Platelets Are Hard
March 31, 2025
And by hard, I mean uncomfortable and time consuming. Uncomfortable because you recline in a chair for nearly two solid hours, largely immobilized because your arm’s tethered to a machine and a collection bag, and a needle’s been threaded deep into your vein.
Essentially, they’re drawing blood out, separating and processing the platelets, then putting the platelet-less blood back in. A very weird sensation runs through your body every time your blood reenters the bloodstream from which it was just removed. Your lips tingle and…. it’s hard to explain what it feels like to be wide awake and have blood get pumped back into your body. It’s just odd. You can’t move for most of that two hours and it’s cold. They offer blankets and heated rice bags and while this makes you very dozy, you’re not allowed to nod off. In fact, you’re required to fiddle with a hand-held rice bag in order to keep the blood flowing through the needled arm.
The whole thing makes me antsy. I’ve done it now maybe 5 times (I believe) and have had successful donations only 3 times.. the other donations were stopped partway through for one reason or another (like the time they unknowingly hit the wall of my vein which caused bleeding and hurt like hell, or the time my arm got too cold and the veins shrunk and the process was too slow as a result).
Thing is, there is a huge demand/need for platelets and they are relentless in their pleas for donors. Platelet transfusions are commonly needed for cancer patients and people who’ve lost a lot of blood after an accident, organ transplant or surgery. So in spite of the discomfort and weird factor, it feels good to do something so vital, and I really like the direct person-to-person benefit. They say it’s life saving. Can’t beat that.
Here’s me this morning, covered in rice bags, mustering a smile as best I can.
A Three-Fer
March 30, 2025
March 30 is always a double celebration day. It’s my dad’s birthday — he would have been 98 today (holy cow) — and it’s also the day Jim and I decided to get married, 29 years ago (!), while sitting on the stone wall in Central Park, on a beautiful Farmer’s Market Saturday.
Lovely memories, both.
I’m calling today a three-fer because any day Jim and I get to spend time with Peter and Maya, it’s a special day. Peter texted us this morning suggesting we do a Pub Quiz.. so this evening we did just that. Not a great pic, but here we are… P&M in Ann Arbor, J&K in Davis, Pub Quiz Zooming.
They won, as usual.
Colleague of Old
March 29, 2025
In the way back of my long past career, I knew a guy, John Higgins, who I considered one of the visionary thinkers in our field. He was a midwest practitioner who went on to become a professor in the rhetoric department of University of San Francisco, specializing in media studies, alternative and community media, public access media, and storytelling.. and is also a puppeteer (which I did not know until I read his bio just now).
Turns out, we also have mutual friends in Davis, unrelated to our mutual careers. So.. today, John and his wife MJ were visiting Steve and Megan (leaders in Indivisible Yolo and part of my huge political tribe!). We all met at Farmers Market and, hoo boy, did John and I go down the access rabbit hole.
Here we all are.. John, MJ, me, Megan, and Steve in back.
John and I were in shop talk heaven (was unaware of any picture taking going on.. not even sure who took this)… It was super fun to catch up and reminisce about our field, the incredible changes in technology (internet for starters), and all kinds of professional gossipy stuff.
(Alternative media people dress alike, is the message here.)
I like this shot of Steve and me (we took a moment to discuss an upcoming resistance event… ).
Opening Day
March 28, 2025
Yesterday was the opening day of the 2025 Baseball season. And check out the opening day roster for the Detroit Tigers!
For the non Davis High School Varsity baseball team fans out there, I’ll point out that the roster includes infielder/outfielder Ryan Kreidler, a former teammate of Peter’s (not to mention a kindergarten classmate!). This is not the first year Ryan’s made the opening day roster, but it was still exciting to see his name, as he’s been plagued with injuries for a good percentage of his MLB career and I believe it was touch and go whether he’d make the cut this year.
Ryan’s a great player to watch and a good guy. I hope he has a solid season.
Only We
March 27, 2025
I did a round up a couple of days ago of some of my latest favorite political signs and memes. I somehow left this one out, so I shall post it here.
It speaks to the righteous truth that our country’s future is ours to decide. We are not in good hands with the executive branch of government. And the legislative branch is useless (dems have yet to speak with one compelling voice and reps are in lockstep with their cult leader). The courts are sorta hanging in, but the big one has a few too many conservative ideologues who seem to default to a strong executive branch, so I think we’ll lose more than we’ll gain as cases float up to that court.
Which means that we the people have to rise up in a big way and exert pressure where we can — primarily on our members of Congress. Making a big show, creating huge turnouts for rallies and marches, getting as much media attention as we can … all of that will influence others, which is also vital. We need to not only make our case to our legislators, we have to reach those who sat out the last election, those who were trump curious or Biden averse, those who are now lost and frustrated or scared or whatever. Mass turnouts will show the movement’s power. Mo begets mo.
Point is: It’s up to us.
Davis: California’s Last College Town
March 26, 2025
Came across this today in one of my social media’s video clip thingies..
I really loved this particular angle on the train station. I do adore our sweet, historic train station. The video was all aerials, but frankly, the roofs of downtown Davis are not much to look at. This shot, however, was cool.
Just a Fantastic Spring Day
March 25, 2025
Ah, Monday. Ah, home again. Ah Putah Creek.
Spafford Lake is pretty much done, after a long year-ish of excavation and renovation. Miss the Zelcova.
And some posies:
Always look up.
Our tulip tree is nearing its end for the season.. but wow, what a great month!
Signs of the Time
March 24, 2025
Today was a post-road-trip, re-entry day, and no worthy pics to tell any sort of story… so how about a collection of the best political signs and memes. They most certainly tell a story.
When You Gotta Go…
March 23, 2025
Our stay at Matt’s was short, too short .. just the one night. Must return for a longer stay.
On our way out, Michael was coming in. His flight was an early morning Portland to Orange County route (I think). It was great to see him, if for only 10 minutes.
The boyz.
The trip back was uneventful. Well… except for this:
That is a shot of us, at a full stop, on the transition ramp between I-5 and I-80. Just out of the picture is Janet, who, in a moment of severe urgency, got out of the car, walked around to the front, dropped down and peed. Right there on the freeway. I took a pic, but she ducked out of sight so quickly, this is all I got. It’s possible a woman from the car on our left saw what was happening, but heck… we’ll never see her again. Lol. When you gotta go…
And that’s a wrap on the great Disneyland Road Trip of 2025.
Goin’ ta Matt’s
March 22, 2025
This was a saunter down the coast day. Janet and I checked out of our respective cottages — Bye bye cottages! Until next time! — made a final stop in the Village for coffee at Hi-Fi, then set out for Long Beach, via the gigantic Port of Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach. We met up with John at Legends for a very lovely hour of conversation. Love that young man (who’s not so young anymore, who’s about to turn 40, and who’s the father of three kiddos).
Didn’t manage a picture of him (bad Kari), but got a photo of Legends from the second story:
Then got to Matt and Michael’s, where Matt gave us the tour of the last three months of decorating projects. There was new paint in every room in the house, a total revamp of the guest room and guest bathroom, an overhaul of the poolside bathroom, some new acquisitions, and some refurbishing.. like this light fixture that Michael embellished and painted.. because: Michael.
As usual, they saw to every detail and, of course, room for room, it’s eye popping.
We had pool time, starring: Klondike!
Klondike is the last pup standing.. as Violet, Sophie and Joey, in that order, have all moved on. Klondike’s no spring chicken, but remains loving and entertaining.
Betsy and Chris both came over and the five of us (Michael’s flying) had a great evening. Matt made a superb chicken soup, beautifully seasoned, and we watched a wonderful movie: My Old Ass.
Here’s a shot, not flattering, of Chris and Matt. I like it because it’s just a moment in time, un-posed. It reminds me of how much we Petersons look alike, especially as we age. Sigh.
Life of Wry 