"Up your nose with a.... " *

(*any of my fellow late Boomers/early Gen-Xers able to complete that quote, from a well-known TV show of the 1970s??) 

I had my COVID-19 test (as well as my pre-op bloodwork and an ECG) this morning, at the same hospital where my surgery is scheduled for Friday.  Now I know what it's like to have a miniature mascara wand shoved up (WAY up!) my nose.  :p I won't pretend it was pleasant -- it was actually just a wee bit painful -- but it was over fairly quickly.   

Testing (at this site, anyway) is done by appointment only, and is set up directly inside the doors of a far wing of the hospital, away from the main entrance. It was very busy, but well organized. There was a (socially distanced) lineup outside the doors, but things moved quickly.  I was in & out in about 10-15 minutes. (The entire visit, including the bloodwork & ECG in another wing of the hospital, took about an hour total.) They gave me a clean (disposable) mask to put on (I got another one when I went to the other wing for the bloodwork), had me sanitize my hands, took my temperature, pulse and blood oxygen levels. I must have gone through the COVID screening questionnaire at least half a dozen times at various checkpoints during my visit. All the staff members I saw wore both masks & face shields.  

Total out-of-pocket cost to me: Zero. The testing centre even gave me a pass for free parking. I didn't even have to show my health card;  I'd downloaded the hospital app and pre-entered my card number and other personal information to speed things up.  #thankfultobecanadian

Now on to the REAL challenge: my surgery/procedure on Friday! 

LOL moment of the morning: Before he took my blood samples, the lab guy asked me a few questions -- including whether I was pregnant. (!!!) (Dude, I just told you my BIRTHDATE!!)  I started laughing and said (very firmly!), "NO!"  He said, "Sorry, standard questions we have to ask."  Whatever...!