Thursday, April 29, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up twice during the night, woke up at 6am and got up at 6:15.

This morning for the first time there wasn’t any blood in my urine.

Teresa left at 7:45 for her gym class and I left the apt at 8am in 65-degree weather. I met Glenn and Bianca at our usual bus stop. We took a taxi to Calle 11A and walked 2 blocks to Las Fabrykas bakery (Calle 12 #43B-32) where we had European style pastries and coffee. (Next time I want to try a danish or chocolate éclair.) We walked 2 blocks to Seré (Carrera 43B #11-84) where we had breakfast. Glenn had eggs, potatoes & toast and I had the oat granola with fruit. We both had another coffee and the bill with tip came to 48mil.

We left about 10:30 and shared a taxi back to Envigado.

Teresa returned at 11:15.

We left at 12:30 and caught a taxi to El Tesoro. Teresa had lunch in J&C Delicias  but I skipped it because I wasn’t hungry at the moment. After her 2pm appointment with Dr. Sierra she bought a purse for her mothers’ day present in Bimba y Lola. I tried on terry cloth bathrobes again in Clon Hadas. I thought the large size fit me perfectly but Teresa informed me that with a few washings it would shrink. I quickly googled it, found she was right, and bought the extra large for 217mil ($58).

I then had my lunch in J&C Delicias while Teresa went shopping in Zara. When I went to meet her she was sitting outside and told me they wouldn’t let her in because it wasn’t her pico y cedula day.

Troyclough resigned our game on the 46^th move moving my rating over 1500 for the first time to 1507. Now to work on staying there.

In the taxi on the way back to the apt the driver was playing American music from 106.9FM.

At 5:30, just before dark, Teresa informed me she needed a copy of one of her medical records in order to pick up her medicine tomorrow. I questioned the immediacy of it but she was adamant. I walked to Parque Envigado where I had 7 copies made of the single page (I understand the other 6 are for coming months.) I had forgotten to buy bottles of potassium and omega 3 yesterday so I stopped at the tienda naturista and bought them tonight.

Back in La Buena Mesa Parva was closed so I stopped at Los Portenos for a small coffee. I was back at the apt in time for the 7pm start of the NFL draft.

The Chicago Bears traded up from their #20 spot to the NY Giants’ #11 spot and drafted Ohio State QB Justin Fields. Woo hoo! Finally, the Bears have a quarterback. I just googled it and found the Bears gave up this years’ 1^st round and 5^th round picks, and their 2022 1^st round and 4^th round picks.

 

The US has 32,103,720 ð 32,203,090 ð 32,257,610 coronavirus cases with 571,700+ ð 573,000+ ð 573,900+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,804,881 ð 2,824,626 ð 2,841,934 cases with 72,235 ð 72,725 ð 73,230 deaths. Medellin has 260,496 ð 263,894  ð 265,564 cases, an increase of 1,670 from April 28^th to 29^th. Envigado has a total of 22,647 cases, an increase of 85 from April 28^th to 29^th.

Joke of the day

A man was telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art."

“Really," answered the neighbor. "What kind is it?"

"Twelve thirty."

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, woke up once at 4:45, woke up what I thought was a few minutes later and it was 6am, finally got up at 7am.

This morning my urine was red, again this is supposed to be normal.

I left the apt at 8:45 and walked to downtown Envigado where I purchased my monthly medications, printed some things at the copy center and exchanged books at the bookstore.

In Viva Envigado I made my first of the month (May) payments in Bancolombia then the apt payment in Av Villas. I was having coffee in Todo Fresa when Teresa called at 12:30. We had the menu of the day in La Bahia then returned to the mall. While she exchanged something at Puma I had another coffee at Todo Fresa. She joined me about half an hour later. She finished her coffee then we went into Exito. She bought some shampoo at Medipiel while I had something scanned to my memory drive at Auros. We picked up a few things in Exito then returned to the apt via taxi.

At 4pm the rain started and soon became a downpour. I think it stopped about 60-90 minutes later. Today I don’t think the high got close to 80 degrees.

I beat Teresa in parcheesi today 5 games to 2.

Looking closer at the paper they gave me after my biopsy it said “by ultrasound no lesions are observed in the peripheral prostate”. So I guess that’s a good thing.

 

The US has 32,103,720 ð 32,203,090  ð coronavirus cases with 571,400+  ð 571,700+ ð 573,000+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,787,303 ð 2,804,881 ð 2,824,626 cases with 71,799 ð 72,235 ð 72,725 deaths. Medellin has 259,025  ð 260,496 ð 263,894 cases, an increase of 1,634 from April 27^th to 28^th. Envigado has a total of 22,562 cases, an increase of 103 from April 26^th to 27^th.

Joke of the day

A woman went to her doctor’s clinic.  She was seen by one of the doctors, but after about 4 minutes in the examination room she burst out screaming and ran down the hall.

One of the younger doctors stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she explained.  He then had her sit down and relax in another room.

The younger doctor marched back to the first and demanded, “What’s the matter with you?  Mrs. Long is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she’s pregnant?”

The older doctor smiled as he continued to write on his clipboard.

“Cured her hiccups though, didn’t I?”

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Last night, this morning rather, I maybe slept an hour between 4 and 5am. Teresa got me up at 5:15. I took my shower right away and fittingly or not I noticed it was raining. I had another small bout of diarrhea just before leaving the apt at 6:30.

We quickly caught a taxi to Urogine in Torre Medica, El Tesoro mall. We went up to the 6^th floor where Teresa checked me in with my cedula and blood test results from the other day. I paid 603,000 pesos ($165) for the prostate biopsy. We took a seat in their waiting room with about a dozen others. From the name of the clinic and the sex of the patients it appears this clinic is for both urology & gynecology purposes. After waiting about 15 minutes I needed to relieve myself again but their restroom didn’t have toilet seats; you’d think this would be basic in a medical clinic. I returned to Teresa and five minutes later informed her I was going up to the 12^th floor (same floor as Dr. Rendon’s office) where I knew they had toilet seats. While doing my thing Teresa called me twice so I guess I was called in for my procedure but I was quite busy at the moment. When I returned I sat down and we were both concerned they might skip me. Teresa talked to a nurse and soon they called me and we went to the rear of the facility. A nurse showed us where I could change into a hospital gown. They had a private closet-like room with 3 small cabinets with locks. After I changed and gave Teresa the key I was led into the procedure room without Teresa. The nurse didn’t speak English but I figured out what to do – I faced the wall and assumed the fetal position. An English-speaking doctor came in and introduced himself and explained he would be injecting anesthetic as the probe was inserted. It was uncomfortable but not painful. Then he took 12 tissue samples. That was also uncomfortable but not painful but for the first one more than anything else I was a little startled. At one point after taking a sample I looked over my shoulder and saw the doctor hand something (a sample) to the nurse. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes. The doctor informed me that if I had a fever in the next week I should call my urologist. The nurse cleaned me (god bless nurses), gave me an injection in my butt and assisted me in getting off the table in case I felt dizzy. I changed back into my street clothes and left.

From when I went to bed last night until I returned to the apt I had a washcloth (so that’s what those things are for) in my underwear for protection. If I do it again I would wear one of those adult diapers to bed then again after the procedure.

We had breakfast at Santa Leña café in the mall. We were a little early for the 10am stores opening but Puma was open. I made a trip to the restroom and it seemed like I had a watery diarrhea. My urine is pink but I understand blood in my urine will be normal for a while. Teresa found a pair of workout leggings and top and then I requested we return post haste to the apt.

I was asked to maintain a bland diet for today so I just had chicken soup for lunch and supper. Tomorrow I can return to my normal diet.

In the evening I watched I See You again on Netflix with Teresa in Spanish with English subtitles.

 

The US has 32,070,058  ð 32,103,720 ð 32,203,090 coronavirus cases with 571,400+  ð 571,700+ ð 573,000+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,774,464  ð 2,787,303 ð 2,804,881 cases with 71,351  ð 71,799 ð 72,235 deaths. Medellin has 257,762 ð 259,025  ð 260,496 cases, an increase of 1,166 from April 25^th to 26^th. Envigado has a total of 22,311 cases, an increase of 58 from April 25^th to 26^th.

Joke of the day

My son asked me what it’s like to be married.  I told him to leave me alone and when he did I asked him why he’s ignoring me.

Monday, April 26, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 11, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3am, finally waking and getting up at 6am.

I double checked our pico y cedula schedule for this week in Medellin Guru and our time to go to the bank and grocery store is Wednesday. I guess that’s when I’ll make the usual beginning of the month payments.

I left the apt at 9:30 and walked to the copy center in downtown Parque Envigado. I knew I would be allowed inside this store but I was less certain about getting to Auros inside Viva Envigado Exito. I had some of our medical records printed then returned to La Buena Mesa where I had coffee at Parva while reviewing my blood test results.

I won a close game against Troyclough increasing my rating to 1499.

Teresa called and told me she would call me a little later and we would meet for lunch at Asados Rogelio.

I left the apt at 12:45 and met Teresa at the restaurant. She had the usual menu of the day and I had a bowl of lentil soup. She returned to the apt and I went to Parva for coffee. On the way I ran into Brit and we chatted for a bit. I left at 2:45 and looking over my shoulder I saw dark clouds approaching from the east. I returned just before the rain started but it didn’t last long or amount to much.

I watched I See You (6.8) on Netflix and thought it was good enough for Teresa to watch. I set it to Spanish with English subtitles and watched it again with her.

I beat Teresa in parcheesi today 4 games to 2.

At 6pm I had my last meal for the day – a bowl of chicken soup. At 7pm I drank 2 ½ glasses of the liquid which should give me the #%*&s. At 8pm Teresa gave me a tablet to take but I think from her expression she may have forgotten to give it to me earlier. At 9pm another 2 glasses of the same liquid as before. Between 10 and 10:15 the first bout of diarrhea started. Things had calmed down and Teresa went to bed at 11pm. I stayed up another hour to make sure everything really was calm. I went to bed but still got up a couple times during the night.

 

The US has 32,019,467 ð 32,070,058  ð 32,103,720 coronavirus cases with 570,700+ ð 571,400+  ð 571,700+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,757,274 ð 2,774,464  ð 2,787,303 cases with 70,886 ð 71,351  ð 71,799 deaths. Medellin has 257,762 ð 259,025  ð 260,496 cases, an increase of 1,166 from April 25^th to 26^th. Envigado has a total of 22,311 cases, an increase of 58 from April 25^th to 26^th.

Joke of the day

A man walks into a barber shop and says, “I’ll have a shoeshine and a shave.”

The barber lathers his face and sharpens the straight edge while a gorgeous woman kneels down and shines his shoes.

The man says, “Hi there. You know, you and I should spend some time together in a hotel room.”

She replies, “My husband wouldn’t like that.”

The man says, “Tell him you’re working overtime, and I’ll pay you the difference.”

She says, “You tell him.  He’s the one shaving you.”

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once 3am, finally waking at 6am and getting up at 6:30.

I finished watching Stowaway on Netflix then watched Love and Monsters. I tried a few other titles but didn’t find anything worthy of my time.

I lost a game to a guy named Rufat995 who’s a lot stronger than his 1390 rating.

Teresa and I both had a nap in the afternoon.

The weather here has consistently been with a high around 82 for the past few weeks with only occasional rain.

I beat Teresa in Parcheesi today 5 games to 2.

I watched most of I See You which I think Teresa might like. I’m going to finish it in English with subtitles then switch it to Spanish for her viewing.

 

The US has 31,994,570  ð 32,019,467 ð 32,070,058 coronavirus cases with 570,500+ ð 570,700+ ð 571,400+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,740,544 ð 2,757,274 ð 2,774,464 cases with 70,446 ð 70,886 ð 71,351 deaths. Medellin has 256,092 ð 257,762 ð 259,025 cases, an increase of 1,560 from April 24^th to 25^th. Envigado has a total of 22,252cases, an increase of 120 from April 24^th to 25^th.

Joke of the day

Sam goes into Macy’s, to the lingerie department, and says to the salesgirl, “My wife has sent me for a Jewish bra, size 34B, and she said you’d know what I meant.”

The salesgirl says, “Boy, it’s been a long time since anybody’s asked me for a Jewish bra.  They usually ask me for a Catholic bra, a Salvation Army bra, or a Presbyterian bra.

He says, “Well, what’s the difference?”

She says, “The Catholic bra supports the masses, the Salvation Army bra uplifts the downfallen, and the Presbyterian bra keeps them staunch and upright.”

He goes, “Well, then what about the Jewish bra?”

“Oh, a Jewish bra makes mountains out of molehills.”

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 8:15.

Teresa left at 10:15 to buy some medications for both of us at Pasteur in La Buena Mesa.

After lunch I took a nap for an hour and right after I got up Teresa went and took her nap.

Teresa beat me in parcheesi today 3 games to 2.

I was watching The Walking Dead (8.2) season 10 but lost interest so I started watching Stowaway (5.6) on Netflix.

Teresa wanted to order fried chicken tonight from Frisby so that would give me a chance to test whether my new debit card works with the Rappi app. I ordered the whole fried chicken which comes with 2 packages of fries and an order of cole slaw. I also ordered yucca sticks (officially croquetas de yuca frita) for Teresa. I thought it accepted my debit card but while waiting for the order I noticed it said effectivo (cash). I logged into my bank account to ensure I wasn’t double charged. I went down to the porteria and the food arrived about 5 minutes later. I gifted one of the French fry orders to the portero. Coming and going from the garage I saw the same couple walking on the grounds so apparently it’s okay to walk for exercise inside. One mistake in the order they gave us 2 packages of yucca sticks instead of one.

New infections here are still bad. I think I read that they closed the airport (I assume that just means for passenger travel) and medical professionals are still requesting a total lockdown. Our current weekend lockdown ends at 5am on Monday. Cine Colombia is supposed to reopen next Saturday. I’ve even seen their advertisements on Direct TV but with new infections increasing like they have been I doubt that’s going to happen. ☹

 

The US has 31,936,518 ð 31,994,570  ð 32,019,467 coronavirus cases with 569,600+ ð 570,500+ ð 570,700+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,720,619 ð 2,740,544 ð 2,757,274 cases with 70,026 ð 70,446 ð 70,886 deaths. Medellin has 254,008 ð 256,092 ð 257,762 cases, an increase of 1,670 from April 23^rd to 24^th. Envigado has a total of 22,132 cases, an increase of 82 from April 23^rd to 24^th.

Joke of the day

Employee: “Excuse me sir, may I talk to you?”

Boss: “Sure, come on in.  What can I do for you?”

Employee: “Well sir, as you know, I have been an employee of this prestigious firm for the past ten years.”

Boss: “Yes.”

Employee: “I won’t beat around the bush.  Sir, I would like a raise.  I currently have four companies after me and so I decided to talk to you first.”

Boss: “A raise?  I would love to give you a raise, but this is just not the right time.”

Employee: “I understand your position, and I know that the current economic downturn has had a negative impact on sales, but you must also take into consideration my hard work, pro-activeness and loyalty to this company for over a decade.”

Boss: “Taking into account these factors and considering that I don’t want to start a brain-drain, I’m willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time.  How does that sound?”

Employee: “Great!  It’s a deal!  Thank you, sir!”

Boss: “Before you go, just out of curiosity, what companies were after you?”

Employee: “Oh, the electric company, gas company, water company and the mortgage company.”

Friday, April 23, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 2am, was awakened about 5:15 by some strange “clicking” sound, Teresa got up at 5:30 and I followed 5 minutes later. I checked her side of the bed then the closets for the source of the sound and I finally realized it was outside. Teresa told me she was awakened by the same sound. She thought it was a bird and I thought it was some type of insect. It finally stopped and we returned to bed at 6am, I quickly fell asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

We left the apt at 9:30 and arrived at Torre Medica, El Tesoro 10 minutes before my 10am appointment. (Because of the lockdown there was very little traffic.) I was allowed in to see Dr. Botero at 11am. I got a rectal exam, some topical cream for my *#*#$ and an order for a prostate biopsy. (There was some discussion of using Nueva eps but Teresa decided that was too slow.) The consultation was 230mil. We went down to the 5^th floor where I paid 70mil for a blood draw which I assume was for another PSA test. On the 6^th floor at SynLab we made an appointment for my prostate biopsy for next Tuesday at 7:30am. The prostate biopsy will be 603,000 and I understand I can pay with my debit card.

In the mall itself all the stores were closed. We went up to J&C Delicias but weren’t allowed to enter; I’m guessing they are only open for takeout orders. Juan Valdez was open but without any seating. Teresa ordered a chicken pastry with coffee and I a palito de queso with coffee. We walked around the corner to some open seating where we scarfed down our snacks so security wouldn’t catch us.

Outside Carulla I saw a sign that odds like us (‘7’) can enter today and Sunday. Inside I wanted to print some things at the copy center but it was closed - like gutted. That makes 2 of the 4 copy centers I’ve used in the past that are not closed permanently.

We quickly caught a taxi back to the apt in a light drizzle and because of light traffic we took Avenida Poblado for the first time in weeks.

I beat Teresa in parcheesi today 3 games to 2. I tried the popcorn my daughter sent us and the cheese corn was a little stale but the caramel corn was still good. Teresa said she preferred the former over the latter because it wasn’t so sweet. After eating a little more she suggested gifting the cheese corn to the porteros.

Teresa wanted to order burgers from McDonald’s which would give me a chance to try out my new iFood app I installed this week. I couldn’t get it to accept my debit card so I had to use cash. I received a notice 10 minutes later that my order would be delivered in 1 minute. I hustled down to the porteria but it didn’t show up until 15 minutes later. I asked the delivery guy if there was a problem and he said “yes” but I didn’t understand any of the rest of his explanation. Teresa enjoyed her crispy chicken sandwich, finally with cheese and I enjoyed a quarter pound cheese melt burger.

 

The US has 31,821,943 ð 31,936,518 ð 31,994,570 coronavirus cases with 568,100+ ð 569,600+ ð 570,500+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,701,313 ð 2,720,619 ð 2,740,544 cases with 69,596 ð 70,026 ð 70,446 deaths. Medellin has 252,042 ð 254,008 ð 256,092 cases, an increase of 2,067 from April 22^nd to 23^rd. Envigado has a total of 22,050 cases, an increase of 128 from April 22^nd to 23^rd.

Joke of the day

Way to spoil the surprise, Spanish exclamation points.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4:30, catnapped after that, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Teresa left at 7:45 for her gym class.

I left at 8am and met Glenn and Bianca at the usual bus stop. We took a taxi north on Avenida Poblado and got off at Calle 11. We crossed Avenida Poblado and walked a block west then north to café Seré. A new acquaintance of Glenn’s soon showed up. His name is Steve and he’s from Panama (originally North Carolina) and has had an apt near Aguacatala station for the past 2 years. I had the French toast which, though it looked the same as Ganso y Castor, was actually soft enough to eat.

I received a call from my urologist’s receptionist and I actually understood she wanted me to come tomorrow at 10am.

Steve left, we paid our bill, and we walked a couple blocks away to a new bakery called La Fabrykas at Calle 12 #43B-32.  As a European style bakery they had a few pastries not normally found in a Colombian café. I had their pan de manzana (apple) and Glenn had their pan de amapola (poppy seed). One problem for the future is they are closed on Sundays.

We left just after 11am and returned to Envigado.

The afternoon news reported that Medellin ICUs are at 99% occupancy. I wouldn’t be surprised if we are put under total lockdown until new infections decrease. In Medellin every 4th Covid-19 test is positive.

I had a 2-hour chess lesson with Juan Castro.

I beat Teresa in parcheesi today 4 games to 2.

 

The US has 31,811,249 ð 31,821,943 ð 31,936,518 coronavirus cases with 567,900+ ð 568,100+ ð 569,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 2,684,101 ð 2,701,313 ð 2,720,619 cases with 69,177 ð 69,596 ð 70,026 deaths. Medellin has 250,058 ð 252,042 ð 254,008 cases, an increase of 1,966 from April 21^st to 22^nd. Envigado has a total of 21,928 cases, an increase of 276 from April 21^st to 22^nd.

Joke of the day

An elderly farmer had an old bull that lost its usual desire and no longer went near the cows.  The farmer called the vet, who prescribed a pill to stimulate the bull’s interest.

A few weeks later, the farmer ran into a friend, who asked, “How’s that bull?”

“Great!” said the farmer.  “The bull is back to his former frisky self.”

“That’s fantastic.  What miracle drug did the vet prescribe?”

“I don’t know,” said the farmer.  “But it tastes like licorice.”