My Brit “friend” John is the latest lefty to unfriend me on Facebook over politics. That’s something I’ve never done myself, but I don’t give a shit when it happens. I’d known John since we’d played darts together in Korea, and I don’t recall ever talking politics back then. Even now, I’ll just post memes like the one above and leave it at that without additional commentary. It’s amazing to see the head exploding reactions I get. In his final comment, John said that I’m a purveyor of hate. Oh well, at least I didn’t get shot. Good luck getting things sorted in your own fucked up country, John.

As far as days go, yesterday was a good one for me. Let me show you what I mean:

Here, let me zoom in for you:

Later in the afternoon, I attended to my weekly feeding of the Hideaway crew.

Next up for me was the Sunday dinner with Swan at John’s place. As soon as we sat down, she told the waitress, “Birria tacos, please.” Imagine the look of disappointment on Swan’s face when she was told they weren’t available. I don’t remember what she ordered instead, some stewed meat dish with rice, but it was not what she had been craving. I plan to surprise her with a visit to Myleen’s this week to get her birria fix.

We changed things up after dinner, stopping in at the seldom-visited Annex Bar. I secured the highway-facing table I prefer and was entertained watching the near misses in the heavy Sunday evening traffic. When it was time to move on, we went next door to Candy Bar. It was only our second-ever visit, and I was impressed to see dancers in matching outfits putting effort into their performance. Maybe they’ll participate in a future Battle of the Bars. Swan knew a couple of the waitresses, and my old friend from Cheap Charlies, Nerissa, was working, so we tabled them up and bought a round of lady drinks.

We popped into Wet Spot next for our nightcap.

I was glad to have lived through another day, and I’m going to keep trying for more as long as I am able.

I’ve progressed to October 2013 in the LTG archives. In this post, I wrote about watching my daughter’s induction into the Pelion High School Hall of Fame. Being a proud daddy was a special time in my life.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the LTG archives. It features a trail I won’t be hiking in this lifetime. Hell, I won’t even do it in my “do-over” life.

Humor me, please.

We have a typhoon headed this way, and it’s a rainy motherfucker outside. Today’s Hash will be a wet one for sure. The Hare, Leech My Nuggets, has already abandoned the mountainous Kalaklan trail he had planned and is substituting a Barretto street walk in its place. I plan to participate, but the weather may dictate just how far I’m willing to go. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

So, I shared the above on my Facebook in an effort to broaden the perspectives of my close-minded lefty friends. Jeremy, who is well-educated but fully indoctrinated, had this to say in response:

You’re comparing Roseanne’s Tweet to what Jimmy said? That’s utterly ridiculous. Here’s Kimmel’s quote:

“The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Then, a clip was shown of a journalist asking Trump how he felt about Kirk’s death. He paid lip service before talking about the White House ballroom.

Cut the bullshit. Trump has been pissy about the late-night hosts because they’re constantly calling him on his bullshit instead of kissing his ass, and he vowed to get them thrown off the air.

Was the joke in poor taste? Not necessarily considering that the Right was throwing shade at the Left and trans even before they caught the suspect or there was any evidence to prove anything. It was clearly a case of “Methinks him doth protest too much”.

Even Roseanne herself admitted that she deserved what she got because she crossed a line, and for a comedian to do that is serious business. However, Kimmel being fired for making a benign comment based in fact simply because it upset the current administration, and the Trump-appointed FCC chair could abuse his power to persuade Disney to take action is telling.

I responded thusly:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jeremy. We all have freedom of speech, but not freedom from consequences. Kimmel’s show was a bomb and losing millions, ABC saw an opportunity to get rid of him and took it.

I also shared Jonathon Turley’s (a law professor) take:

This week, Schiff is outraged by a company’s decision to suspend a host who refused to correct a false story he had spread.

For years, I appeared before these same leaders in Congress as they defended corporate censorship and dismissed allegations of collaboration with the government. I would not cancel Kimmel so long as his show was profitable. But I have long maintained that companies can limit the free speech of employees at work. I do not believe Kimmel should be censored on social media for spreading false information. At the same time, ABC does not have to lose money or viewers because an employee attacks others with vile, false claims.

Now Disney is accused of killing democracy itself, in league with Trump. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) attacked Trump for “trying to destroy our democracy” and acting like “many would-be despots.” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) used Kimmel’s suspension as evidence that “fascism is not on the way, it is here.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) insisted that suspending a host for spreading false information about a murder was “North Korea-style stuff” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that it is “what Putin would do.” It is a curious spin, since Putin and Kim Jong Un value media figures who spread false information — particularly about murders.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) went so far as to compare Kimmel to Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense and “Penman of the revolution.”

So Kimmel is now a hero of democracy — all he had to do was spread disinformation. That makes this the funniest joke that Kimmel never told.

There are plenty of other examples of the left cheering when someone on the right got canceled over something they said. So, I have to laugh when their heads explode when it happens to them.

And now, let’s get on with my life that matters.

Our Saturday on the town started earlier than usual as we had a three p.m. birthday party to attend.

The party was held at Johansson’s, and we’ll be back there on Monday for the Hash On-Home.

After departing the party, I was thinking a visit to Annex Bar would be a nice change of pace. Alas, all the streetside tables were full, so we continued on up the highway a bit and settled into our usual seats on the patio at Red Bar.

When six o’clock rolled around, we headed out to see the newest bar in town, Cyclone.

Cyclone just opened on Friday. The old dance stage has been torn out and replaced with additional seating. My personal preference is a sports bar vibe over a dancing bar, even if I don’t watch sports on TV.

I had the opportunity to meet the owner and was surprised to learn that she and her husband also own Nipsey’s Bar and the notorious Cloud 69. The numerous beers I had imbibed loosened my lips, and I recounted my tale of being overcharged for lady drinks at Cloud 69. I assumed it was the cashier who did the scamming, but the owner suspected it was the waitress. I told her the waitress was my friend from back in her days at Alaska Bar, so I didn’t think she would intentionally rip me off. The owner said she would address the issue.

Maybe because I was a bit tipsy, but after leaving Cyclone, Swan suggested we give Cloud 69 another chance, and I agreed. My waitress friend once again served us, and I told her about my meeting with the owner. She got a look of concern on her face, but I assured her I had not accused her of wrongdoing. I woke up during the night with a sick feeling, wondering if my words were going to result in my friend losing her job. I hope not; that was certainly not my intention.

And so it goes, and so it went.

From the September 2013 LTG archives, I write about getting “sucked in” to my vanilla American life with nothing of interest to blog about. My, how some things never change. Well, my life in the Philippines isn’t all that vanilla; it’s more like chocolate, but you know what I mean.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I haven’t watched previously. It’s getting harder and harder to find real people doing real talking, so I liked that. Plus, it is under ten minutes, which is about the extent of my attention span these days. Anyway, he discusses the challenges expats face when they move to the Philippines. I don’t care about the food, so that’s not an issue for me. The English is good enough, at least where I live. I made the decision not to drive here, and I have never regretted it. It’s damn crazy on the roads. Yeah, Jeepneys and trikes can be uncomfortable, but you adapt. The heat, humidity, and rain are just the facts of life here; why bother complaining about the weather? Dating isn’t an issue for me either now that I’ve found the one. It took me a while, though.

Time for the funny business:

That’s all there is to say for now, but I’ll go out and live some more and tell you all about it tomorrow.

And why should I care? That’s why I like hanging out at It Doesn’t Matter.

Sorry, nothing significant to report, not that that will stop me. I’ll keep it as brief and picturesque as I can, though. We’ll kick it off with the Friday group hike. It had been a rainy night, so we wanted to keep things on the level. Street walks do tend to be a tad on the boring side, but we got a change of scenery by walking seven kilometers FROM Waltermart to Barretto on the backroads. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:

Back at home and hungry, and Swan served me this:

It was better than the burritos I make. I had her make me another one after this morning’s walk.

Once again, I chose not to attend the emaciated version of the SOB dance competition. I hear that once again, almost no one else went either. The news now is that the final SOB show will be held in two weeks at Wet Spot. I plan to be there for the funeral edition of this twenty-plus-year weekly event.

I got a haircut, then we hung out at It Doesn’t Matter before heading to our nightcap at Green Room. Exciting shit, eh? That’s just the way I roll.

I’ve progressed to September 2013 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I tell the story of my chance encounter with a star in Prescott, Arizona. Ah, the memories of days gone by are part and parcel to being an old man.

In today’s YouTube video, the sexy Filipina Pea talks about getting fucked. Sadly, it is YouTube doing the fucking. I honestly don’t understand what’s up with that; the Pea is not political or even controversial. I’d noticed that her videos are no longer showing up in my feed, but I just figured she wasn’t posting as often now that she is in the USA. Henceforth, I’ll make it a point to look for her videos on a regular basis.

To the humor we shall go:

I hope this post wasn’t too painful for you. Hearing the Pea talk about how boring some vloggers are when they incessantly talk about the goings-on in their lives made me think, ‘Good thing she doesn’t read my blog.’ Well, it is what it is. We’ll see what happens next.

What’s the point of trying? Let them wallow in blissful ignorance.

Not a lot to say about my yesterday, but here goes. Swan joined me for a pleasant enough street walk around Barretto.

We finished our hike at Jewel Cafe. It was brunch time, and I once again faced the dilemma: pancakes or French toast? The easiest resolution was to have both, so that’s just what I did.

They were both scrumptious. And in my defense, I skipped lunch.

At beer o’clock, we began our seldom-visited venue quest at my old darts hangout, Alley Cats. After a pleasant visit, we crossed the highway for dinner at Mango’s.

After our meal, we crossed the highway again and popped in to see what was happening at Nipsey’s. Not much, we were the only customers. They did have eight gals on stage who were at least going through the motions of dancing. That’s a rarity these days. We did our nightcap at Queen Victoria, which had a few customers and a more lively vibe. After that, we called it a night and headed home.

Ain’t life grand?

In August 2013, I was busy establishing the Columbia Area Darts Association. Part of that effort was creating an appropriate logo. This post recounts the results of that endeavor.

Ten years ago, I posted this observation in Itaewon on Facebook.

I apologize in advance for the crap narration in today’s YouTube video. As to the issues raised, I kept thinking: “Relax. Take a deep breath. Accept the Filipino way.” There may indeed be different work ethics amongst the poor here, but from my outside observations, the issue isn’t laziness.

We’ll end on a high note:

Time to get on with my life. Such as it is.

I posted the above on my Facebook, thinking it was relatively innocuous. So many of my lefty friends simply regurgitate the bullshit they are fed by the MSM rather than seek other sources and think for themselves. I considered the meme as a friendly reminder to get the whole story. I’ve certainly posted meaner shit intended to make heads explode, but that was not my motive with this. Anyway, I was surprised by a couple of the comments I received. My woke “friend” John from the UK said:

“Keep up the hate john, its really becoming”

Okay, that’s pretty much par for the course with him, but I don’t see anything hateful in the meme, even if you argue that it is me who is brainwashed. But the comment that hurt was from a former co-worker who I’ve always admired and respected:

I feel sad. Your views that you’ve shared make me question if we were really friends and how you feel about me as a Black woman.

Wow. I responded, “Are you serious? I recall discussions we’ve had that included race, and I appreciated your perspectives. I’m an old-school Democrat who took the teachings of Martin Luther King to heart. I judge people on character, not skin color. Honestly, it hurts that you doubt that about me.” It is really sad that a person I consider to be very intelligent sees racism in that meme. But that seems to be the leftwing perspective and message to divide us as a nation. From what I’ve read, people of color, especially Hispanics, are seeing the light and rejecting the race-baiting of the left. Maybe there is still hope for America.

Okay, I’m glad I’m not living in that world these days. Here’s the news from my sheltered small town life in the Philippines.

We decided to keep it a mostly flat walk out to Naugsol to check on progress for the new bypass highway. Lord knows it would be good to get some cars off the National Highway in Barretto.

Damn, after the hike, my first hot shower in ten days was a wonderful experience.

Swan was busy with other things, so my Wednesday on the town was a mostly solo adventure. I had a few beers at Sloppy Joe’s, then headed to Sit-n-Bull for dinner.

The big event was a memorial at Wet Spot for the recently deceased Art Miller.

After the sendoff, I made my way home and ended another day of life. Live ’em while you got ’em!

I have moved on to August 2013 in the LTG archives, and lo and behold, I was dealing with racism back then, too. I had no idea then just how bad things would become in the here and now.

Today’s YouTube video features Smart Girl Philippines expounding on the laws of nature. Or the nature of relationships with Filipinas anyway.

And now for your daily dose of lameness:

Let’s leave it at that for now.

I came across an article, “Your Past Life Identity, According to Birth Date,” and it caught my attention enough to take a look to see what I was before I became who I am. This is what it said about being born on the 27th:

If you’re born on the 9th, 18th, or 27th, you might be able to unlock your past life all on their own. Your past life may come to you in your dreams. Music, movies, books, and museums will help you remember. Your intuitive skills have transcended lifetimes, which is why you’re an old soul who can recall memories and recognize soulmates. In another life, you were known for your psychic abilities. You might have been an oracle, a high priestess, or a witch. Whether you were spiritual or religious, you had a special connection with spirit. Some may have revered you; others may have feared you. No matter what happened in the past, give yourself grace as you find balance between the spiritual world and physical world in this lifetime.

Go ahead and click the link above if you want to discover your past life. I’ll wait. Okay, are you back? I found it a little amusing, but not meaningful. My mother was big-time into astrology, but I always thought it was bullshit. It did remind me of this old joke, though:

I get up to pee several times during the night, and sometimes I have trouble turning my mind off and falling back asleep. I think doing the LTG archives journey and Facebook memories thing is fucking with my mind. Remembering the happy (for me) life I shared with Jee Yeun and the devastation I felt when she left me is probably something I’ll never overcome. My original plan was to retire in August 2010 and move to the Philippines. Things went wrong during a preparation visit here in July 2010, and I ultimately decided to take a different path that led to marriage, buying a house, and building a shared life. We spent six months in South Carolina and six months in South Korea each year, and while I can’t say everything was perfect, it was the happiest time I’ve ever experienced in my life. When it ended, I wanted to die, and I thought I’d do it in a “Leaving Las Vegas” kind of way. I wasn’t too far down that road when I changed my mind and started walking towards a healthier lifestyle instead.

The thought that popped into my brain last night was an epiphany of sorts: maybe I’m living that “do-over life” I always fantasize about. Yes, the marriage detour took me off course for eight years, but here I am in the Philippines, living the retired life I’d dreamed about. Did I avoid past mistakes in this do-over version? Yes and no. I carried the hard lessons learned with me, but proceeded to find new ways to fuck up. And now I’ve settled into a safe and secure relationship, but I also know from past experience that it creates a vulnerability to potential pain and sorrow. So, I’ll keep my guard up and move forward into an unknown tomorrow.

On one of the Philippines forums I frequent (piatnight), I found a post about the history of Hashing that I found interesting. Just scroll on down if you don’t give a shit about the Hash.

Hashing originated in December 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia). A group of British immigrants began meeting on Friday evenings, to run in a fashion patterned after the traditional British game of hare and hounds, in which one or two “hare” runners scatter a trail of cut paper for the “hounds” to track.^[1] Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, Harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer, and cigarettes. With hash names in parentheses, the original members included Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert (“G”), Cecil Lee, Frederick Thomson (“Horse”), Ronald Bennett (“Torch”), Eric Galvin, H.M. Doig, and John Woodrow.^[2]

A. S. Gispert suggested the name “Hash House Harriers” after the Selangor Club Annex, known as the “Hash House”, where several of the original hashers lived and dined.^[3][4] The “Hash House” got its name for “its hodgepodge of edible servings being passed off for food”. The term hash was used as an old British slang for “bad food”.

Hashing ceased after the Invasion of Malaya during World War II, but several of the original group restarted it in 1946, after the war, and switched to meeting on Monday evenings. A.S.I. Gispert had been killed on 11 February 1942, in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters with an annual Gispert Memorial Run.

While attempting to reorganize in the city of Kuala Lumpur after World War II, hashers were informed by the Registrar of Societies that, since they were a “group”, they would require a constitution.^[5] The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950 are:

• To promote physical fitness among our members
• To get rid of weekend hangovers
• To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
• To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the second chapter in Singapore. Chapters are commonly called Kennels, following in tradition to similar Hound & Hare clubs. The idea spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, and North America, expanding rapidly during the mid-1970s.^[6]

There are almost 1500 chapters in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories and magazines, and organizing regional and world hashing events. As of 2003, there were even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica.^[7]

Okay, let’s get on with the usual drivel you’ve come to expect here at LTG. It was Tuesday, and that meant heading into the city to do my grocery shopping.

But we eventually got there. Had to do my “take a deep breath, relax, accept the Filipino way” mantra while checking out at YBC. I pay by credit card, and the floor supervisor is required to enter a code before the cashier can process my payment. They only had one supervisor on duty, and she was occupied at the other cashiers for a long-ass time. Oh, and after I paid, they had to call the supervisor back to initial the receipt before I could exit the store. I’m sure they have their reasons for this process, but damn, they ought to have adequate staff on hand to implement it. Okay, rant over.

Took care of business at Royal and decided to walk the highway back home. It had been a while since I did that photo every thousand steps thing, so here you go:

Later in the day, it was back to the beach in keeping with our Tuesday traditions.

At dinner hour, we moved up the beach to Treasure Island.

We did a nightcap at Snackbar, then grabbed a trike for home. Not a bad day for a Tuesday.

It’s still July 2013 in the LTG archive journey, and in this post, I talk about getting the car loaded and ready for a road trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end.

I found today’s YouTube video in the LTG archives as well. Still funny and relevant twelve years later.

We’ll end this on a funny note. Hopefully:

And there you have it. To end this post on a happy note, I woke up this morning to discover water service has been restored after being dry for these past ten days.

Back tomorrow with some more tidings, assuming I don’t get squished crossing the highway tonight.

Let’s remember the late great Kris Kristofferson.

"If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen,
"To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear.
"And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about,
"Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?"

There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind,
Who were crucified for what they tried to show.
And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time.
'Cos the truth remains that no-one wants to know.

Anyhoo, I’m going to give a brief report on my fun in the sun day and then get ready to Hash. We got out for the usual Sunday Sweets Stroll to start things off. Here are some highlights:

The rest of the day was in keeping with Sunday traditions.

Then it was the Sunday dinner at John’s place with Swan.

After-dinner drinks at Red Bar, a nightcap at Wet Spot, then we were homeward bound. And so ended another day in the life.

In this post from the June 2013 LTG archives, I recount my experience going to war with Time Warner Cable. And then in a July 2013 post, I tell how things turned out.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay shares the reasons why 85% of dating relationships with Filipinas don’t last beyond three months. Hmm, I can relate. I have zero tolerance for drama, and when a girl I’d met showed signs of being a drama queen, I was done. Better to stick with transactional relationships than that bullshit.

I thought it was funny:

So, we’ll leave it at that for today. I’m going to walk the 2K to the start of today’s Hash trail on Rizal Extension, and decide where to go from there. I’m leaning toward keeping it on the street. The On-Home is at Kim’s place on Baloy Beach, and that’s a pretty good journey from the start, even without a mountain climb. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Making up a word is fundamentally profound, right? Anyway, just some random thoughts about things I heard. Like at dinner last night, Jeff off-handedly said, “You only live once.” Swan responded with, “No, you only die once. You live every day.” That resonated with me for some reason. And while we were doing the Candy Walk yesterday, a new name came to mind: Decay Dance. Swan didn’t get it until I showed her the definition of decadence. And while we were having lunch the other day, the background music was Christmas songs. I announced that during the “ber” months, there are only twenty-five letters in the alphabet. The other folks at the table gave me a funny look, and then I pointed out that the song being played was “Noel.” Yeah, I won’t quit my day job. Oh, wait. I don’t have one.

On then to the usual LTG drivel, starting with the Candy Walk Decay Dance:

Neighbors Jeff and Davina invited us to join them for dinner at Texas Joe’s on SBMA. TJ’s features the best damn grilled meat I’ve had since moving here, and it had been too long since my last visit, so I jumped at the opportunity. We left at four to beat the traffic and enjoy a pre-dinner beverage at an SBMA bar I’ve walked by but never ventured inside (they don’t open until four p.m., and I walk in the mornings).

Then we loaded up and headed to Texas.

After dinner, Jeff wanted to try one of the rooftop bars we’ve heard about but never visited. We found one on top of a nearby SBMA hotel.

But we weren’t done quite yet. On the way home we stopped in Barretto for a nightcap at Queen Victoria.

Jeff has his clock timer set for 8 p.m. as a reminder that beer o’clock has come to an end. It went off, and so were we. It was great being out and seeing something new and enjoying a great meal with friends.

Today marks one week without running water. It sucks, there’s no getting used to that. I’ve developed a bathing technique that is basically a sponge bath (well, washcloth) and a rinse. But damn, pouring that cold water over my head at the end is something I dread. I’m told they have begun the pipe repair work, so hopefully things will be flowing again soon.

It’s easy to rag on the Philippines and its third-world nature of essential utilities like water service, but in the June 2013 LTG archives, I came across a post where I ranted about the lack of service I was dealing with in the good old USA.

For today’s YouTube video I’m going to share something else I posted here twelve years ago: teenagers reacting to hearing Gangnam Style for the first time. It’s still funny to see all these years later. And yes, this is one of my favorite Korean songs.

Want some more to laugh about?

That’s enough wordplay for today, don’t you think? I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

The craziness of the left remains at full volume. Today, the lies are that the man arrested for the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a conservative Republican. I’m not sure who they are marketing this nonsense to, but you’d have to be beyond stupid to believe it. I guess I just answered my own question. This captures the way I see it succinctly:

The social media wasn’t all crap. Here’s a tribute song by Rhianna that sets the right tone:

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. I posted the above video on my Facebook and said, “Put away the hate for a moment.” Here’s the first comment I received:

Your the one putting the hate out! Jesus, you’re thick, and brave! Retired postman living overseas calling for war and violence! Pathetic, letting others do the fighting again i see.

You can’t fix stupid.

Meanwhile, here in my Asian paradise, life goes on just as it always does.

Here are some photos from the Friday group hike:

Things went a little askew when we lost the trail and had to bushwhack through a jungle of sticker bushes for a bit.

We kicked off our Friday evening out at It Doesn’t Matter. For dinner, we visited Jewel Cafe.

Some after-dinner beverages at Red Bar followed, then we closed out our evening with a nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks.

We stayed at Jumpin’ Jacks a little later than usual because Swan wanted to hear the live music that began at eight.

No complaints; it was a good day and a good night.

Here’s some interesting news about things going on in Subic Bay militarily. Also, the shipyard across the bay (which is visible from where I sit writing this post) has now opened for business.

My journey through the LTG archives has arrived in May 2013. In this post, I talk about my first (and only) trip to Disney World. I grew up just a few miles from the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and I also share memories from those long-ago days of my youth.

Time to check in with the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. In it, Pea discusses issues that may arise in older-younger relationships, which are so prevalent in the Philippines. Well, there’s only a thirty-year gap between me and Swan, so I don’t foresee any problems. My record is a fifty-year difference, and that was enough even to freak my perverted self out.

Here we go with this lame shit again:

And so it goes. Until next time.

Twenty-four years ago, my routine workday in Washington, DC, went crazy. I was at the Department of Education, not the Pentagon, so I can be thankful for that. Two of the people living in my subdivision were not so lucky. I wrote about that day here. On this somber anniversary, I also pay tribute to two heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others: James Raymond Coyle and Samuel Oitice.

Here’s the news from the world in which I currently reside:

Ed suggested we do Monday’s Hash trail in reverse, and lacking any better options, that’s what we did. It was new for everyone except Ed and me, and doing it backwards made it feel a little different, so it worked out fine.

Later on, Swan and I did our Wednesday seldom-visited bars thing, starting at Outback.

I think this is the second time we’ve ordered food from the Outback kitchen.

Next on our agenda was attending the grand opening of the Wombat bar. I had high hopes this would be the Barretto beach bar I’ve been dreaming of. The venue has been vacant since the COVID shutdowns. I looked at it a couple of years ago, thinking that maybe if I wanted a beach bar that badly, I should open one. Then it occurred to me that’s how dreams become nightmares, so I put those silly thoughts away.

So, this location used to be the Gum Leaves Resort. Now there’s a gay bar on the highway, and the Wombat bar is on the beachside. You have to walk through the hotel lobby, past some rooms, and the empty pool to get to the bar. That’s a bit of a pain in the ass. We arrived shortly after the six p.m. opening time, and we were the first (and only) customers. I don’t know why it still surprises me, but several of the staff welcomed me by name, and not one of them looked familiar to me. One told me she used to work at Sloppy Joe’s. The manager, who also knew my name, apologized because, although the Facebook post called it a “grand opening,” in reality, yesterday was just a soft opening. Alrighty then.

First impressions: the music was loud and inappropriate for an old white guy (sorry, girls, we don’t like the shit you listen to). They did eventually change the style to a more “easy listening” mode, which I appreciated. I ordered a San Miguel Zero, but they didn’t have it, so I took a San Mig Light instead. It took them a while to find a bottle opener (talk about a soft opening!). The service was good and friendly. I got invited to sing karaoke on stage, but I declined. So, it seems that will be one of the offerings here, and there are few things I like less when I’m trying to relax and enjoy a beer. We left after one drink.

I’m not saying I’ll never return, but I found Wombat to be generally disappointing.

We did our nightcap at Queen Victoria.

And then, our next-door neighbors, Jeff and Davina, joined us.

A couple of more beers, some chat, and then a free ride home. Amusingly, Jeff has now set his phone alarm for 8 p.m. to remind him when it is time to call it a night. We are on the same page!

I have now arrived at March 2013 in the LTG archives. In this post, I reminisce about my life in 1976. I had a good run my first time through the seventies, this see what happens this time.

Today’s YouTube is from Reekay, and he tells the story of how his dating life in the USA came to an end. Women can be crazy everywhere, of course, but at least here in Asia, they are hot, sexy, and younger.

Let’s take a moment to smile:

And that’s the end of today’s post. See what I mean?

I’ve always thought this song somehow captures the emotions of that awful day, twenty-four years ago.

Or so I keep telling myself. Well, being an old fucker beats the only other option available.

What yesterday was, was Tuesday, probably the least interesting day of my weekday routines. Still, you gotta do what you gotta do, and yesterday I needed to renew my tourist visa for another sixty days. That went without a hitch. In fact, the woman behind the counter actually spoke to me about something other than the renewal process for the first time in all these years, asking me if I could recommend a beach resort for an event she was planning. I suggested Treasure Island on Baloy. She pulled it up on her phone and seemed pleased with what she saw, and thanked me.

We changed things up a tad in the grocery shopping routine with a visit to the Puregold supermarket. I can occasionally find items there that are not otherwise available at Royal, and so I’ll check it out once every three months or so. No big finds yesterday, but still managed to leave them with 7000 of my pesos.

I’ve been experiencing some issues with my ATM card; none of the machines in Barretto can read the chip for some unknown reason. Luckily, it still works at the BPI machine at Harbor Point Mall on SBMA. Not convenient, but better than nothing. I need to order a new card at some point, but that’s a whole other hassle to get it delivered in the Philippines. Anyway, Swan suggested that I open an account at her bank and wire my money there, then use a local ATM card for withdrawals. So, we stopped by the branch on SBMA, but when they learned I was on a tourist visa, it was a no-go. Oh well.

No problems encountered at Royal, although I did find myself on the Dole.

Back home, groceries unloaded, and I hit the streets for my neighborhood walk.

Tuesday afternoon, Swan and some of the lady Hashers spent some time with the recently departed Jerry Rowe, aka Fucking Old Man.

Sitting around with the remains of the deceased is a thing here in the Philippines, but it is not my thing and never has been. When I lost my best friend, Linda, I visited her at the hospice but did not attend her funeral. I want my last memories to be of the person alive. The last time I saw Jerry was at the Hash On-Home at Smokes and Bottles, sipping on a beer and soaking up the Hash vibes. That’s what I’ll remember. Jerry is scheduled to be cremated tomorrow, and his ashes will be entombed at the Clark Veterans Cemetery in Angeles City.

We made plans for Swan to meet me on Baloy when she was finished paying her respects to Jerry.

Another quiet night on Baloy, even Treasure Island was devoid of customers.

So, there was a birthday celebration scheduled for the Hash Grandmaster, Buddy Fucker, at Wet Spot starting at nine. That’s a little late for my blood, but I wanted to at least stop by to offer my congratulations, so we surprised our trike driver by saying Wet Spot instead of Alta Vista.

Except the birthday boy wasn’t there. We waited around until 9:30 and then called it a night. I don’t think I’ll be changing my early bird ways anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the news on the lack of water just keeps getting worse. Neighbor Mike, who acts as kind of an unofficial neighborhood representative, went to the water department to find out what the fuck is going on. Here’s the report he sent us:

MET THIS MORNING WITH PRIME WATER MANAGEMENT…. PRIME CANNOT EVEN START TO WORK ON THE PROBLEM TILL THE WATER IN THE RIVER GOES DOWN. THEY ARE ANTISIPATING 4 WEEKS. IF IT RAINS IT WILL EXTEND THE TIME.

THERE IS STILL SOME WATER TRICKELING LATE AT NIGHT BUT ANYONE WITH PRIME WILL SEE THAT STOP SOON AS THE WATER BLEEDS OUT OF THE SYSTEM.

JT AND JOHN DID NOT GET WATER BECAUSE THE TRUCK WAS 3 HOURS LATE DUE TO THE TRUCK LEAKING ALMOST AS MUCH WATER AS IT WAS PUMPING…. THE TRUCKS HAD TO MAKE MORE TRIPS TO REFILL THAN USUAL BECAUSE OF THAT. PRIME IS FIXING THAT TODAY AND ALSO GETTING A LONGER HOSE TO FILL THE WATER.

So, the situation stinks. Or maybe that’s me. It looks like I’m going to have to get used to sponge baths and cold bucket of water showers for the foreseeable future.

I’m sure I’ll be looking for some opportunities to get away and stay at a beach resort with heated showers somewhere. Stay tuned.

From the LTG archives, in February 2013, I wrote about one of the first steps I took in my climb to the top of the government Human Resources ladder: serving as Acting Director of HR at the Roanoke, Virginia, Management Sectional Center for the US Postal Service.

It’s time to visit Smart Girl Philippines again. In today’s YouTube video, she discusses things you don’t want to do after having sex with a Filipina. Ah, I remember those days of transactional relationships. Empty, but strangely satisfying. But, I’m older and wiser (shuddup!) now.

Speaking of being old, let’s go with these today:

And that’s all I’ve got for today. A new beach bar is opening tonight, and I’m going to pop in for a look. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Perhaps the nicest thing about a getaway is coming home with a new appreciation of the comforts of home. I’m committed to getting out of town at least once every month, so I guess getting a change of scenery is now one of my routines.

I decided to wait until we got back home to take a shower. That proved to be a mistake.

Oh well, I chose to live in a third-world country, so this is just part of the adventure that comes with that. Still no water as of now, but I remain hopeful the new pipe will be in place soon.

I opted out of the Hideaway feeding, but I did wire Joy some money so the girls could eat. They chose to cook their own meal. Joy documented the event in photos:

I did keep my dinner date with Swan at John’s place.

Next up, our traditional after-dinner stop at Red Bar.

Finding our nightcap destination turned into a bit of an adventure. The plan was Wet Spot, but neither of our friends was working last night, so we went next door to Green Room, but it was packed, and the seats we liked (with a view of the pool table) were full. I was thinking we’d just plop down at Sloppy Joe’s, but Swan suggested we try somewhere different for a change, and suggested my friend Roan’s karaoke place. Sure, why not? It’s a pretty good trek up the highway, and when we got there, I was surprised to see it was closed. Now what? Well, the Billabong bar at Outback Resort was right across the highway, so we made the dash successfully and plopped ourselves down.

Usually, when we make the rare visit to Outback, we sit at the outdoor poolside bar. I can’t even remember the last time we ventured into the indoor bar.

I messaged Roan to find out what was going on with her joint, and she sent me this:

And so our first night back in Barretto came to an end.

And now it is January 2013 in the LTG archives. To start the new year, I did a pictorial post with the highlights from 2012. It was a good year in a life that is now gone forever.

I’m going to lighten things up with today’s YouTube video. It is one I posted on my blog thirteen years ago, but I enjoyed re-watching it today. Maybe you will too. Best of all, it’s only three minutes long.

I’m going to change things up a little bit in the humor category today in order to solicit folks to sign up for Kevin Kim’s Substack grammar improvement site.

So, be like me and go sign up for Kevin’s Substack posts. Even if I’m incapable of learning, it’s entertaining.

And now it is time to prepare for another Hash Monday. I’m going to walk the 2K to the start and take it from there. I’ll let y’all know how it goes tomorrow.

It was Thirstday, after all.

My neighbors, Jeff and Davina, had seen a map I posted on Facebook of one of my hikes on the My Bitch trail. That path runs through the hills behind our subdivision, and Jeff asked if I’d show them where to go. Of course, I agreed, and we made plans to do so on Thursday. Well, it was a rainy morning, but to my surprise, they still wanted to go. Fine by me, wet with sweat or soaked with rain, it’s all the same.

At beer o’clock, we visited my old darts haunt, Alley Cats. Owner Flor had given me a beer card for my birthday, and those six free beers weren’t going to drink themselves. I only managed four before prudence dictated I should go get something to eat.

So, we successfully crossed the highway and made our way to Mango’s.

Swan got messaged by some of her friends that they were hanging out at Annex Bar, so when Swan asked if we could stop by, I, of course, agreed to do so. They hung out in the back doing what girls do and downing tequila shots, and I sat up front enjoying the highway view, whilst sipping a cold San Miguel Zero.

We did our nightcap at Green Room, but Swan drank water there. She’s a lightweight when her peers entice her to join them in shots of the hard stuff. I would be, too. That’s why I stick to low-alcohol beer. We made it home safe and went to bed early. Right after Swan finished throwing up. She made it to the toilet, though, so good on her.

In sad news, we lost a member of the Hash, Fucking Old Man (Jerry Walsh). Jerry had the most Hash runs of any living Subic Bay Hasher. His familiar face will be missed. I recall my first-ever Hash as a tourist in Subic back in 2017. Jerry was in his 80s and looked it, but the gal standing beside him was a hottie. I knew then that I’d find contentment in the Philippines!

Our new housekeeper from Samar province is settling in.

Darts, at one time, were a big part of my life, and in this post from October 2012, I explained my cricket pointing strategy. Probably sounds like Greek to anyone who doesn’t play, but it does reflect my level of dedication to the game, even if my ability to execute was lacking.

This day in my Facebook history included:

Thirteen years ago, I was playing around making memes:

Today’s YouTube is the follow-up to the one I posted yesterday. The vlogger leaves AC and spends the next five days in Subic. He wasn’t impressed. Hey, it’s not for everyone, but I like it just fine here. The video captures the Barretto vibe. As I mentioned, I am not familiar with this vlogger’s work, but I did notice that the narration has a different accent from the AC video. That was weird. I randomly looked at a third video of his, and it is back to a more normal-sounding voice. I’m guessing they must all be AI-generated.

Humor time:

Alright, it is time to head out to Angeles City, courtesy of our neighbor Jeff and his lovely wife, Davina. I’m not a big AC fan, but I do like an occasional change of scenery. Jeff has some places in mind to show us, so we’ll see how it goes. At least you will have something different to read about here.

Wednesday and walking go together like a foot in a shoe, so I put them on and headed out.

We discussed options under the threatening skies and opted to do the Matain-Calapacuan-San Isidro street walk.

For the evening out, I had planned to kick things off at Red Bar. Alas, a biker club had the same plan and beat me to it. All the outdoor seats were filled, so we just continued up the highway and popped into John’s place for the dinner we missed on Sunday.

I was surprised to see several dart players in the second-floor dining area, then I remembered that John’s now has a team in the dart league. They had just finished winning their match against Sloppy Joe’s and were enjoying some post-game beverages. It was nice chatting with some of my old darts buddies.

Then a group of several young non-Filipino people (early thirties, I’d judge, including one hot female) came in. I suspect they are crewmembers from one of the merchant ships I’ve seen anchored in the harbor. Seeing the crowd filling the dining area, they started to turn around to leave. One of the dart players said, “You should stay, this is the best food in town.” I added that the upstairs area had lots of seating, and so they all headed up. I watched the solitary waitress carrying trays of drinks and plates of food, so it was a big night for John’s customer-wise.

John’s daughter came in and took over serving the downstairs folks, which was just me and Swan after the darters departed.

With dinner out of the way, I suggested we give Red Bar another try. As we exited John’s, the rain was coming down hard, so we dashed into the bar next door, Dempsey’s. They don’t serve wine by the glass there, so we don’t stop by often, but otherwise, it has a nice, relaxed vibe. I had a beer and then the rain let up, so we hit the highway again. The Red Bar patio was still full of bikers, so we kept moving and went to Jumpin’ Jacks instead.

We once again enjoyed the vibe and music at Jumpin’ Jacks, then made our way back home.

We’ve hired a new house helper, and she arrived from the province last night. She is the aunt of our neighbor’s helper, so at least it isn’t a blind hire. She’s been busy all morning with the chores, so, so far, so good.

It’s now October 2012 in the LTG archives. I’m back for another few months of my Korean retirement life, and in this post, I share the adventure of a visit to Naksan. It was a good life while it lasted.

I’ll be heading out tomorrow for a weekend in Angeles City with my neighbors, Jeff and Davina. Today’s YouTube video is from a new (to me) vlogger sharing his four-day experience in AC. Like me, he’s not a big fan of the nightlife scene there, but the video will give you a good taste of what’s in store for us. At the end of the video, he’s on a bus for Subic, so I’ll need to look to see if he enjoyed that more.

On to the funny business:

And so it went. Let’s keep it going!