When I used to bartend at this little dive bar in "the bad part of town" one of my regulars was an old roofer named Doug Dorsey. He was a huge guy, with graying blonde hair and big blue eyes, and he was usually quiet unless he was talking shit while playing pool.

He would do anything for anybody. He is the only person I've ever said the words, "I have a dead cat in my trunk that I think might be mine but it's real bloody and I can't tell for sure, but it's dead and I put it in my car and I want to take it to the vet to get disposed of but I can't do it because no one can cover the bar, so will you take it out of my trunk and drive it to the vet for me?" to, and he did it, no questions asked, no hemming or hawing. And in the middle of a summer thunderstorm, even.

He is a super guy, and what I dig about him the most is his right elbow. Seriously. He has a huge growth on his elbow about the size of a softball, an enormous calcium build-up from years of swinging a hammer. I asked him if he'd thought about getting it removed and he said, "Nah, I don't need to hammer anymore. I got guys to do that. I do the paperwork now, so it don't bother me at all. Hell, gives me something to rest my arm on!"

Until I met him I didn't know someone could find deformities refreshing. That is complete abscence of vanity. Here's a man who, in the midst of a society that's obsessed with keeping up appearances, doesn't care about impressing anyone. He is who he is. He happens to have a growth on his elbow and that's who he is. I just love how so many people like to talk about how they're "keepin' it real" while trying to look as cool as possible at all times, even when they brush their teeth. Maybe they should take lessons from Doug. He is as real as it gets.