Thursday, November 12th, 2015

I got up once at 6:30, finally waking/getting up at 9:20.

One thing I couldn’t figure out about the remodeling.  There is a large hole in the counter top where I thought the stove would go but they installed a shelf underneath it.  This morning I figured out we’re going to just install a new stove top without the oven.  But I still don’t know how they are going to connect the LP tank to the burners without creating some kind of opening in the panel - unless it’s going to be all electric.

I received an email from GNC that my order has shipped.

There was something on the news about 2 houses that slid off a hill in Caldas due to recent rains.  At least I think that’s what it was about.  It must have been close to us because right away Teresa asked me to dial Felipe’s (the gas guy) telephone number.

Teresa called Dr. Rendon and tried to change her appointment but found out he’s busy all next week.

On TV they were interviewing the coach of Colombia’s soccer team – whose name happens to be Peterman – lol.  I understand they are playing Chile sometime in the near future.

We left the finca at 3:40 and got past the killer dogs undetected.  We only had to wait 5 minutes for a bus.  We got to El Tesoro for Teresa’s dentist appointment 5-10 minutes late.  We did call them from the taxi to alert them.

While Teresa was with the doctor I went downstairs and next to O-Cake I can see they are building a creche.  I stopped in Carulla and had 4 pages of chess notes printed out for 800 pesos.  Upstairs in the mall I took out some cash and walked towards Fedco.  Just outside the store they are building what I’m sure is a carousel.  I looked inside the store and what I saw didn’t look anything like bottles of vitamins.  I walked a couple blocks in the other direction and at the information desk I asked if there was a GNC vitamin store in the mall.  She said no but the woman she had been talking to said something about the internet and then she wrote down Fedco.  I told her I know where that store is and headed back to it.  Inside there were about 6 young ladies gathered together chatting and one of them asked if she could help me.  I showed her what I had written down – GNC Melatonin – and she took me to a small section with all GNC products.  The bottle she showed me was magnesium which was what I was looking for on the GNC website when I asked about some vitamin to help me sleep but they directed me to melatonin.  I bought their smallest bottle of 90 tablets for 20,900 (about $7) just to give them a try.

After Teresa’s appointment I paid another 200mil and we made another appointment for next Thursday at 4:45.

Teresa was starving so downstairs we stopped in Carulla’s deli where I had pasta with chicken, ham, and bacon and a very cold 8 ounce cup of Coke for 16,500 (about $5.50).  It also included a small salad and 2 small slices of stale bread.  Teresa ordered a couple of things from their display case but changed her mind after tasting my food and ordered the same thing.  

It was just after 6:30 when we finished and the Colombia vs Chile match had just started.  That explains why I saw a few people today in Colombia t-shirts.  Teresa said it’s going to be difficult getting a taxi tonight because everyone will be watching the game.  We picked up some more arepas, 2 packages of ground beef, a few slices of fresh bread and I picked up a bottle of La Preferida mild salsa and a bag of La Preferida yellow corn tortilla chips.  I also bought a banana for medicinal purposes to help ward off cramps in my calf.  I saw a bottle of magnesium tablets for sale and since it was in English I learned I should take one pill a day with a meal.

Outside the mall we waited unsuccessfully for about 10 minutes for a taxi but finally a young man gave us a ride for 10mil.  He had a private security jacket slung over the back of his car seat and it was a nice newish car.  We waited about 20 minutes for a Tratam bus back to the finca.  While we were waiting I saw a young man in a Madden #11 Chicago Blackhawks jacket.

For some reason, Teresa let me keep the flashlight on my cell phone on as we walked down the path.  Maybe because she knew I have dog biscuits with me to pacify the dogs.  We got past the killer dogs undetected and now I wonder if they were even there.

Walking down the path over the rocks Teresa suddenly screamed and yelled “ants”.  She started scratching her leg and I pointed my flashlight there but didn’t see anything.  She grabbed the flashlight in order to get a closer look but in doing so she touched it in the wrong place and ended up turning it off.  I wasn’t going to move at all in the dark.  She gave it back to me, I turned it back on and we continued on, arriving back at the finca at 8:30.

I learned Colombia tied Chile 1-1.  This was probably some type of qualification match prior to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:30pm and went to bed at 11pm.

T-shirt of the day: Young hearts run wild.