A year ago ...

One year ago this week brings to mind some memories that are funny (and painful, in so many ways) ...

A year ago Monday, I finally met someone I'd been writing to in the interest of a possible romantic connection. I wish now that I had completely ignored the first e-mail.

I won't say it wasn't valuable as a learning experience -- it very definitely was -- but the whole experience -- about six months long -- was so painful and gut-wrenching that I have to smack myself in the forehead sometimes and ask why I have to learn some things the (very) hard way ... and still not learn the first time around ...

If I were allowed to drink or eat anything right now (I'll explain that one in a bit), I'd raise a glass (a large, large glass) of wine to the memory ... then I'd curse it and be glad that I burned/threw away/deleted almost every tangible shred of stuff to do with that.

On to funnier things (in a way) ...

A year ago Thursday, I was famished, standing in a rather long line at the rec center, waiting for some rookie phlebotomist to stick a needle in my arm and draw what little blood she needed so I could finally go eat something. I had almost made it -- I had just paid my fee and was just waiting for an open bloodletting chair -- when the borders around my vision closed in (fast), I felt my knees buckle ... and when I woke up, I was laying on the floor, on my back, with a crowd of people bowed in over me, asking me if I was okay. Was I okay? "No -- I'm on the floor." It was my "duh" statement of the year. They drew my blood anyway (I had already paid!) while I relaxed on a cot in the back of the room, then they made me eat some bananas and NutriGrain bars and drink some juice.

It's not that I have a fear of needles, and it wasn't my blood sugar -- that came back normally in the results. Is it possible to pass out from hunger without necessarily having low blood sugar? I don't know ...

I treated myself to Village Inn after that, though ... and almost had a repeat experience a few months ago in the same place, waiting in line for over an hour ... I think I'm starting to get a psychological complex about the whole thing -- being hungry, waiting in line and smelling rubbing alcohol ... I felt a cold sweat as soon as I walked in the door last time, and I had to sit down four times while waiting, the last time for about 15 minutes. Eek!!

All of that to say that, almost a year to the day, I'm finally getting my blood drawn Friday in a setting that I think won't leave me woozy -- our company's insurance plan is bringing a wellness program to our office, which means they bring the phlebotomists to our office, which means I got to make an appointment and I don't have to stand in line. I hope. I still have to fast (hence not being able to raise a glass in good-riddance), and I'll still have to smell rubbing alcohol ... but hopefully I won't wind up weak-kneed around the guys from advertising ... I really don't want to boost their egos any further. :0)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a faint-free blood draw.