Saturday, January 23, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4:45, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

I left the apt at 8:35 for my 1-hour walk.

Teresa left at 10:30 for a gym class.

I beat Michael again raising my rating 2 points to 1476.

A cool day as at noon its only 76 degrees.

I took a 45-minute nap in the afternoon.

I watched a couple more episodes of The Last Kingdom.

Teresa and I tied in parcheesi 2 games to 2.

I checked my first apt payment receipt against the date we moved into the apt and the agency is correct that with each monthly payment I am paying for the previous month.

 

The US has 24,583,658 ð 24,782,244 ð 24,966,272 coronavirus cases with 408,100+ ð 412,000+ ð 415,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,972,345 ð 1,987,418 ð 2,002,969 cases with 50,187 ð 50,586 ð 50,982 deaths. Medellin has 175,048 ð 176,012 ð 177,074 cases, an increase of 1,062 from January 22^nd to 23^rd. Envigado has a total of 16,038 cases, an increase of 110 from January 22^nd to 23^rd.

 

Joke of the day

A hunter takes his daughter deer hunting for the first time. As they get to the deer stand, the hunter tells his daughter to get in the stand and sit very still, and if a deer comes by, shoot it.

The hunter leaves his daughter in the stand and starts walking to his own stand. After walking for about five minutes he hears the loud bang of a rifle echoing through the woods from the direction of his daughter’s stand. He thinks, wow, my daughter must have already shot a deer!

So he turns back and heads to her stand. But when he gets there, he sees his daughter arguing with a game warden.

He hears his daughter yelling at the game warden, “get away from my deer!”

The game warden yells back, “look, girl, I already told you, this is not a deer. I should have you arrested for such negligence with a firearm!”

The hunter’s daughter is so pissed at this point that she loads a round into her deer rifle, points it right at the game warden’s face, and says, “this is a deer. I shot it. It’s my deer. Now step away or I will blow your head off.”

The game warden slowly puts his hands up as he’s staring down the barrel of her loaded deer rifle. He then nervously says, “okay Ma’am. I was wrong. I see now that it is a deer. But before you take it away, can I take my saddle off it?”

Friday, January 22, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 4:45, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

Teresa has a 9:45 exercise class in Envigado and a 11:45 thyroid exam in Poblado so I will be on my own for lunch.

I left the apt at 8am and met Glenn and Bianca at the bus stop across from the Honda dealership. (The metro bus fare went up 100 pesos to 2,400.) We had breakfast at Ganso & Castor in the Manila neighborhood of Poblado. I received a text that Brooklyn RL opens tomorrow and soon they will offer 9am Sunday brunch so we’ll have to check that out. We shared a taxi and they got out at Jumbo and I went on to AfroSoul (Cr 46 #38A-20) in Envigado. I bought 2 sleeveless t-shirts that will come in handy as the weather gets hotter although are probably more fashionable on a younger person. I walked to the mall where I bought a pair of shorts at the H&M department store. I had coffee at Todo Fresa then lunch at Sarku’s and returned to the apt via taxi.

Teresa returned at 4:30 with her thyroid results; I understand she has some micro calcification which probably isn’t anything serious.

The portero rang us about 6pm to tell us that my package has arrived and the charge is 70mil. (That isn’t just for this delivery but probably also the 2-3 previous.) It was my Joint Support tablets (6-month supply), 2 of my 1099s and some junk mail.

Teresa and I tied 2-2 in parcheesi.

I finished watching season 4 of The Last Kingdom.

I finished reading Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game.

 

The US has 24,385,524 ð 24,583,658 ð 24,782,244 coronavirus cases with 403,900+ ð 408,100+ ð 412,000+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,956,979 ð 1,972,345 ð 1,987,418 cases with 49,792 ð 50,187 ð 50,586 deaths. Medellin has 173,974 ð 175,048 ð 176,012 cases, an increase of 1,060 from January 21^st to 22^nd. Envigado has a total of 15,928 cases, an increase of 68 from January 21^st to 22^nd.

 

Joke of the day

With all the new technology regarding fertility recently, a 65-year-old friend of mine was able to give birth. When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, I went to visit. 

'May I see the new baby?' I asked.

'Not yet,' she said. 'I'll make coffee and we can talk for a while first.' 

Thirty minutes had passed, and I asked, 'May I see the new baby now?'   

'No, not yet,' she said.

After another few minutes had elapsed, I asked again, 'May I see the baby now?' 

'No, not yet,' replied my friend.

Growing very impatient, I asked, 'Well, when can I see the baby?'

'WHEN HE CRIES!' she told me. 

'When he Cries??' I demanded. 'Why do I have to wait until he CRIES?' 

'BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM, OK?!'

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, fell asleep quickly, and got up at 3:30. Should I stay up now that would be 6 hours sleep; but what about tomorrow? Should I go to bed at 8:30pm and get up at 2:30am my circadian rhythm would be totally screwed up. The good news is I returned to bed, fell asleep quickly and didn’t wake/get up until 7am.

I left the apt at 9:15 and walked to the mall where I had coffee in Todo Fresa. I left at 11am, purchased calcium pills and an envelope for Teresa then eggs, pasta sauce and corn bread in Exito. I returned to the apt by 11:45 by taxi.

Howex resigned our recent game and I gained 16 points to 1479.

Nobraskja texted me that they have a package they will deliver tomorrow.

I beat Teresa in parcheesi 4 games to 3.

I had a 2-hour chess lesson with Juan Castro this afternoon. He told me his father and his entire family has Covid-19 and they are recovering at home.

Michael resigned our game which increased my rating 2 points to 1481.

 

The US has 24,249,722 ð 24,385,524 ð 24,583,658 coronavirus cases with 400,800+ ð 403,900+ ð 408,100+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,939,071 ð 1,956,979 ð 1,972,345 cases with 49,401 ð 49,792 ð 50,187 deaths. Medellin has 172,999 ð 173,974 ð 175,048 cases, an increase of 1,060 from January to 20^th to 21^st.  Envigado has a total of 15,860 cases, an increase of 87 from January 20^th to 21^st.

 

Joke of the day

A country boy who lived his whole life in the village gets permission on his 15th birthday to visit his older sister in New York. 

What the family doesn't know is that the daughter is a "working girl" and was really scared her brother, coming to stay with her, will figure it out.

So when he comes over and asks her what she does, she said: "Oh, this is New York, I sell hot dogs."

"Oh WOW!" Her brother said excitedly. "I LOVE hot dogs and I heard New York has the best, can I come with you tomorrow to work and get a free one? Please??"

The sister, appalled, said she would be ever so busy, and she was sorry but no.

Her brother, a little sullen at the news, hatched a plan.

When the sister left the following afternoon, he walked behind her, following her until she came to a big house and disappeared inside. 

It seemed a bit of a weird place for her work but he followed her in, and there was greeted by a beautiful woman, wearing very little.

"Hi there handsome," she purred at him. "Come to satisfy your "appetite"?

"I sure did!" Said the boy enthusiastically.

"Wonderful," smiled the woman, "how do you like to have it? Standing up or lying down?"

"Well," said the boy, "I'd rather have it in a bun."

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally awakened at 6am by a semi truck’s hydraulics.

Inaugaration Day! In the last few hours of the Trump presidency he granted clemency to 143 people including Steve Bannon. Donald J. Trump, he is who we thought he was.

Teresa left at 7:30 for a blood draw and she said after she is going to get her thyroid checked. Not sure if “after” means today or another day.

I went on my usual walk from 8am to 9am and it appeared that Pepo’s Cake had reopened.

One of my chess opponents who I have an easy win against is now “on vacation”. Per Chess.com, you can take up to 3 months for vacation.

I lost to Dabartinis and my rating is now 1429. (I have to use my notes more in the opening; you just aren’t allowed to use chess engines (computers)).

I’m enjoying watching the inauguration festivities on CNN.

I beat sseltimil to increase my rating to 1437.

I just realized today I my 8^th anniversary here in Colombia.

Teresa left at 3:15 to meet with a friend and they are going to Viva Envigado for some kind of skin treatment. As soon as she left I went to Pepo’s Cake and bought a strawberry cake, for 16mil, to surprise her.

 

I finally won a very tactical game against Howex increasing my rating 18 points to 1463. That was only my 2^nd win versus 5 losses with him.

Teresa returned at 7pm and informed me that the skin procedure she was interested in in Viva Envigado would require permission from her oncologist.

 

The US has 24,091,135 ð 24,249,722 ð 24,385,524 coronavirus cases with 398,600+ ð 400,800+ ð 403,900+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,923,132 ð 1,939,071 ð 1,956,979 cases with 49,004 ð 49,401 ð 49,792 deaths. Medellin has 170,159 ð 172,999 ð 173,974 cases, an increase of 976 from January to 19^th to 20^th. Envigado has a total of 15,773 cases, an increase of 102 from January 19^th to 20^th.

 

Joke of the day

There once were two very successful thieves. They had a knack for finding unguarded entries to rich houses and robbing them of their gold.

They were both, however, devout Catholics, and they knew the 10 commandments. So, after deliberating the issue, they decided to go to the church with their loot to confess their sins to the Lord.

They also decided to offer some part of the gold they robbed to the church to wash away their wrongdoings. But they couldn't decide how much of their loot to offer.

The first one thinks for a minute, then draws a foot-long circle on the floor.

He lifts his face up and says, "Oh lord, I'll throw all my loot into the air, whatever lands inside the circle is yours and what little is left outside I'll keep for myself."

Saying this he threw all his loot up in the air. As it came down almost all of the gold fell outside the circle except for few coins. He praises the Lord for his generosity and collects his share smiling.

The second one steps back and thinks hard.

He lets out a deep sigh and says, "Oh lord! Forgive me for my sins. I won't make you pick up your share from the floor like my friend. I'll throw up all my loot towards you in the heavens. Please keep whatever you want and just throw back whatever you think I deserve."

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, finally awakened at 6am by a semi truck’s hydraulics.

Last full day of the Trump presidency.

Jose texted me he isn’t feeling well so we won’t be meeting for chess today.

Teresa left the apt at 7:30 to get in line at eps and if she finishes early she’s going to the gym.

I left the apt just before 8am and walked to the mall. I printed “How to Clean your Windows Computer” at Auros then had my usual breakfast at Habia Una Vez. I walked around the mall looking for coconut Sascha Isolate and a TV Novelties store but didn’t find either.

I had a café con leche for about 90 minutes in Todo Fresa. I resigned my game against Debartinis (1468) and lost 17 points lowering my rating to 1429. His rating is about the same as mine and so far he’s my strongest opponent so I expect to learn a lot from him.

I left and paid the epm utility bill at Baloto. I found Sascha Isolate at Global Nutrition outside Exito but they only had vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter not the coconut Teresa wanted. I asked the saleslady if she could order coconut but she said “no”.  In Exito I picked up a few things and returned to the apt by taxi. Teresa called me and asked me to meet her for lunch at La Casita Parilla after she leaves the beauty parlor. I asked her to call me and it will depend on how late it is.

Teresa called at 1:15 and I understand she is still getting her nails done so I’m on my own for lunch.

She called me back 15 minutes later and asked me to meet her at La Casita Parilla for lunch. I asked her to give me 20-25 minutes and I would meet her there. I was already dressed in shorts, sleeveless t-shirt and my Teva sandals. (I don’t usually dress so obviously like a gringo but I decided I would rather be comfortable in this warmer weather. I think we almost hit 90 today so I guess the rainy season is officially over.) I arrived 20 minutes later and Teresa was waiting for me. Diego, the owner, was there but his sons no longer work there – one is a lawyer and the other is a dentist. We both had ribs and a juice for a total of 42mil. When Diego asked Teresa how long Laura has been married I realized she got married exactly 6 months ago today.

Teresa left to visit her mother and I went to the used bookstore where I exchanged paperbacks. At the copy center I looked for another notebook like the one I have for writing down my chess games but they didn’t have one. I may have to order one from the US or settle for something similar.

Walking back to La Buena Mesa I had the thought of what I would do if I saw Chuck walking towards me. I decided I would do nothing, say nothing, and just keep walking. As I passed the corner of Aymara I saw him sitting at a table with 2 other gringos. I heard him say “speaking of the devil” but I didn’t react and just kept walking. I had a café con leche at Parva and on my way back to the apt I saw a hook & ladder fire engine blocking the entrance to La Buena Mesa (maybe it was the only large parking spot in the area). I noticed a fireman walking nearby but I didn’t notice any emergency. Shortly after I returned to the apt Teresa called to inform me she was sitting in a small park (a block from the old Deli Hoy location), with her mother.

Uche2000 resigned his game and my rating is now 1444.

Teresa beat me in parcheesi 4 games to 1.

 

The US has 23,877,477 ð 24,091,135 ð 24,249,722 coronavirus cases with 396,500+ ð 398,600+ ð 400,800+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,908,413 ð 1,923,132 ð 1,939,071 cases with 48,631 ð 49,004 ð 49,401 deaths. Medellin has 168,895 ð 170,159 ð 172,999 cases, an increase of 1,469 from January to 18^th to 19^th. Envigado has a total of 15,671 cases, an increase of 84 from January 18^th to 19^th.

 

Joke of the day

Arriving home around noon one day, a wife was surprised to find her husband in a very drunken state. During the next few minutes, he explained that his employer was going through a process of corporate downsizing, and he had been let go. It was unlikely that, at the age of 59, he'd be able to find another position that paid anywhere near what he'd been earning, and therefore, they were financially ruined.

Calmly, his wife handed him a bank book which showed more than forty years of steady deposits and interest totaling nearly $1 million. Then she showed him certificates of deposits issued by the bank which were worth over $2 million, and informed him that they were one of the largest depositors in the bank. She explained that for more than three decades she had 'charged' him for sex, taken 20 dollars from his wallet and these holdings had multiplied and these were the results of her savings and investments.

Faced with evidence of cash and investments worth over $3 million, her husband was so astounded he could barely speak, but finally he found his voice and blurted out, 'If I'd had any idea what you were doing, I would have given you all my business!'

That's when she shot him.

Monday, January 18, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 1:45am, woke up about 5:30, catnapped until I got up at 6:15.

2 more days of the Trump presidency.

I have an ongoing game with Mr_Blamo that is now up to 67 moves. He has a rook, knight, and pawn and I only have my queen. I just keep checking his king hoping to get a draw but I don’t mind his persistence as he’s never beaten me and this may be his best chance.

One of my blog readers asked, “I am curious, what percentage of Teresa' clothing purchases do you think she returns. It seems shopping/returning is her hobby. “Isn’t it every woman’s hobby?” I think she returns about 80% of her purchases. More accurately, she exchanges them mostly because, clothes at least, she seldom tries things on in the store waiting until she gets home.

I left the apt at 8am and walked the back streets arriving at Marcos’ apt at 8:18. We walked to Parque Envigado where he withdrew cash from an ATM and bought 3 cigarette lighters. We returned to La Buena Mesa where we found Parva had not yet opened so we stopped for coffee at Los Portenos. I told him about my problem with my apt payments and he told me about his problem getting his TV rehung on his wall. I returned to the apt by 9:30.

Juan Cardona texted to thank me for referring Juan Carlos for English lessons with him.

I started new correspondence games and my opponents are from Canada (1268), Nigeria (1317) and Lithuania (1466).

I found a Marcos Lemonis program called Streets of Dreams on CNBC.

I finally forced a draw in my game against Michael lowering my rating to 1443 but he still hasn’t beaten me. I have a total of 6 games going on right now.

Teresa returned at 12:30. She said she had coffee with her friend in Viva Envigado. So much for pico y cedula.

I won another short game against Mr_Blamo and my rating is now 1446.

I want to change my Direct TV account from Platinum to Basic. I kept the phone number of a young man that speaks English that helped me a couple years ago with my account. I texted him and he responded that he still works for them. (He also said that the office is currently closed because of the pandemic.) I made the request but its unclear as to whether he can make the change himself or if Teresa (the account is in her name) has to call their office at 604 4111.

At 4:30 the sun was encroaching on my desk. A few minutes later the sun hit the edge of my computer before going behind the building across the street so I don’t believe there will be a problem sitting in the sun.

Teresa beat me in parcheesi today 2 games to 1.

I watched a couple more episodes of The Last Kingdom.

On the evening news they listed the names of dozens of Colombian doctors that have lost their life to Covid-19.

 

The US has 23,721,328 ð 23,877,477 ð 24,091,135 coronavirus cases with 394,300+ ð 396,500+ ð 398,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,891,034 ð 1,908,413 ð 1,923,132 cases with 48,256 ð 48,631 ð 49,004 deaths. Medellin has 167,631 ð 168,895 ð 170,159 cases (not sure why that count didn’t change), an increase of 1,375 from January to 17^th to 18^th. Envigado has a total of 15,587 cases, an increase of 106 from January 17^th to 18^th.

 

Joke of the day

A guy gets hit by a bus and finds himself in front of iron gates. Confused he asks where he is. "Hell," said the devil "but before you get overly concerned, it's not as bad as you think it is..."

"What?" said the guy, starting to panic. "How can that be, I'm a good person, this can't be right, it can't be!"

"Calm down," said the devil, "the rules for going upstairs are a lot stricter than people realize - and besides, like I said before, it's really not that bad here."

Unconvinced, the guy prepared to object but the devil cut him off.

"Let me give you an example," he said, "what's today? Monday, right? Yes, Monday. Do you gamble?"

"I gamble a little bit," said the guy, "I play poker with my friends every now and then and always have a bet on the big horse races."

"Perfect," said the devil, "then you're going to LOVE Mondays, Monday is our gambling day. In the morning we play blackjack and roulette, at lunch we bet on the horses, in the afternoon we bet on sports games and at night we play cards. It's really a lot of fun, you're going to LOVE Mondays"

"That does sound ok," said the guy, "but if it's all the same to you I want to talk to the man upstairs and see..."

"Do you drink?" the devil interrupted.

"Sure," said the guy, "everyone likes a drink every now and then."

"Perfect," said the devil, "then you're going to LOVE Tuesdays, Tuesday is our drinking day. We wake up, have breakfast with amazing Bloody Marys that takes us to an early lunch where we have pizza and beer then drink beer and whiskey all afternoon until dinner time where we have the best wines, followed by port and cognac. A very popular day, you're going to LOVE Tuesdays."

"That does sound pretty good," said the guy, "but..."

"Do you ever do drugs?" said the devil.

"I smoke pot every now and then," said the guy.

"Perfect," said the devil, "then you're going to LOVE Wednesdays, Wednesday is our drug day. Probably our most popular day to be honest. We start off nice and easy with the finest hash, then move on to coke as a nice pick me up, then we go out and do ecstasy and dance and have a great time then we wind the day down with some top-notch heroin. And don't worry about the dangers because you're already dead! Yes, you're going to LOVE Wednesdays"

"Actually, that sounds great," says the guy

"Perfect," said the devil, "are you gay?"

"No, I'm not gay," said the guy.

"Oh," said the devil, "then you're not going to like Thursdays."

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, turned on the fan, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, woke/got up at 6am.

3 more days of the Trump presidency.

Streets are nearly deserted. I did see two men, one after the other, walk to Exito, peer inside, realize it was, indeed, closed, and walk away.

ItzChrxs resigned his game but due to his very low rating I only gained 2 points to 1441.

I gave myself a haircut.

I blundered a knight against cwelch231 so it’s just a matter of time before I resign.

Mattdaly resigned his game increasing my rating my 3 points to 1472. I think this is the highest its going to be for awhile.

I watched more episodes of The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

Teresa beat me in parcheesi today 4 games to 2.

We are still on pico y cedula but at least tomorrow I can go walking.

I resigned my game against cwelch231 (1533) and my rating fell 16 points to 1456 then I won a quick 24-move game against Mattdaly to increase my rating to 1459.

 

The US has 23,437,428 ð 23,721,328 ð 23,877,477 coronavirus cases with 389,900+ ð 394,300+ ð 396,500+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,870,179 ð 1,891,034 ð 1,908,413 cases with 47,868 ð 48,256 ð 48631 deaths. Medellin has 167,631 ð 168,895 ð 170,159 cases, an increase of 1,231 from January to 16^th to 17^th. Envigado has a total of 15,481 cases, an increase of 151 from January 16^th to 17^th.

 

Joke of the day

"Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same." Oscar Wilde.