Sad Doggie

I was walking to a bus stop today and as I passed a cafe there was a stray dog in a dead stare at two woman at a table having coffee. The window was at street level so the dog was pretty much eye to eye with them. As I caught the bus and rode past the cafe the dog had now moved on to two men eating something. It was a sad sight.

Skype Button

I just added a Skype button to my blog, if your're a Skype user and see me online send me a IM or try calling.

Bus Talk

I had been paying 14 pesos to ride one bus, connect with another for another 14 pesos. Sometimes I noticed passengers handing the bus driver a ticket and the bus driver handing it back, they didn't pay anything. Oddly while surfing for other expat blogs in Uruguay I came across a blog post about riding the bus and that there was a "transbordo" ticket that allowed you to ride on two buses on the same line, but how do I get one? So I asked and found out I had to ask for a transbordo ticket and specify the bus I would be connecting with.

One would say "transbordo con cien cuatro" in my case, which means a transbordo ticket with the 104 bus. I tried it the first time, the guy nodded his head but when I got to my seat I realized it wasn't a transbordo ticket. Since then I have mastered getting the all elusive transbordo ticket, only I guess I'm not rolling my r's good enough and usually the driver or money taker asks "como?" (what?).

Hot Hot Hot

88 today and sunny! The beaches were packed as expected. Hope it stays like this for a bit longer.

First Rule of Blog Club...

Is you don't talk about blog club. The second rule of blog club is you don't talk about blog club.

Bad for bunny, good for Doc

A chocolate bunny that was going to be for sale broke at the small store we have here at work, so it was broken up into even more pieces and given away, news spread fast but I got a big chunk o' bunny!

The Bad Haircut Redux

Not to many surprised reactions at work about my haircut, it's fairly common to see guys with buzz cuts at work.

You know what the difference is between a good haircut and a bad haircut? About two weeks!

Pile O' Computers Gets Smaller

I couldn't help but notice that the pile of computers appears smaller. Mostly it looks as though someone has been smashing the monitors and CPU's and making a big mess at it too.

I wonder how long the pile is going to be there.

Bad hair day

Today was my day for getting a haircut at my usual place, a small salon 2 blocks from my apartment. I go there and to my disappointment the windows and doors were shuddered up and the hanging sign removed. I need not explain what happened.

Later on today I decided to go try another nearby salon. I go inside and run into a colleague from work, she asks if they could slide me in but they were booked up. She speaks Spanish and said she would accompany me to the other salon a few blocks up the road.

We go there and they can slide me in, they also had someone who spoke English. I bid my colleague goodbye and spoke to stylist, explained I wanted it short on the sides with a clipper "No problem" he says and explains this to another stylist.

I am directed to a seat and sit down. With little fanfare the stylist grabs a clipper and proceeds to whack the side of my head down to about a 1/4", I'm a little disturbed but nothing I can do about it now, he asks if it was okay for the back and I'm thinking I don't want a mullet!

He cuts the back and then all of a sudden he drags the clipper along the top of my head, right down to a 1/4"! My eyes just about popped out of my head.

The English speaking stylist asked me if it was okay, I told him no, he said "You asked for a short haircut", I said "Yes, but not this short".

Eventually the torture session was over, I paid twice what I paid the other place, for a terrible cut, and here is a terrible picture to go along with it.

Book Corner - Finished Reading

Six Seconds by Rick Mofina
Paperback
496 pages

A pretty cool thriller and a easy read. Intertwined stories and the whole nine yards.

Worth reading.

It's About Time!

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever. So much to blog about, so little time, LOL!

Work: We are off the summer schedule and that means new morning people on my walk to work, but really the new morning people are the old morning people before we started the summer schedule, get that? I've seen "ol' limpy" a few mornings.

Keep off the grass!: There are now signs posted in the grass where I work saying to pick up after your dog. Looks like it's working. Still dog owners here are pretty bad overall, sidewalks can be fairly disgusting.

Weather: Still warm! Had a cold windy night last weekend, but still beach weather!

Cats: The same

News: Countdown till my departure. Yes, July 2nd I'm outta here, I'll blog my next assignment soon.

Waiting on the rains

We are supposed to get some real heavy rains and strong winds tonight and tomorrow:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/map/interactive/UYXX0006?from=36hr_maps&zoom=5&interactiveMapLayer=sat&animation=false

But all in all the country as a whole, especially Argentina, can use it.  Don't know if you have read the news reports about the cattle industry is suffering in both countries because of the drought.

Most excellant movie

It's rare for me to give a move that rating, as my ratings go there are:

5 minute movies: I can only watch 5 minutes of it

Suffer movies: Not exactly a 5 minute movie but I'll suffer through it

OK: Better than a suffer movie, it was OK

Meh: (See OK)

Pretty Good: I enjoyed it

Most Excellant: Two thumbs up and will watch it twice.

What movie was that?  The HBO flick with Kevin Bacon - Taking Chance

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019454/

Look, I know, liberal media slant aside and all of that, but it really was a good movie.  As a former Marine I found it technically superb, Kevin bacon played a Marine Lt. Colonel perfectly.  

Click on the link to find out more about the movie.

I highly recommend it.

So whats your chance

I blame it on visiting 3rd world countries!  Click on the graphic to take the quiz and find out!

Roach Coach Sunday

Huh? Roach Coach, fast food on wheels! Here is Wikipedia's definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_truck
So when I get home after church I like to take a walk to Parque Rodo where the Sunday ferria is set up. There are a few hamburguesa an dpancho roach coaches, around 3 or 4 that do business there. I can get a hamburguesa and Coca Cola for about 70 pesos (Around $3). The hanburgers are not like what you would get at McDonalds. It comes with a strip of ham along with the hamburger patty, but usually no cheese. They also have a lareg assortment of condiments, but this is where I learned all roach coaches are not the same! I realized the one I went to today only had a few items to pick from while the one a litle bit further away had a large assortment of condiments.

Usually if you are waiting by a roach coach you are going to get approached by kids asking for money. I was really surprised by the two little girls that asked me for money today as I couldn't have told them apart from any other kid with their parents, clean and clean newer looking clothes, thats not to say the clothes could have been donated and they were poor.

I always drop a couple of peso coins in the bag of this crippled guy with a froggy voice. He walks with crutches and has a bag around his neck that he jingles occassionally so you get the idea where to drop the money. I also see him at the Saturday ferria as well. I always say "Here you go amigo", for whatever reason.

Oh, I see a young guy trying to give away a baby kitten, it's been done buddy! LOL!