The GRE is tomorrow. So instead of going right home and studying (because I figure I've probably done about as much as I can do), I went to EuroMed to give more blood to convince the Russian Feds that I haven't managed to pick up the HIV in the last two months. I ran into Ivan on Nevsky. He wanted to hang out, and I wanted to hang out too, but I had to go get my arm poked. It made me sad.

The EuroMed waiting room is pretty nice. They have comfy chairs, filtered water, a fish tank, and free internet. Top of the line luxury. Anyway. I got my arm poked by a super efficient nurse. Usually when I get blood drawn, it's sort of an ordeal. My veins aren't all that big or close to the skin or whatever makes them more poke-able, so usually I have to have all kinds of tourniquets and alcohol rubs and special squeeze balls. But this lady just gave me the rubber band around the arm, a wipe and then a jab. No poking around inside my arm for the vein. No needle falling out of the vein midway through. I'm all about the Russian blood-drawing efficiency.

Then to Chinese food with James, Meg, Neil, Evgenii Yurivich, and the Flagship girls. I don't want to give away Meg's love life for her (because I'm not that much of an asshole) but I think she was happy that she had a posse to counter Neil's Flagship posse. The Flagship girls seemed nice, although both spoke really really insanely good Russian and made me feel pretty much like an idiot. Whatever. It was good Chinese food. And McDonalds for ice cream because no meal is complete without ice cream, according to Evgenii Yurivich.

Then it was suddenly 11, and it was late. And I had to get up very early to take the GRE in not very many hours. So I didn't make it to the last Club Phoebe. Beer makes me sleep well.