…Tuesday is for the show.

In addition to the shopping excursion to Royal for groceries, I visited a couple of furniture stores to fill some voids at my new dwelling. I found what I was looking for at a surplus store in Subic.

Those purchases emptied my wallet of 37,000 pesos ($650), but it should make the living a little easier for us all.

The big news of the day was a message from Subic Water saying that a major pipeline was being repaired and service to Alta Vista would be unavailable for approximately one week. Who needs water, right? Well, not to worry, Subic Water is sending a truck around every other day to fill the water tanks in the neighborhood. The only problem is my house doesn’t use a tank; we are connected directly to the water line.

I guess I’m not old-fashioned. I booked a room in town for the next two nights. I’ll just use it to shower in the comfort of hot, running water. That’s the premium you pay for a first-world lifestyle, I suppose. I’m tentatively planning to get out of town for the weekend, probably to San Antonio. If I’m going to pay for a room, I might as well have a bit of a vacation while I’m at it.

I began my imbibing at Sloppy Joe’s and ran into Jim there, so we shared the camaraderie of drinking buddies. Several beers later, it was time to move on, so we made our way to Whiskey Girl and drank some more. It was nice to see my waitress friend Jenn again, and I was glad to quench her thirst for lady drinks. When I’d had my fill, I said good night and headed out. Since I had to walk to the trike stand at Baloy, I popped into Snackbar for my nightcap. My oh my, how that place has changed. And not for the better, in my opinion. The new owner has reduced the waitress staff to two gals. So now it is basically just a drinking bar without much opportunity for female companionship. That’s fine, of course. Especially if you enjoy drinking with a nice view of the 7/11 parking lot. Me, not so much.

And so ended another day in paradise. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you all about the walk I took today. Now, it is time to check into my hotel and take a shower. Then, I’ll feed the Hideaway girls and fill the remaining evening hours in the usual way with my Filipino pal, San Mig Zero.

Tuesday, afternoon
I'm just beginning to see
Now I'm on my way
It doesn't matter to me
Chasing the clouds away

Something, calls to me
The trees are drawing me near
I've got to find out why
Those gentle voices I hear
Explain it all with a sigh

I'm looking at myself, reflections of my mind
It's just the kind of day to leave myself behind
So gently swaying thru the fairy-land of love
If you'll just come with me and see the beauty of

Tuesday afternoon
Tuesday afternoon