Flu Shot

That's me getting my flu shot, but there was much more whining and moping afterwards. I was achy and cranky yesterday and today my arm still hurts, but hey, I'm vaccinated now. Nothing like being constantly surrounded by hoardes of college students that teaches you to get your flu shot when they offer them. I figure the 25 bucks I payed to get the shot (yes, I could have gone to my own hospital and gotten it for free--but I'm a sucker for convenience) would offset the cost of, say, aspirin and snot pills and cough syrup and kleenex. Not to mention the chicken soup and orange juice. I remember once I was so sick I couldn't cook for myself and was too wiped out to go to the store and I lived off of top ramen for days. Thank goodness for my Aunty who figured that college kids live off ramen and bought me a small case of the stuff. I threw it in the closet and forgot about it until I really needed it.

Oh, but once when I was a kid (just before kindergarden) I had to get some sort of vaccination and I SO did not want to get it, and I tried to fight off the nurse who was administering it. OH MY GOD was she strong! She was the strongest person I have ever met, and I don't know how she did it, but she stuck that needle in me and vaccinated the hell out of me. I just remember her grabbing my arm and me fighting. It was very obvious that she was going to win the fight, but I gave it my all--I tried to pull away, but she held firm, I pulled, she held. I think I even got some sort of lollipop afterward which I sucked on begrudgingly. Lose the battle, win the war (on germs, anyway).

So when I get vaccinated, as I do every year, I just turn my head and whimper.