Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Last night I took my sleeping pills and went to bed at 10:30.  I fell asleep quickly, woke up once at 3am, was awakened by air brakes from a bus or truck at 6am, and finally gave up getting back to sleep and got up at 6:45.  (Yesterday, for the first time, I had taken a 2^nd magnesium tablet so maybe that helped.)

Last night I finished James Essinger’s The Mating Game and downloaded Michael Connelly’s Echo Park: Harry Bosch series #12).

Today is an unusually cool overcast day.  I’ll be surprised if it clears up as the predicted high for today is only 78 degrees.

I watched the first hour plus of the Today show and left the apt at 10:15.  I stopped first at the Bancolombia ATM machine.  I waited in line for about 10 minutes at $efecty to pay the epm and Direct TV bills.  Well, I was wrong as the sky had mostly cleared up by 10:30.  I stopped at Todo Drogas where I bought my medications for the month.  I picked up a couple things at Exito that Teresa needed but unfortunately the lines were long and I was waiting in line for about 15-20 minutes.  I made a quick stop across the street and picked up a mature avocado for 4,000 pesos.  I was back at the apt by 11:45.

I left the apt at 1:15, stopped at Gana where I added 50mil to Teresa’s cellphone, and quickly was on a bus to El Poblado.  At Envios Market I picked up my envelope which was a change of address confirmation for one of my pensions - CSC.  I paid the rental for October of 39mil (about $13).  Then I paid 142,500 pesos ($50.44, Yikes!) to mail a 2-page signed and completed security freeze form to Experian in Texas.  Victoria explained that neither Fed-Ex nor DHL will deliver to a post office box.  She put the pages in a DHL mailer so I guess that’s the service they use to get it to Florida and then it’s probably USPS from there to Texas.  She said I can track the documents using the tracking number of WAYBILL 24 7600 0796 at www.DHL.com.  (Later I checked and my letter left the Medellin office at 5:13pm.  Wow that was fast.)

I walked up to the Direct TV office at Calle 10A #34-11, local 1133 and asked if anyone there spoke English.  A minute later Andres Yepes came out and I explained to him the problem with the Walking Dead episodes being shown out of order.  He was very attentive and promised to check on it although he wasn’t sure if Direct TV chooses the order or it is dictated to them by FOX.  He even gave me his personal cellphone number of (320) 820-5380 if I have any future questions or problems.

I walked a few blocks to Velvet Café (Carrera 37 #8A-46) where I ordered a slice of carrot cake and the recommended “V60 Geisha Natural” coffee whatever that was.  According to Medellin GURU this is one of the best coffee houses in Medellin.  The carrot cake is supposed to be one of the best also.  It was very good but to me any carrot cake without cream cheese frosting just isn’t the same.  The coffee came black without even the usual sugar accompaniment.  I probably wouldn’t know a good cup of coffee if one bit me on the #*@ but I managed to finish it.  The total came to 17,400 pesos ($6).  Almost as soon as I sat down it started raining but when I left about an hour later it had stopped almost completely.

I walked to my usual Servibanca ATM where again I was fortunate to get all my bills in 20s.  That should set me up for the month.

Well, yesterday the Bears made it official – Mitchell Trubisky, the 2^nd pick in the draft, will start their Monday, October 9^th game against the Minnesota Vikings.  Yay!  I was pretty certain that they were finished with Mike "the statue" Glennon.

I caught a bus back to Envigado and surprisingly it wasn’t full so I was happy to get a seat.  I was back at the apt by 4pm.

MT appears to be getting better by the day.

Teresa had me google Hosteria y Parador Los Farallones in La Pintada.  I gave her their telephone number and she called about Christmas & New Year’s reservations but I understood they are booked.  I told Teresa she should have inquired about how early we would have to call to make next year’s reservations.

Every night Wilson stops by about 10pm and gives MT a shot in her stomach area.  Teresa asked me to watch so I could learn how to do it.  I told her no thanks, I’m not afraid of needles but I don’t want to be sticking them in someone else.

At 10:30 I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed.

That’s the end of the Funny Veterinarian signs.  Before I return to t-shirts here are a few…

Funny bumper stickers: Adults on board.  We want to live too.