Only YOU Can Donate Your Own Blood

Dan signed up to give blood at 6:00pm tonight, but he got home around 5:45 and said he wasn't feeling up to it. He was going to call and cancel, but I volunteered to go in his stead. I used to give blood as often as humanly possible before I got pregnant, and I haven't been since. I shoved something in my mouth (for dinner) and hopped out the door. Here are some highlights from my experience:

-As I parked the car I saw a portly gentleman with a white shirt, white socks, black shorts, and suspenders walking by my car. There's something you don't see every day. He went into the blood bank just before me. 

-They added a new question. "Have you ever been pregnant? How many times?" That was a lot more fun to answer than some of those other crazy and explicit questions.

-I just made the iron level of 38%. They had to spin my blood, which has never happened before.

-I was FAST! I think I was done in 4 minutes. 

-Three different nurses told me how much they liked my shoes within those 4 minutes.

-The man across from me looked like he was getting a facial or a massage or something. He had a look of complete relaxation and euphoria on his face the whole time blood was draining out of his body. Also, the bottoms of his shoes were very clean looking.

-The platelet people were watching a movie with Keri Russel in it. Every time I looked over at the screen, someone was violently kissing someone else. It looked pretty cheesy.

-After I was done I went to the "canteen" area. And yes, that is really what they call it. There was a woman at least 15 years older than me, a man in his 40s and another guy about my age. We were joking about all kinds of stuff and having a great time talking. That is the one and only time I have ever had an actual pleasant conversation with anyone at a blood donor "canteen" area. It was totally weird. 

-I think if I fill out a card and drop it off at some dealership in Goleta I could win a new car. Maybe it is just a car wash? I'd better double check on that. Oh, we blood donors get all the good stuff.

-As I was exiting the "canteen" area I saw my suspender-wearing friend being led to a station. He was in the building before me and it took him that long to get to a chair? How slowly was he answering his questions? (Umm... I mean.... look how fast this can go when you make an appointment!)