Pre-Departure Preparations: Giving Blood

Okay, so giving blood isn't really a standard item on travel to-do lists, but I needed an excuse to post this totally hilarious example of Albert Einstein syndrome (if you haven't heard of it, that's because I just made it up). I call it "How Medical Professionals Apply Band-Aids:"


I feel sort of bad about picking on the Red Cross (this is not the first time), because they do so much good (I hear) and are generally a pretty efficient and capable organization. I think I just fixate on their minor inadequacies in order to make myself feel better about dodging their phone calls and swearing about vampires as I fight my way through Transit Road construction and traffic in order to get to the donation center. But, ah, it's only been a few hours since I donated and, still in the self-righteous afterglow, I'm finding it easier than usual to mock them without guilt.

Update: I just googled "Albert Einstein syndrome" to make sure that I had actually made it up and learned that both Einstein and Isaac Newton may have had Asperger syndrome. I feel sort of mean again.