End of Monsoon: The Impact of Prolonged Rainy Season

Rainy Season Doldrums.

Things are finally starting to clear up. We've been in a really wet pattern this past summer here in Guam due to an eastward extension of the typically SE Asian southwest monsoon. I suppose it's better than having a tropical storms or typhoons roll through. Thank goodness we haven't had much to talk about in that department. The good thing is everything is green and the aircon hasn't been working all that hard, and that means a slightly lower power bills.

The bad thing is that most all outdoor activities have been curtailed and we've had to switch to our indoor alternatives more often. A while back, I happened across this little restaurant/tavern owned by a local Thai gal who happens to be a really good cook. We'll call her TA. A couple of my friends hang out there so I figured I'd join up with them. They do have a cool back porch where drinks and other intoxicating substances are utilized (weed is legal here). The clientele is made up mostly of veterans, local and haole, many of who have been living in this part of the world for many years if not decades. Consequently, there are many stories to be told and shared.

She's a sharpshooter!

Staying Indoors!

Another indoor spot we frequent usually one day a week is the Tower of London where Teri and I have had a running shuffleboard match going on for several years now. This last Wednesday, after I victoriously survived Teri's puck pushing onslaught, we dropped in at another popular spot called Wild Bills. Recently they have installed the most high-tech dart board system I have ever seen, where cameras and algorithms take all the work out of scoring and it is all fully automated. These aren't the plastic-tipped dart games, but real bristle boards and real darts. Just like in bowling, who now would ever want to return to manual scoring? It sure makes it easier to focus on the full enjoyment of alcohol consumption.

Fair skies over Guam

The day after we visited Wild Bills it stopped raining and the sun began showing itself again. That's a good thing, but the unfortunate side to the return of nice weather was my timing. The first day the sun comes out I had a colonoscopy pre-op consult, which included blood work, chest X Ray, and an EKG. I don't remember doing any of these runups prior to my previous colonoscopies. Maybe it's due to my age. Anyway, the following day I was to begin my dreaded colonoscopy prep. If you've been down this road before, you know! If you haven't ever experienced the prep part of the procedure, know this: I took 6 laxatives and drank a gallon of nasty stuff that tastes like salt water, and haven't been able to stray more than 15 feet from the toilet all day! And if that isn't torture enough, I can't eat anything!

The best part of this procedure is the nap!

So the sun finally comes out, and now I'm stuck inside. It's just not a pleasurable experience. And achieving any level of productivity while sitting at my desk is nearly impossible. Tomorrow, I go in for the actual procedure and thank goodness I will be asleep through all of it. I finally managed to get a video completed and is in post production, meaning it will be out sometime soon, and fully dependent upon the speed of my recovery.

On a positive note, I might lose 3 lbs through all this. And if the Dr. closes me with "See you in five years." I'll probably say something like "The Fuck You Will!"