Dear Diary

Dear Diary: Mats Sundin

SCOTT STINSON, NATIONAL POST

PUBLISHED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2008

As imagined by Scott Stinson

Mats Sundin and his fiance, 25-year-old, Josephine Johansson.

Photograph by : Toronto Star

MONDAY

Again with the calls from the Canadian media today! "Mats, are you going to accept the $20-million offer from Vancouver? Mats, are you going to take $8-million to play for Toronto? Mats, what about Montreal or New York?" I tell them I just can't decide if I want to play. I honestly can't make up my mind on it. I thought I'd know by now, but I don't. Could be months before I decide, could be tomorrow. It's just hard to say. Anyway, I decided to take my mind off things by playing a round of golf with Bjorn and Stefan, but they walked off the course on the third hole when it took me 20 minutes to decide whether to hit 5-or 6-iron off the tee.

TUESDAY

Anguish at the breakfast table this morning. Waffles or pancakes? So hard to know. I don't really like the way the maple syrup gathers in the little squares of the waffles, but pancakes kind of lack personality. So smooth and lacking context. I wrestled with the decision for quite some time, but eventually came down on the side of waffles. It was quite a relief. Just as I was settling down to eat, Josephine asked if I wanted some strawberries on top. "I can't believe you would bring that up out of nowhere!" I said, perhaps a little loudly.

WEDNESDAY

Josephine could tell that this whole will-I-play-or-won't-I-play thing has been causing me some stress, so this evening as I was settling down to read (my dog-eared copy of Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions) she turned off the light and started kissing me lightly on the neck. "I know what you need to take your mind off things, Mats," she said. "Don't worry, you don't have to do anything." I told her it sure sounded like a good idea, but that I just wasn't sure. I really like to be very sure of my decisions. "Enjoy your book," she said, rolling over in a huff.

THURSDAY

I bought one of those personal video recorders for the television, and I have to say it is truly amazing. Also terrifying. Josephine set up some automatic recordings, so when I sat down to watch a show tonight, there must have been 40 different programs to choose from. A nightmare! Entourage or Prison Break? The Hills or CSI: Miami? Dancing with the Stars or Rock of Love? I just have no idea where to begin. What this remote really needs is a "Random" button. That would save me some painful moments.

FRIDAY

I'm in Toronto for a charity event tonight, and I'm sure it will be more of the same with the media. Not looking forward to another grilling. Josephine called from Stockholm and said she had a little something special planned for when I get home. "Some alone time between the two of us," she said. "And ... I invited my friend Eva. The stewardess. Formerly a gymnast." I admit I was a little surprised. "Hmmmmm," I said. "There's definitely some positives there. Do you mind if I mull it around a while?" The line went dead. Must have been a bad connection.