I guess it says a lot about nothing when the highlight of your day is taking a 7K stroll to the Subic WalterMart store. Swan was along for the trek, so there was that. There wasn’t much of anything new or interesting to see on our backstreet route, so not many pictures either. Here’s what I’ve got to share:

When the evening hours rolled around, it didn’t get much more exciting. But excitement is overrated. We had an enjoyable time at It Doesn’t Matter, topped off with a delivery of birria tacos from Myleen’s. Then we had a pleasant nightcap at Wet Spot to bring our Thursday to a close.

See, I told you nothing can be good enough for me!

In other news, I’m reading more and more concerning information about potential negative side effects that come with using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. Althouse links to a Washington Post article that includes this:

On social media and at doctor’s offices, some users have reported a type of brain fog and others something broader and harder to define: a strange emotional flattening. People describe less pleasure, less motivation, diminished interest in hobbies and even reduced sexual desire. Those accounts are beginning to raise deeper questions about what, exactly, these drugs are changing. If GLP-1s alter the brain systems involved in reward, craving and motivation, researchers wonder, where is the line between quieting a person’s destructive impulses and reshaping personality itself?…

Of course, in my case, emotional flattening might be a benefit.

And then there was this post about the GLP-1s destroying balance and sensory systems:

We must confront the most severe pharmacological threat to the vestibular system in a generation. We face an undeniable clinical crisis, supported by 496,756 patient records. This study confirms that the widespread use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs)—Ozempic (Semaglutide), Mounjaro (Tirzepatide), and related drugs such as Wegovy—is a direct driver of organ destruction and systemic microvascular failure. We consider a catastrophe spanning the inner ear (the cochlea) and the retinal macula.

That’s admittedly pretty scary-sounding, and I do sometimes encounter moments of lightheadedness. Then again, I’m elderly, so that comes with the turf. I won’t be surprised if I become that cliche, “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”

But just to keep things in perspective, this article talks about hidden GLP-1 benefits that improve heart, liver, kidney, and other organ functions. That’s what I’m hoping for!

Anyway, my plan is to reach my weight goal, which will take six more months at my current rate of loss, and then quit the drug and replace it with self-discipline in my eating habits. If that doesn’t work out for me, I want to test the microdosing theory I’ve read about. That’s both cheaper and potentially less damaging. We shall see what the future brings.

Okay, enough of substance! That’s not what people come to LTG for.

More and more, I’m finding stuff in the LTG archives I’d totally forgotten about. Like this post from June 2019 about an incident at Alley Cats bar that almost resulted in fisticuffs. Patrick is still around, although he isn’t aging well and recently had a stroke. Still smoking and drinking, but I haven’t sensed any bad blood between us. Since I’m re-retired from darts now, I likely won’t run into him again.

Coincidentally, today’s YouTube video discusses the impact that drinking has on personalities. I’m happy to report that I’m in the “Hemingway” group, which basically means that I don’t change much when I’m drunk. But yeah, I’ve seen others transform from quiet and reserved to loud and aggressive when they drink. Anyway, it was an interesting watch and based on scientific studies, so good to know.

Try these on for size:

And that’s it for this time. I’m just gonna keep plugging away and see what happens next.

In the comments to the post about my first visit to the Itaewon Grand Ole Opry bar that I wrote back in 2005, my father said, “Don’t you remember the song, Hugging and Chalking? Also, ‘comfortable’ girls are like older women…they make beautiful lovers.” Well, the song was from 1947, so I didn’t remember it, but I’ll always remember it now. Thanks, Dad!