#1 Video

I have the #1 spot for "New Years Eve Montevideo"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=new+years+eve+montevideo&btnG=Google+Search
As if this is something that is Googled frequently, LOL

Cruise ships

One of the neat things about walking to work in the morning is watching the cruise ships pulling into port.

This morning there was a bit of a haze over the horizon and a big cruise ship was off in the distance, it was pretty cool sight!

Buy it when you can

One thing about shopping overseas is you have to buy it when you can! It's one of the first things I pointed out to Chris when we went shopping. If there was something on the shelves and she was buying one, I'd tell her she might as well get two or more because you never know if it would be on the shelves the next time we went shopping.

I've talked about cat food before. The last time I went shopping the grocery store had none of the stuff the cats like, only some strange looking stuff in a can.

I took my chances.

It didn't look so bad, I put some in the bowls. Well it hasn't gone over very well. They ate some of it for a couple of days, now they just look at the bowls and walk away.

Maybe this week the other stuff will come in.

For the record

Number of times I've gone to work with my zipper down (That I've noticed):
Last year: Twice
This year: Once (So much for zero).

Problem with satellite TV here is...

The channel information bar is almost never correct. Whatever it says
is showing usually isn't and they changed some of the channels around so
sometimes not even that is correct!

Fiesta last night

Went to another roof top party last night at the apartment next door,
this time with a live band. It was really neat as the band really
rocked and they were LOUD! They played some great classic rock covers
to include some Zeppelin, Hendrix and Doors.
The band was composed of a Dad on guitar, son on lead guitar, son on
drums and cousin on bass guitar. At the end of the second set the bass
player and lead guitar swapped instruments and man oh man did the cousin
just wail on some Santana!
They sung some of the songs in Spanish which was kind of funny listening
to Free's "All right now" in Spanish (Hint: "Now your trying to trick
me in love! - 'Rock scream here')
No photos but maybe I can get some later.

Major Blast From The Past

I just got an email via a social networking site (Which I always thought were kind of dumb) from a guy I worked with back in 1981!

We worked at Lynnhaven Mall as the food court garbage guys. Day after day strolling about the food court, talking about life and changing trash bags.

That's what I can publish, LOL : )

We had some crazy times together, he left for a stint in the Navy, me the Marines.

Kind of drifted apart after I went back into the the Marines in 89.

Really glad to hear from him.

SPAM'd again!

AAAAAaaargh! I made some changes to my blog settings and hopefully this will thwart the culprit!

My apologies.

Another long weekend!

Because I had to go to work last Saturday I gained some "comp"
(Compensatory) hours and I am using them tomorrow, so I don't have to go
to work, woo hoo!

Our summer schedule will be ending next month so no more half days on
Friday after that : (

End of summer

I went to the mall today and as summer break is drawing to and end, what
do you think was happening at the mall?
Back to school sales. It was kind of funny as of course it's still
winter back home and the kids are in school.

SPAM'd

I apologize for that SPAM posting, still not sure how it got through. But on the other hand I'm kind of happy that a spammer picked my little ol' blog out of millions of others to spam...NOT!

Blogging tip for Blogspot users

For those of you who want to give your blogging a little edge, take a giant leap forward then take the trackback plunge.

Really, I am just beginning to digest it myself so I will try to give you a 101.

You visit someones blog (eh hem) and think, "Hey, I like this post" so you comment, which of course is nice and appreciated (As long as it's not spam). But you really want to show some love, you send a trackback.

In a nutshell you create a post on your blog with the trackback URL of the post that you visited (If they have this option usually it will be shown as 'trackback url'), copy this URL and paste it in the body of your post with a message. Publish the post.

Next depending on your blogging platform (Wordpress, Typepad etc) send a trackback.
Make it easy on you, sign up at haloscan.com they make it easy to import the trackback code into your blogger template.

I have tried this a few times and was awed by the fact that trackbacks that I sent had appeared in the Google search engine in 3 minutes!

This probably went way over many of your heads, not to worry.

Blogging tip for Wordpress users

Add this list of ping services to your Wordpress blog and get the word out : )
http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2004/11/21/a-list-of-rpc-and-rpc2-to-ping/

The Doc Report

The Doc Report http://docreport.blogspot.com

Get to know Doc - The Doc tattoo

The famous "Doc" tattoo on my right forearm. Whats the story behind that you ask? Was it some seedy tattoo parlor in Jacksonville NC when you were a Marine?
Maybe he got it at a tattoo parlor in some exotic far off land? It really looks like a jail house tattoo...

Nope, none of that. The year 1981, I had just signed up for the Marines and was waiting to ship out. I had been spending lots of time with my friends, one of them Ken. We go back probably to 1979. Guess whats on his right forearm? A tattoo that says "Ken" that a friend of his gave him before he left Massachusetts (Yes I had to use spell check) for Virginia. I thought, what better way to remember my best friend? I asked him if he could give me a like tattoo on my arm. No problem.

We went to a arts and supply store and bought some India ink, somehow, I don't know I had a bottle of Southern Comfort (I know, horrible nasty stuff).

I thought it was necessary to get pretty tanked up for this hard core tattoo.

Ken proceeded to outline the tattoo with a pen, wrapped some thread around a sewing needle, dipped the needle in the India ink and the fun began.

I got sick from the Southern Comfort and of course wasn't necessary.

Here is a picture of me and Ken before I left for Uruguay.

Doc on the radio

Well not exactly.  The past weekend I was listening at home to my favorite Tidewater Virginia classic rock station, 106.9 The Fox, specifically my favorite DJ. Arlo.  Arlo has been on the air since who knows when.

So I decided to send Arlo a nice email.  Wouldn't you know it a few minutes later Arlo says on the air "You've probably heard me say that I get email from all over the world, but this one takes the cake, Doc from Montevideo, Uruguay!" Later on he even gave a "Shout Out" to Doc in Uruguay!

Pretty cool.

He even followed up with an email, I thought that was pretty cool!

This is not my first time doing something like this.  While I was in Sarajevo I picked some obscure classic rock station I think in Idaho and developed a email and chat relationship with the morning dj's there .  They always mentioned me on the air, whats happening to "Doc in Sarajevo".  They even sent me a CD of their comedy routines.

Cat tales

Tawny, our 3 pound one kitten wrecking machine! She only knows one
speed, spastic! Only knows one place to be, wherever I am! And to add
to that she gets into everything.

I can actually see the transformation in the apartment each day after
our housekeeper cleans up to all the stuff Tawny manages to get into!

This morning I was getting ready to go to work and I go into the
kitchen, water all over the floor! See we have a self waterer for the
cats. Tawny and Cricket tend to put their paws in the water
occasionally and move the waterer, spilling water so Chris put some non
slip padding under it. I guess it didn't work as Tawny managed to drag
it into the middle of the kitchen along with spilling water everywhere.
The other day I hear this annoying sound, I thought it was coming from
outside so I walk to the balcony as the sound stops, look outside
nothing. Go back to the office and the sound starts up again, walk
around the apartment as the sound stops again, nothing. Then just on a
hunch I open the guest bathroom, there's Tawny batting around an old
snail shell (See note) in a sink. The snail shell was in a glass
container with pebbles (Hard to describe how annoying that sound really
is!).

Fast forward to that night...CRASH! I wake up and thought, did I just
dream that? Sure, that was a dream because I'm dreaming, then I
realized, no, your awake, your eyes are just closed! I decided, maybe
it was just a dream. Next morning I'm getting ready for work and
thought about the crash, I knew where to head, guest bathroom. Sure
enough, glass jar tipped over, pebbles everywhere (Spill a jar of
pebbles onto a marble floor, it will wake you up!).

Hey, where is Chris in all of this? She's in the estados unidos (The
states).

Note: Chris collected the pebbles and snail shells in Croatia. Funny
story as when she got it back to the U.S.A and brought them home, the
next morning she screamed when she saw snails crawling outside the jar!
She thought (As did I) they were empty shells : )

What a beautiful day!

It's so nice outside! One of those days that I'm glad to be in
Montevideo! Sunny, not so hot, perfect beach weather! And to top it
off an added bonus, a 3 day weekend! Sweet!

Book corner - Fields of Fire

Finished reading 'Fields of Fire' by former Secretary of the Navy and decorated Marine veteran James Webb. I read this book over the weekend and couldn't put it down. It's a fictional Vietnam war novel but I'm sure many of the stories were gleaned from the authors personal experience.

It's not a "pretty" reading. I found myself at times reading the same paragraph over and over again wishing it would change! The author leaves you hanging at the end, again, you know what to expect but a few chapters later you find out the real answer.

I would highly recommend this book. It's required reading for Marines as it is in the Commandants reading list.

So hit Amazon and find a .99 used copy, VB "'m looking at you!

Oh, started reading, 'Lost Soldiers" by...James Webb!

Cops dump quadrapeligic in wheelchair

You really need to watch this video, totally outrageous! 

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/02/12/deeson.fl.disabled.man.dumped.wtsp

For all of you conspircay theorists out there

From: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330388,00.html

 

WASHINGTON —  Conspiracy theorists take note: The myths surrounding one of America's oldest and most enduring national symbols are about to be debunked ... if you believe the government, that is.

The keepers of the Great Seal of the United States, the emblem on the back of the US$1 bill, want you to know what it is not. It is not a sign that Freemasons run the country, it has nothing to do with the occult, and it does not contain clues to a fabulous hidden treasure.

It is rather the nation's stamp of authority, sovereignty and power, gracing cash and embossing the most important of documents from its home at the State Department, which has held it since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state.

Not that the Seal's symbols — the all-seeing eye, the unfinished pyramid, the Latin phrases, the bald eagle clutching an olive branch and arrows and the number 13 — aren't powerful.

They are, historians say. Yet their meanings have been misidentified, misunderstood and misrepresented almost since the Continental Congress first commissioned the Seal in 1776.

It would be another six years before the original design was approved and another 128 before it evolved into its current form. Along the way, a movement to decipher the Seal's meaning with ancient Egyptian, mystical and otherwise other worldly explanations has gained currency.

The Internet age has seen an explosion in such conspiracy theories, many which have now been ingrained in public consciousness through the popular "National Treasure" movie franchise that serves up a combination of Masonic lore and historical myths in blockbuster Hollywood fashion.

Among them:

—That the Seal proves the domination of the United States by a powerful, quasi-religious cult. The Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a perennial favorite of conspiracy theorists as some Founding Fathers were Masons and the Seal uses several Masonic symbols.

—That the Seal draws on Satanism or polytheistic ritual to promote a universal new world order under which Earth would be ruled by a single omnipotent government.

—That repeated references to 13 — the number of steps in the unfinished pyramid, stars in the constellation over the eagle's head, arrows in the eagle's claw, stripes on the eagle's shield, letters in the phrase "Annuit Coeptis" — demonstrate the power of 13 American families.

—That there are two seals: one in which the eagle's head faces the arrows for times of war and another in which the eagle's head faces the olive branch for times of peace.

All rubbish, according to historians, who say the Seal's symbolism is far less ominous or revelatory than many believe.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Seal's current custodian, will inaugurate a new exhibition to commemorate its 225th birthday and trace the history and evolution of the symbolism.

The Seal will remain at the State Department but the interactive exhibit is designed to travel and curators hope it will dispel the rumors and educate Americans about the real meaning of the symbols.

Among the highlights:

—That known Masons like the first U.S. president, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin had no role in designing the final seal, which uses elements of traditional heraldry, such as the unfinished pyramid to symbolize a work in progress, arrows for war and an olive branch for peace. Masons share some of those symbols, but they have never been exclusively the domain of the order.

—That the phrase "Novus Ordo Seculorum" below the Roman numerals for 1776 at the base of the pyramid translates as "A New Order of the Ages" that began with independence and does not imply the United States will be the lynchpin of a sinister "New World Order."

—That the words "Annuit Coeptis" ("Providence favors") and the eye of providence that hovers over the pyramid refer to unexpected interventions of fate that assisted the colonists in creating a new country.

—That the references to 13 refer to the number of colonies that formed the original United States.

"People are just not aware of the complexity and intent of the symbolism and what our Founding Fathers were trying to do with it," said Priscilla Linn, senior curator at the U.S. Diplomacy Center. "The hidden treasure in the Seal is the courage and presence of mind of the people who created it and created these values for the whole country."

 

(Doc note:  We all know that the great seal really means that aliens built the pyramids and are coming back!)

Cool picture of V-22

Saw this picture on CNN.com , I thought the picture was a drawing until I looked closer.  I don't know if you've ever had the chance to see one of these, I have only once, saw a flight of them go by in Virginia Beach and let me tell you it gave me goose-bumps!  What an awesome sight they made!

 

 

Pivotal food memories #2

Okinawa, Japan.  There is all types of good food there, the food outside the Marine bases usually cater to, well Marines.  There is still the usual Japanese food, most that I can hardly spell or remember except for yaki tori (Yaki-chicken Tori- on a stick, chicken on a stick, perfect Marine food).

 

Now I was at Camp Hansen, and outside of Camp Hansen was the village of Kin, better known as Kin-ville.  Kin-ville isn't known for it's food...

 

One day when out in town I find a take out window, and on the menu was "taco rice and cheese" and someone in front of me walked away with said meal, taco meat on top of a big bed of white rice topped with a big heap of shredded cheddar cheese.  I purchased one and let me tell you, WOW!  Soooo good and so filling! 

 

I always like to say taco rice and cheese is one word, try it, tacoriceandcheese!

 

Chris occasionally makes it for me, but with a new twist, usually taco meat made from turkey or chicken :  )

 

I know your thinking about making some now :  )

Pivotal food memories #1

I was a young Marine right out of boot camp on my way to 29 Palms California.  Had just arrived at LAX and a bus took me and several other new Marines from the Marine liaison office to 29 Palms, on the way we either stopped at Palm Springs or Palm Desert and were put up in motel rooms for the night.

 

So, we all converge into different rooms to talk and plenty of soda pop (Uh huh) and order pizza.  What type pizza to order?  You could imagine the various responses, but somebody chimed in "Let's order a Hawaiian pizza", after some silence of course we all wondered what that was, "Ham and pineapple" was the reply.  We ordered it, I remember thinking, this is going to be good! 

 

I have ordered Hawaiian pizza all over the world since then!

Book corner - finished reading

Night Dogs by Kent Anderson - About a former Vietnam War Special Forces soldier turned Portland, Oregon cop in the badlands.

Best summed up in one word, gritty!  All in all a good book.

Super Bowl

The other day I thought to myself, when was the last time I saw a Super
Bowl commercial, and then it occurs to me, for that matter, when was the
last time I saw the Super Bowl!

I didn't realize who was playing until I got a email from my Day yesterday.

Let's see, what was the last Super Bowl I saw, well, when was the last
time the Redskins played it? =-O

Cars Cars Cars - Doc's Cars - Doc Meyer

My old cars web site, pretty much collecting dust on the internet. The entire reason behind the site was that one day I saw a car, forget what, and thought "Hey that's a cool car", then I remembered, I once owned one! I decided at that point to jog through my memory and write down all of the cars I've owned and what I remember about them. Decided to take it a step further and create a web site.

read more | digg story

Google your name and a car story

Ever Google your name and then click on the Images tab?  Could be funny, could be scary :  )

Here is mine -

http://images.google.com/images?q=doc+meyer&ndsp=20&um=1&hl=en&start=0&sa=N

 

The second picture is THE worst purchase ever in my life, a BMW 735il (Long wheelbase).  Any other time that would be a pretty cool car big 3.5 liter straight 6 cylinder engine, loaded with goodies...

 

I flew to New York with Chris to see it and potentially buy it.  The car needed "shocks", so the dealer reduced the price, I felt I got a good deal, bought it and drove it home from New York.

 

Chris took it to the shop to see what it needed, shocks and struts, guess how much the shocks alone were?

Guess anyone?

$1000 apiece!  I only paid $3900 for the car!  That is not including installation and don't forget it needed struts too!  The shocks were special electronically controlled ones as the car had self levelling suspension.  There was a conversion kit to go to standard shocks, and guess what, the kit was $4000!

 

So in the end I drove the car twice.

 

Once from New York to Virginia Beach.  Once from my driveway to the homeless shelter where I walked in with the title and keys and dropped it on the directors desk.

 

The good thing is I got a very good tax write off in it (Before they changed the laws) and actually it turned out to be a good thing!

 

I have only a million more car stories to go, we'll talk Porsches next time!   My favorite ride!

 

Mini vacation and QE2 pictures

By the time you read this blog post I will be started on a 4 1/2 day
long weekend? The reason, Carnival! Not to be confused with it's
cousin in Rio. I'll probably step out to the rambla and watch the
festivities. Gotta love a mandated paid vacation to party!

Oh, I found some photo's of the QE2 in Montevideo. I asked the author
if I could post them on my blog and he never responded so here is the link:
www.23hq.com/*QE2*/photo/2843676 <http://www.23hq.com/QE2/photo/2843676>