In Loving Memory...

The Bloodletting!

Well, that time was here again.
To be completely honest, she was the best tech I've had in a very long time. Maybe ever. There was no trouble finding the vein, no problem getting the needle in it, and true to form, my insane heart had the bag filled in approx half the time of anyone else in the gym. True there was a bit of bleeding at the site, but not inordinately. And the young woman needs to be congratulated for her skills. Today, my arm is not sore at all, bends freely, is completely free of bruising, and is conspicuously free of knots. The area the tape was on hurts more than the actual needle site (chaffed a mite) and the prick is small and VERY well closed up, with a healthy color to it. In truth, the finger stick for anemia testing hurts worse than my arm does. Kudos to the random blood tech!
~~~
Some highlights from the experience really just need to be............highlighted. :)

First: I was looking over my paperwork from last time and noticed (although I prob knew this) that my blood type is A+. Well, this kinda cracked me up for no apparent reason so I had to share my comic genius. (Right, right) So I texted and Twittered, to anyone I felt was worthy of my humor...
"I got an A-plus on the blood test!"
To my shock and dismay, no one rose to the excellent occasion for intelligent humor I had provided. (*rolls eyes*)
Then, finally, someone did...
"Lol, lucky! I'll probably fail mine. :)"
True, true, not up to my previous level of comic genius, but it does get better...
"I'd not even be surprised. But I'll slip you the answers. You can pay me with your milk money."
The next one made me laugh so hard that the tech came over to make sure I was alright and not fainting or anything...
"Lol, you're such an extortionist :)"
After reassuring the poor lady that I was fine and couldn't faint if my life depended on it, I replied... And promptly cracked myself up again...
"Hey, only a little! It was hard work getting the right answers! I had to push down at least five techs before they tackled me with the needle."
(I think some of the extemporaneous blood was from the amount of shaking I did in the chair.)
"Sounds like it was in fierce battle."
"Yea. Blood everywhere."
By this time I am dying, just completely dying. "blood everywhere" Get it? Get it?
Ok never mind.
~~~
Some other humorous over-hearings:
"Sppssstt! Do they know that this music isn't GBS approved?"
"Hey, think the techs would be pulling out their hair by the end of the day if they only played Southern Gospel music?"
"This is a christian school, mike, they wouldn't steal. So if your jacket is missing, you'd best be looking at your coworkers..."
"What do they mean 'have you come into contact with another person's blood', I'm a NANNY."
"Oh shoot, this means I have to fess up about my jail time?"

"No, I'm good, I have my juice in the library." "Want me to go get it?" "No, I'll go get it." (I was trying to get out of there...)

LadyAnne

Thank God for small favors...

And for really, really huge ones, too. Like randomly waking up on a Saturday when I never have alarms set for sat. Like waking completely up instead of slight consciousness and then re-immersion. Like sitting up and beginning to do stuff and then remembering that this is my sat to work. Like glancing at the clock to realize that I woke up twenty minutes before I needed to open the library. Like getting dressed with no problems (almost no problems*) and making it to the library with enough time to run to the cafeteria for a late tray before unlocking. Like beautiful and lovely lunch-line ladies that love me enough to let me have just one biscuit and gravy then substitute bacon for all the other options like eggs (shudder) and french toast sticks (odd) and crud (that's really what it looked like. Wonder where they got her recipe?). I love bacon. Like bananas. Like birds and green (ish) trees and grass. I think this day might just be acceptable after all...

LadyAnne

*The only real problem that I had was that I am COMPLETELY POSITIVE that I bought a blue OU baseball cap while I was home. And I am FAIRLY positive I wore it on the trip back to the frozen north. And I am SOMEWHAT sure that I saw it in my room after unpacking. But I KNOW I can't find it now. The cap gremlin has spirited it away (SNITCHEL!?) and I am not even a tiny bit pleased. (And I'm trying not to think about the state I left my room in after pawing through stuff wildly for the limited time I had.)

Anne

Fantom Driver

Here is my newest baby. Sad that technology can do that to me. I'm getting as bad as JB.

The truth of the matter is that now I don't have to think about how many pictures I am taking because my Computer memory is no longer full. YAY.

LadyAnne

The Ugly-Bug Ball...

Or "Phil and Mel, 2009" might be a better title.

Well, here are some of the results from my Pre-Banquet shoot. Let me know what you think...

Or maybe you shouldn't...

(Not that these dear children are ugly bugs, just that was the song galloping through my mind all day yesterday.)


Ok, if I were to tell you to "Center yourself in the bricked up door." what would that mean to you? The poor children couldn't do it...












I think he was slightly done with the picture taking.

~~~~~

These are by far my favorite series from the entire shoot. She is a bit to good at the evil looks though. Scary, Mel, scary.



"Who me? Nothing, why?"

Oh, yes, the truck. Poor redneck... :)

Comfort Comes Calling

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the sound of a dove calling. The gentle, beautiful notes just send lovely shivery feelings of tranquility through me. (It also makes me think of the beginning of the Christy series, which is one of those sweet nostalgic memories from my youth.)

One morning last week, (and yes I was going to post it sooner) the very morning I was certain I couldn't pull myself out of the black hole of my bed to face the illness and discomfort I knew were hovering just above consciousness, I begin to stir. I'd started to dream I was in the woods or mountains, or back at home, or anyplacebuthere. I couldn't figure it out, because it began to take on the looks of the first few minutes of the intro of the above mentioned show. And over and over and over it played. This was suitably strange enough to make me swim upward in my foggy and nauseous brain. Next, I begin to feel, though unwillingly, that I needed to find what that noise was. Still more asleep than awake, and quite dizzy and confused, I stumbled to my open window and peered through the blinds. To find a perfect, enchanting, and bold little Turtledove sitting as close to my blinds as she could get without coming through. I'm only assuming that she was attempting to utilize the heat my fevered body had no need for. Needless to say, I came to near perfect awareness at that point. And truth be told, I believe I begin from that point to get markedly better. She didn't leave, although I looked out at her several times to be sure I'd not dreamed it, and could have reached out and touched her each and every time. She stayed and continued to send her musical miracle in to me the entire time I was dressing. One last look and a specifically loud and beautiful call followed me out the door.

When I emerged from the lower level and looked back up to my windowsill to catch a last glimpse, she was gone.

There is nothing in this world you can say to convince me that I am wrong in the conviction I came to after thinking this experience over for a few days.

I believe God sent me that dove. 

And I needed it.

Thank You, Lord.

LadyAnne

Hmmm...Mold farms?

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And These would be... what axactly? 

LadyAnne