Saturday, August 22, 2026

Friday, August 21, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, not sure I slept much before I got up for a trip to the bathroom at midnight, fell asleep quickly, got up again at 5am, finally gave up getting back to sleep and got up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,978 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 34 minutes for a sleep score of 64.

I had a 49-minute nap after breakfast. When I got up Teresa told me a pigeon walked all the way in to the dining room but walked back out when she came out of the kitchen. They are getting too bold!

I left the apt at 9am and completed my Smartfit workout including 10 minutes on the treadmill with a final heartrate of 118bpm.

In La Buena Mesa I had a latte in Los Porteños for a little over an hour. Six adults were clustered around 2 small tables outside. At one point one of the men slid his chair back and fell off the stoop. It was about a foot drop but he said he didn’t hit his head so I guess he was okay.

I left at 11am and returned to the apt.

Another day with a high temperature around 85/86 degrees. With the exception of those few rainy days it appears we are in a summer period.

I started watching a new series La Brea (5.8) on Netflix.

We left the apt at 3:30 and took a Didi to Cedimed on Calle 7. Teresa went in to get a facial procedure (or maybe just a quote) and I went next door to the Boulevard Café where I had a Coke with a glass of ice. I completed another set of chess puzzles getting 5 wrong. I played another 15+10 game on Chess.com winning in 25 moves. The café closed at 6pm so I made a trip to their restroom



I think I posted this once before but can you see the design fail?

Then moved next door to Il Cappucino.

I received this message from Alcala, our realtor, they will be increasing our rent to 3,153,000 pesos starting this October.



If my math skills haven’t completely deteriorated, that’s an increase of slightly more than 5% so that’s not too bad. Especially since our Socal Security Cost of Living Increase is supposed to be about 3.6%.

I received this reminder of Chris’s invitation for his birthday party



but I declined. Not only are bars not my thing but it’s the same time as the Bears game.

Teresa came out at 6:30 and we took a Didi in heavy traffic to Chiclayo in La Buena Mesa. We both had Chaufa Pollo (chicken with rice) and shared a bottle of water for 102,400 pesos ($33.50).

As we entered our porteria Julio handed me the two boxes of Zopiclona that Alejandro had dropped off. That should be enough for the remainder of the year giving me time to see a doctor and get a real prescription.

At 8:45 the battery on my Kindle died and I had to turn on my computer to recharge it. I did a little work on my computer before going to bed at my usual 10pm. We’ll see how this change affects my ability to sleep well tonight.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

JOKE OF THE DAY

 

A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid.
Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem.
The doctor told him there is a simple test the husband could perform to give them a better idea about her hearing loss.
“Here's what you do," said the doctor, "stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you.

If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."
That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens."

Then in a normal voice he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?"
No response.
So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?"  Still no response.
Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, "Honey, what's for dinner?"  Again he gets no response.
So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for dinner?" Again there is no response.
So he walks right up behind her. "Honey, what's for dinner?"

She turns around and says, "Ralph, for the FIFTH time, its CHICKEN!"

 

Friday, August 21, 2026

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up at 1:30am to pee, again at 5:20, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,913 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 47 minutes for a sleep score of 78.

I left the apt at 9am and walked to the mall. Outside I ran into the gringo I’ve seen every few months but I don’t remember his name. He was waiting for his wife then they were going to go up to Ely’s for breakfast.

I withdrew 2,000,000 pesos from a Davivienda ATM (first I tried the Servibanca for all 100s but it hasn’t worked in weeks) and got a mix of bills. Back downstairs I printed a couple pages of our Airbnb information then paid the epm bill of 422mil. I cut through the parking garage and up to Urbania where I had a latte and completed another page of 12 chess puzzles, getting 4 of them wrong. I played a 15+10 game against a player with an 80-point higher rating but lost in 42 moves.

I left at 11am and walked through the new Nomada section until I found the little Ely’s restaurant. I stopped in the store that makes hats and ordered one with ANNIE JAMES’ GRANDPA embroidered on it for 89,900 pesos. It supposed to be ready by Sunday but I’ll probably pick it up on Tuesday when I make the payments for September. Nearby I found a bookstore (with books in Spanish of course) for early readers. I think I’ll probably pick up a few for Annie’s birthday.

I walked to Eduardo Madrid where I found a sleeve of 6 sesame seed bagels which should last me until our trip.

I had a nap after lunch where I slept for 34 minutes per Fitbit.

I left at 2:30 for Gardenia where I completed another page of chess puzzles missing 3. I played another 15+10 game against a player rated 50 points higher and won in 22 moves.

I left at 5pm and returned to the apt.

Teresa was supposed to get a 6pm massage from Kelly but she said she called at 5pm and Teresa didn’t answer so she cancelled.

I finished watching The Last House (5.5) on Netflix and then watched Extinction (5.8).

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

JOKE OF THE DAY

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

Eating Out

When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

 

Money

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't need but it's on sale.

 

Bathrooms

A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.

The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. And a man wouldn’t be able to identify more than 20 of them.

 

Arguments

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that - is the beginning of a new argument.

 

Future

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

 

Success

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

 

Marriage

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting she won't change, but she does.

 

Dressing Up

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

 

Natural

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

 

 

Children

A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

 

Thought for the Day

A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no reason for two people to have to remember the same thing!

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up at 1:40am to pee, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 2,719 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 1 minute for a sleep score of 84.

At breakfast Teresa informed me she’ll be having lunch with Rosemary so I’ll be on my own for lunch today. I saw an ad yesterday for a new rib place in Poblado so maybe I’ll give that a try.

Teresa called Rosemary and found she’ll be going to a class in Santafe mall so they won’t be meeting and we’re back on our usual Wednesday schedule.

I left the apt at 9am and found Smartfit very busy. I had to change the order of my routine but managed to accomplish everything including 10 minutes on the treadmill. Today I had a sharp stab of pain in my right knee on the Seated Leg Curl machine even at the lower weight of 57#. (I was doing 80# consistently back in March. )

I noticed this work going on inside the old Ganso y Castor



I again questioned ChatGPT and this time it found a clue: “Ganso y Castor referring to a new location/concept in Envigado, including a post saying a creperie was coming to Envigado.” A year or so ago Ganso & Castor had a station set up outside their side door to make crepes on the weekend. I have no idea how popular that was but Crepes & Waffles does a tremendous business here in Medellin.

Teresa called and told me there is no class in Mayorca today so we’ll be having lunch at home.

I had a latte in Los Porteños for about an hour before returning to the apt.

I had a nap after lunch that Fitbit says was 28 minutes long.

I asked Teresa to call Dr. Castano’s office so I can get my Zopiclona prescription but instead she called Esmeralda and Alejandro will bring me 4 boxes on Friday. Since I only use half that should last me for 8 months in which time I should have seen another doctor who can give me a prescription.

I left the apt at 2:30 and walked to Gardenia where I had my usual latte. I completed 12 more chess puzzles and was pretty confident I did well but still got 7 wrong. But at least I won a game against a player 100 points lower. 😊

I left at 5:15 and returned to the apt.

I finished watching the series Falling Skies (7.1) on Netflix and started the movie The Last House (5.5).

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

JOKE OF THE DAY

(sorry, but these will be repeats)

A young boy had just gotten his driver's permit and inquired of his father if they could discuss his use of the car.  His father said he'd make a deal with his son.
"You bring your grades up from a C average to a B average, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and we'll talk about the car."
The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, "Son, I'm real proud. You brought your grades up and I've observed you have been studying your Bible, but I'm real disappointed you haven't gotten your hair cut."
The young man paused a moment then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I noticed in my Bible studies that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair."
And his father replied, "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"



 

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up at 11:30 to pee, got up again at 3:45 to pee, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 4:45 and read until 5:15, back to bed and woke up at 6:30. After breakfast I cancelled chess for today and returned to bed finally waking/getting up at 9am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,741 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 2 minutes for a sleep score of 75. (My sleep score was only 63 when I got up for breakfast.)

I think a light rain continued throughout the night.

I won a game vs Mr-Santos increasing my rating to 1539.

During breakfast Teresa and I made plans to meet for lunch in Santafe mall at 12:30.

I left the apt at 10:30 and took a Didi to Santafe mall. I reprinted one of the pages of my Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request then went down to Valentina’s where I had a latte and went over some chess notes. I completed another set of 12 chess puzzles, getting 2 of them wrong. I planed a 15+10 game on Chess.com and lost to a player rated 100 points lower than myself.

I met Teresa in Crepes & Waffles at 12:30 and we had a nice lunch for 102,550 pesos ($33) but at one point Teresa ordered a Schweppes soda and when I opened it, it exploded all over me and the table.

I blundered late in a game against chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1530.

We went down to Valentina’s and Teresa called her mother to join us. When she arrived, they went off and bought her a new pair of fancy shoes. They shared a slice of cheesecake with coffees and I just had another glass of water.

We left at 5pm and returned to Envigado by taxi.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies (only 1 episode remaining) then the first 4 innings of the Cubs vs White Sox game before starting my pre-sleep reading.

I finished James Patterson’s Alex Cross’s Trial on my Kindle.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY




 

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Monday, August 17, 2026

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

According to my Fitbit, I got in 2,144 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 58 minutes for a sleep score of 82.

Today is another holiday here – Assumption of Mary.

I had a nap after breakfast but Fitbit said I only slept for 16 minutes.

I left the apt at 9am and found Smartfit busy but it thinned out a few minutes later for the 9:15 Pilates class. I completed my workout, adding 5# to the Triceps Press, Seated Row, Abdominal Crunch, Lat Pulldown, Chest Press, and Back Extension machines. I completed 10 minutes on the treadmill with minor discomfort in my right knee with a final heartrate of 123bpm.

I had a latte in Los Porteños for about an hour before returning to the apt.

We had rain about 1:15 but it soon developed into just a few drops. I left the apt at 2:30 and had a latte in Gardenia. I completed another 10 chess puzzles getting 2 of them wrong. I played a 15+10 game on Chess.com, and my opponent finally resigned on the 61st move. I left at 5pm and returned to the apt.

Teresa wanted to pick up her mother and take her to Mayorca mall to buy shoes as a birthday gift (she turned 89 last weekend) but then the rain started.

Annie James video:



I watched another episode of Falling Skies then started my pre-sleep routine.

It was still drizzling when I went to bed at 10pm.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



 

Monday, August 17, 2026

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, took a while to fall asleep but slept through the night, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,027 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 8 minutes for a sleep score of 79.

Teresa didn’t sleep well last night so she had a nap after breakfast. I joined her and my Fitbit says I slept for 49 minutes. Because it’s now too late to go to El Retiro, we’ll switch to plan B – lunch in Poblado followed by coffee at Valentina’s in Santafe mall.

Annie James is 11th months old today.



I updated my Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request now I just need to reprint page 4. Instead of sending it from here for 1000s of pesos I’m going to wait until I’m in Chicago.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies.

We left the apt at 1:30 and took a Didi to Rocoto in Provenza for 17.700 pesos.

Teresa had her usual salmon and I the Chaufa Pollo (chicken & rice) and we shared a bottle of water for 172,411 pesos ($55).



We took a Didi to Santafe mall for 10,600 pesos and took a table in the back of Valentina’s. I had my usual hot latte and Teresa had a cold coffee and we shared a slice of cheesecake. I completed another page of puzzles, getting 5 wrong. I played another 15+10 game on Chess.com and my opponent resigned on the 19th move.

I took this photo of the atrium:



We left at 5pm but stopped in the new Decathlon store in the basement near the taxi stand where Teresa found a thick yoga mat because one of her classes is on cement. It cost 150,000 pesos ($48) and we returned to the apt by taxi for 15,000 pesos.

60 Minutes didn’t interest me tonight so I watched another episode of Falling Skies before starting my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



 

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 2am to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 5:45am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 5,571 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 24 minutes for a sleep score of 84.

I tried taking a nap after breakfast but only slept for a few minutes.

I left the apt just before 9:30 and walked to the mall. I recycled several plastic muffin containers and pill bottles. In Auros I printed a chess game I want to show Jose. Soon I will need a new chess scorebook and gym notebook so I checked out the school supplies in Exito. Lots of different notebooks but not what I’m looking for; I think I’ll find them in Dollar City though.

Since I was in the back part of Exito I walked through the parking garage to the escalator to take me up to Urbania. I had a latte while going through another page of 12 puzzles, getting 2 wrong. I played a game against a player 100 points lower and he finally resigned on the 51st move.

I left at 11am and stopped in Exito and while they had a full display of eggs, they didn’t have our usual brand Gallina Felices (Happy Chickens). I walked to Mercado Madrid where I bought 2 medium cartons of our favorite eggs before returning to the apt. I’m wondering if this brand is going to be discontinued sometime in the near future.

I turned on DAZN but got an error message with an apology. I used Medellin TV to find the game on Chicago’s Fox Sports channel and watched the Bears backups demolish the Browns backups 45-10. I had lunch at halftime and a bag of popcorn with a Coke at the start of the 4th quarter.

I finished season 4 of Falling Skies, only one season to go.

A portero stopped by and handed us our epm bill of 421,919 pesos ($135).

At 6:45 I changed into nice (but uncomfortable) clothes and we took a Didi to the Dann Carlton Hotel in Poblado. Teresa didn’t remember the special elevator around the corner which took us nonstop to the 18th floor then we just had to climb one fancy set of stairs to the 19th floor and the restaurant. It’s no longer called Tony Roma’s but El Giratorio.

Teresa was again a little afraid because the restaurant rotates and not always smoothly.

We shared an order of spring rolls that weren’t too bad. Teresa had her salmon as usual which she liked as usual so at least there’s that. I ordered the New York Brangus steak which was a little gristly. Trying different areas I couldn’t track exactly where the gristly part was in order to avoid it. Some pieces it seemed like the bottom millimeter was gristly but the rest was okay. Strange!

Teresa asked me if I remember when we were here with Lenny. She asked if I still have contact with him. I said I see him on Facebook occasionally and will sometimes say, “hi”. I searched for him on Facebook and found this. 😊



Teresa noticed rain on our window at one point. Wow, the last time we had rain was July 23rd.

Annie James:



For dessert we shared a tarta leche caramelizada. When it came time to pay, for some reason the usual IVA (tax) wasn’t included in the prices and they expected the tip to be in cash so I had to charge first the check of 297,432 pesos ($95) then separately the tip of 30,000 pesos ($10).

I drew a game vs Chesswiz98, lowering my rating to 1546.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



Saturday, August 15, 2026

Friday, August 14, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 3:15 to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 8,186 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 28 minutes for a sleep score of 81.

I left the apt just before 9am and completed my workout in Smartfit. I finished my 10 minutes on the treadmill with a final heartrate of 120bpm.

This is the work currently being done on this side of Avenida Poblado.




I guess the big things in front are culverts and the preformed cement you see in the background are used to make street curbs.

I didn’t see any work being done this morning at the old Ganso y Castor site.

I found Dan having another Spanish lesson and stopped in Los Porteños and ordered a latte to be delivered to one of the cement tables in the park. They brought it out in a cardboard to-go cup.

Dan soon joined me and I gave him an assignment – I gave him directions to take the metro to the Italian American restaurant in Estadio.

I left at 11am, stopped in Ara and bought dish cleaning paste and a few tomatoes before returning to the apt.

Right after lunch I went to brush my teeth and we don’t have running water.

I left at 2:30 (first time in sandals as I can’t take the heat in my gym shoes) and had a latte and glass of water in Gardenia.

I completed another 12 chess puzzles and can’t believe I got 8 wrong. I played a 15+10 game on Chess.com and at least I won that, although my opponent was rated 100 points lower.

I left at 5pm and returned to the apt; we have running water again.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies on Netflix.

Hey Boy: Keep an eye on the Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent tomorrow. He could be auditioning for a starting quarterback job for the Browns, once they’re done with their Watson/Sanders experiment. 😊

Teresa gave me an update of the death toll from the Colombian earthquake - 2,032 dead.

I went to start my pre-sleep reading but my Kindle says there aren’t any books in my library. It must be a glitch in their software; hopefully they’ll have it fixed by tomorrow night. Instead, I spent 30 minutes on my computer then completed another set of 12 puzzles, only getting 2 wrong.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



Friday, August 14, 2026

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 2:30 to pee, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,972 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 8 hours and 11 minutes for a sleep score of 79.

I had coffee with Marcos at Tostao for about an hour. The café at the corner is closed and is being remodeled for the new owner.

I stopped in Mercado Madrid and bought a medium sized carton of eggs before returning to the apt.

Teresa was visiting with her mother. I left the apt at noon and walked the 10 minutes to La Bahia and they were already there although they were at a small table in the back – too stuffy for my liking. We had their menu of the day for 22mil per person.

We walked across the street to the mall where Teresa bought a couple items in Medipiel for 344,900 pesos ($110.50).

They went on their way and I went up to Cine Colombia to buy a ticket to Pressure (7.3). The showtime changed from 2:15 to 2:05 but I pretty much had my choice of seats for 10,000 pesos. I walked into the theater and I was the only one there although I counted 14 others that joined me before the movie started. I enjoyed the movie although I was a little cold in my shorts and sleeveless t-shirt. And I pretty much finished off a small popcorn and large soda.

Some upcoming movies I want to see include The End of Oak Street and ACME.

It was about 4pm when I went down to Urbania and had a latte. (I remembered Teresa was going to spend the early evening doing something with Rosemary so I was in no hurry to return to the apt.)

I completed another page of puzzles, getting 4 incorrect. I played a 15+10 game on Chess.com but lost in 37 moves.

Outside the mall they were collecting donations for the earthquake survivors



Although it seemed to be the opposite of what I expected as product was being moved from a nearby truck to this stack near the entrance.

I walked back to the apt and Teresa was still out.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies on Netflix.

I finished reading James Patterson’s Cross Country (Alex Cross #14) on my Kindle. That’s the 3rd book I’ve finished this month.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY




 

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep pretty quickly, got up once at 4am to pee, got up at 4:30 and read until 5am, returned to bed and fell back asleep until 6:45.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,765 steps yesterday and last night I slept for7 hours and 2 minutes for a sleep score of 82. (When I got up at 4am Fitbit only gave me a sleep score of 73 so that extra time helped.)

I left the apt just before 9am and found Smartfit about as busy as usual. I had my usual workout but had to adjust the order of my routine. I’m now setting the weight on the Seated Leg Curl to 50#, doing a few reps, then adjusting it up to 57 ½ pounds but doing more reps than before. This way I avoid the pain from my worn cartilage.

I found construction going on at the old Ganso y Castor location. I hope it will be another restaurant – one that will b open for breakfast. Maybe a café like Pergamino would be nice.

A photo of Glenn I found today.



I encountered Dan at his usual concrete table in the park getting a Spanish lesson from a chica. I invited him to join me for coffee in Los Porteños after his lesson. He joined me about 30 minutes later and we discussed many things. He told me he met Chris Cajoleas and I gave him some additional background on Chris. Dan is 65 years old and confirmed he has had Parkinson’s for the last 6 years but he isn’t affected much if he times his medicine correctly.

I left just before 11am and returned to the apt.

I left at noon and took a Didi to Mayorca mall where I met Teresa in Il Forno. She had her usual salmon and for a change I had a chicken panini sandwich for 127,615 pesos ($41).



She surprised me by suggesting we have ice cream at Crepes & Waffles so we shared a Suprema there for about 18,000 pesos.

I shared with Teresa my plan to see Pressure (7.3) tomorrow in Cine Colombia with showtimes at 2:15 and 4:55 pm.

There was another Choco earthquake at 1:32 this time only 4.21 on the Richter scale.

We shared a taxi back to Envigado and I stopped at the Bancolombia kiosk and printed yesterday’s chess games. I walked up to Smartfit where I caught an Envigado bus to Poblado.

From the bus I saw this ad for a company I worked for – Zurich (Insurance Company).



A young man got on the bus and sung the music I can’t stand, Rap.

In the Dann Carlton I made a reservation for us for Saturday at 7:30 although the restaurant is no longer a Tony Roma’s.

I returned to Envigado by bus and stopped in Gardenia for an hour or so. I was in no mood for anything hot so I got something new the waitress suggested – I don’t even know how to describe it but it was like coffee with ice cream that you mix yourself. (Do I still have to tip her if I do all the work (mixing) myself? 😊)

I left just after 5pm and returned to the apt.

Our gas is back on so we can return the hotplate back to the garage storage area.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



 

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 4:45, finally fell back asleep and was awakened at 6am by a light cramp in my right calf.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,752 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6hours and 18 minutes for a sleep score of 78.

Teresa informed me that the number of dead has risen to over 400 due to the Colombian earthquake.

I understand it is going to be some time before they resolve our gas problem. In the meantime, Teresa remembered we have a hotplate in the garage storage area so we went down and retrieved it.

I left the apt at 7:15 and took a Didi to Unicentro mall for 20,600 pesos.

I received text messages from Un Gringo en Medellin asking about Glenn Susser.

I was early enough to purchase a banana and walked once around the mall.

I met Jose in Parmessano where we had eggs for breakfast.

We moved to the food court where Jose beat me with the Black pieces and I got a draw with the White pieces.

It was just after 1pm when we finished and I took a Didi to Viva Envigado for 21,000 pesos.

I had the chicken teriyaki in Sarku’s, withdrew 2,000,000 pesos from a Davivienda ATM, and had a latte in Urbania for about an hour.

I purchased a few groceries in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

I saw a special offer on my cellphone – 2 years of Reader’s Digest for only $15 that I took advantage of. They’ll just have to sit in my locker until the next time I have a package arrive.

Teresa now says the Colombian death total from the earthquake is 781.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies before starting my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



 

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Monday, August 10, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3:30, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 4 and read until 4:30, slept until 7am when I got up.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,569 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6hours and 39 minutes for a sleep score of 70.

Having just finished my breakfast I was sitting at the dining room table when (about 7:35am) it started shaking then the entire apartment was shaking. After about a minute I got up and stood under the doorway to the guest bedroom. The whole time the earthquake lasted Teresa was saying a prayer.



That was the worst earthquake I’ve experienced in both length and severity.

We went down the stairs and stood outside with a lot of others.



I was only wearing my wraparound and my flipflops so after an hour I returned to the apt and changed into the shorts and t-shirt I usually wear around the apt and put on sandals. Back outside we joined others wondering when we would be let back inside.

Doyle, the other American in our building (maybe the entire complex) was seated nearby. He looks like he’s deteriorated in the past few years.

Teresa still hadn’t had breakfast so at 10am we walked to Picositas so she could eat a couple pastries. I just had a latte.

Here’s the local news carrying the story about the earthquake – extensive damage in Cali, Manizales and Pereira.



About 1:30 we moved to Otra Parte for lunch.

We left about 2:30 and returned to the apt and all seemed rather normal again. I don’t know if you can see these 3-D wall cracks in a 2-D photo.





Teresa had me send these photos to our real estate agency.

I understand we have no gas until it can be determined that there aren’t any leaks in the building.

Teresa reported 111 Colombian dead so far.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies, watched a little news then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



Monday, August 10, 2026

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, slept through the night finally waking/getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 6,765 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 7 hours and 25 minutes for a sleep score of 85. That’s my highest score yet.

I had a nap after breakfast that Fitbit says was 34 minutes.

Shower consisted of basically a sponge bath in the shower because I can’t get under that cold water.

Teresa wanted to take MT to El Tesoro but she didn’t feel like leaving her apt.

We left at noon and took a Didi to El Tesoro for 17,500 pesos. At first it wasn’t very crowded but that changed later in the afternoon. We had lunch in J&C Delicias for 170,554 pesos then frozen yogurt in Percimon.

New Annie James video



We left at 5pm and returned to the apt.

I watched another episode of Falling Skies on Netflix.

I finished reading James Patterson’s Double Cross (Alex Cross #13).

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



Sunday, August 9, 2026

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 2:15, finally waking at 5:15 and getting up at 6:30.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,138 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 23 minutes for a sleep score of 75.

I arrived at Daniel’s barbershop right at 9am. I got my haircut and scheduled my next one for Tuesday, August 25th, 2 days before we leave for Chicago.

I walked to Todo Drogas and bought more eye drops but they wouldn’t/couldn’t sell me zopiclona for this reason:



I have a prescription and I've purchased it here before so I don't know what has changed.

I walked to La Buena Mesa and had a latte outside Los Porteños. Strange, but Dan came out and a few minutes later went back in but didn’t appear to notice me.

I left at 11:30 and returned to the apt.

I left the apt at 2:15 and was surprised to find Asados Rogelio packed and there were several people waiting for a table. I went next door to Tierra Querida and had a burger, fries and a Coke. What I didn’t like about the burger: the pickles are sweet not dill, and it seemed they place all of them with the tomato slices and cheese at one side of the burger instead of spreading them around.

I moved to Los Porteños where I had a latte and completed another page of puzzles, missing one. I played another 15+10 game on Chess.com against a higher rated player, losing in 34 moves.

Received an email my brother is coming for a visit Friday, October 16th to Saturday, October 24th.

I left at 5pm and returned to the apt.

Teresa returned at 6:30 and brought me a pastel de pollo from Picositas for my supper.

We had another hot day so I’m thinking we’re in a summer period.

I still can’t get the hot water heater to work.

I finished season 3 of Falling Skies then started my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY



Saturday, August 8, 2026

Friday, August 7, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 12:45am, finally waking at 5am and getting up at 6am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,157 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 47 minutes for a sleep score of 81. 😊

Today is a holiday here as it’s the inauguration of their new president.

I tried paying for my Chess.com membership by entering my debit card on their website but it wouldn’t accept it either.

I had a short nap after breakfast.

I have an email from USAA that I need to call because there’s an issue with my debit card.

I had a short nap after breakfast, 16 minutes per my Fitbit.

I left the apt just after 9am with my gym bag and checked it into a locker on the 3rd floor. I completed my usual workout keeping the Seated Leg Curl at 60# without much bother. I completed my treadmill with a final heartrate of 125bpm.

In La Buena Mesa I bought my usual banana and found a gringo seated at one of the concrete tables. His name is Dan and he was born in southern Illinois, most recently from California. He’s on his 3rd day of 6 weeks here and I knew he was a gringo because I saw his book on Spanish Verb Tenses.

We chatted for about an hour before I returned to the apt.

I left the apt about 2:30 and had a latte in Gardenia. I completed another 12 chess puzzles but got 5 of them wrong. I played another 15/10 game on Chess.com but lost in 24 moves.

I left at 5pm and stopped in a busy Antonio’s Gelato and bought a half liter of pistachio for 30mil.

Across the street in the park I came upon Dan working in his Spanish Verb Tenses book. I asked what he did today and he told me he’s just planning his weekend. He informed me that the Classic & Antique car parade is tomorrow, starts at 9:45am at the El Colombiano office, goes south to Mayorca mall then turns around and comes back this way. He says he’ll probably skip the silleteros (sp?) parade since he heard it really crowded. I noticed Dan shaking and I wonder if he has Parkinson’s disease.

I returned to the apt and Teresa informed me she’s returning to Jardin de Botanico tomorrow with her friend Rosemary.

I received an email from USAA that there is a fraud concern with my debit card. When I tried to call them my MagicJack didn’t work.



I tried calling them from my cellphone but I suspect they were gone for the day/week.

I chatted with USAA and they reported a $249,900 attempted charge from Chess.com. I informed them that it’s probably in Colombian Pesos so that equates to something like 80 USD. They unblocked my card so now hopefully my Chess.com payment can go through.

Chesswiz98 surprised me by resigning our game on the 19th move increasing my rating to 1557.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY