Saturday, December 20, 2025

Last night I took my Diphenhydramine and Zopiclona tablets and went to bed at 10pm (it was still raining hard). I quickly fell asleep, got up at 3am but couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 3:30. I returned to bed at 4:45 and slept until 7:15.

I left the apt at 8:15 and walked to the mall. I recycled a plastic bottle and the remainder of the fiber optic cable Movistar used to install our new internet. I don’t know why Teresa was saving it.

I made a 2,000,000-peso withdrawal from a Davivienda ATM then went down to Urbania just before their 9am opening.

I had a latte while checking my Pirc book for a variation that often is played against me.

On Chess.com, I got a strong attack against Troyclough and he resigned in 21 moves, increasing my rating to 1523.

I’ve partially figured out how Urbania numbers their tables; I paid for table #9 and took the back way through the garage to Exito. I picked up milk, eggs and a container of dishwashing paste before returning to the apt by taxi.

I ordered some necklace clasps on Amazon for $24.15 to be delivered direct to Colombia, estimated delivery January 5^th to 12^th.

I finished the series Downton Abbey (8.7). Incredibly, I got goosebumps three times watching the last episode. What was that about?

I was unsuccessful taking a nap after lunch.

I left the apt at 3pm and walked to Los Porteños where I had a latte for a couple hours while studying The Pirc defense.

I left at 5pm and stopped at a busy Antonio’s Gelato. I was inside waiting my turn when a waitress had a refrigerated display case problem. The top shelf was slanted toward the front with one glass bottle of water leaning against the door. She tried, unsuccessfully, to catch it as she opened the door. In hindsight, she should have put her hands lower so she would have more time to catch it. Needless to say, it smashed on the bottom of the case and she had to clean it up. I think they intended to put cakes on that top shelf but someone had mistakenly put bottles of water.

After picking up my half liter of pistachio gelato I walked a block to Eduardo Madrid Panaderia where I bought a stollen for 68,000 pesos.

Back at the apt Teresa tried my slice of stollen and liked it so much she then had one for herself. We put the gelato in the freezer for another time.

I started a new Netflix series called Absentia (7.1) and finished the first two episodes waiting for the Bears 8:20 start time.

I opened my 2^nd bag of peanuts and ate half with a Coke watching the Bears vs Packers. With 2 full bags remaining, the Bears had better make the playoffs! Teresa went to bed at 9:30.

The Bears were losing 16-6 with 5:03 left in the 4^th quarter as they received the kickoff. They drove down the field and kicked a field goal at the 2-minute warning. They opted for an onside kick, the ball went the requisite 10 yards, a Packer muffed it and the Bears recovered. The Bears drove down the field and with 28 seconds on the clock and 4^th and 4 at the Packers 6-yard line Caleb Williams threw a touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone to Johdae Walker (who really hadn’t played much since his 2 preseason touchdowns). Everyone thought the coach, Ben Johnson, would go for the 2-point conversion but Santos kicked the extra point to tie the game 16-16. The Bears kicked off, stopped the Packers on a 4^th down and then from the Packers 46-yard line Caleb Williams threw a strike to DJ Moore in the endzone for the touchdown and a Bears win! The Bears are back in first place in the NFC North at 11-4 and the number 2 seed in the playoffs. Whew! What a game!

According to my step counter I walked 4,846 steps today. Pretty decent.

 

FUNNY