I know how you feel. When forty is staring you in the face from just a few more years away you start feeling that cold wind on the back of your neck, no matter how long your parents may or may not have lived. *shivers*
Of course, I'm potentially staring down the barrel of a much nastier gun that most would want to contemplate so I'm totally there with ya.
I know how you feel. When forty is staring you in the face from just a few more years away you start feeling that cold wind on the back of your neck, no matter how long your parents may or may not have lived.
Nah... I'm forty-one, and can honestly say that everything before forty was just rehearsal. I'm happier and more self-confident now than I have been in years.
Yeah, I could do without the gray in my hair (my family grays early) and I could take off a few pounds. But fuck it. Life is too short to obsess over bullshit. I'm here to LIVE while I'm alive.
I completely understand the insomnia. I'm not sleeping of late either and when I do, I have dreams of my ex and stuff that disturbs me. Makes me kinda not want to sleep. Heck, I just volunteered to work this weekend because I have nothing better to do and can use the money. **sigh**
And I absofuckinglutely LOVE that you use HP refrences when donating blood. Makes me wish they'd take mine. Alas, the anemia makes them tell me to go away and come back when my Con has come back up. Meanies.
OH! and it turns out your little calico Namesake is one hell of a ladder climber. We were putting in new cieling fans and she trotted on up the ladder into the attic to see what trouble she could get into there. **grins**
That's why I don't mind the post-donation crappy feeling. I only get it one time in maybe three, and even then it's so much less rotten-feeling than, say, losing a loved one because of a blood shortage. Not that my giving ensures this won't happen to me, but it certainly might spare someone else losing their mom or their baby or their hot boyfriend or their granddad or their only friend.
I get hopelessly sentimental about it, but it's just too real for me not to take it very seriously.
I understand. Same reason I do it, despite the fact that I feel pretty crappy every time. Now that there is a quarterly drive in my building, I don't have to worry about who is driving me home from it, I just stumble to the elevator and back to my desk, and fake being here for the rest of the day. :)
Man, I'm sorry it takes the mickey out of you. That blows. The fact that you still do it is really, really cool. Even I don't know if I could handle it if I felt this craptacular every single time.
(Then again, if I didn't have to drive home after and could just veg on company time, it might not be so bad.)
I've batted around the idea several times with other folks that company blood drives would be way more successful, and the blood shortage much less critical, if they gave you a little paid time off for donating.
Do you contact the Red Cross directly to donate blood? Lifesource is the big one in the Chicagoland area, and I had issues with them calling repeatedly to get me to donate (despire being told each time, "I have health issues. I will call YOU when I can donate blood again.") so I don't want to go through them again. I didn't know who else to contact. I'd like to donate again once I get past this latest case of bronchitis *hack* *cough* *spit*.
Well, the Red Cross did that to me for a while, until I very politely explained that I sleep during the day, and if they kept calling to wake me up, I'd stop donating. Completely.
(And, as a note, I value giving blood, but I was absolutely serious about not donating if they didn't quit calling me.)
They haven't called to solicit since.
So it's totally possible to keep them from calling you. Just, when they do it, tell them that it's your work number, your cell phone, you sleep during the day, whatever, but they can't call you there. Might take a time or two, but they get the idea pretty quick if you're polite but firm. It was worth chastising them.
I also don't schedule via the 1-800-GIVE-LIFE number, which puts your number in the system; I call my local Red Cross office directly and ask for Donor Scheduling or Blood Services. Cuts out the middleman.
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I know how you feel. When forty is staring you in the face from just a few more years away you start feeling that cold wind on the back of your neck, no matter how long your parents may or may not have lived. *shivers*
Of course, I'm potentially staring down the barrel of a much nastier gun that most would want to contemplate so I'm totally there with ya.
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Nah... I'm forty-one, and can honestly say that everything before forty was just rehearsal. I'm happier and more self-confident now than I have been in years.
Yeah, I could do without the gray in my hair (my family grays early) and I could take off a few pounds. But fuck it. Life is too short to obsess over bullshit. I'm here to LIVE while I'm alive.
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However, if it's any consolation, I hope to handle "almost 40" as well as you do.
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And I absofuckinglutely LOVE that you use HP refrences when donating blood. Makes me wish they'd take mine. Alas, the anemia makes them tell me to go away and come back when my Con has come back up. Meanies.
OH! and it turns out your little calico Namesake is one hell of a ladder climber. We were putting in new cieling fans and she trotted on up the ladder into the attic to see what trouble she could get into there. **grins**
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What a naughty baby. *smirk*
The anemia thing sucks. Pun intended. I am SO GLAD I've finally managed to beat it enough to be able to donate regularly.
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*just kidding*
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Okay, that's going to become a birthday card for someone else, someday soon.
*smirk*
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That's why I don't mind the post-donation crappy feeling. I only get it one time in maybe three, and even then it's so much less rotten-feeling than, say, losing a loved one because of a blood shortage. Not that my giving ensures this won't happen to me, but it certainly might spare someone else losing their mom or their baby or their hot boyfriend or their granddad or their only friend.
I get hopelessly sentimental about it, but it's just too real for me not to take it very seriously.
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(Then again, if I didn't have to drive home after and could just veg on company time, it might not be so bad.)
I've batted around the idea several times with other folks that company blood drives would be way more successful, and the blood shortage much less critical, if they gave you a little paid time off for donating.
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Thanks!
And I hope you get to sleep some more. :(
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(And, as a note, I value giving blood, but I was absolutely serious about not donating if they didn't quit calling me.)
They haven't called to solicit since.
So it's totally possible to keep them from calling you. Just, when they do it, tell them that it's your work number, your cell phone, you sleep during the day, whatever, but they can't call you there. Might take a time or two, but they get the idea pretty quick if you're polite but firm. It was worth chastising them.
I also don't schedule via the 1-800-GIVE-LIFE number, which puts your number in the system; I call my local Red Cross office directly and ask for Donor Scheduling or Blood Services. Cuts out the middleman.
And man, bronchitis sucks. Feel better, yo!
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Thanks for the tip! I will avoid that 800# and call my local office.
Thanks! I'm gonna try. It's my second go-round in 5 months. :/ I'm leaving work early today so I can get comfy and chillax.
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