Saturday, August 29, 2020

 

Quarantine Day #164.

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, again at 4:30, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 5:30. I went back to bed at 6:30, fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 9am.

Last night I played 4 games on Chess.com, winning 3 and losing 1. In the first game I had white and I checkmated him on the 43^rd move. The computer evaluation was “Nice win. You were never in trouble.” In the second game I had black and played the Sicilian Defense. I was up a piece when I lost on time. The computer comment was “You fought back but not quickly enough.” In the third game I had white and my opponent resigned on the 23th move. Again the computer said “Nice win. You were never in trouble. In the last game I had white again and played the London System. It was a very interesting game. I blundered a pawn in the endgame but still won in 51 moves. The computer’s comment was “Nice comeback win.” My new rating is 1241.

I left the apt at 10am and returned at 11am. I ran into Juan Carlos on the way riding a bike. He said he plans to walk to El Salado next week after the quarantine ends. I asked how long a walk it is and he said 90 minutes. And that’s all uphill.

I filled out the info on fvap.com to request my ballot for the November 3^rd election.

Teresa left at 3pm to meet a girlfriend at SantaFe mall.

I talked to Jose and told him to save Tuesday, September 8^th to meet for chess. Restaurants are supposed to start opening on the 1^st and I will check out the food court at the mall to make certain that its open.

At 4:30 a heavy rain started.

Teresa returned at 7:30 with a burger and fries for me from El Corral.

President Duque announced the extension of the national health emergency until November 30 and the transition from compulsory isolation to selective isolation.

 

It wasn't always certain that we would make it to this point, and it's not certain how long we stay here. But on Saturday, at least for one night, we had college football. Central Arkansas defeated Austin Peay, 24-17 in the FCS Kickoff Classic at Cramton Bowl in the first game of the COVID-19 era.

 

As a new school year dawns, the demand for cheaper, faster and more accessible coronavirus testing is growing. But slow and sometimes erroneous test results and confusion over when and how to get tested continue to plague Americans as they wrestle with decisions about resuming their lives.

An abrupt government recommendation last week that fewer people get tested — while at the same time the Trump administration moved to purchase 150 million rapid tests — has made a disorganized testing regimen even murkier.

The controversy sparked by the revised standards and, separately, the fraught decisions about testing that confront local school officials and university administrators open a window onto the persistent problems dogging testing in the United States.

 

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll puts former Vice President Joe Biden at 47% to President Donald Trump's 40% among registered voters. The poll was taken partially during the Democratic National Convention and partially during the Republican National Convention.

 

The US has 5,878,827 ð 5,928,020 ð 5,973,992 coronavirus cases with 180,600+ ð 181,300+ ð 182,700+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 582,022 ð 590,520 ð 599,914 cases with 19,064 deaths.  Medellin has 43,966 ð 45,035 ð 45,794 cases, an increase of 754 from August 28^th to 29^th. Envigado has a total of 2,396 cases, an increase of 23 from August 28^th to 29^th. So new infections are decreasing for Colombia, Medellin and Envigado.

 

Joke of the day

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. In my billfold are a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure that with a $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry about anyone getting irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill.

Me: "Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to go." 
Server: "That'll be $1.04. Eat in?"
Me: "No, it's to go." At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of funny.

Server: "Uh, hang on a sec, I'll be right back."He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot. The following conversation occurs between the two of them:

Server: "Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?"
Manager: "No. A what?"
Server: "A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me."
Manager: "Ask for something else. There's no such thing as a $2 bill."
Server: "Yeah, thought so."
He comes back to me and says, "We don't take these. Do you have anything else?"
Me: "Just this fifty. You don't take $2 bills? Why?"
Server: "I don't know."
Me: "See here where it says legal tender?"
Server: "Yeah."
Me: "So, why won't you take it?"
Server: "Well, hang on a sec."

He goes back to his manager, who has been watching me like I'm a shoplifter, and says to him, "He says I have to take it."

Manager: "Doesn't he have anything else?"
Server: "Yeah, a fifty. I'll get it and you can open the safe and get change."
Manager: "I'm not opening the safe with him in here.
"Server: "What should I do?"
Manager: "Tell him to come back later when he has real money."
Server: "I can't tell him that! You tell him."
Manager: "Just tell him."
Server: "No way! This is weird. I'm going in back."
The manager approaches me and says, "I'm sorry, but we don't take big bills this time of night."
Me: "It's only seven o'clock! Well then, here's a two dollar bill."
Manager: "We don't take those, either."
Me: "Why not?"
Manager: "I think you know why."
Me: "No really... tell me why."
Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."
Me: "Excuse me?"
Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."
Me: "What on earth for?"
Manager: "Please, sir."
Me: "Uh, go ahead, call them."
Manager: "Would you please just leave?"
Me: "No."
Manager: "Fine -- have it your way then."
Me: "Hey, that's Burger King, isn't it?"

At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner. I have two people staring at me from the dining area, and I begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy comes in.

Guard: "Yeah, Mike, what's up?"
Manager (whispering): "This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny money."
Guard: "No kidding! What?"
Manager: "Get this... a two dollar bill."
Guard (incredulous): "Why would a guy fake a two dollar bill?"
Manager: "I don't know. He's kinda weird. He says the only other thing he has is a fifty."
Guard: "Oh, so the fifty's fake!"
Manager: "No, the two dollar bill is."
Guard: "Why would he fake a two dollar bill?"
Manager: "I don't know! Can you talk to him, and get him out of here?"
Guard: "Yeah."
Security Guard walks over to me and...
Guard: "Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you're trying to use."
Me: "Uh, no."
Guard: "Lemme see 'em."
Me: "Why?"
Guard: "Do you want me to get the cops in here?"

At this point I am ready to say, "Sure, please!" but I want to eat, so I say, "I'm just trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill."

I put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I'm taking a swing at him. He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands, and says, "Hey, Mike, what's wrong with this bill?"

Manager: "It's fake."
Guard: "It doesn't look fake to me."
Manager: "But it's a two dollar bill."
Guard: "Yeah... ?"
Manager: "Well, there's no such thing, is there?"

The security guard and I both look at him like he's an idiot, and it dawns on the guy that he has no clue.

So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon thingies, too.

This all made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff. If I got the right group of people, I could probably end up in jail. You get free food there, too!