My time on this planet isn’t all about beer. I’m a walkaholic too. A commenter on my Facebook page talked about how my life reminded him of Groundhog Day. Yeah, it’s the same every day, but there are some occasional twists along the way. Yesterday was no exception.
For our morning walk, Swan and I decided it was time to head out to Subic and bring some happy tidings to the grandmother we encounter on our trail. By happy tidings, I mean cookies, lollipops, and 500 pesos. She and the kids are always so excited when we make an appearance. I try to go every other week or so, but her genuine joy in receiving our gifts makes it all worthwhile. Here’s some of what we say along the way:
Swan spent the evening at the compound with her family. I started off at Cheap Charlies while waiting to meet up with my friend visiting from Bohol. He apparently doesn’t like Cheap Charlies, so he messaged to meet up at Sloppy Joe’s. No problem for me; it is right across the highway.
Some beers and chat at Sloppy’s. I’m not going to invade “Nick’s” privacy, but he was a prominent defense attorney in Southern California before his retirement and move to the Philippines. I was surprised to learn he doesn’t like the life his living in Bohol and is looking for new options (he lived for a couple of years in Barretto previously). So, he is planning to join Swan and me when we visit Siragao Island next month. Nick is heading for Angeles City this afternoon.
After Sloppy’s, I took him next door to see the new Rum Jungle (formerly Green Room). Damn, it wasn’t to either of our liking. The music was loud and tailored to the dancers’ tastes, so I suggested we go to Wet Spot, where the music is almost always classic rock. Nick was surprised when I told him I always head home around 8 pm. So, he said goodnight and headed back to Sloppy Joe’s.
Well, what can I say? I’m just not the drinker I used to be. Damn, back in my Itaewon days, midnight was early for me. It sucks being elderly sometimes, but it is still better than not growing old.
It’s been interesting reading my old posts about the COVID scamdemic. I knew back then it was bullshit, but I’ve been surprised to learn that it was so much worse than I thought.
Here’s a photo I came across of my mother’s father, Hal Clinkenbeard.
We’ve reached December 2020 in the LTG archives, and I’ve somehow managed to dodge a bullet with the married woman next door. That post also contains a story from my days working for the post office. That event led me to become active in the letter carriers’ union, and that ultimately resulted in my journey as a human resources professional. It’s odd looking back on how a seemingly minor incident can be such a life changer.
Today’s YouTube video offers a brief reality check on life in the Philippines. I found out some of these things the hard way, but I think I’ve now, for the most part, adapted and acclimated to the way things are here, even when they are not as I want them to be.
The end is near:
That’s the way it was yesterday. Only one way to find out what the future will bring, so I’ll get on with living it.
Came across this golden oldie from my days of watching TV while my dad sat in his easy chair after work sipping on a beer:
Re: COVID
I know you jokingly refer to it as the scamdemic, but what was the scam? What was the payoff for those who were supposedly doing the scam?
What is your biggest beef with the whole COVID thing? Lockdowns don’t work? Vaccines don’t work? We weren’t given enough bleach to drink? LOL. Something else?
My general thoughts. I really don’t blame the initial message and the fact that it changed as time went on and we learned more. That is the nature of unknown things. Smoking, asbestos, etc. are prime examples of messaging that has changed over time. I also don’t think that the initial calls for lockdowns etc were any type of scam. Public health officials are by nature pretty conservative. Should views have evolved more quickly? Yes, definitely .
But, there were things that really hurt the overall credibility of health officials that could have been avoided.
1. The refusal to consider that the origins of COVID were from a lab leak. In fact, they seemed to actively discourage anything about it. (But, I don’t think anything really would have changed in the overall response if we knew for sure that it came from a Chinese lab rather than a food market.)
2. I think that there were lies told so that people would behave in a way they want you to. (eg early advice to not buy masks which they then reversed)
3. The exceptions to Covid restrictions granted for approved political purposes. For example, certain rallies were exempt from following distancing rules, etc. For me (and most people), that ruined credibility big time.
4. I think that there were some attempts to prioritize certain races in vaccine distribution even at the cost of net higher deaths as long as those deaths occurred among less favored races.
But, by any measurement, the number of deaths in the US jumped by millions in 2020 and 2021 vs previous years and the life expectancy decreased by a couple of years during that same timeframe. Something (COVID) was killing people at a much higher rate during those years.
tldr: mistakes were made, messaging was bad, there was quite a bit of misdirection. However, COVID was/is a bad motherfucker that has killed millions of people. The whole thing wasn’t a scam in the traditional sense.
Re; Video
I think that the guy nails it. Common sense, but a common mistake a lot of expats make. Come to a different country because cost of living is cheaper, but then get mad when the culture, people, etc. are not the same as where you came from.