I canceled the appointment for my second COVID-19 vaccination with Austin Public Health (APH). Not because of any hesitancy. I just didn’t want to lose any math tutoring money. After all, I only had 12 days of that gig. Besides, APH had scheduled the appointment for the middle of the week. I’d heard many reports of the effects of the second shot being worse than the first. So, the worst-case scenario would be missing part of my tutoring day and feeling ill during the next two days of tutoring.
Fortunately, I had Cinco de Mayo and the next day off. I prayed for APH to reschedule the appointment then. After canceling that appointment, I wanted to set up an alternative, but after reading the fine print, I discovered that anyone who was more than 28 days beyond their first vaccination, could just walk up to any APH site without an appointment.
It just so happened the following week APH announced people could walk in between 2-8 PM, Monday through Friday to get their second shot. So, I “celebrated” Cinco de Mayo 2021 by going to a job interview, then getting vaccinated.
And for once, the rumors were true: there was no waiting. Despite the holiday, there weren’t any tequila-based shots. As a matter of fact, the longest wait was when the dude typed in my information. After that, the woman administered the shot and I was off to wait for a few minutes in the library.
Very strange to be in a library, but not to browse or pick up a book. Instead, I kept my hands to myself and read articles on my phone until the requisite time passed. I didn’t experience any tingling feet nor low grade fever like the first time. Plus, I didn’t have to walk down a flight of stairs like I did the first time around. Bonus!
My roommate drove–just like after the first vaccination–but honestly, her driving scared me more than any vaccine reaction. She’s not a bad driver. I’m just used to my own driving…and breaking a little sooner than she does.
She drove us to Office Max to get our vaccination cards laminated. Another free perk. Since we were next door to a pharmacy, I bought myself a treat. Other people in different states received all types of perks to motivate them to get vaccinated. I sprung for my own treat.
Normally, I wouldn’t eat dessert for dinner, but that was the day to do it!
Normally, I wouldn’t eat dessert for dinner, but that was the day to do it! Hard to say if the bad feeling afterwards was the dessert or the vaccine. Yet if I needed more evidence of being middle aged, it’s paying dearly for a sugar rush.
From here on out, as society continues to reopen, I’ll be sure to brace myself. Funny though, most of the jobs I’ve applied to so far have been remote. It’s as if once conditions forced us home, management saw that many of us actually didn’t have to report to an office.
One thing I see in the near future is investing in a new work computer. I’ve just about squeezed out all I’ve could from my old one. Going forward, I’ll have to invest into a new money-making machine. And a pair of glasses. That’s the infrastructure update I’m going to make in society 2.0.