Back in the groovy routines of an ordered life once more. So, there was no need to shout “May Day!” yesterday, although it being a holiday here (Labor Day) made for some heavier-than-normal traffic to deal with when crossing the highway. I survived it, though, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my account of the day with some accompanying photographs for your viewing pleasure.
We began the morning with a long Jeepney ride to Castillejos for a walkabout on some seldom-visited roads. It had been long enough since my last visit that I forgot where I was going and wound up missing my favorite portion of the hike. Oh well, that’s just the way it goes sometimes with my increasingly addled brain. Everything old is new again!
For our Thursday evening out, we did the other side of town for a change of scenery.
Swan’s solitary glass of wine and my three beers later, we headed up the beach to Mango’s for some dinner.
Then, for our nightcap, we visited a bar that is becoming one of our favorites, Cloud 69. It’s a smaller dancing girl bar, but they play good music, and it has a cozy and comfortable ambiance.
I talked about the ambiance of Cloud 69. When we had the bar to ourselves, they played music that an old guy like me enjoys. When the new group came in, they played songs for them, including some Japanese rap, something I never knew existed. No complaints from me, it was entertaining watching the action.
And so, another nice day in the life came to an end.
Today’s journey through the LTG archives brought back a reminder of the transient friendships that were a unique aspect of my life in Korea. Many of the people I met in the Itaewon bars and dart league were soldiers. And soldiers only stayed in Korea for a one-year tour (sometimes two) before moving on to their next assignment. Such was the case with Mario, and in a post from August 2007, I recount the traditional farewell dart tournament held in his honor. This post is the first I’ve seen where the photographs haven’t disappeared. They are not above the captions like they should be, but they are there in reverse order at the end of the post. One of the photos is of Se Hwa, my first Korean love. It was good to recall the timeframe of our courtship. So, this post has earned The Story of My Life tag.
But I do have some Facebook memories from this day in the life:
Today’s YouTube video is another from Smart Girl Philippines. There is something about her that makes me smile whenever she talks. Most of what she says makes sense as well.
Let’s try these on for size:
At least I remembered to update the blog, so there’s that. Let’s see if I remember to come back tomorrow.
…but seeing this meme today took me back to those glory days of the 1970s
All that flammable hair!
Let’s see if I remember to come back tomorrow.
At the rate you’re going, it might be more important for your mind to survive to 85 than for your body to live that long. Watch out for those ruffians, D. Mentia, C. Nility, and D. Crepitude. Make plans so that, when you’re too old to remember where your wallet went, someone will be around to guard against all the vultures who inevitably gather around people with money as they age. And definitely take measures now to avoid getting put in some senior home (assuming that you, like so many of your cohort, hate the idea of being tucked away in an “assisted-living community” that smells like piss and sounds like constant groaning).
Stay independent as long as you can, but you can really help yourself by not destroying your brain cells with the sauce. Set up a chain of contacts leading back to the US in the event you get hospitalized and end up in a coma or something. Or don’t if you prefer to remain isolated from your US family. Whatever works.
“All that flammable hair!”
Yep, lots of hot times in the 1970s…
Yeah, those ruffian fuckers you mention seem to be hiding around every corner, waiting to ambush me. Luckily, I probably won’t know it when they get me.
Barretto is my assisted living facility. If the time comes when I can’t be taken care of here, I’d just prefer to be dead. I’ve left a list of next of kin to notify when the end comes, but I suspect it won’t matter to me or them. I have a will, so whatever I don’t spend between now and then will be distributed accordingly.
As to the future and whatever it may bring, I am going to continue living my best life, shallow though it may be. It’s been interesting to revisit my Itaewon days as I peruse the blog archives. Damn, I was a master drinker back then, beer and the hard stuff all night and into the wee hours of the morning. Nowadays, I drink low-alcohol beer for three hours or so in the early evening hours. I don’t think I need to cut back anymore than I already have; brain cells be damned!
Does that make me ignorant or apathetic?