So today, after inadvertantly putting it off for months, I had an appointment to have my cholesterol, lipids and other stuff checked via blood test for my cardiologist.

I like early appointments and I select them over mid-day ones if I can help it. I cannot STAND missing 3 hours of work sitting in a Doctor's office lobby in the middle of the day. When I have my regular cardiologist appointments, I make them for 7am so it's over and it doesn't waste half the day.

So this morning, the earliest appointment was 8am, so I took that. I got there at 7:30am just to be safe and assure my place in line as FFTGS (First Fucker To Get Seen). I LOVE being FFTGS. That's how I roll.

This gives me the chance to enjoy some banter with the ladies at the counter / check-in area. Halfway thru my sign-in, which included my agreement that you shouldn't be charged a co-pay if you're getting poked with a needle, one of the ladies says "you're only 38 and you've had bypass?"

So I give the 45 second answer, complete with my having formerly been a needlepuss, but now I'm very brave thanks to friendly but pro-needle pricky folks at their practice and at St. Joseph's of Atlanta. I even told the "I fainted giving blood for my marriage license" story, which they all loved.

Anyway, at 8am all the lab patients get called to a sub-waiting room with no televisions, and we all sit down. That is until one woman says "Have any of you done this before?"

I figure she's scared, so I say "I have, but not here. It's no big deal. I've had a bypass."

She replies "No. I mean here. See, that paper they gave you? If you don't all put that in the basket over there, you'll never get called."

By the way, the sign behind the basket said (in all caps) PLEASE PUT PAPERWORK FACE-DOWN IN BASKET.

So we all do that, and for the sake of courtesy, we let her go first. I went second.

It proceeds to take roughly 15 minutes to call the first person, and another 13 to get her blood draw done. Since I had to fast since midnight last night, I am now officially starving to death. Literally. I have had two quarts of water while in the lobby hoping to fool my system into thinking I'm full, but all it knows is that I've got to pee again and risk missing my turn by not being there when the nurse calls my name.

Nevertheless, I pee again, and get back (the second time) at 8:27am. My name is called at 8:29am and I hustle in, ask her for an arm preference to which she replies "either."

I give her the right arm, she looks, pokes, and is done in seconds. I was literally in my car at 8:31am.

On the way thru the way back thru the lobby, the same three gals looked up and more or less in unison shouted "HEY!! You didn't faint!!! Have a great day!"

Nice.

Before I left yesterday, my boss had said "See you around ten." I had told my boss in return that if I was here a second past 9am I'd be pissed.

I'll have you know that I was at the elevator...I mean the stairs...at 8:58am and if I hadn't fielded a call in the lobby that I didn't want to drop by walking into the elevator, I'd have been at my desk at 9am.


Thumb's up to me.