There Will Be Blood

I did my civic duty Monday and donated blood.  They roped me into donating platelets, so it was supposed to take 113 minutes. Sure.

I did not exactly have the client experience I was expecting. The intake process takes a while, so it was 2:15 before I had a needle in my arm for my 1:30 appointment time. The intake lady asked me about three times how my Thanksgiving was.  Since I spent it with #1, it was not great, but I didn’t want to alarm her with the truth. More on that later.

She asked me how my veins were. For a split second I was going to tell her that was a bit personal, then I blurted out “They’re fantastic!”  She also said I’d be helping four people by donating platelets. I told her I expected thank you cards.

Once the process got started, the 113 minutes kept getting extended, so I actually spent about two and a half hours lying there. I entertained myself with Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, which I had not completed on my Italy trip. I got a little cranky at the end and they gave me some trail mix.  They changed brands since my last visit and the stuff was lousy, so I tossed it in the garbage. I’m going to think twice about being Mr. Nice Guy next time I get the impulse to give blood.  Maybe I’ll be stern and say “Take your pint, no double red, no platelets. I ain’t got all day.” They said I should not do any strenuous activity so when I got home, I did the easier crossword puzzles.

We got an invite to #1’s house for Thanksgiving. The chow was excellent, and we got to take home Friday night’s dinner as well. However, this was all a ploy to get me to drive them to the airport today.  He slipped me the ask with an after-dinner port. Keep your friends close and your Foster City friends closer.

Here’s my picks for week 13.  Get your bets in.

Dal LAC Det Atl Pit Ten Mia Hou TB LAR SF KC Jax

Gee whiz, look what today’s word is.