Shorter than it should have been

Yesterday’s Hash was a pleasant one, at least, the part of the trail I did was. My intended shortcut was walking up Rizal Extension to avoid the Kalaklan climb and then pick up the trail where it came back down. That went fine. We did the second climb, and it intersected with the My Bitch trail at Mountain Mama Onelia’s place. I must have gotten distracted and missed the turn that went back down into Marian Hills. Instead, I continued on the Bitch back to Alta Vista and the On-Home at Hare Leech My Nuggets house. So, my chosen path was not quite 4K. I enjoyed it, though, and that’s what’s important.

Before departing for the Hash run, Swan served me some lunch.

“What kind of low-calorie delight do you have for me today, dear?”
Beef and broccoli stir-fry. Not bad, not bad at all.

Alright, now I’m ready to Hash!

Gathering at the trailhead. Leech My Nuggets called the the short version “the cripple trail” and invited all like-minded cripples to follow me.
The cripples are On-On!
About a kilometer up the road we re-joined the official Hash trail
Proud to be a cripple
Steppin’ on up
Not too steep and not too hard. Just the way I like it!
A stroll through the woods
A tree-Trump (it leans right)
Nature’s staircase made of roots
In the distance is the ridgeline we chose not to climb
Nearing the end of our upward trek
A Swan sighting
Onward we march
Approaching Mama Onelia’s place. That turkey looks ready for Thanksgiving.
A shot of our group with Onelia
And lo and behold, here comes another group of shortcutters. They weren’t at the trailhead.
A group shot before going our separate ways. It turns out they took the turn I missed and followed the Hare’s trail the rest of the way. We should have stayed together, but I thought I was on the right path.
Easter Mountain in the haze
The thatch grass was over our heads
Watch your step!
The final push up and into Alta Vista.
Lost and his mate, And Found, did the whole trail and were the last to arrive (and pay). This was their reward.
All the Gash were invited to sit on the ice because the Filipina candidate for Miss Universe failed to win the pageant.
And a virgin Hasher was deflowered
The Hare’s trail in orange, and the blue line is the cripple route
Cripple’s walked this way

Since we were already in Alta Vista, we opted not to venture out to IDM for the after-Hash gathering. After all, I’m counting calories and I had already enjoyed nine beers for my 300 peso Hash fee.

It looks like I made the right call, stopping when I did.

Eight years ago, I was enjoying the colors of autumn in Korea:

I do sometimes miss the four seasons

Today’s YouTube video vlogger shares his ten biggest fears about living in the Philippines. I agree with his #1 fear of going to jail, which would be a death sentence for me. The others, not so much. I don’t ride a motorbike or drive here, which perhaps was a decision driven by fear, but now I don’t have to worry. I never think about a potential house fire, but maybe I should. A kitchen fire could block escape from my bedroom, forcing me to jump off my patio. That fall would probably kill me (or make me wish I was dead). I don’t worry about crime and rarely feel unsafe. I’m safer from crime here (at least in this part of the PI) than I would be in the USA. I don’t fear bad relationships; I’ve lived them my whole life. Hopefully, Swan will put an end to that. I’m not sure how you can feel lonely in this country–even when I was alone, I always had friends with benefits available. My only money worries are if the USA went bankrupt and stopped paying my pension. The weather is what it is; I don’t waste time fearing it. I’ve sometimes wondered about a Pinatubo volcano eruption, but with any advance notice, I’d just relocate. Yeah, competent medical treatment availability is a legitimate concern, but I’m not going to dwell on it. So far the care I’ve needed has been adequately provided. And finally, as far as I’m concerned, there is no better place to be for assistance in your old age. I’ve often thought of Barretto as a retirement community. And I have a full-time caregiver working for me. Swan is also a certified caregiver. I’m in good hands in that regard.

To the humor, then:

I’m picking up good vibrations
Ouch! I’ve used that “sit on my lap” line many times. Thankfully, no gal has made that witty comeback. Yet.
Now, there’s a fight I’d like to see!

Here I am, smack dab in the middle of another nothing Tuesday. We’ll see if we can liven things up with a stroll to Baloy Beach later this afternoon. Hope to see you here tomorrow for a full report.

And here I was missing The Four Seasons. Never seen this video before, but damn, that’s pretty wild for 1962. I wonder what she looks like now?

4 thoughts on “Shorter than it should have been

  1. Looks to have been a good Hash.

    I don’t fear bad relationships; I’ve lived them my whole life. Hopefully, Swan will put an end to that.

    “Will put an end…”? Are you still in a probationary period? And what happens if/when Swan passes through this period? Marriage? I thought that was a no, and besides, you’d need a divorce first.

    Now, there’s a fight I’d like to see!

    Yeah, that Paul-Tyson fight was a fiasco. And possibly rigged.

  2. Re: fears – For the most part, I agree with your take on things. However, I am a bit more concerned about medical care in a third world country. Basic stuff – yeah, not a problem, but if I had a lingering serious medical issue, i am not sure a place like Barretto would be the spot I would want to be.

    But, that wouldnt stop me from living in a place like Barretto. Would need to have an exit plan “just in case”.

  3. Brian, in the case of serious illness or a need for major surgery, most expats I’ve known here travel back to their home country for treatment. That’s likely what I would do. I put off that nasal surgery I needed for a long time because I didn’t want to go under general anesthesia here. I finally relented and went to a local hospital for the procedure. That only required a one-night stay. I had a private room, but it was still uncomfortable.

  4. Kev, I still haven’t gotten over being dumped by Jee Yeun almost ten years ago. So, while I have no reason to doubt that Swan will stay by my side through whatever trials and tribulations may come, harsh experience has taught me not to count on it. Maybe I got lucky this time.

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