In Line by 7:00 a.m.

We had our alarms set for 6:00 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m. as we usually do on Sunday mornings. We didn't go out for breakfast with our friends, either. In fact, we were fasting since a bit after 8:00 p.m. last night. When we got to Sharyland High School at 7:00 a.m., we joined a long line of people waiting outside the door.

The event was the 18th Annual Mission Community Health Fair, and the first 500 people would get extensive free blood tests:

• Complete Blood Count (Anemia)
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (Diabetes, liver & kidney function)
• Lipid Profile (Total Cholesterol, HDL & LDL)
• Thyroid Function (TSH)
• Prostate cancer screening (PSA) for males age 40 and over
• Each master blood screening has an approximate value of $1,000.

We were shivering a bit and definitely missing our morning coffee. Someone came down the line putting color-coded wrist bands on the waiting people. The first 100 were red, the next 100 green, the third 100 yellow, the fourth 100 blue, and the final 100 white. We got blue wrist bands and went to wait in the truck for the doors to open.

When we went back at 7:45 a.m., hundreds more people were waiting in the general admission line. The doors opened at 8:00 a.m., and at first only people with red wrist bands were allowed in. Then the rest of us were allowed entry, slowly so as to avoid too much congestion.

However, congestion was the order of the day. Huge lines formed to wait for flu shots and vision screenings. We stopped by the booth that was measuring body fat percentage, and I got an Achilles test for bone density. We lucked into some chairs in the entertainment area and sat for a while, watching some young musicians playing guitar and singing. The youngest looked to be around seven or eight. They got a lot of applause.

We walked around visiting some of the other booths and got some information and freebies (a pill splitter, band-aids in a portable dispenser, a toothbrush, and some Fiber One bars.  Several booths offered tempting food, like donut holes and mixed fruit, which we avoided because we were fasting.

We picked up a couple of bananas at the HEB booth to eat after the blood draw. By the time we got to the blood draw line it was after 9:30 a.m., and I was feeling quite lightheaded and head-achy. The blood draw itself was handled quite expeditiously, with maybe ten stations. Afterward we left to go home and eat breakfast. On the way to the truck I tripped over a speed bump and tumbled to the ground. Mostly I was just shaken up and lightly bruised, but I must be entering my second childhood, because I nearly tore a hole in my jeans and scraped my right knee pretty good .

We went for a walk later in the day and stopped by Stuart and Lynn's place in Retama. It was good to see them again. They've been out of commission with the flu (despite having gotten flu shots).
Earlier today, we watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which we had recorded. It was so hokey it was impossible to take seriously, but not comic enough to laugh at. We're glad we didn't pay to see it in a theater when it came out last year.

Tonight we are watching Downton Abbey--much more to our taste.