Friday, January 11, 2008
Donating plasma last night took twice the amount of time it normally does, for the tubes draining blood out of my left arm apparently clotted several times during the course of the withdrawal. One of the four phlebomotomists who handled my vein pulled the needle back-and-forth and rolled the vein around in an attempt to increase the flow. The movements bruised me. Later she switched the needle to my other arm.
The last person to touch me (a nice young man named Adrian, who used to be one of my employees over a year ago when I worked on campus) exclaimed, "Who stuck you? She did a sloppy job!" Fantastisch, hab' ich gedacht. As Adrian held up the tubes to allow the blood to flow back into me, he asked if the process was hurting. When I replied in the negative, he said in a tone of surprise, "Really? Are you sure?" Now no longer certain and slighly discomfited, I informed him I would begin screaming at the slightest hint of pain.
Since I had no official Latin or Greek courses available, I enrolled for Dr. Holland's seminar on the Augustan age and an independent study of Caesar's Civil War. He approached me the day before yesterday with the news that we could read select passages of Caesar auf Latein, so that I may continue some structured Latin readings. Ausgezeichnet. Ich liebe Dr. Holland. The seminar and the Caesar will be entertaining.
This weekend I hope to complete essays for grad school applications, to mail them all off Monday and Tuesday. This evening I am devoting to the completion of homework assignments. Viel Spaß.
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 2:09 PM]