I’m not an expert on the provenance of words, especially words that aren’t in English. So, take c’est la vie for instance. I mean, I understand that it translates as “such is life”, but to what degree does it actually express misfortune? I’m sure you wouldn’t tell someone who just lost a loved one
“c’est la vie“, even though that’s technically true. Dying is a part of life after all. Anyway, for purposes of this post c’est la vie is expressed with a shrug and an implied “oh well”. Things are what they are whether you like them or not.

Take last night for instance. I’m of course stuck at home as usual. Right around 5:00 I pop the top off a bottle of beer, settle down on the couch, turn on the TV, and start watching the next episode of Game of Thrones. And then the power goes out. Damn, I hate when that happens. “Brownouts” as they are called here. Fortunately, it happens less often than I expected when moving to the third world. And generally speaking, the brownouts usually last for less than an hour. I was concerned though because this one occurred after 5:00, so I was pretty sure it wasn’t scheduled maintenance. After waiting a bit it was getting hot in the house. So I decided to walk down to the guard shack at the front gate to see if they knew what was going on.

Anyway, the guard said Zamelco (Zambales Electric Co-op) had been notified, but he had no idea when they’d be out. Nothing to do but light some candles, sit outside, drink beers before they get hot, and wait. I did get more than a little concerned when I noticed most of the other houses around me had power and that the street lights were working. Usually, it’s an all or nothing type deal. My next-door neighbor came out and told me she had also called Zamelco and was told a truck was on the way. And about thirty minutes later power was indeed restored.

I finished watching episode 3 of season 5 and then noticed that I had someone managed to break the two vape pens in my pocket. Must have sat on them wrong, but they were irreparable. That’s a pretty big problem because I can’t get replacements here and I have pretty much depleted my backup supply. Oh well.

I guess on the grand scale of tragedies, I’m doing pretty well though. Were it not for my petty complaints what would I have to blog about, right?

Here’s today’s “interesting” photo.

I don’t know how Game of Thrones will turn out, but I was happy to see that the descendants of the Stark family are doing well:

I’m not sure if this constitutes a bright side or not, but it seems the pandemic has had an impact on the litter issues here in the Philippines:

This cartoon made me miss those glorious nights in the bars charming the sexy young bargirls with my good looks and wit:

Man: Haven’t I seen you someplace before?
Woman: Yes, that’s why I don’t go there anymore.
Man: Is this seat empty?
Woman: Yes, and this one will be if you sit down.
Man: Your place or mine?
Woman: Both. You go to yours, and I’ll go to mine.
Man: So, what do you do for a living?
Woman: I’m a female impersonator.
Man: Hey baby, what’s your sign?
Woman: Do not enter.
Man: How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Woman: Unfertilized.
Man: Your body is like a temple.
Woman: Sorry, there are no services today.
Man: I would go to the end of the world for you.
Woman: But would you stay there?
Man: If I could see you naked, I’d die happy.
Woman: If I saw you naked, I’d probably die laughing.

Well, don’t judge me on my love life alone. In fact, I’m thinking about taking the archives of LTG and turning them into an autobiography. I’ve even got a title picked out:

Such is life.