Tonight I DJ for my dance event. Tomorrow I am joining two friends who live nearby and doing a progressive dinner thing—apps at one, soup at mine, dessert at the third. Just five of us but hoping we can do it again with more in the future. I do need to clean my house before that though, which yikes.

Donating blood this morning was an exercise in nibbled to death by ducks.

First, when I got to the building half of the parking lot was taken up by three massive police SUVs and an ambulance, so I had to back out and park around the corner.

Second, the New York Blood Center suffered a cyber-attack 2 days ago and their computers are all still down, so the site was incredibly backed up with people filling out their intake forms on paper.

Third, my hemocrit was low and they had to do a second finger stick to confirm (second draw was fine, apparently I'm just low in that one finger?)

Fourth, the machine that agitates the blood and measures how much is in the bag was completely nonresponsive at the station they put me in, so they moved me and swapped it out for a working one. The second machine felt strongly that I was bleeding too slowly and should be doing it better, so every few minutes it would beep angrily and one of the nurse techs had to come over and slightly reposition the needle, which hurt like hell.

I have never worked harder for a pack of Lorna Doones and 8 ounces of cranberry juice in my LIFE.

Yikes, that is A Lot, Jess! As a former blood donor (can't anymore due to ... everything) and recent blood recipient, thank you!

The second machine felt strongly that I was bleeding too slowly and should be doing it better, so every few minutes it would beep angrily and one of the nurse techs had to come over and slightly reposition the needle, which hurt like hell.

Oh, I've had that happen, it sucks. Go you persevering and actually getting the donation made! I think at least once I got booted for bleeding too slow (although I think I still got a cookie)

Take an aspirin ahead of time. Thins the blood, but doesn’t affect the donation quality.

I try to overhydrate as much as possible which seems to help, as long as I remember to start the day before donating. Can't take aspirin, otherwise that sounds like a great tip

I’m heading out to the bookstore in a bit with a potential new friend. Trying to remember why anyone would actually want to be my friend.

Well, we think you’re awesome, sj

I am pretty sure I’m losing my job next week

[link]

So that’s great

The second machine felt strongly that I was bleeding too slowly and should be doing it better, so every few minutes it would beep angrily and one of the nurse techs had to come over and slightly reposition the needle, which hurt like hell.

That sounds awful. GIving blood is such a gift but weeping jesu it can be painful.

I 'donated' to LabCorp yesterday and the phlebotomist was great. I told him to poke my arms as long as he needed to find my vein and then he swapped to a butterfly needle. I barely have a bruise at all.

Barkley sounds adorable!

He really is.

I was really devastated when we lost Shelby so suddenly. It also triggered my mourning all of the losses for the last 13 years. So it had been a long and weepy year and a half. I'd look at other adoptable dogs, even white Shepherds and all I could feel was sad. I was truly leaning towards a much older cat from a shelter.

I'm glad I took a chance when I saw his rehoming post. I haven't had a new cat in 25 years. It's wild. Next up, harness training.

sj, you are awesome and a good friend. Go have fun!

That sucks, lisah.

I truly am glad I don't work for DoD any longer. Miss the dogs, little else.