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July 1st, 2008

  1. The Dimple Story

    July 1, 2008 by Gail

    with Neesa at Passion Lounge

    While I was digging around for the photo in the previous post, I came across this one that hadn’t been uploaded and was reminded of the dimple story, which I told recently.

    It all started because Nadja complimented me on my dimple, and I told her it was fake. Fake as in artificial, as in I wasn’t born with it; however, I didn’t create it, either!

    I’m not sure how old I was, maybe around 10, possibly younger. We were still living in Winnipeg, and we were often at our cousins’ house or across the street at another house of distant relatives. We looked forward to those visits — there were always lots of kids to play with.

    Growing up with two brothers, I was used to playing rough. In those days the theatrics of the WWF* was relatively tame, and we’d try and mimic some of the moves. I recall being punched in the stomach and having the wind knocked out of me to the point where I didn’t want to play WWF anymore. It was about that time when we were goofing around in the kitchen of the distant relatives, and Allan wanted to show off to the rest of the cousins. He put his hands on my shoulders and shook me so hard my face slammed into a heavy wooden kitchen chair.

    I remember it hurt like the dickens, even after icing and many horrified apologies. The bruising and bleeding healed over quickly, but the tissue stuck permanently to the bone, creating a dimple of sorts that remains to this day. I would’ve thought the lack of symmetry and a higher-than-average position on my face would twig people to ask if it were “real”, but no one has.

    And although it makes my brother look like a meanie, it also makes for a good story, especially to my four nieces and one nephew!

    * When we were really young, my father even took the three of us to see the WWF live! My mother went ballistic. Thinking back, I don’t know how he got away with it.


  2. Feeling Older, Canada? So Am I!

    July 1, 2008 by Gail

    lots of red and white
    [April 26, Passion Lounge, Toronto - The Exiled Party for JEAR]

    I went to bed (relatively) early last night because I was still wiped out from the nonstop weekend, and as a result woke up (un)naturally early this morning. ‘Why not catch a couple more hours?’ I thought to myself, since I had the chance and didn’t know when I’d get this chance again.

    OW! In those two hours of sleep, I somehow managed to do something to the right side of my neck and now I can barely move it, and a cramp attacked my right calf. When I slowly crawled out of bed I was hobbling like an elderly person making a lunge for her Zimmer frame, half wishing for a neck brace to magically appear out of the ether.

    What happened?!?! Age, that’s what. I haven’t been 36 for two weeks and already the right side of my body is starting to fail me. I haven’t even mentioned yet the thumb joint problem I started having on my second day in Norway. I don’t understand it — all my work is on the computer and I can see developing problems after days of intensive mousing, but I was on holiday and spent very little time with a keyboard and mouse. It originally felt like a dislocation but the pain eventually subsided by the end of that week. The area where the thumb meets the palm doesn’t feel right yet and I’m beginning to wonder if it ever will. Is it all downhill from here???

    During last Saturday’s engagement session I was shooting on my knees, on the ground, hanging from railings, and standing on a 7-ft ladder. Perhaps (more) insurance is in order.

    Canada is 141 years old today, and going stronger than ever. At 36, hopefully these minor ailments won’t take over and I will be going strong again, too!