Saturday, June 5, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, was awakened at 3:45 with a cramp in my right calf (how rude!), finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Today I continued taking my eye drops – this is Day #2.

Teresa left at 9:45 for a couple of gym classes then she has an eyebrow appointment at 12:30 in Sabaneta so we’re going to meet at the Sabaneta Exito around 1:30 and go to lunch from there.

I had coffee for about an hour at Parva before returning to the apt.

I had just returned when there was a knock on the door. (What, Teresa has returned so fast?) I looked through the eyehole and saw a man not wearing a security guard uniform but holding a Makita drill case. I opened the door, he took one look at me, then the apt number, said “pardon” and left.

Teresa called at 12:45 to inform me her appointment was running late and I shouldn’t wait for her but have lunch on my own.

On my way to the mall I learned from Herman that his Costa Rican friend, who may be interested in buying a finca, will be returning tomorrow.

Cine Colombia had its gates up with lights on so hopefully they are getting ready to open on the 15^th.

I had a BBQ pork sandwich with a medium Pepsi at Subway then coffee in Santa Leña before returning to the apt by taxi.

BrianEricMurphy (1359) resigned our game increasing my rating to 1525.

Teresa returned at 5:15.

Teresa wanted Mexican food from Wajaca in the Villa Grande strip mall but she decided she was too tired to go out so I placed a Rappi order. She ordered seafood with rice and I ordered a chicken burrito. We discussed sharing a chicken burrito but it wasn’t clear if the order only included one burrito. (Soon we’ll know.) The order took 50 minutes to be delivered but we both enjoyed our orders. The burrito turned out to be one burrito but it was huge. I would have been satisfied with just half of it but I ate the whole thing.

 

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 15,037 ð 14,272 ð 14,123 new cases and 428 ð 414 ð 418 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday Colombia has a total of 3,488,046 ð 3,518,046 ð 3,547,017 cases with 90,353 ð 90,890 ð 91,422 deaths.  Medellin has 308,761 ð 310,257 ð 311,90i4 cases, an increase of 1,647 from June 4^th to 5^th. Envigado has a total of 24,926 cases, an increase of 69 from June 4^th to 5^th.

 

Joke of the day

A guy goes to the tattoo parlor and offers the tattoo artist $1,000 to put a $100 bill on his penis.

The artist agrees, but she is curious and asks the man why he wants to do this.

The man replies, “I have my reasons which I would rather not reveal right now.”

So, the artist goes ahead and does the job. But all the while she is full of curiosity over why this man wants a $100 bill on his organ.

So, she tells the man that she really needs to know the reason why and says that the man can keep the $1000 he would have paid for the tattoo if he would just her tell the reason for putting a $100 bill on his organ.

So, the man consents and offers these three reasons: “First, I like to play with my money. Second, I like to watch my money grow. And third, and most importantly, the next time my wife wants to blow $100, she can stay home to do it.”

Friday, June 4, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 3am, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Today I started taking my eye drops – Day #1.

I left the apt at 8am and walked my usual route. I had my step counter with me today and it’s just over 5,200 steps.

I left the apt again at 10am and walked to the mall. On the way I gave Herman my business card with Teresa’s name and cellphone number on the back. He knows someone from Costa Rica that might be interested in buying the finca. I had some chess notes printed, recycled a plastic bottle then had coffee at Santa Leña. I guess I didn’t understand what the waitress was offering me because she delivered me a spiked latte. I had a few sips of it and left the rest.

In the food court I had chicken breast, baked potatoes, salad, rice and frijoles for lunch - and some fruit drink I’ve had before, don’t remember what it’s called but don’t particularly care for.

Exito finally had the brand of eggs we prefer so I bought a package of 42 and returned to the apt by taxi.

Well, today we reached the mid-80s for a change. It’s been a while since we’ve had a warm day.

Teresa returned at 6pm and told me they won’t be able to finish work at the finca until Tuesday or Wednesday because she forgot Monday will be a holiday (although she didn’t remember which one).

Today my total step count was 9,282.

I think we broke some record or something because we went 24 hours without any rain.

 

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 16,270 ð 15,037 ð 14,272 new cases and 396 ð428 ð 414 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday Colombia has a total of 3,459,422 ð 3,488,046 ð 3,518,046 cases with 89,808 ð 90,353 ð 90,890 deaths.  Medellin has  307,106 ð 308,761 ð 310,257  cases, an increase of 1,493 from June 3^rd to 4^th. Envigado has a total of 24,857 cases, an increase of 88 from June 3^rd to 4^th.

Btw, “Peru said that Covid-19 has killed more than 180,000 of its people, giving it the world’s highest death toll relative to its population. South America is being hit harder than any other continent, with nearly all of its countries having among the highest rates of new infections and deaths.” Peru is where James has been for some months now.

 

Joke of the day

My wife was standing in the kitchen, preparing our usual soft-boiled eggs and toast for breakfast, wearing only the t-shirt that she normally slept in.

As I walked in, almost awake, she turned to me and said aggressively, “You’ve got to make love to me this very moment!”

My eyes lit up and I thought, “I am either still dreaming or this is going to be my lucky day!”

Not wanting to lose the moment, I embraced her and then gave it my all right there on the kitchen table.

Afterwards she said, “Thanks,” and returned to the stove her

t-shirt still around her neck.

Happy, but a little puzzled, I asked, “What was that all about?”

She replied, “The egg timer’s broken."

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4am, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

After breakfast I went back to bed and slept from 8am to 9am.

Just before Teresa left for the finca at 9:30 she told me the doctor’s office called and I understood she is running late.

 I left at 10:15 for my eye appointment. At first my taxi driver headed towards Avenida Poblado but then he looked at his GPS and saw that it was deadlocked so he turned around and headed to Avenida Las Vegas. I still arrived 10 minutes early for my appointment, I announced myself to the receptionist then took a seat in the outer waiting area. I was finally called in about 12:15.

Doctor Montoya checked my vision and announced it was getting better; before it was 20/50 and now it’s 20/30. She said I probably had a “lesion” (I don’t recall the exact word she used) and in time it would heal completely. She gave me a prescription for a couple different eye drops to use in place of my usual HialTears and she told me to return in two weeks.

The receptionist was looking for an appointment in her book in around three weeks so I told her I’m having surgery on the 21^st. She then turned her appointment book to the 21^st and I told her it has to be before that. 😊 She gave me an appointment for 11:20 on June 17^th but didn’t charge me for today.

Thankfully, the doctor didn’t dilate my pupils so I walked the 10-11 blocks to BrooklynRL. There were 3 black men and a lighter colored lady (Jamaican?) at a nearby table. I said “hi” and learned they are from San Diego, Washington D.C., and Texas. The lady didn’t comment so maybe she’s from here. I had a delicious jerk chicken sandwich with waffle fries and an Arnold Palmer for 45mil.

I walked the four blocks up to Avenida Poblado where I was soon on a Sabaneta bus. It almost felt like old times with a nearly full bus and a young lady selling Twix bars for 1,000 pesos each. We went pretty fast going through the Gold Mile but then it was bumper to bumper until we got past the construction before the bridge by the Villa Grande strip mall in Envigado.

I got off past the Primax gas station, bought the eye drops for 103mil in the Pasteur pharmacy then went to Parva for coffee. I left at 4pm and bought two bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

I lost a 60-move game against Troyclough ☹ with Black dropping my rating to 1520.

Teresa returned at 5:30 and informed me we have to go to Santafe mall NOW. It appears she has some leggings she has to return today or she will have to keep them. We left the apt at 6pm and took a taxi to SantaFe mall. They have this huge rubber duckies with soap bubbles in a bathtub setup in their atrium. 😊 She exchanged her leggings for a complete outfit in Sport Line. In Falabella I bought a pair of thin pajamas, and she bought a pair of jeans.

We had supper in J&C Delicias and while there we heard some loud thunder. Of course, the taxi ride back to the apt was in the rain.

 

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 17,119 ð 16,270 ð 15,037 new cases and 356  ð 396 ð428 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday Colombia has a total of 3,432,422 ð 3,459,422 ð 3,488,046 cases with 89,297 ð 89,808 ð 90,353 deaths. (Jeff corrected the number of deaths for June 2^nd after reading my blog.) Medellin has 305,633 ð 307,106 ð 308,761 cases, an increase of 1,562 from June 2^nd to 3^rd. Envigado has a total of 24,770 cases, an increase of 78 from June 2^nd to 3^rd.

 

Joke of the day

A fisherman and his wife have two children. But the issue was they had no idea what to name them. No name sounded about right, but one day they realized that whenever they left them in a room to their own devices, one kid faced the sea and the other faced away. It was always the same kid, and it happened each and every time.

So they decide to name their kids Towards and Away, and as the kids grew up, they always still faced towards and away from the sea when they weren’t doing anything.

Now when they hit thirteen, their dad decides it’s about time they learned the family business, so they packed food and water and went out to sea on their boat.

After about three hours, the fisherman’s wife starts to get worried, as they should’ve been back by now. “They probably just found a good spot, and are reluctant to leave,” she says to herself. But for the NEXT three hours she starts to panic.

Eventually, the boat came back, but it only held the fisherman. He was sobbing, and when he reached her, he told her what happened.

“We got caught in a storm, and as the boat tipped, a huge fish leaped out of the water. Towards was so scared he ended up falling out.” The fisherman’s wife was in tears at hearing the loss of her son. “That must’ve been a huge fish.”

The fisherman nodded. “You should’ve seen the one that got Away!”

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, woke up at 4:45, couldn’t fall back asleep, got up at 5am, went back to bed at 5:45, took a while to fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 8am.

Just before Teresa left for the finca she told me it would be better if I have my surgery on the 21^st because the work on the finca won’t be finished in time for the 10^th. I agreed but asked her to ask the doctor if that won’t be too late. She called the doctor’s office and confirmed my new appointment date of June 21^st.

Teresa left at 9:30.

Last night I had downloaded and installed the USAA app. I called USAA and the rep walked me through depositing my $1400 Economic Impact Payment. Easy, peasy!

I left the apt at 11:30 and walked to La Casita Parilla where I had their chicken breast and a mango juice for 17mil. I had a medical document printed at the copy center and returned to La Buena Mesa where I had coffee at Parva. We experienced a quick shower about 2pm and I returned to the apt at 2:45.

Teresa returned at 5:30. Now she tells me she hopes to wrap up the work on the finca this weekend.

Yesterday I received a “private surgery budget” from Dr. Castano’s office that I printed today and just translated.

 Included in the surgery

·      1 day in a private room.

·      Anesthesia fees.

·      Room rights (presumably the surgery room).

·      “Instrumentacion” (Teresa explained this is like the nurse providing instruments for the doctors).

·      Pre-anesthesia consultation.

·      Materials and medicines necessary for the surgery and one day of hospital stay.

·      Pathology sample.

 

Not included in the surgery

·      Hospital stay in ICU.

·      Additional days in a private room.

·      Diagnostic aids.

·      Laboratory exams.

·      2 or more pathology sample.

·      Assistant fees.

·      Medications for underlying pathologies.

·      Blood bank products.

·      Complications.

·      Reoperations.

It also confirmed their cost of 8,000,000 pesos (appr. $2,200).

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new infections and deaths has the US with 17,189 ð 17,119 ð 16,270 new cases and 392 ð 356  ð 396 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday Colombia has a total of 3,406,456  ð 3,432,422 ð 3,459,422 cases with 88,774 ð 89,297 ð 139,870 deaths. (Not sure about this death number, that seems like an unrealistically high increase.) Medellin has 304,477 ð 305,633 ð 307,106 cases, an increase of 1,555 from June 1^st to 2^nd. Envigado has a total of 24,689 cases, an increase of 62 from June 1^st to 2^nd.

 

Joke of the day

A man boarded an airplane and took his seat. As he settled in, he glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman boarding the plane. He soon realized she was heading straight towards his seat. As fate would have it, she took the seat right beside his. Eager to strike up a conversation, he blurted out, "Business trip or pleasure?"

She turned, smiled, and said, "Business. I'm going to the Annual Nymphomaniacs of America Convention in Boston."

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen sitting next to him, and she was going to a meeting of nymphomaniacs. Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "What's your business role at this convention?"

"Lecturer," she responded. "I use information that I have learned from my personal experiences to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."

"Really?" he said. "And what kind of myths are there?"

"Well," she explained, "one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well-endowed of all men, when in fact it is the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another popular myth is that Frenchmen are the best lovers when actually it is men of Jewish descent who are the best. I have also discovered that the lover with absolutely the best stamina is the Southern Redneck." Suddenly the woman became a little uncomfortable and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't really be discussing all of this with you. I don't even know your name."

"Tonto," the man said, "Tonto Goldstein, but my friends call me Bubba...”.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, woke up briefly several times during the night but quickly fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

Still a light drizzle this morning.

I left the apt just before 8am and met Jose at Habia Una Vez for breakfast. Jose told me that Colombians consider it’s winter when it’s raining and summer when it’s not. 😊

Upstairs I was clearly winning the first game when I blundered a Rook and it was downhill from there. We heard some thunder while playing so I imagine there was some rain involved. I had 2 bowls of frijoles with rice for lunch while Jose had a chocolate ice cream cone. I lost the 2^nd game in 38 moves.

I walked past Cine Colombia and it was closed. ☹ I had a café con leche and an almond croissant at Santa Leña and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa talked to Dr. Castano’s receptionist and we now have more information. The cost will be 8 million pesos for the doctors and 8 million for the hospital/clinic. I am in the process of converting dollars to pesos for the doctors and I should be able to pay for the hospital with my debit card. This Thursday I have to go to Cedimed for blood and urine donations anytime between 6-10am. I also have an 11am appointment with my eye doctor so the timing should work out. Also, my surgery is scheduled for Thursday, June 10^th at 4pm.

We ordered frichuletas from Frisby and it took an hour and fifteen minutes to be delivered. First, I think they came from Viva Envigado and second, I think the muchacho made 2 other deliveries before ours.

On the evening news it was reported that Cine Colombia will now reopen on June 15^th.

 

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new infections and deaths has the US with 20,055 ð 17,189 ð 17,119 new cases and 445  ð 392 356 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this yesterday Colombia has a total of 3,383,279  ð 3,406,456  ð 3,432,422 cases with 88,282  ð 88,774 89,297 deaths. Medellin has 303,710  ð 304,477  ð 305,633 cases, an increase of 1,156 from May 31^st to June 1^st. Envigado has a total of 24,625 cases, an increase of 53 from May 31^st to June 1^st.

 

Joke of the day

A reporter hears of a woman in his town that has the highest welfare payments, and he was curious as to why so he went to her house to interview her.

 

He got to a little house and after she opens, he introduces himself and asks her, "How old are you?"  "27." she said.

 

"And how many children do you have?" "Ten," she replied.

 

"Wow, ok that explains a lot." He said, taken aback.

 

"And what are their names?" he asked. "Well there's Bob, then there's Bob, and Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, and of course Bob."

 

"They're ALL named Bob?" he asked, even more bewildered. 

 

"What if you want them to come in from playing outside?" "Oh, that's easy," she explained, "I just call 'Bob,' and they all come running inside."

 

"And if you want them to come to the table for dinner?" "I just say, 'Bob, come eat your dinner,' and they do." She answered.

 

"But what if you want just ONE of them to do something?" he asked. "Oh, that's easy," she said. "I just use their last name."

Monday, May 31, 2021

Happy Memorial Day!

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 6am fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

The streets are wet so obviously we already had some rain this morning.

Not sure if Teresa is going to the finca today because the wet road might prevent a truck/car from getting up the road.

Teresa left at 8:30. I understand she’s skipping gym and heading directly to the finca.

 I left five minutes later in a light drizzle. I walked to Parque Envigado where I bought my monthly medications at Todo Drogas and a couple more money envelopes at the copy center.

I walked to the mall where I collected my World Remit cash and paid for the apt, my health insurance, Teresa’s gym, and my chess lessons.

I went to Santa Leña where I had a café con leche with a whole wheat croissant.

I left about 11:30 and took a taxi back to the apt.

For lunch I ordered a burger from a new place (for me) called Clap Burger. I was surprised to see they have an Envigado location, not far from Aymara. I don’t recall seeing them before. The burger, fries, and Coke were packed well; they even kept the onion and tomatoes separate so you can put them on yourself.

I finished watching the three seasons of the series The Sinner. Very good!

Teresa returned at 4:30 and informed me that the worker she hired is lazy and she needs to always keep an eye on him, so she’ll need to return to the finca each day until the work is finished.

Yesterday I forgot to wear my step counter but today I remembered, and I clocked 5,467 steps.

It started raining in the evening.

I put batteries in one of the finger pulse oximeters and we each had identical readings – 96 (oxygen saturation) and 67 pulse strength).

It was still raining when we went to bed at 10:30. Teresa opened the bedroom window a little further, so I opened the bathroom window and put a blanket over my sheet. (Homes in Medellin don’t have furnaces and it’s rare for one to have air conditioning. You control the indoor temperature primarily by opening and closing windows and secondarily by changing to warmer or cooler clothing.) I usually sleep with just a sheet but occasionally, on cool rainy nights like this, I add a thin blanket.

 

Johns Hopkins’ 7-day average of new infections and deaths has the US with 21,104 ð 20,055 ð 17,189 new cases and 457 ð 445  ð 392 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 3,363,061 ð 3,383,279  ð 3,406,456 cases with 87,747 ð 88,282  ð 88,774 deaths. Medellin has 302,031 ð 303,710  ð 304,477 cases, an increase of 767 from May 30^th to 31^st. Envigado has a total of 24,572 cases, an increase of 27 from May 30^th to 31^st.

 

Joke of the day

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" And God saw it was good.

 

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" And God, again saw it was good.

 

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?" And God agreed it was good.

 

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God, "You asked for it." So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained to you.