I hadn’t really considered before all the ways you can take steps. There’s stepping out, stepping up, stepping forward, stepping back, stepping around, high stepping, and probably more that my tired old brain can’t think of at the moment. But the one that brings the issue to mind is about stepping down. Simon (Leech My Nuggets) was out scouting a trail for the traditional Hash Easter hike on, you guessed it, Easter mountain, when he stepped in it. Literally. And by it, I mean a hole.
I don’t have a lot details, just the info from a Facebook post. Simon says (heh) that he was walking through some tall grass when suddenly he found himself at the bottom of a deep pit. He was very lucky that he wasn’t seriously injured, but the hole was so deep he couldn’t crawl out without assistance. He said if he had been alone he might still be down there. Yikes! That’s my hiking nightmare.
Just a couple of thoughts. I have no idea who dug the hole and what purpose it is intended to serve. But it is absolutely not surprising that there were no safety considerations taken to prevent what happened to Simon. Hell, there are similarly deep trenches right alongside the frickin’ National highway without any barriers or railings while construction continues on a drainage canal. This is the Philippines after all, and your safety is not a priority. The second thing is that this incident provides affirmation of my decision to not go hiking in the hills alone. Simon is one of those guys who regularly goes out scouting trails on his own, thankfully he had some folks with him yesterday. I’m honestly surprised that we don’t have more serious Hash-related injuries. There are lots of places, even on popular trails like My Bitch, where one false step will put you in a world of hurt. Or worse. I’m glad this incident turned out as well as it did.
Last night’s dart tournament had the largest turnout I’ve seen in quite some time. Over twenty players with only two boards made for a long night. Me and my partner Beth wound up finishing second. The only team we lost against all night was Billy and Mark. They put us in the losers bracket and we came back to face them in the finals. Beat them in the first round before succumbing to their superior darts in the final match. My partner and I both threw well, Mark and Billy threw better. No shame in losing in those circumstances.
My son, Kevin, is beginning his 43rd year of life today.
Here’s the promised update on the begging females situation. Maria proved to be a disappointment. She’s the one I thought had consented to a reciprocal arrangement where we would take care of each other’s needs. I was 7000 pesos ($140.) in and had received nothing in return, when I finally heard from her. Except she wasn’t contacting me to see what I needed–she wanted MORE money. So that was that. I admit I was disappointed. Mostly in myself for believing she was different. I honestly don’t get it though. It wouldn’t have taken much effort to keep me on the hook and have her most pressing needs, like the rent, taken care of. Hell, if she had just asked to join me on a hike or provided some other form of companionship, she could have kept me believing in her. Foolish woman.
One door closes, and another opens. Or so it’s been said. I got a message yesterday from Joy, a gal I met long ago at the Hash and hadn’t heard from for many months. Except it wasn’t from Joy, it was from her sister Julica, using Joy’s account. I had a bad experience with Julica (another former Hasher) long ago and subsequently blocked her in Messenger. This is what she sent:
Well, I’m not an unsympathetic man and I hope her baby (if it is her baby) gets well soon. But it ain’t my problem and I’m not inclined to help a woman who fucked me over (not financially) previously. So, I ignored all of her entreaties. I guess the only questions now are who will be next and have I wised up? Stay tuned!
I’ve got a pot roast cooking in the crockpot. It’s been quite some time since I’ve attempted one of those. I had defrosted the meat early in the week and then blew off preparing the meal. Seeing as how I’m leaving town for the weekend tomorrow, it was kind of a now or never situation.
Here are some photos from yesterday’s hike with the Wednesday Walkers. It was my turn to lead the group, but I didn’t get too creative. Did do a portion on the beach which we haven’t done for awhile.
All told, just under 10K. If you want to Relive it, here you go:
And that’s pretty much how I stepped through my day, I’ve got a singles league match to play this afternoon so I’d best be getting ready for that. Tomorrow I’m off for a weekend in Angeles City, so at least you can look forward to my boring drivel from a new venue. You are welcome!
And in case you’ve been worried about me:
“I guess the only questions now are who will be next[,] and have I wised up? Stay tuned!”
Am kinda wondering about that myself. Are we gonna have to hold you down and brand Rule #1 onto your chest? Tell you what: I’ll request your address soon, and I’ll send you a tee shirt with Rule #1 written on it in huge letters.
The cut-up slab of beef in that photo had an enormous fat cap on it. Did you trim most of the cap off before cooking the beef? If not, you’ll end up with cooked but soaked and nasty-looking fat hanging off the meat. You’re normally supposed to trim most of the fat off (keep it frozen for making broth later on; at room temperature, and even in the fridge, fat easily goes rancid). Too much of a fat layer means whatever seasonings you’ve put into your crock pot won’t have a chance to penetrate the meat deeply.
Otherwise, lovely photos as always. Sorry to hear about the hole-related mishap. At least there were no punji sticks at the bottom of the pit. Y’all be careful out there!
That time year again. Happy 43rd to your son, and happy 43rd to me.
Kev, I think I’m doing much better living within the boundaries of Rule #1. When I fail these days, I’m not being played as a sucker as much as I am willfully being a sucker. There’s a subtle difference I think. For what it is worth I went back and read all the previous comments mentioning Rule #1 as a refresher course of sorts. Now I need to learn to be a better judge of character.
No, I didn’t bother with trimming the fat and the result was just as you described. The Filipinos I shared the roast with (my helpers and basement dwellers) actually LIKE the fat. I, of course, separated that yuckiness from my meat before eating. The worst though was the meat was flavorless–the seasonings were wasted on the impenetrable fat barrier. Another lesson learned!
Thanks, Vaster. Hope you had a great birthday!
I think the point of Rule #1 is that it’s a standing policy, so it really shouldn’t matter how good or bad a judge of character you are. If a woman comes begging, simply say no in all cases, no exceptions. Otherwise, you’re prone to falling into the usual trap. And if it bothers you that the woman might have legitimately needed help, well, it’s assured that she’ll find some white guy with money to help her out. Plenty of bleeding hearts in the PI.
Yeah, I’m getting a lot better at the “no” thing, mostly by just totally ignoring the entreaties that come via Messenger. I still think my quid pro quo approach potentially has merit, although I have not successfully implemented that strategy yet. Progress!