Sunday, August 26, 2018

Last night I fell asleep quickly, got up only once (about 5am?), finally waking at 7:30 and getting up at 7:45.

Still no internet!

Even though it’s pretty cloudy outside Teresa still wants to go to Santafe de Antioquia today; maybe because I warned her that from September to December most Sundays I’ll be watching American Football.

Today I’m taking my The Woodpecker Method book with me so I can start over again (this will be cycle #2) solving the same set of chess puzzles.  I’ll also have my cell phone so hopefully I can get internet and to break things up I’ll have the paperback book I’ve almost finished.

We left the apt at 8:30 and quickly caught a taxi to Mall Laureles.  I was surprised to see the office for the Dia de Sol is now a store.  Teresa called and then looked across the street and there his his new, smaller office.

We went to Lucas’ restaurant where Teresa had an arepa with cheese and scrambled eggs and hot chocolate and I had a café con leche.  I also had a couple bites of her food to tide me over until we could get to the restaurant on the road.

The bus left at 10am and we were the only ones on it, resting comfortably in the back.  Just outside town the driver added 50mil to the gas tank.  If the pump really counts gallons then he got just over 5.5 gallons which works out to almost exactly $3/gallon.

We stopped at the usual restaurant 5 minutes the other side of the tunnel where I had calentado and a café con leche for 7mil ($2.35).

We arrived at the resort just before noon.

Teresa spent most of the afternoon crocheting or is it needle point while I completed 40 chess puzzles in a little over an hour.

I also finished reading John Grisham’s paperback The Litigators which I’ll probably exchange for another tomorrow.  I’m learning to concentrate on looking for those books that are #1 New York Times Bestsellers.

I did take one dip in the pool in the afternoon when I started feeling overheated.  I heard a young man speaking English.  He and his uncle are here from California visiting Colombia for 3 weeks.  Tonight they are staying in a finca in El Retiro.

Teresa asked me how much it cost for a taxi from Mall Laureles to Envigado and I replied about 19mil.  She asked me if I would pay the same if the bus dropped us off at our apt so we wouldn’t have to take a taxi.  Sure!

I was happy when we left the resort early – at 5:20 – but we weren’t alone.  The bus was full but at least I got the shotgun seat so I wasn’t crowded and I had control of a window.

We made a stop at the restaurant on the way back but Teresa had me run in and buy 6 almojabanas (sp?) to go and we continued on our way.

Instead of taking the Avenida 80 exit the driver continued south on the highway but he passed the Envigado cloverleaf.  We went deep into Itagui and finally everyone else got off.  He dropped us off at out apt and I paid him the 20mil but I reminded Teresa that a taxi would be direct – it wouldn’t be taking detours through Itagui.

The plan for tomorrow is that Teresa is going to an early morning (7am?) workout at the gym with a girlfriend.  Afterwards she will go to Une to report our wifi problem and I will have breakfast at Carbon de Leña before going to the gym.

Laura came back about 9:30 and reported that Une should be coming to the apt tomorrow.  It’s her day off so I hope she’ll hang around the apt until they arrive (and leave).

At one point I understood Laura was doing something on her cell phone using the internet.  I asked Teresa how could she do that and why doesn’t she show me how to do it?  She talked to Laura and showed me (not that I’ll remember the details) how to piggyback off Teresa’s monthly data that is included with her cellphone plan.

Today’s Step Count was only 2,789 on account of I spent most of the day sitting on my butt.

Joke of the day

Andy Rooney on Prisoners:
Did you know that it costs forty thousand dollars a year to house each prisoner?  For forty thousand bucks apiece I'll take a few prisoners into my house. I live in Los Angeles. I already have bars on the windows. I don't think we should give free room and board to criminals. I think they should have to run twelve hours a day on a treadmill and generate electricity. And, if they don't want to run, they can rest in the chair that's hooked up to the generator.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Despite getting up twice during the night I slept well finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

At 10:30 I got my old tech bag out of my old suitcase that I keep in the closet.  I removed the security cable and other attachments to my laptop and stuck it in my bag.  If it was even a millimeter longer it wouldn’t have fit.  My new fan is thinner than the previous and it fit inside also.  But there was no room for the power, cable, mouse, and mouse pad, let alone the headphones.  (Remember I now have a different laptop than I originally arrived with.)  Obviously I need a bigger bag.  I gave up on that idea and went to plan B.

Teresa handed me some bills wrapped in plastic and I understood that Laura forgot to give some money to John Joseph so I’m to carry them with me and Laura will meet me somewhere and come and pick them up.

I walked downtown and found a bus waiting for me but it was another 5-10 minutes before it left the bus stop.  I got off at Parque Poblado and walked across the street to Envios Market where I picked up my September Reader’s Digest.  They also had a package for me which I’m sure are more vitamins I ordered but I didn’t want to carry them everywhere with me today so I asked them to hold them for me.

I walked up to Parque Lleras and was pleasantly surprised to find Patrick’s Irish Sports Pub open.  As soon as I walked inside I ran into Patrick.  I asked him to turn on the Bears game on his Slingbox which he did.

As soon as I got an internet connection I found out the Bears were not going to play most of their starters.  Groan!  (This being the 3^rd preseason game it’s usually a dry run for the regular season.  I think Nagy, the new head coach doesn’t want to reveal his hand (new offense) before the season opener against the Packers in Lambough (sp?) field.)

Anyway, the Bears 2^nd team offense and defense more than held its own against what I guess/hope was the Chiefs 1^st team.

For lunch I had Irish meatloaf which came with mashed potatoes, and cooked broccoli and carrots.  Just as soon as I finished Laura arrived and she had a sandwich.  (I wasn’t planning on having lunch with her but luckily I had brought enough cash.)  I gave Laura the cash for John and she went back to work.  (I now understand that what she does is she goes around to various hostels and picks up visitors that have signed up for some tourist activity and she walks them down or over to Los Patios Hostel.)

The Bears played well and ended up winning 27-20.  The next and last preseason game is Thursday night at 7pm; I’d better have internet working by then.

I walked down to Avenida Poblado.  Normally I would take a bus from there but since I’m more conscious of how many steps I take every day I walked up to Oviedo mall.  Inside I went downstairs to Carulla and bought a can of the PAM cooking spray that I couldn’t find in Exito.

I walked across the street to McDonalds where I found an “island” set up for people to plug in their laptops.  It is set a little higher than a normal table but it has stool type seating.  (With no chair backs it probably isn’t very comfortable for long periods of time.  There was no one using it today though.)

In their separate room which is usually freezing I noticed a young man speaking English to an older man who had his back to me.  The older man was obviously Jewish as he was wearing a yalmuke (sp?).  I chatted with them a bit and learned that the younger man is Colombian and he is giving English lessons to the older man.

I ordered a Cappuccino Frappe and went to their outside patio.

In the corner of a patio I saw a young couple with their approximately 3 year old son.  The young man that looked like a gringo spoke only English to the boy and the young woman only Spanish.

My battery was almost drained so I didn’t stay very long.  (In the future I might want to bring my charger with me.)

Outside I walked across the street to Oviedo and immediately caught a Sabaneta bus.

When I got off in Envigado I made a trip to the ATM for my last cash for the month.  I stopped at the corner store and picked up 2 bags of milk.

Back at the apt my cell phone vibrated that it had a wifi connection but there is still no internet.

Teresa still wants to go for pizza tonight so the plan is to leave the apt at 7:30.

The plan for tomorrow is to spend the day at Santafe de Antioquia.

Laura returned at 7:15 and we all walked down the hill at 7:30, immediately caught a taxi and picked up MT at the next corner.  Pizza Antica was full and we got on a short waiting list.  After about 10 minutes a spot opened up and we were inside.  A slice of pizza and a drink for each of us came to a total of 60,000 pesos which is 15,000 apiece or $5.  Incredible!

We were back at the apt by 8:45.

Today’s Step Count was 8,687.

Joke of the day

Andy Rooney on Vegetarians.
Vegetarian - that's an old Indian word meaning "lousy hunter".

Friday, August 24, 2018

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, fell asleep quickly but woke up at 4:15.  Figuring I wasn’t going to get back to sleep I got up at 5:15.

It was still raining lightly when I got up.

I finally got my appetite back.

Teresa woke/got up at 6:30.

We were out of milk so Teresa sent me to the corner store at 6:45 in a light mist.  They were closed.  I returned just after 7am and they were open.

I had my usual pre workout brekfast of scrambled eggs and a muffin with strawberry preserves.

I took a little nap from 8 to 8:45.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and then left for the gym.  On my way I noticed Une workers down the street, a couple blocks away, working on the wires.  At the gym I completed all my exercises in 2 hours; another good day with no problem with my hamstrings.  (It was nice to at least have an internet connection while at the gym.)  I figure if we don’t have wifi back by tomorrow either I’ll make a trip to Patricks Irish Sports Pub or take my laptop to some public wifi spot like McDonalds or Starbucks.  On the way back to the apartment I noticed Une workers were now working across the street from the apt so I have hope.

Teresa has back-to-back massage appointments at Stella Duran from 3-5pm so I’ll probably go with her and hang out at the hostel.

Teresa asked me to call for an Uber car forgetting that we don’t have wifi.

We left the apt at 2:30 and after walking a block north we caught a taxi to Stella Duran for 11mil.

While she went in for her massages I went to the nearby hostel called Casa Blanca.  They had wifi but their internet connection was so weak they might as well not had it.  Luckily I brought my paperback with me so I read that for most of 2 hours.

Teresa came out just before 5pm and we quickly caught a taxi back to the apt for 10mil.

I noticed a banner across the street advertising a number of races (2k, 4k) including a marathon on September 16^th.

Hopefully they would have the wifi fixed when we got back but unfortunately not!

At 6:50 Teresa asks me if I want to go for pizza.  Sure!  But we are going to wait until 8pm so her mother can join us.

And at 7:45 Teresa decides we’ll order from La Casita Parilla instead and go for pizza another day.

Because we have no wifi I’ve been flying through my paperback book.  I’ve decided when I’m shopping for paperback in the bookstore to concentrate on those that are identified as being #1 New York Times Bestseller.

Today’s Step Count was 7,832.

Joke of the day

Do you remember Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes?

Andy Rooney on answering machines.
Did you ever hear one of these corny positive messages on someone's answering machine? “Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. The thought for the day is: ‘Share the love.’ BEEP”
"Uh, yeah...this is the VD clinic calling....Speaking of being positive, your test results are back. Stop sharing the love."

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Last night I went to bed at 11pm, fell asleep quickly and only got up once about 5:30.  I fell back asleep and woke/got up at 8am.

Still no wifi.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and then Teresa and I both took a nap of a little over an hour.

I got up just before 11am feeling much better.  My eyes still feel a little tired though.

Teresa spent some time on the phone trying to get through to Une – probably the same result as in the US – “all our operators are busy with other callers; your call is important to us; calls are answered in the order they are taken” yada, yada, yada.  Finally she gave up and I think she called Laura and asked her to check with the Une office in Poblado.

I just realized that if we don’t have wifi I won’t be able to see my football game at noon on Saturday from my laptop.  Yikes!  That means I’ll have to make a trip to Patrick’s Irish Sports Pub and hopefully they will be able to put the game on there.

I had no appetite all day but I did eat a little.

I spent most of the day analyzing my games from the chess tournament.

We got a light rain just before 11pm.

Today’s Step Count was 5,211.  Even though I never left the apt I spent a lot of time walking between my computer and the dining room table (due to lack of space on my chess table).

Joke of the day

Two guys, one old, one young, are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they collide. The old guy says to the young guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The young guy says, "That's OK, it's quite a coincidence, but I'm looking for my wife, too.... I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate."

The old guy says, "Well, maybe I can help you find her....what does she look like?"

The young guy says, "Well, she is 27 years old, tall, blonde, blue eyes, is buxom...wearing no bra, long legs, and is wearing short shorts. What does your wife look like?”

To which the old guy replies, "Doesn't matter….Let's look for yours!”

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Last night I fell asleep quickly but woke up and it was obviously nowhere near dawn.  At one point I heard a car alarm go off and it didn’t stop for a couple minutes.  I finally looked at my watch and it said 1:15.  Sigh!

I would feel warm and take off the sheet and soon feel cold and put it back on.  Most of the night went like that and it was a long night.

Of course I skipped going to the gym today and didn’t even get to see the Today show.

I spent most of the day in and out of bed but only falling asleep twice for about an hour each.

Finally I got up at 4pm feeling much better.

I finished the first cycle of The Woodpecker Method.  That entailed solving, or attempting to solve, 222 chess puzzles classified as easy.  I worked on 20 puzzles a day for the last 11 days with a correct solution rate of about 75%.

I finished reading my Nook book Invisble by James Patterson.

I went to bed at 11pm and right away figured out the cause of my alternating warm/cool experience from the night before.  My bed sheet was doubled!  I undoubled it and quickly fell asleep.

Today’s Step Count was 916.  A new low, not surprising since all I did is hang around the apt all day.

Joke of the day

An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation.   As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son.
"Yes, Dad, what is it?"
"Don't be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife...

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Typical night, I woke up at 5:30 and got up at 7am.

When Laura got up about 7:30 I kiddingly asked her if she got a message from Trevor asking how she is this morning.  She pretended to give me a spanking but instead of saying “spank spank” they say “pow pow”.

I left the apt at 9:30, walked over to the bookstore where I exchanged paperbacks for 2mil, and then stopped at the bakery for a coffee.  I stopped at the health food store where I bought a container of Bi-Pro for 89mil.  It came with a free plastic drinking cup that contains 2 storage areas (like for protein powder) and and also serves as a shaker.  I stopped at the corner store where I bought 3 bags of milk and was back at the apt by 10:30.

Teresa had already left for 2 classes at the gym.

I received an email from Envios Market that I have a document waiting for pickup.  I’ll probably wait until Saturday.

As soon as Teresa returned she commandeered the drinking cup which was fine with me.

Teresa left the apt at 1:30.  She’s taking her mother to a clinic in Mayorca so I’m going to see Bad Samaritan in Unicentro beginning at 3:20.

I left the apt about 2pm, walked down to the metro and just missed a train.  It only took about 5 minutes for the next one to arrive.

After we left the Aguacatala station the car was cattle car full.  At 2:30 in the afternoon?  I was going to get off at the Exposiciones Station but I was afraid I might miss it so with some shoving I managed to get off a station earlier at Industriales.  I walked to the other side of the highway and got in one of the waiting taxis.

If I remember correctly the ride to Unicentro mall was about 7mil.

Thirty minutes before showtime I had my ticket (4,750 pesos) and was sitting in the theater lobby.  (I now have 30 total ticket purchases this year on my Cine Colombia card.)   I read some from my Nook until 10 minutes before showtime.  I bought a small popcorn and medium soda and entered the theater.  There were only 2 other people there – a couple just on the other side of the aisle from me.  They talked throughout the coming attractions and commercials and I had to shush them soon after the main attraction started.

I thought the movie – Bad Samaritan (6.3) – was very good, in fact Teresa might enjoy it.

Outside the mall I quickly caught a taxi back to the apt, although traffic was heavy as the driver chose to return via Avenida Poblado.

I was back by 5:30 but Teresa didn’t return for another 90 minutes.

Sometime in the evening we realized that we had lost our wifi.

I wasn’t feeling well, feeling bloated and a case of what I call the “blahs” most likely because I ate 2 (though small) tubs of salted popcorn with sodas on 2 consecutive days.  Not a good idea!

So, I have 2 choices: 1) drink lots of water until I throw up and soon I’ll feel better; I chose 2) do nothing and feel bad for a couple days.

Teresa was very tired and decided to go to bed early at 10:30.  I agreed which means I would need to start my melatonin an hour earlier but at 9:30 I was hugging the toilet and throwing up slightly.  I certainly needed more.  I went to bed at 10:15 feeling a little cold. 

Today’s Step Count was 6,739.

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!"

NO INTERNET

Dear Readers,

I have been without internet in the apt for almost 3 weeks now.

My apologies for not posting about this problem sooner.

It took a week just to report the problem.  I could stop by an office and report the problem but i am sure I would not understand their answer.  Teresa called several times but you know...All our representatives are busy with other customers with the endless music.  Laura works full time every day but Monday and finally she contacted them.  Some Une guy came out and checked things in the apt and declared the problem was outside.  I have seen numerous times men working on the lines outside but who knows if it has anything to do with our problem.

Almost every day Laura calls Une and they say manana.

I think i have convinced Teresa that if the probem is not fixed by monday we will cancel our account with them and open one with Claro.


TO BE CONTINUED...