Greetings from Bauang, La Union. I enjoyed reading some of the history of this area at the link and got a chuckle when Swan said the name sounds similar to the Tagalog word for garlic (bawang). The four-hour drive from Barretto went without incident, although the traffic was heavy at times after we exited the expressway. I’m staying at the GO Resort once again, a clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced lodging.

Unlike Barretto, there aren’t many bars around here. The one nearest our hotel, Footloose, is where we tend to go to fill some evening hours. On Friday, Footloose does an SOB-like thing: All you can drink from 4:00 until 7:00 and dinner for 650 pesos. They don’t have a dance competition, but for about thirty minutes, the waitresses and GROs go up on the stage and strut their stuff.

And then they finish their performance by doing something you NEVER see in Barretto—they strip naked and dance around the stage, showing their stuff. Personally, I prefer leaving something to the imagination, but that’s just me.

Neither the hotel nor Footloose Bar serves San Miguel Zero beer, so it was a Light night for me. There were more calories and more alcohol in each bottle. A wise man would have reduced his intake accordingly, but no one has ever mistaken me for a wise man.

For some reason, I don’t remember much after we left Footloose. Swan told me that we had come back to the hotel, and I continued drinking with Dave and Jo at the hotel bar. She said I also ordered a mango and ice cream dessert, and that really surprised me. I don’t like mangoes much, and the dessert menu includes a banana split. Of course, since I don’t even remember ingesting those calories, it doesn’t matter what I ate. Another reason it doesn’t matter is that Swan told me when we got back to the room, I threw up (not on the floor, thankfully). Yeah, it was one of those nights. I’ll be doing a hangover Hash this afternoon.

I can do better and I will.

I did a two-minute video of my walk to the hotel restaurant for my breakfast this morning:

When I got back to the room, the door was wide open. I thought it must be housekeeping, but when I looked inside, there was no one there. Thankfully, my laptop was still prominently displayed on the table. I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and then Swan watched the video above and observed that I hadn’t closed the door behind me when I left for breakfast. Damn, it sucks to be stupid.

Today’s memory is from eight years ago:

That was also the day I learned I had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). I wrote about that experience in The Story of My Life here at LTG. I’m glad I lived to tell about it. Let’s see how long I can keep it going.

I really enjoyed today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea. She discusses some quirks about aspects of the culture and personalities of the Filipino people. And she looks good doing it!

Some stuff that may make you smile:

That’s all for now. Time to get out of the room and walk around some.

Until next week. We are heading out to La Union for the weekend to participate in the LUH3 2000th Hash run. Getting out of town for a couple of days will be nice.

The last day in Barretto went down like this: a solo walk to Waltermart and beyond, a visit to Dr. Jo for chelation treatment, dinner at Jewel Cafe, beers at Cheap Charlies, and a nightcap at Green Room.

At 1.6-kilometer intervals, the walk looked like this;

So, 6.4 kilometers found me on the river in Mangan-Vaca, and I celebrated by making a video of the riverwalk.

Damn, I need to do something about that cough. Sorry!

I walked another kilometer down the highway and passed a trike stand in Calapandayan. A trike driver shouted out, offering me a ride. I was going to shrug him off, but he somehow knew I lied in Alta Vista. Damn, I never catch trikes in this area, how did he know that? Upon reflection, I surmise he must have taken Swan and me home from the Subic Marketplace sometime in the past. Anyway, I accepted his offer to drive me home.

Next up was the visit to Dr. Jo.

Anyhoo, the chelation treatment was just an injection this time. Next week will be the IV drip. I asked if there were ways to measure the effectiveness of the stuff pumping in my veins, and Dr. Jo said my significantly reduced blood pressure was a good indicator that it was working. In another month or so, I’ll do the lab work to see if my blood sugar has diminished.

After my appointment concluded, we walked up the highway for an early dinner at Jewel.

Then, we were off to the seldom-visited Cheap Charlies.

Some of the Hash gang dropped in while we were there.

We crossed the highway (always the most dangerous part of my day, especially in the dark and after a few beers) and enjoyed our nightcap at Green Room (I had another buy one, get one coupon to spend).

And then I had another moment of weakness. The Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, and I asked if pecan pie was in stock. It was, and I took a slice home with me. And, of course, I smothered it in ice cream.

Will I ever learn? Maybe, maybe not. I’ll probably declare my weekend out of town “cheat days.”

Some memories from this day in history courtesy of Facebook:

My ride to La Union is on the way, so I need to finish this quick. Let’s do Mikey for our YouTube today:

I hope I haven’t posted that before. Oh well, still worth three minutes to see it again. Some humor before I go:

Alright, time for me to hit the road. I’ll see you from La Union!

The steps I took to get through another day included the group hike with the Wednesday Walkers, a journey into town to visit some bars, and an overindulgence with bedtime dessert. Here is some of what I saw along the way:

A short video from the trail:

Sorry for the abrupt ending; the video shut off without my realizing it.

I had some SOB coupons to use or lose, so later in the afternoon, Swan and I journeyed into town. I made a short video of the path we frequently take out of Alta Vista:

To kick things off, we used a “buy one, get one” coupon at Sloppy Joe’s. Four beers later (two free!), we moved next door to Alaska Club, where I had a 500-peso voucher to spend. We ended the evening at Wet Spot with yet another “buy one, get one” deal. I did two and two, which added up to ten for the night. Yep, time to go home. We brought some take-out from Sit-n-Bull to bring with us (pizza for Swan and a chicken quesadilla for me).

Maybe the beer impacted my better judgment, but I asked Swan to prepare me a piece of apple strudel with some ice cream on top for dessert. Oops!

Just before I hit the hay, I looked out the window and viewed this message from God:

So, this morning, I took a longer than usual 9K solo hike. And for some reason, I thought of a long-ago Korean girlfriend along the way. And in another odd twist, this photo appeared in my Facebook memories today:

My journey through the blog archives continues, and I came upon this post from March 29, 2005, in which I recount my discovery of a blog that remains a daily read for me nearly twenty years later–Big Hominid’s Hairy Chasms. In that Good Friday post, Kevin Kim talks about the concept of “putting it down,” a philosophy that still resonates with me even if I fail to adhere to those principles. Give it a read and see if you agree.

I’m no foodie, but if today’s YouTube video is to be believed, renowned chef Gordon Ramsay is a fan of Filipino food, even preferring it over Thai delicacies. I’m skeptical, but what do I know?

And now for some funny business:

There’s a weekend adventure on the horizon, so stick around. I can’t promise it will get any more interesting, but at least the scenery will change. I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.

Motion pictures
on my TV screen,
A home away from home,
and I'm livin' in between
But I hear some people
have got their dream.
I've got mine.

I hear the mountains
are doin' fine,
Mornin' glory
is on the vine,
And the dew is fallin',
the ducks are callin'.
Yes, I've got mine.

Well, all those people,
they think
they got it made
But I wouldn't buy,
sell, borrow or trade
Anything I have
to be like one of them.
I'd rather
start all over again.

Well, all those headlines,
they just bore me now
I'm deep inside myself,
but I'll get out somehow,
And I'll stand before you,
and I'll bring
a smile to your eyes.
Motion pictures,
motion pictures.

Tuesdays are my blah days (yeah, even more than the others), but yesterday was a tad more interesting than usual. I didn’t say exciting, so don’t get your hopes up. Anyway, here’s how things went down.

My laptop has some keyboard issues. For some reason, the “c” and the “v” keys only function intermittently (I just now had to tap the “c” a few times for it to work). Just my luck; it couldn’t be a key I rarely use, like the comma. Oh, well. Since I needed to go to immigration anyway, I took the laptop to a nearby repair shop in Olongapo. The technician ordered whatever part is required, and I’ll bring the computer back on Thursday for the fix.

Next up was the grocery shopping. First stop, the YBC supermarket.

I tried to pause at 48 seconds, but when I hit restart, it created another video instead. Oh well, the first one is enough for today.

I checked some more prices compared to Royal, and YBC is cheaper on everything. We are going to expand our shopping there and use Royal to fill in the gaps for what we can’t get at YBC.

We finished this week’s grocery restock at Royal and then sent my driver and helper back home to offload. Swan and I had other business to attend to. We began by hoofing it over to Harbor Point Mall to resolve issues with my phone. I paid for a premium unlimited data plan through Globe (at a premium price of 3800 pesos a month), but for the past several days, whenever Wi-Fi was unavailable, I couldn’t get internet using data. The helpful attendant at the Globe store confirmed my account was in good standing and then asked to see my phone. She removed the SIM card, put it in her phone, and the data connection worked. Then we tried in Swan’s phone, and it also worked there. So, the problem seems to be with my phone. When we reinserted the SIM, my data worked again. I guess if this happens again, I’ll take out the SIM and put it back (I just now had to let spellcheck put the “see” in back and spellcheck). So, problem kinda sorta resolved.

Meanwhile, Swan had been looking over a price list and asked if I had ever received a free phone. I responded, what are you talking about? Well, it turns out that as part of the Premium Plan Rewards Program, I’m entitled to a free phone every two years. After six years with Globe, no one had bothered to tell the stupid white guy. So, Swan and the attendant chatted in Tagalog, and there was no retroactive way to redeem my past rewards, but I could collect a new phone today. Hell yes, why not?

When we were done with Globe, we walked half a kilometer to the SM Mall on the other side of the river. I was in the market for some new hiking shoes, and the SM department store is the only place around these parts that carries my favorite brand, Merrell. Of course, finding my size (11) is always a challenge, and sure enough, the shoes I liked best weren’t available larger than 10. I settled for the only pair they had in my size and made my way to the men’s clothing section in search of shorts. I asked the salesgirl for anything with a 40″ waist; the biggest she could find was 38″. I tried them on, and I’ll be damned, they fit! I guess the diet plan is having some practical impact, after all.

With the shopping mission completed, we caught a taxi back to Barretto.

When beer o’clock rolled around, it was off to the beach so Swan could get her Tuesday toes in the sand fix.

We had to wait a bit for the raft transport to bring several youngish-looking guys ashore. When we got taken aboard the floater, we were the only customers.

We brought cookies and lollipops for the girls, and they seemed happy enough with our contributions.

When the sun goes, so do we.

After our meal, we triked on home and called it a day.

I had a good laugh this morning reading this post from Kevin Kim’s blog. It turns out there have been some scientific studies trying to determine why people like me have such a warped and unfunny sense of humor. I could blame it on age, I suppose, but truthfully, my jokes have always been a mess. Maybe the puns are worse now, but the biggest difference is it doesn’t matter anymore if people laugh or if they cringe. A reaction is a reaction! I don’t know, and I don’t care if that makes me ignorant or apathetic (you knew that one was coming!).

Facebook memories carried me back to those long-ago days in Seoul (15 years now) when my wife and I would hike up to Seoul Tower atop Namsan.

Damn, sometimes happy memories make you sad.

Today’s YouTube video provides advice to old farts living in the Philippines to enjoy life while you have it and not to worry too much about what’s inevitably to come. I do sometimes wonder just how long I’m going to be around, but I don’t dwell on it much. Every morning, I wake and am thankful for another day to fritter away in meaninglessness. But you know what? I am okay with the life I’m living.

And the stuff I find worthy of a smile:

That’s all for today’s report on yesterday. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Let’s close out with some Korean-style music:

And life is a treasure. A Treasure Island, if you will. Here are some gems from my Saturday.

Swan joined me for a Saturday morning stroll. Naturally, that involved her handing out candy along the way. Hey, it’s what we do! I made an eight-minute video of the first portion of the walk if you are curious about what the local terrain looks like.

Towards the end of the hike, I did a two-minute video of another village we passed through.

Our Saturday evening entertainment was provided by the live music we enjoyed at Treasure Island on Baloy Beach.

Hear for yourself:

Hmm, it sounded better in person. Go figure.

Back home at the usual time and finished Season Two of “Squid Game.” It still leaves me shaking my head in disbelief at times, but I’m all in for the concluding episodes in Season Three. Kevin Kim has a fine review of the second season here.

I was a bad boy last night and couldn’t overcome my urge for a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a crumbled Oreo cookie on top. Damn, it tasted good!

No Facebook memories worthy of note today, but there is this old post from twenty years ago about my first big case in Korea, representing management in a dispute with the American union. We couldn’t resolve our differences, and the case was scheduled for binding arbitration. At the last minute, the union withdrew. I had some court precedents on my side. For one thing, a curfew doesn’t entitle you to pay for the hours you aren’t allowed out on the street. “Stand-by pay,” which is what the union was asking for, only applies when you have to be ready and able to report for duty when called. That wasn’t the case with the curfew; you could be drunk on your ass in a motel room, just not outside. Also, it was well-established that the Commanding General, in this case, a 4-Star, has broad authority to invoke actions deemed necessary to protect the individuals under his command. I wound up getting promoted after this victory.

Welp, it is Groundhog Day, so you can guess what today’s YouTube video is about! I probably need to watch the movie again; I really enjoyed this clip.

And now for some humor:

I don’t know; it seems weird that I have nothing exciting to post about here, yet I’m still enjoying my life. Maybe acceptance comes with old age. I’ve got an upcoming Hash event in La Union next weekend, so there’s that to look forward to. In the meantime, I’ll just keep doing what I do. Today, that means a Hideaway feeding, some time with my girl on the Arizona floating bar, dinner at John’s place, and then a nightcap somewhere or other. Damn, am I living my own Groundhog Day?

In between those bookends, here is how I filled the hours. It being Friday and all, that meant there was a morning group hike to be enjoyed.

We got a Jeepney out to Calapacuan and started our trek from there.

Swan took a video of a portion of our hike:

And I did a short (two minute) video of a rickety bridge crossing:

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I decided to join Tim and Scott for this week’s SOB dance competition at Alaska Club. Swan opted not to attend, so it was the rare (for me) guys night out.

After the SOB is an event called The Aftermath. I very rarely attend because I’ve had enough of drinking by the end of the SOB. I made an exception last night and attended the first hour of The Aftermath at Voodoo. Tim was enjoying his last night in Barretto for a while.

It was a good Friday.

Facebook helped me remember my best dart game ever:

Oddly enough, I don’t miss my darting life all that much these days.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about why waiting to retire may be a mistake. My original plan was to retire as soon as I became eligible at 55 (that was back in 2010) and move to the Philippines. But then I changed my plans and decided to share my life with Jee Yeun. I retired in January 2011, and we moved back to the USA with a plan of spending six months in the States and six months in Korea. I was a happy camper with that life, but something happened with Jee Yeun that I still don’t understand. In 2015 she declined to return stateside, so I found part-time work as a contractor back in Korea. I spent a year trying to change her mind, but in 2016, she said she wanted a divorce. I was devastated (it still hurts to be honest). Then I got an offer to come back to work in my old job with 8th Army, and I took it. I worked for two more years and then packed my bags for the Philippines. I don’t really regret those wasted years, but I’ve seen too many people who keep working until they die. I’m glad I wasn’t one of those.

Maybe you’ll like these:

Yeah, those were worse than usual. Sorry ’bout that! I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

Swan and I kicked off our Thursday by sharing a walk. We took a Jeepney out to Philseco Road on the far side of Subic town and commenced our stroll from there.

This portion of the hike is one of my favorites, so I recorded the walkthrough. It’s twelve minutes long, so feel free to view the video at 2x speed.

On with the hike:

Next on the agenda was my appointment with Dr. Jo. She gave me this week’s chelation injection and then removed the remainder of my facial skin tags.

After I was done with the doctor, I was ready to eat—time for a visit to Jewel Cafe.

After our meal, we stopped by at It Doesn’t Matter.

Then it was on to Wet Spot to use the last of my SOB coupons (buy one, take one). Five beers later, we headed for home. Another episode of “Squid Game” leaves one more to go before Season Two is complete. Then I can read Kevin Kim’s review!

Today’s weekly weigh-in was 230.5, down three pounds from last week and 36.6 pounds since the diet commenced on November 1. I still cringe when I see photos with my belly protruding, but I guess that’s the last to go. I have thirty-one more pounds to lose to reach my goal.

This installment in The Story of My Life is from February 3, 2006, and tells about the day that ended with my first (and only) ambulance ride and my first-ever experience with stitches. I’m glad I lived to tell about it then, and I’m happy to share the memory now.

Today’s Facebook memories included these events:

Six years ago, after many attempts, I finally successfully navigated the route between the end of Rizal Extension and Alta Vista. In honor of that accomplishment, I declared that path would henceforth be known as the My Bitch Trail.

Three years ago, I was recovering from another broken heart.

Things happen for a reason, I suppose. If Paula hadn’t dumped me, I would have missed out on Swan.

It’s the year of the snake, and that makes me think about those slimy creatures when I hike through the grasses. The Philippines has cobras, but they are rarely seen when we are out and about. It’s probably because we make so much noise as we walk that the snakes slither away before we arrive. That wasn’t the case two years ago:

I despise Manila and try to avoid going there as much as possible. I’ll be visiting the US Embassy next month to get a Power of Attorney notarized, but I won’t be spending the night. Makati is where I choose to stay when necessity dictates, but getting there in traffic can be a bitch. Anyway, that’s all a prelude to today’s YouTube video, which spends eight minutes talking about the good things the city has to offer. And yes, the nightlife on Burgos Street can be expensively fun.

Hmm, the video can’t be embedded. You can watch it here if you please.

And now for the smiles:

And that’s the way it was. The way it’s gonna be includes the SOB at Alaska Club tonight. I was on the fence about going, but this is Tim’s last night in town, so I’ll join in the fun. More to come tomorrow.

And in closing, I was sad to learn that Marianne Faithfull has died at 78. I enjoyed her songs back in the day, but I never realized what a f’d up personal life she lived until reading about her passing today. Your music lives on!

Here’s her first hit:

And another song I enjoyed:

A change of scenery will give you a new perspective, and that’s a good thing. Yesterday, the Wednesday Walkers took a thirty-minute drive to the end of the road in Cawag and commenced our hike from there. We’d last ventured out this way a couple of years ago, so the vistas had a fresh look about them. The only downside of the hike was that it was an “out and back again” path, and I don’t like retreating. Still, it was a nice way to kick off the Lunar New Year.

Here’s a couple of minutes of video from the hike coming back:

I didn’t go horizontal because hiking on a rocky path with a phone in one hand and my trekking pole in the other is tough enough.

The Wednesday evening hours were spent at The Green Room and Alaska Club. I had the usual good time at GR, and I even almost beat Chu at pool. I had the first shot at the 8-ball and missed; she didn’t.

The Alaska visit was unusual. An old waitress “friend” I hadn’t seen for several months was back, she came and said hello and took our drink order, but a different waitress delivered them. I called her back over and asked her why she didn’t serve me, and she said it wasn’t her turn. Apparently, the waitresses serve customers in rotation. Okay, no big deal. Would you like a lady drink? And she declined. That’s never happened to me before in fifteen years of visiting and living in the PI. Weird. I called over another waitress I knew, and she gladly accepted my offer to buy her a drink. It’s no big deal; it’s just unexpected to be rejected.

After the Alaska adventure, we headed home and watched another “Squid Game” episode from Season Two. Once again, I’m finding aspects of the show hard to believe. I’ll reserve judgment until I reach the end—two more episodes to go.

Here are some Facebook memories from this day in my history:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about expats who choose to “go native” and live like the locals. In the comments on another post, I had just mentioned that I chose not to live on SBMA because the vibe felt too much like living in the USA. So, here I am, living the high life in Alta Vista, looking down on the Filipino communities below. As I am wont to say, I may not be living in the Philippines, but I can see it (and hear it) from here.

To the humor we must go:

And that’s all for now, folks. I’ll be heading off for this week’s chelation treatment with Dr. Jo, and then we’ll see what’s going on in town after that. Thanks for coming by.

Short and sweet today because I’m running behind schedule, and I ain’t got much to say anyway. Just my typical Tuesday bookended with morning grocery shopping and the beach in the afternoon.

Here’s a couple of minutes inside the Royal Duty-Free supermarket:

And here’s a five-minute beach walk on the way to our weekly Kokomo’s floating bar visit:

I promise the videos will improve one day soon. I’m looking into purchasing some better equipment and some software that will allow proper editing.

Yesterday’s view as we arrived at the floating bar:

And then this happened again:

With the sun’s show over, we headed back to shore.

We were feeling like Mexican last night:

After our meal, we headed for home. Swan said she missed my smoothies, so I made a batch for the first time in a long time. Two bananas, some frozen strawberries, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some milk in the blender. They were not exactly diet-friendly, but damn, they were tasty! We enjoyed another episode of “Squid Game” while we sipped our sweet treats. Nice to end the evening with more bloody murder and mayhem.

Twenty years ago, I enjoyed family members’ comments on my political blog posts. These days, none of my family reads or comments here at LTG. Everything changes, and life goes on.

Fourteen years ago, the family gathered in Enid, Oklahoma, for my mother’s funeral and burial.

Today’s YouTube video from my vlogger friend, John Brant, is eight years old. John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and I rarely see him out and about these days. He hasn’t vlogged for years now, but it was his videos that got me interested in joining the Hash. I very rarely visit Hot Zone these days, but I understand it is still one of the better girly bars in town. And this pole dancer put on quite a show!

Today’s dose of humor:

And there you have it—another day, another post. Beer o’clock is fast approaching, so I’d best jump in the shower and prepare myself!

Another day in the Philippines life I lived to tell about. A Candy Walk, a party, and a floating bar were the legs on that stool of a Sunday. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking:

I f’d up the video of the Marian Hills portion of our walk. I think the problem is you have to turn the phone horizontally BEFORE hitting the record button. I’ll try to get it right next time. All my efforts at finding a way to flip the video after the upload were also unsuccessful. If anyone has a clue, let me know. I need one. (Warning: watching that mess for three minutes is dizzying.)

Once our candy chore was complete, it was time to prepare for party mode.

Since I was not able to participate in the feeding at Hideaway, I dropped off a bag of goodies and some cash and let the girls feed themselves.

The party was across the highway from Hideaway at the rooftop suite Tim is enjoying at the Coffee Shop hotel. It’s the nicest place in town for the money.

Typical gathering, guys drinking beer and bullshitting, and the women-folk did whatever it was that they did, which seemed to involve downing shots of alcohol yesterday. I went out for a breath of air and enjoyed the views from the roof.

So, we started the party at 1 p.m., and I was nearing capacity when we said our goodbyes and departed at 5:30. Swan wanted to stop at the Arizona floating bar to see the sunset before we went home, and I consented.

We’d both had more than enough to drink by now, so we headed ashore and grabbed a trike for home. Swan was in bed and asleep at 7:30. I was planning to do the next installment of “Squid Game” but didn’t want her to miss out, so I contented myself with some internet surfing. I enjoyed a pudding appetizer before I called it a night.

In this installment of The Story of My Life, I recount the events during one of my early weeks in Korea, including attending some required training and an introduction to aspects of Korean culture.

One of the Facebook groups I belong to is “Westminster High School Alumni.” Someone named Brenda from the Class of ’73 asked if anyone remembered her. I didn’t, but I posted my senior picture in response.

Meanwhile, I’m still poking fun at my lefty Facebook friends:

This is the first time I’ve watched this YouTube vlogger. He covered some aspects of Filipino culture that I’ve also witnessed and did so in only five minutes, which suits my increasingly limited attention span. Worth the watch, IMHO.

Some fun before I go:

And now it is time to prepare for another Hash Monday. Thanks for stopping by!

Here we go again.

I was never really into Kool-Aid as a kid, but nowadays, as a thinking adult, I apparently drink it all the time. Who knew?

Speaking of the truth, despite Facebook’s Zuckerfuck claiming a newfound love for freedom of speech, it seems like business as usual on that platform.

Meanwhile, life goes on, and I don’t give a fuck. Here’s how I filled the hours yesterday:

Here’s a one-minute video that didn’t come out quite right:

If there is a way to flip this around, I can’t find it.

My second effort turned out better:

Anyway, I probably need to get a clip-on mobile camera instead of trying to use my phone.

Back at the house, Swan comes in and says, “Look what I found.”

We went to the SOB at Green Room last night. It had been a month or so since our previous attendance. Nothing much has changed. Here’s a short video clip I took of the host bar’s routine:

I chose gin and soda last night as my beverage of choice and was disciplined enough to limit myself to one every thirty minutes. But I drank from 4:00 until 8:00, which proved to be too much of a good thing.

That only happens a couple of times a year, usually when I deviate from beer.

Today’s journey through the past is from the early days of LTG back in 2005. Politics and comment reactions from family members were the order of the day. See for yourself.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea tries to provide advice to the “nice guys” who always seem to finish last in relationships. I’ve been down that road too many times, but it seems I’ve finally hit my sweet spot with Swan.

Things I found funny:

And that’s all he wrote. For today, anyway.

Thursdays come and go, and I go with the flow. It’s just the way I roll.

As I’ve been scrolling through my old blog posts, trying to remember some stories from my life in those long ago days, I’ve noticed that I wrote about politics quite a bit. I don’t bother with that too much now because I’ve come to realize it’s pointless. We all believe what we choose to believe, and only rarely will anyone’s mind be changed by contrary arguments. There has been some recent back and forth in the comments concerning the Trump pardons that illustrate that point. So, for what it is worth, my take on the January 6 riots is this:

• The protesters who entered the Capitol building were trespassing, and that was a crime.
• Nancy Pelosi declined to activate the National Guard to defend the Capitol
• The vast majority of protesters did not engage in violence. The only fatality was a protester.
• The FBI played a role (agents were on the scene), and the extent of their instigation will eventually be revealed.
• The DOJ’s pursuit of felony charges against even the peaceful trespassers was excessive and unprecedented. Compare and contrast to the violent BLM protests.
• The kangaroo court of the J6 House investigation was criminal. Biden’s pardons for uncharged crimes against the Committee members are quite revealing.
• The criminal court proceedings and treatment of those arrested have made a mockery of our justice system. Many people have been denied the right to a speedy and fair trial, and this is but one example.
• One of Trump’s campaign promises was to commute the sentences and pardon the non-violent protesters. He has now kept his word, and that was appropriate.
• There is much more yet to be uncovered about the January 6, 2021 events, and I expect a full and fair investigation under Trump.

Enough said? Okay, let me tell you about my day:

I took a solo walk, and as I departed home, I thought I would walk the back roads to Waltermart and then take a Jeepney back to Barretto. But once I hit Naugsol, I didn’t feel like continuing on to Mangan-Vaca, so I circled around the Naugsol area on the new bypass road instead.

For my Thursday evening fun, I attended a gathering at a fellow Hasher’s house.

• Today’s weigh-in: 233.5
• Last week: 235.0
• November 1: 267.1
• Net loss: 33.6 pounds

Getting there, little by little.

Today’s installment in The Story of My Life demonstrates that I was posting boring drivel about my day even twenty years ago. Still, it was in Korea, and everything was new about the experience.

To the memories we shall go:

Today’s YouTube video discusses three morning habits that can prove fatal to older folks like me. Well, maybe. I usually eat something before heading out for a hike, but that’s just me. If you are doing one of those intermittent fasting programs or don’t want to eat the high-carb foods the narrator suggests, this is advice you may not want to take. I do usually sit up for a few seconds before stumbling to the bathroom for a nighttime piss. And I don’t have to strain much when it is time to poop, so that’s not a problem for me. I did have an elderly neighbor die on the toilet one morning, so it does happen. Anyway, here it is, take it or leave it:

Live to laugh:

Another day, another post. Same old, same old. But then again, so am I. Let’s see what happens next.

There is some back-and-forth in the comments regarding Trump’s pardoning of the J6 protesters. To be clear, I do not condone the behavior of those who illegally breached the Capitol grounds in a challenge to the fraudulent 2020 election results. That said, the government’s response has been over the top, including holding individuals in jail for months and years awaiting trial. And the crimes committed were nowhere near as violent as what the BLM protesters did during their summer of burning cities and destroying lives. I’m glad Trump issued the promised pardons. I mean, it’s not like they were corrupt relatives of his or anything like that.

Okay, let’s get back to the daily drivel, shall we? The Wednesday Walkers did an up, over, and down the other side hike across the Kalaklan Ridge and finished with an urban stroll on the streets of Olongapo City. Our up was a rarely taken route and the down was a first for me. I don’t particularly like walking in the city, but the streets were unfamiliar, and noting the differences in vibe between Olongapo and the Barretto ‘burbs was interesting.

My chelation treatment with Dr. Jo went without a hitch, and with that out of the way, we headed to the Outback to begin the fun part of our evening.

I made a short video of our Outback views if you care to have a look:

We moved up the beach for a grilled porkchop dinner at Mango’s.

These days, we might visit Mango’s for dinner once a month or so, so it was funny that as soon as we sat down, the waitress greeted us with: “Red wine, San Miguel Zero, one order of pork chops with an extra plate, and sides of mashed potato and veggies.” Yes, ma’am. You know us too well. And the meal was good, as always.

We went to Whiskey Girl for our nightcap. We hadn’t been there for several months, so it fit my Wednesday agenda of stopping by a seldom-visited bar. We had an additional motive for going to Whiskey Girl. One of the waitresses lives on our Candy Walk route, and Swan felt bad that the kids weren’t around last week. So, we delivered a bag of Bingo cookies and some lollipops for Kim to take home after work. We also brought sweets for the rest of the crew to enjoy during our time there. My old friends Jenn and Josie are no longer working at Whiskey, so that saved me some lady drink cash. I was impressed that the dancers kept moving on stage in a dance-like mode despite us being the only customers during our visit. I thought about tipping them, but decided my doing that in Alaska is more than enough. They got cookies and lollipops instead!

As soon as we walked out the door to head home, a trike pulled up to take us. I took a break from “Squid Game” and hit the hay early.

Twenty years ago, my world changed forever in ways I never anticipated.

I wrote about the journey to Korea here.

For today’s YouTube video, I’ll share another vlogger’s perspective on my hometown of Barretto. I agree with him about the litter but disagree that the bars are the only reason to come here. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my favorite drinking establishments, but that’s a small portion of my day.

The daily dose of smiles:

Maybe twenty years have been enough. We’ll see.

For a simple man. Tuesday is my blah day, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad; it’s just a tad duller than my regular boring days. The highlight of my new dual grocery store shopping excursion was the discovery that the YBC supermarket has lower prices than Royal, at least on some of the items I purchase. My Bingo cookies cost me 58.50 pesos at YBC, and they cost 59 pesos at Royal. Not a big difference, but still good to know that I’m on the right track getting everything I can at YBC and filling in the gaps at Royal.

When we got back home from the shopping adventure, I headed out for my lazy Tuesday neighborhood walk.

Walked by the first house I rented in Alta Visa back in 2018.

Exciting shit, eh? But wait, there’s more! It’s a Tuesday tradition to hit Baloy Beach and visit the Kokomo’s floating bar. And getting there is some of the fun.

And here’s the video replay of our beach walk:

Yeah, I need to learn to edit. Just watch it at 2X speed to ease the pain.

We had the usual fun on the floater.

We treated the hardworking Treasure Island waitresses to a pizza with lollipops for dessert. They seemed happy with their bounty.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I was wearing my Trump attire as I went about my day. A couple of Filipinos asked about it, but otherwise, no one else had anything to say—until the guy sitting next to me at Treasure Island made a comment—something along the lines of “Go Trump!” I turned to see who it was, and this guy gave me the thumbs up.

So, we had a pleasant chat and shared a toast in honor of President Trump.

Then, it was time to head back home. I made a batch of sugar-free pudding and fired up Netflix for Season Two, Episode One, of “Squid Game.” So, we are two years down the road from where we left off, and the only game last night was some Russian Roulette. It didn’t end well for a couple of folks, but our two main protagonists are still pursuing their quest of discovery. I thought one of them (the cop) had been killed in Season One, so it was a bit of a surprise to see he had survived a gunshot and a fall off a cliff into the ocean. Hey, television makes miracles happen. I’m still in the game for the rest of Season Two, despite my inability to suspend disbelief.

Today’s episode in The Story of My Life tells about a wild night in Itaewon in March 2005 at one of my favorite bars, Sweet Caroline’s. One of my favorite parts of these old posts is the comments. In this one, my then-wife Carol and my sweet mother chime in about my over-indulgence in alcoholic beverages. I’ve learned a lot since then–I mostly stick to beer these days and NEVER mix in shots of the hard stuff. I’m sure I’ll discover similar lessons as my journey through the LTG archives continues.

Today’s YouTube video has the Pea conducting on-the-street interviews with Filipinas to discover what they consider attractive about foreign men. Spoiler alert: a handsome man with no money is not so handsome after all.

Some humor before I go:

An upcoming chelation therapy session with Dr. Jo, and then some Wednesday fun and refreshments on the other side of town.

Check back tomorrow for the latest tales of a simple man.