I must remember never ever to go to Careggi Hospital on a Monday. I arrived at 7 a.m., and there were already 85 people in line in front of me. Had I arrived at 8 a.m., that number would have risen to 140. But today waiting in line took forever. The nurses were very slow for some reason. It usually goes much faster. I got so sleepy that I even had to stop reading my P.J. Wodehouse (the Jeeves series!). Yawn!

The Careggi waiting hall, located in a building called “La Piastra” for some unknown reason (it means “slab” or “plate,” as in “iron plate” not “dinner plate”), is quite large, and there usually are enough seats for everyone. Problem is, unless you are a special case” (pregnant, e.g.), you are lumped in with everyone else. If my immune system weren’t compromised I wouldn’t mind, of course. But I am very aware of GERMS. I always choose my seat carefully, and if I hear the slightest sneeze or cough nearby, I stop breathing and move away. This morning the waiting room was filled with people with horrific colds and evident cases of bronchitis, coughing and snorting and blowing their noses and sneezing all over the place. All of this, right into their hands. Sigh!

Last night I should have had a proper meal with vegetables and fruit. But we had Sunday lunch at my in-laws’ and overate. Since a bunch of my girlfriends were coming over to play cards after dinner, I ended up making brownies (ah yes, brownies with SUGAR, from a Martha Stewart recipe!) and eating a few of those for dinner. With a glass of MILK! Oh, bad bad girl! I bet my glucose test result will be sky high. At any rate, it will be interesting to see if NOT eating properly the night before having blood tests will make any difference. 😉

Today is my Dad’s 80th birthday. I figured that having my blood tests done on his birthday would bring me excellent luck! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! AUGURI, BABBO! Ti voglio tanto bene! 🙂