To do any sort of organized sport or exercise program one needs a health certificate to show that you won't drop dead in the middle of a crunch.  To get said certificate you can't go to just any old doctor.  Oh noooooo!  You must go to a qualified to hand out health certificate doctor.  AND you have to have an electrocardiogram.  To get that you have to get a referral from your regular doctor.  So in order to continue with my exercise classes at school I have to go to my doctor, get a referral for an ECG, get a referral for a sports doctor, get the ECG at the hospital or clinic and take it to the sports doctor, which is three different appointments in different locations for a cost of about 45 euro.  OR I can go to a cardiologist that we know of and get it all done with one appointment and 35 euro under the table.  That's Italy.  The certificate lasts a year so I should have done this every fall before starting classes but my past instructors never insisted on one.  This new guys does.  He's South African.  He's tough.  I'm in constant pain.

I took a whirlwind trip to London to see Grace's apartment last weekend.  I flew out Friday evening and left London at the break of dawn.  By flying those hours with a low cost airline I can go back and forth for the cost of a tank of gas for my car.  Her apartment is cute, her roommates are lovely and we had a great Thai dinner.  Of course it rained.

Now I'm off to bed to rest my aching glutes.  xxoo me