I'm up on my soap box!

I had mentioned in my previous blog that I was going to donate blood on Tuesday.
I know there are a lot of people in this world - heck,even in my own family - who are unable to donate because they are on medications that make them no longer eligible to do so.

But I firmly believe that if a person is able to donate, they ought to give it a try at least once.
Yes, it's yucky sitting there with a big needle in your arm as you squeeze out that pint, but
since my Hubby has been on the receiving end of the blood donation scenario, we know just how
blessed a thing this is that there are people in the world who do so.

Hubby has a rare blood type. When he needed 6 pints, the blood center had to scour their network to find people in their files who had the same type and call them to donate so that he could receive it. And even then, they had to type and cross-match to be sure his body wouldn't reject it.

In watching this process take place, I also realized that when you donate, they fill the bag with a pint of blood, and have a little extra left in the tube that goes from your arm to the bag so that they can do the type and cross-match from what is in the tube so that the receiving patient will get a complete pint. I found that fascinating and appreciate all of the thought that goes into the whole process.

Those 6 people may never meet my hubby, but they saved his life. And all it took was the will to give up 30 minutes of their day to donate and then go on with their normal lives.

I try to donate every time there is a blood drive at work. And I'm glad to see they have increased the number of visits they make to my work. The rule is you can donate every 6 weeks, and they tend to show up every six weeks lately. I like that.

I know there will come a day when I can no longer give. The older I get, odds are that my blood pressure will start raising because this simply runs in my family. But until that happens, I want to take that opportunity to subtly make a difference in people's lives. It's worth it.

One very major perk is that they offer gourmet cookies to all donors! I am so in love with their Cherry Chip cookies! Yum! Who could resist that?

Okay, I'll step off my soap box now. But I do hope that my little tome will encourage somebody to think about joining the ranks of regular blood donors!

Blisters? I ain't got no stinkin blisters!

This morning was our big 5K!
I can't speak for everyone, but for me, it was a walk filled with emotion.
We all met as a group in the hospital lobby where I handed out everybody's shirts, entry numbers and a badge that said "TEAM BROOKS - walking in memory of Lionel and Marlene Brooks". Everybody suited up and we then joined the rest of the walkers to partake in this venture.

For a few extra bucks, we had the option of having a small flag along the path noting the loved ones we were walking in honour of. Tears started to well up in my eyes as I saw the names of my parents on a flag close to the beginning of our route. Somehow that made it even more profound for me.

We didn't keep the best time, In fact, we were near- to- last in the walk, but it was so worth it!
Two of my coworkers had decided to join our team and walk with us, which I think is pretty special. As we passed MMC, we were all sort of reflecting on why we were doing this. I pointed out to Robin and Jewel which window of MMC was the room where my Dad had spent the last few weeks of his life.

Robin's comment was "Wow! So this really IS about your family, isn't it?" It sure is. And I'm very honoured that my sibs and nieces and nephew were able to join us on this day, the two year anniversary of my father's funeral.

We finished the walk in one hour, four minutes and too many seconds. One of my sisters said we need to remember that so we can beat it next year. Next year! Can you believe it? They want to make it a tradition! Awesome!

As we walked back through the hospital, I pointed out a sign on a wall and said "And Tuesday, I'll be giving blood! Anybody wanna join me for that?" You could have heard a pin drop. LOL! Can't blame a gal for trying. It's just something I firmly believe in doing as long as they're willing to take it. But that's another post, another time.

After the walk, most of us stopped down at Nigl's for a pitcher of beer and some free brats. Wow did that beer taste GOOD!!!!! And the brats were tasty too! I hadn't been to Nigl's in ages, and they had just re-opened after spending two seasons repairing the damage from an electrical fire. The beautiful thing is that Nigl's has been around for 3 generations so I'm sure they had good insurance to resurrect this old building and make it even better than it was.

When I was 18, my folks used to hold what they called "Union Meetings" each Friday night. There was no business transpiring, it was just a way for family and friends to get together at the beginning of a Friday night and share stories of their week and enjoy tipping a few beverages together. As a young gal, this was the launching pad to my weekend. Mom and Dad would stay until the music got loud and would then head home, while I would have my friends meet me at Nigl's and we would be off from there to whatever adventure we were up to. So stopping there today was a fitting part of our trek.

I probably would have been in better form this morning, but this is the weekend that our good friend Doug and his Son head off to Alaska for a fishing expedition. They'll be gone for 6 weeks and we had to give them a send-off. With Hubby on prednesone, alcohol is off his diet right now. So Doug and I basically polished off a big bottle of wine by ourselves. Yum. We got home late, so I didn't really get a good night's sleep. But that's why God invented naps!

I'm quite surprised that I don't feel nearly as stiff as I expected. I'm making sure to stay hydrated, though, so my muscles will stay lubed. I know that's important. Ah! The crap you need to know as your body ages! It sucks! Ha ha!

And while I'm in here reflecting on things past, Hubby is in the back garden planting herbs and various vegetation, planning for the future! Good thinking!

I cannot imagine a world without Youtube

I love surfing Youtube. I've got so many bookmarks lately that I'm running out of tab space.
The other night, I was looking at Adele videos and came across this very beautiful Bob Dylan cover that just totally captivated me.

Well, that lead to watching other videos by her, and lead me to searching to find out who the guitarist is that plays with her at her radio station gigs.

I didn't have much luck with that, but it did help me to stumble across Jamie T.
This song, silly as it is, get stuck in my head and puts a smile on my face.
I love the extra thick Cockney English accent and the cheesy bass playing. And the lyrics are
quite catchy. The official video for the song is equally amusing.

I hope you enjoy it!