I ate lunch early and drank lots of water just as I was instructed to do. So much water, in fact, that I had to hit the bathroom before hitting the mobile. Yes, it was a Bloodmobile parked outside the LA County Department of Health. Why isn't there a place to donate blood inside the Department of Health building? I asked myself the same question. I have no answer. The registration was in the lobby. You read all the stuff, get the info, sign the forms and then they direct you to the converted school bus where they take your blood. (Side note: Amongst the info was an offer for two free LA Galaxy tickets. Hell yeah! OK. Not quite free since there's a service charge per ticket. And Beckham is not playing because he's injured. But Beckham can suck it, I'll still go for $7.50.)
I answered a bunch of questions before I got anywhere near a needle. They just wanted to know if my blood might be suspect like if I ate meat in England during the Mad Cow brouhaha or if I was fan of sharing heroine needles. You know, the usual icebreakers. Then they did a little prick your finger test. Checking to see if I had enough iron, I believe. And I passed! Yay?
I laid down and they gave me the squeezy ball thing. Once the needle is in and the bag is attached, you squeeze the squeezy ball every five seconds. I guess it helped speed things along because the lady told me, "You were born to bleed." In this instance, I take it as a compliment.
Over and done. No wooziness. I had a cool red bandage that I wore with pride. And snacks. What I didn't come away with was the knowledge of my blood type. Yes, I made it through a few decades without knowing what blood type I have. But I would have to wait until I get a letter a few weeks later...
Well, kids, that letter came tonight. And in that letter is my very own Blood Donor Card. It has my name and under it says, "O Positive." Armed with this knowledge, I immediately did some online research only to find that O Positive is pretty common. Wikipedia, once again, making sure I don't feel special. But in Wikipedia's defense, it did introduce me to the Japanese Blood Type Personality Chart! Type O's are agreeable, social and optimistic. But they can also be rude and vain. Which explains why I showed everyone my red bandage and I took three snacks.
Amenities of Room 372: Mini Bar. Designer First Aid kit. Coupon for a Steak Dinner at the local pub.
Picture courtesy of Japanvistor.com It's a Blood Type Condom Machine. Yep.
