blood money

As I mentioned yesterday, I had an appointment to earn a little cash today.  I went down to the local Biolife clinic and 'donated' some plasma.  I have friends that do it for beer money, but I was a donor virgin.  The first time is a bit of a drag, it took three hours to get through all of the screening.  I WAS very pleased to see my vitals were all well within the healthy range.  My at rest heart rate was a little higher than I'm used to;  74bpm vice 60, but I attribute it to nerves.  I'm not squeamish about needles, but who can say they're totally relaxed while waiting to get a large needle jammed in their arm?  Once I was on the couch my total needle time was 34 minutes.  The technicians were all impressed at how quickly my juices were flowing.  They told me the better hydrated you are, the quicker it goes.  No wonder.  I refill my Camelback four or five times a day.  The facility was comfortable and the staff was very friendly.  When you're a first timer they pay extra (to get you hooked).  Out here the first four visits respectively pay: $40, $50, $60, then $70.  Not bad for saving lives!  Once you're a regular it pays $25 the first donation in a week and $30 for the second.  Federal law sets a schedule of no more than twice a week, a minimum of two days apart.  I'll be back on Monday for my $50.  I'm expecting it to take around 45 minutes now that I'm in the system.  When I first heard about it, I thought it was something junkies and winos do.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  The overwhelming majority of clientelle were clean and well dressed.  I'm guessing most were there more as a public service than for the cash (prepaid debit card, actually).  When I did a little research online, I discovered that there is actually a tremendous need for plasma.  I hope my juices save some kid's life some day.  So at the end of the day I have gas in my tank, food in my belly, and smoke in my lungs.  No need to burden Kimberly's finances any more.  =)

I hope all of you might consider giving some plasma.  It really can save lives and a little extra cash is never a bad thing.  Drink plenty of water, bring a book, and relax on a couch for a bit.  Look at the picture to the right.  Does that really look so bad?

Peace and light,
Daniel