…I hope it don’t turn away.
Good morning from paradise! I’m starting to feel solid again, if you get my meaning.
Apparently there was a scheduled power outage from 0600 to 0800 this morning. I didn’t get the word until everything went dark. Ah well, had a nice chat out on the patio with my neighbor Bill. Interesting Yank, been here three years now and professes to love it. I enjoyed hearing some of his yarns and I’m looking forward to making some of my own in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
Took off on my morning beach walk then popped into Treasure Island (which had power via a generator) for breakfast and a little flirting with the wait staff. My favorite, Joana, wasn’t working today. She lives in Olongapo City and I’d asked her to see if the fresh market there sold any fresh celery. She brought some into work with her yesterday. I was grateful for her efforts (the market in Barretto never has any) even if the celery itself isn’t up to American standards.
Skinny and limp though it may be, still tasty when dipped into a jar of creamy peanut butter…
I semi-teasingly asked Joana if she was looking for a boyfriend and she responded “I have enough boyfriends to last me ten years”. Love her attitude. Alas, it appears the attraction is a one-way street.
After a satisfying 3-egg omelette with ham, cheese, and mushrooms I recommenced my walk.
I walked by my soon to be future home…
….and then returned home via the beach walk…
Yesterday I played in the local dart league and then last night I played in the Wednesday night tournament. It was a lot of darts and a lot of beers kinda day. In fact, during the almost two weeks since my arrival I’ve played more darts than I have in the last two years. I’m starting to recapture the old passion for the game again. I’m slowly regaining some of my former prowess, but I remain way too inconsistent. I did throw my second ton-80 and racked up two second place finishes. Lost both times to older Filipinas who are both outstanding darters. I definitely need to be on my game to be competitive here.
I guess I’ve been drafted to play league with the Alley Hideaway Bar “Alley Cats”. Suits me fine. The team captain, Anabel, is a cutie. She calls me “Kuya” which means older brother. I asked her how do you say “boyfriend” in Tagalog. She told me, then laughed and said she’d just call me John. Struck out again, apparently.
Anyway, I’m feeling more and more at home and comfortable in my life here, solitary though it may be. There is still a void waiting to be filled, but I’m going to bide my time and patiently wait for nature to take its course. If she is worthy, she will find me.
Now I’m livin’
out here on the beach,
but those seagulls are
still out of reach.
The world is turnin’
I hope it don’t turn away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKgj1FNToWY
I was wondering about the rent situation. When I was in Front Royal, VA, my rent went up steadily, starting at around $730/month and creeping to slightly over $800/month by the time I left three years later. That’s a 9.6% increase over three years, which isn’t exactly small. So what’s the rental scheme like where you are?
Glad to know you’ve achieved solidity. I was going to recommend not eating for two days to see whether things might at least dry up a bit, but that merely takes care of a symptom, not the fundamental problem (or the problem with the fundament, as the case may be). Get lots of bananas and other fibrous foods into your diet, and maybe take Metamucil or the Filipino equivalent (psyllium fiber). I take psyllium tablets every day; they’re a bit of a paradox because they help constipated people by softening the stool, but they also help diarrhetic people by absorbing a lot of the water in the intestines, thus solidifying the stool. Psyllium helps people on both extremes.
Switching gears: I remember reading that your new landlord needs time to make repairs and to spruce your future home up before you move in, but do you have a move-in date?
Well, I can’t say for sure but given the vacancy situation in Alta Vista I don’t think there is enough demand to drive ever increasing rent amounts. Of course, once I’m settled into the place and the contract comes up for renewal the landlord may see if I’ll bite for higher rent rather than moving as a matter of convenience.
He told me two weeks to get the house squared away. That’s fine by me as my rent is paid up at my current place through June 15. That should give me time to get my appliances installed, have the utilities turned on, and hopefully find some speedy internet provider (could I be lucky enough to have fiber optic available?).
Thanks for the tips on psyllium tablets. You’d think I was silly enough already!
When traveling and getting a dose of the “walk fasts” (not quite the runs, LOL), I will eat nothing but rice and water for a day or two. Usually seems to work for me, but if it is something that requires antibiotics, it may not be the best method.
Brian, yeah, who knows? The pharmacist may have just been motivated to sell some antibiotics.