Blow Out the Candles on Your Pork Slab

The magic of a summer birthday is that you get the sympathy amassed by not being able to have a party in school (see: kindergarten through 3rd grade), and when you do get to have a party at home, it's usually a pool party. I'm not saying you can't try this pool tactic with a winter birthday, but don the speedo at your own risk.

It also means I've been home for my recent birthdays, (i.e. not at college) . . . until now. August 15, 2007 was spent out here in Iowa. And it was grand. For the humble fee of $12, I was treated to a dinner at the Cherokee Community Center. What made it real special was that it was potluck, as all dinners should be. That meant 400 different kinds of salads. (which was odd considering the attendance marker didn't break 100. Somebody must have made 300 extra salads)

And for dessert. Everyone's favorite. Pie.

The speaking slate for the evening was filled with some studs, once again reminding me that Iowa is the place to be in an election year. Mention the word potluck, and two Senators, an Ambassador, 2 Secretaries of Education, Grover Cleveland, and 7 of the 9 living ex-Presidents of the United States, show up. I don't know if my numbers are exactly right, but the point is, people turn out.

Speaking of Iowa politics, did you know Gopher from the Love Boat later became a member of the United States House of Representatives? In the spirit of transparency, I didn't learn that in Cherokee tonight. I've known it for a while and have been sitting on it, waiting for the right moment to insert it into a post.

I'll close with some words from the immortal (or at least still alive, eventuality of death unknown) Jim Gaffigan:
"Pie can’t compete with cake. Put candles in a cake, it’s a birthday cake. Put candles in a pie, and somebody’s drunk in the kitchen."