Monday, June 30th, 2014

Yesterday I understood from Teresa that her brother is in the hospital having surgery on his lower leg for his gout problem.  I’m guessing the bar is closed so Teresa didn’t need to go there today and Marta and Laura are at the hospital and that’s the limit for visitors so Teresa stayed with me overnight.

Last night I went to bed at midnight.  I don’t know how Teresa can sleep so much.  She slept all night and all morning – something like 7pm to 7am.  But I believe she worked at her brother’s bar Saturday night until 2am so she was probably overtired.

It was raining lightly when we got up and a little steadier as we left the apartment.  I treated her to breakfast at El Comedor de Chava and she really enjoyed “que rico” the same breakfast I usually have.  We are able to converse pretty well as long as we are both careful in our choice of words.

Before Exito opened we stopped at the corner store and Teresa bought some laundry detergent and I added 10mil to her cell phone.  (She had been using mine all day yesterday.)  I put her on the bus at 9am; I understand she’s going back to her finca.

I stopped at the bank but it was closed, probably all day because today is a holiday.  I was at Jhon’s office just before 10am but, for the first time, he didn’t show up.

I checked the showtimes here and Jersey Boys is playing at Santafé at 12:10 & 3:10, Transcendence is playing at Los Molinos at 12:40 & 3:45, Carrefour at 3:30, Oviedo at 12:40 & 3:30, Santafe at 1:10 & 3:50, and Vizcaya at 12:40 & 3:30, and Heaven Is For Real is playing at Oviedo at 1:50 & 4:40.

I left the apartment at 11:15 and was at Santafé to see Jersey Boys for 5mil before the 12:10 start.  I had a package of peanuts with raisins for 2,700 to tide me over.  I enjoyed all of the music from the point when they discovered their “sound” with their first #1 hit Sherry.  I was the only one in the theatre but I stuck around to listen to more songs throughout the rolling of the credits.

I walked across the street to Oviedo and bought a ticket for 12mil to the 3:30 showing of Transcendence.  I was a little more than 30 minutes early so I took a seat in their main area and watched the beginning of the Germany vs Algeria match.  I bought a small popcorn for 7mil and a medium Pepsi for 4,700.  There were about a half dozen other people to see this movie.  

I was back at the apartment by 6:15.  I have most of a can of peaches in the refrigerator to finish; Teresa didn’t seem to like them as much as the strawberries I surprised her with last week.

Tomorrow Olga comes to clean the apartment and as soon as she leaves I’m heading to Envigado to watch the USA vs Belgium match at her brother Wilson’s bar.

Wednesday I’ll try to see Heaven is Real at Oviedo after I meet Reina for lunch and give her the last payment for Dylan’s tuition.

T-shirt of the day: There is no substitute for winning.

Sunday, June 29th, 2014

Last night I was wondering if the intermittent firecrackers were going to go on all night.  They finally stopped just before I went to bed at 10:45.  I got up 4 times during the night (probably due to the 2 glasses of orange juice I had in the evening), woke up at 6am and got up at 6:45.

I received an email from a realtor back in the States.  My ex-wife is trying to execute a short sale on our house and needs me to sign and return a few documents.  I replied I would be happy to help but I might have trouble faxing them back from an internet café here.  I had a few questions for them along those lines and as soon as I get those answered I should be able to attempt the process in the next few days.

I just discovered the source of (at least some of) Jhon’s Spanish teaching materials: StudySpanish.com.

Teresa came over at 10am and we’re spending the day together.  A first for me here in Medellin: while waiting for her bus I saw a large white hearse drive by with big windows and a beautiful casket visible inside.

About 2pm Teresa and I had lunch at Sanjote in Mall Laureles.  I had the shish kebab and she had the fish for a total of 29mil.  Afterwards we stopped in Exito and bought a liter of Crem Helado brand chocolate chip ice cream for 11,290.  It was very tasty.

T-shirt of the day: Don’t try to be original just try to be good.

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

Last night about 8pm I got a call from Teresa.  She rattled off something in Spanish.  (Maybe it was a mistake adding minutes to her phone? Lol.)  From the words I understood, I understood she wants me to meet her for lunch tomorrow at Parque Envigado.  The only problem is I’m not comfortable yet with how to get there.  After I stopped laughing at her, and she stopped laughing too, I told her I had a problem going to Parque Envigado so I suggested we meet at the Envigado Exito at noon and then go to Parque Envigado for lunch.  She seemed okay with that.

Ten minutes later she calls me again and asks if Laura can join us for lunch at 2pm.  I finally convinced her that 2pm wouldn’t give us enough time to walk to the park for lunch and still be able to get to the game on time so after a bit we finally went back to the original plan.  Laura may or may not be joining us – I don’t have a problem either way.

I went to bed at 10:45, got up twice during the night and woke/got up at 7am.

I had coffee and croissant at Los Mejores.  Back at the apartment I took more notes from StudySpanish.com.  I left at 11pm and was at the Envigado Exito just before noon.  Ten minutes later Teresa called and asked me to meet her at her brother’s bar.  When I got there Teresa told me she has to work at the bar today because her brother is still not feeling well.  She also told me she’s going to have to work Monday thru Friday so I told her I would watch the USA match on Tuesday with her at the bar.

We watched the remainder of the Brazil vs Chile match which ended in regulation 1-1.  I assumed they would go to sudden death but they just played another 30 minutes.  Since it was still tied they had a shootout to decide who advances.  Brazil converted on 3 of 5 attempts and Chile only 2 of 5 so Brazil advances.

We went back to the restaurant we first met at back in mid April and we each had the menu of the day.  That included carrot soup, chicken, salad, rice, and juice.  The total came to about 24mil so we had a nice lunch for about $6 each.  

We went back to the bar and the area was getting crowded with people getting ready to watch the Colombia match.  Colombia scored in the 28^th minute to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.  One sign I saw someone holding said “16 Years Waiting”.  In the 2^nd half Colombia scored again in the 50^th minute and the final was 2-0 and everyone was ecstatic.  

I told Teresa I have a lot more studying to do so I said goodbye.  On my way to the metro I realized I had left my umbrella at the bar so I sent her a short text message asking her to bring it to me tomorrow.  (Teresa put it somewhere in back.)  Since its Saturday a lot of Colombians party anyway and I saw more than usual almost all in yellow Colombia jerseys.  I heard a lot of horns honking (both the auto and plastic variety) and a few firecrackers.  

Back at the apartment I had a bowl of cereal and started studying more Spanish.  I got a call from Teresa.  She probably didn’t read my text message until she had already left the bar so I told her not to worry about it.

T-shirt of the day: Life goes on forever.

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:30, got up once during the night, woke up at 5:45 and woke/got up at 6:45.

I forgot to mention last night that I ran into Wilson, who used to work at the pet store, at the Aquacatala metro station.  He says he’s working in a town 9 hours north of Medellin but he’s in town now to take a special course.

I checked the US movie releases and Snowpiercer (7.0) and They Came Together (6.9) sound a little interesting.

Locally, there is a lot to choose from this week: Encerrada is playing at Los Molinos, Oviedo and Santafe, Jersey Boys is playing at Las Americas and Santafe, Maleficent is playing at 4:40 at El Tesoro, Transcendence is playing at Los Molinos, Oviedo, Santafe, and Vizcaya, and Heaven Is For Real is playing at Oviedo at 1:50 & 4:40.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  I noticed the usual people aren’t working at Pasabocas Krocantes today and they have an additional sign offering Shawarmas Krocantes – Arabian food.

I stopped at the corner store and added 10mil to my cell phone and Teresa’s.

I stopped at Jhon’s office and called Harry to see if he still wants my help today.  He said no – something about some singing in his building today but he said we could meet later this afternoon.  I told him let’s make it another day.  Jhon came out of his office – he had the door pulled down most of the way but he heard my voice.  It turns out his plans to go to Bogota fell through but he told me he got lucky with a 24 year old girl here that’s he’s been hitting on for some time.

I left the apartment at 12:50 to see Heaven Is For Real playing at Oviedo at 1:50.  I got there 20 minutes early but was told that the 1:50 showing has been cancelled due to technical difficulties.  I walked up the block and across the street and was at the Santafe theatre by 1:45 for the 1:40 showing of the horror film Encerrada.  I entered the theatre just as the opening credits were playing so I didn’t miss anything.  It was in English with Spanish subtitles but the movie takes place in Colombia outside of Bogota and some conversations were in Spanish which, of course, weren’t translated into English.  As usual it only cost me 5mil for the show and 11,700 for a small popcorn and medium soda.  Not bad, less than $10 for a movie with popcorn and soda including transportation both ways.

Teresa called me as I was walking down the hill from Oviedo.  We just said hello, I told her where I was, that I had just seen a movie and we’ll see each other tomorrow.  She probably called because she realized I added some money to her cell phone.

I stopped at Mall Laureles in case Harry was there but I didn’t see him.  I stopped at Exito to buy some orange juice but the store was packed with people so I’ll leave that for another time.

At home I had a bowl of cereal for dinner and I’m going to take some more Spanish notes.

T-shirt of the day: Don’t feed the tigers.

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

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

At 8am I had coffee and croissant at Los Mejores and caught the next bus.  At the metro station I bought 5 tickets and they were all put on a metro card I intend to use in the future when lines are too long.  I met Teresa at the Envigado Exito at 9:30 and we took a taxi to Oviedo and were there by 10am.  I bought 2 tickets to today’s USA vs Germany game for 5mil each and also 2 tickets to Saturday’s Colombia vs Uruguay game for 7mil each.  (Maybe I accidentally chose preferred seating?)  Anyway, this time we will have very good seats.

We had very good seats for today’s game; we should there were only 5 other people in the theatre.  It was an exciting game despite the fact that at the half it was 0-0 and the Portugal vs Ghana game was also tied 1-1.  While we were waiting for the 2^nd half to begin I went down the stairs and picked up the Cine Colombia beach ball and tossed it around amongst the few people in the theatre.

In the 2^nd half Germany finally scored in the 55^th minute on a rebound shot off the goalie.  The final score was 1-0 and Portugal ended up beating Ghana 2-1 so here are the final standings for Group G:

                                                GOALS               GOALS

TEAM                 PTS            SCORED            GIVEN UP

GERMANY         7                 7                           2

USA                         4                 4                           4

PORTUGAL       4                 4                           7

GHANA                1                 4                           6

So the US advances to the final 16 on the basis of the tie breaker between them and Portugal, the US having a Goal differential of 0 and Portugal -3.  

They play Belgium next Tuesday at 3pm and games are now single elimination; lose and you go home.  I’m going to have to tell Olga she needs to finish cleaning by 1pm so I can meet Teresa in Envigado at 2pm.

After the game we went downstairs and I wanted to try the chicken fajitas at one of the restaurants but while we were standing in line we realized we didn’t have enough money between us so we went down a couple more levels and had a lunch that reminded me a lot of Panda Express.

We took a bus back to Envigado and spent some time at her brother’s bar.  She had to help watch the bar because her brother was in bed with gout and only his girlfriend was there.  At one point a lovely young lady with a very nice figure came in and did some business at the bar.  Of course I wasn’t paying much attention to what she was doing there.  The most negative thing I could think about how she looked is that it seemed like she was wearing high heeled gym shoes.  Of course Teresa, who was sitting next to me, had to spoil the moment soon after she left with one word – Hombre.  I never would have believed it!  I told Teresa at least I’m sure she’s not a man.  Lol.

While we were waiting there I learned Teresa has 2 brothers and 5 sisters between the ages of 45 and 57.  I told her I would like to take trips to see Manizales and Salento and she said she would like to go to Armenia but it’s so far away it would have to be a Friday thru Sunday trip.

She is coming over to my apartment at 10pm on Sunday and we’re going to spend the day together.

T-shirt of the day: F CK All I need is U.

This is another t-shirt I saw yesterday at El Tesoro.  Maybe cleverness is where the money is?

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up twice during the night and woke/got up at 7am.  

Only six months until Christmas; I’m sure that’s just what you wanted to hear.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Teresa was wearing heels for the first time.  She kidded me she wasn’t so short anymore as it added 2 or 3 inches to her height.  She was still wearing jeans but it was a step in the right direction.  I think it looks a lot more feminine.

For breakfast I only had coffee and a croissant at Los Mejores because John and Pilar are coming for a visit today at 11 and afterwards we are probably going to have a little something to eat at Mall Laureles.

After consulting the internet, here are the USA’s chances to advance to the next round of the World Cup based on their result against Germany tomorrow:

-         A Win or a Tie: means they advance to the next round.

-         A Loss: Here it gets complicated and, for tiebreak, you have to look at goals scored.

If Ghana and Portugal tie, the US advances.

If Portugal wins, Portugal has a goal difference of -4 and the US has a goal difference of +1 so Portugal would have to make up that difference.

If Ghana wins, Ghana only has a goal difference of -1, so hypothetically, a 2-0 win by Ghana and a 2-0 loss by the US would mean that Ghana would advance and the US would go home.

John and Pilar arrived just before 11 and she had her adult son Juan with her.  It turns out he’s going to be renting the apartment the Muslims just moved out of last week.  I showed them my apartment and they are both interested in seeing the 1^st floor apartment that Lionel moved out of earlier this month.  I gave them Marta’s telephone numbers and Pilar tried, unsuccessfully, to reach her.  

We walked down to Viva and I showed them their food court and we walked around the outside of the shops.  I took them downstairs and across the street to Mall Laureles.  I had a FriSnack at Frisby and they all ordered the Menu of the Day at SanJote for 10mil each.  

Pilar went back to the building to get the rental agency phone number so she could call them and see if they can set up a 2pm appointment to see it.  I stopped at my apartment to pick up my umbrella because some dark clouds were appearing.

I took the bus to Monterrey and walked up Calle 10 to MBE where the lady there told me my medicine is in Bogota and should be here next Tuesday.  I caught a Laureles 133 bus and in 20 minutes I was high up in the hills at El Tesoro.  I found the Cinemark theatre right away and bought my ticket for 7mil almost 2 hours before the 4:05 show.  When I walked past a window I was surprised to see it raining outside.  I was also surprised to see a KFC restaurant there; not sure if they serve the Original Recipe.  I walked around the mall and asked a security guard which exit would take me to the buses.  He pointed me upstairs to Exit #4.  When I got there another security guard directed me to take the green Metro bus to Poblado metro station.  (He didn’t know where I wanted to go until I finally pronounced “Monterrey” correctly.)

I sat and watched the 1^st half of the France vs Ecuador match which was 0-0.  I went back to the theatre and bought a large popcorn for 11,400 (about the same size as everyone else’s small) and a large soda for 6,500 (about the same size as everyone else’s medium).  I took the escalator upstairs and easily found my seat.  There was a good crowd of a few dozen people.  At least this time I got to see Blended in English.  It’s pretty entertaining so if it’s still here next week I might take Teresa to see it.

The movie ended a little after 6pm and it was still raining as I went out Exit #4.  I walked across the street and stood under the protected bus stop with a lot of other Colombians.  Five minutes later most of them got on the green metro bus when it arrived and I was fortunate to get a seat.  Twenty minutes later it stopped across from Monterrey exactly where I needed to be to catch a Circular Sur 303 bus back to Viva.  I only had to wait 5 minutes for the next one and was back in about 30 more minutes.

T-shirt of the day: I never know what will happen every day but I swear I’d fall in love every minute on the street.

(I saw this t-shirt on a young lady in El Tesoro and I had to ask her to face me so I could read all of it and I quickly wrote it down.)

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:15, got up 3 times during the night, woke up at 6:10 and woke/got up at 6:45.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  Lucas was wearing his Colombian jersey in support of his team and I showed him my Colombian bracelet.  He was surprised and pleased by my support of his country’s team.  

I decided to search the internet for help with my Spanish grammar and found StudySpanish.com.  I registered for the site and started going through their material.

I met Teresa at the Exito Envigado at 1:30 and we took a taxi to Oviedo for about 7mil.  One hour before game time there was no line but we still only got seats in the 4^th row but at least this time we were on the aisle instead of next to the wall.  Again the tickets only cost 5mil each.  We walked around a bit and ended up downstairs and we had the lunch special at Sarku’s for 9,900.  Teresa paid for lunch; I appreciate that she chips in occasionally.  We got to our seats a few minutes before game time and again the theatre was packed.

Colombia scored first in the 17^th minute and it looked like they were going to take that 1-0 lead into halftime.  (Each half is 45 minutes long but they always add a few extra minutes due to delays in the game when the clock doesn’t stop.)  They only added 1 minute to the 45 minute clock but Japan scored on the last play in the first half to go into halftime 1-1.  

I made a trip to the lobby and bought us a small popcorn and large Coke for the usual 12,100.

In the 2^nd half, Colombia scored in the 55^th, 82^nd, and 90^th minutes to win 4-1.  You never saw so many people so happy.  They had a huge Cine Colombia beach ball that got passed around every time Colombia scored, and also at halftime and at the end of the game.  As we took the bus back to Envigado a lot of people were honking their car horns and blowing those plastic horns out of their windows.

We stopped near Parque Envigado and we each had a fancy ice cream at El Palacio Del Mango for a total of 14mil.  We walked to the metro station and said our goodbyes.  I will meet her again Thursday morning at 9:30 for the 11am USA Germany game – again at Oviedo.

According to the internet, Colombia plays Uruguay this Saturday at 4pm.   As I understand it, from here on its single elimination – one loss and you’re out!

T-shirt of the day: Smile in life.

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

Last night I put my earplugs in and went to bed at 10:30, got up 3 times during the night, woke up at 6:30 and got up at 7.

I was waiting for Teresa at the bus stop next to Viva CC by 8:40 and she finally showed up at 9:15 but she surprised me because she arrived by taxi.  She must have been running late because there were buses running even though today is a holiday.

We went back to my apartment.

Around noon or so we took a taxi to Al Gusto the restaurant my brother and I went to back on February 21^st but it was closed.  Not just closed for the holiday, closed closed as there were For Rent signs in all the windows.  They didn’t last long – 4 months at most.  So we had the taxi take us to Mall Laureles and Teresa had a large sausage, some small baked potatoes, a chocolate arepa with cheese and a hot chocolate from Pasabocas Krocantes for 11mil and I had the ribs and a mango juice from Gordogs for 13,500.

Afterwards we went back to my apartment.  At one point she woke from a nap and told me she dreamt we were in the US and I was wearing a skirt.  I told her that I’m equal parts German, Dutch, Irish and Scottish and showed her a picture of men in Scottish kilts on my iPad.  She got a big kick out of that.

About 6pm we went to Popsy in Viva CC and had some ice cream.  I had a single scoop Oreo ice cream cone for 4mil and she had a cup of Snickers ice cream with caramel and whipped cream for 7mil which she generously shared with me.  

Again she showed me shoes and a beautiful shirt for me in a store window but I told her I already have those.  I need to show her my wardrobe so maybe she’ll relax a little.

We walked back across the street to catch the bus and she remembered she forgot to buy dog food at Exito so we went to the corner store where she bought 2 bags for about 2 mil each and a small bag of milk.  Back at the bus stop a car pulled up and she said “con effectivo” which means “with cash” and we and another couple got in the car, paid the usual bus fare and got out at the Aguacatala station.  I walked with her a block to the bus stop and her bus came about 10 minutes later.  I really like that lady.

I also got lucky and caught a bus after only a 5 minute wait and because of the light traffic and so few people on the bus we got from Aguacatala to Viva CC in record time – 15 minutes.

Tomorrow I’m meeting Teresa at 1:30 at Exito Envigado and we’re going to take a bus to the Oviedo Cine Colombia theatre for the Colombia game that starts at 3pm.

T-shirt of the day: Super dry athletes.

Sunday, June 22nd, 2014

Last night I put in my earplugs and went to bed at 11:15, got up twice during the night, woke up once more at 6am, and woke/got up at 7:15.

I had the buffet breakfast at the Golden Palermo Hotel.  As usual the waitress gave me my bill, and I took it downstairs to the lobby where I handed it with exact change to the lady working the front desk.  At the time she was helping some other people.  As I was walked out she called me back and I had to wait until she printed out some receipt for me to sign.  I thought that was a little ridiculous.  

I studied Spanish for a while at Mall Laureles.  Today is Father’s Day here in Colombia and they were setting up a stage and putting table clothes on the tables.  I left at 12:30. 

 

I stopped in Viva CC and watched the end of the Belgium (1) Russia (0) World Cup match.

 I stopped in Exito and bought a few strawberries to share with Teresa tomorrow.

I left the apartment at 4:35 and was at Sport Wings by 4:50.  Another Gringo named Joe was sitting at the next table.  He is 62 and married to a Colombiana and retired here on his social security.  Interestingly, he used to be a math teacher.

The game between the US and Portugal was a good game.  Portugal scored first on a misdirected header by a US player in front of our goal that allowed them to score at the 5 minute mark.  We scored in the 2^nd half at the 64 and 81 minute marks.  We held the lead until the final minute when Portugal tied the game.  As I understand it, for us to advance to the next round, if Portugal beats Ghana then we have to limit Germany’s goals against us in an expected loss.

Before I left I exchanged phone numbers with Joe and we will probably get together at some point in the future.

T-shirt of the day: Just a cool day.

Saturday, June 21st, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up only once during the night, woke up at 5:50 and got up at 6:15.  Could it be because I had an early dinner and didn’t eat anything after?  Sounds like something worth trying again.

I finished packing my bag and walking past Viva CC a young man asked me if I speak English.  I told him I did but I wasn’t interested in any more Jehovah’s Witness information.  End of conversation.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava, and was at the store across the street from Viva CC by 9am.  The problem was that the store was closed so I had no place to sit.  I walked up the block to the bus stop and sat there for a few minutes until I noticed Teresa across the street.  I motioned for her to stay there and after a short wait I crossed the street to her side.  I took her to Mall Laureles where she ordered a little something to eat.  Ten minutes to 10 we went to the other end of the mall and they loaded us into a van with 8 other people and we were off exactly on time.

On the way I saw a couple of roadside tents advertising and selling Pringles potato chips.  There were several different colored cans so I assume they come in a number of different flavors.  Probably at least regular, Bar-B-Q, and lemon.

After an hour we stopped at a roadside diner named Parador Rancho Alegre with enough time so that people could get a snack.  I had an iced tea and Teresa had a mango juice and for 1mil she bought a just baked Almojabana just as we were getting back on the bus.  It was kind of tasty.  The name kind of sounds like almond and that’s kind of how it tasted.  However, Wikipedia says Almojábana is a type of bread made with cuajada cheese and corn flour.  It is typical of some South American countries and is a staple in Panama and Colombia, where it is sold in most bakeries. 

We left at 11:15, arrived at the hotel just before noon and I was able to pay the 60 mil per person fee right away.  I don’t like carrying cash around with me that I need to pay later to someone because If I should lose it somehow then I’m really screwed.  One of the World Cup games was on television in their lounge area and Teresa settled herself right in front of the TV to watch it while I changed into my swimming suit.  I put on a little SPF 50 sunscreen and she put some SPF 100 on her face.  It was obvious her mother had given it to her because it was in English.  She put on so much she looked like a ghost.  I told her she put on too much and she needs to rub it in so it will be absorbed.

I swam a few lengths in their pool for a little exercise and about 1:30 we had lunch.  Unlike last time with my brother when they had a buffet, today they took our orders and brought the food to our table.  I had chicken soup, a small mixed salad, a few small baked potatoes and a piece of beef which actually was chewable and a mango juice.  Teresa had something similar.

I told her the snack that comes later isn’t anything special so I changed into shorts and sandals and we started walking the streets of Santafé.  It was really hot and today I made the decision I had no interest in coming back here again unless it’s just to hang out at the pool because I can’t take the heat.  We wandered into several stores where we found some piggy banks and I was surprised she didn’t want me to buy one as she told me she wants me to save all my change for future vacations.  Maybe she doesn’t like seeing me give my change to the poor.  We had some ice cream at the same place I’ve been to before with Beatriz and also with my brother.  While we were sitting there this strange looking man with a Mohawk haircut, tattoos and piercings showed us bracelets he was selling.  Teresa found a single strand one with the same colors as the Colombian flag that I bought for her for 6mil.

Just after 4:30pm I took her to the hotel my brother and I had explored – the Hotel Mariscal Robledo – but as soon as we stepped inside she told me it’s too expensive and she led me back outside.  

The flyer that advertises this day trip has Spanish on one side and English on the other.  In English it says “Arrival: Every day 7:00 p.m.” and in Spanish it says “Regreso: 7:00 p.m.” and I translated “regreso” to “return” or “come back” so I believed we would be back in Laureles by 7pm and Teresa would have plenty of time to get back home with me escorting her as usual part of the way.  So just before 5pm we headed back to the hotel.  We waited and waited and it became increasingly obvious we weren’t going to be leaving in order to get back by 7pm.  

Finally at 7:10 the bus driver showed up and we all climbed back into the bus.  At 8pm we arrived at Parador Rancho Alegre again and were told we would be there for 30 minutes.  Teresa bought us 4 almojabanas and a small coffee for me and a small Coke for herself.  It’s nice that she doesn’t expect me to pay for every little thing.  At 8:30 we were on our way again.  As we approached Medellin traffic got very heavy and we were barely moving as we merged with other traffic.

After some previous discussion, just before 9pm Teresa got out at the Floresta Metro Station so she could take the train all the way to Envigado (of course, having to make a transfer at San Antonio).  I got out on Avenida 80 a couple blocks from my apartment and was home just after 9pm.  Walking back to my apartment it was obvious there were some parties going on and I did hear a few firecrackers.

T-shirt of the day: Less is more.

Friday, June 20th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up 3 times during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:10am.

Among recent US movie releases I would really like to see Jersey Boys (7.4) directed by Clint Eastwood.

I checked the local movies and Blended is playing again at Oviedo at 2:40 and Maleficent at Unicentro at 6pm.  The Cine Colombia theatres are all using some screens for showing World Cup games and that limits the number of feature films they can show.

I saw a turkey vulture land on the light standard on the pole across the street and then hang on for dear life as it swung back and forth.  I think he has his eye on the garbage collection going on in the street.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  The orange juice stand wasn’t set up today.  She’s probably getting an early jump on the upcoming holiday week.  I understand next week it’s going to be pretty deserted around here so I’ll probably be seeing more movies, studying more Spanish, and other things to fill my time:

Sunday is the USA match against Portugal at 5pm.  (I’ll probably go to Sport Wings to watch that one.)

Monday Teresa is coming over at 9am.

Tuesday is the Colombia match against Japan at 3pm.  (I don’t think Japan is very good so a win there puts Colombia into the next round.)

Thursday is the USA match against Germany at 11am. 

I left the apartment at 1:30 and was at Oviedo by 2:15 for the 2:40 showing of Blended.  But this time I checked the screen and asked at the ticket booth and both said that it’s dubbed (even though it still says with Spanish subtitles on their website).

I walked back down the hill, caught the next bus to the Industriales metro station, walked the 3 block up the hill to Premium Plaza CC.  Blended was playing there in another 30 minutes but the man at the ticket book said it’s dubbed.  While I walked past the bank I noticed the security guard there wanding a man as he was entering.

I walked back down the hill, bought a slab of pineapple for a little over 1mil and caught the next bus.  I got off at Carrefour and checked at their ticket booth but the lady there also said it’s dubbed.

Now it was 4pm and I still hadn’t had any lunch so I was thinking about what I might like to have once I got back to my neighborhood.  I took the bus and again just before you reach Avenida 80 they stop and ask everyone to switch buses.  After I got on the new one and started reading my Nook a woman behind me warned me of thieves that might be on the bus.  I got off right where the bus first reaches Avenida 80 and walked the 3 blocks to Americana Pizza where I had my usual.  I think that’s all the food I’m going to need for the day.  The 6-year old boy of one of the waitresses came over to me and asked what I had.  I told him it’s my electronic book and showed him how to make the words on the pages smaller or larger.  Later he was playing with a small tablet like device and I asked to see it.  One of about 5 games he had was called Rainbow Six Vegas so I showed him the book I had on my Nook – Rainbow Six.  I’m not sure if he really understood so maybe he wasn’t impressed.

Tomorrow I’m meeting Teresa early and we’re taking the day tour to Santafé so I might be a little late posting again tomorrow.

T-shirt of the day: I’m working on myself, for myself, by myself.