Thursday, March 30, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, woke up at 4:40am, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 5:15.

I left the apt at 8:45 with my laptop which I set up on a table in Parva. Jerry arrived about 9:15 and I showed him where I am in regard to my vacation planning and informed him of my return to the gym. I gifted him 9 movie DVDs I had found in my desk.

I left at 11:30 and returned to the apt.

I watched more episodes of The West Wing.

Things I accomplished today:

I paid the new rep for Envios Market, Innovation Corp, $18.63 for my latest Amazon order that has arrived in Bogota.

I reserved a room at St. Thomas Bed & Breakfast for September 11-12 for $103, our last day in Greece. I also scheduled a car to take us to the airport for our 8:45am flight to Madrid.

I paid $41.85 for a taxi on September 12 to take us from St. Thomas Bed & Breakfast to the airport.

I reserved a room for September 4-6 at Athenian Riviera Hotel & Suites for 491 euros, approximately $533.70.

 

Today I got in 1,674 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, woke up at 4:45am to NO birds tweeting outside our bedroom window, fell back asleep, finally getting up at 6:30.

Sorry, Jack, I can't explain the photo. I see I accidentally posted it twice but besides that I guess what happens in Canada stays in Canada.

I won my game against Troyclough (took a week) raising my rating to 1593, so close to 1600.

It’s been 3 years since I was a regular at the gym and now I’m trying to figure out my pre-gym routine. Currently I’ll get up, wash my face, have breakfast, shave, wait 45 minutes then by the time I arrive at the gym it will have been an hour since I’ve eaten. After my workout I’ll return to the apt and take my shower for the day.

I had a few minutes before it was time to leave so I checked the rates of flights to/from Madrid and Athens and today it was only $478 compared to the $629-$650 range I’ve been seeing. I decided no matter how long it takes I’d better purchase them now. After I went through the process of choosing to allow a checked bag, carryon and personal item the price went up and also changed to Euros, €848.14. (For the Air Europa flight you choose your baggage first so it’s included in the price upfront.) This time I did manage to figure out how to choose 2 aisle seats for an additional €20 each so we’re at least sitting across from each other. Since there’s currently 0.92 euros to the US Dollar that means the total purchase of €888.14 came to approximately $965.37. I looked at my USAA account online and I don’t see that transaction but I do see the Air Europa charge.

I finally left for the gym. As I entered, to my right I saw a guy built like a fullback wearing a Bulls #23 sleeveless t-shirt and I gave him the thumbs up. He probably thought I was crazy. My fingerprint didn’t work at the turnstile but a lady working there looked up my account and allowed me in. Of course they are much busier today than when I was here Sunday afternoon. As I reached the stairs, I ran into the Bulls guy. I told him I’m from Chicago. He mentioned Michael Jordan and I told him I once met him but he may not have understood. His English is about as good as my Spanish. We exchanged names, I remember it started with an ‘S’, Sebastian? He asked me something and I had the impression he was offering to spot for me. This floor is for free weights so I explained I’m using the machines on the 1^st floor.

I went through my usual routine with no problem.

After I left using the turnstile I asked a young man at the desk how do I download their app so I can see my weight. Instead of an app called Smartfit it was called TrainingGym and it took a while for him to set it up. After I stood on the pad without moving for about 30 seconds, it displayed my Peso (weight) of 82.4kg, Grasa (fat) of 16.4%, Musculo (muscle) of 67.3kg.

I walked back to the apt.

Now I see the Aegean airline charge and it’s $963.72, pretty close to my estimate.

Wow, my legs are tired, but my arms are fine, probably because I had been working out regularly with the 7# dumbbell.

I left the apt about 2pm and had 2 lattes in Los Porteños. At one point the waiters pointed out this red squirrel in an orange tree on the other side of the sidewalk.

About 3pm a downpour started with strong lightning.

By 4:30 the rain had stopped, I left, bought a dozen tomatoes and a package of wholewheat cookies in Ara on my way back to the apt.

Teresa insisted on a full financial accounting of the Punta Cana trip I had cancelled.

On August 6^th I paid:

$1040.58 to Orbitz for the Grand Sirenis hotel

$515.50 for COPA Airlines

$467.80 to Avianca Airlines

On September 27^th I cancelled all of the above.

Both the airlines claim I have a credit for the full amount but Orbitz I couldn’t even contact anyone, just their automated customer service.

For supper we went to Gloria’s for pizza and Teresa presented her with the cap she decorated for her. I don’t recall if Gloria paid Teresa anything to make it but at least she comped us on the pizza.

 

Today I got in 3,488 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, woke up at 5am to birds tweeting right outside our bedroom window, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up just at 5:30.

I left the apt just after 7:30 and met Jose at the mall after I recycled a few papers. We had our usual breakfast at Habia Una Vez. I think this time it cost me 20,500 pesos. I informed him how I was doing with the wedding/vacation plans and showed him my recent games against Troyclough.

We went upstairs and he won the first game with the White pieces in 45 moves and I won the 2^nd in 43 moves. During our 1^st game 2 young ladies stopped by our booth for a few seconds to observe our game. When Jose was on his way to a restroom break he walked past their booth (next to ours) and informed me they were playing chess. I took a look and they had a small magnetic set they were using. I showed them on my cellphone that I’m also playing a game on Chess.com. One showed me her phone and she’s playing on Chess.com also. After he left (about 1pm) I made an ATM withdrawal then had a medium sandwich combo at Only Roastbeef. I went downstairs and had a latte at Urbania.

I bought a large pack of toilet paper in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I was updating my checking account spreadsheet and found I was off by a few thousand dollars. After I checked it transaction by transaction against the bank I see my Air Europa purchase isn’t there.

About 3:45 a storm passed through.

I was on a call with USAA for 52 minutes. Pee, my first rep, says the Air Europa charge (for some reason) is still pending and should show up by the 8^th day. She handed me off to a more experienced (senior?) rep named Jasmin and she said the transaction should show up online after tonight’s batch run so I won’t panic until tomorrow.

 

Today I got in 3,966 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

 

Monday, March 27, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, woke up at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up just after 5:30.

Just before 9am Teresa left for the gym and then she’s going to get her hair done so I’ll be on my own for lunch. I made arrangements to meet Glenn at 1pm at the new pizza restaurant, Brooklyns (sic) in Poblado.

I left just after 9am and had a latte in Los Porteños while reviewing some chess notes. I left about 11:30 and picked up a couple bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

At 12:30 I ordered a Didi to Hija Mia Nomada and the car arrived about 5 minutes later. At first I thought the driver was lost but he just took a back way. (I’m guessing Waze knew about an accident or construction on the usual route.) Ironically, as he crossed Calle 10 there was a motorcycle accident we had to maneuver around. The driver dropped me off at Hija Mia Nomada and it was a 90 second walk to Brooklyns Pizza. The restaurant is large with a bar and a separate patio area. They offered a large 18” pizza and a personal pizza, neither showing a price. I suggested we share a personal pizza and, depending on how big it is, go from there. Good thing we did because the pizza (half cheese and half pepperoni) was huge (16”-18”).

I had a 500ml bottle of Coke with my 2 slices and Glenn had a bottle of water with his. The pizza was very good, among the best in Medellin. After we finished eating the owner, David, gifted us an order of their Garlic Knots that were also very good, besides filling. The total came to 78,100 pesos ($16.75) including tip and I got 2 slices to go. We shared a taxi back to Envigado.

It started raining about 3:45.

Just before 4pm I heard an explosion and the power went out but it came back on 2 minutes later.

Teresa called me at 5:22, told me she’s in a taxi outside our porteria and “let’s go to the movie”. I quickly changed clothes, grabbed the large pizza box and headed out the door. I handed her the pizza box as I was getting in the backseat. She asked me, can you take the pizza into the theater? I said, “more or less”, because I can take it into the lobby but not inside an individual theater. I purchased 2 preferred seats to Scream 6 for 17,900 ($4) each then a large soda for me to go with the 2 slices of pizza. We still had a few minutes to kill before the movie. I made my last trip to the restroom and we went in and took our seats in the last row. Note to self: buy your center seats in the next to last row because for the last row there aren’t any middle seats because of the projection area.

I didn’t care much for the movie but Teresa likes these horror movies. At one point the main actors think the FBI agent is the killer, which is laughable because the actress is only 5’ tall.

After we left the theater Teresa was hungry and it was about 8:45 and the restaurants would be closing soon so she had a hotdog in the theater. As we got up to leave I realized I’d left my tech bag in the theater so I went back and got it. We returned to the apt by taxi.

 

Today I got in 4,591 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

 

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 4am, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up just after 5am. (I initially fell asleep fine, now I seem to be having sleep problems at the other end.)

I left the apt just before 8:30 and walked to the bus stop outside Smartfit. When the stoplight changed, so I knew a bus wouldn’t be coming soon, I stepped inside Smartfit. There was a young man working at the desk. I asked if he spoke English and he said “no” but got on the PA system and called for a trainer who spoke English. After a few minutes when no one came I explained in my broken Spanish, “the last time I was here was Wednesday, March 11^th, 2020. Since then, we had the pandemic and I had a couple surgeries. My last surgery was a hernia repair a year ago. Could I somehow have a trial day so I could see if I could handle the discomfort of the exercises? He agreed as long as I returned in the afternoon sometime before his shift ended at 5pm”. (I later found out his name is Jose.)

Outside I quickly caught a Sabaneta bus and was at Sweet Georgia by 9am. While I waited for Glenn I went inside and exchanged paperbacks. He arrived a couple minutes later. I told him how much I enjoyed my lunch at Olivenza, the restaurant in Sao Paolo that he recommended. I told him about my unnecessary attempt at a regular marriage, and my progress towards our trip to Greece. I suggested we try a new café called Repeat in Poblado (Carrera 36 #8A-5) for breakfast next Sunday. We shared a taxi back to Envigado.

Teresa had a massage from 1:30 to 2:30 and right after the girl left I walked to Smartfit. Luckily, the same young man I talked to this morning was there now; his name is Juan. He gave me a paper to fill out (it appeared to be who to contact in case of emergency) and sign and fingerprint. I went upstairs and dropped off my umbrella, keys, and cellphone in a locker and locked it with my combination padlock. I’m glad I kept my gym notebook because it listed the 11 exercises I was doing and how I set the machine including how much weight. I went through the same exercise routine I last did 3 years ago but with approximately 60% of the weight. (I guess I’m going to have to hold my cellphone in my hand if I want credit for steps on the treadmill.) I noticed it was raining outside as I was finishing up.

I wanted to weigh myself but they have some complicated electronic thing where I need to use their Smartfit app and sign into my account, which I don’t have yet.

I told Juan everything went well and requested to enroll in their Black plan (meaning I can use any Smartfit location) for 89,900 a month. Since I’m using Laura’s Bancolombia account they said I needed her signature on some form. I explained she’s living in the US and somehow he found a way around it. I signed another form and added my fingerprint at their turnstyle along with my userid (cedula) and password (ddmmy) of my birthday. Another young man who was helping me is Giovanni (sp?). They’re having a promotion so I will be paying:

39,900 – 1^st & 2^nd months (discounted monthly fee)

128,900 – 3^rd month (discounted monthly fee plus annual maintenance fee)

89,900 – all following months, regular monthly fee.

In the future I pay the annual maintenance fee on the same month as the 3^rd month so, June?

I understand they deduct the fees from the account on the 10^th of the month.

My plan is to go regularly on Monday and Wednesdays to this Ave Poblado location  and Fridays to the Viva Envigado location but this week I won’t go tomorrow because I was just there today.

Luckily, it wasn’t raining when I left but it soon started after I returned to the apt.

I watched more episodes of The West Wing.

We had a little more rain in the evening and then about 9pm it started pouring. It had stopped by the time we went to bed.

Today I got in 3,674 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 5:15, finally waking/getting up just after 7am.

We left at 9:30 and took a Didi to El Tesoro for Teresa’s 10am doctor’s appointment. She got her first leg vein treatment and now she has to wear these long compression socks for the next 48 hours. She exchanged something in Zara then we had lunch in J&C Delicias for 120,076 pesos ($25). She bought a few inexpensive things in Dollar City then we returned to the apt by taxi by 2pm.

I think I forgot to mention I finished season 5 of The West Wing and watched a few more episodes today.

I’m now tracking the daily price of the same flight using Google Flights from Madrid to/from Athens. Today, just for a lark, I checked it in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening and the cost was $638, $648, and $629, respectively.

For supper I had food delivered from Chiclayo.

Today I got in 1,988 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

Friday, March 24, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night at 2:30, Teresa’s heavy breathing woke me at 5:20, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 6:30.

Teresa notified me she’s going to the Las Vegas clinic (after the gym and coffee with a friend) to pick up her monthly medication so I’ll be on my own for lunch.

I left the apt about 9:15 and walked to the mall. I tried to pay the Tigo/Une bill in Exito but the lady said I had to go to Gana or $efecty. I had our flight information printed in Auros. I picked up a Gente newspaper and went to Urbania for coffee. After my latte I ordered another latte and an apple pie but someone had already bought the last one. I went up to Dollar City looking for a few plastic envelopes but didn’t like what I saw.

As I was returning to the first floor I ran into Chris Cajoleas. I explained my US Visitor Visa/marriage problem and he assured me it was not a problem. He and his wife also had only a Union Libre and he was able to get her a US Visitor Visa. (In fact, if a foreigner lives with a Colombiana for 2 years, you are considered married and if you leave, she has some rights.) Whew, that’s a load off my mind.

I bought a large carton of eggs (42) in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi.

I walked to Sao Paolo mall (20 minutes?) and had lunch in a nice restaurant named Olivenza. They had live music: a young lady playing the guitar and singing songs in English. I had pasta and a fresh mango juice and for dessert a slice of carrot cake with a latte for a total of 68,287 ($14.50).

Teresa texted me and I think we’re going to see Scream 6 at 6:30 tonight.

On my way back to the apt is stopped at a Gana kiosk in Villa Grande (a small strip mall) and paid the Tigo/Une Wi-Fi bill. I was walking past a bus stop 2 blocks from my apt when an old lady asked me something in Spanish and the only word I understood was the last one, “metro”. I told her this is a Metro bus stop and one usually comes every 5 minutes. I hadn’t even gotten a block further when a Metro bus arrived to pick her up.

Laura texted me about abuela’s lack of SS payment and I explained everything. Why can’t people just hold their horses? It hasn’t even been a month yet.

My Amazon order of salted-in-the-shell peanuts has shipped and should arrive in Florida next Tuesday.

We were planning on going to the 6:30 showtime but about 5:15 it got cold and windy and we were afraid it would soon rain.

I’ve had some problem falling asleep the past few nights so tonight I was strict with my pre-sleep routine.

 

Today I got in 8,007 steps.

 

Meanwhile in Canada

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once during the night at 2:45, again at 5:30, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 6am. I seemed to need 9 hours of sleep with my cold but now that’s over maybe I only need 8 hours.

In Cine Colombia the big new opening is for John Wick: Chapter 4 (8.7) with lots of showtimes. Playing at 1pm, 4:20pm, 4:45pm, 8:20pm, and 8:30pm. In IMAX it’s playing at 2:15pm, 6pm, and 9:45pm. And we still have Scream 6 (7.2) now playing at 6:30pm.

By the time Teresa got up at 7:15 it was drizzling again but it soon stopped.

I took my laptop with me and met Jerry at Parva at 9am. He brought with him the paperwork he needed to get married to his Colombian wife, including a page where he testified he was single. He suggested we go to the notary in Envigado to see what the current requirements are. He left at 10:15 and I spent some time getting familiar with Athens. I located the general areas for the Acropolis (the Parthenon), Vari (the wedding), Pireaus (the port), and the airport. I’ll be looking for hotels in each area. One problem I haven’t solved yet is the hotel costs on Google Maps are in Colombian Pesos and I haven’t figured out how to change them to US Dollars.

I left about 11:30 and returned to the apt.

I left again about 2:30 and had coffee in Los Porteños. About 4pm I heard thunder so I packed up and returned to the apt. False alarm as there was no rain.

Teresa had a massage from Kally from 4:30 to 5:30.

I ordered a 24oz bag of salted-in-the-shell peanuts from Amazon which should arrive in plenty of time for the NFL draft.

I showed Teresa the trailers for Scream 6 and John Wick 4 and she seems interested in both.

 

Today I got in 2,943 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, again at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep because of birds tweeting right outside our window, finally getting up at 6am.

I left the apt just after 8am and walked to Parva which had just opened for the day. I had to wait a couple minutes for them to set up the tables. I texted Marcos letting him know I was there early if he could possibly come early.

I won a game against Troyclough in 19 moves increasing my rating to 1587. I might reach 1600 yet.

The Madrid to Athens flight I thought was $600 is now $648. I’ll track that daily now to see if it changes. I was starting to look at hotels close to the wedding site outside Athens when Marcos arrived. We were looking at Madrid to Athens flights when Jerry arrived. I think he thought we were meeting today instead of tomorrow. Marcos and Jerry got caught up on their lives up until now and how they ended up in Medellin, and Jerry’s wife and Marcos’ girlfriend. Jerry left after we agreed to meet here tomorrow at 9am. I paid Marcos the 109mil I owed him for the tea he bought for me before he left.

I started creating a more detailed itinerary for our trip. The plan is we’ll be staying 2 nights in Madrid, 3 nights in Athens relatively close to the acropolis and the monasteriki (flea market), 2 (expensive) nights on the Athenian Riviera close to the wedding location, 2 nights in Athens closer to our cruise point of embarkation, 3 nights on a tour of the Greek islands, 1 night near the Athens’ airport, 2 nights again in Madrid before flying back to Medellin. A google search revealed that Athens’ hotel costs are on average $50 a night for an inexpensive one and $85 on up for a luxury hotel. Hmm, not sure how old that information is. One challenge that came up is it appears we need visas to enter Turkey (a cruise port of call) but so far it looks like it might be only $20 (each) or so. Lots of work still to be done but I’ll get there.

I left and stopped in Ara on my way back for carrots (they had) and milk (they didn’t have). I’m not getting in line just for carrots so that will have to wait until later.

I left the apt about 2pm and walked to Los Porteños. I was having a latte when at 4pm a downpour started. I looked at the Accuweather app I had recently downloaded and it said, “rain to start in 3 minutes”. A couple minutes later I looked again and this time it said, “no precipitation for the next 60 minutes”. 😊 About 15 minutes later it lessened but 5 minutes later it started coming down hard again. About 5pm I left in a light but steady drizzle.

I was about to enter Ara when a high school age kid came out wearing a Chicago UIC t-shirt. I said, “Chicago”, as he passed then he started talking to me in English. Something about basketball and he was curious as to how good I thought his English was. Pretty good!

I bought 2 bags of milk and half a dozen carrots in Ara (no line) before returning to the apt.

I downloaded a new free version of Stockfish (15.1) to Windows (C:) > Program Files (x86) > Common Files > ChessBase > Engines.uci Sorry, folks, this chess note is for my future self not for you.

Another downpour in the evening but it stopped by bedtime.

 

Today I got in 3,158 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 5:45am.

I did some work on the computer until 7am when it was time to dress.

I walked to the mall and Jose was there waiting for me.

Jose had the White pieces in the first game and I missed some opportunities and resigned on my 29^th move. I had the White pieces in the 2^nd game and I got an early attack against his king, gobbled up a lot of his pieces and he resigned on his 16^th move.

We were done by 1pm and after he left I bought a large BBQ sandwich in Only Roastbeef for 27,300 ($5.75) and took it down to Cine Colombia where I bought a 32oz Coke for 9,100 ($1.90). Too much food; next time I think I can get by with a medium sandwich and small Coke.

I looked for Heinz BBQ sauce in Exito but still none. I returned to the apt by taxi.

I made plans to meet Marcos for coffee tomorrow at 10am and Jerry at 9:30am on Thursday morning, both in Parva.

I’ve been checking the prices of our international Air Europa roundtrip flight Medellin ß-> Madrid and the price has held pretty steady day to day but last Tuesday to Wednesday it went up $132. Thursday to Sunday it dropped $132. Sunday to yesterday it dropped another $197. Today it’s up 40 cents so tonight I purchased our tickets. At the end of the process it said there was an error but I checked my bank account and the transaction went through. I called Air Europa and a rep confirmed everything is okay. Well, that’s one step completed!

My Charles Schwab Travel Notice for Friday, March 31^st through Thursday, April 13^th has been approved.

Today I got in 3,795 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Monday, March 20, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

What I understood was we were going to take the metro to Terminal Norte and take a bus from there to Mary’s finca.

Teresa and I left the apt at 9:50 and took a Didi to the Ayurá metro station where we met Wilson, Marta, and MT. Before we even got to San Antonio station all of us had seats. When we passed Caribe station I wondered what was going on. I googled the metro station for Terminal del Norte and it is Caribe. Oh well, I guess they know what they’re doing.

We got off the metro at the end of the line, the Niquia station. We walked a short distance to a mall called Puerta del Norte. We hung around Exito for a few minutes then moved to a food court where we bought Frisby chicken to go. Outside, Wilson talked to a few taxi drivers and got one to take us to Vereda Portachuelo. I think the problem might have been that only 4 passengers are allowed in a taxi, 1 in front and 3 in back. Here’s how it ended up, left to right, Teresa, MT, Wilson and Martha. 

On the winding road up the side of a mountain I saw a horse in the process of lying down. (Don’t recall the last time I saw that.) The driver pulled off the road under the only shady spot, Teresa handed him her cellphone, he talked to someone then we continued on.

I saw a roadside stand called Empanadas de Olga. I thought Olga was a Russian name and I’ve been surprised when I see it here in Colombia.

At one point the road was narrow and as 2 cars slowly passed each other our driver turned down a side path. I thought it was to get out of the way of the passing cars but a gate opened and we continued down. A couple of large dogs “greeted us” and no one got out of the taxi until the owners came out.

Aunt Mary came out to greet us and calm the dogs down.

She has a very nice looking finca, it’s just so far from everything and with no wifi network that I could detect.

I laid down on a coach on the side of the house and this was my view:

Our taxi arrived at 4:30 to take us back to the metro station but first he stopped at a stand and I had a cup of Mazzamora and some Gelatina (sp?).

I don’t understand Colombian’s fascination with mazzamora, it’s just kernel corn in cold milk. The Gelatina appears to be an early stage of marshmallow, made like I remember seeing salt water taffy being made by hand.

We took the metro back to Ayurá station and took a taxi from there back to the apt.

I made arrangements with Jose to meet for chess tomorrow.

I checked the international airfare and it’s down almost $200 today. 😊

Today I got in 2,566 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

 

Sunday, March 19, 2023

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

I took a Didi to Pergamino café where I met Glenn at 9am. He didn’t have any information regarding marriages in Colombia. Next, I’ll ask Jerry and Chris, hopefully one of them will have some information. Glenn (Bianca too) has gastritis so today he just nibbled on an almond croissant. Teresa called and she wants to go to Mayorca today to buy some face cream on sale in Meipiel so I guess we’ll be having lunch there. We left at 11:30 and shared a taxi back to Envigado.

I took a plastic exercise band and jerry rigged it to the door, sat on a chair and did a few simple stomach curls with no discomfort. Now I’m considering returning to the gym soon. 😊

I used Google Translate to translate the email I received Friday from Envios Market:

“As of Monday, March 20, our Locker service in the USA is transformed. The address in Miami remains the same, these are the changes:

1. Customer service will be through the company Innovation Corp and the new telephone number for any request and report is +57 317 515 65 48.

2. You will have access to the web system of the locker so that you can consolidate your purchases, report the value and track your shipment at all times.

3. Your shipments will travel from Miami to Bogotá and they will contact you via WhatsApp to confirm the value of the service.

4. Once the collection has been made, it is dispatched from Bogotá to your address with the transport company TCC or Envía.

5. The accounts authorized for the collection of the value of the Casillero service are:

• Bancolombia: Savings Account #23751658664 In the name of Innovation Corp SAS NIT 900.913.342-7

• Zelle and PayPal: ccardona@innovationcorpus.com

• Bank of America: Checking account #8981 0164 0063 In the name of Innovation Vica Corp Swift BOFAUS3N AVA #026009593

With these changes we want to provide you with better service and optimize delivery time.”

 

I’m not sure I understand how this impacts me, so I’ll be discussing this further with Nobraskja next time I see her.

Teresa and I left at 12:45 and took a Didi to pick up MT and take us to Mayorca. Teresa bought 4 items at Medipiel for 760,600 pesos ($156). We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles for 101,600 pesos ($21). MT, through Teresa, asked me when she’s going to get her Social Security payments again. I told her to be patient as it hasn’t even been a month. They shopped a little more then we quickly caught a taxi to Viva Envigado. While they window shopped I went to Urbania for a latte. One of the waitresses is learning English so we chatted for a few minutes. I saw a woman exit CasaIdeas with an ugly hairless cat. I googled Egyptian cats and it’s called, among other things, a Sphynx cat. The ladies returned a couple hours later and had small lattes while I had another large one. The total bill came to 40,260 pesos ($8.50). We left at 7pm and there was a long line for taxis. The street was wet so we must have had some rain while we were inside. We walked MT over to La Bahia (a block from her apt) and luckily caught a taxi back to our apt.

I understand tomorrow we’re going to visit cousin Mary at her finca in Bello. We’re going to take the metro to the north end of the line, Niqua (sp?), buy Frisby chicken then take a taxi to her finca. Then a few hours later we’ll reverse the process (minus the chicken).

 

Today I got in 4,108 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, slept through the night, got up once at 6:15, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

We have some light raindrops this morning. The Weather Channel says, “possible thunderstorms after 1pm”.

Teresa has a massage appointment at 10am.

By 9:15 it turned into a steady drizzle.

Finally, by 10am the rain had stopped. Teresa told me I’m on my own for lunch because she’s getting a massage and right after she’s going to get her hair done.

I went to Parva and the rain started again just after I arrived but stopped by 11am.

I texted Glenn asking if he had a recommendation for lunch in Sao Paolo. He recommended Olivenza. I checked The Weather Channel and it predicted “thunderstorms likely to continue through 7pm” so I decided to stick closer to home. I went to Olivia and had just taken a seat and scanned the QR code for their menu when Teresa called and informed me she made lentil soup. I apologized to the waitress and returned to the apt.

I watched more episodes of The West Wing.

For supper I ordered chicken wings delivered from Rocket Wings and they arrived just before the rain started again.

Rain continued on and off all evening.

 

Today I got in 1,898 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

 

Friday, March 17, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all the Irish and those who love (or put up with) them. 😊

Somehow in my new game against Troyclough instead of castling I just moved my king one square towarda the rook. Not what I intended but I’ll hold on as long as I can.

I’m getting low on my Calendula capsules and PipingRock.com is out of stock so I ordered 4 bottles (enough for a year) from Amazon for $92. Estimated delivery date (in Florida) is March 24^th - 28^th.

Teresa left at 9am for her private gym class and I left at 9:30 for the mall. I ran into Jerry and his wife checking out with their groceries. We’re going to try to meet up next Monday. At Auros I tried to forward an email to their account to print but it didn’t seem to work. Next to me a lady was having what looked like lesion photos of a child so I figured she’s a doctor. I asked if she spoke English but I struck out. It was only when I was showing an employee my problem when I realize my error. Auros’ email address end in “.com.co” and when I pressed the button for “.com” it automatically added a space after and then errored out when I tried to add the “.co”. I got it to work and they printed out what was the receipt for my payment for the US Visitor Visa application. I picked up a Gente newspaper, made an ATM withdrawal and went to Urbania. A young lady was struggling to open the electrical cover using her PC power cord. I took out my portable scissors and opened them and she soon had it open.

While having a latte Teresa sent me a voice mail message via Whatsapp asking me to buy 2 ripe plantains in Exito. A few minutes later she called me to convey the same message. At noon she called me again to inform me she’s having lunch with her cousin Mary, one of the owners of El Rancherito, at Wilson’s bar.

About 1pm I went upstairs and had a burger, fries and Coke at Chef Burger for 32,100 pesos ($6.50). When I sat down at the counter there was a 500 peso coin sitting there but it was glued to the table. Just a conversation piece, I guess.

I went downstairs to Home Center where I bought a 9V battery backup for 25,600 pesos ($6) for my TENS 3000 unit.

I left about 2:30 and stopped in Exito where I bought a box of MPs, 2 ripe plantains and 2 almost ripe bananas. I returned to the apt by taxi.

I see that the movie 65 is playing in Vizcaya at 6:20pm.

When I returned to the apt Teresa was just starting her massage.

When she finished she informed me we’re invited to visit her cousin Mary’s finca in Bello next Monday, a holiday.

I left at 5:15 and took a Didi to Vizcaya, bought a preferred seat for 13,700 ($3) and still had a few minutes to kill. I bought their Combocito (their smallest popcorn, small soda and a Jet chocolate bar) for 14,900 ($3.50).

The movie, 65, was okay, nothing special, just your typical action move.

Afterward, I used my Didi app to call a car. I was a little concerned I would find it but I got lucky, we connected quickly and I was back at the apt by 8:30.

 

Today I got in 5,632 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30. Teresa whispered to me that we’ll be having breakfast at home. (I guess that means she’s skipping her 7am class.)

My alarm went off at 7am but I no longer needed it.

I forgot to mention that the airfare went up $132 when I checked it last night.

New movie openings at Viva Envigado include:

To Love is to Mature

A Giant Adventure

I think they are probably Latino produced as they are in Spanish only.

Teresa left just before 9am and I left at 9:15. Finally a sunny day. I had a latte in Los Porteños while going through my phone and doing some chess puzzles. I saw separately 2 actual redheads (my opinion) with very light skin, not the dark red hair when a Colombiana dyes their hair. At one point when I was looking at Chicago Bears articles on my cellphone the Chicago Sun Times (local newspaper) asked for permission to access my location. I gave them permission, Lol.

I left at 11:30, bought tomatoes, onion, and 2 bags of milk at Ara before returning to the apt.

My cold seems to be much better today with some minor nasal congestion.

I’m up 2 pawns in the endgame against Troyclough. 😊

The massage girl, Kerry?, cancelled Teresa’s massage for today.

I ended up beating Troyclough in 28-moves, raising my rating to 1584 and lowering his to 1511. And the computer analysis commented that my play was “flawless”. 😊

About 3:45 I heard a loud “boom”. I wasn’t sure if it was thunder or a blown transformer. I texted Glenn, “did you hear that explosion”. He replied, “Just thunder. I was near Av Las Vegas when there was a bolt of lightning followed quickly by thunder. Bianca gave me a WTF look. I thought the skies were gonna open up but it cleared up a bit.”

At 5:15 the downpour started; so happy I didn’t go for coffee. Lately it seems only the morning are safe. I guess we’re back in the rainy season.

The rain finally stopped by 7pm.

I finished reading Ken Follett’s Code to Zero.

 

Today I got in 1,463 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

I left the apt at just after 9am, stopped in the Las Vegas mall where I paid Direct TV at the $efecty store and met Marcos just before 9:30 outside his apt complex. We walked through Ayura metro station on our way to Mayorista. I noticed a balcony restaurant so we chose that spot for coffee. We walked through Euro but I didn’t find the Heinz BBQ sauce I’m looking for. Across the road we stopped in Badia where I bought 10 boxes of chamomile tea. (I should now be good for a few months.) Strangely, my USAA debit card didn’t work so Marcos paid the 109mil bill and I’ll pay him back next time I see him. We returned to Ayura station then he turned north for Jumbo and I headed south towards my apt. I noticed the Pevazgo bus starting to pull away from the curb so I quickly jumped on and fumbled for my Civica card to pay for it. I got off a block up from McDonald’s and walked the block back to our apt.

I confirmed my Chess Life address (USCF) is the same as my New in Chess address. It’s possible I recently added the 2^nd line address so I’ll wait a little longer to see if I receive a Chess Life magazine.

The skies are dark again with a chance of storms in the afternoon.

We had a light drizzle in the afternoon.

Teresa received a massage from 3 to 4pm.

I finished season 4 of The West Wing.

Today my cold symptom was just some minor nasal congestion. I have hopes it will come to a complete end shortly.

Tomorrow the plan is to meet Teresa at Los Porteños for breakfast at 8am.

 

Today I got in 4,425 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

 Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 2:45, waking/getting up at 7am.

Happy Pi Day! 3.14, get it?

Teresa left at 8:45 for gym class and I at 9am.

I had a large latte in Los Porteños for a couple hours then bought 2 bags of milk at the little market on my way back to the apt.

The last time I received an issue of Chess Life magazine (I have a lifetime subscription) was December 15, 2021. On February 3^rd, 2022 I changed my address with USCF from Florida to Colombia. That didn’t work so August 7, 2022 I changed it from Colorado to my new Florida address. Obviously, that didn’t work either. I’m going to talk to Nobraskja in Envios Market to see if I’m using the correct address for magazines.

Tomorrow I’ll meet Marcos at 9:30 and we’re going to walk to Mayorista where I will buy more boxes of Badia tea.

The Weather Channel predicted occasional showers in the afternoon. About 2pm we had a thunderstorm pass through but no rain.

I check the airfare every day but so far no change more than $20.

I watched more episodes of The West Wing.

I beat Troyclough again increasing my rating to 1578. 😊

Today I got in 1,376 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

Monday, March 13, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 2:45, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

It started drizzling again. I’d like to go to the mall but I’m not excited about walking in the rain. Either I walk there with my large umbrella, take a Didi, or just hang around La Buena Mesa today.

Teresa left at 8:15 to take her mother to El Tesoro for a doctor’s appointment.

It was still lightly drizzling when I left the apt at 9:15 (with my large umbrella) and I walked to Parva where I had a café con leche and a pastel de arequipe. Jose texted me he won’t be able to meet me tomorrow for chess.  I left about 11:30 in just a few raindrops.

Wow, the sun came out! We’ll see how long that lasts.

I left the apt at 2:45 and walked to the mall. I went up to Cine Colombia and inquired as to which theater is playing Fall of Flight 461? I was told theater 9. I went there and this is the electronic movie poster. (I thought there is a special name for movie posters but I don’t remember what it is. I checked broadsheet but that’s for newspapers.)

I guess it makes sense, to save power, they don’t turn it on until just before showtime. I returned to the cashier and since he wasn’t busy, I explained my problem. Supposedly, the English translation is Flight but I can’t find it by that name on my Internet Movie Data Base app. He wasn’t able to help either. The only showtime, subtitled in Spanish, is at 8:10 so that doesn’t work for me.

I went to Claro where I paid our cellphone bills.

Downstairs I had a latte in Urbania. I made plans to go to Badia in Mayorista with Marcos Wednesday morning at 9:30. The waitress spoke a little English. I stayed about 90 minutes, gave the waitress 12mil and told her to keep the change (about 2,300 peso); that saves me from having to wait any line to pay. I stopped in a busy Exito looking for Heinz BBQ sauce but no luck again. (Maybe I’ll find it in the Euro market on Wednesday.) I returned to the apt by taxi just as it started sprinkling again.

After a little more googling I see the movie Flight originated in India and the original language is Hindu so that along with Spanish subtitles and playing at 8:10pm doesn’t work for me.

NFL free agency began today and the Bears made 3-year offers to Tennessee guard Nate Davis and linebackers T.J. Edwards from the Philadelphia Eagles and a 4-year deal to Tremaine Edmunds from the Buffalo Bills.

Today I got in 4,806 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood

 

Sunday, March 12, 2023

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

I was just thinking if Teresa and I got married here instead of just a Union Libre that might increase her chances of getting a US Visitor’s Visa. I’ll be exploring this further. Supposedly, our interview with the US embassy isn’t until December of 2024.

I took a Sabaneta bus to Parque Poblado and met Glenn at Sweet Georgia at 9am. I had a couple lattes (included with my meal) and Glenn had a couple cappuccinos (not included with his meal and he didn’t even like them). He also ordered a bottle of water. I took a photo of the books in the exchange shelf and later I’ll check Barnes & Noble to see if any are worth reading. (Later I found 7 books that might be eye worthy.)

My check was 36mil and his was 62mil. We shared a taxi back to Envigado.

I stopped in Mercado Madrid and bought a pack of napkins and a bottle of salad dressing before returning to the apt.

Oops, it looks like the US turned their clocks ahead this morning so now Colombia is on Chicago time.

I’m trying to find confirmation of Teresa’s embassy appointment for December, 2024. I found this entry in my blog for Friday, August 5, 2022: “I received an email from the US embassy in Bogota that Teresa has an interview date for December – 2024”, but I can’t find the original email or a copy of it (screenshot) that I might have made. I finally found a photo in my cellphone gallery. So how did it get there? I think photos in text messages are automatically copied there, but emails? I’ll see if I can print it at Auros. I finally found a message in my Yahoo emails. I’ll print it also.

We left at 1pm and took a Didi to Pricesmart. I didn’t find any taco seasoning that Marcos wanted. We bought 897,102 pesos ($189) of “stuff”, including a bag of prunes. 😊 We returned to the apt by 2:30 just before a drizzle started.

Teresa informed me she has to take her mother to an early doctor’s appointment tomorrow so I’ll be on my own for breakfast.

I’m planning on applying for a Capital One checking account with debit card using the address on my IL driver’s license, but I still have a couple of unanswered questions:

1.  Regarding cellphone, do I give them my brother’s cellphone number or tell them I don’t have one?

2.  Do I set up a subscription with a VPN so they think I’m in Chicago and if so, which one can I use that hopefully has a monthly not annual fee?

Anyone have any ideas?

I watched more episodes of The West Wing.

Even though I’ve been using it all day, I noticed my cellphone battery is at 95%. I went to settings and it says I have 2D 6H left for my battery. I did a restart and now it says 34%. Whew, nice to see it’s back to normal.

We had a drizzle on and off all evening.

Today I got in 4,516 steps.

 

Regarding Adulthood