Cuts, Dives, Courts & Drives

A full Tuesday of Beautiful Things:

Cuts...I spent my morning at the hospital, waiting. My 8am appointment turned into a 9:30am meeting with the doctor. Not bad really, and frankly I will give no complaint to a system that lets me have doctor services when I need them. The service today was the removal of two moles from my back. Yay - isn't that all tasty-Enrique for me. But as a couple of my copper spots had altered since my downunder days, I thought it best to get them checked. Turns out that removal is the standard and speedier option. So, with a little bit of freezing (my first) and the quick hands of the surgeon who was doing "penance" (his word) on the bumps & holes floor, I became two spots less beautiful. Instead, I have two mini-seams of stitches (my first) that ache like hell! I hope the scars won't be too big - or maybe not, afterall, it is the individual marks of all kinds that make us beautiful.

Dives...CBC is televising the World Aquatic Championships from Montreal these days. Another perk of having no job is being around to catch random sports coverage. The mens 3-metre spring board diving was this afternoon. So big congratulations to Alexandre Despatie (that's him to the left) - a Canadian boy - who took the gold medal in front of a home town crowd. I admit to being a fan of diving. It's a beautiful sport to behold and easy to watch. Oh yes, so easy on the eyes is diving, or rather, divers. I mean - come on! - is the male form more perfect than when in diving shape? And they saunter onto the board, and you get to watch these sculpted torsos in clean view, and then they spring into the air and you can see EVERY muscle pulled tightly on the body. Whew!

Courts...Tuesday is tennis night. It used to be Wednesday but it was moved. But really, the day is irrelevant. The point is that once a week, I get to hang with my commerce pals and attempt to play tennis. I've enjoyed tennis for years. Not competitively, but socially, as a fun game. And if I push myself, it can be a choice workout. Usually the rallies aren't made for cardio at tennis night - it's all about leisure. And its SO much fun, and funny. Consistent comraderie is a beautiful thing to have in life. It builds friendships and memories and I'm really gonna miss it when I move.

Drives...Finally, I lost my stick-driving virginity tonight. Doing anything for the first time can be scary. Attempting to drive "the hard way" in a friend's sacred automobile is enough to drive you mad. But I handled the pressure and I feel pretty chuffed with myself. I'm also quite happy that I got initiated by such a sleek specimen - beats a rusty pick-up truck anyday! J-man shared his baby with me and under his tutelage I nailed the basics all the way to third base gear. I don't have all the moves yet and I think too much but what else is new with me! Truly, if you ever want to learn, J is your guy. He's patient and supportive and I'm glad I have a friend like him. Now, if I can just remember to be less aggressive on the stick...