Since I'm not always the most linear person, some of the posts here will be little more than links, ideas, bits of information, or other random stuff. Posts like this one, for example. :-)

So... called Biomat USA in Ballard where I'll be giving up my plasma (http://biomatusa.grifols.com/results.asp?st=WA) and got their hours and how much they pay.

Basically it'll be $55.00 a week for donating twice ($20.00 the first time in a week, $35.00 the second donation) and will take around 1-1 1/2 hours each time. Now, I'm aware of the fact that I could just get a part time job or start a business or something and probably do better than that, not to mention that I have to buy gas and find the time to head out there, yadda-yadda.

But this is not just about the money. It's about the idea of the thing, and bleeding for cash is more interesting than mowing lawns for it, so there you go.

Of course, I'll also need to figure out how to invest my bits of cash, so I'll write about that too. Since I'm in the investigation phase, I'll mostly be putting ideas and links here until I come up with something more definitive. The investment du jour is "Ikaria" ( http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2010/05/13/ikaria-developer-of-the-hutchs-hibernation-on-demand-concept-seeks-200m-ipo/), so watch this space as I do my research. Also, feel free to throw out any tidbits you might have.

Finally, I need to start thinking about the rules of the game. I'm more of a 'spirit of the law' rather than the 'letter of the law' kind-of guy, so there will be a little bit of flexibility but I won't go too far from the basic plan or it ruins the game. The open question is whether or not I can add money in addition to the blood money, and I'm currently thinking that adding a little bit is okay but it has to be metaphorical blood money, as it were... for example, I'm budgeted $50.00 a week for going out to lunch or buying books and such, so I think it would be okay if I brown-bagged it every once in a while and added some of my spending money to the pot, but I'll probably limit it to no more than 50% of whatever I make donating plasma in any given month.

Well, that's all for today.

Have a good weekend.