Nothing special about yesterday, but that won’t stop me from telling you about it anyway. I will endeavor to keep it as brief and painless as possible.

Swan and I are going to Angeles City for the weekend (leaving in the morning), so we decided to do the Saturday Sweet Stroll on Thursday. Y’all have been on that walk with me (vicariously through photos) several times, so I won’t bore you with multiple pics again.

After sweetening the lives of the children we encountered, it was our turn for some fun. When beer o’clock arrived, we headed into town. Swan wanted to get a haircut, so I waited for her patiently at Red Bar.

Swan joined me an hour or so later and had her usual glass of red wine (she drinks slowly; I do about three beers per glass of wine).

When it was time for some dinner, we crossed the highway and strolled to Jewel Cafe.

Another glass of wine for Swan, and I’m too much of a gentleman to let her drink alone. Dinner was served while we drank.

After our meal, we moved on to It Doesn’t Matter. You guessed it, Swan had a wine, and that meant I was forced to drink yet more beer. And that’s not all; we went to Cloud 69 for our nightcap and did it again. When we arrived home, Swan declared herself “tipsy” and went to bed. I was fine, so I played some on the internet before joining her slumber there.

The Thursday report card: 16,948 steps, 13.02 kilometers walked, 3521 calories burned.

After my hospitalization in October 2008 (I shared that post yesterday), my almost total lack of blogging continued for over two months. I was indeed a Long Time Gone. I finally returned with a post on December 23, 2008, appropriately titled, “It’s been a long time comin’,” where I talked vaguely about what had been going on in my life, and once again promised to post on a more regular basis in the future. I’m still unsure why I took such a lengthy break from the blog. I got promoted to the GS-15 Director of Human Resources job, which created some stress in my life. My marriage to wife #3 had ended, as had my relationship with the Korean woman I’d been dating (she moved to the USA to attend graduate school). I’m also pretty sure this was the time frame during which I met Jee Yeun, who was destined to become my final wife. Back in those days, I was not as inclined as I am now to write about the drama in my personal life, and that seems to have been all I had going on.

You may have missed a recent comment from James, a long-time reader here. He notes that my blog content is not as enticing as it was in the days before I began my relationship with Swan. Yep, much less drama and sexcapades. Here’s what James had to say:

Long time reader, haven’t visited in a while.
Glad to see that you’re keeping up with your correspondence, as it were.

As you may recall, I was one of the readers who showed no enthusiasm when you settled down with your lady. And I come here to celebrate your success 🙌
But of course it’s no coincidence that your readership may have dropped, or at least changed demographics. Now that you’re a man settled down, there’s less drama and conflict to write about, fewer bar visits and new random characters introduced, and there’s only so much information you can convey to a potential tourist when you’re living the sedate married life.

I say all this because I am still shocked at what Browser wrote all those years ago. Last year I think you attracted some political commentary that animated the blog for a while. But to imagine there was once a time when you were berated for not writing on your own blog; I am shocked. What was he even thinking 🤔 Writing daily is hard
And yet you keep writing ✍️ My gratitude and admiration will never cease. You inspire me to pick up a pen and write, starting with just my grocery list. There’s something soothinng and invigorating about writing down one’s thoughts daily.

and for those who miss the drama, let me say that Joy – she of the feeding scheme- has gotten fat. We’ve all gotten fat, but I don’t have a mirror and I have a side-by-side photos of Joy’s face. Boom! There’s some drama for you addicts

Again, thank you for the daily writing ✍️

James

Today’s YouTube video is short and sweet about the five things a first-time visitor observed about the Philippines. It was nice to look back and remember my first trips here, where I pretty much saw the same things this vlogger talks about. For me, the first thing I noticed that was shocking was the poverty that so many here endure, which made all the positive traits noted in this video all the more impressive. Filipinos are a special breed.

Today’s Zen wisdom:

Light Travels Faster Than Sound, Which Is Why Some People Appear
Bright Until You Hear Them Speak.

And now for the funny stuff:

My last night in town will be spent at the SOB. I’ll try to dash off a post in the morning before we hit the road to Angeles City.