Sunday, May 31, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, didn’t fall asleep until midnight, got up once at 2:45, woke up at 6am and got up at 6:15.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,509 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 51 minutes for a sleep score of 73.

Today is election day here in Colombia.

Teresa is going to visit her mother I learned is in Clinica Medellin Oriental. She may stay overnight tonight but, in the future, may hire someone to do that. I understand MT is waiting for her surgery.

I ordered a Did for Teresa and she left at 8:30 and I left right after her.

I just came back from meeting with Glenn and his caregiver 21-year-old Daniela, who doesn’t speak English. He has a cancerous tumor on his upper right thigh and has early-stage dementia. Real sad. He told me it runs in his family. It sounds like his financial problems have been resolved but he’s going to need 24-hour care, which he has now. Of course, he wants his independence back but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I told him I would talk to Teresa about a home with good care that in time he can move into and pay for with his social security.

He mentioned he’s fallen several times in the past and today Daniela helped him walk to the restroom. Usually, he needs assistance with the most basic bodily functions. Daniela is with him during the day and there’s some guy at night.

Teresa returned just before 7pm. She says she knows of 4 places in Envigado where he could stay.

I walked back to the apt then left again at 2pm and walked to Papa John’s where I had one of their personal pizzas (it’s been years since I’ve been here). I had it with Italian sausage and green pepper (they were a little stingy on the peppers) and a Coke for 44,200 pesos. It was delicious and I can’t believe I at the whole thing. (I used to only eat 3 of the 4 slices.)

I went to Otra Parte where I had a latte. I left at 5pm so I could watch 60 Minutes but it turned out to be one of the few repeats I’ve already seen.

I finished season 1 of The Handmaid’s Tale.

I texted and asked Glenn how much he can afford to pay monthly for assisted care as that will determine how nice of a place he can afford but he has yet to answer.

I finished reading John Grisham’s The Boys from Biloxi.

 

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Saturday, May 30, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1:30, again at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5:30, read for 30 minutes, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,525 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 45 minutes for a sleep score of 69.

Glenn sent me a voice mail message that he has cancer (didn’t mention where) and has some device connection issues and it’s possible someone emptied his bank account. We’ll meet for breakfast tomorrow so I can learn more.

I left the apt at 8:45 and walked to the mall. I paid the apt rental and the other payments I usually make at the consignacion ATM. I went down to Urbania and had a latte for about 90 minutes.

I stopped in Exito and bought a few things before returning to the apt by taxi.

I had a 30-minute nap in the afternoon.

I left the apt at 3pm and had a latte in Gardenia for a couple hours before returning to the apt.

Annie James eating black beans on a cracker:

Lucky dog!

Teresa wanted to go to Mu tonight for ribs but the website says it’s “Temporarily Closed”. Anyway, their product has deteriorated over the years.

I drew a game vs chesswiz98, lowering my rating 1 point to 1513. I checkmated Mr_Blamo in 25 moves, increasing my rating 2 points to 1515.

We left the apt at 7:30 and walked to Lorenzza Pizzeria (Teresa said it was recommended by a friend) previously known as Na Pizza. I wonder whatever happened to Danny. He was morbidly obese so probably nothing good.

When we got to the corner of the park instead of crossing the street, Teresa made a right, stood in front of a Chinese restaurant and told me this is it. The name is Lindo Lanzhou and it’s a small place not much larger than a garage with lots of small tables crammed in. We sat down and the waiter handed us menus in Chinese, Spanish and a little English. Teresa looked it over and then decided she wanted to go to the Italian restaurant after all. I told her I don’t like getting up and leaving once I’ve sat down. The waiter spoke English and I ended up ordering a pork dish with rice and some type of strawberry juice. Teresa ordered the same with another flavor of juice.

Our orders arrived pretty quickly and Teresa quickly deduced it contained too much fat for her. I told her it isn’t any different than her chicharron – it actually looked like the exact same thing – pork rind – just not cooked as long. I liked it with the rice although a few times the fat was so obvious I spit out a few bites and the juice was very sweet. The total cost was about 110,000 pesos and when we returned to the apt Teresa had a bowl of leftover lentil soup.

I started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Friday, May 29, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 11:45, again at 4:15, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5am, read for 30 minutes, fell back asleep quickly, got up at 7am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,818 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 6 minutes for a sleep score of 81.

In checking my USAA Checking Account I found 3 strange charges made yesterday that were then backed out for slightly more than the original charge. Go figure!

I left the apt at 8:45 and found Smartfit less busy than usual. I completed my workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill with a final heartrate of 118bpm. (I swear I heard someone say, “Good morning, how are you?” but I couldn’t locate the source.

Construction is going on on a building next door.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor and met a couple from Canada who arrived yesterday for some sun. It started pouring (first time for me) and I waited until 11am for it to lessen. I walked to the apt in a light drizzle and headed straight for the shower.

At 12:30 the rain finally stopped. 😊

Annie James

I chatted with someone at USAA but they didn’t have any other information regarding my 6 strange transactions.

At 3pm Teresa informed me she wanted to go to the cultural center and I could have coffee at the nearby café. We left at 3:30 and walked to Fika Café where I had a latte while she went to the center. She returned a few minutes later and she had a granizado and we shared a chicken empanada. We had more rain from about 4 to 4:30. We left just before 6pm and stopped in Ara for some groceries before returning to the apt. Teresa didn’t want to buy these paper towels because she thought they were for dogs. 😊

Teresa left at 7am to sell Marta one of her bracelets and give Wilson some Hidroxicina tablets for his bad cold. (Just before she left she received a call with good news about her mother’s medical condition. No other details.) She returned at 8:30 but reported Marta wasn’t there.

I watched another episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Chris Hayes Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Thursday, May 28, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4:15, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 4:45, read for 30 minutes, fell back asleep quickly, got up at 7am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,455 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 53 minutes.

I left the apt at 8:30 and quickly caught an Envigado bus to Poblado. I got off at Calle 7 and walked one block up the hill to Cedimed. The waiting room was dark and at an outside desk I explained why I was there and they sent me across the street to the 3^rd floor. (In the US we indicate a “3” by pinching our thumb against our little finger, in Colombia they pinch the thumb against the index finger.) I went across the street and up to the 3^rd floor and presented my doctor’s order and my cedula. They asked me when I ate last and I told them it was about an hour ago. They even checked with someone then informed me I had to fast 4 hours before the test. I’ve never had to fast just for a PSA test. They showed me a list of requirements – the usual no riding a horse 4 days before but it didn’t say anything about fasting. ☹

I was waiting for the elevator – two were on the 6^th floor going up and one was on the 3^rd basement when it occurred to me I’m only on the 3^rd floor so I took the stairs.

On the far side of Ave Poblado, I quickly caught a bus back to Envigado and got off at Gardenia. It wasn’t busy so I had a latte inside for almost 2 hours. For some reason when I ordered the latte the waiter told me he’d bring it but after they wanted to bring me a complimentary Americano. ☹ I don’t know what that was about but I explained in the US Café Americano comes with cream but here only milk which is why I order lattes. My latte:

I left at 11am and returned to the apt.

Teresa wanted to go to Otra Parte to work on her bracelets and I would study chess, but…

At 1pm a downpour started that lasted almost 2 hours so we didn’t get out.

I won my first game vs Mr-Santos, increasing my rating to 1514, and Michael, Mr_Blamo, has joined me in a game.

Teresa had me send this photo of her bracelets to Marta, Wilson’s girlfriend, and she bought the silver one, left column 3^rd from the bottom.

I completed Day 1 (including taking notes) of my course The Simplified Chess Improvement System.

I watched another episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Chris Hayes Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 11:45, fell back asleep quickly, got up at 5:30.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,662 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 45 minutes.

I left the apt at 8:30, found Smartfit pretty busy, completed my usual workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill.

I had a latte outside Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes (in addition to my banana), stopped in Ara but they were out of milk, and returned to the apt.

Teresa left at 2pm for her crafts class. I left at 3pm, waited in line to print my chess games with Jose, had a latte in Los Portenos. A gringo came up to me and said, “Chicago, right?” His name is Jeff from Philly and he explained we met outside Ganso y Castor a few years ago. He sold an apt he had here and is trying to figure out a way to move her permanently.

I left at 6:15 and moved to Eduardo Madrid where Teresa soon joined me. She wasn’t’ hungry so we went to Ara and bought some groceries before returning to the apt.

She got a call from Wilson and left at 7pm for his bar. She returned at 9pm and explained that MT’s test results came back “bad”. Something about inflammation of the liver and I forget what other organ.

Correction: MT hasn’t had any surgery and has yet to leave the clinic since last Sunday. Not sure what’s going to happen next.

I watched some news then did some reading before going to bed at my usual 10pm.

 

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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, took a while to fall asleep quickly, got up once at 4:45, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5:30 and did some work on the computer.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,509 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 24 minutes.

At 6:15 I went back to bed for half an hour but wasn’t able to fall asleep. I got up, showered, and dressed and ordered a Didi to take me to Unicentro mall for 19,800 pesos.

Traffic was good and I arrived about 20 minutes early – enough for me to walk around the mall 3 times.

This is a Mr. Potato Head they had on display outside the main entrance:

My 2 scrambled eggs with Italian sausage, almond croissant, latte and bottle of water to go in Parmessano was 47,637 pesos.

We adjourned to the food court and in the first game I blundered a knight on my 5^th move. ☹ I fought on until the 36^th move before resigning. In the second game I gained a pawn which I managed to queen and he resigned on the 58^th move.

It was only 1pm when I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado for 18,600 pesos. I guess traffic was good as the driver took the expressway instead of side streets.

I had lunch again in Sarku’s – teriyaki chicken and a Pepsi for 37,700 pesos.

The Servibanca ATM didn’t work so I withdrew 2 million pesos from Davivienda. I went down to Urbania and had a latte for about 90 minutes. Teresa called and asked me to pick up blueberries in Exito.  In Exito I bought 3 boxes of blueberries (pay for 2, take 3), 4 apples, a can of pasta sauce, and a large package of mozzarella cheese and returned to the apt by taxi.

It was another warm day today – maybe we’ll have a summer this year after all.

I heard from Glenn – he’s still in Florida and has someone with him because he keeps falling. ☹ I’ll learn more when he returns to Medellin.

I watched a little news then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Monday, May 25, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3am, fell back asleep quickly, vaguely aware of waking up once 5ish, finally waking/getting up at 6:45am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 1,242 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 8 hours and 11 minutes. Before the interface changed, I thought it was underrepresenting my sleep duration, now it might be overrepresenting it.

I tried taking a 20-minute nap after breakfast but couldn’t fall asleep. I left the apt at 9am and of course found Smartfit not very busy. Today I added 5# to the Abdominal Crunch and Back Extension machines and completed 18 minutes on the treadmill with a final 119bpm heartrate.

I had my usual latte (& banana) in Ganso y Castor. Teresa called at 10:30 and asked me to return to the apt ASAP because she needs to get a pair of pajamas to her mom. I did, showered, and we took a Didi to Clinica Las Vegas for 8,925 pesos. She had on a facemask and was allowed inside but I had to wait outside.

I guess the people you see here are either: waiting for a loved one to come out or awaiting triage.

Teresa returned a half hour later and I ordered a Didi to take us to El Tesoro mall for 10,440 pesos.

After a short wait we had lunch in Crepes & Waffles. Teresa had the salad bar and a Volcan Caribe (whatever that was) while I had the chicken and cheese crepe and we shared a bottle of water for 99,500 pesos ($27).

A little late I realized today is Memorial Day in the US.

We went up to floor 13 in Medical Tower #1 and waited about an hour for Dr. Castanos office to open. I got the medical order for my PSA test and my rescheduled appointment will be on June 12^th but she will call me with the time; Obviously I’m on standby.

We took the stairs down a floor to Dr. Rendon’s office. We had a short wait then I got my teeth cleaned. I learned he (and his family) loved their trip to Austin, Texas last December. He bought a piece of property as an investment in a not so nice area that is expected to improve in the future and they will add an Airbnb. They just got back from a week trip to Spain and they plan on going to Japan in September. My exam and teeth cleaning was 280,000 pesos. Teresa got her teeth cleaned and an x-ray and her charge was 320mil.

We took a taxi to Gardenia in Envigado but found it was closed for a special event so we went to Otra Parte where we each had an apple crumb pastry with a latte. We left at 6pm and returned to the apt.

I watched a little of The Rachel Maddow Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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BOB BURFORD

Zoot Sims, "Jitterbug Waltz." 

Just imagine being a young teen and being able to go to the Crystal Palace Ballroom and hang out with the gods of jazz and the sidemen the likes of Zoot Sims, Les Brown, Stan Kenton, Lionel Hampton, Ralph Marterie, and on and on. The 1950's was functionally the end of touring big jazz bands.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 11:30 (it was raining lightly), fell back asleep quickly, got up again at 4:45, drifted in and out of consciousness, finally getting up at 7:15.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,806 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 54 minutes. ☹

It’s a nice, bright, sunny day.

Our plan was to go to El Retiro today, but then…

Teresa talked to someone then reported MT is in Clinica Las Vegas – she has a gallstone. They gave her medicine so she’s no longer in pain.

Anna Cramling won her chess match against Odin, a grandmaster:

11:30 update: MT’s going in for surgery. Her daughter Nydia is with her and there isn’t room for any other visitors.

1:20 update: She’s out of surgery, doing well, not in any pain, heading back to her apt.

At 2pm I had a Didi take us to Rocoto, the Peruvian restaurant, in the Provenza neighborhood of Poblado for 15,300 pesos.

Teresa ordered a beef special the waitress touted and I the Arroz Chaufa Pollo (chicken with rice) and we shared a bottle of water. Teresa really didn’t like her beef, so much that she said something to the waitress and they gifted us a free dessert. The total check with tip came to 172,520 pesos ($46.50).

We left at 3:45 and returned to the apt by Didi for 13,400 pesos.

I watched 60 Minutes, a repeat, finished The Man in the High Castle, then watched the first episode of The Handmaid’s Tale (8.3).

I finished reading John Grisham’s book of short stories Ford County.

 

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Saturday, May 23, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 2:15, fell back asleep quickly, finally waking up at 5:45 and getting up at 6:15

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,488 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 12 minutes. ☹

I left the apt at 8;30 and still arrived 10 minutes early for my haircut so I had a short wait. Daniel informed me he will be on vacation June 24^th to July 7^th in Barranquilla but my next haircut is scheduled for June 20^th so I’m okay. I confirmed my haircut is still 45,000 pesos and I tipped him 5,000 pesos.

I stopped nearby and printed the 3 pages of my training schedule for The Simplified Chess Improvement System. Apparently, the store rents DVDs as I saw these on the wall:

Today, for a change, I didn’t need to stop at Todo Drogas (have all I need for the next 4 weeks) so I followed google maps to walk to La Buena Mesa – took 12 minutes with only a couple turns. I bought a still slightly green banana and had a latte in Ganso y Castor. Anna Cramling is ahead in her match 2 ½ to ½ after 3 rounds. Besides rating points there’s a $10,000 pot at stake. I left at 11am and bought a few items in Ara before returning to the apt.

I left the apt at 2pm and had a latte in Los Porteños for a couple hours. On the way back to the apt I bought a bag of milk in Ara but they didn’t have the brand of arepas that Teresa prefers.

We left the apt at 6;15 and took a Didi to Mayorca mall where we met Esmeralda and Alejandro in Crepes & Waffles for supper. I went to show Alejandro my Fitbit app and the interface has changed – it’s going to take a little while for me to get used to the new one. I asked him about setting up passkeys on my laptop and after a little discussion I think we’ll wait until I get my new bank account set up in September. I had a waffle with 4 different sauces and a large scoop of ice cream.

Supper was 149,350 pesos ($40) and we went up a level to Dollar City where the ladies purchased a few things.

They went to their moto while we went downstairs and caught a taxi back to our apt.

I took my evening pills and started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Friday, May 22, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at midnight, fell back asleep quickly, finally waking up at 4:45 and getting up at 5:30.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,614 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 3 hours and 15 minutes. ☹

I had about an hour nap after breakfast and now my Fitbit says, I slept for 4 hours and 32 minutes.

I left at 8:30 and found Smartfit busier than usual but it thinned out by 9am. At one point Daniel came up to me and lamented that he’s lost 3 chess games to me. I didn’t have any comeback other than “necessita juego mas”. A t-shirt I spotted in the gym:

I completed my workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill with a final heartrate of 115 bpm.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for about 90 minutes. Today the little store across the way didn’t have any bananas, none ripe at least. Maybe tomorrow when I come back from getting a haircut.

Annie James playing peekaboo with her father:

I watched some of WFM Anna Cramling (2083) playing the first round of a 7-round match against GM Odin Blikra (2120). Today she won with the White pieces.

We left the apt at 2:30 and met her friend Lucy at the library. They went outside while I stayed inside near the fan. I went through a chess book.

We left at 4:30 and returned to the apt.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle, The Chris Hayes Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

 

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Thursday, May 21, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 3am, 40 minutes later I was still awake so I got up and read for 15 minutes, returned to bed, fell back asleep and woke up naturally at 7am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,530 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 48 minutes. 😊

Annie James official 8-month photo, a couple days late:

Teresa returned from the gym at 8am and made my breakfast. She left at 9am for Viva Envigado to have breakfast with a girlfriend and I was just a few minutes behind her. I recycled a large pill container then went to Urbania for a latte. Do you think they could have filled this a little more?

You certainly get your money’s worth here in Colombia.

About noon Teresa texted me she’d be going to El Hueco with her girlfriend. I left and picked up oranges and eggs in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I packed my laptop, left the apt at 1:45 and walked to Clap Burger where I had a burger, fries and a Coke for 45,000 pesos. (Next time I need to remember to bring my own mustard.)

I moved to Gardenia where I set up my laptop and started The Simplified Chess Improvement System, previously called Next Level Training. It took me some time to figure out which email address I registered with and had to set up a new password. Teresa joined me by 4:30; strangely, she didn’t want anything other than a glass of water. We left at 5:30 and returned to the apt.

I checkmated Troyclough in 32 moves increasing my rating to 1510.

We had some rain in the evening but it stopped just before I went to bed.

I watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle, The Chris Hayes Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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FUNNY

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

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

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,156 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 46 minutes. 😊

I had a 30-minute nap after breakfast.

I left the apt just before 9am and found Smartfit not very busy today. I completed my workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill.

I had a latte outside Ganso y Castor for about an hour. It was very noisy today with power washing the sidewalk (generator), tree trimming and leaf blowers. At one point I saw a small group gathered around a tree looking at something on the ground. I went over and saw this small bird that has yet to learn how to fly.

I suggest just leaving it alone; the only part of that plan I don’t like is if there’s a cat around because they are natural born bird killers. I left at 11am and returned to the apt.

At noon I took a Didi to Mayorca mall. Going over the bridge, I could see the location of the old glass factory it took years for them to tear down, remove the tanks underneath and pour the garage. Now the apartment buildings seem to be going up rather quickly. Just what we need, more people

Traffic was so bad the driver headed east, uphill from Ave Las Vegas but still dropped me off at the usual entrance.

I went up to the 4^th floor and found Teresa already seated in Parmessano. She had their salmon and I a Cesar salad and we each had a juice for a total of 107,620 pesos ($28).

Last Sunday I had told Teresa I have an appointment with my urologist Thursday but the secretary had neglected to give me an order for my PSA blood test so when she calls to remind me of my appointment, remind her that I don’t have a written order so they’ll have to cancel my appointment. The secretary called during lunch and as I listened it sounds like Teresa explained it all perfectly. Since we’ll be in El Tesoro Monday afternoon for our dental cleaning we’ll stop at the urologist’s office and pick up my PSA order.

We took a taxi back to Envigado and as usual Teresa got out down the hill from the cultural center and I continued on up to La Buena Mesa. I got in a slow line at the Bancolombia kiosk to have my chess games against Jose printed.

I continued on to Los Porteños where I had a latte outside on their patio. Jody (Joe D?) came out and introduced himself again but then had to catch an Uber.  I saw a young man putting World Cup stickers in his album and I went over and chatted with him for a while.

Today was an abnormally warm day, I’m guessing it got up to 86-88 degrees. Maybe time for me to switch from gym shoes to sandals in the afternoon.

I met Teresa in Eduardo Madrid at 5:30 and we shared a chicken pastry and we had drinks.

We stopped in Ara for a couple things on our way back to the apt.

I went to the bathroom to wash my face and the middle finger on my left hand hyperextended. ☹ I showed Teresa since I had the opportunity to show her. I forced it to close but it happened twice more. I grabbed my hand exercise ring and did a few squeezes and it seems to be back to normal again. Maybe the secret is to keep it exercised.

I watched The Chris Hayes Show then started my pre-sleep reading.

 

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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 11:30, again at 4:15, finally waking/getting up by alarm at 6:30.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,126 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 17 minutes. ☹

At 7:15 I started ordering my Didi to take me to Unicentro mall for 22,450 pesos. Traffic was very slow until we passed a stalled truck in the left-hand lane. The fruit truck wasn’t there so no banana today. I was just early enough to walk around the outside of the mall once and then I saw the fruit truck and bought my banana. I was right behind Jose as I entered the restaurant. I had my usual 2 scrambled eggs, Italian sausages, almond croissant and latte for 47,637 pesos.

We adjourned to the food court where we played two long games. The first ended in a draw but I lost the second one.

It was 3pm when we finished and I ordered a Didi to take me to Viva Envigado for 22,400 pesos. I’ve noticed the last few rides drivers have avoided the expressway for the early part of the trip.

In Viva Envigado I had chicken teriyaki in Sarku’s. Teresa called and asked me to pick up olive oil in Ara. By the time I was finished eating it was 4pm with no time for coffee. I walked to Ara where I bought the olive oil, 4 gala apples for me and a bag of milk.

 I watched some news and another episode of The Man in the High Castle.

Teresa somehow ordered 3 boxes of zopiclone that she had delivered so now I have more time to wean myself off them completely.

I finished reading Lucy Foley’s The Guest List on my Kindle.

 

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Monday, May 18, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3:45, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 4:30. ☹

According to my Fitbit, I got in 2,153 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 2 hours and 56 minutes. ☹

Today is another holiday, Dia de la Ascension.

I had an hour nap after breakfast and felt much better.

I left the apt at 8:45 and found Smartfit much less busy than usual. I completed my workout including 18 minutes on the treadmill.

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

After lunch I planned on going to Gardenia but I just couldn’t motivate myself to leave the apt. I’ve been feeling very lazy lately, maybe tied to my trying to wean myself off the sleeping pills and my restorative rest hasn’t been the same.

I won a game vs Troyclough increasing my rating to 1499.

I watched news of the shooting in San Diego.

I finished season 3 of The Man in the High Castle.

At 8pm I skipped The Rachel Maddow Show and started my pre-sleep routine.

 

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Sunday, May 17, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1am, fell back asleep pretty quickly, finally waking at 5am and getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,941 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours, 56 minutes.

The plan for today was to go to El Retiro but Teresa didn’t like that it’s overcast so we may not go. We’ll wait a little longer and see if the weather changes.

After breakfast I returned to bed and slept for about an hour.

I told Teresa about the robot dog yesterday and she told me Monica was playing with it before she met up with us.

The new plan for today is to have lunch in El Correo (sort of a belated Mother’s Day lunch) then go to El Tesoro so the ladies can check out the stores but MT wasn’t answering her phone. Last chance she finally answered, we left the apt at 1:30, picked her up by Didi and continued on to El Correo for 17,300 pesos.

The ladies shared a chicken breast plate while I had the baby beef, a baked potato and a Coke. The total check with tip was 221,796 pesos ($59).

I ordered another Didi to take us to El Tesoro for 10,100 pesos.

Teresa expected the mall to not be busy which it wasn’t until we turned the corner by H&M and encountered this World Cup card collecting & swapping event:

The ladies went in to check out H&M while I took a seat on a sofa. It looks by this photo that there is a page for each team (here South Africa) where you paste on the individual players' card.

When the ladies returned, we went up to Valentina’s where they had a slice of cheesecake and I a slice of carrot cake (mine was dry) and we all had coffees for 66,000 pesos.

Coming down the escalator the crowd for the World Cup card trading was even larger.

At the taxi stand there was no line as we returned to Envigado for 27,000 pesos.

I watched 60 Minutes then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY

 

Bob Burford - Anecdotes

 How old am I? Well, I'm old enough to remember a time that just the mere suspicion that a politician has attempted to molest a child would have been headline news and the end of the politician's career. In the cesspool that is MAGA such a thing isn't even worth a brief mention.

The Secretary of the Interior, testifying before Congress, just said that solar panels were unreliable because they stop working when the sun goes down!  Like, the ignorant fool doesn't have a clue that we can store electricity during daytime to be used at nighttime. It's called a battery!  He's the Secretary of the Interior for god's sake!!!

For 45 years of my adult life I've traveled, lived and worked all over the U.S. During those years I've worked as a telegrapher (Chicago), sales rep (Detroit), office manager (Santa Monica), counter clerk (Tucson), industrial engineer (Michigan), typographer (Michigan), metropolitan newspaper editor (Washington Post), jazz guitarist (North America), adjunct professor of jazz guitar (Michigan), magazine editor (Reno), and private investigator (Nashville). For years people have suggested that I write a book. I could come up with only one idea: that would be to write a bathroom book. So, one day with nothing better to do, I sat down and began writing a short story. Thus: a few dozen tales later: "Anecdotes".

Available on Amazon.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4am, fell back asleep pretty quickly, finally waking at 6:30 and getting up at 7am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,001 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours, 25 minutes.

Today is Annie James’ 8^th month birthday and baptism; sorry I’m going to miss it. Photos later.

I left the apt at 9am and walked to the mall. I recycled a couple plastic bottles then went up to the atrium and found it set up for some type of travel fair.

I continued on to Urbania and had a latte. I blundered against Troyclough lowering my rating to 1502. ☹ Teresa called and asked me to pick up 2 packages of kiwis in Ara on my way back to the apt. I left at 11am and stopped upstairs at Linea Estetica and asked for my skin cream

CREAM 1

They didn’t have but suggested something else

CREAM 2

Since I haven’t been able to find what I want I bought the suggested one for 83,930 pesos. I handed the girl 2 50s and she checked their authenticity with some type of fancy pen. I got a little concerned when she talked to another girl then checked it again but I wasn’t too worried because I’m 99% sure they came from an ATM. She approved the purchase and I put the cream in my tech bag.

I walked back to Ara and found the two packages of kiwis and picked up a bag of milk because I remembered Teresa was going to make cheese broccoli soup today.

Teresa wanted to meet up with a friend, Monica, so we left at 3:30 and took a Didi to Santafe mall.

We went down to Valentina’s and had drinks. Monica joined us about an hour later. My cellphone battery was down to 30% and I had forgotten to bring my portable battery. ☹

Monica said she was hungry so we went up to Crepes & Waffles where she had a regular meal and Teresa and I shared a Suprema ice cream and Monica picked up the check.

The ladies explored some of the stores while I sat outside.

At one point we passed a robot dog I’ve only seen on the internet. They missed it because they were talking and there was a crowd around it. I wish I had gotten a photo or video of it but the ladies were on the move.

Monica left and we had a short wait outside for a taxi to return us to Envigado.

Teresa proclaimed she was hungry so we went to Quilombo where we shared a solomito and a bottle of water for 82,000 pesos. It was a nice quiet night, not very busy because many are out of town for the holiday. Across the street crowds were around bar TVs

CROWD

watching Atletico Nacional play – they lost to Independiente Medellin 2-1.

As soon as we returned to the apt, 9pm, I started my pre-sleep routine.

Tonight, for the first time I took only ½ of a zopiclone tablet with my ½ Benadryl.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY