Blood(y) Donation

I gave blood for the first time today! Ineligibilty due to tattoos, piercings and living/visiting in my moderate-malaria-risk home have prevented me before, but with the passing of (too much) time, I managed to meet the conditions making me an eligible donor for the American Red Cross.

Unfortunately, my blood-pumping power that day was not as pumped up as I was over the opportunity. I had three phlebotomists and one nurse fuss over me for almost two hours, as the vein in my left arm slowly trickled life-giving blood into the bag by my side. Finally, after two people in the chairs in front of me came and went, I yielded enough blood to stop the process ask the nurse clucked-clucked her tongue at me and told me I was a brave girl. Alas, as they tried to take test tube samples of my blood from the same needle, my poor arm would not pump anything despite valiant efforts on my part squeezing a stress ball in my palm over and over again. The right arm was then called to duty to take blood samples for lab testing.

What an adventure. My next eligible donation date is March 3rd; I will drink plenty of fluids and hopefully be a better donor!

New Year

Years just fly by now. 2008 didn't seem much different from 2007. Graduate school manages to be terribly challenging but superbly monotonous at the same time. It's a huge struggle to know and read and do so much but yet everything seems the same, day in and day out.

2008 was my hump year in graduate school. I'm about halfway through and over the hump (or so I hope!). It makes the light at the end of this dark tunnel that much closer. In retrospect, 2008 has been pretty decent, although it doesn't feel so. I've managed to hold on to my sanity at school, accomplish some semblance of decent work and passed through my qualifiers. Personally as well, things have been doing fine. A solid relationship, good friendships, stable (but scant) finances and such. If I had to assign 2008 a grade, it will probably be a B.

My personal aspirations for 2009:

1. Be more patient. My stress-filled job has managed to permeate my personality, making me impatient and irritable. I hope this is not a permanent effect.

2. Be more reflective. I need to take time to wind down, read and reflect at the end of the day.

3. Girlfriend(s). To find some! All my female posse have left NY. I need to find good girlfriends who possess the same vibe. Applications being accepted!

4. Be healthy. I need to find more time for yoga, exercise, fish, fruits and vegetables in my life.

As an afterthought, I wish I could do more volunteer work. Work doesn't allow anytime at all (or is this just an excuse?). This aspiration has been put on hiatus. Hopefully not for long!

Happy New Year!