Donald Trump has many flaws, but he was our best option. I’m hopeful that he learned from his first-term mistakes and that he appoints competent and loyal team members. I’m excited about the prospect for change that visionary non-bureaucrats like Elon Musk will add to the mix. Trump has his work cut out for him cleaning up the mess left behind by four years of Biden-Harris insanity.
What I hope to see sooner than later:
- Borders secured, immigration laws enforced
- Restoring energy independence–drill, baby, drill!
- Reducing government spending to balance the budget and reduce inflation
- Eliminating as much of the worthless Federal bureaucracy as possible
- Stand strong against the aggression of our enemies (I’m looking at you, Iran)
That will be a good start to Making America Great Again.
Enough of politics, here in my corner of the world, life goes on much as it always has. Take the Wednesday Walkers for example.
Swan was enjoying her “me time” with family, and I was trying to keep an eye on how the election was going. Late in the afternoon, it became apparent that Trump would re-assume the throne. It seemed to me a celebration was in order, so I went out in search of a beer.
One beer led to another and then one more. I got a message that my neighbors and other like-minded Trump supporters were gathering at Thumbstar bar to embrace America’s victory. I walked up the highway to join in the fun.
By my reckoning, the vast majority of expats who still care about politics in the USA are Trump supporters. In my admittedly limited circle of acquittances, I only know one who professed a preference for Kamala. His reasoning? Trump is a Nazi. Yep, he drank the lefty Kool-Aid and lost the ability to think for himself. Oh, well, sorry for you. But if ignorance is bliss, you must be one happy guy!
We were in full-on party mode, and Maksil was buying rounds of drinks due to his excitement about the stock market surge. He expects to get richer thanks to our newly-elected President. In a sense, we all will once he brings inflation back down to earth. By my count, I enjoyed six more beers at Thumbstar before calling it a night. Alas, the dietary damage was not finished because I was hungry. Thumbstar was offering a “buy one, get one” food special, so I ordered a chicken shawarma and got another for free. They were both tasty and high in calories. Between the shawarma and beers, I exceeded my daily calorie allowance for the first time since I began my diet plan.
The future looks brighter for America and I hope to become a lesser man. We’ll see how things turn out.
Lots of memories to look back on today:
How about some more of those memories from Cambodia two years ago?
I loved both of my trips to Cambodia. It was my second choice as a retirement destination. No regrets with the move to the Philippines, but I may use one of my “do-over” lives to see how things might have been had I chosen to live there.
Today’s YouTube video comes from the Filipina Pea, who is doing what she does best: talking about some unique aspects of Filipino culture. She’s funny (and cute), and this is one I really enjoyed. It’s worth the watch!
Maybe these will give you something to smile about:
Alright, I have a special event to attend this morning: The 7-Eleven Hash Run. It happens twice a year (on seven November and July 7th. See how that works?). We’ll be the first Hash from the Philippines to participate in this international event. It involves a 7K highway hike during which we will visit seven 7-Elevens. Something a little different to enjoy. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
Today’s song also comes courtesy of Facebook memories. I posted this ten years ago, and it is still one of my favorite songs from Korea. The video tells a nice story to go with the song. Hope you like it!
I’m hopeful that he learned from his first-term mistakes and that he appoints competent and loyal team members.
As I recently wrote:
FINAL NOTE: the lesson I take from Trump’s having scooped up the likes of JD, RFK, Tulsi, Vivek, Elon, and others is that he has indeed learned his lesson about poor staffing picks. This time around, he will not be surrounded by ass-kissing yes-men but by people of intelligence who will put the country first and might risk having a falling-out with him. It will be up to this inner circle to keep everyone else honest, including The Donald himself. And I didn’t fail to notice how many of this new crew are former Democrats… just like Trump himself.
Through the streets of Marian Hills. Oddly enough, there are no hills in this village.
No hills in the Hills? I’m reminded of the sad commentary that, in America, we often pave over all the trees, then we name our streets after them.
Our attempt to do a valley walk was stymied by a newly constructed fence.
This seems to happen rather often. Do you feel your options are narrowing down, or are you able to find equally fun alternative routes? I guess this means you can’t trust maps much, what with obstacles constantly being thrown in your way, but the constant changes to your routes at least offer some excitement.
I wasn’t feeling like getting wet feet.
Why not? You rarely walk more than 10K, and as you’ve claimed, you never get blisters from wet feet. So what’s the problem? Grit in the shoes? Squishy sounds? Something else?
The strap on my backpack broke[,] so I had to carry it on one shoulder.
Equipment malfunctions suck. Will you repair the strap or get a new backpack? Will you buy that brand again, knowing what you now know?
By my reckoning, the vast majority of expats who still care about politics in the USA are Trump supporters.
Here in Korea, a huge fraction of expats are woke lefties. Sad.
His reasoning? Trump is a Nazi. Yep, he drank the lefty Kool-Aid and lost the ability to think for himself.
A lot of these people listen to and naively trust the mainstream media.
My Fitbit says I burned 4144 calories
I should get a Fitbit. Yours is very generous. I burn over 4000 calories after walking over 36,000 steps on an all-day trek.
The last time I heard Dennis sing. I’ve been unable to reach him for months now, and frankly, I fear for the worst.
If you can’t contact him from a distance, it may be time to fly out there and find him.
It happens twice a year (on seven November and July 7th. See how that works?).
Let’s see…
seven November = 11/7 by US dating (7/11 in the UK)
July 7 = 7/7
I can see that one event is in July (7th month), and the other event is in November (11th month), so there’s your “7-Eleven.” But the date doesn’t need to be the 7th at all; it could be any time during the month! If the dates were, say, 7/5 and 11/18, it would still be July/November, i.e., 7/11. So I kind of get it, but not completely. Someone help me out.
Anyway, enjoy the event. This is a different style of walk. I’ve heard of temple walks, cathedral/church walks, and even venerable-tree walks (in the British Isles, kind of Druidic), but 7-Eleven walks, with convenience stores as waypoints, are utterly alien to me. Good luck. Let us know, please, how urban/smooth or how hilly/rough the walk turns out to be. Or do you already know thanks to maps with contour lines?
Happy walking.
You Republicunts have now screwed the US for the next four years and beyond. Great job, you racist morons.
Thanks, Secret. Maybe you should move to Canada.
Kev, I agree there is cause to believe that Trump will apply the lessons learned and be more effective this time. He’s far from perfect but infinitely better than the alternative. Radical Lefties can’t see through their hatred to understand that the majority voted in their own self-interest.
Fences are indeed going up all over and without notice. There are usually alternatives and walkarounds readily available, but it is surprising to be suddenly stymied on a path I’ve walked for years. Oh well.
Regarding the wet feet, I usually don’t give a shit, but it was near the end of the hike, and I just couldn’t be bothered. Retreat seemed like the best option, and I took it.
I’ve never been a calorie counter until this diet, so I didn’t pay attention to the Fitbit stats. Is there a standard scale you can refer to to calculate calorie burn?
Dennis is several years older than me. If he had become seriously ill, he likely would have returned to the USA to be with family in Florida, but I don’t know any of them by name. Still, it is a tempting thought to go back to Cambodia and ask around if anyone has seen or heard from him.
About those dates: What you see is just how addled and fucked up my brain has become. The next 7-Eleven hike will be on July 11 (7/11). Why I wrote that as the seventh of July and then didn’t notice the fuck-up is pretty damn scary. You don’t need help, I do!
I’ll post pictures from the hike today. It was a flat highway I’d done before, a hot day, and a fair amount of traffic. Once a year is more than enough for that trail. We’ve already checked, and July 11th next year is on a Monday—Hash day. Scott and I are talking about incorporating a 7-Eleven hike into the Hash that day. We’ve have lots of time to work on a trail.