And now, for the finale: vampires, Jose Canseco, and plans to party...

Part I
Fortunately, I had my last chemo Thursday. It has not been the easiest, but I would choose to do more in a heartbeat if it would increase my odds.

Unfortunately, I was informed during my last chemo that I was to report to the hospital the next morning at 8:00AM sharp for a blood transfusion. I had been threatened with the blood transfusion for the three weeks preceeding my last chemo. I attempted ferrous sulfate supplements, three successive nights of red meat (beef porterhouse, braised beef short ribs, and grilled lamb chops), and heaps of dark green leafy greens. Still, the HGB's hung in the 7's.

To those of you who don't know me, please be advised that I do not care for public outings prior to noon. You could say that my ten years in the restaurant business turned me into something of a vampire. 8:00AM sharp at the hospital for a blood transfusion? Holy shit! Fuck that!

After smoking a bowl and calming myself down, I came to the realization that I essentially receive the chemical equivalent of weed killer intravenously each week. Why should I be so concened over some other person's blood?

Because it's someone else's, for fuck's sake!

I also came to the realization that my mother would most likely commandeer a plane down here or something when she found out that I needed a blood transfusion. Luckily, I would be able to put off telling her until it would be too late for her to get here by 8:00AM.

The next morning, I somehow managed to rouse myself from a restless, hot flash ridden night that had still somehow managed to become a well-deserved nap in the wee hours of the morning. Non-descript, comfortable clothes found their way onto my body with a scarf on my head that actually matched. The interstate was moving and I made it in 23 minutes. I was only fifteen minutes late!

I waited for 25 minutes once I entered the doors of the hospital. An RN took me upstairs in a wheelchair into a private room. I hopped into bed and read the paper. They brought me breakfast and I had a good conversation with the nurse. The actual transfusion was painless and symptom-free.

Still, my imagination ran wild while I watched UPN and flipped through a Food & Wine. (I was not able to change the channel on the TV. Seems the remote had been "misplaced".) A scene from a TV show replayed itself in my mind's eye. In the midst of this year's pre-Halloween programming, Garrett and I had somehow managed to watch a program where a young couple who were practicing vampires drank each other's blood. I couldn't get the image out of my head.