Wednesday, April 30th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up once at 1am, woke up at 5:45am and got up at 6am.

Even though I still have difficulty sleeping through the night I feel much better during the day, perhaps due to the eyedrops the Opthamologist recommended for me.

Today is the last day of the month and I still have a little cash left in my checking accounts.  I hope the deposits start today so I can afford the trip downtown tomorrow.

Two doves, one after the other, landed on my railing, took one look at me staring at them 6 feet away, turned around and flew off.  Lol.

2 of my small pension deposits have been made.  Yeah!

I took a little cash out of my account on my way to breakfast.  I had my usual at El Comedor de Chava followed by an orange juice at Redd’s. 

During my Spanish lesson Jhon concentrated on the 3 Spanish verbs that replace our “to have” – tener, haber, and deber.

When I got back to my apartment I saw a man for the utility company reading the meters in front of our building.

At 1pm a heavy thunderstorm came through.  I was lucky I was at the apartment so I could close all the windows and louvers.  It’s unbelievable how people can leave their homes without an umbrella.  I often see them walking down the street completely soaked.  On the other hand it’s only water but I hope they are on their way home so they can take off their wet things.  I often see people standing at the entrance to Viva CC waiting for the rain to stop so I guess these spring showers usually don’t last long.  This is probably too much for even my portable umbrella; I would need my large one for wind and rain as hard as this.  

I added $50 to my A Foreign Affair account anticipating I will receive a letter from Rubi in the near future.

1:40pm, although there’s still dark clouds overhead, the storm appears to have ended.  I think I’d better head out to lunch while I have the chance.

I paid my medical insurance for May at BanColombia upstairs at Exito.

At 2:30 I had the Solomito (skirt steak) at Sanjote with mango juice for 16.5mil.  I don’t know why I bother; Colombians must have the strongest jaws in the world.  To me the steak here is unchewable.

I think I’ll make a little popcorn tonight before I go over to Dario’s for tonight’s chess game.

T-shirt of the day: Too Cute for Words

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

Last night I sent Teresa an email telling her that I am talking to 2 other women by email and some weekend in the future I will probably be going out with one or the other.  She wrote back she was ok with that; if we are destined to be together then it will happen.

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

I took my dirty laundry down to the Tinto store and luckily caught Beatriz right away.  After giving her my laundry I had coffee there, a glass of orange juice at Redd’s followed by my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.

During today’s Spanish class Jhon concentrated on going over the present tense, perfect tense and continuous tense structures.

I was making plans to meet Reina downtown on Thursday afternoon.  I thought we would have lunch together, she would help me order some business cards and then maybe find a small screw to fix my umbrella.  All I want are 100 business cards on white stock with my name, cell phone number and email address.  She told me she doesn’t know where to order the business cards but she would help me get my umbrella fixed.

I had lunch at Yummy’s in LM.  I had the grilled beef which is a large slab of meat with salad and potatoes and a mango juice.  The total came to 13mil and again the meat was pretty chewy.  Everyone tells me you can’t get good beef here because it’s too lean.  

I got an email from my bank about a security bug called “HeartBleed” so I changed my passwords for my banking accounts.

At Dario’s I played a game against a new opponent and didn’t have too much trouble but he moved very slowly and the game lasted almost 2 hours.  I took a package of crackers with me and that was my dinner.  In the end he blundered allowing me to fork his king and a rook with my knight and he resigned.  

T-shirt of the day: 104 Days of Summer, Let the Funshine Begin.

Monday, April 28th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up 2 or 3 times during the night, got up at 6am and woke/got up at 6:30am.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava and orange juice at Redd’s.

I think I forgot to mention that I finally got my 200 regular Spanish verbs imported into Simple Flash Card Maker on my iPad.  It’s really helping in my studying.  Right now I’m using the multiple choice feature to identify the English translation given the Spanish verb.  Later I will do the opposite and finally I will go to the straight flash card approach where I have to determine the answer without any choices.

After Spanish class I walked over to the Internet Café and had a page printed from my files for my Urologist showing my past blood test results like PSA, colesterol, etc.  

Last week the handle came off my large Exito umbrella.  It looks like it was only held together by something approximating a pin.  I stopped at 2 hardware stores near Calle 44 but didn’t have any luck finding a small screw to put it back together.  It still works fine it’s just a pain having to be careful how I carry it so the handle doesn’t fall off.

Twice I walked past the bakery where they sell the churros and didn’t stop once.  Aren’t you proud of me?

I’ve been trading emails with a man named Adam who lives in Ft. Meyers, Florida but is looking to retire here in about 10 years.

I took my iPad to Viva CC and sat in the food court going through all 200 verbs and noting which ones I got wrong.  Then I created a separate file of them to work on separately.

About 1:30 I had a BK double stack burger and medium Pepsi.  It was pretty stuffy in the mall so I probably won’t stay there much in the future. 

Dario called me about 3:30 to tell me there won’t be any chess tournament games tonight.

At 4pm I had a Chocolate Cookie sundae at BK.

I left at 5pm and bought a 250gm package of butter at Exito for 3,160COP.

I’ll probably just stay in tonight and have a few crackers instead of going out for dinner.

T-shirt of the day: Easy come, easy go.

Sunday, April 27th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:15, got up twice during the night, woke up at 6:30 and got up at 7:30.

I had my usual buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Instead of fresh fruit they had something called Salpicon (per Wikipedia):

Salpicon and salpicón (meaning "hodgepodge" or "medley" in Spanish) are terms used for preparations of one or more ingredients diced or minced and bound with a sauce or liquid.  In Colombia "salpicon" refers to a sweet snack.  In fact it's like a fruit salad in a glass.  You peel the fruit (watermelon, papaya, banana, apple, melon, or pear) then cut it in cubes, and combine all the fruit in a bowl, add water, sugar (optional).  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Serve it in a glass, you use a teaspoon to pick the fruit and drink the liquid.

Harry joined me about 10:30.  He wants to go check out El Poblado next Saturday and I told him I’ve got a date with Teresa to go there and of course he gave me a hard time about that.  He mentioned again about a new law where you have to pay maids something like 50mil a month towards their retirement.  He is going to look further to find the details for me.

Back at the apartment I got caught up on yesterday’s blog entry and posted it.  I noticed Friday’s posting had almost 20 views – probably people trying to access Saturday’s post that I was late with.  I also received an email address from someone wanting me to contact them so I sent a quick note.

I’ve thought about including my blog with Expat Exchange but I understand somehow I have to also advertise them so I haven’t done anything about that as yet.

I forgot to mention yesterday that as I was getting ready for my date, the glass shelf came off its support in the bathroom.  Luckily I caught it so it didn’t break.  I sent Margarita and email informing her of the problem.

This has been an expensive month: 430,000COP Chess Table (final payment), 400,000COP Spanish lessons, 544,900COP Refrigerator, $33 Federal Tax Payment, $136 Tax Accountant, $300 AFA mail forwarding charges, $41 LAC 3 month Gold Membership; 160,000COP for Urologist.  Next month I have the blood test and ultrasound.

Tonight I just made some popcorn with butter and salt and had that with a couple of small cold Cokes and watched a couple movies on Netflix.

T-shirt of the day: I have nothing to wear.

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6:20 and woke/got up at 8am.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava and then I finished copying the last of my Spanish words from my small notebook to my larger one.  As I was leaving LM I noticed they had 2 separate wooden penned in areas – one with a small horse and the other with 4 pigs.

I stopped at Exito with a list of types of white wines and wouldn’t you know it they don’t have anything on my list from the USA.  I ended up buying a bottle of Carlo Rossi Cabernet Sauvignon for 18,700. 

I had my usual pizza for lunch at Pizza Americana.  Men were trimming the trees in the park across the street using machetes and tree trimmers.  At one point the store owner came out and asked if I had change for 50mil.   I did but later when I had to pay for my pizza (13mil) he had a choice of the 50mil bill again or 12mil.  He took the latter.

I was at Dario’s building by 2pm for my chess match.  I lost the coin flip and got the black pieces.  I gave him a pawn to try, unsucessfully, to gain control of the center but ended up just losing the pawn.  He was a good player, really took his time, and the game lasted almost 2 ½ hours.  In the end I resigned because he had strong mating threats and 2 connected passed pawns on the 6^th and 7^th rank.  I believe the last time I lost a serious game was last January.

I walked back to my apartment, changed into cleaner jeans, newer shoes, and a nice long sleeved shirt and was at the bus stop by 5:05.  The bus driver seemed like he was mad – accelerating very quickly then slamming on the brakes.  I don’t know why the do that because 15 minutes later he stopped where they always do to report in and then he sat there for 10 minutes before continuing on.

I think I’ve figured out where to get off the bus (2mil) for the easiest walk to the Aquacatala metro station (2mil): right after I see the Texaco sign on the left side of the street, immiediately after is a Studio 54 sign.  I got to Exito on time and Teresa showed up 2 minutes later.  She was again in jeans with boots and a multilayered blouse with her hair up.  I wish she dressed a little more feminine – like in heels with her hair down.  We exchanged a nice hug and held hands on the way to, and in, the taxi.  We took a taxi (20mil?) to Mondongo’s on Avenida 70 in Laureles and we shared a dish I hadn’t tried before – Mondongo.

Sopa de mondongo is a soup made from diced tripe (the stomach of a cow) slow-cooked with vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic or root vegetables. 

Oops, I forgot it was tripe.  Maybe that’s why it tasted so fatty.  Teresa said it was pork so who knows.  It tasted good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopa_de_mondongo

We also shared a Tiramisu and the total bill, with tip and tax, came to 49mil.

We walked up, and across, the street and stopped at a place called Melodia Para Dos – the same place Reina and I were March of last year.  They play popular Colombian music.  We sat outside, but with our back to the building, so we could look out at the people walking by.  I’m a toucher so I was constantly rubbing her hand I was holding or her back with my other hand that was around her.  We were able to figure out some communication by searching for common words we both knew.  I learned she was married twice – getting married at 23 and having her daughter at 30.  She has been living alone with her daughter for the past 16 years.  She asked me how many girlfriends I have and I told her none.  We agreed that now I have one - Teresa.  We each had 2 drinks with rum and water for 14mil.  They also put a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of sliced fruit on the table.  I remember pineapple and mango (bitter) and I think the other was guayabana.  By the end of the evening she had her hair down and we were kissing a little but I was initiating all of it.  

We took a taxi back to her apartment while I had my arm around her and was holding her hand with a little kissing. I wish she was more affectionate.

We made plans to get together next Saturday – she’s going to take me to a restaurant in El Poblado that serves “little ribs?” I think she said.  Sunday she’s going to come over to my apartment and cook for me.  :)

I got back to my apartment at 11pm – the round trip taxi ride cost 30mil.

So, the entire evening cost me about 120mil.  I’m going to have to be a little careful with my money the rest of the month (4 days) so I don’t run out.

T-shirt of the day: I am my problem and my solution.

Friday, April 25th, 2014

Yesterday on my way to Viva I passed a couple sitting on a park bench having a staring contest.

I had a Subway sandwich and milkshake from BK. Once when I looked up there was this beautiful young woman: pretty face, small but nice chest, small waist, flat stomach, nice little butt, slim legs in tight pants and wearing 4” heels.  Wowza!

Later at the chess tournament my opponent couldn’t play today so we made plans to meet Saturday at 2pm.  That should give me enough time to finish the game, get back to the apartment, change clothes and leave for my 6pm date with Teresa.

Back at the apartment I had an email from AFA that I have a message from Rubi.  She said “I know I'm a Little busy, actually I'm writing you from my work. Thanks for your words and your time, as you said I will take some time to write you more, I promise you!!! at least next week.”  Well, at least that’s encouraging.  But I would rather she sign the IMBRA form so I can get her personal email and phone number.

I’ve been trading emails with the company that makes Simple Flash Card Maker.  So far nothing has worked.

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up at 2:30, again at 5am and finally woke/got up at 7am.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava, stopped at Exito and bought a wine bottle opener for 12,900, had a glass of orange juice at Redd’s and still was at Jhon’s 5 minutes early.

Among other things, today we practiced writing a letter to my brother in Spanish, with a lot of help from Jhon.

Among today’s US move releases, Locke (7.7) and The German Doctor (7.0) sound interesting.

Among movies playing locally I would like to see:

Pompei (6.2) at Los Molinos 1:55, Monterrey 2:20, Carrefour 2:15.

Captain America (8.2) at Oviedo 6:05.

I caught a Circular Sur 302 bus at 1:15 and was at Monterrey CC at 2:10 for the 2:20 showing of Pompeii.  It cost 11,500 for my ticket – I forgot this location was in 3D.  I also bought a small popcorn and medium Pepsi but I don’t remember how much they cost.  Their small popcorn is really small.

After the movie I walked a block up the street to the Exito and across the street where I found Rattan del Poblado at Calle 10 #43F-38 Tel: 266 12 06 & 285 86 81 where the only chairs I saw were too expensive, like 500mil each.

I walked up to MBE where I paid my bill for May (30mil) and picked up 5 pieces of mail: the April issue of Chess Life, 3 pieces of junk mail from USAA and the Advice of Deposit for April for my Sears pension.

I walked down Avenida El Poblado and found CEDIMED to be right across the street from my eye doctor’s office.  I walked down Calle 7 to Calle 5A to Calle 5 to Avenida Las Vegas.  At that intersection there is a RapiDogs, Maiz Taco and Crispy Wings on this side of the street and a red brick building surrounded by barbed and razor wire on the other side.  (That seems to be the norm for schools here.)  Hopefully I can now get off the bus and up to either of the clinics quicker.

Back at Viva CC I had a Subway sandwich and small strawberry shake from BK.

When I got back to the apartment I was surprised to see I had a call from Harry an hour earlier.  I called and apologized and he said he wanted to go look at furniture. I’m sure I’ll see him tomorrow morning around breakfast time at LM and we can talk more about it.

T-shirt of the day: Love sees roses without thorns.

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Last night I played a 16 year old boy in the tournament.  He had some good moves and chances to win but didn’t always find the best move and I ended up winning pretty easily.

I went to bed at 10:15, got up once at 2:30, woke up at 6:30 and got up at 6:45.  (It rained all night, was very cool and for the first time I closed the window, my bedroom door, the louvers and the horizontal blinds.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  On my way back I bought a 6 pack of Coke for 5,400.  I now have 7,000 Exito points.

When I met with Jhon the first thing I had him do was interpret a couple of Teresa’s emails.  She is going to make a meat roll on Saturday and won’t be available until about 6pm.  She likes to watch movies at home instead of the theater so she would rather not go out to a movie.  Jhon things she really likes me.  (I did notice lots of “hugs and kisses”, and sometimes “my love” and “sweetheart” in her emails.  :)

Then I asked him to call the Clinic and inquire about my blood test and ultrasound.  He told me there is a clinic over on Carrera 84 so we headed over there to check it out.  We stopped briefly at my apartment so I could drop off my jacket and pack of Coke.  Jhon also saw my new chess table and refrigerator.  (Rhetorical question: do you think that would work with the ladies “would you like to come over to my apartment and see my refrigerator?”  Just asking!)

We stopped at Laboratorio Clinico VID at Carrera 84 #43-11 in La America; 492 66 24 and 490 49 10.  The lady there said it would be 310,200 for the blood test but I would have to go to their other location downtown at Carrera 48 #52-82; 216 22 66 and 217 17 26 for my ultrasound.

We went back to Jhon’s office and called the Urologist’s recommendation – CEDIMED at Calle 7 #39-290 in El Poblado 444 00 19.  (I think it’s about 1 block west of my eye doctor’s building.)  

For the ultrasound we made an appointment for Wednesday, may 21^st at 2:40pm.  There should be someone there who speaks English, it costs 140mil, I should have no food the day of the appointment and I need to drink 6 glasses of water 1 ½ hours before (without peeing!).  That’s kind of a catch-22 isn’t it?

When I finish my ultrasound they will tell me where to go for my blood test, I don’t need an appointment and it costs 295mil for all the tests I want to have done on my blood.

Then I had Jhon call my Urologist and cancel my appointment for next Tuesday at 10am.

He answered a few of my Spanish questions and then he started testing me on the verbs.  One interesting thing I learned (light bulb!) is that Colombians can’t detect the difference be our “b” sound and our “v” sound.  I’ve been a little confused because words I’ve seen in Spanish with those letters sometimes I hear pronounced as a “b” and sometimes as a “v”.  He says it doesn’t really matter which way I pronounce them.

Back at the apartment I sent Teresa an email suggesting I meet her at Exito Envigado and we take a taxi either to the Cuban restaurant near my apartment that usually has music on the weekends or to a Colombian restaurant on Avenida 70 that has lots of lounges in the area.

I took a bus to Los Molinos and ordered meat lasagna with a small Coke and Pan Ajo for 10,800 at Pizza Doble Pizza.  The best way I could describe Pan Ajo is that they were 8 small bread sticks.  I got my monthly haircut from Juan at 2pm.  I caught a bus back and was surprised when it turned east onto Calle 35.  I’m not sure if I got on the wrong bus or it turned because it saw heavy traffic ahead (I really wasn’t paying that much attention).  I got off at Mall de Laureles when I saw it didn’t turn back up to the Exito at Avenida 80.  Maybe I was on a Circular Sur 300 bus!?

I stopped at Exito and bought a set of 4 finlandek white wine glasses for 14,900.  I know, I don’t really drink, but Jhon says the ladies expect this and I know Teresa drinks.

I got an email from Teresa and she was very pleased to accept my invitation for dinner and music Saturday night.  I will meet her at Exito Envigado at 6pm.

It’s now time to get something to eat and head on over to Dario’s building.

T-shirt of the day: Too fucking nice.

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014

Last night I was at Dario’s tournament on time.  Monday night he had pointed out a man who he said was very strong, in fact he was last year’s champion.  I thought I might be playing him near the end of the tournament but I had to play him tonight.  To make things worse I had the black pieces so I was already at a slight disadvantage.  Unlike most players I don’t know a lot of chess openings.  I do have one opening I try to play with white and sometimes, like tonight, I can play a similar opening with the black pieces.

As we entered the middle of the game he almost trapped my queen but I gave up a pawn and he was surprised I was able to save her.  So now he’s ahead a pawn.  He had castled but he had advanced his pawns in front of his king and I tried to take advantage of his weakened position.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t castled and my king was a little exposed.  But I had a knight posted solidly in the middle of the board and if he wasn’t careful I had all sorts of forking and mating opportunities.  As we traded pieces I got in a position where I could get his queen but it would cost me a rook and knight and a bad position so I didn’t try that.  But I was able to check his king repeatedly and we ended up agreeing to a draw.   Whew!

When I got back to the apartment I checked the refrigerator and I now have ice!  For me, that’s exciting!  It’s only been one year without a refrigerator.

I got a reply about my problem with Simple Flash Cards.  It started:

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the transfer. We agree it is very confusing. It was designed by Apple, not by us, so we’re stuck with it too.  :(  But, we apologise if our instructions didn’t help.

His instructions still didn’t work, and I didn’t see the “image” he said he sent me.

I went to bed at 10pm, woke up at 12:30 and again at 2:30 and after that I had difficulty getting back to sleep.  I finally got up at 6:10am.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava, bought a water pitcher for 10,300 at Exito and had an orange juice at Redd’s.

For my Spanish lesson we sat at the corner store and practiced making telephone calls between me and Teresa.  I think he teaches Spanish but includes dating techniques on the side.  Lol.

For lunch I had the chicken teriyaki at Sarku’s.   At 1:30 I got on a Circular 302 bus but soon realized I forgot to get cash at Viva CC so I got off at Los Molinos and got it there.  I only lost about 10 minutes towards my 3pm appointment with the Urologist.

I got back on a Circular 302 bus but had to get off early at Monterrey because I had to pee so badly.  (I shouldn’t have had that large bottle of water at the corner store and then left the vacinity of many toilets.)  I took a taxi from there and was at the doctor’s office 20 minutes early.  In the future all I have to do is take a Circular 302 bus and get off across the street from the yellow “Hangeres” building (that’s what it’s called).

He saw me within 10 minutes and his English was pretty good.  I’d say he’s about 50 years old.  He took my medical history, reviewed my medical records, we talked about what medication I’m taking and he gave me a quick physical.  Among the things I learned is: my blood pressure is good (130), my heart is good, my prostate is only enlarged to stage 1 of 4 (which is good), I have an umbilical hernia (who knew?), and he recommends I get a blood test and ultrasound.  He gave me the name of a clinic he recommends (might be across the street from my eye doctor’s building) and told me to bring him the results and there will be no additional charge.  He said I am very healthy for a man of my age.  Don’t you love it when they say that?  He also told me my Saludcoop insurance isn’t very good but it covers emergencies like heart attacks, cancer, etc.  I paid 160mil cash and the receiptionist made an appointment for me for next Tuesday at 10am but I doubt I can have my tests and get my results back in time for that.

I caught a Circular 302 bus right outside the building and I got off outside Home Center.  I went into Jumbo and bought 2 large ice cube trays for 8,990 and a large tray to keep ice cubes in for 7,400.  I caught my 4^th Circular 302 bus of the afternoon and was back at the apartment before 5pm.

It’s time to go to dinner and then the chess tournament at Dario’s.

I sent a quick email to Teresa asking if she wanted to get together on Saturday.

T-shirt of the day: No more maybes (on a very pretty chick).

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

Last night I got to Dario’s by 7 (thank God the rain had almost stopped) but the games didn’t begin until a little after 7:30.

I had little difficulty wining my first game.  I had played the same man some months ago and he has gotten better and played very seriously.  He overlooked something and I was up a pawn early.  A little later I attacked a knight and it looked like he might lose a rook if he tried to defend it but there was a way out but it was difficult to see and he missed it.

Dario told me that one of the men there is very strong so I might be meeting him in the championship.

I went to bed at 10pm, had difficulty getting to sleep because of outside noises, got up 4 or 5 times during the night, and finally woke/got up at 6:50am.

I had my usual breakfast at Los Mejores at 8am, followed by coffee at the Tinto store where I met Beatriz and picked up my clean laundry.  I told her I would have more dirty laundry for her next Tuesday.  I received a call to remind me about today’s refrigerator delivery but of course I didn’t understand anything.  I ordered lunch from Likke’s followed by a glass of orange juice at Redd’s.  I stopped at Jhon’s and he told me Exito called and my refrigerator will be delivered today but they couldn’t tell me what time.

I got back to the apartment just before 9am and Olga was waiting for me.  I gave her instructions not to use soap on the chess table and not to move it without lifting it.  Of course I gave her a heads up that my refrigerator is being delivered today and she told me I really need one.  She told me to buy some shampoo for cloth furniture and next time she would clean my small sofa.

I had an email from Teresa telling me she was back at her finca and it was cold and very rainy.  She recommended I always carry an umbrella because you never know when it might start raining.

It’s been 2 weeks do I sent another letter to Rubi asking her to approve my IMBRA so I can get her email address and thus her cell phone number and then I can have Jhon call her and arrange a meeting.

Olga finished cleaning at 1pm.

I found my Simple Flash Cards app in iTunes but nothing happens when I click on it.  I also found a menu option called Add File to Library which I selected for my Spanish verb file but I don’t know where it put it or how to access it.  I can’t even find Quizlet that I accessed Sunday night.

I finally realized that the cable I use to recharge my iPad can be used to connect to my laptop.  I did that and then in iTunes on my laptop I selected “File, Devices and Sync Terry’s iPad”.  Then I clicked on the Apps header button and then “Home Sharing”.  I’m supposed to be able to see the Simple Flash Cards app listed but it isn’t there.

I finally clicked on “Show in iTunes Store” and I can see it listed as an already downloaded app. 

I finally figured out how to see the Spanish Regular Verbs I created on Quizlet by going to their website on my laptop.

Back on iTunes on my laptop I selected “Transferring Purchases from Terry’s iPad” and it took some time to download 90 apps from my iPad to my laptop.  I guess this is considered a backup.

The men arrived with my refrigerator at 2:40, brought it upstairs, unpacked it, set it in place, and installed the handle.   I didn’t think beforehand which side the handle would be on but it turned out to be on the correct side.  They told me I have to wait 3 hours before I plug it in; something needs to settle inside.  They left at 2:50 and one of the guys said “good afternoon” in English.  Unfortunately, they left all the Styrofoam and plastic packing materials here and the next collection day isn’t until Friday.  Now I need to find another place to keep my step stool, wastebasket, broom, dustpan and mop but at least now I have a refrigerator.

I had a Subway sandwich and BK shake for dinner at Viva CC.  I bought a bottle of shampoo at Exito for 11,230.

I got an answer already to an email I sent requesting help with transferring my Spanish text file to my iPad.

It’s time to leave for tonight’s chess match.

T-shirt of the day: On the front: Beach Patrol; on the back: SPF Zero.

Monday, April 21st, 2014

Last night I wasn’t able to figure out how to get the text file from my laptop into Simple Flash Card Maker on my iPad.  I did figure out how to get it into something called Quizlet in iTunes so I can use the Flash Cards on my laptop.

I went to bed at 10:30, got up once at 4:45, and finally woke/got up at 7:15 which is a pretty good night’s sleep for me.

I got the idea to email the text file to myself so it would be on my iPad.  I’ll have to think about what to do with it next.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  I always ask for my beans and eggs to be “very hot” and today I finally got it so I complemented the manager afterwards.  I bought a package of dental floss in Exito and stopped for an orange juice across the street.  I was at Jhon’s office a few minutes early and he was sitting outside because his student wasn’t feeling well and had just left.

He suggested we go down to the corner store and have a drink while we practiced the Spanish verbs.  We only went through about 10 of them as he also introduced me to the past and future tense for a few of them.  He told me sentences in Spanish and I had to translate them into English.  I think he’s in love with Jessica, the young white skinned sister that works there.  Lol; get in line fella, there are lost of other guys that probably feel the same way.

Afterwards I dropped off a few things in my apartment and cutting through Viva CC I saw Paula at El Butón (I think that’s her name, hmm, maybe I should ask her) and I gave her a couple pieces of candy. She is cute!

I spent a little time at LM copying my small notebook into the large one; almost done with that.  Harry was there and he invited me to see his new “office” about 5 blocks away.  For lunch I had the Solomito de Parilla (grilled chicken with French fries) and a mango juice at Yummy for 13mil.  

After lunch I stopped at his building and he showed me his “office” on the 2^nd floor.  It’s actually an apartment that his wife’s sister is trying to sell for about $150,000.  I think he just wanted me to help him with a few problems he’s having using his computer.  (His computer teacher is sick.)  I was successful at explaining a few things to him but at one point somehow in trying to scroll down in Youtube I ended up flipping the screen upside down.  I thought the last keystrokes I did was just something like Space+down arrow.  It took a few minutes to get it flipped back again.  Later Harry confided that last week he did the same thing and it took him a while to get it corrected.

I stopped at LM on my way back and sat down for a minute with Augusto.  He was working on some type of contract for the pretty lady that works at one of the restaurants.  I gave him my address and I think he’s coming over Wednesday to play chess on my new table.  

I stopped in Viva CC and had a small strawberry shake from Alexandra.  I ordered in English this time and she didn’t have any trouble except she said she doesn’t know numbers in English.  I told her that’s one of the first things I had to learn here – the numbers in Spanish.  I made a mistake paying her, giving her one mil too much and then I confided that I have a degree in Mathematics and tutored it for 3 years before coming to Medellin.

It started raining while I was sitting there enjoying my shake but luckily I had my small umbrella with me.  I stopped at Jhon’s office on my way back and told him that I probably won’t be available for a Spanish lesson tomorrow because my house cleaner will be there from 9am to at least 1pm and my refrigerator is being delivered.  It was like a monsoon going the rest of the way back to my apartment and by the time I got there I was soaked from the waist down.  The wind must have been from out of the north because water came in the bedroom windows and got about 60% of my bed wet on that side.

I’ve never heard lightning like I’ve heard it here!

I got an email from Teresa.  She likes that I’m studying the verbs because I’ll learn more Spanish and we can understand each other better.  She also said she felt very good about the pass (meaning the kiss?) and said I’m very good company.

I have to leave in a few minutes for the chess tourney so I’ll post this now.

T-shirt of the day: At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face.

Sunday, April 20th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:15pm and woke up at 7:15am.  Wow, that’s the way it should be every night!

Happy Easter everyone!

I emailed Teresa the pictures from yesterday’s trip to Pueblito Paisa.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava: a large arepa topped with a slice of cheese, beans mixed with rice, scrambled eggs and coffee.  They also bring a little basket with napkins, silverware, and a piece of candy.  I always keep the candy to give to the ladies; just another way I enjoy flirting with them. 

I copied more of my Spanish words from my little notebook to my large notebook, studied more of my verbs, and read some more from my Nook.

The 2014 World Cup is being held in Brazil.  Colombia last played in the WC in 1998 so their appearance there is a BFD here in this country of soccer crazed fans.  I understand they are one of 32 teams that will be playing from mid-June to mid-July in Brazil.  To commemorate (or take advantage of) that there is a Brazil album you can get with pages where you put stickers for all the players for each of the teams.  You buy packages of the stickers for the players (without any bubble gum).  I saw a couple going through what looks like almost a complete album and writing down the players they still need.

I left just before noon and cutting through Viva I saw Juliana the security guard.  Before I could say “que mas” she said it to me (literally it means “what else or what more” but it’s the local version of “what’s happening”).  She asked me something about my brother that I didn’t understand.  I gave her the one piece of candy I had and she asked me something about my girlfriend.  I told her I don’t have a girlfriend.  From sign language I understood she thinks she saw me with somebody.  I guess it could have been either Reina, Luz Amparo or Teresa.  Again I said I don’t have a girlfriend and she crossed her arms like she didn’t believe me.  I crossed my arms and stared at her and we both broke out laughing and I said goodbye.

Back at the apartment I had 3 emails from LAC.  You can see varying amounts of interest from the ladies, from: “Viewed my profile”, “Is interested in me”, or “I’m their favorite”.  Very few of them do I consider attractive and most of those live in another country or Colombian city.

About 3:30 I went over to Pizza Americana and ordered my usual.  Gonzalo stopped by and if I understood him correctly there is a family that only had a 4 month lease on their house and is now living in a tent.  He wanted to know if I needed someone to wash my clothes – no, I have Beatriz – or to clean my apartment – no, I have Olga.

A family sat at a table across from me.  They had a small dog on a leash that the father looped around his leg to keep it under control.  There was a piece of food left over from the next table that it tried to reach.  He got down on his stomach and stretched out one paw but came up about 4 inches short.  He finally got it when the father got up to leave after they finished their pizza.

I got a brainstorm that I would be able to learn the Spanish verbs quicker if I had actual flash cards on my iPad.  When I got back to my apartment I found a Flash Card Maker app on my iPad for $3.99.  At first it wouldn’t allow me to make the purchase because the address on file in my iPad didn’t match the address at my bank.  After I remembered I had changed my bank address to my MBE address I was able to update it on my iPad to match.

I downloaded it successfully but then had trouble figuring out how to get it to work.  I’ve formatted my word list on my laptop now I need to figure out how to import it through iTunes to my iPad.

T-shirt of the day: No Taxation without Representation

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

Last night I received a short email from Luz explaining that she is spending a lot of time at the clinic because her brother has cancer.  I thanked her for sharing that with me and told her that her brother is her priority right now and that I hope he recovers fully soon.

I went to bed at 10pm and had difficulty getting to sleep.  I heard trumpets outside, probably from a church service, and that kept the dogs across the street yapping nonstop.  (No wonder so many people leave town for their fincas!)  I got up once to close my bedroom door, got up again and turned on the fan to try to muffle the sounds outside, and got up again to put the blanket on my bed.  The last time I checked it was 12:30am and I think I finally fell asleep shortly thereafter.  I got up once during the night to go to the bathroom.  I got up about 4:55am and heard a continuous muffled sound.  My best guess, as I looked out my window, is the dogs across the street had been barking all night and their throats were hoarse.  At least that’s what it sounded like.  At that moment a motorcycle pulled up and rang the outside doorbell.   The son of the family in 201 has a motorcycle I sometimes see parked downstairs in the alcove.  Now I know why it’s always gone when I do my jump roping at 7am, because he probably leaves with his friend at 5 in the morning.  I finally woke/got up at 7:10am.

I had breakfast at the hotel followed by some time studying my Spanish verbs at LM.  I left at 11:30 and stopped at Exito to buy a package of crackers.

I left the apartment at 12:30 and was surprised to see Jhon sitting outside his office.  He said he didn’t go anywhere; just stayed in his apartment watching TV, listening to music and spending some quality time with the ladies.

I waited about 5 minutes for a bus and still was at the Envigado Exito before 1:30.  Teresa arrived about 5 minutes later.  Today, without a jacket, I could see her figure much better.  She doesn’t have the big Colombian butt, her legs are nicely shaped, but she was wearing one of those corsets like Beatriz had me buy for her.  It seems to me to be more like a tight t-shirt.  At least today we’re holding hands without feeling self conscious.  We walked back to the metro and got off at Industriales.  (According to my guide and map we should now be very close.)  We took a taxi from there and for 5mil were soon at the village.

It was a hot day so the first thing we did is she got a cold beer and I got a semi cold bottle of water.  We found a place in the shade away from all the action and sat down in the grass for a bit.  She got a phone call and that reminded me to take out my cell and I got her cell phone number.  She will rattle something off in Spanish real quick and then look at me and say “you don’t understand?” and I’ll say “I don’t understand” and we’ll both smile and laugh.

Here are a few pictures I took of, and from, the village including Teresa.

We had a nice late lunch sitting upstairs at Restaurante la Fonda del Pueblo overlooking the courtyard.  We both had the chicken salad and fresh juice for a total of 45mil.  I asked her if she would like to see my apartment afterwards and she said “yes”.  And then I finished my sentence and said “with kisses” and she gave me this look and said “no”.  After lunch we stopped in the church for a few minutes and said a prayer and then walked upstairs where there is quite a view of Medellin.  I could make out the Stadium but I didn’t recognize much else.  About 4pm I got a call from Harry but I didn’t answer it.

Afterwards we took a taxi to my apartment for 10mil.  She was pretty impressed with it and all the plants but she told me I have to move one particular plant closer to the window because it needs more light.  I showed her some pictures of my kids on my laptop and the website of my step sister – Cyd J Conner - who is a painter.  We left there and walked down to Viva CC where we each had a single dip Snickers ice cream cone with whipped cream at Popsy for 11mil.

We took a Circular 302 bus to Aguacatala and got off just before it got dark.  She told me I don’t need to go all the way to Exito with her but I walked her to the train, bought her a ticket, and said goodbye at the entrance.  I did get a little kiss on the lips though.  She said something about Sunday that I didn’t understand but I told her to email me.

I caught a Circular 303 bus back to Viva and found Harry at LM.  When he called earlier he wanted to invite me to come to his new apartment where he’s working with his computer.

Back at the apartment I watched Reservoir Dogs on Netflix while eating popcorn – with butter.

T-shirt of the day: Coup d’etat - In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.