So, you are in for a treat today…a short post here at LTG. I’ve got things to do this afternoon, so let’s get on with the down and dirty, shall we?

Yesterday, we finally got the grocery shopping done, and I paid in cash, about 22,000 pesos worth (7000 at YBC, 15,000 at Royal). Talk about a thick wallet! It was kinda sweet that the folks at YBC had noticed our absence these past two weeks.

After grocery shopping, we sent the driver and helper home to unload while Swan and I walked to the Harbor Point Mall. We stopped at the Globe store to pay my cell phone bill, and then I added Swan to my post-paid unlimited data plan. Now I will never have to hear those dreaded words, “Can I use your phone? I’m out of load” again.

Next stop was a sporting goods store in the mall, where I bought a new set of darts and the necessary accessories. Yes, I am considering taking up the game again after a hiatus of more than two years. I’m not going to go back to being a darts maniac playing five nights a week, but once in a while, it might be fun. We’ll see how that works out.

Then we were ready for lunch, and there was a newish restaurant in the mall I’d heard about.

Regular readers can probably guess what we ordered.

They tasted okay, but Swan judged them not as good as John’s place.

Then it was time to grab a taxi for home. SBMA has a taxi mafia, alleged set pricing, no meters, and no outside competition allowed. The cabs were lined up where we exited the mall, and the first one in the queue came to pick us up. I learned early in my Philippine life to always ask for the price prior to departure. How much to Barretto? “400 pesos,” the driver responded. I said the metered taxis outside are only 250. He shrugged and said, “Fixed pricing”. I shrugged and said okay, but before we were out of the parking lot, Swan clarified that we were going to Alta Vista. The driver said, “Alta Vista is 500 pesos.” I called bullshit, told him to stop the cab, and we got out. We walked to the SM Mall across the river (and off SBMA) and caught a cab there. This one didn’t have a meter either, but the quoted price was 300 pesos. I added a 50 peso tip when we arrived safely in Alta Vista. And no, it is not about the money; it’s about being scammed.

At beer o’clock, we headed back into town and made Red Bar our first stop. We’ve always been patio sitters there, and we used to have it mostly to ourselves. These days, Cliff and Ashley, formerly of It Doesn’t Matter, are running the Red Bar show, and it seems all the old regulars from IDM have followed them there.

It’s a new vibe at Red Bar, but we still had our usual good time. Ashley is a fellow Hasher whose company we enjoy, and we wish her and hubby Cliff all the best in their new gig.

At dinner time, we crossed the highway to Jewel Cafe.

Then a nightcap at Green Room before triking home and bringing our Thursday to an end.

From the January 2017 LTG archives, here is a pictorial post about my welcoming the New Year in the Philippines (Puerto Galera and Manila). Two places I wouldn’t want to live, but one of these days I may revisit Puerto Galera so I can experience it when I don’t feel like I’m dying.

Speaking of dying, today’s YouTube video shares six signs that may signal you are in your last year. Well, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling since I turned 70 that the end is near, but most of these signs from the video are not currently present in my daily living experience. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Laugh while you can:

So, I’m going to head out soon to Alley Cats and see how those new arrows of mine fly. I expect I’ll be sloppy bad since I’ve not thrown for so long. They have a tournament on Fridays, but unless I warm up better than I expect, I doubt I’ll be participating. Well, if it is a singles tourney, I might, but I don’t want to crush the dreams of any partner who has the misfortune of drawing me as a teammate in doubles. Anyway, you’ve got to start somewhere.