Thursday, January 30, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 2 Trazadona, went to bed at 10:45pm, fell asleep quickly, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

We left the apt at 8am and walked to downtown Envigado.  We first had an orange juice at the corner shop near Exito.  I’m sure Jim drooled over the arepas at Las Chachas as we walked to the little restaurant called Donelia in Chuck’s Mart.  We each had calentado with coffee that was served in a little bowl (taza) and, unfortunately, wasn’t very hot.  You couldn’t beat the price, though, at 13mil each.

We walked to the previous location of Mercado de Tranvia de Envigado and the whole structure is torn down.  We walked to the bank where we made a withdrawal for some pocket money.  

We stopped in Claro where Jim helped me increase Teresa’s data plan to 12GB and we inquired about Claro Video.  I understand that there is no monthly fee if I use it with wifi and some movies are free but others have a rental fee.

We went to the mall where Jim looked, unsuccessfully, for a place where he could get a manicure/pedicure.  We had coffee at Todo Fresa and returned to the apt about 1pm.

Jim took a nap and I got caught up on my blog and emails.

We left again at 2:30 and had the menu of the day at Asados Rogelio for 17mil each.

At Parva we had coffee while sitting outside enjoying the fresh air.

We walked down some side streets west of Avenida Poblado where I found a tienda naturista named Alpha at Transversal 31 Sur #32 B-62.  They had all the vitamins and supplements I was looking for, they take credit cards, and they deliver (domicilios) at 448 7372.

We walked to Fecundity Park by Aymara and he went scouting for a pedicure.  He found one across the street and down a block.  It took a little over 30 minutes but only cost him 13,000.

We walked to the Spanish tapas restaurant where Jim stayed for a cup of wine but I returned to the apt.

About the dining room table, Teresa told me the saleslady said it will only support the heavy glass with the cross supports.  I told her then let’s exchange this table for the one in their showroom.  I know it’s a little longer so I asked Teresa to call them and find out what its length is.  She called and then told me to wait a while.

When Jim returned I learned some additional details: we have an “improved” model; the showroom model doesn’t disassemble; the factory is in El Retiro which is where we were planning on going tomorrow.

We left the apt at 8pm and took a taxi to Antica Pizza.  There was no line and we only had to wait 5-10 minutes for seats.

14,760 steps today.

Joke of the day

An exercise for people who are out of shape: Begin with a five-pound potato bag in each hand.  Extend your arms straight out from your sides, hold them there for a full minute, and then relax. 

After a few weeks, move up to ten-pound potato bags.  Then try the 50-pound potato bags, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

Once you feel comfortable at that level, put a potato in each bag.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 2 Trazadona, went to bed at 10:45pm, fell asleep quickly, got up twice during the night, got up a 3^rd time at  5am and finally gave up falling back asleep and I got up at 5:45am.

Well, my brother arrives at the Rionegro airport via COPA at 5:28pm.  I’ve arranged for our usual private driver for pickup.

I left the apt at 9:30 and walked to the gym.  At one point I saw a young man come in with an electric scooter.  He folded it in half and then carried it further into the gym.  I completed all my exercises in and hour and 20 minutes.

I walked to Parva where I bought a loaf of Sano bread for 10mil from the young lady who speaks good English.  I think from now on I’ll call her blue eyes.

I was back at the apt by 11:15.

I recharged my cellphone for the expected ride to, and wait at, the airport later today.

After lunch I download a game app called Fishdom.  I soon learned it wasn’t going to be much fun but then I couldn’t figure out how to exit the program.  Then I had the added pressure of Teresa asking me about sending or receiving some email from the furniture store Puro Cuero.  I had already logged out of my laptop and now my cell phone was unavailable.

I left the apt at 2pm and on my way to the copy center I found Chuck sitting outside Aymara having coffee.  We chatted a bit, I got a couple pages printed at the copy center, and I soon was on a Sabaneta bus.  I figured out that if I turned off my cell phone completely and restarted it I could get back to the main screen and from there go to Settings where I uninstalled the Fishdom game.

I got off at the San Diego mall and walked through to the other side to Avenida Las Palmas to the bus stop.  It was now just after 3pm and 5 minutes later the airport bus arrived.

The bus went through the new tunnel, first a small section then a much longer one that took 10 minutes to get through.  We arrived at the airport and it seemed the tunnel cut 20 minutes off the trip from San Diego mall, so 25 minutes instead of the previous 45.  The fare went up from 10mil to 10,500.

Inside the airport I checked to see that Jim’s flight was still on time.  I went up to J&C Delicias where I bought a mango juice.  I sat outside the restaurant and solved a set of chess puzzles.

I saw his plane land right on time at 5:28.  I went downstairs to the Arrivals area and texted Bryan, our driver.  He said he was in the parking lot and would soon be inside.  My brother walked out 20 minutes after landing.  He reported he upgraded his seat to Business Class from Chicago to Panama City for $200.

Bryan took Jim’s bag and we headed out to the airport parking.  The car still looks like new and we returned to Medellin via the tunnel then cut off a new sideroad that kept us away from the usual Medellin traffic.

He dropped us off at our elevator and I paid him his 90mil plus a 10mil tip.

Inside he gave Teresa the skin cream she asked for and for me 3 bags of salted-in-the-shell peanuts, 3 bottles of Root Beer, canker sore medicine, a roll of Scotch packing tape, and most important my new Acer laptop with carrying case.

We left the apt at 7:30 and walked to La Casita Parilla where we had a nice dinner for 3 for 50,500 pesos.  Returning to the apt we stopped in Barrio Sur café/bar to check it out for the Superbowl.  They have a few interesting items on their food menu but they only have 2 TV screens.  (Btw, they usually open for the night at 4/4:30pm.)

12,609 steps today.

Joke of the day

A man and a woman were sitting beside each other in the first class section of an airplane. The woman sneezed, took out a tissue, wiped her nose, then visibly shuddered for ten to fifteen seconds. 

The man went back to his reading. A few minutes later, the woman sneezed again, took a tissue, wiped her nose, and then shuddered violently once more. 

Assuming that the woman might have a cold, the man was still curious about the shuddering. A few more minutes passed when the woman sneezed yet again. 

As before she took a tissue, wiped her nose, her body shaking even more than before. 

Unable to restrain his curiosity, the man turned to the woman and said, 'I couldn't help but notice that you've sneezed three times, wiped your nose and then shuddered violently. Are you OK?' 

'I am sorry if I disturbed you, I have a very rare medical condition; whenever I sneeze I have an orgasm. ' 

The man, more than a bit embarrassed, was still curious. 'I have never heard of that condition before' he said. 'Are you taking anything for it?' 

The woman nodded. 'Yes, pepper.'

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 3 Trazadona, went to bed at 10:45pm, fell asleep quickly, got up 4-5 times during the night (feeling a little dizzy each time), finally waking/getting up at 6:30am.  (I had soup for dinner last night and I’m sure all that liquid caused me to get up so many times during the night.)

I left the apt just before 8am and the doorman went to my mailbox and handed me a list of this year’s chess tournaments from Juan Castro.  At the mall I printed an email at Auros then went on to Habia Una Vez.  I was working on my 10mil breakfast when Jose arrived about 8:30.  He had breakfast while I was enjoying on my 2^nd café con leche.  We discussed the upcoming chess tournaments and my recent chess lessons.

Just after 9am we went upstairs where we setup at our usual table.  I had White in the first game and I played my usual London System.  I locked up his pieces pretty well on the queen side and had a strong attack going on the kingside but I couldn’t finish him off and we ended up in a draw on the 47^th move.  Btw, I had 7 seconds left on my clock.

He had his usual sandwich from Q’Hubo and I had my usual BBQ nuggets from Frisby.  The food court was noticeably less busy than usual which I believe was due to the fact that children are back in school.

I had Black in the 2^nd game and played the Dutch Defense but he got a strong attack going on the queenside and I resigned on the 35^th move.

By the time we finished it was almost 4pm, he left and I went upstairs to Mr. Kutz where I got my usual haircut for 30mil.  It was misting as I entered the shop but it was raining harder as I left.

I went down to Home Center where I bought a pack of 10 hangers for the guest bedroom.

At Todo Fresa I had a café con leche while catching up on the day’s news.  I received an email from Envios Market that I have documents waiting for pickup.  After an hour I called Teresa and she told me it wasn’t raining so I packed up and left.

I stopped at the nextdoor Exito where I bought a bag of milk and the 5 carrots that Teresa requested.

When I returned to the apt Teresa had a nice tablecloth covering our new table.  Of course Teresa didn’t care for my haircut.  She keeps threatening to go with me next time I get a haircut so she can give the barber specific instructions.  If she had her way I would have something resembling a crewcut with no beard.  Sigh!

For dinner I had hot vegetables that Teresa made for me and even though the plate was on a placemat, one vegetable somehow flipped off my fork and landed on the tablecloth, dirtying it. Yikes!

I moved a few things down to our garage storage room.

6,796 steps today.

Joke of the day

A lady goes to her parish priest one day and tells him: "Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots but they only know how to say one thing."

"What do they say?" the priest inquired.

"They say, 'Hi, we're prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?'"

"That's obscene!" the priest exclaimed, "I can see why you are embarrassed." He thought for a minute and then said: "You know, I may have a solution to this problem. I have two male parrots whom I have taught to pray and read the Bible. 

Bring your two parrots over to my house and we will put them in the cage with Francis and Job. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise and worship. I'm sure your parrots will stop saying that...that phrase in no time."

"Thank you. This may very well be the solution," the woman responded.

The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw the two male parrots were inside their cage, holding their rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After just a couple of seconds, the female parrots exclaimed in unison: "Hi, we're prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?" 

There was a stunned silence. Finally, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and said: "Put the beads away, Francis, our prayers have been answered!"

Monday, January 27, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 3 Trazadona, went to bed at 11pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

At 7:45 the local news reported the helicopter crash and the death of Kobe Bryant.

Also, according to the TV news, it appears today is the day that children return to school.  Also, from the Gente newspaper I picked up Saturday, the mayor of Envigado is trying a new antidrug pilot program where the schools will have drug sniffing drugs at the cost of 306 million pesos annually.

At 9:30 I left for the gym.  I noticed the notebook I left in my mailbox for Juan Castro was still there.  On the way I realized I was wearing the wrong gym shoes.  I was surprised to run into Charles Turner working out at our gym.  He said he has a Black membership and works out in different locations with friends.  We agreed to keep each other up to date on where we will watch the Superbowl next Sunday.  Marcos was also there and we chatted a bit.  I completed all my exercises in an hour and 15 minutes.  Today I did increase my treadmill speed from 6.4 to 6.5.

Back at the apt Teresa was still there and explained she will go to the gym tonight for a class with her girlfriends.  I picked up my memory drive and some scotch tape and returned to the guardhouse.  I taped the memory drive to the cover of the notebook and returned it to my mailbox slot.  When I returned to the apt Teresa asked me to get her a bag of Fab from Exito so I made a quick trip there.  When I returned she told me she wanted an avocado from the guy selling them in the street.  I bought a green one for 5mil.  When I returned to the apt Teresa told me she wanted a black one so I had to go back and exchange it.

After lunch I had planned to go to the nutritional store in downtown Envigado but Teresa asked me to stick around to help with something in the guest bedroom.

Later she took a nap.

I finished the 2^nd season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime but all the other series I thought might be interested were either “not available in your region” or you had to pay extra for.  I watched an episode of You and Jane the Virgin on Netflix.

At 7pm, Teresa left to go to the gym for a class, she never got around to me helping with whatever she wanted in the bedroom.

Teresa returned just after 8pm.

4,701 steps today.

Joke of the day

After his exam, the doctor said to the elderly man, “You appear to be in good health. Do you have any medical concerns you would like to ask me about?”

“In fact, I do,” said the old man. “After I make love to my wife the first time I am usually hot and sweaty, and then after we make love the second time, I am usually cold and chilly.”

After examining his elderly wife, the doctor said, “Everything appears to be fine. Do you have any medical concerns that you would like to discuss with me?” The lady replied that she had no questions or concerns.

The doctor then said to her, “Your husband had an unusual concern. He claims that he is usually hot and sweaty after making love with you the first time, and then cold and chilly after the second time. Do you know why?”

“Oh that crazy old fart…” she replied.

“That’s because the first time is usually in August, and the second time is in January!”

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 3 Trazadona, went to bed at 10:45, fell asleep quickly, and got up once at 5am.  At 5:30 I gave up going back to sleep so I got up to start my day.

For homework, Juan Castro sent me 600 Mate in 3 puzzles.  Yikes!  It seems to me that could take forever to finish.  Well, I guess we’ll see.

I left the apt just before 8am and quickly caught a bus to El Poblado.  I walked up Calle 7 arriving at Ganso y Castor at 8:20.  I had the acai berry bowl with Greek yogurt and 2 café con leches for 33,500, an expensive breakfast by Colombian standards.

At 10am we moved to Pergamino where I had another café con leche with an almond croissant.

About 11:30 they decided to take an Uber to Sabaneta but after screwing around for about 30 minutes they finally gave up and I called a taxi using Cabify.  At first it searched with a 5-minute maximum wait then it gave us the opportunity to wait for 5, 10, or 15 minutes.  I chose 15 minutes and a ride was 15 minutes away.  He came a long way to pick us up and it was a nice Uber quality car.  I got off at Calle 38 Sur and walked up the hill to downtown Envigado.

I made an ATM withdrawal then took a bus to La Buena Mesa where I returned to the apt.

Teresa had already left for the finca but she had forgotten to lock the door via the deadbolts.

I heard Kobe Bryant and his daughter died this morning in a helicopter crash in LA.

About 2pm I walked to Go Wings where I had their 6 piece chicken wing combo for 18,590 pesos and got their new phone number for home delivery.

I had a café con leche at Parva while solving a few Mate in 3 chess puzzles and reorganizing some of my Spanish notes.

Back at the apt I watched more episodes of the 2^nd season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime.

Teresa called me that she was going to mass in Caldas.  She finally returned about 9:15 and I gave up the TV so she could watch her Septima Dia program.

I traded a number of text messages with Alex who is having apt problems again.

Teresa told me the couple renting the new finca want to move in next weekend so she will have to go with them to a notary on Thursday or Friday to sign contracts.  I understand she is a veterinarian and he is a film producer.

8,154 steps today.

Joke of the day

Jennifer’s wedding day was fast approaching, and she was horrified to learn that her mother had bought the exact same dress for the wedding as her father’s young new wife.

Jennifer implored her stepmother to exchange hers, but she refused.  So Jennifer’s mother agreed to buy a different dress for the wedding.

“Are you going to return the other dress?” Jennifer asked.  “You really don’t have another occasion where you could wear it.”

Her mother smiled.  “Of course I do, dear.  I’m wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.”

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona with 3 Trazadona, went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night and Teresa woke me at 6:30.  I collected a urine sample, took my shower, dressed and we left the apt just after 7am.

We arrived at Cedimed on Calle 7 just before 7:30.  They took my urine sample and 3 tubes of blood for a variety of tests.  All this cost about 180mil but at least Teresa won’t have to call Nueve eps to see if they will cover all the tests or have to go to make an appointment for me.  I paid cash but I understand I could have paid with my debit card.

We went downstairs and outside to the Il Capuccino café where we had a snack with coffee.  I went across the street to make a withdrawal but the ATM seemed to be out of order.

We walked to Envios Market where I picked up my supplements from GNC for 10mil.

We took a bus to Mayorca arriving at 9:30, 30 minutes before the stores open.

At 10am we entered Puro Cuero and I measured the height of the table and chairs.  The measurement was the same as ours but there are still differences in detail, what we ordered is more finished than what was delivered.  I showed the salesrep a photo and she gave me their business card and asked me to send a photo via Whatsapp to the cellphone number on the card.

We had coffee and chocolate chip cookies at the De Lolita café for 13,200 (about $4).

Teresa did some shopping, bought a couple gym tops at Nike and we finally left about 1pm and took a taxi back to the apt.

Teresa tried calling Go Wings to order chicken wings then informed me they changed their phone number so she called Frisby instead.

One of the readers of my blog pointed me to Swanson Premium Brand full spectrum Calendula Flower (Marigold) 60 capsules.  I placed an order right away.  Right now I don’t know if it was the marigold flower that helped my back or the NSAID that was unlisted in the product but I guess I’ll soon find out.

I left the apt just before 3pm and walked to the mall.  At Cine Colombia I soon received a text from Glenn that James was tied up in San Antonio station and I should just buy 2 tickets.  I bought 2 seats for the platinum theater for 22,800 each.

Glenn showed up at 3:30, had a hot dog while waiting and had my platinum bucket filled with salted popcorn.

The seats were front row but they weren’t as umcomfortable as you might imagine because the chairs recline.  I enjoyed 1917 (8.6) quite a lot, best movie I’ve seen this year (so far).

After the movie we went downstairs to Todo Fresa where he had a chocolate latte and I had a mango juice.  We finally left at 7pm and I stopped at Exito to pick up milk on the way back to the apt.  

Teresa wasn’t there and I called her after I changed clothes and she invited me to go for pizza.  I was still feeling pretty full from the popcorn and I didn’t want to change clothes again so I declined.

Teresa returned about 9pm.

10,344 steps today.

Joke of the day

A park ranger was warning some hikers about bears.  “Brown bears are usually harmless,” he says.  “They avoid contact with humans, so we suggest you attach small bells to your backpacks to give the bears time to get out of your way.  However, grizzly bears are extremely dangerous.  If you see any grizzly droppings, leave the area immediately.”

“How do we know whether they’re grizzly-bear droppings?” asked a hiker.

“Easy,” replied the ranger.  “They’re full of small bells.”

Friday, January 24, 2020

Last night I took a whole Zopiclona and and went to bed at 10:45.  I woke up once about 5am, just catnapped after that finally getting up at 6am.

After breakfast I went back to bed and rested from 8am to 9:45 then watched the first hour of the Today show.

I kept waiting for Teresa to suggest we go downstairs to reorganize our storage area in the garage.

Among new US movie releases I would like to see The Last Full Measure (6.1).  Locally, I would like to see 1917 (8.6) playing tomorrow at 3:45.

After lunch she requested we wait 30 minutes, I guess to let our lunch settle.

Teresa talked to someone then informed me that she’s going to the finca on Sunday instead of Saturday.

We took a nap from 2:30 to 3:30.

Finally, about 4pm we went downstairs and spent an hour taking most everything out of the storage area and replacing it.  What takes up a lot of space are the empty boxes that she wants to keep for our next apt move.

After, I took another shower, changed into my jeans and walked to a nearby pharmacy where I bought a small container for a urine sample for less than 1 mil.  I stopped at the copy center to print out the papers to request a ballot for this year’s election.  I had a café con leche sitting outside Parva for about an hour then returned to the apt.

I measured the table and tomorrow we’re going to Mayorca to compare sizes.

I finished season 1 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

I finally finished watching Coco.  I started this animated film a couple months ago.  I only saw the first 30 minutes and every time after that when I inserted the DVD into the drive of my laptop it wouldn’t recognize it.  Today I tried for the last time and it finally worked so I finished it watching it.

4,368 steps today.

Joke of the day

I went to Bank of America to deposit a check, and they asked me for ID.  I said, “Are you telling me other people are trying to put money into my account and you’re telling them no?”

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Last night I took a whole Zopiclona and and went to bed at 10:45.  I woke up at 3:20, got up at 4am and took another half a Zopiclona but didn’t fall backa sleep until after 4:30, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

I left the apt at 9:15 and walked to the mall.  First I printed an Illinois federal ballot request and a copy of my blood work order.

In Exito I bought 2 500g bags of granola and walked to Todo Fresa.  I completed another set of chess puzzles – only 32 more to go – while having a café con leche for 4,300 pesos.

I paid for my coffee and made a trip to the restroom.  Coming out I found my sunglasses missing from its case.  It made sense to me I would have taken them off as soon as I entered the mall but I returned to the café first because it was closer.  A man told me the cashier had them.  I picked them up with “muchas gracias” all around and made a mental note not to set them down anywhere; better to temporarily fold them over my t-shirt or put them on my head.

I returned to the apt at 11:30 and Teresa returned 10 minutes later after her two exercise classes.

We got a call at 12:15 that the furniture guys are at the guardhouse.  Yay, much better that they arrive early.

It took quite a bit of time for them to assemble the glass table using a socket wrench with an extension.

Then when they charged it to my debit card it came up as insufficient funds.  I quickly transferred some cash from my savings account to my checking account.  Then they didn’t select pesos so there was a 3.5% additional fee.  It took them some time to cancel that transaction and figure out how to charge it to pesos, not dollars.  The difference was about $61 or 200mil; better in my pocket than theirs.

The table is beautiful but it seems a little high for the chairs.  Not too bad for me but for shorter people like MT and Esmeralda it may seem awkward.  I measured them and the table is 82cm high and the chairs 48 cm.  I wonder what the height is of the original table and chairs we saw in the showroom at Mayorca.

Another problem, Teresa kept a lot of the packing materials (cardboard & plastic) for the tables and chairs.  I’m not sure where she’s planning on storing all that since the garage storage area is full.

I left the apt at 2:45 and met Juan Carlos at Otra Parte.  We went over my games with Jose and he gave me some pointers in each.  He gave me a couple Mate in 2 and Mate in 3 puzzles to solve with 7 minute time limits.  He then set up some game positions and asked me some questions such as which player is better, which of my pieces is strongest, weakest and the same for my opponent, what will my opponent try to do and how can I restrict him.  He told me he won’t be playing in the Aeroflot tournament, something about his partner not having the money.

I left with an agreement that our next meeting will probably be Saturday, February 1^st when my brother goes to a beer festival in Medellin.

I had a café con leche in Parva while solving another set of chess puzzles.

Teresa wanted to move some things down to our storage area.  First I convinced her to take a look before bringing anything down.  It is filled with stuff for Christmas and from the finca.  I did finally convince her to throw out the old TV stand since we will probably be mounting it to a wall in the future.

In the evening, on the new table, I finished the 656 Mate in 2 puzzles and texted Carlos who asked me to leave my notebook with the doorman and then he sent me some Mate in 3 puzzles.

I watched another episode of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime.

9,236 steps today.

Joke of the day

Marathon runners in China were rewarded with a gift bag after the race.  One of the goodies was a fruit-flavored bar ensconced in its pretty English-language wrapper.  In fact, the Royal Orchard bars were fruit-perfumed soap.  According to the BBC, “Witnesses report many bars of soap, all with one bite missing, dumped on the roadside.”

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Last night I took half a Zopiclona and and went to bed at 10:45.  I got up several times during the night, took another half a Zopiclona at some point, was awakened by a calf cramp at 5:30 finally waking/getting up at 6:30.  My lower back is just slightly achier then yesterday.

We still have a little light rain and the high is only 65 where it’s usually 70 degrees by this time.

I called Yahoo and with great reluctance on their part, because they wanted me to pay for their support service, the rep finally led me through their instructions (help.yahoo.com) on how to change my interface from Spanish to English.

Teresa left at 8am for her gym classes.  I left about 9:30 and walked to the gym in a light rain.  I completed all my exercises in about an hour and 20 minutes.  I ran into Marcos and he said Rob had triple bypass heart surgery.  I wonder if his health insurance pays for most of that.

At 1:30 in the afternoon it was only 70 degrees.  Love it!

Teresa returned about 11:30 while I was watching Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime (1^st month free trial version).

Teresa informed me that the new furniture is supposed to be delivered tomorrow afternoon so I have to be here to make the final debit card payment.

I left the apt at 2:15 and met Juan at Parva a few minutes later.  We worked on my Spanish for a couple hours and he left.  We plan to meet again in 2 weeks for coffee with my brother.

I stayed another hour and solved another set of chess puzzles.

Back at the apt Teresa soon returned with 2 envelopes from the doorman.  They each contained what looked like the same Real Estate document, something about the apartment and June 17^th.  She also brought 2 Subway sandwiches that we had later for our dinner.

We watched a couple more episodes of You on Netflix.

6,385 steps today.

Joke of the day

Mrs. Dunn’s son, Timmy Dunn, had left Ireland for America, never to be heard from again.  She discovered that Mike O’Malley was leaving for America and asked Mike to look for Timmy and tell him to write to her.  Well, Mike looked for Tim everywhere he went, asking many a man whether he was Timmy Dunn, but to no avail.  Then one day in a men’s room, a man walked out of the stall.  Mike asked him, “Are you Dunn?”

The gentleman said, “Yes.”

Mike replied, “Well, why don’t you write to your mother?!”

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Last night I took half a Zopiclona and NO Trazadone and went to bed at 10:45.  Probably because of the hot oatmeal I had for dinner I got up at 1am, 3am, took another half Zopiclona and returned to bed, got up again at 5am, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.  

Despite all that I still felt pretty good and my lower back pain hasn’t returned.

I left the apt just before 8am with Teresa who was heading for downtown Medellin to pick up her cancer medicine for the month. 

I had the 10mil breakfast at Habia Una Vez and Jose showed up about 8:45.  We chatted a bit then went upstairs to the food court.

I had White in the first game and I played The London System.  On the 16^th move I missed an opportunity that would have had me up a knight with a superior position and I eventually resigned on the 63^rd move.

I had my usual BBQ chicken nuggets from Frisby and Jose had a burger.

After lunch I had the Black pieces and I didn’t play the Dutch Defense well and I resigned on the 27^th move.  Sigh!  After a 5-game winning streak I’ve now lost 2 in a row.

I went downstairs and had a café con leche in Todo Fresa.  Teresa called me and informed me that it was pouring outside aand that I should stay put.  I solved another set of chess puzzles and left the café.  At the mall entrance I could see it was pouring, our first rain in weeks, but I walked back to the apt anyway.  The streets were like creeks and I returned to the apt soaked from the knees down.  The rain was tapering off as I returned.

Teresa returned about an hour later.

The new renter of the finca is eager to move in so Teresa is going to have to go there this weekend, probably Saturday, to get things ready.

I finally talked her into seeing the first episode of You and now she’s hooked.  Now I only have to get her through the first season and a few episodes in the 2^nd and she’ll be caught up to me.

5,650 steps today.

Joke of the day

My wife caught me standing on the bathroom scale, sucking in my stomach.

She laughed and said, “That’s not going to help.”

“Sure it will,” I replied.  “It’s the only way I can see the numbers.”

Monday, January 20, 2020

Today is my 7^th anniversary here in Medellin.  Happy anniversary to me!  Okay, party’s over, back to work.

Last night I took half a Zopiclona with 3 Trazadone and went to bed at 10:45.  I got up once about 1am, took another half Zopiclona and returned to bed, got up again at 5am, finally waking/getting up at 7am.  I’m about ready to give up on the Trazadone.  I’ll ask my new doctor about it this afternoon.

Oh, I see today is Martin Luther King Day in the States.

Teresa left at 9:15 for a quick gym workout returning at 10:15.

We left the apt at 11:15 and arrived at Luz Naranjo’s office (Torre Salud y Servicios, Ciudad del Rio, Calle 19A #44-25, Officina 2401, (317) 620-4480)) by 11:40.  We were taken into her office about 12:10.

I gave her a list of the medications, vitamins and supplements I’m taking and a spreadsheet showing my blood work results for the past 15 years.

I asked about the Atorvastatina that I’m taking causing flatulence and she said it’s common with all high cholesterol drugs. 

She said I need to stop taking the Dololed (marigold flower) because it’s not as pure as they advertise; it contains an ingredient that is an anti-inflammatory drug that can damage the kidneys.  Yikes!  And she didn’t have any replacement which means I will soon be back to pain and weakness for the 1^st 90 minutes every day.

I asked for an English speaking doctor to check my hearing and and an English speaking Urologist.  She texted me the names of an Otolaryngologist (ear/nose/throat) named Dr. Ignacio (311 733-5995) and Urologists, Dra. Juana and Dr. Juan Carlos Castaño (315 572-0750).  She said I could use Whatsapp to contact the hearing doctor but Teresa would have to call the Urologist as their receptionist doesn’t speak English.

She checked my umbilical hernia and told me it isn’t deep and as long as it doesn’t get bigger and there isn’t any pain I’m okay for now.

I showed her my colonoscopy and endoscopy results from 2005 and since I have no family history of colon cancer I don’t need another one.

I mentioned the occasional arthritis in my wrist, thumb and hand.  I told her about my shoulder discomfort since September 2^nd and she checked its range of motion and told me not to lift anything heavy or raise my arm for exercises until it heals completely.

I mentioned my sleep problems due to my enlarged prostate and that I’ve tried Trazadona but it doesn’t seem to be helping so I’m going to stop taking it.  I mentioned my throat phlegm and nose congestion but she had no answer for that.  I also mentioned the strange sensation of hot air blowing on the inside of my left calf but she had no answer for that either.

She gave me a mini physical and noticed a slight swelling in my ankles so she wants my thyroid checked.

She wrote up a list of things to check for in a blood test and hopefully nueve eps will pay for it.  When I get the results I’m to text a copy to her.

The office visit only cost 100mil and we quickly caught a taxi back to La Buena Mesa where we had the menu of the day at Asados Rogelio.

We returned to the apt and at 2:30 I walked to Otra Parte and met Juan Castro for another chess lesson.  I learned that tonight he should find out if his team is going to the Aeroflot chess tournament in Moscow next month.  I understand he may be buying an apt in Sabaneta in September or October; he mentioned putting 20% down and paying the loan over 15 years.

After, I had a couple chess notes printed then stopped at Parva for a café con leche while solving another set of chess puzzles.

I returned to the apt about 6pm.

On the news, how timely, we heard that Dololed (marigold flower) contains an unlisted ingredient Diclofenaco (an NSAID) which can cause heart damage.  Well, that seems to confirm it.

I watched another episode of You on Netflix.

I don’t thing we even reached a high temp of 80 degrees today.  Until the weekend we’re supposed to have highs between 75 and 80 degrees, much cooler than usual.

5,212 steps today.

Joke of the day

During World War II, my father often found himself with KP duty.  One day, convinced he could improve things, he told the head cook, “If you give me a paring knife, I could peel these potatoes faster.”

The cook turned slowly to my father and said, “Son, you’re in the Army.  You have plenty of time.”