Sunday, July 30, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, Teresa woke me up about 3:15 with her gentle snoring, I moved to the guest bedroom and quickly fell back asleep, woke up at 5:45, did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 6:30.

Shit. I accepted to try the new Outlook and now I can’t find my folders with all my booking confirmations. After I sent them a review it reverted to the old version. Phew!

I left the apt at 8:15 in shorts and sleeveless t-shirt and it was an 18-minute walk to Sao Paulo. Glenn arrived at Olivenza 10 minutes later while I was working on my first latte. He got back his MRI results and he has a hernia. He already knew about that but apparently now it’s interrupting his digestion. He wonders why his doctor back in the States didn’t recommend surgery. The check came to 73,204 pesos ($18.75). He gave me 30mil for his share (he’s here often and always orders the same thing) and I paid the total bill.

On move 41 against Troyclough I found a forced mate in 2. 😊

I walked back to the apt, happy I was in cool clothing. During this warmer season I’m going to be wearing a lot of shorts and sleeveless t-shirts.

I left the apt at 1:45 and walked to the Rincon Mexicano restaurant next to Smartfit. Nothing going on there. Obviously, I misunderstood the chess tournament announcement:

I’ll have to ask Jose if he can figure out where it is (was).

I walked to La Buena Mesa where I had a latte outside Los Porteños.

When I left, I spoke to the lady outside the new restaurant Bastardo and learned that that really is its name, which in English is Bastard.

Another clue that the name is correct is this hashtag (I think that’s what it’s called) #ImpuroLinaje which translates to “impure lineage”.

I went through another couple of Anna Cramling chess videos.

I watched a couple more episodes of Justified.

Teresa returned at 9:45. More importantly she had 2 dresses and 2 swim coverups she bought in Zara. One of the dresses I believe will be perfect for the wedding and it was only 349,000 pesos ($90). Only problem is it’s got some strings on the back and she didn’t remember how/where they tie together.

 

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Saturday, July 29, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 3:15, again at 5:15, did my Kegel exercises, fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up by alarm at 7:30.

Saturday mornings I give myself a good scrubbing but after about 5 minutes I lost the hot water. I tried turning the water off and back on but didn’t get hot water again. I ended up taking a military shower. ☹

I was sitting at the dining room table when Teresa brought me a plate of scrambled eggs and half a bagel. I grabbed the plate to reorient it and burned my fingers. This is the second time she’s left the plate touching the stovetop burners and I’ve burned my fingers. I iced them down right away but the pain still lingered for a while.

I left the apt at 8:40 and arrived at Daniel’s barber shop by Didi 5 minutes early. I got my usual haircut but I had a 30% discount card so I saved a few pesos. I took a Didi to Todo Drogas where I picked up my medications for the month. This is the new mall they’re building across the street.

It looks like the outside is near completion but I can see lots of work remains inside.

I walked 3 blocks away to a tienda naturista where I purchased bottles of Omega 3 and magnesium capsules. I walked to Parva where I had a café con leche while I did a little work on our travel notebook and made plans to meet Glenn tomorrow for breakfast.

I returned to the apt about 11am.

We left at noon and took a Didi to El Correo in the Provenza neighborhood of Poblado. I had their baby beef (the small portion) with a baked potato 

and Teresa had their chicken. I think they use the same menu for lunch that they do for supper as the prices are high and the total came to 156,352 pesos ($40).

We walked 6 blocks to the dress store Makeno. When we were there a few weeks ago they told Teresa they would have some new stock at the end of the month. Teresa tried on a few styles and thought she found her dress until I reminded her 1) it’s too formal because it reaches the floor, 2) it would probably take up most of the space in her suitcase, 3) At 2,100,000 pesos (over $500) it should be one we both love. She changed her mind and we walked out. We quickly caught a taxi back to our apt, but on the way she suggested we stop in Oviedo mall.

We didn’t find anything there but at one point we were walking down a corridor when Teresa did an about face because she saw her friend Vicky and didn’t want to get into a long conversation with her.

We stopped at a café but they couldn’t make coffee.

Teresa suggested we got to Santafe mall but on the way she decided it would be too crowded so we returned to the apt by taxi.

About 6pm Teresa got a call and announced she was going out with Vicky (her sister) and Daniela. (The next day I found out there were also Amelia, Adriana and Catalina and they went to Gloria’s for pizza.)

I forgot to mention that The Haunted Mansion (5.1) opened last Thursday.

At 9:28 I was lying on the recliner when I felt a tremor that lasted about 15 seconds.

I went to bed at 9:45 but Teresa will probably be back soon.

 

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Friday, July 28, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once during the night, again at 5:45, did my Kegel exercises, fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

I left the apt just before 9am and took a Didi to the mall. There was no line in Av Villas so I quickly paid the apt rent.

Outside Bancolombia a guard was refilling cash in the first consignacion machine. Another guard was standing in front of the next ATM holding a shotgun but it looked like it was out of order anyway. I gestured toward the 3^rd machine and the guard gestured me toward it. I quickly paid for our monthly gym fees and my health insurance.

Upstairs as I entered Smartfit I noticed it was 9:20am. I completed my workout without any problem. At one point as I was walking to another machine a man standing up from a mat slightly staggered my way bumping into me. He said, “sorry” and I replied, “no problem”. After I finished my shower I thought it was the same guy coming out of the next shower stall. I asked him where he was from and he said, “here, I’m Colombian”. He then asked me my name and he said his name is Alex. Now I’m not sure it was the same guy.

Outside Smartfit there is a little nail salon called Recifes (reefs). I explained to a woman that I have a split nail (that keeps getting caught on clothing) and can they do something to make it stronger and safer. She called over a young lady who did a good job of fixing it in 10 minutes for 9,500 pesos ($2.50). I may do this every Friday if it continues to be a problem.

I went down to Exito but no Gente newspapers. ☹

Back in the mall proper I took a photo of the store selling neck pillows and sent it to Teresa.

I had a latte in Urbania while sending payment receipt photos for the apt and my health insurance. The English-speaking girl was there and I asked her why they give me a wood stir when I don’t put sweetener in my coffee. She showed me packets of sugar in her apron and I suggested she also keep stirs there and just give them out when clients ask for sweetener. I hope she passes this tip on to the rest of the wait staff.

I bought a large package of eggs in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I left the apt about 2:30 and had a latte in Los Porteños while reorganizing our trip notes in my notebook.

I left about 4:30 and took a peek around the corner at the new bar which looked like it may be open as I saw a group of 4 sitting at a table.

I returned to the apt and took the elevator up with an abuela and her grandson. As I often do, I started a short conversation with him in English. He did well and I could tell abuela was very proud.
Kelly was giving Teresa a massage. Good to see she’s out of the hospital.

For supper Teresa suggested pizza but I reminded her of Mu. I started the order at 6:30, completed the order at 7pm, and it arrived just after 7:30. I messaged Mu, “Ribs were delivered promptly, still hot, tender (fall off the bone even), and tasty. Constructive criticism: the order taking could be faster.”

About 9:15 the rain started and was coming down harder when I went to bed at 9:45.

 

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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6am. That’s a little early for me but I feel good; I’ll probably crash later in the afternoon.

I packed my laptop, my umbrella and other stuff into my backpack and walked to Parva. On the way I saw this new 2-level restaurant (bar?) on the corner of La Buena Mesa

If you look closely, you’ll see the name BASTARDO or is that BASTARD0 on the 2^nd floor and I can see an obvious bar setup on the 1^st floor. It looks like the are getting set up to be open soon.

I scheduled taxi pickup and drop-off for the airport in Madrid, Spain.

Marcos arrived and I demonstrated my new backpack for him. He was impressed. He offered to loan Teresa his carry-on.

 

We left the apt at 3:30 and took a Didi to El Tesoro. We checked out more stores for a dress for Teresa for the wedding. ☹ I found a sport jacket for me for about 480mil in a store called (I think) BeFit. Teresa wanted to look around some more and we never made it back to the store for the jacket. We had a light supper in J&C Delicias for 52mil. We stopped in Dollar City looking for Teresa’s cotton face pads. Again, the guard didn’t understand my pronunciation for cotton, algodón. They didn’t have them here either, which makes me feel a little vindicated because twice I couldn’t find them in Viva Envigado. She stopped in Carulla and finally found them or something similar. I saw 2 bottles of Smucker’s preserves and one of them was strawberry so I bought that. Now I’ve got 2 bottles in reserve. 😊

We returned to the apt by taxi.

Saturday Teresa wants to return to the dress Makena near Parque Lleras as she was told they will have new things at the end of the month for the Flower Fair.

At one point the driver asked if he should turn or continue downhill. It took a minute, he had already chosen to turn, I turned on Waze but was surprised it was in English. That didn’t help and after that we were close enough to home that we didn’t need it.

I watched another Anna Cramling chess video. This one was when she beat a grandmaster when she was 16 years old.

 

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Wednesday, July 26, 2023

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

We obviously got some rain during the night.

According to AccuWeather we should have precipitation for the next 60 minutes. According to The Weather Channel the rain should end about 9am. I left the apt just before 9am with an umbrella but I didn’t put it up because the drizzle was so light I only had to occasionally brush off my arms. I completed my usual workout at Smartfit. When I came out the drizzle was stronger and I put up my umbrella for the walk back to the apt. Now the rain is supposed to continue until 4pm then it might start again at 8pm.

Teresa returned just before noon. She said someone wants to see the sandals she decorated as they might buy them for the beach.

Dr. Rendon called and Teresa has her tooth cleaning tomorrow at 4pm.

I left the apt at 2:15 and took a Didi to the mall. I printed the email notification that our apt rent will increase to 2,275,376 starting October 30^th.

Upstairs in Cine Colombia I was shocked there was only 1 seat remaining for the 4:20 showing of Oppenheimer (8.8) and it was in the 2^nd row. I checked out the theater and the 2^nd row appeared to be sufficiently far away from the screen. (Not like when I saw Paint Your Wagon (6.6) from a first row back in 1969.) I bought a seat for 7,800 pesos. Hmmm, that sounds cheap; maybe Wednesdays are half price again and that’s the reason that the theater is so full.

They had a Barbie display set up and a number of girls took photos in front of it. I barely caught this photo before they all dispersed.

I went down to Urbania for a latte until just before 4pm.

Back upstairs I bought a Cine Combito for 15,300 pesos.

I was surprised when the usher directed me upstairs; apparently the last seat was in the 2^nd row of the upper level. 😊 I liked the movie but the sound was too loud and a few times I had to put my fingers in my ears. On the other hand, it did help me hear most of the dialogue. After the movie I observed half a dozen gringos standing outside discussing the movie.

I bought 2 bags of milk, a package of tortillas, and a package of hamburger buns in Exito.

There was a line for taxis but the line moved pretty quickly and I was soon back at the apt. I gave the portero the chocolate bar that came with my order.

I asked Teresa if she talked to the portero about removing the locks from her suitcase. She asked me to go down and see if they could do it. I asked her call and see if they think they could do it. She did and I went down to the porteria and with a hammer and screwdriver they knocked the locks off so I tipped them 20mil.

 

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Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 3:30, took another allergy pill, went back to bed, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

I left the apt just after 7:30 and walked to the mall in shorts and sleeveless t-shirt. I recycled some papers and a D-battery and met Jose by the entrance. We had breakfast in Al Alma, I had French toast with fresh banana and strawberry slices with a latte (very filling) for 35,200 pesos ($9), including tip. 

I showed him the last couple games (both wins) I played versus Troyclough.

We went upstairs and I had the Black pieces in the first game and had pressure against his exposed king but ended with a draw by repetition on the 32^nd move.

I had the White pieces in the second game and we both had an attack against the other’s king but he overlooked something and I checkmated him on move 39.

It was only 1:30 when he left. I had a granolada and large latte in Pergamino (several tables were available) for 37,476 pesos ($9.50) including tip. (The peso has been falling the past few months from a high of just over 5,000 pesos to the dollar to just under 4,000 pesos to the dollar; that’s quite a difference.)

Despite my light dress, I still felt warm, just not as warm as when I wore pants and a regular t-shirt.

I stopped in Dollar City looking for cotton pads that Teresa asked for but couldn’t find them.

I stopped in Exito to buy a 6-pack of Coke and hamburger buns. Walking down the bread aisle I noticed 1 jar of Smucker’s Strawberry Preserves among the dozens of Red Raspberry and Cherry. I grabbed it and also bought Coke before returning to the apt by taxi.

I watched a couple more episodes of Justified.

So, I bought 4 bananas 2 weeks ago and they still haven’t ripened. Teresa thinks they’re bad but I don’t know. Maybe they’re plantains but they sure don’t look like it.

Teresa said maybe the porteros can remove the locks from her suitcase. I said ask tomorrow or Thursday morning I’m going to take it to a locksmith before I meet Marcos for coffee at 9:30.

I informed Teresa I plan to see Oppenheimer (IMDB 8.8) tomorrow afternoon.

 

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Monday, July 24, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once at 3:30, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 4am and took an allergy pill, worked some on the computer, returned to bed at 4:30, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Laura texted me a photo of the wedding invitation she received:

AA WEDDING

Photo didn't download. I'll try again later.

Troyclough resigned our game in 57 moves increasing my rating to 1576.

I completed my workout in Smartfit with no problems. If my knee continues to feel this good the rest of the week, I think I’ll add a little more weight next week.

At 11am we took a Didi to Clinica Las Americas. I went into La Lolita for a latte while Teresa picked up her medicine for the month in the clinic. For some reason the café didn’t have any coffee so I had a glass of mandarin juice. As soon as I sat down outside their patio a twig fell into my juice. Today is an unusually windy day. At one point I heard a thud as a “nut” (looked about the size of a walnut) from a tree hit their roof and landed at my feet.

 Teresa finally came out at 1pm and we walked 100 yards to Arkadia mall where we had lunch in Crepes & Waffles. Troyclough resigned our new game in 12 moves increasing my rating to 1582. As we were finishing Teresa pointed out a small group of gringos seated behind me. As we left, I said, “Welcome to Medellin”.

We checked out a couple shops and in Arturo Calle we got excellent assistance from a saleslady. She put together an ensemble of a suit with shirt and moccasin-style shoes. I decided to wait until we check out the men’s stores in El Tesoro.

About 3pm we walked across the street to Pricesmart.

I was standing outside the cooler for the Hebrew National all beef hotdogs when a man asked if I was trying to decide what I wanted. I told him I already knew what I wanted I was just waiting for my wife to return with the cart. He is originally from Toronto, and recently moved from Envigado to… I didn’t catch where.

We had about a 15-minute wait to catch a taxi back to the apt.

Teresa asked me to turn the TV to a specific channel. There is going to be a fashion show at Plaza Mayor this Tuesday thru Thursday. They had a runway with models exhibiting fashions and we both laughed at the things designers come up with.

I took my usual Zopiclona sleeping pill but this time I took an extra allergy pill (2) trying to improve my sleep before my matches against Jose tomorrow.

 

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Sunday, July 23, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 5am, got up at 5:30 and took an allergy pill, worked some on the computer, returned to bed at 6am, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Troyclough resigned our game on the 5^th move increasing my rating to 1576. His rating is now 1507.

I put on shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, left the apt at 8:30 and walked to Smartfit where I asked for Teresa when their next Rumba class will be, tomorrow at 9:15am.

I continued on to Olivenza in Sao Paulo Plaza and Glenn arrived with Bianca a minute later. Glenn told me the series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (8.0) has finished so I think I’ll continue that (I believe I’ve seen the first 3 seasons) after I finish Justified.

I left about 11am and walked back to the apt.

One of my blog readers shared with me that there have been forest fires in Greece. ☹

I put on shorts, my new sandals (have to get used to wearing them), and a sleeveless t-shirt and left the apt about 2:30. I had a large latte in Los Porteños for about 90 minutes before returning to the apt.

Temperatures have been a little higher lately, like in the 85–87-degree range with no rain.

I finished season 1 of Justified.

 

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Saturday, July 22, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4am, got up at 4:30 and took 2 allergy pills, worked some on the computer, returned to bed at 5:15, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

We were out of milk so Teresa ordered 2 bags of milk and a box of almond milk and a muchacho soon delivered it.

I left the apt at 9am, picked up my Skil power driver and took a Didi to the mall. In Home Center I saw a different girl but she spoke some English too and I explained that I can’t open the chuck. While she checked her computer to see if it was under warranty (it isn’t), a man with a Bosch uniform came in and checked it; it works but can’t be opened. The girl gave me a name and address in Poblado to take it, Fijaciones Orozco, Carrera 50C #10Sur-72 in Guayabal. I found it via Google, it’s a few blocks from the Aquacatala metro station  and they are open 7:30-5pm weekdays and . I printed a few chess notes then went up to Western Union to pay some bills. I showed her my Tigo/Une note of 152,100 pesos and again she said it was 304,200 pesos. I tried to tell her that I pay the same every month, 152,100 pesos, but she insisted I pay 304,200. Sigh!

This is the display I saw in the atrium:

At the main exit to the mall I ran into Jose with Juan Carlos. I accused Jose of getting chess lessons from Juan but he said they’re only meeting for coffee. Uh-huh. He invited me to join him after lunch for chess but I told him Teresa has other plans.

I jumped into the next available taxi and the guy couldn’t start his car. He actually asked the 3 drivers standing around to give him a push start. ☹ They did but 100’ later when he had to stop at Ave Las Vegas for traffic his taxi died again. He asked a pedestrian to give him a push. ☹ That was enough for me. I got out and walked back to the taxi stand and asked for a car that works. I had the driver drop me off at the little mall a block past Mercado Madrid. In the Servientrega office I easily paid for Direct TV and Tigo/Une. Now I’m caught up on all the bills for the month. I went across the street and had a latte in Cannell reposteria (cake store) for 7,000 pesos. I received an email from Alcala (our realtor) that our apt rent will go up to 2,275,376 on October 30^th.

 I left at 11am, bought a package of liquid Fab in Mercado Madrid and returned to our complex. I dropped off the power drill in the garage storage area before returning to the apt.

We left just after noon and took a Didi to Complex Los Balsos. I know, we’ve been there before looking for dresses. This time Teresa found one for 1,200,000 pesos ($301) in AGML. We still haven’t found a dress for the wedding but it’s another one she can wear out for dinner at night. We had chicken sandwiches in Valentina Bakery again with lattes for 95,940 pesos ($24). This is a strange dessert I saw for sale.

A slice of toast with almonds?

We checked out a few more stores but didn’t find anything.

We left at 3:15 and took a Didi to Museo El Castillo (Castle Museum) where Teresa believed a fair was going on.

This is the line in front of us.

I heard a kid say, "stop it" to his brother. :)

I noticed a stall selling Belgium waffles (sweet or salty) but I bought a homemade strawberry cheesecake popsicle and Teresa got a cherry one for 8mil apiece.

Nearby we took a table and enjoyed their live music.

It reminded me a little of Chicago Botanical Garden or Ravinia, both with live music.

We left about 5:30 and returned to the apt by Didi.

I watched another episode of Justified on MTV.

 

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Friday, July 21, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3am, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

I forgot to mention there was no hot water yesterday morning when I took my shower. At least today I’ll be showering at the gym and can buy a D-battery afterward.

I was up early this morning, had an early breakfast and was out of the apt by 8am. I walked to the mall and recycled a couple plastic bottles. I completed my workout in Smartfit without any problem. I took my shower and went to Western Union to pay the Direct TV and Tigo/Une bills. I took a number and took a seat and was looking at the bill on my cellphone when I realized the account number isn’t there. I was sure they wouldn’t be able to accept it so I left. I bought 9V and D-batteries in Home Center then went downstairs to Urbania where I had a latte. I left about 10:45, bought a jar of Nescafe decaf coffee in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi. (Again, no Gente newspapers.)

I changed the D-battery in the on-demand hot water device but it still wouldn’t work. ☹

Teresa returned by 11:45 with some groceries from Ara.

I left the apt about 3pm and had a latte in Los Porteños while going over some chess notes. I returned to the apt about 5:30. My current game against Troyclough has changed from a probably loss to a probably win. 😊 Teresa suggested we see the movie Oppenheimer (9.0) tonight. 😊 I asked her if she wanted to see the 6pm or 8:40pm showing. She said the 8:40. ☹ I showed her the trailer I found in Spanish. She said her back was sore (too much leaning over the ironing board decorating her purse) and she wasn’t that interested in the movie, especially after I informed her it was 3 hours long. I’m not going by myself at 8:40 and get out at midnight, especially on a weekend. I’ll see it sometime next week.

I finished reading Nell Goddin’s The Third Girl on my Nook.

Just before I went to bed I reseated the D-battery in the on-demand heater and it worked.

 

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Thursday, July 20, 2023

Today is Independence Day for Colombia.

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 3:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Doesn’t look like we’ll be having rain today either.

Teresa shows me a photo of this… dress? Swimsuit coverup?

And asks me to buy it for her. I didn’t have a store name so all I could do was google the words under the dress. After some time, I finally found some she liked and she chose one for like $20. The website was called AliExpress and I entered my Capital One debit card (Master Card) information. It said, “payment failed” and if I wanted to challenge it, they wanted a photo ID. Well, I’m not giving them that. We had to start over again finding the dress and this time she chose 3. I entered my USAA debit card (Visa) and again got “payment failed”. Okay, I’m done!

Well, from about 9:15 to 10:15 we went through our garage storage area looking for a suitcase for Teresa. In the back we found 3 and Teresa told me there were another 2 around the corner but we didn’t go that far. Teresa chose the red suitcase which looks almost new, still having plastic covering the handles. I found a TJ Maxx tag in one of the pockets. The only problem we later discovered is it has 2 small locks that will need to be removed before it can be used. I convinced Teresa to throw out a few things: lots of plastic tarps and rolls of long cardboard and donate a few other things.

I showed Teresa photos of the restaurant for the Welcome Dinner the night before the wedding and the beach restaurant for the After Wedding celebration.

About 1:30 I checked the outside temperature and it was 87 degrees. Turning on a fan makes a lot of difference.

I basically just hung around the apt today and watched a couple more episodes of Justified on MTV.

Laura had me download an app called SHEIN but when I was registering there country code dropdown box didn’t have +57 for Colombia so they probably don’t deliver here.

 

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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 4am, didn’t sleep deeply after that, finally getting up at 6:45.

Well, it doesn’t look like we’ll be having rain today. According to The Weather Channel the chance of rain today varies from 0% to 4%.

Teresa was dressed for the gym and then she’s going to eps on Avenida Oriental, downtown Medellin to pick up her monthly medication. Just before I left, she remarked she was afraid the line was going to be too long so maybe she was going to skip the gym.

I left the apt at 8:30 for Smartfit and my workout was unremarkable; no discomfort in my knee at all today. 😊 I saw Matt working with free weights on the 3^rd floor as I was retrieving my stuff from my locker.

I left the apt again at 11am. I looked for bagels in Eduardo Madrid but there weren’t any in their “bagel basket”. I had a large latte in Los Portenos until about 1:30 when I started getting an appetite. I walked around the corner and noticed this 2^nd floor construction that looks like it will be a fancy restaurant:

I checked out the menu in Na Pizza then ordered the chicken parmesan. The waitress gave me a blank look until I said “pollo de parmesano” and she understood. I ordered a jugo de fresa con aqua y un poco azucar then garlic bread and again got the blank stare until I said “pan de ajo”. It was about 20 minutes until she brought me the chicken parmesan and the strawberry juice.

I was wondering how late they were going to bring the garlic bread. It never came so when it was time to pay I asked for “la cuenta en efectivo con servicio pero sin pan de ajo”. She slapped her forehead because she forgot the garlic bread. She probably didn’t remember the 3 items because she didn’t write the order down. Btw, I was the only customer the entire time I was there.

I went next door where I had a café con leche in Parva.

I left about 4pm and stopped in Eduardo Madrid and was surprised to find a sleeve of 5 sesame seed bagels. I paid 14mil for them and returned to the apt.

Teresa returned at 4:30 and said there was a demonstration downtown so it was difficult to get around.

I watched another episode of the series Justified.

 

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Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 12:15 and 5:15, couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 6am.

I gave Teresa a demonstration of the functionality of my new backpack. She was most impressed with the USB external charging port. I loaded it up with my chess stuff (the rollup board just barely fit) to show Jose.

I left the apt just after 7:30 with the chess equipment in my new backpack. I arrived at the mall just before 8am and Jose was waiting for me. We had breakfast in Al Alma, more expensive than Habia Una Vez but at least it’s something different. I had their waffle de pandeyuca with pancetta (bacon), scrambled eggs and a latte for a total of 43,400 pesos ($10.85) including tip. I ate some of it before I remembered to take a photo. 😊

 

I showed Jose the features of my MATEIN backpack, which I see comes with a lifetime warranty.

We went upstairs to the food court and I chose a table, finally, that didn’t get any direct sunlight at least after the first 5 minutes. 😊

I had the Black pieces in the first game and he resigned on the 39^th move.

While he made a trip to the restroom, I converted my pants to shorts by unzipping the legs. I think I’ll try to always wear shorts here in the future.

I had the White pieces in the second game (there were 2 young girls briefly making out in the booth opposite us 😊), and I resigned on the 44^th move. We always review our games to suggest alternate moves. He left about 2:45 and I went down to Urbania where I had a palito de queso and a latte for 20mil.

Teresa left me a voicemail, something about printing an email for her from her doctor.  I found it and as I was leaving, I got another voicemail something about I should have coffee and she would be joining me. I stopped in a small curio store where I found a couple different type of neck pillows for our flight.

 I stopped in Crepes & Waffles Helado and texted her where I was. Another voicemail, something about bringing her ice cream. I asked if she wanted me to print the email and pick up eggs. She replied, “yes”. I was surprised how quickly they were able to print the email and attachments in Auros right after I forwarded it to their email address. I bought a large carton of eggs and returned to the apt by taxi.

I showed Teresa some updates from the wedding website: There’s going to be a welcome dinner (dressy casual) the night before and a lunch (beach attire) the day after. They gave a better idea of how to dress for the wedding, “summer cocktail attire” and I showed Teresa some dress samples via Google.

So, I like to wait until a TV series has finished it’s run and then I binge watch it. I mentioned I just started watching Justified (8.6), a series that ran from 2010-2015 so that should be safe, right? Well, I just read that FX is bringing the series back with the first 2 episodes tonight. ☹

We haven’t had any rain for almost 2 weeks.

 

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Monday, July 17, 2023

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

Today we have dentist appointments starting at 2:15. Teresa explained she needs to get a shot at eps for her bones. Her plan is she will go to the gym then get in line at eps. I will go to the gym then take a Didi to El Tesoro where I’ll have lunch then take the first dental appointment and hopefully she’ll be in time for the 2^nd.

I left the apt at 9am for the gym. Today I added 5# to each of my exercises except the leg exercises and I’m happy to say they didn’t give me any trouble today. I increased the treadmill speed 0.1km/hr. to 4.7 for 7 minutes. At one point the treadmill suddenly stopped; I wandered a little too far back setting off the emergency stop. For some reason there was no air conditioning on the 1^st floor today. As I was getting my things from my locker I saw Matt up on the 3^rd floor where they had air conditioning.

I returned to the apt by 10am.

I left the apt at 11am and took a Didi to El Tesoro mall. I had the BBQ selection with a bottle of water in Natto Bowls for 35,837 pesos.

I still had plenty of time before my 2:15 appointment so I had a carrot cake with a latte in Valentina Bakery for 30,747 pesos.

Upstairs in Torre Medica I had my teeth cleaning and examination with Dr. Rendon. He told me about his cruise last year in the US Virgin Islands and I brought him up to date with what I’ve been up to. My cleaning and exam were 230,000 pesos. Teresa didn’t make it in time so she’ll have to reschedule.

She said she was still visiting her mother so I had an almond croissant and latte in Santa Leña.

I did some searching about knee pain and found the following:

Teresa asked me to bring her a carrot cake so I made another trip to Valentina’s.

I returned to the apt by taxi.

There is new information on the wedding website, specifically suggestions of places to visit and how to dress. Also, there’s going to be a welcome dinner on Monday from 7 to 10pm and an after-wedding beach lunch on Wednesday from 11:30am to 6:30 pm. I guess we’ll be leaving for Lavros a little later than originally planned.

Teresa called and asked me to meet her for supper in Wilson’s bar at 7pm.

About 6:45 I took a Didi to Metrosur mall and Teresa arrived a few minutes later with MT.

Lately I’ve felt Wilson’s chicken shish-kabab is fatty or greasy. I had asked for ribs but he didn’t have them tonight. We returned to the apt by Didi by 8:15.

 

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Sunday, July 16, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5:30, worked on my blog, finally went back to bed at 6:15, finally fell back asleep and was awakened by my alarm at 7:30.

I left at 8:30 and walking on the sidewalk across from Otra Parte for the first second I thought I saw a dog walker in the street but it was Matt with 3 dogs and a woman I assume is his wife. Anyway, she didn’t look Colombian. I said, “good morning” and they did the same and I was then past them. I continued on to Sao Paulo mall. Glenn arrived as I was returning from the restroom. His new friend Ned soon arrived with his girlfriend Claudia. He’s from Northern California and she’s from Carmen near Rionegro. (Carmen she told me is the place to go for any type of ceramics.) She spoke very good English. He calls her “his negrita” but instead of being offended she said she likes it. He kidded her about not paying for her and when he left he appeared to forget to pay at all. He soon did an about-face and we saw him give money to a waiter but when our check came he had only paid for himself, not his girlfriend. ☹ All she had was a cinnamon roll and orange juice but still.

I made a trip to the restroom. The first stall had no lock, the 2^nd stall had no hook for my things. The 3^rd stall (like the others) had no toilet paper but there was a sign on the wall of a TP machine by the entrance. Following the directions, I put my hand in front of the machine and it spat out about 6’ of TP.

I finished my business and walked back to the apt.

I opened my backpack and admired all the bells and whistles. Space for my laptop and an iPad if I had one, a charging port (USB-A type for Teresa’s cellphone), room for a notebook and pens, etc.

Teresa left about 2pm and Adriana picked her up to take her back to the arts & crafts expo.

We’re low on milk so I left the apt about 5pm. I noticed the little grocery store was closed. The line was too long at Antonio’s Gelato and all the outside tables were taken at Los Porteños so I had helado de yogurt at Percimon.

I bought 2 bags of milk in Ara and waited in a long line, at least there were 3 cashiers working, before returning to the apt.

I sampled a number of movies and series before finally settling on the series Justified (8.6).

Teresa returned at 5:30. She was happy because she bought a beaded bracelet for 25mil.

I finished reading Joseph Sousa’s The Neighbor on my Nook.

 

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Saturday, July 15, 2023

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

I made plans to meet Glenn for breakfast in Olivenza in Sao Paolo tomorrow at 9am. He’s going to bring a gringo named Ned that he met in Bodega Cocina.

Teresa finally got up at 8:15.

We had previously agreed we would look for dresses today. I had planned to first go to the dress shop near Parque Envigado then take a taxi to the main park in Itagui, have lunch somewhere then go to a couple other places.

Teresa wanted to walk around Provenza, just up the hill from Parque Lleras, look for a few dress shops and have lunch in the area. I suggested we first go to Makena – Rooftop Shop, Cr. 37 #10-35, which is on my list, then walk around the Provenza area before having lunch.

We left at 11:45 and took a Didi to Makena. It seemed our old driver never got the car out of first gear as many cars passed us.  The dress shop was almost next door to D’Andre restaurant which I’ve visited several times with Glenn. We had to take outside stairs to the 2^nd floor, press a buzzer to get in, then take stairs to their 3^rd floor. Teresa talked to the saleslady but to me the dresses I saw looked too dark and warm for Greece.

We were walking around Provenza when Teresa asked me if El Correo was nearby. We almost passed it but now we’re about 4 blocks away. We turned around and I guided us directly to the restaurant. The waitress gave Teresa a paper menu but I had to use my phone which on a small screen in Spanish just took longer. I finally settled on meatballs with bread. The meatballs weren’t very tasty (Ikea where are you?) and the bread slices were too toasted. Teresa had some type of chicken dish.

They didn’t seem to have a lunch menu as it appeared it was a dinner menu with dinner prices. It ended up costing more than 100,000 pesos.

We took our time and finally left about 2pm and walked 3 blocks to Vizcaya mall. There were a few dress shops there, some for sale and some for rental but mostly bridal dresses. On my cellphone I saw it’s no longer listed as a “central commercial” but a “central de negocios”. I reminded Teresa that Mission Impossible is playing here at 5pm. It was now 3pm. We went up to the theater and sat down at their Juan Valdez. Teresa had a latte and I had a cold coffee (my first?) and we shared a slice of carrot cake.

We walked around the 2 main floors and checked out a couple more dress shops. I stopped at the Cine Colombia box office and learned that the movie doesn’t start until 6pm. I alerted Teresa to the fact the movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long. It starts at 4:30 in Viva Envigado but she wasn’t interested. At 5pm we finally decided to stay for the movie. I bought preferred seats for 13,700 pesos ($3.50) each. I then got in a slow line where I bought a Cine Combito and bottle of water for Teresa for 22,600 pesos ($5.75).

The theater was pretty crowded and for last row preferre seating there wasn’t much legroom. The movie, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (8.2) was very good with lots of action and some comedy. We were out by 9pm and I called for a Didi. Three minutes out it looked like it was coming down the hill so we crossed the street. It wasn’t easy seeing car colors or license plates with headlights hitting you in the eyes but he found us.

By 9:30 we were back in the apartment and we prepared for bed.

 

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