A few days ago two of my friends (Sarah and Larissa) and I planned to go Christmas shopping on (this past) Friday, Dec 5th. I was excited. I love shopping, as you may already know! So Friday comes along and I happen to get to our meeting place a little early. It so happens that our meeting place (where our school market is housed) was hosting the Red Cross' Blood Drive. I texted my friends: "I want to donate blood before we go. It's for a good cause and I've never done it before." Ergo, I go and it looks like a different world at the market; there are stretchers with black coverings in the middle of the room, a snack table in the corner, rows of "waiting chairs" in the middle of the room, cornered-off "interview stations" and a desk (next to the main entrance) where two very friendly ladies greeted those coming in. I let the very friendly ladies know that I'm a walk-in and they greet me whole-heartedly, showing me the way to the "waiting chairs," so I could fill out some paperwork. Everything is fine and dandy.
Moments later a dude in a crisp, white smock brings me over into one of the "interview stations" to screen me before the blood donation. He immediately begins asking me questions, back-to-back without many taking breaths....this dude was on a roll. The questions pretty much invaded my life, asking about drug use and health conditions, which is understandable since my blood would be in someone else shortly. But sh&t hit the fan real quick.
We get to Question 35 and he asks:
"From 1977 to the present, have you had any form of sexual contact with another male?"
Of course I answer "Yes," being that I'm an honest person. He looks me dead in the eyes and asks "really?" like he's never seen a man like me before. I nod my head. The dude takes a deep breath and says "due to your lifestyle (blah-blah-blah), we cannot take your blood." I was floored. He goes into this spiel about how gay men cannot donate blood because of the Red Cross' archaic methods of blood screening. The proper term he used was "I'm deferred from donation." (I am pissed off again just thinking about it).
I find it very insulting that my blood isn't worthy to be donated to helping someone's life. I'm sorry that I enjoy alternative pleasures. This is a serious issue and I had no idea Red Cross was so fu%&ed up! I hate them so much right now. It is ridiculous that (no offense) lesbians and heterosexuals can donate blood, knowing that they are equally susceptible to catching HIV and AIDS. Red Cross can suck my deferred d%ck! (I'm over it.) Excuse me for the language but that's not fair.
Anywho, later in the night I was invited to this party on campus...and apparently everyone else in the world was too. Tons of people were there and just about everyone was inebriated. It was awesome though. Everyone was dancing, drinking and having a great time. Just about everyone knew their limit, except for this one freshman girl who got the party shut down. When I say this girl was stupidly-drunk, I mean she was passed out on the lawn, in the freezing cold, totally immobile; she was oblivious to the world. Her friends are not friends, I'll just say that. If you're really friends with someone you don't let them get so drunk that they can't even carry themselves home.
I understand "freshman girl" that you were like "woooo, I'm at an upperclassmen party and I think I'm so cool," but you need to know your limit. You need to have the decency to take your safety into consideration. No one wants to babysit you so grow up! Who in their right mind let's themselves drink so much that they can't even sit upright on a couch? Get your life together. Also, to her friends who were at the party (I do not give a bat's wing if you're reading this and are getting offended) you guys really need to look at yourselves in the mirror and ask yourselves "why do I suck at life?" That is your friend and you just watched her without stepping in to help. How do you live with yourself? Be human enough to care for someone else over your "need" to fit in at a party. You are disgustingly disappointing.
Woooooohuh, I'm sorry. I really needed to get that off my chest.
With that being said let's get to the quote of the day, Dec 6th:
"Learn to love yourself because you are the source of your happiness. Accept everything about yourself because you're beautiful. When you get to know yourself you will fulfill self-love and you'll then be able to show the world your worth."
This week has been a blast and I'm not going to let the flavor of my blood stop me from being Gabriel. Don't let the sass get you down. Stay true kids.
Peace, love & Obama,
Gabriel Anderson
