What a busy day looks like

Well, I didn’t have time to get bored, that’s for sure. Here’s how all those hours got filled yesterday.

A morning drive to the far side of Olongapo City brought us to the Old Cabalan Elementary School.
Appreciation certificates were handed out…
And some needy kids received their school supplies. Mission accomplished! Now, let’s hike.
Shall we gather at the river?
Yes, we shall!
Posing for a photo at the beginning of our journey.
Let’s roll!
Down the road we go
Some construction work made things a little sloppy for a bit.
The country life
Seems peaceful
We’ll take the high road, thank you very much!
Regrouping
Another bridge crossing
Heading for the hills
Not those hills, thank goodness
Everything is harder when you are old and fat
But it could always be worse!
A steady up, not steep but long.
And then we came to the steep part. Some of us said “nope” and took a rest before heading back.
The view us pussies missed on top.
Heading back down
For some reason, I kept thinking of my favorite ice cream flavor…
Steve decided to cool off by taking a dip in the river
Laundry day
Not me; I just kept on walking.
That’s life in the countryside
Wet and wild
Back across the river
Post-hike refreshments
A beer with a view
Not Steve, I mean the river.

Anyway, it was a good hike and nice to be out in an unfamiliar area for a change of scenery.

It was a “there and back again” trail. The red is the section us shortcutters missed. We still did a healthy (for us) 5K.

I got back home, did a post here at LTG, took a shower and a short nap, and then headed back out for my 4:30 appointment with Dr. Jo. The blood work results weren’t back yet, but she and hubby Chris reviewed the ultrasound workups. For some reason, my left kidney is bigger than my right kidney, but the pain I’m experiencing is on my right side, so that’s probably not it. I also have some small kidney stones. They are too small for any procedure but ripe for some proactive actions to help expel them naturally. I got another tablet to take and a recommendation for some local plant-based tea my helper will look to find. The bottom line is I’m supposed to drink plenty of fluids. I asked, does that include beer? Chris said it couldn’t hurt. Dr. Jo shook her head and advised we’ll see about that when we get the liver results. It looks like I have a window of opportunity in the meantime. The pain in my side has subsided significantly, so that’s a hopeful sign.

After the doctor’s appointment, I headed out for the liquid refreshment my kidneys so desperately need. I thought I’d start by checking out the new Sloppy Joe’s.

Here’s how the old Sloppy Joe’s looks these days.

And here are some shots of the new version:

Inside seating area
Outside tables. You can see on the left where they knocked out the wall.
That’s Jim guarding the front entrance.
And for those of you asking about Martin/18 Kilo Ass, I found him. He said he is hoping to get back to hiking soon.
And here I am using the urinal in the Sloppy Joe’s CR. I recalled the last time I peed here would have been in 2019 when the bar was called The Man Cave. Memories are funny things that hit you when you least expect them. What a pisser!

So, I stayed drinking with Jim at Sloppy Joe’s for several beers; then, he suggested we go upstairs to La Oficina. Why not? Up the stairs, plopped down at a seat near the dance stage, and ordered more beer. This was SOB night, so only a couple of dancers were performing. One of them was a real cutie, and with my usually stellar judgment impaired by the kidney medication I’d been drinking, I called her down to join us (Jim was buying drinks for a couple of waitresses. The dancer is named Chloe, and she was fun to hang with, especially since all my old jokes were new to her. I bought her two single-lady drinks before leaving.

Jim was supposed to meet Troy at Adam’s Bar, another venue I almost never visit, so I figured I’d tag along. When we got back downstairs, Troy was at Sloppy Joe’s. He downed his beer and joined us, but wanted to visit Lux bar (next door to Adam’s) first. That’s another bar I rarely patronize. It’s kind of weird because it is one of the nicer bars in town, but for some reason, I just don’t go. Anyway, the door girl latched onto me right as I entered and joined us at our table. An older gal (40, she said) named April. She was also very nice, and I found her worthy of a lady drink. After a couple of beers, Jim and Troy headed upstairs to Adam’s, and I followed them there.

I was very surprised to see Eunice when I arrived. Eunice was one of my regulars at Cheap Charlies, but I hadn’t seen her there recently. Last night was her first night of work at Adam’s, so I naturally welcomed her with a lady drink. I asked what happened at Cheap Charlies, and as I understood her, she missed some work days, and they let her go. Imagine that. My kidneys by now had all the meds I could withstand, so I said my goodnight to all and caught a trike for home.

Quite a day, eh? When I checked to make sure this post title wasn’t duplicated, I came across a post I wrote back in March 2005, shortly after my move to Korea. You may or may not find it of interest. I was a different kind of busy in those days.

And on my morning walk today, I saw there is a new bar coming to town.

This building has been vacant since the scamdemic. It used to be a “man bar” (male dancers for the entertainment of the ladies and gays, I suppose. I never stepped inside. The sign says it is going to be named Red Bar. And since they are advertising for dancers (I assume female), it is going to be another one of those kind of places.

There are two other new bars in the process of opening as well. I honestly have no idea where the customers are going to come from to support them all. Even I have my limits. We need more tourists and two-week millionaires!

But Saturday night is fast approaching now, and I’m going to go out and do my best to help out the local business community. Provided they serve San Mig Zero.

I lifted this from a post on Kevin Kim’s blog. I have no available evidence to refute the fact-checker. All I can say is that I am following doctor’s orders.

4 thoughts on “What a busy day looks like

  1. Damn. Really sorry to hear about the kidney stones. That’s gotta suck. I wasn’t clear on whether the docs were making a connection between the kidney stones and your side pain. At this point, though, it sounds as if they’re not exploring the idea of simple muscle pain.

  2. No, I don’t think the stones are connected with the pain. At this point, the goal is for my body to expel them naturally before they become too large to do so. I guess it is just a process of elimination; once the blood work confirms that I don’t have liver or gall bladder issues, the focus will be on the muscular. The bottom line is I’m getting better, not worse, pain-wise, so my body may be fixing the problem on its own.

  3. I am not sure how the various bars distinguish themselves from other bars. Especially a new one just opening up. The girls seem to move from one to the other, so having a favorite bar because of the service staff seems like that would be a pretty short term proposition. (no pun intended). As for ambiance, are they really that different from one to the other (excepting maybe the view)?

    I would guess that if you revisited your bar rankings, there would be big changes.

  4. Brian, Bars seem to find a vibe that attracts a loyal base; as often as not, they eventually lose it. The most recent example of that is It Doesn’t Matter. The owner died tragically, his partner moved to England, the bikers who used to hang out there have moved to Sloppy Joe’s, and IDM just seems to be barely hanging on.

    The girls do frequently move from bar to bar, but honestly, they are all pretty much interchangeable. I met two new gals this week in bars I rarely frequent that I would go back to see. But opening a new bar is fraught with peril; you’ve got to find a niche that will attract customers who have many options available. The bars I like best have outdoor seating, but I do visit the inside places like Wet Spot because I like the crowd there. I hardly ever even look at the dance stage; that’s just not my thing normally.

    Yes, my rankings would definitely change. Are you suggesting an update?

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