Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Last night I took my usual pills and went to bed at 9:30. I fell asleep quickly and got up twice during the night. Teresa woke me up at 6:30am, I made a trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises and got up for the day.

After breakfast I returned to bed for a 30-minute nap.

Teresa left at 9am for her gym classes in Viva Envigado.

I left the apt at 9:15 and walked to Huevo Mundo hoping to find Te Badia. They had Badia spices, but not tea and they had tea but not the Badia brand.

I went to Parva where I had a café con leche and played a few games of online speed chess. Britt came in and we had a long conversation. He’s originally from Atlanta, first sold copy machines then was in real estate. He is divorced from a Puerto Rican woman and has sole custody of his 11 years old son.

I left about 1:30 and had a ham and cheese sandwich in Los Portenos and played a few more games of speed chess.

I left there about 5pm and bought a couple bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

Teresa told me Comfama isn’t giving vaccinations any longer so she’s going to have to search for another location.

Teresa told me her friend whose husband died of brain cancer doesn’t have any food so we’re going to bring her some tomorrow.

 

Funny pix of the day

Monday, August 29, 2022

Last night I took my usual pills and went to bed at 10pm. I fell asleep pretty quickly and got up once during the night. I think it rained all night. I woke up at 5am, made a trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises then catnapped until getting up at 7:30.

Teresa asked me why the mixer suddenly doesn’t work and pointed to a small light on the power outlet. I tried the toaster and it didn’t work either. I pressed the button on the GFI and everything was working again and I explained how these are common in kitchens and bathrooms for our protection.

I had just gotten out of the shower when Teresa informed me she couldn’t open her closet door. (Background: every bedroom and closet door has a simple lock (no deadbolt) with keys in it.) It didn’t open and the “cylinder” appeared to be pulled out a bit. Nothing either of us could do could open it. I suggested she call the portero and ask for a locksmith. She called and a security guard I’ve never seen before soon arrived and he tried with no better luck. Again, I suggested we get a professional locksmith. Time is a little tight as she has a 1:20pm doctor’s appointment and the medical records she needs are in the locked closet. I told her to stop fiddling with it as she could make things worse as she already broken off two small pieces of metal from somewhere.

A professional locksmith from Damm Llaves (301 458 1209) soon arrived

and in the end used large vice grips to pull the handle off. For a total of 250mil ($60) he put on a new handle with lock. Tragedy averted! I was impressed by how quickly it all went. Of course, Teresa had to remind me of the time in the old apt when I got locked in my own bathroom. 😊

We left the apt at 12:15 and took a Didi to Clinica Medellin on Calle 7 where we had a delicious but simple lunch at Boulevard Café.

Lentil soup, salad (I chose cole slaw), chicken in a mustard sauce with cilantro rice and a fresh glass of sopacon juice, all for $5 each.

We went next door to Clinica Medellin where Teresa got a mammography for about $25. From there we took a taxi to El Tesoro mall.

Teresa did some shopping while I tried to find the Samsonite store. At one point she was in a jewelry store and Google Maps or whatever I was using told me the store was 40’ away but I couldn’t see it. Teresa was very interested in a tiny pair of emerald and diamond earrings for at least $500 and I told her she could have them as her Christmas present. (Hopefully they will be on sale.)

In another store she was looking at a black coverup and I asked why she needed another one since she just bought a white one. When Jeannie was here with Jacob they came with backpacks and carry-ons and Teresa and I talked about just taking carry-ons for our week in Punta Cana. I tried to remind her about how little space she will have in a carry-on. We had Greek yogurt ice cream with some fixings in Percimon. As we passed through the last section of the mall before leaving I spotted the Casa de Samsonite store. (It is 40’ from where I was before, it was just on another level.) Inside, I showed Teresa the inside of a carry-on and she finally realized it was too small. I guess we’ll be going with a medium suitcase to share or one for each of us. They had lots of American Tourister and Samsonite brand suitcases, most for over a million pesos each. I told Teresa I would order one from the US just to get her out of the store then I told her I could order one from Colombia’s Samsonite website.

We had about a 20-minute wait before returning to the apt by taxi for 16mil.

 

Funny pix of the day

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Last night I took my usual pills and went to bed at 10pm. I fell asleep pretty quickly and got up twice during the night. I woke up at 6:15, did my Kegel exercises and got up just before 7am.

To Jackal1970: “Those who live in the past are doomed to repeat it.” Or something like that. 😊

Teresa informed me she wouldn’t be joining me for breakfast. I texted Glenn but he said he had made other plans.

I left the apt at 8am and on my way to La Buena Mesa I noticed some fence pieces setup near side streets. I walked to Ganso y Castor where I tried their Pancakes con Nutella & Banano. They were a little dry but made much better with their maple syrup. The total check with 2 lattes was 48mil ($12).

I stopped at Pasteur pharmacy to pick up something for Teresa but they were closed.

I had a café con leche at Parva, read some from my American Chess magazine then played a few games of speed chess.

Teresa called me at 11:30 just as I was ready to leave. She told me not to come back to the apt because the street was full of motorcycles. She asked me to go to the mall and pick up chicken and return to the apt. As I approached Calle 30 I could see the side street closed off with a barricade and crowds of people on the side of the street and hear motorcycles go by. I managed to cross the street when I saw a gap in motos but by the time I got out my cellphone, turned it on, keyed in my pin, selected the camera app and set it to video I only caught the very end of the parade.

With my brother’s help I’m shopping for a medium spinner molded suitcase, hopefully a Samsonite, for my September 2023 trip to the US. Teresa and I have also discussed getting carry-ons for our trip to the Dominican Republic this October.

At 12:15 I ordered a whole fried chicken from Frisby and it arrived at 1:15.

++++++ Typical conversation with Teresa +++++++++

Teresa (after listening to something on Youtube): Should we get one of those blood pressure monitors?

Me: Do you have blood pressure problem?

Teresa: No.

Me: Neither do I, so no.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++ Later +++++++++++++++

Teresa: What’s the name of that big lake in Chicago?

Me: Lake Michigan.

Teresa: Michigan. Does it have crocodiles?

Me: No, no crocodiles.

Teresa: Are you sure?

Me: Yes, I’m sure.

 

For supper, Teresa used pieces of chicken breast and mixed it with avocado and served it on top of an arepa.

 

Funny pix of the day

Saturday, August 27, 2022

Last night I took my usual pills and went to bed at 10pm. I fell asleep pretty quickly and got up once during the night. I was awakened by a noisy semi outside the old Exito at 5am waiting to back into the warehouse. After a trip to the bathroom I fell back asleep quickly finally waking at 7:45.

I was doing my Kegel exercises when I turned on my phone and saw some messages on the Chess Medellin Whatsapp group:

Amanda: Anyone up for chess in manila between 10am and 12pm?

Jeff George: You’re back! I’d play but not that early and in Laureles if possible lol.

Amanda: I’ll be back in Laureles around 2pm if you wanna play then.

Me: I’m up for a game in Manila from 10am to noon.

Amanda: Ok. I’ll message when I arrive.

Me: Where exactly? The little bookstore?

Amanda: Hija Mia nomada or Cambria. Will let you know.

+++++From here on Amanda texted me directly.+++++

Amanda: It’s Amanda, probably get down about 10:30 or 10:45 in hija Mia or Cambria.

Me: Ok. I know Hija Mia but will have to google Cambria location.

Amanda: It’s a block away a little French place. Let’s go there as you haven’t been before. I’ll send the location.

Me: Ok. Thx.

Amanda then sent me a screenshot of Cambria’s website.

Me: Ok. Thx.

Me: I’ll bring a set cause meeting someone else at 2pm in Los Molinos.

Amanda: I have a small board I’ll bring.

Me: No need. I have a tournament set.

I informed Teresa I finally found someone to play chess with this morning. When she found out it was Amanda (a “her”) she read me the riot act about the dangers of Colombian women. I told her I’m pretty sure she’s American because her English is perfect and we’ll be meeting in a public place.

Teresa left just before 9am for a couple gym classes.

I left at 9:40 and took a Didi to Cambria in Manila of Poblado for 9,500 pesos. Approaching it I realized I’d had breakfast there at least once before. The restaurant was pretty busy so I texted Amanda to that fact. She asked me to meet her at Ganso y Castor. I quickly found her, she’s from England so I guess that explains why her English was perfect. 😊 She was pretty much a beginner at chess and I easily beat her in 4 games.

I ordered a Didi to take me to Los Molinos mall. I was surprised when the driver turned off of Calle 30 but I thought maybe he knew some other way across the river. He stopped in front of a warehouse in an industrial area. I told him this isn’t Los Molinos. After some back and forth I understood Didi screwed up and organized this incorrect destination. It was complicated by the fact he wanted this trip to be close to (his) home. I told him I would give him 20mil if he would take me to Los Molinos and traffic was quite heavy.

Upstairs in the food court I ordered a chicken wrap from Q-Bano and as I was walking away I ran into Dario.

The place was very crowded but we found a table and started a game. I had the White pieces and the game was very close until deep in the middle game when I diverted his rook then pinned his Queen against his King. He resigned and asked for a 2^nd game. That one took 2 ½ hours and I only had two hours until my football game so I declined. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.

I walked down to Avenida 80 and traffic was heavy. I luckily crossed quickly and waited a minute to see if the Circular Sur bus heading this way was full. Unfortunately, another bus pulled alongside it and I figured I wouldn’t be able to see the Circular Sur bus anyway. I walked a block to the Metro Plus and there was a 10-minute wait for the next bus. It was very crowded but not cattle car full. It was only 5 stops or so to the end of the line where I walked to the regular metro line. I got off at the Ayura station and got on a metro bus that was cattle car full. I noticed an advertisement for an app called Muuf that covers the bus routes of Envigado. Luckily with the new bridges that were built it was a short trip (distance wise) but a warm one to my stop (the first).

I was back at the apt by 5pm. Teresa returned at 5:15. A downpour started at 5:40.

I downloaded the Muuf app but the final setup is all in Spanish so I’ll wait until my brother arrives next to help me with it.

At the end of the first quarter of the Bears vs Browns game the power went out. Luckily, it came back on 5 minutes later. I missed their second touchdown though.

I just finished watching the first half of the Bears vs Browns preseason game. Their 1^st teams played (most) of the first half and the Bears are ahead 21-6. Keep in mind the Bears are predicted by multiple NFL sources (ESPN) to be the worst team in the NFL this year. They sure made the Browns look like the Cleveland Clowns so far tonight. (Yeah, I know you’re reading this Arlene. Lol.) Oh, and the Browns received the opening kickoff. Btw, Justin Fields 1^st half statistics were 14 for 16 (87.5%), 156 yards, 3 TDs, a passer rating of 146.9, 2 runs for 11 yards, and wasn’t sacked. Now that’s the performance we’ve been waiting for.

And those Cleveland ABC announcers, don’t they have something better to discuss than moustaches? And nothing like embarrassing a player live over the word “acclimate”. And I’ve never seen such stupid commercials.

The final was Bears 21, Browns 20.

My biggest concern for the Bears is their lack of WR depth. I’m betting they pick up someone after next Tuesday’s mandatory league-wide cutdown.

 

Funny pix of the day

Friday, August 26, 2022

Last night I didn’t take any pills, went to bed at 9:15 and it took a while to fall asleep. I woke up at 2am and made a trip to the bathroom. I went back to bed and catnapped until getting up at 3:15. We were all ready to go when Carlos arrived at 4am.

We took the backway to the airport arriving by 5am for their 6:30am flight. They had no bags to check so we said our goodbyes and they went through a short line to enter.

I bought small coffees for Carlos and I at Juan Valdez before returning to his taxi. I was back at the apt by 6:15 and Carlos charged me 180mil.

I joined Teresa already in bed and we slept until 8:15.

I walked to the mall where I picked up a Gente newspaper and had a few chess pages printed. I had a latte in Todo Fresa until about 11:30.

I ran into a young lady with a cute puppy and after a short discussion in English I learned it is a husky/Pomeranian mix that cost her 2 million pesos in Rionegro.

In Exito I ran into Chris Cajoleas, the Tejo gringo. He is trying to move his business to Poblado, specifically the Patio Bonito neighborhood, but is dealing with the usual Colombian bureaucracy. I bought apples, bananas, and blueberries before returning to the apt by taxi.

Dario finally responded and we agreed to meet in Los Molinos mall tomorrow at 2pm to play chess. I’ll just have to leave by 5/5:30 to be back in time for the 6pm Bears game.

Marcos told me about an Israeli/Indian restaurant in Los Contenedores so I’m considering going there for lunch today. I’m also considering seeing Bullet Train (7.5) this afternoon at 5:30.

We heard some thunder in the area.

Teresa is going to meet her mother to go to a mall somewhere.

I left at 2pm and walked to Los Contenedores on Ave. Las Vegas. “Contenedores” means “containers” as all the restaurants are inside shipping containers. Marcos recommended what he called an Israeli/Indian restaurant named Tabun Express. A young lady there named Viviana spoke perfect English and helped answer some of my questions about the menu.

The food was okay, nothing special but only cost 30mil.

Teresa has been calling her mother but she doesn’t answer, she thinks she fell asleep.

I left at 4:30 and took a Didi to the mall. I added 50mil to my platinum card and bought a premium ticket to Bullet Train for 16,800 pesos ($4).

I took a seat until 5:15 then made a final trip to the restroom before buying a small popcorn and large soda for 23,300 pesos ($5.50). They showed a trailer for the new Avatar movie but I don’t think I’m interested. Bullet Train was good but not great but with some amazing action and special effects.

When I came out it was obvious there had been some rain. There was a long line for a taxi but I got in the back and using InDriver I offered to pay 10mil for a 6mil ride back to the apt. They wanted me to offer more but I just closed the app. I heard some young’uns behind me speaking English but when I made a comment they shut up. It was about a 10-minute wait to return to the apt.

 

Funny pix of the day

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Last night I didn’t take any pills, went to bed at 9pm and quickly fell asleep. I made a trip to the bathroom at 11:15 and took an allergy pill before returning to bed. I got up again at 1:30 and 5am before waking/getting up at 6:30.

I’m feeling much more normal today.

One thing I learned from Juan yesterday is that I can do a computer shutdown simply by shutting the cover.

I left the apt at 8:45 and walked to Parva. I bought a loaf of pan sano bread to go and had a café con leche there. Before I left I asked if they had bread for hotdogs. They didn’t but they had bread for sandwiches. I called Teresa to report that and she talked to the muchacho for some time then I understood she wanted it but it would be sliced first. It cost 13mil ($3) and I returned to the apt by 11:15.

I texted Juan Carlos and asked him if he could recommend a simple tactics trainer and he recommended ChessCup.org. I tried it and like it.

Nobraskja from Envios Market texted me that she had a magazine for me. We made arrangements where I would leave 27mil with the portero and she would drop it off there tonight at 7:30.

Carlos picked me up at 1:30 and we took the back way through Envigado to the airport arriving at 2:45 for their 3:05 arrival. They had a great time in Cartagena and really liked our restaurant recommendations.

We were back at the apt by 4:30 for a charge of 230mil. Teresa made Lentil soup and ribs for supper. We sat in the living room and watched a few Seinfeld episodes on Netflix then went to bed about 9:15.

I set an alarm for 3:30 thinking that would be enough time for me to shower and dress before Carlos picked us up at 4am.

I took a few of my usual nighttime pills but a little later than usual so I took me about 30 minutes or so to fall asleep.

 

Funny pix of the day

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and allergy pill, went to bed at 9:30 and quickly fell asleep. I made a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I woke up with an awful case of diarrhea. I won’t get into the messiness of it but after taking 2, then a third Loperamida, it finally shut me down. Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and allergy pill, went to bed at 9:30 and quickly fell asleep. I made a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I texted Carlos and asked for him to pick me up tomorrow at 1:30 to go to the airport to pick up J & J.

I texted Juan, my old Spanish teacher, and later he made a Whatsapp video call and he walked me through a fix. He had me hold the Power button down until I got a response, then searched “power button” where we changed some Power button options. Everything appears to be working again now. Thank you Juan!

I had a loose bowel movement which surprised me because the Loperamida usually shuts me down for 2-3 days.

I went to bed just before 9pm without taking any sleeping pills.

 

Funny pix of the day

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and an allergy pill, went to bed at 9:30 and quickly fell asleep. I made a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night and again at 4:30, fell back asleep until waking/getting up just at 7am.

My ex has been receiving mail for me from Vanguard so using MagicJack I called them and got that shut down.

Teresa left at 9:15 for gym class and later she has a massage scheduled.

I left at 9:50 and met Marcos at Maca at 10am. This was my first time out without a faja.

When I returned to the apt my computer wouldn’t boot. The only response I got was if I did the old Alt+Ctrl+Del it would take me to a screen with the options Lock, Switch User, Sign Out and Task Manager. When I clicked Sign Out it just took me to a screen with a never ending buffering symbol.

I put my faja back on as it seems to hold things better adding to the comfort level.

I got the idea of powering it off by disconnecting the power cord but then it occurred to me that my computer will then work off the battery.

The rest of the day I wasn’t feeling well. I had the chills and basically just vegged out on the recliner.

I took my usual pills and went to bed at 9:30.

 

Funny pix of the day

Monday, August 22, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and an allergy pill, went to bed at 10pm but it took a few minutes to fall asleep. I made a trip to the bathroom at 1:30 and again at 5:15, catnapped after that until getting up just before 6am.

For breakfast I had a small bowl of granola with half a banana.

Carlos picked me up at 7am and Jeannie and Jacob just before 7:30. The idea was to take the tunnel to the airport but Carlos soon learned there had been an accident and the tunnel was closed. I caught a short nap on the way. Traffic was bumper to bumper and we finally arrived at the airport just after 9am for their 10am flight. I paid Carlos 110mil and told him he could leave.

We said our goodbyes, they got in line, I made a trip to the restroom then looked in a café for a blueberry muffin. No luck! They texted me they were at the gate waiting for their flight so I got on a bus to San Diego mall. We waited about 15 minutes until the bus was nearly full before leaving. When we arrived at the stoplight at San Diego mall I was wondering why no one was paying and leaving the bus. The driver took us another block to a new bus stop out of the line of traffic where we each paid the 13mil as we deboarded.

I walked across the street to San Diego mall where I made a quick trip to the restroom. Back across the street I hopped on an Envigado bus and asked if he was taking Ave. Las Vegas to Viva Envigado. He said “no” and pointed to another bus 100 yards in front of us. I crossed the side street as the bus was just pulling away. Another arrived a minute later and as I got on I asked if he was going to Viva Envigado. He said “yes” and I paid the 2,550 pesos and took a seat. In Envigado the driver never turned down to Ave Las Vegas but stayed on Ave Poblado until turning east and I got off at the next block. I walked another block and caught a taxi to Viva Envigado.

I bought a blueberry muffin for 7,500 pesos in Starbucks and went upstairs where I enjoyed it with a latte (another 7,900 pesos) in Santa Leña.

At noon I called Teresa and she asked me to pick up cilantro and 6 or 7 avocados in Exito. I found a young lady working there who helped me pick out the avocados and I returned by taxi to the apt. Teresa told me the problem this time was all of the avocados are ripe, I should have bought some of the green ones.

For lunch Teresa made pasta and I cobbled together a slice of garlic bread using a hamburger bun, margarine, and garlic spread.

After lunch I napped for an hour and 20 minutes and Teresa for 2 hours.

I informed Teresa that tomorrow I’m going to see Bullet Train (7.5) at 5:30 and if she wants to come with me, fine. If not, “adios pues”.

It’s now 6 months since my latest surgery so I no longer have to wear a faja and I can start exercising again. I did some minimal curls and extensions with my 7# dumbbell. Tomorrow I’ll try wearing my old 34-inch jeans and/or shorts so we’ll see how that goes.

For supper I ordered chicken wings from Rocket Wings.

 

Funny pix of the day

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and an allergy pill, went to bed at 10:30pm and fell asleep quickly. I made a trip to the bathroom once during the night, again at 5:30, finally awakened by my alarm at 7am.

I took a Didi at 8:30 to J & J’s AirBnB in Poblado. We walked 6 blocks to Hija Mia Nomada. Teresa joined us a few minutes later. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and they agreed the food, service and presentation is good. The total check for the four of us was 178,750 pesos ($43).

We walked 5 blocks from there to the Poblado Metro station. At the Acevedo station we transferred to the Metro Cable cars. At Parque Arvi, after a trip to the restroom, we had coffee in their relatively new café. Then in the arts & crafts area Jeannie & Jacob had their first obleas.

About 1:30 there was a light drizzle so we took a Metro Cable car back to Poblado. (Teresa stayed on the metro to Envigado to visit her mom.)

We took a taxi to their apt where they freshened up a bit. We took a Didi to the Pergamino Café in Provenza and were lucky to get the last table. Long lines at the order/cashier station. I had their peanut butter and fruit on toast:

This was one of our neighbors, a 5-month-old Australian Shepherd.

Jeannie informed me that fanny packs like mine are all the rage now in the US although most people wear them over the shoulder. She said they are now so popular they are hard to find so I told her we should buy all of them in Totto and she can sell them in the States.

At one point street performers stopped by and did their break dancing, flips, etc.

Jeannie was in line for more coffee but didn’t miss one young man on our sidewalk who was obviously double jointed in his arms & shoulders. Then he did something I’ve never seen before and really freaked us out. Facing us, another young man behind him held his head and he proceeded to turn around so his rear was facing us at the same time. Yikes!

We walked around the Provenza area and Jeannie found the AirBnB she stayed in when she was here with JoAnn 3 years ago. We checked out a number of restaraunts in the area and finally stopped for drinks at a Peruvian restaurant named Rocoto. We had drinks and eventually asked the waitress if we could have dinner there later. She replied that usually you need a reservation but if there was a table available we could have it. After a number of drinks and some time passed we asked if we could just keep the table in the corner that we were at. She agreed and I called Teresa and she arrived just after 7pm.

Teresa had their Salmon Panca and I had Lomo Saltodo.

Delicious!

We left at 9pm in a Didi, dropped J & J off at their AirB&B and continued on to our apt. We immediately got ready for bed.

 

Funny pix of the day

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona with an allergy pill, went to bed at 10:30pm and fell asleep quickly. I made a trip to the bathroom once during the night finally awakened by my alarm at 7am.

Teresa was about to leave for the gym and after the beauty shop so I am on my own for breakfast and lunch.

For breakfast I had a bowl of granola with a sliced banana.

Jeannie texted me they made reservations at La Matriarca for tonight.

I got out the manual for the refrigerator and after translating a couple of promising areas I found that pressing the water button and holding it for 3 seconds blocks the water and ice dispenser. I repeated the process which turned it back on.

I put the legs back on my convertible pants and updated my blog.

I watched the 40-minute version of the Bears 27-11 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on NFL Game Pass.

At 12:45 I requested a Didi but they didn’t find me a car until 1pm. On the way to Philly Steaks the driver surprised me when he turned off Ave. Las Vegas. I knew for sure he was going in circles (actually a square) when we passed the same flower stand twice. That’s when I told him to return to Ave. La Vegas. He passed Exito and arrived at Calle 10 and I knew we weren’t going to be doing that. I turned on Waze and it and his GPS were then consistent in getting me to the restaurant.

I had their smash burger and a Coke. I received texts from J & J that their tour was over and they were going to their AirB&B to shower. I left at 2:10 and ran into them outside their apt. We took a taxi to Peregramino #2 and they loved the “quiet” shady area even though it was crowded. We had drinks and talked for some time. I found out that Jacob’s father is a doctor – a sleep specialist! Jacob said he would be happy to help me. 😊 I was feeling rather warm so I unzipped the legs of my pants converting them into shorts.

At 7pm I ordered a Didi for Teresa to bring her to La Matriarca restaurant and we took a Didi there.

They sat us all the way in the back by the live music stand but when Teresa arrived she didn’t like the pulsing lights so she got us moved further away to a nicer spot.

I was feeling a little cool in my shorts so I walked a block away to their room where I zipped the legs back on. When I returned the food had just been delivered.

We all enjoyed our food except Teresa’s salmon wasn’t hot. I had pepper steak with a baked potato and it was delicious. We splurged and ordered a couple desserts that we kind of shared. (Jacob got his first introduction to arequipe.) We got separate checks and our total came to 172,612 ($42). At 10pm we said our goodbyes and returned to the apt by Didi.

 

Funny pix of the day

Funny pix of the 

Friday, August 19, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm and fell asleep quickly. I made a trip to the bathroom once during the night finally waking on my own at 6am.

I took my shower so as to leave it available for everyone else.

Carlos picked us up at 9am and took us to Guatape arriving by 11:15. We walked around the colorful neighborhoods a while then had a fresh juice at a café near the park. We took motochivas to La Piedra for 12mil (The Rock) but it dropped us off like a quarter mile from the top where the base of the rock begins. Now there is a “toll booth” set up charging a fee for motorized vehicles and it appears the motochivas don’t want to pay the fee so they drop off passengers there.

Jeannie and Jacob walked up The Rock but it took over an hour to get up and down. You could see slow crowds working their way up and down. It sounds like part of the stairwall was under construction and had to be shared by both ways traffic.

We took motochivas back to Guatape and had a Colombian lunch in a restaurant named Kennedy. It was about 3:15 when we decided we were ready to return to Envigado. The trip back took just over 3 hours with the heavy traffic in Medellin.

They packed their backpacks and we took a Didi to their AirBnB in Poblado (Calle 8#43C-37). It’s a nice apt in what appears to be a “quiet” (“quieter”?) area of Poblado. We walked around the neighborhood but couldn’t find a suitable place for dinner.

We walked to Calle 10 and quickly caught a taxi to take us up the hill where we got out at Carrera 33.

We walked around that area and I finally led them to El Correo where we ending up having a nice dinner. I had their baby beef and a buttered baked potato which were delicious.

There was a brief rainstorm while we were there.

After dinner I ordered a Didi which first dropped them off at their place then took me to Envigado.

I took some of the pills I’d missed during the day including one of the allergy pills Jeannie brought me and went to bed at 10:30.

 

Funny pix of the day

 

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 11pm. I fell asleep relatively quickly. I made a trip to the bathroom at 3pm, couldn’t fall asleep so got up and did some work on my computer.

I discovered I didn’t get my black USB drive back from Auros yesterday so I’ll be making a trip there this morning.

Jeannie couldn’t find Teresa’s medicine in Walgreens or CVS. I ordered a bottle of Spirulina but I had to send it to my Florida address, Amazon wouldn’t allow me to sent it to my Colombia address. It has an Estimated Delivery Date of Monday, August 9^nd and I paid for it with a gift card balance.

I returned to bed at 4am and woke/got up at 8:30.

For breakfast I asked Teresa to make my usual scrambled eggs with toast. When the toast arrived I asked her why she made it out of my hamburger buns again. She asked what else and I pointed to the pan sano that’s been sitting on the kitchen table for the past two days. 😊 She forgot!

Teresa wants me to buy 2 white ceramic mugs in Home Center so J & J will have something nice to drink their coffee in tomorrow morning.

I left the apt just after 10am and took a Didi to the mall. I picked up my USB drive at Auros and bought 2 white ceramic mugs and a 4-pack of Energizer batteries. I had coffee in Todo Fresa until about noon. I bought a few things in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi.

For lunch I had the last rib with the last of the fries.

I left the apt about 2:15 and soon was on a bus to San Diego mall. After paying the 2,550 pesos fare, I had no problem getting a seat but it was standing room only by the time I got to the mall. I hit the buzzer a little soon and got off a block from the mall. After a trip to the restroom I was at the corner where I used to catch the airport bus. The area had been remodeled and didn’t look like a bus stop. I asked a woman if this is where I catch the bus to the airport and she said it was. It arrived five minutes later and for a 17mil fare I was soon at the airport. I bought a latte and almond croissant and had it at a table just outside the arrivals area.

The COPA flight landed on time but it took a little over an hour for them to get through customs and exit the area. Jeannie made a trip to the restroom then they both made an ATM withdrawal.

We found Carlos with his taxi outside and across the street. He easily loaded their backpacks into the trunk and we were off. Jacob was amazed to see the lights of Medellin from up in the mountains. It was 45minutes to an hour to return to the apt.

Everyone was hungry so they put their stuff away and we walked to Otra Parte. We casually ordered drinks and looked at the menu. Jeannie ordered chips and sauce for an appetizer then we found out at 8:40pm their kitchen was closing in 20 minutes. We quickly finished the chips and our drinks, paid and walked to Olivia’s in La Buena Mesa. I checked and they are open until 11pm on Thursdays. Teresa ordered salmon and the rest of us shared a margarita pizza. We walked back to the apt and I was in bed by 10:30.

 

Funny pix of the day

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10pm. I fell asleep relatively quickly. I got up about 3:30 for a trip to the bathroom. I couldn’t fall back to sleep so I got up at 4am and did some work on the computer. I returned to bed at 5am.

When I woke up I looked at my cellphone and the time was 7:59am. I’m supposed to meet Teresa at Los Porteños in 1 minute. I took a shower, called Teresa and told her I’d be there in 10 minutes, dressed, shaved and stepped out of the elevator at 8:17 so I guess I can do it in 18 minutes.

Teresa was having a latte and kindly waited for me to arrive before ordering. She had their ham sandwich on whole wheat croissant and I had a whole wheat croissant with scrambled eggs. We each had another latte.

Teresa soon received a phone call that Ricardo is in the hospital with colon cancer. I learned he is the ex-husband of Adriana (Teresa’s sister); I’m now starting to piece together their names and relationships.

Teresa left as she has a 1:30 thyroid echograph appointment and I stuck around and had another latte while playing some speed chess. I left around noon and returned to the apt.

Teresa left at 1pm for her echograph appointment in Mayorca then she’ll take the metro to Prada station where Catalina will pick her up and take her to the hospital.

For lunch I had leftover ribs and still have one left for supper.

I left at 3pm and walked to the mall. I had some chess notes printed then while walking across the atrium in the mall my right calf started tightening. I stopped for a minute to massage it and it soon felt better. I need to be careful with too much walking. In Santa Leña I wanted something cold so I ordered a Granizado Americano. 😊 Less than $5 including tip.

I made a large ATM withdrawal then bought some things in Exito. While waiting in line for 20 minutes I noticed a man with two grocery carts full of Fab laundry detergent 😊 and I saw a couple kites flying well above the rooftops, probably from Parque Envigado.

Well, Jeannie and Jacob will arrive tomorrow. I’ll meet them in the airport and Carlos will bring us back to our apt in Envigado.

Teresa came back and mentioned she wanted to visit ella (her) tonight. I told her I thought it was Ricardo who had cancer and she replied it was his sister Gladis (Gladys?).

At 8pm we took a Didi to Calle 23 #41-20. I thought it was going to be a hospital but it was an apartment complex. We were led to a back bedroom where she was lying in bed softly moaning. Teresa went into full nurse mode getting her something to eat and drink. When Teresa pulled down her blanket to massage her stomach I thought “why am I the only guy in this room with Gladis, Teresa and 3 other women? Give the lady some privacy” so I moved to the living room. We left at 10pm and returned to the apt by Didi.

I gave up reading Ted Bell’s novel, Phantom. Good thing the hard cover only cost me $1 to rent.

 

Funny pix of the day

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 9pm. I got up three times during the night and had a small cramp in my right calf but slept well waking at 6:30 and getting up at 7:30.

We were out of eggs and milk so Teresa called and a muchacho delivered 2 bags of milk and 30 eggs for 30mil ($7) and I tipped him 2 mil.

Teresa left at 9:45. We’re going to meet at Mayorca at 1pm for lunch then buy some fruits & vegetables in Exito before returning to the apt.

I left at 9:50 and walked to Maca which was still closed. I went next door to Servientrega which is a shipping company with a $efecty sign outside.. I paid the Direct TV bill of 138,300 pesos ($34) and at 10:10 Maca was still closed. I walked across the street and soon caught a bus to Viva Envigado. I had a latte in Santa Leña while studying my chess notes and playing some speed chess. I’m approaching the 1400 level.

I left at 12:30 and there was a short line for a taxi. Traffic was heavy but I got this photo of the Ikea construction from the taxi.

 I didn’t arrive at Mayorca until almost 1pm and I found Teresa sitting in J&C Delicias.

This is a children’s play area in the 5^th floor atrium that I took from my restaurant seat:

I ordered quesadillas but it wasn’t what I expected when it arrived. I expected more of a pocket sandwich and it was the ingredients (heavy on the cheese) over an arepa. I didn’t finish it and we got some of our chicken breast strips to go and Teresa will use it to make supper tonight.

Teresa looked for something in Dollar City but we left with nothing.

We went into Sentry and Teresa proclaimed she had never been there before. I know she’s been there before and I remember I bought my electric shaver there. We bought a new pressure cooker, a new pan for pancakes, a spatula, a portable stool, a package of 5 spoons and I don’t remember what else for 365,200 pesos ($87). At one point Teresa had asked me for advice as to whether she should get the medium or large pressure cooker. She was concerned she needed one large enough in those cases when relatives would visit. I suggested she get the medium size one and when they visit use the new one in addition to the old one. Teresa wanted to stop in Exito to buy some fruit but I declared we had enough stuff to carry for one day. The cashier gave Teresa 3 slips of paper for a drawing. While she was filling them out I stretched and looked inside the box and immediately got a cramp in my right calf. ☹ I quickly kneaded it out.

We returned to the apt by taxi.

I left at 3:45 and had a café con leche in Parva and bought a pan sano to go.

I was back at the apt by 6pm.

I had to remind Teresa again not to use a metal spoon on a T-Fal pan. She switched to her new plastic spatula.

 

Funny pix of the day

Monday, August 15, 2022

Today is a holiday, Assumption of Mary.

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10pm. (It was still drizzling and I think it continued overnight.) I fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, and woke/got up at 6:30. Teresa reported she slept well also.

I met Marcos outside Tostao at 10am. My original idea was to have coffee at Maca and pay the Direct TV bill at the store with the $efecty sign outside. But because today is a holiday both are closed. Tostao had a problem with their coffee maker so we ended up next door at Bunuelos. I asked him for advice with my NFL Game Pass app and he reminded me we can see all the games on Medellin TV. ☹ I forgot. I should watch them on MTV until I have a problem and then subscribe to NFL Game Pass. However, the next Bears game is Thursday night when Jeannie and Jacob arrive but with NFL Game Pass I can watch the game later whenever I want.

Marcos left and I stuck around to review some chess notes and play a few speed chess games.

I returned to the apt by noon and found Teresa sitting in the porteria waiting for her mother to arrive in a taxi. They’re going to San Diego mall and I will meet them there later for lunch.

I left at 1pm and took a Didi to San Diego mall. On the way Teresa called and informed me they were in Premium Plaza mall instead. It’s actually slightly closer so the charge was the same. I couldn’t find them on the 2^nd floor so I sat down outside Bershka and called Teresa and asked her to find me. After checking out a few other restaurants in the fast food area we finally settled on Frisby. Teresa and I each had the Frischuleta and MT had something similar but smaller.

They checked out a few kiosks selling stuff and they we walked 4 blocks north to San Diego mall. They had a Japanese Bonzai tree exhibit and I took these photos. (They don't look Bonzai to me).

We had ice cream in Crepes & Waffles...

Mine was described as (near as I can figure out by translating it myself) Old Style vanilla ice cream in a symphony of caramel sauce, English and chocolate. Fresh slices of banana, crunchy cookie, wafers and whipped cream.

before returning to Envigado by Didi for 21mil.

I received another error message using my Jal Tech USB drive so I think it is irrepairly damaged. I formatted the drive again so we’ll see if it takes this time.

Teresa suggested we see a movie tonight. Beast is playing at 8:30.

A few minutes later (at 6pm) my alarm went off to remind me to take my melatonin. Teresa asked for one and 5 minutes later she said she was too tired to go to the movies. I guess I was too tired also because I went to bed at 9pm.

 

Funny pix of the day