Yes, I know “grouphike” isn’t one word, but I used it that way so it would fit better with those other nine-letter words: adventure and nightmare. That’s the most accurate description for this week’s trek of the Wednesday (hey, nine letters!) Walkers. I had suggested to the group that we head out to Subic Hills and take the back way from there to Castillejos. It’s a hike I’d done three or four times, but it had been a year or so since the last occasion. Things change, and we found ourselves in a sticky situation early on, but fought our way through. And then our trail was blocked, so we blazed a new one, only to discover our way ahead was impeded by a fence. The fence was too weak to climb over, so we crawled under. In doing so, I took some flesh off of my knee, but on we trudged, wading the river and finding our way back to the highway. There, we got a Jeepney home to Barretto. Exciting shit, eh? Here are some pictures to help with the visualization:

Until this happened:

We eventually fought our way through, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

The rest of the day went fine: Drinks at Red Bar, dinner at Sit-n-Bull, and a nightcap at Wet Spot. Then home again. That’s just how this old-timer rolls.

It is now October 2014 in the LTG archives. And damn, even eleven years ago, the emptiness of my life was something to blog about. It didn’t help that the woman I loved wasn’t with me. Little did I know that she wouldn’t be joining me in the USA ever again.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the October 2014 LTG archives. But this video is a news clip about my son’s decision to donate a kidney. I raised a good one. He’d probably say no thanks to you. And so it goes.

I could use a little humor right about now:

Alright, time for a quick nap before I head to the hospital for my appointment with the pulmonary doctor. Here’s hoping I have good news to share tomorrow.

I mentioned yesterday that there has been a whole lotta shakin’ going on lately here in the Philippines. Another earthquake yesterday, and this time it was close enough that I felt it.

Otherwise, it was just another day in the life.

We moved our Sunday routines to Saturday this week.

With my Hideaway duty done, I got on with the rest of my evening.

Honestly, I’m wondering how much longer John’s will be around. Last night, there wasn’t even a waitress to serve us. The kitchen staff brought our drinks and took our order, then headed back to the kitchen to prepare our food.

After eating, we made our weekly visit to Red Bar.

Then it was on to Jumpin’ Jacks for our nightcap.

And then we called it a night and triked on home. It may not seem like much, but this is enough for now, and I appreciate what I have. I know I’ll miss these days when they are gone.

Onward in the June 2014 LTG archives, and it was nice to remember a delicacy from my Korea days: the tasty egg-a-burger. I do believe I’ll have Swan try her hand at making one of these for me.

Nine years ago, I was experiencing my first visit to Pattaya. Here’s some of what I saw there:

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines shares the meaning of some dating terms here in the PI. I’d heard of some of them, with LBFM being one of the first I encountered.

Laugh if you want:

Now it is time to get moving on with the rest of my Sunday, including attending an RSL (Returned Services League, the Australian equivalent of the VFW) charity event. There’s a big money raffle taking place, so I’ll let you know tomorrow if I strike it rich.

And yesterday was better than nothing, so there you go. Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk. It’s been sickening reading the shit some of my lefty Facebook friends have posted disparaging Kirk and all but saying he had it coming.

Well, that’s where we are, it seems…if you aren’t a good little sheep, you deserve to die.

Death also found another Barretto expat yesterday.

I have also heard that Dave Fisher, owner of Wet Spot and Green Room, is in the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila. The man is an icon in Barretto, and he is in his 80s, fighting cancer and other ailments. The outlook is grim, but if anyone can find his way back from this situation, it’s Dave. Keep fighting!

Meanwhile, what I call life keeps rolling along. It may not seem like much, but I do often pause and gaze at the beauty that surrounds me. I’m thankful that I still have the ability to get out and enjoy my hikes and my evenings on the town. I don’t think I’m doing badly for an old guy, and I’ll be content to continue living this life for as long as I can.

Swan joined me for a Thursday morning stroll. I offered her two options: the walk to Waltermat or the Philseco loop. She chose Philseco because “it’s shorter.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her both hikes are right at 7K. We do Philiseco about once a month, and to change it up a little this time, we walked it in reverse. I was surprised at what a difference that made, including finding all the twists and turns that come naturally when we walk in the other direction.

Nothing worthy of a photograph during our evening out. Started at Sloppy Joe’s and finished at Green Room. Same old, same old, but I’m glad to be around to enjoy it.

Here’s the latest on my lack of water situation:

I try hard not to let the past impact the present. It’s hard sometimes. Like this post from the April 2013 LTG archives documenting my Las Vegas wedding ceremony with Jee Yeun. I said then it was the fourth and last time. Turns out I was right, just not in the way I expected.

Today’s YouTube video also comes from the LTG archives. I posted this twelve years ago, but seeing it again today felt like the first time. That’s scary, but the video is still funny. So, where would we be if man obeyed God? Watch and find out!

The joke’s on me:

So, onward with the day. The SOB has been canceled once again, which is really no surprise. I do hope they do one final goodbye show in the future.

Even for a worthless Tuesday. Not that I’m complaining, it will just make the good days seem better. I’ll keep this post as short and painless as possible, fair enough?

The hardest part of my grocery shopping yesterday was getting there.

Anyway, we made it to the YBC supermarket thirty minutes later than usual, but no big deal. I couldn’t help but notice the background music in the store was Christmas carols. Oh yeah, it’s the BER months here in the Philippines.

Finished the shopping, got home, and didn’t feel like doing my usual neighborhood stroll, so I didn’t. Later in the afternoon, it being Tuesday and all, we headed to Baloy Beach so Swan could get her toes in the sand fix.

As usual, we strolled down to the far end of the beach and stopped in at Kokomo’s for some liquid refreshments at the Tiki Bar. Except they were closed. We went to the front lobby to find out what was going on, and the hotel was closed as well, without a soul in sight. Very strange. I messaged the owner to ask if everything was okay, but I haven’t yet received a response. Businesses on Baloy seem to be dying on the vine.

We decided to go ahead and have dinner at Treasure Island, and they were pretty busy for a Tuesday evening. The other guests were ordering banana splits and milkshakes, so the poor bartender barely had time to refresh my beverages.

It was too early (even for me!) to go home, so we grabbed a trike and headed to the Alaska Club. A guy at the next table remembered me from a previous meeting a couple of years ago. He told me he knows me from the blog. That’s always nice when it happens. Otherwise, the vibe at Alaska was off as well, with only two dancers, and my regular waitresses ignored me, so when I finished my beer, we left and went next door to Wet Spot (Swan brought the remainder of her wine with her). It was more pleasant there, so at least we ended our evening on a better note than it started.

Yeah, if that’s as bad as it gets, I’m a lucky bastard, I know.

It is still September 2012 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recounted the tale of how I almost lost my son in Prescott, Arizona. Man, some memories are downright scary.

Speaking of memories, one of my early retirement projects was reading all the back issues of Life Magazine (who remembers that?). I think I made it to the early 1970s before growing weary of the journey. However, on the blog, I did link to an issue about the start of the Korean War and another about life in Korea in the 1950s.

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines provides some excellent dating advice. Not that I need it now.

Let’s end this on a high note:

Wow, I can still speak some of that language I learned when I moved to Arkansas.

And it wasn’t much. But better than nothing. And as a special reward for my reader(s), today’s post will be brief. You are welcome!

When beer o’clock arrived, there still wasn’t much worthy of note taking place. We started out at Sloppy Joe’s and took our usual street-side seats. The big screen TVs were blaring Australian Footy, which I find distracting, but there was a big group inside watching, so that’s what a sports bar strives for. There’s a beer distribution shop across the street, and they stack their cases of empty bottles on the sidewalk. This homeless dude was looking through the bottles for any that still had some beer left inside, and then he’d drink it. One of the more gross things I’ve witnessed recently. Swan said she was craving some chicken wings, so we shared an order. They were quite tasty. After we finished eating, we went next door to Green Room for our nightcap.

Waitress Chu said he was a first-time visitor. When we arrived, he was playing by himself, and instead of the usual eight-ball game, he was playing nine-ball. I’d heard of it, but never actually seen it before. Damn, this guy was shooting at a pro level that was quite impressive. He eventually started playing against some of the bargirls, and they were out of their league. I found the massacre somehow entertaining. But all good things must come to an end, and when eight o’clock chimed, we headed for home.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It really wasn’t as bad as it seemed, at least by my low standards.

In the LTG archives from August 2012 is a post about my Uncle Bud (my father’s brother), who served as ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber during World War II. That proved to be my final visit with Bud, who passed away a few years later, well into his nineties. Yep, more of those long-lasting McCrarey genes.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t particularly care for, Philly in the Phillpines, but I was enticed to watch because he’s posting from Siargao island’s city of General Luna, a place I’ve never been but will be visiting in November. I’ll be staying at a beach resort, so I won’t have to worry about parking.

And we will end this post with a smile:

Okay, I’m in the midst of my Sunday routines. So, I don’t expect much new or exciting, but the venues will be different, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be out and about.

Surprise, I survived my final Hash in the sixties. Bring on the big seven-oh, biatch! Yesterday’s trail didn’t even necessitate shortcutting, although I did shave off a half a click or so by picking up the trail in Alta Vista instead of the starting point at the Bella Monte Hotel. We had one moderately difficult climb that included going up via a creek bed with running water, but once we got to the top, it was relatively smooth sailing on the familiar My Bitch trail. Well, except for the heavy rain that hit us about halfway through the journey. Oh well, I was wet with sweat by then anyway.

One of my least favorite Hash rituals, but at least it only happens once a year. I had the foresight, based on experience, to bring a change of clothes.

The after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter followed, then home for some sleep in preparation for my final day of being 69.

It’s now May 2012 in the LTG archive journey, and in this post, I joined a union of bloggers calling out terrorist Bret Kimmberlin for his attempts to silence his critics. That was the only time I’ve heard of bloggers doing an organized response like this. Hopefully, it helped. Just checked Wikipedia and the asshole is still alive and one year older than me.

Today’s YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines is full of tips I don’t need and can’t use. All I’ve got to do is ask. Still, she’s always fun to watch.

Let’s try these on for size:

Time to get on with my last day of being 69. Nothing exciting so far, shopping day and more prep for the big party tomorrow. I know there is some beer in my near future, just not sure where yet. I’ll be back tomorrow with some seventy-year-old perspectives.

Some sad details about the passing of the Jumpin’ Jacks bartender, Vangie. She died in the restroom at work. After being away from the bar for thirty minutes or so, someone went to check on her and found a lifeless body. It was apparently a heart attack that killed her. I’d only met her a couple of months ago, but she was sweet and fun to be around. I’m going ti miss seeing her smiling face.

In news from the land of the living, where I blessedly still reside, I made it through another Hash yesterday. It was a half-assed effort that still managed to kick my ass.

The usual after-Hash Tomfoolery at IDM, then off to home to rest up for another day.

It’s a new year (2012) in the LTG archives, and on January 1, I actually wrote a meaningful post reflecting on the year behind that saw me lose both of my parents and the life to come (I applied for Jee Yeun’s fiancée visa). When I mailed the immigration papers at the post office, I looked up at the office upstairs, which I had occupied from 1986 through 1993, and this thought occurred to me:

And then a question came to mind.  If by some magic you could be shown your future life, would you want to view it?

And today I wondered what would the me of back then have thought upon seeing the me of today mailing a letter of such importance and yet its contents were beyond my wildest imaginings just a few short years ago.   I hope I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Despite all the hopes and dreams and best laid plans, we are after all destined to live in the moment.  I never envisioned this life that I’ve lived turning out as it did.  The detours and heartbreaks and disappointments all inevitably led me back to this place, but changed me almost completely from who that man looking down from the window way back then.  And I don’t just mean those extra pounds around my belly.  All those experiences that I never planned for, dreamed about, or even knew that I desired have not necessarily made me better, and I certainly hope not worse.  But this is who I have become, and I am glad for it.

I’m not going to answer my own question directly because I don’t know if someone had shown me the road ahead back then that I would have had the courage to follow it.

Of course, the life I was building in 2012 came crashing down around me a few short years later, leading me to this one in the Philippines. Would I have wanted to know what lay ahead? Probably not. I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the dance.

I also came across this old photo I had forgotten even existed:

Yesterday, I shared a YouTube video from a newly discovered vlogger, Home Base PH, recounting five things you won’t like about the Philippines. Today’s version is him recounting five things you will like. Once again, I mostly agree with him, although I can’t really say I’ve given the local cuisine a fair chance.

Maybe these will make you smile:

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you, I held everything
For a moment, wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes, my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yesterday was full of decadence, or so I’ve been led to believe. Don’t get your hopes up, it’s not as tantalizing as I make it sound. Anyway, during our Candy Walk yesterday, there was a bit of an incident at one of our most popular neighborhoods. There is a small church there, and the Sunday school is in session as we pass. While we service the non-attending children, the kids in church are released to partake in the free sweetness we dispense. This has been going on like that for the two years we’ve been doing the candy thing. So, yesterday, after Swan had finished handing out the candy bags, a woman (presumably the Sunday school teacher) approached and started speaking to Swan. This went on for like five minutes or so, and Swan had a funny look on her face when the conversation was over. The teacher had told Swan that she was concerned about the children’s dental health, and she suggested that we hand out something healthier, like biscuits. Hmm, or the teacher could just tell the kids not to accept candy gifts. I seriously doubt that our once-a-week offering is going to rot teeth, but we aren’t forcing anyone to eat the sweets we give away. Just say no, and we’ll move on. I admit I found the teacher’s intervention more than a little irksome. Next Sunday, I’ll suggest to Swan that we walk on by that area, although I feel bad for the kids who are always looking forward to our arrival. We’ll see.

Nobody complained about the feeding at Hideaway. I guess some customers might blame me for fattening up the girls, but no one has said anything. Yet.

At the appointed hour (5 p.m.), I moved on to John’s place for dinner.

After our meal, we headed up the highway to Red Bar.

I had initially planned to go to Nipsey’s for our nightcap, but I offered Candy Bar as an alternative. Then, as we passed Jumpin’ Jacks, Swan said, “Let’s go here instead.” I guess that makes it official, our new favorite place to chill.

So, I told the girls, best out of three, winner gets 100 pesos, loser gets 50. They happily agreed to my terms, and it was game on! One of them had superior pool skills (the one shooting in the photo above), but the other had enough luck on her side to take it to a third and final game, where talent won out after a hard-fought battle. Swan surprised me by pulling another 100 peso note from her purse and said, make it 150 and 100 for the girls.

And so another day ended without bitterness.

Today’s episode from the LTG archives is a pictorial from the celebration of my 55th birthday at Pub Dolce Vita in Itaewon. Coincidentally, I’ll be turning 70 later this month, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Today’s YouTube video is about how Filipino food shocked the “experts” at an international cooking competition. I apologize for the crappy AI narration, but I’m sharing anyway because I know at least one of my readers is a foodie and may learning more about the local food offerings. For the record, I’ve had Kare-Kare before and enjoyed it. (Now I’m wondering if the whole thing is bullshit.)

Humor me, please:

And now it is time to ready myself for another Hash Monday. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Greetings from Da Nang, Vietnam. Here’s the down and dirty of day one of my trip as told through photographs.

And then AirAsia charged me an additional 2,400 pesos to check my bag.

We arrived at the airport five hours prior to our scheduled departure time. Hey, better early than late. The Manila airport isn’t known for its comfort levels, so we went looking for an “elite” lounge to spend the time.

We *almost* managed to get our money’s worth when our outbound flight was delayed for two hours. They never told us why.

Me being me, we went downstairs to check out the hotel bar.

I asked the bartender what beers were available, and said I drink San Miguel back home. He grinned and said, ‘I’ve got some San Mig, but you’re in Hong Kong now.’ Why not try something different?

Which is not to say things were not expensive. I pay around 100 pesos for a beer in Barretto. That’s less than two bucks. That local beer was 635 pesos each, or about twelve dollars. Even the San Miguel Light was almost five times more expensive than the PI. Well, I was spending money that no one else wanted, so why not go a little wild? I’ll be returning to HK on Saturday to spend the rest of it.

And that was pretty much it for day one of my week out of town.

Seeing as I’m in holiday mode, I’ll spare you the usual content I post here until I return home. I’ll update you on the journey to Vietnam tomorrow.

Each day is a step closer to normalization, so we are getting there. I’m not ready or willing to give up.

I’m finishing up with the preparations for my upcoming trip to Da Nang, Vietnam. That required a visit to the Immigration Bureau in Olongapo to submit my application for an Emigration Clearance Certificate, which permits me to leave the country. In the absence of any outstanding wants, warrants, or other violations being found, I should be able to pick it up tomorrow.

Next on the agenda was grocery shopping at the YBC and Royal supermarkets. This caught my eye at YBC:

After shopping, we dropped Swan off at the government office in Olongapo that handles the Philippine social security program. I increased Swan’s allowance so she could resume paying into the system and be eligible for benefits when she reaches her golden years. She had to wait almost six hours for her number to be called. My head would have exploded long before that.

Since Swan still wasn’t home at beer o’clock, I headed out on my own. First stop was my old haunt, Snackbar.

Whatever magic this place once held for me is long gone. And so was I when I finished my beer.

I decided to take a stroll down Baloy Beach and see what was happening.

Kokomo’s Tiki Bar was still closed, and so was Kim’s Place. So, I circled back to Foxhole (formerly DaKudos) and took a seat at the empty bar. Monette, my old friend from Mango’s, was serving, and it was nice to see her again. She confirmed that Baloy continues to suffer from a lack of tourists, and business is slow everywhere.

I heard from Swan that she was on her way home after completing her ordeal in Olongapo (she messaged via phone since I have not as yet been unblocked on Facebook). We agreed to meet for dinner at Treasure Island.

While waiting for the food to arrive, a storm blew through.

Dinner is served:

It was only seven, which is early even by my low standards, but I was ready to call it a night and head home. Swan heard that Season 3 of Squid Game was now out, so we settled onto the couch and watched Episode 1 of the final six-episode season. Swan’s a bigger fan than I am, but it’s an okay show. My issues are with plot holes that make no sense. Last night, the detective was still trying to find the island by hiring a drone operator. Somehow, I think an island with all the infrastructure required for the games wouldn’t be that difficult to find off an isolated coast in Korea.

Oh, and I got a Father’s Day card from my daughter via a friend’s FPO account. The postmark indicates it was mailed on June 10 in South Carolina. Must have gone via the pony express.

It’s nice to be remembered by one of my kids anyway.

Long ago, in a land far away, I climbed a mountain. Then I had lunch at the top before riding a cable car back down the other side. In February 2010, I wrote a post full of pictures documenting that historic day. You can read all about it in The Story of My Life.

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines tells us how foreigners fuck up their relationships in her usual cheerful and witty style. I have no idea what she is talking about.

Just because I find it funny doesn’t mean you won’t:

A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named ‘Amal.’ The other goes to a family in Spain, they name him Juan. Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his mum. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, ”But they are twins. If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.”

Spoken like a true dad.

And that’s the way it was. Oh, I was writing this post, I got a Facebook friend request and a message on Messenger from Swan. I’ve officially been unblocked! Now we can communicate via social media like true lovers do!

It’s a slow ride so far, but I’m getting there. I’ve mentioned before that my memory is increasingly feeble. I find myself writing down things I don’t want to forget, at least when I remember to do so. My attention span is also growing more and more limited. That makes it hard to sit through a movie or a long video. And then last night, I was in the midst of a dream, and the song “Smooth” was playing in the background for some reason. It eventually overtook the narrative of the dream (of course, I don’t remember what I was dreaming about now), and it eventually caused me to wake up. And the damn song was STILL playing in my head! Try as I might, I couldn’t clear my brain or get back to sleep. I finally had to get up and put on my earbuds and play from one of my Spotify song lists. It kept me awake for a while, but it shut up Santana and Rob Thomas, and I was able to achieve slumber without distraction once more. At this rate, I’ll be a happy man soon, assuming ignorance truly is bliss.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, a blog post about yesterday. Let’s get to it!

Next up was the Friday group hike.

The meeting I alluded to in yesterday’s post was to finalize plans for the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers’ 32nd Anniversary event. We took care of business and finished at 3 p.m. Well, that’s too close to beer o’clock to go back home, so I went to It Doesn’t Matter instead. Ran into some familiar faces, had some beer, and ate some chicken wings. Swan joined me there.

Some of the group wanted to pay a visit to Red Bar, so we joined in.

I hadn’t been to Red Bar on a Friday, so I was not aware of the daily special.

I don’t recall what the shot was, but thankfully, it was not too powerful. It’s for the best that I stick with San Mig Zero.

When the group was ready to move on, I suggested we pay Jumpin’ Jacks a visit. I told them about the nice time we’d had there on their re-opening weekend, and everyone was up for checking it out.

And the happy vibe and good music were still front and center. Also, as promised, they had stocked some Zero beer. Swan got her wine for 200 pesos, and that’s within my price tolerance. No complaints, and there were a couple of other folks there playing pool, so hopefully this iteration will be successful.

I’m joking, of course. I never play that suckers game of tossing the balls. The girls scramble around and get ten pesos for each ball they retrieve, but the bar gets about half of the 300 pesos. Instead, I bought all five of the girls working a lady drink. Yes, it cost me a lot more, but they earn a better commission and maintain their dignity.

Starting at three in the afternoon was a challenge, but I made it to eight, so that was an accomplishment of sorts. It was a very nice change of pace hanging with a group, and we had a fun night on the town. More fun than the SOB has been lately.

I’ve made it to December 2009 in my journey through the LTG archives. I’m going to offer a twofer today…On December 7 (talk about infamy), I was elected as President of the Seoul International Dart League. And on December 8, I was quoted in the Stars and Stripes about tour lengths for civilians in Korea. The link to the Stars and Stripes article in the post no longer works, but I found the story here.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is concerning. She discusses some recent legal changes that will have a negative impact on her and other vloggers in the Philippines. Sadly, the government focuses on shit like this instead of working to improve the lives of the Filipino people.

I didn’t forget the humor!

I’ve got a long way to go to catch up with Biden, so I’ll be back with more tomorrow. Unless I forget.

That’s the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority or the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, also known as the old Navy Base.

Anyway, Swan and I couldn’t decide where we might go for our Thursday hike, but we proceeded down to the highway anyway. I figured we’d grab a Jeepney, but I wasn’t sure which direction to go. When the moment of truth came, we headed towards Olongapo. We initially thought we’d get off near the Kalakalan gate at SBMA and then hike the beach back to Barretto. On the way there, I was trying to discern if the tide was high (which makes a beach walk more of a wade) when Swan declared, Why not just walk on SBMA? Yeah, why not? Hadn’t done that for a while.

So, off the Jeepney, through the gate as pictured above, and onto SBMA.

Now, SBMA is unique in that laws are enforced, and things like littering aren’t tolerated. Sadly, the bay is full of crap from everywhere else, and when the tide recedes it leaves behind the trash it carries.

I didn’t see any straws, at least. I told Swan that almost nothing came in a plastic bottle when I was a child. Soft drinks were in glass bottles, and you were charged a deposit when you bought one (three cents each). Litter didn’t last long, because kids like me would go scavenging for bottles and cash them in for pocket money. Ah, an old man’s tales from the good ol’ days.

So, that’s how we spent our morning, but there was more sand and water to come as we made our way to Baloy Beach.

I’m not sure what is happening on Baloy, but it had a ghost town vibe yesterday. We started things off with a beach walk to Kim’s Place. It was closed, but Kim was drinking at a table outside with some friends. He said he’d be ready to reopen on Monday for the Hash On-Home. Kim said there was no point in opening in uncertain weather.

Next, we went to Kokomo’s, which was closed as well. This was especially surprising because just a few days ago, I saw a post from Kokomo’s on Facebook saying that although the floating bar was gone now, the Tiki bar on the beach was open to serve you. Except it wasn’t. We checked with the receptionist at the front desk, and she said it closed because there were no customers. And now, when customers come, they aren’t open. That’s a self-defeating circle.

In our quest for something to drink, we continued on to Foxhole (aka DaKudo’s). Yay! They were open, although we were the only ones there except for the bartender/waitress, Nhel. She’s an old friend from Mango’s, so it was nice to say hello again.

When it was time to eat, we headed next door to Treasure Island. Not many customers, but it was fully staffed and felt like an oasis from the surrounding isolation.

As usual, we enjoyed our Treasure Island dining experience. When it was time to decide on a nightcap venue, we’d both had had enough of the desolate Baloy vibe. So, we grabbed a trike and headed into Barretto, getting out at Whiskey Girl.

We don’t come here often, and the last couple of times they didn’t have wine. I verified that red wine was in stock before we were seated. Our regular waitress, Kim, was there to serve us and enjoyed the bounty of my lady drink generosity. Kim lives on our Sunday Candy Walk route, so her kids are also always happy to see us.

I guess it is not just Baloy; there are not many tourists around this time of year, and for whatever reason, the expats haven’t been out in force either. Well, I’m doing my best to keep the bars in business, but there is only so much one man can do.

During our outing last evening, I kept getting messages from one of the bargirls I know. When she told me she needed help with the rent, I put her in ignore mode. I don’t get the mentality of why someone I’m barely acquainted with thinks I should give her money. In this case, I know her sister has a foreigner boyfriend, so why not ask her? My charity budget is maxed out helping folks with important stuff like medical expenses and tuition. I hate to seem Scrooge-like, but random bargirls just aren’t my priority these days. Yeah, there was a time when I might have done one of those “transactional” arrangements, but those days are gone now.

I’ve progressed to September 2009 in the LTG archives, and I enjoyed reading this post about my best Labor Day ever again.

Some Facebook memories from this day in history:

Today’s YouTube video is a travel documentary revealing some “unseen facts” about the Philippines. I found it interesting, perhaps you will, too.

And now for the funny business:

A Frenchman, an Italian, and a Texan were discussing lovemaking.

“Last night I made love to my wife three times,” boasted the Frenchman. “She was in sheer ecstasy this morning.”

“Ah, last night I made love to my wife six times,” the Italian responded, “And this morning she made me a wonderful omelet and told me she could never love another man.”

When the Texan remained silent, the Frenchman smugly asked, “And how many times did you make love to your wife last night?”

“Once,” he replied.

“Only once?” the Italian arrogantly snorted.

“What did she say to you this morning?” asked the Italian.

“Don’t stop,” said the Texan.

I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.

That’s all I’ve got to offer for today.

After a one-week hiatus, the Wednesday Walkers reconvened for an outing yesterday. Granted, it was flat and mostly paved, but it was good to get together once more on a 7K journey.

It rained again in the afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from heading out under umbrellas at beer o’clock. We confined ourselves to The Maze, visiting Sloppy Joe’s, Alaska, and Green Room. The usual good time was had, and then another day came to an end.

I’ve moved on to August 2009 in the journey through the LTG archives. I discovered that nearly all my posts were about politics (the Obamacare shit was hitting the fan) or darts. And you thought the content these days sucked! But the post about the farewell party for my pal Dave New was worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life. Seeing the old Itaewon crew again in the photos made me once more realize how fleeting friendships truly are, at least they have been in my life. C’est la vie.

Coincidentally, I posted this three years ago on Facebook:

Welp, life’s a beach, so embrace it!

If you have a couple of minutes, this YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines is worth your time. I thought it was funny how she says it’s always the woman’s fault. I will say her points about the “crab mentality” in Filipino culture are valid. I try to stay away from drama, but there is a fair amount of it currently taking place amongst the Hash womenfolk.

Time for a little humor (very little, some might say):

And now we are done for today.

For some reason, I posted a link to this song on Facebook ten years ago. I reckon it’s time to give it another listen:

Started the day like a rich man spending big at the grocery store. Came home and took a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood. And the good news is I’ve got my appetite back, and the expulsion chamber is working again.

A typical boring Thursday, and then, at about three p.m., this happens:

I don’t recall the last time I’ve seen it come down so hard. And the lightning was right outside my window. Big bolts and immediate thunder booms were driving the dogs crazy. And it lasted long enough to flood the streets in town. It was five-thirty before it lightened up enough for us to brave an umbrella walk to Barretto.

Some light rain was still falling after we finished our meal and headed out. We agreed a visit to Cloud 69 was in order. Man, we were in for a surprise as it was nothing like our previous visits. It had apparently flooded much worse than Mango’s, and the staff was still mopping up the floors when we arrived. Our regular waitress wasn’t there, and we were served by the bakla (transgender female). Let’s just say I prefer my regular server. Anyway, Swan got a good laugh when she overheard the bakla say to one of his/her coworkers that “My balls keep falling out of my underwear.” (S)he was wearing a miniskirt, and I didn’t look to see for myself.

We were the only customers as usual, but this time the music sucked (rap) and we asked that they play some classic rock instead. To the bar’s credit, they did so. None of the dancers bothered to get up on stage, and all of the staff just sat around playing on their phones. Then another customer came in, sat down, and ordered a beer. The bakla brought it to him, and then it was all as if he wasn’t there again. In a girly bar, the point is to pretend you are glad the customer is there and hope your faux kindness will be rewarded with a lady drink. These girls couldn’t be bothered to put their phones down. The guy took about three sips of his beer, got up, paid, and then walked out with a disgusted look on his face. Can’t say that I blame him. We left shortly thereafter.

I gave Swan two nightcap options, Wet Spot or Nipsey’s, which are about equally distant but in different directions. She opted for Nipsey’s and off we went. Another surprise here, a pleasant one this time. A friendly welcome, and as soon as we were seated (again, the only customers), two dancers hopped on stage and began “performing.” The music was just how I like it, and included the videos on a big screen TV. Jam, the person I knew on our last visit, wasn’t working, but one of the dancers greeted me by name. We called them both down to join us for a lady drink. It turns out that the one who knew my name used to work on the Kokomo’s floating bar, and last night was her first at Nipsey’s. Welcome aboard. Swan had a nice chat with the gals in Tagalog, and I just chilled, enjoying my beers and the vibe. The mood warranted buying a second round of lady drinks, and that’s just what I did.

When it was time to depart, I asked for my tab, and the waitress brought a bill for 1980 pesos. That seemed high to me, but I was buzzed enough not to care. Swan asked the girls how much the lady drinks cost (the standard 180 pesos each). I apparently had five beers, and Swan had one wine. Swan used the calculator on her phone and totaled our bill, which came to 1560 pesos. We called the waitress back over and told her our bill (which I had already paid) was wrong. The waitress consulted the cashier and then brought us the refund for the difference. So, was it an attempted scam or an honest mistake? I have no way of knowing, but it is a good reminder always to double-check what you are being charged.

Oh, and our waitress was wearing this t-shirt:

Anyway, it was a more interesting than usual night on the town and we enjoyed ourselves. That’s what it’s all about.

Today’s entry from the July 2009 LTG archives is the after-action report from my Bali adventure. Looking back now, I’m surprised I never returned for a follow-up visit. It’s an amazing place. I also found myself wondering why I didn’t seriously consider it as a potential retirement destination. I think I rejected it primarily because I was uncomfortable with Indonesia’s Muslim domination and rules. The other thing that struck me from those old Bali posts was how people who are important to you ultimately disappear from your life. Tom and Yuli were two of my best friends when we lived in Korea, and we stayed in touch via Facebook for years after they went back to the USA. At some point, Tom decided he didn’t like my political viewpoints and unfriended me. I guess there is no better way to show how little my friendship mattered. The other thing that made me sad, of course, was remembering how happy I was sharing my life with Jee Yeun. I’ll never get over losing her.

Twelve years ago, I was living another life and enjoying time in my backyard with the grandkids.

Let’s lighten things up with a Mikey Bustos YouTube video today. In this parody song, he tells the story of the Filipino rejection of Spanish culture, starting with the slaying of Magellan. Good stuff!

And now for some more:

Good medicine!

Life goes on, so I’d better get to it.

I may have posted this song before, but I like it. Of all the big-name bands I saw live growing up in Southern Cal, ELO put on the best show.

Now I hope to see it all more clearly. I’m not experiencing any post-surgery discomfort, but my left eye vision, while better than it was, is still blurry. I suspect I just need to give it more time, but I have a follow-up appointment this afternoon with my ophthalmologist, so I’ll see what he says.

Picking up from where I left off yesterday, it was after 1 p.m. when we escaped the hospital, and I was ready for some grub. Texas Joe’s was only a kilometer away, and it’s been a while since I’ve had authentic American-style barbeque. On the other hand, there were lots of other places even closer.

We opted instead to visit The Lighthouse. I’d been there a few times and recalled the food was good, if a bit pricey.

The waiter kept trying to talk us into moving inside for the aircon. I prefer open air myself, and I suspect he just didn’t want to be bothered with going in and out to serve us. Too bad for you, we ain’t movin’!

When it came time to pay the bill, I was in for a shock. The food was reasonably priced (380 for my sandwich, 600 for the kare-kare), but I was charged 180 pesos per bottle for my San Mig Zero beer. That’s double the price of most places I visit in Barretto. I know when I buy a case from the local distributor, I pay around 50 pesos a bottle. So, I felt like I’d been ripped off. At least The Lighthouse will now be easy to avoid in the future.

We caught a taxi back to Barretto, and I got busy with blogging. My eye was a little itchy and felt like I had a bug in it, but that eased up some as time went on.

I decided that home is where I needed to stay last evening, so I set myself up for some quality time at The Rite Spot On The Roof.

Swan made a batch of spaghetti for dinner, I fooled around on the laptop some, then decided to hit the hay at 8:30 so my eye could get some rest. Yeah, that’s my story!

Thursday’s report card: 9,308 steps, 7.15 kilometers walked, 2,830 calories burned.

From the LTG archives, a May 2009 post about picking up my new hire, Dennis McPeters, at the airport in Incheon. I had worked with Dennis back in my Postal Service days, and he was top-notch. We were also friends. When Dennis retired, he moved to Cambodia. I visited him there a couple of times. And sadly, he’s another person in my life who has seemingly disappeared. Dennis abhorred social media, so our contact was exclusively through email. And about a year ago, he stopped responding. Dennis was/is several years older than me and I fear he may have passed away. I’ve done some Google searches for his name (I know he has family in Florida), but I didn’t see any news or obituaries. Then again, if I died tomorrow, how would any of my old friends and acquaintances find out?

From my Facebook memories on this day in history:

Today’s YouTube video is an update on that crazy vlogger Vitaly, currently residing in a Philippine jail. Apparently, he claims to have found religion and wants to be forgiven and released from jail while awaiting trial. Somehow, I don’t think that is going to happen.

Let’s take a moment for Zen:

Always Try To Be Modest, And Be Proud Of It!

To the humor we must go!

There’s an old priest who got sick of all the people in his parish who kept confessing to adultery. One Sunday, in the pulpit, he said, “If I hear one more person confess to adultery, I’ll quit!”

Well, everyone liked him, so they came up with a code word. Someone who had committed adultery would say they had “fallen.”

This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the priest died at a ripe old age. About a week after the new priest arrived, he visited the mayor of the town and seemed very concerned.

The priest said, “You have to do something about the sidewalks in town. When people come into the confessional, they keep talking about having fallen.”

The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had told the new priest about the code word.

Before the mayor could explain, the priest shook an accusing finger at the mayor and said, “I don’t know what you’re laughing about, your wife fell three times this week.”

Have a good trip, see you next fall!

And there you have it. Time for me to fly, well, Jeepney, to my doctor’s visit on SBMA at the Baypointe Hospital. Adios, amigos! Hope to see you again.

Back in the Tuesday groove: shopping, a walk through the hood, and a Baloy Beach outing.

I took note of the fact that I’m now spending over a hundred bucks a week on candies and cookies. Yeah, that money could be spent in a more productive charitable fashion, but we’re filling our niche, and the smiles we get in return make it feel like a worthwhile cause. So, dispensing sweetness will continue unabated for the foreseeable future.

Back home, groceries unloaded, I set about my neighborhood stroll.

At the appropriate hour, we headed for the beach.

We changed things up a bit and went to DaKudos after departing the floating bar. An acquaintance of mine, Norman, is working there and asked us to pay him a visit. So, promise kept. There was a time when DaKudos was a popular spot on Baloy. The new owner set about changing that and had a great deal of success. There used to be pool league teams, horseshoe tourneys, Zumba dancing, and Hash On-Homes there. The owner put a stop to all those. Last night, Norman was the bartender and only waiter. So, the only other customers during our visit (a large table of Filipinos) were not getting the kind of service I would expect, through no fault of Norman’s. There is only so much two hands can handle. Back when Mango’s owned DaKudos, we enjoyed the pork chop dinner, so we tried it again last night.

We stopped by Treasure Island after our meal, mostly because we’ve been bringing cookies and lollipops for the worker bees there, and I figured they’d be expecting to see us. I was right about that! I recognized some new faces at TI. Owner Bert recently purchased Sloppy Joe’s bar, and while it completes renovation, he brought the staff members he’s retaining to work at TI in the interim. One of the gals informed me that June 6 is D-Day (sorry, couldn’t resist), that Sloppy’s will reopen.

The trike dropped me off at home around 8 p.m., and Swan continued on to visit a friend celebrating her birthday (Marissa’s twin sister). I was sound asleep by the time she returned. And that’s how the weakest day of my week, Tuesday, went down. Yeah, if that’s the worst, I’m doing pretty damn good!

Tuesday’s report card: 13,533 steps, 10.41 kilometers, 3,345 calories burned.

There was a time when playing darts was my main passion and a big part of my life. This post from March 2009 recounts my performance in a big tournament with the Seoul International Dart League. Even though I’ve retired from the game, it was nice to look back on this aspect of the story of my life.

Facebook memories from this date in my history:

Eleven years ago, I shared a link to this post on Facebook (something I no longer do). Anyway, it’s a bird’s-eye view of some cultural aspects of life in Seoul, as seen from my apartment balcony.

Today’s YouTube video features Reekay talking about self-healing and past forgetting. Those are things that each individual must accomplish on their own. Simply leaving it all behind and moving to the PI won’t get you there. I can relate. Truth be told, my wounds didn’t (and haven’t) healed through the miracle of beautiful surroundings and kind-hearted people. That said, when I look back at what was, I see the happiness I missed by not embracing my blessings and failing to live in the moment and appreciate them. These days, I often take a step back, look around me, and think, damn, I’m a lucky SOB. The past is history, the future a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.

That Zen thing I’ve been doing:

He Who Laughs Last, Thinks Slowest.

And the humor attempts:

That’s it for today’s dose of LTG.

Or should I just say, SMH? Things didn’t go according to plan yesterday, which can be frustrating. Still, we made do with our own alternative, and in the end, that proved to be as satisfying as our original intentions. Funny how that works.

Sat 24 May at 3.00 pm: BEACH run (men only).  Start at T-Backs (Thunder Girls) bar.  P100.

The Angeles Hash provided the above information regarding the BEACH run and my fellow SBH3 mates, Rob and Erik, were up for it. Swan was meeting some old friends of hers here, so I was free to join in the guys-only fun. Things went awry, and I’ll take some of the blame for that. When I saw “T-Backs,” I assumed they were talking about a restaurant/bar about a kilometer from my hotel. We arrived around 2:30, so we enjoyed a beer while we waited. Twenty minutes later, when no Hashers had appeared, I knew something was up. We asked our waitress about the Hash event, and she didn’t know what we were talking about. Then she suggested it might be at a bar named TBACs on Perimeter Road. Duh, we had walked right past it on our way here. So, we grabbed a trike and headed for the other bar with a similar name. And there were no Hashers there either. WTF? Seeing our perplexed faces, the waitress asked if we were looking for someone. When we mentioned the Hash, she told us they were coming at 6:00. Damn, so this must be the last bar on the hop. Now what? I checked the Angeles Hash Facebook page, and nothing was posted about the Beach Run. To hell with it, we ordered a beer and decided to do our own bar hop and finish here when the Hash arrived.

And that’s just what we did. The bar we went to next told us the Hash was coming at 5:30. We laughed about doing the barhop in reverse. But we enjoyed seeing some new places and having them all to ourselves.

I bailed at nine, but Rob and Erik kept going, all the way to the notorious Walking Street. It was a different experience barhopping in this part of town, and overall, I enjoyed it. We didn’t go big on buying lady drinks, but I rewarded a couple of the thirsty young ladies. I was back at the hotel before Swan. Damn, did I lose my balls somewhere along the way?

Oh, and when we ran into the Angeles Hashers later, I learned that they had started at Jollibee’s and did a 5K hike before beginning the barhop. Thanks for letting us know. (To be fair, the Hash webpage was updated, even if Facebook wasn’t. I just didn’t know about the web address. Now I do.)

Saturday’s report: 6041 steps. 4.64 kilometers. 3043 calories burned.

In January 2009, I wrote about the dynamic changes in Itaewon I had witnessed over the preceding four years. That only escalated after the Army Garrison at Yongsan moved down south to Pyeongtaek.

Today’s YouTube video deems Angeles foreigners to be “lowlifes.” Not everyone here is a whore monger, and even those that adopted that lifestyle have their reasons. Why judge? I preferred Barretto’s more laid-back lifestyle, but I understand why some like Angeles better. To each his own.

A moment for ZEN

 Honk If You Love Peace And Quiet.

And some funny business:

Time for me to prepare for an Angeles-style Hash. I know where it starts, we’ll see how it ends.

Nothing special about yesterday, but that won’t stop me from telling you about it anyway. I will endeavor to keep it as brief and painless as possible.

Swan and I are going to Angeles City for the weekend (leaving in the morning), so we decided to do the Saturday Sweet Stroll on Thursday. Y’all have been on that walk with me (vicariously through photos) several times, so I won’t bore you with multiple pics again.

After sweetening the lives of the children we encountered, it was our turn for some fun. When beer o’clock arrived, we headed into town. Swan wanted to get a haircut, so I waited for her patiently at Red Bar.

Swan joined me an hour or so later and had her usual glass of red wine (she drinks slowly; I do about three beers per glass of wine).

When it was time for some dinner, we crossed the highway and strolled to Jewel Cafe.

Another glass of wine for Swan, and I’m too much of a gentleman to let her drink alone. Dinner was served while we drank.

After our meal, we moved on to It Doesn’t Matter. You guessed it, Swan had a wine, and that meant I was forced to drink yet more beer. And that’s not all; we went to Cloud 69 for our nightcap and did it again. When we arrived home, Swan declared herself “tipsy” and went to bed. I was fine, so I played some on the internet before joining her slumber there.

The Thursday report card: 16,948 steps, 13.02 kilometers walked, 3521 calories burned.

After my hospitalization in October 2008 (I shared that post yesterday), my almost total lack of blogging continued for over two months. I was indeed a Long Time Gone. I finally returned with a post on December 23, 2008, appropriately titled, “It’s been a long time comin’,” where I talked vaguely about what had been going on in my life, and once again promised to post on a more regular basis in the future. I’m still unsure why I took such a lengthy break from the blog. I got promoted to the GS-15 Director of Human Resources job, which created some stress in my life. My marriage to wife #3 had ended, as had my relationship with the Korean woman I’d been dating (she moved to the USA to attend graduate school). I’m also pretty sure this was the time frame during which I met Jee Yeun, who was destined to become my final wife. Back in those days, I was not as inclined as I am now to write about the drama in my personal life, and that seems to have been all I had going on.

You may have missed a recent comment from James, a long-time reader here. He notes that my blog content is not as enticing as it was in the days before I began my relationship with Swan. Yep, much less drama and sexcapades. Here’s what James had to say:

Long time reader, haven’t visited in a while.
Glad to see that you’re keeping up with your correspondence, as it were.

As you may recall, I was one of the readers who showed no enthusiasm when you settled down with your lady. And I come here to celebrate your success 🙌
But of course it’s no coincidence that your readership may have dropped, or at least changed demographics. Now that you’re a man settled down, there’s less drama and conflict to write about, fewer bar visits and new random characters introduced, and there’s only so much information you can convey to a potential tourist when you’re living the sedate married life.

I say all this because I am still shocked at what Browser wrote all those years ago. Last year I think you attracted some political commentary that animated the blog for a while. But to imagine there was once a time when you were berated for not writing on your own blog; I am shocked. What was he even thinking 🤔 Writing daily is hard
And yet you keep writing ✍️ My gratitude and admiration will never cease. You inspire me to pick up a pen and write, starting with just my grocery list. There’s something soothinng and invigorating about writing down one’s thoughts daily.

and for those who miss the drama, let me say that Joy – she of the feeding scheme- has gotten fat. We’ve all gotten fat, but I don’t have a mirror and I have a side-by-side photos of Joy’s face. Boom! There’s some drama for you addicts

Again, thank you for the daily writing ✍️

James

Today’s YouTube video is short and sweet about the five things a first-time visitor observed about the Philippines. It was nice to look back and remember my first trips here, where I pretty much saw the same things this vlogger talks about. For me, the first thing I noticed that was shocking was the poverty that so many here endure, which made all the positive traits noted in this video all the more impressive. Filipinos are a special breed.

Today’s Zen wisdom:

Light Travels Faster Than Sound, Which Is Why Some People Appear
Bright Until You Hear Them Speak.

And now for the funny stuff:

My last night in town will be spent at the SOB. I’ll try to dash off a post in the morning before we hit the road to Angeles City.

Both bad and good. While marking yesterday’s Hash trail, one of the Hares, Stewed Rat (Rob), experienced numbness in his left arm, lost his ability to speak, and then could not stand. He was fortunate to be near the bottom of the hill and close enough to civilization that the locals could assist in bringing him down to the road, where he was transported by ambulance to the hospital in Barretto. He was diagnosed with having had a transient ischemic attack, commonly referred to as a ministroke. Rob’s symptoms disappeared after an hour or so, and he felt strong enough to attend the Hash Circle. Man, that’s some scary shit. It was just a couple of weeks ago that Pubic Head (Scott) had a similar experience, albeit more severe. This morning, Althouse linked to an article in the NY Times detailing the consequences a ministroke can bring. Bottom line, it is a warning sign that frequently leads to more severe stroke symptoms if not treated promptly. Rob is a relatively young guy (appears to be in his 40s) and still works on a ship, so this condition affects more than just us elderly types.

It was another hot day, and I was on the fence about whether or not to make the big climb up Kalaklan at the beginning of the hike. After hearing about Stewed Rat, I said fuck that and did my own shortcut, coincidentally picking up the trail at Barretto High School again and doing the more gentle end climb before finishing on Baloy Beach. My trail, including the walk from my house to the start, was still a worthy 8K, so I feel good about the effort.

That’s the way Run #1654 went down. I’m happy to report there were no fatalities.

I’ve got friends in low places:

From the archives, the first post from June of 2008 here at LTG was a snapshot of a day in the life back then. Yes, that means mostly darts and drinking.

Fourteen years ago, I was settling into my suburban American life in Columbia, South Carolina:

Damn, it still hurts to have lost it all.

Today’s YouTube video is from The Filipina Pea as she compares an American Jollibee’s with the ones back home in the PI. I’m not a big fan of Jollibee’s, but as fast food goes, it ain’t bad. This video reminded me of the first time I had a KFC experience in Korea. All I could figure was the Colonel’s recipe didn’t translate well.

Today’s moment of Zen:

On The Other Hand, You Have Different Fingers.

And now for some better humor:

Livin’ it while I got it. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

A-Hashing, we did go! More or less. And if it is true that less is more, I did the best trail ever! Yeah, even as a notorious shortcutter, I bit off a little less than I like to chew yesterday, but the alternative was taking a Jeepney out of town to the start, then climbing up to the Kalaklan Ridge. I just wasn’t feeling that. Instead, our group (me, Swan, and Beth) walked from my house to Barretto High School, then picked up the last portion of Leech My Nuggets’ trail. It was just shy of 5K for us, with one moderately easy climb. The On-Home was at Leech’s house, and it being election Monday, there was no after-Hash at It Doesn’t Matter. So, I had an early end to the evening as well. Anyway, I’m glad to be still rolling along in my dotage.

I made a short video clip of a portion of the My Bitch trail. (Okay, now there’s a first. I went to upload the video and discovered YouTube had made it “age-restricted.” All I can figure is calling the video “My Bitch” triggered the algorithm to punish me. So, I’m making a new video with the same content and calling it something else. Let’s see what happens.)

Success. Well, the quality is still crap, but at least you can watch it here.

The other day, I mentioned the student in Bohol I was sponsoring. Here he be:

And today I took the bait:

Not political, but still funny:

And as long as we are thinking about religion and tolerance, this seems like a good idea:

It’s been interesting (to me) delving through the old posts in the LTG archives. I’m up to January 2008 now, and most of my posts are about darting and drinking in Itaewon (compared to now, when they are about hiking and drinking in Barretto). In this post, I note the occasion of the 50,000th visitor to my site in its third year of existence. I thanked the handful of loyal readers who bothered to engage my content, just as I appreciate the few of you who still visit now. Sometimes I wonder why I’m still doing this every day, but I guess it has just become part of who I am. And I am a selfish bastard.

Five years ago, I made this post on Facebook.

On that day, I also posted this two-minute video to make my point:

Never again!

Thirteen years ago, my sense of humor was on full display for the world to see:

An 85-year old man is having his annual checkup. The Doctor asks him how he is feeling.

“I’ve got an eighteen-year old bride who’s pregnant with my child. What do you think about that?”

The Doctor considers this for a moment, and then says, “Well, let me tell you a story. I know of a guy who’s an avid hunter. He never misses a season.

But one day he’s in a bit of a hurry and he accidentally grabs his umbrella instead of his gun.

So he’s walking in the woods near a creek and suddenly spots a beaver in some brush in front of him! He raises up his umbrella, points it at the beaver and squeezed the handle. BAM !

The beaver drops dead in front of him.

“That’s impossible!”, says the old man in disbelief, “Someone else must have shot that beaver.”

The Doctor says, “My point exactly.”

Today’s YouTube video is from Smart Girl Philippines, and she makes some interesting points about how the sex industry has ruined it for the rest of us.

Humor time:

And that’s all I’ve got for today. Back tomorrow, the good Lord willing.