Did I lose two feet of hair? Rue-style karma boosting recruitment (MADS)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Nah, it was closer to a foot and a half anyway, and I didn’t lose it precisely. I don’t have it anymore of course, unless you count “in a plastic baggy” as having it. But I’m really pleased to have it in a little plastic baggy, as this enabled me to easily stuff it into a larger baggy with a label, and then stuff that baggy into a manila envelope (which I then labeled some more, I think at least a couple of the labels were redundant, but it’s protocol you know.)

The point of all these labels and baggies and whatnot is that you can ship it off to Locks of Love after that. Which is cool, because they turn the hair into wigs and give the wigs to kids with cancer (presumably the ones who have lost their hair, not that I begrudge anybody a wig made out of my hair of course, I just don’t think it’s part of the protocol if you have a bunch of hair of your own.)

Anyway, donating hair to Locks of Love has been on my list of “Things it would be good to do, as it would likely boost my karma points, etc” list of things to do for awhile. (There’s another list, it’s called “Things it would be good to do, as it would be wicked fun” but donating hair isn’t on that list anywhere.) So, that other list aside, this got me thinking of OTHER things on my list (the first karma-oriented list) and I remembered how many things I CAN do for other people.

Donating large chunks of $$ at the moment is right out (haven’t got any,) but I thought the hair was a clever angle on public service, and it also occurs to me that I have quite a bit of blood that I don’t strictly need.

I also know that to get at that blood, they have to poke me with needles, which isn’t as good, because I’m a huge sissy. I’ve donated blood 6 or 7 times before and I know for a fact that I make it through every single time (in spite of the enormous needles) but it’s always easier when I have to pretend to be all tough because other people are watching. Preferably non-sissy people, but anybody will do really.

So this post is to remind people about the goodness of donating blood (I’ll skip the touching personal stories wherein a timely donation saves the life of a loved one, although I have some if we find they are necessary later.) It’s free to give, and more meaningful that a huge wad of cash if you’re the one getting it.

Anyway, there is a center on Eye and 19th NW in the DC area, pretty close to the usual Lunch Bunching location and I figured if anybody else in the MAD (AAAers and LunchBunchers, surely we’ve got some gung-ho dogooders amongst us!) area has put “Donate Blood” on a list of things to do that ya just don’t seem to get around to, I propose we all go together. Just get it done. The hours at the center run until 7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so if we make appointments for 5pm we could all have our karma points and be at dinner by 7…I’m either going Oct. 7th or 16th, c’mon out and prevent me from wussing out! Then we can all go firmly appreciate some munchies in the area.

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Good on ya, panache! Never had enough hair to be worth donating like that, but if I did, I’d do it.

I was gonna give blood at work last week, but I was still getting over a cold. I think I’ll take a pass on going into DC to donate this month (the calendar’s pretty crowded), but next time there’s a blood drive happening out this way, I’m giving. I try to give at least 2-3 times a year.

3

I look bad with short hair. Bad. I currently have about 18" long hair. When I have another six inches, it will come off and go to Locks of Love. Good for you for donating.

As for donating blood: getting to DC on a weekday evening isn’t an easy task for us. We fight traffic all the way, and it ends up taking two hours or more rather than 45 minutes.

4

That’s cool that you managed to donate it. The last time I had very long hair, I was going to donate it after I cut it off, but it wasn’t quite long enough for the 10" ponytail that any organization I could find required.

Current appearances notwithstanding, I don’t intend to grow it out quite that long. So I’ll have to find some other way to help.

I’d love to join you guys, but it’s near impossible for me to get anywhere in DC by 5:00 on a weeknight unless I leave work really early. Normally I wouldn’t have any qualms about that (:D), but things are busy right now and will be through the better part of 2004 (:().

Good on you for donating despite your fear of needles. They never used to bother me, but I got a nurse who had some serious trouble finding my veins, and now I’m a wuss.

5

I’m currently in the process of growing my hair out to donate.

The last month or so has been miserable. I don’t know how you women handle the heat, but I’m not taking it too well. All I have to do is hold out a few more weeks, though, and things will cool down.

6

I wish I’d known about it 15 years ago. I had almost four feet of hair at the time.

Now, of course, like RT, I have trouble growing enough to cut!

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Smartass. Unlike you :D, I don’t have trouble growing it; there’s just no way to keep it from looking like an unkempt bird’s nest, once it gets past a certain length.

8

Frizzy-headed Marylander!

9

Girls, girls! You’re both pretty.

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Yeah but I’ve got longer, nicer hair then the both of them put together. :slight_smile:

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Oh and I forgot to add that panache looks quite cute in her new cut.

12

You just wait, hair-band boy. Your time will come.

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Now, now gentlemen…keep the names to a minimum…(unless of course the terms ‘goat’ or ‘monkey’ are involved, but that’s rough in the midst of light banter re: hairdoes)…On the other hand, consider that a challenge gents!

Gingy, betcha you don’t! If your hair was all short and sassy you probably couldn’t hide from the all the fiesty red head comments. (Not that shorter hair necessarily increases sassiness or redness, but NEW hair gives people all kinds of excuses to comment on it.)

Johnny, hang in there dude. It’s long, it’s hot, but now it’s September. I don’t know where you are, but 'round these parts I might start missing my hair in about 2 weeks when icy drafts start sneaking down my collar. Brrr!

Re: Giving blood. I figured it wouldn’t be THAT convenient for most folks. No problems, although I’d be willing to trek out to somewhere if they have places that do it like Saturday afternoons or something (late-ish, as a warm-up for dinner, mmm, always thinking about the munchies!) ultrafilter, perhaps I exaggerated about the scary needle bit. Under normal circumstances I’m totally groovy with them, the first couple times I gave blood I watched the needle (it IS pretty interesting) but then I think I had your nurse. The one who pushed, poked made wild stabs and then left you with a needle not-so-skillfully poking out of your arm that was hurting like an SOB and not removing any of the precious blood? Yeah, that happened to me on donation 3 or 4 and now when I get to those places I get this overwhelming urge to go rent videos, or file my income taxes or wash my hair in that 5 minute window you get between sitting in the chair, and actually poking you.

14

Unfortunately, Panache, I live in Florida, the land of the two-week winter.

Though we’re having a lovely cold front this week. Slept better than I have in weeks last night, I did.

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Are you sure that center’s there? The last I heard, that particular location had shut down.

givelife.org does not list the I and 19th site as one within a 25-mile radius of Dupont Circle, so I suspect it’s no longer an active site.

(Of course, if you’ve been there recently, never mind - maybe the Red Cross’s website doesn’t have updated info.)

The reason I was wondering is that I used to go there, and when I heard it’d shut down (through their site and from a phone call from the RC), I was looking for a new site - and now the closest is E Street.

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Hmmm, dan, that looks to poke my plan full of holes, doesn’t it? I got the info off a webpage, there is a high possibility that the page was old though. Crap.

Red Cross comes through with E Street as the nearest site. Okay, NEW plan…how about 5pm…E Street?

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Sorry about that; didn’t mean to poke holes. But of course, it might have been awkward if you’d shown up and found only an empty building.

Good luck!

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Oh yes, panache is still every bit as much of a cutie as before… :wink: But I must confess shock at seeing her for the first time, as it was quite a change.

Props to you for donating your hair to such a worthwhile cause! Unfortunately I can’t be at the Red Cross for comfort, as Tuesdays tend to be bad for me.

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I’d definitely be up for a Saturday donation. Is that still possible at this point?

**

Yep, I always used to watch the needle too. But just one bad nurse was enough to ruin that for me. Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to turn my head like everyone else.

20

I’d definitely be up for a Saturday donation. Is that still possible at this point?

**

Yep, I always used to watch the needle too. But just one bad nurse was enough to ruin that for me. Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to turn my head like everyone else.