Today I decided not to do something. Later on I didn’t do something else. Tomorrow I may not do one of a selection of other things.

Ah, the freedom to not do whatever you want that is implicit in retired life! But yesterday I did decide to do some things and now I’ve decided to write about them. I apologize in advance, but you are here anyway, so why not fill the time?

The day started in typical fashion, up before the sun. Grab a cup of coffee and plop down at the desk to see what is going on in the rest of the world. In my email was a message from Kevin Kim passing along some helpful advice on both preventing and dealing with a home invasion. Good stuff and worth sharing here:

In one of those quirky coincidences I also came across this “security advice” I’d posted on Facebook several years ago:

On a more serious note, also in my email was a message from DoD Human Resources asking me to provide an affidavit for an EEO investigation currently being conducted. No, it’s not about me, just something I may have witnessed. And due to confidentially requirements, that’s about all I can say. So I spent some time completing that paperwork. I’m hoping my printer/scanner is working as I need to sign and send it back by Monday.

Back to Facebook, which wanted to remind me of this event in my life:

Did my usual internet trolling around and kind of liked this:

Scott from the Hash (also an early riser) messaged me about sponsoring a hole for an upcoming VFW fundraising event. I of course agreed. This is what my banner will look like on my hole. (That sounds a little sick, doesn’t it?)

Ányway, enough of the internet. Time to feed and walk the dogs. With that chore out of the way, I enjoyed a bowl of cereal and some bacon for breakfast. Afterward, I loaded some pork chops into the slow cooker, seasoned them up, slathered them in cream of mushroom soup, then poured on some ranch dressing. Set the timer for low and let dinner cook itself for the rest of the day.

It being Tuesday meant it was grocery shopping day. My driver arrived in due course and I successfully (with the assistance of my two helpers) restocked the larders. Just about the time I arrived back home I remembered I needed to get my final rabies shot. Damn it, we had driven right past the hospital on base coming back from the grocery store. Ah well, I’d just go later in the afternoon.

Took a nap, wrote about Monday’s Hash on the blog, then hit the streets. I’m giving myself a breather on the 20,000+ step goal for now. Still, I want to do as much as my tired old lungs are comfortable with. I wound up walking to the other end of Barretto (about 2K) and catching a Jeepney back to the old Navy base from there.

A short walk to Baypointe Hospital and went through this procedure for what I hope is the final time:

1. Upstairs to the Outpatient Center. A few minutes in line, then hand my shot record to the nurse. She then has me take a seat in the waiting area.
2. After a while, she hands me three pieces of paper–one for the pharmacy, one for the supply center, and one for the cashier. I’m an old hand at this now so I knew the proper order in which to visit.
3. Pharmacy (downstairs and end of the hall) pulls the meds, annotates my paper, tells me to pay cashier and return.
4. Supply (halfway up the hall and off to the left near the emergency room) pulls the hypodermic needle, annotates my paper, and sends me to the cashier.
5. Cashier (near the stairs back up to Outpatient) thankfully has no line. Processes my paperwork and asks for P2100 (about $42). I pay and get annotated receipts.
6. Back to pharmacy to pick up the now paid for meds.
7. Back to supply to pick up the now paid for needle.
8. Back upstairs to Outpatient and hand the nurse the stuff and the receipts.
9. Nurse takes me to a treatment room, stabs me in the arm, and sends me on my way.
10. Me, walking out with a smile and shaking my head at the wonder of it all here in the Philippines.

Hoof it back to the highway and catch a Jeepney bound for Barretto. It’s a bit after 4:00 p.m. at this point so I have the driver drop me off at Arizona with a hearty shout of “para po!” (stop here, please). Let the drinking commence!

Well, naturally I went out to the Arizona floating bar. Who wouldn’t?

Speaking of the view, I didn’t see my favorite bargirl, Jovie, on board. Oh well, I generously let my waitress have a refreshing drink on my tab instead. After a bit, Jovie and Susan, another gal I met at Queen Victoria, came aboard. And of course, they joined me at my table and naturally, I bought a round of drinks. It seems yesterday was Susan’s birthday and I hadn’t been there to help her celebrate. The implication being that more drinks were in order. What’s a man to do? Accommodate of course! I did have the good sense to bill out (as paying the tab is called here) and catch the raft back to shore. How much did all that fun cost? Just under $40, including tip. And that makes me a big spender. I love this country!

Heading back up the highway towards home I passed Roseanne, who “runs” Queen Victoria, on the street. She asked me where I’d been and I said the Arizona floater, and kept on walking. I had high hopes that Queen Victoria would live up to its potential but alas, it was not to be. Roseanne is a big part of the problem. She is very cute and pretty sweet but otherwise clueless. Her boyfriend owns the bar, but he’s back in the UK. He’d hired Fei, a Hash friend, to manage the place in his absence and she was making some progress in making the bar viable. But apparently, Roseanne didn’t like not being the top dog and ran Fei off. Now, why is any of that my business? It’s not, my business as a customer is drinking beer. And I was a pretty regular customer for Queen Victoria. Last Thursday night they ran out of my preferred beverage, San Miguel Zero (a low carb, low alcohol blend). I popped in Friday night and they were still out, so I went somewhere else. When I came back Saturday and they still had zero Zero, I asked what the problem was and Roseanne just shrugged and said “out of stock”. I told her that was bullshit, every other bar in town has it. And made a point of saying I’d be going to one of those other bars from now on.

And so I have. Apparently, without Fei around no one can be bothered to order supplies. Oh, at the Hash on Monday I asked the Secretary if we’d be going back to Queen Victoria for our on-home. He said we were scheduled to go back next month. I told him good luck without Fei there. He was surprised by that news and said, nope we won’t be back in that case.

Anyway, as I passed by Cheap Charlies I decided to head on up for some more liquid refreshment. I got a good seat with the highway view I prefer and ordered up. Maya, one of my longtime favorites, came over and said she was sorry again. I told her there was nothing to be sorry about, I was just done with buying her drinks. Shocking? Well, you know I understand how it all works. The girls are good at making you feel special, but in reality, you are just another customer. I get that. But I’ve known Maya for over a year and have gotten to feel somewhat close to her. Even helped her out once financially (a very small amount) and we are Facebook friends, for whatever that’s worth. It’s not worth much apparently.

I’m in the bar alone on New Year’s Eve. That’s kind of depressing. The place was packed and the girls were all busy with customers. That’s fine by me, I’m very content having someone else pay for drinks. A couple of my regulars came by to greet me, which I appreciated. Just before I was finishing my last beer, Lovely came and sat with me which was sweet of her. I asked if Maya was off and got a funny look, and she nodded towards the bar. Where Maya was sitting directly behind me. I turned around and Maya just shrugged. So. At that moment I realized what a farce our “friendship” had been. No greeting, no Happy New Year, no nothing. I wasn’t mad or anything, I just felt like a sucker. Hurt my feelings a little too.

So, I’m just not playing the game with her anymore. No big deal. No hard feelings, in fact, no feelings towards her whatsoever. She needs to up her game to keep guys like me on the hook.

Do those last two stories make me seem petty and mean? I hope not. I’m all about having a good time. And when something spoils my good time (no Zero or no kindness) I look for a good time elsewhere. It’s that simple.

But back to last night at Cheap Charlies. I wasn’t buying lady drinks, but I did see Rica, an old friend from dart league on the other side of the bar and I gave her a wave. She came over and joined me and brought her friend along. Her friend was Heidi. Wow! I wrote about her just one year ago. One of those rare women who just trip my triggers on a first meeting. I had high hopes but alas, they were dashed as those feelings were not mutual.

So, it’s not like I wasn’t aware of what Heidi had been up to, at least peripherally. You see not long after my hopes were crushed I heard through the rumor mill that she was dating Graham, the owner of Cheap Charlies. Of course, I thought of her after hearing about Graham’s massive stroke. By all accounts she was a devoted angel, staying right by his side during his hospitalization. Just confirmed what my instincts back when I met her had told me. She’s a good woman. Well, Graham is back in Scotland now and I don’t think anyone expects he’ll be back. I offered to buy Heidi a beer last night but she politely declined. In an odd quirk, I saw her again this morning when I was walking Baloy Beach. She smiled and hurried on her way. Oh well, I wish her nothing but the best of course.

That was enough of Cheap Charlies for one night. Caught a trike and headed on home. Cooked up some Brussel sprouts and toasted some garlic bread to go with my mushroom pork chops. They were as tender as can be and quite tasty. Some rocky road ice cream for dessert and in bed by 9:00 p.m.

And that’s how I was filling in time yesterday. I know I apologized in advance, but after re-reading this, I should probably say sorry again. I’ve often thought the primary value of this blog is reassuring readers that life could always be worse! I’m not complaining though, I’m doing what I please even if it doesn’t always please me!

When I have ceased to break my wings
Against the faultiness of things,
And learned that compromises wait
Behind each hardly opened gate,
When I have looked Life in the eyes,
Grown calm and very coldly wise,
Life will have given me the Truth,
And taken in exchange–my youth.
–Sara Teasdale