Another Wednesday is in the books. Here’s how I spent mine.

I’ll save the hike for the end. I already told you about the drama with my house. Nothing really new to report, other than one of the landlord’s family members, Pablo, is in town. He’s the guy I actually rented from originally. My basement neighbor told me he didn’t know anything about the rent increase. Hmm, maybe some family drama on the horizon. Meanwhile, the rental agent for my new place sent me a draft copy of the lease, which looks pretty standard. A concerning item on the “pet amendment” says only one dog is allowed. Obviously, that will have to be modified or it is no deal.

Put on my darts attire and carried my arrows down to Alley Cats for the tourney last night, but after arriving, I just wasn’t feeling like playing. Wednesday is league day, so the tournament starts later and there are more players than usual. I just didn’t want to invest that much time sitting around a crowded bar. A couple of beers and I was off to a less crowded venue, It Doesn’t Matter. Some more beers there, then I headed out to The Pub to indulge my Wednesday tradition of Korean-style chicken wings.

What else? Well, this is the photo I used for this week’s episode of making my liberal friends on Facebook heads explode:

I was taking a leak in Mango’s the other night and saw this cartoon posted on the wall. I like it because it provides a good excuse for me being such a slowpoke on our group hikes.

I guess that provides a good lead-in for my report on yesterday’s Wednesday Walkers hike. We did a relatively easy 6K trek with one moderate climb. That’s the way old fuckers like me like it! Anyway, lots of photos (many courtesy of Scott) will tell the story better than I can.

Another good day on trail!

I will endeavor to leave my faithful readers with a smile:

Cristy is the #1 player in the Barretto Singles League. We had a nice end-of-the-season round robin tournament for the Stars (upper) division players yesterday. In the championship round, Cristy kicked things off by beating Espie 5-2. I played Espie next and also won 5-2. That set up a finals best of seven match between me and Cristy. Cristy won the first two 501 legs, and I won the following two cricket legs. So, it came down to 301 DIDO (double in/double out). Cristy took both and earned the 1000 pesos first prize money.

On the other board, the remaining three Stars players competed for the Best of the Rest prize money (500 pesos), and Billy prevailed. So, the tournament results matched how things played out over the course of the season–Cristy first, me second, Espie third, and Billy fourth.

Padz was working at the tournament venue, Alley Cats, and was looking especially lovely in a sexy dress. I snuck this picture of her

But wait, it gets worse. I’d asked her earlier if she remembered those days in grade school when kids would pass notes to each other. She laughed and said yes. So, before I went to play my championship match with Cristy, I passed her a note like I would have as a kid. She never said anything, but as I was leaving the bar she came over to me and put something in my pocket. When I got outside I took it out and had a look:

Alright, enough of that. This morning’s internet trolling led me to an interesting article written by a person who retired in Mexico–“7 downsides of living in a beach town”. What I found interesting is they are the same kind of things I bitch about here in the Philippines, especially #2–the noise. Then I got to thinking “what do Mexico and the Philippines have in common? Well, how about centuries of Spanish colonization? Those bastards!

I also deemed it time to make a pot roast in the slow cooker. I had bought a brisket roast from my meat lady, and it was now defrosted and ready to go. I sliced it up and put it in the crockpot. Then I poured in some pepperoncini, mushrooms, corn, peas, tomato, and onions. Reached on the shelf for my seasoning mix, and wala (Tagalog for none), nothing for pot roast or beef stew. Damn, now what? It goes against my nature, but I went on the internet and found a recipe for making my own seasoning. I had most of the ingredients and made a couple of creative substitutions (Italian spice covers a wide range, right?) for the ones I didn’t. One difference was that this is a rub, not something I could just pour on as usual. Oh well, I pulled the meat slices up from the bottom and rubbed on my seasoning. I also put some in water and poured it in for old times sake.

And finally, there’s this. I got one of those Facebook messages from a person I’ve never met in person. She was looking for work and asked if I needed a housekeeper. I told her I already had someone for that, but asked if she did massage. She told me she could and so I made arrangements to give her a try out today.

I did as much due diligence as I could. We have several mutual friends on Facebook. I looked through some of her posts there and saw she had two children. When I met her today, she told me she had worked in Alaska Club previously.

She gave me an okay massage and then asked if I wanted anything else? Shit, is there more than one answer to that question when the person asking looks like the girl in that picture above? So yeah, I opted for the happy ending. It probably looked something like this:

She seemed satisfied with the compensation I provided (2500 pesos), at least she gave me a hug. Then I walked her out to the subdivision gate. I asked “how old are you anyway?” and guessed 22. She laughed and responded 19. Yikes! Legal but scary. Youngest I’ve been with since I was, well, 19. It’s a whole other world here, that’s for sure.

The Friday group hike turned out to be an all day affair. Got home in time for a quick shower before heading out to the darts tourney. Alas, that gave me no opportunity to post about the nothingness of Thursday’s events, but as you can probably imagine, you didn’t miss much.

So, as I’ve mentioned before, the Friday group tends to seek out adventure, at least to the extent that we like to hike in places we don’t normally visit. Yesterday was no exception. We took the Hashmobile and traveled about 40 minutes out of town to Cawag, where we hiked up into the hills and back again. A couple of the folks with has had done this hike several years ago, but things change. Once again, we didn’t find the trail we sought and wound up having to blaze our way through the first climb of the day. It was tough going.

We did find the trail eventually and it made for a much easier trip back down the mountain. A few of us came down ahead of the pack because we were tired and hot. We all regrouped later at a nice little roadside cafe that was just recently opened that we happened to find by chance. And in an odd twist of fate, one of our hikers knew the proprietor and she was familiar with the Hash because back in the day, her now-deceased husband had hosted several On-Home gatherings at his house. Small world, eh?

Let’s do the pictures then:

I’ve got to rush out now for my singles league match. I’ll bring y’all up to speed on the rest of the doings and goings on in these parts tomorrow.

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
“Because it is bitter,
“And because it is my heart.”

Stephan Crane

A challenging night of darts last night. I teamed up with Billy, one of the top players, but we both struggled early on. Kevin and Troy, a solid team but one we should have beaten, knocked us into the losers bracket. We fought our way back against some other tough opponents, before meeting Kevin and Troy again in the semi-finals. This time we managed to secure a victory setting us up for a showdown with Cristy and Gerlie for the championship. Cristy is currently the strongest darter in Barretto and Gerlie is no slouch. We had our work cut out for us and almost miraculously I finally started throwing some decent darts. We needed them to play it out all the way to the final leg of the second match. And we won!

During the evening some of the dreaded darts drama reared its ugly head. Nothing related to the tourney, rather some people were complaining about a decision I made regarding the singles league. I’d been drinking of course which does reduce my ability to tolerate bullshit so I might have overreacted a bit. But I take personal attacks, well, personally. And when someone doesn’t like something I’ve done, I’m fine with agreeing to disagree. It’s over the line though to accuse me of being “unfair” when the decision I made was predicated on fairness.

In a nutshell, here’s what happened: A player quit midway through the season, which is a chickenshit thing to do to begin with. So, I needed a replacement and offered the spot to Espie who I promised could have the next opening. Now, the guy who quit was ranked last in the league. Espie is a very solid player, certainly capable of holding her own in the top tier. I was in the process of splitting our 12 players into two divisions and placed Espie in the higher group. It seemed to me that letting her play in the lower division which she would likely dominate wouldn’t be fair to that group. I did reach out to the 6th ranked player and asked if he was willing to play in the lower division rather than the spot he had earned in the top division. He readily agreed. And so it was done. And several players proceeded to attack me and my decision. I went home pissed, slept it off, woke at 2:00 a.m. unable to go back to sleep thinking about it so I posted this on our league Facebook page:

AN ANNOUNCEMENT
As most of you know, we had a player quit the league at the end of Round 1. The league format works best with an even number of players so I needed a replacement. Espie had asked to join the league at the beginning of the season but I already had 12 players. I told her she would be at the top of the waiting list. For this reason, I invited her to join the league for Round 2 Divisional play.

The player who quit finished last in Round 1. As you know, Espie is a very strong player. In my opinion, she would have an unfair advantage playing in the lower division. I asked the player who finished 6th in Round 1 and qualified for the upper division if he would object to playing in the lower division. He told me he did not have a problem with that. So I thought we were set and made the schedule and spreadsheets for Round 2 with Espie in the top division.

I have now heard from several of you that my decision to do so was unfair. I admit I was shocked to hear this. The whole purpose of Round 1 was to establish competitive divisions based on a player’s performance during Round 1. In my opinion, Espie is a much stronger player than the one who quit and belongs in the upper tier. If I’m wrong about that it is unfair to Espie, not the other players in the league. Again, to allow a stronger player to dominant the lower division is unfair to those players in my view.

I first founded this singles league format over 10 years ago. I have run the league in the USA and Korea. In Seoul, we had four divisions and 32 players. The intent of the league has always been to have fun in a competitive environment while improving our darting skills. This is the first time I’ve ever been accused of being unfair.

Therefore, I am resigning from the league. Espie can replace me which should be “fair” to everyone. I will leave it to the players to find a replacement for the vacancy in the Champs division.

I will continue to update the stats for the remainder of the season unless there is an objection to my doing so.

Good luck and shoot well.

You know, running a league is a pain in the ass under the best circumstances. I had avoided starting one after my move here because I didn’t want the headaches and hassles. But I know it really helps people improve their skills and strategies and I thought I should make a contribution to our darting community. I wasn’t looking for a thank you, but damn, I wasn’t expecting a fuck you either.

So, as of now, I’m taking a break. From the league, from tourneys, from the darts scene in general and the people who populate it. I certainly don’t want to be perceived as unfair so I think it is for the best. On the bright side, it is always a good thing when folks reveal what they truly think about you.

UPDATE: Wow! I feel vindicated:

Yesterday my Friday walking group went off in search of new adventures.

Scott drove and notwithstanding his long-term residency here, he’d never ventured out to the area we had planned to hike. He still hasn’t. We weren’t exactly sure of the best driving route to take and we ended up on a road that was essentially impassable in less than a four-wheel-drive vehicle. So we just parked on the side of the road and hoofed it from there. Six kilometers later we arrived at the location we had intended to start from. Seeing as we still had 6K ahead of us to get back to the car we decided to save the planned trail for another day. We did at least find a different route back, so there was that.

Actually, the hike we did was pretty nice regardless. The first half was along a dike that holds back the floodwaters when the Santo Tomas river has had too much to drink. The only downside was a lot of dump truck traffic kicking up dust on the road. But it was really nice to be out exploring new vistas. I commented to the group that I couldn’t remember the last time we did a hike and didn’t have an ocean view. I haven’t walked that much river since my hiking days in Korea. Good times!

Credit to Scott for most of these photos:

I did make it out to Mango’s to watch the sunset.

And like the lark that I am, I was home and in bed before 9:00 p.m. and up at 0500 to start my day.

And there you have another day in the life here at Long Time Gone.

This morning I’m laying trail with my co-Hare for tomorrow’s Hash. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some random shit from my so-called life.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now. That powder isn’t going to lay itself!

No real complaints about yesterday’s Hash trail. A good 6K hike with one moderate climb, nice weather, and no falls or injury. Just the way I like it!

I took a tricycle back to Barretto and devoured some pork chops to satisfy my well-earned hunger. Then it was on to home and in bed by 8 p.m. Not as sad as it sounds, it was a fine day.

Pubic Head and I will be Hares for next week’s trail. More on that later.

It’s election day back in the USA. As of this writing, I have seen no returns or other reports on the potential outcome of what just might be the most important presidential vote in my lifetime. I’m nervous about the outcome, not because I have any questions about who is the better-qualified candidate to lead our nation these next four years, rather I have my doubts about the competence and intelligence of the electorate.

I guess the above sounds pretty generic in the sense that a supporter of either of the candidates could reasonably make that statement. Although I don’t delve into politics much these days on the blog, regular readers I’m sure know where I stand on the issues our nation faces and the leadership we need to successfully move into the future. I’m no Trump fanatic, far from it in fact. But just as I chose the clown over the crook in 2016, I’ll take the asshole over the idiot in 2020. I do hope it turns out that way and I reckon I’ll know for sure soon enough.

All of this is a leadup to a post that appeared on my Facebook newsfeed yesterday, written by a “friend” from back in my Korea days named Martin Kelly:

No, that’s not what I am saying. ….I’m not saying I think all Trump supporters are Nazis. I’m saying I know that for a fact. The sky is blue, the sea is green, all Trump supporters are Nazis.

But surely you are not accusing 39 million……

Yes, I am. Sure, of course, some of them are nice guys. But there were nice guy Nazis too

Wow. That is without a doubt the most ignorant thing I have read from someone I know on Facebook in all the years I’ve been wasting time on that platform. And if he is any indication of just how stupid my fellow Americans have become then I truly do fear for my country. I actually went back and looked at his profile page to see if maybe I was missing his sarcasm or some context where such an outrageous comment would make sense. There was none.

I don’t know why I even bothered responding. Someone that far gone with Trump Derangement Syndrome can’t be saved by offering up a rational opposing view. Instead, I said this:

Reductio ad Hitlerum (/ˈhɪtlərəm/; Latin for “reduction to Hitler”), also known as playing the Nazi card,^[1][2] is an attempt to invalidate someone else’s position on the basis that the same view was held by Adolf Hitler or the Nazi Party.^[3] One example would be that since Hitler was against smoking, this implies that someone who is against smoking is a Nazi.^[4]

Coined by Leo Strauss in 1953, reductio ad Hitlerum borrows its name from the term used in logic called reductio ad absurdum (“reduction to the absurd”).^[5] According to Strauss, reductio ad Hitlerum is a form of ad hominem, ad misericordiam, or a fallacy of irrelevance. The suggested rationale is one of guilt by association. It is a tactic often used to derail arguments because such comparisons tend to distract and anger the opponent.^[6]

Wikipedia

And just in case the words were too big for his closed little mind, I added a helpful illustration:

Oh well, nothing I can do about politics except live as best I can with whatever the future may bring. Thank God I have the benefit of living thousands of miles away from my troubled homeland.

So, after that experience, I went out to ease my mind with some darts competition. Somehow the headgear of the tournament director was comforting:

Good fortune was with me as I drew Christy, one of the top players here in Barretto, as my partner. She did the heavy lifting and I made some meaningful contributions as we sailed our way to victory without losing a game.

I also received my meat delivery yesterday. How’s this for a slab of beef:

A small turnout for today’s Wednesday walking group.

And as always, thank you to my readers for blessing me with your presence here at Long Time Gone.

Oh wait, I almost forgot. Turns out that litter DOES grow on trees here:

And I’m also going to share the unlikely news that I DID NOT see a discarded facemask during my hike today.

Until we meet again, then.

Not that that has ever stopped me from saying it anyway. Just more of the same around here. Beers at Cheap Charlies and Mango’s last night. A nice hike with the Wednesday group this morning, but I’ll post about that tomorrow. So, what does that leave?

Short ribs in the crockpot and cornbread muffins in the oven. I’ll let you know how that turns out when they’re done.

And that leaves Alicia. Not much to say about her either. She started messaging me last night. I actually don’t recall adding her but we have some mutual friends so I guess I did. Anyway, she says she is 22 with no kids and is looking for a serious relationship. I told her I was 65 with grown kids and a granddaughter just a few years younger than her. She told me she likes guys my age. That whole age is just a number thing. Actually, I had no real interest but was bored sitting at the bar alone so I did the chat thing.

I’m going to leave it there for now.

Oh, and for some unfathomable reason, WordPress is throwing all the comments here into moderation, including mine. I really enjoy the feedback from my readers, so don’t worry–nothing’s changed. I check the queue regularly and will continue to approve any and all comments. Say your piece without restraint!

More to come tomorrow.

…from a mundane mind.

Let me tell you about the last 24 hours. Nothing special, nothing exciting, I can promise you that. But sometimes reflecting on “just another day in the life” can provide a deeper understanding of what is truly important and insights into how to make the most of the blessings that come from being alive. Other times these reflections provide fodder for another boring blog post here at LTG. And honestly, isn’t that why you are here?

Tuesday morning is when I do my weekly grocery shopping. That in and of itself constitutes a break from my regular routine. Since I can’t get my morning steps in anyway, I just blow off my daily goal and give myself a break. Most of the time I still manage to achieve the weekly 20,000+ step average I strive for.

I’ve been frustrated in my shopping excursions at the Royal supermarket for the past several weeks as many of the items I seek have continually been out of stock. I’m not sure what’s going on or whether it is somehow COVID related, but damn, give me a break. How do you not have Coke Zero?

In an effort to find some relief from my frustration I had my driver take me to the Pure Gold supermarket which is also located on the old Navy base. They had a couple of items I wanted but their frozen foods were very limited and you guessed it, no Coke Zero. From Pure Gold we moved on to the old Royal store located nearby. I always shopped here before the new Royal opened closer to home. Again, they had some things I hadn’t been able to find, but not the stuff I wanted most. And still no Coke Zero.

When I got back home I cooked me up some lunch, Mexican style.

After my meal, I wrote up yesterday’s Hash post then took a refreshing nap. When I awoke I headed into Barretto to the vape shop to get some supplies. They too didn’t have exactly what I needed but promised to have some sent over from another store. We’ll see.

Since it was only four o clock I wandered over to the salon where I get my haircut and had me a long overdue foot spa.

She did a good job scraping off all that dead skin and clipping my toenails. I gave her a 100 peso tip on a 245 peso bill, but that wasn’t enough to put a smile on her sullen face. Oh well, I tried.

Back out on the street and wondered where to go next. I figured it would involve beer drinking and since Cheap Charlies was nearby, that’s where I started.

I had three (or was it four?) Zero’s and bought one lady drink for my waitress. These days I actually prefer to drink alone most of the time. I know the girls need those drink commissions though, so I will usually spring for one or two, then stick a generous tip down their blouse.

Next, I moved on up the highway to my regular haunt, Mangos. I had a few more beachside beers and enjoyed another sunset.

Stumbled on home, no wait, I took a trike, had some leftover burritos, mixed up a batch of strawberry smoothies, and was in bed before 9 p.m. Yeah, I’m living a life of sheer excitement, ain’t I?

Back to normal this morning. A good long, but boring, street walk in Barretto followed by a beach walk in Baloy. We took it easy because Scott is recovering from some unknown illness. Coincidentally or not, we did have three American expats in Barretto allegedly test positive for Corona this week. I say allegedly because all three were asymptomatic and were only tested for the purpose of getting travel documents back to the states. It seems from what I’ve been reading there are a whole lot of false positives at these testing centers. And this being the Philippines and all I don’t have a lot of confidence that whatever procedures they are using are up to standard. Anyway, I’m doing well health-wise so far and I hope to keep it that way.

A couple after walk beers at Cheap Charlies, then home for a nap, and now I’ve almost completed today’s blog entry. It’s a tough life I know, but someone has to do it!

Before I go let me share some gems I found out there on the internets, including this quote from one of my favorites–Charles Bukowski:

And I still have my sense of humor, such as it is:

Alright, well, these are serious times I guess and that means politics can’t be ignored. I can agree with this sentiment:

Anyway, I’m not here to argue or try and change your mind. Mine is made up though. There is peace in that.

And I found out a long time ago
What a woman can do to your soul.
Oh, but she can’t take you anyway,
You don’t already know how to go.

And I got a peaceful easy feeling.
And I know you won’t let me down
‘Cause I’m already standing on the ground.

I get this feeling I may know you
As a lover and a friend.
But this voice keeps whispering in my other ear,
Tells me I may never see you again.

‘Cause I get a peaceful easy feeling.
And I know you won’t let me down
‘Cause I’m already standing
I’m already standing
Yes, I’m already standing on the ground

Taking a moment today to remember all those who perished. Especially heroes like James Raymond Coyle and Samuel Oitice.

You live on in our memories and your sacrifices are not forgotten.

September 2nd that is. Here’s how it went down.

I was tasked with picking the trail for our Wednesday morning hiking group. I opted to go up the mountain from the Barretto side behind Angels Bakery. It had been some time since I’d been up that way and the concern was that the thatch grass would be out of control this time of year and obscuring the trail. My workaround was to take a path that’s a little lower with lots of tree cover, hence less grass. It worked for most of the climb, but the last portion up top was indeed covered in grass. The trail was still discernable though. After that, we intersected with My Bitch and followed that path to its terminus at Rizal Extension. We next walked to the end of Rizal, then followed Abra street back around to the National highway. At that point it started raining so we had a wet hike to Cheap Charlies and our scheduled Hash mismanagement meeting. 7K all told.

So, while we are having our meeting at Cheap Charlies, I get a message from “Janey”. She wanted to come there to see her girlfriends but wanted to be sure I was okay with that. I told her she could go anywhere she wanted without concern over my presence. Then she said she had had a big fight with her boyfriend and wanted to get drunk. She asked if I would buy her a tequila shot and I responded of course. She came in a little later and joined her friends (the girlfriends of other Hashers).

When our meeting was over, Janey beckoned me over to the stool beside her. I sat with her and had a beer then told her I needed to head home. I was tired after the hike and needed a nap. So we said our goodbyes and I left.

After my nap, there was another message from Janey asking me to join the group at BarCelona. I had mixed feelings about that and gave a non-committal answer saying I hadn’t showered yet. She responded she would wait for me there. As I showered I tried to decide what to do. On the one hand, this was exactly the situation I wanted to avoid–being her rebound boyfriend. On the other hand, I was going to go out anyway, and since I purport to be her friend I probably ought to act like it and accept her invitation. Frankly, it was the first time in weeks that she had even pretended to want to see me. So, I wound up going to BarCelona.

As I presumed would be the case, Janey was quite intoxicated when I arrived. I sat at the bar, across the aisle from the window seats she and her friends occupied. Their boyfriends had left them there while they pursued a guy’s night out. I had a couple of beers and a little chat, but clearly Janey needed to quit drinking while she could still stand. The problem is drunks rarely grasp that fact. Then Janey suggested to her friends that they buy a bottle of tequila and drink it at her house. I thought that was an excellent plan and even gave her the money to pay for it. So, I thought it was all decided and then suddenly another round of drinks arrived. That pissed me off and I didn’t hide it well I suppose. I told Janey she was being foolish and got up to pay my tab. I guess the girls got my message as they left while I was waiting to pay. When I got downstairs the girls were still there waiting outside. One of them said Janey wanted to come home with me. I responded that I wasn’t taking a drunk girl home, said my goodbyes, and left.

So, how about that? I stuck to my guns and maintained my singleness posture and I also showed some moral character by not taking advantage of a woman under the influence of alcohol. I’d call that progress!

And yes, I’ve done some second-guessing of myself during my longer than normal two-hour walk today. I need more time alone though before I’m ready to even consider entering a relationship.

And that’s where things stand as of now.

It was hot out on the trail today. Blazing hot. Four bottles of water hot. We cut short our planned hike but still wound up with a 10K morning. A different way (for me) up the big mountain and a brand new way down for all of us–there was no trail so we just blazed our way the best we could. Got a little dicey in places, but made it to the bottom in one piece.

In other news, I came across this Kevin James short film and it was really funny in a sad way. Less than two minutes long, give it a watch!

And I’ll leave you with this Wuhan virus moment:

Anyway, it was a good day. I’ve got enough beer here at home to get me through the night so I reckon I will pop one open and enjoy some Game of Thrones.

Which reminds me. Did anyone else notice the parallels between some current events and the sad demise of Ned Stark? Michael Flynn is no traitor but he gets railroaded on bullshit charges. He finally pleads guilty to keep his son from being prosecuted on another made up charge (the bogus Logan Act). Ned was an honest man too and confessed to a crime he didn’t commit to protect his children. At least Flynn didn’t lose his head. Those damn Lannister’s are a lot like Hillary, aren’t they?

Sad news. I got a call this morning from the manager of the Speakeasy informing me that the bar was closing down, effective immediately. That’s the last place I knew where I could enjoy a beer. I reckon henceforth I’ll be drinking at home. While supplies last anyway.

I guess I’m not all that surprised. I’m told the owner just decided the risk wasn’t worth it. I’ll confess that I screwed up the other day and really got reamed by the manager for my actions. My friend Jim from the walks had sent me a message about going to the Speakeasy. I knew he’d been there before so I assumed it would be alright if he were with me. We were supposed to meet at 3:30 on the highway and I’d guide him to the back way from the beach. He was a no-show so I went on without him. Later while I’m in the bar I get a message that he’s outside. So I go out and Jim’s there with his girlfriend and another guy. The manager was livid. I stammered an apology but I expected he was going to throw us all out. He eventually had us go inside the bar and then recited the rules again to our group. I really felt like shit about it.

So, that was Saturday. Sunday was the total lockdown day. I was back in the bar yesterday and everything did seem fine. I bought the manager a couple of beers and we chatted. When I left there was a plan for me to return today and bring brownies to celebrate the birthday of a waitress. And then the call this morning to announce the closing. Part of me wonders if I’ve just been banned, but maybe I’m being paranoid. Either way, it’s over for me.

And oh yeah, the mayor of Olongapo has just announced that he’s adding Saturday to the business closures for “disinfecting”. A total lockdown weekend is in store. That’s not a good omen for the quarantine being lifted on the 30th.

I foresee some television binge-watching in my future. That should be exciting!

Damn it to hell.

Living in a plague is just an intensified way of living. It merely unveils the radical uncertainty of life that is already here, and puts it into far sharper focus. We will all die one day, and we will almost all get sick at some point in our lives; none of this makes sense on its own (especially the dying part). The trick, as the great religions teach us, is counterintuitive: not to seize control, but to gain some balance and even serenity in absorbing what you can’t.”

Andrew Sullivan “How to Survive a Plague”

Well, I’m just rolling with it all one day at a time. Yesterday I found an open restaurant that is still permitting sit down dining.

And yes, of course, they were also serving beer. I had several in fact. A couple other of expat diners as well and we enjoyed some chat with our brews. One guy just moved here a couple of weeks ago (talk about bad timing!) and it turns out he is a Hasher as well. Of course, he won’t get to do a Subic Hash until the quarantine is lifted, but he’s looking forward to it.

A very nice late afternoon view from my beachside dining/drinking vantage point:

It was a pretty pleasant evening all and all, and I left in plenty of time to make it home prior to the 8 p.m. curfew. In fact, I plan to go back again this evening. It only seems fair and right to support a business that has elected to stay open during these troubling times. And in case you are wondering, all of us patrons were in fact keeping the recommended distance from one another. I’m not putting myself or others at risk.

Another day without any symptoms indicating the Wuhan virus has invaded my body. I’ve incorporated taking a morning temperature check along with my other stats. 35.6 C today. BP a little higher than normal at 137/94, but a good resting heart rate of 61 bpm. So far, so good.

Today is the one year anniversary of my adoption of Lucky.

I kept Lucky outside until the meds cleared up the mange which the vet told me was highly contagious. Once he was healthy I moved him inside with his stepbrother and best buddy, Buddy.

No Hash today, but Scott (Pubic Head) joined me for a pleasant 7K hike this morning. Scott’s been Hashing here for going on 15 years now, so he pretty much knows all the trails. It is always nice to have him guide me on a new path.

I had breakfast at the unnamed restaurant, then headed out to meet Scott at our rendevous point in Marian Hills.

For today’s “interesting” photo I’ll offer up something that reminds of a quaint and simpler time, long before the nightmare of the current pandemic.

Here’s a shot of a guy that is technically in violation of the quarantine restrictions, but he has good intentions and takes appropriate steps to avoid contracting or spreading the dreaded virus from China.

I try to avoid trite phrases like a plague, but I guess it’s always darkest before the dawn. Or maybe things just get worse before they get better?

Well, I am kidding for the most part. I’ve continued to be inconvenienced in a pain in the ass kind of way, but lots of people are truly beginning to feel the hurt from this so-called quarantine. I got my first “I’m hungry” message this morning from one of the bar girls at Alley Cats. I know she has an infant and a couple of other kids at home as well. I advised her to visit her Barangay office, they are supposed to be providing assistance to those in need. I’d throw her a little cash but she’s on the far side of Castillejos and there is really no convenient way to get it to her. I just share this point to keep my so-called problems in perspective.

Anyway, I had my driver come pick me up for some grocery shopping at the WalterMart in Subic town. I wanted to drop my laundry off but the shop owner told me she was being forced to close. So I guess my clothes are going to have to be cleaned the old-fashioned way–by hand. Using the hands of my domestic helpers of course. Oh well.

Donnie driver dropped me off and had me walk through the checkpoint going into Subic. Apparently they question more than one person in a vehicle. I passed through on foot with only a temperature check–36c. I guess that makes me cooler than normal. We arrived at the grocery store about twenty minutes before it opened and joined the queue at the main door.

Inside the shopping mall, all the shops were closed except for the drug store and the grocery store. There were only letting like fifteen customers inside the WalterMart at a time. The rest of us lined up waiting our turn our enter.

This was my first time inside the WalterMart grocery. It was okay I suppose. Wasn’t real impressed with the fresh veggies available and decided to buy my meat at the market in Barretto. Picked up about a hundred bucks worth of stuff though, including a case of beer.

I walked through the checkpoint again on the way home and Barretto didn’t care enough to take my temperature. Once I offloaded the groceries, I hoofed it over to the Barretto Barangay office to find out about getting one of those quarantine passes. They asked where I lived and I told them Alta Vista. Someone knew that part of the subdivision is in the San Isidro Barangay, but I told them my Alien ID Card says I live in Barretto. I was told that they are being delivered one card per household and I’d have to wait for a delivery. They did take my phone number.

So, the Barangay also confirmed that the “enhanced quarantine” will escalate to a “lockdown” effective Monday. Apparently you can’t be outside without the pass and only then for food and meds. I’m somewhat concerned because I can’t actually exit Alta Vista without entering Barretto. I’ve heard nothing at all from San Isidro (a small and very rural Barangay) about what procedures they are using to issue the passes. I’ll probably need to go by the office in San Isidro and inquire if I can’t finagle a pass from Barretto. Oh boy, at least I won’t go hungry for a while.

We’ll see what happens as things progress. I don’t want to be a jackass about it, but I can be stubborn as a mule if need be. Or deported.

…keeps on turning. And so the Journey continues. *ahem*

More of the same around here. Nothing wrong with that I suppose.

Something “interesting” from yesterday’s walk:

I couldn’t feel the burn yesterday, but I could sure as hell see it.

Well, they warned us that if Trump wasn’t impeached he would have limitless power. And now he’s gone and changed the twenty-dollar bill into a 2020 note.

And what are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

I’m actually going to return to Baguio City for the Valentine’s run with the La Union Hash House Harriers.

And that’s all I’ve got for today boys and girls. Thanks for dropping by!

I don’t know, maybe I’m just turning into the stereotypical grumpy old man. Or maybe I’m just at a stage in life where I’m going to do whatever I want and not give a damn what anyone else does. More precisely, I’m going to NOT do what I don’t want to do without apology.

Take yesterday’s Hash for example. The Hare was Vienna Sausage (Günter) so I had every expectation it was going to be a fucked up trail. Günter is all about the steeper and higher the better. I called him out on it once and he responded: “This is nothing like the Alps”. I, therefore, determined going in that I’d decide which part, if any, of his trail I’d hike. To me, if it ain’t fun then what’s the point?

So it turned out being even worse than I feared. He was starting the trail in Olongapo City and taking the “stairway to heaven” to the top of the mountain. That’s 555 stairsteps if you are counting. Okay, I’ve climbed them before and it was miserable. But what I really couldn’t countenance was the long-ass ride out there in the overcrowded Hashmobile. And once you are in Olongapo, there is no shortcut back to our “on-home” at Johan’s on Baloy Beach. So, I just shook my head and said “nope” and went off to do my own trail.

I’ve decided to Hare more frequently, maybe as much as once a month. I figure that way I will at least have the kind of trail that I enjoy more frequently. If the die-hards and masochists don’t like it, too fuckin’ bad. So I have my next trail in mind already and took advantage of my freedom yesterday to do some scouting. I know where I want to go up (yeah, I don’t mind a reasonable climb) but wasn’t sure how to get there. Instead, I went from the back, figuring it would be easier to find a way down. And it worked!

So, now I’ve got the beginning and middle of my trail pretty much figured out. Need to scout where I’m bringing it down and see how much more distance I may need to add, but I’ve got some ideas for that as well.

Anyway, I got back to our on-home around 5:00 and was really surprised that none of the runners doing the Hare’s trail had arrived yet. That’s pretty unusual, given that it had been an hour and a half since departure. Plus, Hash ethos doesn’t allow anyone to partake in the free beer until the first runner has returned. It was a good 20 more minutes before someone finally made it back. And then I enjoyed my ice-cold Zeros and watched my fellow Hashers straggle in.

By most accounts, the trail was a disaster which made me feel vindicated in my decision not to participate. Some of the guys actually jumped out of the truck on the way because traffic was so heavy. Others who did the stairs had no desire to stay on trail afterward and came back down the mountain into Barretto at the first opportunity. I don’t know if anyone actually did the whole trail, but once again we had people getting back after sundown. That’s a big fail in my book.

Günter asked me later if I had done any of his trail. I told him honestly that while I respect the Hare’s prerogative, I had no desire to take a long truck ride in heavy traffic. I also pointed out that the short days this time of year should be factored into how long the trail is. He looked a little snake bit, so I’m guessing he had gotten similar feedback from others. Anyway, we’ll see if he learned anything come next month I suppose.

And that’s how I roll these days. Get off my lawn, whippersnapper!