...and then I passed out

     Despite the title of this post, let me assure you that life has been going well. I met with my research mentor and learned what project I'm on. It's studying wildlands fire by burning small samples (i.e. leaves) and then extending that information to create more accurate models for firefighters to use. Right now I'm really only completing safety training (online, boo) and reading papers (many of them, and up to 96 pages). But I am super excited to start, especially since I learned I get paid! Happy day. I also got to go to the WE@BYU retreat for women engineers, and that was really fun. Generally speaking, my life has been pretty busy lately, and today has been no exception.

     Now, to the title of today's (or rather, tonight's) post. In my writing class, we had to write a "letter to the editor," and it took me forever to come up with a decent topic that would appeal to the audience and that I would be able to talk about. Finally, I decided to write about how BYU should have more blood drives. I hadn't seen one on campus, and I tried really hard to find out information about blood drives on campus, but with no luck. So I concluded that I was right: BYU didn't hold enough blood drives, and thus my letter to the editor came into being. And I submitted it, and that was good.

Just three days later (that would be today), I'm in the Wilk (student center), and I see signs for a blood drive. Following my initial thought of oh no, my paper is all wrong! I conclude that I must donate, especially since they turned my blood away this summer (because NY is super picky about what blood they will take, I suppose). So I go, and everything is fantastic. And I really mean that. After all, they gave me a free t-shirt!

My blood actually is blue, in case you were wondering

It takes maybe ten minutes for my blood to be drawn, and I don't feel dizzy at all afterwards. But because I'm pretty cautious, I sit down for a couple of minutes and partake of the free food and drink they have. And then I'm back to my regular stuff. I practice organ, go to the library to print something, adventure to my locker (such a good idea to get one), and then wander over to the Eyring science center for my physics lab. Everything is going fine, and then I feel somewhat lightheaded, and then my mind goes off to some crazy land, far, far away from the physics lab, and next thing I know I'm picking myself off the physics floor.

I'm not really sure why it happened, because I really did take care of myself after donating, but it was a super weird experience. And pretty embarrassing, because here I am, the shortest girl in a physics lab filled with mostly guys, trying to prove to myself and everyone else that I can handle everything I'm trying to juggle and that I'm just as capable as an engineer as all the other people in my major despite the fact that I might not look it, and then I go and pass out on the floor. I really am strong, I swear.

Really, I'm fine though. Although I will always accept food offered to me.