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Saturday, December 03, 2005 

An Ode to Low Blood Pressure.

Low blood pressure is no fun when it makes you a slow bleeder. I tried to be a helpful soul by donating blood for the first time, only to give less than a pint after 25 minutes and a lightheaded sensation. It did give me a chance to compare Canadian versus American blood donation campaigns, though. US: "80% of people will need blood at some point in their lives! Only 3% give!" Canada: "Blood...it's in you to give. **soft lighting and violin**" I also met a volunteer whose 6' daughter curates an art gallery in Georgetown, and I'm supposed to pop in at some point and say I met her mother at a bloodletting. Apparently Newt Gingrich shops there.

Low blood pressure also makes you black out -- embarassingly -- during strenous physical activity that is more complicated than running/swimming in a straight line. I gave martial arts a second attempt yesterday, after abandoning my blackout-inducing, telephone-book punching, knuckle-pushup training karate training of my teens. I figured it was time to see where the BF was disappearing to 8 hours a week, and why I was dispensing advice on how to get sweat stains and mold (!) out of white canvas on a weekly basis. Kenpo -- well, kickboxing -- turned out to be slightly more humane than old-school Shotokan; with gloves, I can hit things without losing all sensation in my hands and having to explain to my piano teacher why my double-octave skills suddenly suck. That said, I still black out. The joy of smacking things without hurting myself might make up for some of that, though.

I wonder if vampires have low blood pressure.

About me

  • I'm daft
  • From Arlington, Virginia, United States

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