Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up several times during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

I had a short nap after breakfast then left the apt at 8:45 for Smartfit. I ran into Michael right away and learned he returns to the gym for another workout around noon.

They gym has televisions above the treadmills and I occasionally thought I saw the name George Halas come up. Today I finally caught it in time to take this photo:

Later ChatGPT translated it to, “No one who has given their best has ever regretted it.” – George Halas. So, they know who George Halas is in Colombia? Incredible.

I also noticed an ad on television for my brand of creatine so I’ll have to check out.

It will probably be powder rather than the capsules I bought.

I walked to Ganso y Castor and had a latte at my usual table at the end of the row. A young man of 35 or so was sitting 3 tables away. I could hear him speaking English with a woman on his phone. I could occasionally hear things like “an egg contains 2 grams of protein”, and “you should eat some protein an hour after your workout”. I figured he must be in the fitness nutrition business.

When I finally noticed he was off the phone I tried to get his attention, “hello” and “where are you from?” but he either couldn’t hear me or was too engrossed in his phone. I made a screenshot of this book:

and walked over to his table and held out my cellphone and said, “I don’t know if you can’t hear me or are ignoring me but have you read this book?” He stood up and said, “get the fuck out of my face”. I said, “Wow!”, walked back to my table, picked up my thermos and workout book and left immediately, returning to the apt.

Teresa wanted to go to her crafts course again this afternoon but learned there won’t be any classes until February 11^th.

I left the apt at 1:45 and walked to Gardenia where I had a latte. No other customers were there but a few came in later. About 3pm thunder could be heard and it got noticeably windier and cooler. I left at 3:30 in a light shower and returned to the apt.

Kelly arrived about 4:30 to give Teresa a massage. The sun was shining and I wanted to leave but it was still raining, although lightly. Finally, about 4:30 it cleared and I walked to Antonio’s where I bought half a liter of pistachio gelato. I continued on to Eduardo Madrid where I picked up the 16 English muffins I ordered plus a slice of carrot cake for Teresa.

I returned to the apt and Kelly had already left.

I lost a game to chesswiz98 in 40 moves, lowering my rating to 1542.

I watched news the rest of the evening, mainly CNN’s Town Hall in Minneapolis.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:30 (it was still raining), got up twice during the night (it had stopped raining), finally waking by alarm at 6:30 (forgot to unset it), getting up just after 7:15.

I had a short nap after breakfast then left the apt at 8:45. I stopped in Eduardo Madrid and returned 2 large plastic containers for them to reuse and ordered 16 English muffins for pickup tomorrow afternoon.

I continued on to Ganso y Castor where I had a latte with a glass of ice water. (Doctor wants me drinking more water for my kidney stones.) I started using the Blink eyedrops I bought last June/July and so far, they seem much better than the regular eyedrops I’ve been using.

I left at 11:15 and stopped in Ara for a bag of laundry detergent. A man ahead of me had a full cart and there was only one cashier ☹ so it took a while.

I dropped off the laundry detergent then returned our suitcases to the garage storage area.

Yesterday Teresa had me put a piece of glass (3’ x 1’ x 1”) next to the garbage chute for disposal. I guess they won’t take it because a portero knocked on our door and its back. 😊

We left at 1pm, took a Didi to pick up MT and then continued on to San Fernando Plaza. They went into Gaes, a hearing aid center, while I took a seat in Juan Valdez without purchasing a coffee. They came out a few minutes later and we took a Didi to Santafe mall.

We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles, me ordering their stroganoff crepe with a glass of water.

Teresa had the Mexican trufa and MT a salad with avocado. I tried using my new Capital One 360 debit card to pay the 86,500 pesos ($24) and it was declined again. (Later I logged into my Capital One account and verified it hadn’t been locked.) I charged it to my USAA debit card instead but I think there will be a 1% foreign transaction fee added.

I stopped in a nearby store and had Teresa’s blood test results printed.

I went down to Valentina’s and had a latte while waiting for them to return from checking out Zara. When they returned Teresa had a latte and MT an aromatica. I paid the check of about 35mil in cash.

We left about 5:30 and returned to Envigado by taxi for 22,000 pesos.

I spent the rest of the evening watching the evening news, mainly MS NOW but about 8:30 I was glad I had switched to CNN because they were interviewing Stella Carlson, the woman who recorded the execution of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents. What a good spokesperson she was!

Btw, where are those millions of Epstein files that DOJ is supposed to release immediately?

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Monday, January 26, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up just after 6am.

Teresa was already gone to nueve eps to for a doctor’s appointment. She returned at 7am and made breakfast. I went for my usual nap but didn’t sleep well. I left the apt just before 9am for Smartfit. I reduced the weights on the machines by 10# and was happy I didn’t have any problem on the leg extension. I was doing my 18 minutes on the treadmill when Michael stopped by. Something about it would cost $1,000 for a Colombian Visa so he’s just going to use up his remaining visitor stamp time this year. Btw, Stacy is in Santa Domingo, DR and Michael is thinking about sharing an Airbnb with him later. I told him about the e-ticket he will have to fill out for the DR.

I completed my workout then moved to Ganso y Castor for a latte. I brought ChatGPT up-to-date on my exercise and treadmill progress and it recommended I stick to the -10# for 2-3 weeks.

I texted Innovation Corp and it appears Fed-Ex handed off the package to USPS on December 15^th. ☹ The lady says USPS sometimes delivers packages up to 2 months late. Not sure whether to file a claim with them or wait a little longer to see if the packages still get delivered.

Teresa sent me a voicemail asking me to pick up a cucumber and tomatoes. I left at 10:45 and stopped in Ara on my way back to the apt.

The guy who rents our parking spot came by and gave me 300,000 pesos for January, February, and March.

Annie James

After lunch, I left the apt at 1:30 and walked to the mall. I went up to the banking area and tried my new Capital One debit card in a Davivienda ATM. Each step was slower than usual and in the end it timed out. ☹ At the next Davivienda ATM I received a, “Transaccion con problemas. Intente luego.”. Another bank’s ATMs were out of order. If my debit card won’t work in stores or ATMs it’s useless to me. I will try again later.

I bought a cinnabon in Cinnabon (where else) and got it to go for Urbania. When I was opening it, I noticed these directions on how to reheat it.

Maybe it’s because I ordered it “to go”. Besides being huge I had no problem cutting it up with the knife and fork they included.

I’ve won my last 5 games and they’ve all been in 26 moves or less. 😊

I left at 4pm, and made a stop in Exito. I found imported oranges 😊 and bought 4 for 20,000 pesos so they were approximately $1 each. I bought a couple other things and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa cut up one of the oranges right away to share and I was a little disappointed it wasn’t sweet at all.

Teresa is frustrated with her mother and I understand she will be taking her to a doctor or audiologist tomorrow to get hearing aids.

Workers are making good progress on the new sidewalk.,

About 8:30 a downpour started.

I spent the rest of the evening watching the news, ending with the 9-10pm The Rachel Maddow Show, finally getting to bed at 10:30. It was still raining.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up just before 7am.

I left the apt at 8:15 and walked to Sao Paulo Plaza where I met Glenn with Bianca in Olivenza. Glenn has had a problem with low blood pressure symptoms in the evening. He’s taking 3 different blood pressure medications and after conferring with ChatGPT, it recommended he stop one particular medication. He got approval from his doctor and it’s only been a couple days, but so far, he’s feeling better. Bianca has a back problem that she’s getting injections for from a veterinarian every couple weeks.

I tried paying for our meal with my new Capital One debit card but it was declined. ☹ We’ll see if it works with ATMs and of course, I’ll try again in another store.

I returned to the apt and Teresa sent me to Mercado Madrid and Ara for vegetables but neither had pipinos (cucumbers).

Chesswiz98 resigned our game on the 17^th move, increasing my rating to 1546.

Jose isn’t feeling well so we won’t be playing chess this Tuesday.

I watched the first four episodes of The Bear (8.5) on Stremio and the rest of the evening watched the news.

I watched the last 5 minutes of the Seahawks vs Rams game.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 1am, again at 5:45 before waking/getting up just before 7am.

Teresa got up at 7:30 and made me blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

 Chesswiz98 blundered a bishop and resigned on the 26^th move, increasing my rating to 1541.

I met Marcos with Johana at 9:45 outside our porteria and I ordered a Didi to take us to Pricesmart in Poblado. I found a few things on my list but most importantly they didn’t have turkey breast, nor blueberries or strawberry preserves. I paid 294,100 pesos ($81) using my new USAA debit card. We stopped in their café long enough for them to each have a slice of pizza then we went up two levels where we waited 5-10 minutes for a taxi. They leave next Thursday for Bogota and Johana’s US embassy appointment.

I activated my new Capital One debit card. Now I just need to test it.

I took a 45-minute nap right after lunch.

I left the apt at 2:30 and walked to La Buena Mesa. All the tables outside Ganso y Castor were taken and even the concrete tables. I forgot how busy the park gets on Saturdays. I walked down to Los Porteños where I had one of their little lattes for 10,900 pesos and scrolled through my phone.

I see federal agents murdered another American in Minneapolis. ☹ When are they going to realize they aren’t wanted there?

I left at 4pm and returned to the apt.

Annie James with Rebel:

I spent the remainder of the day and evening watching the news.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Friday, January 23, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 6:15, couldn’t fall back asleep to I got up at 7am.

Outside they’re in the process of tearing up the sidewalk in front of Ara.

We had no food in the house so we went to Los Porteños for breakfast. Teresa left first to pick up some food for lunch in Ara. I was a few minutes behind her after I paid our check of 105,000 pesos.

She arrived a couple minutes later and reported Ara didn’t have any new food deliveries because of the work going on outside.

She soon left to meet her mother and we’ll meet for lunch at 12:30 in Crepes & Waffles.

I balanced my Capital One account and worked on my blog notes.

I left the apt just after noon and walked to Viva Envigado. I recycled a plastic bottle then went up to Crepes & Waffles where I found Teresa and MT already at an outside table. Only problem is we’re under a huge fan that dries my eyes out more than they normally are and it’s actually painful.

They each ordered Mexican chicken soup which I mistakenly thought was their entrée as I wondered where my chicken Cesar salad was. I learned they just had soup and eventually their Mexican chicken came that they shared. MT also had aromatica (like a tea) and Teresa had juice and for dessert they shared a suprema and I had one just for myself. The total check came to 155,650 pesos ($42.50), including tip.

They left to meet a friend of Teresa’s and I went to the ATM where I made a withdrawal then paid our Claro cellphone bills.

Walking down the metro aisle it was obvious it was raining outside. I just hoped it would stop before my leaving soon.

In Exito I picked up a large carton of eggs and a bag of milk then got in a medium-size line to pay. Outside, the rain had stopped but now there was a short line and no taxis available. After a 15-minute wait I returned to the apt by taxi for the new minimum of 7,800 pesos.

I finished unpacking and reorganizing my stuff.

I texted my daughter that I didn’t receive the Christmas presents. One package was an online order sent USPS and she has a tracking number and confirmation of delivery on December 15^th. The other she sent personally on December 1^st and should have arrived within 5-8 days. I forwarded this information on to Innovation Corp so we’ll see what they say.

I registered my new USAA debit card and will test it tomorrow at Pricesmart. I’ll wait to register my Capital One until tomorrow, assuming I have no problem using my new USAA debit card.

I was really tired so I set an alarm for an hour and slept from 6pm to 7pm.

I spent the rest of the evening watching the Bears highlights from their last game and then the news.

I read some from my book and went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, quickly fell asleep, and was awakened by Teresa at 7:15.

Some surprises ahead!

Today is Punta Cana check-out day and return to Medellin.

Change of plans: We left the room by 8am and had the buffet breakfast in Miramar. I exchanged the towels poolside for the cards we need to return at check-out.

We returned to the room to find we had no power (electricity) so not just no lights but no air conditioning. I got Teresa set up outside in the sun for her final tanning session. By then the electricity had come back on and I took my final shower then started working on my blog notes.

My mouse was acting a little crazy, perhaps portending the soon demise of the battery? Luckily, I have a spare tucked away in my backpack.

Check-out is at noon, our COPA flight is 3:05pm, we have an hour and 45-minute layover in Panama before returning to Medellin at 8pm.

Teresa came in at 10:30 for her shower and final packing.

We left the room with our suitcases and my backpack and walked to the 2^nd floor lobby. I got in a medium size line that moved fairly quickly. Check-out was fast and outside we got in a van to take us to the airport for $30. Our driver first turned in to Terminal A and I told him we’re flying COPA and I thought it was Terminal B. He asked a man on the ground who directed him to Terminal B.

Inside we were surprised there was no line at the COPA counter for our 3:05pm flight. We checked our bags, 19kg for Teresa’s and 16kg for mine and I gave her my paper itinerary and our passports. We weren’t asked for the DR e-ticket QR code on Teresa’s cellphone nor the boarding passes I downloaded to my cellphone. The rep printed out boarding passes for both our return flights. We walked down the hall to a long immigration line but passed through uneventfully. Next was TSA and we were surprised we had to take off our shoes. But I didn’t remove my laptop from my backpack and nothing was said. They still haven’t found the foldable scissors in my fanny pack. 😊

We found our gate an hour before boarding so we stopped in Wendy’s and bought a 10-piece chicken nugget combo for $11. We shared that then went to our gate and they were soon boarding. Teresa had the window seat in 22F and I had the middle seat next to her in 22E. We discussed where to eat when we arrive in Rionegro. Google searches weren’t promising as most restaurants seem to close at 9:30 or 10pm. A flight attendant made an announcement that lithium batteries shouldn’t be stored in the overhead compartments but kept with the person. Uh-oh, I have a single AA battery in my backpack as an emergency backup for my mouse. The flight was about 2 ½ hours and they served us drinks plus packages of cookies and Platanitos chips.

We arrived in Tocumen airport about 4:45 and had to go through immigration again but at least we didn’t have to reclaim our suitcases.

On our way to our next gate I ran into this stand selling original Fritos chips so I had to buy them even though they were $2.98. Teresa picked up a bag of Lays classic potato chips for the same price and I charged so as to keep the few dollars I still have.

We had a 30-minute wait to board our next flight and then we sat there another half hour while people meandered in. We had seats on the aisle across from each other in row 24. This time we were served drinks and a package of cookies and we kept ours and ate our chips instead. Teresa liked the Fritos, which are similar to, but taste better than, Colombia’s Maizitos.

Entering Colombia’s airspace we had about 30 seconds of some scary turbulence but it calmed down after. As we landed I asked the girl in the next seat if she was visiting Medellin. First time, she’s staying at an Airbnb but wasn’t sure exactly where, probably Laureles when I suggested it. She was from Venezuela and spoke perfect English.

When we deplaned, we were surprised we weren’t at a gate but took stairs down to the tarmac. We walked 100 yards or so to enter the building and we were at immigration. They had the regular line plus the preferred line for Colombians, families with children, infirm, and seniors. I got in the latter with Teresa and there were only a few people there compared to the regular line that stretched, Disney World like, to the back of the room. They’re looking at a 2-3 hour wait. ☹

We got through immigration with no problem and then arrived at the baggage carousel. We had a wait of a few minutes before both our bags arrived. We took them and were surprised to find a line at customs. But it soon moved past the single person next to the customs/DIAN sign.

As we exited arrivals, there was a large half-circle of people waiting for family and friends. I stopped and looked at the crowd and raised my arms in appreciation and half of them cheered. I threw a kiss and all of them cheered. 😊 Nothing like breaking their monotony. I gave them the thumbs up and we continued on our way for a restroom pit stop.

We found a bar and grill open upstairs and Teresa ordered their salmon and I a Club sandwich and we shared a bottle of water for 156,569 pesos ($43).

Outside we quickly had an airport taxi to Envigado for 130,000 pesos. Traffic was heavy for a while through Poblado. When we pulled in to Palo de Rosa, Tanya came out and slid my package through the window. (I was planning on coming back down after we had moved all our suitcases upstairs.)

I opened the box and it was everything I had ordered from Amazon: a large container of 200 Creatine Monohydrate capsules (manufactured by Optimum Nutrition in Downers Grove, IL), 4 bottles of Swanson Calendula Flower capsules, and a 40oz. box of Bisquick. I also received envelopes with my two new debit cards, some useless information about Medicare, and end of year statements for one of my pensions. No Christmas presents my daughter sent me so I’m going to have to pursue that.

When I went to open Teresa’s suitcase I found the locks were no longer there, obviously TSA opened it but didn’t find anything as nothing was missing. But they kept the locks?

I unpacked the minimum of things, took my sleeping pills and went to bed. It took a while to fall asleep, interestingly, only happening once I put on my sleep mask.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY