Another pint of beer...

with my roommate David. Faced with a Friday night with no plans and call looming on Saturday, we decided to go to a local German restaurant. Standing in line, waiting to be seated, I was thinking of the various times and locations that David and I have eaten together. Behind us, a couple of older gentlemen joined us in waiting for a table. Suddenly I was struck by the potential similarities: two friends, out for dinner on an otherwise quiet, cool night in early December. Take David and me, fast-forward 45 years, and you have these other two. One even was taller and wore a jacket like mine, the other, like David, wore a flannel shirt.

The small dining area was an unauthentic yet charming interpretation of Bavarian pub. Families with children filled the room. A musician with a feathered hat in the corner performed on a keyboard and occasionally an accordian. Over schnitzel and spatzl, and of course a cold pint in a chilled mug, David and I caught up on life and relaxed.

Tomorrow is my first call back on the wards for the month of December...