Yesterday’s “date at home” went just fine, thank you very much. No surprises, no disappointments. Well, I did teasingly suggest a nap after the movie and she declined with a “maybe next time”.
Chili came out good I think. Jessa finished hers which I always take to be a good sign. And yes, I added pineapple chunks again. Sue me. Brownies with vanilla ice cream made for a tasty dessert as well.
Jessa seemed to enjoy the movie, laughing in all the appropriate spots and nudging me when the dialog struck close to home re: my messed up love life. It was pleasant being snuggled up with her on the couch for a couple of hours. I didn’t get frisky other than gently rubbing her leg now and then. Oh, and she doesn’t shave her legs. Not that that bothers me, just hadn’t seen it (or felt it) in quite a while.
We chatted a bit after the movie then I walked her to the highway so she could get a trike home. A quick peck on the lips goodbye and that was our date. I imagine we’ll do it again one day soon. Still no idea where this might lead, but I guess that’s what the adventure is all about.
Speaking of adventure and the potential to fall, I’ll be hiking with Scott this morning up to Tralala, the highest point in Olongapo. It’s a lot of steps and then a decent climb. Did it once before and thought to myself “never again”. For some reason, I actually suggested it today. We’ll have my driver drop us in Gordon Heights so we can begin our ascent at full energy levels.
I’m doing this post now on the chance that I’ll be in no condition to do so by the time I make it back home. We shall see!
On the cusp of a kinda sorta first date this afternoon. Although I’ve considered the repercussions, good and bad, about taking these tentative steps towards a potential relationship, I’m afraid I don’t have any great insights on just what I might be getting myself into. Does anyone ever though?
Here’s what I do know. I’ve been acquainted with Jessa for two years now. I made some effort back when we first met to make her my girlfriend, to no avail. I realized later that it was my own cowardice in putting myself at risk by pursuing a potential loving romance that doomed any chance of success. I felt like I was better off safe than sorry and I’ve pretty much been sorry ever since.
The past several days I’ve been chatting online at length with Jessa. I really appreciate the fact that she can carry her end of the conversation better than most. She is perceptive and offers some significant insights. She can also be brutally honest, but I kinda like that too. She has a great sense of humor and also seems to get mine which is always nice. I can tell already that she will not hesitate to challenge and push me as she deems necessary. Time will tell how she reacts when I push back. She is, however, open-minded and appears to have a healthy appreciation for the physical aspects of a relationship. At least she verbalizes them, time will tell if she is willing to demonstrate them in person.
On the downside, Jessa is exactly half my age. That’s really not a big deal in this culture, but it can be a bit disconcerting and somewhat intimidating. She has a 6-year-old daughter I’ve yet to meet but Jessa seems impressed by my experience as a single father (back when I was her age. Yikes!). I’m not sure at this point what else we may have in common, but I do know that Jessa is not into the hiking aspects of my life. I admit that it is a bit disappointing because I’ve fantasized about having someone to share my walking and Hashing experiences.
So, going into today’s date I’m keeping my expectations in check. I’m looking at it as having some pleasant company for the afternoon so I doubt I’ll be disappointed. I’ve got a batch of chili in the crockpot and I’ll bake up some brownies for dessert. Like many Filipinas, Jessa enjoys watching Korean dramas so I’m going to share one of my old-time favorites, My Sassy Girl, with her. After that, who knows? I’ve got plenty of beer. Or maybe a nap.
That’s Jessa on her 30th, going on two years ago now.
Here are some photos from yesterday’s walk that Scott took:
Not this time…“Yeah, right down there. That’s the place.”A scene from the GOVIC highway…My first candy recipients of the day went away happy…The ass side of Easter Mountain…The landfill. At least they weren’t burning garbage yesterday…Hoofing it on down the path…It was my treat to treat these sweeties with some sweets!“Candyman please!” The candyman can…The best view of the day was from my neighborhood…
And that’s where things ended. Now to get ready for what may (or may not) be a new beginning.
Stay tuned!
UPDATE: It seems I used the “here we go again” post title way back in 2009. That’s from those days when I use to write about meaningful stuff like politics. What impressed me the most though was the robust and heartfelt discussion in the comments. Well, I’m still getting great feedback from the few that still come by to read my diary. Thanks for that!
No, not the Filipina I have a tentative date with tomorrow (although she is indeed short and sweet). Just not a whole lot to share here today so let’s get on with it and get it done, shall we?
This is a milestone in the history of my posts here at LTG…
I got a haircut yesterday for the first time in quite some time:
Talk about short and sweet!
I’m not entirely sure if there is a secret or if it is simply blind luck, but I look almost exactly the same as I did 40 years ago, don’t you agree?
Everybody’s so different, I haven’t changed. Well, except for the beer belly maybe.
A nice 9K hike this morning with Scott and Troy:
It’s always good to be out and about, especially when you have company on the trail.On up…..and on-on.
One thing is for sure, Filipinos sure do love their Red Horse beer. I’ve never finished one, it’s a tall bottle with a high alcohol content. We did apparently come across a local watering hole on our hike today though:
If you think that’s a drunken mess, I wonder what THEY looked like!
Scott took more pictures but hasn’t posted them yet. I’ll share some of those tomorrow perhaps.
Alright, I promised you short and sweet and so there you have it. I’ve got some beers at “Gomans” in my immediate future and some thinking to do about tomorrow’s potential “at home” date. I think I’ll make chili.
Today was grocery shopping day. My driver arrived at the appointed time and as we headed to Olongapo he asked if I wanted to shop at Royal. I told him “yeah, but it is not open to anyone who doesn’t live on SBMA” (the old Navy base). He told me that he knew the security guard so I shrugged and said okay.
We arrived and sure enough, the guard waved us inside (after taking my temperature of course). It felt like coming home again! Almost all the hard-to-find things I’ve been longing for were waiting for me on the familiar shelves. So I stocked up.
I crammed $300. worth of groceries in that cart.And kept my distance from the cashier…
Oh, and about that security guard controlling access to the store? He’s not exactly a friend of my driver, my driver just knew how to get him to let us in. And that was 200 pesos (around $4.). I guess we can be polite and call it “a tip”. And of course, that’s just the way things work in this country, from top to bottom. Today I came across this short article from the USA talking about corruption in the Philippines. Give it a read if you are so inclined.
As I staggered walked home after the Hash yesterday, I popped into Sit-n-Bull for some grub. They are doing dine-in now, but I still got mine for take-out.
That’s what the country fried steak looked like. Sit-n-Bull is one of my favorite eateries here, but this dish was only average at best.It did come with two sides, so I had a double order of coleslaw. That was most excellent!
This morning my dogs brought a smile to my face when I saw this:
I guess they are besties.
Alright, that’s all the news. And here comes the part I know y’all have been waiting for:
The post about yesterday’s Hash!It was a short trail (the Hare’s said 5K, my tracker said more like 3.7. But starting on the mountain means getting there, which was another 3K for me. And a little more than that getting back home. Once again, we met up at the “4 corners” intersection of My Bitch.One thing that was different this time is that the Hares (Pubic Head and Blow My Pipe) actually laid trail in advance with powder and paper in the traditional manner. I enjoyed that aspect, especially since I’m almost always DFL (dead fucking last) on trail.Hashers doing what Hashers do…More Hashers on trail…On and on we go…There are some benefits to be bringing up the, um, rear…The view from here……and here…Zoom view of the bankrupt Hanjin shipyard. Rumor has it the Yanks are going to take it over to service the U.S. Navy. We’ll see.And the valley view…
Here’s something a little different for you. Scott/Pubic Head took some photos of the locals while he was out marking the trail. I shamelessly lifted them for the SBH3 Facebook page:
Greetings white man…Kids in a tree.A hard-working woman…And a farmer at rest.
And I will close this out with a couple of shots from our On-Home at Derelict’s place:
That’s our host Derek/Derelict in the middle…Everyone’s favorite: Filipinas on ice!I do love my beer and I’ve got the belly to prove it! That’s our newest named Hasher on the ice–I never fucked a chickenThat must have been one hell of a fart!
And I reckon that’s as good a place to leave things as any…
Good Monday morning! I’m dropping some words here now because with COVID Hash Run #5 starting at noon and knowing I’ll be downing some beers afterward, chances are better than good I’ll be in no condition to blog later today.
Not a lot to report though. Walked the dogs and had some bacon and eggs for breakfast. Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
Watchdogs.
Well, there is this potential development. It seems like I might start dating again. It’s all kind of weird and undefined at the moment, but we’ll see where it goes. I suggested a couple of restaurants that have reopened and she asked why we had to go out–your house is fine.
Welcome to another lockdown Sunday. They don’t get any easier, that’s for sure.
At least I was able to change things up a bit with yesterday’s dinner party. It’s nice to have some eye candy company now and then. I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the food I provided. The ribs were especially unsatisfactory.
What a mess!
Pretty much everything was wrong. Starting with the ribs I bought at the SM grocery store butcher shop (bottom left in the photo). I noticed they were thick but somehow assumed it was a double stack of ribs. Nope. It was about an inch of fat. And when I cooked them in the crockpot the fat actually bloated up even more, enough to slightly lift the lid. They were not tender and tasty and the time in the oven didn’t rectify that. Luckily, I had purchased the more traditional baby back style at a local butcher in Barretto and they came out okay. Just not enough of them.
My original plan was to do the ribs in the slow cooker on Friday, then braze them in the oven just before my guests arrived. That would free up the crockpot for cooking the pork chops on Saturday morning. The power outage made that impossible so I did the chops on the grill. They were fine I guess, but a bit dryer than I like.
That’s the best pic I got of the pork chops. Mylene asked to take the leftovers home which is a pretty nice compliment. No one asked for ribs takeout…I must have been hungry because I cleaned my plate regardless. Except for the fat, no way I was going to eat that!
After our meal, we retreated to the downstairs patio where the gals drank wine and I enjoyed my beverage of choice, beer.
Left to right: Kat, Ru Ru, Mylene, and Jessa.
It was pleasant enough and we had a few laughs. The girls talked mostly among themselves in Tagalog, which is normal and is to be expected. I’m a slouch when it comes to learning the local language but I’m not one of those people who demand others cater to my ignorance.
So, being currently single I sniffed out the potential availability of my guests. Jessa has a German boyfriend, she told me she is waiting for his return in August. I wasn’t attracted to Mylene and she has what she calls a “cheating boyfriend” anyway. Ru Ru thought I would be perfect–for her early 40s mother. That was pretty funny to hear. And I’ve known Kat for a while and there have never been any sparks between us. So there you have it. It is safe to characterize this event as dinner with friends.
The girls enjoying the view. And so was I.“what are YOU looking at?
As the 7 p.m. curfew approached we headed down to the highway so the girls could catch a ride home. And it started running. I went on ahead and fetched the trikes while they waited under the awning of a Sari-Sari store. Always the gentleman, even when soaking wet.
I hold these truths to be self-evident. Now let’s see if I can adhere to them for a change.In the meantime, I’ve got Buddy and Lucky to give me dog love…
Well, at least I have a good excuse for not posting yesterday. I had the “pleasure” of experiencing life without electricity for over 24 hours. I think the only longer period of living without power I’ve experienced was going several days in the dark after a hurricane in Virginia way back when. No more, please!
A downed power pole was the apparent cause of the blackout. Why it took so long to restore power is just another frustrating example of incompetence I suppose.
In somewhat related news, the rainy season also has arrived in full force, driven by some tropical depression/storm off the coast. Two days of the wet stuff precluded getting any meaningful hiking accomplished.
The National Highway flooded as usual. The worst part about that was I couldn’t visit my usual meat store, Bretto’s. It’s on the ground floor of the building pictured above and it appeared the water was above the door. Of course, they were closed.So I went on up the highway and was able to find what I wanted at another store.
As for the bark in my convoluted post title, it went down like this. No power=no aircon or fans. So, I went to bed with my sliding glass door open. Sometime around 0300 a dog started barking. Now, the neighbors on the next street over have a passel of dogs that always bark. But when my doors and windows are closed it pretty much drowns out the noise (especially when I’m running my fans). So, I get up and close the door, lay back down, and sure enough, the barking resumes, just as loud as ever. It sounded like it was right out in front of my house. So I get up and go out on the balcony and sure enough, some fucking dog was in the street barking at my house (or maybe Buddy and Lucky through the glass, but they weren’t responding). I yelled for him to shut up and he took off down the street. As soon as I crawled back in bed, he returned and commenced his barking routine again. This time I went downstairs, grabbed my walking stick, and chased the bastard down the street in my bare feet and underwear. I’m sure that sight would have scared anyone, including the rude dog who left me alone for the remainder of the night.
Anyway, that’s the roundabout way of saying I had a very depressing day yesterday. The worst I can remember in a long, long time in fact. And here I am on the other side of it, relatively unscathed.
It wasn’t all bad though. I heard from two old girlfriends that hadn’t been in touch for quite some time. Not sure if it was a coincidence or maybe they still read the blog. Anyway, it was nice to be remembered. I’ve also made some tentative contact with a gal on the Date in Asia site. Her profile says she lives in Olongapo, but now she tells me she moved to Pampangna (about an hour from here). We’ll see how that goes.
The big news (relatively speaking) is I’m having dinner/supper/late lunch guests at the house this afternoon. Jessa and her entourage of friends (Kat, RuRu, and Mylene) will be joining me. Apparently during my aborted courtship of Jessa last year I had invited them to experience my cooking. So I am going to fulfill that obligation. Doing up some baby back ribs and grilled pork chops.
Left to Right: Jessa, Ru Ru, Gwapo, and Kat. I don’t have a photo of Mylene. Actually, I don’t even remember her. She worked at Treasure Island back in the day too, so I reckon I’ll recognize her.
I don’t expect I’ll get lucky as two of the gals (Jessa and Ru Ru) have boyfriends that I know of, not sure about the others. Still, it should be fun to have some company to entertain.
Today’s “interesting” photo is from the Jeepney stop on the road out of my subdivision.
The Jeepneys used to just run up and down the highway picking up and dropping off at the wave of a hand. These days they can only fill to half capacity and only stop at designated locations. Also, you have to provide your name and phone number. Additional half-assed measures that will be more inconvenient than they will be effective.
So, David Chappelle is a comedian I like and he pretty much calls folks out as he sees fit, regardless of their politics. Of course, I don’t always agree with him, but he’s funny in a non-PC kinda way that if pretty rare these days. Here’s his latest:
“I don’t care if he personally kicked Candace Owens in her stanky pussy I don’t know if it stanks, but I imagine it does. If I ever find out, I’ll let you know for sure.”
And how did Ms. Owens respond? In a fashion that is kinda extraordinary in these humorless times:
To every Democrat tweeting me the clip of #DaveChappelle insulting me:
I’m not a leftist. I have a sense of humor & I think comedians SHOULD make fun of people.
Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of all time and I made it into one of his specials.
That’s POWER!
We’ve arrived too suddenly into a culture where people can’t laugh at themselves, or want to restrain comedians.
I will never be a part of that culture. @DaveChappelle —you are legend and I’d love to meet you and challenge you to say any of that to my face!
All love!
She’s my hero!
And just because I’m an asshole, here’s an old picture of me from when I was older and heavier.
No idea who I was with that night…
Good days and bad days come and go. But a dog’s love is always there.
So, I’m stumped about what to post. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Here I go!
I’m not sure what’s going on but my dreams lately have more intense than usual. I wake up and think to myself “that was weird” but then I fall back to sleep and the dream is mostly forgotten. Last night/early this morning was like that, except I remember the rather bizarre ending–a woman handed me a scrap of paper with the words “don’t ask for what you can’t give” written on it.
It sounds simple enough but maybe there is a deeper meaning for me to consider. It just seems weird to have my subconscious deliver a message to me in this fashion. I’ll contemplate the potential ramifications of the words, but in the meantime, I will probably refrain from asking for a blowjob!
I’ve probably posted this before, but it still rings true. At least it is what I keep telling myself.
But enough about me. HaHa, just kidding! Here are some photos from the hike yesterday:
It was kind of an urban walk, although we did do a couple of wooded hills. Just under 10K for me.Our first up for the day…I don’t always hand out candy. These folks got some cookies!How else is grandma going to spend a hot day in the Philippines? We didn’t go over Black Rock mountain, we went around it…Back on the pavement in Calapadayan…I don’t know, I’ve seen better.This is one of the Hash Ön-Home locations. It’s closed under quarantine now, but the owner let us for a quick beer.The last 40 minutes were hiking down the national highway…Took advantage of the wet market to stock up on some bananas…And finally leaving Subic for the friendly confines of Barretto…
And so concluded our hike. To cleanse your palate, here are the boys enjoying the cool morning air today:
They are not barking up the wrong tree because I ain’t got any!
And finally, I have steadfastly refused to get drawn into all this race-baiting crap. I certainly know racism when I see (or hear it) though.
Every time you tell me to check my privilege or judge me by the color of my skin rather than the content of my character.
Sometimes I fear for my country.
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’ any how
I had some interesting company at “Gomans” last night. And some food for thought for dinner. Well, technically I was alone and I was drinking and not eating, but it was enjoyable all the same.
The person I was spending time with was Jessa and we did it through the messenger app. I’ve mentioned her here on the blog a few times these past couple of years, most recently in March.. In fact, it was our Facebook “friendiversary” that prompted me to re-initiate contact. Here’s a brief recap of our relationship.
I first met Jessa when she was working at Treasure Island. She actually remembers me from a tourist visit when I was with a girlfriend. When I first moved to the Philippines I was staying out on Baloy Beach so I was a regular customer at T.I. Anyway, I developed a bit of a crush for her but began dating someone else before I could pursue things with Jessa. When I broke up (the first time) I tried to see if Jessa might share any interest in a sexy older man such as myself. Oh, she’s always called me “Gwapo” (handsome in Tagalog) instead of John–such a sweet talker! So I wound up taking Jessa and her friends out to celebrate her 30th birthday. When I asked her out to dinner a few days later, she invited her friends along as well. I was expecting something more romantic and although I like her friends I was disappointed. I came to the conclusion that Jessa wasn’t serious about me and I moved on. Or more precisely, I went back to my former toxic relationship. And as I was to become painfully aware both of those moves were mistakes. Big surprise, huh?
Jessa on her 30th.
So, the world kept on spinning around and I would occasionally hear from Jessa via Facebook. She spent some time in Dubai working but decided to return home because she missed her daughter. When we had last talked she mentioned being involved with a German guy and she was not surprised to hear things had gone south once again with the woman I was seeing. And that’s where things stood when we spent two hours or so chatting online last night.
Jessa was equally sympathetic to my plight and brutally honest about how stupidly blind I had been. She offered me encouragement and advised me to take my time in finding a replacement. She admonished me about both my aversion to being alone and my cowardice in not being open to taking a chance on love with the right woman. She of course reminded me that I had blown an opportunity to be with her as she awaited a pursuit from me that never came. Nothing I hadn’t told myself before or heard from other friends, including a regular commenter here. But I think I needed to hear it again to toughen up my resolve to avoid taking the “easy road” in the future.
One of the things that impressed me was Jessa’s command of English and willingness to engage in a meaningful conversation. My ex didn’t like to talk much and I only understood some of what she said–not a good combination. So, communication ability is going to be high on my list of qualities I hope to find in any future relationship.
Anyway, I came home feeling much more positive about things and I have Jessa to thank for that. I really opened up to her, both good and bad about myself, and she didn’t hesitate to engage in blunt and honest discourse. It definitely helped, although I know I’ve still got a long way to go to get to where I need and want to be. During our chat, I was reminded of what is probably my favorite Stephen King quote. At the end of the night, I shared it with her and thanked her for being an understanding ear.
“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.”
Still fighting the blues I’m afraid. But meanwhile, life goes on.
So there had been a moratorium on visa extensions during the enhanced quarantine. With the downgrade to general quarantine status, I was provided 30 days in which to visit the immigration office. I did so this morning.
I completed the paperwork for the standard 60-day tourist visa extension and waited for my turn in line. I was a little surprised by the fee of 4500 pesos ($90) as it is usually around 3000 pesos. Oh well. Once I was back in the vehicle and looked at my receipt I was irked to see my new visa is only valid until June 29. Talk about paying more for less! All I can figure is they granted the 60 days from the date my previous visa expired. Oh well, another trip to immigration is in my near future.
Upon returning home I changed clothes (you are supposed to wear long pants to immigration) and walked to Treasure Island on Baloy Beach. They are kinda sorta open again in an under the table kinda way. My motive for going to T.I. was to see a woman I’ve had the hots for in the past and who maybe liked me as well during a period when I was not available. I wrote a little about Ilene here. She used to come out and Hash with us on a regular basis and even earned her Hash name: Hot to Trot.
That’s her next to me on the ice at some past Hash.
Anyway, with the reduced clientele at T.I., Ilene was the only person working (she normally is a receptionist). There were only a couple of other customers sitting at the beachside tables so I plopped down at the bar. Ilene seemed happy to see me so I ordered up a beer and a menu. See served the beer in a plastic glass so it wouldn’t appear I was actually drinking beer. I offered to treat her to some lunch but she declined. After a little chitchat, I asked how things were going with the boyfriend. She said he was still in Canada but hoped to return next month. I swallowed my disappointment and offered up some positive-sounding words. She then told me that the boyfriend warned her he would be making an occasional trip to Manila and Angeles City. And as everybody knows, there is only one reason to go to AC–the whores. She said he expected her to be understanding. Sensing an opportunity I asked her if she told him she would also occasionally be seeing her old Hash friend. She laughed and said something along the lines of “right”. She got called away by a customer at that point. When she returned I ordered a hamburger. Then she came back and told me the cook said he couldn’t do a hamburger “yet”. What the hell? Well, if he couldn’t do the burger I wasn’t wanting anything else off the menu either–especially the less popular stuff. Another guy came in and pulled up a chair near the reception desk which I thought a little odd. But after she went over to serve him I saw that they were acquainted and she chatted away while I looked at my empty beer glass.
Needless to say, I don’t see Ilene joining me in any future Hash. Oh well, onward to the next one I suppose.
Speaking of the Hash, here are some photos from yesterday’s COVID Run #4.
Once again, we met at the “4 corners” intersection on the My Bitch trail. I was the first to arrive. Shortly thereafter I was joined by 24 additional quarantine violaters Hashers, our biggest COVID turnout yet.On-On!On this section of the trail, the trees made a natural canopy. The shade they provided was quite refreshing.Movin’ on up!About an hour into our jaunt, one group was taking a longer trail up the big mountain. I volunteered to lead the women-folk and oldsters on a more sane (level) trail to our On-Home location. These are some of the people who chose to do it my way.Follow me!Valley view.Safely On-Home for some beers and socializing prior to the Hash circle.Some of the Hashers took advantage of Derelict’s swimmin’ hole.Since I had led the short trail I was considered a Hare. This meant joining Vienna Sausage and Almoranus on the ice.Here’s a pro-tip: don’t wear new shoes to the Hash. The tradition for initiating new shes is pretty disgusting. Yep, they are drinking from those nasty things.We also welcomed a virgin Hasher to the circle. Our motto is: what doesn’t go in you, goes on you! Just like a blowjob.And finally, our newest named Hasher. Welcome COVID 69 to the kennel!
That’s where things stand as of now. I reckon I’ll head on over to “Gomans” to drink some beers and look the part of the lonely guy. It’s what I do best!
Oh, and about the title to this post. Just before I sat down here to blog I took a nap. And just before I woke up I was dreaming. And while I don’t remember much about the dream, I do remember this song was playing in the background of whatever drama my REM-sleep generated. I have no idea why.
There is a town in north Ontario, With dream comfort memory to spare, And in my mind I still need a place to go, All my changes were there.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars, Yellow moon on the rise, Big birds flying across the sky, Throwing shadows on our eyes. Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless Baby can you hear me now? The chains are locked and tied across the door, Baby, sing with me somehow.
Oh boy, what a day. Lockdown Sundays are the worst in no small part because of the way I react to them. Which is basically just being flat out unmotivated. Nope, couldn’t even be bothered to post my usual drivel here at LTG.
Anyway, I tried to make the best of it. Downloaded Stephen King’s The Stand. I made it through the first two hours before the beer kicked in and I lost interest. I’ll get back to it though, I’m sure. I was always a big King fan, although these days his politics get on my nerves. I read The Stand when it was first published way back when then I read it again when the expanded version (much better IMO) came out. The film version (made for television) was released in 1994. I’m sure I saw it but honestly didn’t remember it much. What stood out was seeing people like Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe back when they were in their prime. Molly has a sweet “girl next door” look about her that I find attractive. Not bad for a white girl.
After pausing the movie I actually hung out with my Filipino neighbors in the back yard for a while. First time I’d done that. And yes, drinking was involved. The conversations were mostly in Tagalog so I didn’t have much participation but it was an okay change of pace.
Later that night things went to shit big time. I’m still processing that event and I’m not prepared to write about it here. Suffice to say it was the worst experience I’ve had in a very long time.
I really, really need to get off my ass and start taking steps to make some positive changes in my life. I’ve been in a “satisficing” mode for too long and to my own detriment. I believe I deserve better but it’s up to me to make that happen.
Ah well, going to Hash today and maybe that will help clear my head. Or drown my sorrows.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
That’s about as good as it’s gonna get around here today. Another lockdown weekend starting at 2:00 today. Complaining won’t change that fact, so maybe I can try to learn something. This short video explaining Jean-Paul Sartre’s ideas on mauvasie foi was my first exposure (that I recall anyway) to this philosophy:
Yeah, I know he was a commie, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Plus, I got to learn a little more French!
Speaking of which, if you missed it in the comments to yesterday’s post, Kevin Kim gave a brief history of the origin of the word Flotsam.
Yeah, the “flot” root is a clue that flotsam floats. Jetsam might or might not be debris that washes ashore, but it’s usually thrown overboard. For French speakers, it’s easy to remember that the verb flotter means “to float” and jeter means “to throw,” so a “franglais” mnemonic would be that flotsam always floats while jetsam is cast (i.e., thrown) away—maybe to float, maybe to wash ashore.
English words sometimes change to more clearly reflect their ancient roots. For example, the verb “to float” contains an “a” next to the “o,” but that “a” drops off in the noun “flotation,” whose “flot” root brings us closer to the Latin original. Same goes for the “u” in “devour,” which drops off the -vor- (= consume) root in words like “carnivore” and “voracious.”
Good stuff!
I started the day early, getting up at 0500 and the full moon was there to greet me:
The sun was coming up in the east and the moon was setting outside my window.
I scrolled through my Facebook feed while enjoying my morning coffee. For some reason I couldn’t stop watching this:
They say there is someone for each of us. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe this is the guy from the video above AFTER his encounter with the cops.
Speaking of masks, that whole “it’s what’s inside that counts” belief is truer than ever.
You’ve been warned!
Nothing exciting to report from my morning walk, my standard trek around Barretto and down Baloy beach. Well, I did find this bench “interesting”:
I didn’t know whether to sit down or get off the pot… An old woman got a laugh when she saw me taking the photo though.
Speaking of walking, here are a couple more pictures from yesterday that Scott posted:
Wading around…The water did get up over my knees in places though…Kids being kids…
That’s about it from here for today. The steaks last night were about as tender as I’ve had here, although I did overcook them a tad (had a flaming grill to contend with). It’s been years and years since I’ve made spaghetti at home and that’s just what I intend to do now. Alas, no garlic bread though.
I’m not sure that Sartre would agree with this, but I pretty much take it on faith…
I don’t know any Bad Faith songs, but this is my favorite from Blind Faith:
As I walked along the water today looking at the various and sundry items that had washed ashore, the phrase “flotsam and jetsam” occurred to me. In a general sense, I knew what it meant but I wasn’t sure what the difference between the two terms actually was. I speculated that flotsam might be the crap on the beach, while jetsam was still floating offshore. When I got home I looked it up:
Flotsam is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck or accident. Jetsam describes debris that was deliberately thrown overboard by a crew of a ship in distress, most often to lighten the ship’s load.
So, I guess I was wrong on all counts. I doubt any of the crap I saw today was thrown overboard, deliberately or otherwise. I am pretty sure it was all just old-fashioned litter–either tossed into a river to wash to the sea or left behind after a beach outing in typical Filipino fashion. But at least I learned something new today!
They say that love is where you find it, or perhaps where you leave it behind. This specimen on the beach made me wonder if the loss was deliberate or, um, heartfelt.I have no idea if this poor animal was a pet or a stray. It was so bloated I couldn’t tell for sure if it was a dog or a cat, but I’m guessing a dog. Now he or she is just another floater in the water, a sad ending indeed.
Restaurants are beginning to open back up under some pretty stringent general quarantine rules, most notably only seating up to 50% capacity. Still, I suppose half is better than none. I’m not going to go off on one of my rants about the idiocy of the government restrictions, I promise. But even under the lessened standards, these “leaders” keep doing really stupid shit. Like yesterday, almost a week into the modified quarantine, the powers that be changed the rules:
Even under the most relaxed form of community quarantine, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and persons with certain health conditions are prohibited from leaving their homes save for work or essential activities.
The national coronavirus task force made this change to the Omnibus Guidelines through its 43rd resolution, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday, June 4.
“The old guidelines said every household member is allowed to leave their homes [under modified general community quarantine]. There was an amendment. In Resolution No. 43, it remains that youths aged 21 years old and below, seniors 60 years old and above, can’t go out subject to exception of necessities and to work,” said Roque in Filipino.
I ignored those provisions previously and I will continue to do so now. It is just one more example of ignorance in action. It’s better in the Philippines!
Late afternoon yesterday found me beachside at “Goman’s” enjoying some nice cold beers:
And the bay views were sweet as well.
This morning my walking group decided we’d hike the beach from Barretto to the lighthouse at the entrance to the old Navy base.
Turns out it was high tide which made the going, well, a little rocky.See what I mean?Now what? Well, in the end, we found ourselves wading through the water.And once our shoes were wet wading across this stream was an easy choice. Not that we had an option.
But other than that, it wasn’t a bad hike.
Having achieved our goal, we had to decide how to get back home. I wanted to do the highway, and everyone else wanted to just reverse course and walk back the way we came.
I just didn’t feel like trudging through the sand and wading in the water again. So, I said my goodbyes and headed down the highway. I think the beach route is shorter but you can make better time on the highway. When I was about 2K from Barretto I glimpsed this out of the corner of my eye:
Wait a minute! That looks familiar!
I went over to take a closer look and sure enough, it was the homeless woman I call “mama”. I mentioned her previously on the blog. I’ve been throwing some pesos her way whenever I see her for several years now. But this is the first time I’ve seen her so far out of town. That old gal must get in more steps every day than I do!
Mama was sleeping as I approached, and when I woke her to give her some money I complimented her on picking such a nice shady spot with a good view for her nap. Like always, she smiled and said “thank you, papa”.
That encounter might have been the highlight of my walk.
Welp, here it is Friday night again (at least until the 7:00 p.m. curfew). And what’s a healthy old bugger like me to do but go out and look at the ocean some. That’s thirsty work, so I pull up a seat at “Goman’s” and quaff some brews. Then when I get back home I’ll grill up the steaks I’ve got marinating in the fridge.
It may not be much of a life, but it’s the best one I’ve got. Thanks for dropping by and letting me share it with you.
I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day, I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day. Though my problems are meaningless, that don’t make them go away. I need a crowd of people, but I can’t face them day to day.
Now I’m livin’ out here on the beach, but those seagulls are still out of reach.
‘Cause the world is turnin’, I hope it don’t turn away.
The only thing different about today’s post is some rusty old barbed wire.
What can I say that hasn’t been said before? I don’t know if this case of the blahs is being driven by the quarantine limitations or just my laziness and lack of imagination. But damn, if I’m getting bored writing about my so-called life it must be excruciating to read about it. You have my heartfelt condolences for that!
I could always write about politics and the insanity that is currently taking place back in my homeland. But honestly, others are doing that better than I ever could and I really, really don’t want to focus on all that drama from so far away. I can barely even look at my Facebook feed these days. My two cents is that if you can’t tell the difference between a protest and a riot you are either willfully ignorant or simply don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Sadly, the ones engaging in violence are making things worse by driving the people who need to come together to find solutions further apart. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
I guess in the category of “something different”, I watched a newly released Netflix movie called “The Wrong Missy”. I downloaded it because a friend back in Korea highly recommended it. I don’t. I’m no reviewer, but all I can say is that it was both mildly entertaining and somewhat irritating to watch. In fact, if you want to sample two minutes from the trailer you’ll get equal measures of both:
I’m also watching a film called “Colombiana”. By that I mean I started last night and got about halfway through before taking a break. I guess that’s a review of sorts, isn’t it? I do intend to finish the movie though. I didn’t know it was a French film until I went to get the Wikipedia link above. The best part of the movie by far is Zoe Zaldana, she is a real hottie.
What else have I got? Well, a few shots from yesterday’s hike if you please:
I wasn’t sure if this litter would prove to be an omen, but nothing else went ajar on the trail.Joining me were Jim and his gal Ann.And that old guy, Scott.Here I am going down…Through the valley…And going up the old dirt road…I had to give props for the creativity of this creek crossing… And of course, I spread around some sweetness for some of the kids we encountered.
Prior to the hike, I took my boys down to Baloy beach so they could enjoy some sun and sand.
I had a selfish motivation as well. Some of the restaurants are beginning to open up again on a limited basis, including Treasure Island. I had me a hankering for one of their breakfasts I used to enjoy on a regular basis. Alas, the owner told me the cook didn’t arrive until 9:00. Oh well, next time.
Have I posted this before?
I guess if a prisoner escaped by climbing down a rope that would be a con descending as well.
I’m looking for something like this too!
But then, one night leads to another…
And that’s just about all I’ve got for now. Well, there is this photo of Barrio Barretto pre-World War II.
And all these years later you still can find a bar for a cold refreshing adult beverage.
Things can always change. Perhaps one day I’ll long for the sameness I didn’t appreciate at the time.
Sorry to disappoint, but this is just another Hash post–COVID Run #3 to be precise.
It was another hot day, the trail was short but hard, and when I finished I was wet with sweat. So there’s your truth in advertising!
I opted for the shorter of the two trails but had a 3K walk to get to the starting point. 22 brave souls in attendance.Forward march!NOT the river Kwai.A natural tunnel of some sort…Farm life.Even when you are hot and tired it is somehow refreshing to be out and about in violation of quarantine restrictions communing with mother nature.The view of the day.Catching some shade.On-Home was once again at the private residence of Derelict. Our host. I don’t know Derek well, but he’s a nice enough guy. His health isn’t the best right now and he’s getting tested for possible cancer tomorrow. Wishing him well! The Harsh circle activities commence…Which is a socially acceptable reason to consume copious amounts of beer. And as my belly attests, I’ve been drinking way too much beer and not walking near enough to cancel out the repercussions.Okay, the Filipinas were HOT. The ice was cold and HARD. And of course, as the ice melted from those sweet asses, WET.
So, I guess I delivered what I promised in the title of this post after all!
Made it through yet another total lockdown Sunday. There’s something about not being able to do anything that makes me not want to do anything. Either that or I’m just lazy. Well, May is over and my resolution for June is to show some self-discipline and get back into my routines. My average daily step count is way down and I need to kick myself in the ass and put in the kilometers.
The day wasn’t a total loss as I did binge watch my way through the final season of Game of Thrones. I will share my thoughts on the ending in a future post, but the short version, for now, is (spoiler alert): BULLSHIT!
I’m pressed for time this morning because I’ll be participating in COVID Hash Run #3 today. The noon start time is a pain in the ass, especially since I’ll have a 45-minute hike to get to the meeting place. Well, I guess that’s one way to get the step count back up where it belongs. There was some controversy after last week’s Hash. I had already left for home so didn’t witness it, but apparently the Grandmaster got pissed because people were being too rowdy in the back of the Hashmobile on the ride back into town after the circle. He’s apparently resigned as a result so I’m not sure what is in store for today. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Today’s “interesting” photo comes from my morning dog walk. A new house is under construction in the neighborhood and I’ve got a bad feeling about the future.
I’ve only been here for two rainy seasons but I’ve seen lots of landslides. And the way they’ve cut into this hillside does not bode well in my humble opinion.
Maybe it’s just my warped sense of humor, but I found this quite funny:
You can say that again!
And oh yeah, does anyone not believe these worldwide quarantine measures are a bunch of crap? We need to go old school on this virus!
Time is a one way street. So why does the past loom so large?
You know it’s a slow day in paradise when I’m reduced to blogging about a dream. Actually though, I don’t remember the dream that woke me from my slumber last night even though I told myself to not forget it. Ah well.
What I do recall is laying in bed unable to go back to sleep and thinking about things. And one of the things I thought about was a TV show I used to enjoy called Newhart. Or to be more precise, I was thinking about the final episode of that series, which surprising aired 30 years ago this month. Man, that makes me feel old!
For you youngsters or those who’s middle of the night memory is not as strong as mine, the Newhart show starred Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, an innkeeper in rural Vermont. Mr. Newhart had previously starred in The Bob Newhart Show as a psychologist in Chicago. The Newhart series concluded after eight seasons with the Loudon character waking up as Dr. Hartley in Chicago. Yep, everything that happened during the show in Vermont had only been a dream.
Here”s the last couple minutes of the finale. Funny stuff!
Anyway, the point of all this, to the extent I have one, is just that I got to thinking about how I would feel if I woke up back in my Korea life, and all that has happened since that time was only a bizarre dream. I guess not knowing the answer to that kept me awake for a while.
Do I miss Korea? Yes, I do. Do I long for the relative stability and comfort I used to enjoy when I was married? Sometimes, although I don’t often allow myself the luxury of thinking about that very often. And on the flip side; do I regret moving to the Philippines? No, I can’t say that I do. Am I happy here? Hmm, perhaps not as much as I thought I would be. This is not to say there is anything wrong with my life, just perhaps that it is not all that I hoped for.
That’s the rub, I suppose. Looking back on the year I spent in Anjeong-ri, I realize now that I missed a great opportunity to embrace and enjoy that experience. Instead, I was so wrapped up in what I didn’t have there and what I was looking forward to here, that I forgot to fully live the life I had. So last night was wrestling both the demons of the past and the fears of the present. I’m not sure I came to any resolution before sleep finally overcame my troubled mind. I miss what I had but I know it’s gone. And I’d miss this life now if I left it for something else. Maybe that’s just the way it works.
Speaking of the past, I came across a photo of those long-ago days when I was just a glimmer in my father’s eyes:
I’m guessing this was circa 1950 or so. My father died 9 years ago this week.
And now I’ll return to the lockdown reality that is my current life.
Now the night is gone, a new day is dawning And our homeless dreams go back to the street Another time or place, another civilization Would really make this life feel so complete.
I’ll always be a dreamin’ man I don’t have to understand I know it’s alright.
An odd afternoon yesterday. I hadn’t heard from my wife in several months and then received a message wishing me a happy birthday. My birthday is in August. Apparently she saw my party post here or on Facebook and assumed it was for me. Anyway, we exchanged some pleasantries and it was mostly good to hear from her again. I try not to think about how much I miss that old life that has been dead and buried for years now.
I also got an email from a woman I loved 13 years ago. It wasn’t so nice. She demanded that I delete a photo of her from a post I wrote here well over a year ago. I thought about it long and hard, sought out some advice, slept on it, and ultimately decided to leave the picture where it is. I did remove her name from that post which should make her invisible to a Google search. Had she made a polite request of me I probably would have done what she asked. I don’t respond well to being told what to do in a rude manner though. I did search my email archives to verify her claim that she had asked several times for the photo to be removed and as I expected, she had not. In fact, the last time we had corresponded was in 2008. In that exchange, she apologized for the manner in which she had ended our relationship and we both professed our love for one another. That was a better way to leave things than her latest correspondence. I found that missive unworthy of response. Well, I guess this post is my response.
In other unrelated news, when I first started playing darts in Itaewon, “Petro” Petrocelli was the President of the Seoul International Dart League and one of my mentors. He’s been back in the USA for quite some time now and is a sponsored professional darter in Ohio. His wife is a Filipina and I still hear from him occasionally on Facebook.
That’s me and Petro back in the day. I’m not sure who that woman is.
In darts, you have to double out. I just doubled down. Su Mi.
In quarantine news, the President announced last night that all of central Luzon, including Manila, would be downgraded from the enhanced level to general quarantine status. From what I’ve been reading that’s not going to make a bit of difference for me. Well, there are some rumors that restaurants will be able to offer dine-in service, at 50% capacity. We’ll see.
I also wanted to send a shout out to Kevin Kim for altering his lockdown meme to fit my current circumstances.
This one is for you too, Kevin:
Someone had too much time on their hands.
Speaking of time, we are all going to run out of it someday. I hope that when I go I’ll be able to give a meaningful gift like this to someone who cares for me:
What a great friend!
Does this video from the birthday party work on your computer?
As bad as I get, I’ll never be a Joe Biden though:
You go, Joe!
That’s all I’ve got for now. I suspect it is more than enough.
I hosted a birthday party at my place yesterday afternoon. It was by far the largest gathering I’ve ever had at my house. But more about that event later in this post.
Tuesday afternoon I did some shopping. Started out at the appliance store where I purchased this beauty:
A brand new washing machine. When the lockdown closed my local laundry my helpers took on the task of washing my clothes in Filipino fashion–by hand. This should make their lives a little bit easier.
I also purchased a new blender. I knew it was low-quality made in China crap, but I didn’t have much else to choose from. It was just $25 and I figured it would get me through until I could buy something more powerful. Nope. I burned out the motor on my first attempt to make smoothies. Damn it!
I also visited the DiviMart to pick up some cheap plastic chairs and a table to accommodate my party guests. I got what I was looking for and figured I was good to go so off I went. Unloaded my driver’s car and settled in for some season 7 viewing of Game of Thrones.
So the big party day arrived with the festivities scheduled to begin in the early afternoon. But the house started filling up with Filipinas in the morning hours and they set about preparing the birthday feast. I had a walk scheduled for 10 a.m. so I wished them well in their endeavors and set out for my trek.
In addition to my regular walking mates Jim and Scott, we were joined by Troy and his gal Jessa and a former Hasher named Harry.
We decided to keep it easy and did a mostly flat 8K hike around Easter mountain.As is my custom, I brought along some bags of candy to brighten the day of kids we encountered along the way.Someone had built a new bridge so we gave it a try. I was impressed with its sturdiness.Another opportunity to lighten my backpack… Crossing the river...Further up our path, we encountered these hard-working folks in the process of making uling (charcoal)On the road again…Up we go…These folks were keeping their cool…It’s been said that every picture tells a story. I’m not sure I understand this language though…Scott, who is 70 years old, gingerly makes his way down…We made it! Harry, Jessa, and Troy.
When we arrived back at the house the party was in full swing. The celebration was by and for a Filipina so us guys weren’t really relevant to the gals in attendance. Still, we got to eat the food and drink the beers. Well, the beers were mine anyway.
Some of the guests congregated in the living room…Others were out on the patio. That’s my new table and chairs in actin…Credit where credit is due, the gals prepared some damn tasty vittles…My helpers, Tere and Gina, were kept busy taking care of the guests.
Some of the Filipinas were drinking Emperador, a popular local rum. The rest of us were drinking beer. Lots of beer! I had 36 bottles in the house at the start. And then we sent out for 48 more. Had a few more people show up than I anticipated and they all came thirsty. Apparently.
Maybe not so coincidentally, the night did not end without incident. It began with an accident that may have been an omen. Those chairs and stools I purchased for the party? Well, I was sitting on one of the stools, until I wasn’t.
And no, I wasn’t even drunk. Well, not THAT drunk anyway…The culprit was that low-quality shit stool I bought. The leg could not withstand my American-sized ass I guess.
As curfew approached and the beer ran out (again) people started heading home. Most had walked to my place (or taken a trike). One guest drove though. I didn’t pay much attention to his condition when he departed but a little while later I got a message from his angry girlfriend. It seems my guest had hit someone with his car and kept on going. She said I shouldn’t have allowed him to drive drunk. And she’s right about that. He seemed fine to me when he left but then again, I’m sure I was drunk by then and wouldn’t have known the difference. Of course, I feel bad about it though.
So, this morning he tells me that he apparently clipped a woman’s arm as she walked. A woman who just happens to be a barangay official and is also acquainted with his girlfriend. The girlfriend went to the injured woman’s house last night and did her best to smooth things over. This morning he went to the barangay and was cited for a quarantine violation, driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident. I’m not sure what happens next, but he wasn’t jailed at least. I expect a fine and compensation to the victim is in his future. Hopefully nothing more severe.
One of the last things I remember from last night was Harry passed out on the dining room floor.
Here he is being tended to by another guest. I was a little bit worried because I had heard Harry had some history of blackouts in bars and I wasn’t sure if this was something more than intoxication. Well, he was still alive when I came downstairs this morning, which was a relief.
I actually don’t know Harry that well so the morning encounter was a little weird. I offered some coffee which he declined. He said he was waiting for daylight before making his way back home and went to lie down on the couch. He left about an hour later without saying anything.
Meanwhile, I went to do my morning internet rituals. I had a bit of a hangover and low energy, but otherwise was feeling okay. And then someone sent me the last photograph taken of me at the party:
Yep, I got floored. And no, despite appearances that is cake smeared on my shorts. Truly.
Not much else I can say in my defense. It was a good party. A nice break from the boring lockdown routines. And not something I’ll be doing again anytime soon.
Yep, another post about the Hash. COVID run #2 to be exact.
Twenty Hashers showed up at the designated location at the appointed time.
The trail itself was pretty short, but when you added in the getting there part it was about right. And we are off! Er, on. Make that On-On!Hello out there, Easter Mountain!What’s everybody looking at?Oh, I see. Just another beautiful day in Barrio Barretto.Moving on……and on.The old man’s house is a landmark on the My Bitch trail. Sadly, the old man who resided here died last year.An old man on My Bitch. Glady he is still with us. (Is it weird to talk about myself in the third person?)On-Home was once again at Derelict’s house near the end of Rizal Extension.A little socializing prior to the circle. Left to right: Anal Receptive, Cum Together, Blow My Pipe, and Fucking Old Man.The Grandmaster, H.I.V., and his assistant, Buddy Fucker.We initiated yet another virgin…We didn’t have our customary ice block this week, so us violaters didn’t suffer the pain of sitting on the ice.
And that was a few steps closer to getting back to some kind of normalcy. I think next week we’ll even order up some ice.
And so it goes. I’m having some folks over to the house tomorrow afternoon. Went out today to buy some stuff to accommodate guests. More on that next time.
I haven’t touched a dart in way too long, but this cracked me up anyway:
I really need to start practicing. I messaged the owner of Alley Cats today to ask about the rumors that the bar would not be reopening. She denied it, but did admit it’s been a struggle dealing with ongoing expenses and no income.
