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

Monday, February 9, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up once during the night, finally waking at 6:15 and getting up at 6:45.

Today is my son’s 39^th birthday; Happy Birthday Jim!

I left the apt at 9:30 and completed my workout in a busy Smartfit.

I moved to Ganso y Castor where I had a latte for a little over an hour. On the way back to the apt I encountered this truck trying to back into the auto parking lot:

I wish I could have caught it a few seconds earlier where they had to move the pedestrian columns to give him extra room.

Today they started replacing the sidewalk in front of Ara.

ARA

We tried taking a nap after lunch but too noise with the jackhammers.

I left the apt at 2:30, stopped at the Bancolombia kiosk to print a couple pages, then stopped at Gana and paid the Movistar bill.

I had a latte in Los Porteños while going through some chess notes.

Troyclough resigned our latest game on the 14^th move, increasing my rating to 1540.

Annie James

A new restaurant has opened in La Buena Mesa, a steakhouse named Biftek.

My 2025 combined gross income is under the threshold where I would need to file… so I do not have to file again this year. 😊

Teresa received a massage from Kelly from 5:15 to 6:15.

I watched another episode of Safe on Netflix, watched some news then read for an hour in my Kindle. After reading the first chapter of Lee Child’s The Secret I realized I’d already read it. ☹

Today I tallied 4,890 steps.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Sunday, February 8, 2026

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

I left the apt at 8:30 and found Glenn with Bianca waiting for me when I arrived at Olivenza.

Glenn has his electrocardiogram this week. We discussed the virtues and deficiencies of ChatGPT.

I left at 10:45am and returned to the apt. Teresa was just leaving for her beauty shop appointment.

Chesswiz98 resigned our game in 30 moves, increasing my rating to 1544.

Teresa called at 1:45 and asked me to meet her outside Asados Rogelio (which I know is closed on Sundays). When I arrived she wanted something different so she led me across the street to Quilombo, the Argentinian steakhouse. Inside was pretty busy and noisy so I was happy when she chose an outside table. She talked briefly with a waiter and I understood we would both be ordering the solomito (steak). The waiter didn’t return quick enough for her so she got up and we left.

She led me back across the street to Asados Familia Garcia which was just as busy be not as noisy. She ordered the Sobrebarriga (which literally means on the belly) and I the ribs. We each had a Coke and the total came to 155,000 pesos.

Teresa was going to visit her mother so she returned to the apt and I continued on to Gardenia where I had a latte and went through a couple chess books.

I lost a game to Troyclough, lowering my rating to 1535.

I returned to the apt and Teresa had 3 epm bills for our apt. One for January, one for February and one for last July. I tried to explain to her that I pay bills when I receive them, if I don’t receive a bill I can’t pay it because I don’t when its due or how much it is. I’m pretty sure if I didn’t pay the bill last July, they probably charged more in August.

At 6pm I put on NBC for Sacramento, California where I got a buffer-free connection. Teresa left at 6:15. As soon as the game started, I got some buffering so I switched to Omaha, Nebraska. I nearly finished my next to last bag of peanuts with a Coke. My favorite commercial was the one for Dunkin Donuts. I wasn’t much interested in the game but the Seattle Seahawks won.

It was 10:30 when the game ended so I read for about 30 minutes before going to bed.

 

I got in 4,484 steps today.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Saturday, February 7, 2026

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

Blueberry pancakes with pecans for breakfast. Yum!

I was ready to leave the apt and walk to the mall when Teresa asked me to drop off a large thick blanket at her mother’s apt. I ordered a Didi and this was the first time I rode in a BYD (Chinese) car. I dropped off the blanket with Portal Sur’s portero and walked a block away to Viva Envigado.

I had a latte in Urbania for a little over an hour.

I stopped in Exito for carrots, lettuce, and a bag of milk and returned to the apt in a new taxi. 😊

The plan was for Teresa to get her nails and hair done today then tomorrow we’d go to El Retiro but return in time for me to see Superbowl LX.

About 3:30 Teresa tells me she’s going to meet Rosemary in Viejo John’s in Sabaneta and she has a beauty shop appointment for tomorrow so I can meet Glenn for breakfast.

About 4pm a drizzle started and by 4:30 it looked overcast with dark clouds to the south. Teresa informed me that she won’t be meeting Rosemary after all. I told her I already made plans for breakfast tomorrow with Glenn.

We left the apt at 5:30 and walked 4 blocks to Picositas, a small restaurant with pastries.

We each had a pastel de pollo and a small latte for 52mil. I told Teresa there’s a new chess movie on Netflix, Queen of Chess. It’s about a real female grandmaster, Judit Polgar and its got a rating of 8.0.

We left at 6:30 and returned to the apt.

I watched the news, read a little and went to bed at 10pm,

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY