Friday, July 13, 2018

Oh, it’s Friday the 13^th!

Last night I fell asleep quickly and didn’t wake up until 6:15 getting up at 6:30.  That felt great!  Maybe it was the fresh air from biking yesterday?

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and left the apt.  I picked up a free Gente newspaper in Exito and bought a Q’Hubo from the man standing on the street corner. 

At the gym I completed all my exercises in 2 hours.  Not sure why it took me that long today as it wasn’t that crowded.  I forgot to mention that I added 15# onto 3 machines last Monday so maybe the added recovery time slowed me down a bit.  I saw Charles but he only stays around about 30 minutes working on a few machines.

Back at the apt I received an email forwarded from Laura that her Au Pair application has been accepted by the agency.  Now most importantly she just needs to be paired with a family.

I understand Laura is working with the kindergarten children again today.

Teresa left the apt at 1pm for the finca.  This should be her last day there.

I took a little nap from 2 to 3.

I watched a couple movies on TV in the afternoon.

Among new US movie releases I would like to see Skyscraper (6.1) and Shock and Awe (4.8).

Locally, I would like to see The Ritual (6.3) playing at El Tesoro at 3:40pm.  But the mall is far away and isn’t a Cine Colombia theater so it wouldn’t count towards my Platinum card anyway.

I left the apt at 4:30, walked over to the bookstore and exchanged paperbacks.  Outside city hall I sat down and clipped my finger nails.  I stopped at a small café and had a small café con leche for 1,800 pesos.

Walking through the park I briefly saw Andres standing against a wall but I didn’t make it obvious I recognized him.  I heard him call my name about 3 times but I pretended I didn’t hear him.

I stopped at the corner store and bought a couple bags of milk so Teresa doesn’t send me out for some early next morning.

When I returned to the apt Teresa was already there – resting.  She says she will have to return Tuesday for some little thing.

Laura forwarded me an au pair informational email that I read and will soon print out. 

T-shirt of the day: WTF Where’s the food?

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Despite getting up twice during the night I felt pretty good after waking up at 7:15 and getting up at 7:30.

After I finished my breakfast of a little cereal Teresa asked me to go to the corner store of more milk.  As I paid for it I told the woman “I’m going to buy a cow”.  She laughed and of course I didn’t understand her reply.

I received an email that my GNC order for L-argnine and Pycnogenol has shipped.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and then left the apt.  I took the metro to the Stadium station where I checked out a bike.  I rode to the other side of the airport and back finally checking in my bike near UPB (Universidad Pontifica Bolivariana) and Unicentro mall.  I walked back a few blocks to Crispas Pizza & Pasta where I had a delicious spaghetti with meat sauce lunch.  From there I walked to Avenida 70 to the Stadium station where I caught the metro back to Envigado.  I stopped at Herman’s OJ stand and learned that the new pedestrian bridge is going to end right at his stand.  He said it will include an escalator and an elevator and should be finished by November.  I took the Metro bus to the park where I had a limonada de coco for 6mil at Bartolos.

Back at the apt I was surprised to see Teresa home.  She said she’s not going to the finca today, she’s going tomorrow.  What was that, like the 3^rd day in a row she’s said that?  She asked me if I saw Laura because she was meeting with John Joseph at Carbon de Leña.

Laura came back from the gym and told me that there is an easy solution to the emails I’ve been getting monthly from SmartFit and she’ll help me with that tomorrow.

On Direct TV I watched a good movie called Seven Pounds (in Spanish it had a better title of Siete Almas) starring Will Smith.  I missed the first 30 minutes or so and I was floored by the surprise ending.

I finished reading the paperback Flash Point by James W. Huston.

T-shirt of the day: Hakuna Matata.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Last night I went to bed with a slight headache.  (I don’t like to take Excedrin Migraine too late in the evening because the caffeine definitely would keep me awake for hours.)  I woke up at 2:15, again at 5am and again it took me awhile to fall back asleep.  I woke/got up at 7am, took an Excedrin Migraine and went back to bed getting up 20 minutes later feeling much better.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and then left for the gym.  I completed all my exercises in an hour and 50 minutes.

I received an email from my son that he got home safely.

Teresa made chicken lasagna for lunch and I made garlic bread.

I watched a World Cup semi-final match which Croatia won in extra time 2-1 vs England.  I believe the final match is Sunday at 10am between France and Croatia.

I left the apt and stopped at Todo Drogas looking for L-argnine and Pycnogenol.  The lady there told me they don’t have it and I’ll have to go to a health food store.  I stopped at one but they don’t have it either.  I stopped at the copy center and printed out a couple things.

Teresa wanted to go to Home Center to buy a padlock but once again she changed her mind late in the afternoon.  Instead she says she’ll buy it tomorrow morning and then go directly on to the finca.

I was going to play chess with Jose tomorrow afternoon but now he says he’s got doctors appointments in the morning and the afternoon.  Instead I decided to go biking in the morning and try a new restaurant near UPB for lunch.

T-shirt of the day: Beckett’s Bomb Squad.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Last night I fell asleep rather quickly, woke up once at 4:30, was awakened at 6:30 by a calf cramp, took maybe another hour to fall back asleep finally waking/getting up at 8:15.

I left the apt at 11:15, walked over to Bartolos but didn’t find any outside table available.  I wanted to have lunch there.  I took the bus to Poblado and had their menu of the day – chicken breast and a grape juice – at Aguacate for 14,190.  I walked up Calle 9 and as I walked through Parque Lleras I passed at least 20 Belgians walking in the direction of Hooters.  They had 15 minutes to find a TV so they could watch their match against France that begins at 1pm.  At Carrera 36 I said “hi” to Paula the owner of the Flip Flop Sandwich Shop. 

At Jim’s AirBnB we waited 10 minutes for sean to return then we took their suitcases over to Calle 10 where we quickly flagged down a taxi.  Interestingly, the taxi driver had a small TV on his dashboard and we watched the World Cup match.  We lost the TV signal just before halftime as we approached the airport.

They guys checked their bags at the COPA desk then we went upstairs where they had lunch at Kokorico.  I had a large orange juice for 8mil.  We watched the end of the match won 1-0 by France.

An hour before flight time I said goodbye to them and they started their TSA processing.

I went downstairs to arrivals and got a seat in the back of a Greyhound style bus to San Diego mall.  I was a little surprised that this time they collected the money before we left the airport – 9,500 pesos.  Also a policeman came aboard and checked everyone’s ID.

On the way I saw a new ramp that will lead to the new tunnel to Medellin.

We arrived at the mall in about 45 minutes.

I made a quick trip to the restroom then walked across the street.  This time I caught the bus on the other side of the side street so I knew it would be going down Avenida Poblado not Avenida Las Vegas like it did last time – my mistake.

I noticed more Colpatria banks in locations I know didn’t previously have a Citibank ATM or office.

It only took about 20 minutes to get through the Gold Mile.  In Envigado I stopped at Exito where I picked up a package of hamburger buns.

I was back at the apt by 4:30.

Laura told me she might be working for John Joseph for 50mil for 3 hours.  She thinks it will be as a tour guide in English.  I told her to just speak slowly and clearly.

An expat notified everyone that Amazon will “arrive” in Colombia by the end of this month.

https://www.latinamericanpost.com/index.php/trade/21039-what-do-colombians-earn-with-the-arrival-of-amazon

T-shirt of the day: My dad’s a superhero and I’m his sidekick.

Monday, July 9, 2018

Last night I fell asleep relatively quickly, got up once at 1:30, again at 4:30, took a while to fall back asleep, finally woke/got up at 7:30.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and left for the gym.  Who did I see standing outside our building but Andres.  He said “Terry” and I said “hola” and that was it.  At the gym I completed all my exercises in an hour and 45 minutes.  My hamstrings are feeling better but I’m still going to be careful with them for awhile.

Back at the apt I made plans to meet my son for lunch at 1:30.

Teresa asked me if the US has a $1,000 bill.  I told her “yes” but I’ve never seen one.  Why would anyone walk around with a $1,000 bill – they would put the money in the bank.  She told me one of the guys working on the finca showed her one.  I told her I remembered him showing me one years ago and it was fake.

I left the apt at 12:40, stopped at Cotrafa and paid the epm bill.  I was going to also pay the Direct TV bill but I underestimated the cost of the epm bill so I didn’t have enough cash with me.

I caught the next bus to Poblado.  On the way I noticed the Citibank building on the Gold Mile is now Colpatria.  (Yesterday I was surprised to see the Citibank ATM in El Tesoro is now Colpatria.)  I was at Parque Poblado by 1:20 and Jim arrived a few minutes later. 

We walked over to restaurant Aguacate and took an outside table.  He had a Coke and I had a mango juice while we decided what to order.  Jim first ordered what I would call corn fritters that came with a slice of cheese on top that were pretty tasty.  He also ordered the menu of the day - chicken breast - and I ordered their ribs.  They brought me a good sized slab of ribs that were a little on the chewy side.  Also included were French fries and a small salad.  I only ate something like 4 ribs so there was a lot “to go” along with Jim’s salad and some of his corn fritters.  (Later Teresa told me they are called “torta de chocolo”.  That sound familiar.)

After lunch we walked across the street to Tostao where we had coffee.  One drawback with this place is there’s no A/C or even air flow so it gets pretty stuffy especially after drinking hot coffee.  And they don’t have wifi.

We said goodbye and Jim’s going to call me later about meeting him and Sean for dinner at Mercado del Rio tonight.

I stopped at Envios Market where I picked up a small package.  It turned out to be the lanyard that will help keep me from losing my step counter – when it arrives.

I took a Sabaneta bus back to Envigado.  Again I saw Andres hanging out outside our apartment building.

I asked Laura if she was free now to help me with my SIM card.  We walked to Claro and on the way I noticed that our Citibank across from Exito is now Colpatria.  First we paid for Teresa’s unlimited cellphone minutes for July then we talked to one of Claro’s reps.  In the conversation the rep asked me if I’ve ever put a different SIM card in my phone.  I remember some months back when Teresa and I were moving the chess table a drawer came open and we noticed an old SIM card that was sitting there.  Some weeks later, probably 3-4 weeks ago, I remembered the SIM card and put it in the phone to see if it worked.  So I told the lady “yes, I did do that once”.  Now for some reason I understand that my current SIM card has assumed that old phone number.  Strange!

I bought Laura an ice cream cone and then I went across the street and added 20mil to my “new” number.  We stopped at $efecty where I paid the Direct TV bill.  Now I think all bills have been paid for the month.

We made plans to meet Jim and Sean for dinner tonight at Mercado del Rio at 7:15.  I understand the others in their group left today for a few days in Cartagena before returning to the States.

We left the apt about 6:50.  I managed to call an Uber car and even though he made a wrong turn at one point he arrived in about 7 minutes.  The 16 minute trip to Mercado del Rio cost 9,100 pesos.

Jim and Sean were already there waiting for us.

We decided to have a sit down dinner at the Italian restaurant Parmessano.  We had a nice dinner for 5 for only 181,698 pesos (about $65) including tip and tax.

I made plans to go with Jim and Sean to the airport tomorrow.

There was a long line of taxis outside so we took one back to the apt for 12,100 pesos.

We were back by 8:30 and just before 9pm Andres rang our doorbell.  Teresa appeared to give him hell.

T-shirt of the day: Take me to the ocean.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Last night I fell asleep quickly and only got up once at 5:15.  I fell asleep quickly again and woke/got up at 7:30.

Jose is already playing his next to last game which started at 8am this morning.  I should be able to find the result online in the next hour or two.

Teresa and I took a nap from 9am to 10:30.

Jose lost against the woman rated 2025 but he thought he had a win if he’d made a different move on move 16.  Sigh!  He sent me the game but I haven’t figured out how to open it with my chess software.

It’s 11:30 and I’m still waiting to hear from my son as to when and where we’re meeting today.

At noon I finally got a text from Jim.  He’s having a couple of palitos de queso in a nearby café.  I’m going to meet him at Starbucks in El Tesoro mall at 3pm so he can get his t-shirt repaired.

Jose’s last match is against a man rated 1914.  Wow!  What a strong tournament.  I checked his opponent’s opponents and he’s lost to some not so strong players so he might not be on top of his game and Jose might be able to take this guy.

Jose emailed me that he accidentally sent me an empty file so he’ll send me another one.

I left the apt at 2pm, walked over to Exito and quickly caught a taxi to El Tesoro mall.  This driver took the shortest, and thus fastest, route possible and I was at Starbucks 30 minutes early at 2:30.  I had a café mocca blanco while I waited for Jim.  He arrived about 3:10 having problems mainly finding Starbucks.

We found the 2^nd Adidas store but the worker there said that they weren’t able to add the “1” that had fallen off Jim’s “James Rodriguez 10” Colombia t-shirt.

We walked around looking for a restaurant where Jim could get arroz con pollo and he finally settled on the last place we found called Patacon.  He had sea bass with rice and a Coke.

He’s going to call me tomorrow to see if we can meet for lunch.  He went to the restroom and I caught a taxi (no line; no wait) back to Envigado.

I stopped in an almost empty Exito where I picked up the bottle of vanilla extract that Teresa had asked for and a bottle of Aunt Jemima maple syrup for me.

I made myself my last glass of iced tea from the pitcher I had made.  When I was in my teens my family would visit a friend of my mom’s who made the most delicious iced tea.  I have no idea what her secret was.  The only other time I’ve had iced tea that good, believe it or not, was at a restaurant in Kenab, Utah back in 2000.  I’m still trying to find the perfect combination of tea strength, sugar, and lemon.  And maybe I’m not using the right type of tea.

So, to summarize Jose’s games:

·       He had wins against a 1248 and a 1530.

·       He had losses against a 2126, 2000, 2025 and a 1914.

·       And a foreit win against a 2026.

The problem with playing in strong tournaments like this, you lose to much stronger players, beat much weaker players and seldom get a chance to play someone close to your own strength.

T-shirt of the day: Trust no one.

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Well, I fell asleep quickly last night, got up twice during the night, the 2^nd time at 5am and finally got up at 5:45.

I checked online and Jose lost last night to the 2000 rated player but today his opponent is a girl or woman with a rating of 1530 so he should be able to win that one.

I left the apt at 7:45 with Teresa.  We took a taxi to the highway and she quickly caught a bus to the finca while I went up the stairs and took the metro.  I arrived at the chess tournament about 8:30.  Jose arrived a few minutes later.  He told me that his next opponent, a 15-year old girl, defeated a player with a 2025 rating in the first round.  She arrived about 10 minutes late.  After they got out of the opening and into the middle game I left for an hour and got a haircut.  When I returned they were in a close game until Jose found a tactic that gained him a free bishop and she resigned.

We went to lunch at Victory in the Obelisco mall.  I had stuffed peppers but I thought it would be baked and it was fried.  It also came with soup, potatoes, and vegetable slices and juice for 10,500 pesos.

Back at the tournament we were 90 minutes early for the 3pm match.

I learned from Jose: that if you have your cellphone on during a game you will be disqualified; if your opponent doesn’t show up after 30 minutes you get a forfeit win; you start the digital clocks by pushing a button in the center; you’re supposed to record your games in Spanish; and the winner of each match has to enter the game moves into a computer.

While there I ran into Edilson Enrique Bermudez the guy I gave a Chess Life magazine to last year.

Jose’s opponent never showed up so at 3:30 he got a forfeit win.  He walked me to the metro on his way home.  We’ll probably get together to resume our personal chess matches next Thursday.

On the metro I got a call from Laura.  Something about her keys not working on the apartment door.  When I got to the apt she said that her keys don’t work to lock the door from the inside.  I’ve never even tried to do that so my hurrying back to the apt was for naught.

Teresa returned about 5pm and reported that the gate has been installed and there are just some minor things that have to be taken care of on Monday or Tuesday.

I received an email from Envios Market that I have a package waiting for pickup.  If I don’t get it on Monday it might have to wait until next Saturday.

I made tentative plans to meet Jim tomorrow.  He has a defective t-shirt he wants to have fixed at the El Tesoro mall.

Laura left the apt about 8pm all dressed up.

The Colombian Peso closed for the week at 2,872 to the US Dollar.

T-shirt of the day: I live for game day.