What's purple and green and lumpy all over?

Medicine via email. What's not to love? My doctor sends me a lab request as an attachment in her email to me. I print it, take it to the lab and have blood drawn, all without running around to three different neighborhoods in Rio before noon on an empty stomach. For some inexplicable reason, nearly ALL blood tests here "require" fasting. Even when they don't. I've had techs who didn't want to stick me because they "smelled coffee on my breath" or because I brushed my teeth! I didn't swallow the toothpaste on that particular morning (haven't, in fact, since I was about 5), but that didn't make an impression on her; she was certain sugar had been absorbed through my gums and would invalidate the test results. I had to swear I wouldn't complain if the results were skewed and I had to come back. I didn't. It was fine.

So it was a real relief today to walk in and out in under fifteen minutes without ever setting foot in my doctor's office. Of course, I kind of ignored that "don't carry anything with this arm" advice, because I was headed to Bible study and had my purse plus a shopping bag full of necessities for my day. And this was the result:



Oops.