Monday, February 16, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, finally waking at 5:30 but not getting up until 6am when Teresa had already left for her gym class.

I understand today is Presidents Day in the US and also Annie James is 5 months old.

Yesterday I learned that Teresa was thinking about renting the finca, having Laura move in with her gf Cindy, and Teresa was going to move to Spain to live with a gf. Then I came along, and as they say, the rest is history.

Teresa didn’t return from her gym class until 7:45. She made breakfast and I returned to bed to take a nap for an hour.

I left the apt at 9:15 and found Smartfit not very busy. Today I added 10# to each of the weight machines so now I’m back to moving the same weight from before our vacation last month. I saw a trainer standing next to the new fancy scale machine so I went over to see if he would give me a demonstration but I learned you have to join a plan first. No thanks. I completed 18 minutes on the treadmill, today occasionally taking my hands off the side supports to work on my balance.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor and three bomberos (firemen) walked through the park and down to the new steakhouse.

A fire truck backed up and they unloaded a ladder

which they took around back probably checking everything is up to code.

I stopped in Eduardo Madrid looking for bagels but didn’t see any. If I understood correctly, they should have some later. (We ran out of muffins this morning.)

After lunch Teresa went for a nap.

I left the apt at 1:30 but when I arrived at Los Porteños I found I didn’t have my cellphone with me. ☹ I returned to the apt and got it and returned to the restaurant and had a latte in for a couple hours.

I messed up the opening with the Black pieces against chesswiz98 and wasn’t able to castle but I followed up with some good moves and he resigned on his 25^th move, increasing my rating to 1545.

I left at 4:30, stopped in Eduardo Madrid and bought a sleeve of 6 sesame seed bagels and a slice of carrot cake. I stopped in Ara and bought 2 pairs of reinforced kitchen gloves for Teresa before returning to the apt.

I watched the mini-series documentary Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (7.1) on Netflix, 

the first half of The Rachel Maddow Show then a little reading before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, slept through the night, finally waking at 5am but not getting up until Teresa got up at 6:30.

The plan for today was to go to El Retiro but Teresa and I had an argument and by the time it was “resolved” we had missed our window to leave.

We decided to have lunch in La Buena Mesa but it rained for a couple hours. Finally, it stopped raining and we left at 3:30 and had lunch in Asados Familia Garcia. Teresa had the sobrebarriga (flank steak) which she shared with me and I had a small sopa albondigas (meatball soup). We each had a Coke and I don’t remember the bill but it seemed high.

I talked to Teresa about maybe going to Chicago for Annie James’ baptism but decided it would be too expensive and too much trouble.

I tried to get her to go a block away to Los Porteños for lattes but she wasn’t interested so we just stopped in Ara for a few groceries on the way back to the apt.

I watched 60 Minutes, some news, then finished reading Lee Child’s Exit Strategy (Jack Reacher #30).

It was raining when I went to bed at 9:30.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Saturday, February 14, 2026

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

Happy Valentine’s Day! (Later I read that the relics of Saint Valentine are stored in a Catholic church on a Greek island.)

My plan was to go to Viva Envigado this morning but Teresa wants to take her mom to El Tesoro and we’ll have lunch there.

I won a game against Troyclough in 19 moves, increasing my rating to 1535.

I collapsed on the recliner, eyes too tired to keep them open.

We left the apt at 1pm in a Didi, picked up MT at her apt and continued on to El Tesoro mall for 21,600 pesos.

We had lunch on the deck of J&C Delicias. While there we had a drizzle for about 30 minutes which cooled things down. I had my usual Penne Carmela and the total check was 179,841 pesos ($49).

We went up to Valentina’s where we had lattes and snacks. I wanted to talk to Teresa about Boston and Chicago but it was too noisy for the translator to work.

The ladies stopped in Zara then H&M where Teresa found 2 pretty blouses for 260,100 pesos ($71).

We stopped in Medipiel where I bought 2 bottles of my skin cream that were on sale for 96,400 pesos each and some expensive “serum” for Teresa for a total of 373,050 pesos ($102).

Chesswiz98 resigned our game on the 11^th move increasing my rating to 1540.

We stopped in Carulla and only bought a medium carton of eggs and pasta sauce but the line was slow.

Outside I ordered a Didi to return us to Envigado for 27,091 pesos. First time I’ve seen this: whenever we approached a speed bump a buzzer went off on the driver’s dashboard.

We got out at Ara where Teresa bought arepas and cheese.

Because of the work on the sidewalk, they have a pedestrian detour made of yellow tape. Teresa ducked under it but I walked around it. They put one of those cement blocks they use to make curbs as a step up to the actual curb. I remember thinking I certainly don’t need that half step but then stumbled on the block. To catch myself I had to drop the eggs. I wasn’t hurt, other than my ego, especially after Teresa made some comment comparing me to her mother. ☹

Back upstairs we only lost a couple eggs due to catching the toe of my shoes that I didn’t want to buy originally because I thought they were clunky.

I think my recent napping is due to insufficient sleep so tonight I took a whole zopiclona before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Friday, February 13, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, woke up at 5:30, finally getting up at 6am.

After breakfast I returned to bed for an hour and got a little more sleep.

The sidewalk outside Ara is almost finished:

I found Smartfit not as busy as usual but still had to change the order of my routine. Usually, the problem is women hogging the leg machines but today it was men on the upper body machines.  Once again I completed 18 minutes on the treadmill. Next week I add 10# to the machines to match what I was lifting before our trip to the DR.

I had a latte outside Ganso y Castor and caught the red squirrel taking the peanut. He climbed up to the next crook of the tree to eat it.

I stopped in Ara on the way back to the apt to buy tomatoes and lemons.

I lost a game to chesswiz98 in 24 moves, lowering my rating to 1529.

I watched The Decline then Untold: The Fall of Favre on Netflix.

Teresa got a massage from Kelly from 4pm to 5pm. We had a brief rain while she was here but it stopped by the time she left.

I bought the latest John Grisham book on Amazon, read some more of my Reacher book on my Kindle, and went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

NOT SO FUNNY

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6:30, finally getting up at 7am.

Teresa returned from her gym class just after 7:30 and made breakfast.

Workers pouring cement for the new sidewalk:

I met Marcos at Tostao at 9:30. He informed me that Johana did not get a US Visitor Visa as Trump does not want Venezuelans, along with 19 other countries, in the US. Marshall still sleeps 20 hours a day, only getting up to eat. Marcos checked with a rabbi and he can be buried in a Jewish cemetery in Medellin for $3,000.

He left at 10:15, I soon after and stopped in Mercado Madrid to purchase a few groceries for lunch.

Annie James

After lunch we took an hour nap then I finished the series, Safe on Netflix.

My daughter notified me that Annie James’ baptism will be on Saturday, May 16^th at 11am with lunch to follow. We’re supposed to be in Boston around that time so maybe we can make a quick trip to Chicago. I’ll have to talk to Teresa about it and see how much more expensive it will be for 3 one-way flights: to Boston, to Chicago, to Medellin.

I watched The Queen of Chess (7.8) on Netflix, then the news, then my reading time before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

NOT FUNNY

 

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 4:15, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5am and read for an hour before returning to bed, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

Work continues on the sidewalk outside Ara:

After breakfast I updated my blog and only had 30 minutes remaining for a nap. I left the apt just after 9am and found Smartfit not as busy as usual but still, I had to reorder my routine a couple times. Once, a guy on the leg extension machine left his damp sweaty towel on the bench. ☹

I completed my workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor and discussed yesterday’s thigh cramps with ChatGPT. It appears my not salting my food may have caught up to me. To counteract that I’m going to put a little salt on my eggs on gym mornings.

I left just before 11am and found a 2,000-peso bill folded up outside Black Pepper; maybe it’s my lucky day.

I had a short nap after lunch.

At 2:30 I checked the temperature on the balcony and it was 86 degrees. It’s been a week since it last rained so maybe Teresa is right and we’re in the dry season. I put on my shorts and sleeveless t-shirt and left the apt. As I was walking up Calle 30 I heard thunder and noticed a dark cloud coming in. At Los Porteños I took a seat purposely not my usual seat on the end which is more pervious to rain. It wasn’t long before a downpour started and I moved inside. It only lasted about 30 minutes but now it was noticeably cooler.

I left at 5pm and found Teresa waiting for me in Eduardo Madrid bakery. She was hungry so we each had a pie de pollo (similar to a small chicken pot pie) and latte for 52,800 pesos. I showed her the flights to Boston for Sunday, May 3^rd and we narrowed it down to two. Now to check with Laura.

We returned to the apt and I watched another episode of Safe on Netflix before switching to the news.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, finally waking at 6:15 and getting up at 6:30.

I ordered a Didi to take me to Unicentro mall for 17,788 pesos. Traffic was horrible, I arrived at Parmessano at 8:15 and Jose was already waiting for me. I shared some of my latest challenges and he agreed with me that I should just pay the most recent epm bill.

For breakfast I had French toast, 2 scrambled eggs, a latte and a bottle of water to go for 54,411 pesos.

I had the Black pieces in the first game and got an attack against his king but again didn’t find the correct moves to put him away and ended up resigning on the 41^st move. (When I was about 2 hours into that game I got a cramp in each thigh but easily massaged them out and stood up. I don’t recall that happening to me before.)

In the second game I had the White pieces and quickly lost a pawn but it gave me attacking chances and he ended up resigning on the 38^th move.

It was 2pm when I said goodbye and ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado for 16,900 pesos.

I stopped in Habia Una Vez and had their simple 2-egg breakfast with a mini croissant and latte.

In Auros I had a chess page printed, withdrew 2,000,000 pesos from an ATM, and paid the epm bill. I went up to Claro where I paid our most recent cellphone bills.

I went down to Urbania and had a latte. Teresa called and asked me to pick up apples from Exito. I bought 4 red apples, 4 green apples, and 3 imported oranges and returned to the apt by taxi. (Btw, those oranges cost about $1 apiece.)

I finished reading Tiffany D. Jackson’s Allegedly on my Kindle and started reading Lee Child’s Exit Strategy, #30 in the Jack Reacher series. This was released last year so, unless I’ve miscounted, it’s the last in the series and I’ll have to wait in the future for new books to be released.

Today I tallied 1,863 steps.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY