…and i feel like the week has been going on for years.
too many things packed into one day.
yesterday i did many different things, many different places. i gave blood in the afternon, at 3:30, but i had to read about 15 more pages of the play for class which started at six. i rushed into the blod bank, and these two people were there ahead of me, and i sort of cut in line in front of them, and told the woman at the desk my name, and this guy behind me said “the famous grace smith?” and he was an actual PERSON WHO READS THIS VERY THING RIGHT HERE. so that was kind of funny.
or it would have, if i hadn’t been so distracted. the woman with him had even been to one of my shows.
i went into the room where they ask you one thousand questions about having sex with men who have aids who have paid for sex with men from africa and who have travelled in europe and have gotten bovine injections. there’s one more word in there, besides “bovine injections,” maybe it’s “bovine hormone injections.”
but the thing is, the last time i answered the questions, the woman was very very fast, and she was prepping the vials for my blood as she asked them, and she was good.
but this woman, when i was in a hurry to get out of there, she said “i’m new here,” and then she very slowly read me the qustions, and she had to go consult with somebody when i said i’d had some antibiotics for bronchitis, but i couldn’t remember exactly when, and i thought she’d never return.
and she had to prick my finger to get a sample of blood to see if it had enough…blood? in it…so that i could actually make the donation, but she kept getting an air bubble in the little vial, and so she had to keep squeezing the blood out of my finger, and soon i thought that maybe i wouldn’t have any blood left to make a donation.
and when she left for the consultation, i quickly read a few more pages of the play.
and i thought that i should tell her that i couldn’t do it after all, because i had quite a bit of trepidation about this novice taking my blood. i figured it would be (a) painful and (b) take till the end of time.
she took my blood pressure, twice, and said that the first time, the reading was too low. the top # was 100, and she said if it was that, i couldn’t give blood.
my top # has been 100 all the other times i’ve given.
but then she made the number higher, 104 over 78, and the bottom number was higher than before, but i think it was because she was making me nervous.
she did tell me that my blood was going to be used for a baby. i don’t know how she knows this, or why, but that kind of made me feel good. but then i got worried, because i’m just getting over this cold; the blood won’t be bad, will it? i wouldn’t want to give a baby who already needs blood a cold, adding to its problems.
i went in to give the blood, and they suddenly seemed very busy, and luckily some old pro took the actual blood.
whew.
and again, whew.
could have been ugly.
the pro made the new girl go ask more questions.
i sat next to the guy who had recognized me. i should have said “hi again” or something friendly, but i HAD TO READ THAT PLAY.
so i read the play, and squeezed the little thing, and the blood flowed, and it went very quickly because i was reading.
i got distracted a couple of times because the food channel was on. the other times, it was always cnn, which was too boring.
they were making xmas cookies on the food channel.
i forced myself to keep reading, though, and finished the play.
i told the blood taking woman that i could give blood all day, if they’d let me watch the food channel.
she assured me that they could always change to channel for me, the next time i give blood.
plus, the next time i get a star or something. because i’ve given so many buckets of blood. it hasn’t seemed like that much.
i got to class on time, and it wasn’t bad, and it was the last one, and that was a good thing.
after class erica and i went to steak-n-shake. i told her it was going to be my last real meal, before i start starving myself for the play. this of course is a lie; i can only starve myself for about three hours, maybe four, and then i have to eat. but i didn’t have fries with my steakburger with cheese. and no eggnog shake, either.
i went home and read the other play, the one i’m going to be in, and i stayed up till one doing it, which was a pretty stupid idea. i laughed out loud again at it, though. and i realized that it’s going to be a whole lot of work.
a good challenge.
and then at one it was hard to sleep. too many things to think about.
and then i woke up at six, BOINK, wide awake. for two hours. and by eight, most people of course are already awake, some of them at work for hours already. but slept another 45 minutes, and i knew i had to do something today to make me more tired tonight.
so i did many many things again today, and worked out when i was done, and then i had to help randy try to make his xmas tree stand straight. it wasn’t very easy. it’s sort of straight now. but not entirely. but once the ornaments are on, it’ll look very pretty.
this morning i PROMISED myself that i’d have the LIGHTS OUT by at least eleven. so i’m not doing so badly. but not so great, either.
tomorrow isn’t going to be quite as busy. theoretically.
erica says it’s supposed to snow again tonight.
today i realized that if it just wouldn’t snow at all in the winter, i wouldn’t hate it so much. i could take some cold, but if i could look outside and there wasn’t any snow, i could imagine that it’s not so cold.
erica suggested that i move someplace warm.
louisiana? florida? two of her suggestions.
too much to think about. right now.
good night. stay warm. how many days till xmas? think about buying some gifts, if that’s what you have to do. i think about it intermittently during the day.
ok ok ok,
rushing through december grace.