Let's See if This Works....

Welcome! If you haven't figured it out yet, I originally had to set this up for a project. But why waste a perfectly good URL? Basically, I'll be posting things here when I don't feel like spamming my friends' Newsfeeds. And I know that because I have no specific purpose, I'm not really a well-thought-out blog, but I like the randomness (though if you're one of the few people who's actually here, you already know that.)

So that's about it! Posts will be sporadic at best, unless I feel like fiddling around with code (insert evil laugh here).

After the Cookies are Gone

I haven't posted in, like, four months. And I know that chances are slim that anyone's going to read this, but I still feel like my experiences warrant a conclusion (However late it may be).

I learned so much about the community working with the Blood Center. For those who don't think that they could have a meaningful conversation with someone in fifteen minutes or less: you are wrong. What stuck with me most about my time in the aftercare was how so many different people can be united for one cause. And not only that, most people don't mind chatting! I could go into some sociological dissertation about how this represents how mankind is so shut off and no one actually wants to be at heart, but I'll save it. There are some cool people in my town. And honestly, it's because of them that I'm keeping my eyes open for blood drives away from home, too.

The Chronicles of the Random Buzzing Locker

(or, "One of the Nurses had a Loud Phone")
I flew solo today. There was a nice crowd, but still pretty quiet. We won't be back next week because of the Senior Trip. Don't expect a post.......

(Invisible Post)

Today was an average day when it comes to the number of donors that showed up, though some were more tease-ful than others. I'm not even sure if that's a word. Sorry, Leading Lady. :)  I went to hang up one man's coat, not realizing he didn't have one because of the weather. That led to the running joke about invisible personal belongings, giving invisible blood, getting invisible Coke... Another man took my offer to "sit anywhere" to the next level and sat in the middle of the floor. That confused the nurse.

There We Go....

The aftercare was on the second page by the time we got there today. In all, we had about thirty five donors, and about half a dozen who weren't able to this week. According to Pure Soul, we have the dreary weather to thank. I'm just glad we were on our toes once more.

Ramblings of a Bunch of Otherwise Random People

The good news is, even though there were only 11 donors today (up from last week!) the out-of-house blood drives are booming. So, people are participating, just not when we are. Today's donors were very talkative. One man was explaining to a woman how to choose drives to get the "good" snacks in the aftercare, and Pure Soul and I talked about books with a man who used to deliver Mountain Dew. Someone joking round asked if we had any "spurters" yet, and volunteered when we said we hadn't. We're not allowed to talk about donations gone bad, but that apparently doesn't stop the donors themselves. When there were actually people in the center, the atmosphere was one of the most jovial I've witnessed so far.

Red Blood Cells: They're Hemoglobin-y!

Another terribly slow day. We joked with the Pepsi man about the fact that he was drinking Coke, but otherwise only had ten donors. Eleven, if you count the woman who practically jogged to the coat rack, bypassed the canteen completely, and hustled out the door. That was a bit of a double-take. I was also referred to as a "warden." Needless to say, most donors don't actually stay the recommended fifteen minutes.

I got out 20 minutes early today. Pure Soul was sick, but it didn't matter. Only eight people came in since noon, including the time I was there. From the sounds of it, the center in general is waaaaay over their monthly estimates for donations, though, so in general things are going well.

Mixed Views

After two weeks, I am back at the Blood Center. There is not much else to say, except I have all my hours, I love working with the people who come in, and we are out of pretzels. It is nice to see how many people come in every eight weeks, though I did overhear a part of a conversation that seemed like the man speaking wanted to commercialize the blood bank: something about paying the "regulars" and only having a drive when there is a shortage, hopefully leading to less waste. I can't say I agree. For many people, giving blood is a way to give back to the community, it always seems to be in tight supply, and frankly, if there was a shortage severe enough to warrant a blood drive, it would be too late. Blood is processed pretty quickly, but not fast enough for someone in desperate need of a transfusion to wait for one "hot off the press". Better to have excess - giving blood rarely has long-term negative effects for the donor, and for those for whom that is the case, they're probably not eligible to give blood in the first place.

Happy Talkin'....

It was a very chatty crew today. Not that I'm complaining; I got to see some people I hadn't talked to in a while. There were actually a nice number of donations today: about thirty. The weather is starting to get nicer, so maybe that has something to do with it. (And even though I missed last week, I am very close to my hours requirement.)

Checkpoint!

Apparently this is our two-month mark at the Blood Center. We have started seeing people from when we started. We found that amusing. It added a certain level of permanency, actually, because it proved that some people really do donate every eight weeks. Random note: One of the donors is a Protestant pastor. She is going to be taking a sabbatical for two months in Israel, where she has wanted to go since her time in the seminary. Other than that, it was a very quiet day. We barely had to start using a second sign-in sheet.

Snow Day for Everyone

I forgot to blog last week, which is a shame, because the phlebotomist from Grand Rapids was there. He explained to our middle school history teacher and her daughter how platelet donation works. I know I would mess up if I tried to explain it in too much detail, so I'll settle for saying that it involves centrifugal force. It was a very cool "teachable moment".

Today, meanwhile, the snow won. Our school closed for tomorrow, basically at lunch, out of fear for the pending blizzard. The volunteer coordinator didn't want us to show up to volunteer today, but she wasn't able to get a hold of us before we got there. Basically, we sat around for half an hour then went home; only eight people had shown up since noon, as is. I am typing this forty minutes before I would normally be done, and I have to admit I'm glad for the decision - visibility is awful.

Another slower day at the Blood Center: we had time to sort more shirts and staple some schedules. When we were out at the canteen, we had some interesting encounters, though. We talked to a man who was going camping later this month as a Boy Scout leader (meaning the weather was actually nice, in comparison to other years) and Pure Soul found an empty Oreo wrapper: meaning, the wrapper was factory sealed but only filled with a pocket of air. That was weird. Other than that, it was a normal shift for us, though apparently the radio station was in before we got there. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that sixteen-year-olds can now give blood with parent consent.

1-4-11

On our first blood drive of the new year, Pure Soul and I folded the t-shirts that donors at other drives would receive. There was about half an hour before Pure Soul was able to catch up at the blood  center, so during that time I got to get newsletters ready and alphabetize some paperwork, too.

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.