Today is one of those perfect fall days. Crisp temperature, but not too hot or cold. A slight breeze, with sunshine and wisps of clouds here and there. Just fabulous. Add to that the fact that I got to sleep in today, and it’s just poifect. Oh, and my beloved Montreal Canadiens are playing the terrible Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in Montreal, and aside from my passion for my Canadiens, games between these two teams tend to be rather good. So today’s a great day!

On top of that, I’m watching some of the Skate Canada coverage this afternoon (don’t laugh), and it’s a wonder to watch a Canadian woman not choke in the face of pressure. We’ve had great success with the men, our pairs, and even our ice dancers to some degree, but since the blip of Elizabeth Manley in 1988, we Canadian ladies haven’t managed to get our proverbial sh!t together and produce when it counted. But I’ve been watching three-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette over the years, and I must say, this girl’s got grit. She may falter, as some times athletes do, but she’s got that je ne sais quoi that allows her to pull herself together and put together a good routine. I can’t tell you how many times I had to watch Josee Chouinard crumble in the long program, and it was frustrating to watch. Josee’s a wonderful persona and a good skater, but she didn’t have that IT factor that athletes need to have, you know? Cynthia Phaneuf had it as well, but she’s had some injury problems over the last few years, so we haven’t seen much of her. Can’t wait to see what happens over the next couple of years, as there are three or so Canadian women who could do well. Should make the Vancouver 2010 Olympics interesting!