Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

Last night I watched a documentary I stumbled upon called Hitler: The Double Headed Eagle on Netflix. 

I put in my earplugs, went to bed at 10:45, got up once during the night, woke up at 7:45, and must have fallen asleep again because I finally woke/got up at 8:25.

I walked up to Carrera 84, over to Calle 35 and down to Panaderia Los Mejores where I had my usual coffee and croissant for $1.  Damaris wasn’t there; I think this is her 2^nd shift week.  On the way back to my apartment I stopped at the corner stand and bought a banana for 200 pesos (11 cents).

I forgot to mention that they pounded out that metal garage door so they can use it again.

I checked my USAA account and 2 of my small pensions have been deposited in my account.  Yeah!  

I went to www.google.com and it says “Feliz año nuevo”.  I ran the IP Changer, went there again and now it says “Happy New Year”.  Lol.

About noon I left the apartment.  On the way down the street, for the 2^nd time I saw this blue bird attacking a 2^nd story window.  I don’t know if there’s something on the other side its trying to get at or it sees its own reflection.

I stopped at the corner vendor and bought a slab of pineapple for 1mil.

I was getting real hungry so at 2pm I ordered the Solomito from SanJote for 16,500 ($8.68).  Five minutes later Dario showed up.  I gave him 2 of my Chess Life magazines to look at while I waited for my food.  40 minutes later it finally arrived and I was finished eating by 3pm.  As I was taking the pieces out of the bags one of the black bishops came apart.  For the time being I just put a toothpick between the 2 halves to kind of keep it together.  

 We played 2 games until 5:10; he won the first and I won the 2^nd.  In the 2^nd game he resigned because he thought I had trapped his queen but I showed him how he could have saved her.  Before he left he mentioned he’s going to have another chess tournament in February.

I stopped at the Viva food court and at 5:20 they were closing the restaurants.  I confirmed at Burger King that they will be open tomorrow.

On the way back I picked up a kilo of strawberries for 3mil.

Back at the apartment I have some Loctite (like superglue) but it apparently had all dried out.  If Exito is open tomorrow I’ll buy another one then.

I checked my cash on hand and I have 600mil so I need to borrow 380mil ($200) from next month to pay off my Visa expenses.

I wonder what time the noise is going to start tonight.

Monday, December 30th, 2013

Last night I watched Biutiful, a 2010 movie starring Javier Bardem on Netflix.  I brought with me from the States a list of movies I had wanted to watch on DVD.  A few nights ago I was going through the list trying to find them on Netflix.   Most couldn’t be found or it would say it was not available for streaming.  I had removed a few from my list when I got to the movie Biutiful.  They had it, I started playing it but it was in Spanish.  There was a language option but the only other choice was Portuguese.  And there were no subtitles.  That’s when I remembered about IP Addresses.  I always knew each computer has a unique address (IP address) that identifies it but there’s more:

IP (Internet Protocol) address is “a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.”

In more detail, per Wikipedia: “An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.^[1] An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. Its role has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there."^[2]”

So, in some instances, companies make decisions (like what language to use) based upon where a computer is.  The subject came up some time ago on the Colombia Expat forum where someone recommended to use an IP changer so companies will think you are still in the US.  I successfully downloaded the software a couple nights ago and then The Company Men which had been unavailable suddenly became available.  And last night Biutiful, while still in Spanish at least now was with English subtitles.  Yeah!

I went to bed at 11:45 (with earplugs), got up once during the night, woke up at 7:55 and got up at 8:15.

I had a cup of coffee at the Tinto store and called MBE to make sure they were open.  They recognized my voice right away (or more likely my lack of skill in the Spanish language) and I asked them what time they close today and they said 6pm.  After that I edited their number in my cell phone and added the 034 prefix.

I followed that with a slab of pineapple from across the street.

At 11:40 I boarded a Circular Sur 302 bus.  This time I noticed the golf course – El Rodeo.  My notes from back in the States say:
“$8,000,000 to join, $790,000 annual dues.
Will waive joining fee for 1 year, then join and get a $2,400 discount on membership.
Doesn't say how much a round of golf is.”

So I’m guessing it costs about $4000 to join with almost $400 annual dues.  Not for me; especially the way I play golf.

I got off at Monterrey CC and walked up the hill to FFSS.  They have a new offering on their lunch menu – a pork sandwich.  I asked for it but they said it isn’t available today (Chris probably hasn’t caught the pig yet!  Lol) so I ordered the chicken salad sandwich which comes with potato chips and a Coke for 10mil ($5.26) and I left the waitress a 2mil tip.

Chris showed up a few minutes later and I asked him 2 questions:

1.  What’s the cheapest way to get from Medellin to the airport and visa versa?  1^st option is for 8mil ($4.21) take a bus from behind the Nutibara Hotel to the airport; they leave every 20-30 minutes.  The hotel is very near Parque Berrio which is where I get off when I take the Simon Bolivar bus from my apartment to downtown.  (So, I could walk 1 block, take the Simon Bolivar bus to Parque Berrio; walk about 2 blocks, and take the bus to the airport to meet my brother.  Total cost, one way 9,800 pesos ($5.16).  2^nd option is to take a shared taxi for 15mil from San Diego CC to the airport.

2.  From this list of places which would you recommend for a visit? Guatape, Santafe, Copacabana, Jardin.

Copacabana is just north of Medellin and people don’t really go there unless they have a finca.

Jardin is 4 hours away by bus.

Santafe is a 45minute bus ride.

Guatape is a 1 ¾ hour bus ride.

Come to think of it I didn’t really get any recommendations one way or the other did I?

After lunch I walked down to Mail Boxes Etc. and they gave me 3 packages.  I asked the lady if I owed more money and she replied “next month” so I’m not sure if she’s referring to their monthly fee (which I already paid for January) or an additional fee yet to come.  One package was the book I ordered – Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player.  The 2^nd was a Priority Mail package with the September thru November issues of Chess Life magazine and the 3^rd was the December issue of Chess Life and their 2014 Annual Buying Guide.  (One of the packages came with the mailing code correctly in front of my name and the other came with it as the 1^st line of my address.)  The issues of Chess Life I had ordered on November 21^st so they took about 5 weeks to arrive.  The book I ordered back on November 14^th from Amazon took about 6 weeks to arrive.  It had the MBE mailing code correctly in front of my name. Per Jhon’s recommendation I had put the wrong address on it for a UPS delivery.  I believe the USPS location in Miami changed it to the correct address on the package.  But next time I order from Amazon I need to change the address.  At least now I know I can get my mail here!  With all this reading material I think my Nook book reading is going to slow way down!

On the bus ride back I’m pretty sure I saw the entrance to the golf course.

I was back at my apartment by 2:10pm.

The family across the street is definitely back from wherever they were.

I had mentioned I wash my underwear, t-shirts, socks and jeans myself in my laundry room.  I’ve noticed when I first turn on the water it’s lukewarm.  If I let it run awhile it then turns hot for a while (probably drawing from the water lines close to the surface of the street) then changes to very cold (as it draws from deeper water lines).  I decided I wanted a cold glass of water so I was washing and rinsing some t-shirts when a pretty lady pushing a stroller up the street asked me something about the upstairs apartment.  After my usual disclaimer I think I was successful in informing her about the status of the apartment for rent.  Right behind her was a young man pushing a cart selling ice cream so I asked him to wait.  I grabbed a little money and my keys and headed downstairs.  The containers all appeared to be the same size and he had strawberry, vanilla, arequipe, mango, and something mixed with arequipe, so I bought a 220gram container of strawberry ice cream for 2mil ($1.05).  It was already starting to melt but tasted good especially with my little wooden spoon.  As I was back working on the t-shirts, I heard some people exit my building: 2 men and an attractive 30 something woman got into a car.  Very pretty!  I wonder if she lives upstairs.  J  Perhaps she’s just visiting.  L  To be continued.  Lol.

Dinner was a Double Steak burger (with coupon) at Burger King and a small strawberry shake for a total of 13,300 ($7).

Afterwards I sat outside Exito for a while and read my Nook book.  At one point a girl walked by with a t-shirt that read “I need you… I think”.  And she wondered why I was smiling at her.   Lol.

About 8pm the intermittent firecrackers started.

Sunday, December 29th, 2013

Last night, at 8:45 I heard a few firecrackers off in the distance.

I watched The Company Men (6.8) on Netflix, a 2010 movie starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Craig T. Nelson, and Kevin Costner.  Per IMDB: “The story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company – and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.”  That (2008) was a rough time for a lot of people, myself included.

I went to bed at 11pm, was awoken twice during the night from firecrackers, woke up at 6:50 and got up at 7:15.

I had breakfast at the hotel from about 8:45 to 10am.  When I was leaving I noticed a full page map of Medellin’s Metro system so of course I asked them for one.  I knew there was a cemetery on the other side of Avenida 80 from the airport but what I didn’t notice is that the golf course – Club El Rodeo is just before the cemetery.  It might be surrounded by bushes or a stone fence because I don’t remember seeing it; now I’ll have to remember to pay more attention.

Afterwards I reviewed some more of Bobby Fischer’s games at LM.  About noon a man named Mario challenged me to a game of chess.  He was really just a beginner and he moved very slowly; I won 2 games in about an hour.

I withdrew the last of my cash from the ATM.  On the 1^st of next month I’ll count my cash on hand and that will tell me how much I had to “borrow” from January’s cash infusion to pay for the renewal of my Pensionado Visa.

 The high is predicted to be 85⁰ today with only a 20% chance of rain.  Again almost no clouds; this is the 3^rd day in a row with more summer like conditions.

I was at Sport Wings by 4:15 and Reina arrived about 10 minutes later.  We shared their small Ribs & Wings combo which included 3 wings, 3 legs, 3 ribs (with lots of BBQ sauce), French fries and 3 celery sticks :).  (I thought the ribs were pretty chewy; maybe a little too chewy.)  We also shared a brownie with ice cream.  I also had 2 Cokes and a mango juice and she had 2 mango juices.  The total came to 66mil inc. 9.25% tip.  I also left an additional 3mil as a tip.  

In Spanish, “ahora” means “now” and “mas tarde” means “later”, but Reina told me in Colombia “ahora” means “in 30 to 60 minutes” and “mas tarde” means “later than that”.  Maybe this is what they mean by “Colombia Tiempo”.

I gave her the telephone number for the Immigration office in Medellin and she’s going to call to check on their hours (are they even working this week?) and how much it costs to renew my Cedula this year.  We will probably meet on Friday and go there to renew it.

She still wasn’t feeling well from her cold so she left about 6:50.

I guess I should mention the Bears lost 33-28 so their season is OVER.  :(

Saturday, December 28th, 2013

Last night Reina showed up at 6pm and I found out where we were going was in Belen (much closer than Envigado which is officially a different town south of Medellin).

After she talked to the bus driver we took a Circular Sur 302 (3,400 pesos) bus and got off by the local airport.  We walked along the southernmost edge of the airport property for about 10 minutes until we ran into a local for her to talk to.  It turns out we are at the back of the airport and we need to be on the other side – too far to walk.  We caught a taxi and for 6mil we were at the entrance.  It’s called El Pesebre Mas Grande del Mundo (The Largest Manger in the World).  There were even signs, in English, stating “Guinness World Record” so I guess it really is the biggest.  The entrance fee was 20mil total for both of us.  It’s basically a recreation of Bethlehem at the time when Jesus was born.  We walked around the area and it was interesting although not very sophisticated.  

Afterwards we were looking for something to eat, and while there were many booths selling drinks, there was only one selling food.  Reina decided 6mil was too much to pay for a little individual pizza.  We exited the area, walked across the street to what I would call a BBQ joint.  A man was grilling meat right next to the street in some sort of permanent structure.  We got the only thing they were serving tonight.  We shared a plate with 3 types of meat (pork, beef & lamb?) with a small salad, a couple of little baked russet type potatoes, a pineapple Postobon soda for me and she had an iced tea for a total of 24mil.  It was a beautiful night – clear and not cold at all.  It was a nice outing for about $35.

I caught a taxi back to my apartment for 8mil and she caught a separate taxi back to her house.  Unfortunately, I also have to pay for her taxi which is another 20mil each way.

I asked Reina if Marcella has a friend that lives in my neighborhood and she told me she has a secretarial job in the area.

Reina also told me New Years Eve is going to be as bad (noisy) if not worse than Christmas Eve.

We’re going to meet at Sport Wings Sunday at 4:30 for the Bears vs Packers game.

I watched another episode of Lie to Me and then went to bed at 11pm.  I got up once during the night, woke up at 6:15 and finally woke/got up at 7:30.

It’s a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky so I skipped taking my umbrella with me.

On my way to LM I noticed a small group of people outside an apartment building looking at their garage door.  It is all metal, not solid, more like a fence and it had obviously been run into from the inside. The garage is like on the 2^nd level of the building and it looked like someone tried to exit the garage without bothering to open the door.  I imagine it did a good number on the car also.

At the 2^nd level of Exito the small kiosk with cell phone accessories is now gone, just the large one on the opposite corner.

I had my usual breakfast for 4,900 pesos ($2.58) at Bunuelo Express.  Those new men I had noticed working there recently were putting up new signs – another indication they might be under new management.  Wilson from the pet store stopped by and we chatted a little.  He mentioned he once owned a restaurant but he had to close when his food costs went up but he couldn’t raise his prices. ??

At 10am Augusto showed up and we played 5 games of chess: I won 4 and he won 1.  About 12:30 I bought a large empanada and Coke for each of us from Bunuelo Express for 8mil ($4.21).  The lady working there asked me something but all I understood was Picante so I understood it was about whether or not I wanted hot sauce with that and I said “yes”.  Augusto had to leave at 1:50 and he said he would call me about our next chess meeting.

A man had been observing our game so he sat down and we played one game.  He was kind of funny, he made every move in a very deliberate manner but he only lasted 20 minutes; he resigned after I took most of his pieces.

I stopped at the corner store for an hour and had a small bottle of water (1mil) and read some more of my Nook book.  I then walked across the street and bought a slab of pineapple for another 1mil to eat on the way back to my apartment.

Later I ran into Gloria on my way to LM and we had a brief chat.  I gave her a piece of Trident gum – what they call chiclet.  It doesn’t hurt to make friends.

Dinner was a small bowl of beans and mango juice at El Comedor de Chava for 6,500 ($3.42).

Friday, December 27th, 2013

Last night I left the apartment early, walked down to the end of the street, decided I might need a jacket later and went back for it.  After a 10 minute wait I caught a Circular Sur 302 bus at 8:10.  While on the bus I heard YMCA and Uptown Girl playing on the bus driver’s radio.  J  I exited the bus at 8:40 at Monterrey CC and walked up the street to Empanadisimas where I bought an empanada for 1mil.  This time I tried the sauce that they put on it and it’s a mildly hot sauce; seems more Mexican to me than Colombian.  

I got to Patrick’s Irish Pub at 9pm – 30 minutes before game time.  Feeling a little overheated I had a Coke and read some more from my Nook while I waited.  At 9:30 the manager, who is an American, put the game on but it froze several times and he had to do a reconnect.  Patrick finally came back and changed it from First Row Sports streaming video to connecting to his sling box he has in Bullhead City, Arizona.  (I checked and it’s about 1/3 the way from Las Vegas, NV to Phoenix, AZ.)  That started freezing up too and he said there must be a storm in the area (AZ, not here) and he eventually switched it back.

At halftime the score was NIU 7, Utah State 6; a pretty boring game for a Huskie fan.

The kitchen closes at 11pm so at 10:30 I had their Beef Stroganoff with a fresh mango juice and the total for the evening came to 33mil ($17.37) and I left an extra 2mil tip.

I left about 12:20 after Utah State scored a touchdown to go up 20-7.  The final, I learned later, was Utah State 21, NIU 14.

The taxi ride home was 12mil.  When I got back to the apartment I realized I hadn’t taken my medicine like I should have 30 minutes after dinner so I took it right away.

I went to bed at 12:50, got up once during the night, woke up at 7:15 and finally got up at 7:45.

The back has been feeling good for a couple days now.

This morning I walked down as far as the park and I could see that the lady wasn’t there selling orange juice so I went to the other side of the park looking for a slab of pineapple.  I didn’t see any on his wagon but I did see whole pineapples so I asked for one (in Spanish) but motioned that I only wanted a slab and he cut it up for me right then and there.  He held it by the leaves, cut off the far end, cut the sides carefully by pulling the knife toward him, and then he cut it into 4 equally sized slabs, put 1 in a plastic baggie and handed it to me.  I paid him 1mil (53 cents), took one of the napkins he has there and ate it on my way back to the apartment.

When I was checking for the week’s new US releases on IMDB.com I noticed a place where I could see a movie trailer.  It turned out there were a lot of them, some different but for the same movie.  One interesting one, a scheduled April 11^th, 2014 release is Draft Day starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner.  “The general manager of the Cleveland Browns struggles to acquire the number one draft pick for his team.”  My best friend is a Cleveland Browns fan so he will probably be excited to see this.

Back to the task at hand, movies opening this week in the US that I would like to see include Lone Survivor (IMDB 7.5), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (7.5), and The Wolf of Wall Street (8.9).

I checked the movies playing here and the only thing decent is Walking with Dinosaurs 3D but it’s dubbed in Spanish.

On my way to LM I ran into Gloria at the bottom of the stairs.  We had a moment to chat and basically agreed that we are friends (amigos).  (Actually, I am the amigo and she is the amiga but for mixed company (M & F together) we are amigos.)

Lunch was the Solomito at SanJote for 16,500 pesos.  Afterwards I went over some more of Bobby Fischer’s games.  While I was doing that James stopped by and asked if we could play after I was finished.  I told him that soon I had to leave so we would have to make it another time.

On my way back to the apartment I got a call from Mail Boxes, ETC. telling me I have something to pick up.  I’ll probably get it on January 2^nd when I’m in the neighborhood paying other bills.  I sure hope it’s the book I ordered back on November 14^th.  It’s possible it could be my Chess life magazines.  Either one would be greatly welcome.

I got an email from James Lindzey with an itemized bill.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised its a more than I had expected because I forgot about the extra services required.  I only knew the exact amounts for the first two items.  

The charges are:

400mil – Lawyer services

504mil – Pensionado Visa renewal

50mil – Legalization documents

22mil – Translation documents

125mil – Apostille documents (USA) and shipping

17.5mil – Mail Services Express

1,180mil – TOTAL (appr. $621)

James said he would be fine if I don’t pay him until January 1^st or 2^nd after my Soc. Sec. deposit comes in.

Reina is coming over about 5pm and we’re going to Envigado to see some large manger.

Inventive Jobs in Colombia

Here’s one Expat’s opinion of inventive jobs in Colombia.

Soystar1: Here's my top three jobs in Colombia that are a credit to their inventiveness and I did not know existed until I lived here.  1. Standing in line for others to pay a bill.  2. Umbrella people when it rains and they expect to be tipped to walk with you from the bus to the centro commericial.  3. The guy who waves to you to park your car on the street and then backs you out of the parking space. :-)

#1 I didn’t know existed.  #3 I have seen where a guy will help hold up traffic and guide you into a parallel parking space.  He will also help hold up traffic to allow you to pull out into traffic.  The same guy will probably also have an umbrella (#2) and can hold it over you and the misses to or from a restaurant and your car.  It may be only a few yards but can keep you from getting drenched; especially those times when you’ve left your umbrella in the car and there is a sudden downpour.

Thursday, December 26th, 2013

Last night I watched Pi on Netflix.  What a strange movie.  I really can’t recommend it.

I went to bed at 9:15 and even though I didn’t take any chances and put in my ear plugs I believe it was a quiet night.  I got up once at 3:30 and had a little difficulty getting back to sleep finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

I walked over to Panaderia Los Mejores wondering how Damaris would react.  She smiled nicely and served me my coffee and croissant.  I ate it outside as usual while reading my Nook book.  At one point there were no customers so she had the opportunity to come out and talk to me if she wanted but she didn’t so I guess the next move is up to me.

I walked over to Avenida 80 but there was no orange juice stand today; I guess the lady is on vacation like so many others.  

I stopped at Exito and took out some cash.  I think I’m going to have just enough money left this month (including all my savings) to cover my lawyer fees, Visa renewal and still have enough money left for food as long as I don’t have to pay to renew my Cedula until next month.  Hopefully, I’ll have 15 days again after renewing my Visa like last year.  And hopefully, the charge is only 150mil again.  I’ve also budgeted 35mil per day for food and I think I can cut some corners there also.  I also have $60 squirreled away in my Citibank account that I could use in a pinch.

 

At 11am I got a call from Andres from James Lindzey’s office.  My Visa has been approved and now they have to send my passport to Bogota.  I should get it back in a week or less.  If timing works out (“Timing is everything.”) in my favor, I may not have to pay for it and the lawyer until next month when I will have a new infusion of cash.

At 1:15 I was at Viva CC food court planning on having chicken teriyaki but they didn’t have their special sign up today.  At 1:18 I placed an order at Alfredo’s for their special of the day: spaghetti with chicken and tomato and a Coke for 6,900 pesos ($3.63).  I was getting real hungry when finally at 2:10 I went over there to show the lady working there the time on my receipt and she was just serving up my order.  I guess they were really busy.

I then spent the next 2 ½ hours or so at LM playing through more of Bobby Fischer’s games.  

At 3:55 it started pouring rain and of course I didn’t have my umbrella with me.  (Note to self: When you bring your chess set, always bring your umbrella too because there is room for it in the carrying case.)  Interestingly, it only rained for 2-3 minutes and then stopped, and then 2-3 minutes later it started again.  Over a period of about 20 minutes it started and stopped 3 different times.  I guess this is a sign of the tropics.

When I got back to the apartment I found an email from James Lindzey confirming what Andres had told me earlier.

Tonight I plan to leave about 8:15pm in order to be at Patrick’s at 9:30pm to watch the NIU Huskies play the Utah State Aggies in the Poinsettia Bowl on ESPN.

Wednesday, December 25th, 2013

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last night I wasn’t feeling very good so I went to bed at 8pm, more about that in a minute.

At 9pm the fireworks started.  Even with my earplugs in I heard the “whump” sound it makes when they sent them up every 2 seconds until 3am.  It sounded like it was very close, like the next street over.  I’m sure everyone in Medellin isn’t watching the fireworks here in Simon Bolivar so my best guess is this is being repeated in each neighborhood.  It finally stopped at 3am but resumed every 15-30 minutes (because they found more somewhere?) for a few more minutes until at least 5am.  It stopped sometime between 5am and 6am when the sun started coming up.  I got up at 6:15 (wow did the gunpowder smell hit me when I opened the bedroom door) went to the bathroom, grabbed a hand towel and put it over my eyes to help keep out the light.  (I have my brother bringing me an eye mask when he visits in February.)  I got up again at 7am, took 2 Excedrin Migraine and went back to bed and finally got back to sleep.  I woke/got up at 10:45 feeling good enough that I resumed my morning exercises.

One of the sayings I often use is “Timing is everything”.  I was feeling so poorly last night I probably would have had trouble sleeping anyway.  I had what I call a case of the blahs due to my bad eating habits.  And I have put on a few extra pounds.  I don’t really need 3 big meals every day.  I should drink more juices and eat more fruits and only eat when I feel hungry.  I shouldn’t have so many sodas, hamburgers and French fries.

I talked to my daughter and son on their cell phones using magicJack Plus and then my brother on his cell phone and wished them all a Merry Christmas.

About 2pm I took a walk around the neighborhood to see what’s open.  By Bob’s hostel, the grocery store is open but the bakery is closed, Los Mejores bakery on Calle 35 is open, the corner store is open but the Tinto store is closed, and Likke’s is closed.  There was a lot less traffic so it was easy crossing Avenida 80 and I noticed the Circular Sur buses were running.  In Viva CC more than 50% of the stores are closed but a few are still open.  In the food court, all the restaurants are open as well as the 2 white table cloth restaurants on the other side of the mall.  Exito is open but there are very few customers.  Across the street at Mall de Laureles about 2/3 of the restaurants are open but only a few of the stores.

On my way back to the apartment I bought a slab of pineapple from the corner vendor for 1mil (53 cents).

Did I mention that Sophia, the owner of Bob’s hostel, closed it and opened a new one in Los Colores?  It’s even supposed to have a swimming pool.  Bob moved there at the same time so I probably won’t be seeing him in the neighborhood much anymore.

3:30 and the firecrackers have started.  Luckily only a few.

I was afraid that the Exito food court might close early again tonight so I decided to head over there.  On my way I was surprised to see Bob at the corner store sitting with Margarita.  I wished him a Merry Christmas and he told me he was just visiting the area to wish the same to some people he knows here.  I was at Exito about 5pm and had a container of cole slaw for 4,800 ($2.53) and a corn on the cob (already buttered) for 5,800 ($3.05) from Frisby.  Can you imagine - $3 for an ear of corn?  On my way back I found Bob and Margarita having a beer at the grocery store across from the bakery.  I asked him if it was noisy near his place last night and he said it was for only a couple hours but he is on a hill and he could see the fireworks of the berrios to the south.  Can you imagine if there are something like 265 berrios (not sure of the number) and they all have their own fireworks.

Its 7:20 and I can hear some fireworks to the south.  I can even see the few that are higher than the buildings across the street.

I see that 11 people viewed Tuesday’s post.  What’s going on?  Usually I only have 3 or 4.

Tuesday, December 24th, 2013

Last night I watched Inside Job on Netflix.  Everyone should watch that movie as a reminder of what happened during the real estate bubble that burst in 2008.  And to appreciate how little things have changed since!

I went to bed at 11pm and right away heard firecrackers so I put in the earplugs.  I got up once during the night and finally woke/got up at 6:30.

www.weather.com says its only 61 degrees this morning going up to a high of 76.  It does feel cooler.

I picked up a small bag of milk for my granola for breakfast.

At 8am my plan was to order lunch to be delivered today, have a glass of orange juice and be at Exito when they open at 8:30 to buy a few necessary items before the Christmas Eve rush of people.

When I got to Likkes I found a different woman there than usual so I had to explain everything from the beginning.  She didn’t take down my address but Laura was there and she knows the location of my apartment.  The woman who sells orange juice wasn’t there; not sure if I was too early, it was too cold today or it had something to do with the holidays.  I was at Exito at 8:15 and was surprised to find it already open.  I picked up the few things I needed (bath soap, toothpicks, Trident gum) and at checkout gave them my Cedula number for accumulating points.  Some stranger’s name came up on the register so I gave him my Exito card and then my name came up.  Maybe I have to use my Exito card until I get a regular Cedula, not a temporary.  That’s probably after I become a resident after 5 years here.

Olga, the house cleaner showed up at 9:20.

11:55 and some guy just came up the street selling step ladders.  He had 8 of them in a large cart.  Luckily they are aluminum so they are light - but I don’t think the cart was.

My lunch order arrived right at noon and by 12:20 we had finished eating.

Olga finished cleaning about 1pm.  In confirming the next cleaning for 2 weeks from today apparently January 7^th is a holiday so we agreed she wouldn’t come back until 3 weeks from now on January 14^th.  I gave her a 20mil tip and wished her a Feliz Navidad.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen regarding food tonight and tomorrow.  Are restaurants closed early for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?  (Maybe I’ll be having Chinese food and listening to the staff singing Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra like in the movie A Christmas Story.)  I’ll soon find out!

I just got a text message on my cell phone: “Showers until late December”.

4:45 and it rained lightly for about 5 minutes.

About 5:30 I was in Viva CC and since I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry yet I decided to sit and read some from my Nook.  At 6:30 I happened to look towards the food court and noticed that there was almost no one there.  Uh-oh.  Yes, the restaurants were all closed or closing.  I immediately went into Exito to their food area and bought a hamburger deluxe with Pepsi for 10,900 ($5.74).

7:30 at night and Exito was still pretty busy, especially people buying food.

Monday, December 23rd, 2013

Last night I left the apartment at 7:15, caught a bus at 7:25 and got off at Monterrey at 8:05.  I arrived at Patrick’s at 8:25 and Reina arrived a minute later.  

The good news is that before the game began the Detroit Lions had already lost to the NY Giants and the Green Bay Packers had already lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  So, a Bears victory tonight would make them the NFC North Division Champions.

Unfortunately, my Bears got clobbered by the Philadelphia Eagles 54-11.  It wasn’t fun at all sitting through that.  The only good news is they will still win the division if they beat the Packers next Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

I had the Irish Stew and 2 Cokes for 22mil and she had the Curry Chicken, cheese cake and a mango juice for 33mil.  I left an extra 2mil tip.

I went to bed at 12:30, got up twice during the night and woke up to Lionel’s radio at 6:30.  I went back to bed, got up again at 7:15, took 2 Excedrin Migraine for my sore back, went back to bed, and finally woke/got up at 8:30.

I was at the notary’s office (Notaria 31) at 9:30.  I waited a few minutes for another couple ahead of me and then it was my turn.  Despite my limited Spanish, they guided me through the process with no problem.  They stamped a big form on the back of each page and printed my full name and passport number.  I checked to make sure everything was entered correctly. I also had to put a fingerprint of my index finger inside a little box.  On the front side I signed my name and she stamped it.  She sent me to the cashier where I paid 6,496 pesos ($3.42).  Then I took it in to a separate office where “the man” scrawled his signature like a US doctor and put an invisible (at least I couldn’t see it) stamp on it.  The whole process took about 20 minutes.

On my way back to the apartment I bought a slab of pineapple for 1mil for my breakfast.

At 10:15 I was on the bus and got off just before the turnoff to Oviedo at 10:55.  I walked up the hill and was in Carulla by 11am.  I wandered around the store a little and then headed out the side entrance, walked up the hill, and when I got to Avenida Poblado I was between McDonald’s and Oviedo CC as expected.  I walked south a couple blocks, crossed the street and walked up the steep 2 long blocks to James’ apartment.  Luckily, it was a cool morning or I would have felt pretty uncomfortable.  I got there at 11:25, dropped off the notarized letters and my passport with Andres and was out within 5 minutes.  On the way back down the hill I noticed a side street with a Banco de Occidente building on it that might be a short cut for me to Avenida Poblado.  I’ll have to check it out another time.

I was at FFSS by 12:05.  David from Kentucky was there sitting at another table with several other guys.  I had 2 Cokes and a BLT for 12mil.  The guy at the other table was asking if anyone had a used smart phone for sale, even if the phone doesn’t work, because he wants to download WhatsApp to use for messaging.  I’ve already tried downloading that to my iPad but it isn’t available.

I left at 1:00 and stopped at MBE but they said my mail isn’t there yet.  I understood they will either call me or email me when it arrives.

At 1:20 I was back on the bus and almost immediately it started raining.  Luckily it stopped before I got off.  I stopped at the laundry and picked up my towels for 6mil, then stopped at the Tinto store, had a cup of coffee and read a little more from my Nook book.

Andres called me at 5:20 to tell me he was sending me a form for some of my general information and as soon as I returned it that he would be able to submit my visa request.

Dinner was a Double Steak burger at Burger King with a small strawberry shake for 13,300 ($7) with coupon.  Then I stopped at Fresco Pan for a cup of coffee.  Andrea was back after some time of not seeing her.

Sunday, December 22nd, 2013

Last night I watched another episode of Lie to Me.

At 10:15pm I went to bed.  I heard more firecrackers so I put in my earplugs.  It was muffled, but I still heard them at 3am, 3:15, 3:30, and again at 4am.  I finally woke/got up at 8:15.

I had breakfast in the hotel from 9:30 to 11am.  It took longer than expected, not that I’m in any hurry, because I had to wait for them to bring out milk for my coffee, milk for my cereal, and again milk for my coffee.  It also took a long time for them to bring me change for my 50mil bill but it was worth it because besides one 5mil bill the rest were all 2mil & 1mil bills.

I went over to LM and went through some more chess games from my Bobby Fischer book.  It started getting crowded at 1:30 so I packed up and left.  It was raining slightly on my walk to Avenida Nutibara.  At 2pm I stopped in La Brasa Roja and ordered their chicken with rice and a mango juice.  Of course, it came with French Fries. J  The only thing I didn’t like is everything was cold, not warm at all. L  I mean they had to cook the fries, the chicken and the rice so what gives?  The total came to 14,800 ($7.79) and I left a 2mil tip.

The Bears play tonight on the Sunday night game of the week at 8:30 against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Reina is going to meet me at Patrick’s and we’ll probably sit outside and watch the game on their big screen while we have some dinner.