Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

I got up as usual about 8am.  I received another email from Yahoo:

Hi Terry, 

Someone attempted to sign in to your Yahoo account (terryandresen) from an app that doesn't meet Yahoo's security standards. We blocked this sign in attempt, which was made on: 

Tue, Oct 25, 2016 7:02 PM GMT+4 from Russia. 

I watched the first hour or more of the Today show.  Laura got up and had a sandwich for breakfast.  Go figure.  About 9:30 she walked me to a shoe repair shop at Calle 33B #43A-29 where I dropped off my gym shoe and the owner said it would be ready today at 3pm.

I walked with Laura a few blocks more towards the gym and then said goodbye and headed to the internet café.  There I went online to the US embassy and “click here” again resulted in the same error message.  Drats!  I’m going to check again later on Laura’s laptop.  While there I printed a copy of the Authorization for the Release of Information Under the Privacy Act form so I can request an official SS Benefits letter.

Back in the apt I filled out the form.  I heard that mail here often doesn’t get delivered unless it has a postal code on it.  I asked Teresa if she knew what it was and she said she didn’t.  I did an internet search and it appears there are different codes for different areas of Envigado.  I thought we were in one area but Teresa believes we are in another area.  Anyway, my area has two codes and I couldn’t find her area on the list at all.  I looked at our bills that are delivered each month and they don’t have a code on them either so maybe it isn’t that important.  A few minutes later I realized I left my USB drive at the internet café.  Drat, I hate when I do that.  I went back and it was closed.  It was 12:45 by then and she was probably closed for lunch.  When I got to the corner I saw I had 45 seconds or so before the pedestrian light would change to green so I took that opportunity to check out a few of the local stores.  There was a Bimbo (local brand of bread) store, a liquor store, a bakery and another store selling empanadas and other fried local snacks.  I saw a young man (twenties) with disheveled hair sitting alone.  He looked like a gringo so I asked him where he’s from.  He said he’s from here.  He said he knows he looks like a gringo but he’s Colombian.  I apologized and he asked what he could help me with.  I said I was going to ask if I could help him with something.  We both chuckled and I said goodbye.  Walking back to the apt I started to feel a little pain in my hip.  I know old people often experience hip problems which is why I hold back on those exercises that might aggravate it.

Back at the apt I took half an Exedrin Migraine tablet for my hip pain.  I also filled out the form for the embassy.  Teresa was ready to go to lunch.  Today she wants to go to the garage restaurant because she believes they are serving Bandeja Paisa – the typical Colombian meal.  Just as we were about to leave she realized that Laura would come back from the gym and she didn’t take her keys.  Luckily we only had to wait about 5 more minutes before she returned but it was obvious Teresa was mad at her for not taking her keys. 

On the walk down to the restaurant my hip was still a little sore.  On the way I saw 5 motorcycles with PM decals parked outside that VIP home that the soldiers regularly are guarding.  You might be able to figure out what PM stands for if I switch that to the English version – MP.  Yes, I believe they are military police.  At the restaurant Teresa found out that Monday is the day for the meal she was looking forward to.  Today we each got soup, salad, 2 good sized pieces of pork in a nice sauce, a dab of mashed potatoes, a glass of fresh juice and a small dessert that I’m pretty sure was rice pudding, all for 10,000 pesos (about $3.50).

On the walk back to the apt, about halfway up the hill, I stopped and started laughing.  Teresa asked me what’s going on.  I told her the pain in my hip is gone but now I have a pain in my hamstring.  Lol.

Back at the apt I took a 30-minute nap.  I left the apt and went back to the internet café.  The lady there gave me my memory drive and I asked if she wanted a tip (I don’t know the Spanish word for reward).  She said something about a man finding it so I guess she thought it was fairer if I tipped him.  The café was very busy so I left and walked a block away where I had my completed form scanned into a pdf file and put on my USB drive.

I walked a few more blocks to the shoe repair shop where I picked up my repaired shoe for 4,000 pesos (about $1.25).  That probably would have cost me $20 back in the States.  On the way back to the apt I ran into Teresa and her mother on their way to where she was going to get a pedicure.

Correction, tonight was the final of Desafio.

I watched a new episode of El Socio from 7 to 8pm and then World Series game 1 after that.  The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 5-0.

T-shirt of the day: Madness party.