Friday Observations

What is playing on the iPod? Freaky Girl by Shaggy and the Kraft

I spent the entire day making observations. The day started in the usual Blackburn household fashion. My fingers were crossed waking the boys up. With a 12-year-old in the house, anything requiring use of emotions is precarious at the very least. I walked in his room with his school uniform and woke him up. He greeted me with a smile. Aah, a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The 8-year-old was a different issue. I gave him his uniform and with a disheveled bed head, he trudged down the hall muttering something about Pop Tarts. Five minutes later on recheck, both were awake and the 12-year-old entered grooming mode. The 8-year-old had found his Pop Tarts and all was right with the world.

The husband took the boys to school as I had to be at Duke early and he is on a two and a half week vacation. At least one family member likes to go with me to my visits. However, I spend the nearly hour and a half drive with my music on ridiculously loud levels and I enjoy this. Music calms me. Banter and conversation about what could happen at doctor visits does not. Thus, my trips alone.

I love driving. I love speed. Some people retreat to happy places in their mind. My happy place is on the Autobahn driving the 2010 Vantage V12. However...

I hate, with all reasonable thought processes, driving in the Raleigh Durham area. Generally, it is a contest to see how many people behind you that can be pissed off. Today, a woman busted hell wide open to get in front of everyone and then dropped her speed a good 15 mph and rode at an even keel beside a bus. Let me say that again - a bus. As in, ha ha, you are so screwed. Forget making your appointment on time.

Needless to say, I called the doc to let them know I would be rolling in a couple of minutes late.

Deciding that pissy was not the mood for the day, I walked in the hospital and smiled at everyone. I made it a deliberate point to smile and say hello to everyone with a scowl. One scowling guy looked confused for a nanosecond and then returned my smile.

My friend Dawn says we should pay it forward. I could only imagine a day of paid forward smiles.

I got back to a room in a relatively quick fashion. Two hours later, I was back in my vehicle heading to a certain national book retailer. Before I get giddy over my bookstore trip, I have to mention Mary the phlebotomist. My veins roll. I am a nightmare to phlebotomists everywhere. When new phlebotomists are being trained, my picture is put on an overhead projector with my vein anatomy and the label - PATIENT FROM HELL underneath. In my defense, I warn them all before they start. "My veins roll, you are going to need a butterfly and a heat-seeking missile". The warnings usually suffice. I always drink at least two 20 oz bottled waters in preparation for any potential blood work. Today, I should not have had blood drawn, so I stuck to my 42 cups of coffee. I was wrong.

Mary looked at my arm and said "oh dear" to which I mentally responded "oh shit". "Your veins are kind of shy today, aren't they?" Mentally, "they don't like being impaled". Verbally, "yeah, I'm sorry". "Don't be. I can get this." Mentally, "God, I hope so".

Mary had the butterfly positioned above my arm and said "okay sweetie, after this you are going to need to apply pressure because when I have to draw from here, the blood tends to pool under the skin" and with the finesse of a hot knife slicing through butter, she connected with my vein and the vial was collecting blood five seconds later. My next remark was a muttered "son of a bitch" which got a smile from Mary. She responded that she had been doing this for longer than I have been alive and she was so good at it because God called her to do it. I thanked Him for calling her, spent the rest of the time in the chair complementing her and made my way back to the vehicle for the afore-mentioned trip to the bookstore.

The 12-year-old is really into Manga, specifically Naruto Manga. As of right now, the series is 46 books long and this morning, my son had read through 39. I have not been able to find 40. Apparently, the series is in really high demand. This afternoon, I found 40, 41 and 42. Before I could catch myself, I half yelled "YES!" when I found them. That got a few curious looks. Satisfied with my find, I made my way to the front.

There was a guy near me who was unnaturally beautiful. Fitted shirt, ripped physique and a flawless face that should be on the cover of GQ. Completely, utterly and totally droolworthy. I did what any woman nearby did and I looked. Okay, let's not mince words, I stared. He was, indeed, that beautiful. He also had a girl with him. They were near me as I perused the books on Italy (that trip is on my bucket list) and Adonis mentioned something about the gift he had bought his boyfriend. I gave the fitted shirt one more passing glance and made my way to the check out.

By the time I made it nearly back home, it was time to pick up the kids from school. The 12-year-old lit up like a Christmas tree at his new Naruto and started reading on the way home.

So, in closing my blog on observations for December 11, I wish you Marys if you need to give blood. I wish you unblocked roadways if you should find yourself driving in the Raleigh Durham area. I wish you passing glances at Adonises in bookstores. I also wish you the happy smile of a child with new Naruto books. Until next time.