Friday, October 4, 2019

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, got up twice at 2:30 and 4:30, finally waking/getting up at 8am.

Seven days until the chess tournament.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show then left for the gym.  I had just finished working out on the rowing machine and I went to the front desk, placed my things down, took off my shoes and weighed myself. 77.4 kilos = 170.6 pounds.  I put my shoes back on and went to one of the treadmills and put my things down and realized my water bottle wasn’t one of them.  I looked over at the counter and didn’t see it.  I retraced my steps and found it on the rowing machine right where I left it.  I finished my limited exercises in an hour and 10 minutes.  I went upstairs to the 3^rd floor to get the things out of my locker and observed a young muscular man doing the following:  He was on his stomach with his back arched and would rock back on his heels and forward into a handstand.  I observed him doing that 3 times in a row before I left.  Incredible!

Back at the apt when I took my shower I noticed the handle was missing.  I found it inside a bathroom cabinet.  The screw was stripped so it wouldn’t hold the opposite handle.

Teresa called me at 12:15 from Nueve eps and asked me to meet her at La Casita Parilla at 12:45.  I left the apt 5 minutes later.

On my way I noticed that Parva was open.  I stepped inside and commented to a waitress that nothing seems to have changed.  She said the changes were upstairs.  Who knew?

When I arrived at La Casita Parilla Teresa was already there but the place (all 4 tables) was full.  Diego, the owner, came out and converted the bench we were sitting on into a picnic table.  Teresa and I each had the ribs and a juice for 34mil.

She returned to the apt and I walked down to the mall.  In Home Center I showed a salesman the old shower handle and he said they don’t sell that here.  I asked where and he said Casa Ferreteria in Envigado.  (I googled it later and it’s at Calle 37 Sur #39-40, apparently close to the park.)  Btw, Home Center is getting set up for Christmas.

I had a café con leche in Todo Fresa and studied some notes in a chess magazine.  Just as I was ready to leave Chuck appeared and we chatted awhile.  We made tentative plans to go to Envios Market tomorrow and pay our monthly bill and go for lunch afterwards in Parque Lleras.

On my way back to the apt I stopped in Exito and picked up a bag of laundry detergent, a package of microwave popcorn (for Sunday’s Bears game) and a package of chiclets (for next week’s chess tournament).

8,931 steps today.

Joke of the day

The elderly Italian man went to his parish priest and asked if the priest would hear his confession. 

"Of course, my son," said the priest. 

"Well, Father, at the beginning of World War II, a beautiful woman knocked on my door and asked me to hide her from the Germans; I hid her in my attic, and they never found her." 

"That's a wonderful thing, my son, and nothing that you need to confess," said the priest. 

"It's worse, Father; I was weak, I asked her to pay for the attic with sexual favors and she accepted," continued the old man. 

"Well, it was a very difficult time, and you took a large risk - you would have suffered terribly at the hands of the Germans had they found you hiding her. I know that God, in his wisdom and mercy, will balance the good and the evil, and judge you kindly," said the priest. 

"Thanks, Father," said the old man. "That's a load off of my mind. Can I ask another question?" 

"Of course, my son," said the priest. 

The old man asked, "Do I need to tell her that the war is over?"