Here in the land of the living, I’d been thinking I needed to stop wussing out and climb some hills while I still could. With that thought in mind, I suggested to my fellow Wednesday Walkers that we explore the short trail from Monday’s Hash that none of us had done. I’d heard the one hill climb on that route was a tough one, but wanted to see for myself. The other two attendees agreed to join me on that adventure, so off we went.

I stopped at Sit-n-Bull for a roast beef dip sandwich to take home for lunch. A shower, a nap, and a blog post later, it was time to head back into town for that other part of my life—the bar scene. Swan took the night off, so I was on my own.

I kicked things off at the infrequently visited Cheap Charlies. As I entered, the bartender told me they were out of San Miguel Extra Light, but it had been ordered and they were awaiting delivery. I said, “Fine, I’ll have a Light then.” I saw the delivery guys drop off the beer order, so I asked for an Extra Light and a glass of ice, only to be advised that the beer distributor didn’t have XL available. Oh shit, here we go again.

I didn’t let that spoil my mood, and I sucked down three Lights during my one-hour visit, during which I was the only customer. Well, one other guy came in, but when he was told Extra Light wasn’t available, he turned around and left. I had a nice chat with my favorite, Gerlie, then ordered some food from Foodies downstairs for me and the crew.

After Cheap Charlies, I survived the highway crossing and made it safely to Alaska Club, where I signed up for the weekly 9-ball pool tournament. My regulars, Sha and Alex, challenged me to play some warm-up games, which suited me fine. I beat Sha and lost to Alex.

Alaska owner Jerry is out of the country now, and the gals say that when he isn’t around, a lot of the regular pool players don’t bother coming to the tournaments. That was the case last night, and we didn’t have enough players, so the tourney was canceled and my 200-peso entry fee was refunded. I played Sha and Alex one more time each in a consolation game and rewarded them both with a 100-peso prize for their efforts.

It was only 7:30 when I left Alaska, so I thought I’d pop into Rum Jungle for a nightcap. Alas, as I looked for a place to sit, I noticed an asshole I know at another table. I decided I didn’t want to be under the same roof as that guy, so I went home instead.

I came across this rendering of the top peeves that come with living in the Philippines:

It is now February 2023 in the LTG archives. In this post, I tell the tale of my most expensive one-time charity offering—buying a motor scooter for a woman in need that cost me $1,500. She’s still riding it three years later, so I guess it was worth it. I also talk about another of my Hideaway feedings, a practice I discontinued last year. The bar shut down last month, and owner Griff died yesterday, so those memories are all that’s left.

Today’s YouTube video is a short from the Filipina Pea posing the question of whether one could fall in love with an AI persona. I doubt I’d fall for a fake gal, but damn, I could go for the Pea. I mean, if I were a younger single man, that is.

Ready or not, here they come:

And that’s the story of my Wednesday. I’d rate it a good one.

It’s 1965 on our musical journey through the past. This song didn’t make the top of the charts, but it is one of the ones I’ve always enjoyed over the years: