It’s almost time to bitch and moan about the rainy season and start looking forward to those hot, sweaty days again. Until then, you just gotta make the best of the situation. We had four hearty streetwalkers for our Friday group hike, and we all brought umbrellas for what little good they did. A few sprinkles in the beginning, then some heavy rain for most of the rest of the way. I was soaked when we finished, but as I kept reminding myself, a couple of months ago, I would have been soaked with sweat. At least we didn’t have to worry about heat strokes.
Our journey took us from Barretto, through the backstreets of Matain, into Calapacuan, then some of San Isidro, a taste of Santo Tomas, then back to Barretto. A 9K junket all told.
The other event of the day was attending a dinner party with neighbors Jeff and Divina and the other invited guests.
I fucked up and didn’t do a good job documenting the food. Here’s what I got:
Anyway, hanging out and enjoying the food and beverages with the group was great. I left about the time the videoke kicked in and felt a little rude for doing so. It wasn’t the music, but I experienced a breathing attack for some reason. That’s very unusual for me when I’m not going uphill and just sitting on my ass. My oximeter read 90, the lowest I’ve been in a long time. Fortunately, my nebulizer brought me back up to 97, and I felt fine when I hit the hay an hour later.
More rain during the night, but as forecasted, the rain finally let go this morning.
September 7 will always be a special day in my life.
Today’s YouTube video is from another vlogger I don’t subscribe to, but he offers five reasons why the Philippines might not be for you. I only struggle with one of them: patience. Back before Loraine broke my heart, she taught me this mantra: Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way. I still use it on occasion, and it does help keep my head from exploding.
Some more of what I call humor:
Welp, it’s been over two days since I set foot in a bar. I aim to rectify that situation tonight. I’m not sure where, but I know the bars of Barretto are counting on me, and I won’t let them all down. I’ll tell you about that and the nearly disastrous rock-climbing adventure from this morning in tomorrow’s post. See you then!
9K… one of your farther distances. Good job—and in the rain, too.
Looks to have been a nice dinner party. And I note with amusement that the ladies are all wine moms!
The shrimp fajitas were amazing. That’s the first time I’ve eaten shrimp on a tortilla with all the usual fixin’s
Dude, you need to get out more. Look on any Spanish-language menu (or a menu with Spanish-y words) for the terms “camarones” (shrimp, pl.) or “gambas” (prawns). A whole universe awaits you. Latin food with seafood is pretty close to miraculous, from paella on down, and I’m sure a Latin influence can easily be found in Filipino food.
re: cherry pie
That looks like a glorious disaster, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Berry pies often tend to be messy-looking because of the berries’ inherent juiciness. For this reason, a lot of people forgo the pie and just make a cobbler, with a chaotic crumble on top. You end up with almost the same messy result, but with a cobbler, there’s no expectation that you’ll try cutting the thing into neat wedges. Neat wedges are close to impossible with properly done berry pies, not unless you add an inordinate amount of thickener (gelatin, cornstarch, etc.), then let the pie cool down to the point where wedges are possible. By that point, though, the pie is usually too cool to enjoy right. (Doesn’t this look a little too suspiciously neat?) Or maybe I just have a very specific taste when it comes to berry pies. Anyway, my point is that the cherry pie looks broken and runny, yes, but that is just as God intended. I bet it was awesome. Taste always trumps looks.
It wasn’t the music, but I experienced a breathing attack for some reason.
I can’t remember—what did the docs say about that? COPD? Are these random attacks now the new normal, i.e., unavoidable?
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s, it’s…a sunny day!
Lovely sky.
Seems to have been a great day in all. Sleep and breathe well.
Well, it was a flat street walk, so 9K wasn’t real challenging. I did get rubbed raw on my upper thigh from walking in wet shorts, but such is life.
Yeah, I admit I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food. I love Mexican, but fajitas rank below enchiladas, burritos, and tacos on my favorites list. I don’t recall seeing shrimp offered in those items. But now I know!
I was impressed with the cherry pie. When I bake it, it is from a box. Jeff crafted a nice, thick crust that held all those wayward cherries inside, and it tasted fantastic.
The pulmonary doctor attributed my previous breathing issues to a respiratory virus compounding my COPD. I figured she was right because after taking the meds she prescribed, the problem went away. Having breathing issues when I’m not engaged in physical activity is a new realm of discomfort. I’m wondering now if it might be heart-related. So, it’s back to the doctor to see what, if anything, can be done.
When the end of days is on the horizon, you do tend to appreciate the good ones all the more.