A Tree Grows in Jakarta

This morning's coffee klatsch was in full swing when Gloria hesitantly asked, "Did you...happen to watch ABC...and see the man...who is turning...into a tree?"

D-wha??

Sure enough. "Dede Koswara, 37, has been covered with bark-like warts for more than 20 years. The growths are believed to be caused by the human papillomavirus and began to appear on his skin after he cut his leg when he was 15."

The first pic doesn't seem so bad. I was thinking, "Hm. I don't know that calling him Tree Man is appropriate. It's not that bad. Mean people..."



Then the next pic appeared. Holy hell.



And finally, this one. AAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!



So, everyone composed?

The good news is, he's undergone some surgery and things are looking much, much better (relatively speaking).



I'm very happy for him and hope that more can be done to improve his quality of life. But in the meantime, this quote struck me. He says, "What I really want first is to get better and find a job. But then, one day, who knows? I might meet a girl and get married," the 37-year-old told the British newspaper The Telegraph from the hospital.

Do you mean to tell me that this guy's prospects of finding a wife are better than mine??!! :)