I’m sure I must have mentioned the unruly dogs down the street from me. It got to the point where I’ve been forced to carry a stick with me to fend them off as I pass by. Swan and some of the neighbors even filed a complaint with the Barangay to no avail. The owner has a fenced yard, but more often than not, left the dogs outside to harass passersby. Honestly, I had seriously considered paying someone to poison the dogs because they were a danger to others (at least two neighbors have been bitten in the past). I never followed through on that plan because I didn’t want to risk running afoul of the law or being deported. So, I was surprised to see this when walking by yesterday morning:

For my Thursday walk, I joined Swan on an excursion to the Subic market. Naturally, we brought some sweets to hand out along the way.

I knew Swan would be wanting to get her beach fixation satiated, so I offered her the choice of Baloy or Kon-Tiki. She chose Baloy, but as we were walking, she changed her mind. We’d usually take a Jeepney to get to Kon-Tiki, but a trike driver called out as we approached the highway, offering us a ride. Hell, why not? We get in and start on our way, and I see Mama, the homeless umbrella lady I’ve been helping some since before I moved here. I had the driver stop, reached for my wallet, and it wasn’t in my pocket. Swan had a hundred pesos and gave it to my Mama. I knew I had refilled my wallet after my shower, so I figured I must have left it on the dresser. So, we had the trike driver take us back to the house. On the way, I checked my other pocket (one I never use), and I’ll be damned, but there was my wallet. Fuck, I should be President! So, we had the driver turn around once more, and we completed our journey to Samba Resort without further incident.

We both ordered the fajitas for our evening meal…chicken for me, shrimp for Swan.

When we arrived, the chef greeted us and said he had seen us hiking on the highway that morning. Ah, life in a small town, even when you are out of town.

We did our nightcap at The Green Room. Lady drinks for Chu and Sally, a wine for Swan, and some more beers for me. Headed for home around eight after a full and satisfying day in the life.

Here is what the day cost me:

• Charity: 2300 pesos (candy for the Sunday Candy Walk)
• Alcohol: 1425 pesos (my beer, Swan’s wine)
• Dinner: 675 pesos
• Trike Fare: 450 pesos
• Lady Drinks: 370 pesos
• Tips: 325 pesos
• Total for October 3: 5545 pesos

I also received the results of my echocardiogram. Obviously, I’m not qualified to interpret them, but I’m seeing the word “mild” a lot, and I hope that’s a good sign. I’ll be going back to the referring cardiologist next week to see what it all means.

Twelve years ago, I was living my darting life in Columbia, South Carolina:

It’s always amazing to me to look back at what I thought would be my life until, suddenly, it wasn’t. I guess that’s a lot like dying.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t normally follow, but the title of this one caught my eye. Koreans have pretty much taken over the bar scene in Angeles City, and a lot of the Western expats there don’t like that fact. Here in Barretto, the only Koreans I see are the occasional tourists. They seem to be generous and popular with the girls. Now, that said, when I lived in Korea, I met Filipinas who worked for assholes, or worse, married them. I’d also occasionally encounter the “Koreans Only” signage at nightspots. Didn’t bother me much; I don’t want to go where I’m not wanted. I will always remember my girlfriend Eun Oke ending our relationship because I wanted to retire and move to a “poor country.” I’m not sure that qualifies as “looking down” on Filipinos, though. I have no other data points to consider, so I’m going to just say that some Koreans may think Filipinos are inferior, but no more so than other nationalities. Assholes abound, but the good outweighs the bad.

Hopefully, here’s something you can smile about:

I’m going to skip the SOB this week. Instead, I’ll check out what’s happening on Baloy Beach. It’s been a while since my last visit. See you here tomorrow.

Those hours aren’t just going to fill themselves. Here’s how I spent my time yesterday.

A little rain isn’t going to stop the Wednesday Walkers from their appointed rounds. I needed my umbrella on the way to the start, but once it was time to hit the trail, the rain ended. The biggest challenge was picking a route that wouldn’t be a complete bore. I decided we’d had enough street walks lately, so I led the group on a familiar route into the hills, but one we hadn’t done recently. This time of year, the tall and wild thatch grass creates a problem, and yesterday was no exception. We pushed on through it, and my hike mates all said they enjoyed the trek.

I seem to have forgotten to photograph our descent into Marian Hills, but it was uneventful.

The hill climbs during the hike weren’t as challenging as Kalaklan, but going up is never easy for my tired old body. That said, I didn’t suffer over much, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I didn’t exceed my recommended maximum heart rate.

Later in the afternoon, it was time to head into town to spend some money.

I had an SOB coupon for “buy one, take one” at Alaska Club, so that was our next stop. Damn, those coupons always wind up costing me a lot of money.

We went next door to Wet Spot for our nightcap. There were no other customers there, either. I treated Irene (our regular waitress) to a lady drink and enjoyed my final beers of the night (Swan had had enough wine and switched to water). We ordered some Sit-n-Bull food to bring home (and some lumpia for the Wet Spot girls). Owner Dave arrived, we exchanged greetings, and he bought me a beer. Then the food was delivered, so we called our trike driver, and headed home to eat.

And I filled the rest of my Wednesday hours with some well-earned sleep.

So, let’s see how much money I spent yesterday:

• Meat: 6000 pesos (ribeye steaks, ground beef, pork chops, bacon)
• Prescription Meds: 1600
• Alcohol: 1380 pesos (my beer, Swan’s wine)
• Dinner: 1200 pesos (including lumpia for our waitresses
• Tips: 660 pesos (300 for the Alaska dancers, the rest for our waitresses)
• Lady Drinks: 320 pesos (one in Alaska, one at Wet Spot)
• Snacks: 200 pesos (nuts for the bargirls from the peanut vendor)
• Trike Fare: 150 pesos
• Total for October 2: 11510 pesos

I spent a bit more than usual in the bars, but I was feeling generous for some reason. I guess the lack of customers made me feel sorry for the girls. We’ll see how it goes today.

Facebook memories carried me back fourteen years to my Seoul life:

Ah, ’tis the season for political bullshit:

Today’s YouTube video features Reekay sharing his views on what a good Filipina brings to the table. I can vouch for his accuracy. It took me almost six years, but I finally found one worth keeping. Now the challenge is to not fuck it up.

And now more of what passes for humor in my addled brain:

I’m not sure what’s next on my agenda, but it’s Thirstday, so I’ll do my best to quench it! I’ll be back tomorrow to let you know how it goes (and how much it costs me!).

Be it ever so humble and all, I never left the house yesterday. My landlord, Alicia, came up from Manila to collect the rent and have me sign a new lease on the house. So, this will be the Rite Spot for me for another year. Happy to be here! Alicia brought her sister and son along and we gave them all a good feeding before they headed back home. I had set things up to eat on the roof, but just before the food was served, it started raining again. So, we all retreated downstairs and enjoyed our meal in the dining room.

After my guests had departed and I’d completed my chores (blogging and napping), I decided to spend the remains of the day at home.

So, that’s how I spent the day. Here’s how I spent the money:

• Income: 365,000 pesos (my monthly pension deposit)
• Rent: 38,000 pesos
• Caregiver/Domestic Helper salary: 26,000 pesos
• Swan’s allowance: 16,000 pesos
• Charity: 12,000 (the monthly allotment for the Mountain Mama family I support)
• Total October 1 expenditures: 92,000 pesos

On to the memories. I inadvertently came across a 2006 post titled “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” that nicely captures the life I was living in Itaewon all those years ago. I was shocked to recall that there was a time in my life when I wasn’t going to bed at nine p.m. That night ended with dinner at McDonald’s at three in the morning. And lots of fun and adventure that led me there. Wow.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is a follow-up story about the jobless folks she set up with a business. I admire the effort. Time will tell if it is successful, but at least she provided an opportunity for these folks to help themselves. Long-time readers may recall that I helped my ex-girlfriend Marissa open a food business. It failed after a few months, but I have no regrets.

Humor time:

That one just reminded me of this old video of a Korean woman teaching how to say “Coke” in English.

Anyway, it’s time to move on with my Wednesday evening plans. I don’t really have any, but I’m sure whatever I do will involve cold beverages—other than Coke.

Nothing special, a few beers, dinner at John’s place, then a few more beers. Home by eight and in bed at nine. That’s how this old man rolls these days.

If you follow my routines, you will have noticed that there was a bit of a shakeup. We usually have Sunday dinner at John’s, but we are joining the neighbors next door for a dinner party tonight, so we changed the date for dining out. Yep, more evidence that I can still be a wild and crazy guy when circumstances warrant!

We had originally planned on doing a foot spa, but when we arrived at the salon, it was busy, and I didn’t feel like waiting around. Swan said we could do it another time. We crossed the highway and sat in the outdoor area of the Red Star bar, Barretto’s newest drinking venue. Well, the ownership is new, but the bar isn’t. It was formerly Roadhouse. And before that, Blue Butterfly. When I first moved here, it was Toucan. I guess reincarnation really is a thing.

After Swan finished her glass of wine, we headed to John’s for dinner. John wasn’t there when we arrived; we were also the only customers. As is our custom, we moved up to the open-air third floor to enjoy our dining experience.

I was a little disappointed to see my sandwich served on a bun instead of a roll. The meat was as good as usual, though. Coincidentally, Facebook memories showed me the Philly cheesesteak I had one year ago:

We ran into John as we were leaving. He was coming back from his dialysis treatment and was being helped up the stairs. He looked much better than he did last week, so hopefully, his progress will continue.

We went to Green Room for our nightcap and had a pleasant enough time interacting with our regulars there. Then we called for our trike, got picked up at the front door, and made it home safe and sound. Exciting shit, eh?

Speaking of memories, nine years ago, I was enjoying a night on the town in Itaewon:

Commenter Brian suggested I consider taking Swan on a visit to Korea. I think that would be fun.

Today’s YouTube video features The Filipina Pea talking about poverty in the Philippines. Well, she is doing more than talking about it; she is trying to lend a hand up (versus a hand out) to those most in need. You can’t help everyone, that’s true, but making a difference for some is a start. I respect her efforts.

Humor time:

And now what? I’m going to do the Sunday feeding at Hideaway, then come back home in time for the dinner party next door at five p.m. I’m bringing banana-nut muffins for the girls and brownies for the neighbors. My driver is picking me up bright and early at seven in the morning to take me to the heart clinic in Angeles City. After I’m done with the heart shit, I’m going to do the weekly shopping at S&R (the Philippines version of Costco) in AC. Hopefully, I’ll be back home in time for the Hash run at 2 p.m. I’m not seeing much space in that schedule for blogging, but I’ll do my best to get something up for my faithful few readers. If I fail, there is always Tuesday.

Perhaps the awareness that something you enjoy has an undetermined expiration date makes you appreciate it all the more. There was nothing all that special about yesterday’s group hike other than it felt greater than usual to be out and about. I even enjoyed appreciated the relatively big hill climb we undertook. The fact that I’m feeling stronger these days contributes to the overall enhanced satisfaction with my walking adventures. Hopefully, I’ll have many more hikes like this one to come.

Next on my Friday agenda was attending the SOB dance competition at Queen Victoria Bar. I arrived early to secure a good seat for Swan and me. I was a little surprised that beers were 120 pesos at QV, among the highest in town. When the show started at six and drinks were free, they wouldn’t serve Swan wine, saying it wasn’t a “local drink.” No problem, we just won’t attend a QV SOB in the future. Other than that, it was pretty much the same as always. I was a judge again, and my top four choices were all called up on stage at the conclusion of the competition. The other judges disagreed with my rankings, however.

At the conclusion of the event, I was more than ready to head home, and that is just what we did.

Facebook had a surprise for me this morning:

What’s the fuss all about?

I submitted an appeal as a matter of principle, but I don’t expect favorable consideration. Here it is:

Facebook deleted my photo and restricted my access, claiming I violated community standards based on a display of nudity. The picture was taken in the Philippines, where I reside. It was taken during our weekly “candy walk” when my girlfriend gave treats to the poor children in a nearby community. I was frankly shocked to be notified of my alleged violation because I hadn’t seen any “nudity” when I took the photo. These are very young children, and it was a hot and rainy day. Guess what? In the Philippines, kids of both genders don’t routinely wear shirts when playing outdoors. If you saw mothers hand washing clothes in a bucket, you’d perhaps understand why wearing tops on a hot and wet day is not a normal practice. Again, the kids in question were outdoors playing when we walked by and gathered around my girlfriend when she offered them some treats. It’s a sad day when an act of charity like this gets you suspended on Facebook. I also think it disrespects the cultural norms of the Philippines. Not everyone lives in a rich country. Poor children can be happy children. Why anyone on Facebook would see these young people and think of nudity is pretty disgusting. Yes, a couple of girls are without tops, but they are not exposing breasts because they don’t have any. I think the decision to punish me reflects poorly on Facebook.

I appreciate your consideration of my appeal.

I can still access my Facebook memories. Here’s one from eleven years ago.

Today’s YouTube video has a vlogger listing his top five choices of places in the Philippines to retire. As I say, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve been to four of the five he cites, and they all get a big “no, thank you!” from me. Manila? Seriously? What a shithole. The first time I visited Cebu, I liked it, but a few years later, it was a mess just like Manila. Davao and Baguio have some pluses, but both are isolated and have Nazi-like mayors (I’m glad I wasn’t in either place during the scamdemic). Nope, I made the right choice for me when I picked Olongapo. No regrets.

How about some humor?

That’s all I have for today. I’m scheduled to travel to Angeles City on Monday morning for additional heart scans. It will be good to know the way ahead.

The big happening for me yesterday was a visit to the cardiologist, Dr. Lacanin. I spent nearly an hour in her company as she took my history, reviewed my meds, and inquired about my symptoms and heart-related issues. We also discussed the echocardiogram results, the implications associated with aortic valve stenosis, and the way forward from here.

The bottom line is that what ails me is pretty common in old fuckers like myself and will likely continue to get worse as I age. The most disconcerting moment during the appointment was when she started diagraming my problem and then listed various symptoms numerically.

So, once Dr. Lacanin had the symptoms listed numerically, she explained that patients demonstrating the issues in #3 had a life expectancy of three years, those with the #2 symptoms averaged two years of life, and anyone suffering the #1 listings could expect to die in a year. “So, you are telling me I’ve got at most three years to live?” I exclaimed. No, she assured me that wasn’t the case if I took steps now to control my condition to keep it from getting worse. She talked about surgical options for correction I could pursue if that becomes necessary. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.

Dr. Lacanin is not convinced that the ECG result showing mild to moderate aortic synopsis is accurate. She also wants additional data on the aortic blockage (it was 20% back then) I was diagnosed with ten years ago. She suggested I get these tests done at a hospital that specializes in heart health care. She mentioned one in Manila, but when she saw my reaction to traveling that far to a city I despise, she offered a closer alternative in Angeles City. I can go for that. Next up is scheduling the stress test, which Dr. Lacanin will set up.

The other thing we discussed was my heart rate. I guess my low resting heart rate truly is something to be proud of. I told her the bpm really goes up quickly when I hike, with 100 on a flat walk being the average and rising from there when I hit a hill. I asked Dr. Lacanin what my maximum rate should be, and she suggested around 140, but the 120-130 range was best. Good to know. I watched my heart rate throughout this morning’s hike, which included a lengthy climb.

And that’s where things stand with me and my broken heart.

I came home after my doctor’s appointment and stayed here. It seemed like the right time to spend time at The Rite Spot. It had been sunny all day, but then, shortly before I was planning to head for the roof, a rainstorm came out of nowhere.

I had my cooler of beer with me. Then I set up the music speaker (my country music playlist), turned on the fan, and settled into my rocking chair to watch the remains of the day.

I didn’t spend all my time at The Rite Spot alone. Swan had family members visiting, so everyone convened on the roof for dinner.

And I ended the day feeling good to be alive.

And then there are the memories:

Gotta keep pounding on those drums with the future of the USA to be decided in six weeks.

Today’s YouTube video from Reekay tells the story of importing a bargirl from Angeles City. It brought back some memories of my days as a tourist and feeling sorry for the girls. I sponsored one to attend caregiver training. She completed the program, quit the bars, married an Australian, and lived happily ever after. The poor sap in this video got snookered by an eighteen-year-old. Get a grip, guys.

Things I found funny on the internet:

I’m going to do the SOB thing at Queen Victoria this evening. I’ll tell you about that and today’s hike tomorrow. Thanks for coming by!

It's like I'm sitting at a bus stop waiting for a train
Exactly how I got here is hard to explain
My heart's in the right place, what's left of it I guess
My heart ain't the problem, it's my mind that's a total mess
With these rickety old legs and watery eyes
It's hard to believe that I could pass for anybody's prize
Here's what I know about the gifts that God gave
You can't take 'em with you when you go to the grave

It ain't over yet, ask someone who ought to know
Not so very long ago we were both hung out to dry
It ain't over yet, you can mark my word
I don't care what you think you heard, we're still learning how to fly
It ain't over yet

For fools like me who were built for the chase
Takes the right kind of woman to help you put it all in place
It only happened once in my life, but man you should have seen
Her hair two shades of foxtail red, her eyes some far out sea blue green
I got caught up making a name for myself, you know what that's about
One day your ship comes rolling in and the next day it rolls right back out
You can't take for granted none of this shit
The higher up you fly boys, the harder you get hit

It ain't over yet, I'll say this about that
You can get up off the mat or you can lay there till you die
It ain't over yet, here's the truth my friend
You can't pack it in and we both know why
It ain't over yet

Silly boys blind to get there first
Think of second chances as some kind of curse
I've known you forever and ever it's true
If you came by it easy, you wouldn't be you
Make me laugh, you make me cry, you make me forget myself

Back when down on my luck kept me up for days
You were there with the right word to help me crawl out of the maze
And when I almost convinced myself I was hipper than thou
You stepped up with a warning shot fired sweet and low across the bow
No you don't walk on water and your sarcasm stings
But the way you move through this old world sure makes a case for angel wings
I was halfway to the bottom when you threw me that line
I quote you now verbatim, "Get your head out of your own behind"

It ain't over yet, what you wanna bet
One more cigarette ain't gonna send you to the grave
It ain't over yet, I've seen your new girlfriend
Thinks you're the living end, great big old sparkle in her eye
It ain't over yet

So, the Wednesday Walkers had a relatively tame and sane morning hike out Subic town way. Here’s how that looked:

When beer o’clock rolled around, Swan and I headed into town and started the good times at BarCelona.

We did our nightcap downstairs at Green Room, ordered some takeout from Sit-n-Bull, and made it an early night. No one got floored this time! Sorry for the misleading title of this post, but you don’t have to be crazy to have fun. Right?

In the memory category, I came across a post from April 2020 while checking to make sure today’s title hadn’t been used before. It was about life early in the COVID lockdowns. Talk about crazy days!

And there was this from my Facebook feed two years ago:

Today’s YouTube video features The Filipina Pea interviewing a massage therapist. In my single days, I never used the parlors. Lots of gals provided the service at my home. It was nice having “friends with benefits.”

Here’s some crazy humor for you:

I’m still digesting what the cardiologist said today, but I’ll make a full report on that tomorrow. Some additional tests are in my future, and she also modified my daily prescription medication intake. Let’s see how long she can keep me alive! In the meantime, I think today is a good day to pass the hours up at The Rite Spot On The Roof. And that’s just what I’m going to do. You can’t get much less crazy than that!

Well, not that much sun, but a rain-free day was still a nice change of pace. We put the dogs on a leash and gave them a proper walking. And then we loaded up the candy and headed out to sweeten the day of the kiddies in San Isidro.

The plan was to cross over the new temporary bridge, just like we did last week. Three weeks ago, it washed away during the first big storm of the season but was quickly rebuilt so the residents of this area would have vehicle access. I thought they did a better job on the rebuild than the original structure, but it seems that it was not good enough.

Later in the day, I made the cross-town walk to Hideaway for the weekly feeding ritual. Once again, there were several other customers in the bar when I arrived. One of them even bought me a beer! It’s good to see owner Griff turning things around there.

Then, it was time to cross the highway and meet Swan for dinner at John’s place. John was sitting in his recliner strategically located behind the bar. We briefly chatted, and he was happy to have survived the public hospital ordeal. John commented that he never thought he would live to see the day when his wife had to wipe his butt for him, but he is glad that she is willing to do so. The doctor told him he’d be able to walk again with some physical therapy. Before I departed for the third floor, John told the waitress to make sure there was plenty of wine in stock for Swan. He also told me that I could just sign the bill for my dinner, and he’d deduct that amount from the money I loaned him. Works for me.

In another demonstration of our compatibility, Swan and I both craved the same dinner selection.

After dinner, we again planned to make The Green Room our nightcap destination. Alas, once again, it was too crowded for us to sit comfortably. So, Wet Spot it was.

When it was time to go, we called our personal trike driver to meet us out front and take us home. That’s just the way we roll!

Eight years ago, I was living a completely different life.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about the relationship theories contained in the book “The Rational Male” by Rollo Tomassi. I’ve never heard of the book or the author, but I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise, given my lifetime of love trainwrecks. It’s a short ten-minute watch and the concepts seem like common sense. But when it comes to relationships, how common is sense?

Maybe you’ll like these:

So, another Hash Monday has arrived. And by golly, we actually do have sunny skies today! I’m going to walk to the start, which will include a couple of small hills and see how I feel after that. I’ve been monitoring my heart rate on my walks, and if I exceed my maximum recommended BPM during the Hash, I’ll head for flat ground. I’m good at shortcutting. Swan is going to join me today on the Hash, so that will be nice. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

And “The First Time Hearing It” take:

I’ve had sadder days, but my Saturday was just fine, thank you. Swan had a meat delivery to make in Barretto, so she joined me for my morning walk. I think I’ve mentioned before that Swan has a little sideline business where she orders meat from a distributor in Angeles City and has it delivered to our door for free. Then, Swan fills the orders of her customers. I get most of my meat through her these days (and she gets all of mine!). Swan being Swan, we took along some candy to hand out along the way. It was pretty much my standard street stroll, so there wasn’t much new or interesting to photograph. Here’s what I got:

What’s there to do on a wet Saturday evening? Well, the bars, of course. And it had been days since I’d last visited one. Well, I missed Friday anyway. There was no point in going to the beach in this weather, but honestly, I was in the mood for something a little different. And then I thought of Mugshots. It is a very nice place I rarely visit for some reason, but we rectified that yesterday. I reviewed Mugshots back when it first opened two years ago. It’s been remodeled a lot since then. Most of the dining tables are gone, and so is the singing platform. There’s also a pool table now. The woman I thought was a lesbian when I did my review is still there and it turns out she’s the owner’s wife. Oops, my bad!  

We had friendly service last night, and despite being an infrequent visitor, the staff all knew me by name. The kitchen is still open, and we gave the food a try.

The food was quite good for pub fare. We arrived right when they opened at five, but several more customers came in within the hour, so they appeared to be doing well. I’ll try and visit more frequently in the future.

We were going to hit The Green Room for our nightcap, but as we approached, someone called out to us from Sloppy Joe’s. Dave’s wife Jo and her friend Grace invited us to join them while they awaited Dave’s arrival. Jo and Swan are old buddies, so I got to sit at a table full of women speaking in Tagalog until Dave arrived. After a glass of wine and a couple more beers, we headed next door. Green Room was too busy for my taste, so we continued on to Wet Spot for our final drinks of the evening.

When it was time to head home, we faced a small dilemma at the trike stand. They operate on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, but sometimes the trike at the head of the queue is too small for my fat body to squeeze in comfortably. I always feel bad about telling the guy who’s been waiting the longest no thanks, especially since the drivers all know I overpay for my ride. Then Swan remembered we had gotten the phone number for the driver of a comfortable trike, and she gave him a call. Sure enough, he was in the lineup at Wet Spot, so we had him pick us up in front of Sit-n-Bull—no drama and a comfortable ride home.

And that’s how we rolled through Saturday.

I’m far from a genius, but this one was easy enough to figure out:

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is about whether Filipinos prefer American or Chinese interventions. It seems that most of them know who their friend is.

And now for the funny stuff:

The morning Candy Walk is done. Next up, a feeding at Hideaway, then dinner with Swan at John’s place. And the wheel in the sky keeps on turning.

Yesterday’s consult with Dr. DeLeon went fine. She explained the basics of aortic stenosis and some of the ramifications of that diagnosis.

So anyway, Dr. DeLeon was being careful about not stepping out of her lane as a pulmonary specialist, saying the cardiologist I’m scheduled to see next week can better explain treatment options, medications, and the way ahead. She did render the judgment that this condition is the likely cause of my breathing difficulties. As I understood her explanation, the oxygenated blood from my lungs is restricted by the stenosis from entering the heart, creating a lung backup.

Aortic valve stenosis ranges from mild to severe. Symptoms generally occur when narrowing of the valve is severe. Some people with aortic valve stenosis may not have symptoms for many years.

Symptoms of aortic valve stenosis may include:

• An irregular heart sound (heart murmur) heard through a stethoscope
• Chest pain (angina) or tightness with activity
• Feeling faint or dizzy or fainting with activity
• Shortness of breath, especially with activity
• Fatigue, especially during times of increased activity
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeat (palpitations)
• Not eating enough (mainly in children with aortic valve stenosis)
• Not gaining enough weight (mainly in children with aortic valve stenosis)

Aortic valve stenosis may lead to heart failure. Heart failure symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, and swollen ankles and feet.

On the one hand, the only aortic valve stenosis symptoms I’ve experienced are shortness of breath and fatigue. On the other hand, I’ve had all of the heart failure symptoms listed above. We’ll see what the cardiologist has to say about that.

Another thing about Dr. DeLeon: she’s young, smart (obviously), and has a sense of humor. And apparently, she enjoys reading fiction. I cracked up when I saw this book on her desk:

So, I aim to make it until next Thursday and see what I need to do to keep things from worsening. I’m going to keep it mostly flat on my hikes and monitor my heart rate so I don’t exceed my 128 bpm limit. At least I have an excuse to wimp out of the climbs on Monday’s Hash. We’ll see.

But enough about my health. Let’s talk about John, from the Sushi and Steak place I like to eat. He is still in the hospital. He posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a wheelchair and a four-leg walker he could use. I messaged him that I’d be willing to help him acquire something if he hadn’t found anything yet. John responded that he had gotten what he needed, but his problem now was they wouldn’t release him from the hospital until his bill was paid. Yeah, that’s how it works in the Philippines. And, of course, the bill keeps going up for every day they keep him there. I couldn’t afford to foot the whole bill, but I told him I’d make a contribution. So, when I was done with my medical shit yesterday, I went to John’s place to leave some cash with his wife. She was very appreciative, as was John, so hopefully, he’ll be out and about again soon. Swan and my helper/caregiver, Teri, accompanied me to the restaurant, and we had an early dinner together.

Dr. DeLeon prescribed me five days’ worth of steroids to tide me over, and after dinner, Teri went to fetch them at the drugstore. Swan and I proceeded to It Doesn’t Matter for some liquid refreshments, and then we had a nightcap at The Green Room.

It’s good to be alive. Let’s see how long I can keep it going!

I saw this today and thought, hey that shoe fits:

Might as well wear it:

What would Kamala say?

But enough about politics, let’s watch today’s YouTube video. Our vlogger exposes what he considers “lies” about the Philippines. Well, he’s been here two years, and I’ve been here six. Opinions vary, and disagreeing with someone doesn’t make it a lie. But whatever, he likes the food; some do, and some don’t. I agree with him about the PI being relatively safe. I sure as hell wouldn’t walk through slum villages in the USA. I still appreciate hearing different perspectives.

And now for what I call humor:

Alright, sorry for today’s late posting. We went all the way out to San Antonio for the Friday group rainy-day hike. We got back home later than usual, which threw me off schedule. I decided to say fuck-off to Friday in town and just chill at the house tonight. Swan is making some burritos for our dining pleasure. We’ll eat downstairs. The Rite Spot is closed due to inclement weather. And life goes on!

Yesterday was another windswept rainy day here in paradise, but that didn’t stop the Wednesday Walkers. The four of us in attendance deployed our umbrellas and embarked on a 7+K walk to Waltermart on the far side of Subic town. We enjoyed periodic breaks in the downpours, and once our feet were soaked, wading through puddles no longer mattered. That voice in my head had been screaming for me to bail out and shortcut since early in the hike, but I successfully ignored its entreaties. I’ve never paid attention to my heart rate while hiking, but I was curious how my damaged blood pump was doing on this mostly flat walk. According to my Fitbit, walking at a thirteen-minute kilometer pace had my heart beating around one hundred times a minute. During the one gentle uphill we encountered, I got up to 120. According to this website, the maximum for an old fart like me is around 128. So, I was in the zone, but yesterday’s adventure was nothing like those hard climbs at the Hash. One more thing to keep my eye on, I guess.  

The rain kept coming and going all afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from heeding the call of beer o’clock. That’s why God created umbrellas, right? First stop, BarCelona.

I ran into a guy I know there, and he introduced me to his friend. This friend is in the process of opening a new bar in Barretto (the former McArthur’s) and a resort on Baloy Beach. I wished him well and dropped a big hint about opening a beach bar at his resort location. I’ll keep an eye out for the openings and do a review here.

Our next stop was the Green Room downstairs, and we had a pleasant visit there as usual. We did our nightcap at Wet Spot and ordered takeout from Sit-n-Bull for dinner at home.

And that’s the way I rolled through another Wednesday.

Way back in 2007, I was feeling the blues at 3 Alley Pub in Itaewon, Seoul. As I recall, a gal I had been crushing on showed up with another guy and was playing kissy-face with him across the table from me.

This was also in my Facebook memories feed, but it rings as true now as it ever did.

Today’s YouTube video tells the story of an expat in trouble for a crime he didn’t know was a crime (neither did I): he kicked his girlfriend out of his condo. Swan is the first gal I’ve lived with here, and as I like to tease, she came with the house.

The vlogger gives all the background you need in the video above, but if you want to hear more of the story, here’s the original video he references.

Thousands of comedians out of work, and I’M trying to be funny:

Okay, it’s time for me to get ready to have my consultation with the doctor about my heart. I’ll share what I learn tomorrow.

And as an added bonus, here is one of those first reaction to this song videos:

Another Tuesday is in the books. The exclamation point of the day was finding out something is wrong with my heart. The doctor who performed the echocardiogram wasn’t that great at English (or I wasn’t good at discerning her words), but she said something about the left side of the heart being the most important and that there were three arteries that bring oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. It seems that one of mine isn’t doing its job. Whatever the hell that means.

Interestingly (to me), it was just a little over ten years ago that I was diagnosed with a 50% blockage in one of my arteries. I don’t know if this latest development is related to that or if it is something else entirely. I’m going back to the pulmonary doctor who referred me for the ECG tomorrow for her review of the results and guidance on what happens next. The cardiologist mentioned something about a “treadmill,” which I assume means a stress test. I’m not sure if this latest diagnosis is pertinent to my breathing issues or not. Anyway, we shall see.

I got the grocery shopping done before the hospital visit and spent a hundred bucks less than last week. The ECG was 4000 pesos, so I finished in the black.

When I got home from the hospital visit, Swan had my lunch ready:

So, I decided that staying home last night was The Rite Spot to be.

Fired up some music on the speaker box, sat in my rocking chair, and watched the daylight go away.

And then Swan called me down for supper.

Spent some rare time in front of the TV, but didn’t see anything worth mentioning. I’m too lazy to start another multi-season series, and I don’t have the attention span to sit through a two-hour movie. Instead, I watch crap YouTube videos and waste my time. I need to do better.

And that was how I filled those Tuesday hours.

Two years ago, I posted this on Facebook:

Man, oh man, I’m making lefty heads explode with the Cat memes I’ve been posting on Facebook. To me, it’s a joke, not a serious election issue. Well, the influx of illegals is a big issue, just not so much what they are eating. But given the reaction, I guess the Dims see this as a reminder of one of their big failures. So, I’ll keep playing along.

Today’s YouTube video is less than five minutes long, which suits me just fine. Our vlogger expounds on what the Philippines is really like for foreigners. Everyone has an opinion, so I gave him a watch. He called life here “a blessing and a curse”, but it seems to be all about how women perceive men as “rich.” While that may be true in some cases, I don’t see why that would make your life here a curse unless those women are all your life is about. As I said, it’s a short watch, so it’s not a total waste of time. I’m just glad I don’t share his outlook.

Your daily dose of what passes for humor here at LTG:

And the rain is back with a passion today. The Wednesday Walkers did an umbrella walk anyway, and it turned out alright. I’ll tell you all about that tomorrow. I’ll brave the weather to show support for the bars later on because that’s what a good citizen does, right?

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Ah, it takes me back to those long ago years when I delivered mail for a living (1976-83). Welp, we weren’t gonna let a little rain stop us from our appointed rounds on the Candy Walk yesterday. I wondered if we’d see many kids out and about in the wet weather, but by the end of the walk, we had sweetened the lives of over 200 children. Mission accomplished!

A few hours later, I was back on the road, this time to Hideaway Bar.

The bar was surprisingly busy yesterday; I’ll take that as a good sign. It really is a nicer vibe when you are not the only customer.

The next stop was John’s place for my Sunday dinner with Swan. Sadly, John is still in the hospital. A crap public hospital. I couldn’t help but wonder whether this would be our last meal while John is still among the living. Hopefully, I’m wrong about that.

We did our nightcap at Green Room and enjoyed the conclusion of our Sunday evening out.

So, it turns out the Philippines is a world leader:

Today’s memory is from those long, long ago high school days when I fancied myself a writer.

I can’t decide if this belongs in the politics section or is it better suited to humor?

Here’s another:

Today’s YouTube video talks about the do’s and don’ts of living rich in the Philippines. My monthly pension puts me in the “elite” category, but other than living in the big house in a gated subdivision and not worrying about money much, I don’t think I flaunt my “wealth.” I could have lived a comfortable life in the USA or Korea (I did for the first five years after retirement), but that life was taken from me, so I chose this one as the alternative. So far, so good. I absolutely disagree with the vlogger’s assertion that living in a big city is the best choice. I enjoy my little town; if I ever left here, I’d find somewhere similar

And now for the non-political humor:

And here it is, another Hash Monday. Let’s see how I do.

Swan wanted to join me for my Saturday stroll, so that meant I had to come up with something other than the usual Barretto street walk. It had been a while since I’d done the Philseco loop, so we grabbed a Jeepney and headed out to the far side of Subic. I planned to do around 7K, but when we got back to the highway, I wimped out again. I just don’t seem to have any staying power these days.

We made it home before some heavy afternoon rainfall, then later broke out our umbrellas for the walk into town. First stop, It Doesn’t Matter.

We didn’t stay at IDM long. After a couple of drinks, we wished Vharry the best and then headed to Myleen’s for dinner.

We changed things up for our nightcap and gave Alaska Club a visit. Owner Jerry is out of town (back home at that other Alaska), and we were the only customers on a Saturday evening. Those two factors are related, I’m afraid. Still, we made the best of our visit. I gave the dancers something to suck on and 50 pesos each for their efforts. They seemed pleased. It’s always refreshing to see the girls in a dancing bar actually dancing, even if there are no customers to buy them drinks.

When it was time to go, we grabbed some pecan pie at Sit-n-Bull and then hopped in a trike for home. Yep, done by 8 p.m. on a Saturday night. I’m such an old man!

Today’s YouTube video offers a more positive outlook on why Filipinos are moving back home from overseas employment. When a nation’s biggest export is its workforce, something needs to change. These folks want to put their talents to work here.

Today’s lame attempts at humor:

A disturbing post on Facebook from John Kim:

Help. I am at Gordon Hospital. I was collapsed this morning. After a few IV, I am able to type. Still cannot sit up my own. Due to rainy season, I am suffering. Not asking for big help. Order a birger or fish & chips. Feel in the mood for big help, order steak. Thanks

That was yesterday, and there have been no updates. Swan and I will dine there tonight to see if we can find out if he is getting better. We’ll go there after I feed the girls at Hideaway.