Saturday, April 5 2025

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

Daniel texted me he got back from his doctor’s appointment earlier than expected so we can meet at 9am.

At 8:40 I started the process of ordering a Didi, this time arriving at the church, Parroquia San Mateo, walked behind it and across the street to Daniel’s barbershop.

I got my haircut and was done by 9:30 and had a Didi take me to Todo Drogas. Today it cost 610,100 pesos ($148) because I also picked up a couple items for my brother and one for Teresa.

Again, I walked a block too far before I realized I had walked past Tienda Naturista. ☹ I retraced my steps and bought Omega 3 and Magnesium capsules. Today they were celebrating an anniversary so I got some type of a discount.

I continued on to Ganso y Castor where I had a latte. Usually, they are busier on Saturday or maybe I’m just later than usual.

Daniel texted me and asked, “Can I ask you why you don’t want make a manicure and pedicure”. I replied, “Sure. They take too long and I don't need one every month. I'll get another one in June.”

After I put a peanut in the tree, I noticed quite a bit of squirrel activity:

Teresa called and asked me to pick up lettuce and 3 lemons from Ara. I also bought a bag of milk. We’re almost out of our favorite brand of eggs so I’ll probably be making a trip to the mall this afternoon.

Interestingly, there’s been four tourism police or contratistas (contractors) camped out in front of Ara this week. It sure has reduced the illegal parking and the resultant horn blowing on our street. 😊

I left the apt at 2pm and walked to the mall. I stopped in Exito to see if Notebook keyboards seem to be different than laptops. The salesgirl who first approached me didn’t speak English and I’m guessing no one did since she didn’t hand me off to anyone else. We communicated via my basic Spanish and our cellphone translators. The first thing I learned is they don’t have any notebooks, just laptops. I told her my minimum requirements were 1TB of SSD storage and a price under 2,000,000 pesos ($500). They had about 2 dozen different laptops (brands included HP, ASUS, Lenovo) but this is the only one that met my criteria:

I took the above photos and thanked her for her help. (Look closely at the keyboard; I don’t want one where I have to stumble over what the keys represent.)

I went to Home Center and down to the 1^st floor where I asked a rep (greeter? He was standing at the foot of the escalator) for help. On our way he was stopped three times from others asking for advice. 😊 He ended up handing me off to a girl working in the paint area. Both of them went with me a couple aisles away to the “adhesives” area. (I finally realized what I bought to repair the toilet is an adhesive not a caulk.) The girl suggested something but then asked another worker for advice. He suggested something else which certainly looks like silicone caulk. I also got confirmation that this tube should be enough for one toilet. It only cost 9,900 pesos and I paid in cash at the self-checkout cash register.

I went over to Urbania and had a latte while reviewing some more chess notes.

I left at 3:30, bought a large carton of eggs and returned to the apt by taxi.

I ordered the HP Pavilion laptop from Amazon I wrote about yesterday and am having it delivered to my brother’s house.

The cost was $387 + $28.06 (estimated tax) = $415.06 and I put it on my USAA credit card to give me a little more insurance coverage.

It has everything i need, but if I was being nit picky, i would rather have a black than a silver keyboard.

I watched some evening news, often interrupted by buffering.

 

SEATTLE GAS STATION SIGN

Friday, April 4, 2025

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 5:45 am, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Google Flights for our trip has come down to a much more reasonable $1,060.

I’m happy to report no ill effects from yesterday’s long walk.

Teresa informed me the girl in the gym only wants an answer to 2 questions. Is your heart healthy enough for gym activity?  Is your blood pressure healthy enough for gym activity?

I left the apt at 8:45 and completed my workout in Smartfit (there was a different girl at the front desk and noticed a couple instructors I haven’t seen before).

I was having a latte in Ganso y Castor when I saw a couple smaller squirrels (kits?) walking on an electrical line. While I took this photo of the second one:

The first one had already grabbed the peanut I left there:

Then he came back (or maybe it was the other one) looking for more:

I stayed about an hour before returning to the apt.

I started looking at laptops and I couldn’t find the ones I found before, at least without being more expensive.

I switched to Amazon where I found this laptop:

·     HP Pavilion 15.6” HD, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Windows 11 Home, Ports: 1 USB-C, 2 USB-A, 1 HDMI, 1 headphone/microphone combo, $390.99.

Looks good, only problem might be, “Amazon.com will not accept returns of any desktop… computer more than 30 days after you receive the shipment.” That’s quite a risk, should it be “dead on arrival” but then electronics don’t usual have problems.

We left at 3:30 and took a Didi to Santafe mall for 12,300 pesos. I went down to Valentina’s where I had a latte and Teresa went to Zara to meet her friend Monica. I received a text message from Daniel asking me to arrive for my haircut at 10am instead of 9am. I agreed but now I’ll probably be switching my schedule with the haircut last.

Teresa returned about 5pm and told me she found a dress she wants me to see. I paid 11mil (included my tip) and followed her up to Studio F where she showed me a couple dresses. Knowing her I asked her to try them on and when she did, I liked them but she didn’t like how they fit.

We went to Crepes & Waffles and had ice cream which Monica insisted on paying for because I picked up the check last time. While there we heard a thunder storm come through and it got noticeably colder.

They went into a couple more stores while I waited outside.

Monica left and Teresa and I went to the 3^rd floor exit where we could see it was raining. Small groups of people were standing around so it was difficult to know who was waiting for a taxi and who was waiting for a car. We decided to go down to the basement where they have a taxi system. When we arrived, there was a long line but at least we could sit. Taxis came fairly frequently so we only had to wait 20 minutes for our ride back to the apt for 17,000 pesos.

There was still a light drizzle as we ran from the taxi to the porteria.

It was 8:30 and I immediately started my pre sleep routine.

 

SEATTLE GAS STATION SIGN

SUZE ORMAN

 

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Here's what is getting more expensive because of tariffs

Suze Orman warns Americans about 401(k)s, recession fears now

The finance author offers key advice for people to manage the surprising crisis.

• Jeffrey Quiggle
• Updated:
  Apr 5, 2025 2:40 AM EDT

• 
  

Stock values have cratered in the two days since President Donald Trump unveiled his global tariff plan after the close of trading on April 2 — and millions of Americans have watched helplessly as their 401(k)s and other investments quickly crumbled. 

The damage to markets was "significantly larger than expected," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said April 4 at a Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) conference.

Personal finance author and media personality Suze Orman issued a warning for readers and offered some financial recommendations about how to handle the pressure-packed situation.

If the tariffs proceed as announced and affect trade, Orman explained, the economy could be headed for difficult times and the question of whether a recession is imminent looms. 

Read MoreAmericans are understandably

 concerned about the short-term and long-term ramifications of financial hardship — including about the value of their 401(k)s and other retirement savings.

Orman discussed those worries, how they affect people and suggested some important ways Americans can react.

Personal finance author and media personality Suze Orman is pictured. Orman warns her readers not to make financial decisions out of fear — and to continue contributing to 401(k)s for retirement savings.

Getty

Suze Orman warns Americans about fear, finances and 401(k)s

Regarding recession concerns, Orman acknowledged that workers, in addition to retirement savings worries, are also nervous about potential layoffs.

"I won’t tell you not to be fearful of the financial road ahead," Orman wrote in a newsletter. "But I need you to listen to me: Don’t make financial decisions out of fear."

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, don’t remember if I got up during the night, finally waking/getting up at 5:30.

Google Flights for our trip has come down to a slightly more reasonable $2,085.

After breakfast I went back to bed for 45 minutes but couldn’t fall asleep.

I left the apt at 9:15 and met Marcos outside Tostao. We took the long way (the ramp instead of the stairs) to Ayura station and on the other side he needed to sit down and rest a minute. I told him about my progress with Movistar’s fiber optic internet. We continued on to Badia where I bought 14 boxes of Chamomile tea for 152,600 pesos ($37) and put them in my Dollar City bag. We continued on to Mas Fresco Pescado where we each bought a whole red snapper, mine costing just under 50mil. The fish with my tea fit perfectly in my Skechers backpack. We stopped briefly in Bancolombia where he picked up a document and we returned to Envigado. He said his stomach is bothering him so we didn’t stop for coffee. By the time I got back to the apt I was sweating, so happy I was in shorts and sleeveless t-shirt. That was a long walk, at my age, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do that.

I checked and there isn’t anything interesting playing in Cine Colombia.

I’ve been looking all over for my old notes on the Botvinnik English, called the TM Opening. I finally found them in exactly the last place I looked, a binder in a drawer of my desk.

Just after 1pm it started raining. It was still raining when I finished lunch just after 2pm. It was so cold, rainy and dreary we did the only thing responsible people would do in this situation – we took a nap. 😊

This time I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 3:30. At least it had stopped raining.

I dressed in pants, t-shirt, and jacket and left the apt. I printed some notes at the copy center, now having an official Bancolombia sign outside, then stopped at Los Portenos for a latte. I took my usual spot but when we had a little drizzle I found I was too close to it and moved 1 table further away.

I left at 6pm and returned to the apt.

More rain in the evening.

I’m thinking, because of tRump’s tariffs, it might be best nor to wait any longer to buy a new laptop.

 

SEATTLE GAS STATION SIGN

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up several times during the night, once with a cramp in my calf so I took a little Epsom salts, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

After breakfast, Teresa informed me we will be without water from 8am to 4pm. I told her I’ll shower at the gym after my workout.

I booted my computer but it couldn’t find my D: drive. Shit! Luckily, I just backed it up last night so I could always run off my external hard drive. Maybe I did something to accidentally delete the files on it but I can’t imagine doing anything that would cause it to disappear. I rebooted my computer and all was good again.

I checked Google Flights and the flight I’ve been monitoring jumped up to $3723. Yikes! As I said, it’s a good thing we already have our tickets.

I packed my gym bag and at the last minute remembered to pack a towel. Whew! (I did forget to pack deodorant but that can be corrected when I return to the apt.) I had to remind myself of the combination to my padlock. (Interestingly, most of the padlocks I see here are those TSA locks while I’ve got this big clunky padlock.)

I left the apt for the gym at 7:45.

First let me set the scene: Around the corner from our complex is a tree containing what looks like the bottom portion of a plastic milk container which I assume contains food for the birds and/or squirrels.

Today there was a red squirrel with his head inside it looking for food. He didn’t seem to be alarmed by my presence as I took these photos of him.

He even sat in one place long enough that I was able to take this video:

He seemed to be scolding me for my presence so I placed  a peanut in the usual place and continued on to the gym.

At Smartfit I got an error trying to enter through the turnstile. When I stopped at the front desk the girl asked me something about having a doctor’s prescription to be able workout. I told her I have a May appointment with my urologist and do I need to bring some document from him but she said “no” and allowed me to enter so I guess all is okay.

I went up to the 3^rd floor and put my things in a locker. Back downstairs I soon realized I forgot to take out my thermos so after a couple exercises, I went back upstairs and retrieved it.

Back downstairs there was some type of competition going on. One or maybe two girls were doing exercises with a few other girls gathered around while one instructor appeared to be timing her and another appeared to be filming her. I have no idea what that was about.

I completed my workout, took my shower upstairs and left.

I was walking on the sidewalk when I noticed a spot that was wet. (Balconies here have an outlet pipe so when they wash the floor the water can go out the pipe.) I walked around the wet spot and just then the woman on the balcony sprayed her flowers and got me in the back of my neck.

I stopped in Pasteur pharmacy and bought a 10-pack of Zopiclona for about 20mil. (I can’t believe I didn’t buy enough my last time in Todo Drogas.)

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor while noticing a lot of squirrel activity in the trees. I managed to snap this photo just as a squirrel discovered the peanut I had left there.

Then he came back down and searched the area carefully for more food.

I left at 10:30 and returned to the apt.

Teresa returned at noon from her workout in Mayorca’s Smartfit.

We had pasta for lunch.

Terea left at 2:45 for her arts & crafts class. She’s now learning how to make bracelets.

I left at 3pm and had a latte in Eduardo Madrid while waiting for Teresa. (I returned a bag with three plastic containers for them to reuse.) Right at the stroke of 5pm it started raining, pretty hard, and didn’t stop until 5:45. I traded emails with Teresa and she told me she was waiting for the rain to stop. She finally arrived just after 6pm. We had lattes and shared a cheese croissant. We left at 6:45 and returned to the apt.

We have running water again!

We heard some cheers and surmised there’s a soccer match going on.

I watched some news interrupted by buffering.

I have an Amazon Firestick hooked up to my TV and I listed on my JBL headphones. Interestingly when I turn off the TV or just switch to Direct TV (HDMI 3 to HDMI 1) I can still hear the HDMI 3 program on my headphones.

I finished reading Personal (Jack Reacher #19) on my Kindle.

 

SEATTLE GAS STATION SIGN