Most men and women lead lives at the worst so painful, at the best so monotonous, poor and limited that the urge to escape, the longing to transcend themselves if only for a few moments, is and has always been one of the principal appetites of the soul.” –Aldous Huxley

It almost seems like Huxley suffered through daily reads here at LTG. Sometimes, I do feel like I’m playing out the string of whatever days that remain in this lifetime. But I honestly can’t help but think that I’ve earned the right to enjoy my time here in a laid-back and uncaring manner. Lord knows, I’ve been transcending myself for over fifty years; I need a break!

I’ve been ill today for the first time in a long time: lethargy, loss of appetite (nothing since breakfast), fever, and nausea (threw up once, but my stomach was mostly empty) are the symptoms du jour. Swan, bless her heart, is a certified caregiver, and she’s been working hard all afternoon to give me some comfort. And now I feel strong enough to subject you to more of the pain you’ve come to expect here.

I hadn’t had a hike since Monday’s Hash, but no one in the Friday group felt the need to hit the trail. Swan and I undertook our own journey, walking the seven kilometers from our house to WalterMart on the backroads of San Isidro, Naugsol, and Manga Vacca. It felt good to be out and about once again.

We skipped the SOB last night and started out at Sloppy Joe’s. Then we visited Sit-n-Bull for our dinner.

After a brief nightcap at The Green Room, we called it a night and headed for home.

And there you have it, a day with not much to blog about, but that didn’t stop me. As usual.

In July 2009, I was blogging about my trip to Bali. Loads of pictures from my second day there. Damn, looking back, it was the best vacation of my life. In the coming days, I will talk more about some of the happenings. No energy to do so today.

For today’s YouTube video, we’ll visit Smart Girl Philippines with a story as short and sweet as she is (one and a half minutes). She says giving money to your girl’s family will not endear you to them. My method is giving Swan a healthy allowance; she can spend it as she sees fit. I know she helps some of her nieces with school supplies and stuff, but I never get asked. That works for me.

Here’s some humor before I go lay down again:

And that’s it for now. Today has been a good reminder of how quickly things can change health-wise. I’m glad it wasn’t more serious, but the fact that I’ll be staying home on a Saturday night and not drinking at all demonstrates how whupped I’m feeling. Hopefully, I’ll recover in time for tomorrow’s Hash.