Another typical day in the life here. It’s been said that no news is good news, but some may argue that no news makes for a boring blog post. Well, more boring than usual I guess I should say. You’ve been warned!

I started my evening by spending some quality time at It Doesn’t Matter with my favorite waitress. Now, I know how things work in the bars but I do think I’m getting a GFE vibe these days. Oh, for those not in the know, GFE is what we call the “girlfriend experience” that can sometimes be purchased with lady drink commissions. So, when you spend enough time and money with a gal it’s possible she’ll get cuddly, laugh at your jokes, and have you believing you are something special. Hey, in the long run it is cheaper and less dangerous than having a real girlfriend. At least that’s been my experience.

For the past couple of months I’ve made a Wednesday habit of buying Korean-style wings at The Pub to take home for dinner. I arrived at The Pub a little after 7:00 p.m. and was surprised to see a large group at one of the dining tables. Generally at this hour, I’ll have the place to myself or be sharing it with one or two other guys. The large table appeared to be four couples, looking to be in their late 40s or early 50s. And they were all WHITE. You very rarely see foreigner women here, and when you do they are usually youngish backpacker types. I couldn’t quite make out the accent to their English from across the room, but they weren’t Yanks. Adding to the mystery, we are still on lockdown here so they couldn’t have been tourists. I don’t know, perhaps they were diplomats or something like that.

Anyway, the relevance of this gathering to me was that they had just ordered their meals before I arrived. I feared that would put me at the back of the queue in the kitchen, so I asked my regular waitress about how long I’d have to wait. She came back and said it would be 45 minutes. Well, the wings are good, but I wasn’t willing to sit around waiting for them that long. I said my goodnight and left, feeling sorry that my consecutive streak of “wingsdays” was coming to an end.

Now what? I briefly considered hoofing it over to Sit-n-Bull, but that was further than I felt like walking. So instead I crossed the highway and popped into Mango’s. Took my usual seat on the waterfront, was greeted by my waiter and Facebook friend Norman, and placed an order for some grilled porkchops. Of course, I got a beer to help kill the time while they were being prepared. A few minutes later Norman returned and said, “Sir John, I’m sorry, but Edmund (the chef) advises that we have sold out of pork chops today.” Well, damn, just my luck. There was nothing else on the menu I wanted to eat last night, so I finished by beer and left.

Back on the highway again and it is now 7:45. I mused to myself that had I been more patient at The Pub, my wings would be almost ready now. So, I shrugged and headed back to the Pub, placed my belated wings order, and had a beer. The group of diners was still there enjoying their meal so at least my wings would be the top priority in the kitchen. As I was waiting, Luke, one of the Hashers from Angeles City, came in and ordered some tacos. We had a nice chat while our food was being prepared. In the “it’s a small world” category, Luke has purchased two lots in Alta Vista almost directly across the street from my current residence. My wings arrived, I paid my tab, said my goodbyes, caught a trike, and was home eating wimgs and kimchi by 8:30.

Yeah, a pretty wild night, wasn’t it? And of course, it being Wednesday, I had done the group hike during the morning hours. A 5K jaunt, leaving from Alta Vista and featuring two moderate climbs. Still they got me breathing heavy, but a mostly pleasant hike. Here are some photos from the trek. (hmm, a juant, a hike, and a trek. No wonder I was so tired!)

And that was that. I declare it to have been a good day!