Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 3am, fell asleep pretty quickly, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,477 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours, 11 minutes.

Vicky left early, about 7am.

I had a little nap after breakfast and left for Smartfit at 8:45am. It was slightly less busy than usual and I completed most of my routine in the usual order, including 18 minutes on the treadmill at 5 ½ kph with a final hearrate of 117bpm.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes and bought a bag of milk in Ara on the way back to the apt.

Vicky returned just after noon.

We all had cheese & broccoli soup and turkey with gravy for lunch.

The ladies left for Viva Envigado for something – beauty shop?

I booked our August 27^th – September 17^th flights roundtrip between Medellin and Chicago via United Airlines for $1401.06 total which includes a checked bag, carry-on, seat selection, and city/airport fees. I immediately chose our seats, all with us sitting in aisle seats across from each other. We have layovers in Houston of 4 hours going there and 3 hours coming back.

I left at 1:30, returned a plastic container to Eduardo Madrid to reuse, paid the Movistar bill, printed my games with Jose and took a table outside Ganso y Castor. A (probably bored) young waitress there spoke a little English and we had a little conversation. I left at 4pm and returned to the apt.

According to Amazon I had a package arrive in Florida.

Following the advice of ChatGPT, I squeezed the juice out of my lemon, put the juice in a Ziploc bag and put it horizontally in the freezer. Now when I need a few drops of lemon for my tea, I just break off a small chunk.

At 6pm Teresa sent me a voice mail to meet them at 6:30 for supper but she didn’t say where. I asked her via text but she didn’t answer until 6:30 when they were already in Chiclayo. I dressed and went over and they had an outside table. Teresa ordered an appetizer and Vicky and I had regular plates with water for Teresa and I and some liquor for Vicky.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1:45, took a while to fall back asleep, got up again at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep so got up at 5:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,819 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours.

Teresa left just after 6am for her exercise class.

I left at 7:15 and took a Didi to Unicentro for 15,300 pesos. I bought a banana from a street cart for 1mil. (I’ve been eating a banana M/W/F after gym and Tuesday before chess and I haven’t had a cramp in that span of time. Hopefully I’ve found the solution.) I was early so I walked once around the block. I stopped at the Davivienda ATM and withdrew 2 million pesos, mixed bills. I went up to Parmessano and Jose soon joined me. Today I had the same meal as him, 4 scrambled eggs with little Italian sausages and an almond croissant. It seemed like too much food, I think next time I’ll skip the two extra eggs. The price was the same as my usual French toast, 55mil with a bottle of water to go including tip. He alerted me to the fact that the USD has increased to 3700 pesos.  I checked and its at 3,710 pesos to the dollar.

We adjourned to the food court where I lost both games, the first in 24 moves, the second in 28 moves.

It was only 1pm when I ordered a Didi to take me to Pricesmart for 15,300 pesos.

I had a large slice of pepperoni pizza and a Coke for 16,800 pesos in their lunchroom.

That’s $4.52, less than $5, can Costco match that price?

I found my Johnsonville Breakfast Sausages, a small package of pancake mix, ground beef and returned to the apt by taxi for 22,000 pesos.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle. Teresa returned with Vicky just before 7pm. I watched some news then started my pre-sleep reading routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Monday, May 4, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 2:30 (it was raining), took a while to fall back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,181 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 29 minutes.

May the fourth be with you! 😊

Annie James

I had a 45-minute nap after breakfast but in reality only slept about 10 minutes or so.

I left the apt at 8:45 and found Smartfit a little busier than usual. I completed 18 minutes on the treadmill at 5 ½ kph with a final heartrate of 118 bpm. The Chest Press machine, one of my last 4 exercises, was occupied so I skipped it for today.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for at least an hour, printed some chess notes at the Bancolombia kiosk, bought lettuce and broccoli in Ara and returned to the apt.

The Airbnb host finally responded, “Yes, I can save those days for you.”.

We left the apt at 3pm and took a Didi to Cedimed on Calle 7 for 10,200 pesos. We went up to the 16^th floor and I took a seat in the general waiting area while Teresa went into the doctor’s office. She called a few minutes later and informed me that I could wait for her downstairs in the café. I went down to Il Cappuccino and ordered a café con leche. I gave the cashier 10,000 pesos and she gave me back 14,000 pesos. Luckily, the guy behind me spoke English and was able to explain what happened and why I was returning 10mil to her.

I drank my coffee and Teresa soon joined me. She got botox in her forehead for 500,000 pesos but it didn’t look any different to me.

To avoid heavy traffic, we skipped going for coffee and returned directly to the apt by taxi. Vicky was supposed to arrive by 7pm and we would go to Chiclayo for supper but by 7:45 I gave up and ate an apple. She later informed us she got caught in the rain and would be staying overnight in Llano Grande.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle, watched some of The Rachel Maddow Show then started my reading.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1am, took a while to fall back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

I saw Glenn’s text message – we’ll meet as usual in Olivenza at 9am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,546 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 49 minutes.

I left the apt at 8:30 and met Glenn with Bianca in Olivenza at 9am. He will be going to Miami at the end of the month (May 17^th-??) for about a week to see a cardiac specialist. We had a difference of opinion on how to acquire a sim card for his cellphone from T-Mobile. He wants to have it sent to his apt here in Envigado and I suggested he just visit an office in Miami. I told him I can’t find Mexican salsa anywhere and he suggested a place across the street in La Frontera. When I left, I stopped over there and they had several different bottles but they were all picante. ☹ I returned to the apt.

I checked my gmail account and it turned out I still had to delete then empty the trash for a lot more google files. Then I reset my Airbnb email and password but I think I’ve got everything set up correctly now. I sent a quick email to Karoline, the Airbnb host, asking if she can hold 2-3 weeks in September for me to purchase airline tickets.

Later her response was she sent me a booking invitation for August 27^th to September 17^th. ☹ No conversation, just the booking invitation for the dates I was screening for.

I left the apt at 2:30 and had a latte in Gardenia while creating more notes on The Pirc in ChessBase 16. By 4pm the sun peeks inside the side of the café and it gets unbearably warm. I moved to the other side of the table but soon had to leave anyway.

Teresa was busy all day and evening organizing the apt.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle.

I opened my last box of Zopiclona tablets and, being a different brand, they are smaller than the previous and not scored but I was able to cut them pretty cleanly with my pill cutter.

Just before going to bed Teresa took a sleeve of my Zopiclona tablets and now I’m down to just 20. ☹

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 11:30, fell back asleep quickly, at some point was aware it was raining, finally waking at 5:30 (still raining) and getting up at 6:15 (just a few raindrops).

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,867 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 3 hours and 39 minutes.

Teresa wants to have lunch in Crepes & Waffles in Arkadia so she can shop a bit while I go across the street to Pricesmart and buy mild cheddar cheese to make soup.

I left the apt at 8:30 with my laptop in my backpack and walked to the mall. I stopped in Home Center and found the down escalator closed off so I walked down the up escalator (more like a moving sidewalk than stairs) but nearly stumbled coming off it. I found the new universal toilet valve sells for 50,000 pesos:

I assume 7/8” is the standard opening on a toilet. I’ll study the instructions a bit more before I purchase it.

I moved on to Urbania and took a seat at the co-working table.

I didn’t even have to order anything as the waiter brought me a latte and a glass of water (forgot the ice though).

I had brought my book on the Pirc opening and entered some common lines into a new ChessBase database I named The Pirc by Nigel Davies. By 10:30 my laptop battery was down to 30% so I packed up and returned to the apt by taxi.

We left the apt at noon and took a Didi to Arkadia mall for 10,100 pesos.

Teresa checked out H&M and was gone for almost an hour. She texted me a couple times to inform the lines were crazy long. When she came out, we went up to Crepes & Waffles and the line there was crazy long there also so we went next door to a restaurant called Romero. Teresa had salmon and I beef lasagna and we shared a mango juice for 133,624 pesos including tip.

AJ at the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Teresa went back to H&M to complete her exchange and I went across the street to Pricesmart. The store was very crowded with long lines at checkout. I didn’t find Bisquick or Strawberry Preserves but I did find Welch’s grape jelly, Canadian maple syrup and turkey breast. 😊 I checked the maple syrup and it doesn’t expire until March of 2028 so I have time to finish the Mrs. Butterworths.

Teresa was waiting for me as I exited the store, we went downstairs and there was a taxi waiting to take us back to Envigado for 22,000 pesos.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle, some news then started reading.

Teresa asked me if I’m going to meet Glenn for breakfast tomorrow. First time I’m hearing this. She informed me she’ll be busy cleaning (and organizing her craft mess) in preparation for Vicky arriving on Monday. I sent Glenn a quick text message and went to bed.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Friday, May 1, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 11:30, again at 2:15, took a while to fall back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,507 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours.

Today is a holiday here – May Day, like Labor Day in the US. Teresa told me the gym will be closed but I’ve never found it closed but they may not have her gym classes.

After breakfast I fell asleep on the recliner and slept for about 40 minutes.

As I left the apt at 8:30, Teresa asked me to check if there are classes today and, on my way back, see if Asados Rogelio will be open today.

I left the apt at 8:30 and found Smartfit busier than usual. My usual first machine, the Butterfly, both were occupied by two guys who kept taking turns. I skipped it and was able to complete the rest of my routine in order up to the treadmill. At ChatGPT’s suggestion I did 18 minutes at 5 ½ kph – the goal now is mainly to strengthen my lower legs. While on the treadmill I noticed the Butterfly occasionally became available. After the treadmill at a heartrate of 116 bpm I was able to slip in the Butterfly among my last 3 exercises. I finally remembered to asked about gym classes and as expected they don’t have any because of the holiday.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes and on the way back to the apt confirmed that Asados Rogelio will be open today.

I called Fintie +1 (888) 249-8201 about the missing spring pins for my new Fitbit band and they’re going to send out replacements.

Annie James shopping with Dad:

Instead of Asados Rogelio, Teresa wanted to try what she called Salpicon but I corrected her to Salpi Jugos. We had their menu of the day which was okay, nothing special, for 61,185 pesos. After, she wanted me to go to Fika for coffee while she visited her friend who completed another purse for her. On the way there she steered me to a small corner bakery (other side of the park from Aymara) where she ordered a guayabana for us to share and glasses of milk. She liked it so much she ordered a second. I only had the first half and she got the last half to go.

Close to the cultural center we separated and I went to Fika which I found closed. I texted that news to Teresa and took a seat on their stairs. She soon joined me and we walked to Eduardo Madrid which of course was closed also.

I was hot and tired and wishing I’d worn my usual sleeveless t-shirt instead of a regular t-shirt.

I led her to Los Porteños where I had a Coke with ice and she had a glass of ice water.

I looked at flights using Google Flights and it looks like it will cost about $1000 for the two of us before adding baggage/seat upgrades and taxes/fees. I looked at apartments on Airbnb and found one in Glenview. From the photo of the building and the approximate location they provided I think I know exactly where that Airbnb is. Besides the building looking crappy from the outside, the apt is on the 3^rd floor and there’s no elevator.

Back at the apt I wanted to send a message to the Airbnb host but had trouble logging on to Airbnb. Apparently, I used gmail as my contact email and my gmail account is full. I deleted all the messages there but I guess it will take a little while for Google to recognize that.

I started watching a series called The Man in the High Castle (7.9) on Netflix.

I watched the first half of The Chris Hayes Show and then it was time to start reading.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 12:15, again at 4:30, took a while to fall back asleep, finally waking at 6am and getting up at 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,609 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours.

Annie James

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to Viva Envigado where I recycled a skin cream bottle then went up to the banking area. I paid for the apt but at the consignacion ATMs two weren’t working and security guards were guarding & loading the other two with cash. I went down to Exito and used their single ATM to pay for our health insurance, the gym, and Medellin TV.

Back upstairs it was 9:15 and Claro doesn’t open until 9:30 but I decided not to wait. I went to the restroom and found all of them closed. I went down to the first floor with the same result. I tried the restroom by the parking garage and it was closed also. By Home Center there was a single restroom open, the handicapped one.

By the time I returned to Claro it was open and I paid for Teresa’s cellphone service.

I had a latte in Urbania for about an hour then stopped in Exito and bought pancake mix, a 6-pak of Coke and a single lemon.

I returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa and I left at noon and took a Didi to Santafe mall. We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles for 73,050 pesos – the salad bar for Teresa, a Ceasar salad with chicken for me and we shared a bottle of water.

Teresa went to check out Zara and I went down to Valentina’s where I had a latte. Teresa joined me about 30 minutes later and we shared a slice of carrot cake and she had a granilado.

We stopped in Medipiel where she bought 587,415 ($162) of various shampoos and skin creams. I inquired about my skin cream but they were out of stock on it.

We went down to the temporary taxi stand and there were only two people ahead of us in line. We returned to the apt by taxi.

I officially informed Jeannie I won’t be there for Annie’s baptism but we’ll be there for her first birthday party. They are planning on a Saturday, September 12^th celebration so I’ll shoot for about a week before that to a week after. I think I’ve already found an Airbnb in the extreme southwest corner of Glenview. Next, I’ll be looking at flights so I won’t have to deal with that later.

 

I watched some news then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY