Wet dreams

As I was leaving the house yesterday for my nightly foray in Barretto, I hesitated momentarily when reaching for my umbrella. It was still sunny, but there were some worrisome clouds out on the horizon. Better safe than sorry, I decided. Good thing, too. Just a few minutes into my walk there was a pretty intense rain shower. Didn’t last long, but I would have been soaked without my trusty umbrella. It wound up raining off and on all night long. I woke up around 0100 to the sound of water hitting the metal cover of my bedroom a/c unit. Sounded like a drummer’s cymbal, but the drummer had no sense of rhythm. I eventually got up and spent the rest of the night on the couch to escape the maddening noise. Yeah, I have a hard life, I know.

A friend of mine has opened up what she calls a bar and grill, so I dropped in for her grand opening last night.

I believe she meant to say open Tuesday through Sunday. The place is tiny. She says it sits 6-8 persons. Maybe. If four are sitting outside. There is no bar either, just one small table inside.
That’s Marick on the left and her assistant on the right.
Me and the boss lady at the only table in the house. I’ve been crushing on Marick since we first met at the Hash years ago. Alas, the attraction is apparently not mutual.

I doubt I’ll become a regular, just a little too cramped for my comfort. I honestly don’t see how Marick can generate enough revenue on beer sales and pub food (burgers and appetizers) to make a go of it. I suspect she intends to cater to a Filipino crowd. Marick used to manage another bar and I think she has good business sense, the problem is the venue. It occurred to me that if she teamed up with my other Filipina friend who is looking to open a food operation, and they got a bigger building with a bar and maybe a pool table, they could probably make a go of it. I broached the idea with my friend but she isn’t a Marick fan. Oh well.

I headed over to Mango’s after leaving Marick. They let me sit on the back patio despite it being covered in sand from an earlier high tide.

No surprise that the beach was a mess. I’ve seen that kind of crap washing down the rivers and into the bay. Only a matter of time before it winds up on the beach.
And more rain was on the way, forcing me back inside to finish my drinking at the bar. Oh well.

I saw a caterpillar invasion on my dog walk this morning.

This wasn’t even the half of it. Lots more on both sides of the curb and up on the sidewalk.

I guess I better keep the top securely closed on my margarine. Soon those critters will be butter flys. *sorry*

Did a two-hour hike this morning. The sky looked like this when I departed:

I carried my umbrella anyway. Didn’t need it though.

A pretty standard walk for me, so nothing new or particularly interesting to see along the way. Well, there was this:

They’ve been laying concrete on the road for several months now. Nearly completed, but I guess they didn’t anticipate this stream that likely disappears after rainy season. Based on my understanding of Filipino engineering techniques, they will wait for the stream to dry up, pave over it, and then next year rain will wash out the road. I hope I’m wrong.

Speaking of walking, Facebook shared this photo from four years ago today:

Obviously, I didn’t take it. My friend Mi Young was passing by in her car and snapped the photo while stopped at a traffic light.

It’s odd how an innocuous picture like that can trigger so many memories. I actually remember that day and the route I was taking–my Anjeong-ri river walk. And of course, I remember the feelings I once held for Mi Young that were not reciprocated. But mostly this photo reminds me of my astounding ignorance. I’m sure I was not happy with my life that day, despite my massive salary and government-provided palace. I had it made, but all I could think about was what I had lost and how anxious I was to start my new life in the Philippines. I never allowed myself to live in the moment and appreciate the beauty that surrounded me. Ignorance is not really bliss.

A good reminder for me to live my new life one day at a time and to be thankful for all that I have. I’m getting better at that I think.

It’s good to laugh.

3 thoughts on “Wet dreams

  1. You know the senility is setting in when you can no longer correctly pluralize “flies.” As in “butterflies.”

    Here’s hoping the Filipino engineers figure out a better way to deal with that stream as they continue to build the road.

    “Bar & Grill” seems like false advertising if there’s no actual bar. That said, good luck to Marick!

  2. Pingback: Rest in Place | Long Time Gone

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