Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Last night I took my 2 sleeping pills and went to bed at 10:45.  I usually only sleep with a sheet but last night I added a blanket.  I soon fell asleep only waking at 4am and I took off the blanket.  It took me some time (couple hours?) to fall back asleep finally waking/getting up at 8am feeling great.

I watched the first 40 minutes of the Today show and then headed for the gym.  I completed all my lower body exercises in an hour.

One of my blog readers recommended I take more Vitamin C which should help alleviate and prevent my aches and pains.

I met Chuck at the park at 2:30.  First we stopped at a nearby bakery where he had a pastry and coffee and I had a café con leche.  We were bothered for the first few minutes by a couple bees until one did a kamikaze dive into my coffee.  Needless to say I got a replacement.  The girl working at the bakery wasn’t paying attention and a pigeon flew inside and perched itself on the edge of a sheet of pastries.  She quickly saw her mistake and ran inside shooing it away.  I met a friend of Chuck’s named Richard (about 50 years old) from San Francisco.  He’s been here about 5 years and is living in Envigado with his Colombian girlfriend.  Chuck told me that Colombia is cracking down on AirBnB rentals here because it’s affecting the hotel and hostel businesses.

We moved over to Bartolos and John the Englishman joined us soon after.  John mentioned that there’s a bar about 4 blocks east of the Consumo grocery store where a bunch of gringos get together every Monday and Thursday night starting about 6pm.  He left and Chuck’s wife, Darnelle, joined us.  I left about 5:30 and walked over to Todo Drogas where I bought a 100 tablet bottle of Centrum Silver 50+ for 53mil and a package of 10 Vitamin C +Zinc lozenges for 3,500 pesos.  I actually wanted a package of Vitamin C tablets but the young girl (perhaps inexperienced) said they didn’t have them.

I stopped at the Exito pharmacy where I bought a box of 30 500mg gelatin capsules of Vitamin C for 19,100 and a box of 30 500mg time release capsules of Vitamin C for 23,250.  I got a 3,488 discount on one and a Wednesday 10% discount on the total.

I was back at the apt by 6:30.

I see Blade Runner 2049 (8.6) opened in El Tesoro, Oviedo, and Vizcaya but so far it’s just playing at night.  Pretty much the same thing with It (7.8).  Hopefully next week they’ll be playing (in English with Spanish subtitles) during the day.

Today was a beautiful day, weather wise.  It was overcast most of the day which helped keep the heat down and there wasn’t any rain.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:45 and we went to bed.

That’s the end of the Funny bumper stickers.  Before I return to the t-shirts here are a few…

Funny grammar errors: Education is important.  But cold beer is importanter.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Last night I took 3 1-mg sleeping pills and went to bed at 10:45.  I was still awake at 1:15 when I looked at my watch.  I fell asleep shortly thereafter and got up at 6:45.  On my 6-foot trip to the bathroom Laura saw me for the first time in my James Rodriguez style underwear.  I thought I saw her avert her head with a smile.  I heard Laura leave at 7am, Teresa got up at 7:15 and I got up at 7:45.

Teresa told me we’ll go to Mayorista after she feeds her mother.  Later she said we’ll go after she gives MT her morning shot.

My cold seems to be much better this morning.  Maybe it was the Hall’s that Chuck gave me yesterday.

Then Teresa tells me we’re going after Laura comes back because she needs to pick up some things at Mayorista also.

Then she tells me that I should have lunch with Laura at Deli Hoy and we’ll go to Mayorista after.

See how quickly things change here?

I received several emails from Alex.  He’s now in the Estadio/Floresta area about 4 blocks from where I usually get my haircut.

Wilson came over to give MT her injection and I guess he talked to the doctor because I understand MT’s biopsy results were good.  That’s good news!

I received an email from Trip Advisor that they published my El Chaparral de la 70 restaurant review.

I met Laura at Deli Hoy at 1pm.  Today was buffet day so you have to pay before you get your food.  They had a different girl today (slim & cute) at the cash register.  She said something to me in Spanish and I didn’t understand so I called Laura over and all she said was something like “help your self to the food”.  I told her not to worry as I’m not really new here.

After lunch Laura and I walked back to the apartment.  Teresa said after she gives her mother her vitamins we’ll leave for Mayorista.

Laura went with us and as they were checking out the food at the cashier I noticed the bagger pull up his pant leg and put some change in a little purse he had attached to his ankle.  Then he did the same thing with the other leg and put a few bills in that purse.  I guess you can’t be too careful here.  When we went outside our effectivo (cash) driver only had one arm.  Laura asked me how he was going to be able to drive.  I checked and the car was stick shift.  Good question.  Lucky for him his right arm was okay allowing him to shift while taking his hand off the wheel for only a second.  We were back at the apt by 3:30.

I understand Colombia plays Peru at 6:30 tonight in a World Cup qualifying match.

I took a nap from 5:30 to 6pm.

Teresa and MT were watching some Kardashian series and we heard a yell outside.  Teresa said “gol” and I said “no, it wasn’t loud enough, it was a near miss”.  About 30 minutes later we heard a loud cheer and I said “now that was a goal”.  Teresa turned to the match and James Rodriguez had just scored a goal for Colombia to make it 1-0.

The match ended 1-1 and the Colombian players on the field were celebrating so I guess a tie was good for them.   And then, outside, the fireworks started.  At least they didn’t last very long.

Teresa tells me that MT is feeling so good that she hopes to move back into her own apartment this Friday.

I took my 2 sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:45.

Funny bumper stickers: The fact that no one understands you doesn’t mean you’re an artist.

Monday, October 9, 2017

It’s Columbus Day back in the States.

Last night I took my sleeping pills and went to bed at 10:45.  I fell asleep quickly and didn’t wake up until 4am.  I woke up again at 7am but fell back asleep finally getting up at 8:30.

I skipped gym today for multiple reasons: getting up late, elbow still a little sore, fighting off a cold, etc.

I watched the first 90 minutes of the Today show.

Chuck sent me an email at 10:41 inviting me to join him for lunch but I didn’t read it until 12:10.  I told him Teresa’s making lunch now so how meeting about 3pm for coffee?  He agreed.

At 12:15 it started raining but it only lasted about 15 minutes.

About an hour later it rained again for awhile.

After lunch I met Chuck at the park for coffee at 2:45pm.  We camped out for awhile at a bakery a block from the park.  We had some intermittent rain while we were there.  We moved over to Bartolos later where we each had a bowl of tortilla soup.  Chuck told me that the cheap restaurant he showed me the other day charges 3,500 for breakfast and 4,000 for lunch.

On my way back to the apt I stopped at Exito where I picked up a few things.

Teresa told me she wants us to go to El Vaquita early tomorrow morning, like 7am.

Well, tonight’s the beginning of the Mitch Trubisky era.  The Bears don’t have to win tonight but Mitch needs to make a good showing.

Early in the first quarter I ate a bag of microwave popcorn with a glass of Coke.  At the end of the first half it was Minnesota Vikings 3 and the Chicago Bears 2.  (Score sounds more like a baseball game.)  The Vikings QB could barely stand let alone run.  They brought their backup QB in to start the 2^nd half.  Our new QB played well, but not perfectly, especially in the first half.  He ended up throwing an interception near the end of the game that the Vikings converted into a field goal and the Bears lost 20-17.

I took 3 (1 mg) sleeping pills at 10:45 and went to bed.

Funny bumper stickers: I used up all my sick days so I called in dead.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Last night I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:30.

I got up every couple hours and I heard Laura come in at 3:15 when Teresa got up and chewed her out for coming home so late.

I watched NFL Redzone for most of the day.

It was a mostly sunny day, then at 1:45 it started raining followed by thunder and lightning but it all ended in about 20 minutes.

For an early lunch snack we finished the ribs and fries from yesterday.

For a late lunch we had food delivered from Frisby.

After the end of NFL Redzone I watched the last 30 minutes of Season 7 Episode 8 of The Walking Dead.

I watched Season 6 Episode 8 of The Walking Dead on Netflix with minimal buffering problems.

I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:45.

Funny bumper stickers: Marriage is grand.  Divorce is closer to 100 grand.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Last night I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and went to bed.  I fell asleep quickly but got up several times during the night.  I think I heard Laura come back about 1:30.  I woke up at 6am, couldn’t get back to sleep and got up at 8am.

Based on an internet search Teresa did on my laptop, MT has pulmonary edema which is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs which causes shortness of breath.

The Colombian Peso closed for the week at 2,935 to the US Dollar.

I received an email from Trip Advisor that they published my review of the steakhouse El Chaparral.

I watched an episode of Mayday: Air Disasters that I hadn’t seen before.

I downloaded a few more songs from iTunes.  Now I have 299 oldies on my iPod.

I did a test drive of the new DVDs in my laptop.  With It I couldn’t get to the Setup option in order to could set the audio to English and subtitles to Spanish.  I had better luck with 47 Meters Down.

At 6pm Teresa called Mu and ordered a large order of ribs.  Laura and I left the apt and caught a taxi outside Exito.  Even though I had the exact address the driver said he wasn’t familiar with Poblado so Laura just said take us to Parque Lleras.  When we were getting close I had him turn up Calle 7 and we got off almost across the street from the restaurant.  The trip cost 9mil.  Our order was waiting for us (66mil or $22) and after about a 5 minute wait we caught another taxi back to the apt for 10mil.  I let Laura in the building and then went to the corner store and bought a 1.5 liter bottle of cold Coke.

Not only did the order come with ribs and fries but it even included the nacho chips, guacamole and sauces that you get in the restaurant.  We each had 2 ribs and there were 3 ribs left over for tomorrow.  I kind of felt sorry for MT sitting there watching us devour the ribs and fries when all she had was a bowl of soup.

Teresa and I watched 47 Meters Down.  As usual as soon as the movie started I heard the usual refrain from Teresa “we’ve already seen this movie in the finca”.  (That’s pretty difficult to do since this movie just came out this year.)  The Shallows also had sharks and a woman in it so she thinks she’s already seen the movie.  MT joined us for the first 30 minutes or so until she got tired. 

Wilson came over at 9pm to give MT her shot.  He saw my setup for watching the DVD on TV using my laptop and an HDMI cable.  He also liked the surge protectors I bought at Monterrey mall a year and a half ago.

Laura left about 9:30 to meet with her girlfriends in the park.

I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:30.

Funny bumper stickers: Watch out for the idiot behind me.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Last night I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:30.  I fell asleep quickly but still woke up 2-3 times during the night finally waking at 7:20 and getting up at 7:45.

Well, today is my birthday.  I’m 72 but I’m telling Teresa I’m 40 something.  Lol.

I watched the first 40 minutes of the Today show and then left for the gym.  I did all but one of my lower body exercises in 50 minutes.

Among new US movie releases, I would like to see Blade Runner 2049 (8.8), The Mountain between Us (5.8), and Walking Out (6.8).

Yesterday, while sitting in the park with Chuck and Don I bought a copy of It (7.9) from a peddler for 3,000 pesos ($1) so there isn’t anything I want to see that’s currently playing in the movie theaters here.

Teresa said she’s didn’t want to cook and she’s tired of chicken.  After some debate and text messages with Laura, Teresa decided she would make a salad for herself and Laura and I went to Papa Johns for pizza.  A medium pizza with 2 sodas cost 37,500 ($13).  We each ate 3 slices and got the other 2 slices to go.

Laura went back to the apt and I met Chuck at Bartolos for coffee.  After awhile Chuck showed me the place where the seniors can get an inexpensive lunch for 5,000 to 7,000 pesos ($2-3$).  Then we moved to an outdoor bakery where chuck had a Hawaiian pastry with coffee and I had another café con leche.  Chuck informed me that what I thought was a Colombia 1-0 win yesterday turned out to be a 2-1 loss.  Chuck told me Paraguay scored twice near the end of the match.  That explains why it was so quiet last night – no fireworks or firecrackers.  Chuck told me I got Don’s name wrong so back at the apt I corrected my blog from Dan to Don.

I had one of the last slices of pizza for dinner – heated in the microwave.

About 8:30 I was in the computer room and I heard Laura say “good night”.  I said loudly, “where are you going”?  She came in the room and I said “you don’t look like you’re dressed to go to the gym”.  She replied, “no, I’m going out with friends”.  I said, “okay, have fun, just be sure you’re back by 11pm”.  She said something like “shh, don’t tell my mom”. Lol.  And she left.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and went to bed.

Funny bumper stickers: I’ve got a perfect body…but it’s in the trunk and starting to smell.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Last night I took my sleeping pills and went to bed at 10:30.   It took a little while (an hour?) to fall asleep, I woke up briefly about 3pm, woke up at 6am and got up at 6:45.

Well, today is Teresa’s birthday.  I asked her how old she is and she asked me how old do I think?  I told her 30 something and she agreed.  Actually, she’s 61 or 62 or 63 – somewhere around there but if anyone asks me she’s 30 something.

We didn’t have any milk for cereal so I had to make an early morning run to the corner store.

I checked DHL tracking and my Experian credit freeze letter is in Miami.

After a cereal breakfast I made a quick trip to Exito for lemons to make hot tea to ward off my cold.

Today I wore my jeans and took my light jacket, sunglasses and umbrella.  I left the apt at 10am and walked down the hill to the metro.

I didn’t see Herman at his stand so I just kept going.

I got off at the Stadium where I checked out a bicycle.  I rode all the way to the airport but on my way back it started raining so at the next stoplight I put on my jacket.

I checked in my bicycle at the Calle 44 bicycle station and walked a few blocks north to El Chaparral restaurant for lunch.  Alexi from El Viejo y El Pancake recommended this restaurant for a good steak.  I ordered their pepper steak cooked medium well (3/4) and a limonada de coco.  The steak arrived, with a good helping of French fries, and it was huge.  It was very tasty, although a little spicier than I expected, and I was surprised I was able to eat the whole thing.  The total bill was 46,981 (about $16) including tip and tax.

It rained pretty hard during lunch but had stopped by the time I finished.  I walked over to The Town barbershop where I got a good haircut for 12,000 pesos and I tipped the barber 2,000 pesos. 

I walked over to the Floresta station where I took the metro back to the Envigado station.  It was raining when I exited the station but I still stopped and picked up a kilo of strawberries.

I stopped at Bartolos bar in the park and was soon joined by Chuck and another gringo named Don from Atlanta.  Don has been to Medellin a few times before but this was his first time to Envigado.  Unfortunately he has to return to Atlanta on Sunday.

I was back at the apt by 5:30.

My letter has arrived in Weston, Florida.

I submitted a 5-star review to Trip Advisor for the El Chaparral de la 70 restaurant.

Colombia played Paraguay tonight in 2018 World Cup qualifications and Colombia won 1-0.

Funny bumper stickers: Sorry for driving so close in front of you.