Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking at 5:45 (immediately got a cramp in my left calf) and getting up at 6:15. The street is wet so we obviously had some rain overnight.

The three bananas I bought yesterday are still too green to eat. They should be ready tomorrow.

Annie James, the bathing beauty:

The plan for today is: Teresa will go to her 9am gym class in Mayorca, we’ll meet at Olivia’s at 12:30 for lunch, we’ll pick up MT and go to San Fernando Plaza where I’ll make the downpayment on her hearing aids, we’ll walk a couple blocks away to Torre Intermedica on Calle 7 so I can make an appointment with the ophthalmologist Catalina Montoya for a routine inspection.

Work continues on the back sidewalk. Those “blocks” you see are preformed concrete for use as curbs.

At 8:30 I found Smartfit busier than usual but it thinned out a little after 9am. I completed my usual workout but had to change the order quite a bit.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour. Teresa texted me her gym class was cancelled and could I pick up milk because we’ll be having lunch at home.

The new plan is to pick up MT and take her to San Fernando Plaza and pick up our original plan from there. But then at 1:30 a rainstorm started.

I finished the last of the oranges I had bought in Exito; tomorrow the bananas should be ripe enough to eat.

The rain stopped then started again.

Teresa finally left for her purse lesson at 3:15.

I checked flights and I should have booked last week when there was more availability. I’m wondering if that will improve if I wait a bit?

I met Teresa at 5pm at Eduardo Madrid and we shared a slice of carrot cake and we each had a latte. for 32,200 pesos.

I watched another episode of 1923, watched most of The Chris Hayes Show, then time for some reading.

I finished James Patterson’s Roses are Red (Alex Cross #6) on my Kindle.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 4:15, finally/waking/getting up just before my alarm at 6:15.

Teresa had already left for her gym class.

I left the apt at 7:30 and took a Didi to Unicentro mall for 19,800 pesos. Outside I saw a fruit cart with bananas but I didn’t see anyone working it (later, when I left, the cart was gone). It was only a 5-minute wait for the mall to open.

Upstairs I met Jose and we had our usual breakfast (this time I remembered to bring the maple syrup). We discussed some options since his debit card didn’t arrive to my ship forwarder.

As I left, I noticed a restaurant upstairs named Shake N Shack that I’ll have to check out next time.

We adjourned to the food court where I had the Black pieces in the first game. I thought I held my own until I misanalysed a move and it was downhill from there and I finally resigned on the 48^th move.

It’s nice that most of our games are close.

I had the White pieces in the second game and he quickly blundered a knight but then trapped my queen and I had to give back a piece for a pawn to rescue her. He blundered again on the 25^th move (I forked his rook and queen with my knight) and it was downhill for him and he final resigned on the 36^th move.

It was 1:30 when I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado for 20,300 pesos.

I considered Sarku’s but it was very busy so I went on to Pergamino where I had my usual granola bowl with yogurt and fruits and an iced tea (didn’t care for it).

I used a consignacion ATM to pay for our health insurance, gym membership and Medellin TV and I withdrew 2 million pesos for the downpayment for MT’s hearing aids.

Downstairs I had a latte in Urbania.

I finally checked my English dictionary and found, “Chelated” is “a chelate compound”. A “chelate complex” is “a complex where a metal ion is bound to two or more atoms of the chelant”. Now we know!

Teresa called just before 4pm to inform me it was pouring outside and I shouldn’t be in any hurry to leave. The lights went out, but less than a minute, four times between 4pm and 4:30.

I finally left Urbania at 5pm and bought 3 bananas, a package of blueberries and a 10-pak of pads in Exito.

The taxi line outside was unbelievably long so it was easier to just walk back to the apt in the light drizzle. I passed Jerry McNamara on the way and he said, “we have to get together for coffee” and I replied, “definitely” and continued on my way.

My social security transfer from Capital One is now in my USAA account.

I watched the first episode of 1923 (8.3) on Netflix.

Teresa confirmed with me that today is the 3^rd. She then told me tonight there will be a lunar eclipse seen from Colombia. I kidded her about it probably being too cloudy and we can’t see much of the sky from our balcony anyway. I then googled it and found out it was last night.

I watched the news the rest of the evening until just before 9pm when I switched to reading.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Monday, March 2, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally/waking/getting up at 6:30.

I started taking the creatine powder this morning. Contrary to the capsules they recommend just one dose per day.

I left the apt at 8:30 and noticed this progress on the back sidewalk construction.

I found Smartfit less busy than usual and was able to complete the usual order of my routine, including 19 minutes on the treadmill with a final heart rate of 127bpm. Today I added 5# to the following machines: Butterfly, Triceps Press, Abdominal Crunch, and Back Extension.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour then stopped in Ara for a couple things on the way back to the apt.

Teresa had asked if I could loan her mother 10 million pesos for her hearing aids until her Bancolombia CD matures in November. I agreed so now I have to get my debit card working again so I can give her the downpayment of 2 million tomorrow.

I called my brother using MagicJack and he could hear me fine using my headphones. I called USAA and everything was fine when pushing buttons on the keypad but when it asked me to say, “continue”, it couldn’t hear me. ☹ I logged into my USAA account and switched to chat and finally got my debit card unlocked. (Last Saturday at the tienda naturista they forgot to set the machine to “Corriente” and my card was declined and I ended up paying in cash. USAA just needed to confirm whether that attempted payment was valid or not.)

Jose was issued a new debit card and his son sent it to my mail forwarder in Florida. Same problem as our Christmas presents, USPS says it was delivered but FL says it wasn’t. ☹

About 3pm we had a downpour that lasted about 20 minutes.

I had divided my last bag of salted-in-the-shell peanuts into 4 separate Ziploc bags. This afternoon I ate one of them as a snack with a small bottle of Coke.

More Annie James in California.

My social security payment is in my Capital One account so I requested it to be transferred to my USAA account.

I watched the news the rest of the day and evening.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

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