My dad is notorious for stating that people look alike. He is also notorious for being horribly wrong. Once, he said one of our family friends looked like former Polish President Lech Walesa. This was probably 15 years ago and he is still ridiculed for this statement. Because of this, I am always very cautious about pointing out people that I feel look like others.

This is one that I cannot let go of.

Presidential Hopeful US Senator Barack Obama…

…and Cubs All-Star *snicker* reliever Carlos Marmol.

Every so often, life leads to unexplained bruising. Many times, however, you can eventually figure out the source of the unwelcome purple mark.

Me, not so much. Let’s go to the beginning to get to the point where I am now.

Let me tell you the tale of my right ankle. It has been through a lot. I have dealt with perpetual injury of said ankle since about the age of 25. Keep in mind that I played various sports in HS and whatnot and never, ever injured the thing then. If I had, it would make sense to have issues into adulthood on a recurring basis. The most recent OMFG moment of pain for the right ankle came in Toronto. The sig other and I were casually strolling down the street after dinner and it just went out. I came crashing down and I instantly felt sick. You know the feeling…that water in the mouth, full body shiver, “I am so gonna vomit” feeling. I struggled on the walk back to the hotel, but I toughed it out. I then took two Molson Canadian’s out of the case; one to drink and one for the ankle.

Fast forward to this past week. Thursday night we went out for RAGBRAI’s overnight stop. Beverages were enjoyed, walking around town was done and a fun night was had. I wasn’t blackout drunk or anything so I didn’t think I had any issues that would be cause for concern the next day. Sunday night…yes, Sunday…I looked down at my ankle and loudly proclaimed “what in the hell is that???” There is a bruise on the right ankle that is approximately the size of a softball. The sig other and I have no idea where it came from. Thursday was mentioned but you would think that I would have noticed it before that, especially since I had shaved my legs prior to Sunday. But what other night could it have been? The majority of the weekend was spent running errands and doing stuff around the house.

So, I am puzzled. My worst fear is that there are still some issues from the debacle in Toronto. It is a tad bit swollen. Me being me refuses to go to the doctor to have it looked at. That would, after all, be the smart thing to do. But health, shmealth, I hate having my joints manipulated and I’ve had enough radiation from X-rays over the years to power the Great Lakes region.

Besides, speculation is way more fun.