7 Years Ago

It's hard to believe that Jonathon was but a month old when the Twin Towers fell.

Nicholas was 1 1/2. Rebecca only 3, and Katherine just starting school. What a world they have now, huh? All I know is that 7 years ago, the world changed again and not for the better IMO. Every generation has a scary issue, Terrorism is ours and it's not going away any time soon.
September 11 is now known as "Patriot Day." I don't know what Patriot Day really means though. Is it remembered by patriots? For patriots? Should we do something patriotic? Is it the day the Patriot Act was enacted? Honestly, I don't think September 11 needs a name. The date is enough.
Each year the Consulate sponsors a blood drive on September 11. I gave last year and the bloodmobile folks remembered me. It's easy to recall the woman who warns you about lightheadedness and a potential for passing out. I don't think I've ever passed out, but I do know I've come close and just the idea of giving blood with the warm tube laying along my arm makes my heart race and my head reconsider. I like the idea, I don't like the process.
Of course before any large amount of blood is taken, a small amount is pricked to check hemaeglobin. It's a funky test in India. Pricked, capillaried and dripped into a little glass of blue liquid. I don't know what the blue liquid is, but the viscosity determines how quickly the blood drops sink to the bottom. A quick descent means plenty of iron making the blood heavy. My blood sort of floated like a feather to the bottom. Out came the digital hemaglobin reader.
12.5 g/dL is the cut-off. Under that and you're considered anemic. Equal to or above, you're good to go. Even after my bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with vitamin and omega-3 chasers, I just made the 12.5 g/dL. I think that's also what led to the slightly longer donation time and the mild lightheadedness afterwards. She made me chug a juice box of mango juice (eeeeeeew, mango juice), eat a banana and lay down a little longer. I was able to leave with my cookies, after convincing the blood mobile folks I wouldn't pass out on the way back to the office.
Ian gave too. You know, we give when we can because once we step back on U.S. soil no one will touch our blood. It's a side effect of living overseas in the places we do.
A moment of silence for all those lost 7 years ago.