a phlebotomist's nightmare

I have a huge bruise in the crook of my left arm. It sortof makes me look like a junkie. Or, actually, like a junkie in training.

I am hard to draw blood from. But my doctor wants a cholesterol check, and apparently they haven't figured out any way to do that without stabbing a needle in your arm. Or, in my case, using me as a sort of human pin cushion. My least favorite is when they start poking around under the skin, trying to catch a vein. My pretty young blood drawer started a little subdural needle-wiggling and then asks, "Does this hurt?" I lied.

I've been given all sorts of reasons for my circulatory reticence. My veins are deep. Or small. Or they roll. Me? I think they're just crafty.

Fun, action-packed weekend hanging with my boy Alex. We went to see VIctor Wooten and all his bassist friends at the Fillmore, to the Asian Art museum, then a SF street fair with nice baked goods. I had Ethiopian take-out with my college roomates and then met Alex's friends at a bar in the Mission where we made finger puppets out of the heads of crawfish. Today, Alex took me to a Giants game and watched our team limp to a 3-3 tie in the 9th. It was a heartbreaking. I mean, the Nationals? Oy.

Visited artists' open studios at Hunter's Point, ate soem cheese goldfish, and caught an early show of Kung Fu Hustle, which wasn't quite as fun as I'd hoped it would be but was still worth seeing, if you think kitties getting decapitated in midair is funny. It was, kindof. Ate at Chevy's for the first time in a decade, at least. The lardy goodness is really sticking with me, though. I could use a belly bra. In Alex's word, it's like having "eaten a big brown shoe."

Talked to my mother today. Happy Mother's Day! She was home, practicing piano and eating bean soup. My dad was going to take her to bruch, but there was a line out the door, so they went home and ate light. My dad went golfing, and my mom stayed home to get the phone. She really has a lot of children.

I've begun my creative Judy classes. Knitting -- I selected *blue* yarn which I've knit into a long, narorw strip like a tie -- homework. Ceramics starts TuesdayI'm thinking about Aikido, piano, and essay writing. Hello, summer!

OK, got to go rest my belly on something, and maybe have another mug of tea. Rainy night! Cna't believe what a wet spring it's been in the Bay Area. Goodness gracious, as my mom would say. Stay dry everyone.