Last MI Blood Day of 2010

About 40 people came in today. The good news is, they were more spread out than last week. That's about all I can say, except for the fact that I really like small-talking with the donors.

Pie Day

Almost fifty people donated blood today, and most of them came in the four hours Pure Soul and I were there. There were so many people that they had to wait for a bed two and three at a time. According to one of the nurses, a swing is to be expected. Remember: last week there were less than a dozen. Also, last week ther wasn't pie. I guess Martin's occasionally donates food to the canteen, and this time everyone who even tried to donate blood got to take home a pumpkin pie. Most of us marveled at how well they came out; there was hardly any cracking on the surfaces, but they were all toasty golden brown. On a more related note, we got to fold t-shirts for the days that don't have pie.

Two weeks in and I'm already running out of quaint titles...

Yesterday was day two at the Blood Center; this time Pure Soul was with me. Apparently next week we'll have paperwork to do, now that they know we're a team. Not much happened, because there were fewer donors than usual (probably because of the weather), but a man came in who had donated three whole gallons. That's about four years of regular appointments. We thought that was impressive.

MI Blood: 12-7

All right. So "later this month" became "early next month", but I finally had my first chance to work today at the blood center. They host a general blood drive every Tuesday. I worked in the canteen, which is now called the "hero stop"; it was slow. Before I got there, only eight people had shown up and donated. During the five o'clock hour, about half a dozen more people came in, and most of them set up an appointment for eight weeks from now: the next time they can donate. In all reality, it seemed to be a pretty good turn out for an "open house" (for lack of a better term). Then again, someone mentioned that they had fifty-some potential donors with appointments tomorrow.

Let the SEP Commence!

Today I went to the Michigan Blood Center with my group to be trained. We will be helping at the canteen, and from what I learned, it's basically just a matter of using common sense. We were taught a neat trick for figuring out if we've been exposed to any pathogens; if our hands come in contact with blood (which they shouldn't, but hey -- better to know anyway) we wash our hands then use some Purell. If our hands don't sting, it means we're good, because we obviously don't have any cuts. I thought that was clever. I am really looking forward to starting later this month.

Persian Society Reflected in Writing

It is clear from The Rubaiyat and the Gulistan that the ancient Persians placed an extreme value on righteousness and justice. "The Manners of Kings", from the Gulistan, is a series of parables providing wisdom to padshas. Whether it is accepting a lie instead of truth because of the intentions of the speakers or acknowledging that a king only has power if his people let him, the selections make it clear that even the greatest among men need to treat others the way they want to be treated. The two collections of writings also affirm certain truths that many take for granted or fail to realize. The story in the Gulistan in which a slave is thrown overboard to teach him a lesson reminds us that we often do not appreciate saftey until in the face of danger. In The Rubaiyat, meanwhile, many of the short stanzas remind us that we are all mortal -- our lives are like leaves on a tree, or a pebble thrown into the sea -- and sometimes it's the little things in life, like a book, food, or whoever the author meant "Thou" to be, that really make us happy.

Hmwrk: Why do you think Gilgamesh's flood and the flood in the Bible are similar?

I think the two flood stories are so similar because of the time in which they were written. I've heard historical stories of a massive flood that actually did happen in that region of the world, and the stories are from the same general time period. I also think both religions were trying to relate a tale of their God's/gods' power and mercy, and they would have chosen an event their people could relate to.