Regarding the above, I should emphasize that plastic bottles are the worst part of litter. People upstream toss them in the river; they wash down to the bay, and then high tide leaves them on the beach. I understand the ocean is full of them too. Now, when I was a child, soda pop bottles were glass and had a three-cent deposit included in the price. And us poor kids would walk around picking up the discarded bottles and return them to the store to collect the deposit refund. Nice way to earn a little cash.
So, yesterday’s big adventure was getting the power of attorney I had notarized in the mail to the USA. A friend said there was an LBC (a FedEx-like company) on Rizal Street, so I made that the destination of my morning walk. Alas, when I arrived, it wasn’t an LBC; it was a JTExpress. And JT doesn’t do international shipments. The clerk there advised that there was an LBC outlet in Subic town near the marketplace. So, we grabbed a Jeepney and headed out. Found the LBC, did the paperwork, filled the envelope, paid 2200 pesos, and the POA was on the way, scheduled to arrive in 3-5 days. We walked a couple of kilometers back to Calapandayan and took a trike home from there.
Anyway, the epilogue to the story came this morning when my daughter advised that the equity loan she was seeking (the house is technically in my name) had been declined. So, I didn’t need the notarized POA (1000 pesos) and didn’t need to send it (2200 pesos). Damn, that’s a LOT of lady drinks money wasted.
As for the remainder of the day, Swan had a family gathering to attend, so I headed out on my own. Paid a rare visit to Snackbar, but only stayed for one beer. I no longer know anyone there, it seems. Since the storm I’d walked through to get to Snackbar was over, I decided to make my way to Kokomo’s on Baloy Beach. Swan advised she’d meet me there.
A couple of beers later, it was time to move on for some dinner. Swan suggested Vikings, and that was fine by me.
I ordered a plank steak with mashed potatoes. I was surprised by how it was served.
And that’s how we finished our Thursday.
From the May 2020 LTG archives, I write about all I’ve learned on the second anniversary of my life in the Philippines. Not a lot has changed since then, other than finally finding true love.
Here’s a photo of me from the archives showing what the lockdown has done to me:
Who remembers that cop show, “Adam-12”? Well, today’s YouTube video is a short three-minute clip of a grumpy old man complaining about hippies. It made me laugh because in the 70s I was pretty much a hippie. And now in my 70s, I’m a lot like that old fucker.
Are you ready?
Sorry for the politics in that last one. Feel free to change the wording to suit your preferences.
And on that note, I decree this post over and done with.