Last night at work started out great: a free cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera and a chance to stick a really sharp object into a co-worker's arm. I really like drawing blood--not for masochistic reasons, but for that moment of truth when the vacutainer is connected: you know right away whether you've got the vein or you've missed. And to see that burgundy stream course into the tube... it's like striking gold. I've contemplated getting back into phlebotomy, it feels good to know that I've got a skill that, most people haven't even taken the time to or thought of developing. Yes, I realize there are plenty of things that could fall into this category--such as counting prime numbers or being able to recite the capital cities of countless countries--but being able to stick someone is actually a marketable skill. I'd be hard pressed to find a dozen people that would pay me to tell them that the capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. But above all, I'd like to get back into phlebotomy because of the people contact. Working in a lab is so isolating. The people I see at work are the same, everyday, even though the people who are in the building are changing almost constantly. It's energizing to be able to deal with different people, and this lack of variety is what makes my job so hard to bear at times. So if there's anyone out there that you know of that would pay me to share in the simple joy of seeing blood squirt into tubes, be sure to let me know.