Today marks the epic beginning of a thirty-day journey. My buddy Kevin Kim is hiking from one end of South Korea to the other. Incheon to Busan to be precise. I’m going to be joining him, vicariously of course, through the posts and photos he’ll be sharing on the blog he created to document this journey. You can follow along too here.
Good luck and Godspeed!
I’m taking the 5th! Of May I mean.
Here’s to your health!
I don’t brag on the kids much here at LTG, but every once in awhile I just can’t help myself. Daughter Renee sent me this video clip of a commercial featuring her younger brother Kevin:
It was a big move for Kevin giving up his broadcasting career for a more stable and family oriented work environment. I’m really pleased he’s doing so well in his new professional life. Of course the success I’m most proud of is the generous nature of his character. Well done, son. Well, done.
Meanwhile, Renee had one of those rare “full circle” events recently. Her daughter Gracyn is big time into volleyball. And she wound up playing a match at the high school Renee and Kevin attended.
Anyway, that’s enough bragging for one day. I didn’t have much to do with how great my kids turned out anyway. I just got lucky I suppose.
I had to Google to see if it was “A” or “An” historic day. The consensus was “A” so I went with it, although truthfully I like the way “An” sounds better. Anyway, it is a special day of remembrance for me because 41 years ago my son Kevin was welcomed into this world.
Kevin was actually born on his due date. I had gone through the prenatal course so I could be in the delivery room for that special moment when he drew his first breath. It was quite an experience for all involved!
Kevin grew up successfully despite having a wayward father. He spent many years in broadcast journalism before leaving for the more stable working hours and better pay of the insurance industry. By all accounts he is doing quite well–a great wife, a great house, a great daughter, and three wonderful step daughters. He’s definitely a great daddy and I’m obviously very proud of him.
Otherwise things are back to normal around here. An uneventful flight home (unlike the unfortunates on Ethiopian Air). Marissa slept most of the way and only woke up when the wheels touched down. The look of surprise and confusion on her face was priceless. Good times.
Buddy was happy to see me again. He’s got a big heart, that’s for sure.
What else? Well, I had a good time explaining to my breakfast waitress what “SOS” stands for…
And that’s about it. Time for me to get ready to Hash.
And oh yeah, today makes 10 months of living in the Philippines. So far so good.
I was sorry to see the news that Jan-Michael Vincent has passed away. We spent some intimate moments together back in the day (I wrote about it here).
He appears to have lived life on his terms which is admirable. He also had his flaws and made quite a few drug and alcohol fueled mistakes. No one’s perfect of course.
Thanks for the memories!
…my mother passed away.
Miss you mama!
Coincidentally, me and the brothers just accepted a buyer’s offer on the parent’s house today. And I guess that just leaves the memories now.
Mother don’t worry, I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed
Mother don’t worry, I’ve got some money I saved for the weekend
Mother remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?
Mother remember the blink of an eye when I breathed through your body?So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons are like birds, flying upward over the mountainMother I made it up from the bruise on the floor of this prison
Mother I lost it, all of the fear of the Lord I was given
Mother forget me now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to
Mother forgive me, I sold your car for the shoes that I gave youSo may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons could be birds, taken broken up to the mountainMother don’t worry, I’ve got a coat and some friends on the corner
Mother don’t worry, she’s got a garden we’re planting together
Mother remember the night that the dog got her pups in the pantry?
Blood on the floor, fleas on their paws,
And you cried ’til the morningSo may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons are like birds, flying always over the mountain
Justin’s flight from Seoul landed more or less on time at 0100 yesterday morning. We were back home in Barretto and in bed by 0300. I was able to rouse Justin from his slumber for a morning walk/breakfast at 0900. And so the first day of Justin’s visit began (he’d been here for a brief 3-day visa run in September).
Did the normal Tuesday grocery shopping in the afternoon but spent twice the normal seeing as how next Tuesday is Christmas. Got home, rested up and then showered and it was time to hit the bars show Justin around town.
This was not your standard bar hop mind you, I was on a mission. Actually, I was playing Santa and delivering a small token of my appreciation to four of my favorite bargirls drinking companions.
Then it was on to Wet Spot where I presented a cash gift to one of my favorites, Anna. She’s actually the ex of one of my friends here and is now the girlfriend of some guy from Sweden. By girlfriend I mean he sends support every month and sees Anna a couple of times a year. That’s a pretty common arrangement around theses parts from my observation.
Also popped into Alaska Club for a beer and gift to a sweet girl named Kim. I wrote about us having a falling out/misunderstanding here. All is forgiven now and she was happy with her reward I think.
No, we didn’t actually visit Crazy Horse, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make that whore joke. Sorry.
We ended the night at my home bar, Alley Cats. Justin and the new girl, Gerlyn, seemed to hit it off. Well, that’s her job but I did sense a little chemistry. Justin invited her to the Hash come Monday so I guess we shall see.
Alright, speaking of Alley Cats I need to head out for the dart tourney now. More to come!
The day in pictures.
Great views here in the neighborhood. Not sure I’d call them divine, but they are heavenly….
From the back deck this morning. The day started cold and blustery…
But when I looked out my bedroom window after my afternoon nap, the sun was shining. So I decided to take a walk.
The street in front of the house…let’s go!
A little chilly out, but once I got moving it felt pleasant enough.
That ridge doesn’t look blue to me. Just sayin’
Someone is living large!
I hope they don’t take these views for granite…
Heading back to the house. Not a real long walk. Not sure if it was the altitude or just not used to the uphills, but I was huffing and puffing…
Kevin grilled up some tasty meat for dinner…was nice to have some tender beef again.
Lauren and Renee did a great job on all the other fixin’s…
The kid’s table…
and one for the grownups
My plate. Damn, that was some fine eating!
And now we are all just chillaxin’ on our final night in the high country.
The Blue Ridge mountains to be precise. A little town called Seven Devils near Banner Elk, North Carolina. Beautiful being up here with the family.
Interesting drive up here. Rained most of the way and then we hit fog once we gained some elevation. Also had an accident happen just a couple of car links ahead of me. The driver somehow hit the median and lost control, was spinning and bouncing around, pieces of the car flying about, then slid back into the highway backwards. I’m doing 60 mph and went into full avoidance mode, dodging him off to the right shoulder and successfully bypassing the wreckage. Scary shit!
Getting up to our “cabin” in the woods was on some steep, narrow and twisty highway, but damn, I can’t recall ever driving a more beautiful road. And it’s nice having everyone sharing time under one roof again. Let’s go to the pictures:
Told you it was foggy!
“It’s not smoke, it’s vapor!”
I actually thought we were in the Smoky Mountains. Granddaughter Gracyn schooled me on my erroneous geography. “It’s the Blue Ridge papa!”
Out of the fog and heading on up…
We are past peak, but there is still plenty of color in the trees…
The cabin is a 5 bedroom McMansion!
The requisite fireplace. It’s gas log which keeps things easy peasy…
The bar with a huge screen TV.
The living area…
Dining with a view…
Working in the kitchen…we had homemade pizza last night…
Downstairs basement features a pool table…
…Ping pong and darts and outside is a Jacuzzi…
I snagged the downstairs bedroom…
….featuring this big ass bathtub and walk in shower…
And four more bedrooms upstairs…
No idea what this thing is for…
Got a little snow last night…
Me and the kids keeping warm by the fire…
I was up with the sun this morning…
…enjoying the morning views…
A full day of hanging with the family is on tap. Hopefully it warms up some and I can get in a nice mountain hike.
More to come, stay tuned!
Still not sleeping right, but what are you going to do? I’ve been staying up later and later thinking I might actually sleep through the night. Nope, 3:00 a.m. rolls around and my brain says “wake up so you can listen to me think about shit you can’t change anyway!”. I threw in the towel tonight and went to bed at 7:30 p.m. because I had a long day and I was tired and drunk. Woke up at 10:30 p.m. and here I am. Maybe I’ll stay up and go to bed at 3:00 just to see what my brain thinks about that.
So, besides not sleeping what have I been up to? Well, I’ve done some shopping and I’m steadily filling that empty suitcase I brought with me.
More stuff on the way from Amazon. Still some things to pick up at the brick and mortar stores as well. Maybe should have brought a bigger suitcase!
In shopping related news, I purchased some new Levi’s jeans. And I bought them with a 34″ waist. And they fit! Three years ago I was wearing 42″‘s. Now, I haven’t been getting my steps in thus far this trip and my dietary discipline has been non-existent. If I’m gonna continue to wear my new jeans comfortably I’m going to have to get up off my lazy ass and get back on the program. Motivation!
Dinner with daughter Renee and grandson Alex last night.
Then I had my daughter drop me off at a nearby redneck dive bar to get drunk relax and watch the game. I seemed to fit right in, don’t you think?
As I mentioned above, I’m up every morning at o’dark thirty and it being Sunday morning everyone in the house was sleeping in. So I went out in search of some breakfast and found it here:
Hard to go wrong with Cracker Barrel!
Not exactly low-carb but delicious. I was also impressed with the friendly and attentive service. I guess I must have looked lonely sitting there eating all alone.
Once the daughter woke up we headed out to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients to make a batch of my Aunt Pat’s World Famous Recipe Fruit Salad. What was the occasion? We were attending a Barn Party this afternoon! What’s a Barn Party you may be asking? Well I didn’t know either. But it seems to be a staple of the horse show crowd, and granddaughter Gracyn runs with that crowd.
The barn…
A show horse…
Exercise ring…
Pumpkins the kids would be carving up later…
Some of the fellow Barn Party goers…
…and some uninvited intruders flew in…
That’s Gracyn’s trainer with her dog who can jump like he has springs for legs.
“let me outta here!” Alright, you asked for it….
The horses got dressed up for Halloween. This one didn’t look too happy in his Mickey Mouse garb.
Anyway, it was a nice afternoon with the granddaughter…
After the party, we met up with the son and his family for some dinner.
And no, sweet Sydney was not on the menu! This little girl really makes me laugh…
My pulled pork plate was most excellent!
After dinner a young man approached me and said “how’s it going John?”. I was taken aback because I really didn’t recognize him. He told me “I remember you for the Kwagga [the now defunct local dart bar] days”. Then I remembered and said nice to see you again Shaun. And it was.
Okay, that brings y’all up to date and me to just a little past one in the morning. Can I make it until 3? The adventure continues!
Greetings from the Palmetto state.
Pleasant evening with the family last night.
It was great seeing my son Kevin, his wife Lauren, and my sweet granddaughter Sydney again.
Sydney is six now and she’s really quite amazing. Loves to tell jokes and laughs at mine. Smart as hell too, great vocabulary and knows stuff that lots of grownups don’t, i.e. state capitals. Anyway, I’m not going to be one of those bragging grandfathers (much), but she was really fun to be around. Looking forward to more time with the other grands too.
Kind of a tough night sleep-wise. No problems staying awake through the evening hours so I thought I had the jet thing whipped. Woke up at 2:30 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep until 6:00. Woke up at 9:00 and it was raining which precluded me taking my planned walk. Fooled around on the internet, then went back to bed and slept until the early afternoon. Geez.
Wasn’t a total waste of a day though because I discovered this:
A time machine.
Yeah, I know it looks like an Ernest & Julio Gallo wine box. But when I looked inside I was transported back to the early 1970s. The contents included:
My high school sweetheart Karen’s senior portrait…
A photo of me, Karen, and my 1963 Ford pickup truck.
A copy of my high school newspaper where I served as a columnist and executive editor.
One of several short stories I wrote (yeah, my dream back then was to be a writer). And some gawd awful poetry I authored as well.
No idea what might be on these old cassette tapes, And no idea how I’ll ever find out. That technology just doesn’t exist here in the 21st century I’m afraid.
Anyway, there was also a journal in the box. What really shocked me about my thinking from those long ago days is that it is so similar to how I often feel these days. I guess I haven’t learned much. Or maybe the more things change, the more they remain the same. Or something. Take this entry from October 1974 for example:
Well, it happened again, three times in three weeks. Pretty fucking good! I’m bitter, I know it. But I’m tired of it all. Ya know, I’m alive and I feel pain too. Goddamn, haven’t I paid the price yet!
It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’ve had it. Women are my downfall and I can make it alone. There are more important things for me to do.
Well, that was 44 years ago. I have no recollection of what I was on about, but damn, it does sound familiar. Scary to think I still haven’t figured things out. And yet, here I am, still plugging away. I do recall that I was thinking about suicide quite often back then. And doing lots of drugs, mostly pot but sometimes LSD and PCP. So, I guess I have made progress in my life at least.
Anyway the time machine experience has given me a lot to think about. No answers of course, but at least some perspective.
And I’ll leave you with a dose of some of the bad poetry I mentioned above. No date on this one, but it’s titled “New Year’s Eve”. My guess is it lamenting another lost love, probably Gail Weed.
You never even took the time
To see what you were using
And you were shocked when you found out
It was you who did the losing
You never believed in the difference
Between what she felt and your dreams
Her feelings never mattered
You were busy with other things
And you really can’t help looking back
Was it all just another game?
You pretend it doesn’t matter
But you’ve never felt quite the same
Because this time there was something more
But you didn’t realize it
And when you finally understood
You had already lost it
And when it is finally all over
Will you look at your life and be sad?
Will you remember the the people and places
And the love you could have had?
I’ll be happy if I can just avoid more fuck ups. I’d love to have love in my life again, but not if it ultimately results in more bad poetry.
Made it to Columbia relatively unscathed. But it took every minute of the day. And then some. All told, I spent about 30 hours going door-to-door.
Flew out of Clark on Asiana to Seoul, and then went with Korean Air for the Incheon-Atlanta leg of the trip. My bag was checked all the way to Charlotte but I was required to go to the “transfer desk” at Incheon for my Korean Air boarding pass. This was really the only hiccup in my journey. Korean Air is now in the new Terminal 2 and my Asiana flight arrived at Terminal 1. You are supposed to have a boarding pass you scan at the turnstile to access the train to terminal 2. Which I needed to go to terminal 2 to get. Anyway, I eventually made it through by showing my itinerary to the security guy, rode the train, and got my ticketing squared away. Still with plenty of time to spare and enjoy the amenities of the Korean Air lounge.
My plane to Atlanta was a big old 747 and my business class seat was in the upper deck of the plane.
That’s me in my cozy little cubicle…
…enjoying all the comforts of home, including a fully reclining seat.
Yeah, I paid a pretty penny for the business class accommodations, at least twice as much as I would have paid for coach. But honestly, for a 13 hour flight the comfortable seating made it almost bearable. I did the math and it was around $100 dollars per hour to avoid the cattle pen of coach class. Was it worth it? Maybe not, but for a once a year trip back home I can afford it. The only value money has is the comfort it can buy you, right?
Besides the physical comforts, the personalized service from the flight attendants is something I could get used to. Right after being seated, I was greeted by name and the pretty Ms. Lee introduced herself. She guided me through the menu options for the three meals I’d be served in route (and all were quite tasty). Ms. Lee then told me to call her if there was anything she could do to make the flight more enjoyable. Luckily I had the good sense to not say what I was thinking would make the flight pleasurable! Once during the flight I got hungry for a snack, so pulled some nuts I’d packed out of my suitcase. Wasn’t long before Ms. Lee came to my seat with a plate of cookies and other snacks. Ain’t she sweet?
Regardless of the creature comforts, 13 hours is a hell of a long time to be confined. And of course, I had to go without my vape addiction as well. I figure I might have slept around four hours all told. I was consciously trying to adjust my sleep patterns to fit my new time zone. I wound up killing most of the remaining hours in flight by watching four movies. Ready Player One, about a futuristic virtual reality world seemed interesting enough to give it a go. I mean, it was a Steven Spielberg production, how could it not be good? It wasn’t.
Next up was A Quiet Place, which was at least slightly more entertaining than my first selection, but I still found it irritating for various reasons. I mean, who knew there would still be electricity in a post-apocalyptic world? And since the monsters were attracted to sound, the characters used sign language to communicate. I’m like, “why am I wearing these damn uncomfortable headphones then?”. Yeah, I know, I was just being a grouchy old man again. Get off my lawn!
I decided to hell with the “new releases” category and went with the sure thing “classics” option. First up was the Woody Allen masterpiece Annie Hall. It’s been decades since I last viewed this film so it was good to see again. And since it focused on relationships it had a special resonance for me at this particular moment in my life. Coming back to Columbia after nearly three years is especially bittersweet. Good to see the kids and grands again, but I have so many memories of my old life here with Jee Yeun to deal with as well. It is also the one year anniversary of the fuck over I received from Loraine. I really liked the final insight presented at the movie’s conclusion:
After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I… I realized what a terrific person she was, and… and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I… I, I thought of that old joke, y’know, the, this… this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, “Doc, uh, my brother’s crazy; he thinks he’s a chicken.” And, uh, the doctor says, “Well, why don’t you turn him in?” The guy says, “I would, but I need the eggs.” Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y’know, they’re totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and… but, uh, I guess we keep goin’ through it because, uh, most of us… need the eggs.
Yeah, I’m missing the eggs in my life.
I finished up the trip with a re-watch of Forrest Gump. Hard to go wrong there, right?
“My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” – Forrest
Anyway, after a three hour layover in Atlanta I slept during the entire short flight to Charlotte, literally waking up when the plane parked at the gate. Collected my baggage and headed out to find my rental car. I guess driving is like riding a bike. It’s been awhile since I was behind the wheel, but I managed the 90 minute ride to Columbia without incident. Well, I was damned sleepy during the drive which I’m told is as dangerous as drunk driving, but I made it.
I was resolved to stay awake until at least 9:00 p.m. local time in an effort to avoid the jet lag bugaboo. Sat outside and had some beers with daughters Renee and Avery, which only exacerbated my zombie-like mental functioning. But damn, I made it to 9:00 and had a good nights sleep! Here’s hoping I’ll be back to normal (or at least as normal as I get) for the remainder of the trip.
It’s funny, I heard the weather report on the radio during the drive from Charlotte and the announcer said we were having “chamber of commerce” weather, with a high of 70 degrees. Maybe so, but after almost six months in the Philippines, that felt chilly to me. Luckily I had the good sense to pack a light jacket for the trip and put it to good use last night.
When we came back from dinner, Avery lit me a fire.
It was 45 degrees this morning! And another difference is that I’m used to sunrise around 6:00 a.m., it didn’t dawn here until after 7:30. Since it was too dark and cold to walk early as is my custom, I got in my rental car and went out for breakfast.
I don’t know about you, but after 3 years I couldn’t resist the call of a waffle and hash browns!
I guess now is a good time to venture out and get my steps in. Going to dual purpose the walk by doing some window shopping for some things I want to bring back to the Philippines with me.
I brought an empty suitcase along just for that purpose!
Yesterday I helped my friend Jessa celebrate her 30th birthday. Two other gal friends from Treasure Island joined in the fun. All in all a very nice evening.
Jessa had to work until 3:00 so I had a beer and bought her and her co-worker Kat a Jager bomb to jump start the party.
I had my driver Donny come by to transport us to Harbor Point Mall on the old Navy base where the festivities would take place. Once the gals were off duty I had to sit around and wait for them to change clothes. Luckily I’m a very patient man. *ahem*
But they were worth waiting for, don’t you think?
Left to right that would be me, Kat, RuRu, and the lovely Jessa.
So anyway, I told Jessa it was her birthday so the evening’s activities were all up to her. She chose seeing a movie then having dinner. We bought our tickets and had an hour to kill so we walked around the mall some. I took Jessa into the Samsung phone store and told her to pick one. I thought it spoke well of her character that she selected the A-6, a mid-range phone that also happened to be on sale. She was happy and excited to have a nice phone so I reckon that was money ($225.) well-spent. Kat said “I want it to be my birthday too!” which made me laugh.
Kat and Jessa acting like a couple of posers…
So this is the movie that Jessa selected….
Worst movie I have ever seen! I’m not exaggerating when I say that. Several people got up and walked out during the film which was my inclination as well. But of course I had to defer to the desires of the birthday girl. We sat through it all and afterwards Jessa said “that’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen”. That cracked me. Here’s a trailer if you are so inclined, I can’t stomach being reminded.
I’m not a reviewer so I’ll just say there was nothing at all I liked about it, other than the company I was with. It was filmed as if it were being recorded on a handheld video camera so it was jerky and uneven (reminded me a little of the Blair Witch Project in that regard). I also thought the characters were shallow caricatures of tired stereotypes and the actors were not convincing as supposed high school students. The story itself was lame and overwrought to the point of ridiculousness. Oh well, I’m glad I saw it in the Philippines. Four tickets were less than twenty bucks. Although I reminded of the old saw “I went to a $1.99 all you can eat buffet, but I could only eat a dollar’s worth.”
Anyway, we had a good laugh about it afterwards. And oh yeah, in the “it’s a small world” department, I’m standing in the lobby pre-movie and I see a familiar face walking by so I called out “hey Ken, what are you doing here?” I think it took him a few seconds to recognize me, but in all fairness I’m not the man I used to be when he knew me (no mustache now and less fat). Turns out he and his wife were there for the same movie. Ken and I worked in the same HR universe on Yongsan back in the day. He retired back in 2008 or so and moved to the Philippines with his Filipina wife. Until last night I hadn’t seen him since. He’s living on the Navy base these days and I guess life is being kind to him. It was cool running into him that way for sure.
So with the movie behind us we were off to dinner. I tried to tempt Jessa by walking her by the Korean grilled meats place I fancy, but she had her mind set on somewhere else. It was a few blocks away but we all hoofed it over there.
There are quite a few Korean eateries on the base (Hanjin has a shipyard nearby). This one’s sign cracked me up…seems like typical Korean reasoning….open 24 hours except for break time of 4 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. One of the girls asked why not just say open from 10 to 4? I had no answer…
This was Jessa’s choice for dining. I was a little surprised because it looks more like a coffee shop. But they had a nice outdoor dining area, a pretty good menu with various options, and what we ordered at least was well prepared. Not bad at all!
The happy diners…
The restaurant also had a small bakery which was a godsend seeing as how I had overlooked purchasing a birthday cake prior to departing the mall.
We did the one candle equals ten years thingy…
Ain’t she sweet? The cake was good too!
After dinner we headed back to Barretto. I had my driver drop me at Alley Cats for my beer fix and he took the girls back to Treasure Island. I think we all had fun. The gals want me to cook for them at my house soon and I promised that I would.
So, are you wondering about the potential for any future romance with one of these gals? Well, three of them are in their early 20s, so that ain’t going to work. Jessa at 30 is stretching it, but given the chance I might give it a go. She’s never given me any indication that she had any romantic inclinations towards me however. On the other hand, she doesn’t call me Kuya John like most of the young women I meet. She always calls me Gwapo (handsome). Anyway, having no expectations is a good defense against disappointment.
Just going to keep living one day at a time and see what happens next.
Yesterday I wanted to show Justin around the SBFZ (Subic Bay Freeport Zone) aka the old Navy base. Getting there was half the fun.
Yep, Justin experienced his first ever ride in the ubiquitous Jeepney.
Hang on! Subway style seating but that is where the comparison ends…
Upon arrival at the Kalaklan gate to the SBFZ, we hired a base taxi to give us a tour. When I told the driver I wanted to visit the Cubi Point part of the base, he said it would be 350 pesos for an hour and that I had to pay for two hours. It didn’t make much sense, but what the hell, let’s go.
The Cubi area is the least developed of the old Navy base and in many places is still mostly jungle. Very beautiful actually. A couple of years ago I looked at some housing up there and found one that I really liked. In the end though I decided living on base was just too isolated and insular. I really don’t regret my choice at all.
Saw quite a few monkeys wandering about…
…and this herd of cows.
Had the driver take us out to Zoobic Safari for a look see. It’s one of those deals where you ride in a caged vehicle and drive through an enclosure containing tigers and the like roaming about in a natural state. We didn’t take the tour this time, but did get out and stretch our legs some. Had the taxi driver drop us Harbor Point Mall and despite our trip being well less than two hours, he said I owed him 1000 pesos because we had exited the SBFZ when we went to the Zoofari. Which is total bullshit. That kind of crap is really irritating, but then it ain’t worth it to throw a fit over a couple of bucks. The driver didn’t get a tip though.
Ate lunch at TGI Friday’s and it was pretty disappointing. Walked around the mall some then headed back to Barretto, again via Jeepney. Upon arrival we popped into Alley Cats for some liquid refreshment.
Justin had been hankering for a Red Horse, a highly potent local brew that is a cheap way to get drunk fast. He just had one, then switched back to the more sane San Miguel light beer.
Justin enjoyed sharing a couple of drinks with the lovely Meica…
And the equally lovely Espie…
The Alley Cats crew wanted to take Justin out to a Filipino bar but I put the kibosh on that idea. Far too dangerous for a drunk Kano in the company of pretty Filipinas to be around drunk and jealous Filipino men. The girls did invite him out (with him paying of course) for a traditional lunch of Filipino food. Hope he enjoys. I was disappointed he chose not to Hash with me today, but that’s the way it goes.
Speaking of the Hash, I best shower up and prepare myself for that adventure.
Stay tuned.
Justin’s first day in the Philippines is now complete. Of course as I recounted in yesterday’s post, the day began a little after midnight when he landed at Clark airport in Angeles City. We managed to get a fair amount of walking in, over 20,000 steps by day’s end. And then it was time to introduce Justin to the Barretto nightlife.
We began at my home bar, Alley Cats. The dart tourney was still going on so the place was pretty crowded. We did find a place to sit and quaffed some ice cold beers to quench our thirst. Then it was time to move on to the second stop on the bar crawl–Cheap Charlies.
That would be us enjoying brews with a view.
I introduced Justin to my barfriend Mhaya and enjoyed observing his virgin experience of buying lady drinks for a Filipina bargirl.
He actually did pretty well for a beginner. He controlled her intake by only refreshing her drink when he bought another for himself. He did slip up by being suckered into buying a drink for Mhaya’s “friend”, but he limited the damage by only buying her one. Overall, a good effort for a beginner…
Then we moved on to the Man Cave bar where the party really got started…
With Justin’s new friends, Cherry and Lynn….
…or was it Lynn and Cherry?
Tequila shots and pizza, does it get any better than that?
We next popped into Hot Zone to enjoy their hot lineup of dancers, and then it was someone’s bright idea that we do videoke (otherwise known as karaoke). And so we did, singing our hearts at at Double D’s.
Justin rocking it…
And yours truly doing a heartfelt rendition of the Bee Gee’s “I started a joke”… People often cry when I sing, even when it’s a happy song….
I finished my set and my night with an old Beatles tune I dedicated to all the bargirls who work so hard to gain our money affection.
The best things in life are free
But you can keep ’em for the birds and bees
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Your loving give me a thrill,
But your loving don’t pay my bills
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Money don’t get everything it’s true
What it don’t get I can’t use
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Well, now give me money (that’s what I want)
Whole lot of money (that’s what I want)
Whoah yeah, I wanna be free (that’s what I want)
Oh, money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want, yeah (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want
Well, now give me money (that’s what I want)
Whole lot of money (that’s what I want, whoo)
Whoah, yeah, you know I need money (that’s what I want)
Now give me money (that’s what I want, whoo)
That’s what I want, yeah (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want
Sad news to learn that one of my Columbia buddies lost his battle with prostate cancer yesterday. 52 years old. Scott “Gunny” Taubl was a Marine tanker and even in retirement continued his service to our nation. Especially in his dedication to veteran’s causes. I first met Gunny when I moved home to South Carolina in 2011. He was an enthusiastic supporter of my efforts to establish a dart organization in Columbia and continued working to build the darting community long after my departure. Just one of those rare and outstanding individuals you encounter on the road of life who has his shit together and makes the world a little bit better place by his presence.
A good man is hard to find. Thank you for your service, may you rest in peace.
One of the things that comes with growing older is seeing people you know start passing away. What’s been especially disconcerting for me is that the last three friends I’ve lost have all been younger than me. Nothing like a slap-in-the-face wake up call from mortality. A good reminder to live the best you can, while you can. And also to take care of the vessel containing our life force.
Another night of darts last night and my undefeated streak (4 now) remains intact. As does my streak of failure with the ladies.
That’s Anabel. She’s a real cutie. I’d like to give her a whirl. She’s made it clear through her actions (and lack of reactions to my overtures) that she’s not interested. A shame that.
Desperate times call for desperate measures:
Maybe this will work?
I was kinda sorta hoping Anabel would join me for some after darts dessert at Treasure Island, but she bailed before the tournament was over. So, I stumbled over alone when I was finished. I was surprised to see one of my waitress favorites all snuggled up with a man at the bar. A fat old fuck (and if I’m saying that, you know he was old and fat). Now, don’t get me wrong. I was not jealous at all. The fact is, I always considered Jessa to be out of my league. Too young and pretty for a slightly less fat and old guy than the one she was with. I was disappointed to see her settling for less than she deserves, but then again, what do I know about her and her situation? I guess it also underscored that I remain alone in a country where the young gals apparently go for fat old fucks.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Well, here in Korea folks are celebrating Children’s Day in the traditional fashion…
And of course, in Mexico the Cinco de Mayo celebrations are in full swing…
But the most important celebration on May 5 is the one honoring my first born grandchild’s birthday.
Ain’t she sweet?
Gracyn was born just a few months after I first arrived in Korea. And today she becomes a teenager! I’m not sure how that happened, all I know is I ain’t anywhere near old enough to have a teenaged grandchild.
She’s something special, no question about it.
Happy birthday Gracyn!
In news from the homeland, my granddaughter Gracyn (I’ve written about her before) competed in her first big time horse show.
Gracyn will be 13 in May. WTF? I’m not old enough to have a teenage granddaughter!
All dressed up and ready to ride! Her mother was also into horsemanship at that age, so I guess the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree.
You go girl!
And there she is, the Reserve Champion. I guess that is fancy horse talk for second place. The girl definitely has some talent and grandpa is very proud of her.
In other news, I continue my preparations for the new life to come. Picked up and assembled my first balikbayan box and began to fill it up.
That box is bigger than it looks. I thought I’d need to two to pack up the meager remains of my Korea life, but I’m thinking now that one ought to do the trick.
I continue to fill the dwindling hours here in Anjeong-ri with my walking routine.
Today I observed the rare inland shipwreck.
Will the day ever come that I will miss views like this? Probably not.
And finally, my efforts have not gone unnoticed. Fitbit has awarded me the coveted Astronaut badge.
Steppin’ up baby!
I’ve also had some company on my walks recently which has been a nice change of pace. Wipe that look of surprise off your face!
Well I’ve been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days-
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance to
And I had a lover
It’s so hard to risk another these days
These days-
Now if I seem to be afraid
To live the life I have made in song
Well it’s just that I’ve been losing so long
I’ll keep on moving
Things are bound to be improving these days
One of these days-
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Don’t confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
Forty years ago my son Kevin Lee began his life’s journey.
Happy Birthday son.
On today’s walk (26,000+ steps) I encountered this group of protesters with a rather unusual demand:
We’ll get right on that!
And today’s Facebook memories were particularly sad. Four years ago I was in Augusta, Georgia playing in a dart tournament.
Also there was my friend Bridget Werner….
And my buddy James Stoy.
Little did I know that they would both be dead within two years. You’ve got to live for the day because the days do run out without warning.
Speaking of darts, I’ve been playing in the IDK Saturday tourneys again. Took a first place last night.
My game is crap, I’m not anywhere near the player I used to be. Luckily, no one here is of the “A” division caliber I competed with in Seoul. Trying to get motivated to work at improving so I can kick some ass in the Subic dart league.
60 days left to get that done.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of my mother’s passing.
Mom and me.
mom and dad.
Mom died at home where she wanted to be. The best night occurred during her last week when her sisters from California came to visit. She was surrounded by people who loved her and she seemed to really perk up. She actually made a little speech about what’s important in life and she said all that matters is love. Mom told us to always love one another and everyone else we encountered. When it was done she smiled and said, “well, I guess I gave a sermon”. Mom was clearly loving having her family with her, that’s for sure.
I had retired on January 1 and was there for mom’s final days. She thanked me for coming back home to her.
Miss you mom!
Mother, don’t worry. I’ve got a coat and some friends on the corner
Mother, don’t worry. She’s got a garden we’re planting together
Mother, remember the night that the dog had her pups in the pantry?
Blood on the floor and the fleas on their paws,
And you cried ’til the morning.
So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
Sons are like birds flying always over the mountain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kh09MuIfIU