Yesterday was almost as empty as it could be. I never even left the house until beer o’clock. I’d had another rough night with the breathing issues and just didn’t feel like doing shit, so I didn’t. But I had some SOB coupons that were due to expire, and that provided the necessary motivation to get off my ass and head into town for a bit.
My first stop was BarCelona. Swan ran an errand and then joined me there. My third-floor view was nothing special given the cloudy/hazy skies, but I did see this:
Climbing the stairs to BarCelona once was more than enough, but I wanted to get my daily donation down to the umbrella lady. I considered getting her attention and tossing it down, but then I thought of the potential ramifications of doing so (traffic, wind, some random person grabbing it first). About this time, the peanut vendor, Emmanuel, came into the bar. I bought my standard 100 pesos worth for the girls, and then Swan suggested we have the vendor deliver Mama’s stipend. He agreed to do so, so I handed him money for her and also bought some nuts for him to give her. That worked out fine. I thought it was sweet when Mama handed her friend some of the nuts.
After we finished our drinks, we moved downstairs to The Green Room so I could put those SOB coupons to work. I had six coupons that were due to expire:
- buy a lady drink, get two customer drinks
- buy a lady drink, get a customer drink
- a free blowjob shooter lady drink
- happy hour prices all night
- 15% off on food at Sit-n-Bull
- a free pizza upgrade (medium to large) at Sit-n-Bull
So, I got to work. My regular waitress is Chu, but semi-regular Lea took our order. Chu then joined us. I confirmed that the lady drink coupon included commission, and gave Lea the blowjob shooter. I ordered Chu a lady drink to earn my two free beers. When my beers were done, I bought Lea a lady drink and had another “free” beer (without the coupon, I could have purchased my beer for 110 pesos and skipped the 180 peso lady drink, but where’s the fun in that?) The Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, and I had Swan pick the pizza we’d upgrade to large and bring home for the basement dwellers. I ordered a sandwich for myself and some lumpia for Chu and Lea with the discount coupon. I gave the happy hour coupon to Chu to give some customer arriving after happy ended. Mission accomplished! I used all the coupons before expiration, got a nice beer buzz, and brought home some food.
But the night wasn’t over yet. We got home a little earlier than usual, so I fired up the TV, opened YouTube, and watched a movie from 1967 called The Born Losers. That’s the one I mentioned as purportedly being the predecessor to Billy Jack. The main character was indeed the half-breed Indian (I don’t think we called them Native Americans in the 60s), Green Beret Vietnam vet Billy Jack. Besides that, there was no real similarity or connection to the Billy Jack film. The Born Losers took place in a California beach town, and the filming locations included cities near where I was living as a twelve-year-old in 1967 (Seal Beach and Huntington Beach). I enjoyed seeing the sexy bikini-clad young woman and reliving those old 60s vibes.
The movie was one of the biker gang genres, with the typical bullying you’d expect, incompetent law enforcement, and citizens who didn’t want to get involved. I was honestly a bit shocked about the gang’s favorite pastime of raping teenage girls. Anyway, I’m sure it won’t be much of a spoiler to know that Billy Jack came in to save the day. I found it entertaining enough if nothing particularly special. I did enjoy the feeling of traveling back in time to the days of my youth. Next up will be The Trial Of Billy Jack, the genuine sequel to Billy Jack. I’ll get around to it one of these days.
I’m happy to report that I slept through the night without experiencing any breathing issues. I’m sorry to report that the dog walk left me breathless again, so I bailed on the Friday group hike. Swan and I did do an abbreviated (and mostly flat) candy walk today. So, at least I got off my lazy ass for a bit.
And for the first time in a long time, I wrote a poem.
I can’t post pictures in my comments section, but here are a couple in response to questions posed:
Today’s political meme:
There are no worthy Facebook memories today, but I did happen upon this post from last year about my first meeting with Mary. We still have some occasional contact on Facebook. She’ll be starting college next month, and I’ll be providing some limited (and no strings attached) financial support. She’s a smart young woman, and I would love to see her achieve her dreams of a degree and escape the cycle of poverty.
Today’s YouTube video features the Filipina Pea as an advice columnist responding to viewer emails. There are some really good lessons in this one.
Today’s humor potpourri:
We are going to attend the SOB at Alaska Club this evening. And as long as life goes on, you are a winner.
John, I’m disappointed. July 12th is National Pecan Pie Day. https://nationaltoday.com/national-pecan-pie-day/
I expected that you would have finished off your bar crawl with a piece of Pean Pie. LOL
Climbing the stairs to BarCelona once was more than enough, but I wanted to get my daily donation down to the umbrella lady.
Just to be clear: the umbrella lady is mama’s friend, not mama herself…?
I considered getting her attention and tossing it down
Not a very nice way to give someone money, dude. I’d recommend respect. Next time, please walk over to her and hand her the money yourself.
So, I got to work.
Sounds as though you were lucky to be able to use up so many coupons in one go. In the US, that’s usually not possible. One coupon per trip.
I’ll get around to it one of these days.
Which reminds me: did you ever finish “Blue Eye Samurai,” or did that stall out?
I’m happy to report that I slept through the night without experiencing any breathing issues. I’m sorry to report that the dog walk left me breathless again, so I bailed on the Friday group hike.
What’s the date for when you see the pulmonary specialist?
This is from the Snackbar Facebook page…one word, despite what their new sign says.
I’ve written about similar inconsistencies in Korean signage, especially hotels/motels that don’t care about word order. A hotel might be called “Hotel Bliss” on the outside, but the bath towels in your room might say “Bliss Hotel.” And no one cares.
Toto, we’re not in Mayberry anymore
Reba’s old (69) but still cute.
re: “I’m Marrying My Sister’s Husband”
I guess I’ll have to watch the video to find out what that even means.
re: “how I lost my finger”
Until I looked more closely at the picture, I thought he’d lost his finger by sticking it where it didn’t belong—somewhere soft and warm… but filled with fangs.
re: SOB
Just don’t judge while drunk.
Kev, no, Mama is the umbrella lady. You will never see her without it. I normally hand her the money, but I wasn’t willing to go down three flights of stairs (and then back up again) to do that. I briefly considered and rejected tossing it down to her on the street. Then, the peanut vendor solved the problem.
It depends on the coupon. “The buy one, get one” types are only good for one purchase, but if you have more than one coupon, you are good to go. On the other hand, the “happy hour pricing” couldn’t be used in conjunction with other coupons. I got the pizza upgrade but not the 15% discount I got on the other food. The biggest drawback for me is that they expire in one week. So, it’s use or lose them.
I didn’t even recognize Reba or realize we are the same age.
That’s the way I thought he lost his finger before I noticed the knife…
The SOB has a 750 peso entry fee and is all you can drink from 6 until 8. I feel challenged to get my money’s worth!
Damn, I didn’t know and I missed it. Oh well, I hereby declare today National Pecan Pie Day in the Philippines!