Saturday, May 6, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Teresa informed me she’s going to mass in La Ceja tomorrow with her mother.

Since the weather has changed here for the warmer, I put on the cooling pillowcase my daughter gifted me 4 years ago.

About noon I requested a Didi but after 8 minutes of searching I cancelled and switched to InDrive where I got a ride to El Tesoro for 15mil.

My son texted me that his mother is going to be moved to hospice care. (That’s 6-month end-of-life care. Not a good sign.)

We had lunch on the balcony of J&C Delicias. Teresa had her usual salmon with a side order of broccoli and I had Cesar salad with a mango juice for a total of 97,132 pesos ($21.50).

Teresa had her 1:40 pm appointment with the vein doctor while I waited outside. She checked out clothes in Zara and a couple of other places, still searching for a suitable dress for the wedding.

We each had a latte and shared a slice of carrot cake in the same café I was at last Tuesday, Valentina.

We left at 4:30 and returned to the apt by taxi.

I watched another couple episodes of Boardwalk Empire. Only a couple episodes left. I sometimes google actors to see their background and what other movies or TV series they have been in. One man whose acting I admired was Michael Kenneth Williams but learned he died in New York City in 2021 after taking fentanyl-laced heroin.

 

tRump’s Arrest

Friday, May 5, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, when Teresa came to bed she started breathing heavily so I moved to the other bedroom, got up once during the night, again around dawn, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday.

I left the apt at 8:45 with my gym bag and on my way, I see McDonald’s has created a 2^nd order station.

They often have lines out to the street so this helps solve one problem, now if they can just keep up with demand inside.

At the mall I first looked for a Gente newspaper but no luck. At the gym while I completed my 40-minute workout, I saw 2 men wearing Chicago t-shirts, one for basketball the other for baseball. I asked to take this photo of them and they happily obliged:

When I returned to the locker room, I realized I forgot to bring a towel. ☹

I went down to Urbania in my workout clothes and had a latte with a glass of water; today of all days they didn’t have any ice. Luckily, I still had some in my thermos which I added to my glass.

Today they had a fair in the atrium (and the 1^st floor aisles) with local brands.

I looked again for a newspaper but still no luck. I returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa says she needs a t-shirt for the gym so we’ll go to Mayorca this afternoon.

Teresa is working hard decorating another jacket for someone.

I watched a couple more episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

About 4pm Teresa informed me that Esmeralda and Alejandro are coming over and we’re going for pizza or patacones.

We were waiting for them in the porteria when they arrived by Didi at 7:30. We had pizza in Antica Pizza. Esmeralda is much better after her foot surgery and Alejandro’s school is out on strike for the past 2-3 weeks. We all had pizza plus Alejandro had one of those special teas and I paid the check of 66mil.

As usual we walked down the hill to the bakery to buy a snack for the porteros but they were closing. We went across the street and quickly caught a taxi. They got out at the Metro Sur mall so they would only have to walk 2 blocks to the metro.

In our porteria the portero gave me my shipping box that contained 3 boxes and 3 envelopes. The packages were my 24 oz. bag of peanuts (arriving too late for last weekend’s NFL draft), my new laptop cable lock, and 3 containers of my Calendula flower capsules. The envelopes were a St. Jude donation request, an annual “Group Annuity Certifificate” from MetLife and a Retirement Plan Annual Funding Notice from Zurich. (In the future I can probably have these envelopes thrown away when they arrive in Florida.)

 

tRump’s Arrest

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

At 8:35 I ordered my Didi which dropped me off at Daniel’s barbershop 7 minutes before my 9am appointment. A Colombian man was waiting outside. We had a “difficult” discussion (mostly about the weather) due to my poor Spanish. Daniel arrived at 9:02 with a pit bull mix. I guess he had just walked it. It had something in its mouth which when Daniel forced its jaws open turned out to be a young dove. I figured out the type from the fact it was brown and mother dove was watching a couple yards away. Daniel picked it up and put it in the planter (a 9” high concrete fence surrounding an Arba Vitae tree). It appeared injured so I doubt it will survive.

I got my usual haircut for 45mil plus a 5mil tip. He told me there will soon be another barber named Apice joining him. I’ve seen some strange names here in Colombia. I got a Didi ride to Todo Drogas and the driver’s name was Gleifer.

This is what the new mall looks like across the street:

I bought my medications for the month for 332,700 pesos ($71).

I walked to Parva where I had a café con leche for about 90 minutes.

I bought 2 bags of milk on my way back to the apt.

I ran into Doyle coming out of the elevator.

Playing in Cine Colombia today is:

·     Evil Dead Rise (7.1) at 6:45

·     Marlowe (5.3) starring Liam Neeson at 6:35.

A portero just stopped by (12:10pm) and informed us there would be no running water until 5 or 6pm. Time to get out of dodge except Teresa has a 3pm massage appointment.

It’s 86 degrees at 12:30.

I left at 2:30 and had a small latte in Los Porteños. Finally I got the urge and made a trip to their restroom. I plugged up another toilet and spent 5-10 minutes with their brush and “plunger” trying to clear it. I finally asked for help and a man who spoke a little English got a bucket and poured soapy water into it a couple times and eventually cleared it.

Back at the apt I had to show Teresa the trailer for Evil Dead Rise for the umpteenth time (she keeps forgetting) and she finally agreed to go see it.

4:30 and still no running water.

I finished season 4 of Boardwalk Empire.

We left at 5:30 and took a Didi to Viva Envigado. First surprise, when I bought the tickets, was the movie showtime was 6:30 not 6:45 so we didn’t have time to go somewhere to eat.  I bought the small popcorn and soda and Teresa bought nachos and a small soda. At our preferred seats I checked my Runpee app and the reviewer gave the movie an “A”. Second surprise, as soon as the movie started, it was dubbed in Spanish with no subtitles. That didn’t help. The movie was an hour and 37 minutes long and I couldn’t wait for it to end. I think horror movies are just boring.

We were out by 8:30 and returned to the apt by taxi.

 

tRump’s Arrest

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Teresa proclaimed its now summer here. Is that because we’ve gone a few days without rain?

I did my usual workout at Smartfit from 9am to 10am. I saw a girl wearing a green McHenry Brewing Company 60050 t-shirt but she disappeared before I had the chance to ask where she got it.

I see this small RV every time I go to the gym, in the same parking space.

I’m really tired after my workout so I need to first cooldown, then take my shower and still rest a bit.

In my game vs Troyclough he had the choice of losing his queen or being checkmated so he resigned raising my rating to 1604.

Now USAA is using 2-part authentication to enter my account. ☹ I finally got it to work by requesting they send the code to my email address.

At 1pm it’s already 85 degrees…and very breezy.

I left the apt at 2:15 and spent some time in Los Porteños having a latte. I received text messages from Gisela at Innovation Corp. I spent some time trying to pay their bill from my cellphone but eventually gave up.

I returned to the apt by 5pm and easily paid the bill for my shipment.

Teresa was supposed to have a massage from 4:30 to 5:30 but Kelly forgot about their appointment.

I have yet to receive the official invitation yet but online I confirmed we will be attending my daughter’s wedding on September 5^th in Athens, Greece.

I watched a couple more episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

 

tRump’s Arrest

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

When I woke up I still had some haziness in my head so the first thing I did was take an Excedrin migraine. It took about 20 minutes to kick in but I’m feeling much better.

Teresa often forgets where she left her cellphone in the apt so she asks me to call her so she can locate it. 😊

A busy day scheduled for today: a 9am breakfast with Glenn in a new (for us at least) restaurant, pay the 1^st of the month bills in Viva Envigado, and a 1:30 appointment with Dr. Castaño in El Tesoro.

I left the apt at 8:45 and met Glenn outside Bodega Cocina in the Centro Ejecutivo La Casona, the same strip mall where Envios Market resides. This restaurant is more like a closet than the usual garage. Glenn introduced me to Andrew, the owner. His was born in Chicago but his parents moved back to Bogota was he was just 2 years old. Most of his business is deliveries of items like bacon, sausage and ribs.

We each had a couple fried eggs with bacon. The coffee was self-serve from an urn on a cart against the wall.

This is the order of things as I remember it, the significance will become clear shortly:

We started with coffee for each of us. We both placed our food order while seated at the table. Glenn then went to buy a bottle of water and I refilled my coffee. After we finished eating he was looking at an order sheet and asked if I had a pen. I turned to my right and my fanny pack and tech bag had fallen off the chair. Then I noticed it was Glenn’s (he has a backpack), not mine. I got my pen out of my fanny pack from the chair on my left. He ticked off a number of items he wanted to have delivered. We left, he headed north and I walked across the street and soon was on a taxi to Viva Envigado.

I paid the apt rent, my health insurance, and our gym membership for the month and made an ATM withdrawal.

Glenn texted me that he returned to his apt and his iPad was not in his backpack. Could someone have stolen it during the 20 seconds I was getting a coffee refill? He texted me about 30 minutes later that it had fallen out of his backpack and Andrew found it under the table. Whew, I was afraid I was going to owe him for a new iPad.

I bought Blancox (bleach) and a package of granola in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi. I dropped off my groceries and ordered a Didi to El Tesoro.

I arrived at 1pm for my 1:40pm appointment. I went straight to the doctor’s office to see if they were on time for appointments but found it closed. I sat in the general waiting area until 1:30. I went back to the office and both seats were taken so I confirmed my appointment and returned to the general waiting area. When I saw the two men who were seated leave, I moved back to the doctor’s waiting room. I talked briefly with another gringo, from Miami, who was there for the first time. Inside, I showed Dr. Castaño my PSA result of 0.02. Remember my previous results were <0.01 but he said the difference is insignificant. After I explained my current situation he did an echogram (I think that’s what it's called) on my belly, gave me the cough test and declared me no longer incontinent. (I think that may come soon but I still leak a bit.) I mentioned my daughter is getting married in Athens, Greece on September 5^th and he said he’s going to be there next month for a medical conference. My next appointment will be just after my next PSA test in 6 months.

The secretary gave me an appointment for Tuesday, November 7^th at 2pm and the visit was 340mil.

I went down to Natto Bowls and had their Thai bowl and a bottle of water for 44,578 ($10) including 10% tip.

I went back up a level to Valentina Bakery where I had a pistachio croissant with a latte for 30,800 ($6.50) including tip.

I returned to the apt by taxi. No sooner had I arrived but Teresa texted and asked me to meet her in Viva Envigado. I had a Didi take me there and found her with MT at Dunkin Donuts. They soon made a trip to the restroom. I had noticed something dark on the floor next to their display case but just thought it was some spilled chocolate. A salesgirl went to pick it up but visibly reacted when she saw it so I thought maybe it was dog poop. She went back behind the counter and brought back a piece of cardboard and scooped it up and dumped it in the decorative plants. When the ladies returned from the restroom, I took a look and saw this:

About 7pm I suggested we get something to eat. We went up to the 3^rd floor and Teresa led the way to the food court and Vin & Gretta. They had a lot of stuff I don’t like so I ordered their Cesar salad and they each got some type of salad and with a bottle of water and the total came to 114,600 ($25), a little expensive for fast food salads. I wasn’t very hungry so I didn’t come close to finishing mine and we got the rest to go.

We stopped in Exito because Teresa has been meaning to buy a new mop handle but they didn’t have any. I guided them the back way through the parking garage to Home Center but they had already closed. We returned to the apt by taxi, dropping MT off on the way.

 

tRump’s Arrest

Monday, May 1, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

Today is a holiday here, it’s called May Day.

I left for the gym at 9:30. Today I added 5# to each of my exercises, except for the seated leg curl and the abdominal crunch which I left the same. (I’m being extra cautious with those two.) When I finished and was leaving I noticed a man take a small paper towel out of a black box hanging on the wall. (I’ve seen people wiping down machines, I just didn’t know where they got the towels from. I touched one and it’s like a wet nap.) As I went through the turnstile, I realized I left all my things in my locker back on the 3^rd floor. I retrieved them which means I did the stairway exercise twice today. 😊 I was back at the apt by 10:30.

I finally managed to log into my Capital One 360 account and I see the $100 I transferred there from my USAA account. Now waiting on my debit card to arrive.

Laura asked me to write her a Letter of Support for USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). I worked on that today and sent her an early version. I’m sure her lawyer will request it be changed somewhat.

Teresa suggested we see a movie tonight but I’m just too tired.

I watched a couple more episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

I won another game against Troyclough raising my rating to 1598.

Today was a lazy day, I had some pain behind my eyes and just didn’t feel right. I tried to nap several times during the day but just ended up resting my eyes for several minutes.

 

tRump’s Arrest

 

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

I left at 8:30 and I was a little surprised my Didi driver took Ave Poblado. He said it was because of the Ciclovia on Ave Las Vegas. I got out across from D’Andre restaurant and walked the last 2 blocks to Pergamino café. Glenn arrived 15 minutes late because he had to return to his apt to retrieve something he forgot for Bianca. I explained how my peanut order got hung up in Florida but now should be on its way to Bogota. We both tried their French toast which came in a small cast iron skillet but they didn’t have maple syrup, only honey. We each had a couple coffees. We’re going to meet for breakfast Tuesday at 9am at a new place called Bodega Cocina in Mall La Casona on Ave. Poblado in Envigado. That’s the same strip mall where Envios Market is.

We left at 11am and shared a taxi back to Envigado. I got out across from Mercado Madrid where I bought a bottle of Nescafe instant coffee and a packge of Suavitel fabric softener.

Teresa left at 12:30 to meet a gringo in Santafe mall who ordered a jacket to be decorated.

I waited until 1:30 for it to finally stop raining. I went to Ganso & Castor for a change and had their French onion soup which was pretty good. About 3:30 I moved to Los Porteños where I had a croissant and a latte. We had rain on and off all afternoon. When it finally stopped around 4:30 I returned to the apt. Teresa texted me several times that she was in Santafe mall with her sister Vickie and Adriana.

My ex emailed me that my Capital One 360 debit card arrived. I asked her to put the contents in another envelope and send it by regular USPS mail to my new Florida address.

I watched a few more episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

Teresa finally returned at 7:15.

I was going to pay some bills tomorrow but I understand May 1^st is a holiday here. I knew there was something I was going to do yesterday but forgot. Now I’ll have to work it into my Tuesday plans.

Well, my half pad experiment seems to have worked fine. Now I can save 50% on the cost of pads.

 

tRump’s Arrest