also? they were playing Christmas music in the grocery store.

Here, too. And B&N.

I had a big freakout when I was 4 to avoid being given a billious yellow-green liquid tranquilizer—my parents had to chase me throughout the house and pin me down to make me swallow it. I have no idea why I reacted so strongly to it out of the blue (though I was right to do so... to this day it's the worst thing I've ever tasted), but needles have only ever made me slightly squeamish if I watch them going in.

OMG -- I can't believe I didn't realize until I looked it up that this one guest star on Ugly Betty was Ralph Macchio!! He must have had good work done, because he looks way too generic.

Finished the writing part and I have all day tomorrow (after resting my brain with homebrew and sleep) to edit and tweak.

Excellent!! Have some wonderful brews (home or otherwise).

ION, there's apparently a tornado warning in the Boston area now as well.

needles have only ever made me slightly squeamish if I watch them going in.

I'm much better with needles if I can watch them going in. Not being allowed to watch makes everything ten times worse. I don't really like needles, but I hate feeling something without knowing what's happening.

This was always a huge pain when I was a kid, with blood-taking people who thought that they knew what was best for kids, and what was "best" for kids was to close their eyes and look away. They wouldn't even attempt to put the needle in until I was distracted, and I was so freaked out at the thought of a needle going into my arm without me being able to see what was going on that I'd scream and cry and do everything I could to get the designated "distract the kid" person to go away. And I had a very hard time trying to explain that it wasn't the needle I wanted to go away (though I wasn't thrilled about the needle), it was the distraction that I wanted to go away.

I do have to admit - this above 60 degree weather in November up here is...not reassuring.

I'm the same way, Hil - I would much rather watch it go in. Control thing maybe, or I don't know what. It does seem to freak some blood drive people out though.

I hope the discussion sunk in a bit, msbelle. I was actually talking to my friend about this last night. I have Guilt over not giving blood, ever . However, for a lot of the last 15 years, I've been ineligible off and on because of places I've visited, so it's been a convenient excuse. (Hey, Bhutan should knock me out of the running again, right??) While I'm good with watching the actual stick, and with blood tests, am mildly fascinated by how the vials fill, within an hour after, I get cramps, woozy, lightheaded and a headache. Never in proportion to the amount given. I'm not rationally afraid of it, but the lizardbrain apparently finds it traumatic.

Up until recently, I've always looked away when the needle went it. But then I decided to experiment and see if I could actually watch it go in. That turned out OK, so now I always watch.

Drawing blood for tests is still weird for me - when they remove the rubber tube and the blood seems to gush into the tube thing all by itself is disconcerting. But when they're drawing a dozen tubes worth of blood, I feel I have to watch, so I can see the progress being made.

I think the thing that freaks me out the most is the thought of "what if something were to happen while the needle is in me?" Like, I dunno, I fall down or someone bumps into me. It's just the weird feeling of being incredibly vulnerable....