Saturday, December 4, 2021

Recovery Day #162!

Today is my daughter’s birthday. Happy Birthday Jeannie!

Last night I went to bed at 11pm and fell asleep quickly, made a trip to the bathroom at 5am. I was awakened at 6:30 by Teresa talking to Laura. I understood Laura has cancelled the trip to Guatape, something about “It’s too cold in the morning”. I woke up at 8:15, did my Kegel exercises and got up.

I left the apt at 11am and walked to the mall where I made an ATM withdrawal then bought a few things in Exito before returning to the apt by taxi.

The plan now is to take a trip to Parque Arvi.

Teresa and I left the apt at 1pm. We waited 10 minutes for a metro bus but when it arrived it was cattle car packed. Instead, we walked down the hill and quickly caught a taxi to the metro. Our metro car was full but by a couple stops later it was cattle car full. It seemed Lenny & Laura were 5-10 minutes ahead of us and they were waiting for us when we arrived at Caribe station. It was a short wait for a cable car and then it was a 40-minute trip (with one transfer) to the park.

This is a view of Medellin from our cable car:

The ladies had a snack then we hired a private car for 10mil to take us to the Piedras Blancas Hotel where we easily got a shaded spot on their patio. Teresa ordered trout, Laura filet mignon, Lenny pepper steak and I the baby beef. 

This is a single page from their menu:

All the steaks arrived cold and were sent back and mine went from medium well to well done. Still tasty but a little chewy. Service left something to be desired, for example it took an hour to get our food and we had to ask them to bring us napkins. The total check came to 140mil including tip.

We paid and took the free bus back to the park entrance. The ladies had another little snack then we took the cable car back to Caribe station. They got off the metro at Poblado and we continued on to Ayurá station. We couldn’t find a taxi, Teresa suggested we walk but I didn’t want to do that in the dark so we took the Pavezgo bus and walked the last block back to our apt.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 94,643 ð 104,264 ð 108,462 new cases and 1,021 ð 1,121 ð 1,179 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,262 ð 2,299 ð 2,609 new cases with 57 ð 42 ð 48 new deaths. Medellin has 320 ð 259 ð 422 new cases from December 3^rd to 4^th. Envigado has 12 ð 20 ð 9 new cases from December 3^rd to 4^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

Dibs.

Friday, December 3, 2021

Recovery Day #161!

Today is the 3^rd and final day of Dia sin IVA.

Last night I went to bed at 10:45pm and fell asleep quickly, made a trip to the bathroom at 5:45am, did my Kegel exercises and got up at 6am. Today my arm is no longer sore.

We are losing our water again today supposedly from 9 to 1pm. It finally went out at 10am. That kind of changes our plans. Now I understand we will all meet up at SantaFe mall where the ladies will shop and I will take Lenny to see Pueblito Paisa.

I ordered my new USAA debit card on November 11, I received an activation notice (meaning it’s been delivered) on November 23. I texted Nobraskja if they have anything for me and she said I have envelopes in FL that will be delivered next week.

Teresa and I left the apt at 10:45 and took a Didi car to Santafe mall. When L & L arrived, Lenny and I took a Didi car to Pueblito Paisa. We walked around a bit and Lenny bought some gifts for family and friends. We had a nice relaxing lunch in their restaurant. We went up on the deck to check out the 270-degree view of Medellin. We walked through their art museum then Lenny bought some gifts in their gift shop. Outside we quickly caught a taxi as it was arriving. The driver took us some back way to El Tesoro mall.

While we waited outside Zara for the ladies, I went to Natto Bowls and bought 2 cold bottles of water. When they arrived, Teresa exchanged something then the ladies had lunch in Natto Bowls. When it was time to leave, I went to the taxi turn machine and picked up number 110. I checked and they were now serving 999 so there were 110 numbers ahead of us. Lenny requested an Uber while Laura requested a Didi. Lenny’s came first and we all took an Uber to their hotel, El Cielo.

Nice hotel. While Laura “changed” Teresa and I waited in their 4^th floor lobby. Teresa had a glass of wine while I stewed because Laura didn’t return for an hour and a half. We took another Uber to Mu arriving at 8pm. There were plenty of available tables and Lenny enjoyed his first taste of Mu ribs & fries. The check came to exactly 150mil. They were going to check out Parque Lleras a bit before returning to their hotel so they called us an uber and we returned to the apt by 10pm.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 86,565 ð 94,643 ð 104,264 new cases and 947 ð 1,021 ð 1,121 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,173 ð 2,262 ð 2,299 new cases with 58 ð 57 ð 42 new deaths. Medellin has 286 ð 320 ð 259 new cases from December 2^nd to 3^rd. Envigado has 19 ð 12 ð 20 new cases from December 2^nd to 3^rd.

 

T-shirt of the day

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Blah blah blah. Time for a snooze.

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Recovery Day #160!

Last night I went to bed at 10:45pm and fell asleep quickly, made a trip to the bathroom at 5:45am, did my Kegel exercises and got up at 6am. Today arm is only sore when I touch the site of the injection.

At 8:30 Lenny and I walked to Los Porteños where we had croissant sandwiches and coffee for breakfast. Glenn joined us about an hour later. He explained he may not meet us for breakfast Sunday because he may be in the hospital with a urinary problem.

I called for a Didi car to pick up Lenny & me at the apt and take us to Museo de Antioquia. I got a senior discount for 9mil and Lenny paid the full fare of 18mil. We started at the top (3^rd) floor and worked our way down,  both enjoying the exhibits. We walked to Parque Berrio where we took the metro to the Industriales Station. We walked the last 2-3 blocks to Mercado de Rio where we finally agreed on burgers from Juicy Lucy’s.

Superman statue outside Mercado de Rio:

Outside we caught a taxi to Parque Sabaneta. The taxi driver had the A/C on which was nice at first but eventually I got chilled. There were several detours in Sabaneta until we found the park.

My daughter texted me she was feeling much better today.

We went into the church so he could take some photos for his mom. Outside I bought a vanilla with raisins ice cream cone and he had a beer (or two or three) while we sat at one of the little outside tables.

Lenny enjoying a beer in the park.

A muchacho came along selling garbage bags. I asked him to wait until I could check if Teresa wanted them. While waiting for her reply I invited him to sit and bought him a Coke. After a bit I told him to return in 20 minutes and see if I had an answer. Finally, she replied to buy a bag of large bags which I did for 1,500 pesos when he returned. My cellphone battery soon died.

I decided to show Envigado park to Lenny so we walked two blocks away and quickly caught a Sabaneta bus. There weren’t a lot of available seats so we grabbed the only two together in the front row. On the way Laura texted us they were on their way to Percimon in La Buena Mesa so we changed our plans and stayed on the bus until we were 2 blocks away then got off and walked to the yogurt stand. We actually got there first so I made a quick trip to Parva to use their restroom. When I returned the ladies were sitting at a table inside eating yogurt. When they finished we walked back to the apt.

Everyone else took a nap then we walked to Chiclayo for supper. I was standing at the entrance and the only table I saw available was outside on their patio, which also happened to be right in front of me. I waited not ten seconds for a waitress to seat us when a man walked past me and sat at the table. I guess it was my bad not to take it right away. At least it was only a 5-minute wait for another one. They all ordered seafood and I ordered a chicken rice dish I’ve ordered before, pollo salado. We split the check in cash and Teresa and I returned to the apt while they went to catch a taxi to Parque Envigado to see the Christmas lights. It was 10pm by the time we returned to the apt so all we had time for was to prepare for bed.

Teresa and I both feel tight calves from walking down the stairs in Communa 13 yesterday.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 83,120  ð 86,565 ð 94,643 new cases and 893 ð 947 ð 1,021 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,296 ð 2,173 ð 2,262 new cases with 55 ð 58 ð 57 new deaths. Medellin has 493 ð 286 ð 320 new cases from December 1^st to 2^nd. Envigado has 10 ð 19 ð 12 new cases from December 1^st to 2^nd.

 

T-shirt of the day

Enjoy life now. This is not a rehearsal.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Recovery Day #159!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm and fell asleep quickly, got up once at 5am, did my Kegel exercises, finally waking/ getting up at 7:15am. My arm is only slightly sore, I think I’ll be able to sleep on it tonight.

I left the apt at 8:30 and took a Didi to Immigration. The driver’s name was Anderson and he lives nearby in Belen. I offered him the opportunity to wait a few minutes so he could take me back to Envigado after I pickup my new cedula but he was meeting a friend in a few minutes. The whole process of entering, waiting, receiving, signing for the new cedula took about 10 minutes. Outside, a taxi had just stopped to buy a snack from a vendor so I caught him before he left. He took me through Itagui, past Mayorista, and we took the new bridge to Avenida Las Vegas next to California Buffet.

I stopped in our neighborhood Exito and bought a jar of decaf coffee before returning to the apt.

Lenny and I left about 9:30 and walked to the mall. On the way I introduced him to Herman at his orange juice stand. Lenny exchanged some dollars $3000 for pesos. (I told him next time he should just use an ATM.) We then had coffee in Santa Leña. Being Italian, he likes expressos. We called the gals and found we will be skipping lunch but leaving for Los Patios Hostel at 1:15 so we each had another coffee with an almond croissant. We returned to the apt by taxi.

We left the apt by Didi at 1:30 and still arrived in time at Los Patios hostel. We were driven to Communa 13 where we met our tour guide, an inhabitant, Moses David. He took us up the hill explaining it’s history on the way. With my slight hearing loss + my tinnitus + his accent + the background noise, I had a difficult time hearing everything so I bought an English version of the book that explains it’s history. We had a rainstorm at one point but luckily it only lasted for 5-10 minutes. We visited a couple “art museums”, saw some break dancing, and took the outdoor escalators. 

Teresa was hungry so he took us to a family restaurant where they had fish but I, who wasn’t hungry, had a basket of patacones with a coconut lemonade. (Every time someone who paid their left a tip they beat a nearby drum.) We left just before dark and we walked straight down these back stairs, past his apt, and he connected us with our return trip driver who was a master of using Waze to navigate side streets and avoid congested traffic. At the hostel Teresa asked about Hija Mia and I believe they will be joining Glenn and I next Sunday. We walked down to Calle 10A (it’s actually Calle 11) where we quickly caught a taxi back to Envigado. Traffic was backed up before we even got to EAFIT university. I was kind of hanging out the window when at one point a woman in the car next to us said, “gracias” and I reflexively said, “mucho gusto” only realizing seconds later that she was being sarcastic because we didn’t let her enter our lane. Everyone, especially our driver, had a good laugh over that one. We finally returned to the apt by 7:45.

The 3 “lost” chess games I was concerned with, I have one loss against Chiefs523, one draw, and in the 3^rd game I’m down 2 pawns but I think I might be able to hold the position for another draw. I’m also deep in the middlegame of the next game against Chiefs523 and he made novel moves on his 17^th & 18^th moves but I think I found good replies.

Laura and Lenny left at 8:30 to check-in to their hotel.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 80,684 ð 83,120  ð 86,565new cases and 884 ð 893 ð 947 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 1,975 ð 2,296 ð 2,173 new cases with 36 ð 55 ð 58 new deaths. Medellin has 329 ð 493 ð 286 new cases from November 30^th to December 1^st. Envigado has 18 ð 10 ð 19 new cases from November 30^th to December 1^st.

 

T-shirt of the day

One for the history books.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Recovery Day #158!

Today Laura and Lenny arrive.

Last night I went to bed at 10pm and didn’t get to sleep until after midnight. I got up once at 2am and again at 5am. I did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 6am. My arm is still sore meaning I can only sleep on my right side (and my back). I’m tired but I guess I can sleep on the way to the airport.

The streets are wet so obviously we had some rain overnight.

I’ve decided I need to pay the first of the month bills today.

I left the apt at 8am and walked to the mall. I noticed that Av Villas bank doesn’t open until 9am. I went to make an ATM withdrawal and it told me the maximum was 800mil. I tried the next ATM and it told me the same. I withdrew the 800mil since I had 200mil on me. (The 3^rd ATM was out of order.) I went to one of Bancolombia’s consignacion machines and made a number of first of the month payments. I waited until 9am then withdrew 2,000,000 pesos from a Servibanca ATM (with their additional 16mil fee). I paid for the apt then went downstairs and had a café con leche in Todo Fresa. Teresa called and asked me to buy her a black facemask. (Because she’s wearing a black outfit she wants a facemask to match. I thought that was a little unreasonable.) I asked the security guard outside Exito and was told to go to the beauty shop on the other side of the plaza. I did and they had facemasks but not in black. In Exito where they have travel items I asked about facemasks but they only had the blue surgical masks. I picked up 3 bags of milk and the onion Teresa requested and returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa’s driver picked us up (MT was waiting in the porteria) and took us to the airport for 100mil by 1pm. We all had lunch at J&C Delicias. I googled their flight number and it was delayed from 2:15 to 2:49. I think they landed at 3pm. It took about an hour for them to come out because they couldn’t find one of their suitcases.

MT walking to greet Laura:

Teresa had a van pick us up and take us, in heavy traffic, to our apt for 170mil. They put their 5 suitcases in one of the bedrooms and we walked to La Buena Mesa. It was only 5:30 and Chiclayo didn’t open until 6pm so we went to steakhouse El Trifásico which was pretty good.

We put MT in a taxi and we walked back to the apt. Laura had lots of gifts for us: 4 large boxes of chocolates, 4 Boston-style t-shirts, 3 bags of salted-in-the-shell peanuts and perfumes.

Laura called someone about a Comuna 13 walking tour. It costs 70mil and we meet at Los Patios hotel/hostel at 2pm. First, I have to go to immigration to pick up my new cedula.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 83,365 ð 80,684 ð 83,120 new cases and 961 ð 884 ð 893 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,196 ð 1,975 ð 2,296 new cases with 43 ð 36 ð 55 new deaths. Medellin has NOT REPORTED ð 329 ð 493 new cases from November 29^th to 30^th. Envigado has NOT REPORTED  ð 18 ð 10 new cases from November 29^th to 30^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

University of California. Berkeley.

Monday, November 29, 2021

Recovery Day #157!

Today is Cyber Monday.

Last night I went to bed at 11pm and didn’t get up until 5am. I did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 6am.

Today I put on one of the moderate absorption ADs to see how that would work. I could always change in the afternoon if necessary.

I left the apt just after 9am and walked to Deborah Arango Biblioteca (library) arriving 20 minutes later. I went up to the 2^nd floor where I saw a short line leading inside. I inquired if this was for vaccinations and was told to go to the other side. I did and saw a very long line. I went to the head of the line and asked the guy in charge if this is where I get my 3^rd vaccination. Surprisingly, he invited me inside. Why didn’t I have to wait in line with the others? Because I’m old? Because I’m a foreigner? Because I asked for the booster shot? Inside there were 6 rows of 8 chairs each. A man asked for my vaccination card and he copied some info from it to another form then asked me to take a seat. 

A young lady was calling out names and having them line up in front of 3 operators with laptops. I realized too late I could probably have calculated what my wait time would be as I guess everyone seated would be called before me and I could see how many were called in each wave. For Teresa I inquired what time they open in the morning and was told 8:30. Anyway, it was about an hour wait. It was fun to see the young lady stumble over the pronunciation of my name. When it was my turn I gave the spelling of my name and my cellphone number. I then moved to the next station where I finally got my shot and was allowed to leave 5-10 minutes later. The entire process (without having to wait in the long line) took 90 minutes.

As I left the library Teresa called asking where I was. She was just leaving the apt and we agreed to meet in Viva Envigado. I was waiting for her in Todo Fresa to see what she wanted to do first. We went upstairs to a specialty store that I told her they had here, not just in El Tesoro. She didn’t like what she found so on to plan B. She bought some kind of skin cream in one of the stores. I noticed a water fountain in the wing towards the metro. I knew there is one by the main entrance but this must be new.

I made a withdrawal from a Davivienda ATM. They now have filled the previous empty space with a 3^rd machine.

We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles. She had a salad and I had a turkey pita sandwich. She checked a number of other stores and finally bought some other type o skin cream.

She left to get her nails done in Parque Envigado and I went to Todo Fresa for coffee.

There was a problem with our van scheduled for tomorrow. As I understand the driver requested copies of our cedulas and Teresa didn’t want to comply. After much back and forth, I ended up cancelling the van and putting it all on Teresa for tomorrow. I think she’s going to use 2 taxis from the airport.

I returned to the apt at 4pm and water was still out.

My arm is sore from the Moderna shot.

It was still out at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, finally came back on at 7:20pm.

 

I really didn’t have any problem with the moderate absorption AD so I think I can stop buying the ultra-absorption ones.

I just remembered I have to pick up my new cedula on Wednesday.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 85,432 ð 83,365 ð 80,684 new cases and 955 ð 961 ð 884 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,620 ð 2,196 ð 1,975 new cases with 51 ð 43 ð 36 new deaths. Medellin has NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED ð 329 new cases from November 28^th to 29^th. Envigado has NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED  ð 18 new cases from November 28^th to 29^th.

 

T-shirt of the day

I don’t need fashion. Fashion needs me.

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Recovery Day #156!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3am, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 3:30, did some work on the computer, went back to bed at 4:15, took a while to fall back asleep, woke up at 6:30, made another trip to the bathroom, did my Kegel exercises, finally getting up at 7am.

I found a mate in 5 against 1335 rated zaginyaki252 from the Philippines raising my rating 1 point to 1615.

I have the Black pieces in my other 3 games, 2 with higher rated opponents, and I may be losing them all. I’ll hang on and see if I can get a draw or two out of them.

I finally figured out how to set my notebook news feed to English.

Translated from a Metropolitan Area newsletter I receive by email:

The Metropolitan Area of Valle de Aburrá and the Metro de Medellín joined by means of an inter-administrative agreement to provide free internet service in nine stations of the mass transportation system, which would become a reality before the end of the first half of 2022. Through the inter-administrative agreement, which will allow the free use of Wi-Fi in some stations of the Medellín Metro, both entities will invest about $ 2.7 billion.

Squirrels here are red, unlike the brown and gray squirrels in the US. This one was at face height in some bushes had by the time I got my cellphone out and ready for a photo it had moved away a little and was on the ground.

Glenn, with Bianca, and I had our usual breakfast at Hija Mia in the Manila Barrio of Poblado. I gave an English-speaking waitress my last crisp new $2 bill, compliments of my brother, to put in their tip jar for good luck. I told him about my side trip to Love In Waffle, my meetings with John and Peter, Bryan and Mike, and that the new California Buffet is now open. He’s not interested in it so I’ll go there sometime on my own and check it out. Since Teresa will spend the day in El Tesoro we made plans to meet for lunch.

I stopped across the street and took some photos of Danny’s (of Na Pizza) new ice cream parlor, Sugar Mamas.

We took a taxi back to Envigado and they got out at Jumbo and I went on to Viva Envigado where I bought a tube of Colgate travel toothpaste and a 6-back of small Cokes before returning to the apt by taxi.

I left again at 1:45 and Glenn and I took a taxi to Parque Poblado. We walked the last block to Philly Steaks where we each had a burger and fries. Bryan and Mike were there and I gave them my business card with my phone number and email address. They had NFL games on large screen TVs inside and outside the restaurant. I was helping Glenn with Google Maps to find a store selling Azian ingredients in Envigado when I noticed a Pizza Americana at Carrera 38 #38A Sur-20. Before this the closest location I was aware of was in Itagui. Now this is almost walking distance from Parque Envigado. I see it opens at noon on Saturdays and Sundays.

Back at Avenida Poblado we quickly caught a taxi back to Envigado. They got out just before Sao Paulo plaza and I had to endure the congestion through the construction area. Because there weren’t any traffic police cars would get caught in the intersection so when the light changed the other direction could get through.

Teresa informed me we won’t have running water tomorrow from 9am to 3pm.

Wow, that’s something like 2 days without rain.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 87,195 ð 85,432 ð 83,365 new cases and 1,013 ð 955 ð 961 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 2,660  ð 2,620 ð 2,196 new cases with 53 ð 51 ð 43 new deaths. Medellin has 332 ð NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED  new cases from November 27^th to 28^th. Envigado has 22 ð NOT REPORTED ð NOT REPORTED new cases from November 27^th to 28^th. It appears they are only reporting on cases for the entire Aburá valley.

 

T-shirt of the day

No pants club.