Unsettling numbers

[wayfaringwordhack]

Yesterday, I had to have some blood work done and was at the lab for 2.5 hours.  During that time, I saw 49 people come and go (not counting lab techs and secretaries, of course).

Amongst the 49:
- Four people flipped through magazines provided by the lab.
- One person brought her own book.
- One person brought his own newspaper.

So, 6 out of 49 people had something to occupy them. The other 43 just started blankly at the walls. The clinic was busy and the wait times long, but people preferred to sigh and stare. Many of them, I gathered from overheard conversations with the techs, were "regulars" at the clinic, and yet they had no desire (or thought?) to bring something to help them pass the time.*  I found that sad.
 

Then, at the grocery store, being pregnant and therefore the owner of a compressed bladder, I had to make use of the ladies room.

I saw three ladies coming out of stalls and only one washed her hands. :-/


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* Personally, I took my crochet, knowing I would make good progress with so much time to kill--I did; four squares. (Six total yesty, so I'm 1/3 done with Little Bean's blanket...if you don't count the time it will take to sew the squares together. I worked on the niece's blanket, too, but it was one step back and two steps forward. I'm not going to have enough white yarn to finish, so I had to change the design a little bit, which meant ripping out a row and a half of stitches.)

Comments

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Fascinating. I'll have to count the next time I go for a blood test. :p

(I'm the one with the book)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*nods* Usually I have a book, too. It was exceptional to take crochet. :P

One thing I forgot to include in the post was that three of the 49 people were children--siblings--and they had nothing, no books, no games. They were very well-behaved but not curious at all. Just sat there a bit like vegetables.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Hope all's well with the pregnancy?

That's very depressing about the hands washing!

[(Anonymous)]

Must have been some exciting walls at the clinic!

I always wonder if people think I'm nuts when I'm wandering around the dog park reading a book while I walk. You gotta make good use of free time. ;)

~Lindsay

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*nods* Everything seems to be going fine. I was just at the lab for the standard diabetes testing that they do for all pregnant women. Sadly (I guess), I've never had toxoplasmosis, so I will have to go back next week for my monthly blood check to make sure I haven't somehow been contaminated in the last few weeks.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Yikes... that sounds like kind of a horrid wait, actually. But at least you knew how to pass the time.

I can kind of relate to those people, though. Sometimes when doctors are involved, I just can't even think about focusing on anything else, even if to help distract myself.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Ah, I never thought of that. I'm always pretty good at immersing myself and even if the distraction doesn't work 100%, I still give it a go. :P