Sunday, May 12, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up at 3:30 to go to the bathroom, got up again at 4:30 to put a blanket on top of my sheet because it was raining and feeling colder, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

It’s a very overcast morning.

I left the apt at 8:15 and walked to Sao Paolo Plaza where I bought a 10-pack of Advil gelcaps in the CaFam pharmacy for 21,650 pesos.

I took a seat in Olivenza and Glenn soon joined me. He told me about his challenge getting his hearing aids repaired.

I had the calentao with scrambled eggs and a latte early hoping I’ll have an appetite for the buffet.

I agreed to a draw with Troyclough losing 3 points to 1582. Later the computer informed me I was up 3.4 pawns and I should have continued fighting.

Glenn left at 10:30 and I at 11am and walked back to the apt in a light drizzle.

I tried using Didi to create a pickup ride but they changed their interface and I couldn’t figure out how to do it.

We left at 12:30 and took a Priority Uber for 24,900 pesos to pick up MT then on to the Dann Carlton. We went up to the 18^th floor and got in a short line to claim our reservations. Teresa was talking to abuela while they couldn’t find my name nor hers. On the 2^nd try they found mine and took us to a nearby table far from the stage, although still fairly close to the speakers. They had live music

and we got in the buffet with no line. The first several items were fish and seafood but I finally found chicken and rice with a nice sauce.

Coke was free so I had one and we all had glasses of water. We all loved the chicken, Teresa said it was much better than Christmas.

Teresa with her mother, aka MT.

They had a raffle and the first item was 9 nights in San Andres. One of our 3 tickets was “1057”. They called out “105”, hesitated then said “6”. We missed it by one digit. When the buffet line dwindled I went back and picked up several desserts for us to try and share.

They had a second raffle and suddenly Teresa gets up and heads to the stage. When she returned I learned we won a weekend at the Hotel Dann Monasterio in Papoyán. 😊

We left at 4:15 and took a Priority Uber back to Envigado for 23,080 pesos.

On my USAA interface I still saw my Citibank account listed. I couldn’t figure out how to remove it so I called them and spoke to a rep that removed it for me.

 

EL ARROYO SIGNS

 

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 5am by voices somewhere outside (a nearby balcony maybe?), couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 5:30am. I took an Advil and Teresa was up a few minutes later and also complained about the noise outside. I went back to bed at 6:30 and woke up at 8am.

I left the apt at 9am and walked to the mall. I bought the 200-page notebook I saw yesterday for 6,000 pesos ($1.50) in Dollar City. (I didn’t buy the Ziploc bags because Teresa wants to choose the size and quantity herself.)  Claro was still closed so I went down to Urbania and took a seat next to a young lady with a large but very friendly dog.

I googled to confirm it’s a Bernese Mountain Dog. I’ve been corresponding with my previous chess trainer, IM Juan Carlos. He answered a question for me and I offered to give him one of my chess books and back copies of Chess Life magazine. He accepted and we’ll probably meet on Monday.

I’m in the endgame in both my games now and they could go either way.

I left at 10:45, paid our cell phone bills in Claro and walked back to the apt.

We left at noon and took an Uber to Santafe mall. This is what their atrium looks like now:

We had lunch in Crepes & Waffles, a Cesar salad with chicken for me and the salad bar for Teresa for 48mil. Teresa was on a mission to find a wide black belt to go with one of the dresses she bought in Greece but after hours of looking we did find a pair of pants and long sleeve shirt for me in Arturo Calle for 304,800 pesos ($78) to wear tomorrow.

We had lattes in the malls new café, Valentina’s, same one as El Tesoro and another small I don’t remember the name of.

We even went across the street to Oviedo mall and searched there but she still didn’t find anything she liked. We took a taxi to the Dann Carlton where Teresa asked about tomorrow’s Mothers’ Day lunch. It’s a buffet from noon to 5pm so we’ll probably get there relatively early because she’s afraid of cold food if we go later. We returned to the apt by taxi at 5:30.

I finished season 2 of The Good Fight.

EL ARROYO SIGNS

 

Friday, May 10, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once during the night, got up again at 4:45 couldn’t fall back asleep, finally getting up at 5:30am. I soon took an Advil.

We left the apt at 8am and took a Didi to the mall. Teresa went to her gym class and I recycled a large plastic bottle then went to Habia Una Vez and took one of their menus and took a seat. The waitress came out and tried to give me a cup of hot chocolate. I tried to tell her that I hadn’t ordered yet. She took it back behind the counter. I ordered their Waffles Pandeyuca which included scrambled eggs and a latte.

I checked Claro but the store was still closed. I took a seat in Urbania and had my usual latte and a glass of ice water. For some reason their Internet wasn’t strong enough for me to play on Chess.com. I texted Erwin (& Dora) from Sabaneta and invited them to meet me for lunch at Big Boy.

I looked at my messages but couldn’t find my Claro bill I thought was there. ☹

At 10am I paid for my latte and went upstairs to Dollar City. Terresa wanted me to pick up Ziploc bags but I don’t know which size she wants to I sent her a few photos. I found a notebook for recording my chess games with Jose but I decided to wait until I heard from Teresa so I can get in line for both.

I bought a bottle of AOX Therapy for Teresa in Linea Estetica and gave them her cedula number for points.

I went to Santa Leña where I had my 3^rd latte of the morning. 😉

Marcos, in Spain, texted me he’s seriously considering moving to Malaga, Spain. My brother happens to be visiting Spain at the moment also.

I still hadn’t heard from Teresa so I went to Exito but had trouble finding some items because they keep moving things around. I bought 3 items and returned to the apt by taxi.

I have close games going on with Troyclough and ONEIPAMETATO1453 but we’re deep in the middle game so things should be resolved soon.

My neck is much better today. Not so bothersome as previous days.

At 1:15 I took an Uber to Big Boy restaurant in Sabaneta where I had the fish & chips with a Coke for the 2^nd time.

Just as good as last time and just as much food - too much for me. Where’s a street person when you need one? Next time I’ll try to come with Teresa and we can share an order.

My Claro bill arrived in my Messages app.

I watched a couple more episodes of The Good Fight.

Teresa returned at 7pm with a slice of pizza for me from Gloria’s.

EL ARROYO SIGNS

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up twice during the night, finally waking up at 6:30am.

For breakfast I had pancakes made from the fresh box of Bisquick topped with banana slices.

Teresa left at 8am for her gym class.

I left at 8:45, printed our blood test results at the Bancolombia kiosk and continued on to Parva. Jerry soon arrived and I had a café con leche while he had a cappuccino with 2 pastries. I told him about our trip to Punta Cana and he told me about their 4-5-week trip to the eastern seaboard of the US. They stayed with family in Atlanta, Connecticut, and New York and saw the solar eclipse in Syracuse, NY. They were driven around a lot saving them a lot on car and hotel rentals. They saw Lion King on Broadway in NY. I asked about the total cost but he had no idea. He left at 11am but I stayed a little longer and completed my Aimchess tactical puzzles for today.

I left at 11:15 and bought a half liter of coconut gelato in Antionio’s. (This was Teresa’s idea as she wants to have pancakes topped with a scoop of coconut gelato.) Outside Los Porteños I replaced the missing peanut with another. Assuming some human isn’t taking them, I’m in the process of training the squirrel to often visit the area.

Opening today in Cine Colombia is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (7.5). I might see it on Sunday.

The rain started about 1:30 but didn’t last long.

Kelley arrived at 3:30 and first gave me a massage that must have lasted 20 minutes. I’m feeling better but I’m also taking Advil so we’ll see.

Teresa used 2 of the last 3 eggs to make pancakes for supper so I’ll probably be having breakfast out tomorrow. I’ll probably go to the mall so I can buy the brand of eggs we like in Exito.

More rain in the evening.

I watched another episode of The Good Fight.

 

EL ARROYO SIGNS

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly (which surprised me since my neck was still sore), got up once during the night, couldn’t fall back asleep, looked at the clock and it was 4:10am, a bird outside our window started chirping at 4:45am so I got up. I went back to bed at 5:45, surprised again I was able to sleep with the sore neck and was awakened by Teresa for breakfast at 8am.

I forgot to buy milk yesterday so it’s a glass of ice water instead of coffee for breakfast.

At 8:45am I took an Advil. No gym until I’m sure my neck problem is gone and then I’ll start slowly with lesser weights and fewer reps.

Teresa left for a gym class in Mayorca and I left the apt and stopped at the Bancolombia window. I didn’t even have to ask if she had my Sandisk USB drive, she just handed it to me. I printed this week’s computer analyzed chess games and another hotel confirmation page.

I had a latte in Los Porteños for a couple hours. Btw, the peanut was no longer in the crook of the tree so I replaced it with another. I left at 11am and bought 2 bags of milk in Ara before returning to the apt.

About 2:30 Teresa informed me that Kelley wouldn’t be coming today.

Troyclough missed my threat in our latest game and I checkmated him on the 17^th move increasing my rating 4 points to 1585.

I finally remembered (should do it on the first of the month) to backup my d:documents folder to my external hard drive.

I watched another episode of The Good Fight. If you don’t want to watch the whole series at least watch season 2, episodes 7-9. 😊

 

EL ARROYO SIGNS

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 5:30, final getting up at 6am.

My neck is still a little sore but better than yesterday before my massage.

About 7:20 I started the process of ordering an Uber. My ride arrived and I was a little surprised he took Ave Las Vegas until Monterrey mall where he switched to the expressway. I still arrived about 10 minutes early and Jose was waiting outside the front door.

We had breakfast in Parmessano; I had the French toast, 2 lattes and got a bottle of water to go for 48mil ($12). We moved to the food court; I took an Advil then we went over last weeks games. I had the Black pieces in the first game and messed up early and fought back but resigned on the 31^st move. I had the White pieces in the second game and got an attack going but couldn’t convert until he blundered a piece on his 27^th move then he tried for a draw but resigned on the 46^th move.

It was only 1:15 when I said goodbye and took another Uber to Viva Envigado. For lunch I had chicken teriyaki, at Sarku’s along with a coconut lemonade.

I went down to Urbania and got the last table and 30 minutes later I left never having been served. I bought another bottle of my skin cream in Medipiel, bought a few items in Exito and returned to the apt by taxi.

By the way, my skin problem seems to be over but I’ll continue this skin care routine a while longer.

For supper I just had a little cereal.

A downpour started at 7:15 but it stopped an hour later.

I watched a lot of news and opinion about the court case on Medellin TV.

 

EL ARROYO SIGNS

 

Monday, May 6, 2024

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

It’s raining lightly, hoping it stops completely before I have to leave. I checked my weather apps and got differing predictions:

My right heel was a little sore but it quickly went away.

I left the apt at 8am and an Envigado bus was just leaving as I crossed the street to Smartfit. It was only a 5-minute wait for a Sabaneta bus. It was pretty crowded but I found a seat next to a window. I got off at the light before calle 7 and walked up to Cedimed. No more facemasks required. I handed the lady standing outside my cedula and my doctor’s order. All routine, only other difference she didn’t give me a call number they just called my name. it was about a 5-minute wait before my name was called. I went to Admission Desk #2 and the lady showed me a laminated piece of paper – the usual things about sex, riding a horse, or riding a bicycle and I told her, “no problem”. I put the 76,900-peso ($19.72) charge on my debit card and took a seat again. It was another 5 minutes before my name was called. I went in back and quickly had my blood draw and I gave her a regular size Band-Aid to put on top of the little circle Band-Aid they use. Back in the waiting room I took a seat for 10 minutes before leaving just to make sure I didn’t bleed out. 😊

I walked the six blocks or so to Sweet Georgia. I exchanged my paperback book for a hardback as I didn’t see anything else new. I ordered the 3-item breakfast

plus coffee and today the pork sausage was decent.

I paid 50mil, walked back to Ave Poblado and caught a Sabaneta bus back to Envigado. There were lots of seats available and when we got to the last light at Otra Parte before my stop I moved to a seat next to the back door. As the light turned green I saw there were two other buses between ours and the sidewalk. I reached up and pressed the buzzer. I didn’t hear anything but the bus stopped anyway. I got up and he accelerated (a man had gotten on at the front) which whipped me back into my seat. A lady across the aisle laughed with me as I struggled to get up and push the buzzer again. The driver slammed on the brakes and I fought to hold onto a railing and got off the bus.

Back at the apt I informed Teresa of the upcoming Pricesmart delivery.

Teresa informed me that Kelley is coming about 3pm for another massage and I told her I would like a mini massage myself for my neck pain.

About 2:30 the muchacho showed up, handed me the Bisquick and strawberry preserves and I tipped him 10mil, which I’m sure he appreciated. It looks like Paypal screwed me on the transaction only giving me a CER of 3700 instead of the current 3900. I’ll have to try to remember to use my debit card in the future.

Kelley arrived just after 3pm and she gave me a short massage of my upper back, shoulders, and neck and the pain went away, but it soon came back. I took an Advil which helps a little with the pain.

I booked us for 10 nights, Superior Sea Front room, at the 4* Occidental Caribe all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana for $2008.96, half payable now, the other half payable when we arrive and I have to use the same (USAA) debit card. Good news they have free airport transfer.

I booked us for Avianca flights for $1005.80 and the flight leaves Medellin now at 11:20am instead of 8am. 😊 I selected our seats visually and noticed the seats are ordered alphabetically but strangely, ie, instead of A,B,C they are A, C, B on one side and stranger on the other.

I almost sent Bryan, our driver, a heads-up for a pickup but then I realized it’s 7 months away.

I watched another episode of The Good Fight.

 

EL ARROYO SIGNS