How Sour It Is - thieves rob 11-year-old boy's lemonade stand
Sole Purpose - foot fetishist dials 911 292 times
What's Up Doc? - doctor falls asleep during surgery
On this day in history: July 27, - At the Chateau d'Auvers, Vincent van Gogh presses a revolver to his chest and pulls the trigger. Somehow the bullet misses the vital organs, and the painter manages to stumble over to a friend's house. The following night, Van Gogh dies of an infection in the arms of his brother Theo.
Born on this day in history: July 27, 1906 - Leo Durocher (1906 - 1991) baseball player, manager He was an infielder, 1928-1941; manager for 24 years; coined the phrase "Nice guys finish last."
Today's Video: Crazy Dog
Here is a photograph of my nephew, Alex, and his newly-acquired BMW 540i.
Click to enlarge.
[While I slept] I spent the day fishing on a guide boat in the Sea of Cortez. The fishing guide deposited me at the dock, and I took a taxi to my hotel in Santa Maria, Baja. The fishing had been good. The guide was to deliver a few select fish to my hotel for consumption that evening by me and my guests, and I directed him to distribute the balance of the day's catch among the needy who gathered at the dock.
I showered, changed clothes, and went to the hotel lounge to enjoy a frosty margarita and await my guests. Soon, my guests arrived. They were locals I had met on a prior fishing adventure and with whom I had formed friendships.
The previous evening, we had all gathered at the house of one of these guests and enjoyed a sumptuous meal. Tonight, it was my turn to provide food and drink. We had a few drinks in the lounge, and a young waiter appeared and announced that our dinner was ready. We adjourned to the dining room and found a feast laid out before us, featuring the fish I had caught earlier, prepared several ways, along with warm tortillas and several vegetable dishes.
Following dinner, we gathered in the lounge for an after-dinner drink, following which, my guests thanked me and departed, and I went up to my room. As I prepared to enter my room, I saw a young girl furtively moving about the hallway, avoiding my glance. I thought her actions odd and mentioned this to a maid who was pushing her cart down the hallway. She said, "Oh, that's Carmelita, the Frog-faced Girl. She helps me clean. She is shy because of her face. It embarrasses her." The girl appeared again, and I saw that she had a severe overbite, which did, in fact, give her face the appearance of that of a frog. The maid called Carmelita to her and said, "Say hello to Señor David, Carmelita." Carmelita avoided eye contact and said, "Hello." Save for the overbite, Carmelita was a beautiful young woman. She disappeared into a nearby room, pushing the maid's cart, and the maid said, "It is a sad story, Señor David. Years ago, Carmelita was savaged by a drunken uncle, and she now bears the effects of that attack." Carmelita's visage, I realized, was not the result of overbite but was evidently a result of an attack that must have displaced her jaw. "Cannot a doctor repair the damage?" I asked. "Carmelita's family is very poor," she said and entered the room into which Carmelita had gone.
That night, I prayed for Carmelita. The following morning, there was a knock at the door. I said, "Yes?" and Carmelita opened the door and, looking down, said, "You are leaving today. I was sent to take your bags downstairs." A thought came to mind. I said, "Carmelita, would you be willing to try an experiment?" She looked at me with a very puzzled expression and said, "An experiment?" "Yes," I said. "Perhaps I can mend your face." "Please," she answered. I asked her to sit on the bed, took her face in my hands, and said, "This will hurt, but only for a brief while." "I don't mind," she replied. I held her lower jaw firmly with my left hand, grasped her forehead with my left hand, and quickly and with great force twisted and pulled back on her forehead. There was a very audible "snap," and Carmelita cried out in pain. Her face, however, was mended. She was beautiful. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Oh, Señor David. How can I repay you for your great kindness?" "Your lovely smile is sufficient payment, Carmelita. Have a wonderful life."
