Sunday, August 16, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, took a while to fall asleep but slept through the night, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,027 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 8 minutes for a sleep score of 79.

Teresa didn’t sleep well last night so she had a nap after breakfast. I joined her and my Fitbit says I slept for 49 minutes. Because it’s now too late to go to El Retiro, we’ll switch to plan B – lunch in Poblado followed by coffee at Valentina’s in Santafe mall.

Annie James is 11^th months old today.

I updated my Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request now I just need to reprint page 4. Instead of sending it from here for 1000s of pesos I’m going to wait until I’m in Chicago.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies.

We left the apt at 1:30 and took a Didi to Rocoto in Provenza for 17.700 pesos.

Teresa had her usual salmon and I the Chaufa Pollo (chicken & rice) and we shared a bottle of water for 172,411 pesos ($55).

We took a Didi to Santafe mall for 10,600 pesos and took a table in the back of Valentina’s. I had my usual hot latte and Teresa had a cold coffee and we shared a slice of cheesecake. I completed another page of puzzles, getting 5 wrong. I played another 15+10 game on Chess.com and my opponent resigned on the 19^th move.

I took this photo of the atrium:

We left at 5pm but stopped in the new Decathlon store in the basement near the taxi stand where Teresa found a thick yoga mat because one of her classes is on cement. It cost 150,000 pesos ($48) and we returned to the apt by taxi for 15,000 pesos.

60 Minutes didn’t interest me tonight so I watched another episode of Falling Skies before starting my pre-sleep routine.

 

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Saturday, August 15, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 2am to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 5:45am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,571 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 24 minutes for a sleep score of 84.

I tried taking a nap after breakfast but only slept for a few minutes.

I left the apt just before 9:30 and walked to the mall. I recycled several plastic muffin containers and pill bottles. In Auros I printed a chess game I want to show Jose. Soon I will need a new chess scorebook and gym notebook so I checked out the school supplies in Exito. Lots of different notebooks but not what I’m looking for; I think I’ll find them in Dollar City though.

Since I was in the back part of Exito I walked through the parking garage to the escalator to take me up to Urbania. I had a latte while going through another page of 12 puzzles, getting 2 wrong. I played a game against a player 100 points lower and he finally resigned on the 51^st move.

I left at 11am and stopped in Exito and while they had a full display of eggs, they didn’t have our usual brand Gallina Felices (Happy Chickens). I walked to Mercado Madrid where I bought 2 medium cartons of our favorite eggs before returning to the apt. I’m wondering if this brand is going to be discontinued sometime in the near future.

I turned on DAZN but got an error message with an apology. I used Medellin TV to find the game on Chicago’s Fox Sports channel and watched the Bears backups demolish the Browns backups 45-10. I had lunch at halftime and a bag of popcorn with a Coke at the start of the 4^th quarter.

I finished season 4 of Falling Skies, only one season to go.

A portero stopped by and handed us our epm bill of 421,919 pesos ($135).

At 6:45 I changed into nice (but uncomfortable) clothes and we took a Didi to the Dann Carlton Hotel in Poblado. Teresa didn’t remember the special elevator around the corner which took us nonstop to the 18^th floor then we just had to climb one fancy set of stairs to the 19^th floor and the restaurant. It’s no longer called Tony Roma’s but El Giratorio.

Teresa was again a little afraid because the restaurant rotates and not always smoothly.

We shared an order of spring rolls that weren’t too bad. Teresa had her salmon as usual which she liked as usual so at least there’s that. I ordered the New York Brangus steak which was a little gristly. Trying different areas I couldn’t track exactly where the gristly part was in order to avoid it. Some pieces it seemed like the bottom millimeter was gristly but the rest was okay. Strange!

Teresa asked me if I remember when we were here with Lenny. She asked if I still have contact with him. I said I see him on Facebook occasionally and will sometimes say, “hi”. I searched for him on Facebook and found this. 😊

Teresa noticed rain on our window at one point. Wow, the last time we had rain was July 23^rd.

Annie James:

For dessert we shared a tarta leche caramelizada. When it came time to pay, for some reason the usual IVA (tax) wasn’t included in the prices and they expected the tip to be in cash so I had to charge first the check of 297,432 pesos ($95) then separately the tip of 30,000 pesos ($10).

I drew a game vs Chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1546.

 

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Friday, August 14, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 3:15 to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,186 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 28 minutes for a sleep score of 81.

I left the apt just before 9am and completed my workout in Smartfit. I finished my 10 minutes on the treadmill with a final heartrate of 120bpm.

This is the work currently being done on this side of Avenida Poblado.

I guess the big things in front are culverts and the preformed cement you see in the background are used to make street curbs.

I didn’t see any work being done this morning at the old Ganso y Castor site.

I found Dan having another Spanish lesson and stopped in Los Porteños and ordered a latte to be delivered to one of the cement tables in the park. They brought it out in a cardboard to-go cup.

Dan soon joined me and I gave him an assignment – I gave him directions to take the metro to the Italian American restaurant in Estadio.

I left at 11am, stopped in Ara and bought dish cleaning paste and a few tomatoes before returning to the apt.

Right after lunch I went to brush my teeth and we don’t have running water.

I left at 2:30 (first time in sandals as I can’t take the heat in my gym shoes) and had a latte and glass of water in Gardenia.

I completed another 12 chess puzzles and can’t believe I got 8 wrong. I played a 15+10 game on Chess.com and at least I won that, although my opponent was rated 100 points lower.

I left at 5pm and returned to the apt; we have running water again.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies on Netflix.

Hey Boy: Keep an eye on the Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent tomorrow. He could be auditioning for a starting quarterback job for the Browns, once they’re done with their Watson/Sanders experiment. 😊

Teresa gave me an update of the death toll from the Colombian earthquake - 2,032 dead. ☹

I went to start my pre-sleep reading but my Kindle says there aren’t any books in my library. It must be a glitch in their software; hopefully they’ll have it fixed by tomorrow night. Instead, I spent 30 minutes on my computer then completed another set of 12 puzzles, only getting 2 wrong.

 

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Thursday, August 13, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 2:30 to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,972 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 8 hours and 11 minutes for a sleep score of 79.

I had coffee with Marcos at Tostao for about an hour. The café at the corner is closed and is being remodeled for the new owner.

I stopped in Mercado Madrid and bought a medium sized carton of eggs before returning to the apt.

Teresa was visiting with her mother. I left the apt at noon and walked the 10 minutes to La Bahia and they were already there although they were at a small table in the back – too stuffy for my liking. We had their menu of the day for 22mil per person.

We walked across the street to the mall where Teresa bought a couple items in Medipiel for 344,900 pesos ($110.50).

They went on their way and I went up to Cine Colombia to buy a ticket to Pressure (7.3). The showtime changed from 2:15 to 2:05 but I pretty much had my choice of seats for 10,000 pesos. I walked into the theater and I was the only one there although I counted 14 others that joined me before the movie started. I enjoyed the movie although I was a little cold in my shorts and sleeveless t-shirt. And I pretty much finished off a small popcorn and large soda.

Some upcoming movies I want to see include The End of Oak Street and ACME.

It was about 4pm when I went down to Urbania and had a latte. (I remembered Teresa was going to spend the early evening doing something with Rosemary so I was in no hurry to return to the apt.)

I completed another page of puzzles, getting 4 incorrect. I played a 15+10 game on Chess.com but lost in 37 moves.

Outside the mall they were collecting donations for the earthquake survivors

Although it seemed to be the opposite of what I expected as product was being moved from a nearby truck to this stack near the entrance.

I walked back to the apt and Teresa was still out.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies on Netflix.

I finished reading James Patterson’s Cross Country (Alex Cross #14) on my Kindle. That’s the 3^rd book I’ve finished this month.

 

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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 4am to pee, got up at 4:30 and read until 5am, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,765 steps yesterday and last night I slept for7 hours and 2 minutes for a sleep score of 82. (When I got up at 4am Fitbit only gave me a sleep score of 73 so that extra time helped.)

I left the apt just before 9am and found Smartfit about as busy as usual. I had my usual workout but had to adjust the order of my routine. I’m now setting the weight on the Seated Leg Curl to 50#, doing a few reps, then adjusting it up to 57 ½ pounds but doing more reps than before. This way I avoid the pain from my worn cartilage.

I found construction going on at the old Ganso y Castor location. I hope it will be another restaurant – one that will b open for breakfast. Maybe a café like Pergamino would be nice.

A photo of Glenn I found today.

I encountered Dan at his usual concrete table in the park getting a Spanish lesson from a chica. I invited him to join me for coffee in Los Porteños after his lesson. He joined me about 30 minutes later and we discussed many things. He told me he met Chris Cajoleas and I gave him some additional background on Chris. Dan is 65 years old and confirmed he has had Parkinson’s for the last 6 years but he isn’t affected much if he times his medicine correctly.

I left just before 11am and returned to the apt.

I left at noon and took a Didi to Mayorca mall where I met Teresa in Il Forno. She had her usual salmon and for a change I had a chicken panini sandwich for 127,615 pesos ($41).

She surprised me by suggesting we have ice cream at Crepes & Waffles so we shared a Suprema there for about 18,000 pesos.

I shared with Teresa my plan to see Pressure (7.3) tomorrow in Cine Colombia with showtimes at 2:15 and 4:55 pm.

There was another Choco earthquake at 1:32 this time only 4.21 on the Richter scale.

We shared a taxi back to Envigado and I stopped at the Bancolombia kiosk and printed yesterday’s chess games. I walked up to Smartfit where I caught an Envigado bus to Poblado.

From the bus I saw this ad for a company I worked for – Zurich (Insurance Company).

A young man got on the bus and sung the music I can’t stand, Rap.

In the Dann Carlton I made a reservation for us for Saturday at 7:30 although the restaurant is no longer a Tony Roma’s.

I returned to Envigado by bus and stopped in Gardenia for an hour or so. I was in no mood for anything hot so I got something new the waitress suggested – I don’t even know how to describe it but it was like coffee with ice cream that you mix yourself. (Do I still have to tip her if I do all the work (mixing) myself? 😊)

I left just after 5pm and returned to the apt.

Our gas is back on so we can return the hotplate back to the garage storage area.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

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Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 4:45, finally fell back asleep and was awakened at 6am by a light cramp in my right calf.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,752 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6hours and 18 minutes for a sleep score of 78.

Teresa informed me that the number of dead has risen to over 400 due to the Colombian earthquake.

I understand it is going to be some time before they resolve our gas problem. In the meantime, Teresa remembered we have a hotplate in the garage storage area so we went down and retrieved it.

I left the apt at 7:15 and took a Didi to Unicentro mall for 20,600 pesos.

I received text messages from Un Gringo en Medellin asking about Glenn Susser.

I was early enough to purchase a banana and walked once around the mall.

I met Jose in Parmessano where we had eggs for breakfast.

We moved to the food court where Jose beat me with the Black pieces and I got a draw with the White pieces.

It was just after 1pm when we finished and I took a Didi to Viva Envigado for 21,000 pesos.

I had the chicken teriyaki in Sarku’s, withdrew 2,000,000 pesos from a Davivienda ATM, and had a latte in Urbania for about an hour.

I purchased a few groceries in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I saw a special offer on my cellphone – 2 years of Reader’s Digest for only $15 that I took advantage of. They’ll just have to sit in my locker until the next time I have a package arrive.

Teresa now says the Colombian death total from the earthquake is 781. ☹

I watched another episode of Falling Skies before starting my pre-sleep routine.

 

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Monday, August 10, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3:30, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 4 and read until 4:30, slept until 7am when I got up.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,569 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6hours and 39 minutes for a sleep score of 70.

Having just finished my breakfast I was sitting at the dining room table when (about 7:35am) it started shaking then the entire apartment was shaking. After about a minute I got up and stood under the doorway to the guest bedroom. The whole time the earthquake lasted Teresa was saying a prayer.

That was the worst earthquake I’ve experienced in both length and severity.

We went down the stairs and stood outside with a lot of others.

I was only wearing my wraparound and my flipflops so after an hour I returned to the apt and changed into the shorts and t-shirt I usually wear around the apt and put on sandals. Back outside we joined others wondering when we would be let back inside.

Doyle, the other American in our building (maybe the entire complex) was seated nearby. He looks like he’s deteriorated in the past few years.

Teresa still hadn’t had breakfast so at 10am we walked to Picositas so she could eat a couple pastries. I just had a latte.

Here’s the local news carrying the story about the earthquake – extensive damage in Cali, Manizales and Pereira.

About 1:30 we moved to Otra Parte for lunch.

We left about 2:30 and returned to the apt and all seemed rather normal again. I don’t know if you can see these 3-D wall cracks in a 2-D photo.

Teresa had me send these photos to our real estate agency.

I understand we have no gas until it can be determined that there aren’t any leaks in the building.

Teresa reported 111 Colombian dead so far.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies, watched a little news then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

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