Thursday, September 08, 2011

2011 Streak Day 228 (Aug 16): Giving blood

2011 Streak Day 228 (Aug 16): Run 2.25 miles, Time - 20min 35sec,  Weather - guess

Another short run today but the simple reason was lack of time. It was something I had to fit in before giving blood. The photo is of the church in which I bled.
It was started in 1952 and shows more than any other building the poverty of the architecture of the time (a stretched brick box does little to lift the spirits). This was a combination of two things: the first was a prevailing design philosophy that took Scandinavian modernism and toned it down to dull; the second was an actual lack of resources as the country was recovering from the war.
Inside though the church is surprisingly bright. The windows let in lots of light, the walls and ceiling have been freshly decorated in bright colours, and there are plenty of flowers. It only goes to show that you should not judge a building solely by its exterior.
in our mixed group of blood donors there were only two young girls but both of them were in trouble. They were laying on their beds with a damp flannel on their brow,  feet raised, and being attended to by nurses. They looked very pale and shaky. It made me wonder if any particular demographic is likely to react badly to giving blood; in other words are girls particularly susceptible or is this a random quirk.
I have no answer and probably never will. It is just one of those questions that flits across your mind when you are doing nothing but clenching and unclenching your fist.

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