Friday, December 22, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4am, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Teresa asked me if I wanted to meet her for lunch in Mayorca and I reminded her of my movie this afternoon.

I completed my workout in Smartfit between 8am and 9am. While undressing for my shower I asked the guy next to me, an old man with white hair, how old he is and he’s 85. I’ve got him beat.

By 9:30 I was sitting in Los Porteños having a latte. I texted Bryan reminding him of our noon pickup tomorrow.

This is a painting my half-sister recently completed

I left at 10:45 and bought a bag of milk on my way back to the apt.

I left at 11:15 and walked to the mall (no noticeable leaking). Looks like they’re almost finished with the construction on the corner.

 I bought a general seating ticket to André Rieu White Christmas for 26mil, finally qualifying for their 2024 platinum card

At first there were only 3 of us in the theater but about 20 minutes in 6 others arrived, then 3 more, then 2 more. I’ll let you do the math.

I thought the concert was going to be in England but it was in the Winter Palace in Maastrecht, Netherlands. (I’m Dutch on my father’s side.) The conductor, André Rieu, welcomed everyone in English, German, French and Spanish. All of his dialogue was first in German and then in English with Spanish subtitles. He stated that the symphony and the singers come from 15 different countries, including the US and Tasmania.

There were a number of surprises I won’t mention except one, at the 1-hour mark they had a 15-minute intermission. I jumped up to make a trip to the restroom but I think everyone else was too stunned to move right away.

I discovered that when I Googled for song lyrics this popped up

which made it much easier to find songs. (I’m slowly joining the 21^st century. 😊 )

The show is going to be repeated Saturday and Sunday. I loved the show and next year I intend to bring Teresa.

Troyclough blundered on his 28^th move in the endgame and resigned increasing my rating to 1593.

When I left I went upstairs and had the small roast beef combo with a Coke upstairs in Only Roast Beef.

I stopped at La Sasteria and this time they had fixed my mother’s bank envelope for 14mil. 😊

I had a latte in Urbania for an hour or so. When I left about 5pm there was a long line for taxis which took about 20 minutes to get through.

The taxi driver spoke a little English and we had quite the conversation about the Sears Tower. 😊

I was back at the apt by 5:30 and Teresa returned about 2 minutes later. She wants to go for patacones tonight. I agreed but want to wait until 7pm because I just finished lunch about 3pm.

We left about 7pm but the patacones place was closed so we had pizza across the street at Gloria’s. Teresa had quite the conversation with Gloria telling her about our trip to Greece. We didn’t leave until 8:45, the bakery was closed, but we quickly caught a taxi back to the apt.

I found these 2023 statistics on Chess.com.

 

JOKES, EXPLAINED, UNNECESSARILY

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:45, finally waking/getting up at 6am.

Teresa informed me she’s going to take her mother to Santafe mall so I’ll be on my own for lunch. (I’ve heard that before!)

I left the apt at 8:35 and was in a Didi on my way to Daniel’s for my haircut when he texted asking if I can come 15 minutes late at 9:15. I told him, “I’m already on my way”. I was there by 8:50 and he showed up a minute later.

After my haircut I took another Didi to Todo Drogas where it cost 196,701 pesos ($50) for my monthly medications. The girl gifted me a desk calendar for 2024 which saved me a trip to the paper store to buy one. I made a pit stop at the restroom in the mercado across the street. I stopped at a watch stand where I bought a battery for my step counter for 10mil. I stopped in Cotrafa, no line, but found they don’t take payments for Direct TV. I walked a block away to $efecty, slow line, where I was once again told the payment was double the usual 159,700 pesos. I gave her 160,000 pesos and she gave me a receipt for all of it.

Teresa called and asked me to pick up potatoes, carrots, and purple lettuce in Exito. I asked what about her going to Santafe with her mother. She said she doesn’t answer her phone so she’s probably sleeping. I found potatoes and carrots but not the lettuce and got in a long slow “express” line. After I checked out, I walked the 5-6 blocks to Parva where I had a café con leche.

I left at 11:45 and returned to the apt.

I had purchased 3 Kindle books the past 2 days and was surprised I was charged for each of them. I talked to a Kindle rep and as I suspected the free “Unlimited Kindle” books for the next 2 months are indeed Limited to a specific list of books. ☹

I have to see one more movie (or at least buy a ticket) before we leave for our Christmas vacation. There are only 2 candidates I see for today:

Radical (8.1) – but it’s only in Spanish

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – not my type of movie

But tomorrow at noon only, there’s André Rieu White Christmas, “An unforgettable celebration with the King of Waltz in his White Christmas concert, to enjoy the Christmas spirit to the rhythm of the most iconic songs of this season: Jingle Bells, Ave Maria, Oh Holy Night, Hallelujah and many more. Maastricht Palace is transformed into a romantic setting with all the Christmas atmosphere, light effects, 60 skaters on 2 ice rinks, 300 dancers, Venetian chandeliers and exclusive interviews by the hostess, Charlotte Hawkins. With this concert, André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra offer an unforgettable gift for the whole family during these festivities.”

Tomorrow Teresa is going to meet up with her mother and sister Vicky and who knows who else.

My brother notified me he’s coming for a visit next February 9^th to the 18^th. I searched for Colombian chess tournaments in February, 2024 but so far didn’t find anything except an email address.

I received emails that the presents, a Calvin & Hobbes complete set, have been delivered to my kids. Jeannie is on her way to her in-laws in Wisconsin but Jimmy was delighted to received his.

I was watching episode 34 of Pablo Escobar when Teresa must have recognized something and asked me to turn up the volume. She then joined me in finishing that episode. At 8pm I wanted to turn it off to start my pre-sleep reading period but she insisted I keep it on so she could watch more. I started reading my Kindle and put on a baseball cap to deter me from accidentally looking at the screen. Finally, when early in episode 36 she said I could turn it off.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 4:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

Teresa informed me she’s going to get her nails done and intends to meet her mother for lunch at VinAGreta in Viva Envigado if I want to join them.

I left for Smartfit at 8am. As I put my stuff in a locker at 8:15 I noticed a cleaning lady was cleaning the shower area (lots of soap suds on the floor). When I finished my workout at 9:15 she was still cleaning the area. I asked if she thought it was okay if I took a shower in the women’s locker room. She didn’t seem to approve but finished cleaning the area as I got undressed.

I stopped at the Pasteur pharmacy and bought a small box of pads. Since I was so close to Parva I stopped there for coffee while checking my games from yesterday against my opening books. I left at 11am and returned to the apt.

I brought up the black suitcase for our trip.

I left again at 12:15 and took a Didi to the mall. I recycled a number of items then stopped at the sasteria but the bank envelope wasn’t ready. Upstairs I made a small ATM withdrawal then checked out the food court which was packed with people. I texted this information to Teresa so she could make other lunch plans. 

I stopped in Cine Colombia to await her reply. I saw these benefits on a screen in their concession area.

She called and told me she’s having lunch with MT at Wilson’s.

I had the granola with yogurt and chia for lunch.

A group formed at the next few tables and were speaking English.

I went downstairs and took one of the last tables in Urbania. Teresa and MT joined me about 3pm. Teresa had a latte while I went through my October Chess Life magazine.

We went to Percimon for ice cream and the line was unusually slow. For a change, I had yogurt ice cream with peanuts and arequipe, the latter for the first time.

MT walked back to her apt and we returned to the apt by taxi.

I downloaded a couple more books for our Christmas vacation and watched a couple more episode of Pablo Escobar.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

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

I had an uncomfortable dream last night about having to give a speech at a university.

I had left my cellphone battery at 50% so I had to plug it in to recharge first thing this morning.

My databases aren’t appearing on my ChessBase 16 interface again. I clicked on Database Path then MyWork and they’re back.

I ordered a Didi to take me to Unicentro mall and I arrived just after 8am when they open.

Jose soon joined me in Todo Fresa  inside the Parmessano restaurant and I had French toast, scrambled eggs and a latte.

I had the Black pieces in the first game and he got a strong attack against my king and I missed a couple moves that could have saved the game. It was only 11:30 when we finished.

I had the White pieces in the second game and got too aggressive early and he won in 56 moves.

It was only 2:30 after we finished reviewing the game. I had pasta, mixed vegetables, ribs and a Pepsi at Sr. Wok.

In Auros I printed a page of information about Innovation Corp and made a copy of the fan warranty. In a pharmacy I purchased another package of Zapiclona sleeping pills and I made an ATM withdrawal at a Davivienda ATM.

I ordered a Didi for a change and asked to be picked up outside this entrance because it was right in front of me.

In the future I’ll choose an entrance more in the shade.

I left Unicentro at 3:20 and arrived home at 5:10. The driver seemed to take the longest route but then again he had gps on his cellphone so maybe there were accident issues.

I watched another couple episodes of Pablo Escobar.

I started recharging my cellphone at 7:30 and it was full by 9pm.

I went to bed at 9:45pm.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE 

Monday, December 18, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 4:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:30am.

What an interesting morning.

Last night I created a new database from my new Killer Dutch Rebooted book. One of the last things I did was slightly rename it. This morning when I went into ChessBase 16 most of my databases were missing. Luckily, I did a screenprint of where I stored the new database so hopefully that will help me fix this problem.

I noticed another thing that look strange on my Windows interface, files with a checkmark inside a green circle.

I completed my workout in Smartfit from 8am to 9am, adding an additional 5# to the following machines: Leg Extension, Triceps Press, Leg Curl, and Abdominal Crunch. I was able to handle them with no problem.

By 9:30 I was in Los Porteños but all the outside tables were taken. I took a nearby table inside and was able to move outside when a large group left about 20 minutes later.

Troyclough blundered a knight and resigned increasing my rating to 1588.

I left at 11:30 and returned to the apt.

As I stepped into the porteria the portero handed me a box. Upstairs in the apt when I opened it, it contained my 2 bottles of missing Joint Support (now that was a surprise), my Kindle Paperwhite, 2 envelopes from Charles Schwab (monthly account summaries for September and October), my October Chess Life magazine, and a Heifer International Gift Catalog (no, really).

When I went to retrieve my iced tea from the refrigerator it was partly frozen so I guess I need to lower the temperature by another degree. I’ll wait until a time when Teresa isn’t home.

I noticed another thing that look strange on my Windows interface, files with a checkmark inside a green circle. Per Google, “The green checkmark inside a circle on your Windows 10 desktop icons indicates that Microsoft OneDrive has successfully backed up your files to the cloud. When you see this checkmark, it means that the file or folder associated with it is synchronized with your OneDrive account¹. These checkmarks appear on Windows PCs where you have signed in to your OneDrive account.”

I also see I only have 6.34GB free of 118GB on my C: drive and 44.8GB free of 447GB on my D: drive.

Per my screenshot, my databases are in ThisPC > Documents > ChessBase > MyWork >

When I look there I can see all of my database files and they all have that “green checkmark inside a circle”.

It looks like my Recycle Bin is full. I figured out how to unhide it and emptied it.

The only databases showing on my ChessBase 16 interface are those in My Databases.

I can see the database files listed under ThisPC > Documents > ChessBase > MyWork > but I can’t find them from ChessBase 16. Wow, I just clicked on Database Path and there they are. All is good again!

I left the apt at 2:30, the patio wasn’t open at Otra Parte so I had a latte in their café. When they brought me the check the bill was just under 8mil, probably 7mil plus tip, but I already had 12mil in my hand so I gave it to the waiter and told him to keep the change. I left at 5:30 and returned to the apt.

I have no idea how Innovation Corp’s locker system works so I’m going to have to visit Nobraskja so she can explain it to me. I see the payment amount of $18.63 frequently appearing so that is probably the minimum (monthly?) payment.

I set up, easy peasy, my new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. The first 2 months, until February 18, 2024 are free. All the books I can read in 2 months. Woo hoo!

The first book I downloaded was Why We Sleep by Mattew Walker, PhD. I started reading until it was my time to sleep, 9:30.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30am.

I left the apt at 8:15 and my first stop was Smartfit where I inquired, for Teresa, if they had a Rumba class today. No.

I continued on to La Frontera mall where I withdrew 2 million pesos toward the final payment for our hotel stay in San Jeronimo.

I walked across the street to Olivenza in Sao Paolo where Glenn arrived at the same time. I told him the story of my problem with a USPS delivery and he suggested I talk to the company I bought it from, Arazo Nutrition. I had the calentao with scrambled eggs and 2 lattes for 38,000 pesos.

I left at 11am and walked back to the apt.

I started watching the Bears vs Browns game on MTV but soon got buffering so I switched to my DAZN subscription and connected my laptop to my TV by HDMI cable.

At the end of the 3^rd quarter I popped a bag of ACT II buttered popcorn. Last time I microwaved them for 2 ½ minutes and there were a lot of unpopped kernels, this time I let it run for 3 minutes and a lot of the kernels were burned. ☹

The Bears lost a close one to the Browns 20-17. ☹

I emailed Arazo Nutrition about my delivery problem and they responded right away with “Thanks for contacting us! We have received your email and are gathering the required info right away.”

A few hours later I received this reply, “We have just expedited the free replacement bottles to your delivery address. Again, we are very sorry for the inconvenience. We hope this resolves the issue to your entire satisfaction.” 😊

I was considering upgrading my ChessBase 15 chess software to ChessBase 17 but I don’t see enough significant improvements to justify the $220 price.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4:45am (slept through the night), fell back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 6:45am.

I asked Teresa what her plan is for today. No hurry! She wants to leave the apt around noon, have lunch in Arkadia mall, then go to Pricesmart to check out their fans and pick up a few items.

I left the apt at 8:30 and walked to Parva where I had a latte and studied the Dutch defense opening for a few hours. I left at 11:30 and returned to the apt.

We left at noon and took a Didi to Arkadia mall. Upstairs we got in line at Crepes & Waffles. It was only a 5-minute wait and we got a table inside. I had the Cesar salad with chicken and Teresa had chicken with spinach. It must have taken 15-20 minutes to get and pay the check. ☹

We stopped in Medipiel where Teresa bought some skin cream on sale.

We walked across the street to Pricesmart where we checked out their fan selection. We settled on this one

for our first. We’ll probably buy another one in the near future.

It was a slow taxi ride back to the apt for 18mil.

Teresa surprised me when she said she wanted to go for pizza. She called Gloria to place an order with her but she wasn’t working in the restaurant tonight. Teresa decided we would go there later.

About 4:45 the rain started. Teresa changed her mind and we’re not going out after all.

I set up the fan, very easy setup and it has a 10’ cord and an accessory plug on the side so you don’t lose the use of an outlet plug.

I have another game going against the 1302 rated Syrian player and I’m very nervous about it because if I lose I’ll lose a ton of rating points.

I watched a couple more episodes of Pablo Escobar.

It was still raining when I went to bed at 9:45.

 

CHOOSING A CHILD FREE LIFE