Angie, a few party reviews for the Scuttlebutt.
Lt.Cmdr. Wayne aka 'Duty Doc'2'
CUDDLING
CRANE
Votes had already been tallied for
the best costume at last weekend's Costume Party; but it's a sure bet there may
be several write-ins to declare a 'special mention' for an unintended guest, in
a beautiful fur coat, who crashed the party and insisted on nuzzling Captain
Crane in full view of everyone.
That's right, the Skipper's latest
sweetie is none other than a female Border Collie puppy, courtesy of 'Lucky',
who you may recall is owned by one of Crane's Navy colleagues, Lt.Cmdr. 'Joe'
Jackson.
The pup arrived via Fur-Ball
Express, noted live cargo transport specialists, as a complete surprise to
Captain Crane just minutes after the party had gotten underway. Despite plenty
of attention, she was temporarily and reluctantly secured in one of the
center's little used and uncarpeted offices.
The puppy is still nameless, and
the Skipper is accepting nominations before he has to register her with the
city. Should he be unable to decide, the winning name will be picked out of a
bag by one of the NIMR staff.
Up for grabs will be an interim dog
sitter while Crane makes some kind permanent arrangement for when he's at
sea. Rumor has it that he's already drafted
his long distance Mom with the promise of a month long stay in
MORTON MAYHEM
Executive Officer Chip
Morton shed his immaculate image nearly causing a riot at the party as one lady
after another vied with each other to become the bare chested Roman Gladiator's
companion. Some had even begun to resort to a full frontal attack by trying to
stuff dollar bills (denominations unknown)into his leather belt in their desire
to enslave him before his personal guest, Ms. Kim 'Q' declared firmly 'Look,
but don't touch' to the other ladies and enjoyed his undivided attention for
the rest of the evening
Cashmerian,NIMR's adopted cat, originally a stowaway aboard
Seaview,was responsible in part for a soaking the patio received when Captain
Crane tripped over him, spilling an after dinner coffee on the cat, Miss Angie,
and the deck. While one cup of coffee didn't do much damage, the hot beverage
not only raised the feline's fur, but also the hackles of our Administrative
Assistant who couldn't help jerking backwards into some Champaign cooling in a
bin of ice beside the bar. Needless to say the decking got a proper libation of
both the bubbly and ice cold H2O, and Cashmerian and the Skipper found themselves in the doghouse.
In point of fact Captain
Crane was in the doghouse literally, as he took the cat to the closest vet with
emergency evening services, then remembered he still
needed supplies for his puppy, and the only pet store open was aptly called
'The Doghouse'.
While Cashmerian's been
given a clean bill of health, Miss Angie's sweater, alas, was mortally wounded.
CINDERELLEN?
Admiral Nelson's
personal guest, Dr. Ellen Bryce, brought a new version of the old story to the
fore when the heel of one of her 'tart's boots broke off just as he'd taken her
to the dance floor for the Tango contest. Removing both shoes, she continued
the dance in her stocking feet, batting nary an eyelash.
However, the footloose footwear quickly
disappeared when Crane's puppy escaped her prison via a loose latch and quickly
pilfered them. While Nelson and company tried to capture the pup and stop her
from enjoying an impromptu snack, Admiral Starke took over as Dr. Bryce's
companion and entertained her with a rousing rendition of 'A Whale of a Tale'.
A contrite Captain, who'd finally managed
to lure and pull the reluctant canine out from under a corner table, was about
to return the sodden, chewed up footwear when Admiral Nelson waylaid him and
presented Ellen with a pair of unused sneakers he'd quickly ordered brought
from supply. On bended knee, he helped her into the 'slipper's, canvas though
they were.