Yesterday was a bad day for me. Not as bad as it was for those folks depicted above, but pretty much fucked just the same.
So rock me momma like a wagon wheel
Rock me momma any way you feel
Hey, momma rock me
Hey, rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, momma rock me
Things started going bad when I first woke up for a piss at 0200. For some unfathomable reason Darius Rucker’s Wagon Wheel was playing in my head and I couldn’t turn it off. I mean, I like the song just fine but it’s hard to sleep with that verse playing endlessly over and over in your brain. I finally had to get up, go downstairs, and grab my Bluetooth headphones and phone. Then I picked a Spotify easy-listening playlist, turned the volume to low, and laid back down. I succeeded in drowning out Rucker and actually enjoyed some unfamiliar tunes until slumber overtook me again. What a night.
After the morning dog walk, I headed down to the ATM at the 7/11 store but the machine was out of service. So I moseyed on across town to the other BPI ATM (BPI is the only bank that allows 20,000 peso withdrawals) and it was down as well. Ah well, that’s how it goes sometimes. I had enough cash in my wallet to carry me through the day so no big deal.
Then I came back home and fired Gina, one of my helpers. She was in the yard and I greeted her but she ignored me. That seemed weird. I sat down at the computer and she walked by and I asked her what was going on and she just glared at me and kept walking. And then I lost it. I don’t get screaming and throwing shit mad too often, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be treated rudely and disrespected in my own house, by the hired help no less. She went upstairs to her room while I ranted and raved then I screamed up at her to pack her shit and get out.
A little background: A couple of days ago I heard Gina coughing in the middle of the night. The next morning I teasingly told her that sounded like a dry cough and she better go get tested for COVID. Apparently (according to my other helper) she was offended by my joke. But rather than say something to me about it she did the silent treatment routine. Well, there’s actually a word in Tagalog for this kind of behavior: tampo. It loosely translates to sulking, but it is more intense than that when engaged in by a Filipina. It is said that once a Filipina goes tampo she won’t speak to you for three days. Then she comes back like nothing ever happened. Well, I won’t tolerate that shit from a girlfriend. I sure as hell don’t want a tampo employee around.
Anyway, she left but didn’t take all her stuff. Didn’t come home last night either. I told my other helper to make sure she gets the key back, otherwise, I’ll have to change the locks. What a pain in the ass.
Earlier this month I wrote about a married woman I know. Fun to be around and chat with, but safely unavailable. She came by the house yesterday to talk with my helper Teri. She was crying and telling about how her husband wanted to walk away from the marriage and that he has withdrawn all support from her. Pretty sad actually, especially in light of how loyal she’s been to him despite his (alleged) transgressions and shortcomings. My advice to her was she should look forward, not back. Her husband has actually done her a favor–giving her a chance to pursue a new and hopefully happier future. To have time with her kids and family back in the province. And now Judy and I are chatting on messenger. Hoo boy, I’m going to have to be careful. Adultery is a crime in this country. Stay tuned.
Played darts again last night. Maybe slightly better than last week but that ain’t saying much. Didn’t place, but wasn’t first out either. I don’t know, I’m still trying to decide if I’m even having fun at it anymore. Of course, the alternative is sitting at Mangos alone, and watching the water hit the beach. I probably need a couple of nights of being more social than that.
I did enjoy a few beers at Mangos after darts last night though.
Stopped into 7/11 on the way home and the ATM was back online. Punched in my transaction, everything seemed normal, heard the whirring sound it makes when cash is being dispensed, then nothing came out. What the hell? The helpful clerk then told me that the machine had run out of money. A fitting ending to my crappy day I suppose.
Today has gone much better so far. I grilled up my USDA ribeyes for breakfast.
On my morning hike, I visited the BPI ATM on the far side of town. It was online and best of all it actually dispensed the 20,000 pesos I requested. My luck has indeed changed.
As I continued to walk I saw this interesting view up near the top of the mountain (as seen from the highway, I wasn’t climbing):
My masseuse should be arriving shortly so let me wind down this long-ass post with a little political humor.
Alright, here’s Darius singing Wagon Wheel. Play it at your own risk. Warning: It might get stuck in your head!
UPDATE: Gina came home just now. Apologized for her behavior and asked for her job back. I told her I’d give her a second and last chance. I also said that in the future if she has a problem with something I say or do, just let me know. We’ll see.
UPDATE II: Judy sent me a message asking if I wanted to meet her somewhere “secret” to get to know one another better. Uh oh. I told her better to wait until her situation is resolved. There will be plenty of time to decide next steps then. Jesus. What the fuck am I doing?
You never disappoint in the drama department. I would’ve loved to witness the ranting and raving. To fire your helper like that, you definitely learned a lot in your former job and you’re definitely going about this the right way. People have to know the workplace rules.I can’t remember which is which, but I hope the helper with the medical training has a better sense of professionalism and doesn’t piss off the boss.
This new thing with Judy. I sense interesting times ahead. I would suggest options for this ‘secret place’, but I understand there are restrictions on movement . But you seem to be getting by quite well, while I have read of others needing travel passes to cross the street to buy bread.
Last question, is the BPI a bank that is linked to your American bank at home or just a remittance account to which you receive your pension ? I have heard of somebody who had to resort to travelling back home(Germany,in his case) to bring back a lot of money in cash for which he was robbed and/or injured for and it led me to believe that banking facilities in your town may be inadequate.
Yeah, those rib eyes look a little thin, not to mention a little pale. Ya’ gotta give ’em an aggressive sear so they get some color (and taste)! Traditionally, you sear the meat first, then lower the heat and gently “finish” the steak via gentle cooking. These days, though, it’s trendier to gently cook the steak first, then do a sear at the very end (this is called a “reverse sear” because the sear happens last, not first). Searing is done only when the cooking surface is smoking hot, and the meat’s contact with the surface shouldn’t be longer than about a minute per side.
Sorry to hear about your rough day, especially with bitchy Gina. Be sure to cut her off permanently next time. You don’t need that kind of crap happening in your own home. As for Judy, well… tread carefully. Adultery is illegal, and technically, you’re still married, too, no matter what your heart says regarding your marital status. Judy has a right to know your legal status. (Hell, the knowledge might make you even more of a naughty temptation in her eyes!) Truth in all things, especially relationships.
Hey Brian, yeah imagine how it would be if I wasn’t actively trying to AVOID drama in my life. Damn shit keeps finding me! In all those years of being a manager, I never had to directly fire anyone, although I did make sure people who were fired, stayed fired. Teri is the caregiver professional and she was engaged in trying to calm me down, warning me about my blood pressure. Heh. To be fair, this is the first time I ever had a problem with Gina and I could have handled it better too. Hopefully, the drama is all behind us now.
Judy actually suggested finding somewhere on the old Navy base. It’s no problem moving within Zambales province, so it could be done. I’m just not willing to risk getting tangled up in legal issues for a piece of ass.
On the money transfer methods, no BPI is not linked to my American credit union account where my pension is deposited. The work around some people use is to open a Philippines bank account and deposit a check once a month or so (it takes 20 days to clear usually). That was my plan but I couldn’t find a bank that would let me open an account on a tourist visa. I brought in $9500.00 (just under the ten grand reporting requirement) once but felt very uncomfortable having that kind of cash on hand. And yes, it was a German living in the area who got robbed and murdered when returning with a large amount of cash. Rumor is his girlfriend tipped off the robbers. Another method is wiring money to yourself with Western Union or one of several other money transfer services. I tried that a couple of times but found it expensive and inconvienent. For example, I also do the transfers in dollars to avoid getting raped on the exchange rate. But the local offices never seemed to have enough dollars on hand and would then pay me in pesos at a lousy exchange rate. So the most convenient way for me has been to make ATM withdrawals once a week or so. Most banks have a limit of 10,000 pesos per transaction, but BPI gives 20,000 (when the machine is stocked anyway). They all charge 250 pesos per withdrawal, so I get more bang for my 5 bucks with BPI. Not ideal, but it works out most of the time. If I ever lose my debit card I’m screwed though!
Kevin, yeah I preheat the grill before slapping on the meat but I didn’t have it going full blast this time. I’ll definitely pay more attention to the searing process next time though. Thanks for the tip! I’m usually more worried about overcooking. I prefer mine almost medium, but on a hot grill with distractions, I screw that up too often. I’m guessing they slice the steaks slim so they can give you four in a pack for that 1500 pesos. All in all though, I enjoyed eating some tender American beef again. I’ve got four more in the freezer, the next batch should come out better.
Yes, I’m married and actually Judy knows that. Her problem with it seems to be that it will make it harder for us to get married in the future. I reassured her on that account. I might be open to a relationship someday but it will NOT include marriage. Been there, done that. Four fucking times!
Hold on just one minute! I’ve been following your adventures since the Itaewon glory days. I thought you were divorced from the Korean gal. I had no idea you were still married. What is the strategy there? I don’t know how I missed that tidbit of info. ☮️
Sojo, we separated at the end of 2015 by her choice. I figured it was on her to initiate the divorce that she claimed to want. I wouldn’t have a clue how to do that in Korea anyway. Anyway, she never filed. There are some pretty significant benefits for me being able to claim a spouse deduction on my federal tax return. Since I have no plans to ever remarry I don’t have any motivation to divorce.
John,
Good luck with the grilling. For the sear, your cooking surface needs to be cranked up until it’s insanely hot, i.e., the air is practically shimmering over the surface. A lot of people prefer cast-iron pans for that job: cast iron absorbs, retains, and evenly distributes whatever heat goes into it. It’s a bitch to maintain cast-iron cookware, but a lot of people swear by it. Maybe buy a cast-iron skillet and make your caretakers watch YouTube videos on the proper maintenance and “seasoning” of the equipment. That way, you don’t have to worry about maintaining your own cookware.
Anyway, the issue of overcooking the meat shouldn’t be a problem if you get the cooking surface ripping hot (literally smoking hot), then sear each side of the meat for no more than a minute. The center of the meat ought to remain pink. For videos on how to do this, I highly recommend Sam the Cooking Guy. He’s less of a chef and more of a home cook, but he’s got spot-on intuition when it comes to handling meat via grill or oven. You can learn a lot by watching any of his steak-related videos. Whenever he cuts open a chunk of meat, the result is always gently pink and perfect.
How do you say “Good luck!” in Tagalog?
Thanks again for the searing advice and suggestions for further reading. I always grill my steaks so I just need to do a better job with the pre-heating part I think. Of course, on the grill, I can’t always control what happens (dripping juices feeding flames and all). Also, I sometimes get distracted and don’t flip the meat as soon as I ought to do so.
Suwerte to me!