Soco participates in Retirement Ceremony

Flag Ceremony

Soco participated in a Retirement Ceremony, January 23, 2009 as a sideboy for the passing of the flag.

The following script is slowly read, with pauses sufficiently spaced, to allow the National Ensign to be solemnly passed from one sideboy to the next and ultimately to the retiree.

The passing of the Ensign is to be conducted with slow salutes; once from the receiving sideboy and once from the flag bearer.

"OLD G"
I AM THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. MY NAME IS OLD GLORY. I FLY ATOP THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDINGS. I STAND WATCH IN AMERICA'S HALLS OF JUSTICE. I FLY MAJESTICALLY OVER GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING. I STAND GUARD WITH THE GREATEST MILITARY POWER IN THE WORLD. LOOK UP AND SEE ME!

I STAND FOR PEACE - HONOR - TRUTH AND JUSTICE. I STAND FOR
FREEDOM. I AM CONFIDENT - I AM ARROGANT - I AM PROUD.

WHEN I AM FLOWN WITH MY FELLOW BANNERS, MY HEAD IS A LITTLE
HIGHER - MY COLORS A LITTLE TRUER - I BOW TO NO ONE!

I AM RECOGNIZED ALL OVER THE WORLD. I AM WORSHIPPED - I AM LOVED AND I AM FEARED!

I HAVE FOUGHT IN EVERY BATTLE OF EVERY WAR FOR MORE THAN 200
YEARS:

GETTYSBURG, SHILO, APPOMATTOX, SAN JUAN HILL, THE TRENCHES OF FRANCE, THE ARGONNE FOREST, ANZIO, ROME, THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY, GUAM, OKINAWA, JAPAN., KOREA, VIETNAM, IN THE PERSIAN GULF AND A SCORE OF PLACES LONG FORGOTTEN, BY ALL BUT THOSE WHO WHERE THERE WITH ME.... I WAS THERE!

I LED MY SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN AND MARINES. I FOLLOWED THEM
AND WATCHED OVER THEM. THEY LOVED ME.

I WAS ON A SMALL HILL IN IWO JIMA, I WAS DIRTY, BATTLE-WORN AND
TIRED. BUT MY SOLDIERS CHEERED ME! AND I WAS PROUD!

I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLED ON THE STREETS OF COUNTRIES THAT I HAVE HELPED SET FREE. IT DOES NOT HURT - FOR I AM INVINCIBLE.

I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLETED ON THE STREETS OF MY OWN COUNTRY - AND WHEN IT IS BY THOSE WHOM I HAVE SERVED IN BATTLE WITH - IT HURTS.

BUT I SHALL OVERCOME - FOR I AM STRONG! I HAVE SLIPPED THE BONDS OF EARTH AND FROM MY VANTAGE POINT ON THE MOON, I STAND WATCH OVER THE UNCHARTED NEW FRONTIERS OF SPACE.

I HAVE BEEN A SILENT WITNESS TO ALL OF AMERICA'S FINEST HOURS. BUT MY FINEST HOUR COMES WHEN I AM TORN IN STRIPS TO BE USED AS BANDAGES FOR MY WOUNDED COMRADES ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE -- WHEN I FLY AT HALF MAST TO HONOR MY SOLDIERS, MY SAILORS, MY AIRMEN, MY MARINES, AND --WHEN I LIE IN THE TREMBLING ARMS OF A GRIEVING MOTHER, AT THE GRAVESIDE OF HER FALLEN SON OR DAUGHTER--

I AM PROUD. MY NAME IS "OLD GLORY" - LONG MAY I WAVE, DEAR GOD,
LONG MAY I WAVE.







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Hors D'oeuvres served to the guests, what it looked like compared to what it is supposed to look like. Oh wait a minute, there were supposed to be hotdogs? Overall, the food was really good. I was asked to take a picture of the result of a junior sailor's cooking skills.

Habitat for Humanity JAN 19, 2009

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden glues drywall as he honors a national day of service by working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Washington, January 19, 2009.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Soco is the one with the black hat

Soco tells a funny joke.
Soco met Joe Biden at Habitat for Humanity, January 19, 2009
(Photos were taken from Associated Press, Yahoo News)

I volunteered Soco to go do Habitat for Humanity this year on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday. It just happened to be the day before the Presidential Inauguration and everyone was doing volunteer work. The volunteers were putting up drywall.

DTV Conversion

Yesterday, we received our coupon for the Digital Television Converter Box $40 coupon. It comes in an envelop and it looks much like a gift card with "Department of Commerce" logo and security hologram. I walked over to Best Buy, purchased a decent box, the Avex brand, paid $12 in cash on the remaining balance and went home. I plugged in the box and waited... The shows come out very clear! We also have more channels than we had before! And we don't have to buy basic cable! This box works much like a cable box, it has it's own remote control and you can hit a button on the remote and it will tell you what shows are about to come on. We get around 14 crystal clear channels. On occasion, the screen would get all pixel-like and blotchy, but that only lasts for a few seconds. We also get two weather channels with satellite imagery. I'm extremely pleased with DTV. I definitely recommend getting a Digital Converter Box. Sign up now for your free coupon. http://www.dtv2009.gov

Transformers Cosplay

Check out this video. Transformer costumes that actually transform!

January 2009

Victoria is 11 Months old now! Not walking yet, the doctors say that her weight is below average. Yet, Vicky eat's more than Nayeli does! Nayeli is almost 3 and she is almost fully potty trained.

Mini Pizza Bagels

I've been trying to figure out how to make low-cost food that doesn't leave me hungry. Pizza Bagels only take 10 minutes to assemble and to heat up in a small oven.

Ingredients:

Bagel
Your favorite marinara sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni

Easy.

Kick'in Off the 2009 New Year!

Train Play

Nayeli playing with train.

Victoria Taking Her First Steps

Victoria taking her first steps.

Busy December

Reunited with family after long deployment

Vicky

I was able to make it back right on-time for Thanksgiving. I took some pictures of the girls. So much have changed!

Victoria Kiss
Oh oh
Red RAV4

I traded in my old Nissan Sentra for this Toyota RAV4. It gets the same gas mileage as my Sentra, yet it has 3rd row seating for a total of 7 passengers. The 3rd row and 2nd row folds down to make a flatbed. It's also a 4WD.

Compared to Soco's Ford Escape Hybrid, the Toyota RAV4 rides lower. I take it that because of its decrease in height, it gives it much better fuel economy compared to non-hybrids of its class. The RAV4 is roomier and it has a genious Japanese-like interior configuration of being able to transform to different seating configurations and hidden storage compartments. I found it interesting that with the 3rd row seating, there is still a small space for luggage in the rear, because when the seats are folded out, it creates additional space underneath and behind the seats, however I do not recommend putting tall or people weighing over 150 pounds back there.

We NEED Fly-Swatters!

There are a million flies and mosquito's here in Africa. It is so freak'in annoying. They find their way through every crevice and they love to land on human skin. Everytime I try to go to sleep, a stupid fly lands on my face. I can't wait to leave this place. And you know what? The base shop (Navy Exchange) is totally out of fly-swatters. I've never seen so many flies. There are fly traps set up by the chow hall and it has a layer of dead flies 3 inches thick! Holy crap.

A Day without a Djiboutian

A few days ago, I woke up and got out of my rack. The bathrooms were unusually dirty... hmm.. Oh well. Later, I walked to get some breakfast. The dirt road was completely empty from the usual hustle of laborers driving to and from work. I went to the laundry services hut and there was a burdonsome line backed out the door of people waiting to pickup or dropoff their laundry. Wow. So this is what a day without a Djiboutian is like.

They came back yesterday and services went back to normal again. Was this a dream?

Visiting Dr. Aba for the last time

Dr. Aba, his wife, me, Lisandro, and Dr. Marks eating at "Mukbasa 7 Freres" or "7 Brothers Fish"

They took us to "Mukbasa 7 Freres" when we suggested that we want to eat what Djiboutians eat. It was a nice place which felt like thousands of miles away from any American or French person.

Mukbasa (wood grilled fish), coka, Dates, Pan with bananas and chocolate

This dish is supposed to be cooked Yemenese Style. Wood grilled fish, dates and banana and chocolate wrapped in a tortilla-like "Pan" doused in African bee honey.
This is the best food outside of Camp Lemonier I would say. Much better than the overpriced, "Planete Hollywood".

This is where they cook the fish

We were escorted to the back of the kitchen for a little tour. This little wood fire pit is where they cook the fish on a wooden stick. It was very good. I was very thankful that I ate before seeing the appearance of the kitchen, because it isn't exactly "health inspector" passable. But I want the whole Djiboutian experience even if it gives me diarrhea.

At the 7th Adventist Dental Clinic We gave them a whole bunch of casting material for making false teeth and dental supplies. They were very happy.

November Day in Djibouti Africa

A corner in Djibouti after the rains

Cows eating garbage I think it was kinda neat to see cows with long horns eating trash.
After the rains in Djibouti
When it rains in Djibouti, it floods. There are no flood drains here.

2008 Make Believe Parade

This year, Nayeli was a Peacock and Anaka was a Leopard!

After the Presidental Election, things are still normal.

Barack Obama on the cover of Stars and Stripes

I saw this newspaper of the Stars and Stripes being sold on E-bay for $80.

Zoll M Series Defibrillator I was told not to ever disassemble this machine. I found out why when I tried to put it back together. It took me about an hour of frustration.


Normocap Gas Analyzer This unit was sent to me to service from the Peltier Hospital. Everything is in French so it was difficult getting everything translated through Google.

School Pictures

Anaka at 9 months
Anaka at 9 Months
Nayeli at 2 years
Nayeli at 2 years