Sunday, January 20, 2019

Last night I went to bed at 11:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 6am, finally waking/getting up at 8am.

Well, this is Laura’s last day in Medellin for at least a year.

And, today is my 6^th anniversary of arriving in Medellin.  Another gringo, Bob Sissler, I found out later was on the same flight as mine.

This is also the 2^nd anniversary of the orange turd in the White House.  How’s that working for you America?  We have real problems crying out for solutions: health care, immigration, deficits and debt, income inequality, urban violence, drugs, climate and environment, free trade, prescription costs, infrastructure decay, cybersecurity, education, student debt…and he shuts down the country over a wall???

At the last minute I found out that Teresa and MT also want to go to the airport with Laura and me and her suitcase and carry-on.  I questioned if there would be enough space in a taxi.  Teresa had a good idea – we all take a taxi from here to San Diego mall and we go effectivo from there to the airport.

Laura’s flight to Bogota leaves Rionegro about 6pm, so she will need to check in about 4pm, so we need to leave San Diego mall about 3pm, so we need to leave the apt. about 2:30.

We left the apt at 2:30 and took separate taxis to San Diego mall. 

On the way I noticed the cellphone service flyer in Laura’s file.  I asked her if she activated her T-Mobile phone sim card and she said she forgot.  I guess she can still do it in the US.

We all climbed into one effectivo car and at 3pm we left for the airport.  I asked the driver when the new tunnel from the airport to Medellin will be finished and he said April.  (I should have asked him how happy he is about that.)  We arrived at 3:45 and I paid the driver 65mil.  Outside the airport we sat for a few minutes and Teresa and Laura switched purses because Laura’s was too small.

At 4pm we got in a long line at baggage check-in.  Thirty minutes later it was her turn and her bag weighed in at 24.6kg.  Uh-oh, 1.6kg over weight.  Laura spent about 10 minutes talking to the clerk and one of the things he wanted to know is where she was staying.  It took me a minute to recall the name of the hotel but I couldn’t remember the name of the city in Connecticut.  I googled the hotel in CT and I finally remembered the name and I found the address which Laura wrote down and gave to the clerk.

Her bag checked she confirmed that it was being sent direct to JFK in NY.  I asked her where she’s going to pick up her bag and she said “the airport”.  I said where in the airport and she said “NY”.  I told her it’s a big airport so where does she think she’s going to go to pick it up.  She wasn’t concerned because a lot of au pairs are going to be in the same boat.  Okay.

We stopped a few minutes in a small store where Laura drank most of a Pony drink.  At 5pm we said our goodbyes and she took her carry-on through the TSA checkpoint.  I watched her start to walk down the hall and then I saw her turn around and head back our way.  I then lost sight of her and after 5 minutes we left.  Teresa called her and I guess everything is alright.  What was that about?

After the ladies took a quick look in Tenis and we all made a trip to the restroom we walked outside the departures level and quickly caught a taxi back to Envigado.

It’s was 5:30 as we left and the driver was driving in the wrong lane.  I guess he knew what he’s doing I just hoped the other drivers knew that too.

After 20 minutes we were in bumper to bumper traffic.  It soon cleared and we were moving faster.

We were back in Envigado by 6:20 and I paid the driver the set fee of 80,000 pesos.

I missed all of the New Orleans Saints vs L.A. Rams game won by the Rams 26-23 on a controversial (missed?) call.

Next door at Exito I bought a package of ACT II popcorn and a 600ml bottle of Coke and got back to the apt right at kickoff of the 2^nd game.  In typical Tom Brady fashion the Patriots scored a touchdown in overtime to beat the Chiefs 37-31.

Laura texted us that she arrived safely in Bogota.

Joke of the day

A small white guy goes into an elevator.  When he gets in, he notices a huge black dude standing next to him.  The big black dude looks down upon the little white guy and says, “7 foot tall, 350 pounds, 20 inch dick, 3 pound left ball, 3 pound right ball, Turner Brown.”

The small white guy faints!  The big black dude picks up the small white guy and brings him to, slapping his face and shaking him, and asks the small white guy “What’s wrong?  You alright?”

The small white guy comes to and says, “Excuse me, but what did you say?”

The big black dude looks down and says, “7 foot tall, 350 pounds, 20 inch dick, 3 pound left ball, 3 pound right ball, Turner Brown.”

The small white guy says, “Thank God, I thought you said, ‘Turn Around.’”