Perhaps the nicest thing about a getaway is coming home with a new appreciation of the comforts of home. I’m committed to getting out of town at least once every month, so I guess getting a change of scenery is now one of my routines.

I decided to wait until we got back home to take a shower. That proved to be a mistake.

Oh well, I chose to live in a third-world country, so this is just part of the adventure that comes with that. Still no water as of now, but I remain hopeful the new pipe will be in place soon.

I opted out of the Hideaway feeding, but I did wire Joy some money so the girls could eat. They chose to cook their own meal. Joy documented the event in photos:

I did keep my dinner date with Swan at John’s place.

Next up, our traditional after-dinner stop at Red Bar.

Finding our nightcap destination turned into a bit of an adventure. The plan was Wet Spot, but neither of our friends was working last night, so we went next door to Green Room, but it was packed, and the seats we liked (with a view of the pool table) were full. I was thinking we’d just plop down at Sloppy Joe’s, but Swan suggested we try somewhere different for a change, and suggested my friend Roan’s karaoke place. Sure, why not? It’s a pretty good trek up the highway, and when we got there, I was surprised to see it was closed. Now what? Well, the Billabong bar at Outback Resort was right across the highway, so we made the dash successfully and plopped ourselves down.

Usually, when we make the rare visit to Outback, we sit at the outdoor poolside bar. I can’t even remember the last time we ventured into the indoor bar.

I messaged Roan to find out what was going on with her joint, and she sent me this:

And so our first night back in Barretto came to an end.

And now it is January 2013 in the LTG archives. To start the new year, I did a pictorial post with the highlights from 2012. It was a good year in a life that is now gone forever.

I’m going to lighten things up with today’s YouTube video. It is one I posted on my blog thirteen years ago, but I enjoyed re-watching it today. Maybe you will too. Best of all, it’s only three minutes long.

I’m going to change things up a little bit in the humor category today in order to solicit folks to sign up for Kevin Kim’s Substack grammar improvement site.

So, be like me and go sign up for Kevin’s Substack posts. Even if I’m incapable of learning, it’s entertaining.

And now it is time to prepare for another Hash Monday. I’m going to walk the 2K to the start and take it from there. I’ll let y’all know how it goes tomorrow.

It was Thirstday, after all.

My neighbors, Jeff and Davina, had seen a map I posted on Facebook of one of my hikes on the My Bitch trail. That path runs through the hills behind our subdivision, and Jeff asked if I’d show them where to go. Of course, I agreed, and we made plans to do so on Thursday. Well, it was a rainy morning, but to my surprise, they still wanted to go. Fine by me, wet with sweat or soaked with rain, it’s all the same.

At beer o’clock, we visited my old darts haunt, Alley Cats. Owner Flor had given me a beer card for my birthday, and those six free beers weren’t going to drink themselves. I only managed four before prudence dictated I should go get something to eat.

So, we successfully crossed the highway and made our way to Mango’s.

Swan got messaged by some of her friends that they were hanging out at Annex Bar, so when Swan asked if we could stop by, I, of course, agreed to do so. They hung out in the back doing what girls do and downing tequila shots, and I sat up front enjoying the highway view, whilst sipping a cold San Miguel Zero.

We did our nightcap at Green Room, but Swan drank water there. She’s a lightweight when her peers entice her to join them in shots of the hard stuff. I would be, too. That’s why I stick to low-alcohol beer. We made it home safe and went to bed early. Right after Swan finished throwing up. She made it to the toilet, though, so good on her.

In sad news, we lost a member of the Hash, Fucking Old Man (Jerry Walsh). Jerry had the most Hash runs of any living Subic Bay Hasher. His familiar face will be missed. I recall my first-ever Hash as a tourist in Subic back in 2017. Jerry was in his 80s and looked it, but the gal standing beside him was a hottie. I knew then that I’d find contentment in the Philippines!

Our new housekeeper from Samar province is settling in.

Darts, at one time, were a big part of my life, and in this post from October 2012, I explained my cricket pointing strategy. Probably sounds like Greek to anyone who doesn’t play, but it does reflect my level of dedication to the game, even if my ability to execute was lacking.

This day in my Facebook history included:

Thirteen years ago, I was playing around making memes:

Today’s YouTube is the follow-up to the one I posted yesterday. The vlogger leaves AC and spends the next five days in Subic. He wasn’t impressed. Hey, it’s not for everyone, but I like it just fine here. The video captures the Barretto vibe. As I mentioned, I am not familiar with this vlogger’s work, but I did notice that the narration has a different accent from the AC video. That was weird. I randomly looked at a third video of his, and it is back to a more normal-sounding voice. I’m guessing they must all be AI-generated.

Humor time:

Alright, it is time to head out to Angeles City, courtesy of our neighbor Jeff and his lovely wife, Davina. I’m not a big AC fan, but I do like an occasional change of scenery. Jeff has some places in mind to show us, so we’ll see how it goes. At least you will have something different to read about here.

Wednesday and walking go together like a foot in a shoe, so I put them on and headed out.

We discussed options under the threatening skies and opted to do the Matain-Calapacuan-San Isidro street walk.

For the evening out, I had planned to kick things off at Red Bar. Alas, a biker club had the same plan and beat me to it. All the outdoor seats were filled, so we just continued up the highway and popped into John’s place for the dinner we missed on Sunday.

I was surprised to see several dart players in the second-floor dining area, then I remembered that John’s now has a team in the dart league. They had just finished winning their match against Sloppy Joe’s and were enjoying some post-game beverages. It was nice chatting with some of my old darts buddies.

Then a group of several young non-Filipino people (early thirties, I’d judge, including one hot female) came in. I suspect they are crewmembers from one of the merchant ships I’ve seen anchored in the harbor. Seeing the crowd filling the dining area, they started to turn around to leave. One of the dart players said, “You should stay, this is the best food in town.” I added that the upstairs area had lots of seating, and so they all headed up. I watched the solitary waitress carrying trays of drinks and plates of food, so it was a big night for John’s customer-wise.

John’s daughter came in and took over serving the downstairs folks, which was just me and Swan after the darters departed.

With dinner out of the way, I suggested we give Red Bar another try. As we exited John’s, the rain was coming down hard, so we dashed into the bar next door, Dempsey’s. They don’t serve wine by the glass there, so we don’t stop by often, but otherwise, it has a nice, relaxed vibe. I had a beer and then the rain let up, so we hit the highway again. The Red Bar patio was still full of bikers, so we kept moving and went to Jumpin’ Jacks instead.

We once again enjoyed the vibe and music at Jumpin’ Jacks, then made our way back home.

We’ve hired a new house helper, and she arrived from the province last night. She is the aunt of our neighbor’s helper, so at least it isn’t a blind hire. She’s been busy all morning with the chores, so, so far, so good.

It’s now October 2012 in the LTG archives. I’m back for another few months of my Korean retirement life, and in this post, I share the adventure of a visit to Naksan. It was a good life while it lasted.

I’ll be heading out tomorrow for a weekend in Angeles City with my neighbors, Jeff and Davina. Today’s YouTube video is from a new (to me) vlogger sharing his four-day experience in AC. Like me, he’s not a big fan of the nightlife scene there, but the video will give you a good taste of what’s in store for us. At the end of the video, he’s on a bus for Subic, so I’ll need to look to see if he enjoyed that more.

On to the funny business:

And so it went. Let’s keep it going!

September, I remember. Time flies, and I ramble on. I’ll keep it brief, though. Sometimes less truly is more.

The only other photo I took on our 5K trek was this:

Swan surprised me by volunteering to cook for the Hideaway feeding.

The normal Sunday routine is for me to meet up with Swan at John’s place for dinner. But Swan messaged me saying she wanted to join our neighbors, Davina and Jeff, to eat at Hops and Brews. The hell with routines, this is the 70s!

After we finished our food, we loaded up in Jeff’s car and headed to Red Bar. I don’t usually sit inside there, but we did last night and had a good time. Jeff suggested we do a nightcap on the way home. Queen Victoria is closed on Sundays, so we popped into the seldom-visited Nipsey’s Bar instead.

Jeff noted that eight o’clock was nearing, and he knew that’s what time I turn into a pumpkin, so we paid our tab and headed for home. I was a little ashamed at being such a lightweight. We are going to Angeles City this coming weekend with Jeff and Davina, so I’ll try to up my game some while we are there.

So, there you have it–a routine Sunday with a twist or two.

September has arrived, and coincidentally, it is September 2012 in my journey through the LTG archives. In this post, I come clean about my criminal past. Well, the only crime I got arrested for, anyway. I got away with lots more serious shit, including grand theft auto. I’m not sure if I ever wrote about that one; if not, I will do so as part of The Story of My Life.

Some Facebook memories from this day in my history:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about expats who get sucked into supporting the family of the Filipina they are with. I have been suckered like that in the past, but I’m blessed that Swan doesn’t expect me to take care of the family. I give her a generous allowance that she is free to spend in whatever manner she chooses. And if there were ever a real emergency in the family, I would trust her judgment on how best to respond.

Let’s get these out of the way:

And now it is Hash Monday again. The trail starts here in Alta Vista, so that’s convenient enough. There are long (8K) and short (4K) options. I’m considering something in between those extremes. I’ll let you know how that works out for me.

Back to my old routines for the first time since the sixties. Everything old feels new again!

It being Friday and all, we kicked things off with the group hike.

Wanting to keep things simple, I decided to lead the group on the reverse of Monday’s Hash trail since only Swan and Sheryl had done that trail. I did elect to go up a different way, and that proved harder than I expected. Otherwise, it was a mostly pleasant stroll on the My Bitch trail. When we reached the other side and were ready for our descent, I didn’t want to go down the way we had climbed on Monday, as I wanted to avoid descending through that flowing creek bed. Alas, someone had built a fence blocking the only other path down that I know of. So, the creek it was, although it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would be.

And then it was time to make a plan for the Friday evening out. Once again, we opted not to invest our time in the SOB dance competition. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels it is no longer worth it. I read today that the show was cancelled when only one paying customer showed up. I expect we’ve seen the last of the SOB, absent some significant changes; however, these days, no one is even bothered with promoting the event. Sad to see it go, but it ain’t what it once was.

Swan wanted to kick off things with dinner at Jewel Cafe. Who am I to argue with that? When the waitress came to take my order, she said, “Filet mignon, medium, gravy on the side, with mashed potatoes, veggies, and a San Mig Zero.” I’m nothing if not predictable. Swan had baby back ribs.

Swan had an old friend visiting town and asked if we could meet up with a group at Annex Bar. Fine by me, the beer is cold there. I sat at a table with the highway view up front while Swan and the girls gathered inside.

After a couple of beers, Swan asked if I wanted to join the group at Jumpin’ Jacks. Sure, why not? First time we have been back since bartender Vangie passed away, but the good music and vibe hasn’t changed. Well, until the girls started singing karaoke.

The next stop for the group was IDM, but I had exceeded my limit, so I declined to go anywhere but home. Swan kindly said goodnight to her friends and came with me.

And that’s how this old man rolled through another day.

Nothing worthy of note from the July 2012 LTG archives, but in August, I told the story of my father’s final journey in a post entitled, “To the sea.”

In today’s YouTube video, The Filipina Pea discusses the potential impact of AI in the Philippines. Many people here work in the call centers, and AI may make those jobs obsolete. Oh, and she does the video wearing a bikini.

Maybe these will amuse you:

Little Johnny was in class, diligently working on his math problems when the teacher decided to test him with a question.

“Johnny,” she said, “if there are five birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one with your slingshot, how many are left?”

Johnny thought for a moment and replied,

“None. The rest would fly away after hearing the noise.”

The teacher chuckled, “Well, the correct answer is four… but I like the way you think.”

Johnny grinned. “Thanks, Miss. Mind if I ask you a question now?”

“Go ahead,” she said.

“There are three women eating ice cream cones,” Johnny began. “One is licking her cone, one is biting it, and the third is gently sucking on hers. Which one do you think is married?”

The teacher turned a bit red but decided to play along.

“Um… I guess the one… sucking her cone?”

Johnny shook his head and said with a smirk,

“Nope. It’s the one wearing a wedding ring—but I like the way you think!”

I can’t argue with his logic.

I’m trying hard to stop fretting about the future and just take it one day at a time. That feeling of impending doom hasn’t totally gone away, but for now, I’m still doing the things I enjoy with a woman I love, so what’s to worry about?

Farewell to my caregiver/helper, Teri, who has been taking care of me since I moved to the Philippines in May 2018. Yesterday was her final day in my employ, as she is moving back home to Manila to care for her elderly parents (heh, I wonder if they are younger than me).

She joined us for a final meal at Sit-n-Bull, then caught a Jeepney to Olongapo and a bus ride to Manila.

Swan and I had some sorrow-drowning drinks at Wet Spot, then headed back home. The replacement housekeeper we anticipated hiring has some medical issues she’s dealing with and is unable to take the job. The search is on, but I’m letting Swan handle that.

I’ve traveled on to June of 2012 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I talk about my return to the USA after a six-month interval in Korea. I couldn’t help but feel sad seeing the family life I’ve now left behind, but at least both of my kids took a minute to send me happy birthday wishes.

In today’s YouTube video, the vlogger talks about the shit he got from friends in the States when he announced his intention to move to the Philippines. I was called out by my daughter-in-law about my posts here at LTG (back when my lifestyle was admittedly more sordid), and now I’ve been ghosted. It hurts, but people show what you mean to them, so you just accept it and move on. I was there to raise my kids after their mother abandoned us, and I’m proud of my days as a dutiful father, whether they appreciate it or not. Life goes on.

Let’s the cleanse the palate:

When a woman walked into the pharmacy, her strides were purposeful, and her gaze fixed firmly on the pharmacist behind the counter. Without hesitation, she leaned in and said in an even, unwavering voice, “I need to buy some cyanide.”

The pharmacist froze, startled by the blunt request. “Excuse me?” he stammered. “Why would you possibly need cyanide?”

“To poison my husband,” she replied matter-of-factly.

His jaw nearly hit the counter. “What? Are you insane? Ma’am, I can’t just sell you cyanide! That’s illegal! If I did, I’d lose my license, we’d both go to jail—you do realize that, don’t you? Absolutely not! You can’t have any cyanide!”

The woman let out a long, exasperated sigh and reached into her handbag. Wordlessly, she retrieved a photograph and placed it on the counter. The picture clearly showed her husband in bed—with the pharmacist’s wife.

The pharmacist’s face drained of color as he stared at the damning evidence. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Finally, he cleared his throat and pushed the photo back toward her with a newfound air of calm.

“Well,” he said, his tone carefully measured, “you didn’t mention you had a prescription. That’s a different story.”

A revenge fuck might also be in the cards.

So, yesterday was all about recovering from the turning seventy event and the sad goodbye. Today is all about getting back to normal, so I’d best get back at it. Until then, just remember:

That’s what the 70s are all about. Can you dig it? Far out, that’s groovy!

That said, I partied hardy last night, just like in the olden days (well, except for the weed). I went from four until we shut it down at ten p.m., regular readers will know that’s double my usual performance. Kudos to Swan for her hard work and organizational skills. The official count (I was being charged 200 pesos per guest) was eighty-six in attendance. And damn, my friends put on an Olympic performance in the beer-downing event. Going in, I thought I had bought too much, but I wound up ordering more before the party ended. And all that food? Almost no leftovers. The best part was everyone had a good time, which made this birthday of mine one of the most memorable of my life, and by far the best one I’ve had this year!

Some birthday gifts:

By the time the party ended, none of us were in any condition to pack up our shit and bring it home, so we went back this morning to finish the clean-up business. And that’s life in the 70s so far.

The last post in the LTG archives from May 2012 talks about “Winding it down.” I had adopted the six months in Korea, six months in the USA routine for what I expected to be the rest of my life. It didn’t turn out that way.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t particularly like, but in this episode, he’s walking the beach near where we had the birthday celebration last night. So, if you want to get a Barretto beach vibe, here you go. When he mentioned it being 8 a.m. this morning, I wondered if I would make an appearance whilst cleaning up our mess at Baybayin. Nope, he didn’t catch me.

How about these:

I was unsure what to expect turnout-wise yesterday. Swan was thinking fifty or so, so getting into the eighties was surprising. I guess I’m better liked than I thought. Or free beer is—one of those.

I spent most of the seventies rockin’ with Neil Young, so here we go again:

“Age has no reality except in the physical world. The essence of a human being is resistant to the passage of time. Our inner lives are eternal, which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we were in full bloom. Think of love as a state of grace, not the means to anything, but the alpha and omega. An end in itself.”

― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Chole

So, I made it to seventy; let’s see how far I can go. I’m feeling good (this morning’s BP was 120/68), and I’m still enjoying beer life, so I’m optimistic about the future, unknown though it may be. Only way to find out is to live it while you got it, and that’s my plan. Thanks for coming along for the ride here at LTG.

Party prep is in full swing around here this morning. The kitchen is full of Swan’s family members preparing a smorgasbord of dining options, and Swan is at the party venue decorating. I hope the turnout this afternoon (we start at 4 p.m.) warrants the time, effort, and money invested in this event. We shall see, but I’ll be downing Zero’s, eating, and enjoying the beach vibe no matter what.

My Facebook has been exploding with birthday greetings from friends far and near, and it is nice to be remembered. All the folks I’ve been supporting have made sure to remind me that my help is greatly appreciated, and they hope I continue to prosper with a long life. Maybe the sweetest message was from Ericka, the young college student I’ve been assisting with school expenses (and briefly dated a while back):

Anyway, when I moved to the Philippines, one of my goals was to make life better for some, and I’ve accomplished that. School money for a kid in Bohol, help for a cancer patient in Manila, monthly support for the mountain mama here in Barretto, the aforementioned Ericka, and the street dweller I call “mama” are the main recipients of my charity budget. See, I don’t even count those teeth I’m rotting amongst the local children. Anyway, the point is my life isn’t entirely pointless. It is good to make a difference, even in a small way.

In other news, my caregiver/helper, Teri, will be departing my employ tomorrow. She’s been with me since I first arrived in the PI over seven years ago. Teri needs to return to Manila to care for her parents, and I’m sure they will be in good hands. I’ll miss having Teri around to make my life easy, but Swan has taken on the task of finding a replacement.

Okay, let me share some photos from my final day as a sixty-nine-year-old.

It was still too early to go home, even by my low standards, so we paid the very rare visit to Snackbar on our way home.

When the birthday morning dawned, everyone got back to work.

I’m honored that so many are working so hard to make the start of my seventieth year a special one. I’ll share the results in tomorrow’s post.

In a Memorial Day post from May 2012 of the LTG archives, I shared the story of my Great Uncle Frank (grandmom’s brother), who lost his life in the final days of WWII. As my grandmother Pernie used to say about “blood and guts” General Patton: Patton’s guts, Frank’s blood.

In a coincidence I didn’t remember, I celebrated my birthday four years ago at the eatery I’d helped my former girlfriend open, which was located at the same venue we are using for tonight’s celebration. We expect Marissa’s twin sister will be attending tonight to add to the old times flavor.

If you’ve been looking for an update on the asshole vlogger, Vitaly, here you go. He’s screwed, and he knows it, and no one seems to care. FAFO defined.

As usual, we’ll close with me trying to be funny:

An old cowboy wandered into a Starbucks one afternoon, ordered himself a black coffee, and settled into a corner seat. He leaned back, tipped his hat up, and took a slow, contented sip.

Before long, a young woman sat beside him and asked, “Excuse me, sir—are you a real cowboy?”

The old man thought for a moment and replied, “Well, I reckon so. I’ve spent my whole life ridin’ horses, herdin’ cattle, mendin’ fences, brandin’ calves, sleepin’ out under the stars, and workin’ the land. So yeah, I suppose you could call me a cowboy.”

The young woman smiled and said, “I’m a lesbian. Pretty much all I ever think about is women—when I wake up, when I shower, when I eat, when I work… it’s always women on my mind.”

The cowboy gave a respectful nod, and they both went back to their drinks.

A little while later, another man came in, took the seat on the cowboy’s other side, and asked, “So, are you a real cowboy?”

The old man paused, stared into his coffee, and said, “Well… I always thought I was. But after today… I think I might actually be a lesbian.”

I’ve been a lesbian trapped in a man’s body since I was a teenager. I love women!

Anyway, you are only as old as you feel. I’m not sure what that makes me, but I don’t feel seventy.

That’s the plan, and y’all thought I had no goals! I’m beginning to wonder if this old blog will die before I do; readership is down 50% from six months ago. Yeah, I get it. When you have seen it all repeatedly, what’s the point of seeing it again? Anyway, posting here daily is one of my routines, and I plan to keep on keepin’ on until there’s nothing left to say, even if there is no one who wants to hear (or read) about it. Fair enough?

There was really nothing special about yesterday (other than surviving), although there was a bit of a surprise along the way. Stick around, I’ll get to that.

At the appointed hour, I embarked on the weekly Hideaway feeding.

And then I was in for a surprise. As I was preparing to pay my tab and head out, suddenly the music changed. The next thing I knew, the staff was serenading me with the “Happy Birthday” song.

Wow! I wasn’t expecting that. I had a small piece to be polite, then hightailed it out to John’s place, where Swan was awaiting my arrival.

After our Han-Mex fusion dinner, we had a drink at Red Bar. We had planned on a nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks, but once again, the bar was closed. So, we paid the rare visit to Annex Bar instead.

Un día más ha terminado.

Sadly, life has now come to an end for a long-time member of the local expat community.

We’ve progressed to April 2012 in the LTG archives, and I enjoyed reliving a memory of what a day I deemed “close enough to perfect” was like in the Itaewon chapter of The Story of My Life.

I finally broke down and watched a YouTube video discussing this object hurtling through our solar system that may or may not be an alien spacecraft. I remain unconvinced and will not be updating my list of ways I’m likely to die just yet.

As always, I’ll try to leave you with a smile:

And that’s the way it is. Another Hash Monday has arrived, and while walking the dogs, I saw the Hares this morning marking the trail, which passes through Alta Vista. I guess I’ll find out soon enough where it goes. I will tell you all about it tomorrow, provided I survive.

So you live from day to day,
And you dream about tomorrow

And the hours go by like minutes
And the shadows come to stay
So you take a little something
To make them go away

I could have done so many things, baby
If I could only stop my mind
From wonderin' what I left behind
And from worrying 'bout this wasted time

Will the circle be unbroken? It’s doubtful. In this life of routines I’m living, what you see is what you get. And not to be a drama queen about it, but the introspection I’m experiencing as I approach my seventieth year has been keeping me awake at night. So many doors get slammed shut as we journey through life, and now, as I approach the final chapter, I’ve come to realize I’ve run out of doors to the future. This life I’m living may well be my best option, but more and more I’m seeing it as the only option. I’m blessed to be living comfortably in my dotage with a woman who seems to genuinely care for me, so I’ve got nothing to complain about. If I have truly learned any life lesson, it would be to live in the moment and truly appreciate the life you have. Looking back at what you had and lost is pointless. It’s easier not to look ahead now that all I have to look forward to is the end. So, here we are. Live it and love it!

My Saturday routine includes the Candy Walk, which I recently moved from Sunday, so as not to upset the church Karen, who disapproves of gifting sweet treats to children. Even without the Sunday School kids, we emptied our satchels containing 270 candy bags on our trek yesterday.

I’m always mocking the litter culture here in the Philippines. Yesterday, it seemed like it was mocking me back.

When the time came to mosey into town for some Saturday evening enjoyment, we kicked things off at Sloppy Joe’s. When the urge to eat came upon me, I told Swan she ought to try the birria tacos at Myleen’s. She was up for that, so off we went.

During dinner, an old friend of Swan’s contacted her and advised that she was back in town from Manila for a visit. We invited her to join us at Green Room.

Does she look familiar?

The woman with us last night is Marissa’s identical twin sister, Marilyn. It was funny when Chu, our waitress at Green Room, saw Marilyn because she thought it was Marissa, who had worked at Green Room for a while. Good times!

I’m getting out of my lane posting about punctuation, but here goes anyway:

Today’s entry from the March 2012 LTG archives tells the story of how I acquired a treadmill in Korea. The interesting part was about getting it home. As an added bonus, you can see one of Jee Yeun’s specialties, the eggaburger. That’s what she called it anyway.

Next up, let’s tune in as The Filipina Pea brings you some unique news insights from the Philippines. The adultery law doesn’t apply to me because my wife is a Korean.

Speaking of laws, I read today that the US Congress has proposed legislation that, if passed, would limit overseas call centers. That’s a big industry here in the Philippines. A Filipino formerly employed in the industry weighs in on the matter here.

Alrighty, now we get to the funny business:

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

Between the lines of age. Yep, I made it through another day, and here I am to tell you about it. Nope, nothing worthy of note happened, but that’s never stopped me. It’s not wasted time if you get some enjoyment out of what you are doing. Yes, I’m still struggling with the implications of the impending milestone of seventy, but one thing I’m sure about–getting older beats the alternative.

I’m happy to report this blog has some value as grist for the mill in Kevin Kim’s new Substack site, Tasty Grammar. And least this time I wasn’t the bad example he used, he just found it here at LTG. Go give it a read and subscribe if you like it.

The Friday group hikers, all four of us, decided to Jeepney out to SBMA for a wet day walkaround. Despite some sprinkles, I never felt the need to open my umbrella. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that some fucker almost killed me with his crazy driving on the wrong side of the road (so much for walking facing traffic), but other than that, it was a pleasant hike.

We opted not to attend the SOB this week. It seems pointless with only four bars competing these days, and some of those put forth little effort in their performances. We just did our own thing, hanging out at Sloppy Joe’s for a bit, then having dinner at Jewel Cafe.

We did our nightcap at It Doesn’t Matter and had a pleasant visit before bringing another day to an end.

Back when I was living in South Carolina, Cracker Barrel was one of my favorites, especially for breakfast. It was a little sad to read about them going down the woke pathway that ultimately leads to failure.

Speaking of the internet, I’ve reached March 2012 in my journey through the LTG archives. In this post, I talk about how blogs I started reading after 9/11 changed my perspectives and opened my eyes to the lies of the MSM. I haven’t voted for a Democrat since.

Facebook memories reminded me of the night ten years ago when I was taken by Storm.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about age gap relationships, focusing on the one he shares with his wife. Now, meeting a woman in her twenties (or, yikes!, late teens) is one thing. I have a thirty-year age gap with Swan, but she was nearing forty when we got together. She’d pretty much figured it all out by then, and there are not many lessons for me to teach. I learned something new today: Reekay believes learning something new every day is essential. Well, I don’t adhere to that doctrine. At this point in life, I’m trying hard not to forget the things I already do know. My old line about “I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know” may be coming back to bite me.

Let’s close the gap between funny and not:

Alright then, let’s keep moving forward between those lines of age.

By the way, today’s song is from the album “Harvest,” one of my favorites back in high school. When I took over as editor of the high school paper called “The Scroll,” I convinced my fellow classmate journalists to change the name.

I had a beach of a day yesterday, which is always a good thing. The group hike with the Wednesday Walkers was also nice.

We took a Jeepney ride out to the Philseco side of Subic and started our walkabout there.

So, I saw a post on Facebook promoting Kokomo’s on Baloy Beach. I sent a message and confirmed that the Tiki beach bar was open again after a long hiatus. So, I decided a surprise beach walk for Swan was in order.

After having our fill at Kokomo’s, we strolled up the beach for dinner at Treasure Island.

And, brace yourselves, last night I finally gave Swan a ring.

It was a fine day, indeed! You might even say it was a red-letter day. Well, red number, anyway.

It is now February 2012 in the LTG archives. After a year in the USA, I rejoined Jee Yeun back in Korea. It was the first time back since I retired, and I no longer had commissary privileges on base. In this post, I share my experience shopping at a Korean grocery store.

Today’s YouTube video is one of those walking around town and talking about it types. The vlogger lives in Cebu, a city I’ve visited a few times and briefly considered as a retirement destination, but I wisely made Olongapo my home. To each his own.

And now let me try and be funny:

Oh, well. We can try again tomorrow.