Last night, or rather yesterday afternoon (I started at 4:30), my venue of choice for my libations was Cheap Charlies. Besides the two gals sitting on each side of me sucking down lady drinks, this is what I saw:
They’ve begun rather strictly enforcing the parking restrictions on the National highway. The traffic enforcers were backing up the truck to tow this car away when the owner came running out of Bottoms Up bar to stop them. I was surprised they let him just drive away without even a ticket. The truck driver looked disappointed, but I suppose he gets paid either way. The hilarious thing to note in this photo is about 20 feet behind the offending vehicle. Yes, that’s a power pole blocking the lane you aren’t allowed to park in. No one targets the pole to be towed away though. When asked about this hypocrisy, the barangay Captain simply said that two wrongs don’t make a right. I’d say stupid is as stupid does. And I don’t drive (or park) in this country. I also saw “mama”, the homeless woman I once tried to house, setting up camp for the evening.I still had my camera in zoom mode from the mama pic when I took this shot of the sun going down.And here it is with the zoom mode turned off. I kinda like the first one better.
Shortly after the sunset, I headed on home to check on my pot roast.
I pulled the very tender beef apart and stirred it into the veggies. Let is stew a bit more while I made up a batch of corn muffins.I shared my bounty with the basement neighbors and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The makeshift seasoning worked out quite well, actually. The stew definitely had a tanginess about it and was plenty flavorful. I used pepperoncini’s for the first time in a long time, and I also forget to add carrots to the mix. Oh well. I enjoyed leftovers for breakfast this morning too.
Today is Hash Monday, and our On-Home is at the Alta Vista community center. That means making up a batch of chili for the hungry Hashers to enjoy after the hike.
So I put the crockpot back to work and mixed up a double batch. Nothing really special about the way I make chili, but it always sells out. I’ll take that as a compliment.
What else have I got for you? Well, I came across this story about the history and origins of cusswords that I found quite interesting. I hope you motherfuckers like it too.
And the Babylon Bee brightened my day with this story entitled: “Man Who Agrees With The Media, Universities, Corporations, And Hollywood Thinks He’s Part Of The Resistance”. Maybe it will make you laugh too.
On a more serious note, it turns out these COVID mandates are indeed a joke. But you must have known that already. It’s been fun to watch (from afar) as no mandate states like Texas and Florida are suffering no apparent negative consequences, despite predictions of imminent disaster by our liberal elite. And now an MIT study explains why the fear mongers were wrong. It is well past time to let it go and let the rest of us get on with our lives unimpeded by the sheer stupidity of our duplicitous would-be rulers.
Ah, well. There’s always poetry.
I found this sentiment to be quite inspirational.
This verse came immediately to mind:
Roses are red, violets are blue
I could have been happy, but I chose you
yours truly
Yeah, I won’t quit my day job. Oh wait, i don’t have one!
Things don’t always go according to plan. Take our hike up to the falls outside of Olongapo for example. We had intended to all meet up in the Gordon Heights barangay, do a 2.2K hike up into the mountains from there, have a picnic lunch, then hike back down. I honestly had some reservations about this trip and considered backing out. Then I was reminded that the hike had been rescheduled, at least in part, to accommodate me (I have darts this afternoon). As it turned out, my concerns about doing a trail Guenter called “easy” were misplaced. I should have been concerned about COVID. Or more specifically, the idiots in charge of “protecting” me from a crazy virus that apparently targets hikers in the great outdoors. Who knew?
Our group of hardy hikers gathering near the scene of the “crime”.
I never did an actual headcount, but I reckon there were 15 or more of us. As we proceeded to march up the road we encountered some purok officials who were apparently overseeing a free rabies vaccination event (a purok is a neighborhood organization within the larger barangay, that is a section of the city). So, these purok folks asked where we were going and when we told them they responded “not allowed”. I’d say half the group just kept walking, the rest stayed back to see what the problem was. The problem at the base level was that these purok jerks love exercising authority that most thinking people are happy to just simply ignore. Had our group been the usual small number we might not have even been noticed, but now we needed to be made an example of to demonstrate to the local populace who is in charge. Or at least it seemed that way to me.
They were pretty pissed about the portion of the group who just kept on going, and a few minutes later a van with several barangay officials aboard showed up, presumably to chase them down. Guenter, who was our putative leader for this hike, tried to talk reason to them.
Guenter’s pleas for sanity and reasonableness could not be abided.
Eventually, it was decided to allow Guenter to make his case directly to the barangay Captain. So, he and his girlfriend/interpreter loaded up in the van, and off they went. Meanwhile, the group who had gone on ahead had decided to reverse course and return to see what was happening. Guenter returned about 20 minutes later and reported that the barangay Captain had agreed to let us depart for the falls, with the caveat that we could not return to (or through) Gordon Heights. He made it clear that us barangay Barretto folks were not welcome in his barangay. It was a classic Catch-22 situation, to avoid Gordon Heights would mean scaling a different mountain, and of course, abandoning our vehicles. A good portion of the group thought we should just ignore the barangay’s directive, do our hike as planned, and return where we pleased. That might have worked, but I wasn’t willing to chance it. The Bureau of Immigration has been making an example of foreigners who defy quarantine restrictions by deporting them and blacklisting them to prevent any future return. Just wasn’t worth it to me, and ultimately we all chose to do as we were told and depart Gordon Heights.
Before leaving, we discussed a Plan B that involved meeting in Naugsol and doing our picnic riverside. I was in a car with Scott and Dave and we picked up some ice and beer on the way. But when we reached the designated meeting location no one else was there. I learned later that Guenter’s group, who had hired a Jeepney, got turned back at another checkpoint in Santo Tomas, a barangay of Subic. At that point they just gave up the quest.
So, the five of us in Dave’s car did our own riverside luncheon. We were looking for a place with some shade, easy access to the river, and a place to park. We eventually found a location that offered all three, thanks to a kind local woman who rented us a lean-to for 150 pesos ($3.)
A place to sit with a roof over our heads….…and a nice view of the river. What else do you need?Lunch on the grill.
We had a pleasant enough lunch, then the beer ran out so it was time to go. On the way back to Barretto I got a message from Gary, a retired Navy guy with an FPO address, that my new debit card had arrived. We agreed to meet up at It Doesn’t Matter. It was a relief to have my replacement card, the one I have expires on Friday. That’s how I access all my cash here.
After a few more beers it was time for me to head on home. I’d missed my naptime and drank much more mid-day than normal. After taking a shower, I decided to spend my Friday evening at home. I fired up the grill and threw on some ribeyes:
Grilling while intoxicated is not a crime as far as I know. And the meal tasted better than it looks.
Being at home well before bedtime left me with a dilemma–how to fill the hours? I turned on my little-used television and watched season one episodes of The Addam’s Family on YouTube. I used to really enjoy that show back in the day, but I’ve got to say I found it really disappointing last night. Not that funny and the over-the-top acting was off-putting as well. Hell, even Morticia wasn’t as hot as I remember her. Needless to say, if I’m going to add TV to my routine, I’m going to need to find something better to watch.
I only got in 7,000 steps yesterday, so I pushed myself a little harder and longer this morning, doing a two hour walk up the highway towards the Navy base. I also explored a little more of this village that I’ve always found intriguing.
I did see a place for rent, but this village is too far from Barretto (about a 40-minutewalk). And the only bar in town appears to be closed. It also appears that I’d be the only foreigner living here. Not ready for that adventure!
Oh yeah, my landlord called last night with some news. Now they want to raise the rent ten percent! I expressed my displeasure and he said he’d go back and see if the family would settle for five percent. I think it is time to move.
Alright, gonna be late for darts. I’ll give you the story of Singles League playoffs tomorrow!
Yesterday I elected to vote with my feet, walking out to Baloy beach. When the resulting steps were tallied, I found myself installed aboard the Kokomo’s floating bar as the inaugural customer of the day.
Ouch, that was a pathetically strained attempt to make my attempted pun in the post title slightly more humorous. Sorry!
Anyway, I did make the journey to the floating bar for my weekly change of scenery. Pre-pandemic, there were three floaters to choose from, now it’s Kokomo’s or nothing. I do like spending some time out on the water though.
You ride this raft-like vessel to get out to the floating bar. The tide had risen, so the crew had to readjust the platform to allow my boarding without getting my feet wet.My destination.A view of Baloy from the floating bar.Some sunlight on the water...
As I mentioned, I was the first and only customer. The gals seemed disappointed I didn’t bring any brownies with me. Well, I could see the staff was all pretty bored and being in a generous mood, I offered to buy dinner for everyone. That cheered them up! The food is delivered from Treasure Island’s kitchen, so I knew it would be good.
I was maybe just finishing my second (third?) beer when suddenly the girls behind the bar jumped up and ran out into the seating area. All the other gals gathered around then and spoke excitedly in Tagalog. It honestly appeared they were preparing to abandon ship. I asked what was going on and one girl said, “Fire!”. I had gotten up and was looking behind the bar but didn’t see any smoke or flames. Then the bartender said one of the electric circuits had blown. They called someone onshore and had the breaker switch for the floater turned off. So, there was no danger and also no power. Well, it was still daylight but I asked what was going to happen when the sun went down? They said they would likely just close early (normal closing time is 8 p.m.)
Solar power was still providing light after the electricity was turned off. I played some music on my phone.
Nothing else to do now but wait for my food order to be delivered. And in due course, it arrived.
That’s a pork dish called crispy pada on the left. Filipinas love it for some reason. It’s relatively expensive at 700 pesos ($14), but no big deal. Also got a plate of chicken wings and some shanghai lumpia. Everyone seemed pleased.I guess a lack of leftovers is one indication that everyone enjoyed the meal. This is four of the seven gals on board.And with the sun preparing to say goodnight, I knew it was time for me to depart.
A good afternoon out and made some folks happy, all for just under fifty bucks. It’s easy to live large here!
Once back onshore, I decided to stop into Johan’s, a place I haven’t had the occasion to visit recently. It was my favorite Hash On-Home venue back in the day. I chatted with the manager for a bit and she said she’d love to have us there again, but a large gathering would attract unwanted attention from the powers that be. I understand her concerns.
About thirty minutes after my arrival, the power went out. What a coincidence, eh? This time it was widespread (what they call a brown-out) and all of Baloy was in the dark. Well, the other hotels all fired up their generators, but no one present at Johan’s knew how to do so. So, I sat in the glow of the emergency lighting and had another beer. No point in leaving, the power company that serves Baloy also covers Alta Vista. I messaged my helper and confirmed my house was also in the dark. Power was restored about an hour later and I called it a night.
I’m doing this post in the morning because I’ll be heading out to Gordon Heights in Olongapo soon. We’re doing a hike up to some falls today and having a picnic lunch up there. Not sure I’ll get home in time to post prior to darts.
And there you have the latest adventure in my exciting (for me) life.
A busy day yesterday, the highlight of which was the Wednesday Walkers group hike. More on that later.
The reason for the abbreviated post yesterday was simply a matter of time–I ran out of it. After the hike, we did our usual refreshment at Cheap Charlies. We departed after two beers because some workers started painting the bar You can check out www.europaintinginc.com for professional painting services. We are all like, seriously, you are gonna do that with customers inside? So, we voted with our feet and moved on up the street to Dynamite Dick’s. When we arrived, I almost left immediately because there didn’t appear to be enough outdoor seating available. The owner, Dick, told me not to be a wuss, and pull up a chair. They brought out a couple of more seats, and we all squeezed in.
Dynamite Dick’s is not one of my regular stops, but Dick is an interesting guy. An old Marine and Vietnam vet. Yes, he entertained us with some war stories, jokes, and memories from the days he was stationed in the Philippines. My favorite was when he and some of his mates were out drinking in an Olongapo tavern, and several British sailors wearing their dress white uniforms entered the bar. Dick said he went over to the DJ and had him play “The Battle of New Orleans”, a Johnny Horton ditty about the war of 1812. It’s a pretty funny song that I heard a lot growing up. It also mocks the Brits mercilessly, including this chorus: “well they ran through the briars, and they ran through the brambles, and they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go. They ran so fast the hounds couldn’t catch ’em, on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.” I guess the song had the desired effect because the British sailors all stood up in unison and the fight was on. Dick said their uniforms weren’t white when it was over.
It’s a good song, give it a listen if you haven’t heard it before.
I confess I’ve sung this song myself on some drunken nights for the entertainment of my British friends.
Dick is also famous for giving his customers free drinks, and yesterday was no exception. Of course, I felt the obligation to reciprocate, and that led me to stay at DD’s longer than I normally would, leaving the bar at 2:30. I also did something I very rarely do during daylight hours–I took a trike home. I figured I could take a quick one-hour nap, and still have time for a post here before heading out for darts. Alas, I didn’t wake up until 4:30. So, I did my nothing post and passed on the darts. Instead, I enjoyed some beers at It Doesn’t Matter, which was hopping. Glad to see their bar is already so popular. When I had my fill, I hiked over to The Pub for my regular Wednesday take-out meal.
Korean-style wings and kimchi. Yum!
So, that leaves the walking group hike. Scott was the leader this week so I was expecting an easy trail. We left from my house and he indicated we would be “walking around Easter mountain”. I took that to mean the usual backroads and trails, but no climbs. I was wrong about that. We did do an up and over what I’d call the rump of Easter mountain, not real long but very steep. The down on the other side was also quite steep. Made for a more challenging hike than I anticipated, but still enjoyable. Let’s go to the photos:
The route we took. There was a second climb…half our group went up and over Black Rock, the rest of us did a somewhat easier climb (all steps) instead.We started our trek from my place in Alta Vista.Perhaps we are the “six white horses” the titular song refers to…One of the guys in the neighborhood said this fire started on Tuesday and the fire department was called to contain it. It’s right outside Alta Vista and he said his house was covered in ashes blown up by the wind. I think it is kind of interesting how the fire never crossed the path.Passing through the village of San Isidro…Marching ever onward.Cookie delivery…Posers.A mountain of a man or in the shadow of the mountain?Let the climbing begin!Our intended trail petered out, leaving the only option a steep path up……and so we took it.Onward and upward!A view of where we were…The ass-side of Easter mountain.Glad that fuckin’ climb is over. Let’s head down…Oh shit!Kudos to Marcus and Jim for lending us oldsters a helping hand when we needed one…Back on the solid and relatively flat Govic Highway…A tree loaded with bagged mangoes. What a job that must be!Heading for Black Rock mountain…Those of us who chose not to scale Black Rock climbed these steps instead…In the ‘hood…Cookie time!Down we go…A two-story shack. Must be rich! Comparatively.Back on the National Highway…9K after leaving my house finds us at Cheap Charlies. A home away from home. Such as it is.And that concludes the hiking portion of this post.
A walk out to Baloy beach and some beers on the floating bar are in my immediate future. But before I go, let me share this:
I do know this. Notwithstanding all my bitching and moaning here at LTG. I’m living a good life and I’m lucky to have it. No, I don’t have everything I’d hoped for, but I’m happy for what I have. Finding love someday is just a dream. Even if it happens, I’ll still be responsible for my own happiness. Sometimes it is good to remind myself of that.Call me crazy, but I like this…
And finally (no, I really mean it this time) there is this:
Maybe I’ve posted this before, but when I saw it again the other day it was a good reminder to be a more careful proofreader. I hope it is not early-onsetdementia, but lately, I find myself using the wrong word even when I know the right one (like there and their). And don’t even get me started on my notorious comma misusage. Save me, Jesus!
or this? Assuming something is better than nothing, here we go.
Last night:
A first-place finish in the darts tourney. Had a good partner and threw well most of the night. Good enough to go undefeated anyway…
After darts, I hurried across the street where an acquaintance, Palm Tree manager Alan, was celebrating his 60th birthday.
Well, he wasn’t celebrating when I arrived. Final preparations were taking place for what turns out to have been a surprise party…The lucky man and his lovely lass, Christine. Happy birthday, Alan!
And this pretty much sums up how I feel about COVID:
I’ll take my chances, thank you very much!
Sorry for the shittier than normal post. Things will be back to normal around here tomorrow. I promise!
That’s what love is. At least according to a Japanese animated film called Garden of Words. I haven’t watched it, but Althouse did and blogged about it today. Interesting stuff, even if you don’t understand a lick of Japanese. The writer of the film says “lonely sadness” can be interpreted as “longing for someone in solitude”. I can relate to that sentiment.
Here’s the trailer for the movie:
I guess it resonates for me because I’m not really looking for love anymore, although I do have my moments of longing. Longing for something I lack the courage to pursue is a whole other level of fucked up. Might not even translate into Japanese (or any other intelligible language). Ah well, it’s the path I’ve chosen. We’ll see where it leads.
Meanwhile, I did have a little Joy in my life this afternoon. My safe haven program I call “friends with benefits” is actually proceeding according to plan. Joy has stepped up and is playing her part exactly as I intended–she checks in with me frequently, sends sweet messages, and acts as if she sincerely cares about me. Just as I hoped and imagined my beneficiary would respond. Good job, Joy!
Today we met up and had lunch at Treasure Island. She’s not much of a conversationalist, but we watched what was on television together (a show called Blacklist that looks pretty good) and had a couple of beers. Then we came back to my place and had some nice boom-boom. We are actually quite compatible in the sexual intercourse aspect of our “relationship”. So, I guess I can deem myself satisfied.
Except I’m not. Even though everything is going just as I hoped and imagined it would, it still feels empty and meaningless. I mean, I enjoy being In Joy, and the sex is much better than it would be with a stranger/prostitute, I miss the passion that comes when you have feelings for someone. But passion brings the risk of pain, and I have traveled that road too many times in this life already. So, I guess I just need to content myself with the safety of settling for less.
I still let my imagination carry me away sometimes though. Take Padz, for instance. She’s been working at Alley Cats for a few months now. I mentioned her in an earlier post and shared this picture:
Oddly enough, when I first met Padz I wasn’t attracted to her at all. Too chubby for my tastes (yeah, like I’ve got room to talk). But as sometimes happens, as I got to know her, I saw that beauty inside. One day I found myself thinking “when did she get so pretty?” Alas, Padz has been decidedly non-responsive to my flirtations. It’s weird, her job is to pretend to like her customers, but even when I buy her a lady drink, Padz seems reluctant to even sit with me. Maybe she’s just shy, but more than likely, she just doesn’t share the feelings I’ve developed for her. It’s too bad really because I can imagine us sharing some laughs and enjoying our times together. Hell, I confess I’ve even dreamed about her. Oh well.
So all that said, I was surprised when she accepted my offer of sponsoring her at yesterday’s Hash. Well, it’s not like she actually Hashed with me, she hung out with the other girls and was usually far ahead of me on trail. Still, it was nice to see her outside of the bar context and she professed to have enjoyed herself.
Thanks for joining me, er, us! You might have noticed that’s a selfie.I stole it from her Facebook page.She got all shy when I tried to take her picture.Padz (real name Jiselle) on her first ever trail.Ain’t she sweet? I cropped everyone else out of this shot.
So, Padz being a Hash virgin, I explained in advance the basic Hash rules. One is don’t point with your finger and another is don’t use someone’s real name. We even practiced several times before the Hash circle commenced. And then when the Grandmaster asked her who brought her to the Hash, she pointed at me and answered “John”.
As the sponsor, I was duly punished for her transgressions.
Another part of the deflowering ritual requires that you drink an entire bottle of beer, without the bottle leaving your lips. If it does, the remaining contents are poured over your head. As we say at the Hash, “it’s like a blowjob. What doesn’t go in you, goes on you!”
Now, Padz isn’t a big beer drinker so I expected she’d be getting her head wet. But nope, in what may have been the slowest “down-down” in Hash history, she managed to finish all the beer with the bottle never leaving her lips. Good job!
Anyway, Padz is a sweet gal, and if she were willing to give me a try I’d probably go for it. Looks like she is going to save me from myself though. Likely for the best I suppose.
Alright, it was a good Hash yesterday. I did a couple of shortcuts, but stuck with most of the trail. We climbed to the ridgeline again and there ain’t no easy way up. The route we took wasn’t as hard as some of the others at least. Here are a few pictures to give you a taste:
Around 7K all told…It was a hot day which made the climb all the more challenging…Right, Pubic Head?Just a bit more to go to reach the ridge…So, I don’t always mention it, but this guy deserves credit for a lot of our hiking photos. Thanks, Scott/Pubic Head.A rewarding view of the bay…I wonder why the air is hazy? Oh, never mind. It’s burning season.The obligatory Easter mountain shot.Catching our breath….I pass by this way maybe once a month at best, but these kids always remember me…Well, they remember that I bring them cookies at least.What’s this nonsense? The Hare wants us to go down here then climb back up? I don’t think so!Walking the ridgeline…Starting our descent…Fuck Buddy monkeying around…The old watering hole–bathing, laundry, and drinking…The view on the way down…The last of the down, then a walk across town to our On-Home at Queen Victoria…In addition to the virgin deflowering, we helped Black And Dick Her, Whatever You Want, and Leaking Pussy, celebrate birthdays in the traditional Hash fashion.
And that’s pretty much how my day went. Running late for darts, so I’ll end this post with this bit of wisdom:
I choose to broadly define living, but I do appreciate every day I’m granted…
A busy day yesterday. Started with a goodly long (for me) solo walk, back home for a nap and shower, then off again to do my duty as the leader of the Barretto Singles League.
It was the end-of-season playoff tournament for the Champs Division of the league. I play in the Stars Division, and we have our playoffs this coming Saturday. Yesterday I was there to make sure everyone understood the format and handle any glitches or issues that might arise. We actually have two tourneys; the top three play for the championship, the other three players compete for the “Best of the Rest” honor.
There was, in fact, a glitch to deal with when only two of the three players showed up for the championship bracket. Easily fixed, the no-show (who had a death in the family) was deemed to have forfeited, leaving the remaining two players to compete for first place. What was supposed to have been a round-robin format (each player plays the others) in seven-leg matches, became a head-to-head best of seven event. It was also husband versus wife, which made for a bit of added drama. Mark dispatched his sweet wife 4-0, so at least the pain didn’t last long.
Nina, our second-place finisher. She’s actually someone who has really benefitted from competing in the Singles League. It’s been nice to watch her game improve week-to-week. Her husband told me she is also actually watching dart videos on YouTube to improve her strategic play. Good for her, I admire that kind of dedication.Mark is this season’s champion for the Champs Division. A very strong player who would have been in Stars Division but for a fiasco created when another player quit mid-season. Mark graciously agreed to play out the season with the Champs. And now he is one!
All three players showed up for the Best of the Rest tourney, bless their hearts! So we got to play it out as it was intended. And it turned out to be a very nice tourney. The first two players up were Kevin and Dorie. Kevin finished fourth in Champs and Dorie was dead last by a long shot. I was surprised at how well Dorie played though, finishing her match with Kevin with a 4-3 lead. Next up for Dorie was Troy, who has also been coming on strong lately. He took the first four legs and appeared to be headed for a sweep, but Dorie came back to win the last three legs. So Dorie finished with a total of 7 wins.
The final match then was Kevin and Troy going head-to-head. Since Troy already had four wins, he would take the tourney if he won four more against Kevin. Kevin started with three wins, so he had to win five of the seven legs against Troy for a victory. That didn’t seem likely to me. Troy took the first leg and then Kevin caught fire, winning five legs in a row to earn the crown of Best of the Rest.
Well played, Kevin!Everyone is a champ in the Champs Davison!
Facebook memories shared this video I “created” nine years ago about Hitler finding out his dart team was playing my team, Ride it In. The names of teammates mentioned brought back a flood of memories, especially involving my now deceased friend and team captain, Bridget Werner. Those were my good ol’ days for sure.
After the dart tournament was completed, it was just a little after 4 p.m. I hoofed it over to the It Doesn’t Matter bar for a couple of more beers. Then I decided I needed to drop in and say hello to the gals at Cheap Charlies. Some more beer and lady drinks purchases, then it was time to head on home.
I had some meatballs stewing in the crockpot waiting on me, so I got down to business. Shared some with my basement neighbors as well.
I was too tired to remember to get a picture of my dinner meatballs last night. Here’s a shot of this morning’s breakfast balls.
I made a tasty strawberry-fruit cocktail-yogurt-peanut butter-vanilla ice cream-and milk smoothie for dessert. That hit the spot!
And then I ran out of gas and hit the sack at 8:30. I really think I need to find a way to stay up a little later every night. I’m thinking firing up the TV for an hour or so might be the way to go. I can lay stupefied on the couch and be entertained without thinking too much. For some reason, I remembered the old Addams Family television show today and saw that full episodes are available on YouTube. Get Smart too! Yeah, traveling back to the 1960s every night sounds like a great new routine (rut) for me!
Well, time to get ready to Hash. Stay tuned for more of my shenanigans!
A short and sweet post today. Mainly because there is even less than usual to report.
I took a break from darts yesterday. Instead, I walked out to Baloy beach, then caught the raft to the Kokomo’s floating bar. I enjoy the ambiance of drinking on the water but only make it out that way about once a week. Even at that, the girls all know me by name and give me a warm greeting when I arrive. That’s pretty sweet and I wanted to repay that sweetness in kind. So, I baked up a batch of brownies for the girls.
That’s how they looked prior to consumption. Actually, they were quite tasty if I do say so myself. One of the gals commented on how moist they were compared to bakery brownies. Yeah, I use a mix, but still. The secret I think is that my pan is a little smaller than the recipe calls for which makes them thicker and less dry. I don’t follow the “dry toothpick” rule either.
After the girls had their sweet tooth satiated, I told them I wanted to get a picture:
I think I like their brown knees better than mine! Sadly, I didn’t get a taste….
A Hashing acquaintance showed up with his female entourage and we chatted for awhile. Then the sun set, so I got up to take a photo.
Yeah, it’s not perfect here by any measure, but that doesn’t mean it’s not paradise.
Shortly thereafter I said my goodbyes and caught a trike home. Went to bed at 8:30 on a Saturday night. Hmm, I might have to up my game.
In other news, my part-time helper, Gina, quit and moved out today. No big deal, I only put her to work out of sympathy. I guess she has a foreigner boyfriend sending her support now, so she doesn’t need the job or lodging. Saves me some money too, so win-win.
Via Facebook memories, this photo reminds me of those long ago days when part of my job involved disciplining wayward employees.
“Now you listen to me, Hans…”
It’s good to be retired! In fact, I think I’ll go take a nap now.
Buday died yesterday. She’s the dog who “adopted” me, and I came to think of her as my step-dog. One of the sweetest animals I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. I’m not sure of her breed, but damn, she could run and jump like a gazelle. So, for the last several months she’s been hanging around my house more and more frequently. One of the subdivision maintenance guys was technically her owner, but it didn’t appear that he ever took any interest in her. Buday would always show up in the morning when it was dog chow time for Buddy and Lucky, so I took to feeding her too. Then she would accompany us on our walk through the neighborhood. She loved playing around with my boys, and they enjoyed her company as well. Sometimes in the afternoon, she would be sleeping on my front porch when I headed out for the evening. She would also be waiting when I came home, hoping I was bringing her scraps like pork chop bones.
I guess it was about a week or so ago I noticed Buday was not her usual self. Not running around and jumping into the bushes. She still did the dog walk thing, but didn’t seem to have much energy or enthusiasm. Most concerning was she had a cough and would throw up frequently. I considered taking her to the vet, but she’s not my dog and I felt weird about that. I told her owner that she seemed sick, he just shrugged and said she was probably pregnant. I guess I thought she would get better on her own, but obviously, I was wrong about that.
When I came home from my walk yesterday I saw Buday laying on the neighbor’s front porch. I’d never seen her do that before and I had a bad feeling about it. I remember my previous dog went off down the street when it was time to die. Found her under a porch. I’ve heard dogs want to be alone when they die. I don’t know, maybe just a coincidence. When I got home last night my downstairs neighbor said Buday was dead–they found her where I had last seen her, on the neighbor’s front porch.
I feel really bad that I didn’t do more to help her. I honestly didn’t think she was going to die or I would have found a way to take her to the vet. I know you can’t save them all, but she was a special dog. My basement neighbors were kind enough to dig a hole in my back yard so we could give her a proper burial at least. It was really sad to walk the dogs today and not see her waiting for us. At least her suffering is over. Rest in Peace, Buday!
I was having a pretty good night out until I came home to the bad news. Only seven people at the darts tournament, so we played singles. Cristy was there, so this would be my opportunity to demonstrate my supremacy (not the white kind, I’m brown now). When we met head-to-head in the first round,, Cristy took the victory in a hard-fought match, sending me to the losers bracket. I was able to claw my way back to the finals where I’d have to beat Cristy in two matches to win the tourney.
I was throwing pretty well, but so was Cristy. Still, I managed to win the first match 2-0, setting us up for the winner-takes-all, do or die, final match. I won the first leg, Cristy took the second. The third and final leg would determine the winner. I won the coin toss and chose cricket, my favorite game. It was a battle and a struggle, I was behind most of the game, but managed to stay within striking range. It came down to Cristy needing one bullseye to win, and me needing three bulls. I stepped up to the line and let my first dart fly–bullseye! I tossed my second dart and it too found its way to the bull. Now, with two darts already in the bullseye, there wasn’t much room for a third. I was also afraid that with my darts not sticking in the board very well (although I did sandpaper them up which helped a lot) I was just as likely to knock one or both of my bulls out as I was to hit another one. On the other hand, if I didn’t hit that third bull now I may never get another chance against a strong opponent like Cristy. So, I mentally shrugged, focused on my target, and went for the bullseye. And by golly, I hit that motherfucker for the win!
One of these two is the best player in Barretto. At least last night he was…
After my victory, I decided to reward myself with a nice pork chop dinner at Mango’s. I got there later than usual, around 8 p.m. When my order hadn’t arrived by 8:30, I told the waitress to box it up for takeout. Hell, it was nearly my bedtime and I was tired. And I had a few beers under my belt as well.
My dinner in a box. Of course, it was a sad meal after hearing the news about Buday. She loved those pork chop bones…
So, that’s life in a nutshell I suppose. You experience a high, and then you hit a low. Hopefully, the lows are rare and serve to make the highs all the more satisfying.
Speaking of highs and lows, yesterday also included a hike with the Friday walking group. Scott had an idea about finding a new way up to the Kalaklan ridge, so off we went. We wound up taking a path to the top we had used before, and honestly, it’s about the best way up I know. There’s no easy way, but this trail took a more diagonal route than most, avoiding those steep climbs that are such ass-kickers. The route we took back down, on the other hand, was quite a fucker. I intentionally did not call it a path or a trail because there wasn’t one most of the way. Lots of loose leaves on a steep descent made for some treacherous hiking. We made it though, so there’s that.
Here are some photos from our adventure:
My fellow travelers for the morning hike.L-R: Ed, Jim, Scott, Dan, and Troy.The best way from my house was via the My Bitch trail. Met Scott and Jim waiting for our arrival at the mountain family’s house.As I mentioned, the climb up to the ridge was long, but not as steep as it is on other trails.And there is always this nice reward once you reach the top…We did a kilometer or so along the ridgeline, then started looking for a way down. We chose poorly.What the hell? This ain’t no trail!Nothing to be done about it now, just had to make our way down as best as we were able…Ai yi yi!Scott did the math and determined that sitting on his ass going down was better than falling on his ass. He might have been right about that…All’s well that ends well. We made it down safely and the consensus was “fuck that, never again!”An outpost along the way.
Quite a day, all in all. Gonna take a break from darts today. I think sipping some cold beers on the floating bar may be in my near future. I’ll leave you with this thought:
A free man knows when to walk away from the bullshit. Wake up, sheeple!
Well you only need the light when it’s burning low Only miss the sun when it starts to snow Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low Only hate the road when you’re missing home Only know you love her when you let her go And you let her go
I was thinking in the wee hours of the morning about how the body and mind adapt to the rhythms (or ruts) that make up our daily life. I guess it’s no big epiphany, but for a retired guy with no place to be and no one to answer to, I pretty much reliably adhere to a set schedule. It goes something like this:
0430ish–wake up, let the dogs out, have coffee, catch up on current events through the magic of the internet.
0615–feed the dogs
0645–take my meds, log my blood pressure and vitals, get dressed
0700–take the dogs for a 30-minute walk.
0730–breakfast, either at home or out
0830–morning walk, usually for 1.5 hours. Monday/Wednesday/Friday are group hikes, so the schedule varies. Tuesday is shopping day, so I take the day off from walking.
1100–daily one hour nap
1230–afternoon walk (/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday) usually one hour.
1400–I spend an hour or so with my faithful readers here at LTG.
1630–Head out for my daily dose of beers. Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday I’ll throw some darts into the mix.
2000–Rarely get back home later than this. Will come home earlier if I don’t eat out. Usually have a smoothie and a little internet.
2100–I’m almost always in bed by nine o’clock these days.
0130–It is weird that every night I wake up about the same time with congestion, cottonmouth (I breathe through my mouth because of the congestion), and the need to pee. It usually takes an hour or more of processing random thoughts or suppressing memories before I can get back to sleep.
And that’s pretty much my life. And no, I’m not complaining. It beats the hell out of the alternative!
Yesterday afternoon I played the final singles league match of the season against Espie. I literally saved the best for last I guess, winning 13-3 and throwing quality darts consistently throughout the match.
It was also the most marks I’d thrown this season. Still not back to my glory days level of play, but not bad for an old guy...
So this is how the singles league finished up:
Cristy finished with 126 league points to my 114, so in that sense, she won the league. I won all ten of my matches, including two against Cristy, so I guess I could also lay claim to the “best in Barretto” status.
Anyway, it was a good inaugural season, and we still have the finals tournament to complete. The top three (Cristy, me, and Espie) will play head-to-head to determine the champion. Stay tuned!
After my darts match, I headed out to Cheap Charlies to spread some dollars cheer. Bargirls need love money too. Had some beers, bought some lady drinks, and watched the sun go down.
My drinking companion for the evening…Don’t let the sun go down on me…Look out everyone! It’s sinking!She’s gone…
That seemed to be a signal to get my ass home as well.
That’s my place on the lower left…at least for now.As this view from my balcony proves, I made it home before dark. Barely.
I had some work to do in the kitchen; resurrecting the ribs I had cooked the night before that got preempted by the Korean chicken wings.
I probably should have left them in the oven a bit longer to turn that bbq sauce into a glaze, but I was hungry and impatient. Still tasted good to me. Does anything else matter?
Bowl of rocky road ice cream for dessert, then off to bed a bit before 9:00 p.m., just like clockwork. When I woke up at 1:30 in the morning, writing this post was one of the many thoughts that were churning in my head and keeping me tossing and turning until well after 3:00. Oh well, it’s not like I had anything better to do with my time.
And now it is time to head out to Alley Cats for the Friday night dart tournament. Then we will see what happens after that, maybe some Mango’s pork chops are in my future.
So, is it a matter of establishing a pattern and rhythm to your life, or is it simply a case of falling into a rut? I guess it’s like the old saw asking whether you are ignorant or apathetic–I don’t know and I don’t care!
That’s what passes for deep thinking in my addled brain these days. I skipped darts last night preferring to take my comfort in the aptly named It Doesn’t Matter bar. After I had consumed my fill of beer, I remembered that it was Wednesday and that means bringing home some Korean-style wings. The only problem was I had plopped two slabs of baby back ribs in the crockpot earlier in the day. Well, damn it to hell, but I have established a pattern (or fallen into a rut), and Wednesday is wing night. The ribs will make a fine meal tonight!
Wings and kimchi, that’s how I roll. At least on Wednesdays…
I think I mentioned my Dutch friend, Max, in a recent post. He has tested positive for COVID and is currently self-quarantining at home. Max sent me a link to an article with an interview he conducted. Pretty interesting, give it a read if you are so inclined.
This morning I went out and had an onsite look at the house I mentioned in yesterday’s post. I can’t say much about the quality of the neighborhood in general, but…
…it’s definitely on Abad street. *Ahem*
The house is okay, but the comments on yesterday’s post ring true. It would definitely be a big step down. The view consists of the barbed wire topped wall surrounding the house. It kind of had a prison-like feel about it. If I had lived there first I probably wouldn’t have known the difference, but now I’d miss what I have too much.
I’ll keep looking, but I’m not really keen on leaving Alta Vista. There are a couple of places available that are better than what I saw today, but not as good as what I have. The one has an apartment upstairs and the residents there are also Hashers. According to them, dogs are not allowed. According to the leasing agent, I can have my dogs with me there. So, you can imagine the potential for conflict that creates. I don’t need the drama in my life. Could be I’ll wind up staying here, although I won’t sign a three-year lease again.
So, that leaves my report from yesterday’s Wednesday Walkers group hike. Five of us in attendance and we did a mostly flat trek of just under 10K. It was familiar terrain but nice because a lot of it was in areas we hadn’t ventured to recently. It was also mostly populated with villages and shanty-towns, so it was good to be out amongst the friendly locals too. The pictures (again, hat tip to Scott for most of these) tell the story of our jaunt better than I can,
How we rolled. One climb up to Black Rock (or around it for a couple of us), and then we stayed on mostly level ground.This checkpoint as you leave Barretto really pisses me off. It is ostensibly a COVID fighting tool, but serves no real purpose other than to inconvenience the locals and create massive traffic jams.On the road again…Lots of kiddies out and about…I should have brought more cookies!Ain’t they sweet?Through the fields we go…Family life…I think I enjoy giving the cookies as much (or more) than the kids like getting them…It seemed like everyone we encountered was friendly and happy to see us.They got my last bag…Watch out for those carabao, they look angry!Excuse us, folks.Hold up there, Scott!I think those are sweet potatoes…I can’t remember the name of this, but Filipinos do something with the roots…On the highway…Some guy was way up in that tree hacking off branches with a machete. OSHA would definitely not approve of the fact that he wore no safety equipment, not even a rope. As you can see a couple of the whacked branches got stuck in the powerlines. Not ure what they did to fix that.Easter mountain looming large…Alright, let’s get this done…Over the river…In the river...Why am I so thirsty all of the sudden?Say, that house looks familiar…Lunch (chips/salsa, cheese quesadilla, and chicken nuggets) at my place. Cold beers to wash it down, of course...
A good day and a good hike. Stick around and we’ll see what happens next. Will you detect a pattern or a rut?
I guess I’ll decide sooner or later. I’ll get to that in a minute.
Did my weekly grocery shopping and once again dealt with the frustration of the out-of-stock syndrome that seems so prevalent here. Doubly so, because I went to two different supermarkets in search of some essentials without success. You know, I get that certain imports, like frozen food, may be tough to get these days because of shipping issues. But damn, to be out of canned dog food for two freaking weeks? I bought some at the local veterinarian for 150 pesos a can ($3) because my boys have to eat, but damn. Alright, rant over.
Small turnout for darts last night. With only seven players we did a singles tournament. That suits me fine. I made it to the finals undefeated. Nancy, who I had beaten earlier, was my opponent. You know, I play for fun and I’d had a few beers which drowned whatever competitive juices that may have been flowing (yeah, that’s a convoluted metaphor, isn’t it?). First-place money was 400 pesos and second place was 200 pesos. Nancy would have to beat me twice (win two best-of-three matches) to take first. I offered her a deal where we call it a tie and split the money (300 pesos each). She accepted my offer. That’s a win-win for everyone, right?
To the victors go the spoils…
Speaking of spoils, the fish and chips place here in town posted on their Facebook page that they had made up a batch of pumpkin tarts, get ’em while supplies last. I sent a message asking if any were still available and they said they still had five left. I hoofed on over and bought myself two to go. They were 70 pesos each, which seemed a bit pricey, but damn, how often do you get anything close to a pumpkin pie in these parts?
They looked tasty enough. Popped them into the microwave to warm them up a bit……then gave them a French twist by serving the tarts a la mode…
It was a nice bedtime treat and a worthy reward for my outstanding darts.
Woke up this morning to this pleasant view:
Doggone it!
There are some stray dogs that roam the neighborhood. I’ve seen other people’s trashcans raided, but this was a first for me. Shit happens I guess.
Speaking of the neighborhood, that’s my dilemma–should I stay or should I go? I spoke to the landlord and he wants to increase my rent by 5%, or about $45 a month. He says there hasn’t been an increase in three years. I pointed out that I’ve done all the repairs and maintenance here out of my own pocket and I didn’t think a rent increase was justified. He said the increase in necessary and to let him know next month what I decide.
So, I really like living in Alta Vista. I enjoy the views and the convenience of living here (except when the dogs attack my trash). It is quiet–no roosters, traffic noise, or loud videoke singing, all of which are pretty standard in most neighborhoods. My rent is currently $900. a month. When people hear that, they think I’m crazy for overpaying so much. Well, I can afford it, and truthfully, the increase is the equivalent of what I spend some nights in the bar. But I also don’t like being taken advantage of, and after three years of being a loyal tenant, this increase feels like a slap in the face.
I’ve been looking around some to see what alternatives might be available. There is one place for rent here in the neighborhood for 30,000 ($600), but there are some potential issues with the folks who live upstairs. I’ll save that story for another day. And now I’ve learned of another house that is available on the other side of town that seems to be a viable possibility. I’ve not personally been inside yet, but it is next door to a house of a fellow Hasher and has the same floor plan as his, so I’m at least familiar with the layout.
It has a large walled yard, a feature I really like. I think my boys would enjoy that freedom too.The side yard, leading to the large back yard, which appears to have a table and chairs.This appears to be a dirty kitchen. I could set up my grill here…The front of the house.I think this is the living room…Another inside shot…Looks roomy. Don’t think the bicycle is included though…The master bedroom…The master bath includes a water heater, something I require…
Not sure why they didn’t send any kitchen shots. I’m going to try and see the place tomorrow.
So, the negatives for me so far are that it only has two bedrooms and is unfurnished. I’ve got a bed and a desk, I’d have to buy everything else. On the other hand, I don’t really use all the space I have now. And the rent is only 20,000 pesos ($400.) a month, less than half of what I’m currently paying.
It’s a pain in the ass to move and I’d really rather not have to, but damn, how can I justify staying here and getting fucked in the ass? I’ll see how I feel after checking the place out personally.
Otherwise, life goes on in its usual fashion. I take each day as it comes and make the best of it. And I’m happy to report that I am not living in fear.
Well, honestly I don’t give a shit about whether folks choose to wear a mask. That’s their choice and their call. All I ask is the same respect for my choices.
And as long as I’m in the mode of being obnoxious, how about this Hunter finding a gal and grabbing her by the Harris:
Here’s a surprise for you–no bitches or complaints about the Hash trail yesterday. I did the whole thing (just under 6K) without a problem–no shortcuts required! Only one climb and it was not too difficult. Actually, most of the trail covered the very familiar My Bitch terrain. A good day to be on the mountain!
Let’s go to the photos (credit to Pubic Head for a lot of these):
A trail suited to my tastes.Kids in the ‘hood…Hashers invading Alta Vista…On-On!Gash on trail in Marian Hills…A cookie stop.Excuse us, folks. Just passing through...Leaving civilization behind…Hello old friend!Heading on up…Valley view.Black And Dick Her on trail…Looking towards Baloy……and down on Barretto.Heading On-Home–Beer is Near!On-Home at the VFW...A Hash circle in action!
So, you may have noticed there ain’t much social distancing happening in the photo above. The VFW is one of our smaller venues and frankly, keeping your distance just isn’t possible. I heard one Hasher actually declined to join in the after-Hash activities because he wasn’t comfortable with the crowd. To each his own. Anyway, shortly after the circle concluded the security guard came and advised us the police were outside. That was the end of the Hash–we all grabbed our shit and headed out before the cops came in.
The next stop for a few of us was the It Doesn’t Matter bar. We took up the outdoor seating and were enjoying our beers until this happened:
That looks like the same vehicle that was parked outside the VFW. I don’t know if they followed us or just spotted us in our new location.I didn’t stick around to find out what was going to happen next–paid my tab and left. Apparently,they were enforcing social distancing requirements. Hopefully, the bar got off with just a warning.
That was enough excitement for me for one day, so I headed out and took a trike back to my house. Made myself a smoothie, then hit the sack.
Or so it seems. A bargirl sitting next to me on the floating bar asked me, “how’s life?”. I gave her my standard response of “always good”, but it did get me briefly thinking about my life. One could say that it is empty and devoid of meaning and purpose, I suppose. Hell, just perusing my posts here at LTG would provide ample support for that thesis. On the other hand, perhaps meaning and purpose are overrated. I did my 35 years as a productive member of society (alright, I exaggerate. I worked for the government. But, still…) and these days I choose to live a simple life doing things that please me. Or at least fill the hours. So what if I spend my retirement as a walkaholic/dartaholic/alcoholic? It may not be the life I imagined, but it is the one I’ve got. I choose to be satisfied and live it one day at a time,
Here’s another perspective on the subject:
The view I enjoyed as I sipped my beer and contemplated the meaninglessness of life. Some might even call me lucky!
Anyway, I didn’t waste much time on pointless contemplation. After a couple of beers on the floating bar, I hoofed it over to Cheap Charlies and satiated the thirst of some bargirls there. Despite being late in the afternoon on a Sunday, there were enough customers around to make my preferred seating unavailable. When the hunger pangs struck, I got to thinking about the pork chop dinner at Mango’s. So I headed on over.
I was pleased to see my favorite beachside perch was unoccupied. I quickly discovered why–there were these gnat-like bugs swarming all around the seating area. No thank you! I stopped by the manager’s office on the way out and advised her of the situation, suggesting she get a large fan to blow those pests back on the beach. Still hungry, I went next door to Palm Tree and was disappointed to find their entire outdoor seating area was occupied. Not sure if it was a private party or what, but I’ve never seen that kind of crowd there.
Running out of options on this side of town, I crossed the street and visited The Pub. They don’t have outdoor seating at all, so I did my usual thing and ordered my food to go.
I hadn’t tried John’s fish and chips before, but they are excellent. Couldn’t resist doing another order of bulgogi too. My hunger was satisfied at last!
Speaking of food, I came across this on one of my internet surfing trips and found it funny:
I trust the English translations are accurate.
In other news, a five-year-old Filipino child drowned at the beach the other day. Not surprising really, I’ve seen these young kids playing unsupervised in the water quite often and wondered what the parents were thinking in allowing their child to be in danger. Still, it was sad to hear. The authorities sprang into action after the incident though:
Yes, they closed down the beach resort where the drowning occurred. The reason being that under the COVID rules, children under 14 are not allowed to leave the house. A rule absolutely no one obeys.
While we are on the subject of COVID, I heard from Max, one of the folks who rode in the car with me to Angeles City last month. He was supposed to fly home to the Netherlands this week, but tested positive for COVID and was not allowed to travel. Makes me wonder now if the illness I experienced may have been COVID after all. Not that it matters, I’m feeling fine now.
So, it’s Hash Monday today. The Fucking Old Man is the Hare. He is in his 80s, so I anticipate a trail I can actually do without deviation. I noticed on the dog walk this morning that part of the trail passes through Alta Vista. Anyway, I’ll have something more or less interesting to post about tomorrow.
Another first in darts yesterday…first out, that is. Just one of those nights. I didn’t throw up to my recent standards, but didn’t totally suck either. Even threw the coveted “perfect” 180 score (three triple 20s) and still lost the leg. That’s how it goes sometimes.
It was also Cherry’s birthday, so the tourney featured food and cake and a fair amount of revelry. I contributed brownies, as is my custom. Lots of compliments, so thank you Betty Crocker!
I’ve had a lazier than normal Sunday thus far. Decided to treat myself to breakfast out, but when I walked past Sit-n-Bull I noted both outside tables were occupied, so I kept on going. I like to eat outside now too whenever possible. One of the guys in the smoking area called out “you’re looking good”. That seemed a little weird and I wasn’t sure how to respond. He asked me how old I am and I told him 65. He gave me a thumbs up. I’m guessing Sit-n-Bull was full of people up for the weekend from Angeles City. Barretto has been hopping with refugees from the lockdown imposed there. Good for the businesses here and I’m happy with that, but it can be a pain in the ass.
I walked the back streets of town, then circled around to the highway trying to decide on my Plan B location for breakfast. I thought about one of my old favorites, the Arizona hotel, but decided they’d likely be full of weekend tourists as well. Then as I passed by the Pearl restaurant, I saw the coveted outside table was empty, so I grabbed it. Ordered up a cup of coffee and decided on a club sandwich for breakfast. I was surprised to see carrot cake on the menu, so I asked for a slice of that too.
As you can see, I’d eaten half the sandwich before I got around to taking a photo.
That’s the carrot cake in the background. Nothing like I’m used to, though. The texture of the cake was heavy, and you couldn’t really taste the lightly applied cream cheese frosting. I mean, it tasted fine, it just wasn’t what I expected.
I had intended to do my extended morning walk after breakfast, but I blew it off and came home for a nap instead. After I woke up, I did finally get around to updating the stats for the singles league,
I still have one match to play, but Cristy has an insurmountable lead in total points, despite my beating her twice in league play. She has accomplished that by dominating everyone but me and throwing better overall, which generates mark points. Anyway, we will both be in the Championship playoffs next Sunday, so we can decide who’s best then.
I still need to get some steps in. I’ll probably walk out to Baloy beach, then check out how things are going on the floating bar. They say you should go with your strengths, and drinking beer and being lazy are two things I do well.
I’m always riding life’s roller coaster it seems, but it’s nice to be on top for a change. And yeah, I know what that means is coming next but I’m going to enjoy this part of the ride as long as I can.
Undefeated in last night’s dart tournament. Some strong competition, but I threw consistently well all night. The highlight was probably an unlikely 99 out (triple 19, single 10, double 16) for a key victory in the finals. One of my better nights of darts in quite some time.
We are the champions, my friend. And we kept on fighting till the end…
After darts, I popped into The Pub to get some take-out dinner to bring home. Had a craving for the Philly cheesesteak sandwich, but couldn’t resist getting some bulgogi as well.
I don’t eat these often, but when I do, I enjoy them very much indeed…I prefer my bulgogi in a stew, but this was really good too…
What else? Well, this morning Facebook greeted me with a memory for eleven years ago:
Everything changes. That fat man is long gone, may he rest in peace.
I remember some of the anti-marijuana propaganda from my high school days would be captioned “why do you think they call it dope?”. Look how far we’ve come today:
Scary stuff.
Alright, I’ve got some photos from yesterday’s hike with the walking group to share. It was a relatively short (6K) but challenging trek up to the top of Kalaklan ridge and back down again. Good times!
Our route up and down the mountain.My fellow travelers on the journey.The climb began with these stairs…Lots and lots of stairs…Cookies for the kiddies along the way...Are we there yet? Nope, only half way up so far…Catching my breath and the view.That’s a floating island water park down there.And on we marched.It was weird coming across these kids out in the woods scavenging around for something growing wild…probably mangoes...You call this a trail?Just missed me doing a limbo dance under those branches behind me.Mountain life.Yeah, my climb wasn’t hard, comparatively speaking…Made it to the ridgeline road!The high point of the day, both literally and figuratively…My little town from above.Heading back down…One last cookie stop.On the mean streets of Barretto…in this case, Rizal street.Our hike concluded at Dynamite Dick’s.
It was a good day. Hope you enjoyed the HIGH lights…
Yesterday’s singles league dart match against Billy didn’t go as expected. She’s one of the top players and I was anticipating a hard fought battle and a close match. I was only half right. I started out by winning all five legs in 501. And then I swept the cricket legs as well. I won the first leg in the 301 competition to take an 11-0 lead. Billy won the next 3 legs in a row, and I took the last 301 game for a final score of 13-3.
The match was much closer than the final score would indicate. All the legs were tough battles that could have gone either way, I just somehow managed to come out on top most of the time. I was very surprised by my performance. Pleasantly surprised, for a change.
After darts, I headed out to what is rapidly becoming my new favorite bar–It Doesn’t Matter. I like the friendly neighborhood pub vibe, a place where like-minded locals hang out and shoot the shit. I spend all my time sitting in the outdoor portion of the bar. I just don’t like sitting inside to drink anywhere these days it seems. I enjoy the street views and watching people walk by, that’s much more entertaining than the indoor activities (pool and bargirls).
Some of my fellow travelers from last night. Actually, the guy in the middle, Cliff, is one of the owners. The shy girl next to me is Roan. I bought her lady drinks and dinner in exchange for her company. She even laughed at my jokes!
About that dinner, IDM doesn’t have a kitchen but food delivery from Myleen’s, conveniently located just around the corner, is available. Myleen’s is a relatively new place in town that I hadn’t had a chance to try yet, but it gets consistently good reviews. Mexican and pasta dishes are their specialties. I decided to save the Mexican for another night and wasn’t feeling like lasagna, so I did a sweet and sour pork dish.
I was actually a little disappointed. Take-out of course is not the same experience as dining in, but the plastic fork I was provided didn’t cut it. The pork pieces I mean. I thought the meal would have been better served if the pork had been bite-sized. Next time, I’ll hopefully be up for the Mexican.
Anyway, it was a pleasant afternoon and evening out on the town. Not that it matters.
Fallin’ and spinnin’ Losin’ and winnin’ Keepin’ my head
Watchin’ for signals Wearisome vigil Was I misled I remember you said that you Don’t want to forget me It doesn’t matter Which of our fantasies fled
Lonely and winsome Calling for someone Living right now
Something is shallow Ugly and hollow Doesn’t even allow You to want to know how you might Live for the living and Give for the giving. Living Moment by moment One day at a time It doesn’t matter It’s nothin’ but dreamin’ anyhow
It doesn’t seem appropriate somehow to measure your good fortune in comparison to the misfortune of someone else. And yet, we’ve all heard that “there, but for the grace of God, go I” saw, or found ourselves saying things like “lucky that’s not me”. Still, I can’t help but appreciate my mundane and mostly no drama life all the more after hearing about a friend’s ongoing nightmare. Get well soon, Dennis!
Third place finish in darts last night. No complaints about that (other than the continued fall outs). The two teams that beat us threw exceptional darts and that’s what it is all about. No shame in losing to superior shooting.
My new Wednesday tradition is popping into The Pub after darts and getting me some Korean-style wings for take-out. Had a nice chat with the owner, John Kim, and after perusing his menu that includes a French dip and a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, I half kiddingly suggested that he add a Monte Cristo sandwich to the selections. It’s actually one of my all-time favorite sandwiches but it has been literally years since I’ve seen one on a menu. The old Dragon Hill Lodge on the Yongsan Army base had them prior to my first retirement in 2010, but I’ve not found one anywhere since.
Here’s what a Monte Cristo looks like in case you are wondering…
Anyway, I was surprised when John responded to my request that he was “working on it”. Apparently, finding the right kind of ham cut for the sandwich isn’t easy here in the Philippines. Who knew? But it sounds like I will one day soon relive those glory days of melt in your mouth goodness. Come to think of it, my first time experiencing the taste explosion of a Monte Cristo was at a restaurant in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I recall the location was in the old train station downtown and the Monte Cristo was the house specialty. It’s funny what you can remember about the mundane details of a lifetime while forgetting some of the big stuff. I guess it’s about Biden your time. *Ahem*.
That’s the chicken wings I brought home last night. Also found some kimchi in stock at Royal supermarket this week, so I had myself a Korean-style feast!
This morning I set out to do my “long” Thursday solo walk. I usually strive for at least 10K but came up a little short this time.
I maintained a pretty good pace over mostly flat ground at least…
Kevin Kim has a post up covering the latest COVID news. His commentary, though. is astounding. As I mentioned in the comments, it is precisely the way I feel about the whole COVID fiasco. I’m going to paste that part here for those of you who might not be motivated to click though. Think of it like this–Kevin’s words, my voice. Is that plagiarism?
The narrative is that masks, social distancing, and all the other trappings of security theater are actually effective at slowing the spread of the virus. The reality is that the virus is going to run its course no matter what we do, and if anything, our vain precautions tend to make matters worse. The essential self-delusion is the same as it’s always been: man can somehow master nature. The harsh truth is that man can only wait for the tidal wave to strike; rebuilding is for the aftermath.
You might reply that fatalism is the wrong attitude to adopt: people have made enormous progress in terms of personal hygiene, public sanitation, and infection control over the centuries; raging diseases can be fought and managed. All true. But look around you: does any of that “progress” amount to mastery of one’s surroundings? No. So hunker down, keep practicing—at the basic level—that commonsense hygiene, sanitation, and IC that you’re so proud of, and don’t worry overmuch: if the destroying angel comes for you because of age, comorbidities, or other weaknesses, then… it’s just your time to go. So be stoic and accept your destiny. That’s about the best you can do. Meanwhile, go live a life unruled by fear.
Kevin’s piece was especially timely for me because my sick friend in Cambodia is hospitalized with COVID. I don’t hear from Dennis very often these days, but I often wonder how he is getting on. He’s a few years older than me and has always been a solitary nomad, travelling the world (Asia, Europe, South America) and exploring on his own. I admire that, but I couldn’t live that lifestyle. I need a home base and the feeling of stability that provides. Anyway, my nightmare would be just what he is experiencing now–stuck in a hospital for going on three weeks now with no outside support. Worse yet, only one of the doctors speaks English and he says he can barely understand her through the masks and shields worn in his presence. He doesn’t have a phone charger and had to “borrow” a charger for his iPad, which is how he was able to shoot me an email. And oh yeah, he’s in diapers.
The good news is that he is feeling better and hopes to get an all-clear test result soon so he can get released from quarantine. Speaking of which, I hadn’t been following the news in Phnom Penh very closely but last time I heard from Dennis the city was open for the most part. Not anymore. Apparently, five female tourists came in from, you guessed it, China, and instead of abiding by the mandatory hotel quarantine procedures, they bribed the security guard and went out partying. Dennis is just one of the 1000 cases that resulted from their inappropriate conduct. Makes you wonder if China is doing this shit on purpose.
Anyway, I’ve got a dart match to throw this afternoon. Thanks for coming by. Oh yeah, don’t expect to be fiddling around in Georgia anytime soon:
What else am I going to do? Well, actually, I did play darts yesterday against the overall best player in Barretto, Cristy. I wasn’t particularly “on” my game, but I wasn’t throwing all that bad either. My biggest problem remains fall outs. For some reason, or likely a combination of reasons, my darts have a tendency to not stick in the board. It’s really frustrating to have a good throw negated when one (or more) darts fall out. I know that part of the problem is the way I throw; a soft, arcing toss, without a lot of force behind it. When I try and throw harder, I lose control and accuracy, and I don’t have much of that to spare. I replaced the points on my darts recently but that doesn’t seem to have helped much.
Anyway, I was surprised to come out of the 501 portion of our match ahead 3-2. I dominated cricket, which is the game I’m best at, but I was lucky to get 4 of 5 legs from a quality player like Cristy. She came back to take the 301 set, but by then I had secured the match overall, finishing with a 10-6 victory.
A picture of what exceeding expectations looks like.
I’ll play the tournament tonight in preparation for my match against Billy tomorrow. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to stick those pointy bastards in the board so they will stay there until I pull them out!
This morning I did some walking around with the Wednesday Walkers. I guess everyone is still recovering from Monday’s Hash as there were only four of us on trail today. I led the group on a comfortable jaunt over My Bitch, then circled around on another mountain and back down into the valley. A bit of an adventure at the end because we lost the trail going down for a bit. They’ve been doing some burning on the mountain and apparently, the trail is little used these days, so it doesn’t look much like a trail anymore. We found it again about a third of the way down, which is good because it is a tough enough downhill on a path; it’s not a good place to be trailblazing.
Here are some photos:
The way we went.My fellow travelers, Troy, Jim, and Jens.
A family doing laundry the old-fashioned way–in a creek. They are a regular sight on My Bitch and Troy carried them down some cookies.“Where were you on Monday? I was waiting!”Making our way…Sorting things out. The fence was new since the last time we were up this way. Luckily, this one doesn’t appear it will encroach on the trail. That’s not always the case.“I’m still waiting to see you!”Looks like the folks in these parts have created their own version of a landfill…I’m not without sympathy, but if you can haul your food in, you ought to haul your trash out. Or maybe I need to check my privilege and just shut up.We’ve left My Bitch behind and started up our second mountain.Up on top.“You promised to climb me!”Our trailess and treacherous descent begins. We were fortunate to eventually find our way back to the pathway.A different kind of litter. To protect the mango crop, folks cover the fruit in newsprint bags. When the fruit is eventually harvested, the bags go on the ground. Apparently.More cookie recipients.Heading back to Alta Vista.I treated the guys to lunch and beers at my house.Buddy didn’t seem impressed with my company…
Feel free to Relive the hike if you are so inclined.
https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqg7VG5dGq
That’s pretty much how life is in these parts. It could be worse I suppose…
Yeah, I just wouldn’t fit in back home I’m afraid...
I guess there are things I miss, but watching the news ain’t one of them.
Why people can’t see through this bullshit never ceases to amaze me. Wilfully ignorant? Or maybe just ignorant period.I reckon that’s about enough for this post, don’t you?
So, yesterday was the Subic Bay Hash’s traditional annual trek up Easter mountain. I decided that prudence dictated that I not attempt the climb this year. I’m not 100% “back” quite yet, it’s hot outside, and the long trek to the top is without shade. Not a good combination of factors for a somewhat frail 65-year-old man. Maybe next year.
As an alternative, I did lead the “sane” group on a hike beginning at my house and ending at our On-Home venue, Hunter’s Jo Inn. It was a flat walk that took us an hour and a half to complete. I was actually going to do one of the smaller hills on the Hare’s trail, but one of the members of my group was a pregnant female who wanted to avoid a climb. Well, being the gentlemen that I am… Anyway, the beer was cold at the end of our boring trail, so there’s that. Oh, and I got my Easter Hash shirt.
The long, hard trail I didn’t take……and the mountain I didn’t climb. Another day, my friend...These guys made the climb.On top of Easter mountain…A view from the top.Well, us “sane” hikers were on-trail for a while. The flat parts anyway…The climb I aborted when the preggers gal called me back…A stream you wouldn’t want to swim in. Unless you were feeling suicidal…The “sane” hikers making their way On-Home.Yesterday’s menu at Hunter’s Jo. I went with the ham and cheese sandwich and doubled the price by adding bacon, lettuce, and tomato.The owner of Hunter’s is a nice guy and I do enjoy the venue. But the food sucks. Consistently. One thin slice of ham, a slice of cheese, and the mess on the side. Still, it was only $4., so what if I could only eat two bucks worth?The front side of my Easter Hash shirt...And the backside. Has my Hash name and everything…
My group got back earlier than most of the folks who did the full trail, so I wound up drinking more beer than usual.
But I was still standing when the sun went down!
And that was pretty much it for my day yesterday. Now it is time to get ready for darts. Haven’t played (or practiced) in over a week. I have my singles league match against Cristy, so I’m sure there is an ass-kicking in the very near future for me.
I will leave you with this little story that I found quite funny:
