'Jooked' By A Stranger

An eventful two hours capped off my 'weekend' visit to Kingston. My soon-to-be employers have requested, as employers generally do, that I do a medical examination. Today I went to Oxford Medical to get my examination done.

I haven't done a medical in so long that I almost forgot what it was like. My bad memory was not to my detriment, however, because I've never had a fear of needles. In fact, my first an only trip to the hospital (Barbuda, 2001) involved more than 24 hours on an IV, so I've gotten use to having needles in my skin (literally and figuratively).

For some reason, this time was different. I had a seat as the nurse (or whatever she is) prepped my tender arm for penetration. I watched as she prepared to insert the needle, and for the first time in my life, I understood why people are so afraid of needles. I was not in the mood to be 'jooked'. Suddenly, the needle started to look bigger and thicker, and I almost felt like sticking it into me would cause my blood to spill out as dramatically as it would in a Quentin Tarantino movie... but still I wasn't scared... needles don't scare me.

A part of me still wanted to be soothed a bit though. But that young nurse was not in a soothing mood. I wonder if she ever is. I wondered how a woman sitting so close to a drop-dead gorgeous guy could go without even the slightest smile :-) But she pulled if off. I don't think I've ever had someone so unfriendly touch me before. Soothing was not an option.

And then she simply upset me. In addition to me now understanding why some people fear needles, I also understand why people hate giving blood. I watched as the nurse connected a vial to the needle and sucked my blood away. The blood swirled in it like a whirlpool until the vial was full. I couldn't help but thinking, "Hey, that's my blood bitch, give it back!" All of a sudden I felt a special connection to my blood. She compounded matters by filling a second vial. Then I started to wonder how many vials of my blood it would take to kill me off. But with a cotton swab and a bandaid, I was returned to a state of peace. The test was done.

However, as if stealing two vials of my blood and forcing me to fill two cups with urine wasn't enough (well, the wanted me to fill them both... I got them both about 25% full... HAVE THAT!), I also have a total of 2 medicals to do. I have to return next week for a second test. So Seeker, anal probing may happen afterall...