chuckography

So, I went for a drive....

 Wow, a month (so far) of staying at home. Alone. Well, there IS my cat.

The plan for this world-wide personal sacrifice is to slow the spread of the CoronaVirus, COVID-19.

 Keeping isolated lessens the chance of getting infected or infecting someone else.

There is no widespread test yet to see who has it before they spread it to others.

As we hunker down, it helps medical facilities be able to handle a huge influx of a very contagious disease.

I have been out just a few times and, each time,  I brought Purell with me and wore a non-surgical mask.

Grocery store to wait in line 6-feet apart until a person left and one was admitted to the nearly-deserted Food Lion.

Picked up my needed meds from the drive-up window at my nearby Walgreens.

In addition to filling my prescription, they also added some vitamins and other OTC (Over The Counter) items I had requested when I phoned.

It was basically a neighborhood drive but I did hop on the Interstate briefly.

There is no dreaded 5 o'clock traffic snarl...at any time of the day.

Headed to my bank to deposit my tax refund check.
For some reason - unlike the past 12 years - the government check was NOT direct-deposited.


Hmm,  so I wonder if the promised relief $1200 check WILL be dropped in the mail too, adding weeks before I get it?

That sounds screwed up!

Next to my bank, I saw first-hand a desperate effort to keep food & beverage staff on salary.

My few trips to the grocery store - and having two freezers - makes dining "out" not a problem.

(Yesterday South Carolina was clobbered by a fierce storm and 70,000 electrical outages added to the grief. Hopefully, the power is quickly restored so precious home food supplies do not spoil!)

Not such a quick make-shift "Curbside" solution for retail stores - and staff - as barricades are in place to enter Tanger Outlets.

I assume the other shopping malls are likewise shut down, deserted and barricaded.

This get-outta-the-house for a break was becoming depressing... until I drove past a nearby The Blood Connection, Your Community Blood Center facility in North Charleston.

The parking lot was empty but I decided to see if they were open.

They were.... of course. That's what is needed at a time of need!

Lots of staff, one person in a lounger, all bundled up, keeping warm.

I said I was there to give blood. Smiles all around me as I Purelled my hands and sat down to do paperwork.

Because I respect privacy - and my interviewer (of course) was safely masked - I did not ask or jot down any names.

She was from the Greenville or Spartanburg office, here to help out.

She was away from home and family. I was glad to meet her and thanked her.

She found out I had not eaten anything so far today, so she took me to an array of snacks to make sure I was not working on an empty stomach.

I ate a few snacks and drank some water, turning down the available soft drinks.

I have not had any energy bars or mini-Oreos since the last time I was on set for The Righteous Gemstones and saw such an appealing array of "forbidden" treats!

We did about 15 minutes of paperwork, examining my current health and any "bad" past activities or meds that might make me not able to give a blood donation.

Oddly enough the list of suspects drugs sounded like the array of tv ads telling us to tell our doctor what to prescribe!

I passed the written exam and was led over to be seated on a comfortable lounge.

While I was getting settled, two young ladies came in and headed to similar lounges side-by-side.

It was obviously NOT their first time there and, later, they told me they come in together  - after the waiting period ends - and they could give another donation.

I was curious but did not ask how many times they had given this gift of love.

This was only my second time and it had been years since I had donated a pint before. I was not in their league, bless them!

As I was being hooked up, I asked how long would this take?

I remembered it was fairly brief but was told it varies from 8 minutes to 15 or so.

When I asked about the tv monitor, I realized I had all the tv watching at home I needed! I figured a time-out would be refreshing.

It seemed quick. The process stopped after a short painless time as I gently squeezed a foam device every 5 seconds or so to keep my blood flowing.

I asked about the lady who was bundled up when I first arrived. I was told she was giving either platelets or plasma and her blood was being replaced using a  saline solution, which takes an hour or an hour and a half so that is why she was given a blanket.

My experience had NO discomfort and I did NOT beat the record.

My time being hooked up was about 9 minutes I was told, as I was told to sit up for a few moments to make sure I was not light-headed.

Then I was walked back to the snacks - another packet of Oreos and water - before I drove home after being told to eat a BIG meal!

I follow directions well and learned if I had been drinking water, instead of two cups of coffee that day, My blood would have flowed faster.

Hey,  I MIGHT have set a new record of LESS than 8-minutes. Now,  I have to wait 6 weeks to see if I can be a record-breaker.

As I left and thanked the staff,  they reminded me that a pint of blood could save three lives.

It was a good day for a blood drive.

Labels: Blood drive, closed malls, drive up banking and Walgreens, Jim & Nick;s BBQ, Oreo cookies, Tanger Outlets, The Blood Connection, Your Community Blood Center

posted by chuckography @ 2:09 PM