It’s strange sometimes how your mind takes you to places you never thought you’d go. I took one of those little side trips this morning, and it turned out to be kinda fun. I’ve already forgotten what the Quora question being answered was, but the response included a reference to Paul Newman playing the banjo in a scene from the movie Cool Hand Luke. Wow, I hadn’t thought of that film in years, but it has always been one of my favorites. Recalling that scene of Newman with the banjo got me trying to think of what the song was that he was singing. I knew I really liked it, but I was drawing a blank. So the search was on. And with the help of Duckduckgo (fuck you, Google!) I found it:
Here in the real world, yesterday’s Hash seemed to go well. There were many positive comments about the trail from the Hashers, and no one got lost or injured. For some inexplicable reason, three of the girls voluntarily took the long trail and were the last ones to reach our On-Home at Johansson’s. I was worried about them and relieved when they finally showed up.
Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone posting pictures from the trail, so that’s all I have for now.
While the Hashers were out, I went to the Outback pool bar to check on Josh. He was ensconced on a beach-view stool and tapped into the wifi, working on a course assignment for his Masters in Divinity he is completing online. Josh had asked me earlier where he could buy some shorts, and I suggested he take a trike to Divimart, a few blocks up the road from his room. He was wearing shorts, so I was glad to see they had his size. I asked how he liked his first trike ride, and he said it was pretty cramped and uncomfortable. Then he told me the driver had charged him 300 pesos. What? That’s a 50 peso ride at most, even with the “skin tax” (a Filipino wouldn’t pay more than 20P for such a short trip). I felt bad that he had gotten scammed on his first day in town, but he really should have known better.
Josh is trying to get back in shape after being laid up for months with a severely broken leg. He walks with a limp now and has this massive bump on his hip that will require surgery to remove. He did okay on the Baloy hike, but no way he could do some of those trails up in the hills. Still, he is lucky to even be alive after getting run over by a truck while riding his motorcycle.
The On-Home was where Josh is staying, and I invited him to watch the circle proceedings (he’d have to buy his beer from the bar, though). He seemed to enjoy the spectacle, especially some of the Hash songs. We’ll see if he wants to participate in the Hash rituals sometime during his visit.
I was feeling tired at the conclusion of the Hash (the Angeles trip had interrupted my sleeping hours), so I went home directly after we finished the free beer portion of the circle, and I was in bed by 7:30. That might be a new record for this oldtimer. Josh was already “home” and hung out with a couple of the female Hashers, Trouble Cumming and Black And Dick Her.
Today is Joy’s birthday, and I’ll be doing a special feeding at Hideaway bar in her honor. I invited Josh to join the festivities, gave him directions, and told him no more than 50 pesos for the ride. We’ll see how that works out.
Full report tomorrow.
Josh looks a lot like his bro. So if he’s going for an M.Div., does that mean he’s going to be in Korea only temporarily? What’s he planning to do with his Master’s? It might be key to getting him out of hagweon work and into university work. Universities aren’t without their problems, but they’re a damn sight better than hagweons.
I got my Master’s in religious studies and never used it. My bachelor’s has proved much more useful, along with the certification to teach foreign languages that I also got while in undergrad. I pursued religious studies because I found it fascinating, and one of the cool things about Master’s-level work is that you can devote your time almost entirely to what interests you. At the undergrad level, you still have to take a lot of “core” courses that have little to nothing to do with your interests. I hated history, for example.
Anyway, continued good luck to Josh, especially as he heals. Is he planning on getting his surgery in Korea? It’d certainly be a lot cheaper there, but I have to wonder how much time off a hagweon would allow him to have to convalesce. I’m still not convinced Korean healthcare is all that great.
That said, he’s young and in good shape, so I’m sure he’ll figure his way through this thing called life. Does he know about your blog?
Back in the USA, Josh had been a youth minister at a Methodist church, and I believe he was also a substitute teacher in a public school before his accident. I think he already has a master’s in another field too. So yeah, he’s probably overqualified for a hagweon job, but it’s a foot in the door. He wants to live and work overseas, so an international school or university job would be a good fit for him.
Yeah, he knows about the blog but I doubt he reads it regularly.
I was a pastor of two small churches before I came out here…but ultimately decided before my motorcycle wreck I wanted to move on from the vocational ministry and join the laity again. (That’s where the real work is done, haha)
But here’s the one thing I’ve learned about the Philippines to quote you:
“Don’t be a sucker”
Yep, that’s Rule #1! And just so you know, I’ve lost a lot more than 300 pesos being scammed before, so don’t let my teasing get to you. It’s just the tuition to the school of experience. Live and learn.