Because at the end of the day, It Doesn’t Matter. Here’s how I got from here to there:
My chelation treatment with Dr. Jo went fine once I got in to see her. I had a 2 p.m. appointment, but she wasn’t finished with the patient before me until 2:30. That’s the first time that’s happened on my visits. It wouldn’t have mattered, except I had another appointment in Olongapo at 3:30. The chelation itself only takes a few minutes, but I had to delay getting some skin tabs removed until next week. A commenter asked if the treatment was having any noticeable impact, but I’m only on my second series of injections. Dr. Jo says it usually takes around six before you can tell how well it works. Still, my blood pressure has been lower of late, which may be related to clearing the gunk out of my veins. So, I’m going to continue down this road and see where it leads.
Right as we were crossing the highway after leaving Dr. Jo’s office, a nearly empty Jeepney came by, so we had a comfortable ride to SBMA. A couple of blocks walk to Baypointe Hospital, and we arrived fifteen minutes early for my appointment with the ophthalmologist.
So, with some time to kill, I thought sharing my thoughts on video might be worthwhile. (Sorry about the low volume, I was in a crowded hospital and didn’t want to speak loud)
Anyway, I did get in at the appointed time. The eye exam itself was a bit of an, um, eye opener. My right eye (the one I had cataract surgery on) was still working at 95% efficiency. When it was time to read the chart with my left eye, I couldn’t see it at all. So, I’m basically blind in that eye. Freaked me out some, to say the least. When I got in to see the eye doc, I told him about the fluid leaks I’d been experiencing for the past couple of months. Sometimes, when I get up to pee at night, it feels like my eye is glued shut. Anyway, he took a look, and I indeed have an infection in my eyes. He prescribed antibiotic eye drops. I asked if my vision issue in the left eye was cataract-related, and he said we needed to clear the infection first so he could have a better look. I’ve got a follow-up appointment next Wednesday.
With the medical shit behind me, I was ready to check out the SBMA dining options. Well, by check out, I mean I looked at the different places we walked past on the several-block stroll to where I knew I wanted to eat–Texas Joe’s.
It was good eating! With the meal out of the way, we hoofed it back to the SBMA main gate and grabbed a taxi for the 350 peso ride back to Barretto. (I opted not to try a Jeepney because it was rush hour, and I knew they would be uncomfortably packed with riders, assuming we could even find one we could all fit inside.
The taxi dropped Teri at the pharmacy to get my eye meds, and Swan and I continued on to It Doesn’t Matter for some wine and beers to end our day.
Speaking of miracles, I managed to stay under my calorie cap:
In today’s installment of The Story of My Life, I write about my first day of work for the Army in Korea. The highlight of that day was meeting the 8th Army Commanding General, Charles Campbell. After a career of working with dipshit postal and federal government executives, I was blown away by how this guy was one of the most capable leaders I’d ever seen in action. Looking at his Wikipedia page just now, I see he died in 2016. A life well lived, and thank you for your service, sir.
Coincidentally, today’s Facebook memory is also from my Army in Korea days.
Today’s YouTube video from George’s All About The Philippines includes some views from the back streets of Barretto that I frequently walk. He visits the Pugon Corner Smoke Yard. When the place first opened, I loved visiting because it was almost as good as Texas Joe’s and much more conveniently located. Also cheaper. Alas, in the ensuing years, it has gone to shit to such an extent that I no longer go there. George also takes you out to the Arizona floating bar so you can enjoy seeing one of my Sunday hangouts.
And now for the humor:
Welp, it’s Friday evening, and you know what that means. But you would be wrong. I’m not going to the SOB because it is at La Oficina, and that’s a venue I no longer patronize. So, that gives me the freedom to try something new tonight. And what could be newer for me than actually staying home? Yep, you read that right. So, how am I gonna fill those hours? I’m going to watch TV. Specifically, a Netflix series called “Squid Game” which was recommended by the esteemed reviewer Kevin Kim. I meant to start watching it before Season Two was released, but I totally forgot about it. Now I need to make up for lost time. I’ll give you my first impressions tomorrow.
I’m glad the appointments went well. Hope the eye clears up, and that you can see through it again. Good luck with the follow-up appointment.
re: video
If you’re going to vlog in a crowded area, you might want to invest in a microphone that you can clip onto your shirt (I think it’s called a lavalier “lah-vuh-LEER” mike; there are many kinds). At work (today is my last day of work), I normally use a single earbud to watch videos. When the audio is 2-track, I sometimes can’t hear a thing if only the left track is being used (my left earbud is bad, so I can’t hear the left track).
In the case of this video, I heard you, but only barely, and some stuff was hard to make out. That could be because, as I mentioned, I use a single earbud (not relevant after today), or it could be because of other factors. A lavalier mike for your needs ought to be fairly cheap. Or stop vlogging in crowded, echo-y places!
Hurry up, you two! I’m hungry!
The lady in front looks pissed about something.
All the staff wear cowboy hats and jeans, which really creates a Texas vibe.
Or at least a faux-Texas vibe.
The menu says they don’t pull the pork because that has a negative impact on the flavor of the meat.
This could just be a BS excuse to cover for laziness. Once the animal is dead, you no longer have to worry about stress hormones and such leaking into your meat. That said, I’m okay with chopped pork as long as there are no bits of gristle or fat (nor any bone chips!) to interrupt my enjoyment.
…I don’t know enough about the rituals to grasp what this parade was all about.
Dunno. Epiphany was January 6. January 9 is a feast day for the baptism of the Lord. I just looked that last one up. Ah—Wikipedia suggests the 9th is the Feast of Jesus Nazareno or the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
Of course, you could look all of this up, too. With everything on Google or YouTube, there’s never a need to ask any questions ever again. Hah.
Good luck with “Squid Game.” Try to pay attention through all of it. Practice meditation for your wandering monkey mind.