Giving blood and "breaking wind"

Today's Amanda's birthday as one of 3 requests she made, we went skiing last night. Thankfully that didn't coincide directly with her second request which was that we gave blood together. So this morning we went to the Red Cross collection center near us and gave blood. I gave in 5 1/2 minutes which seemed even slower than last time even though I swear my heart was still racing the same. Amanda's third request will be granted tomorrow when she gets her princess party for turning 12 x 2. Stay tuned...

In other news, as I was arguing with my professor's full inbox and the lack of a functional quiz online because he was without power still yesterday, I decided to scroll through the news. Besides new outbreaks of unrest in Serbia, there was this little note about a potential new law which might be even more ridiculous than giving legal counsel to animals. This shouldn't be a law, it should be common courtesy but I guess in Malawi that isn't the case.

Blood and Running

I gave blood yesterday afternoon for the first time in my life. Thanks to Amanda for sticking with during the process and being supportive in helping me conquer my huge fear of needles. Props also to the nurse for making the process smooth and nearly painless. The needle sticking was easy going and it flowed fast and easy. It really means a lot to me to be able to give blood to help out people in need. I feel like I've really done something to make a difference, kinda like when I volunteered for mission building projects; it's a great feeling.

However, let me just say that running 5 miles today with the blood donation yesterday is much more difficult than it was last year when I was 2 days hungover. I figured the run would be a piece of cake after my 180 mile Pelotonia this summer and then the non-hungover system, but I was wrong. I felt completely out of energy by the time I'd even gotten done with the first mile and a half, and by 2 miles, I was nearly dead. I love to push my body to extremes, but today I couldn't do a thing. My body was shot, but after a solid breakfast, I'm already quick on the recovery for some family football and turkey this afternoon.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Go Bucks!

In light of "Beat Michigan Week", I will be donating blood today in support of the Buckeyes during the "blood battle". This being my first time donating blood, I'm pretty nervous. I'm scared to death of needles, so this ought to be a terrific experience for me. Topping it all off is my plan to run a race tomorrow, so hopefully my body makes a quick recovery because today I don't feel so good already.

I've included this link so that you can look up some Michigan jokes for yourself. I like this list and encourage you to read through them, but in case you don't, here's a teaser for you:

Q: How do you make U of M cookies?

A: Put them in a bowl and beat them for a few hours.

Go Bucks!