bloodwork
Shobhit worked late yesterday, and I filled most of the day by watching and reviewing a movie that I had rented for that purpose and then I didn't really even like it that much. It was a Brazilian film called Bacurau, and I have it a B-. Even that felt kind of generous, but for the fact that I also really felt like I was missing a whole lot of geopolitical context, so grading it even lower would have been patently unfair.
I didn't get started on it quite as early as I would have liked, because I totally spaced on the time window I was expected to go into Virginia Mason Medical Center for my quarterly STD screening in order to get my PrEP prescription renewed, which had ended on 12/8. I actually got a call direct from CVS Specialty Pharmacy yesterday telling me they were unable to refill my prescription for this very reason, and so, even though I still have about half a bottle left so there's no emergency otherwise, I walked straight down there to get my blood drawn and leave the requisite urine sample.
The young lady who took my blood was so forthcoming about my preferences regarding this process that I was a little taken aback. She asked if I'd had issues with blood draws before, and I said yes, although so long as I didn't see it I should be fine. And indeed I was, but she also offered me options no one else ever had before: "Do you want me to tell you when it's happening or do you want to just ignore it?" Uh . . . I don't know! Then she asked me about my work and pricked my arm in the middle of my answer. She was kind of a pro, honestly. And she amused me when she specifically mentioned "vasovagal syncope," which Danielle—a nurse—has mentioned to me many a time now. She likes to bring it up as a legitimate medical condition with its own known medical term, in response to Gabriel's history of acting like I'm just totally ridiculous for ever having fainting at the sight of needles or blood. He's had a tendency to act like I could avoid it if I just put my mind to it, and Danielle's response is basically it doesn't work that way.
Luckily, I haven't been triggered in that way in ages. In my view, that's not so much due to my getting used to getting shots so much as my having learned how to avoid the triggers: I always look away. If I looked right at the needle going into my arm, I'm certain I would still have a problem. Hell, this morning I saw an Instagram post that nearly triggered the response.
Anyway, I took the bus home. It would have served me better, been healthier, had I walked back home again, but I was now getting slightly pressed for time as the lab visit took me an hour just because they took so damned long just to call me back, and I still had dinner to prepare. Also, a #2 bus came literally just as I passed the nearby bus stop, so I hopped on.
And then I came home and made risotto for dinner. It was a porcini risotto I had bought in bulk after noticing it working at the Central District PCC during Thanksgiving Week, and provided the perfect opportunity for adding even more mushroom flavor with the last of the mushroom gravy I still had leftover from the Celebration Roast made on Thanksgiving Day itself. I also added two different cheeses. It was fantastic and I had leftovers for lunch today.
I have no idea why I was so tired last night by later in the evening, but I was, so I was in bed before 10:00. I got a good seven hours and 23 minutes of sleep, which is a fair amount longer than usual for me. According to my Sleep Cycle app, my Wednesday night average—and by and large my weeknight average—is closer to six and a half hours.
I just finished a FaceTime lunch with Karen, which I had to do in the bedroom since Shobhit has the day off work today and I wanted to be away from the television. I had so much to talk to her about this time, I actually had notes written in my Notes app. I wanted to talk to her both about the excellent movie Sound of Metal, since she may not know sign language but she does use hearing aids so the subject matter would be relevant; and about comedian Brad Williams, who is a dwarf and Karen is also a little person; I find his point of view regarding little people being inherently funny a little problematic and was hoping for perspective from someone who actually is one.
So, we did talk a fair amount about both those things, and she had some interesting insights on all of the above. She had never heard of the comedian, nor about the movie, although I think she may eventually actually watch the film. I feel like after talking to her that I can still be confident in recommending it as an excellent film.
We talked about plenty of other things too; the whole hour was very lively and great to catch up with her as always. I'm realizing now that our next scheduled lunch will be on Christmas Eve, and although that will be the first Christmas Eve in ages that I do not take off of work, it will easily be a date I can keep, I do wonder if she might want to reschedule that one for another day. I guess I'll have to email her about that soon.
[posted 1:06 pm]