Friday, August 9, 2019

I slept pretty well last night but still woke up early. 

Teresa said we had no eggs or milk so we walked to Aymará where we had a simple breakfast.  I walked a long block away and just missed a metro bus and it was about a 10 minute wait for the next one.

The metro was cattle car full abut I arrived at the chess league office by 9:15 for my 10am game.

When I saw the pairings I was surprised as I thought for a bye they would give me ½ a point for pairing purposes but they had me with 1 point instead of 1 ½.  Anyway, that should give me a slightly easier pairing, theoretically.

My next match was against an 8-year old girl.  She started out sitting on her legs and as other games ended she stacked additional plastic chairs on top of hers.  By the end she had 5 chairs she was sitting on.  She said she has been playing for 4 years but she played too quickly and couldn’t keep her attention on the game, looking around and wandering around.  I was able to play the English system again.  It was a close game and I was getting in time trouble but luckily she blundered and I got her rook for free and I checkmated her on the 46^th move.

If your cellphone rings during your game you are automatically disqualified.  So, after the game I turned my cellphone back on and put it in my fanny pack.  I made a trip to the restroom and checked some other games.

On my way to Parque Laureles for lunch I discovered my cellphone was missing.  I have no idea what happened to it.  It was a strange feeling, I kept checking my tech bag and my fanny pack but no cellphone.

I couldn’t find the Italian restaurant I was looking for since the address was in my cellphone.  I ended up having a burger and fries at La Pampa.

I took a taxi to Valle Metropolitan Area de Aburra (Carrera 53 #40A-31) where I renewed my Civica card for Encicla for another year.

It was only a 2 block walk to the Alpujarra metro station and after a 5-minute wait the train was full and I couldn’t get on.  Luckily, the next train wasn’t so bad and I got a standing spot.  I arrived at the Stadium Station by 4:30 so I walked a block further away to El Buho Café where I had a café con leche for 5,500 pesos and studied my tactics for about an hour.  The sidewalk was very busy with lots of people hawking their wares.  I saw a woman selling homemade dolls that resembled Cabbage Patch dolls.  I saw a young couple each holding a pair of cute puppies that looked to be about 2 months old.

I arrived at the chess league by 5:30 and they already had the pairings up.  I bought a Maizitos (like Fritos corn chips) and a small Pepsi for my dinner.

In the next game I had Black and I played the Sicilian Defense.  He tried to surprise me by transposing moves but all it cost me was a little time.  It was another close game and again I got in time trouble (4 minutes remaining on my clock) but I got the advantage and pushed pawns to queen and he finally resigned on the 53^rd move.

I checked some other games then went out to the street and walked a block to the bus stop where I soon caught a taxi back to Envigado.  There was something wrong with the car – not sure if it was a transmission problem (serious) or a loose muffler (simple fix) but it sure made noise every time he accelerated.

I was back at the apt by 9:15.  I gave Teresa the good news (I won both my games today) and the bad news (I lost my cellphone).  She gave me a cellphone she found in a taxi some time ago but it’s not going to work for long if I can’t register it with a paid receipt.  The battery appears to be dead so I plugged it into my charger before going to bed.

Wow, I checked online and my next opponent is a strong 1917 player although he has already lost a couple games to quite weaker player.

12,089 steps today.

Joke of the day

Mr. Johnson had been retired for a year when his wife of 50 years suggested they take a cruise: "We could go somewhere for a week, and make wild love like we did when we were young!" He thought it over and agreed. 

He put on his hat and went down to the pharmacy, where he bought a bottle of seasick pills and a box of condoms. Upon returning home, his wife said, "I've been thinking. There's no reason we can't go for a month." So Mr. Johnson went back to the pharmacy and asked for 12 bottles of seasick pills and a box of condoms. When he returned, his wife said, "You know, since the children are on their own, what's stopping us from cruising the world?"

So back to the pharmacy Mr. Johnson went, and he brought 297 bottles of seasick pills and the same amount of condoms up to the counter. The pharmacist finally had to ask. 

"You know, Mr. Johnson, you have been doing business with me for over 30 years. I certainly don’t mean to pry, but if it makes you that sick, why the hell do you do it?”