Dance with me | Long Time Gone

***Or punctuation.*** ***Actually, I’ve hired an AI assistant to check my work. Let me know if it misses anything***

I danced my way through another Saturday, and I’m still standing. Not bad for an old fucker like me. And I ain’t done yet!

As is our custom, we kicked off the morning with our weekly Decay Dance.

***Heading down into the first shantytown on our route.***

***They hadn’t caught any fish yet, but they did get a bite of candy.***

***Some of our regulars awaiting our arrival.***

***I rarely see a carabao with a rider pulling a cart.***

We chilled at home until beer o’clock, then headed into Barretto for the usual alcohol-fueled fun.

We felt a little sadness as we passed through the squatter village outside Alta Vista. A funeral gathering for this man was taking place. I’d seen him many times over the years, sitting outside his shack. I guess that after 88 years, he’d had enough of the hard life. We gave some pesos to his widow and offered our condolences.

We kicked things off at Red Bar. The place was packed when we arrived, but manager Ashley was able to squeeze us into the main table, where her husband, Cliff, was holding court as usual. I only knew one of the other guys at the table. One of the guests got triggered by something Cliff said and started screaming and cussing like a madman. Cliff simply ignored his rant until the asshole finally shut up. I asked later what the issue was, and it turned out to be politics. As you probably guessed, the screamer was a lefty.

This was interesting to watch. Down the narrow, one-lane alley beside Red Bar is the Suzuki Beach Resort. Two tour buses backed their way out of the alley and onto the busy highway, blocking all lanes of traffic. I feared for the worst, but a couple of people walked into the road, a dangerous move, holding up their hands to stop the oncoming vehicles. The maneuver was successfully completed.

One of our waitress friends was celebrating her birthday, so we had a pizza and some pancit delivered from Foodies for her and the rest of the crew to enjoy. We also treated her to some lady drinks and gave her a 500-peso birthday gift, which she seemed to appreciate.

***That’s the birthday girl on the right.***

Later on, we took a longish stroll along the highway to the other side of town and had our nightcap at Queen Victoria. We always enjoy our visits there. Almost every bar in town is now out of San Miguel Extra Light, so I drank the stronger San Mig Light, which contains 5% alcohol, all evening. And then, a little after 8 p.m., Swan said, “You’re drunk. Let’s go home.” I didn’t argue, and we left before I did anything stupid. It’s good to have a girlfriend looking out for my well-being.

And so another came to an end and I lived to tell about it.

I’ve marched on to March 2022 in the LTG archives, and I’m finding my way through my post-relationship loneliness. I’ve chosen not to reenact the “friends with benefits” program, and I’m finding the bargirl scene more unsatisfying than ever. I’ve met a woman whose company I enjoy, but she has made it very clear that she has no interest beyond platonic friendship. That’s okay. No one gets hurt that way.

Today’s YouTube video discusses the tourism crisis in Bohol, largely driven by price gouging. I found it interesting because I really enjoyed my recent visit to Panglao and felt it was a place where I could be comfortable living. Maybe not. A guy I met there is now back in Barretto as he searches for a better city for retirement.

To the humor we must go:

***Besides, some women say it’s a hormonal right to kill their children.***

***You’re talking about Dr. Crusher I assume, right Riker?***

And on and on it goes. Where it stops, I don’t want to know. You’ll know when you don’t see a boring post here at Long Time Gone. Until then, I’ll be back tomorrow.

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