floundersgreatadventure

I received several comment on Jeff’s rant yesterday most asking what brought it on. Well you all do know that Jeff is retired and has a lot of free time to think and in his case thinking sometimes gets him in trouble you also know he really is a cranky old man  so a rant every once in awhile is to be expected . Johns team Nacional played last night and won 3-0 that was a shock it look like they use different players depending on what league their playing in. The rainy season is starting to cause a lot of flooding and landslides out in the country so far in Bello there has only been some minor flooding reported, of course that doesn’t mean outlying areas haven’t been hit because there are some lines down and not everyone has cell service. Rain also hurts agriculture because just like the lack of rain to much rain is not good. Hari is here and he needs Jeff and me to play with him he’s getting bored with Nick Jr. so I don’t know what Jeff is going to do but I’m going to play with me buddy Ciao.   

Sorry this is going out late but I just didn’t feel like saying anything but Jeff has a few words he’d like to say. How many Americans out there and Colombian too remember the respect that police officers use to have? When I was a kid there use to be a cop on every main corner and they would be walking around the neighborhoods as well. The one on the corner of South Munn and Central avenues in East Orange, New Jersey where I grew up was very typical of all of them at the time. His name was Herbie and he knew everybody’s name in the area and he knew what time you should be home from school and the scary part was he knew if you did something wrong. He’d wait for you to come by his post and then he would call you over and walk down this little alley behind Ziegler’s liquor store and the he would beat the crap out of you take back out to the corner go to the pay phone call your mother and send you home. When you got home your mother would smack you around send you to your room to await the arrival of your father that’s when thing would really get rough. Now a day’s cops have to ride two to a car because there is no respect for the police, in Colombia I’m not sure of the reason other than corruption but there is no respect for the police the effect of this is a police force that reacts to crime rather than prevent it. People all over the world want safe neighborhoods for the families to grow up in but most people expect the police to protect them without any help. I’ve testified before grand juries and in traffic court I can’t see something and then go bury my heads in the sand. I know how hard it is for a police officer to make ends meet on their salaries and I’ve met corrupt and violent cops but anytime I’ve ever needed one they responded quickly and courteously. If people down here want better police first they need to respect the uniform and help them get rid of the bad ones. I know it won’t be easy or quick but in the end you’ll have better and safer places to raise your kids. Well I think Jeff finally ran out of words so I’m out of here Ciao.

Monday and it’s over cast just what you need for a Monday. Pictures went up on Facebook this morning I’ll have Jeff put one or two up here as well. Ruby still has a bad cold asking her to go to the doctor is the biggest waste of time ever and now Jeff isn’t feeling too well. I think everybody is going to stay sick until this bug dies of old age or just gets bored and moves on to another country. Back to yesterday Elda ruby’s fathers wife (I guess stepmom but they don’t use that term down here) out did herself as always in making sure everybody was well fed and didn’t need anything, I hope she gets to rest today. Jeff always come back from el Jefe house relaxed he says he doesn’t know what it is about that house but it always makes him feel very relaxed. They got to talk to Nelida’s daughter Marisa on the internet while we were there also Camilo called says he be here on the 25th the tickets purchased we’ll have to wait and see what happens.  Nacho drove home and Jeff says he thinks he took the scenic route Jeff said that was OK because he doesn’t see well at night so driving on main roads could have ruined Jeff’s relaxed mood. Jeff just sneezed on me so that’s that I’m headed to the bed before I get sick to Ciao.

First let wish everybody a HAPPY EASTER .It’s been fairly quiet down here today partly because it’s raining and partly because this is a very Catholic country and most people are in or on their way to church. This afternoon despite the rain they are going to Ruby’s father’s house for the afternoon. Jeff really like her father and refers to him as El Jefe. Last night Johns futbol team Nacional played Envigado in what Jeff thought ws one of the worst games he had watched in awhile it ended up in a 0-0 tie. Sense it’s still early down here there’s not much else to talk about so I’ll take my leave and maybe I’ll have something else say later Ciao.  

It’s the weekend and Jeff started off with a dentist appointment not the way I would have chosen. Ruby feels better but everywhere you go people are sick the lines at the doctors are horrendous so getting completely well is almost impossible. Yesterday we did nothing but make Ruby rest and believe me that wasn’t easy, I need a rest now; she won’t let anybody do anything for her. Yesterday ended on a rainy note and today began on one it’s the second rainy season and personally although I miss my sun it keeps the noise levels low and makes for great sleeping and napping. Because it’s a Catholic country there’s not much going to be happening around here today and tomorrow maybe some soccer tomorrow afternoon I haven’t really checked yet. Wait a sec Jeff says everyone is going to Ruby’s father’s house tomorrow yippee I get to sleep al day with no interruptions I think I’ll start practicing now Ciao.

As I said the other day Ruby and Jeff went Ruby’s friend Ruby’s farm on Thursday I’ll put a couple of pictures here the rest are on Facebook. The weather wasn’t the best there were a couple of showers that looked like they were going to wash us away but as you can see the weather did break long enough for the kids to have some fun in the pool. It was a good time for all people got to relax and talk to old friends Olga was there as well as Juan Pablo, John, and Vanessa and of course Hari. Jeff spent most of the day reading and eating, two of his favorite things, he did spend a little time trying to talk to the kids who really wanted to understand him. Later that night after they had gotten back they went to watch one of the many religious processions they have at night. It was attended by what looked like a couple of thousand people. Jeff took no pictures maybe tonight or tomorrow or Sunday weather permitting. The processions down here go thru the city streets while in America they tend to stay within the confines of the church. Well Ruby’s sick, to fresh air yesterday, so Jeff is trying to be nice to her and I think I’ll go over and climb on the bed to help keep her warm. Oh by the way there are over a hundred pages to this blog, his book only has seven so far Ciao.

Barcelona won 3-1 it was a good game of course Milan thinks they got screwed but I’m sure if Barcelona had lost they would be saying the same thing. All Milan had to do was score some more goals, they didn’t and they lost such is life. Jeff and Ruby are going to a farm for the day tomorrow so I don’t know if we’ll get the opportunity to write a post but we’ll see what happens. Jeff and Ruby were also in Medellin yesterday and hooked up with their friend Yolanda’s sister for a little while then Ruby was to suppose to have a dentist appointment but once more the insurance hadn’t credited her payment yet it looks like it take three or four days for it to hit. We’ll find out for sure today because Jeff has a doctor’s appointment at 4:30 today. Nothing new to report on the new house scene probably won’t be for awhile sense Johns busy today and they’re going to the farm tomorrow I don’t think there’s any real hurry sense it’s still at least three months or more before Johns new home will be ready. Real Madrid is playing today so I guess Jeff will watch that and I’ll snooze in the sun life just doesn’t get any better Ciao.

It’s Tuesday Yesterday Ruby and Jeff went to see Johns new house and while they were there they decided to check out a apartment for rent actually it was more like a town house. It was two bedrooms living room and kitchen area also had a little fenced in back yard. The price was a little more than they are paying now and Jeff wasn’t sure if all there furniture would fit. But the view from the back yard was spectacular this is what Jeff wanted when he moved down here. They plan to look at some other apartments and maybe some town houses too there are a lot of them in this area. There is a high rise near the front of the development That John says has larger apartments and is a little cheaper Jeff doesn’t like high risers but the view in this area is all good and if doesn’t have to be up to high he’ll be OK. He said the townhouse he looked at was two floors I’ve never climbed a stair in my life and I don’t think I want to start now, but we’ll see. Jeff and Ruby and John are going to look at some more places tomorrow we’ll keep everybody in the loop. This afternoon is soccer time Barcelona Vs AC Milan should be a good game we’ll talk tomorrow Ciao

Monday what a drag Jeff was thinking about all the changes that have happened in his life and he was particularly thinking about what we let kids watch on TV or in the movies. They’ve banned coyote and the roadrunner cartoons as being to violent they say your children shouldn’t see Bambi it’s to traumatic for them yet they let pulp fiction into theaters and even thou they rate it R doesn’t mean kids haven’t seen it. Growing up Jeff was smart enough to know that the Coyote was just a cartoon character and that animals died from being hunted by man. It seems to Jeff that there’re out there trying to change what we know to be fact into what they think we should know. I think the cartoon and movie things were just a way to see how much censorship they could impose by staying it was for the good of the kids. In the state of Texas they have taken certain facts out of history books like not mentioning certain presidents they hope because they are the largest orders of text books that they will make the publishers print the books that way for all the states. Jeff believes that the US was founded by people that were tired of having one person tell them what to believe and how to worship. It would seem that now hundreds of years after the first European arrived here that if you want that kind of freedom you might have to go back to Europe. Funny how we got to this point in the post from simply complaining that we couldn’t watch Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons anymore. I’ll let Jeff write about this another time CSI NY is coming on and it’s one I haven’t seen yet Ciao.

Palm Sunday in Colombia Jeff and Ruby went to watch the processions to the church and Jeff said they very good. He noticed as did Ruby that people going to church no longer get dressed up down here dressing up on Sunday means getting your hair done clean jeans and clean T-shirt. Jeff had to admit this was the first time he ever saw young and old people going into church wearing kiss me good or sport teams or concert T-shirts. He guessed he was just getting old but Ruby says that might be part but the people who go to the church don’t have as much money and the style of dress has changed. Jeff agreed on the style of dress changing, he would much prefer to wear jeans as opposed to slacks, But he doesn’t see any reason why men can’t wear collared shirts and the women can’t  put on a nice blouse. Around the church were people selling Palms they really don’t want you to do that because the plant is becoming extinct also all the stores were open as well as the bars (which were full). Even though Jeff is as far from religious as you can get he thinks if you going to go to church you should show a little respect and not a lot of mid-drift he says if this makes him old fashioned then so be it. He doesn’t think that people have go and buy all new fancy clothes like they did when he was young just try to a little conservative even if that means just a plain white T-shirt . There will be many more processions this week and Jeff will try to get some photos. It’s a lot of work to put together and Jeff admires the young people who carry the floats threw the city especially because it was so hot today. Well speaking of hot I’m going to climb up on the bed sense the fan is on and chill Ciao.