Although in my case, it seems to repel rather than attract. It appears my efforts to entice “Jenny” into getting to know me better have been fruitless. Well, if she ain’t interested there’s nothing I can do except keep moving on. Disappointing though, she was someone I would have enjoyed spending time with.

I’m not sure what happens next. The gal I invited to the Hash didn’t show and hasn’t responded to my messages, so fuck her. Er, I guess I won’t be fucking her, but you know what I mean. Last night I was teasing the gal at Alley Cats I was jonesing for last summer, but it seems clear that I am just a customer to her. That’s fine. Then there is a school teacher from Olongapo I got introduced to last week. She’s been chatting me up some on messenger, but I’m just not feeling any real attraction from my end. I guess the biggest potential thing on the horizon is this gal I “met” on the Date in Asia site. She lives in Angeles (works in a call center, not a bar). In her early 40s with two grown kids. The most interesting thing about her so far is that 20 years ago or so she used to Hash here in Subic. Her Hash name is Sweet Hash Hole. Anyway, she wants to come back for a Hash and may do so this weekend. Of course, she plans on staying with me. I’m not totally comfortable with that since we’ve never met in person, but damn, I’ve been on such a losing streak lately I didn’t want to say no. I’m thinking if we don’t click I’ll just rent her a hotel room for the weekend.

We’ll see what happens.

I may not be winning in the game of love, but my darts are flying okay. At least they did last night.

Speaking of magnets, I received some in the mail from my friend, Maria, who created the designs from photos she found on the blog. Yep, she’s a regular reader here and comments as BW.

And then there is this haunting photo underscoring the pain and loss that comes with a failed relationship:

Good job, Maria. Thank you again.

Good hard hike this morning, now it’s time to get ready for dart league. See you back here tomorrow!

Well, technically we had Hares, just not the one who was scheduled to be here. Slimey Limey (aka Wild Wolf) is probably one of the best-known Hashers in the PI, if not all of Asia. He was doing a Hash in Angeles on Sunday and then coming here to do our trail yesterday. Apparently, the Bureau of Immigration had other ideas. The Corona Hash circle was raided and Slimey was taken away in handcuffs. I don’t envy him, I heard the lockup where they keep immigration violators is a real hellhole. God only knows how long they will hold him there before actually processing his deportation. And no, I don’t have the details about how he ran afoul of the law. He had talked about losing a court case in a property dispute and that deportation proceedings were taking place a year or so ago, but it seems the resolution was not in his favor. Really a shame because he’s a great guy. I wish him good luck in a future that will not include his beloved Philippines.

When the news reached Barretto, two of our Hashers (Demolition Derby and Blow My Pipe) stepped up and went out Monday morning to lay a trail. Given the circumstances, they did a great job. A lot of the turf has been frequently Hashed, but they did manage to add a couple of twists and turns that were unusual. Well done, gents.

I had invited a lady friend to join us at the Hash but she was a no-show. When the Hash ended, I walked up the beach to McCoy’s and got drunk(er) alone. Even sang “Crazy” by Patsy Cline on the videoke machine. Yeah, that’s how bad off I was. I really need to get my shit together and not let these Filipinas continue to disappoint me. Hey, it’s their loss, right?

Yep, one of those kind of days. Things got off to a crappy start around 1 a.m. when I woke up with a toothache. Well, not exactly a toothache–the pain seemed to be emanating from the hole left behind when I had a tooth pulled a couple of years ago. Got up and took some aspirin and was eventually able to fall back to sleep.

Then, a little after 3 a.m. I was again awakened; this time by my window blinds tapping against the glass. It seems my fan was positioned in such a way that the wind it generated was hitting the blinds and creating enough noise to be irksome.

So, to eliminate the noise I sleepily reached out intending to turn the fan away from the window. It didn’t end well.

Needless to say, there was no more sleep for me that night. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but I felt like shit all day yesterday. After doing my dog walk, I didn’t have the energy to do my regular walk. I decided I’d walk in the afternoon instead, so I took a nap. The afternoon came and went and all I accomplished was another nap. I had promised a friend I’d take her to see the Central Park Reef hotel rooftop restaurant/pool area. I maybe should have canceled but didn’t want to disappoint her. She also needed some gas money (yeah, gasoline prices have gone through the roof here too) so I felt obligated to show up.

I got there a little early so snapped a couple of photos.

My guest arrived and was very delighted with the views from the rooftop. We had some beers and I ordered a couple of appetizers. She had forewarned me that because she has work early in the morning she wouldn’t be spending the night with me. That was fine with me, I wasn’t in the mood for sex anyway. See? I told you I wasn’t feeling well! And actually, I’d like to stay focused on getting Jenny to give me a try. My friend last night is not a long-term option.

And then the band started playing. Maybe because it was Sunday it wasn’t that loud ass out-of-tune rock music, instead, they played a set of folk songs. Even more surprisingly, they played well and the vocal harmonies were outstanding. I rarely enjoy live performances by amateur groups, but these guys were quite pleasant. After their first set, they left the stage and came around to the individual tables to play. When they got to ours I told them they reminded me of Peter, Paul, and Mary (even though they were all guys). Without further prompting they broke into Puff the Magic Dragon, and did a nice job with it.

I was fading fast so I said it was time to go. My guest insisted on driving me home. As we were leaving, “Jenny” came walking in with some guy. That was weird on many levels. I think she was just as surprised as I was. Anyway, we chatted later and it’s all cool. I hope.

A good night’s sleep and I am feeling 82% better this morning. That’s a good thing because it is Hash Monday. Hope I’m up for it.

And that brings y’all up to date on my so-called life. Boring as it may be to read about, I’m not complaining. Much.

Along with my fellow Hares (Blow My Pipe and Pubic Head), we pulled off a successful Hash yesterday. We had a huge turnout of around 60, with many new old faces in attendance–the folks who have been stuck in their home countries all these long months when visitors weren’t allowed. Good to see them back with more still on the way.

The feedback on the trail was mostly positive. I walked the first half again with the “sane” group and heard many comments like “I’ve lived here X years and have never been back here in this neighborhood”. Goal achieved! Folks also enjoyed the off-road portion, with a couple of relatively easy climbs. Anyway, being a Hare can be a challenge and you can’t please everyone, but yesterday seemed to have worked for most everyone. I’d call that a win.

Hash day is a good way to forget about everything else for a while.

It sure is hard to figure life out sometimes, but it sure as hell beats the alternative. The life I imagined and the life I am living are poles apart, but then again, that doesn’t make it better or worse. Not exactly an epiphany, but last night as I was sipping a beer I had a vision of my former suburban life as a retiree in the USA. I had some darts a couple of nights a week, an occasional weekend getaway, but otherwise, it was mostly sitting in front of the computer or watching TV. Damn, I got bored just typing that sentence! The point, to the extent there is one, is simply that the life you have is the one you got so make the most of it. You can be both happy and bored, especially if you don’t know what you are missing out on. I’m trying to get reconciled to my new old single life, and it is easy to lament what you’ve lost rather than embrace what you have. A year from now I might look back and remember this time as good ol’ days. It’s really not so bad.

Last evening was another opportunity to ensure my bargirl friends earned some lady drink commissions. I spent most of my time at It Doesn’t Matter quenching the thirst of Agnes and Roan.

Anyway, it is now well understood that I am nothing but a customer, and spending time with me is just part of the job. That’s just the way the game is played. Nothing to feel bad about.

After I left IDM, I stopped into BarCelona for a couple more before heading home. Engaged my favorite there, Kira, in some banter. In the course of our conversation, she also made it clear that work is work, and after work, she’s all about spending time with her kids. No room for a man in her life she says. And I’m man enough to not take a bargirl’s rejection personally.

Hash Monday has arrived. Went out this morning and put the finishing touches on our trail. I’m pretty happy with it…longish but mostly flat. I’ll let you know how my fellow Hashers feel about that tomorrow. You can get a taste of what the kennel is in for here:

I hadn’t thought about the M.A.S.H. theme song in forever, but it came up in a Quora forum I was reading this morning. The words weren’t featured in the television show (just the music) but seeing them again triggered some emotions. Oddly enough, the song was supposed to be silly/stupid–the lyrics were written by a 14-year-old if Quora is to be believed anyway. What do you think?

Through early morning fog I see
Visions of the things to be
The pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see

That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please


That game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

The sword of time will pierce our skin
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger, watch it grin

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

A brave man once requested me
To answer questions that are key
"Is it to be or not to be?"
And I replied, "Oh, why ask me?"

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I...

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please

Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And you can do the same thing if you please

I’m choosing life. I can hardly wait to see what happens next!

Run #1482 of the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers is in the books! I am one of the survivors, along with everyone else who participated. We did a Leech My Nuggets trail to the top of Kalaklan ridge, then back down on a path called Motherfucker. It is aptly named, although I prefer the steep down than climbing that, er, motherfucker. A challenging trail, as is expected when Leech is the Hare, but well-marked and scenic. It was a beautiful day to Hash, although a tad on the hot side. Let’s go to the photos, shall we?

And that’s pretty much the story of our Hash adventure. On-Home at VFW. Beers were drunk, songs were sung, and another day in the life drew to a close.

Well, after the Hash I went to see my GF at her resto, then she joined me at my place for smoothies and some Cobra Kai. Finished season 1 now so I can go and read Kevin’s review. I’m still trying to decide what I think. Was never really a fan of the original Karate Kid flicks, but then again, with a beautiful woman sitting next to me on the couch I’m easily entertained.

I didn’t engage in the formal New Year’s resolution game. That said, I do have good intentions about changing some of my outlooks and perspectives on life. Might as well emphasize the positives rather than lament the losses. And when I take a step back and look at what I have, well, there’s a helluva lot to be thankful for. It’s not always easy to escape the trap of thinking in terms of what you want and don’t have or to focus on what you had and lost, but really those issues are trivial in the grand scheme of things. Or so I keep telling myself.

Anyway, I have my life. 66 years old and still hitting the hiking trails, dart boards, and bars. That I’m still healthy enough to do the things I most enjoy is a blessing beyond measure.

I had another nice hike today with the Wednesday Walkers. The social aspects of the group treks are perhaps the best part of the journey. Getting out and exploring new territory, enjoying the beauty that surrounds us, and sharing in the sense of adventure as we make our way is truly something special.

And then there’s my drinking life. I’m actually a lonely guy most of the time, so spending time in the bars with my bar “friends” and acquaintances more or less fills that void. I’m not foolish enough to believe that the gals I ply with drinks actually care about me, but that doesn’t stop us from having a good time either. I’m not even sure what is real anymore. I thought the love I briefly shared with XXXX was something special and amazing. But even in my disappointment in discovering that her version of love was unworthy of mine, I was reminded of an important lesson: people will reveal to you the true nature of their character if you keep your wits about you and your eyes wide open.

Another side benefit to my nightly bar excursions is eating out.

Anyway, if there is a point to this pointless post it is that I’m doing alright. I guess some of my posts on Facebook have made some people concerned about the state of my emotional health. One friend has committed to finding me a girlfriend to start the new year. HaHa, I don’t think that’s the kind of help I need, but I do appreciate the sentiment. Sometimes the pain and disappointment you encounter in life lead you to realize what is most important. I’m doing alright with the things that matter most. As long as I hold on to that foundation, I’ll be just fine. As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

As I’ve gone through this period of reflection I have rediscovered one of the things that bring me comfort during times of emotional turmoil–poetry. In particular, one of my favorites, James Kavanaugh. I lost almost all of my library when I moved to Korea and wife #3 divorced me. I did manage to salvage a few of my poetry books, including this one:

This is from the introduction to the book:

I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know–unless it be to share our laughter.

We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we want to love and be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or to compete for love.

This is a book for wanderers, dreamers and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. If is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves.

A good reminder to not settle for less than you desire. There are worse things than being alone.

Such a lovely place…

I started a little earlier yesterday afternoon, as much out of boredom as anything. I thought having a beer and watching the beach action would be more entertaining than YouTube videos at home. So I headed out to Mango’s.

The problem with Mango’s at this time of day is the sun. It was at an angle where the roof did not provide any shade at all. And it got real hot, real quick. I finally had to move to the inside bar to finish my beer.

It was a little after four now, and that meant the rooftop area of the Central Park Reef hotel was open for business. I hadn’t been there since before the pandemic so I decided it was a good time to go and check it out again.

I have a friend who is a waitress there (one of the Treasure Island gals I partied with last week).

Anyway, as you might imagine, the best part of the Central Park rooftop bar/restaurant/pool is the views. The menu looked good, although it was too early for me to eat. Beer was cold and at 100 pesos wasn’t even the most expensive in town. I was the only foreigner there–it was a Filipino family crowd enjoying a beachy weekend.

Anyway, it was good to see Kat and also enjoy some different vistas. I promised to sponsor the next get-together with the TI girls up here on the roof.

Since Cheap Charlies is practically next door and I hadn’t been there since last year, I figured a visit was in order. As usual, I enjoyed Alma’s company. I also wound up spending over thirty bucks buying food for all the girls. Chicken wings, chicken fingers, chicken quesadillas, and a large meat lovers pizza, if you are keeping score. Also, my recounting the menu here proves I made a sober decision (but not necessarily a smart one) when I purchased the meal.

Once the food was done, so was I. Except after I was downstairs on the street I decided I should check in on Roan at It Doesn’t Matter. She’s doing fine. Sat at the owner’s table and had a nice chat with the boss men, Cliff and Bob. Even shared my bar rankings. They were of course pleased to be currently at the top of the heap. Martin (18 Kilo Ass) and his gal were there too and it was nice to socialize with the group for a bit.

I made it an early night. Need to get back into my rhythm of early to bed, early to rise.

Have a Hash run to complete in a couple of hours. I expect it will be challenging because Leech My Nuggets is the Hare and the start point indicates a climb to the top of Kalaklan ridge. That’s never easy.

I’m doing better every day, but I still have “those” thoughts. For whatever reason, I remembered this poem last night and actually looked it up on the internet while I was at the bar. I refrained from sending it to you know who though. I’d call that progress.

“Where are you hiding my love?
Each day without you will never come again.
Even today you missed a sunset on the ocean,
A silver shadow on yellow rocks I saved for you,
A squirrel that ran across the road,
A duck diving for dinner.
My God! There may be nothing left to show you
Save wounds and weariness
And hopes grown dead,
And wilted flowers I picked for you a lifetime ago,
Or feeble steps that cannot run to hold you,
Arms too tired to offer you to a roaring wind,
A face too wrinkled to feel the ocean's spray.”
― James Kavanaugh

Ah, well. Life’s a beach sometimes.

And here’s my Lucky boy just now:

Alright, time for my pre-Hash nap. Let me leave you with my new favorite t-shirt:

Oh, and it seems that things are back to normal around here at LTG:

…I hope you had fun.

My Christmas was unusual in the sense that it was basically like every other day in my life here. I had considered taking part in one of the fancy meals or buffets several of the resorts were offering, but in the end, I just couldn’t be bothered. Yeah, I’m still not quite right in my head, but I’m making progress at regaining perspective.

So, I did the bar review at BarCelona to kick off my holiday evening. I rather enjoyed myself, even though I was drinking alone. The one girl who caught my eye was already occupied. I’ll be back to try again. Maybe even tonight.

I popped into It Doesn’t Matter hoping to visit with Roan. She wasn’t working though, but Troy from the Hash was there soloing through Christmas as well. Next, I was off to see my pal Alma at Cheap Charlies. I was the only customer and so naturally I found myself surrounded by the five bargirls who were working. I actually normally find that behavior irritating. Well, it was Christmas, so I bought them all a drink. Enjoyed some snuggling and rubbing (all above the waist of course) with Alma. She told me she saw me walking back from Subic earlier when she was on her way to work. I jokingly harangued her for not offering me a ride in her trike. I’ve never actually seen her outside of work. Might be time to rectify that with a lunch date. Stay tuned.

I hadn’t eaten yet so I figured on crossing the street and dining at Sit-n-Bull. But as I passed by Wet Spot I figured no harm in having one more beer first. The backslapper’s table was full again, so I took a nearby seat. I was immediately joined by Aine, looking every bit as lovely as she did on Thursday. Naturally, I bought her a drink. I asked if she were allowed to join me at Sit-n-Bull for dinner (it’s in the same complex (The Maze) and with the same ownership. Turns out she is indeed allowed to eat with a customer so I said let’s finish our drinks and go. Alas, we were informed that Sit-n-Bull had closed early for the holiday. Oh well, next time.

Then I was surprised to see Max, a member of our hiking groups and a Hasher, come in. He was surprised to see me as well. Turns out that Wet Spot is his regular hangout and he hadn’t seen me there before. Yeah, but I’ll be back more often. Max is a very interesting guy, a journalist by trade, and he’s from the Netherlands. So, I got to recount stories from my visit to his beautiful country back in 2002. I had a high old time there for sure. I also reminded Max that he had likely given me the COVID back in April when we traveled to and from Angeles City in the same vehicle. Max (and another passenger) actually got diagnosed, I never bothered, just suffered through my comparatively mild symptoms.

Oh, and it turns out that Max has been a reader here at LTG. I asked him how he came about finding my humble blog and he said it was simple–after we had met he just Googled my name and LTG was the first result. Glad to have you along for the ride, Max. And that’s one less person I can talk about negatively! I’m joking, of course. Max is one of the good guys in our little town.

I did, however, come across this image of the Philippines libel law. It was rather sobering, actually. I’m going to need to be more careful henceforth.

I stayed longer at Wet Spot than I intended, as I was enjoying the company of both Max and Aine. In different ways, of course. I told Aine I owe her a dinner soon.

Sometime during the course of the evening for some bizarre reason, I remembered one of the first posts I had ever read on Kevin Kim’s Big Hominid blog. I did a search, found it, and gave it a read again. It’s called Arbor Day meditation and it really resonated with my current state of mind. Give it a look, it is well worth your time.

And that was my Christmas…a worthless walk to Subic, some quality beer drinking time, and no supper. I could have done worse I suppose.

Ah, Hot Zone. One of the better go-go bars in Barretto. I don’t hang out here nearly as much as I used to in the old days. In fact, my first visit to the Zone was as a tourist in its former location on the other side of the highway. I’m also well acquainted with the owner, Jay. He was formerly the former Grand Master of the Subic Bay Hash. Jay served in the United States Marine Corps and he runs a well-disciplined bar. That includes keeping the girls in fit shape–he consistently has one of the best lineups in town. If you are looking for a hottie for the night, you’ll likely find her here.

See that pole on the dance stage? The dancing girls enter the room by sliding down that pole. And in the old days before dancing on stage was banned, Hot Zone featured showcase pole dancers and also girls performing dance routines with big old boa constrictors. Even the regular dances were well-organized and you rarely saw the girls standing around or doing a lazy shuffle instead of dancing. So, even though I’m not really a fan of the go-go/girly bar format, I used to really enjoy my visits to Hot Zone.

I counted at least a dozen girls in the bar on an early Sunday evening. It was just me and one other customer. The other guy was spending some money on the girls, I didn’t even purchase a lady drink. To their credit, none of the girls harassed me about buying them a drink which is something I always appreciate.

My beers were 110 pesos each, which is the highest price I’ve paid but also pretty standard for this type of bar. The overhead for all those beauties is not cheap I’m sure. The mamasan was the only person I recognized from the old days when I was a semi-regular here. She wasn’t pleased with me taking photos in the bar, something that is technically not allowed. She didn’t make a big deal about it but told me the bar had been raided previously based on photos and videos taken in the bar and shared on social media. I promised I wouldn’t post anything on Facebook and I don’t think my little-read blog constitutes any threat. Besides, I witnessed nothing inappropriate or in violation of Covid prevention protocols taking place in the bar.

So, that’s the low-down on Hot Zone. A good bar that will be better again when it can have dancers performing for tourists. In the meantime, here’s wishing them all the best. And thanks for the memories.

Where things stand as of now:

1. It Doesn’t Matter
2. Mango’s Beach Bar
3. Alley Cats
4. Adam’s
5. Blue Butterfly
6. Out Back Billabong
7. Dynamite Dick’s
8. Palm Tree
9. Hideaway
10. Hot Zone
11. Alaska Club
12. Thumbstar
13. Bottoms Up
14. Rosies
15. Rock Lobster
16. Queen Victoria
17. Voodoo
18. Annex
19. MacArthur’s
20. Redz Pub
21. Whiskey Girl
22. Finger Monkey

I debated whether to include Palm Tree in this series of reviews, but in the end, I decided it does qualify as a bar. I used to visit here semi-regularly, but for reasons unrelated to the bar, I stopped coming. Alright, a guy I know who worked there got fucked by management and as a result, I chose not to continue to be a patron of Palm Tree. Last night was the first time in months I’d been there. Stayed for one beer and left. No plans to return. But to be clear, there is nothing wrong with the bar itself. In fact, it is usually a nice place to hang out.

Palm Tree seems popular with the European expat crowd, perhaps because of the sports on TV. I used to see the German Hashers in there quite frequently, and the former manager was an Englishman.

Service is generally good. The waitresses are strictly waitresses. Food is available and usually nicely done. My beer last night was 85 pesos, which is on the high end. So, as noted above, I don’t come here for personal reasons, but the bar itself is normally quite enjoyable.

Accordingly, I am going to rank Palm Tree without regard for my non-bar issues.

1. It Doesn’t Matter
2. Alley Cats
3. Adam’s
4. Blue Butterfly
5. Out Back Billabong
6. Dynamite Dick’s
7. Palm Tree
8. Hideaway
9. Rosies
10. Queen Victoria
11. Annex
12. MacArthur’s
13. Redz Pub
14. Whiskey Girl

“Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.”

I always check to make sure I haven’t used a post title previously because I never want to duplicate it. So, I had in mind a sarcastic “what a life” title but was pretty certain that at some point during these past fifteen years of blogging I must have used it. Instead, I tried going with something stupid, “who’d a thunk it” and was surprised that I had just used that header last year. It was kind of interesting in a sad way to read again how things came to an end with Jessa. Coincidentally, today is her birthday and I sent the appropriate greeting via Facebook for which she thanked me.

Oddly enough, when I checked I discovered that I had NOT, in fact, used “what a life” previously. And now I have. What a life, eh? Maybe it isn’t exactly sarcasm, because an exclamation of “what a life!” can connotate both good and bad. Like everyone, I have moments in both realms but most of my time these days seems to be consumed in my meaningless routines and rituals. That’s the life I’ve chosen and I’m not really complaining. I can imagine other lifestyles and places, but I don’t imagine I’d be any happier than I am now. A long way from perfect, but smack dab in the middle of good enough.

I began my Saturday night at the tiny bar called Marick’s. That cute little 23-year-old bargirl was waiting for me. In fact, she had been sending me “where are you?” messages since early in the afternoon. She seems to be a sweet girl, gentle and caring. Sits close and rubs my hands or massages my legs in the manner a loving girlfriend would. It is easy to get lost when I gaze into those big brown eyes and imagine how nice it would be to have a woman who enjoyed taking care of me. Of course, she’s not the one–too young and with two young kids to boot. She’s not much of a talker either. So, we just sit there and enjoy the music and some beers together. There are worse ways to kill an hour or two.

Speaking of music, when I’m there at Marick’s they like to plug into my Spotify playlists (the bar doesn’t have wifi). At one point while I was enjoying the attentions of my bargirl, an old song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) came on. I’d seen them in concert back around 1975 and it was probably the best live rock show I’ve ever experienced. The band was unique in that it featured an acoustic string instrument section backing the vocals and guitar work of Jeff Lynne. And here I was 45 years later hearing it in the Philippines. I couldn’t help but wonder what the 20-year-old me would have thought if he could see the life he’d be living as an old man. Knowing me, I would have said, “go for it, pops!”.

Three more guys arrived and the bar felt uncomfortably crowded, so I paid my tab and headed out into the Saturday night. As I walked up the highway I felt the first drops of rain. Luckily, I was just around the corner from the It Doesn’t Matter bar. I made it inside just before the skies opened up for a downpour accompanied by lightning and thunder.

My favorite waitress was occupied playing pool with another customer, so I spent an hour or so drinking alone, watching the rain, and contemplating my somewhat solitary life. Once Roan was free, she joined me and we shared a couple of beers and our usual banter. If I could put that brain in the other gal’s body, I might have the perfect girlfriend. See how shallow I am?

The rain eventually let up some and I made it an early night. Got up this morning with every intention of doing my standard Sunday stroll. But it didn’t work out that way. I got a couple of kilometers up the highway and just wasn’t feeling it. So, I walked the streets of the Matain barangay instead. As I was going back towards home on the highway I decided to go the back way to Alta Vista to add some distance to my walk. And for the first time ever, I got stopped at the checkpoint as I entered the Santo Tomas barangay.

“Where are you going?” San Isidro. “Why?” I live there. “Let me see your ID.” I gave him my ACR card, which says Alta Vista, barangay Barretto. Although technically my residence is in San Isidro. The checkpoint official looks at it and says “Oh, Alta Vista. This isn’t the way to Alta Vista”. I told him I was taking the back way home. He gave me back my ID, told me to wait, then went and consulted with two police officers. A couple of minutes later he waved me on. How’s that for excitement? I guess they figured that COVID doesn’t know about the back way to Alta Vista.

Took a nap, watched some old episodes of One Step Beyond on my big screen TV (via YouTube), and also saw a video from The Filipina Pea about “10 things all Filipinas say” that often lead to misunderstandings. Heh, I learned a couple of new things to use myself when I talk to the ladies. Here it is:

And that brings you pretty much up to date on where things stand in my world. I’ll leave you a little music from ELO to enjoy before I go:

Even when you think no one is watching you say it.

It is easy falling into the trap of thinking that the handful of folks that read my online diary have been with me for years and that none of them are local folks. There was a time when I actually promoted LTG by linking to Facebook. I consciously don’t do that now because I want to enjoy the freedom that comes with anonymity. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way. Back in my working life, I caused a ruckus by making reference to the “Pedophile Mohammed”. Someone complained, I got summoned to the EEO office, and my boss gave me a stern talking to. The lawyers got involved and determined that my opinions, while “churlish”, were my own and since I didn’t express them at work they were covered by the first amendment to the United States Constitution. I also pointed out in my own defense that my statement was factually and historically true (the Prophet married a 9-year-old).

Something similar occurred recently and I wasn’t so much in the clear. A friend of a friend here in Barretto had come across my posts about one of my Friends With Benefits participants. Some of the things I said about her past were not factually correct. I felt bad about that because I do strive for accuracy here and I’m also quite fond of the person in question. So last night I did a search through my archives and changed the name of the person in question. I also deleted identifying photographs. I need to remember I live in a small town where it seems everyone knows just about everyone else. I can tell my stories without invading someone’s privacy I think. I’m going to try and change my ways.

Coincidentally or not, I did see a recent uptick in unique visits to the blog. My “normal” is around 160 or so. This past week I averaged over 200. No idea why, and I won’t be surprised if the numbers drop back down to where they usually are. But as the above incident shows, there is a likelihood that new readers here may very well be my Barretto neighbors. In the recent past, I’ve had a couple of complete strangers approach me and say they’ve been reading my blog. I asked one how he found it and he responded “a Google search of bars in Barretto.” Yep, that would do it I suppose.

Anyway, hopefully, you won’t notice any significant change. Any name will work for the storytelling, not sure what I’ll do about the photos at this point. Stick with me!

No photos from yesterday’s Hash because I didn’t do the trail–long or short. I barely have the energy to walk up the road to my house lately. I don’t know if that is related to the eye surgery (or meds I’m taking post-surgery) but I’m a little concerned. I’ll discuss it with the doc during my follow-up visit on Thursday morning. I did do about 5K on the flat streets of Barretto, so there’s that.

I’m not anti-vax, but I’m definitely against vaccination mandates.

Now, if they want to treat getting vaccinated in the same manner as they do voting, maybe I could support the idea.

Alright, enough of this madness! For today anyway.

Besides the Hash, which I’ll get to in a minute, I spent some time in the kitchen yesterday. I made the usual double batch of crockpot chili and it sold out again. A captive audience of hungry Hashers helps in that regard I suppose. I also baked a carrot cake, and that turned out to be a real treat. Now, I’m no Kevin Kim–I make hardly anything from scratch. I was very surprised to find a carrot cake mix at the grocery store, it’s been literally years since I’ve seen one. It was a brand I’ve never heard of, Maya, but what the hell, pseudo-bakers like me can’t be choosers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, being a Pillsbury/Betty Crocker kind of guy, but I was pretty damn pleased with the results. The only real difference from the American brands I’m used to was that the contents did not include the carrots. Grating 1 3/4 cups of fresh carrots would be a real pain in the ass, but luckily, I have a domestic helper to do the jobs I don’t want to do.

Alright then, are you ready to Hash? Leech My Nuggets was the Hare and he’s another one of the guys who prefer a very challenging trail. Always marks them well though and that’s something I really appreciate. He also gives our “sane” group a map of the route in advance, which facilitates our shortcutting. Yesterday’s trail had three big climbs (and of course, three descents). Our group did the first up, and then came down the mountain on the path that was Leech’s third up, thereby avoiding the worst part of the trail (anytime there is a rope involved to get over a rock, I ain’t interested!).

So, I’d never done the up we took at the beginning, most of the middle was over the familiar My Bitch trail, and we modified the end to avoid having to cross a wet rice paddy. I’d call that a win-win–the trail was as hard or as easy as you wanted to make it. I’ve got some pictures, of course.

What time is it? I have darts tonight.

Sometimes you come across something and think, yeah, I can relate…

Can hardly wait to see what happens next!

Yeah, that’s really a thing here in the Philippines. The BER months (September, October, November, and December) are celebrated as the holiday season. Last night I heard someone playing Jingle Bells. And this morning I got a message from a friend wishing me a Merry Christmas. I shit you not.

Yesterday morning found me at Baypointe Hospital having the required tests administered so that I might be able to schedule my much-needed cataract surgery. An electrocardiogram, blood work, and a chest x-ray are apparently necessary to ensure I won’t die during what the eye doctor described as a fifteen-minute procedure under local anesthesia. I’m sending my helper to pick up the results and provide them to the cardiologist on Friday. Hopefully, I can get the operation next week. It really sucks not being able to see clearly.

I played darts for the first time in a week last night and didn’t lose a leg–defeating all of my opponents in the winner’s bracket 2-0. I wore my old Seoul International Dart League shirt and I guess it still had some of that old good luck in it.

I was very surprised to see that Jessel is once again working at Alley Cats. She told me she resigned from her position at the hotel. I was friendly and bought her a welcome back lady drink, but I didn’t feel a thing. Well, that’s not entirely true. I felt sorry for her not getting to experience the life I had fantasized about us sharing. I felt lucky for myself that she proved her unworthiness before I took things to the next level. I still can’t figure her out, but I realized last night she is just not who or what I thought she was. Her ability to communicate, at least in English, seems to be close to nil. Not sure why I didn’t realize that before, but I guess in my heart I was making excuses for her. I am happy to report my brain is once again in full control and I have let go of any and all emotions I recently felt for her. It was definitely a winning night!

I guess we’ll see what happens next in my so-called life. Stick around!

Actually, it’s a Hash Monday–how manic can that be?

Changed things up a bit and took the dogs for a walk on the beach at Baloy this morning. Probably won’t do that again any time soon. Too many strays to fend off. My secondary purpose was breakfast at Treasure Island, which was fine once it was served. It took WAY too long though. Ah well, how bad can things be when that’s all I’ve got to complain about?

Started my evening yesterday at It Doesn’t Matter. Enjoyed some more laughs with Roan. I like her company so much I decided to ask her out for lunch on her day off tomorrow. She accepted. So, I guess it’s a date. We even discovered something we have in common last night. Her “real” name is Rochelle and that’s the name she went by in school. But at home, everyone knows her as Roan. So, when friends from school came to visit and asked for Rochelle, confusion ensued. When I was growing up, I was John at school and went by Mark in the neighborhood. Long story, but my parents couldn’t agree on my name so dad called me John and mom and my brothers called me Mark. It’s no wonder I’m borderline schizophrenic.

Anyway, I don’t think of Roan as a potential girlfriend. She’s fun to be around, that’s enough for me. We are going to eat at Arizona. It’s on her side of town and she’s never been there for a meal, so it will be a new, and hopefully nice, experience for her.

Anal Receptive (my neighbor Ed) is the Hare today. I ran into him at Mango’s Saturday night and he described the trail that he’s plotting. I expect I’ll be shortcutting again.

I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

I guess I never really left but I did take a detour to explore a dead-end road called Love. So, I still have my darts, my walking, and my drinking adventures to post about. That’s probably best for you readers and me.

Another third-place finish in darts last night, but no complaints about it this time. I threw better than I did on Friday and we lost to superior teams. That’s the way it goes. After darts, a group of us went across the street to Mango’s and enjoyed a late dinner. I devoured my pork chops favorite. The other end of the table had roast chicken and baby back ribs. No one was disappointed in their meal. Kevin and I split the $70. tab. Not bad for seven diners, eh?

In other news, the canteen I’m sponsoring for a friend is making progress towards opening. She’s had a crew out cleaning, painting, and fixing things up. I wish her well. Tough times to be opening an eatery, but the business model she plans doesn’t rely so much on foreigners. Hopefully when the lockdowns are lifted there will be lots of Filipino tourists back in town to enjoy the beach and her Filipino delicacies.

And here’s a public service announcement:

A long (for me) 10K solo hike this morning. I snapped a photo every kilometer or so…

You can Relive the hike here if you so desire:

And that’s where things stand in my loveless world.

The river flows
It flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes
That’s where I want to be
Flow river flow
Let your waters wash down
Take me from this road
To some other town

All he wanted
Was to be free
And that’s the way
It turned out to be
Flow river flow
Let your waters wash down
Take me from this road
To some other town

I do my weekly grocery shopping at the Royal Duty Free supermarket on SBMA (the old Navy base). There is a premium to be paid for the experience, especially when your purchase imported goods. I also allow one of my non-resident helpers to accompany me and fill her personal basket with miscellaneous items as well. Today she added a $35 rice cooker to the mix, but that’s the exception, she is normally reasonably frugal on my dime.

And that’s how I spent my morning. I feel a nap coming on soon. And they said retired life can be boring. No way!