Of Blood and Dreaming
Good title, no?
My alarm was set for 6 this morning, so that I could get to a brit milah following a 6:30 service.
I dreamed that I had gotten up, gotten dressed, etc., then realized I was dreaming and woke up to see that it was 5:45.
I went back to sleep.
I got out of bed a bit after 6, left the house at 6:30, and made it just in time to answer barechu before putting on my tallit and tefillin and catching up.
Then the brit milah. Most people were sitting the whole time, and the layout of the room made it that I could see what was going on, or at least see the mohel bending over the baby, the whole time. The baby's crying was rather pitiful and somewhat disturbing, but otherwise it seemed to go well, and then there were bagels and cookies.
I finished eating around 8, the time when on most mornings my alarm is going off for the first time, starting an hour or so of hitting snooze till I finally get up sometime around 9. (And I usually have breakfast b/w 10 and 11.)
I got back and intended to sleep for an hour, before meeting someone in the lab at 10:30.
I got out of bed around 10:45, and then still didn't make it into work till close to noon.
Fortunately, what we needed to do didn't take that long, and the person w/ whom I was working needed to leave at 1:15, so I had time for a quick lunch before going to give blood at 1:30.
I was finally interviewed at 3, and got a chair around 3:30, 2 hours after finishing a quick, light lunch. I also hadn't had anything to drink in those 2 hours. Fortunately they gave me juice as soon as I got on the chair.
I got started bleeding just fine, and even chatted w/ the bio grad student in the next chair. (Well, I was staring straight at him so as not to be looking when she stuck the needle in, so I had to say something to explain.) We swapped horror stories, and I mentioned that I'd been lucky so far. The nurse had to jiggle the needle a couple times, to keep the blood flowing. Right after the 2nd or 3rd needle jiggle, she asked how I was doing, and I said I was fine. Almost immediately, though, I realized I was not fine, and said I was getting light headed, please put the chair back.
The next thing I remember, I was dreaming something (I don't remember what), and slowly becoming aware it was a dream, maybe I should open my eyes. There were people standing over me. My face was wet, and there was a wet paper towel on my neck. I realized later that the whole upper half of my t-shirt was drenched and my glasses were off. I was told that I looked really pale. I said I'm usually pale. She said not like that.
I had been out for a good minute or 2.
This is the 1st time I've passed out. I came close 1 other time giving blood, I felt light-headed and had my head put down and my feet put up, but I remained conscious. It was not a pleasant experience.
I stayed in the chair, mostly w/ my head down and my feet up, for a while, then when I finally made it out of the chair, I stayed sitting at the canteen for a while. I finally left around 5.
I still don't feel so good, so I put off doing laundry tonight, since that involved a lot of stairs and carrying the laundry bag.
That's my story.
My alarm was set for 6 this morning, so that I could get to a brit milah following a 6:30 service.
I dreamed that I had gotten up, gotten dressed, etc., then realized I was dreaming and woke up to see that it was 5:45.
I went back to sleep.
I got out of bed a bit after 6, left the house at 6:30, and made it just in time to answer barechu before putting on my tallit and tefillin and catching up.
Then the brit milah. Most people were sitting the whole time, and the layout of the room made it that I could see what was going on, or at least see the mohel bending over the baby, the whole time. The baby's crying was rather pitiful and somewhat disturbing, but otherwise it seemed to go well, and then there were bagels and cookies.
I finished eating around 8, the time when on most mornings my alarm is going off for the first time, starting an hour or so of hitting snooze till I finally get up sometime around 9. (And I usually have breakfast b/w 10 and 11.)
I got back and intended to sleep for an hour, before meeting someone in the lab at 10:30.
I got out of bed around 10:45, and then still didn't make it into work till close to noon.
Fortunately, what we needed to do didn't take that long, and the person w/ whom I was working needed to leave at 1:15, so I had time for a quick lunch before going to give blood at 1:30.
I was finally interviewed at 3, and got a chair around 3:30, 2 hours after finishing a quick, light lunch. I also hadn't had anything to drink in those 2 hours. Fortunately they gave me juice as soon as I got on the chair.
I got started bleeding just fine, and even chatted w/ the bio grad student in the next chair. (Well, I was staring straight at him so as not to be looking when she stuck the needle in, so I had to say something to explain.) We swapped horror stories, and I mentioned that I'd been lucky so far. The nurse had to jiggle the needle a couple times, to keep the blood flowing. Right after the 2nd or 3rd needle jiggle, she asked how I was doing, and I said I was fine. Almost immediately, though, I realized I was not fine, and said I was getting light headed, please put the chair back.
The next thing I remember, I was dreaming something (I don't remember what), and slowly becoming aware it was a dream, maybe I should open my eyes. There were people standing over me. My face was wet, and there was a wet paper towel on my neck. I realized later that the whole upper half of my t-shirt was drenched and my glasses were off. I was told that I looked really pale. I said I'm usually pale. She said not like that.
I had been out for a good minute or 2.
This is the 1st time I've passed out. I came close 1 other time giving blood, I felt light-headed and had my head put down and my feet put up, but I remained conscious. It was not a pleasant experience.
I stayed in the chair, mostly w/ my head down and my feet up, for a while, then when I finally made it out of the chair, I stayed sitting at the canteen for a while. I finally left around 5.
I still don't feel so good, so I put off doing laundry tonight, since that involved a lot of stairs and carrying the laundry bag.
That's my story.