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Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002 - 7:12 p.m. No, I didn�t have a major accident at work today, spilling my red blood cells on the pavement. I donated blood at the Red Cross this afternoon. Now, I am going through the "logies" that I get running a pint low. The State gives us 2 hours of uncharged time off if we volunteer to give a pint of blood. I have been doing this, off and on, for the last decade. I get into the habit of going every 56 days (which the Red Cross loves for you to do), and then something happens that causes me to forget about it for a while. One time it was my doctor warning me about a study he had read. It said that people with high blood pressure actually cause their b.p. to spike for several days AFTER they donated blood. Now, doesn�t that sound crazy? With less blood in the veins, wouldn�t you think it would go DOWN for a few days? No. According to the study he read, your body replaces the blood rather quickly, but your body thinks it has to push it around harder because it still thinks you are at a loss. Or something like that. Several years later, another study came out refuting that study. Just like oat bran being super-good for you (um, turns out it�s good, but not that good), coffee will kill you!(um, sorry, we were wrong on that one. It might even be good for you now), and all the other �health scares of the months� that the medical profession comes up with all the time. So, I started donating again. Then, last spring, our local chapter screwed up my appointment time for like the 5th time in the past 2 years. I was there at the appointed time, but they had me down as coming in an hour later. �Oh yes, Mr. Roadiepig, take a seat. We already have 6 people here that we scheduled ahead of your time. You will have to wait.� I did. For about an hour past my appointment. By the time I got out of there, it was almost an hour after I would have got off of work! That was the final straw. One other time last year, they decided they would invite people to be �walk-ins�, because they were low on blood. They advertised all of the radio. I didn�t know this. I dropped by at my appointed time(2 p.m.), and saw that there were 6 people sitting in the lobby. They were all �walk-ins�, and since they �walked in� before me, they got priority on donating. Another hour of sitting in the lobby that time. So, for a place that asks you all kinds of personal questions (sample question-�Have you ever had sex with a prostitute, even once, since 1979? In Nigeria? While shooting up heroin?�) , sticks a sharp needle in your arm, takes your actual life blood from you , and then sells it to hospitals, you would think they would try to take care of the regular donators, wouldn�t you? Not the local branch, I guess. Today, I walked into the lobby at 1:05. I told the woman who called me at home on Tuesday night that I wanted a 1 p.m. time slot, and that I would be there by 1:05. Somehow, she took that as meaning I would be there at 1:45. At least I think she did, because that is the time she had me down for today. Three people in front of me, two walk-ins (one a coworker of mine who decided he wanted to get off of work early today. No appointment). At least the wait wasn�t too bad. They hustled us in and out quite efficiently, making up for the scheduling goof-up. When she told me my appointment was not for 1, but 1:45, I turned to walk out the door. The woman at the desk told me she would trip me if I didn�t turn around and come to her desk. She said she didn�t like to do that, but she would for the pint of O neg. Since she was at least 75 years old and a volunteer, I went ahead and gave them my blood. I didn�t want to get shown up by somebody�s great-grandma��. Before I get a g-book full of flaming entries, Yes, I think the Red Cross is a fine organization. They feed the people who lose their homes in disasters, collect all that blood, and generally do a fine job of helping where help is needed. They just need to stop using telemarketers to drum up repeat donors, that�s all. What, you didn�t know they did that? Nor did I, until today. It seems the Red Cross isn�t the people who call me at home at night. It�s a telemarketing firm in upstate that calls all the �former donators� to get them to come back. They get so much money for every appointment they can set up. Yeah, that burns me too. I will still donate blood anyway. It might save someone�s life. I know this, because I know someone whose life was saved by 8 pints of blood given to her to replace what was lost during an operation to stop internal bleeding. Lease would have bleed to death 7 years ago without the blood of 8 strangers. That�s a good enough reason to put up with all the crap they give out�. I had the following left in my guestbook today: Name:Tina email: url: message: HIYA HOW ARE YOU? YOU SOUND VERY NICE AND I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU MORE PLZ DO WRITE BACK IF YOU WOULD TALK TO ME IM 17 YEARS OLD, date: 10:41 am - Thursday,September 12, 2002 Anybody who has conversed with me (in D-land) knows that I am willing to talk to just about anybody. If they want to have a dialog with an old (41 next week) man, I am always willing to write back. But Tina, if you are reading this now, I have a little problem: I need your email address or web site location to write you back Leave me another entry with your address, and I would be glad to write you back�.. Another god-awful long entry tonight. Sorry for eating up your time. That�s assuming you made it to this point, I guess�� One last thing: I mad what should be my last batch of canned tomato salsa today (after the bloodletting). 20 pints of mild this time, using very ripe tomatoes and tons of mild chili peppers. My garden is in a definite funk, with whiteflies all over everything. If it would rain every once and a while, they would not be a problem. My tomato crop is slowing down. I should have enough for BLT sandwiches and small batches of fresh Pico, but not enough to can. After all the canning I have done, that will come as a relief��..
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