Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3am, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Troyclough resigned our game on the 77^th move, increasing my rating to 1600. Made it there again, now we’ll see how long I can stay there.

I left the apt at 8:15 and completed my workout in Smartfit. I had a latte in Ganso y Castor and at one point I put a peanut (squirrel approved) in a different tree, this time a smaller one just outside the restaurant. There was a couple sitting a couple tables away and as I returned, I said in English, “that’s a peanut for the squirrels”. They both spoke some English and I met Sandra from Envigado (lives in the area behind Clap Burger) and Socatelli (sp?) from Costa Rica. I left at 11am and returned to the apt.

Angie from Inter-Col texted me asking for my last 6 months of bank statements showing my SS deposits. I copied and sent them to her via Whatsapp.

I was thinking of going to Na Pizza for lunch but I see they don’t open until 3pm so that won’t work. I’m considering going to Clap Burger but I’m getting some indications that there may be rain soon.

RAIN 1-2

I heard thunder and was too worried about getting trapped outside in the rain so I just stayed in and had a bowl of cereal.

I left the apt at 4pm and walked to Eduardo Madrid bakery where I had a latte while waiting for Teresa. She arrived at 5:30 and had a latte while we shared a sandwich. We left at 6:15 and returned to the apt.

I keep getting these text messages threatening me if I don't pay my Claro Hogar bill but I don't have Claro Hogar.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

        

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, got up once at 1:45, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

Today I’ll be hanging out not far from the apt expecting my package to arrive today. I dropped off a note for the portero to call me if and when my package arrives.

I stopped in Eduardo Madrid for a moment but didn’t see any bagels. I’ll try again in the afternoon.

I checked the tree and the peanut is still there. I took a seat in Los Portenos and had a latte while watching the red squirrels, I counter 4, cavorting in nearby trees.

I left at 10:45 and returned to the apt.

Just before noon Julio, one of the porteros, called and told me my package had arrived. I grabbed my keys and opened the door and a TCC delivery guy was standing there with a large package. I signed for it and it has everything I’ve recently ordered including my apostilled SS Benefits Letter. Inter-Col’s hours are 8am to noon and 2pm to 5pm so I’ll be heading there right after lunch.

ONEIPAMETATO1453 resigned our game in 30 moves, increasing my rating to 1595.

I left the apt at 1:30 and after a 10-minute wait I was on a bus to Poblado. I got off behind others right after we passed Starbucks. I went into the Davivienda garage and took an elevator up to what they call the main floor. I presented my Id at the front desk and was asked to take a seat. After about 5 minutes I was allowed to go up to the 8^th floor to the Inter-Col office.

I handed over my passport, cedula, USB drive with my photo and most important my apostilled SS Benefits Letter. After copying a few things she returned everything except the SS letter. She charged $575 to my debit card, $500 for their fee and the other $75 for a translation of my apostilled letter.  She reminded me that they only have a week to process my visa and I reminded her they have 10 days. The whole process took maybe 20 minutes and I returned to the garage by retracing my steps via elevators.

I crossed the street and while waiting for a bus a woman approached and asked me how to catch a bus to La Estrella. I informed her I was a gringo and apologized for not knowing. I then pointed to a nearby security guard and she went to ask him. I caught the next Envigado bus back to Calle la Buena Mesa. Uh-oh, on the way I realized I forgot to ask Angie about Teresa’s eps document.

I was surprised Ganso y Castor was closed and tarps were being put up covering the front of the restaurant next door. I have no idea what was going on.

While having a latte in Los Portenos I called Angie and asked her about an eps letter showing when Teresa got put on my eps insurance. She soon texted me a pdf with the letter. I noticed the first Christmas decoration in the park:

I left at 4:30 and finally was able to pay the Tigo/Une bill at the Gana store. I stopped at the Bancolombia kiosk and printed Teresa’s eps letter. Cutting through the parking lot I heard some birds making a racket. I’ve heard this before but thought they were these green parrots I sometimes, but rarely, see. First, let me show you what to expect (thank you google) before you look at the next few photos.

It appeared a couple of Macaws were making love in the tree tops.

In the last photo, they’re in separate trees and it’s like “what just happened”?

In Eduardo Madrid bakery I bought a 3-pack of sesame seed bagels before returning to the apt.

Teresa and I watched another episode of Monsters on Netflix.

As part of my pre-sleep routine, I was reading my book Code Girls, “The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II” when on page 270 they mention a 22-year-old girl named Louise Pearsall from my hometown of Elgin, Illinois. (It turns out she made important contributions to the war effort.) On the next page they mention that 2 Elgin seamen went down with the USS Arizona on December 7^th, 1941.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Monday, October 28, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, waking/getting up at 7am.

I have to be ready when my package arrives, hopefully today or tomorrow, to take my apostilled letter to Inter-Col, although their office hours are only 8am to noon and 2pm-5pm.

I left the apt at 8:30 and completed my -5# workout in Smartfit. Nebraskja and I exchanged hellos. The gym was less crowded than usual and I was able to complete my routine without any delays.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor until 10:30. (The peanut is still in the crook of the tree.) I returned to the apt, still no package.

I left the apt at 2pm (still no package) and waited in line at the $efecty window for 15 minutes only to learn that Tigo/Une isn’t working. I continued on to Peccato where I had a latte and a white chocolate cookie with almonds while finishing my endgame studies.

I left at 4pm and returned to the apt. Still no package.

Teresa says for her embassy interview she needs a paper that states when she was added to my eps insurance. I tried logging in to the eps website again, this time using Alejandro’s landline phone number, but was again unsuccessful. I don’t know what my username and password are and whether I’m now registered or not.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10 pm, got up once at 6am, finally waking/getting up by alarm at 7:30.

I left the apt at 8:35 and walked to Sao Paulo Plaza where Glenn with Bianca were waiting for me. The main thing I learned is he believes Davivienda has increased their transaction fee to 26,000 pesos. I had the calentao with scrambled eggs and a latte for 32,000 pesos. I left at 10:45 and returned to the apt.

At 1pm we took a Didi to El Poblado. I had requested a first stop at Epoca Café bar and a final stop at El Correo. When we arrived in the Parque Lleras area there was some confusion about the location of Epoca so we went on to El Correo. The trip cost 10,400 pesos and I tipped him an extra 1,500.

I was going to have their half order of baby beef until Teresa reminded me I’d be safer with chicken.

Teresa had a side of baked potato and bottle of water and I a limonada de coco. For dessert I had a latte and we shared a slice of arequipe cheese cake. The total check came to 199,834 pesos ($46) including tip, a lot for lunch here.

At 2:45 we took a taxi back to the apt for 10,800 pesos.

I watched a sluggish Bears team against the Washington Commanders until they took the lead late in the 4^th quarter only to lose it on a dumb Hail Mary pass, losing 18-15, dropping their record to 4-3.

In the evening, from 8 to 10pm, I watched a CNN documentary on James Carville. I then read for half an hour before going to bed.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Bob Burford - Part IV

It was around 1976 or 1977 in a theater (great acoustics) that had been remodeled as a ballroom on the south side of Chicago. It was a big-band gig and the audience, as well as the band, was almost all black. A perfect gig for jazz players. The stage was at least six feet off the floor. The band leader allowed the soloing musicians as much time and freedom as they wanted. The band was sitting on two sets of risers, left and right, essentially separating woodwinds and brass. The rhythm section was on the floor between the two sections.

A microphone was set up in the middle of the stage primarily for use on solos. A sax player, for instance, when it came his time to solo, would leave his section and walk out to the microphone which put him a few feet closer to the audience. As a guitarist, though, I had to stay seated in the rhythm section and play from there.

So everything about the job was normal. Nothing to write home about. A bunch of musicians doing their thing and the patrons doing theirs. As long as we played something they could enjoy dancing to, they danced. 

So it came my time to be featured. As I was warming up to whatever it was I was playing, the audience began to gather up to the stage. The closer they got ... and the louder they got ... and the more animated and boisterous they got ... clapping and shouting. That was a brand new experience for me. No one has ever responded to my playing like that. Typically, that kind of response is reserved for a sax player who’s run out of things to say, so he starts honking one note repeatedly, a la Illinois Jacquet. Not knowing what to make of it, I just continued playing.

On break after that set, a friend of mine, one of the alto sax soloists, said, “Man, where did that come from? I’ve never heard you play like that.” I said, “I’ve never had an audience react to me like that before.” “React to you?” he asked. “Yeah, just about everyone in the place was all jammed up against the stage.” He laughed. “I hate to break it to you, man, but you didn’t have anything to do with that. You obviously couldn’t see it from where you were sitting, but there was a very well endowed young lady down there doing a striptease and they were all cheering her on.” 

Hmmm ... Well, shit!

Saturday, October 26, 2024

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

Teresa said there’s a restaurant in Poblado she wants to try for lunch tomorrow called Epoca.

I left the apt at 9:15 and had a latte in Peccato (I think I’ve finally mastered remembering the name of this café) on Ave Las Vegas. Teresa called and asked me to stop in Ara and also buy broccoli, lettuce, and apples. (I already was planning on stopping in Mercado Madrid for sugar and milk.) I walked past Mercado Madrid on my way up the hill but in Ara they didn’t have broccoli, lettuce or ripe avocados. Teresa was a little miffed but she specifically asked for Ara so that’s where I went and I wasn’t going to make another trip down the hill to Mercado Madrid.

Teresa asked me to take a photo of her eyebrows but she didn’t want any other part of her face. Try doing that! It doesn’t work so well.

Teresa informed me she wanted to go out for dinner tonight but she couldn’t remember the name of the place that she wanted to go to. After lots of guesses, I finally got it, it was Tagliata in Manila. (Her clues about ice cream and Provenza likely didn’t help me.)

I left the apt at 2:30 and stopped at the Bancolombia kiosk to print Teresa’s next mammography appointment (November 20^th at 5:40pm). There were two people working there I hadn’t seen before. They were the owners and they both spoke English (he offered he’s B2 in English and she’s A2 and they learned English in Malta). I paid the 300 pesos for the single page and headed across the street to Gana. The lady explained that the system is still out of service and has been all week. While there the man from the kiosk caught up with me and returned my USB drive. My bad for not noticing.

I stopped at the tree and replaced the missing peanut with another. I took an outside seat at Los Portenos and had a latte for a couple hours while studying my endgame book.

I left at 5pm and returned to the apt. Still no package.

We left at 7pm and took a Didi to Tagliata for 14,900 pesos. It wasn’t busy yet but next to the table Teresa chose was a long table for a group of about 20. They arrived later and it was a birthday party. Teresa ordered her usual salmon and her not usual sangria of which she only had a glass. I had heard about punta de anka so I told the water I want a steak cooked medium well and which did he recommend solomito or punta de anka? He said punta de anka and I repeated medium well and asked for a baked potato with butter. I also ordered a limonada de coco. He said they don’t have that so I ordered a regular Coke with a glass of ice. My meal also came with a lettuce, tomato and onion salad.

Teresa got her sangria first shortly followed by her food. They brought my steak and it was medium raw. I started eating the potato and when I could catch the water next I sent it back and started on the salad. They brought me my steak and it was too tough to eat. Teresa had a discussion with him (I remember the word “blanda”) and he brought me another steak of a different type and it was bloody too but at least I could cut it. I sent it back and when it came back it was cooked perfectly but I couldn’t chew it. I gave up after a few bits; Colombians must have stronger jaws then Americans.

I asked for the check and it was almost 200,000 pesos. They never brought my Coke so I circled it on the check and the waiter took it off. It cost 186,506 ($43.50). Note to future self: Order pasts not steak at Tagliata. I ordered a Didi, there was a 10-minute wait for it, and we returned to the apt for 12,100 pesos. There were a few raindrops on the windshield during the trip but it didn’t amount to anything.

When we got back to the apt, because all I had were 2 baked potatoes and a salad, I had a small bowl of granola.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Friday, October 25, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10 pm, got up once during the night, again at 5am, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

I see the Vikings lost to the Rams last night so that tightens up the NFC North race with:

5-1 Lions

5-2 Vikings

5-2 Packers

4-2 Bears

I sent a text message to Innovation Corp requesting assurance that my package has been released to Bogota.

I left the apt at 8am and completed my usual workout in Smartfit, -5# with 7 minutes on the treadmill at 6km/hr. I’ll continue this next week before moving up to my previous maximum.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for a couple hours. The peanut is gone so I hope the squirrel got it. It looks like something will be going on in the park later:

They've built a stage and they are in the process of putting up banners.

I drew ONEIPAMETATO1453 in 79 moves lowering my rating to 1590. I had chances, especially once in the middle game where I had an opportunity to win a bishop and I missed it.

We left the apt at 11:45 and took a Didi to Arkadia mall. we went up 2 levels to clinic Las Americas Auna and then up one more level to a waiting room. I made a trip to the restroom and by the time I came out 2 minutes later Teresa was already finished. She told me they will email her (me) with her next appointment.

We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles, Teresa had the salad bar again and I had chicken crepe and we shared a bottle of water for 78ml.

We went down a level to Medipiel where Teresa bought 2 bottles of shampoo for 171,000 pesos ($40). We went across the street to Pricesmart where we first made a stop at their information desk. Teresa asked about getting a 2^nd card for her (I don’t know the result but she seemed happy after) and I asked about Club de Medellin on their app. I learned that Club de Medellin is only for the Medellin location and Club de Poblado is what I would see for the Poblado location.

We bought 3 turkey breasts, a package of blueberries and a package of oatmeal cookies for 205,100 pesos ($48).

We quickly got in a taxi but it must have taken 15 minutes to progress the first 100 yards. There was aa accident where a car and motorcycled hit the back of a truck and of course nothing was moved.

We were back at the apt by 2pm for 17,700 pesos.

I’m still waiting for the package from Florida.

Just after 6pm Teresa received a call and told me there is a package for me in the porteria. It’s too late to go to Inter-Col today but I’ll be there first thing Monday morning. I went down and they handed me a small Amazon envelope. It was a package of 4 barrettes from Laura. ☹

I checked and found I received an answer from this morning’s text that they expect my package to arrive in Bogota tomorrow. ☹ I’m supposed to have my cedula renewed by November 8^th when it expires and I have no idea how long it will take Inter-Col to do their thing. Well, I don’t worry about things that are out of my control.

I may have forgotten to mention we’ve been watching episodes of season 2 of Monsters and tonight we finished episode 5.

From one of my early blog readers (lightly edited): “Terry, from the time stamp It looks like you were up early this morning. I had not realized I have read 11 years of your blogs. Time does move rapidly through that hour glass!! During that time I was my Mom's care companion and care giver. Reading about your life was a relief from my daily life. If only for a few minutes I was able to relax while reading them and envisioning my life after her death. She died on July 7th this year. Due to you I have decided to move to Morelia, Mexico. I thought about Columbia but I have a very extensive family in the US. I plan on making a trip home every 3 months. So that was a big part of my decision.
Terry, thanks for being there for me, your blog really helped me. Your virtual friend, JW.”

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Bob Burford

In the late 1950s I lived in southwest lower Michigan on Lake Michigan 55 miles due east across the lake from Chicago, as the crow flies. I kept my alarm radio set for 5:30 a.m., the time when Dan Sorkin’s radio show on WCFL (Wonderful Chicago Federation of Labor) came on the air. His musical intro to the show was Cal Tjader’s very swinging version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Google it. You simply had to move to that groove if you had blood in your veins. No one could successfully argue that Dan Sorkin was mentally well balanced. He was not. It’s not that he told jokes or anything like that. He just simply had a mind that was a bit off the rails ... which made him Chicago’s darling of the morning drive. Very entertaining.

Fairly often Sorkin would have Bob Newhart on his show. Dan was a frequent visitor to Chicago’s few comedy clubs where he first met Newhart. That was a few years before Newhart was Newhart. He was an accountant at the time and tested his comedic talents in the comedy clubs. So I would start my days listening to Dan Sorkin, Cal Tjader, and Bob Newhart ... laughing my ass off at Newhart’s routines that later made him a household name. Could there be a more perfect start to a day?

Of course, Newhart broke out of the Chicago scene and became known not only nationally but all over the world as well. When he was given his own TV show (taped in Los Angeles, of course), he got Dan Sorkin to fly out to LA every week to tape the announcing. (Besides giving him air time and exposure to Chicago, Sorkin had also introduced Newhart to Warner Brothers.)

Dan Sorkin eventually moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he continued his involvement in radio. He was a motorcycle enthusiast who took great delight in pulling cops over on the freeways and giving them hell for speeding or reckless driving, or whatever else he might dream up. Just imagine being a California Highway Patrol officer and this bearded scruffy-looking lunatic-ish motorcyclist with a peg leg wearing bib overalls approaches you threatening to arrest you. That was Dan’s idea of sport. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. That led to him founding the Stumps are Us society to assist and lend moral support to other such victims.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sorkin briefly at the Walnut Creek Country Club in the East Bay about 30 minutes east of San Francisco. The legendary guitarist George Barnes was a major mover and shaker at the Concord Jazz label in Concord, California. Barnes was producing a Concord Jazz album for Father Tom Vaughn at the Country Club (great acoustics). Father Vaughn was an Episcopal priest with an extraordinary talent for jazz. His playing was very much in the same vein with Vince Guaraldi (“Peanuts”). One very cool dude.

When they took a break to change tapes, everyone, including me, went to the bathroom. I found myself standing in line behind George Barnes. So that’s where we met. And thus began a close relationship until his death in September 1977. But that’s a story best reserved for another day.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

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

The Apprentice (7.2) opens today in Cine Colombia with early showtimes at 12:20 and 3.15.

At 9am I was getting dressed to meet Marcos at 9:30. (I thought I’d stop at $efecty on the way to pay the Tigo/Une bill.) Marcos called and informed me that yesterday he went to the emergency room with pain in his arm. (One sign of a heart attack.) It turned out to be arthritis and he’s taking medicine for it but he’s in too much pain to leave the apartment.

I emailed Angie in Inter-Col asking if the Sura form I found from 11 years ago was what I needed to satisfy the requirement of “Certificate of affiliation to Colombian eps”.

I left the apt at 9:30 and stopped at Gana to pay the Tigo/Une bill. The only, but most important, thing I understood was “afuera de servicio” aka “out of service”. So, another time.

I had a latte in Los Portenos for a couple hours before returning to the apt.

Angie replied that I have to sign into the eps website then I can print the document. I tried filling out their form for a userid and password but the field “landline number” is required and we don’t have one. ☹ I was about to email Angie about this problem when I found another email she sent where she found my Certificate so I’m good. Still waiting for that apostilled SS Benefits Letter to arrive.

I left the apt at 1:30 and took an Uber to the mall. (For some reason Didi’s interface wasn’t working correctly.) I recycled a Canadian maple syrup bottle, printed my eps certificate in Auros and went up to Cine Colombia. I bought a preferred seat to the 3:15 showing of The Apprentice (7.2) for 15,300 pesos ($3.50). I had over an hour to kill so I went down to Urbania for a latte.  At 2:55 I paid for my coffee, made a last trip to the restroom, asked for my free platinum popcorn and bought a small soda for 8,900 pesos. I took my seat and counted all of the people in the audience and came up with a count of one (1). Yes, I was the only one there but then again today is the premier and tickets are cheaper the other days. I thought the actor who played Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) really nailed the facial mannerisms. Jeremy Strong was also very good as Roy Cohn as I remember him playing a pretty despicable character in Succession.

After I left the theater I bought a medium size pumpkin in Exito for about 34,000 pesos. I would have liked to buy a slightly larger one but I took the one I thought was freshest and nicely shaped. I returned to the apt, in heavy traffic, by taxi.

Teresa can’t get her doctor to answer so the plan for tomorrow is we go to Arkadia mall where her doctor is and ask in person. As long as we’re there we’ll have lunch in Crepes & Waffles then go across the street to buy individual turkey breasts in Pricesmart before returning to the apt.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

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

I left the apt at 8am and completed my workout in Smarfit, raising to -5# and completing 7 minutes on the treadmill. I ran into Nebraskja who confirmed she no longer works at Envios Market. She now works from home as sort of a “secretary” she said.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor. The peanut is gone but I didn’t bring a replacement.

I left at 10:15 and bought 4 bagels in Eduardo Madrid before returning to the apt.

I left the apt at 1pm and walked to Sao Paulo Plaza. I wanted to try the St. Louis ribs in Firehouse.

It was 3 very meaty ribs with coleslaw and fries. 

I had them with a Coke for a total of 57,889 pesos ($13.50).

Teresa called asking where I was having lunch and I asked her if she wanted to meet at Eduardo Madrid for a sandwich after her class (appr. 5:30pm).

I walked to Otra Parte where I had a latte on their patio. I started having some stomach pains so after a trip to their restroom I just headed back to the apt. I texted Teresa about my problem and I wouldn’t be meeting her at Eduardo Madrid after all.

I took a couple of Loperamide tablets and that shut me down and I’m no longer feeling stomach pain.

She returned at 5:45 with a package. I opened it and it wasn’t the package I was expecting for me but a pair of gym shoes Laura sent her as a present.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, finally getting up at 6:45.

Teresa was already gone so I took my shower to be ready to leave after breakfast.

It’s 7:30 and it started raining again. I hope Teresa brought an umbrella. By 8:15 the rain had finally stopped.

At 9:15 I took a Didi to the mall. I recycled several plastic bottles then made copies of our epm bill and Teresa’s cedula in Auros. I made an ATM withdrawal. This is what the new back room looks like in Starbucks.

I made a stop in the restroom then had a latte in Urbania. Glenn posted on Facebook that Davivienda is now charging a 26mil transaction fee. Unfortunately, I didn’t print a receipt and I had already comingled my cash. I left at 10:30 and made another restroom stop and realized I no longer had the plastic envelope, containing Teresa’s cedula and the copies I just made, with me. ☹

I took a quick look in the restroom but of course it wasn’t there. I stopped at the information desk and they had it. 😊 Whew! I wonder if I should alert Teresa I might have a memory problem. For now, I’ll just try to be more careful in the future.

I went upstairs to Fotomilenio where I had a visa photo taken and was told it would be ready in 30 minutes. I went to Exito and picked up a carton of eggs. I was waiting in a short line but 2 of the 3 cashiers were otherwise engaged. (I saw one customer run away with what looked like a head of lettuce and a couple minutes later return with another. Another cashier was waiting for something with a customer and a third woman soon joined them so there was only one cashier available at the moment.) Next door was self-service checkout with no customers. They only have one machine for cash but the cashier invited me over where I checked out faster than if I’d still be in line.

I went back upstairs and after a 5-minute wait they gave me my photo, informed me they sent a copy to my email and she copied it to my USB drive.

I returned to the apt by taxi.

About 2:30 the sun came out but it only lasted for a few minutes.

We left the apt at 4:15 and took a Didi to Torre Medica in El Tesoro. I paid 223,300 ($52) for her mammogram then I went across the way to O’Cake to have a café con leche wait for her.

She finished about 6:45 and we went to find somewhere to eat. She mentioned something about where we had a sandwich with her gf Vicky and when we got to the area it wasn’t Santa Lena but next door at Chef Burger that she meant. We sat down and started looking at the menu. I had just noticed something on the menu called Chicago Meatballs when she decided she’d rather go to Valentina’s. When we arrived, we found they are out for today. We headed down the escalator to have quesadillas at a Tex-Mex restaurant when she changed her mind to El Corral, the burger place. This surprised me but we went back upstairs and took a table in what looked more like a restaurant than a burger place.

We each ordered their La Original burger and a Coke. We were told they had Pepsi – surprise, surprise – so Diet Pepsi for her and Regular Pepsi for me. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Pepsi but it tasted strange to me. I took a closer look at the bottle

and found it’s a Pepsi Black. I googled it and found this:

I tried Teresa’s and that’s when I figured out they mixed up our drink orders. I switched our drinks and we were both happier. I paid the check and we quickly caught a taxi back to the apt and traffic wasn’t too bad.

A few of my lesions have returned: one on my right wrist, one on my right calf, and one on my left side. ☹

Even thought it was 8:30pm, we finished episode 3 of Monsters that we had started the other day. I read a few pages in my book and went to bed at 10:30pm.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Monday, October 21, 2024

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

I left the apt at 8:15 and completed my workout in Smartfit. Because I missed my workout last Friday, today I just did a -10# workout but Wednesday I’ll move up to a -5# workout.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes. (The peanut is still in the crook of the tree.) I left at 10:30, stopped in Ara to buy sugar (they didn’t have any milk) before returning to the apt.

Just about noon a guy (Teresa was expecting) showed up and conducted a little interview. All I understood was it had something to do with “sisben” which I understood was the minimum health insurance for those who couldn’t afford to pay for it. He asked questions like how long we lived in this complex, how much do we pay each month for utilities, health insurance, and food. There were other questions I didn’t understand. After he left, Teresa informed me that the arts & crafts classes she’s taking are only for residents of Envigado and this was ensuring that we live there. She can now take classes in painting, crochet, embroidery, making purses or whatever she wants.

Teresa asked me to go with her to Santafe mall because she has something to exchange in Zara but first she wants to stop at the clinic across the street from Otra Parte to check on something.

Troyclough blundered on the 12^th move and resigned our latest game, increasing my rating to 1594.

We left the apt at 2:30 and halfway to Los Americas Auna, across the street from Otra Parte, it started raining. By the time we entered the clinic it was a full rainstorm. After Teresa talked to a lady at the front desk, the rain was coming down harder. Teresa discovered they have a café up on the 3^rd floor. We went up and they have a De Lolita and we ordered lattes and Teresa ordered a sandwich for us to share.

At 3:45 I ordered a Didi for 13,100 pesos. It dropped off a passenger nearby and didn’t seem to move for about 5 minutes while we were standing at the entrance waiting for it. It finally arrived but as we left the entrance it moved further down the street to another entrance. I didn’t know the clinic had another entrance. We got in and Andres went up the street where we quickly hit heavy traffic. On a major side street the bomberos (firemen) had closed off 2 of the 3 lanes with their firetruck. As we passed it looked like a river and then we saw a fireman trying to clear a drain that must have been blocked by leaves or something. It was a slow trip to Santafe mall and we got out at our usual entrance at the top of the hill. I tried tipping our ride 20mil for the inconvenience but for some reason my payment was denied. ☹

We went down one level where I took a seat outside Zara while Teresa went in. At least I was on a comfortable sofa while I was trying to dry out.

Teresa was gone a long time so it might have been an hour. I was wishing I had gone down to Valentina’s for a latte. When Teresa came out she was hungry and wanted to go to Crepes & Waffles. Despite felling cold I ordered a Suprema and Teresa a chicken crepe.

I wonder what time we left, maybe 5pm? We went to our usual exit but after waiting a while for a taxi we decided to try something else. We went down to the 1^st floor and entered the garage where they have a formal area to wait for a taxi. There was a long line and we inched along but at least we were warm and were sitting down. Teresa several times suggested we take a bus but I wasn’t interested in going out in the rain again or standing on a bus with all its rude stops and starts as it crept through traffic. The wait turned out to be an hour and a half and we were back at the apt by 7:15.

I tried to watch CNN & MSNBC but got too much buffering so I switched to reading.

The plan for tomorrow is Teresa is going to a 7am gym class and when she returns at 8am she’ll make breakfast.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Sunday, October 20, 2024

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

Troyclough resigned our game in 26 moves, increasing my rating to 1589.

We left the apt just after 10:30 and walked to Ayura station where we had about a 5-minute wait for a metro train. We got off at Exposiciones station and went downstairs where we found a large Rio Negro bus.  It left the station about 10 minutes later. The air conditioning was on and I just about froze until he turned it down after the airport drop-offs. As soon as we reached the Rionegro area it started raining. It was still pouring when we got off the bus and we looked for shelter in the station. After about a 20-minute wait the rain lessened and sharing my small umbrella we walked the 3 blocks or so to the restaurant Candilejas. We each had a different version of the Colombian dish Bandeja Paisa.

For dessert we shared a slice of cheesecake

and we each had a latte. The check came to 102mil.

I saw something on Facebook, that soon disappeared, about Chris Cajoleas moving. I texted him to see if it was true; it is and now he and his wife live a block north of our apt complex.

We left at 3pm and walked around the park but the only thing interesting was this man playing his violin for tips.

We took a seat and listened to him for a while.

Teresa informed me she’s finished visiting this pueblo. I suggested we try the pueblo Carolina del Principe that she mentioned the other day.

At 3:50 Teresa went inside the church for mass while I returned to Candilejas to have a latte while waiting for her. I made some initial plans to meet with Marcos to see the Bears vs Cardinals game on November 3^rd. Teresa  returned at 4:30, had her own latte and we left at 5pm, in sunshine, and walked the 3 blocks back to the bus station. We immediately got seats on a bus and were on our way back to Medellin; the Rionegro bus was 11,500 pesos per person.

I explained to Teresa the metro costs 4mil each and the taxi from Ayura station is another 7mil so it’s a total of about 15mil. I suggested we try taking a taxi direct from Exposiciones to our apt and see how much it costs. She fought me on it a little but I was insistent that it might be less expensive. There wasn’t much traffic and it cost 18,900 pesos. It was more expensive but we saved time, plus having to walk up the steep stairs of the station, standing on the metro for 10 minutes, and walking up and then down the stairs of Ayura station.

Teresa suggested we watch another episode of Monsters (7.8) on Netflix. I put it on and it didn’t work as I must have still been on Jimmy’s account so I put in my subscription info and all was good.

I started reading the New York Times Bestseller Code Girls in paperback.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

At 9am I got my haircut with Daniel, picked up my monthly medications at Todo Drogas, bought a couple bottles of supplements at Tienda Naturista and walked to Ganso y Castor. (I noticed some Christmas decorations put up near downtown Envigado.) I checked and the peanut is still there. ☹ I had a latte while going through my cellphone. Teresa called and asked me to pick up a couple things in Ara. I left at 11:30 and there was a pretty long line in Ara but thankfully there were two cashiers open.

I signed up for a Netflix subscription for 26,900 pesos ($6.31) a month, cancellable anytime. I used Teresa’s Bancolombia card to pay with her name but my email address and cellphone number. The password is recorded in the password book in my desk.

Teresa and I watched the 1^st episode of the 2^nd season of Monsters on Netflix.

I finished Anthony Fauci, M.D.’s book On Call.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA

Friday, October 18, 2024

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

Teresa was already gone.

I returned the empty cube tray to the freezer and turned it back on. I’ll repeat this every 2 months or so as a preventative measure.

My envelope arrived in Chicago at 4:24am this morning.

I have a split nail that only plit worse last week when I helped Teresa put a fitted sheet on a bed. Since then, every few days I put a drop of Super Glue on it to hold it together.

Oops I messed up; I scheduled breakfast with Glenn today forgetting this is a gym day. So, I did a few exercises using my 7# dumbbell.

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to Sao Paulo Plaza where I tried checking Teresa’s balance in her Bancolombia account.

If I understand correctly they want me to pay to view the balance? I cancelled the transaction.

Glenn with Bianca were waiting for me and when I explained my Bancolombia problem, he suggested I try their website. (Later I did and the Spanish was too overwhelming.) Glenn is happy with Youtube TV for $73 a month. I have to check it out and see if it can replace my Direct TV. Today I had pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and a latte for 42mil. I left at 10:30 and returned to the apt.

I had quite a bit of leaking but not as bad a yesterday. I hate to say it but I’ll probably have to start doing my Kegel Exercises again. Not that they are painful, just uncomfortable.

My envelope was delivered to the Cook County clerk at 11am.

We have the first few ice cubes but we’ll need the weight of more before the ice crusher will work.

I left the apt at 12:15 and took a Didi to the mall. I noticed Starbucks has now expanded in the back to the space previously occupied by the restrooms.

It's back where you see the bright light.

I bought a preferred seating ticket to Superman for 8mil. I mistakenly thought the movie started at 1:05 but it started at 1:30.

I had some time to kill so I went to Bancolombia and checked Teresa’s Bancolombia account and found she has 104,493 pesos. And it didn’t cost me anything.

I took the receipt and returned to Cine Colombia. After I sat down I couldn’t find the debit card. I checked my fanny pack several times but it wasn’t there. I returned to Bancolombia and it wasn’t in the ATM. I went inside the bank and the lady that monitors the turn machine had a Bancolmbia card in her hand. Using my translator, I told her I left my debit card in an ATM 5 minutes ago. She led me to an associate who asked me for my name. I gave her Teresa’s name and she confirmed something and the 1^st lady took me out to the ATM, put the debit card in and asked me to enter the password. I did, she printed the balance and compared it to my receipt and handed over the card.

I returned to Cine Colombia and I still had some time to kill. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled start time I made my last trip to the restroom then got my free Platinum popcorn and bought a large soda. There were only about 8 other people in the theater. The movie was good although sad.

I went down to Urbania and had a latte. I left at 4pm and went up to Pergamino but all tables were taken. I had a BBQ roast beef combo sandwich in Only Roastbeef for 33mil. I went downstairs and got in a short line for a taxi was back in the apt by 6pm.

Terresa returned at 7pm and I learned she was at a water park in Santafe de Antioquia named Kanoloa. She also recommended we visit a pueblo named Carolina del Principe on one of our day trips.

 

IN HONOR OF IKEA