Giving Blood and other things

I gave blood the other day...it was the first time in ten years. I was on hold for seven of those years when I was on the prostate study drug trial. I had to swear off giving even though you did not know if you were on the drug or the placebo. As it turned out I was on the drug, so it was good that I honored the pledge. Then in the ensuing three years we have been coming and going. Aleene reminded me that the blood bank was at our church, so I signed on. The reason I am evening mentioning this is because now, in the aftermath of Mad Cow if you even entered UK your blood is not welcome...that and all the other qualifiers that have been in effect for some time. I had absolutely no reaction to giving blood this time. You never know how you might react after all that time. I will probably do it again later in the year...before we make a trip to UK (in our case, Scotland).

I responded to a Christmas card from a very close (then) High School friend with a phone call today. The last time we saw each other was the year we spent in PA in the late 60s. Russ and Connie live in WPA. It was so good to talk to Russ and take 20 minutes to catch up on who is where, etc. We exchanged email addresses, so it will be easier to stay connected going forward. Our 50th HS reunion is coming up in about 18 months, so who knows, maybe we will see each other then.