Monday, November 29, 2021

Recovery Day #157!

Today is Cyber Monday.

Last night I went to bed at 11pm and didn’t get up until 5am. I did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 6am.

Today I put on one of the moderate absorption ADs to see how that would work. I could always change in the afternoon if necessary.

I left the apt just after 9am and walked to Deborah Arango Biblioteca (library) arriving 20 minutes later. I went up to the 2^nd floor where I saw a short line leading inside. I inquired if this was for vaccinations and was told to go to the other side. I did and saw a very long line. I went to the head of the line and asked the guy in charge if this is where I get my 3^rd vaccination. Surprisingly, he invited me inside. Why didn’t I have to wait in line with the others? Because I’m old? Because I’m a foreigner? Because I asked for the booster shot? Inside there were 6 rows of 8 chairs each. A man asked for my vaccination card and he copied some info from it to another form then asked me to take a seat. 

A young lady was calling out names and having them line up in front of 3 operators with laptops. I realized too late I could probably have calculated what my wait time would be as I guess everyone seated would be called before me and I could see how many were called in each wave. For Teresa I inquired what time they open in the morning and was told 8:30. Anyway, it was about an hour wait. It was fun to see the young lady stumble over the pronunciation of my name. When it was my turn I gave the spelling of my name and my cellphone number. I then moved to the next station where I finally got my shot and was allowed to leave 5-10 minutes later. The entire process (without having to wait in the long line) took 90 minutes.

As I left the library Teresa called asking where I was. She was just leaving the apt and we agreed to meet in Viva Envigado. I was waiting for her in Todo Fresa to see what she wanted to do first. We went upstairs to a specialty store that I told her they had here, not just in El Tesoro. She didn’t like what she found so on to plan B. She bought some kind of skin cream in one of the stores. I noticed a water fountain in the wing towards the metro. I knew there is one by the main entrance but this must be new.

I made a withdrawal from a Davivienda ATM. They now have filled the previous empty space with a 3^rd machine.

We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles. She had a salad and I had a turkey pita sandwich. She checked a number of other stores and finally bought some other type o skin cream.

She left to get her nails done in Parque Envigado and I went to Todo Fresa for coffee.

There was a problem with our van scheduled for tomorrow. As I understand the driver requested copies of our cedulas and Teresa didn’t want to comply. After much back and forth, I ended up cancelling the van and putting it all on Teresa for tomorrow. I think she’s going to use 2 taxis from the airport.

I returned to the apt at 4pm and water was still out.

My arm is sore from the Moderna shot.

It was still out at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, finally came back on at 7:20pm.

 

I really didn’t have any problem with the moderate absorption AD so I think I can stop buying the ultra-absorption ones.

I just remembered I have to pick up my new cedula on Wednesday.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 85,432 ð 83,365 ð 80,684 new cases and 955 ð 961 ð 884 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,620 ð 2,196 ð 1,975 new cases with 51 ð 43 ð 36 new deaths. Medellin has NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED ð 329 new cases from November 28^th to 29^th. Envigado has NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED  ð 18 new cases from November 28^th to 29^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

I don’t need fashion. Fashion needs me.

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Recovery Day #156!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3am, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 3:30, did some work on the computer, went back to bed at 4:15, took a while to fall back asleep, woke up at 6:30, made another trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 7am.

I found a mate in 5 against 1335 rated zaginyaki252 from the Philippines raising my rating 1 point to 1615.

I have the Black pieces in my other 3 games, 2 with higher rated opponents, and I may be losing them all. I’ll hang on and see if I can get a draw or two out of them.

I finally figured out how to set my notebook news feed to English.

Translated from a Metropolitan Area newsletter I receive by email:

The Metropolitan Area of Valle de Aburrá and the Metro de Medellín joined by means of an inter-administrative agreement to provide free internet service in nine stations of the mass transportation system, which would become a reality before the end of the first half of 2022. Through the inter-administrative agreement, which will allow the free use of Wi-Fi in some stations of the Medellín Metro, both entities will invest about $ 2.7 billion.

Squirrels here are red, unlike the brown and gray squirrels in the US. This one was at face height in some bushes had by the time I got my cellphone out and ready for a photo it had moved away a little and was on the ground.

Glenn, with Bianca, and I had our usual breakfast at Hija Mia in the Manila Barrio of Poblado. I gave an English-speaking waitress my last crisp new $2 bill, compliments of my brother, to put in their tip jar for good luck. I told him about my side trip to Love In Waffle, my meetings with John and Peter, Bryan and Mike, and that the new California Buffet is now open. He’s not interested in it so I’ll go there sometime on my own and check it out. Since Teresa will spend the day in El Tesoro we made plans to meet for lunch.

I stopped across the street and took some photos of Danny’s (of Na Pizza) new ice cream parlor, Sugar Mamas.

We took a taxi back to Envigado and they got out at Jumbo and I went on to Viva Envigado where I bought a tube of Colgate travel toothpaste and a 6-back of small Cokes before returning to the apt by taxi.

I left again at 1:45 and Glenn and I took a taxi to Parque Poblado. We walked the last block to Philly Steaks where we each had a burger and fries. Bryan and Mike were there and I gave them my business card with my phone number and email address. They had NFL games on large screen TVs inside and outside the restaurant. I was helping Glenn with Google Maps to find a store selling Azian ingredients in Envigado when I noticed a Pizza Americana at Carrera 38 #38A Sur-20. Before this the closest location I was aware of was in Itagui. Now this is almost walking distance from Parque Envigado. I see it opens at noon on Saturdays and Sundays.

Back at Avenida Poblado we quickly caught a taxi back to Envigado. They got out just before Sao Paulo plaza and I had to endure the congestion through the construction area. Because there weren’t any traffic police cars would get caught in the intersection so when the light changed the other direction could get through.

Teresa informed me we won’t have running water tomorrow from 9am to 3pm.

Wow, that’s something like 2 days without rain.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 87,195 ð 85,432 ð 83,365 new cases and 1,013 ð 955 ð 961 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,660  ð 2,620 ð 2,196 new cases with 53 ð 51 ð 43 new deaths. Medellin has 332 ð NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED  new cases from November 27^th to 28^th. Envigado has 22 ð NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED new cases from November 27^th to 28^th. It appears they are only reporting on cases for the entire Aburá valley.

 

T-shirt of the day

No pants club.

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Recovery Day #155!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 2:15, woke up at 6:45, made another trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 7am.

I had made plans to meet John for coffee at 9am. At the last-minute Teresa asks me to make a copy of her blood test request. I did the best I could do, I took a photo of it, emailed it to myself, and I’ll copy to my USB drive. Luckily, I received an email from John that he’s bringing a friend Peter from Chicago and they’ll be a little late, like 9:15-9:30.

I left the apt just after 9am and on the way my iPod gave out again. I think the cause may be the frayed cord on my earbuds. I arrived at Habia Una Vez just before 9:30. They had already finished a small coffee in the café but I convinced them to move to Todo Fresa. They agreed that the coffee was much better than Habia Una Vez. John lives alone in Sabaneta and Peter has a Colombian wife and they live in La Estrella. John has a car and Peter uses an electric scooter. They gave me some pointers regarding my leaky toilet and my faulty on-demand water heater. John had his prostate removed and was incontinent for only 2 months. Sometimes he starts to leak a little and has to resume his Kegel exercises. His PSA tests started out like mine at <0.01 but then went up and he had to start radiation treatments.

They left after about 90 minutes, and I went up the 3^rd floor for a much-needed haircut.

     Viva Envigado's Christmas tree as seen from the 3rd floor.

I waited 10 minutes for Daniel and explained that John didn’t cut the top like I asked. For the first time he asked if I wanted him to use wax to remove my nose hairs. I told him, “why not, let’s try it”. After my usual fancy haircut he put wax on a long cotton swab and put it in my right nostril. I thought, at least I can breathe with the left one. Then he put one in my left nostril and I was glad I could breathe through my mouth. Lol. A minute or two later he yanked both of them out, “whoa”, was my thought. Then he told me he needed to do it again so we did. That was interesting. Now I know why women don’t have nose hairs; it’s probably a normal part of their trip to the beauty salon. That experience cost me 100mil and I tipped Daniel 10mil.

In Exito I looked for what the doctor recommended I switch to from the ADs but was unsuccessful. I’ll ask Teresa for help. I bought 3 bags of milk, 6 apples, and a bag of trout for Teresa and returned to the apt by taxi.

Finally, Chess.com paired me with a stronger player Chief523 with a rating of 1675. Interestingly, he’s playing the Dutch Defense against my London System. It’s a good game but I think I’ve got a good attack going against his king. Oops, I’ve got a good attack going but I’ve got a couple pieces hanging. Wow, I managed to deflect a rook and capture his Queen and he resigned on the 29^th move increasing my rating 9 points to an all-time high of 1614.

I left the apt at 2:30 and walked to Parva where I had a café con leche and read some more of my new chess book. I finally think I may have found a good one. One the way back I took a side street to look into the new Love In Waffle restaurant. Whoa, it’s much larger and more involved than the other location. They have a number of gaming tables, I mean like Nintendo and Sonic the Hedgehog. Also, what looks like electronic jukeboxes. I guess it’s aimed mostly for kids but I think they have some menu items, like pizza and burgers, that might appeal to adults, probably parents.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 96,271 ð 87,195 ð 85,432 new cases and 1,427 ð 1,013 ð 955 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,520 ð 2,660  ð 2,620 new cases with 48 ð53 ð 51 new deaths. Medellin has 351 ð332 ð NOT REPORTED  new cases from November 26^th to 27^th. Envigado has 15 ð22 ð NOT REPORTED new cases from November 26^th to 27^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

We are all in this together.

Friday, November 26, 2021

Happy Black Friday!

Recovery Day #154!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6am, made another trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises, fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7:45.

We left the apt at 9:15 and took a Didi car to Torre Medica in El Tesoro. Teresa went to her appointment with her breast surgeon and I went to see my urologist. I noticed several women waiting to see him. I googled why women would see a urologist and I learned it was for the same reason I was there, for treatment of urinary incontinence. Glenn texted me he had a 35-minute wait for his 8:40am appointment and my wait turned out to be the same. I gave Dr. Castaño my physiotherapy report and my PSA result. He told me my PSA result of < 0.01 means there is no evidence of cancer in my body. He told me my urinary incontinence should be 100% better in a month. He recommended I start using pads (I forget what they are called in the store) instead of the pants (diapers) and I can start wearing regular underwear again (we’ll see about that). I paid 230mil for the visit and met Teresa downstairs by the O’Cake café.

Her doctor told her that everything is going well.

She did some clothing exchanges in Zara while I waited on a nearby couch.

One of the two chess games I was worried about I now have a clear advantage and a certain win. The one I was worried about I made a move that threatened checkmate and taking his Queen and he resigned. I believe my analysis said he had a move to threaten my Queen and I would only gain a pawn but I guess either he didn’t see it or my move was stronger than I thought. We’ll see what the computer says. My rating is now 1605.

When she returned Vicky was with her. They went into a few other stores and Teresa bought a few pairs of socks for 11,820.

We had lunch at Natto Bowls and Vicky paid. I think this was the first time she’s been there. At 12:30 a short rainstorm came through which lowered the temperature a bit. This is their dyi drink – it looks like lemon juice mixed with carbonated water.

(Btw, Colombia’s lemons are our limes.)

They did some more shopping and Teresa bought a sexy blouse and jacket in Manitu for 495,984 ($130). (Whenever she enters that store it costs me money. Lol)

We had frozen yogurt in Persimon and they shopped a bit more. I looked for a Didi car on their app but no luck. Vicky left and I took a number at the taxi stand. It ended up being a 40-minute wait for a taxi. On the way to our apt in bumper-to-bumper traffic I saw 4 chickens run across the road. (Why did the chicken(s) cross the road? I really couldn’t tell.)

The first game in the World Championship chess match in Dubai between Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia ended in a 40+ move draw by repetition.

In heavy traffic what should have taken 20 minutes instead took 1 hour and 5 minutes to return to the apt. I gave the driver 20mil for the 18,400 peso ride.

Teresa tried on a blouse from Zara and it’s a size too small but she thinks she can exchange it in Santafe mall. (I’m not eager to return to El Tesoro unless there’s a doctor’s appointment involved.) The blouse from Manitu she doesn’t like so she will be returning that.

I can see now in that game I won that my opponent first captured my rook then saw I had mate in 1 and resigned. And the computer confirmed my last move, that I thought might be questionable, would actually give me a 2.5-point advantage so it was a good move.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 95,481 ð 96,271 ð 87,195 new cases and 1,425 ð1,427 ð 1,013 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,478 ð2,520 ð 2,660 new cases with 50 ð48 ð53 new deaths. Medellin has 258 ð351 ð332 new cases from November 25^th to 26^th. Envigado has 28 ð15 ð22 new cases from November 25^th to 26^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

Adulting!?

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving!

Recovery Day #153!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6:30, made another trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises, fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 8:30.

The Bears game was going to start at 12:30 and our Thanksgiving reservations at Philly Steaks is at 4:30 so I asked Teresa to make a simple salad to eat at noon. Well, it was a salad and ham slices that she served at 12:45.

At 1:15 a drizzle started that soon turned into a downpour. Sigh!

I watched the Bears defeat the Detroit Lions in the last second 16-14.

I was making my last trip to the toilet before leaving when it stopped working again. I fixed it more permanently this time so I think it will be a long time before it comes undone again.

I ordered a Didi car and the app said the driver’s name was Nataly. Well, we have female driver for a change. We left the apt at 4pm and when I got in I saw a guy, so Nataly is a masculine name here? I checked my phone and saw a photo of Nataly, the driver explained she’s his sister. He took us to Parque Poblado for 8,754 and I gave him 10mil. One of the waitresses at Philly Steaks seated us at an umbrella table outside.

That's Teresa seated at the nearest table. Being on her cellphone she didn't even notice I was taking photos.

When they brought my plate they didn’t bring silverware so my food just got colder in the minute it took me to flag them down and for them to bring it.

The green beans were warm, not hot, but everything else was cold. Don’t they have a microwave?

Teresa pointed out Danny of Na Pizza seated at a nearby table. I hadn’t noticed him because others were in the way.

We had just finished eating when two gringos were seated at the next table. Bryan was from Florida and Mike from North Dakota. They have visited for several weeks over the past few years. They were talking about buying an apt nearby and taking turns using it during the year.

I ordered a Didi car and was quoted 12mil because of high demand and we left about 5:45. Traffic was horrible and it took almost an hour to return and the app changed the cost to 19,746. I gave the driver 20mil intending it to be a nice tip but ended up barely covering the additional cost.

The app said, “Your final trip fare has been updated due to a change in route or time.”:

$2.787 – Base Fare

$3.430 – Distance Rate (5km)

$7.080 - Time Rate (59 minutes)

$5.319 – Surge Price (Capped at $28.454)

$1.130 - Booking Fee

$19.746 – Total (Cash)

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 95,152  ð 95,481 ð 96,271 new cases and 1,418  ð 1,425 ð1,427 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,194  ð 2,478 ð2,520 new cases with 45  ð 50 ð48 new deaths. Medellin has 424  ð 258 ð351 new cases from November 23^rd to 24^th. Envigado has 6  ð 28 ð15 new cases from November 23^rd to 24^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

This is my Halloween costume.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Recovery Day #152!

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up once at 2am, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

TheGreekLad’s vacation ends tonight but I’m expecting he will just lose on time.

Teresa and I left the apt together and walked to the mall. She went on to her gym class and I stopped in Auros where I printed 2 copies of my digital visa and used the ATM to make a little withdrawal so now I’ve got some small bills.

I caught a taxi outside and arrived at the Immigration office at 10am, 30 minutes early. There were dozens of people milling about and another dozen lined up along the wall outside the entrance. I noticed someone show their papers to the guard so I did the same and was invited inside. I could tell there were only about 4 people ahead of me. When it was my turn I presented my papers and my passport, he had me write down my address, phone number and email address, he stamped something, and I was told to take another seat. Another man called me up and I gave him my papers, paid 206mil ($54) and again took a seat. He soon called me again, gave me back my passport and told me to return in a week to collect my new cedula. ☹ The whole process took about 30 minutes.

Outside I was waiting at the curb for a taxi when a man told me to go to the end of the street. I could see it was a little busier than the other location but after a minute I saw a busier street 2 short blocks away. On my way there I saw a taxi parked on the street and 2 men standing nearby drinking tintos (small, cheap coffees). I asked if the taxi was available and the one who had almost finished his coffee invited me in and drove me to Arkadia mall. At the traffic circle I noticed a Pizza American across the street from the mall.

I took an escalator downstairs and walked down to the other side of the mall and entered Santa Leña where I had a café con leche and killed some time until lunch hour. I googled Pizza Americana and learned it doesn’t open until 4pm. ☹

I left about noon and went up to the 4^th floor to Crepes & Waffles. I was asked to show proof of being vaccinated – first time since the new decree.

I had chicken in a bread bowl with a glass of water.

I removed my Master Card from my iFood app.

This is a view of Medellin from Crepes & Waffles in Arakadia.

When I left and was walking past a children’s video game room I noticed a Space Invaders game. It had a large screen with two seats in front with controllers.

Outside I was soon in a taxi back to the apt.

Teresa called me and introduced me to John of NY & Pennsylvania now living in Sabaneta. We exchanged contact information and we’re going to meet for coffee Saturday morning.

Teresa called me back and we’re going out for pizza later.

She called me back at 6pm and I changed clothes and left a few minutes later. I walked to MT’s apt in a light rain that was a heavier rain by the time I arrived 20 minutes later. They came down and then we waited 10 minutes for a taxi. Finally we gave up and walked two blocks to Calle 27Sur where we soon caught a taxi. On a cold and wet night there was no wait to enter Antica Pizza.

We each had a slice and MT had a Mr. Tea for 39mil. We walked down the street and soon caught at taxi back to our respective apts.

TheGreekLad’s time ran out and Chess.com asked me if I wanted to claim the win. Well, yeah, after waiting for months, yes I will take the win. I gained 1 point and my rating is now exactly 1600. Whoo!

On page 125 of 721 of Web Griggin’s paperback Under Fire – just too wordy and I started losing track of the characters.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 95,152  ð 95,481 ð 96,271 new cases and 1,418  ð 1,425 ð1,427 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,194  ð 2,478 ð2,520 new cases with 45  ð 50 ð48 new deaths. Medellin has 424  ð 258 ð351 new cases from November 23^rd to 24^th. Envigado has 6  ð 28 ð15 new cases from November 23^rd to 24^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

Tomboy USA.