I joined in with the Wednesday Walkers for yesterday’s hike. My participation was contingent on it being a primarily flat street walk. The other group members were amenable to doing so, and off we went. The route we selected was a little over 8K, but I figured I could bail if my leg started acting up. Almost from the beginning, I was feeling the pain and weakness that have become a sad fact of life for me. Early in the hike, our path passed right by my house, and I had to overcome the temptation to bail out. I’m glad I continued because after about 3K, I stopped thinking about the pain (or it went away) and enjoyed being back out and about. Here’s a slew of pictures of scenes I would have missed if I had given up:

I ended my hike at The Pub hotel where I booked a room for Wednesday and Thursday night.

1300 pesos ($26) per night. That’s an expensive cleaning. Water was hot and wet, so I’m not complaining.

The Wednesday feeding at Hideaway was a little off. One of the gals was celebrating her birthday, and by the time I arrived at 4:30, they were all well on the way to being drunk (they had a bottle and were making their own drinks). The table was already full of food and cake, but I contributed a platter of spaghetti to the mix. I stayed for about an hour then moved on to Cheap Charlies.

I did my nightcap at Wet Spot and called it an early night. Not a bad day all and all.

I have also booked lodging in Pundaquit (San Antonio) for Friday and Saturday. If I’m going to pay for a room to shower, I might as well enjoy a change of scenery while I’m at it.

I’m glad that it appears my walking days aren’t over just yet. I still don’t have the confidence to head for the hills though. The ups and downs put a lot more pressure on the knee weak point of my leg, and falling down out in the wild can have some dire consequences. Hopefully, things will improve over time, but for now I’m a flatlander. Just call me a road warrior!

…Tuesday is for the show.

In addition to the shopping excursion to Royal for groceries, I visited a couple of furniture stores to fill some voids at my new dwelling. I found what I was looking for at a surplus store in Subic.

Those purchases emptied my wallet of 37,000 pesos ($650), but it should make the living a little easier for us all.

The big news of the day was a message from Subic Water saying that a major pipeline was being repaired and service to Alta Vista would be unavailable for approximately one week. Who needs water, right? Well, not to worry, Subic Water is sending a truck around every other day to fill the water tanks in the neighborhood. The only problem is my house doesn’t use a tank; we are connected directly to the water line.

I guess I’m not old-fashioned. I booked a room in town for the next two nights. I’ll just use it to shower in the comfort of hot, running water. That’s the premium you pay for a first-world lifestyle, I suppose. I’m tentatively planning to get out of town for the weekend, probably to San Antonio. If I’m going to pay for a room, I might as well have a bit of a vacation while I’m at it.

I began my imbibing at Sloppy Joe’s and ran into Jim there, so we shared the camaraderie of drinking buddies. Several beers later, it was time to move on, so we made our way to Whiskey Girl and drank some more. It was nice to see my waitress friend Jenn again, and I was glad to quench her thirst for lady drinks. When I’d had my fill, I said good night and headed out. Since I had to walk to the trike stand at Baloy, I popped into Snackbar for my nightcap. My oh my, how that place has changed. And not for the better, in my opinion. The new owner has reduced the waitress staff to two gals. So now it is basically just a drinking bar without much opportunity for female companionship. That’s fine, of course. Especially if you enjoy drinking with a nice view of the 7/11 parking lot. Me, not so much.

And so ended another day in paradise. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you all about the walk I took today. Now, it is time to check into my hotel and take a shower. Then, I’ll feed the Hideaway girls and fill the remaining evening hours in the usual way with my Filipino pal, San Mig Zero.

Tuesday, afternoon
I'm just beginning to see
Now I'm on my way
It doesn't matter to me
Chasing the clouds away

Something, calls to me
The trees are drawing me near
I've got to find out why
Those gentle voices I hear
Explain it all with a sigh

I'm looking at myself, reflections of my mind
It's just the kind of day to leave myself behind
So gently swaying thru the fairy-land of love
If you'll just come with me and see the beauty of

Tuesday afternoon
Tuesday afternoon

Friday felt like I ran out of gas. Today, I just feel old and tired.

I’m also dealing with a sore throat, some acid reflux, and a feeling of lethargy (did I spell laziness wrong?). Took a longer than normal nap and now I’m just going tough it out until I feel young again.

I kind of had a nothing-burger of a Saturday night. I invited Swan to join me for dinner, but she was busy with a tutoring session. She promised we’d have a date next weekend. So, I made my way to Sloppy Joe’s and drowned my loneliness in some San Miguel Zeros. The cute little waitress from Sit-n-Bull brought me a menu, so I ordered a chicken burger for dinner. I had a couple of beers at Alaska, then a couple more at Wet Spot, and I called it a night and was home by 8 p.m. Told you I was old!

I’m going to test the leg again later this afternoon with a hike to Hideaway for the Sunday feeding. We’ll see how I feel after that.

In other news, it was good to see one of my former dart mates has made it to the pro level. Back in my glory days, I was his mentor, well, tor-mentor, usually kicking his ass in our matches. But he kept getting better, and I didn’t, and the last year I played in Seoul, he got his revenge by dominating me.

This is the best pun I could find today:

Here’s hoping for a better tomorrow.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I experienced some issues with my left leg during the hike. Here are a few photos from that abbreviated adventure.

I grabbed a lunch to go from Sit-n-Bull (chicken enchilada), ate, napped, showered, and ventured into town for my Friday evening entertainment. I decided to forego the SOB this week. Joy messaged that her kids needed medicine and that she was hoping to earn enough commission to buy them some. So, I surprised her with a visit to Hideaway and the requisite lady drinks that come with such a visit. I also had a pizza delivered for the girls.

Hideaway is about the furthest bar from my house in Barretto; getting there proved to be a bit painful. I was fine when I started, but then the tingling returned when I had to do a brief uphill exiting Alta Vista. I started feeling numb as I walked the highway. I had to traverse two small steps at the back entrance to Hideaway, and each time I stepped up, my knee buckled. I didn’t fall either time, but I could have. Bear in mind, this was before I’d even had my first beer. I was already thinking about what I might experience on the way home. Joy offered to massage my leg, and I assented, but it was painful. Then I had her briefly do the other leg so I could compare, and it hurt, too. So, I decided the pain was from her rubbing, not the muscle.

I had planned to pay a visit to Cheap Charlies, but as I contemplated climbing the stairs to get there, I had second thoughts about the wisdom of doing so with a bum leg. I enjoyed my time at Hideaway but wanted to get out before dark, so I paid my tab and gave Joy a 500 peso tip to buy the medicine she needed. The leg felt a little weak but otherwise fine, so I stuck to my original plan and climbed the two flights of stairs to the rooftop at Cheap Charlies.

I enjoyed some drinks and chat with Alma and Nerissa and bought them some pancit from Foodies downstairs for supper. Then I did my nightcap at The Green Room and headed home.

Swan asked if I wanted to join her for some Netflix, so I prepared a dessert (pecan pie a la mode) and sat beside her on the couch. She had queued up a movie called “Morbius.” I’d never heard of it (I wasn’t into Marvel comics growing up) and had no idea what to expect. Maybe my ignorance made it more entertaining, at least it held my interest enough to make it to the end. Lots of things don’t these days. Reading about it today I see that it got generally bad reviews.

It was raining this morning, so it gave me a good excuse to give my leg a rest.

Today marks one week in my new digs. I still have some furniture to buy (nightstands, a dresser, and a table for under the TV), but I’m settling in. I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but things sound different in my new location.

Anyone up for a tour of the new place?

There’s also a guest room that, for now at least, is Swan’s space.

And there you have the latest update from my so-called life. Thanks for coming by.

I got nothing but time
No time for living
I used to be somebody
But that was so long ago
Look around but you won’t see me
Just a picture of what I used to be.
There ain’t nothing to set me free
Without a leg to stand on

Something weird is going on with my left leg. I first noticed it Wednesday evening while crossing the National Highway en route to Hideaway. I had to go from a walk to a jog as I had misjudged the speed of an oncoming Jeepney. When I took the first step in running mode, my knee gave way. I somehow managed to regain my balance and avoided falling down on the road, which may have been fatal if the Jeep were unable to stop. The leg felt weak afterward, but there was no pain. After a few beers at Hideaway, I felt fine, so I walked to Harley’s for the meet-up with my friend. By the time I reached Baloy Road, the leg was acting up again–it felt numb, and I had a slight limp. I took a trike home from Harley’s, so the leg got plenty of rest.

On my morning walk yesterday, I felt a twinge in the leg early on, but I kept going, and eventually, the leg felt normal again. You might say I walked it off. Today for the Friday group hike, we took a Jeepney all the way to Castillejos for a long loop walk. About a kilometer into that trek, the leg flared up again. This time, the more I walked, the worse it got. I pressed on until the 3.5K mark, and then it felt like my knee was going to collapse. I miraculously found a trike to take me back to the highway. Until it ran out of gas about a half kilometer from our destination. I hoofed it the rest of the way without much problem, then caught a Jeep back to Barretto. After the rest during the ride, the leg feels normal again. I’ll test it out again tomorrow and see how it holds up. It would really suck to lose my ability to hike. Still, I was thankful we were on the pavement today. I’m not sure what I would have done if we were somewhere up in the hills.

Last night, I began my beer-drinking ritual in Calapadayan for the grand opening of a new “resort” called 13 One Three. It was formerly known as Hunter Jo’s Inn and was a regular stop in the Hash On-Home rotation. Monday night, the Hash will be returning to One Three to give it a try.

It’s a fifteen-minute Jeepney ride from Barretto, so I don’t expect I’ll be a regular visitor here, but it’s a nice change of pace from the same-old, same-old once-in-a-while. Last night, the guests received a free beer upon arrival, and you could purchase a beer card for 500 pesos, good for six more. So, I had my seven and headed back to my little town.

It was too early to call it a night, so I camped out at Wet Spot for a bit and had a nice chat with some visitors from Angeles. These guys have been in the PI for over twenty years, and it was interesting hearing their perspectives on how things have changed. All in all, it was a good evening out.

Facebook memories reminded me of the night six years ago that I helped Loraine celebrate her 50th birthday on the beautiful island of Boracay. I was still living in Korea then and Loraine was slated to become my caregiver in retirement.

Three weeks later, we were professing our love for one another. A love that lasted two days before she shattered my heart. I wrote about that in a post entitled “FUCK ME!”

We are still connected on Skype and this morning I sent the picture above and wished her a happy Birthday. This was her response:

Hi John
Thank you very much!
Nice and very memorable photo.❤️
Hope all is well for you.
I’m doing fine and thankful to God for all the people who became His channel of blessings for me and my family.You’re one of them.😊
Thank you very much and take care always.❤️

Hmm, a channel for God’s blessings. I’ve been called worse, I suppose. Still, it is good to remember your past, no matter how painful, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Not that that has ever stopped me before. Knowing and doing are two different realms. I’ve still not mastered the latter. And for the record, I am happy that Loraine says she is doing well.

I had another blast from the past when I checked to ensure I hadn’t used the “out of gas” post title before. That led me to read this post about a typical day spent with my most recent lost love. I don’t know if there was an intended message for me from the Love Gods, but I couldn’t help but note that mundane twenty-four hours included eating and drinking together, walking the dogs together, and doing the group hike together. Perhaps it is high time I got my shit together. Lots to think about.

Friday night is on the horizon. I’m thinking I’ll forgo the SOB tonight. We’ll see where I wind up.

Is everything all right?
I just called to say how lost I feel without you
Miles away
I really can't believe I'm here and how I still care about you

Hearts can break
And never mend together
Love can fade away
Hearts can cry
When love won't stay forever
Hearts can be that way

Is everything the same?
Do you ever think of me and how we loved one another?
Will you change your mind?
Will you want me back again or have you found yourself a new lover?

Hearts can break
And never mend together
Love can fade away
Hearts can cry
When love won't stay forever
Hearts can be that way

Is everything okay?
I just thought I'd write a song to tell the world how I miss you
'Cause each and every day
I think of all the words I never said and all the chances that I had to

Hearts can break
And never mend together
Love can fade away
Hearts can cry
When love won't stay forever
Hearts can be that way
Hearts can be that way
Hearts can be that way

But wait, there’s more! Like the photos from the Wednesday Walkers street and beach walk in Matain, Calapacuan, and San Isidro.

Later in the afternoon, I did the Wednesday feeding of the Hideaway girls. On the way there, I got a call from an old friend I had not heard from in several months. I met her shortly after she arrived in Barretto a couple of years ago when she participated in one of our group hikes. I tried courting her, but she rejected me as a potential boyfriend after a couple of dates. She hooked up with an alcoholic instead (and if I use that term to describe someone, you know they must be bad). She joined him in his European homeland, and based on her Facebook posts, she seemed to be having a good time. I noticed the drunk guy was back and with a new girl and was wondering what happened to her. She asked if I would meet her at Harley’s for a chat, and I agreed to do so.

So, she told me her sad tale, which didn’t come as a surprise to me. I reminded her of the loser she came to Barretto for and the one she left with and asked if she detected a pattern. And yeah, I get the irony of me pointing out the relationship failures of others. Alas, she expressed no regret about the one who got away. She’s moving back home to her province today, so we said our goodbyes, and I departed with John Greenleaf Whittier echoing in my head: “For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these–it might have been.”

The move has not allowed me to escape from the construction noise I suffered at the old place, but at least now the work is to my benefit.

So, my days as a would-be Sugar Daddy are over and done with.

You know I’m a punny guy, and this meme was right up my alley:

Thanks. I’ll be here all week.

It’s too soon to say but things don’t seem so different. I’m going to give it some more time before making up my mind once and for all. In the meantime, life goes on.

The big excitement at Royal was finding a frozen Sara Lee cherry pie on sale for 50% off. How could I refuse?

Of course, man does not live by dessert alone. So, while the pie baked, I got busy setting up my grill.

Around beer o’clock, Swan and my helper departed for a shopping expedition in Olongapo. Left to my own devices, I ventured into town and found myself nursing a beer at Sloppy Joe’s. Jim was there with Rob, another hiking group member, so I joined them at their table. A couple of beers later, Rob left for darts, and Jim and I moved on to The Green Room. I enjoyed watching Jim get his ass kicked by a waitress in a couple of pool games. They both played well, so it was entertaining to watch. After more beers at Voodoo, we paid a visit to Alley Cats, where the dart tournament was still in progress. Once Troy was eliminated from the tourney, we continued our bar crawl with a stop at Queen Victoria. Jim and Troy moved on to Lux, but I’d had enough and headed home.

I slept alone again. Heavy rains during the night woke me up twice. But with the sunrise the storm subsided.

I’m refraining for now from commenting on other aspects of my life until I get things sorted out. No need to rush to judgment.

My first morning wake up in the new place. I rose a bit before five, enjoying my morning coffee as I scrolled my favorite blogs on the internet. Then I glanced out my window and saw this:

I spend a lot of my home time at my desk, or should I say, on my laptop, so I decided to take advantage of those windows to the outside world:

I had coffee on the patio with Swan before she left for her Sunday “me” time.

Lots of questions about what happens next are filling my head, but the rent is paid in full for the next twelve months, so I don’t need to hurry to resolve them.

I went back to the old place and fetched Lucky today. He was sheepish around me but allowed me to leash him up and walk him to his new home. I’m leaving him out in the yard for now until I can decide whether he can be trusted again or forgiven for his transgressions against his master.

I’ll be doing the Hideaway feeding later since I’m home alone anyway. After that, who knows? I reckon it will involve my partaking in some additional San Mig Zeros. Hey, it’s what I do best.

Here’s a chart I came up with to illustrate the likelihood of my giving up the bar life:

And I’m not a whiz in the kitchen, but I’m thinking I could make this low-calorie meal:

And this one struck just a little too close to home:

One day at a time and see what happens next. That’s the mode I’m in. But, I’ve got both feet firmly on the ground so I won’t have far to fall if things go wrong.

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

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

And I have no power. Nothing like a brownout on moving day. Trust me, that bites. This post will be short and sweet to ensure I finish it before my laptop battery is depleted.

When it came time to load the dogs, Lucky wouldn’t come. When I reached under the table to pick him up, he went into full attack mode. He was out for blood and he got it, inflicting several deep bites. A couple are still oozing blood hours later.

So, Lucky has now literally bit the hand of the one who feeds him. He is that stupid and disloyal. My first response was to retaliate in kind, but I let him live despite my anger. I’m still not sure how I will deal with this long-term, but at the moment, I’m feeling no love. He is still at the other house, but my helper will dog-walk him back here later. As of now, my plan is to make him an outside dog 100% of the time. I don’t want to be around him.

Power is not due to be restored until 5 p.m. It is hot inside with no fans to stir the air. I hope I haven’t moved into a cursed house. Nothing to do but ride it out.

My daughter messaged me this morning asking if I had a picture of her when she was in the Homecoming Court during high school. It seems my eldest granddaughter (the one who just turned eighteen) is following in Mama’s footsteps.

While I was searching for that photo above, I came across pictures of some houses from my past.

Let’s hope my life here on Bryce Street in Barangay San Isidro, Subic, is a good and long one!

And so it is just about time for the maiden voyage to life in my new digs on Bryce Street. The movers will be here at 0900 tomorrow, and it shouldn’t take long to load up my meager possessions and carry me to whatever the future will bring.

The consensus of the commenters on this post is that disaster awaits me. I was impressed with the insights my readers offered and quite touched by their concern. Welp, there is no turning back now, and I’m going into this with eyes wide open. If it works out for me, great. If not, well, I’ve been there before, and I’ll find my way back to wherever it is I belong.

Swan has promised me that things will be different for us once I move in. So, in that sense, my time has come. In my heart, I believe that Swan is a good woman without bad intent. She may not share in all my interests and activities, but I think we’ll find things we enjoy doing together (like travel), and I’ll convert some of my bar time to home-together time. I trust we’ll both make compromises and that we will be comfortable together. We’ll both maintain our share of “me time” as well, and I’m good with that. Again, I respect the views expressed by those with contrary opinions and recognize that I could be completely wrong in what I believe to be true, but there is only one way to find out. We will know one way or the other soon enough.

Swan told me in a message this morning, “I love you.” Prompted by something a commenter suggested, I asked her what it is she loves about me. She responded that I respect her, that I’ve been patient with her, and she loves everything about me. Hmm, it’s hard to argue with that!

Last night, I treated myself to dinner at John’s Place.

After dinner, I planned to use more of my voucher at Whiskey Girl. On the way, I ran into Troy, and he told me Jim was drinking alone at It Doesn’t Matter, so I decided to join him for a beer. We had a couple, and then Jim accompanied me to WG. Whiskey Girl has a “buy one, get one” happy hour, so I didn’t get to use my coupon much. Gary, another hiking buddy was there, and between him and Jim buying drinks, I didn’t have any more room. I did, however, keep the thirst of Jenn and Kim satiated with lady drinks.

There’s yet another new bar that just opened in Barretto, and since it is next door to Whiskey Girl, we decided to check it out.

We finished our night on the town at Queen Victoria. I rather enjoyed my next to last night of “freedom,” or whatever it is I’ll call this chapter of my life that is now drawing to a close.

Ready for some memes?

Anyway, that’s where things stand with me as of now. I’ll be doing the SOB later today at The Green Room.

And now for my last shower and shave on Shenandoah Bend.

And all I can do is keep on telling you
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way
I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad

Rawhide, of course. (There’s a method to my madness; wait for it.)

Shall we start with some photos from the Wednesday Walkers trek? Alright, here you go:

A shower, a nap, and a blog post filled the afternoon hours. Thanks again for those comments with words of wisdom and advice. The jokes were good, too!

The vendor lady I’d been buying meals from on Wednesday wasn’t available, so the girls ordered some food from a local Korean eatery.

I had a pleasant visit in Hideaway. I took over the DJ duties and played some shit no one there had heard before. The kind of music my daddy listened to when I was a boy. Like the Frankie Laine classic “Rawhide.” And there you have the big reveal of why I came up with the convoluted post title referencing uncooked meat. I was surprised to find a post from 2009 titled Rawhide, so I had to get creative for this one.

Of course, I wasn’t done yet. I’ve got SOB coupons to expend, and I decided to put that 1500 peso voucher to work for me. Woohoo! Free beer. I started in Alaska and had three there (and two lady drinks). Then, I moved next door to Wet Spot and used the voucher for two additional beers. The coupon is only good for customer drinks, so I was out of pocket for the drinks I bought Aine, my waitress, and the bartender. Manager Brett comped me a beer, and so did owner Dave. That provided me the satisfactory level of inebriation I require of myself, so I called it a night and triked on home.

What do y’all think of this:

He’s gonna have a Rawhide in the morning!

Not that I have anything to worry about. It is what it is, and what will be will be. Of course, living in the moment is even easier when you drown any dissenting thoughts in copious amounts of San Mig Zero. I’ve become a master of that technique!

I brought groceries from Royal home to Shenandoah Bend for the last time yesterday morning. Everything is on for the big move on Saturday. I packed some more boxes and don’t have much furniture besides a stove, fridge, freezer, and bed to haul to the new place. I arranged for a crew with my driver to do the heavy lifting.

I am meeting with my current landlord’s representative and the new tenant tomorrow morning. I’m not worried about it, though. Over two years of wear and tear on the furniture, but no real damage to the apartment. Since I broke the lease, I don’t expect to see any of my security deposit returned anyway. I’m still glad a new tenant was found so my landlord doesn’t suffer any loss with my move.

I asked Swan to join me for dinner last night. I had a hankering for some barbeque meats at Pujon Corner. Swan declined my invitation with a curt “I don’t want to.” Alrighty then. Looks like I’m still at the bottom of her priority list. Honestly, these past couple of months have been my loneliest time since moving to the Philippines. Since I consider myself in a relationship, I can’t be with anyone else, but the one I care about doesn’t seem to want to be with me. Something will change soon, and I expect the move will resolve the questions lingering in my head. One way or the other, I am not going to continue living in no-man’s land.

When I left the house for my evening in town, I planned to visit John’s place for my solitary dinner. But halfway there, the skies opened up, and even the small umbrella I carried couldn’t keep me dry. I had a “buy one, take one” coupon in my wallet for Green Room, so I took shelter there. And wound up staying until my quitting time. That’s very unusual for me not to change my venue over the course of a night out.

One thing that made it easier to extend my stay (besides the half-price beer) was I finally put my foot down and told the girls “no” when they surrounded my table. That Rule #1 ain’t gonna enforce itself, after all! I enjoyed having some quiet time, but I also purchased one lady drink each for my two waitresses, but not until after my third beer. Now, that’s self-discipline!

During the course of my time in Green Room, I got to hang out with two different buds, Bruce and Jim. I was actually in the process of leaving (I’d already paid my tab) when Jim arrived, so I stuck around for another beer. We discussed changing our scenery, but in the end decided, why bother? I admit my discount coupon may have influenced me.

But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone. A pleasant group hike this morning, some pork chops are stewing in the crockpot, and a feeding for the Hideaway girls is on tap for later today. And I’m just not going to worry about the future; whatever happens, I’ll deal with it. Maybe a solitary life is my destiny.

These are golden oldies, but it’s the best I got for today:

This afternoon is the long-anticipated “coming out” gathering. Well, maybe that is overstating it, but Swan has select family members and friends coming to the house to eat, drink, and meet me. I know it is a big deal to her, and culturally speaking, being introduced to the family is an important step on the relationship ladder. I’m not sure if this is a test I could potentially fail, but all I can do is be my usual charming self, and they can love me or leave me. I’m curious to see if today’s get-together means that Swan will be more open about our relationship status. I hope so; this pretending we are not a couple is beyond tiresome. Next week, we’ll be living under the same roof. As roommates or lovers remains to be seen.

Swan is preparing a feast for the family, including fish and pork in Filipino fashion. I’m contributing a pot of chili with cornbread. I’m also baking brownies for dessert. At least no one will go home hungry.

Since I will be otherwise occupied this evening, I did my Hideaway feeding last night.

With my duty done at Hideaway, I headed back to my side of town. Last night was the 15th anniversary of the opening of Wet Spot, so I popped in to say congrats.

I wasn’t quite ready to go home just yet, though. I’d heard Barretto’s newest drinking establishment was having its soft opening last night. It’s only a block away on the highway from Wet Spot, and I wanted to see what it was all about.

So, as I’m sitting at the bar, taking it all in, I hear a voice from the dance floor calling out to me. Well, I’ll be. It was Tin-Tin, formerly a waitress at Queen Victoria, now dancing for Red Bar. I hadn’t seen her for a couple of years, so I invited her down to say hello and buy her a drink.

A couple of hiking buddies, Troy and Ric, also showed up, so it was good to share the opening experience with them. But as always seems to happen, time passed, and I knew I should be making my way home, and that’s just what I did.

It was a good night out, though. Let’s hope things go well at my meet-the-family event today.

Water, water everywhere, but none inside the house. Something went wrong with one of the pipes in the basement, and my part-time helper’s boyfriend’s efforts to repair it failed. I have a plumber coming this afternoon to fix the problem. I hope. The upshot is that I couldn’t shower yesterday, and the prospects of getting one in before the Hash aren’t looking good either. Yeah, I know. That stinks.

Meanwhile, life goes on. And by life, I mean beer drinking. Started my journey last evening at Hideaway. It was feeding night, so I had the meals as requested by the gals delivered from Jewel Café.

My next stop was Cheap Charlies. I almost walked out because the girls were all seated in my preferred prime viewing area. They made no effort to clear a space for me as I approached, so I turned around and headed for the door. A manager called out to me, as did my two favorites, Alma and Nerissa, so I chalked it up to a misunderstanding and returned to the now vacant seating area. Three beers and two lady drinks (one each) later, I was ready for a change of scenery.

I plopped down in Green Room and renewed my efforts to quench my thirst. I enjoyed watching some pretty intense pool games (the guy was paying the bargirls 200 pesos for every time they beat him–talk about motivation!). I saw him lose twice to different girls (in one case, I suspect he lost on purpose), but everyone appeared to be having fun. It occurred to me that this was a non-lady drink alternative for supplementing the meager wages of the bargirls. I stayed in my comfort zone and bought three gals one drink each.

I made Wet Spot next door my final stop on the night. Aine spotted me almost immediately after I arrived, so naturally, she joined me for a drink. My regular waitress wasn’t working, but her replacement was now subjected to my new (to her) old jokes, so I rewarded her suffering with a lady drink as well. I was actually in the process of paying my tab when the manager, Brett, sent me over a free beer. Damn. I knew that was going to cost me. I couldn’t enjoy my freebie whilst my company sat with empty glasses, so I bought them another round as well. Oh well, I’m doing better overall in reducing my expenditures in the LD category.

I got home before nine, as usual. A stormy night and a rainy morning, but at least right now, there seems to be a break in the action. Hopefully, it holds up through this afternoon’s Hash. Our On-Home is at the far end of Rizal Extension at the house of a Hasher named Always Wet. How appropriate. Getting a ride back into town from up there is often difficult, so I may not stay for the entire circle. I don’t like walking in the dark, especially after I’ve had a few beers. If it starts raining again, I may not go at all. I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow.

Here are some laughs I encountered on the internet this morning:

And that’s all I’ve got for now.

Yep, still raining.

My itinerary started at the Outback poolside bar, and inside at the the Outback Billabong. Next up was Sloppy Joe’s. Then, I visited Annex Bar before popping into Whiskey Girl. I finished the night at Snackbar. A total of three lady drinks (one each at SJ, WG, and SB) were purchased on the night. I didn’t count my beers, but I went home with a comfortable buzz. Nothing happened over the course of the evening worthy of note here. Maybe that’s a good thing.

An after-coffee lull in the rain allowed me to sneak in a relatively dry 7K walkabout in Matain.

I finished my jaunt at Sit-n-Bull and brought home a sandwich to keep me company at lunchtime.

Other than a nap on the couch, I haven’t accomplished jackshit all afternoon. Unless you consider this post an accomplishment. Later on, I will venture out to Hideaway for the Sunday feeding of the girls. And that’s all I’ve got for now, folks.

Well, I did happen upon this music video. Never heard of the group Wet Leg or this song “Chaise Longue” before. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen lounge spelled that way, either. Well, I’ll be damned, I just looked it up, and they are two different words referring to different types of furniture (longue inside, lounge outside. Hey, life is for learning! Anyway, it’s a catchy tune, the lyrics are hilarious, and the video is fun to watch. So, at least your visit to LTG was not a total waste of time today!

I was checking to see if I’d previously used “Showdown” as a post title, and the search results included something from August 2018 called “Every F’n Day!” Ha! That was my first rainy season. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but your patience runs thin when there is no respite from the daily drenchings. Especially when you almost get drowned trying to drown your sorrows.

My timing sucked when I departed for the SOB yesterday. Just a few blocks from home, the wind and rain came down upon me like God’s wrath. An umbrella was worthless in these circumstances, and so I sought shelter from the storm.

When I finally arrived at Sloppy Joe’s, my feet were wet from wading through puddles, but I was otherwise unscathed. I had a few beers with the regular crowd while waiting for Alaska to open at five. When the time arrived, I moved next door and settled into a front-row seat for the show.

It was the typical SOB performance, although some of the dancers had changed since the last time I attended. It was also the first time I’d seen the new bar, La Oficina, perform and they did a nice job. Here are the results of the contest:

Good job to all the ladies for their entertaining efforts.

The entry fee for the SOB is 750 pesos. That price includes all you can drink from six until eight p.m. I take pride in the fact that I always drink my money’s worth! So, by the time I left after the performance, I was feeling no pain. Then I ran into fellow Hashers Jim, Troy, and Simon, who invited me to join them at Cheap Charlies, and I impulsively agreed. They later continued their bar crawl, but I ended my night after two more beers and headed home.

I’d say a new day dawned, except I’ve not seen the sun for over a week. Swan is still not feeling well, but she invited me over for coffee anyway.

After coffee, there was a break in the rain, and I decided to see how far I could get on my standard Saturday solo stroll. Surprisingly, the rain held off for the first 6K, and I actually ended up enjoying an otherwise dull street walk. It’s funny how being denied a simple pleasure can enhance its value.

Facebook memories carried me back to this date in 2016 to remind me of the time I brought my Korean girlfriend, Eun Oke, with me for a visit to the Philippines.

There’s a funny story behind that picture. When we entered the bar, it was very late (we had just flown in from Seoul), and we were the only customers. I guess the dancers had never seen a Korean FEMALE before, and they all came down from the stage for a closer look. She was like a rock star, and the girls were touching her arms and hair and talking about K-Pop and K-dramas and such. Then Eun Oke announced, “Buy them all a drink!” I leaned over and whispered, “Eun Oke, you are supposed to pick one girl to drink with.” She didn’t care and repeated her demand, so I bought them all a drink. The next morning, Eun Oke asked me, “So, how much did we spend last night?” I responded almost a hundred dollars. “And how much do we spend when just you and I go out in Seoul?” I laughed and said, usually a hundred dollars. So, she made the girls happy and recognized the bargain that is life in the Philippines.

Speaking of life in the PI, I saw this on someone’s Facebook post, and it was a good reminder of why I don’t drive here:

And now another Saturday night is on the horizon. I guess more of the same at the bars is in store for me, although I’d rather be with Swan. And once again, she is not available. It is weird to have finally met someone special and being lonelier than ever as a result. Is that what they mean by Karmic justice?

I had lunch alone today, but it was a good one:

Let’s see what happens next.

She came to me like a friend
She blew in on a southern wind
Now my heart is turned to stone again
There’s gonna be a Showdown

And it’s rainin’ all over the world
It’s raining all over the world
Tonight, the longest night

Damn, it took me fifteen minutes to come up with a post title for today’s entry that I hadn’t used previously. And as you can see, I had to butcher a common phrase to make that happen. Oh well, this too shall pass. Of course, part of the problem is that there is not much new happening in my so-called life to even pretend that it is unique or interesting. And when all it does is rain every f’n day, there ain’t much I can do about it. So here we are.

The weather has also taken its toll on the beaches:

Well, it is what it is, and what it is is rainy season. We go through this every year, but this year just seems more intense somehow. My daily hiking routine has been corrupted, but at least the bars are weather-resistant. I was proud of my timing yesterday evening, getting all the way to my destination, Sloppy Joe’s, during a lull in the storm. Once I was safely ensconced in the Maze of bars, I had it made. Let’s celebrate with beers!

I had a table to myself at first, but then Chris and his gal, along with a couple of others, showed up, and it was nice to have some drinking companions. Of course, what goes in must come out, and when I ventured to the CR to take care of business, I was confronted with this sad reminder:

I got a message from my pal Ron saying he was in town and wanted to meet up at Green Room. Welp, that’s now right next door to Sloppy Joe’s, and with a newly installed doorway between the bars, I didn’t even have to step outside to get there. It’s aMAZEing! My regular Green Room crew soon surrounded me, but I’m doing much better at not buying lady drinks willy-nilly. Over the course of my visit, they each got one only. Ron arrived, and I bought him a beer; we chatted, and he left when he finished his beer. I expected we’d hang out and bar hop, but he lives in Subic now and works online with stateside hours, so he needed to go.

During my visit, Anne, a waitress I first met in 2010 when she worked at Arizona and I was a tourist (I wrote about that event here), surprised me by asking me to pose for a picture.

Later, she sent the above photo to me along with this shot from July 2010:

Everybody’s so different, I haven’t changed.

My next stop was next door at Wet Spot, where I enjoyed a couple of more beers and the company of Aine. I pretty much had my fill when I left and thought I’d slip into Sit-n-Bull to bring home some of their pecan pie. But once outside, I saw the rain had subsided, and I took that as a sign to get some steps in by walking to Whiskey Girl. And that’s what I did.

My regular Kim was busy with a customer, but my other favorite, Jenn, gave me her full attention. And one of the things she said was, “You only come to see me when you are drunk.” Um, yeah. That’s kind of how it works. Also, Whiskey Girl doesn’t open until six, and that’s halfway through my night out. Another factor is that it is on the side of town I visit when I’m making my way home. Anyway, from what I recall, I had a good time. And when I left to go home, there was a trike right out front, and the driver called out, “Ready to go, sir John?” And that’s how my night ended.

And I woke up this morning to the beginning of the “ber” months.

Swan canceled coffee because she wasn’t feeling well, but I had a pretty nice morning strolling around the internet. I timed my dog walk to coincide with a break in the storm, but it didn’t last long enough to get me back home. A heavy squall soaked me and the boys and blew my umbrella right out of my hands. I had to climb through the weeds and down an embankment to recover it. Fun times.

I also finished watching “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Thanks for the recommendation, it was quite enjoyable. I’m not a reviewer, but it is a sweet love story with a happy ending. And damn, Rachel (Mila Kunis) is smoking hot! It’s been quite a while since I’ve made it through a movie, so finding a way to appeal to my short attention span says a lot about the story.

The powers that be trying to fire up another round of COVID panic has me wondering just how stupid “they” think we are.

Oddly enough, Facebook memories reminded me today of a quote I had posted in 2017–three years prior to the scamdemic:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

— C.S. Lewis

It’s scary to think the sheeple will fall for this madness yet again. Here’s hoping our betters are in for a rude awakening.

On a lighter note, there was this:

And finally, this appealed to me for some unknown reason:

I’ve got the SOB dance competition on tap tonight at the new Alaska Club. Maybe I can manage to be dry when I arrive.

Tuesday’s gone, but I’m still around to write about it. Not that it was a particularly newsworthy day, but I did change things up some. Here’s how it all went down:

As usual, I did my weekly grocery shopping at Royal. My helper and Swan were there to assist. Even with Swan’s added items to my basket, my tab was under 15,000 pesos, so I was glad about that.

Swan had invited me over to her/our place for my Tuesday night beer drinking, so I bought a case of San Miguel Light for that purpose. After dropping Swan, her groceries, and the beer off, I returned home to await her message that she had completed her tutoring work and I could join her. It was pouring down rain all afternoon so I was trapped at home. I took a couple of naps and tried to find a movie that was recommended for me on Netflix and YouTube without success. Well, YouTube had it, but you had to pay to see it. And the only method of paying was via credit card. I just didn’t trust them with that info, so I’ll find another way to acquire “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” before I forget.

It was a little after five when Swan messaged me that she was ready for me to come over. The rain had slacked up some, but it was still a wet ten-minute walk getting there (umbrellas are pretty much useless in the wind). A peck on the lips when I arrived, and then I took my usual seat on the patio to begin my nightly chore of beer consumption.

We had about thirty minutes alone together before Swan’s sister and nieces arrived. During that time, I asked Swan about our future living arrangements. She told me the niece would be moving back to the family complex next month to live. I do feel guilty about splitting them up, but not so much that I’m willing to be guilty of the crime of cohabitation with a minor. I did tell Swan that if she preferred, I’d help her rent a place so she could continue to live with her niece. Swan said she preferred to stay with me, which was the answer I was hoping for.

When the family members arrived, Swan had a surprise in store for me.

Anyway, it was a pleasant evening hanging out with Swan and her clan. I was in charge of the music and did a Spotify playlist of tunes from the 50s and 60s. Swan even danced with me a couple of times!

Around nine o’clock, I did the walk home alone in the dark, but at least the rain had subsided to a light sprinkle. I would have preferred to stay with Swan, but as usual, she said I have to wait until next month.

And now it is Wednesday.

My plan as of now is to brave the rain and make the trek to Hideaway Bar for the Wednesday feeding and see how things go from there.

I came across this somewhere on the ‘net and felt compelled to share it on my Facebook:

I haven’t heard much talk about renewed COVID restrictions here, but President Biden’s call for more mandatory vaccinations is generating some rumblings on the internet. Have people finally come to see what a farce this has all been, and will they now actively resist this type of government overreach? I’m a bit pessimistic about that, but this meme could become the battle cry of the resistance:

That’s all I’ve got for now.