…such as it is.

Normal around here means nothing much of interest to blog about, not that that’s ever stopped me. I’ll keep it short at least, promise!

As is our Sunday custom, we headed to John’s place for Swan’s weekly birria taco fix. Except it was not available. Neither was the pulled pork. Something doesn’t feel right, and I fear this may be the beginning of the end.

As we left John’s place, I noticed that both big freezers where the beef steaks are stored were empty. I asked the “waitress” (John’s daughter) if the restaurant was going to close. She denied it. We shall see, but a place named “John’s Sushi and Steak” not having steaks is a tad concerning.

We did our usual visit to Red Bar after dinner, but things felt a bit off there as well. The usual classic rock had been replaced by 21st-century music. Okay, they have dancers inside, so I can accept that the young ladies prefer music from their generation to sway to. What I couldn’t get used to was the outdoor speaker (we sit out front on the open-air patio) blasting so loudly it made conversation difficult. I asked our waitress if the outdoor music could be toned down some, and she said it was tied to the speakers inside. Hmm, it was never played so loud on my previous visits. Also, I know those speakers have separate volume control. As we paid our tab, I tipped her and said, “Next time we hear the music this loud, we’ll just keep on walking.” I hope she heard me.

We did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks and enjoyed quality music and a respectable volume. We had the place to ourselves at first, but a bit later, a group of Westerners came in and took a table up front. It was a bit unusual to see a middle-aged white woman with them. They asked whether there would be live music, and were told there wouldn’t be on Sunday. Then the manager set up the karaoke machine and handed them a microphone. Oh shit. I told Swan to finish her wine because I didn’t want to be subjected to bad singing.

Then the heavyset white woman started to sing. The volume was right (no distortion), and my goodness, she had a beautiful voice. I didn’t recognize the song she sang, but I enjoyed it. I thought to myself, she’s better than the live singers that typically perform at Jumpin’ Jacks. When the woman was done, she handed the microphone to her boyfriend, and he was also a good singer. I don’t recall ever enjoying a karaoke performance as much as this one—a nice way to finish our night in Barretto.

Onward in the December 2015 LTG archives, and in this post, I talk about a lunchtime meetup with the esteemed Kevin Kim in Itaewon, where we witnessed a parade honoring the birthday of Mohammad. In that original post, I called him “the pedophile Mohammad,” which caused me some trouble at work when someone who read the post complained about my disrespect. The lawyers said the remarks were made on my own time and were protected by the First Amendment, but I was told to specify in the future that I was not speaking for 8th Army in LTG rants. Well, Mohammad did marry a twelve-year-old, so my pedophile description was accurate, but for the sake of peace and harmony, I deleted that reference.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s check in with Smart Girl Philippines. What she says in the beginning about Filipinas never forgetting is true. Everyone seems to know my name. I’ll go to a venue I hadn’t been to in months, and get the “Welcome, Sir John” greeting. I’ll be out hiking, and some gal who isn’t even vaguely familiar calls out, “Hello, John.” As for the getting arrested for arguing thing, I’d just say don’t step out of line because if you are a foreigner, it is always your fault.

Humor me this:

Okay, my work is done here. Now it is time to prepare for the Hash. It’s a Guenter trail, so I’ll be shortcutting. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.