Thursday, September 29, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30. I had another university dream; this time I was just exploring the campus. I do remember going down a child’s plastic slide to cross from one side of the building to another and at the end I ran into a girl named Diane who was a secretary where I used to work.

I left at 9am and had a café con leche in Parva for a couple hours while reading my chess book. When I returned to the apt I found these Halloween decorations outside the porteria and a couple inside making other decorations.

I understood Teresa experienced a minor catastrophe as she spilled a bottle of paint on her jacket. She had me Whatsapp a photo to someone for advice.

I checked Cine Colombia and new movies include:

Bowie, Moonage Daydream (8.0)

Avatar – Relaunch (7.8) – only Oviedo is in English.

Mrs. Harris goes to Paris (7.1)

Ticket to Paradise (6.4)

Don’t Worry Darling (6.3)

The Woman King (6.2)

Teresa informed me there is a 7pm gym class she wants to go to tonight so I guess the movies will be discussed at a later time.

Teresa informed me the restaurant Asados Rogelio has a new owner.

After lunch we both had a short nap.

I was planning on going out again for coffee, but lightning and a short rainstorm put the kibosh on that idea.

Teresa asked me to pick up sandwich (pan de mantequilla) bread from Parva and buy her some arepas from Tienda D1 so I left at 4pm. There were a few raindrops on the way but after it was dry.

In Parva I had a café con leche and got a loaf of bread to go. I left about 5:30, stopped at Tienda D1 to buy arepas (there was a line but it moved fairly quickly) and returned to the apt.

Teresa has been taking more short rest respites lately due to the chemotherapy medicine she’s taking. Hopefully after a doctor’s visit later this year she’s cured and won’t have to take it anymore.

 

Fun pix

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Today is my brother’s birthday. Happy Birthday Jim!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Teresa isn’t going to her 7am gym class but we’ll be going to Los Porteños later for breakfast.

The past few days Teresa has been working on decorating/painting a denim jacket.

Good job! Now she's working on another one. She asked me how much it would cost to send a jacket to Laura and I just replied it costs me $10 just to send a single piece of paper to the US because it goes FedEx.

I turned MTV to CBS 11 Fort Myers and watched their coverage of hurricane Ian’s approach.

We left at 8:30 and walked to Los Portenos where we had our usual breakfast with a couple lattes. Teresa left to buy something in Parque Envigado and I stayed, had another latte and read some of my new book. It started raining so I was stuck for a while. Teresa returned with a girlfriend and they each had a latte and I had my 3^rd, this time a small. Around noon the rain subsided considerably and we returned to our apt.

The past few days I’ve been slowly organizing my pension information. It appears MetLife is handling 2 of my pensions and I’m going through my paperwork, discarding unneeded papers, consolidating others, and recording changes on a summary page.

I logged into the Zurich website, confirmed my address and updated both my phone numbers.

Wow, since I redirected my pension deposits to my USAA account I’ve been mixing up two of my payments, which is easy to do since MetLife pays both of them.

Teresa left about 2:30 to meet her mother and show her the jacket she’s been decorating.

Yes, MetLife is handling 2 of my pensions but when I logged into their website the name of the 2^nd just appeared as “Multiple ?”. I spent some time confirming my correct address and updating telephone numbers then I was transferred to a tech assistant to work on the “Multiple” problem. It turns out “multiple” isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. If you click on it it shows the details of the pension separated into two payments.

Teresa returned at 8:30 with a box of small empanadas and a shish kebob for my late supper.

 

Funny pix

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Teresa left for the gym at 9am.

I found a place on my original Orbitz email confirmation where (supposedly) I can change or cancel my booking.

I cancelled my COPA flights and have a $515.50 credit. I cancelled my Avianca flights and have a $467.80 credit. Is the credit with the airlines or just with Orbitz?

I found this number ‘+8096886490’ for the hotel

But couldn’t figure out the ‘+’ meaning. I googled and found the country code for DR is +1, the same as the US.

I tried using my MagicJack but they told me I don’t have any international credits and to go to My MagicJack if I wanted to add some.

I decided to try my Talk360 app. I called and got a recording in Spanish to press ??? for English. I couldn’t hear what key I was supposed to press because of their background music so I just tried ‘1’ but that didn’t work. I had to call back twice to finally figure out they were saying ‘8’. That must have been correct as they suggested ‘9003’ for reservations. I entered it, heard it ringing then…nothing.

I tried again and this time someone answered. I requested to cancel our reservation and she informed me it has to be done through Orbitz. I looked at my email for the booking details and for the hotel, “This reservation is non-refundable and cannot be canceled or changed.” Well, I guess it doesn’t do any good to try to cancel it then.

When Teresa returned, she wasn’t too happy that we lost about $1000 but at least she blames the hurricane and not me.

I left at 2pm and had a latte in Eduardo Madrid bakery returning by 5pm.

I watched another episode of For All Mankind – again slow due to buffering which appears to start in the evening.

 

Funny pix

Monday, September 26, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

Troyclough found the first 2 moves that restricts my pieces but then took a different approach to an attack so I have a chance.

For some reason I can’t get ABC channel 7 Chicago on MTV but I did watch CBS 2 Chicago for the weather.

I checked the weather forecast for Dominican Republic and it doesn’t look good for October 4^th thru 11^th. 

At Teresa’s suggestion I also looked at Aruba and it doesn’t look much better for those dates either. I’m going to try to change our reservations to early December.

I called Orbitz at 844-663-2266 and the automated system says it’s going to search for my reservation using my phone number. It then tells me it can’t find my reservation. Maybe that’s because I didn’t book it using a phone number. It then asks for the last 4 digits of the credit card I used but it doesn’t acknowledge that. It then asks for my 14-digit itinerary number followed by the # sign. I enter it and it says it can’t find my booking. It then suggests I speak to a representative but to speed up the process it asks me for the phone number I used to make the booking and the fun starts all over again. Sigh!

It finally occurred to me that since I booked it on their website maybe that’s where I need to go to change it. I logged into Orbitz.com and found “It’s taking longer than usual to reach our phone agents. Try cancelling or changing your flights by connecting with the Virtual agent.” I selected chat and it told me, “You’re signed in Terry. Give me a second to gather your information. Here are your upcoming bookings” and it showed my booking then “typing is disabled”. Sigh!

I tried again on Orbitz.com and I thought I was making progress when I started changing my first flight (for another $263.20) but when I selected continue I got, “We’re having trouble completing your change. 

Please contact us at 1-800-219-9296 and provide your itinerary number 72362102162818” and got the same automated phone system. Sigh!

I mentioned this to Teresa and she asked me if the company is located in Medellin. I googled it and Orbitz works out of the Citigroup Center in Chicago. 😊 I did find their customer service telephone number 1 (312) 279-7740 and I tried that and got the same automated system. ☹

I logged into Orbitz again and under my personal information I found

Country Code: USA +1

Phone Number: 573232099833.

Hmmm. Not exactly right but maybe I can use that to get a match with their automated phone system,

I tried the following phone number combinations:

3232099833

573232099833

1573232099833

15732320998

But none of them matched whatever they are using.

I went to my contact information and changed it to my current landline number:

Country Code: COL +1

Phone Number: 3124507560

And tried again but still no luck.

I’ve spent hours now just trying to speak to someone.

After lunch I googled Orbitz and found their customer service phone number of 1-844-803-5576. I tried it and got the same automated phone system. ☹

I finally emailed them explaining the problem. Even then they had to send me a code to verify my email address. (They have an intermediary named Pissed Consumer).

I texted Jose to cancel our chess match for tomorrow.

I watched more episodes of For All Mankind but it’s slow going due to buffering.

 

Funny pix

 

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Last night I took 2 allergy pills and went to bed at 9:45 (it was raining), fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night (no rain) at 1:30, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

We left at 8:15 and took a Didi to Hija Mia Nomada. Teresa couldn’t find her phone and was afraid she left it in the car. I found My Trips on the Didi app and was able to call the driver and Teresa talked to him but no luck. Teresa had avocado toast and I tried their churro waffle which came with fresh bananas, strawberries, whipped cream, and Maple syrup. Each of us had 2 lattes bringing the total to 93,500 pesos ($21) including tip.

We took another Didi to Santafe mall. We arrived at 9:55 but I soon realized they don’t open until 11am on Sundays and holidays. Teresa was sitting and talking to another lady sitting near the entrance.

I went down to the 1^st level where I had a latte in Todo Fresa until Teresa came down at 11 and we checked out a few stores. We looked for some shorts for me with no luck. She exchanged something in Stradivarius for another 20mil.

This is what Santafe’s atrium looks like now:

Teresa is going to meet up with Vicky and they’re going to an art fair in Plaza Mayor.

Outside I caught a taxi back to the apt arriving by 11:45.

I rang Teresa’s phone and walked from room to room but couldn’t hear it ring so I guess it’s lost forever.

I watched the Bears beat the Texans 23-20. The Bears bearly (pun intended) beat an inferior team so maybe Justin Fields isn’t as good as I hoped.

I watched more episodes of For All Mankind. It now continues 10 years in the future.

I think I have a losing position in my game with the black pieces against Troyclough. He has a checkmate in 8 moves if he sees it.

Teresa called at 7pm and asked me to order fried chicken for her. The food arrived at 7:40 and I was surprised the Rappi driver or the portero called me on my cellphone. (Usually, they call Teresa’s phone but it’s missing.) I didn’t understand what was said but asked them to bring the food directly to my apt. Including their delivery fee, “direct delivery” fee, tip, and my order the total came to 85mil ($19).

Teresa arrived about 30 minutes later. I was sitting at the dining room table when she asked me to dial her phone number. She went from room to room and didn’t hear it but I could hear it’s vibration coming from somewhere near. I called her and she found it in her small purse. She probably changed purses at the last minute. Whew, at least we have her phone back.

 

Funny Pix

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:45 (it was raining), fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night (no rain), finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

I left at 9am and took a Didi to City Plaza. My driver, Alexander, has been studying English so we practiced a little. At the shoe repair shop, Eon Zapateria, I picked up Teresa’s high heels and my moccasins. (The latter have new inner soles and are now tighter and softer and I no longer feel the cold floor so easily.)

I went up to the 4^th floor to Todo Fresa and took a table on their nice patio.

I had a latte while starting to read my new book Fischer – Spassky 1972.

I left at 11:15 and quickly found a taxi to return me to the apt.

I tried doing a sit-up on my bed. No way! I’m going to have to do some research on how to strengthen my stomach. Maybe Jose will have some ideas.

I looked at some Youtube videos about umbilical hernia recovery. So far, I haven’t found anything really helpful.

I finished season 2 of For All Mankind. Powerful ending.

It’s looking like we’re going to have to delay or cancel our trip to Punta Cana, DR as there are just too many hurricanes and days of rain. I plan to watch the weather Monday morning and then make a determination.

 

Funny pix

Friday, September 23, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm (it was raining), fell asleep quickly, got up twice during the night (first time still raining, 2^nd time not) finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Teresa left at 9:15 to spend the day with her mother.  I left at 9:50, met Marcos at Maca and loaned him my pliers.

Nobraskja texted me that a package has arrived for me. I told her that I would probably pick it up on Saturday but she alerted me that they are closed on Saturday so I told her I would try to pick it up this afternoon.

I left just after 10:30 and across the street I caught a bus to the mall. I tried to drop off an empty medicine bottle at the front desk but the lady pointed down the ramp towards the garage. There I found about 8 barrels for all my recyclables. Back inside I picked up a Gente newspaper and printed some chess notes.

Upstairs I made an ATM withdrawal then paid cash for Teresa’s pajamas at Tania.

I was having a latte in Santa Leña when Teresa called at 1pm and informed me she was in Santafe mall with her mother and I should have lunch on my own.

I bought milk, dishwasher detergent and another box of the less absorbable MPs and returned to the apt by taxi. It was just starting to rain on the way.

It was 2pm, I was hungry but there was a downpour with lightning so I just had a bowl of cereal and waited for it to pass.

The rain had lessened to just raindrops when I left at 3:30 and walked to Envios Market. The charge was a 158mil for 4 packages and about a dozen envelopes. Thankfully I had remembered to bring my GFS bag to carry it all.

In Parva I had a café con leche while going through all my envelopes. They were all regarding SS and pension changes I had requested. I threw away all the envelopes and kept only the most important contents.

I talked several times with Teresa and she said there was a long line for a taxi outside Viva Envigado. I returned to the apt and dropped off the mail.

Teresa called at 6:30 and asked me to meet her with a taxi at the porteria. Luckily, I was prepared for a quick exit and I arrived a minute later. We had pizza at Antica Pizza and returned by taxi. Our driver was very strange: OCD? Loud. Nervous.

I opened the boxes and there was a chess book I ordered, a Targus computer cable lock, gel for Teresa’s new machine, and additional bottles of allergy relief medicine for my insomnia.

I checked the weather forecast for Punta Cana and it predicts chance of rain our first few days there. Early next week we’re going to have to make a go/no go decision.

 

How one legal expert frames the case against Trump as a RICO conspiracy | Watch (msn.com)

 

Funny pix

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:30 (it was raining), fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night (still raining) finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Tonight will be the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere.

I left at 9am on a very cool morning. On my way to Eduardo Madrid bakery I noticed a sewer cover was moved to the side and I could see the water rushing by. I saw a crew exiting a truck supposedly to work on some problem. Inside the bakery I soon learned they could only make black coffee so I guess they were out of cream and/or milk.

I went to Parva where I had a café con leche and played some speed chess.

I left at noon and returned to the apt.

At 12:30 the temperature was only 75 degrees.

I managed to trick Troyclough and got a draw in a losing position.

We had a little rain in the afternoon and more in the evening.

I watched a couple more episodes of For All Mankind.

And finally, from the world of chess:

A stunning move shakes the chess world : NPR

 

Funny pix

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1am, again at 4am, finally waking by my alarm at 7am. Teresa was still in bed so it was obvious she was ditching her 7am gym class. I finally got up at 7:30.

I met Marcos at Maca at 10am. Yesterday he thought he had a blood clot in his leg. He has a blood circulation problem and doesn’t believe he’ll live much longer. He asked if I had a pair of pliers he could borrow and I told him I believe I do. He left and I went inside and played some speed chess.

Teresa called me at noon and asked me to return to the apt right away as she wants to leave for Pricesmart.

I did an I we left at 12:15 and took a Didi to Arkadia mall. In Crepes & Waffles I had a Cesar chicken salad and she had some chicken dish for 44,650 mil ($10).

We walked across the street to Pricesmart where we picked up $182 of groceries. While there, a gringo approached me named Paul and mentioned we met last year in Viva Envigado. I remembered his brother, like me, had prostate cancer and had a prostatectomy. Now it appears to have returned.

This sign is in the lower garage. I think it's advertising an all-beef hotdog for $3.

We returned to the apt by taxi for 17mil.

After I returned the shopping cart to the garage I took the 9” pliers out of my toolbox and texted Marcos that I had them. I’ll meet him Friday and hand them over.

At 7pm we had a short shower.

 

 

Funny pix

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 5am, finally waking/getting up by my alarm at 7am.

I left at 8:10 and walked to the mall where Jose was waiting for me. We had their complete breakfast. What used to cost me 12mil is now 17mil. We got caught up on news.

The last time we played chess was exactly a year ago.

Upstairs I had the White pieces for the first game and he blundered a rook on his 25^th move and resigned. It was only 11:15 and neither of us was hungry so we started a 2^nd game. I missed the proper continuation on my 24^th move and he had a continuous check that would eat up my 2^nd rank so I resigned. It was only 1:30 so he should be able to beat the worst of the traffic. I went to Santa Leña where I had a turkey sandwich on croissant and a latte.

I called Teresa and suggested we see Barbarian (7.6) tonight. She agreed and I bought 2 preferred seating tickets for 31,200 pesos ($7).

I bought a large carton of eggs and Fab laundry detergent in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa made ground beef sandwiches with my hamburger buns, wrapped them in aluminum foil and put them in plastic Ziploc bags.

We left again at 6pm and took a Didi to the mall. We bought small sodas for 12,400 pesos ($2.50) to go with the sandwiches. (I still have a 16,250-peso balance and 2,339 points.) We got to our seats in plenty of time for the trailers. The sandwiches, although a little difficult to eat in the darkness, were delicious. I liked the movie but Teresa not so much.

I took her to Louis Barton where I bought 2 large (size 42) cotton short-sleeved shirts. She says they will shrink some after washing. We stopped in a store named Tania where Teresa picked out some pajamas but I didn’t have any more cash or my debit card with me. The saleslady put them away with Teresa’s name and I’ll return soon to complete the purchase.

We returned to the apt by taxi and as soon as we got inside it started raining.

 

Funny pix

Monday, September 19, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 5am, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

I had a café con leche in Parva for a couple hours while playing some speed chess. I asked for a loaf of bread but the muchacho working there said it wouldn’t be ready until about noon. At 12:30, as I was leaving, I asked again and was told 1:30 so I told him I would come back later.

About 1:15 a light drizzle started that didn’t last long.

After lunch we each had a nap of about an hour.

I left about 3pm, in a very cool 72 degrees, and had a café con leche in Parva and bought a pan sano and a pastel de arequipe (for Teresa) to go. (I forgot my belt and my chess notebook.)

About 5:30 I left and bought 2 bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

I watched a couple more episodes of For All Mankind. Good series!

For supper Teresa wanted to order chicken wings but I couldn’t find Rocket Wings on the Rappi app. She soon changed her mind to McDonald’s and I was able to charge the $11 to my debit card and it was delivered in about 30 minutes.

 

Funny pix

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, don’t know the time I first got up, again at 2:45 (I noticed it was raining and Teresa had moved to the guest bedroom), again at 5am (no rain), finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Teresa soon got up and informed me she didn’t sleep well due to my snoring so she won’t be joining me for breakfast. We’ll talk later about meeting in El Tesoro.

I texted Glenn and 15 minutes later he replied to meet at Sweet Georgia at 9:15.

I left the apt at 8:50 and quickly caught a Sabaneta bus to Poblado. I arrived 3 minutes late and Glenn was already there. I had their French toast and scrambled eggs and 2 coffees for 30mil ($7). Glenn had something similar as his bill was the same.

They left and I went to the other side of the block where I had a latte in Dragon café. Teresa called and asked me to meet her in El Tesoro.

I quickly caught a taxi that took me to El Tesoro and we met outside Zara. She bought a swimsuit in a place called Chamela and a dress in Plenimoda.

We had lunch in Merka Organica again.

We each had a plate with beef, rice, mashed potatoes and we shared a bottle of water for 65,100 pesos ($15).

I found a nice short-sleeved dress shirt but it was 400,000 pesos so I took a pass.

We had frozen yogurt in Percimon and returned to the apt by 5pm.

I watched the Bears fall (once again) to the Packers 27 to 10. Sigh!

 

Funny pix

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Today is Dia de Amor y Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship), Colombia’s version of Valentine’s Day.

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, fell back asleep quickly, got up again about 6:30, did my Kegel exercises, fell back asleep, finally woke/got up at 8am.

Teresa is going to leave soon to get her hair done.

My Avira software expired yesterday and so far this morning my notebook has been a little slow and funky.

Teresa got a 10am appointment in Parque Envigado and she will call me later and we’ll meet for lunch.

It’s 3 minutes to 10 and I reminded Teresa about her appointment and I guess it’s not what I know as an appointment. Right now she’s trying on clothes she bought for the beach.

I ordered a Didi to take Teresa to San Marcos church and she left at 10:20. I don’t know why she needed a car as it’s only a 5-10 minute walk from the apt.

I left at 10:30 and had coffee in Parva and played some speed chess. Online I tried to reserve a table for tonight at Rocoto but it suggested a different day.

My son texted me that he has Covid. He’s fully vaccinated and his only symptoms are nasal congestion and a cough but he can’t return to work until Wednesday.

Teresa called me at 1:30 to inform me she’s still at the beauty parlor and I shouldn’t wait on her for lunch. I walked a block to Barrio Sur where I asked the waitress if they still have fish & chips. She said they changed the menu 2 years ago and haven’t had it since. I only missed by 2 years, imagine that. I had a pulled pork sandwich (which was delicious) with criolla potatoes and a Coke. Next time I’ll try their BLT.

I walked a block to Los Porteños where I had a small latte and played some more speed chess. I left at 4:15, bought a small bag of sugar at the corner grocery store and while crossing Calle 30 Teresa stopped me in a taxi. I got in and we returned to the apt.

I finished another episode of For All Mankind.

Teresa informed me that after breakfast tomorrow we need to go to El Tesoro.

 

Funny pix

Friday, September 16, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night (it was raining), fell back asleep quickly and finally woke/got up at 6:30.

The plan for today is Teresa has an 8am gym class, I will meet her at Los Porteños for breakfast, I have to pay the Direct TV bill whether it’s at the Gana kiosk in La Buena Mesa or $efecty on Las Vegas near Maca.

Teresa left at 8am.

I brought up our suitcase from the garage storage closet and put it in the guest bedroom so Teresa can start packing.

I left at 8:30 and walked to Los Porteños where I had coffee while waiting for Teresa to arrive at 9am. She had her usual ham croissant sandwich and I had my usual croissant with scrambled eggs.

She left for a 10am massage. Afterward she wants to get her hair done because she’s going out with girlfriends tonight and tomorrow is Dia de Amor y Amistad so I may be on my own for lunch. I stopped at the Gana kiosk and after a 10-minute wait I asked if I could pay my Direct TV bill there. She asked me something I didn’t understand then pointed to the Bancolombia window. I walked across the street and after another 10-minute wait in line I understood I could only pay there if I had a physical bill in hand.

I walked to $efecty near Maca where I paid the Direct TV bill. Across the street I took a Sabaneta bus to the mall. I had a lot of pages to print including chess notes. Upstairs I made a withdrawal using my Charles Schwab card. I found a nice short sleeved shirt for about 50mil but first I need Teresa’s approval. I found another in Arturo Calle.  I was having coffee in Santa Leña when Teresa called at 12:30 and asked me to pick up chicken from Frisby. I understand her gf is picking her up at 3pm. After a 10-minute wait in line I ordered the chicken and coleslaw but sin: papas, arepas, gaseosa, cubiertos plastico, y guantes plastico. After a trip to the restroom, I still had a 10-minute wait for my order. I had another 10-minute wait outside for a taxi back to the apt.

Teresa couldn’t get her hair done because she didn’t have an appointment and the wait was too long. She found a thingy in my suitcase. I explained that it allows you to attach a carryon to the suitcase giving you a free hand.

She left at 3pm.

I had received an email from Dr. Tache, Jacob’s father, with a short questionnaire to fill out. I returned it filled out and mentioned that my sleep has improved in the past month but if there’s anything he can suggest I would appreciate it.

I watched more episodes of For All Mankind on MTV.

Teresa returned at 7:30. She reported they ate at a restaurant a long way away, almost in Rionegro.

 

Funny pix

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, fell back asleep quickly and finally woke/got up at 6:30.

Troyclough blundered his queen but instead of taking it I checkmated him two moves later.

Teresa has a 9am gym class.

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to Parva. On my way I noticed this artist’s rendering of what the new La Buena Mesa side street should look like when it’s finished. I saw curbs and paving bricks stacked up so I think they will be working on the main street soon.

From this drawing I’m not sure there’s going to be enough protection from the elements: sun and rain.

I reviewed some chess notes and played a couple games of speed chess (lost both on time) and returned to the apt by 11am.

My Avira account expires today. With multiple reminders they make it very easy to renew (actually upgrade) but my original $1 1 year subscription was supposed to renew for $49.99 and they’re trying to get me to upgrade for $99. Forget that!

I talked to USAA and got my password fixed but the “account will update after we resolve a connection issue” associated with my Citibank account is because they are having issues updating their system. Computers! I will just ignore it for a few more months.

I talked to a Charles Schwab rep and they only allow travel notices for 14 days. They unlocked my card and set up a new travel notice through September 29^th but this is getting too inconvenient so I will be cancelling my CS account.

A message on Direct TV is reminding me it’s time to pay their bill.

I checked my Citibank account and they are still waiving the $12 Monthly Service Fee. 😊

I logged into My Social Security and changed my deposits from CS to Citibank effective November 1^st.

Teresa and I had an hour nap after lunch.

I left at 3:15 and had a latte in Maca before buying a medium package of eggs in Mercado Madrid and returning to the apt.

I checked Cine Colombia and Barbaro (Barbarian in English (7.6)) is playing at 6:30. I think we’ll see it tomorrow.

I finished reading John Grisham’s The Innocent Man on my Nook.

 

Funny pix

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, catnapped or didn’t sleep deeply until I woke/got up at 6:30.

I had trouble logging into my USAA account this morning but after talking to 3 different reps and getting disconnected twice I gave up for today.

Teresa and I left at 8:30 and had our usual breakfast in Los Porteños. We stopped in Pasteur pharmacy where I bought 2 boxes of 20 25mg Hidroxicina tablets for 7,672 pesos and a bottle of 60 3mg Melatonina tablets for 24,145.

We walked to Viva Envigado where Teresa bought 3 different items in Medipiel for 524mil.

We took a taxi to City Plaza where I left my moccasins and Teresa left a pair of high heels for a total of 63mil. I understand they will be ready in about 2 weeks but they will call Teresa.

We stopped in Todo Fresa and had just taken a seat on their patio when some raindrops started. We quickly moved inside where I had a latte and Teresa had a Te Hatsu.

We caught a taxi back to our apt where we exchanged some things and took a Didi to Santafe mall.

We had lunch in J&C Delicias for 88,828 pesos. A short thunderstorm came through while we were there.

It was very trying, trying to find thin pants or shorts that fit me. Finally, I found two pairs of 38” shorts in Falabella and Teresa found a pair of shorts and some “dress” I can’t describe but at first appeared to be chain mail. 😊

We left by taxi at 5pm and were back at the apt by 5:25 for 10mil.

It occurred to us in the evening that I missed my noon eps appointment. ☹

 

Funny pix

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, Teresa was breathing rather loudly so to save time I just moved to the guest bedroom, quickly fell asleep and woke/got up at 6:30.

Teresa has a 9am yoga class then she will have coffee with a friend so we’ll probably meet for lunch later in La Bahia.

Teresa left at 9am for her yoga class.

I met Marcos at Maca at 10am. As I suspected he turned 71 yesterday. I gloated a little about the Bears win and he didn’t have a lot to say about the Cardinals loss. His girlfriend returned from Venezuela but without a new passport. I understand hundreds of dollars were paid in bribes and her passport hopefully will be making its way through the system and they will DHL it to her in 3 weeks or so.

I stopped in Eduardo Madrid where I bought a package of granola and 2 bags of milk before returning to the apt.

Teresa called at noon to inform me she was going to have lunch with her mother and we would meet up later (4pm?) in Viva Envigado because she needs to buy something in Dollar City.

At 1:30 I took a Didi to the mall. Upstairs in the food court I had the small quesadillas plate in Emiliano’s for 19mil.

 Pretty good, next time I’ll get the large plate minus the avocado. Since I was such a good guy I had a chocolate cookie and small coffee at Cosmo Cookies. 

While sitting there I heard a loud bang and a few minutes later the lights went out 3 different times with the emergency lights coming on. I wasn’t able to finish all of the cookie so I took the remainder down to Todo Fresa where I had a latte and waited to here from Teresa. She called me at 4pm to inform me that it was pouring outside. I asked her to call me when she notices it has stopped raining. She called me back an hour later and I returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa returned at 8:30 with chicken pasta for me.

I sent an email to our resort asking for confirmation of our reservation and had a few questions.

 

Funny pix

Monday, September 12, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night at 4:15, couldn’t readily fall back asleep, got up at 4:30, returned to bed at 5:15, woke up at 8am, did my Kegel exercises and got up.

Teresa left at 9am for a massage. I left at 9:30 and walked to the mall. Still leaking; thinking I’m going to have to go back to the maximum absorption pads.  Still discomfort down in my nether region. ☹

I recycled a plastic bottle, printed a few chess pages and stopped at a Davivienda ATM to make a withdrawal. Again, with my Charles Schwab card it said, “transaccion con problemas. intente luego”. With my USAA card I withdrew 600mil. I’ve just about had it with CS; thinking seriously of cancelling my account with them.

I paid our utility and wifi bills in the Exito payment center.

In Claro I paid Teresa’s cellphone bill.

In Home Center I recycled an old 9V Energizer battery and bought a new one for 29,900 pesos.

In Casa Ideas I found the magazine holders but these were green and plastic, not wood like my previous one. I bought it anyway but kept the receipt as I hope to exchange it someday soon.

I had a latte in Todo Fresa for about an hour. In Exito I bought a package of Ranchera hotdogs and a ripe plantain and returned to the apt by taxi.

We each had a short nap after lunch.

I watched a little more of For All Mankind on MTV.

Starting about 3:30 a thunderstorm came through but without much rain. I temporarily unplugged the TV and computer.

At 5:30 Teresa said, “get dressed, Esmeralda is picking us up and we’re going for pizza”. I obeyed and I turned on the Waze app to guide us quicker to Antica Pizza. Last time I was there the guy next to me had what looked like Italian sausage on his pizza but when I asked he said it was salami and bacon so tonight I gave it a try. Probably a billion calories but tasty so I’ll order it occasionally. We were back at the apt by 7:30.

Facebook notified me that today is Marcos Hope’s birthday. My best guess is he’s 71 but I’ll find out for sure tomorrow.

 

Funny pix of the day

 

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night at 3:45, woke up at 6:30, did my Kegel exercises and got up at 7am.

Today is the 21^st anniversary of the terrorist attack on NY’s World Trade Center.

The Chicago Bears open their season at home today against the San Francisco 49ers as 7-point underdogs.

Teresa told me she didn’t sleep well because of some noise around 5am so she won’t be joining me for breakfast this morning. I texted Glenn right away and made arrangements to meet him for breakfast.

I arrived at Seré at 8:25 by Didi. Glenn with Bianca arrived 5 minutes later. I had a latte and he had a hot chocolate while we discussed how Expat Exchange has regressed.

For breakfast I ordered their new item, French toast filled with cream cheese and Greek yogurt with red fruits and a little bit of granola.

Pretty tasty. Glenn recommended a couple series on Apple+, For all Mankind and Black Bird. I’ll see if they are available on MTV. (Later I found them both on MTV; we’ll see if they include subtitles.)

I returned to the apt by Didi for 9mil.

Besides my interest in seeing Justin Fields play for the Bears today I’m also interested in seeing how the Steelers do with Mitch Tribusky and the Browns do without Deshaun Watson. It’s going to be an interesting season.

At 11am I turned on MTV to the Chicago Fox Sports broadcast of the Bears game. If I have any issues I can always switch to NFL Game Pass.

I had an issue but switched back and forth between Chicago and St. Louis and was able to continue.

For the first time in 6 months, I tried on an old pair of jeans and could barely button them. I tried on shorts and the only ones that fit are the 3 expandable pairs I bought from H&M. I’m going to see if they have other colors other than the black and flesh-colored ones I have. With a paper measuring tape I measured my waist and it came to exactly 39 inches. Yikes! A week with an all-inclusive buffet should fix that. 😊

I also saw an ad for linen pants. I googled them and there appears to be a store called RIFLE in City Plaza that I will look into.

I’ve started wearing my new sandals around the apt to get my feet used to them so I can wear them without getting blisters.

The Bears were 7-point underdogs, but they beat the 49ers 19-10. I picked them for only 7 wins this year but now they may be capable of beating that.

I contacted Jose and we’re going to try to renew our chess battles on Tuesday, September 20^th in Viva Envigado.

I started watching the TV series For All Mankind (8.0) on MTV.

Today I ran out of the more absorbent pads so I put on a less absorbent pad and my urinary incontinence seems to have lessened. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow when I’ll be out and about more tomorrow.

The beat-up cover came off my Nook eReader but I think a little crazy glue will fix it.

It was a good day; the Bears won and the Packers lost.

 

Funny pix of the day