I donated plasma again today. It went quite a bit better. Only took 2 hours of my life. But I got ripped off by the cash guy. I think he pocketed ten of my hard won dollars. Dirty twerp. But with a cash based payment system, what can I do? Next time, I'll count before signing.
It's such a strange place to be. Such a strange group of people. Let me sort them into categories for you:
20 Something Males With Lots of Tattoos - these guys are a little scary. If you saw them walking behind you on a dark night, you'd be afraid, but sitting, bored, in the cramped and shabby lobby, they're not so bad.
20 Something Males With Dirty T-shirts and Red Glassy Eyes - The plasma people ask me if I'm currently under the influence of any substance, legal or otherwise ... maybe for some it's don't ask, don't tell. These guys like to talk to people. They reveal all kinds of interesting information. For example, just today one fellow revealed that he was 19 years old, on probation for drug possession, and planning to purchase alcohol with his plasma money so that he could celebrate his girlfriend's 16th birthday right proper. At one point he dropped an M&M on the floor and said, "Heh-heh, party foul! Heh-heh-heh!"
Emo Kids - Hi, skinny jeans, nice you could find some buyers again. With their eyeliners and piercings, these kids look like they need a hug and a good meal.
40+ Ladies Who's Lives Aren't Exactly Going Where They Had Hoped - These women often have about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of grey or white hair out at the roots of their some-unnatural-shade of red hair. They read books about AA and co-dependency and Twilight. They have a pack o' smokes in their pink sequence purses. Clumpy fingernail polish. Glittery eye shadow.
Dirty Old Men - These guys are 50 something and they read books about one war or another and tell jokes like this: "What's red and white and sits in a corner? A baby playing with a razor blade." Also, "How do you get an elephant to come?" But I didn't catch the punchline only the groans that followed. (Greg thinks I may have misspelled something here).
19 Year Old Crack Whores - these girls are very, very skinny, scantily clad, and have a tendency to scratch their faces. And hands. A lot. And they twitch. And text. A lot. They rarely recognize their name the first time it is called out. They seem generally distracted and seem to maintain the full attention of a majority of the males.
Normal Looking People - they don't look weird, which is what makes them look weird. Why are they selling plasma? Who in their right mind lets people stick a 17 gauge needle in their arm for an hour and back wash their life-blood? Me? Because I'm lazy and under educated and over-indebted. But why them?
My current plan is to informally interview my stereo-types here and see if my first impressions are accurate or if people are more than seem.
Any suggestions for questions to include in my interviews? I'm not afraid to talk to strangers on your behalf. What do you want to know?
5 Brilliant Bits of Inspiration:
One of my good friends sells plasma regularly and puts the money in her travel fund. She's a 40 something, mother of two kids, has a master's degree in engineering, and shows rabbits, cavies, and pygmy goats. Other than raising and showing small animals she's a pretty normal woman.
I'm curious what the other normal looking women use their money for. Do they use towards small luxuries they wouldn't be able to justify otherwise? Do they save the money towards date nights or presents for their husbands? Do they put the cash towards household bills? What do they do with their hard earned cash?
One of my good friends sells plasma regularly and puts the money in her travel fund. She's a 40 something, mother of two kids, has a master's degree in engineering, and shows rabbits, cavies, and pygmy goats. Other than raising and showing small animals she's a pretty normal woman.
I'm curious what the other normal looking women use their money for. Do they use towards small luxuries they wouldn't be able to justify otherwise? Do they save the money towards date nights or presents for their husbands? Do they put the cash towards household bills? What do they do with their hard earned cash?
I donated plasma for several months when I was in college. It was a great source of income. I would study during the two hours I was there. And it seemed like it always took two hours. I was always grateful when I weighed in slightly lighter (I think my weight was on the border line between two donation amounts and would shift from one side to the other) I would only have to go through two cycles instead of three.
I have a dear friend who donates every week. He is retired and says it is to supplement his income, but he was doing it before he retired, so I wonder...he's a really sweet guy so I think that has a lot to do with it. I think he wants to help people.
It sounds like if you really wanted to rake it in, you could sell drugs or booze there. As one of the "normal" looking people you'd probably never be suspected. They say a downed economy inspires entrepreneurship - just an idea.
Did you know that every 2 seconds someone in the USA needs blood. We should be aware of being a plasma donor and help to save lives. In a simple way, WE can save lives. Anyway, I found a ton of good information on the whole plasma donation process and where to donate here: http://bloodbanker.com
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