Monday, March 9, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3am, finally waking/getting up at 6:15. At least it’s not raining, in fact it’s a sunny day with a few clouds.

Teresa got up fifteen minutes later and made breakfast.

After breakfast we both returned to bed for an hour nap. It took me quite a while (30 minutes?) to fall asleep and the alarm woke us after an hour.

I dressed and left for the gym a little before 9am.

This is the condition of the sidewalk this morning

workers you can’t see are around the far corner.

Smartfit wasn’t very busy at first (9am seems to be the turnover time). I showed the girl at the front desk the photo of the creatine powder I saw advertised on their TVs.

She pointed north but I’m not exactly sure where.

I completed my workout, today adding a minute to the treadmill giving me a total of 20 minutes, the first 8 minutes at 5.5 kph and the remainder at 6kph.

After my workout, I stopped next door at the health café but the girl said they don’t have creatine powder.

I went to Ganso y Castor and had a latte for about 90 minutes. Teresa sent me a voice mail asking me to buy tomatoes for lunch.

I left just before 11am and bought a few tomatoes in Ara for 4,000 pesos before returning to the apt. (This sign in Ara reminded me that there was an election yesterday.)

I lost games to Troyclough, lowering my rating to 1516 and Saul19780, lowering my rating to 1512 and chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1503. ☹

I found an American Airlines’ flight that leaves Boston around noon on Monday, May 17th but the final cost was $2540.26. I assume this is because of the current oil crisis. Thanks, Republican party. When I got to the “choose your seats” part it froze with the eternal buffering symbol and I ended up just closing the website.

At 3pm Teresa asked, since I’m not going out for coffee, if I’d like her to make coffee for me. Sure! She then suggested I go to Eduardo Madrid and purchase a small carrot cake for us to share. There were a few raindrops both ways but I bought one for 60,100 pesos. Soon after I returned to the apt a downpour started.

I watched another couple episodes of Persons of Interest.

I watched The Rachel Maddow Show and the beginning of The Lawrence O’Donnell Show on MS NOW then read some of my book and by the time I got settled in bed it was almost 10:30.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:45. It was still raining and we were in no hurry to get up.

After breakfast we returned to bed for a bit but it continued raining.

The original plan was to go to El Retiro today but it’s only 70 degrees and rainy so now I think we’ll be just having lunch in El Correo.

The weather didn’t improve so at 1:30 we walked in a few raindrops two blocks to the Argentinian steakhouse Quilombo 

where we got the first table, which was barely inside. Teresa ordered an appetizer, which was three different types of sausage that I didn’t care for. We each ordered the solomito which came with potato and a small salad. 

The steak was okay, slightly chewy, not as good as Lomo Fino in El Retiro. We shared a couple small bottles of water and the check came to 204,096 pesos. There was a short line but no rain as we left and returned to the apt.

I watched a few episodes of Persons of Interest (8.5) on Netflix.

New photo of Annie James:

I caught the end of 60 Minutes, not realizing the US turned their clocks ahead this morning.

I’m not crazy about this new Creatine powder, it doesn’t mix well with water, especially if it’s cold.

I watched some news, read from my Kindle and went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Saturday, March 7, 2026

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

I ate the last of the three bananas I bought in Exito earlier in the week. I might buy more today.

Teresa got up at 7am and made breakfast. I took a nap for an hour after and then went to Los Porteños. It was a little busy which is usual for a Saturday morning. Teresa texted and asked me to pick up a couple things from Ara. I had a latte for a couple hours, stopped in Ara, bought broccoli, milk, chicken and four bananas before returning to the apt.

Teresa informed me she needed something from Medipiel but wanted to go to a different mall so she could explore a bit. She gave me the name of one that wasn’t familiar to me so I googled it and it’s in Bello. Envigado is just south of Medellin and Bello is just north of Medellin so its on the other side of the city. Yeah, we could take the metro most of the way and take a taxi the last few kilometers but I didn’t feel like taking such a long trip today.

Teresa decided we would go to Mayorca (which has a Medipiel) after lunch.

I’m still looking at roundtrip flights between Medellin and Boston. The problem is Sunday, May 17^th, I return from Chicago at 4:45pm so the next flight I should be looking at to Medellin should be no earlier than 8pm (3 hours before for international flights). There are flights: example, Boston to Miami to Philadelphia to Medellin. ☹ I’m still searching, luckily we still have 2 months left.

While waiting for Teresa, I finished season 1 of 1923 but then was surprised Netflix didn’t have season 2 available. ☹ I watched War Machine (6.5) on Netflix.

I watched some news, read from my Kindle and went to bed at 10pm.

(Looks like no Mayorca today.)

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Expat's response to my previous post

 Bancolombia has had in recent weeks pretty well documented issues with their systems. There have been several press articles. They are the most technically advanced bank in the country, and some of their problems aren’t of their own making - for example they use Amazon Cloud extensively which has had it’s own problems. As for the cost of Colombian credit cards are they that expensive? A Platinum Amex card from Bancolombia, if you qualify, will cost you around $15 a month. On the other hand the ‘rewards’ structure is far poorer than in the US, but then the same US card carries a $899 annual fee. The premium Black Visa or Mastercard products from BCO are around $10 a month giving for example airport lounge access. There are many other cards with lower costs that they offer. Interest rates are high, but then the general level of interest rates in Colombia is far higher than in the US, and US credit cards when you run a balance charge high rates as well. Foreigners come to live in Colombia and often try to ‘fly under the radar’ by keeping minimal assets in the country and not reporting income for tax purposes. If they do maintain bank accounts they tend to maintain low ‘working’ balances. They usually have no real usable credit history in country, Many expats come to live in Colombia, decide it’s not for them and return to their home country leaving debts behind them. Credit card lending is unsecured and getting debts repaid in Colombia is far more difficult that the US. Getting a card from a bank that you have no prior relationship with is therefore unlikely. If nothing else they are going to want to see your tax filings.

Bancolombia is the only approved bank in country to receive US social security payments into. The process, set up by the bank with Social Security pays Pesos into your account, generally by the third of the month. No running around the city to find ATMs to take cash out of, no queuing up to make payments for rent and the like. Then you can make all your payments electronically and you’ve a documented source of income when you ask if a credit card might be available.
Actually Bancolombia might have had worse problems. That big Headquarters building in Industriales recently suffered significant flooding in the basement area following one of the recent storms that created enormous problems for them (the computers aren’t in the city) that they are still working to overcome.

An Example of why I resist banking with Bancolombia

 Sorry for the lengthy post, but I think it's worth reading.

Yet another reason not to bank with Bancolombia. I paid my Bancolombia credit card bill online on my computer using my Bancolombia savings account to transfer the money — a substantial amount. Everything appeared to go through normally, but I received no confirmation. When I checked my account today, there was no record of the payment. My savings account balance is still intact, meaning the funds were never deducted.

My concern now is that if I submit the payment again, the original transaction might also process — leaving me double-charged for a significant amount. And knowing Bancolombia, getting a refund would likely be a nightmare in itself, if it happened at all.

I called their English-speaking helpline and got nowhere. Their response essentially amounted to "there's nothing we can do," with no guidance whatsoever on how to proceed. I'll likely have to go to the branch in person to sort it out and verify whether the payment actually went through.

It seems I spend half my life dealing with Bancolombia. Just saying.

On a related note — the Bancolombia credit card is outrageously expensive in terms of rates and fees, but I do want a local credit card as a backup. Does anyone know if it's possible to open a credit card at a different bank without having to open a savings or any other account there first?

Friday, March 6, 2026

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

I forgot to mention yesterday one of the waitresses ordered a purse to be custom made by Teresa for 120,000 pesos but in different colors than the one Teresa showed her.

Teresa had just left for her 6am gym class.

I ate the second of my three bananas.

Teresa returned at 6:30 and informed me there was no class today.

After breakfast I had an hour nap and left at 8:45 for Smartfit. 

Progress on the back sidewalk:

It was busier than usual but I managed to complete my routine in my preferred order.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes before returning to the apt.

I’m still exploring options for our trip to Boston. On our return I even considered flying to Miami and staying overnight in a hotel there. To be continued.

I watched two more episodes of 1923 on Netflix, which I’m enjoying very much.

Sunday is International Women’s Day and Teresa wants to return to El Retiro.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Thursday, March 5, 2026

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

I ate the first of the bananas while it was still partly green, supposed to be healthier that way.

For the first time in a long time I’m playing an opponent with a higher rating (1583) and I’m already in trouble after only 6 moves. ☹

I left the apt at 8:30 and was surprised to see no line at the Bancolombia kiosk. I remarked to the lady there “no hay fila” and she said, “sola”.

I stopped at the Gana kiosk and paid the Movistar (internet) bill.

I had a latte outside Los Porteños. A young lady at the next table had two golden labs that didn’t seem to be listening to her. I learned her boyfriend is from Australia so I assume they are his.

She left and I talked to a Mexican American sitting a couple tables away. He’s thinking of getting a pensionado visa and buying an apt here.

I left at 10am and on my way back to the apt was surprised again there was no line outside the Bancolombia kiosk.

We left at 10:30 and waited in the porteria for MT to pick us up in a taxi. At San Fernando Plaza we went in to Gaes and took seats waiting for MT’s 11:30 appointment. MT and Teresa went into the doctor’s office while I waited outside. When they returned I paid the 2 million peso downpayment and I understand the hearing aids will arrived in about 2 weeks.

We walked 3 blocks north to Boulevard Café where we had a nice lunch of the day for 106,500 pesos. While they waited in the café I went inside the building only to find out I had the wrong building. I informed them then went next door to the Cedimed building and up to the 13^th floor but someone else had that office.

I googled ophthalmologist Dr. Catalina Montoya and she is at a different location.

I have her email address so we’ll see if that works.

We took a taxi to Santafe mall and the ladies went window shopping while I went down to Valentina’s. I ordered my latte and the waitress, that I’ve seen there many times before, I asked her if she would talk to the owners and ask them to put a café in Envigado, specifically Calle La Buena Mesa.

We left at 4:30 and bought a large carton of eggs in Jumbo and headed to the taxi station. It’s obviously under construction and we had to walk a little further where they had a temporary station set up.

It was a short wait for a taxi to return us to Envigado for 20,300 pesos.

I finally purchased round trip tickets from American Airlines for myself for $335.01 between Boston and Chicago for May 15^th and May 17^th so I can be at my granddaughter’s baptism on the 16^th.

 

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking at 5:45 (immediately got a cramp in my left calf) and getting up at 6:15. The street is wet so we obviously had some rain overnight.

The three bananas I bought yesterday are still too green to eat. They should be ready tomorrow.

Annie James, the bathing beauty:

The plan for today is: Teresa will go to her 9am gym class in Mayorca, we’ll meet at Olivia’s at 12:30 for lunch, we’ll pick up MT and go to San Fernando Plaza where I’ll make the downpayment on her hearing aids, we’ll walk a couple blocks away to Torre Intermedica on Calle 7 so I can make an appointment with the ophthalmologist Catalina Montoya for a routine inspection.

Work continues on the back sidewalk. Those “blocks” you see are preformed concrete for use as curbs.

At 8:30 I found Smartfit busier than usual but it thinned out a little after 9am. I completed my usual workout but had to change the order quite a bit.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour. Teresa texted me her gym class was cancelled and could I pick up milk because we’ll be having lunch at home.

The new plan is to pick up MT and take her to San Fernando Plaza and pick up our original plan from there. But then at 1:30 a rainstorm started.

I finished the last of the oranges I had bought in Exito; tomorrow the bananas should be ripe enough to eat.

The rain stopped then started again.

Teresa finally left for her purse lesson at 3:15.

I checked flights and I should have booked last week when there was more availability. I’m wondering if that will improve if I wait a bit?

I met Teresa at 5pm at Eduardo Madrid and we shared a slice of carrot cake and we each had a latte. for 32,200 pesos.

I watched another episode of 1923, watched most of The Chris Hayes Show, then time for some reading.

I finished James Patterson’s Roses are Red (Alex Cross #6) on my Kindle.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 4:15, finally/waking/getting up just before my alarm at 6:15.

Teresa had already left for her gym class.

I left the apt at 7:30 and took a Didi to Unicentro mall for 19,800 pesos. Outside I saw a fruit cart with bananas but I didn’t see anyone working it (later, when I left, the cart was gone). It was only a 5-minute wait for the mall to open.

Upstairs I met Jose and we had our usual breakfast (this time I remembered to bring the maple syrup). We discussed some options since his debit card didn’t arrive to my ship forwarder.

As I left, I noticed a restaurant upstairs named Shake N Shack that I’ll have to check out next time.

We adjourned to the food court where I had the Black pieces in the first game. I thought I held my own until I misanalysed a move and it was downhill from there and I finally resigned on the 48^th move.

It’s nice that most of our games are close.

I had the White pieces in the second game and he quickly blundered a knight but then trapped my queen and I had to give back a piece for a pawn to rescue her. He blundered again on the 25^th move (I forked his rook and queen with my knight) and it was downhill for him and he final resigned on the 36^th move.

It was 1:30 when I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado for 20,300 pesos.

I considered Sarku’s but it was very busy so I went on to Pergamino where I had my usual granola bowl with yogurt and fruits and an iced tea (didn’t care for it).

I used a consignacion ATM to pay for our health insurance, gym membership and Medellin TV and I withdrew 2 million pesos for the downpayment for MT’s hearing aids.

Downstairs I had a latte in Urbania.

I finally checked my English dictionary and found, “Chelated” is “a chelate compound”. A “chelate complex” is “a complex where a metal ion is bound to two or more atoms of the chelant”. Now we know!

Teresa called just before 4pm to inform me it was pouring outside and I shouldn’t be in any hurry to leave. The lights went out, but less than a minute, four times between 4pm and 4:30.

I finally left Urbania at 5pm and bought 3 bananas, a package of blueberries and a 10-pak of pads in Exito.

The taxi line outside was unbelievably long so it was easier to just walk back to the apt in the light drizzle. I passed Jerry McNamara on the way and he said, “we have to get together for coffee” and I replied, “definitely” and continued on my way.

My social security transfer from Capital One is now in my USAA account.

I watched the first episode of 1923 (8.3) on Netflix.

Teresa confirmed with me that today is the 3^rd. She then told me tonight there will be a lunar eclipse seen from Colombia. I kidded her about it probably being too cloudy and we can’t see much of the sky from our balcony anyway. I then googled it and found out it was last night.

I watched the news the rest of the evening until just before 9pm when I switched to reading.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Monday, March 2, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally/waking/getting up at 6:30.

I started taking the creatine powder this morning. Contrary to the capsules they recommend just one dose per day.

I left the apt at 8:30 and noticed this progress on the back sidewalk construction.

I found Smartfit less busy than usual and was able to complete the usual order of my routine, including 19 minutes on the treadmill with a final heart rate of 127bpm. Today I added 5# to the following machines: Butterfly, Triceps Press, Abdominal Crunch, and Back Extension.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour then stopped in Ara for a couple things on the way back to the apt.

Teresa had asked if I could loan her mother 10 million pesos for her hearing aids until her Bancolombia CD matures in November. I agreed so now I have to get my debit card working again so I can give her the downpayment of 2 million tomorrow.

I called my brother using MagicJack and he could hear me fine using my headphones. I called USAA and everything was fine when pushing buttons on the keypad but when it asked me to say, “continue”, it couldn’t hear me. ☹ I logged into my USAA account and switched to chat and finally got my debit card unlocked. (Last Saturday at the tienda naturista they forgot to set the machine to “Corriente” and my card was declined and I ended up paying in cash. USAA just needed to confirm whether that attempted payment was valid or not.)

Jose was issued a new debit card and his son sent it to my mail forwarder in Florida. Same problem as our Christmas presents, USPS says it was delivered but FL says it wasn’t. ☹

About 3pm we had a downpour that lasted about 20 minutes.

I had divided my last bag of salted-in-the-shell peanuts into 4 separate Ziploc bags. This afternoon I ate one of them as a snack with a small bottle of Coke.

More Annie James in California.

My social security payment is in my Capital One account so I requested it to be transferred to my USAA account.

I watched the news the rest of the day and evening.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Sunday, March 1, 2026

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

Teresa left the apt at 8:15 for, I assume, terminal norte then by bus on to San Vicente.

I left the apt at 8:30 and arrived at Olivenza just before Glenn arrived with Bianca. He had an echocardiogram and has an appointment this week with his doctor to interpret the results. He’s thinking about visiting his brother in Boca Rotan, Florida next month to get second opinions on his stomach/intestinal issues. He might be interested in Eduardo Madrid’s English muffins so next time we meet I’ll try to bring him a couple. I left at 10:45 and walked back to the apt.

Annie James on vacay in California, enjoying life in the pool:

I called USAA and right after I got authenticated, I got static then lost the connection. I’m hoping they call me back. They didn’t so I called them again and it appears the automated call answerer can’t hear me with my headset.

• I switched to chat and now it says, “You have no eligible cards to block or unblock.” ☹

I’m thinking maybe there’s a problem with my headset and/or Magicjack so I’ll test it with a quick call to my brother early or late tomorrow afternoon. Bro, I’ll Whatsapp you first to make sure the timing is okay.

My plan for lunch was to go to Philly Steaks then have coffee across the street at Hija Mia Nomada. Right at 1:30 as I was about to leave the sky got dark and we had a short shower. ☹

I left a few minutes later and walked to Clap Burger (under fluffy white clouds with some blue sky, go figure) where I had their Combo #1 which included a burger, fries, and a Coke for 38,900 pesos. I left a 10mil tip.

I went across and down the street to Gardenia where I had a latte while reviewing a specific opening in my chess book.

Chesswiz98 resigned our game on the 18^th move, increasing my rating to 1534.

I returned to the apt and put more plumber’s putty around the water inlet to the toilet, hopefully this time it will silence the clattering noise.

I backed up my laptop’s monthly file changes to my external hard drive.

Teresa returned at 7:15, unfortunately the store only wanted to pay Teresa 30,000 pesos for her bracelets. ☹

I watched the news, then part of 60 Minutes, then read before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Saturday, February 28, 2026

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

Well, the US bombed Iran last night and supposedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khemeini.

Teresa wants to go to that store in Sabaneta this morning, then have lunch in Viejo John.

I suggested tomorrow we have lunch in Mama Panda in Laureles but Teresa wants to go to San Vicente with Rosemary tomorrow. She says its two hours north of Medellin and we’d have to leave at 7am. Count me out. I’ll get up early for 7am flights but not for bus trips.

I lost a long game (42 moves) with the White pieces to chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1529. My accuracy was very poor.

I took a Didi to Daniel’s barbershop where I got my usual haircut. I walked to Todo Drogas where I purchased a couple medications for the month. I stopped at a tienda naturista and purchased magnesium tablets and creatine powder for 174,000 pesos. My debit card was declined but luckily, I had enough cash with me.

I walked to Ganso y Castor where I had a latte for about 30 minutes before returning to the apt.

The magnesium I purchased is called Chelated Magnesium. I wasn’t sure if that was a brand name for the magnesium or if it meant a word like “blended”. Google translate was no help but ChatGPT confirmed it was a blend of magnesium oxide and magnesium gluconate. Per the bottle, each tablet contains 100mg and it suggests taking three but ChatGPT suggested starting with one tablet for the first week and we’ll see how my body reacts to it. Later I’ll try to get just the magnesium gluconate.

At 11:30 we took a Didi to the Domino’s in Sabaneta for 11,900 pesos. Across the street is the little store where they have simple plain purses (more like beach bags) and Teresa bought one for 14,000 pesos.

We walked a few blocks away to Viejo Johns where we easily got a table. She ordered the posta (flank steak) and a Coke and I the chicken plate and a mango juice.

We walked three blocks away to a mall where they have a Dollar City and Teresa bought a bamboo cutting board for 18,000 pesos to use with her latest project, decorating purses.

Outside we quickly caught a taxi back to the apt for 22,000 pesos.

I had a 30-minute nap then watched the news.

About 3pm, after the second peal of thunder, I unplugged the surge protector connected to the TV and of course we didn’t have any more thunder after that. ☹

About 4:45 Teresa shared an idea with me. I should go to Eduardo Madrid and buy 2 kaiser rolls then stop in Ara for a package of chicken breasts. I did, in a few raindrops, and luckily the complex gate was open both ways and there was no line in Ara. Teresa was surprised how quickly I was back.

Teresa made delicious chicken sandwiches for supper.

I watched the news about our new war with Iran, read some from my Kindle and went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Friday, February 27, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, woke up once at 4:30, had trouble falling back asleep. Teresa was getting to leave for her gym class so I went back to bed at 6:15. She woke me up when she returned and breakfast was ready.

After breakfast she handed me a note with 3 phone numbers, the name Maria Teresa at the top and Larry at the bottom. I understood she wanted me to call Larry because MT wants to know how his mother is doing. I couldn’t find the plus sign on the dialpad so I added his name and number to my contacts and called him. What an awkward call because he was at work in New Jersey and he didn’t speak Spanish and, I eventually found out MT was known as Blanca when she did elder care in the States. Eventually I learned his mother died two years ago, I thanked him and ended the call. He soon called back and I gave him Teresa’s number so his wife could call and they could talk in Spanish. Whew!

I left the apt at 9am for Smartfit and workers are now repairing the sidewalk on the backside outside our complex. The corner has been raised up by a large tree and the rest of the section is often underwater whenever it rains so hopefully they will raise it.

I found Smartfit less busy than usual but still had to adjust the order of my routine. I completed 19 minutes on the treadmill, the first 8 minutes at 5.5 kph, the final 11 minutes at 6kph. Every odd minute from the 3^rd to the 17^th I took my hands off the side supports for 45 seconds to practice my balance. I finished with a heart rate of about 128 bpm. Today I filled another section of my gym notebook so I’ll be creating a new section and increasing the weight on a couple machines next Monday.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for an hour or so. I stopped in Ara and bought lettuce and cilantro before returning to the apt.

I won a game against Troyclough in 20 moves with the Black pieces, increasing my rating to 1539.

After lunch I had a 30-minute nap then vegged out on the recliner.

About 3:30 Teresa tells me she wants to go to some little store in Sabaneta that sells purses for 2,000-5,000 pesos that she can decorate. I asked for the address and she showed me Carrera 43C, but it didn’t have the cross street or a house number. I tried using Didi and Google Maps to find it by name but they couldn’t find it either. The website she showed me said it’s open but closes at 5pm. She searched some more and found it’s open every day except Sunday until 8pm. She finally found the entire address of Carrera 43C #67sur 25 and I finally found it on Google Maps but I refused to go today.

 

I watched the news (looks like we’re going to be bombing Iran) the rest of the evening then a little reading before going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:30, had trouble falling back asleep but I must have as the next thing I knew it was 7am.

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to the mall. Upstairs I got in line for a cashier in Av Villas. I wasn’t sure if it was one line or two so I asked the guy in front of me, “un fila o dos”, and he answered in English, “only one”. 😊 I paid for the apt and got my receipt.

I went down the hall to the consignacion ATMs but both I tried were out of order. 

I’m guessing it’s a system problem.

I went down to Urbania and had a latte and a glass of ice water. I sent a photo copy of my apt rental payment to Alcala. Teresa called and asked me to pick up apples (green and red), broccoli, and tomatoes.

Photos of Annie James on her first flight – to Los Angeles.

I tried the ATM outside Exito but it didn’t work either.

I stopped in Exito and found the above plus lemons (yellow like in the US). I bought one for 2,721 pesos (73 cents) that I’ll use for my tea.

I returned to the apt by taxi for 8,500 pesos.

I left at 2pm and walked to Gardenia where I had a latte while going through the endgame lessons again. Teresa was supposed to meet with Rosemary to look for jeans in the Outlet store then join me at the restaurant. We traded messages a couple times then Teresa, alone, finally joined me at 5pm. There was an aggressive chihuahua at the next table that I warned Teresa about so she wouldn’t get bit. She didn’t want anything from Gardenia, plus they were closing soon, so I paid my bill and we went down the street to Otra Parte. We each had the Mama Pastora (pasta in teriyaki sauce) and shared a Coke then a slice of apple pie ala mode for a total of about 134,000 pesos. Feeling very stuffed we waddled back to the apt.

I’m learning there are different types of magnesium: citrate, oxide, threonate, glycinate and the latter is the one I should be taking as a sleep aid so I’ll be looking for it this Saturday.

I watched the news the rest of the evening then a little reading before going to bed at 9:30.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

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

I left the apt at 8:15 and found Smartfit busier than usual. I pretty much completed my workout in my preferred order and I finished my treadmill in 18 minutes at 126bpm, forgetting to add the extra minute.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about an hour. Laura texted me that her neighbor might be willing to rent me their car for a few days while in Boston. Maybe she meant loan not rent? Why should I pay for someone else’s car if I can borrow Laura’s?

I left at 10am and stopped in Eduardo Madrid to pick up my 16 English muffins. I noticed they replaced the bench between the display case and front window with a small table for two.

I left the apt at 2:15 and went to Los Porteños for a latte. Of course it started raining at 3:30 which lasted about an hour.

Certain_letter finally agreed to a draw but my rating didn’t change. I’m not going to play him again because he moves so slow.

At 5pm I moved to Eduardo Madrid and took the last table available.

I saw Marcos Kaseman come in, he’s head of the Angels of Medellin charity, and buy what looked like a pack of cinnamon rolls.

Teresa arrived at 5:30 and we shared a chicken sandwich and she had a latte. I only had a sip of it because I didn’t want the caffein in my system for bedtime.

We stopped in Ara on our way back to the apt for arepas.

I’m experiencing some challenges finding flights with the right timing at a reasonable cost.

 I watched the news and half of The Chris Hayes show before starting my reading for the night.

It rained most of the evening but stopped by the time I went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, again at 5:15, finally getting up at 6:15.

Teresa had already left for her gym class.

My Didi driver, Juan, spoke good English having visited NY, NJ, and CN. At one point he asked me what they call a “roundabout” and I said to me it sounds British but where I come from it’s called a traffic circle. He graduated from the University of Antioquia and is a fitness instructor doing some driving on the side.

It’s obvious by all the signs that it’s now election season.

I arrived five minutes early and when the mall opened went up to Parmessano and took a table. I realized I forgot to bring the small bottle of maple syrup I had left in the refrigerator. ☹

I noticed a green parrot land on a tree across the street.

I had the French toast (pretty dry without the maple syrup) and a couple scrambled eggs, a latte and a bottle of water to go for 55mil. Jose got an egg casserole and his usual café doble which he paid for with a debit card. He told me his new debit card has arrived in Utah and his son will forward it on to my FL mail forwarding service.

We moved to the food court and with the Black pieces I got an attack against his queen, then his king but once again couldn’t finish and it ended as a draw.

In the second game I had the White pieces and I had pressure against his king but he sacrificed a rook and got a strong attack and I lost in the end.

It was only 1:15 as we finished and I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado; another Juan who spoke a little English. At one point we were behind this Ford Mach One.

Somebody here has money.

In the mall, I was going to have lunch at Sarku’s until I noticed their ceiling fans which would probably dry out my eyes so much it would be painful. I had my usual granola bowl with yogurt and fruits in Pergamino.

I stopped in the tienda naturist but this time they didn’t have the container of creatine I was looking for.

I went downstairs and had a latte in Urbania for about an hour.

Some new paintings my half-sister Cyd has done:

Chesswiz98 resigned our latest game increasing my rating to 1540. (I’m sure, and the computer agrees, this game was a dead draw.)

I had a draw by repetition, if I wanted it, in an endgame against Troyclough but blundered my queen and resigned, lowering my rating to 1533.

Exito still had imported oranges to I bought 4 of them and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa was out visiting her mother and didn’t return until 7:30.

I watched the news and read until going to bed at my usual 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

Monday, February 23, 2026

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

Teresa was still in bed so obviously she missed her 6am gym class.

Teresa got up at 7am, made breakfast and went back to bed, saying she didn’t sleep well.

I left the apt at 8:30 in a mist and found Smartfit not very busy. I completed my workout in my preferred order and walked 19 minutes on the treadmill for the first time – first 8 minutes at 5.5kmh and the remaining 11 minutes at 6kmh with a final heart rate of 127bpm.

No raindrops as I walked to Ganso y Castor and had a latte. I stopped across the walkway and bought a banana for tomorrow for 1mil.

Teresa called and asked me to pick up a couple things from Ara on my way back to the apt. I didn’t understand and asked her to send me a text message. She texted, “Pollo de biscocho y vinagre blanco”. I understood “White vinegar” but I didn’t recognize the chicken she asked for. When I entered Ara I showed the guard my banana so I wouldn’t be charged for it twice and noticed only one cashier and a long line at check out. I walked the aisles but didn’t see white vinegar. I looked in the refrigerated display cases but didn’t see any chicken with “biscocho” written on it and there was no one around to ask for help.

I left without anything and when I returned to the apt and informed Teresa, I learned she meant, “polvo” not “pollo”. ☹

After lunch I had a 30-minute nap.

I left the apt at 2pm (in a light drizzle) and stopped in Eduardo Madrid and ordered 16 English muffins for pickup tomorrow afternoon.

I was having a small latte

in Los Portenos when a woman came by looking for an Airbnb. She spoke a little English and I tried to tell her where I thought the Airbnbs were. At 3:30 it started raining, I left at 4;30 and stopped in Ara to purchase a couple things before returning to the apt.

I understand Boston is experiencing a blizzard and Laura sent me this photo of her car.

Teresa suggested pouring boiling water over it to defrost it. 😊  ☹

I watched the news then the first half of The Rachel Maddow show before switching to my reading and going to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY