So, on this stormy Wednesday morning, I woke up in my own bed instead of at the Wild Orchid Hotel in Angeles City. But at least the power is on. I still long for a change of scenery, so on a whim, I messaged my driver to see if he was available for a road trip today. He is, so Swan and I will be heading to Pundaquit in San Antonio for an overnight stay.
And just now, this alert popped up on my phone, and the clouds opened up once again.
Maybe I didn’t think this trip through properly, but what the hell? The rain at the beach can’t be any worse than the rain is here. I’m ready for some new perspectives! We saw a place on the beach last trip we want to try, but neither Swan nor I can remember the name. I doubt they will be full on a rainy Wednesday, so we are going to take our chances and go without a reservation. It’s all part of the adventure!
Instead of hanging out in AC yesterday, I was back to my normal routines, starting with a trip to Royal for my grocery shopping. One of my Tuesday traditions is baking morning muffins. This week, they were cranberry-orange. I share them with my helpers and driver, of course. “Mama,” the homeless umbrella lady I’ve been helping a bit since before I moved here knows my schedule and is usually waiting outside Alta Vista as we drive by. Yesterday was no exception.
It poured rain all day, and I was beginning to think there would be no night on the town in my immediate future. But Jesus loves me, and when it was beer o’clock, the rain became a light sprinkle, and we made a dash for Barretto.
Our next and last stop was the Green Room. As usual, we shared drinks with waitress Chu and enjoyed watching a pool tournament in progress. Swan was talking with a GRO (Guest Relations Officer) that I didn’t recognize. Turns out she is the sister of the woman I mentioned in another post. That woman, also a GRO, helped her daughter get hired at the bar when she turned eighteen. That freaked me out, not understanding how a mom could countenance seeing her child doing what GROs do (basically catering to the whims of male desire, including take-out). Swan knew them from when she lived in their neighborhood and did give the mom some shit about her actions. We hadn’t seen either in the bar recently, and the sister informed Swan that the daughter (her niece) has an enlarged heart, and the doctors say nothing can be done for her. So, the plan is to make her as comfortable as possible at home until she passes. Damn.
I wound up adding the sad sister to my lady drink recipients and also had a pizza delivered from Sit-n-Bull for the girls to share (Hawaiian with pineapple, of course). Swan sipped her wine, and I had my fair share of beers. During the course of the evening, Swan snapped a photo of me in full party mode:
We brought us home some Sit-n-Bull goodness for dinner (roast beef dip for Swan, pulled pork for me) and had pecan pie for dessert. It was a pretty good time for a Tuesday!
And now for the memories:
Four years ago, I was mocking the COVID Nazis:
In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea interviews an OFW (Offshore Filipino Worker). These workers are probably the largest export from the Philippines, and the money they send back is a significant portion of the economy, not to mention essential to the support of the families left behind. I met many OFWs when I lived in Korea, and I know several of them here now. And yes, I’ve heard the horror stories of exploitation that occurs, especially in Middle Eastern countries. I have two friends now looking for OFW work, and I will share this video with them as a heads-up.
And now to soothe your funny bone:
Alright, time for me to pack my bags and get the hell out of town. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Loved this song back in the day. As an added bonus, here is one of those “hearing it for the first time” videos:
Mate head to Angeles City. Best place in the Flips by miles if ya want a good time mate cheers
The rain can have its own particular charm. When I lived in Fribourg, Switzerland, there was a local bus that went out to a place called Lac Noir (Black Lake), a smallish lake whose circumference was walkable in well under an hour. Benches lined the edge of the lake, and I recall going there once or twice in the rain, watching the raindrops hit the lake’s surface in their millions, creating something like a static, white-noise pattern. Gorgeous and meditative. That may be one reason why I’m much more of a lakes-and-rivers guy than a beach guy, but the beach has its charm, too. When I go to the beach—which is a rare thing—and face all that water, I often find myself contemplating the subtle-yet-gigantic power of gravity, holding all that water down. But the power doesn’t have a perfect hold on the water, which is one reason why we see waves, which are signs of the ocean’s resistance to gravity.
So I’ll wish you a thoughtful trip out with Swan. It’s a nice break in the usual pattern, and while the routine has its comforts, breaking from the routine now and again can also bring new delights. Enjoy!
Yes, and with the storm, the waves were quite impressive as they hit the beach. We spent most of the morning sitting on the porch watching the ocean’s show.
Indeed, it is always nice to have a change of scenery. This trip had some special moments despite the weather.
Aaron, Been to AC many times, but I just don’t share your passion for the place. I’m not into the whore bars, and that’s about all Angeles has to offer…