Another circle on the carousel of life

***Swan put this collage together in celebration of my 71st birthday (she thought I was turning 72).***

Apologies in advance, but today’s post is more about “me, me, me” than usual. Hey, it was the anniversary of the day I was born, so what else is there to talk about? Well, I have no great insights or epiphanies to report, but the older I get, the more I appreciate this blessing we call life. I did recall that I had been planning to kill myself for my 19th birthday with a drug overdose (I was depressed over the breakup with my girlfriend), when some friends came by unexpectedly for a surprise party, and by the end of the evening I had changed my mind and decided to choose life. One year later, I became a father, and the rest is history. I’m glad I stuck around to experience these past fifty years. What a ride it has been, and it ain’t over yet!

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Here is some of how I celebrated my birthday:

My gifts included three new t-shirts:

The second shirt:

***And even on those three days, I only drink on two occasions: when I’m alone or when I’m with someone.***

And the third shirt:

***…and backside.*** ***Of course, I’m retired, and every day is Friday now.***

I also got the coolest birthday card I’ve ever seen:

***It lights up and plays a happy birthday song.***

So, I decided to have my birthday meal at my favorite restaurant, Texas Joe’s on SBMA. That required a Jeepney ride and a longish walk on a rainy day, but hey, I’m worth it.

***The food and ambiance here are great.***

***I couldn’t resist the half-rack of baby back ribs, even if they did set me back 1060 pesos ($17.)***

***Swan had the “chopped” pork (the menu says pulling the pork makes it lose flavor). It was tasty too.***

Then I was surprised when the waitresses brought a brownie à la mode with a candle to the table and sang me a happy birthday song (you can see it in the short video posted up top).

***Then we hopped on our horses and headed back to Barretto. Actually, we took a taxi.***

We got dropped off at Red Bar and began the beer portion of the birthday celebration there. I got a kick out of what the waitresses call my new favorite beer, San Miguel Extra Light: “Would you like an XL, sir John?” Why yes, yes I would!

***Scott messaged asking where we were, and then came and joined us for a bit at Red Bar. He’s also a fan of the new XL brew.***

When we were ready for a change of scenery, Swan and I moved on to Rum Jungle. I was happy to see that they were also serving XL, although our waitress hadn’t thought to call it that. I even got gifted a free one for my birthday! Then we finished our night out at Wet Spot.

***Jack, Scott, and Jim came to Wet Spot, and the party was on! Jim bought a round of whiskey shots, but luckily we stopped at one each.***

I even stayed out after 8 pm for the first time in a long time. But all good things must come to an end, and we still made it home by 9. It was definitely the best birthday I’ve had this year!

I hope you’ll indulge my vanity as I take a stroll through the years:

***1957 with my older brother Keith Randall and baby brother Gregory Lee. Damn, I couldn’t believe how hot that photographer was!***

***1960, and we are out roughing it in the desert with my dad’s Jeep pickup truck.***

***1970, escorting my grandmother at brother Keith’s wedding.***

***1973, a senior at Westminster High School.***

***1974, camping out in Southern California.***

***1978, with my kids and first wife in Prescott, Arizona.***

***1979, spending some time with JRR Tolkien.***

***1982, visiting the love of my life in Pocatello, Idaho, before she broke my heart.***

***1987, my first assignment as a Human Resources Director in Roanoke, Virginia.***

***2004: Exploring Turkish culture in Istanbul.***

***2008, Director, Human Resources Management, 8th US Army, Seoul, Korea.***

***2012, retired and living in Columbia, South Carolina. Who knew I was God’s gift to women?***

***2014, another drunken night in Itaewon.***

***2017, reemployed in my old job with 8th Army.***

***2018, the last time I saw my kids.***

***2019, enjoying the retired life in the Philippines.***

***What a long, strange trip it’s been.***

Alrighty, I reckon that dead horse has been beaten enough.

Onward in the August 2021 LTG archives with a post about an encounter with Julica during one of our Wednesday Walkers group hikes. Julica was one of the first gals I crushed on when I moved to the Philippines. I dodged a bullet, but she lost an opportunity.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s take a quick tour of Luzon, the beautiful island in the Philippines where I reside. I’ve not been to all of these places yet, but I like what I’ve seen so far.