R U Serious?

Day At The Vet (ALL DAY!!)

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:49:55 GMT

Yes, today was the annual 'Trip to the Vet' for checkups, shots, etc.. Unfortunately, with three dogs, I have learned to take them one at a time. All three got shots, all three in good health and all three crapped in the waiting room.... the last one which I stepped in!!! Geez!!! We had them give Bonnie a bath because she is so hard to handle in the shower. Yes, we give our dogs baths in the shower using a hand-held showerhead..... MUCH easier!

When we all got home (I had to go back once more because I forgot to buy Heartworm meds the first SIX TIMES!! Idiot!!), I took Baxter for a walk..... a LONG walk!! Around our block is easily over a half mile. Between Baxter's short legs (Miniature Dachshund) and my feet, it got to the point where I wasn't sure who would be carrying who home! But we made it!! We are both still recovering!! Tomorrow it's Bonnie's turn! (I can only do that route once a day!)

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Miscellaneous:

I didn't go to the grocery store today.......sorry!! LOL But tomorrow????? Yeah!! (I promise to bring my camera!) It's been unusally hot and muggy for So Cal!! Usually we get the dry heat! But 80 feels like 95 when it's humid!

I failed to mention that my neighbor Charlotte brought us some of her homegrown tomatoes!! YUM!! So for lunch today I made a salad of sliced tomatoes, slices of Mozzarella cheese, basil leaves and Olive oil!! MMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! My favorite!!

I told you that I was going to be playing MY favorite music for awhile so get ready for LOTS of Rascal Flatts!! I haven't played this one before. Grab a tissue or two!

Ya know what I love?? I watch 'King of Queens' reruns every day at 4pm and I still say it's the funniest show on TV!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

Take care and have a wonderful night!

City Council Meeting

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:37:03 GMT

First off, I have had the hiccups for the past 36 hours!! GRRRRRRR!!! Any suggestions?

OK, I was bored last night and because I consider myself a good citizen I decided to attend my town's City Council meeting. BAD idea! That's three hours I'll never get back. What a bunch of weenies they turned out to be.

They started out with the Pledge of Allegiance. What is this, fourth grade?

Then a local pastor gave a prayer. Thank God he kept it short. For the record, all five council members kept their hands folded and their eyes closed.

For some reason, the next thing was public comments. You'd think they'd want the public to speak after the council took action, but I guess the idea is to get the speakers out of there as quickly as possible. Eight or nine people spoke -- I lost count because I started daydreaming after the first three -- and most of them had some kind of beef with the city. One guy asked why the left-turn light at one intersection didn't light up until the cars from the other direction got a full green. He said most intersections let the turning cars go first.

What a dope. Of course, nobody said that. The mayor acted like he was taking careful notes of everything the guy said, as if he was describing a crime scene. I'd love to see the mayor's notepad. My guess is he was drawing funny pictures of the guy. The mayor said he'd ask someone on the staff to look into it and said he would "very much appreciate" getting the man's address. I bet he would.

A lady said her cousin was visiting from the Netherlands and she wanted to introduce her to the council. So, she comes to the microphone and every council member asks about her local government at home, what she's been doing in California. On and on for five minutes. Couldn't this have been done at an IHOP after the meeting? I cleared my throat loudly about five times, just to try to move things along, but nobody picked up the hint.

After that dog-and-pony show ended, the council got down to the real business. Frankly, a lot of it looked suspicious. They cried and moaned about a cost overrun on a project -- some kind of a retail deal, I think -- somewhere over on the north side of town but then went ahead and approved spending the money for it. Pretty obvious to me, if you get my drift, that somebody's got their hands in somebody else's pocket.

This kind of stuff dragged on and on. I came away with a couple conclusions. First, the mayor is a total dweeb and a wimp. Instead of telling council members to keep it short, she let them rattle on. If I was running the show, the whole thing would have been over in about 45 minutes.

My other conclusion is that the new council member is a windbag. It was his first official meeting and I lost track of the number of times he said, "I'd like to ask staff to prepare for me. . . ."

I hope none of the staff is planning on taking a vacation any time soon.

I counted 11 or 12 other items. Every one of them was like some new dental procedure we had to sit through. All kinds of technical mumbojumbo about easements or invoices or wastewater. There was something about a "misappropriation" but everybody started running their words together so it was impossible to understand them and after a while they called for a recess and went into a room with the city attorney. They never did explain that one.

Then they adjourned. I was disappointed with the whole meeting. It seemed like a colossal waste of time and not a way for people to spend an evening, which explains why maybe all of five people were there at the end.

Well, that's my report. I can pretty much guarantee I won't be going back!

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I can't beleive I'm posting at 9:30 AM!! But after that meeting, I went to bed fairly early! As promised, I'm putting MY favorite music up and surprisingly, the first one is NOT Rascal Flatts! HAH!! This might take awhile!! I have LOTS of favorites!! But this one is one of my favorites and the 'Official R U Serious Anthem'!! Montgomery Gentry.

Have a WONDERFUL day!!

PS: I wish I has brought my camera to that City Council thing but how boring would those pics have been??

Back with my friend! She is pissed but back! Well, at least we are talking......!

Add On: Back at Albertson's parking lot!! I see some guy wearing (get this!!!!) black socks, sandals, red speedos, no shirt and a pink cowboy hat!!!!! *SNORT*!! I now know where to go for blog material!! After laughing my ass off I yelled, "DUDE!!!". He looked back like, 'What?'!! HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Scary part? He was walking into a store named 'Anna's Linens'!! HAHAHA!!

The grocery store has suddenly become fun!!!! LMAO!!!!!!!!! When I run out of blog material (which is seldom around here!) I now know where to go!!

WOW!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:48:46 GMT

Funniest thing today at Albertson's (grocery store)! As I left the store, about 100 feet away there was a woman loading groceries into her old pick-up truck! She put her two little fingers to her mouth and whistled. The LOUDEST whistle I ever heard and I was 100 feet away!! I walked up to her and told her what a Great whistle she she had! She laughed and said, "I was raised on a farm and had to learn how to do that to be heard above the machinery!" I told her I was impressed!! As I was loading my groceries she did it again and and some poor guy nearly jumped out of his shoes!!! He looked at me (on my knees!!) and we both laughed our butts off!

As I was taking my cart back, she did it AGAIN!! Two 'cart guys', (the ones who retreive the shopping carts) came running out from INSIDE the store and asked if she needed help!! Back on my knees!!! I approached her and told her that she was attracting people from all over the place!! Her reply?? "Yeah!! Everyone but my son!!!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

Her whistle was soooo shrill and loud it hurt!! I snorted all the way home!! And?? My knees hurt!!

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Sad thing?? I may have lost my BEST friend on here today. Idiot that I am, I sent an email that I shouldn't have and I was insulting! (NO NAMES!!) I was just frustrated about other things. She has been online all day but won't answer... Wait and see I guess!

Anyhow, this song is for her...... Especially.

But for ALL of you too!!!

That's all...... Nite

PS! I'm gonna do something different this week with my music! Play MY favorites!! So starting tomorrow????

Thanks for the comments and messages!!! You are the BEST!!!!!!

NASCAR!!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:37:23 GMT

I love baseball!! But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!! NASCAR!! Great race today!! Not too many wrecks..... just some wall-scraping!! I've been watching for almost 5 hours!! I don't watch for the wrecks (Dale Earnhardt!), although they can be pretty dramatic!! My Favorite thing?? Pit Stops!! How these guys can fuel fuel a car and change 4 tires in 15 seconds is beyond me!!!! The poor 'jack guy' who has to carry a 100lb jack from from one side of the car to the other!! Do you think these guys workout??? HAH!

Carl Edwards won and did his usual backflip off of his car!! GREAT race!! Too Cool!!!!

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OK....... I Still love baseball!! The Angel's newest player (Mark Teixeira) hit a grand slam today!!!!! But the Angels still lost thanks to THREE errors in the eighth inning!!! WTH!!

Phillies/Cardinals on ESPN tonight! ...........................................................................................................................................................

Boring and quiet in the neighborhood today!! Sorry....... Except that my Redneck neighbor took his shirt off and was parading up and down the street talking on his cellphone!! Darn it!! Missed the shot!!

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My awesome gardeners came yesterday!! As usual, I brought out 2 bottles of water. Effron ( that's his name!) told me that there 3 of them!! I searched through the fridge and found a Red Bull!! He got excited!! Mowing until midnight??? LOL

Another George Strait song tonight for Valerie!! Listen!! And if you don't tear up?? You are dead!!

For Valerie and Amiee!!! ...... Actually Aimee's hubby, Kenny!!!

Hope you all had PERFECT weekends!

UUMMMMM?............ nevermind!! Later!! Nite!!

Tagged!!!!

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:40:33 GMT

I was tagged by Dana who I'm sure is pointing and laughing!!!!! LOL

Each person posts the rules before their lists, then lists 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post that person lists 8 other people they want to tag, then visits each of their sites leaving a comment that they have been tagged & to come to your space & read the post so they will know what to do.

Ok I have no rules, just list 8 things about yourself, the more embarassing the better cuz I love pointing and laughing at the expense of others.

Dammit!!! OK! These might not be all that funny!

1. Born and raised in South Jersey near Philadelphia

2. My High School got so crowded that we went to double-sessions. The next year they turned into two High schools! Triton Red and Blue!! Of course, I was Red and sister was Blue!! Made my Mom crazy!! I went to school at Noon and had Basketball practice at 6:00 PM!! They chose who would be in which school in alphabetical order!! Our Marching Band was 17 people....... Mostly Clarinets!! The other school!! 150!!

We lost out first ever Football game 72 to ZERO!! But our Basketball team went to the State Finals and WON!! OK... That was long!!

3. After High School I was drafted (1966) because the Government thought my Senior trip should be spent in Vietmam!!

4. I was initally assigned to the Battleship New Jersey!! That sucker did some damage!! 2000 lb shells (Volkswagen size!!) fired 36 miles and going thru 40 feet of reinforced concrete before exploding!! We once destroyed a mountain!!

5. I was then assisigned to a River (Swift) boat as a machine gunner. BAD!!! Saw LOTS of friends die........ A few in my arms!

6. When I arrived home?? (New Mexico), we were pelted with spit and feces!! And words like 'Baby Killers'!! NICW

7. I moved to Long Beach, CA. I had already played the Trombone, so I worked my way around and joined a few bands!! FUN!! Mostly Jazz and Rock.

Almost done here!! LOL

8. Got Throat Cancer in 1986 and lost my vocal cords! Speech therapy ( Esophogeal Speech) (sic) got my voice back!! I worked for 25 years after that as an account!

MMMMMMM... Am I done????? Is Dana Happy?????

I think just about everyone has been tagged but I'm tagging Julie, Becca and Silly Me!!

This song is for my friend Valerie!!

Baseball In L.A. - and MORE!

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:54:43 GMT

Big trades!! The Angels dealt for Mark Teixeira, a quiet power hitter and the Dodgers got that goofball, 'Manny just being Manny', Ramirez from Boston!! Oh God!!! Teixeira has always been a great clubhouse presence and Manny????

Bill Plaschke
August 1, 2008

He will arrive at Dodger Stadium today lugging 510 career home runs inside 510 pounds of baggage.

He will take his place in the middle of the Dodger batting order tonight as one of baseball's biggest hitters and most baffling headaches.

In the biggest late-season acquisition in club history, the Dodgers acquired left fielder Manny Ramirez on Thursday from the Boston Red Sox and Mars.

They are counting on him to carry them into October and beyond.

Just as soon as they can find him.

Three hours after the trade, Ned Colletti, Dodger general manager, was asked whether he had spoken to Ramirez.

"I left him a message," said Colletti.

Four hours after the trade, Dodger Manager Joe Torre was asked whether he had spoken to Ramirez.

"I left him a message," said Torre.

Days after the Angels grabbed the national sports spotlight by trading for quiet slugger Mark Teixeira, the Dodgers have thrown a massive counterpunch by acquiring a guy who is part Hollywood and part Dagwood.

A guy who occasionally swings like Babe Ruth and is consistently as nutty as a Baby Ruth.

The only thing that flops around more than his trademark dreadlocks are his moods.

Nobody in baseball history has hit more postseason homers -- 24 -- yet when the 2007 world champion Red Sox visited the White House, Ramirez didn't show up.

"I guess his grandmother died again," President Bush said at the time. "Just kidding."

Perhaps nobody in baseball history has performed better in a more pressure-filled World Series, as he was the MVP of the 2004 Series that broke the Red Sox's 86-year title drought.

Yet a couple of weeks ago, during a sixth-inning pitching change at Fenway Park, he momentarily departed left field to make a cellphone call.

The Red Sox have long shrugged off such behavior as "Manny being Manny."

But recently, with Ramirez ripping club executives in preparation for his probable departure as a free agent this winter, the Red Sox finally decided Manny could be Manny somewhere else.

Officially, the Dodgers acquired Ramirez in a three-team trade that cost them third-base prospect Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris, who worked in class-A.

Unofficially, it doesn't take a Laker fan to understand that they were given a gift the size of Pau Gasol.

Neither Dodger kid was considered a top prospect,

and the Red Sox agreed to pay the remainder of Ramirez's $21-million annual salary, about $7 million.

"It's crazy," said Torre. "This is a huge 'get' for us."

It is actually two "gets" for the price of none.

They do not have to pay someone who immediately becomes their best hitter. And, because of his impending free agency, they are not obligated to tolerate his nutty behavior beyond this season.

He is probably here only for two months, but with a swing that is as unshakable as his smile, he is capable of carrying the Dodgers every day of those two months.

"Three months," corrected Dodger owner Frank McCourt, adding a month for the playoffs and World Series. "We're going to have a great three months of baseball."

It was Boston native McCourt who pushed for this deal Thursday morning, just hours before the trading deadline, when he realized that the Red Sox were truly serious about dealing their recurring headache.

In the weak National League West, one hitter could elevate his pitching-rich team to the top. And amid the inexperienced National League teams that will make the playoffs, one hitter could provide the postseason difference.

Ramirez, even at age 36, is still clearly that hitter, leading the Red Sox with 20 home runs and ranking second with 68 RBIs at the time of the trade.

"This team has hung in there all season with all these injuries. This is about giving them a chance to go for it," said McCourt. "This is about paying back our loyal fans and rewarding our hard-working team."

The fans will get it, and were already loudly cheering just the scoreboard announcement of the trade Thursday night.

The clubhouse may be a more difficult sell, particularly because Ramirez not only creates distractions, but a total of five potential starting outfielders.

"This is why we have a guy like Joe Torre as manager," said McCourt.

Indeed, other than the Red Sox's Terry Francona, probably the only other current major league manager who can handle Ramirez is Torre, who constantly dealt with wacky late-season acquisitions with the New York Yankees.

Torre, who was constantly haunted by Ramirez during the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry, said, "It's funny, but I did everything I could not to have to see him again, and all of a sudden he's showing up in the uniform I'm wearing."

He smiled. "It's pretty special."

Pretty strange. Pretty, yeah, pretty special.

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Neighborhood news!

My nextdoor neighbor Charlotte (AKA: Crazy Lady) was in her yard this afternoon in her housecoat and slippers watering her lawn. Do you think she would water her little piece of dirt between our yards?? NOOOO!!!! I tried to take a photo of her (she just had her hair done!!) but the dirty looks chased me away!! I came back and had the perfect shot!!!!! But when I turned on my camera?? 'Memory Card Full'!! DOOOH!

Soooo.

Off to Wal-Mart!! Yikers!! On a Friday!! It was a madhouse!!! WAY too many freaks there!! Picked up the memory card (2gB!!) and a few other items and made my way to the checkout line. As my stuff was being checked, some woman stole my cart!!! LOL!! This is why I hate shopping!!

Oh yeah!! As I approached the door, some homeless woman (they seem to be attracted to me!!) asked for change. Me being me, I gave her what I had. But as I left she tried to hit me up two more times!! Her response was, "OH!! I didn't recognize you!" Three times in 30 minutes??

Anyhow, I am out of WalMart for as long as I can be! (I buy memory cards, dog treats and underwear there!!).

This WalMart sits on a location where one of the last Drive-In theatres in So Cal was!! Darn it!! We loved that theatre!! A few beers and a pizza, clean the windshield?? Good to go!! Darn WalMart!!!

LOVE!!!!! This song!!!! And then on to George Strait Weekend!!!!!!

Have a GREAT one!!!!!!

Yummy!! Darm it!!

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:14:00 GMT

My wife, Becky, has a business lunch today at a place called 'The Yard House' in Long Beach. www.yardhouse.com. They have, I don't know, 120 different beers ON TAP!! And their food is fantastic!! I am SOOOO Jealous!! LOL! I'm just hoping for a doggie bag!! Their crabcakes are to die for the steaks are awesome!! And it's located right on the water!! WAAAAH!! Go to that site and check it out!!

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LMAO!!! My dog Buzz (Zipperback!)

Just HATES the Mailman and even more, the UPS trucks!! He must have had some BAD experiences when he lived on the streets for 2 years!! As I've said before, roosters, even hearing them on TV, makes him nuts!! I know..... I still do that mail flap thing ( we have our mail delivered thru a slot in our garage) and the sound really gets him! Even when he can see me doing it!! But dang it!! I can't help myself! LOL It just amazes me!! OK.... I'm a BAD Daddy!! hehehehehe!!!!!! I just watched an episode of Dog Whisperer about a farm dog that would constantly chase the chickens. During the training (correction) the dog scared an egg out of the poor chicken!! LOVE that show!! Watch it everyday!!

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I hope you enjoyed Moody Blues and 10cc but I can't take it another day!! Going back to Country!! Rascal Flatts today and a George Strait Weekend for my new friend Valerie. And then??? I have some new ones downloaded!! I really hope you like this one!! These guys are GREAT and the singer has the best voice around!! Not pure country but a great 'crossover' band!!

I hope you will take a few minutes to listen..... SERIOUSLY!!!! This Song!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Get this!!! The Westminster Police (Service with Integrity?? PFFFT!) Just pulled up across the street. They (2 Patrol Cars!!) nabbed some worker who was parked facing the wrong way!!!!

WOW!!! My Lawn!!!! ....... sorry.....

After some discussion they threw him to the ground, kicked him and cuffed him!! WTH?? I went out there with a few other neighbors and we were told to 'Get The Hell Away or You're Next!!!' What??????????????

After 30 minutes they let him up, took off the cuffs and drove off. The guy turned his truck around! WTH???????? I had a truck stolen out of my driveway once and the police did NOTHING!!

Kicking him????? We have the WORST police!!!!

Going back over there!!

OK!! Back! Really nice guy!! After the throwing to the ground, kicking and handcuffing?? They fined him $63 for parking against the flow of traffic!!! What traffic?? The two cop cars had the whole street blocked off!! And threatening the neighbors??? What a joke!!!!

Rant over...... for now!! What a neighborhood!!! HAH!

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Even MORE neighborhood news!! Those TV commercial people are back and they are making Billy a star!! LOL!!

Dammit!! When is it my turn?? Although they are beginning to like me, so who knows?? LMAO!!!

I think this was a Penzoil ad, but in Vietnamese!! Hmmmmmm... Maybe that's the problem!! Rosetta Stone, here I come..... or maybe not!

I hope you all like (LOVE??) Rascal Flatts as much as I do!!!!

Ya know why I LOVE Country more than any other music? Most songs tell a story!! Sure!! Laugh, but Rock?? Rap?? Hip Hop?? Disco?????? Give me a break!! Laugh and joke if you want....... but!!

Have a GREAT Friday and a SUPER weekend!!!

USS INDIANAPOLIS

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:06:48 GMT

I'm passing on the funny-funny, ha-ha, freaky neighbors, sports stuff for one day to post this.

I'm not sure if any of you have heard this story. I had, but I forgot.... and I won't again!

It's a long read and read at your descretion! This is SOOOOO sad!!! I hope you take the time to read....

It was difficult for me to post....!

USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class cruiser of the United States Navy. She holds a place in history due to the notorious circumstances of her demise, which was the worst single loss of life at-sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. After delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb to be used in combat to the United States air base at Tinian Island on July 26, 1945, she was in the Philippine Sea when attacked at 00:14 on July 30, 1945 by a Japanese submarine. Most of the crew was lost to a combination of exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks as they waited for assistance while floating for five days. Indianapolis was one of the last U.S. Navy ships sunk by enemy action in World War II (the submarine USS Bullhead (SS-332) was attacked by Japanese aircraft with depth charges and sunk on August 6, 1945).

The Indianapolis received orders to proceed to Tinian island, carrying parts and the uranium projectile for the atomic bomb "Little Boy" which would later be dropped on Hiroshima. The Indianapolis departed San Francisco on July 16. Arriving at Pearl Harbor July 19, she raced on unaccompanied and arrived in Tinian on July 26. After delivering her top secret cargo to Tinian, the Indianapolis was sent to Guam where a number of the crew who had completed their tours of duty were replaced by other sailors. Leaving Guam on July 28, she began sailing toward Leyte where her crew was to receive training before continuing on to Okinawa to join Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's Task Force 95. However, at 00:14 on July 30, 1945, two large explosions on the vessel's starboard side caused massive damage to Indianapolis. Twelve minutes later—as a result of the unexpected, two-torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-58 under the command of Mochitsura Hashimoto—the USS Indianapolis sank. The Japanese vessel had gone undetected prior to the attack due to the lack of effective submarine imaging equipment on the American ship.

While the Indianapolis sent distress calls before sinking, the Navy long claimed that they were never received because the ship was operating under a policy of radio silence; declassified records show that three SOS messages were received separately, but none were acted upon because one commander was drunk, another had ordered his men not to disturb him and a third thought it was a Japanese prank.^[3]

The subsequent delay of the rescue mission led to the loss of hundreds of sailors. About 300 of the 1,196 men on board died in the attack. The rest of the crew, 880 men, floated in the water without lifeboats until the rescue was completed four days later. Three hundred and twenty-one crew came out of the water alive, with 317 ultimately surviving. They suffered from lack of food and water, exposure to the elements, severe desquamation, and shark attacks. The Discovery Channel has stated that the Indianapolis sinking resulted in the most shark attacks on humans in history, and attributes the attacks to the oceanic whitetip shark species. The same show attributed most of the deaths on the Indianapolis to exposure, salt poisoning and thirst, with the dead being dragged off by sharks.

Immediately prior to the attack, the seas had been moderate; the visibility fluctuating but poor in general; Indianapolis had been steaming at 17 knots (31 km/h). When the ship did not reach Leyte on the 31st, as scheduled, no report was made that she was overdue. This omission was due to a misunderstanding of the Movement Report System. Thus it was not until 10:25 on August 2 that the survivors were accidentally sighted by pilot Lieutenant Wilber (Chuck) Gwinn and copilot Lieutenant Warren Colwell on a routine patrol flight. The survivors were mostly held afloat by life jackets, although there were a few rafts which had been cut loose before the ship went down. Gwinn immediately dropped a life raft and a radio transmitter. All air and surface units capable of rescue operations were dispatched to the scene at once.

A PBY seaplane under the command of LT. R. Adrian Marks was dispatched to lend assistance and report. Enroute to the scene, Marks overflew the destroyer escort USS Cecil J. Doyle (DE-368) and alerted her captain, future U.S. Secretary of the Navy W. Graham Claytor, Jr., of the emergency. On his own authority, Claytor decided to divert to the scene.

Arriving hours ahead of the Doyle, Marks' crew began dropping rubber rafts and supplies. While so engaged, they observed men being attacked by sharks. Disregarding standing orders not to land at sea, Marks landed and began taxiing to pick up the stragglers and lone swimmers who were at greatest risk of shark attack. Learning the men were the crew of the Indianapolis, he radioed the news, requesting immediate assistance. The Doyle responded she was enroute. When the plane's fuselage was full, survivors were tied to the wings with parachute cord, damaging the wings so that the plane would never fly again and had to be sunk. Marks and his crew rescued 56 men that day.

Survivors of the USS Indianapolis on Guam, in August 1945.

The Cecil Doyle was the first vessel on the scene. Homing on Marks' PBY in total darkness, the Doyle halted to avoid killing or further injuring survivors, and began taking Marks' survivors aboard. Disregarding the safety of his own vessel, Captain Claytor pointed his largest searchlight into the night sky to serve as a beacon for other rescue vessels. This beacon was the first indication to most survivors that rescuers had arrived.

Destroyers USS Helm (DD-388), USS Madison (DD-425) and USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) were ordered to the rescue scene from Ulithi, along with the destroyer escort USS Dufilho (DE-423) plus attack transports USS Bassett (APD-73) and USS Ringness (LPR-100) from the Philippine Frontier. They searched thoroughly for any survivors until August 8. Of the 900 sailors who made it into the water, only 317 were pulled out alive. After almost five days of constant shark attacks, starvation, terrible thirst, suffering from exposure and their wounds, the men of the Indianapolis were at last rescued from the sea.

Captain Charles Butler McVay III, who had commanded Indianapolis since November 1944, survived the sinking, and was with those rescued days later. In November 1945, he was court-martialed and convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag." Several things about the court-martial were controversial. There was evidence that the Navy itself had placed the ship in harm's way, in that McVay's orders were to "zigzag at his discretion, weather permitting." Further, Mochitsura Hashimoto, commander of I-58, testified that zigzagging would have made no difference.^[4]

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz remitted McVay's sentence and restored him to active duty. McVay retired in 1949.^[5] While many of the Indianapolis survivors said McVay was not to blame for the sinking, the families of some of the men who died did. The guilt that was placed on his shoulders mounted until he committed suicide in 1968.^[6]

The exact location of the Indianapolis is unknown. In July and August 2001 an expedition sought to find the wreckage through the use of side-scan sonar and underwater cameras mounted on a remotely operated vehicle; four Indianapolis survivors accompanied the expedition, which was not successful. In June 2005, a second expedition was led to find the wreck; National Geographic covered the story and released it in July. Submersibles were launched to find any sign of wreckage. The only things ever found—which have not been confirmed to have belonged to the Indianapolis—were many chunks of metal found in the area of the reported sinking position (this was included in the National Geographic program Finding of the USS Indianapolis).

Many have claimed that the Indianapolis cannot be found. She was carrying quite a few explosives on board and was reported to have gone down burning. Many believe that she perhaps exploded after sinking beneath the waves. On top of this, the area in which she sank has some of the deepest spots in the world. The expedition led in 2005 found no actual bulk of the wreck, no deckhouses, turrets, or hull. This has not discouraged some shipwreck hunters who are bent on finding one of World War II's most famous ships.

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Well........! After That!! (Sorry but I had to post it!!), at least one more Moody Blues song!! Thinking........................!

Wait!!! I have to play this one!! '10 CC'!! Obscure (One hit wonder!) , but I LOVE it and after all, it's my space!! Right?? LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!! BTW! The background vocalists?? Justin Hayward and John Lodge from the Moody Blues!! Both LEAD SINGERS!!!

Interesting!! Amatuer musicologist that I am!! LISTEN!!

HOLY SHIT!!!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:59:37 GMT

BIG earthquake here!!!! I was holding on!!!!! 11:45 AM! They are saying it was a 6.0!!! That's HUGE!! Oh Man!! Those things are scary!! This one lasted over 30 seconds, which is WAY too long!!! It was felt from Las Vegas to San Diego!! I have to go and pick things up but I'll be back with updates!

Hell! I have crap that flew off the shelves everywhere!!

Earthquakes are something that you never get used to!!!! Usually we get the 'rolling' kind, about 3.0 but this was a 'shaker'!! HATE those!! Thing is, a 6.0 is NOT twice as strong as a 3.0! They increase expotentially, so a 4.0 is 10 times stronger then a 3.0!! This one was HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!

My dogs are hiding!! lol! Disneyland is freaking! I am rattled but OK!! Waiting for aftershocks. Here's another one!!!! 3.8!

Becky just called! She was on the 10th story of a building in downtown L.A. and she said that building was swaying!!

When one of these hit they say to get to a doorway to stand under but how can you walk with the floor rolling!!! (Damn Aftershocks!!). 10 so far!!! Surprisingly, and thankfully, no one seems to have been killed or injured! Just property damage, oh yeah... and a huge sinkhole in downtown Los Angeles!!

Southern California can easily handle a 6.0, unlike some other countries, but unfortunately, this was not close to the Big One!! Why do we (I!!) continue to live here?? Because it's paradise here!!!

Yay!! The aftershocks are fading!!! Feeling better!!!!

But you know what?? We were lucky!! But I'm still shaken!! Waiting for maybe a bigger one to follow!!!! They lowered it to 5.4! PFFFFT!! Big Whoop!!

Damned Tectonic Plates!!!! lol!

Needless to say, everyone in So Cal is shaken!!! Come vist!! LOL

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As promised, some non-country music (for as long as I can stand it!!), so today??? Moody Blues!! Coming soon? George Strait Week!! (Valerie!) Hope you love this song!! I DO!!

Hanging on in SoCal

Bob~

Up to 26 aftershocks now!! HATE those!!

More Neighbor Funnies!!!

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:50:58 GMT

My neighbors across the street are Rod and Mary. From time to time one of their sons, Tom, stays with them. He's whacky but a good guy! For the past 3 weeks, he, Rod and our friend Luke have been working on this thing!

Isn't it a beaut??

Not sure what they were doing and I didn't dare get involved! BTW, everytime it rains, I phone him to tell him that his windows are down!! See?? Anyhow, I think they finished today!! ( I wish I had taken a photo of three greasy men with their heads buried in the hood of a compact car!!). LOL!!!! Anyhow, they started putting away their tools. Wrenches, screwdrivers..... the usual!! But the last tool killed me! A Shovel!!!!! Something must have gone terribly wrong!! hahahaha!! I will have to ask!!

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Speaking of cars, I got into a fender-bender in a parking lot! Both of us backing out at the same time. Me?? No damage! Her?? Huge dent!! I gave her my insurance information but she refused to give me anything!! WTH??? My insurance person called this morning and left a message. When I called back, her answering machine said she was gone until Friday!!!! Again, WTH?? So, screw it!! The last time I had one of these (exactly the same!) my rates went down! Wooooo!!!

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Short Shot:

In the annual World Snail Racing Championship last week (Yes!! There really IS one!), in Congham, England, a gastropod mollusk named Heikki defeated sone 300 competitors by covering the 33-centimenter race course in 182 seconds.

"We only found him in the garden two minutes before arriving at the competition", owner Georgie Brown, 13, told the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press.

It is not known if Charles Barkley, George Foreman or David Ortiz finished the race.

Personally, I don't recognize snail racing as a sport because I prefer fast food over escargot!

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I hope you enjoyed Jimmy Buffet weekend! I'm thinking about posting non-country songs this week (GASP!!!)! What do you all think? I'm thinking Moody Blues!! One last Buffett song today!!

Discovery Channel

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:33:27 GMT

I LOVE this channel!! Along with NatGeo!!!! My favorite program is 'Deadliest Catch'!! A REAL reality show!! King Crab fishing in the Bering Sea is truly the deadliest job in the world!! So many men die each season that's it's unbeleivable!! It's hard work and sometimes they work 48 hours on and 4 hours off!! And the Winter storms with their 50 foot waves and 70 mph winds make it almost impossible to fish, and yet, they press on! Why?? Because each deckhand can make $80,000 to $100,000 in a month!! If you happen to fall overboard?? You have MAYBE 20 minutes to live!!

My other favorite is 'Dirty Jobs'!! Too funny!! Mike Rowe takes on the dirtiest jobs around and he cracks me up!! (He is also the narrator on Deadlist Catch)! Some of the jobs he accepts are just too funny!! If I had one person to choose to sit at a bar have a few drinks with, it would be HIM!!!

Another great one is 'Man vs Wild'! They drop him off (usually out of an airplane!) at the most inhospitable places on earth, armed with a canteen and a knife! His job is to survive and find his way out! His name is Bear Grihls!! He was in the British Special Forces. Oh yeah..... And eats ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I once saw him pee into his canteen and, you got it!!! But ladies?? You will love him!!

BUT!!!!!!! It's Shark Week!!!!!!!! I just watched two divers 'hypnotizing' sharks by gently rubbing the top of their heads!!! It's called 'Tonic'! Unbeleivable!! It got to the point where the other 200 sharks get jealous and fight for attention! WOW!! These are Great Whites and Tiger Sharks!! This guy is 'riding' a Great White...... 75 feet!!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!

OK! Enough of this!! But if you get Discovery, tune in!!

But one more thing!! The commercials are becoming better than the actual shows!!!!

Dinner tonight?? Pizza!! Domino's?, Papa John's?, Pizza Hut???!! nope!! We have a 'Mom and Pop' place around the corner who make the BEST!! Even their plain cheese one's are marvelous!! Their secret?? They rub garlic on the crust befor adding the toppings!! Better yet?? a 16", one topping pizza goes for $7!!! Hard to beat that!!

Back to Jimmy Buffett!! Funny song!! VERY FUNNY!! I may have to play one more tomorrow.

Hope you all had a Wonderful weekend!!

PS: Dammit!! I HATE myself!! I have been a crappy friend!! TOMORROW!! I am visiting!!! (Throwing my hat down...)!! Just know that I love ALL of you!!!!

Curry!

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:48:55 GMT

YES!! Chicken tonight!! With homemade Curry!! But, you what that means!! Back to the &%@)*$# grocery store!! But, found a handicapped space and Becky had crossed off an item that would have taken the FBI to find! What the heck are Chicken Bouillion Granules???? Sounds like something illegal on airliners!!! She always does that to me! One impossible item...! Anyhow, it actually went OK! Rice, dish soap, cool whip and sour cream are pretty easy!! Just had a taste!! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...................................................................................................................................................................When When I got home my Super gardeners were at work! Mowing, trimming, edging, pruning, feeding and weeding!! What can I say?? For $20 a week???? I gave them their usual bottles of water and they chugged them down!! Everyone should have gardeners as good as them!! Hmmmmm.... I wonder if they do housework??? HA!

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Watched the Red Sox - Yankees game today. Yankees won 10 to 3! How the Red Sox remain in the race behind........ Tampa Bay??????, is beyond me! Their bullpen is terrible, they have stopped hitting, and their starting pitching is very questionable. I KNOW I will hear it from at least one of my friends but the truth is the truth!! My Angels will be coming to Fenway this week to clean up!! Sad part?? (Or Good part!) is that the Yankees are worse!!

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Again, continuing with Jimmy Buffet Weekend, another of my favorites!! Hope you like it as much as I do!

OK! Since tomorrow is Sunday, I've decided to change songs!!! I'll play Buffett tomorrow!! A FUNNY one!!! For now? Craig Morgan!! Great Sunday Song!! As someone said, 'I want a porch swing!!!!'!

Friday!! YAY!!

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:41:14 GMT

Back to the grocery store again! It actually went well today!! But, then I went to Del Taco!! I placed a HUGE order, HAH!! 4 regular Tacos! I was number #4! As I stood there waiting for my measly four tacos, they called '#7', '#9', '#12', '#14'!!!! I finally yelled, "What happened to #4????" I got a big OOPS!! So I got four cold tacos.... but still good! Darn them!! But still better than Taco Bell!!! LOL Sorry... I LOVE Del Taco!!

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Eating a Pulled-Pork sandwich for dinner!! GOOOD!!!!!!! Watching one of my favorite shows on Discovery Channel, 'Cash Cab'!! Love this show!!!! Other favs of mine are 'Deadliest Catch', Dirty Jobs' and 'Mythbusters'!! LOL!! On National Geographic Channel, I love 'Dog Whisperer' (He is awesome!!!) and 'Locked Up Abroad'. But those two channels have great programming and along with History Channel, it's basically all I watch!! Oh yeah....... And wrestling!! LOL And tonight is Wrestling night'!! WOOOOO!!

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Thank you all, my friends, who have visited Julie http://julie4ever4u.spaces.live.com/ and Bridget http://bridget1029.spaces.live.com/ Your kindness has kept them blogging!! If you haven't visited them yet, GO!!!!!! They are two wonderful women who I KNOW you will like!!

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Continuing with Jimmy Buffett weekend, this is my all time FAVORITE by him!! Listen, steal it, download it!! Get it on your computer!! And if you need the URL, just ask me!! LOVE IT! Words to live by!!!

BTW, I think a few of you misunderstood me. NO Jimmy Buffett concert here! Just on my space this weekend!!

Well, it's Friday night and you know what that means........ WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy yours!!!

Jimmy Buffet Weekend!! YAY!!

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:49:34 GMT

Jimmy Buffet is one of my favorite singers!! I have been to numerous concerts of his and ..sort of.. met him! Don't ask!! In his early career he was VERY Country (Love It!!), but then he got into Beach, Carribean stuff. Meh!! I think his old stuff is Great!! Anyhow, I'll be playing him all weekend!

My brother-in-law is a fireman and a huge fan!! Every year, and still, he buys like 100 tickets to the annual concert and offers them to friends! The firemen bring this HUGE Barbeque on wheels to the concert and we have burgers and dogs, oh yeah... and beer and margaritas, before the concert.... and then after!! It's always a blast!!

One year, Becky's Mom made 'Parrot' hats for us!! LOL!! FUN!! I think I still have mine!!! I'll check!

Tonight?? I LOVE, LOVE this song!! TOO Funny!! HAHAHAHA (I'm snorting and laughing as I type this!!)!

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Not much going on here today. Dogs driving me crazy, wife ticked.... the usual!! Dinner looks like Cheezits!!

Enjoy Jimmy!!!

BTW! I've said this before and I'll say it again!! I have THE BEST FRIENDS!!!!!! You people make my day.... Every Day!! I just can't keep up on my comments, but I do try........ Durn it!!

Grocery Store - GRRRRRRR!!!

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:47:42 GMT

I was forced to go to the grocery store today (Albertson's). I figured that since it was Wednesday it wouldn't be too bad. WRONG!!!! First, it was one of their '24 Hour Sales'! Not to sound racist, but the Asians (Our town of Westminster is nicknamed Ho Chi Minster) and the Mexicans (Also known as 'Little Tijuana'), were out in force!! I only had a few items to pick up so I figured in and out!!

First off, I have a handicapped placard, but as usual the handicapped places were all taken... with NO placards!!!! As I enter the store I immediately go to the pharmacy to fill a prescription. They tell me 10 minutes!! Cool!

I do my shopping and go to my car. Darn!! I forgot the prescription!! It's now been 20 minutes. I go back to the pharmacy and it's NOT ready!! How long does it take to count out pills and put them in a bottle?? So I sit down and wait. Now 30 minutes!! I finally go back and inquire. "OH!! Bowers!! We thought you said 'Powers'". GRRRRRRRR!! The doctor said that these were generic and cheap, but $$77.50?????

I pay and go back to my car. DOH!!! I forgot my wife's cigarettes!! Back in the store. Of course, there's a line where the cigs are. 45 minutes now!

I finally get to the point where there are only two elderly Asian woman in front of me. Won't be long now!! WRONG!!!! They want a refund on two, one gallon jugs of milk that is THREE WEEKS OLD!!! They argue with the clerk for 15 minutes!! The clerk is 'eye-rolling' and so am I!! Clerk finally gives up and gives them a refund. Then?? As all Asians do (sorry.....), they check the receipt for another 10 minutes!! My God!!!

I finally get the Cigs and leave! Total time to buy a head of lettuce, 2 lemons, beer and vodka?? An HOUR!!!!!

That's it!! I'm moving to Montana!!!!! Sorry about the rant! But, GRRRRRRR!!!

This song is very Country too!! good one

Trash Day - Yet Again

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:05:33 GMT

Well, it's Tuesday which is always a little slice of Heaven for me. Trash Day!! Now, I have 3 trash bins - 2 black ones for regular trash and 1 blue one for recycling. BTW, one of the black ones attacked me last week!! But it's the blue one that drives me crazy!! How in the world 2 people can generate so much trash in one week is beyond me. My blue bin is totally full and I could fill it again!! I was hoping to 'borrow' either Billy's or 'Crazy Lady's', but theirs are full too! I have a huge trash can in the garage that is full, along with one in in the laundry room that is so full that I'm starting to put stuff on the dryer! Geez!! Maybe I need to rent one of those dumpster things that they put at your curb!! Anyhow, I'm screwed! So the plan is to have that darned blue bin emptied and immediately refill it... but then what for the rest of the week? We are recycling people ... just too much trash! Hmmmmm...... Maybe it's all of the packaging from Becky's shopping!! You think?? Oh! And the trash just keeps on coming!! I HATE Mondays and Tuesdays!!!

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Now, for all of my vegetarian friends (both of you!!), I found this in the L A Times today! Pretty interesting, but EWWWWWWWW!!!!

Half of baseball buys into veggie dogs

George Nikitin, For the Times

Johanna McCoy shows off two veggie dog at AT&T Park during a San Francisco Giants baseball game.

Eight years into her mission, vegetarian advocate Johanna McCloy has inspired half of the major league ballparks to add meatless alternatives.

Jerry Crowe
July 22, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO -- Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers is being introduced before last Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants, and Johanna McCloy, otherwise preoccupied at AT&T Park, lets out a yelp.

"Yes," she cries. "Vegetarian."

The Berkeley-based McCloy, a self-appointed advocate for meat-eschewing baseball fans, has crossed the San Francisco Bay to promote her dreamer's quest: to add veggie dogs to the menu at every major league ballpark.

Eight years into her mission, the 43-year-old actress and Duke graduate is halfway there, with Dodger Stadium among the first to sign on and Angel Stadium still a holdout. Fielder's decision to give up meat has been a welcome shot in the arm to the cause, which has encountered pockets of hostile resistance.

Last month, after an article about McCloy appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle magazine, reader Marc Kimberly of Concord wrote: "For goodness' sakes, is there no limit to which annoying vegetarians won't go in their efforts to try to convert people from enjoying meat in favor of the bland mishmash of unappetizing and virtually tasteless 'food' these elitist snobs choke down their gullets?"

McCloy says she was equally dumbfounded when, during an appearance on a Denver radio station, her efforts were labeled un-American. Her only objective, she says, is to give fans a choice.

"I said, 'How more American can you get?' " McCloy says of her Denver radio experience. "This is a nation of immigrants, this is a nation of diversity, this is a nation of opportunity, this is a nation of saying 'yes' to everybody. How are you threatened by a couple of people to your left at a baseball game choosing to eat something other than what you're eating?"

McCloy, who lived previously in Mount Washington, was introduced to baseball by a former boyfriend and says it was while attending a game at Dodger Stadium in 2000 that she hatched her idea of promoting meatless alternatives to standard ballpark fare.

"I was blown away by the size and scope of a baseball stadium," she says, "so I thought when it came time to eat, 'There's going to be plenty of options,' and there weren't. I was a vegetarian, and I was naïve."

She says she walked throughout the stadium and discovered that even a Subway sandwich stand offered no meatless choice.

The next day, she called the concessions manager.

"He said, 'You're right about the subs. We'll start doing that,' " McCloy recalls. "I thought, 'Wow.' That was really reinforcing for me because I realized all I had to do was call and now all these people can have a veggie sub.

"That kind of got me going."

Through research, she found that no big league stadium offered veggie dogs. Encouraged by vegetarians and animal-rights supporters, she launched a website, soyhappy.org, and started lobbying concession managers.

"I just thought it needed to happen because there was a certain percentage of the fan base at any given stadium that probably would not be eating at all, would bring their own food or would resort to eating only peanuts," McCloy says. "It seemed like it made good business sense. It never dawned on me that it would take off like it did. I got this following -- it was bizarre -- and I went with it."

As an actress who says her main claim to fame was a guest spot on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- "I was one of only two women who made out with Worf in seven seasons," she says -- McCloy was used to unconventional followings.

But this was different.

The Chicago White Sox were the first big league team to offer veggie dogs, McCloy says, and 14 more followed, among them the Giants.

"She's such a good advocate that she sort of makes it competitive between ballparks, which is cool," says Sandie Filipiak, director of concessions at AT&T Park. "It's like, 'Who's got the most vegetarian choices?' "

Through her efforts, McCloy has developed an unexpected affinity for baseball and, since her move to Berkeley in 2002, the Oakland A's.

"I've never become like a huge, avid, have-to-read-about-it-everyday kind of fan," she says, "but I really enjoy it. And I love everything about the A's. I love what they represent. I like rooting for the underdog."

She says she's drawn to the A's pluck and resourcefulness, two attributes that could be ascribed to McCloy in her nonprofit, uphill endeavor.

"I'm pretty proud of it," notes McCloy, who says she cried in 2001 when she bit into the first veggie dog served at Dodger Stadium. "I didn't realize what a big deal it was going to be, and then when I realized that it was, at first I was kind of embarrassed. But then I realized it truly was important to a lot of people and then I thought about the big picture and how this was kind of a revolution."

Will it end with veggie dogs in every stadium?

"Absolutely," McCloy says. "I think it's inevitable."

One last thing! A few of my new friends enjoyed yesterday's item about my old gardener, Ho Chi Minh (my name for him!).

Awhile back I posted about an experience I had with him but can't find it. So, we were having out yard sodded and it was ALL dirt. He comes to the door and the conversation (?) went something like this"

Him: I mow your lawn?

Me: You want to mow my dirt??

Him: I give you good price!

Me: Go away!

Him: Your yard look like crap!

Me: Just leave!

Him: I can fix yard

Me: I have a gun

Him: I be back next week!!

Sheesh!!!!!

BTW, I have 2 new friends that you need to visit! Julie http://julie4ever4u.spaces.live.com/, and Bridget http://bridget1029.spaces.live.com/. You will like them alot, so please give them a visit!!

John Michael Montgomery today!! VERY Country!!!!!