Just wanted to say Hello!

[President Bush]

hell of a picture.
looked to be an interesting character.
coulda used a pork-pie hat.

He apparently had been hiding it under a ten-gallon hat, for how long I'm not sure. Seems like that would take a while to grow but from what I've read about amelanotic nodular melanomas - which is my best guess about what that is - they can develop rapidly.

Recently got in touch with another ex-pat I used to hang out with there, that's who took (and sent us) the picture. Once he got a peek at what was under the hat he said: "Pat, get in the car" and they were off to make the 700 mile drive north to San Antonio fairly immediately.

I guess they didn't do much at the VA hospital there, looked at Pat like he was from the moon. Maybe too large to cut off, I dunno.

[President Bush]

Showed the picture to the dermatologist today, she pegged as a very large necrotizing basal cell carcinoma. Must have smelled terrible.

He stayed out of Vietnam by joinning the US air force, served in an ICBM missile silo. Sounds like he dropped LSD while on duty in the hole more than once, trying to get the goddamn thing to rock back and forth on its pad was a form of entertainment for the boys.

[President Bush]

An old expat buddy of mine who lived in Guanajuato died in the VA hospital in San Antonio, TX, a few years back, apparently from a brain tumor. I have a picture. Could be the most horrifying thing I have ever seen.

Maybe an excretion, maybe not.

Please don't share. Thanks.

Looked a little like this...

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[stanky]

what's that thing in his mouth?

(nice pic)

[sparks]

Sunglasses.

[stanky]

Speaking of exotic people, this story about rowdy tourists in Bali made me think of our own President Bush:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/disgust ... 19587.html

Funny that the article mostly blames Russians. Hard to say what's real these days. Like the big leak of classified documents...the Russians suspect that it's misinformation. Who knows? Once deception becomes normal, truth is a memory. Anyway, Bali sounds awesome except for some shitty tourists.
I'd love to see it; probably won't. I'll likely settle for vicarious thrills from the Prez's travel reports.

[President Bush]

Though we still have a few nice carvings from our favorite guys shipped... we are almost retired from selling in gem shows. Being on Bali was always great but maybe not going back.

Wish we could have been there for when the major volcano Gunung Agung was active late 2017-mid 2018, largely shutting Bali down, or during the height of COVID. Both times Bali was almost entirely free of tourism, bad for the Balinese somewhat dependent on it for everyday money but great for the ambience of the place. Vast majority of tourists do not give a shit about interacting with regular Balinese people.

And the Balinese have such a crazy interesting way of engaging in endless rituals, they are quite singular in their ways, it's not done for the tourists. Paying the priests is a regular expense for Balinese. Here's a drone shot of a major one in Tampaksiring last year our buddy Astina sent us, Agung is there on the horizon in the background.

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