countdown

I have a calendar that hangs at my desk. Every day, the first thing I do is put an "X" through the previous day. I do it so I know what the date is. Also, a part of me likes being able to cross off three days after a weekend. I'm not sure why.

Anyway, today one of my co-workers asked me if I was counting down to something. The answer was no. I don't have any big trips coming up. In fact, I only have one mini trip scheduled between now and the end of the year. I am taking a tour of South Dakota over the 4th of July weekend with a one night stay in Sioux falls and a 2-3 night stay in Kadoka(out by the Badlands).

Now I have an even bigger urge to plan a big trip. Too bad my checking account tells me no.

I've got a hunch

Ever needed help making a decision? Wanted to find something out about yourself that you didn't already know? Addicted to questionnaires or surveys?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, give this website a try:

www.hunch.com

I'm not sure why, but I've wasted a lot of time there today.

be nice to me

I gave blood today.

So far, I have the quickest time of the day. 5 minutes 7 seconds.

Here are some interesting blood facts (courtesy of the American Red Cross website):
-Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood
-More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day
-One out of every 10 people admitted in a hospital needs blood
-Total blood transfusions in a given year: 14 million (2001)
-The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints
-The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O
-The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs
-More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
-A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
-The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour
-The average adult has about 10 to 12 pints of blood in his body. Roughly 1 pint is given during a donation
-The #1 reason donors say they give blood is because they "want to help others"
-Two most common reasons cited by people who don't give blood are: "Never thought about it" and "I don't like needles"
-One donation can help save the lives of up to 3 people
-If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save over 1,000 lives!
-People with O- type blood are universal donors. Their blood can be given to people of all blood types. Only 7% of people in the U.S. have O- blood type
-Type O- blood is often used in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known, and with newborns who need blood.
-45% of people in the U.S. have type O (+/-) blood. This percentage is higher among Hispanics — 57%, and among African Americans — 51%
-People with AB+ type blood are universal donors of plasma, the liquid portion of blood. AB+ plasma is often used in emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions

So give blood. It's important!

back?

A happy Monday to you all.

The moving is done. The unpacking is almost complete. The relaxing is about to begin. I'm excited. The past month has certainly been a long one. Now that things are a little more settled, we'll see how often I get this thing updated.

On top of the moving, I managed to squeeze in a weekend of camping at Whitewater State Park. It was fantastic. The weather was great – it was about 80 and sunny both days. Of course there are pictures from the trip. I'll try to get something posted soon.

My mom was in town over the past weekend to help me get some stuff done. We took a trip to Ikea, got things unpacked and cleaned and even managed to sneak in a movie and a little bit of shopping. As I was walking her to her car yesterday morning, we got to observe something interesting: one of the garages designated for garbage dumpsters was on fire. We stood there for 20 or so minutes watched the Hopkins FD do their thing. The remnants of the building will have to be torn down. I'll try to get a picture of that up too. Then yesterday afternoon, Ace, her mom and I went and saw Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum. Good times.