Wishing all my readers who celebrate the holiday a Happy Thanksgiving!
I tend to rant and rave and accentuate the negative aspects of my life here, but on a deeper level, I realize I’ve been blessed. As one commenter noted on yesterday’s post, being an old man back in the USA is a whole other level of boredom and misery. I may not fill my hours in any meaningful way, but I do find ways to enjoy myself, at least most of the time.
Take yesterday, for example. Started out with a challenging hike with the Wednesday Walkers group and ended with some fresh walnut pie a la mode. The fact that I was a drunken mess by then isn’t really all that important.
I bought 1500 pesos ($30) worth of food at Sit-n-Bull to feed the gals at Hideaway. The menu included lasagna, chicken wings, chicken fingers, and Shanghai lumpia. It being an early Thanksgiving celebration, I did something I very rarely do–bought all the girls working a lady drink. By the time I left a couple of hours later, my bar tab was 2500 pesos. But can you really put a price on a good time?
Speaking of Joy, Thursday is her normal off-day, and I was going to ask her to be my date for the Thanksgiving dinner party tonight. Alas, she told me (before I mentioned dinner) that there was going to be a brownout (scheduled power outage) in Barretto on Friday, so the bar was going to be closed. All the staff has that day off now instead of their regular schedule. Oh well. I did hear from a contrite Lydell later in the evening, and she agreed to join me for the feast tonight. So, I have a date!
I’ll have a full report on how dinner goes tomorrow. And food pics, promise!
Speaking of photos, here are a few from yesterday’s hike:
You can Relive the hike here if you are so inclined.
You never know which day will be your last day, so treat each one as the blessing that it is. I have much to be thankful for in my life, and I hope I have many more Thanksgivings to reflect on my good fortune.
I’ll leave you with this reminder of just how damn old I truly am–the best Thanksgiving song ever. Probably the longest too, but it’s fun–play it for background noise.
“exceptin’ Alice”
I hope the Thanksgiving meal goes well, not to mention the time with Lydell (I know it’s a first name, but it sounds like a surname! “Allow me to present you Thomas Lydell.”).
Good to see Joy back to her tooth-flashing ways.
Much to be thankful for, indeed.
By the way, I looked up Psalm 129:
A song of ascents.
1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4 But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
5 May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Didn’t see the turn of phrase described in that joke (“Go forth and seek[;] further up, you will find glory.”)! So maybe it’s a meta-joke designed to make you look up Psalm 129?
Full report on the dinner coming later today, but it was a nice gathering. Food was okay; what little of it there was.
Well, you’ve taken that joke a lot further than I ever did. I never bothered actually checking the Old Testament for verification of the punchline. Now, it also has an “I made you look!” element of humor. Thanks for the laugh!