NHS: Just pick it off

While visiting the NHS (Britain's National Health Services), I happened to have this conversation on my way out from the Dr. visit:

Me:  Oh, one more thing.  I have this mole on the shoulder and I think my bag has iritated it.  It hurts a bit and seems weird. Can you take a look at it?
Doc:  Hm, let me take a look.  Oh, that is not a mole.  That is a skin tag.  I know it is brown like a mole, but it is not a mole.
Me {raised brow}:  Really?
Doc:  Yes, nothing to worry about.  They are benign.  You can just pick it off.
{easily 30 seconds of silence as I processes this information, most likely with one squinty eye}
Doc:  Well, I mean I can send you to a specialist and he can shave it off for you, but that may scar.  Generally we tell people to pick them off with their fingernail.
{more silence ... my mouth may have been hanging open, probably two squinty eyes}
Me:  Did you say "pick it off"?
Doc:  Yeah, it may take a while and may bleed a bit since that's a big one.
Doc{after settling in that I as a foreigner may not be accustomed to this more cost effective solution}: Or, if that bothers you I guess you could go to the specialist.
Me:  Um, no.  Thanks.  I guess I'll see how it goes.

What???  Really???  The pros and cons of social medicine.  Free advice.

Paris ... Growing on Me

So, this may seem bizarre, but Paris just hasn't knocked my socks off.  Of course I did love my first visit (accounted here), but I think it has more to do with the huge build up this city gets, billed as one of the best in the world, endless romance, the place everyone dreams of going.

You know, things just have a tendency to slightly disappoint when they are hyped up too much ... because honestly, had someone come at me from the start with this ho-hum opinion I am offering up, I surely would be telling you right now that Paris is the most amazing city in the world.  It's growing on me.

I had the great fortune of visiting twice in March for business.  Just a two hour train ride from London, it really is quite luxurious.  The first visit was a quick in/out and I barely escaped the tacky hotel to grab one quick, but perfectly buttery, croissant early one morning (though I could see the Eiffel Tower from my room so not all bad).

For the second, I assured I gave myself a few hours in the afternoon to do some walking around, and booked my own darling boutique hotel on the beautiful Île Saint-Louis (one of the two islands in the Seine river - the other holds the Notre Dame Map here).  I decided to get off the metro a few stops early and talk my time walking the remainder of the way.

I really didn't cover much ground, but weaved in and out of small streets just north of the river, and it was so cute!  Interesting shops, cafes, a lucky find farmers market ... all just so French!  I think it also helped that it is Spring ... on the sunny warm day the city felt more alive.  My first two trips were in the bitter cold of winter.

Hungry, but not wanting to ruin my appetite for the pending dinner to come (see asparagus) I decided to go true Parisian style and grab a baguette from the boulangerie and a delicious gooey, stinky cheese from the fromagerie and tear into it sitting beside the river.  Quite the afternoon!

Paris ... looking forward to my next trip!

Meu Rei ("My King")

Nearly sixteen years of my life, almost half, I have spent with one dear soul nearby.  He was so tolerant - man, I am not easy to live with.  First moving in with me when I started college, his only task was to keep me company through the scary, yet exhilarating time of living on my own ... we were eating much cheaper food then.

At the local shelter near my Mom's house, I first had my eyes set on an orange long hair, but he ended up being a maniac and Kitty was just sitting there, so chill, taking it all in.  If you didn't fall for him at the sight of his royal coat, once you had this boy lounging in your arms, paws dangling, he was irresistible.  He was chill from the day he was born to the moment he left today, always an old soul and always purring with contentment.

I like that he is a Maine Coon ... the breed in years past found on the docks of fishing piers in New England, eating at the random fish bits they could find with - what I always envision as - bits of ice hanging off their coats.  He was a fanatic of fish (well any meat really) and the thick coat of hair certainly would have kept him quite warm despite being cold and wet.  In London he even seemed to enjoy sitting on the wet stone in the garden in the drizzle.

For certain I will miss my dear friend deeply and always be so appreciative of how we cuddled with me in the morning and took my stress away, sat just far enough away when I needed space, waited patiently for my return from my sometimes long trips away, and came out to delight my guests with his beauty and might.  King Kitty. Nothing but naps in the warm sun, chasing birds, and sushi for you now.

Boris Biking

The weather in London has been so delightful.  Spring has been peaking its head around the corner, providing bouts of warm weather that make the masses clamour for something outdoorsy to do.

Parks are crammed with those lounging about in the sun, and because it is still quite chilly in the shade, people move in masses across the grass to remain in the sun spot.

It was the perfect weekend to attempt the "Boris Bike".  Though technically sponsored by Barclay's, the London city bike hire scheme was the named after Mayor Boris Johnson (and there have been some not so flattering photos of him cruising town on them).

Quite simple really, you pop in your debit card, push some buttons, and boom you have a bike.  There are over 400 stands around town, and an iPhone app makes it quite easy to find your nearest.

Traffic in London is quite brutal, so during this virgin journey I opted to stay on the path along the canal and major parkways.  Lesson learned - human traffic is also quite brutal in London on a nice day.  Nonetheless, it was a fun cruise, you can get across town quite quickly, and a pleasant way to enjoy an early Spring afternoon.