Thursday, August 7th, 2014

Yesterday I reminded Teresa of her dermatology appointment next Monday.  I told her it was on the 11^th.  She showed me her appointment card and it says the 14^th.  I know I have a bad memory but I’m usually pretty good with numbers – like dates.  Last night I rechecked my card and it says the 11^th.  That means instead of the receptionist giving me a copy of her appointment she mistakenly gave me my own appointment.  (I only wanted to make sure Teresa’s appointment was at a time convenient for both of us.)  I need to explain that to Teresa today so she can cancel one or the other.

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, took a few minutes to get to sleep because of the rain, got up once at 5am, woke up at 6:30 but quickly fell back asleep and woke/got up at 7:10.

At 6:56 this morning I received another set of “Groupon” type offers from Cuponatic Medellin.

This morning I had a bowl of cereal.

Now I’m just going to study Spanish a little until Teresa arrives – which should be about 10am.

Teresa called me to tell me she would be late because there is so much traffic.  She finally arrived at 11am.

I showed Teresa my appointment card and explained the situation and she said she would call and cancel one of the appointments but not today because it’s a holiday.

At 1pm we ate at Frisby in Viva CC.  We shared my Frisburrito with ranch dressing, her Frispecial (which I would describe as resembling chicken stroganoff with salad and fries) and a vegetable soup.  I had a large Pepsi and she had a Guanaba with milk.  The total came to 34,600.  While I waited for Teresa to come back from the restroom I saw Harry sitting alone in the corner of the food court.  He told me he is here with his wife and his 2^nd wife he only sees once a week.  He took me over to Sarku’s where his wife was about to order and quickly introduced me to her.  I told him that I’m going to be moving in with my girlfriend at the end of September.  He wants the two of us to come see his apartment some weekend.

We took the Circular Sur 302 bus to Aguacatala and there was a big crowd waiting to buy tickets.  I impressed Teresa again by taking out my Metro card which I scanned for both of us and we were quickly through.  The train was very crowded and I don’t know why people who aren’t getting off stand in front of the door so you have to shove them out of the way to get off before the doors close again.

Right away we saw long lines to get in to the Jardin Botanico and we decided we didn’t want to see the birds and flowers that badly.  

 

As I was coming back from taking the pictures another train arrived and I saw an elderly woman get her arm stuck in the door as she was trying to get in.  The train was stopped before it was able to move, the doors opened, and she got on apparently not hurt by the experience.

I told Teresa I knew where we could get some ice cream close by so we went downstairs and I took her to an ice cream shop just outside Parque Explora.  When we got there she decided what she really wanted was water and I told her I knew where some was close by.  (I was going to take her to the misting station at the entrance to one of the parks.)  She decided to get something to drink at Dogger so I got a large Colombiana and she got a small Colombiana and a beer which she proceeded to mix together.  It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen that combination here.

All of the tables were taken so we walked over to a building and sat on the cement and leaned against a wall.  

I observed a number of neat t-shirts while waiting.  All too often I see a neat t-shirt but miss the last word or I forget to write it down and soon forget it.

A couple who looked like gringos with a young girl sat down on the metro steps across from us.  I listened for a while to see if I could hear them and I thought I detected a language that sounded like German so I didn’t say anything to them.

Teresa said she wanted to wait until the sun went down before getting back on the metro but I’m sure she was kidding.  We finally left about 5pm and I convinced her to get off at Parque Berrio where we caught a Simon Bolivar bus right away and were back at my apartment before 6pm.  That impressed her again.

We talked about what furniture pieces to keep for the finca and which to leave behind.  We decided to give the kitchen table with 5 chairs back to Reina and try to sell the refrigerator and my large platform bed.  I called Jhon and asked him to keep an eye out for anyone who might like to buy them.  I also told her we could put up a card in Exito announcing them for sale.

We talked about building a closet for me in the large master bedroom almost exactly like the one I have now.  She said it should cost about $500 and I told her that’s exactly what I have in my savings account so I would give her 1 million pesos this weekend.

She still isn’t sure what voltage is in her bathroom so I’m going to wait a little longer before purchasing the hot water heater.

We stopped in Exito so she could buy some arepas and cheese and she got in a car “effectivo” (cash) they call it for a private ride to Aquacatala station followed by a bus to her finca.  I’ll see her next on Saturday afternoon about 2pm.

T-shirt of the day: When nothing goes right, go left.

Wednesday, August 6th, 2014

Last night I watched Blended with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.  This DVD also didn’t have a settings option but it was in English with Spanish and Japanese subtitles.  But the sound was so low I could barely hear it.

I went to bed at 11pm, got up once about 1:30 when I was awakened by rain, woke up at 5:45 and got up at 6:30am.

At 7:30 this morning I received an email from Cuponatic Medellin, probably because I gave my email address to Cupon Mania yesterday.  It looks very much like Groupon with a variety of offers.  The most interesting were 1^st, online English classes discounted 89% - 39,990COP instead of 365,000, 2^nd, raise your buttocks discounted 78% - 65,990 instead of 300,000, and 3^rd, erotic strip dice for 9,900.  Imagine this picture of the latter:  A man is lying on a bed only in his underwear staring at a woman with a nice figure standing in the right foreground wearing nylons and a garter belt.  You see her from behind from mid thigh to waist.  The product is in a package in the left foreground and all I see are 2 pair of dice with “!” on one and “?” on the other.  When I clicked the “See More” button I could see one side of one dice had “kiss” and the other dice had “neck” so I guess one dice contains verbs and the other nouns.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava followed by an orange juice at Redd’s.

After Spanish class I went back to my apartment and took a nap from 12:45 to 1:45.

At 2pm I had a bowl of cereal.

At 2:30 Teresa called; she wants me to meet her for lunch in Parque Envigado.  I told her I would meet her there about 3:30 and I would call her if I don’t see her.

I walked past the Envigado Exito at 3:30 and after a climb of a steep hill 10 minutes later I was at Parque Envigado.  The west end is closed off and under construction and a sign says the work will be ongoing for 10 months.

I found Teresa and Laura at the restaurant across the street.  They had already had, and paid for, their lunch and I wasn’t hungry so I just had 2 strawberry juices with milk while I cooled down.

I asked Teresa where she wanted to go next and she said an artist’s exhibition at Majorca CC.  She asked me if I knew of this place and I said yes which really surprised her.  She asked how and I said I saw a movie there with another woman.  She asked who and when and I said I couldn’t remember her name but it was probably last March.  (I just checked and it was Liliana (Salem) and it was May 23^rd.)

We walked a block and caught a bus which took us right to Majorca CC (which is connected to the Itagui metro station).

There were a number of booths set up in the hallways where people were selling their wares and there were also a lot of free tastes of different food items.  There was one man who displayed a lot of oil paintings of men apparently delivering bags of coffee on horseback.

After we walked around both levels when we got to the 3^rd level there was the movie theatre.  Teresa asked at the box office and the next show with subtitles was Transformers at 10pm.  It was now 5:15pm so we wisely decided to skip that.  Lol.

We found a Mimo’s and we each had a cone for a total of 12,300 which allowed me to get some change for my 50mil bill.

We sat around after we finished and just people watched.  Teresa told me she believes the voltage in the bathroom is 220V but I think I should wait until she’s a little surer of herself.  I told her to email me so I know better what details she’s trying to tell me.

She told me she should be at my apartment tomorrow at 10am.

We said our goodbyes about 6pm and I caught a Circular 303 bus at 6:35.  It was rush hour and I was about the last one to have a standing room only spot.  Traffic was heavy and finally some people started getting off and after 35 minutes I finally got a seat.  I was back at Viva by 7:25.

I called Jhon and cancelled my Spanish class for tomorrow.  I’m sure we’ll have better things to do.

I had another bowl of cereal for dinner.

T-shirt of the day: You are absolutely, totally, and completely perfect.

Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Last night I watched the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit DVD on my laptop.  There was no settings menu but it did default to English audio with Spanish subtitles.

At 10pm I was feeling a little hungry and afraid I might wake up in the middle of the night so I had a bowl of granola.  Mistake!  

I went to bed at 11pm, and woke up at 2:30 with heartburn.  I took 2 of my small Tums and went back to bed but there was no immediate relief.  I took 2 more, stayed up 30 minutes and this time I was able to quickly get back to sleep.  I woke up at 6:20 and got up at 6:50 feeling pretty good.

I dropped off my dirty laundry at the corner store with Beatriz.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava and at one point Lucas paid me the ultimate compliment that now I am Colombiano.  Lol.

I noticed that Pasabocas Krocantes is becoming more Arabian.  They still have the large store name out front but inside there is a smaller sign that says “Pasabocas Krocantes – Shawarmas y Krocantes comida Arabe” or “Crunchy Snacks – Shawarmas and crispy Arabian food”.  Here is Wikipedia’s description:

Shawarma is a Levantine meat preparation, where lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants), and may be grilled for as long as a day. Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit. Although it can be served in shavings on a plate (generally with accompaniments), shawarma also refers to a sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat.  It is akin to the Turkish Greek Gyros.

I also see they occasionally have baklava:

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey.

One of these days I will probably try those, meaning Shawarma and Baklava.  I’d better not wait long as they might go out of business soon and I wouldn’t have a chance to try them.  They also have smaller pictures of their food, half are Colombian snacks and half are things Arabian.

I bought a couple packages of Granola in Exito.  

At one point during my Spanish class Jhon paid me the ultimate compliment – he said I’m Colombiano now.  Wow, twice in one morning! Lol.  I mentioned that Teresa is coming over tomorrow night and on Thursday we are going to the bird & flower exhibit at Medellin’s botanical garden.  He told me Thursday is a holiday.  (That makes sense as Teresa won’t have to get her daughter Laura off to school.)  I asked him what they are celebrating and he said it is Inaugaration Day for the President (still Santos).

After Spanish class I went back to the apartment and had a bowl of granola.

I checked Exito’s coupon website www.CuponMania.com.  I clicked on Discount Coupons, selected the hamburger (and beer) offer, entered my email address and clicked on the Receive button and it took me to an offer for a “motel for 4 hours at a 50% discount – 31,990 instead of 64mil” which expires in 2 days and 10 hours.  When I clicked on “see more” I found (after running it through Google Translate):

What the Discount About?

Sexuality plays an important role in the relationship, experts say the pleasure it generates is helpful in physical and emotional health of human beings. Sex transcendental influences how good understanding and stability of relationships.

Motel Los Dos Cuponatic and invite you to a night of madness; sharing intimate moments in a romantic and cozy atmosphere, where in the company of your partner will be able to recreate his most secret fantasies.

includes:

Couple getaway for 4 hours in Room Special Gift + erotic.

Description:

Accommodation for 4 hours in special type room with private garage, LCD TV, mini stereo, mini bar service, power shower, bath and erotic chair.

Escape with family and surrender to pleasure!

Follow them on Facebook and meet all their promotions and services.

Clear Rules
Coupon valid for in Romance Getaway for 4 hours + erotic Gift Special Room in Motel Los Dos.
Coupons available: 200.
Coupon valid until 19 September.
The room is subject to availability at the time of the visit.
The coupon only applies Monday to Saturday. Saturday only until 11 am, no exceptions.
The garage room is subject to availability, additional motel offers a restaurant and a sex shop. The publicity photos are for reference and may vary.
Not combinable with other promotions or accumulate.
The extra hour is worth $ 13,000.
Does not apply to minors.
Subject to availability at the time of the visit.
Necessary to present the printed coupon, otherwise the service is rendered.
Maximum redemption: 1 coupon per break and you can buy all you want.
Now you can pay in CASH at any Baloto in your city. Follow the instructions at the time of Buy and choose the method of payment.
Buy and gives all you want!

Very interesting!  (It kind of sounds like a Groupon.)  I’ve heard of the Love Hotels here but I have yet to see one.

Yesterday I left Jumbo about 1:30 and the Carrefour theatre had yet to open.  I’m guessing they probably open 5 or 10 minutes before their first show of the day.  I plan to go there today between 5 and 6pm and if they are open: find out if, and when, The Expendables 3 is playing and is it with Spanish subtitles?  If the timing is right I will see it tonight.  If not then maybe I can see it tomorrow before Teresa arrives.

I took a short nap from about 2:15 to 3:15.

Teresa called me at 10 minutes to 5pm.  I understood she wasn’t going to be able to meet me at my apartment tomorrow night.  Something about Laura but she would be here early on Thursday.  I wonder what early means.

I left the apartment at 5pm and got on the first Circular Sur 303 bus.  I paid my fare, received my change, put it away and just stood there.  I think the bus driver wondered what was going on.  The bus was so herky jerky I didn’t want to move for fear of landing on my face.  Finally I edged my way to a seat towards the back as it was nearly full.

I got off across from Makro and Home Center and the next challenge was crossing San Juan (Calle 44) in rush hour.  It seems like the cross street at the light ahead never empties into this main street so it cycles between left turn has right of way and straight ahead traffic.  I had to work my way between 2 cars in the left turn lane, wait until the main road cleared and then run for my life.

Entering Jumbo I noticed the marque showed The Expendables 3 is playing in theatre number 3.  Today the theatre was open and I checked their electric marque but it didn’t list the movie I wanted.  I asked the cashier what’s playing in theatre #3 and she said Africa 3D.  I could see what movies were playing on her computer screen but it didn’t have what I was looking for.  

In their food court I stopped at Tacos & Bar BQ and ordered the ribs but the lady said they didn’t have it so I ordered the Pollo Pechuga Bar-BQ (Chicken breast) and it came with a small salad and fries and I got a large Coke for 21,100.  It was a large hunk of tasty meat.

I wanted to get back to my apartment before dark so after I finished eating I went out to San Juan and waited for my bus.  In the direction I was looking for my bus there was a young lady (30?) on a motorcycle, helmet already on, apparently adjusting something (her hair maybe).  I stared at her and she stared at me and we traded smiles as she rode off.  She was in a pink sweatershirt and bluejeans with sandals.  Just then my bus arrived and I got on and took a seat on the left side next to the window in front.  I could see she had stopped about 100 feet ahead of the bus.  We passed her and she must have passed us again because at the next stoplight I saw her stopped on the other side of the road heading in the opposite direction.  Again she seemed to be adjusting some things on her motorcycle.  I stared at her through the open window and just before she took off she looked directly at me and smiled.  End of story!

The bus stopped in the usual place where everyone gets off and gets on another bus but I guess the other was full as it soon left and we waited for people to get on our bus from a newly arriving one.

I got off at my usual stop and walking down the street there was a young lady in short shorts walking ahead of me and the front view must have looked just as nice as my view as men would walk past her and do a double take.

I was back at my apartment by 6:30.

I’ve started complementing my Spanish classes with Jhon with Synergy Spanish, Rosetta Stone, and something on my iPad called Duolingo.

T-shirt of the day: Sorry boys, I’m taken.

Monday, August 4th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:30, got up once at 4am, woke up briefly to a light rain about 5am, and woke/got up at 6:30.

I’ve been feeling a little discomfort in my right hip for the past couple months.  I’ve decided to temporarily skip one of the exercises from my M/W/F morning program – the Seated Flutter Kick – to see if it will feel better.  

I can’t find my pill container anywhere.  The last time I believe I used it was Saturday afternoon when I took a vitamin at LM.  I guess I either didn’t put it all the way back in my pocket or I left it on the table.

I started Googling the “Suicide Shower” and I found this quote:

With no true temperature control, the only way to adjust the temp is to adjust the flow of water through the heater. Turning it on full blast will produce a fairly cold shower. Turning down the volume gives the water more time to heat up on the way through. Turn it down too low and the heater will turn off — it’s a bit of a dance.  Basically, you have the choice of a stiff, cold shower or a warm, drizzly one, your call.

For breakfast I had a bowl of granola with the remainder of the strawberries from yesterday.  I had a glass of orange juice before I left which was a good thing because the usual orange juice stand at Redd’s wasn’t there today.

In Viva mall for a little study I noticed the Italian restaurant Alfredo’s is closed and covered with plastic tarps.  Not sure if they are remodeling it or there will be a new restaurant soon.

After Spanish class I stopped at my apartment and exchanged a few things.  I also washed some underwear and hung it up to dry.  

I caught a Circular Sur 303 bus; actually I was the only one on it but between its manual transmission and the driver’s braking it was real herky jerky.  As I was getting off he started leaving before I had stepped off.

For lunch at Presto in Jumbo I had their hamburger special for 10,900.  As I was leaving Jumbo I noticed their marque advertising The Expendables 3 (6.9) starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, Antonio Banderas, and Jet Li.  (But when I got back to the apartment their website doesn’t show they are playing this film.)  Maybe I’ll go back and check that out tomorrow.

In Home Center I checked their hot water heaters for the shower (Duchas Eléctricas) and one thing I noticed is they come in 110V and 220V.  I understand 110V is for lights and regular outlets and 220V is for large appliances like refrigerators and stoves, so first I need to find out which Teresa has in the bathroom of her finca.

About 5pm I walked over to Pizza Americana where I had my usual – a small Napolitana pizza & 600ml Pepsi for 13mil.

I went in the back way of Exito and picked up a bag of milk only to find when I got to the cashiers that the express line was longer than I had ever seen.  I found a small cart to put my milk in and got in line.  Even though there were many people there they had 5 cashiers working so I only had to wait about 10 minutes to checkout.  In the meantime I just read some more in my Nook book.

Back at the apartment later, when I took my nightly prostate pill I opened the cabinet doors all the way and there was my pill container.  Yay!

T-shirt of the day: Trying to be calm & cool.

Sunday, August 3rd, 2014

I’ve never seen someone who sleeps as much as she does.  Nine hours was enough for me but she went about 11 hours.

For breakfast we each had a bowl of granola cereal.

Once I was surprised when she came into the bedroom from the bathroom when she heard her phone ringing.  It was right next to me and I didn’t hear a thing.  :( 

Late morning we took a Circular Sur 303 bus to San Diego CC.  I hadn’t been there in a long time; probably last time was with Reina.  Teresa wanted to see the bonzai tree exhibit and they had a lot of them.  Some were as young as 10 years old and others as old as 150 years.

We stopped at Frisby for lunch.  I had my usual Chicken Combo #2 and a Pepsi for 17,700 and she had their FriSpecial and a juice for 19,200 and a vegetable soup for 5,500.

I was surprised that they had as many bonzai trees as they had; a lot more than I used to see at the Chicago Botanical Garden.

We caught another Circular Sur 303 bus and were back at the apartment 30 minutes later.

Later we took a Circular Sur 302 bus to the other side of Calle 35 and visited her friend Ann that she has known since she was little.  She sells hats, jackets, shoes, and purses.  She had some in her apartment but the last thing Teresa needs is another hat.  :)  The jackets were beautiful and fully lined but if I understood correctly they cost about $200.  She showed me a slick brochure that I guess advertises the business.  It was in Spanish and English and while the latter was very good it wasn’t perfect.

Now that Teresa knew how close her friend lives we walked back to the apartment.

She packed up her things, including a bag of granola cereal I bought for her, and we walked to Viva and had ice cream cones at Popsy for 7mil.

Because I told her I was tired she decided to take the bus alone and I was back at my apartment by 8pm where I made some popcorn and watched the Limitless DVD with Bradley Cooper.  I set the audio to English and the subtitles to Spanish.  I wish I could set the audio a little louder but I was able to hear as long as I concentrated on it.  At the 1 hour and 15 minute mark I noticed that the audio and video were no longer in sync.  Fifteen minutes later it was okay again.  After finishing the movie I restarted it and tried, unsuccessfully, to set the audio to Spanish and the subtitles to English.  I don’t know if they are preset or if you can only choose the options once.

T-shirt of the day: I love to have dreams.

Saturday, August 2nd, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, woke up about 4, and again about 5 but fell back asleep quickly both times.  Without getting up once during the night, I finally woke/got up at 7:30.

I had breakfast at the hotel and then studied some at LM.  

A man walked by selling movies on DVD and for the first time I asked to look at them.  They cost 2,500 pesos each and the first couple dozen were all children’s flicks.  The man disappeared while I was going through the pile and a few minute later he showed up with a few more.  I ended up buying Sin Limites (Limitless) with Bradley Cooper, Luna de Miel en Familia (Blended) with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and Codigo Sombra Jack Ryan (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) with Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner and Keira Knightly.

Just before 3pm, with my iPad, I received an email from Teresa.  I understood wherever she was there is a lot of rain and she will probably be late.  If she doesn’t find me at the corner store then she will come to my apartment.  (Later, using Google Translate, I learned that her message said she was going to wait until the rain stops.)

I waited only for about 15 minutes at the bus stop starting at 4pm.  The weather is getting cooler and threatening to rain.  I went back to the apartment.

Teresa showed up at 5pm.  She was hungry so right away she had a bowl of my new coconut granola.  I gave her the heartshaped chocolate bar that said “Te Amo” I bought for her at the internet café and she opened it right away and we devoured it pretty quickly.

I gave her 100mil which she said she would use towards her Exito bill.

Later we shared most of the bowl of strawberries.

T-shirt of the day: Dare to be daring.

 

Friday, August 1st, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10:45, woke up at 4am but quickly fell back asleep, woke/got up at 6:30 which was a pretty good night’s sleep.

Among new US movie releases, I would like to see Guardians of the Galaxy (9.0); Calvary (7.6) and Lucy also sound interesting.

I checked the local movies and the only thing I want to see is Africa 3D but here it’s dubbed in Spanish so I guess I’ll wait to see if they offer it in its original English.

I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and an orange juice at Redd’s.  There were a lot of people in Exito considering it was only 9am.  I’m sure they are here for the big sale.

During my Spanish lesson, a man came by and gave us a flyer for a restaurant named Likker.  We’re thinking this is from the new owners of the old Likkes.  They reduced the price of their lunch from 7mil to 6mil.

Back at the apartment I had a 1 hour chat with representatives at magicJack.  They had me try to pay for my renewal service (again) while he watched.  Afterwards he confirmed it didn’t go through.  I suggested I use a different card, my Citibank card, but first I had to update my address then add my debit card and then try to renew but it still didn’t go through.  The only thing I noticed was that even though I gave them my debit card Security Code, when it came time to renew it said “Invalid Code” and I had to reenter it.  When I asked him about it he said “No worries” just call their billing department and explain my problem.  I said if my magicJack account was valid I would be able to call them.  He said “No worries” just use my landline.  I told him I don’t have a landline and to please stop saying “No worries”.  He then gave me a link that allowed me send an email to their billing department.  So now I’m waiting on them again.

On my way to LM I took a look at the Likkes sign and it hasn’t changed.

At Angus House I had their Hamburger Jr. Combo with small Coke for 9mil.  I stopped at Café Juan Valdez and treated myself to a medium vanilla latte for 6,100 and a slice of banana cake for 2,700.

I finished the 260 page Double-Edged Secrets and downloaded Sidney Sheldon’s 392 page Rage of Angels.

I stopped at the Avenida 80 crossover and bought a kilo of strawberries for 3mil to share with Teresa tomorrow.

Today was another warm, but not oppressively hot, day.  I don’t remember the last time it rained.

T-shirt of the day: What doesn’t kill me makes me awesome instead.