Fit for Friday | Long Time Gone

My neighborhood isn’t Filipino-style, but I can still hear the Philippines from there. There’s a rooster farm right across the river from my house, and the “sweet” sound of karaoke fills the air most nights. But yes, you do get used to it, and it just becomes normal background noise.

Well, I hate loud, crappy music in the bars, but in those situations I can vote with my feet and leave. It doesn’t take much to trigger my grumpiness these days. That said, there is more good than bad in my life, and for that I am thankful.

I may not be fit as a fiddle, but I was fit enough to enjoy my Friday. We kicked things off with our Friday group hike. There were just three of us in attendance, so we decided we’d let Scott drive us to the Old Cabalan barangay in Olongapo City for a hike we hadn’t done in a long time. Alas, the traffic on the highway was insane, so we changed course and hiked on SBMA instead.

***The driving range and lighthouse. It takes a lot of balls to golf the way I do. (photo credit SP)***

***They call it “the boardwalk,” but their ain’t no boards.***

***That’s the freight yard across the water where container ships are loaded/unloaded.***

***Something a little different is always nice. (SP)***

***A monument for the Filipinos who served with the U.S. Navy.***

***Taking a rest in a shady spot. It’s been damn hot lately. I’m ready to start complaining about the rain instead.***

***And we walked by SBMA’s newest restaurant, Sit-n-Bull. Yes, owner Ron is expanding his empire. (SP)***

***The open-air portion of the restaurant.***

***Owner Ron was there to greet us, and he even treated us to a nice snack.***

***We didn’t make it to 5K, but we were close enough. (SP)***

And it being one of those days that end in a “y,” I headed into Barretto when beer o’clock chimed. I had intended to kick off my evening at It Doesn’t Matter, but they were suffering a power outage, so I continued up the road to Red Bar. Cliff and Ashley were there to provide the warm welcome, and the place was rockin’ (Cliff always has a nice playlist). One of the customers bought a round of drinks and even included me. He requested a song I hadn’t heard for a long time, Que Sera Sera, and everyone at the backslappers’ table joined him in singing along. Hey, good times!

I was feeling a tad hungry (having skipped lunch), so I paid my tab and headed down the highway.

Those birria tacos are small, just two or three bites each, and I brought one of them home with me. I still had room for more beer, so I made Alaska Club my next stop. Owner Jerry was out of town, but his crew had things under control during my visit.

I went to Nipsey’s for my nightcap, and two beers later, I was on my way home to an empty house. Swan had left early in the morning for a trip to Manila to visit some friends.

***The friend’s mother is hospitalized, and she was there to offer her support.***

And if those faces look familiar, you might recognize Marissa (my ex) and her twin sister Marilyn. I had the pleasure of using that old saw the first time I met Marilyn: “We just met, but I know what you look like naked.” Yeah, I went there.

Anyway, I was long asleep when Swan arrived back home around midnight. And that was how my fitless Friday came to an end.

From the November 2018 LTG archives, my last visit home is nearing an end, and I was once again reflecting on all that I had had and lost in a post aptly titled, “A broken man laments.” On a more positive note, here is a post full of pictures from that amazing stay in the mountains of North Carolina. But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s check in with the Filipina Pea as she interviews other Filipinas about what they are hoping to find in a foreigner relationship. Good luck, ladies. I’m already taken.

Let’s take another shot at some humor:

***That’s not how Karma is supposed to work, is it?***

I hope you are not fit to be tied at this point, so let me stop now. I’ll try again tomorrow.

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