Thursday, August 14th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up once during the night, woke/got up at 7:10.

This morning my iPad is working and fully charged but maybe when I got the message “5% battery remaining” I shouldn’t have clicked on “Dismiss”, I should have plugged it in right away instead.

I took my Citibank card with me but got an “Invalid Transaction” message when I tried to withdraw cash from my usual Davivienda ATM machine.  Luckily, it did work in the ATH machine.  Whew!

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava.  In Exito I paid my EPM and Une bills.

Today is an unusually cool day.  Actually it isn’t cool it just isn’t hot but it is a nice change.

Jhon told me he’s going to Bogota for the long weekend but he should be back in time for my Tuesday morning class.

After my Spanish class I went back to the apartment and took a short 30 minute siesta.  See, you do know some Spanish!

Teresa called at 1:30.  She asked if I’m going to see a movie today and I said no but I’m going to see a Chicago Bears game tonight at 7pm.  She reminded me she would see me this weekend and I asked her when she’s coming and she said she would send me an email.  I told her I just sent her one (with some information and questions).  For one, I understand next Monday is a holiday here so I want to know if she will be spending the long weekend with me.

For lunch I had a whopper and 16 oz Pepsi at BK for 8,900.  My “girlfriend” that speaks English was there and it seemed like she made a special point to serve me.

I studied some more Spanish for a couple hours.

Tonight the Bears are playing at 7pm so I’m going to have dinner at Patrick’s and it will either be an early night or a late night (with them) depending on whether they can show the game.

I’m leaving in just a few minutes – at 5:45.

T-shirt of the day: You only live once.

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6, and got up at 6:40.

When I turned on my cell phone I had a text message from Claro (my cell service) that Teresa called me at 8:21 last night.  I think I turned off my cell phone about 7:30 to save my batteries.  I think that’s the 2^nd night in a row that has happened.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava and at 9:13 Teresa called me.  I apologized for not receiving her call last night.  She asked why and I said because I turned off my cell phone.  She asked why and I said because I wanted to save my batteries but I told her I wouldn’t turn off my cell phone again until at least 9pm at night.

I had an orange juice at Redd’s just before my Spanish class.

After class I dropped some things off at the apartment and then had the chicken teriyaki at Sarku’s.  I stopped in Exito and a lady there helped me find the women’s terry cloth bathrobes.  (I expected them to be in the women’s department, I never would have looked for them by the bath towels.)  They were only 55mil but I wish they were a little plusher.  

I went to the internet café where I printed out a copy of the Chicago Bears schedule I made in Spanish for Teresa and 2 photos of my closets.  I’m going to give the latter to Teresa as an approximation of some dimensions for the closet with shelves on both sides instead of just one side like I have now.

Since I was in the neighborhood I stopped at Paisa Pan and had a churro and Colombiana for 2,100 pesos.

Back at the apartment I found the EPM bills.  Mine were 20,572 for water and sewer, 18,388 for garbage pickup, 27,371 for electricity, and 5,715 for gas.  The total comes to 98,483.  The Une bill for my Wi-Fi wasn’t there so I knocked on 201 but I understood the lady doesn’t have it but at least now she knows I’m looking for it.

At 4pm the lady from downstairs rang my bell and handed me my Une bill.  They have my name on it but her apartment number which is why she got it.  I know it’s mine because I only have Internet and she has TV, etc.  This bill came to 72,964.

As usual I plan on paying my bills right away – tomorrow.  I decided I should start using my Citibank card since I have only a little money left on my USAA card.  When I went to get my Citibank card it wasn’t in either of the two places I expected.  I know I hid it somewhere with my passport but I can’t remember where but I’m sure it will come to me shortly.

About 15 minutes later I found it.  Whew!

For dinner I made a waffle.

I used my iPad until the battery completely died.  This has happened many times before so I just plugged it in to recharge it.  What was different is that after a few minutes I can usually use it while it is recharging.  This time when I open the cover (which is supposed to automatically turn on the device I saw nothing.  Hours later I removed the cover and manually tried to turn it on and at least I saw the Apple logo so I’m encouraged that things will be ok in the morning.  Last time I had trouble with it on July 3^rd Jhon and I went to the Mac Center in Viva and a man there was able to fix it.  I may be there again tomorrow.

It started raining again about 8:30.

Every night this week, about 8:15 or 8:30, you can see the shadows of people dancing in a house across the street and you can hear their loud music.  About 9:30 a group of 12 to 14 of them have their last dance in the middle of the street.

T-shirt of the day: All roads lead to here.

Tuesday, August 12th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11:15, got up once during the night, woke up at 5:30 and got up at 6:30.

There seems to be a pattern with the weather the last few days – slightly cloudy but dry days with rain at night.  This is a little cooler than usual morning.

I had my usual at Los Mejores, picked up my laundry from Beatriz, ordered lunch from Likkes, and had an orange juice at Redd’s.

I stopped at Jhon’s office to remind him that I wouldn’t be in class today but it was closed.

Olga arrived on time at 9am.

I forgot to tell the lady at Likkes what time I wanted lunch delivered and it hadn’t arrived by 12:25 so I called and had Olga talk to them.  I understood our lunches should be here soon.

At 12:30 there was some chanting outside and about 8 young men in bluejeans and red t-shirts carrying black garbage bags came down the street selling what looked like packages of cookies.  I said no thanks.  They kept talking to me, I didn’t understand a word, and I said no thanks.  After they were all gone one more guy came down the street and I again told him no thanks.  A woman came walking down the street and he went over to her and started giving her the hard sell.  

Lunch arrived at 12:35 and Olga left at 1:15.

I walked by Jhon’s office about 1:30 and it was still closed – or maybe just closed for lunch.  I took a bus to Los Molinos where I got a haircut from Juan Rojas.  I took a look at the selection of shower hot water heaters in Home Center there but this location had fewer choices than the one on Calle 44 by Makro and Jumbo.

I got off the bus early on the way back and had a warm fresh churro and a Colombiana for 2,400.

I took a nap from 4:30 to 5:30.

I finished Sidney Sheldon’s 255 page Nothing Lasts Forever and downloaded his 209 page The Best Laid Plans.

I’ve been going through the Spanish lessons on the Duolingo App on my iPad.

For dinner I had a bowl of cereal.

T-shirt of the day: No animal testing on this shirt.

Monday, August 11th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up once during the night, woke up at 6 and got up at 6:30.

I had my usual breakfast at El Comedor de Chava followed by a little studying before my Spanish class.  In Viva, the curtains are down from Alfredo’s and it’s obvious they have cleaned up the space for the next tenant.  

The orange juice stand wasn’t set up again today.

After Spanish class I stopped at the apartment for a little while.  I walked over to Paisa Pan on calle 44 but they didn’t have any churros.  I stopped at the internet café but all 3 of their computers had kids working on them.  I went over to Los Mejores and had a large fresh churro and Colombiana for 2,400.

Back at the apartment I took a little nap from 1:15 to 2:15.

About 5pm Teresa called and after we exchanged pleasantries she asked if I saw a movie today and I told her no and that I probably wouldn’t see one this week.  She said good and I asked her what’s good about it and she said that I can study more Spanish.  Lol.

Right after, I left for Pizza Americana where I had my usual for 13mil.  I went to Exito and bought another package of granola and some deodorant for 22mil.  (I’ve been giving Teresa a package of granola each weekend for the last 2 or 3 weeks.)

I tried getting into my USAA account and was a little surprised I had to enter my Online ID and password again.  I messed up my password several times and then I received the message “For security reasons, your access to USAA.com is currently restricted.  Call 1-877-632-3003 for assistance. (10:45004)”

Now I’m in a little trouble since magicJack hasn’t allowed me to renew my account.  I need to transfer $500 from my Citibank account to my USAA account.  I usually do this from my USAA account but now I’ll have to see if I can do it from my Citibank account.

In my Citibank account I saw that I had never linked my USAA account to it.  In fact a message said “Any accounts you hold at other banks cannot be linked to your ATM/Debit card.”

I tried anyway and it said “We’re sorry, but this account cannot be linked to your ATM/Debit Card.  Please check the information and try again.  If problem persists, please call Customer Service at 1-800-374-9700.”  Sigh!

Well I guess I’ll be contacting magicJack tomorrow!

T-shirt of the day: Nobody breaks my heart.

Sunday, August 10th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm and we got up about 9am.  She told me she wanted to buy some things at Exito and make me breakfast.  I’m concerned about having extra things lying around my refrigerator that won’t get used.  I told her she can cook for me all the time when I’m in her finca but while she’s here I want to buy her meals in restaurants.  We had cereal here and then took our showers.  We’ve decided that so many people will be out to see the Silleteros parade that we might be able to get into Jardin Botanico today.  (Our backup plan was Parque Arvi.)

I finished Sidney Sheldon’s 392 page Rage of Angels and downloaded his 255 page Nothing Lasts Forever.

We waited 20 minutes for a Simon Bolivar bus but then were downtown 20 minutes later.  We took the metro to the Universidad station and were happy to see no lines at Jardin Botanico.  Usually entry is free but today I paid 30mil for our 2 tickets to the Orchid, Birds, & Flowers exhibit.  We looked at a few exhibits and then I started to feel strange so I told Teresa I needed to eat.  I thought we would go back to the restaurant near the entrance but we found some booths set up selling food.  I had chicken shish kebabs that were pretty fatty and greasy that also came with a cooked potato and yucca.  She had a slab of pork also with potato and yucca and we both had a mora (blackberry) juice for our drink.  The total came to 36 mil.

I remembered to bring my camera and here are some pictures:

She generally ignores the jewelry stands and looks more at the more artistic booths.  She asked me to buy her this plant for 20mil which looks very similar to the one in my bedroom.

We had a number of snacks including an ice cream bar and a cup of strawberries in whipped cream and we shared an oblea.  (I have also seen someone selling them in Viva just outside Exito.)  I hadn’t had one since Parque Arvi.  This is a good description I found on the internet:

This unique snack isn’t found everywhere in Colombia, but its worth seeking out. They’re pretty much large, round communion wafers, which might seem a little plain at first, but once you smear some arequipe (Colombian caramel sauce) between two and make yourself a little sandwich, you’ll soon be craving more and more.  Be warned, an oblea with everything (con todo) could upset those that don’t enjoy eating caramel and cheese together.

BTW, I usually try to avoid the cheese.

I found a tent selling Medellin Cultural and Tourist maps for 1mil so I took the opportunity and added another one to my collection.

We finally retraced our steps – metro then bus – back to my apartment.  She wanted to go to mass here – one is at 6pm and the next is at 7:30.  We stopped in Exito where she bought some sandwich fixings for Laura’s lunch then the corner store where she bought dog food.  By this time it was 6:30 – too late for the 6pm mass and much too early to wait for the 7:30 so she got in a car for the ride to the Aquacatala station.

I noticed on the map it says from Envigado to: Caldas is 22 kilometers, and Amiga is 36 kilometers.

I expect to see her again next weekend.

T-shirt of the day: Stressed, depressed, but well dressed.

Saturday, August 9th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 11pm and didn’t wake up until 4am.  It took me a little while to get back to sleep and I finally woke up at 7:20am.

I added 10mil to Teresa’s cell phone then had the breakfast buffet at the hotel followed by studying at LM.  I left there about 12:30 as my iPad battery was almost drained.

At 1:30 I was at Pizza Americana having my usual pizza.  About 2:15, I had just finished and was about to pay when Teresa called me from Viva CC.  I told her to meet me at the apartment.  When I got there 5 minutes later she was already there.

She told me she cancelled my August 11^th appointment with her doctor and kept her August 20^th appointment.  Also she said the closet she wanted would be bigger than what I have now and would cost 1,600,000 pesos but he wouldn’t be able to start until October 15^th.  I told her I want shelves on both sides of the closet rods.  She needs 1 million pesos for him to buy wood which is exactly what I had so I gave it to her.  I told her of my concern that it was a lot of money before any work is done but she said she trusts him.

Laura’s birthday is September 4^th so I asked her about getting her a present.  She said she doesn’t always get one and in fact Teresa was upset with her because she’s broken 4 cell phones in the last couple years.

We had dinner at Frisby in LM.  I guess she liked the bite of my FrisBurrito I gave her last week as we each had one and a juice for 21,600.

Back at the apartment I showed her how I make popcorn with almost no seeds left over.  (I got the recipe off the internet.)  Last month when she made it at her finca she had lots of seeds left in the bottom of the pot.  I put a movie in my laptop and we started watching the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit movie.

At one point I heard what I’m sure was a military fighter jet flying overhead.  I ran to the window but it must have flown over the building and I never saw it.  That was repeated by another jet a couple minutes later.

About 9pm she said she was tired so I stopped it at the 26 minute mark and she went to bed.  I told her it was too early for me.

T-shirt of the day: On my coffee break.

Friday, August 8th, 2014

Yesterday, I forgot to mention why we were at Jardín Botánico.  It was for the annual “Orquideas – Pajaros y Flores – Feria de Artesanias” (“Orchids – Birds and Flowers – Crafts Fair”).  We still have time because it’s here through August 10^th although I did see it last year with Beatriz and I’m not eager to face the crowds again.  Maybe I’ll go next year with Teresa during the week – and not on a holiday.

I also forgot to mention while we were waiting for the bus to Aquacatala she was questioning me about cutting off my beard.  I was about to tell her that I would cut it off for her birthday but then I would grow it right back.  I didn’t get the chance as our bus arrived.  Darn! :)

 

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, got up twice during the night, woke up at 5:30 and got up at 6am.

I checked the US movie releases and Into the Storm (6.2) sounds interesting.

Locally, Guardians of the Galaxy (8.8) is playing at Santafé at 1:50pm.  It seems like Malefica has been in town forever.

On my way to LM I noticed the juice stand wasn’t set up.  At El Comedor de Chava Andres informed me they don’t have any beans so they can’t make Calentao so I had my usual without the beans and rice and he said it’s called Sencillo which is Spanish for simple.

I stopped in exito and bought the Lubriderm that Teresa wanted and the last 3 packages of Extra gum in the store.  

At Jhon’s office he told me Carlos didn’t show up for his English lesson.  I asked him how you say “Terry Cloth robe” and he said “Una bata de toalla para mujer”.  I want to get one for Teresa for her birthday.  He told me I would probably have to go downtown to find one.

After class I exchanged some things at the apartment and took a bus to Los Molinos.  The receptionist at the barber shop told me Juan Royas isn’t working today – he would be in on Sunday and then Tuesday.  I guess I’ll have to come back on Tuesday as I’ll be with Teresa on Sunday, unless she wants to come with me.

I got on another bus and was at Santafé buying my ticket for 5mil 30 minutes before showtime.  The cashier spoke English.  

The theatre is on the 5^th level (there are also 4 sub levels for parking) but there is only the theatre and a couple of entertainment stores for children.

I walked around the 4^th and 3^rd levels looking for a Terry cloth robe.  In Forever 21 a lady told me to turn right and go to Falabella.  It was time to return to the theatre where I bought a small popcorn with salt and a large Pepsi for 12,100.  I counted 9 others in the theatre and I only had to wait 5 minutes for them to turn down the lights.  

I drank most of the soda and managed not to have to make a trip to the restroom so maybe those special vitamins I’m taking are helping.

The movie was pretty good, especially the music.  I feel like I want to download “Hooked on a Feeling” now.

After the movie as I left the theatre I passed a young lady and I said “that was entertaining”.  She didn’t comment.  I went into the mens room and a lady was washing her hands as I headed to the urinal.  I think that makes 3 times; maybe all in this theatre.  When I came out I looked at the advertising for other movies and I was peering at one that appeared to be in French.  A young lady, probably the same one from a couple minutes ago, said she mistakenly went into that theatre and it was all in French.  We chatted a couple minutes about movies and then I said “have a nice day” and she immediately turned and left.  Maybe I was a little rude.  At least I should have asked her how her English was so good.

I went down to the 3^rd level and finally found Falabella.  I asked a young lady near the entrance about where to find the robe and she said not here, to go to the 1^st floor.  I took a quick look around and it mainly looked like things for the kitchen.  When I got down to the 2^nd level I was surprised to see another Falabella store. This one looked like men’s clothing.  In the center of the store I finally saw escalators going up to the 3^rd floor and down to the 1^st floor.  On the 1^st floor I walked around the women’s department but it looked like expensive women’s clothing.  I guess I’m going to have to go downtown.

On the Circular Sur 303 bus I was lucky to get a seat as soon the bus was full including in the aisles.  That young boy that hasled me with his music a few weeks ago got on and played some instrument where you drag a stick against a metal tube and he sang.  He stood next to the seats behind me which was as close to me as he could get because next to me was the turnstile.  

I was back at the apartment by 6pm.  I was going to go to Pizza Americana but then I remembered I wanted to see if I could see the Bears preseason game at Sport Wings.

I think I just saw Beatriz walk by with a nice looking young man; good for her.

I waited about 10 minutes for a bus and was at Sport Wings at 7:10.  They looked for the game on Direct TV but no luck.  I had a burger with fries and 2 Cokes for 29,204.  As I was walking out I saw 2 of my buses go by one right after the other so I had to wait 10 minutes for a bus back to my apartment.  I know I’m getting lazy when it wouldn’t have been that difficult to walk back.

I guess I’ll be back in September.

T-shirt of the day: Only cute boys allowed. (Worn by an young ugly girl on the metro.)