Halloween at the blood drive

I'm happy to report that at the blood drive yesterday, while one of the phlebotomists was in costume, none of them went for the groaningly obvious ploy of being a vampire. (The costume I did see would probably be titled "gypsy" though I can't be sure.)

The number of people at the blood drive was unusually high, which is doubly unexpected for a holiday and also for it being a very nice day out. This is particularly good at this time of year, since donations drop during the holiday season (blood drives have days off, people feel too busy, the cold weather doesn't help, etc.) while demand tends to rise (more auto accidents, plus all the holiday-related injuries). So while it's always time to donate blood, it's even more important now.

I just started on my sixth gallon (this was pint #41) and it went without a hitch. The phlebotomist even remarked on my six minute fifty-seven second turnaround time which is unusually quick. Siobhan got to the last step before being turned away since her vein dodged, which is really unfortunate: she got all the waiting and all the pain (and then some) but still didn't get to give any blood.

My next drive will be some time after Christmas (my next eligibility date is the day after but there probably won't be a drive that day so I'll have to wait for the next date to be announced).

And that's about the entirety of my Halloween celebration, apart from Siobhan watching It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! out of curiosity about how it holds up to the passing of years. (It just feels scattered and stretched.) I've never really been into Halloween. Just doesn't do anything for me. I wonder why.