a bigger city, although I felt like a regular at the little restaurant I frequented and was treated very well by the friendly staff there. So, I expect I would have found a neighborhood vibe if I lived there. Of course, the primary drawback is the lack of English speakers. I’d really miss telling my lame jokes to the bargirls.

So, this is the life I’ve chosen, and it is the life I have. I intend to make the most of it for as long as I’m blessed to be among the living. Although I would love to find a companion to share the adventure, I’m embracing the knowledge that a solitary life comes with its own benefits, and if that is my destiny, so be it. Que sera, sera, and all that.

I didn’t make Monday’s Hash trail because I was still feeling tired after my long journey home. I did participate in the Hash circle and then visited Snackbar afterward. That place still reeks of memories for me, but I believe I’ve overcome their ability to sadden me. I’ll call that progress.

Yesterday I took care of restocking the pantry with my shopping excursion to Royal. Nothing has changed–the more I want something, the more likely it will be out of stock. Oh well, you just go with the flow.

While I was out of town, Joy got sick, so I had her go see Dr. Jo. I stopped by there yesterday to pay the bill and drop off some pasalubong for her and the hubby. We are planning a climb up Black Rock soon. Next stop was Johansson’s so I could deliver my gifts for Reggie. I saw Jim drinking alone at Sloppy Joe’s, and so I joined him. A couple of beers later, he came with me to Cheap Charlies.

It was nice to enjoy the view from the REAL Cheap Charlies again.

The girls all seemed to enjoy their Thailand souvenirs. We were going to visit The Green Room next, but it was packed with pool league players. So, on a whim, we visited Voodoo.

And my old favorite was there, thirsty for a drink.

Rumor has it she is the oldest working bargirl in town. Still has a great body, but her age is showing (like I’m one to talk). Anyway, before I took that photo she made a face that reminded me of someone I’d seen in the movies.

No offense intended.

I finished the night at Wet Spot, then grabbed a sandwich to go at Sit-n-Bull, had a trike driver greet me by name, and drove me home without needing directions.

Gee, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old town, feels like a long-lost friend
And hey, it's good to be back home again

6 thoughts on “This old town

  1. It seems no matter how much you bring; it is never enough.

    Spot the error! Grammarly didn’t warn you? Then Grammarly is useless.

    Well, it sounds as though you’re settling back in. It’s nice to get out and about, but there’s also comfort in having a routine.

  2. To err is human, to edit divine.

    Actually, it is Grammarly’s fault. I used a comma after bring, and Grammarly told me to “correct the comma splice” and suggested the semi-colon. Bastards!

  3. Yeah, Grammarly is useless if it can’t parse a sentence like that. Let’s break the sentence down.

    It seems no matter how much you bring; it is never enough.

    There’s an implied “that” that goes after the word “seems.” This makes “no matter how much you bring” a dependent clause, and “it is never enough” the main (independent) clause. When the dependent clause comes first, you have to use a comma.

    If you do that again, I’ll kill you.

    This is the rule to apply to the above situation. So your initial instinct about the comma was correct. You’re probably better off not listening to Grammarly.

  4. Rascal, actually, it was enjoyable overall. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded spending one more week there. Not a good fit for me as a retirement home, but perfect for a beer-drinking vacation!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *