Blood, sweat, and cheers
(MARCUS) “Let’s ride our bikes,” Anna said.
“Nah… let’s leave ‘em. We’ve got to bring the kids to school,” I replied. Anna’s two young cousins, Jake and Conner, go to school a mile from here at Catlin Gable School, where we’re due to speak in a few minutes. 
We might as well drive because we’re going to the hospital right after that. Her sister Julie is a plastic surgeon at the Orgeon Health and Science University Hospital. She’s got a 12-hour reconstructive surgery today, but will scrub out at noon to draw Anna’s blood.
After a couple school presentations, we drove across town, and walked into the Emergency Room to meet 
Julie. With camera in hand, I hovered like the paparazzi photographing the drama of it all. Anna didn’t wince a bit when the needle didn’t stick the first time. The other arm flowed like a geyser, filling one tube after 
another. Then off to the lab to separate the clot from the serum in a centrifuge. For those who don’t wince at the sight of needles, you can watch the whole thing here: What’s in your blood? We’re sending Anna’s serum to the AXYS Lab in Vancouver, BC to search for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in her body.
(ANNA) After devouring a big spinach salad (Doctor’s orders, to replenish my iron), we headed downtown for our next event, a big “Ban The Bag” event put on by Wend Magazine and Surfrider Foundation at Keen Headquarters. This one will go down as a trip highlight. Stiv Wilson and his team at Wend put on a top notch gathering - over 300 people showed up, including Portland’s Mayor Sam Adams! We had a chance to give him a gyre sample, shake his hand,
and film him stating publicly his interest in pushing the bag ban forward.
The opportunity to hand deliver a gyre sample to an influential legislator is exactly what we’re hoping for on this trip. 2 weeks ago, we gave a sample to the Mayor of Edmonds, thanks to council member Strom Peterson. Next step: a public meeting on April 28th, 7:00pm. Seattle and Edmonds, this is the time to speak out!
If you can’t attend in 
person (Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave N) you can still send an email to the council: (spellman@ci.edmonds.wa.us), and/or to the Edmonds Beacon (editor@edmondsbeacon.com) and Enterprise (edmonds@heraldnet.com)
We’ll be keeping tabs on Portland as well. As Mayor Adams cautioned, this will not be an easy battle, the industry will push back, so public involvement is KEY.
Next up: Salem, Corvallis, and then to Newport for another big event with Surfrider and other panelists at the Aquarium. Join us if you’re in the area!