Sunday, March 1, 2026

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

Teresa left the apt at 8:15 for, I assume, terminal norte then by bus on to San Vicente.

I left the apt at 8:30 and arrived at Olivenza just before Glenn arrived with Bianca. He had an echocardiogram and has an appointment this week with his doctor to interpret the results. He’s thinking about visiting his brother in Boca Rotan, Florida next month to get second opinions on his stomach/intestinal issues. He might be interested in Eduardo Madrid’s English muffins so next time we meet I’ll try to bring him a couple. I left at 10:45 and walked back to the apt.

Annie James on vacay in California, enjoying life in the pool:

I called USAA and right after I got authenticated, I got static then lost the connection. I’m hoping they call me back. They didn’t so I called them again and it appears the automated call answerer can’t hear me with my headset.

• I switched to chat and now it says, “You have no eligible cards to block or unblock.” ☹

I’m thinking maybe there’s a problem with my headset and/or Magicjack so I’ll test it with a quick call to my brother early or late tomorrow afternoon. Bro, I’ll Whatsapp you first to make sure the timing is okay.

My plan for lunch was to go to Philly Steaks then have coffee across the street at Hija Mia Nomada. Right at 1:30 as I was about to leave the sky got dark and we had a short shower. ☹

I left a few minutes later and walked to Clap Burger (under fluffy white clouds with some blue sky, go figure) where I had their Combo #1 which included a burger, fries, and a Coke for 38,900 pesos. I left a 10mil tip.

I went across and down the street to Gardenia where I had a latte while reviewing a specific opening in my chess book.

Chesswiz98 resigned our game on the 18^th move, increasing my rating to 1534.

I returned to the apt and put more plumber’s putty around the water inlet to the toilet, hopefully this time it will silence the clattering noise.

I backed up my laptop’s monthly file changes to my external hard drive.

Teresa returned at 7:15, unfortunately the store only wanted to pay Teresa 30,000 pesos for her bracelets. ☹

I watched the news, then part of 60 Minutes, then read before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Saturday, February 28, 2026

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

Well, the US bombed Iran last night and supposedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khemeini.

Teresa wants to go to that store in Sabaneta this morning, then have lunch in Viejo John.

I suggested tomorrow we have lunch in Mama Panda in Laureles but Teresa wants to go to San Vicente with Rosemary tomorrow. She says its two hours north of Medellin and we’d have to leave at 7am. Count me out. I’ll get up early for 7am flights but not for bus trips.

I lost a long game (42 moves) with the White pieces to chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1529. My accuracy was very poor.

I took a Didi to Daniel’s barbershop where I got my usual haircut. I walked to Todo Drogas where I purchased a couple medications for the month. I stopped at a tienda naturista and purchased magnesium tablets and creatine powder for 174,000 pesos. My debit card was declined but luckily, I had enough cash with me.

I walked to Ganso y Castor where I had a latte for about 30 minutes before returning to the apt.

The magnesium I purchased is called Chelated Magnesium. I wasn’t sure if that was a brand name for the magnesium or if it meant a word like “blended”. Google translate was no help but ChatGPT confirmed it was a blend of magnesium oxide and magnesium gluconate. Per the bottle, each tablet contains 100mg and it suggests taking three but ChatGPT suggested starting with one tablet for the first week and we’ll see how my body reacts to it. Later I’ll try to get just the magnesium gluconate.

At 11:30 we took a Didi to the Domino’s in Sabaneta for 11,900 pesos. Across the street is the little store where they have simple plain purses (more like beach bags) and Teresa bought one for 14,000 pesos.

We walked a few blocks away to Viejo Johns where we easily got a table. She ordered the posta (flank steak) and a Coke and I the chicken plate and a mango juice.

We walked three blocks away to a mall where they have a Dollar City and Teresa bought a bamboo cutting board for 18,000 pesos to use with her latest project, decorating purses.

Outside we quickly caught a taxi back to the apt for 22,000 pesos.

I had a 30-minute nap then watched the news.

About 3pm, after the second peal of thunder, I unplugged the surge protector connected to the TV and of course we didn’t have any more thunder after that. ☹

About 4:45 Teresa shared an idea with me. I should go to Eduardo Madrid and buy 2 kaiser rolls then stop in Ara for a package of chicken breasts. I did, in a few raindrops, and luckily the complex gate was open both ways and there was no line in Ara. Teresa was surprised how quickly I was back.

Teresa made delicious chicken sandwiches for supper.

I watched the news about our new war with Iran, read some from my Kindle and went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Friday, February 27, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, woke up once at 4:30, had trouble falling back asleep. Teresa was getting to leave for her gym class so I went back to bed at 6:15. She woke me up when she returned and breakfast was ready.

After breakfast she handed me a note with 3 phone numbers, the name Maria Teresa at the top and Larry at the bottom. I understood she wanted me to call Larry because MT wants to know how his mother is doing. I couldn’t find the plus sign on the dialpad so I added his name and number to my contacts and called him. What an awkward call because he was at work in New Jersey and he didn’t speak Spanish and, I eventually found out MT was known as Blanca when she did elder care in the States. Eventually I learned his mother died two years ago, I thanked him and ended the call. He soon called back and I gave him Teresa’s number so his wife could call and they could talk in Spanish. Whew!

I left the apt at 9am for Smartfit and workers are now repairing the sidewalk on the backside outside our complex. The corner has been raised up by a large tree and the rest of the section is often underwater whenever it rains so hopefully they will raise it.

I found Smartfit less busy than usual but still had to adjust the order of my routine. I completed 19 minutes on the treadmill, the first 8 minutes at 5.5 kph, the final 11 minutes at 6kph. Every odd minute from the 3^rd to the 17^th I took my hands off the side supports for 45 seconds to practice my balance. I finished with a heart rate of about 128 bpm. Today I filled another section of my gym notebook so I’ll be creating a new section and increasing the weight on a couple machines next Monday.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for an hour or so. I stopped in Ara and bought lettuce and cilantro before returning to the apt.

I won a game against Troyclough in 20 moves with the Black pieces, increasing my rating to 1539.

After lunch I had a 30-minute nap then vegged out on the recliner.

About 3:30 Teresa tells me she wants to go to some little store in Sabaneta that sells purses for 2,000-5,000 pesos that she can decorate. I asked for the address and she showed me Carrera 43C, but it didn’t have the cross street or a house number. I tried using Didi and Google Maps to find it by name but they couldn’t find it either. The website she showed me said it’s open but closes at 5pm. She searched some more and found it’s open every day except Sunday until 8pm. She finally found the entire address of Carrera 43C #67sur 25 and I finally found it on Google Maps but I refused to go today.

 

I watched the news (looks like we’re going to be bombing Iran) the rest of the evening then a little reading before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:30, had trouble falling back asleep but I must have as the next thing I knew it was 7am.

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to the mall. Upstairs I got in line for a cashier in Av Villas. I wasn’t sure if it was one line or two so I asked the guy in front of me, “un fila o dos”, and he answered in English, “only one”. 😊 I paid for the apt and got my receipt.

I went down the hall to the consignacion ATMs but both I tried were out of order. 

I’m guessing it’s a system problem.

I went down to Urbania and had a latte and a glass of ice water. I sent a photo copy of my apt rental payment to Alcala. Teresa called and asked me to pick up apples (green and red), broccoli, and tomatoes.

Photos of Annie James on her first flight – to Los Angeles.

I tried the ATM outside Exito but it didn’t work either.

I stopped in Exito and found the above plus lemons (yellow like in the US). I bought one for 2,721 pesos (73 cents) that I’ll use for my tea.

I returned to the apt by taxi for 8,500 pesos.

I left at 2pm and walked to Gardenia where I had a latte while going through the endgame lessons again. Teresa was supposed to meet with Rosemary to look for jeans in the Outlet store then join me at the restaurant. We traded messages a couple times then Teresa, alone, finally joined me at 5pm. There was an aggressive chihuahua at the next table that I warned Teresa about so she wouldn’t get bit. She didn’t want anything from Gardenia, plus they were closing soon, so I paid my bill and we went down the street to Otra Parte. We each had the Mama Pastora (pasta in teriyaki sauce) and shared a Coke then a slice of apple pie ala mode for a total of about 134,000 pesos. Feeling very stuffed we waddled back to the apt.

I’m learning there are different types of magnesium: citrate, oxide, threonate, glycinate and the latter is the one I should be taking as a sleep aid so I’ll be looking for it this Saturday.

I watched the news the rest of the evening then a little reading before going to bed at 9:30.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, finally waking at 5:30 and getting up at 6:30.

I left the apt at 8:15 and found Smartfit busier than usual. I pretty much completed my workout in my preferred order and I finished my treadmill in 18 minutes at 126bpm, forgetting to add the extra minute.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour. Laura texted me that her neighbor might be willing to rent me their car for a few days while in Boston. Maybe she meant loan not rent? Why should I pay for someone else’s car if I can borrow Laura’s?

I left at 10am and stopped in Eduardo Madrid to pick up my 16 English muffins. I noticed they replaced the bench between the display case and front window with a small table for two.

I left the apt at 2:15 and went to Los Porteños for a latte. Of course it started raining at 3:30 which lasted about an hour.

Certain_letter finally agreed to a draw but my rating didn’t change. I’m not going to play him again because he moves so slow.

At 5pm I moved to Eduardo Madrid and took the last table available.

I saw Marcos Kaseman come in, he’s head of the Angels of Medellin charity, and buy what looked like a pack of cinnamon rolls.

Teresa arrived at 5:30 and we shared a chicken sandwich and she had a latte. I only had a sip of it because I didn’t want the caffein in my system for bedtime.

We stopped in Ara on our way back to the apt for arepas.

I’m experiencing some challenges finding flights with the right timing at a reasonable cost.

 I watched the news and half of The Chris Hayes show before starting my reading for the night.

It rained most of the evening but stopped by the time I went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 5:15, finally getting up at 6:15.

Teresa had already left for her gym class.

My Didi driver, Juan, spoke good English having visited NY, NJ, and CN. At one point he asked me what they call a “roundabout” and I said to me it sounds British but where I come from it’s called a traffic circle. He graduated from the University of Antioquia and is a fitness instructor doing some driving on the side.

It’s obvious by all the signs that it’s now election season.

I arrived five minutes early and when the mall opened went up to Parmessano and took a table. I realized I forgot to bring the small bottle of maple syrup I had left in the refrigerator. ☹

I noticed a green parrot land on a tree across the street.

I had the French toast (pretty dry without the maple syrup) and a couple scrambled eggs, a latte and a bottle of water to go for 55mil. Jose got an egg casserole and his usual café doble which he paid for with a debit card. He told me his new debit card has arrived in Utah and his son will forward it on to my FL mail forwarding service.

We moved to the food court and with the Black pieces I got an attack against his queen, then his king but once again couldn’t finish and it ended as a draw.

In the second game I had the White pieces and I had pressure against his king but he sacrificed a rook and got a strong attack and I lost in the end.

It was only 1:15 as we finished and I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado; another Juan who spoke a little English. At one point we were behind this Ford Mach One.

Somebody here has money.

In the mall, I was going to have lunch at Sarku’s until I noticed their ceiling fans which would probably dry out my eyes so much it would be painful. I had my usual granola bowl with yogurt and fruits in Pergamino.

I stopped in the tienda naturist but this time they didn’t have the container of creatine I was looking for.

I went downstairs and had a latte in Urbania for about an hour.

Some new paintings my half-sister Cyd has done:

Chesswiz98 resigned our latest game increasing my rating to 1540. (I’m sure, and the computer agrees, this game was a dead draw.)

I had a draw by repetition, if I wanted it, in an endgame against Troyclough but blundered my queen and resigned, lowering my rating to 1533.

Exito still had imported oranges to I bought 4 of them and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa was out visiting her mother and didn’t return until 7:30.

I watched the news and read until going to bed at my usual 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Monday, February 23, 2026

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

Teresa was still in bed so obviously she missed her 6am gym class.

Teresa got up at 7am, made breakfast and went back to bed, saying she didn’t sleep well.

I left the apt at 8:30 in a mist and found Smartfit not very busy. I completed my workout in my preferred order and walked 19 minutes on the treadmill for the first time – first 8 minutes at 5.5kmh and the remaining 11 minutes at 6kmh with a final heart rate of 127bpm.

No raindrops as I walked to Ganso y Castor and had a latte. I stopped across the walkway and bought a banana for tomorrow for 1mil.

Teresa called and asked me to pick up a couple things from Ara on my way back to the apt. I didn’t understand and asked her to send me a text message. She texted, “Pollo de biscocho y vinagre blanco”. I understood “White vinegar” but I didn’t recognize the chicken she asked for. When I entered Ara I showed the guard my banana so I wouldn’t be charged for it twice and noticed only one cashier and a long line at check out. I walked the aisles but didn’t see white vinegar. I looked in the refrigerated display cases but didn’t see any chicken with “biscocho” written on it and there was no one around to ask for help.

I left without anything and when I returned to the apt and informed Teresa, I learned she meant, “polvo” not “pollo”. ☹

After lunch I had a 30-minute nap.

I left the apt at 2pm (in a light drizzle) and stopped in Eduardo Madrid and ordered 16 English muffins for pickup tomorrow afternoon.

I was having a small latte

in Los Portenos when a woman came by looking for an Airbnb. She spoke a little English and I tried to tell her where I thought the Airbnbs were. At 3:30 it started raining, I left at 4;30 and stopped in Ara to purchase a couple things before returning to the apt.

I understand Boston is experiencing a blizzard and Laura sent me this photo of her car.

Teresa suggested pouring boiling water over it to defrost it. 😊  ☹

I watched the news then the first half of The Rachel Maddow show before switching to my reading and going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY