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.

sj, you are a delight and excellent friend material!

I'm sorry lisah.

I feel like a self-centered twit for being worried that tariffs are going to drive my employer out of business but I can't seem to stop (we import from China and export to Mexico and Canada (and Colombia although that doesn't seem like as big a problem for the moment))

I'm sorry, lisah; I hope it doesn't go down that way.

So happy for you and Barkley, Cass.

sj, have fun!

Today was my last day at work. Yikes.

Sheesh, Jes, that's a lot of tsurris for being a good citizen.

I'm sorry lisah; that fucking sucks. So many piles of suck.

Today was my last day at work. Yikes.

See what I'm talking about? Put it in the pile of suck.

What are everyone else’s plans for the weekend?

I'm going to the otter cafe today. To play with otters.

Matilda met her host family last night! The mom and youngest daughter took her out to dinner. She said the mom was very nice, she has a room of her own which is big, and they have TWO dogs.

I don't expect this experience to fix everything with Matilda but she's engaged, she's curious, she's meeting people, forming relationships, and ready to dig into the academics. And that's not where she's been since JZ was diagnosed.

I'm going to the otter cafe today. To play with otters.

Otter cafe beats stroller owls.