Monday, March 21, 2022

Exactly one month since my hernia surgery.

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 2am and 6am, finally waking and getting up at 7:45.

The soreness behind my left knee is a little better. Better to rest it or give it a little exercise? One wonders.

(Replying to Wanna move’s comment: You hit the nail on the head!)

Teresa just told me our plans for the day: breakfast at home, Arkadia, lunch there, then Pricesmart. We don’t want to leave too early because 1) the stores don’t open until 10am, 2) we don’t want to have lunch too early.

Very interesting MSN interview with Artis Pabriks, the Latvian Defense Minister. (I agree completely.)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-has-won-war-with-russia-latvia-defense-minister/vi-AAVjOXV?ocid=msedgntp

 

We left the apt at 10:30 via Didi – 8,369 pesos to Arkadia mall. Surprisingly, Ciclovia was in progress. Then I noticed café Maca was closed, traffic was lighter than usual, and no construction was in progress near the Aguacatala station. It was confirmed at the mall when, at 10:50, stores were not yet open. Today must be a holiday.

Teresa bought a pair of gym leggings at Under Armour.

For lunch we went up to Crepes & Waffles. I was looking forward to trying their iced tea that someone on FB recommended. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed in because Teresa forgot to bring her vaccination card. (She spent about 15 minutes with an employee trying to find some online record of it.)

We had lunch at the Mexican restaurant Wajaca. They had a lemon iced tea which wasn’t anything special but it was the best part of my chicken fajitas meal.

After, Teresa bought 2 gym t-shirts at Tienda 10.

I told her I was sore and she responded we would return home and go shopping at Pricesmart another day. (Plus, she had just talked to her niece and they are going to meet later.)

We quickly caught a taxi back to the apt for 14,500 pesos.

Teresa first called someone else and cancelled a meeting with her. Then she talked to her niece who was too tired and cancelled meeting with her. 😊

About 3:15 it started raining.

Today is Dia de San Jose (St. Joseph’s Day).

Leading Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has been suspended from playing for six months for publicly supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the game's world governing body FIDE announced Monday.

I used Google Maps and found the grade school I went to then moved across the street where I found the house where I first learned to play chess at the age of 13.

I received the following notification from USAA, “We are pleased to inform you that the temporary credit of $512.78 including any applicable interest and fees are now permanent. We appreciate your patience during the investigation of this matter. No further action is needed on your part.” Good news and now it’s official!

I finished reading John Grisham’s Gray Mountain.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 29,715 ð 29,905 ð 29,612 new cases and 1,127 ð 1,102 ð 1,055 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 693 ð 542 ð 508 newly reported cases with 19 ð 18 ð 19 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 3am, couldn’t fall back asleep so I got up at 4am, did some computer work before returning to bed at 5am. It took some time to fall back asleep and I woke up at 7am and got up at 7:15. I’m expecting a nap in my near future.

At 8:15 I started the process of ordering a Didi car. Angel, my driver, spoke English and we had a nice conversation. I arrived at Café Velvet early at 8:30. Glenn arrived on time at 8:45. I ordered the waffle with strawberries and bananas. This time the bananas were charged 3,900 as avocado; last time it was 2,000 pesos as maple syrup. This time I got honey for my waffles but no maple syrup. I requested my latte at 84 degrees, but it was the usual temperature. I’m ready to give up on this place and Glenn was not happy with now they billed everything.

Didi has express and economy cars (the latter about 1mil cheaper). This time I tried the economy car and the only difference I could see is that the backseat had less space if there were additional passengers. In the future I’ll probably order the economy when I’m alone and the express when I’m with Teresa.

I was back at the apt by 11am.

Today I have soreness behind my left knee. I googled quadriceps but they are behind the thigh, so I don’t know what’s going on except the continued slow deterioration of my body.

I had a 60–90-minute nap after lunch.

I used Paypal to donate $100 to United Help Ukraine.

Teresa left at 3:30 to meet with a friend.

It was just after 5pm that I noticed it was raining.

My correspondence chess rating is 1571.

I watched Stillwater (6.6) then finished Lone Star (7.4) on MTV.

Teresa returned at 6:30.

We had a little more rain just before 7:30.

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 29,650 ð 29,715 ð 29,905 new cases and 1,167 ð 1,127 ð 1,102 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 665 ð 693 ð 542 newly reported cases with 29 ð 19 ð 18 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 2:45 and again at 5am. It took some time to fall back asleep but when I woke at 6:30 I remembered having a dream: I was leaving work but couldn’t find my rental car in the parking lot. Earlier that morning my car was out of oil so it was in for repair. I finally remembered the rental was yellow and found it with a comforter and pillow on top. I didn’t know where to go from there as I didn’t know who was repairing my car. Then I woke up.

I had a minor cramp while still in bed, but I worked it out quickly. (From now on, whenever I experience a cramp, I will take a small fingertip amount of Epsom salts.)

We changed my dressing; I removed the old bandage and tape and Teresa put on new ones.

I rested for a while and was hit by a strong cramp. It wouldn’t go away until I got up and put my foot flat on the floor. It seems like I’m more prone to cramping when I point my toes but it’s hard not to as when I relax, they seem to naturally seek that position.

I watched more CNN and constantly looked for more war news on my cellphone.

I finished season 1 of Taboo but I don’t see season 2 on either Netflix or MTV. ☹

We met Esmeralda and Alejandro downstairs parked outside the porteria at 7:30. She drove us to across the street from Antica Pizza where we had patacones and drinks. Alejandro is taking 5 courses this semester: Linear Algebra, Integral Calculus, English 4, Principles of Sociology, and Principles of Economics. (Yes, his English is getting better.) He occasionally swims in the university pool but first they checked hit ability from Level 1 to 5: doggie paddle, crawl stroke, breaststroke, back stroke, and butterfly. The total check came to 78mil ($20) which Teresa thought was outrageous. We were back at the apt by 9pm and I immediately started my bedtime preparations.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 30,550 ð 29,650 ð 29,715 new cases and 1,224 ð 1,167 ð 1,127 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 744 ð 665 ð 693 newly reported cases with 25 ð 29 ð 19 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Friday, March 18, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up 4 times during the night and again at 6:30, finally getting up at 7:30.

Teresa’s plan was to go to a 10am gym class but she felt a little faint and returned to bed. The Weather Channel predicted no rain until 4pm so I was going to go for coffee but I returned to bed also. We both slept for about 90 minutes until the leaf blowers started.

I’m slowly starting to do my Kegel exercises again.

I stole a game from Troyclough and now he declined my offer to another game.

It was nice to take a complete warm shower without the water turning cold. 😊

There’s a desvio (detour) sign at the end of the street and we’re getting more traffic than usual so something’s going on nearby.

Now the Weather Channel predicts no rain until after 8pm.

Teresa tells me there’s lots of interest in buying the finca but no one that wants to pay 280,000,000 ($70,000) pesos.

Michael texted, “One of the ironies of life is how struggle and strife unite us and how tragedies against humanity bring an overwhelming empathy and a desire to help to the surface…god save us #Ukraine and its heroes – all of them!”

We had a short nap after lunch.

I watched more episodes of Taboo on Netflix.

Troyclough finally returned about 6pm and one of my opponents went on Vacation.

I read that Google will match up to $5 million in donations to Ukraine.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 31,152 ð 30,550 ð 29,650 new cases and 1,267 ð 1,224 ð 1,167 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 626 ð 744 ð 665 newly reported cases with 26 ð 25 ð 29 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 11:30, 1am, 3:30 and again at 5:30, finally getting up at 7:30. (I have to remember to have my tea in the afternoon not the evening.)

I soon found out today is also Esmeralda’s birthday.

I didn’t trust it at first but I got hot water for my shower and it didn’t appear to go off.

I left the apt at 9:30 and took a Didi to Viva Envigado. I was a little early for the stores opening so I went up to the 2^nd floor and walked down the hallway towards the metro. Just outside the mall towards the metro the walkway is tarped off on both sides making it difficult to see the construction area. Back inside I found a spot where I could see some of the construction.

The escalator that used to be in the corner is now drywalled off so I imagine it won’t be part of the new store.

In Decathalon I quickly found the convertible pants/shorts I have but they were all size L-XL. (I had checked my existing pair but couldn’t find a size anywhere.) Btw, I don’t think I’m size 34” anymore but it’s hard to tell if the swelling in my abdomen will ever go down. Also, I haven’t worn a belt since my surgery so I’m not sure where my belt line is anymore, probably the site of my incision.

I had a latte in Santa Leña for about an hour.

Downstairs I made my last attempt at finding my lost binder when I asked at the information desk if they had found one. The lady asked me when I lost it and I told her “2 weeks ago”. She went through about 4 legal size pages but didn’t find it.

I bought more gauze and tape in CaFam pharmacy. I bought MPs, a mop head, coffee, and a bag of milk in Exito. (I noticed for the first time the MPs are made in Slovakia, just west of Ukraine.)

I returned to the apt by taxi.

Teresa returned with a mop head of her own. 😊

We tried to take a nap after lunch but were thwarted by the leaf blowers across the street.

Michael texted the following:

https://snyder.substack.com/p/helping-the-ukrainian-armed-forces?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozMTk5NzU5OCwiXyI6IkxDSWFRIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ3NTI5OTM1LCJleHAiOjE2NDc1MzM1MzUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMTA4OTciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.PIo1OEUT-ELIh3BIhaUWMZJyjW61dlXxuOCKX2wIq7k&s=r

I started watching the series Taboo (8.4) on Netflix.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 32,094 ð 31,152 ð 30,550 new cases and 1,226 ð 1,267 ð 1,224 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 573 ð 626 ð 744 newly reported cases with 20 ð 26 ð 25 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 1:30 (it was raining) and again at 5:45, finally getting up at 6:30.

I took my shower and the hot water is back to normal; no more military showers. Maybe the last set of D-batteries were old/faulty? Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed the reset button?

I met Glenn at Los Porteños at 9am. He had a Te Chia and a croissant while I had my usual scrambled eggs in a croissant with a couple small lattes. He heard about an app called Nequi which can be used to pay bills here in Colombia without having to go to Bancolombia. He will check it out further.

We left about 10:45.

I balanced my USAA account to their Feb/Mar statement.

I think I figured out how to schedule online my next visit with Dr. Gomez (8:30am Thursday April 7^th) but I had to give them Teresa cellphone number so they wouldn’t call me but they sent a confirmation code to it and she’s on her phone talking to someone. When she got off 20 minutes later I requested to resend the code, found it on her cellphone and was able to confirm the appt.

Michael reposted a long FB post about the war in Ukraine. I wasn’t able to copy and paste its contents, so I hope this link works.

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4667657360013017&id=100003063960999&post_id=100003063960999_4667657360013017&from_close_friend=1&notif_id=1647461332720414&notif_t=close_friend_activity&ref=notif&sfnsn=scw

A thunderstorm came through while I took a nap from 3:30 to 4:30.

Teresa surprised me by asking when we can make sugar free oatmeal cookies. I replied, “never”. She offered that we could make a sugar free batch (her way) and a batch with sugar (my way). I told her when I’m feeling better.

You know wounds and illness always feels worse in the evening. It seems like right about 7pm my wound starts feeling worse.

Teresa suggested we change my bandages but I asked her to wait until I can buy more because I’m not confident we have enough gauze and tape to cover the area.

More rain in the evening.

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 33,310 ð 32,094 ð 31,152 new cases and 1,170  ð 1,226 ð 1,267 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 469 ð 573 ð 626 newly reported cases with 18 ð 20 ð 26 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 2am and in the bathroom was surprised there was no light. I removed the nightlight, turned on the overhead light (nothing) then tried to find the GFI switch. I gave up and went back to bed then noticed the bathroom light was on. We must have lost power sometime during the night and it just came back on. I turned it off and returned to bed. I got up once more at 6:30am, finally getting up for the day at 7:15.

After breakfast I had a nap for an hour and when I got up Teresa had left for the gym.

I got hot water in my shower it just took longer than usual to come on.

My Weather Channel app predicts rain after 2pm so I guess I’d better get out this morning.

My drain site still leaks slightly, just not as much as before.

I left the apt at 10:30 and shuffled off to Parva where I bought a pan sano to go and had a café con leche there for about an hour.

When I left I stopped at the little grocery by Asados Rogelio and found lots of mops but they all had handles and we already have a handle so I wasn’t sure what to do.

Back at the apt Teresa had already returned. She told me she was in Exito but forgot to buy a mop. 😊 I mentioned I saw them in the market but they had handles and Teresa confirmed she wanted a mop head without a handle.

After lunch Teresa made me chamomile tea which was pretty good.

I chatted with Laura and I think she will send me the $150 she owes me by Western Union.

I used my Talk360 app to call USAA and request they try the process again of sending 2 small deposits to my Charles Schwab account. (It’s been 4 weeks since my previous request.)

I watched The Midnight Sky and The Bombardment on Netflix.

Teresa left for the gym at 6pm just as it started raining. It probably ended about the time she arrived at the gym.

The portero brought our 103,000 Tigo/Une wifi bill.

I read the US Senate passed a resolution to have DST all year around. (I would like that as I would always be on Chicago time. That might be a bit of a shock for those places, like AZ, that don’t recognize it now.)

 

The New York Times’ 7-day average of new daily infections and deaths has the US with 34,397 ð 33,310 ð 32,094 new cases and 1,276 ð 1,170  ð 1,226 new deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of yesterday, Colombia has a total of 436 ð 469 ð 573 newly reported cases with 14 ð 18 ð 20 newly reported deaths.

 

Funny pix of the day