Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, finally waking at 7am and getting up at 6:30.

I left at 7:45 as they were delivering more floor tiles to the Exito next door. Jose was waiting for me when I arrived at Habia Una Vez. He said traffic was so light he arrived at 7:40. I had the usual complete breakfast minus orange juice for 14,500 pesos ($3).

Upstairs I had the Black pieces in the first game and I won in 37 moves in the endgame. I had the White pieces in the second game and I really messed up the opening and resigned after 15 moves. It was only 12:40 so Jose would get home very early. He thinks he may have a doctor’s appointment next Tuesday in which case we won’t be able to play.

I ordered a cheese pizza from Papa John’s and ate it with a 600ml Coke. I was planning on watching the US vs Iran match at 2pm but while watching the Ecuador vs Senegal match that preceded it, a chyron said that the next match coming up would be England vs Wales. Google informed me that both matches start at 2pm.

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

Teresa was still out and I had no problem finding the match on Direct TV although it was narrated in Spanish. The USA won 1-0 over Iran to keep them in the tournament.

Yesterday I watched Jack Reacher (7.0) on Netflix.

Today I watched Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (6.1) on Netflix and Brain on Fire (6.6) on MTV.

For supper Teresa wanted chicken wings so I paid the $8 fine I owed Rappi and ordered them from Rocket Wings.

Today I got in 2,228 steps.

 

Fun pix

Monday, November 28, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 1am, 5am, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Five minutes to eight and they just fired up the generator next door.

3

Then we heard them working a loud jackhammer. Luckily, it doesn’t last all day.

I left at 9:30 and walked to the mall. Still leaking. The stores don’t open until 10 so I first had a latte in Santa Leña. About 11am I paid my bill and went searching for a dark blue denim jacket. I finally found one in a store called Moft on sale for 119,921 pesos ($24.59). Now Teresa has to decorate it and I’ll Fed-ex it to Jeannie for her birthday. I returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa has a woman coming over to give her a massage at 1pm so I have to scarf down my lunch and blow this place. Oops, Teresa asked me so stay. At 12:45 it started raining. I guess the masseuse called and told Teresa she would be late and arrived at 1:40. Not only does Teresa get a package of 10 massages for 200mil ($4 each) but when she left Teresa informed me the device I bought for her does work. The chica knows how to operate it and will show us next visit.

I won another game against Troyclough and my rating is now 1565.

I watched Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (6.0) on Netflix.

Today I got in 3,956 steps.

Fun pix

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

At 8:30 I ordered a Didi to take me to D’Andre restaurant. From there I walked the 3 blocks north to Pergamino Café. (I went that way, 1. so the Didi car didn’t have to take a longer indirect route 2. to force me to walk a few blocks. I’m still trying to get 3,000 steps per day and Sunday, because of NFL football, is the day I take the least number of steps.) I arrived about 5 minutes before they opened and Glenn arrived by taxi about 15 minutes later. I returned his book and we discussed his experience that prompted the book. He asked me for change for a 50mil bill as he wants to give his (8?) porteros their Christmas tip before he leaves for the States this Friday, hopefully returning before the 1^st of the year.

We walked a block to Calle 10A where we quickly caught a taxi. We were approaching Ave Las Vegas when I noticed his meter was already over 6mil and I asked the driver if it was working. He realized, as I suspected, he forgot to reset it so he reset it to 3,800 pesos. Glenn got out at Jumbo as usual and I got out across from Mercado Madrid. I gave the driver an extra 2mil to cover the meter fax paus. I returned to the apt realizing I would never have been able to climb the hills of the finca if we still lived there.

Right at the stroke of 1pm when the game was to start I heard thunder. ☹ I watched the Chicago Bears, playing their backup QB, lose to the NY Jets 31-10. It started out okay with the Bears taking a 10-7 lead but quickly went downhill from there. I think the Bears are now in line for the 2^nd pick in the draft. If they pick in the top 3-5 I think they should gather additional picks by trading it to a QB needy team.

I went to Parva and was having a café con leche when Teresa texted me at 5:20 wanting food from Chiclayo. I asked if she wanted to eat there and she told me to get it to go. I checked online and they close at 6pm. I asked her when she wanted me to bring the food and she didn’t reply for about 5 minutes. Finally, she called to inform me they close at 6pm. 😊 Luckily, I had 100mil with me so I was able to make the purchase.

Walking through La Buena Mesa most of the concrete tables and benches were taken, mostly by people eating frozen yogurt or ice cream.

At Chiclayo I placed the to-go order and the bill was 71,300. I gave the waitress 100,300 and she returned with 30mil in change. Was that bad math or just being generous with the change? When I caught her attention again, I gave her a 1mil coin that she thanked me for. Did she think that was a tip? No way to know.

I walked past the (closed) Argentinian restaurant and its name is Quilombo.

Teresa ate something right away but I was still stuffed from lunch, my Coke, the last 1/3 bag of Maizitos, and my coffee.

I saw this on my cellphone news feed:

My loophole story: When I was in college my roommate, his identical twin brother and I would go to the same pizza place in town. They sold a small pizza for $1.50 and a large pizza for $3. We would always order 2 small cheese and sausage pizzas. Being a math major I had quickly figured out the area of a 12” pizza is 113 square inches and the area of a 16” pizza is 201 square inches, so 2 smalls was a better deal. I’m sure the owner wondered why we always got 2 smalls instead of a large.

So I want to watch 60 Minutes and I’m waiting for the Raiders vs Seahawks game to end. It’s tied 34-34 and goes into overtime. Then the Raiders miss a 56-yard field goal. Will this game never end? If the Raiders don’t score on this drive, isn’t it a tie? I guess not as they’re still playing. I guess time has to run out. They flashed Next Score Wins Game on the screen and the next minute the Raiders got an 86-yard run for a touchdown to end the game.

The long 60 Minutes segment about dogs was very interesting and informative.

In the evening (8:30?) more rain.

Today I got in 3,108 steps.

Still raining when I went to bed at 10pm.

 

Fun pix

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Teresa tells me she couldn’t find a dark blue denim jacket so I guess we’re going to have to settle for a light blue one. She’s going back to Oviedo today to buy one.

Workers outside the old Exito are unloading more concrete blocks from a truck but instead of taking them inside they stacked them up against the wall of our apt complex.

I left the apt at 9:30 and now I see what I thought were concrete blocks look like concrete floor tiles. I walked to the mall. Still leaking. I printed a page of chess notes then cutting through Exito I encountered these dancers.

While watching a young lady handed me this flyer

Just outside in the garage I took an elevator up to the 3^rd floor where I had a latte in Santa Leña. Teresa texted me at 11:15 and asked me to return with Frisby chicken. I paid for my latte, made a trip to the restroom and went up to the food court. Two guys were watching the France vs Denmark World Cup game in Sport Wings, which gave me an idea. After a 10-minute wait in line I ordered the chicken (sin arepas, sin guantes, sin cubiertos plastico, sin serviettas, sin miel), went downstairs, bought 3 bags of milk and a lemon in Exito, and returned upstairs. My order was waiting for me and I returned to the apt by taxi.

Next door they occasionally have the generator on which can get pretty loud.

I left the apt at 2pm and as I passed the new Argentinian restaurant with the funny name I saw it was packed. Argentina vs Mexico was playing on their large screen TVs.

In Eduardo Madrid I had a latte and read more from my new chess book. I checked their baked goods and saw Stolen, the German Christmas pastry, for sale. I would like to buy one but its too much for just the two of us. A dog came in waiting patiently for its owner. I wasn’t even sure which one of the standing customers it was waiting for until the man left and the dog followed him out.

I left about 5pm when it started getting crowded and cut through the parking lot to return to the apt.

I finished Better Call Saul; great series.

At 7:23 Teresa texted me she wanted us to go for pizza. I responded with a thumbs up and asked where she was. She said she would be in the porteria soon. I changed clothes and found her with MT in a taxi outside. When we arrived at Antica Pizza who was sitting outside but Dr. Rendon and family. They all speak English. I understand it was their first time and was recommended by their older daughter. His kids are getting tall. They ate their pizza and left and I reminded him we would see him Wednesday at 2:30.

We took their seats but soon they found spots for us inside. Once again, I was stuck next to the Coke machine. They need to build a larger place.

As usual we walked down a block to the bakery and bought a couple cheese pastries for the porteros. Traffic was heavy near Parque Envigado which was full of people enjoying the beautiful evening. We dropped MT off at her apt and returned to our apt.

I finished the book Glenn wrote, Gluttony at Table #1 by Employee “X”.

Today I got in 5,199 steps.

 

Fun pix

Friday, November 25, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once (twice?) during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Well, today is Black Friday!

Btw, I still had some leakage yesterday so it’s not done with me yet.

Since we will be without water and toilets starting at 8am it’s time to blow this pop stand. (I’m guessing the younger generation won’t understand that comment.)

Teresa finished Jerry’s jacket. I texted him and he’s in Santa Marta and won’t be back until December 7^th.

I left the apt at 8am and found Gente newspaper in the porteria so I grabbed one. I walked to $efecty and was surprised to see it closed. Their website said they open at 8am but this sign says 8:30. It was 8:12 and I considered having coffee across the street or going to the mall first. Five minutes later, while still hemming and hawing, I saw the woman who works there and was surprised she opened the door for me. (Had I been a thief the door to the back was open.) I paid the additional 20,200 pesos to Direct TV then walked to the mall. They have the Christmas decorations up in the atrium.

I printed a few chess notes then went to Todo Fresa for a latte just as they were opening at 9am. Gente had a short article about Otra Parte.

I finally remembered I used Whatsapp to send our Medellin to Santa Marta booking to Auros. I went there and they found and printed it. It’s now obvious that the Bancolombia window is less expensive for printing than Auros or Parque Envigado.

I walked back to La Buena Mesa and stopped in the Outlet Store looking for a dark blue denim jacket for Teresa to decorate for my daughter. No luck, they have denim jackets (the fashionable holey type) but not dark blue.

I walked up to Barrio Sur and approaching I saw people standing outside. I went in and inquired about a few unoccupied seats but they were all taken.

I checked out a few other restaurants & cafes in the area and finally settled on a perfect seat in Black Pepper. I had a pretty good burger, French fries and Coke while watching the US outplay England but for a 0-0 tie. During the game a storm came up and knocked out Direct TV for about 10 minutes. It was still raining lightly when I left so I went around the corner to Los Porteños where I ordered a latte. I hadn’t even finished it when Teresa called and asked me to meet her at Eduardo Madrid because she was starving. I met her there and she ordered a sandwich but I declined being too full from my burger, etc. Chris Cojeleas came in and we chatted a bit. He told me the crowd at Barrio Sur was from the previous match, Netherlands vs Ecuador.

Back at the apt and the water situation was back to normal.

Teresa informed me her friend said that starting January Colombians can visit the US with only a passport. I told her I had heard that Colombian’s president asked the US president for exactly that but I haven’t heard anything since. That would be such a big deal if it was true I think everyone would be talking about it.

Teresa left at 7pm as a friend was going to drive them to Santafe mall and Teresa was going to look for the denim jacket for Jeannie.

I’ve only got 1 episode left of Better Call Saul. Interesting how they’re dovetailing it into Breaking Bad.

Today I got in 6,564 steps.

 

Fun pix

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 12:15 (no rain), again at 4:15, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 4:45 and took another allergy pill, returned to bed at 5:30, waking/getting up at 7:30.

Today is Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Teresa had informed me that she has to pick up her medicine today so I’m on my own for lunch/dinner. I had contacted Philly Steaks and asked for an early reservation for one.

I left the apt at 9:15, printed a couple chess notes at the Bancolombia window in La Buena Mesa then had a café con leche in Parva. There was a 50-something couple at the next table who I think are the owners. At one point a young man came in and sat at their table and I had the impression he was on a job interview.

I left at noon, bought a loaf of seed bread in Eduardo Madrid and returned to the apt.

Something to be thankful for: Last night when I went to bed I noticed my pad appeared to be completely dry and today I was out for 3 hours without needing to pee. Hopefully, signs that this leaking might be finally coming to an end.

My brother reserved 4 days in January at the same hotel in Santa Marta and bought us plane tickets via Viva Air.

Troyclough resigned our game after 22 moves so now I’ve put a space of 24 points between us and this game I have the white pieces.

I contacted Philly Steaks and I now have a 3pm seating time. I hope I can get there and back before the rains start. The Weather Channel predicts mild to moderate showers over the next several hours.

Now I’m trying to book the room at the hotel – Casa Verano Hotel, Santa Marta. My brother ended up booking it on Booking.com for approximately $110 a night. I owe him some pesos!

A portero stopped by and I understood we will not have running water tomorrow from 8am to 3pm. With the help of my translator I also learned, “do not flush the toilets because they are going to make a repair on the first floor and it is from the sewage pipe”.

I left at 2:30 and quickly caught a bus to Poblado. I arrived at Philly Steaks 10 minutes later for my 3pm reservation. I was sat inside right in front of a large screen TV. Soon a couple took the table next to me. It appeared to be a gringo with his younger Colombiana. He had his back to me when I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “well it isn’t American football but it is fútbol”. His name was (still is) Lemont, he is from Hawaii and he married a Colombiana last February. She is from Buenas Aries (sp?) area of Medellin. We exchanged restaurants we like. He told me a story how he was named after The Shadow and I told the story how I believe I was named after the comic strip Terry (Lee) and the Pirates.

Thanksgiving dinner was good this year including dessert for 100mil ($20).

I left about 4:30, made a trip to the restroom across the street in Hija Mia, then walked up to Ave Poblado where I quickly caught a Sabaneta bus. I had my choice of 4 seats towards the back. By the time we picked up passengers at the last Gold Mile stop outside Oviedo it was standing room only. I was back at the apt by 5:15.

Just saw a cool Doritos commercial, “football vs soccer (fútbol)”. And it was nice to see John Madden again.

Teresa tells me I owe Direct TV 20,200 pesos more. The lazy B%^&$s haven’t sent me a bill for years, since I changed my service from Platinum to Basic.

Teresa wanted me to order chicken wings for her from Rocket Wings. I started the order then when I went to pay they wanted 35mil or so for an old Frisby order from months ago that Teresa says she paid. I told her I’m not ordering food or cars for her when I’m not with her to make sure everything goes smoothly. So, we’ve agreed not to use Rappi anymore. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Today I got in 4,452 steps.

 

Fun pix

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 9:15, got up twice during the night, waking/getting up at 6:15.

It’s raining again but, if like usual, it should end soon. The Weather Channel says, “rain ending around 7am”.

At 7:45 it was still raining so we cancelled our plan to have breakfast at Eduardo Madrid bakery. Instead, I had a poppyseed bagel with Knott’s Berry Farms’ strawberry preserves and scrambled eggs in the apt.

It was 8:30 when I noticed it had stopped raining.

Men were moving concrete blocks into the old Exito building.

I had an hour nap after breakfast. Now I feel like I’ve caught up on my sleep.

I met Marcos outside Maca at 10am but they weren’t open. We waited a couple minutes then I went to $efecty where I paid the Direct TV bill. Maca still wasn’t open so we went across the street and had café con leches at a new café named Cannell. He told me it appears to be impossible for him to apply for a US Visitors Visa because his girlfriend is from Venezuela. He told me he’s probably going to have to move because now it’s too difficult for him to walk up hills. Remember he has blood circulation issues. He left and I read some more in my new chess book.

I stopped in Mercado Madrid and bought lettuce and some apples before returning to the apt.

Workmen outside Exito are now tossing refuse into a dump truck.

I left the apt at 3pm in a cool 74 degrees. I stopped outside the old Exito and talked to a lady who looked like she might be the foreman. I asked what is going in next and of course I didn’t understand her answer so I switched to specific questions:

Is it going to be another store? Yes.

Is it going to be another grocery store? Yes.

When will it be finished? End of December.

I had a latte in Eduardo Madrid and got a slice of carrot cake to go. While sitting there I noticed a man stop his car across the street, put on the emergency signals, raise the hood, and put out one of those orange triangles behind it. About an hour later I saw a taxi parked in front of it and two other men checking it out.

I returned to the apt before a little before 6pm.

Teresa informed me that Laura, and the young boy she cares for, have Covid. Not sure who gave it to who. I asked Laura how she’s feeling and she said she’s really sick.

The “bruises” on Teresa’s face have healed.

I accepted an appointment from Dr. Rendon for next Wednesday from 2:30-4:30 for teeth cleaning for Teresa and I.

I downloaded a 1-year subscription to Avira security for $0.99 with the promise that next year’s renewal will be $49. Only thing is, that’s the same thing they said last year when I accepted the same offer and then they wanted more than $49, so F*$# them, I can play this game too.

Today I got in 3,042 steps.

It had just started raining when I went to bed at 10pm.

 

Fun pix

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, waking/getting up at 6:30.

I left the apt at 7:45 and found Jose waiting for me. He said traffic was so light he was there at 7:40. We had our usual breakfast at Habia Una Vez then went upstairs to the food court.

I had the black pieces in the first game and I got a good attack and he resigned on the 43^rd move. I skipped lunch again so he could beat the traffic back to his apt. I had the white pieces in the 2^nd game and we agreed to a draw on the 42^nd move then I showed him his winning move a move earlier. It was exactly 3pm. We plan on meeting every Tuesday as long as one of us doesn’t have other plans.

I was exhausted. I had meant to take half an Excedrin before I left the apt this morning, to kind of clear my head, but I forgot.

I bought an individual chicken sandwich from Q’Bano and took it downstairs to Todo Fresa where I enjoyed it with a latte. I left at 4pm and picked up a few things in Exito. I saw a young lady wearing a Tena shirt as I picked up my Tena man pads. She came over and asked me something and I apologized for not speaking better Spanish. She gave me a complimentary man pad, package of towelettes and a “compact” with a mirror and a foldout brush (for Teresa), all with the Tena brand name on them.

I returned to the apt by taxi.

I watched another episode of Better Call Saul.

At 6pm Teresa informed me she wanted to have dinner at Chiclayo. I said, “fine but a little later please”. At 7pm she completely changed her mind and she made arepas topped with scrambled eggs.

I texted Dr. Rendon that Teresa and I both need teeth cleaning. I suggested next Wednesday, November 30^th.

Teresa has been adding additional decorations to the chair covers we bought last week at Panamericana.

The downpour started at 8:15.

Today I got in 3,298 steps.

It was still raining when I went to bed at 9:15.

 

Fun pix

Monday, November 21, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4:45, waking/getting up at 6:45.

I left the apt at 9:15 and walked to Eduardo Madrid where I picked up a package of 4 poppyseed bagels and had a latte while reviewing some chess notes. Teresa arrived about 10:15 with a girlfriend. They each had a sandwich with a latte and Teresa paid for everything before they left. I received a text from Nobraskja that I had a package to pick up. I told her I’d pick it up in a few minutes.

According to Facebook a plane crashed in Belen this morning. Later Teresa told me 8 reported dead and it seemed like it happened on takeoff.

I walked through the new La Buena Mesa area and around the corner to Barrio Sur where I found Chris Cajoleas smoking a cigar. I asked him to watch my stuff (notebook and tech bag) for a few minutes. I walked to Envios Market where I paid 55mil for my package. Back at Barrio Sur Chris warned me that he had friends arriving soon and they would all be smoking cigars so I took a seat inside. I watched the end of The Netherlands beating Senegal 2-0 match. I thought the USA match started at 1pm but it didn’t start until 2pm. In the meantime, I had their pulled pork sandwich and a Coke. There was a good crowd of Americans cheering for the US and a couple of guys cheering for Wales. The place was pretty busy but there were still a few seats available. This is what it looked like from my seat:

The match ended up being a 1-1 tie. I paid my bill of 35mil ($7) and returned to the apt. The old Exito next door had a 2,000-liter plastic tank sitting outside.

Teresa returned at 6:30. She told me that Esmeralda (or maybe it was Martha) found a store near Parque Envigado selling jackets like Teresa’s for 350mil.

My package turned out to be a chess book I ordered, The Scandinavian for Club Players by Thomas Willemze.

I watched another episode of Better Call Saul.

No rain today!

Today I got in 2,705 steps and I changed my daily step goal to 3,000 steps.

Oops, spoke too soon. At 9:30 it started pouring. At 10pm as I was going to bed, I looked out the bedroom window and saw a car stop even with my window (though we’re on the 4^th floor). It backed up slowly next to the curb by Exito. The passenger window came down and a woman inside called towards Exito. A security guard came out and walked to the gate. The woman got out and also walked to the gate. They exchanged something and she got back into the car. Now, keep in mind it was pouring the whole time and she was a young lady, with obvious tattoos, in shorts and a top and no umbrella so she must have gotten soaked.

 

Fun pix

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4:45, woke up at 7am and got up.

Teresa now tells me it’s too cold to go for breakfast so I’m going to have French toast here.

For some inexplicable reason Teresa has started texting on Whatsapp. Welcome to the 22^nd century. Look out world here she comes. She told me she doesn’t like to do it much because her fingers get tired (and she doesn’t know where each key is on the keyboard) so I told her consider it exercise for your fingers.

The Bears game starts at 1 and I’ll probably be supine most of the rest of the day so I’d better go for coffee in order to get some steps in.

Teresa informed me we’re out of eggs and the brand we like is only sold in Exito so I guess I’ll be making a trip to the mall this morning.

I left the apt at 8:45 and walked to the mall. (It was nice to be able to walk in the street due to Ciclovia.) I purchased a large carton of eggs, printed some chess notes (with diagrams) in color for the first time (8 pages cost 18,300 pesos aka $4), then went up to Santa Eleña for a latte where I got the last table. I See the World Cup starts today in Qatar. Colombia didn’t qualify but the US did. They play Wales tomorrow at 1pm and Barrio Sur has already said they will be open longer hours to accommodate the games. I left about 10:45 and returned to the apt by taxi.

I’m in a close endgame against Troyclough. We each have 3 pawns plus he has a rook and a passed pawn 2 squares from queening and I have a knight and a bishop. I’ve won 7 out of the last 8 games against him and my rating has risen to 1558. By the 72^nd move I had blundered the win then blundered the draw. Sigh!

I watched the Chicago Bears lose to the Atlanta Falcons (those Dirty Birds) 27-24. I finished my 2^nd Ziploc bag of Maizitos with a Coke. Next Sunday they’re at the NY Jets.

I left the apt about 4:30 and walked to La Buena Mesa. This photo is from the north facing south

This photo is from the south facing north

I had a café con leche in Parva for about 90 minutes before returning to the apt.

I watched another episode of Better Call Saul.

We had pizza at Gloria’s so Teresa could give her her finished jacket and collect the 150mil.

Today I got in 4,302 steps.

 

Fun pix

 

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 11:45, again at 1:15, woke up at 6am and got up.

I did a Speedtest.net and got 218.64 Mbps download and 22.22 Mbps upload.

I spoke to Rosemond again at Majestic Punta Cana and he quoted me $2,895.70 for 6 nights in their Majestic Colonial section. Teresa talked to him in Spanish and she finally told me we’ll go some time other than the holidays. I called him back and suggested late April (Easter is April 9^th) would be better for us.

I called Hacienda la Extramadura and made a reservation for my brother for 2 nights, January 20^th and 21^st. Teresa was listening and complimented me on my Spanish. Either the woman understood me or she just hung up out of frustration. 😊

At 9:45 I walked to the mall. At the pedestrian crosswalk I saw the light ahead was green so I cut across the street. As soon as I stepped into the other lane the light started blinking. I ran to the other side which wasn’t very comfortable down below. Take a note, no more running. I printed some chess notes (in black & white) and this time the chess diagrams printed properly. I had a latte in Todo Fresa until about 11:30. Since I didn’t have anything important to purchase in Exito I walked back to the apt.

At 2:30 I heard thunder and checked The Weather Channel and wasn’t encouraged by the results

I decided to wait a bit and see what develops. At 3:30 we had a light drizzle but it didn’t last long. At 4:30 I heard more thunder. But we didn’t have any more rain.

I watched another episode of Better Call Saul.

I’m not sure what time Teresa ordered the pizza from Gloria’s but it didn’t arrive until 8:45.

I made plans to meet Glenn for breakfast tomorrow then Teresa informed me she wanted to go for breakfast tomorrow.

Today I got in 3,510 steps.

 

Fun pix

Friday, November 18, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm (still raining), fell asleep quickly, got up once at 12:30 (still raining), again at 3:30 (no rain), woke up at 6am, and got up at 7am.

On Facebook someone posted this supposedly from the newspaper El Colombiano:

It appears the Embassy is going to get caught up on the backlog of US Visa requests and a 2-year wait will turn into a 2-month wait. If Teresa gets a visitor visa soon we could visit Chicago next summer.

I walked to the mall where I printed directions on how to uninstall Microsoft Office 365 and picked up a Gente newspaper. I had a latte in Todo Fresa then bought 2 bags of milk in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I finally managed to uninstall MS Office 365 and installed MS Office Professional 2021. Now it looks like I’m good to go with a lifetime subscription.

Laura texted me to call a man named Rosemond at Majestic Elegance Punta Cana which I did but his quote for 6 nights was over $600 a night. I told him that’s too rich for me.

I was having a latte in Los Porteños when about 3pm it started pouring. Btw, they finished the construction in La Buena Mesa. This is the finished view from my seat outside the restaurant.

Laura texted me again to call Rosemond. Apparently, he has a quote from their sister property Majestic Colonial.

About 4:30 the rain lessened and I returned to the apt in a light drizzle.

Rosemond had already left for the day so I’ll call tomorrow morning.

For printing diagrams I found that there is an option called Paste Special then I choose Bitmaps. My chessboard is now in color but only the bottom edge of the board. Still researching the problem.

Wow, this time it worked. Not sure what i did differently.

I finished season 5 of Better Call Saul, one season to go.

Wow, I stumbled on the Equifax pin number I use to unfreeze my credit file. I also accidentally found a new feature called Speak Aloud where the computer reads and speaks what is in the Word file.

Today I got in 4,011 steps.

 

Fun pix

 

 

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 2:30, waking/getting up at 7am.

I called MetLife and their opening recording said, “if the reason you’re calling is you don’t want to change your Federal income tax withholding you can hang up now”. That was easy!

The MS Office directions I printed the other day are very small and faint so I’m going to return to Auros to see if there’s anything they can do to make it easier to read.

I met Marcos at Maca at 10am. He told me he bought a treadmill that he and his gf have started using to lose weight. I told him about the shortcut to enter Mayorista where he would save about 2 blocks getting to the fish store he likes. I told him about my occasional problem when I go to save a Word file and it tells me I am in Edit mode and I have to save it under a different name. He told me about his problem when he prints something and it doesn’t all show up in print.  I suggested he copy a file to a USB drive and print it in Auros. If it comes out correct then the problem is with his printer, if not then the problem is with his print setup.

I walked to Viva Envigado where I printed some notes in Auros including making my MS Office download instructions easier to read. I also printed my first USAA credit card statement and will read it later to see how I make payments.

In Exito I purchased a 9V battery, Pantene shampoo, and a 6-pack of Coke and returned to the apt by taxi. I’ve racked up 3,114 steps thus far.

It’s time to start the uninstall process. Wish me luck!

 

This is my new License Code/Product Key:

XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Well, that was too easy. It took about 20 minutes but when I open an Excel or Word file it says it’s still MS 365 so maybe uninstalling the app Office wasn’t enough.

I then uninstalled Microsoft 365 en-us app and another one with a similar name. Still MS 365.

Let’s try a restart and see if that fixes things.

When I open a Word or Excel file I still see Microsoft 365 so that didn’t work.

It seems to be I haven’t properly uninstalled MS 365 so I’m going to check and see if Youtube has any suggestions. Well, I looked at 2 videos and it sure looks like what I did.

I see Office Professional Plus 2021 includes Access, Excel, Onenote, Outlook, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Word. Maybe I need to uninstall Outlook too? I don’t see it in my App list so it shouldn’t be there. I see an app for Office Professional Plus 2021 so I don’t know what the problem is.

I uninstalled Onenote and did a restart and I still see MS 365 when I open a file. Probably time to call TechSpot customer support. I filled out a request form and submitted it. What happens next I’m not sure.

I received this email, “Thanks for writing in about this! I would love to clarify some things for you.
You would need to clean uninstall your old version or MS365 to run 2021. This would require you to uninstall both of them if you already installed 2021.
You may see this walk through on on how to do a Clean Uninstall of your Previous Microsoft office version
After doing the clean uninstall and deleting the left over folders, you may restart your computer. Then reinstall the 2021 version. Click on INSTALL on the far right of the said version. Download 2021 version here: https://account.microsoft.com/services
Video reference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIymNltF3xo”.

 

I decided I’d better back up my D: (user files) drive first. I’m not sure exactly what time I started, 4pm? 5pm?

In the meantime, I saw this on facebook

Be careful out there people

Teresa talked to her sister Vicky and she and her daughter Laura and I forget who else are going to Punta Cana on December 26^th thru January 3^rd. That’s 9 days, 8 nights. I asked Teresa to have Vicky text her the name of the resort. It came back as Majesty and from that I found Majestic Elegance Punta Cana – All Inclusive. Later I heard they corrected the date to December 27^th thru January 3^rd, 7 nights. I told Teresa there wasn’t anything I could do now until my backup finishes.

At 8:45 a downpour started.

I looked at 9pm and my backup was 98% complete and estimated time to finish was “more than a day”. What?

I watched more episodes of Better Call Saul.

My backup finally finished at 9:45.

Today I got in 3,210 steps.

 

Fun pix

 

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

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

Late this morning, Teresa wants to buy more paints in Panamericana and have lunch in Santafe mall. We’ll see if she doesn’t change her mind.

I left the apt at 9am, picked up my mail at Envios Market for 76,500 pesos ($15) and went to Los Porteños for a latte. Workers have made good progress on La Buena Mesa

But I think they still have a few days more work to go on little details and removing some refuse.

Checking my mail, I received a letter from MetLife asking me to call them to confirm I don’t want Federal income tax withheld for my pensions. I also received a New in Chess magazine and the spirulina capsules Teresa requested. I picked up a bag of salt on the way back to the apt.

We left at 11:30 and took a Didi to Panamericana where Teresa bought more paints for decorating jackets. She also wanted 4 Christmas chair covers for about 35 mil each. (When we got them home they didn’t fit our chairs perfectly so I suggested she cut off the top 4” and sew a new seam and cut it up the side from the bottom a few inches.) I bought a 2023 desk calendar and while waiting in line for a cashier she picked up a Milky Way and asked me if this is a US product. I said, “yes” then pointed to the Snickers, Twix and Tic-Tac. She surprised me by buying 2 Snickers bars for us.

We walked a block to Santafe mall where we had lunch in Crepes & Waffles. She had some type of salad with too much lettuce for her taste and I had a turkey pita sandwich and a fresh mango juice.

Their Atrium is set up for Christmas.

Teresa checked out a couple stores but didn’t find anything. She picked up a few things in the Jumbo grocery store and we quickly returned to the apt by taxi.

The first step to download the MS Office I purchased is to uninstall my current version first. That’s scary. I intend to give it a try tomorrow afternoon so we’ll see.

I finished season 4 of Better Call Saul.

Today I got in 3,984 steps.

 

Fun pix

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, woke up at 4am, again at 6:30 and got up.

I left the apt at 7:45 and found Jose waiting for me at the mall. Today it only took him 30 minutes to arrive compared to an hour last week. We had our usual breakfast in Habia Una Vez.

Upstairs I had the White pieces in the first game and I checkmated him in 18 moves. 😊 I skipped lunch again and after reviewing the first game we started another. With the Black pieces we agreed to a draw after 32 moves. (Later I checked the computer and it said Black was better.) It was only a few minutes after 1pm so he would be getting home plenty early.

I ordered my usual sandwich from Q’Bano and went downstairs to have some notes printed. Here’s how my chess diagram came out.

Back to the drawing board.

I heard my beeper go off while on the elevator back upstairs. I picked up my sandwich and went downstairs to Todo Fresa where I ate it with a latte and a cold bottle of water.

It was nice to hear Christmas Carols being played in English over the PA system. Too bad I don’t remember all the words.

After waiting in a short line, I made an ATM withdrawal using my CS debit card.

My original plan was to take a taxi to Envios Market, pick up my package and buy a couple bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

Going from the mall proper to the Exito entrance I could see it was pouring. In Exito I heard loud thunder.

New plan: buy a couple of bags of milk, take a taxi back to the apt and pick up my package tomorrow. I paid the epm bill, bought a couple bags of milk and by the time I came out it had stopped raining. I took the next taxi back to the apt, noticing on the way workers blacktopping the driveway around McDonald’s. I heard more thunder as I was walking through the parking garage.

I watched more episodes of Better Call Saul.

Teresa asked me if her niece Daniela could stay here so Teresa could take care of her. I asked how long that might be and she said she didn’t know, maybe a year or two. Teresa said she works at night but later I heard something about maybe her working during the day. To be continued.

The latest jacket Teresa is working on.

I finished reading the book my son gave me, Neil Steinberg’s Every Goddamn Day. I’ve started reading the book Glenn wrote, Gluttony at Table #1.

Tonight’s sunset taken from the balcony looking south.

Today I got in 4,374 steps.

 

Fun pix