Friend Jeni and I have back to back birthdays in March (25th/26th) so it's not uncommon for us to have a shared get together.  This year the extended Supper Club gathered in a local bar/eatery for good company and general hilarity.

Nathan played photographer.  Note that he's wearing shorts despite the fact that its Winter in South Dakota.

His legs need to catch up with the rest of him...

The Gang.  Jeni is at the far end of the table on the left.

The restaurant is called the Hangar, hence the picture of a cockpit on the back wall.  The restaurant is located in the same building as our airport terminal.

Special Someone doing his imitation of a Chipmunk.

The absolutely decadent coconut cake that Brian made for us.  He cut back on the recipe.  It called for 10 sticks of butter and he only used 7.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Pepsi.  Nectar of the Gods.

Nathan...right after trying to cop a feel.  Boys will be Boys...especially at 15.

Those of you that have been around for awhile might remember that Nathan is also known as Li'l Pyro.  He's changed a bit since this picture...wouldn't you say?

And just for grunts and giggles:

I got this message and picture in an email today.

"Yep...It'll be Summer in South Dakota before you know it.  We saw the deer wandering around in the fields today."

(Taken at Silver City yesterday.)

Didja ever notice how birthday philosophy changes over time?

When you're a kid EVERY birthday is vomit-inducingly special.  PRESENTS!

Then you get to the "Peg" birthdays.  13 (Yay! Teenager.  Next best thing to being an adult.).  16 (Gimme the keys to the car).  18 (I'm an adult, godamnit, so treat me like one [even if I don't act like one]). 21 (Ooooh baby, now I get to feel what hangovers feel like LEGALLY).

Next up...the dreaded big 30.  Now not such a happy birthday philosophy. It should be noted that I whizzed right past my 30th birthday without the least bit of Angst.  Hell, as far as I'm concerned my Real Life didn't start until I began my current career...and that was at age 31.

Then you get (IMHO) into the Blah But For Decades birthdays.  You know...40 is impressive, 50 is made it this far, 60 means retirement might be in sight.  All the intermediate birthdays are just well...there.

Birthday 65 brings the Sigh of Relief philosophy.  Medicare.  Social Security.  Finally someone else can take care of things.

After 70?  I anticipate that it's the Thank God I Made it Another Year mentality.

Of course, for everyone, there's an age where it's more Do I Really Have to See Another One mentality.

Personally I hope I don't hit that last one. 

And oh yeah...today's my birthday.  At 42...today's birthday was pretty much just...there. (Not to disregard the really nice birthday dinner my peeps had for me last Saturday.)

It's been a strange week.  Lot's of odd tumors.

An axillary (armpit) lymph node full of metastatic tumor from a primary tumor that I can't identify.

An angiosarcoma on the leg of a patient with chronic lymphedema.

A large submandibular mass on a Cambodian that was diagnosed 8 years ago as cutaneous tuberculosis.  I don't think it is.  I think it's a growing and likely malignant salivary gland tumor.

Watch it Kids.  The Malignant Stick is whirling like a Dervish.  Don't be the next one to get smacked.

The tablescape and other fun stuff.

Lighted centerpiece made to look like a palm tree.  They are actually the table decorations from friend Barb's son's wedding reception.  Gotta love recycling.  Notice the platter with my appetizers.

Special Someone made the large cheeseburger.

Little cheeseburgers for each place.  We made the dice out of clay.

Note the other servers setting up their tables in the background.  It's up to each "Celebrity Waiter" to decide what special things to do for their table.

Celebrity Waiters getting into the Margaritaville theme.

My partner in crime and I.  Get the theme.  Look on top of the hats.  Cheeseburgers.  Look at the hats.  A Pair of Dice.  Cheeseburgers on A Pair o' Dice.

Yeah.  Nobody else got it either.

She made this margarita dress herself.  She also really had a rockin' decorated table...and only two of the ten guests showed up.

The Boy in Blue is one of my lab techs.  He told me he was going to call me if he wound up in jail that night.  I told him to go ahead and call...but all I'd do is laugh at him.

As in What Would Jimmy Buffett Say.

The Hospital Foundation event went over just fine.  The company was wonderful...the food not so much.  As soon as I get pictures I'll post them.

I made black olive tapenade with feta on grilled pizza dough and sun-dried tomato chutney with feta on grilled pizza dough as appetizers.  It was a bitch getting the grill out.  Not to mention it was still a little cold to be standing around the grill.

For my "vegetarian" I made a shrimp civeche with coconut milk, lime, serrano peppers, red onion, cilantro and a little salt.  The "vegan" got a veggie burrito with guacamole, lettuce, black olive, diced tomato and sharp cheddar cheese (yeah, I know, she'll do a little lacto, which just sounds DIRTY to me).

I made a "dessert additive" for the end of the meal.  In plain talk that means that we're not supposed to bring booze to the event so I modified Bailey's into a drizzle sauce.  Of course...it worked well in coffee too.

And, per my tradition, Godiva chocolates to go with coffee.

The things I do for my people.

Last Monday it was -6F.  Today it's 66F.  Fuckin' South Dakota.

There are three Friday the 13ths this year.  What the hola is up with that?

Old Man Winter hasn't turned us loose yet.  While warmer today it's still nipple-gripping cold outside.

At least the sun is shining.

Papa Luigi (hospital Foundation fundraiser) is this weekend.  This year Papa is going to Margaritaville.

My costume is derived from a Jimmy Buffet classic.  Pictures will be forthcoming.

One of the people at my table is a vegan.  I spent hours yesterday looking at vegan recipes.  None of them will work since I can't keep them hot until served.

And, in my opinion, the majority of them sounded incredibly unappetizing.  I can live without meat...but how can live without dairy?

The Malignant Stick has been busy today.  Unfortunately I had to thwack an acquaintance of mine.  Getting old is hell on the prostate.

Ramble much?  Yes I do.

Enjoy.

Ole, a furniture  dealer from up at Minot,

ND , decided to expand the line of furniture  in his store, so he decided

to go to Paris to see what he could find.

 

After arriving in Paris he visited with some manufacturers and 

selected a line that he thought would sell well back home.  To 

celebrate the new acquisition, he decided to visit a small bistro and have 

a glass of wine. As he sat enjoying his wine, he noticed that the  small

place was quite crowded, and that the other chair at his table was  the

only vacant seat in the house.

 

Before long, a very beautiful  young Parisian girl came to his table,

asked him something in French  (which Ole couldn't understand), so he

motioned to the vacant chair and  invited her to sit down.  He tried

to speak to her in English, but  she did not speak his language, so after a

couple of minutes of trying to  communicate with her, he took a napkin and

drew a picture of a wine glass  and showed it to her. She nodded, so he

ordered a glass  of wine for her.

 

After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another 

napkin, and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded. 

They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a  small group

playing romantic music.  They ordered dinner, after which  he took

another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing.  She  nodded,

and they got up to dance.  They danced until the cafe closed  and the

band was packing up.

 

Back at their table, the young lady  took a napkin and drew a picture

of a four-poster bed.  To this day,  Ole has no idea how she figured

out he was in the furniture  business.

 

Uff-dah!

Create It Forward...

I updated to Internet Exporer 8 and now the editor in Xanga doesn't work properly. Or is it just Xanga?

I got my ears lowered today. When the stylist was giving me a post-cut "rinse" she nailed the back of my shirt and collar. I didn't say anything and she didn't until she took the "drape" off me. Then she tried to dry things off with a blow dryer. Bleh.

I got a whole lotta cooking going on this weekend and that makes me a very happy boy.

So...this morning I picked up a specimen container labeled "Perineal tissue".

For those of you not in the know, the perineum is that stretch of skin/tissue between your genitals and your anus. Interestingly enough it is supposed to be the most sensitive spot on the human body.

Now...imagine that spot on your body. Go ahead...do it. You've know you've been there before.

Think about how much tissue you have there.

And then think about the fact that the bucket I received contained tissue about the size of a volleyball.

You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to conclude that the patient is a Big Girl.

Who happens to be a diabetic.

The best surprise, however, came when I opened the bucket.

Seems our Big Girl has a large gluteal abscess.

Let's just say the smell was less than pleasant. As in I almost tossed my cookies. And people...trust me when I say I've smelled some pretty nasty nastiness in my line of work.

But it begs the question...how you could you not notice that smell coming from between your legs?