BLOOD

Today was the annual Winchester Thurston blood drive. I wasn't able to give blood (which made me angry) because you have to be 16 in order to donate, and I am young by a week.
It was kind of a big deal at school today, because they cleared out this big room where the whole high school can fit into (called the Willis Room) and put all of the supplies and stuff in there. They left the doors open, which I can imagine would be nice for the people giving blood, because it's kind of nerve-racking, but the people who were afraid of blood and needles were freaking out because they could look in and see everything.
I personally don't see why you shouldn't give blood. Of corse, there are instances when you can't because you're underweight or underage, but other than that, I think it's something we all should do. The thought that the blood you give will go to something worthwhile is a nice thought, and the only thing you're really losing is a small amount of your time. The blood drive people wouldn't let the people who donated blood go to class for one period after they donated blood. That's not a particularly bad thing either.
There were some rumors about people who either passed out or were close to passing out. Dr. Andy told us that he passed out the first time he gave blood, and I guess it's normal to be lightheaded afterwards. The school nurse was passing out WT blood drive t-shirts to anyone who attempted to give blood, which I thought was nice of her.
I definitely would like to donate blood next year. My friend Summer donated blood and she said that she asked them what blood type she was. Apparently they send you an e-mail with that kind of info on it, so next year, I get to find out what my blood type is. This has been an ongoing debate/joke in our family for a while now. In Japan, there's this cultural thing that you can find out your personality based on your blood type. This isn't exactly scientific, but it's fun. My mother is blood type A, which is known for being very OCD, good team players, and oversensitive. My dad is blood type O, which apparently results in curious people that are extremely stubborn. I'm pretty much all of these things. Whenever I do something that my mother always nags me about, like cleaning the inside of a sink after I wash the dishes, I joke that I could be blood type A. My mother is absolutely convinced that I'm O. We'll find out next year.