Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.

I got a sweet father’s day card from Swan this morning:

Long-time readers may remember the young woman I call Mary. She was eighteen when we briefly dated which is legal, but WAY to young for an old fart like me. It was when my granddaughter turned eighteen that I knew I couldn’t keep seeing Mary. Anyway, she moved to Manila for a factory job, and I posted about our last evening together here. Mary returned to Barretto several months later, by which time I had moved on with Swan. Mary asked for my financial help so she could attend college in Olongapo. I give her around seventy-five bucks a month, which covers some of her expenses. I don’t hear from her often, but she occasionally updates me on her progress. I’ve told her my expectation is for her to escape the poverty loop, succeed in her career, and then “pay it forward” to help others in need.

Anyway, that’s a long, drawn-out introduction for the Father’s Day message Mary sent me:

Dear John, Happy Father’s Day! I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate you today—not just as an amazing dad, but also as the incredible friend you’ve been over the years. It’s clear how much your kids look up to you, and that’s a testament to the kind of father and role model you are. You’ve always been there for me, through thick and thin, and I’m so grateful for your friendship. It’s like you’re a dad that I never had

Keep being the amazing person you are. Enjoy your day, my friend—you deserve it.

Thanks for the kind words, Mary. Well, that “you’re the dad I never had” line made me cringe a little. But I’m glad I’ve been able to help you pursue your dreams; it’s what dads do.

My ill health, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, has not yet been completely resolved. My temperature is back to normal, and I had enough energy this morning to do the Candy Walk, although it was a struggle. A new symptom, diarrhea, has befallen me, and it’s one of the worst cases in memory. I discovered its onset when I attempted to pass gas and sharted instead. No problem, I will just resist the urge to fart. Except it seems I fart in my sleep, and TWICE during my nap today I soiled my shorts. Yuck!

The appetite hasn’t returned either, although I did have a hamburger patty before walking this morning. You’d think if I weren’t eating much, there wouldn’t be anything in the bowels, but alas, that’s not the case.

Today I haven’t eaten anything other than that burger patty, and I’m still not hungry. It’s like being on a diet without even trying!

From the July 2009 LTG archives is another installment of the report on my trip to Bali. Everyone raves about the beaches in Bali, but I enjoyed our stay in the mountains at Ubud even more. Lots of pictures in that post to show you why. I believe this was also the first trip out of the country I took with my future wife, Jee Yeun. Oddly enough, I spelled her name differently back then.

Today’s YouTube video is about an expat who got ill (and diarrhea) from something he ate. I’ve thought about it, but I’m not sure what I had to eat that may have led to this. I had that enchilada dinner at Sit-n-Bull on Friday night, but my early symptoms don’t seem food-related (fever, lethargy). I threw up once on Saturday afternoon, but the diarrhea didn’t hit me until late Saturday night. Well, hopefully, this too shall pass (preferably into the toilet).

Now for the funny business:

Misery loves company. Thanks for joining me!