Quick Check in

Hello! Sorry for the absence. That second Pfizer shot knocked me on my keister and off rhythm. I got the shot early, at about 1000. At about 2200 I started feeling off. By 2300 I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train. I was pretty much useless the next 36 hours. The transition back to feeling better was fast. I thought I was looking at a second sleepless night, but right before bed, things got a lot better.

Some things to keep in mind. I'm a huge wimp. I become a sniveling, pathetic megawimposaurus when I'm feeling at all unwell. I did some things that I think helped make those 36 hours less miserable. I stocked up on easy foods, bought some pedialyte, and drank a lot of water. I also reminded myself that I wasn't sick, I was experiencing an immune response. What's the difference? Don't ask me, I'm just a blogger. But I liked knowing that what was happening was meant to be happening, and it was kind of cool to ponder the science.

I won't state with certainty that getting the vaxx is the right decision or without risk. It was the right decision for me. Everyone's going to have to run their own calculus on this one. If you've got questions, seek out the best information you can. Ignore your late night tweeting uncle on this one.

With both vaxxes, I tried to get creative. For the first one, I checked out the mass vaxx site in Yakima. That was a great experience (except for the speeding ticket). Beautiful drive, and it was cool to see young military members running the show. I can't remember seeing anyone above the rank of E-6. I'd say most of the people I saw were E-4s and below. I hate the way our country employs the military, but our military members are fantastic.

I used the second vaxx as an opportunity to finally get a closer look at the massive Fred Hutch campus. Wow, that place is impressive. I walked there, thinking I had plenty of time, but I chewed up an extra 10 minutes figuring out how to get to the right building. The process was smooth, and the people working the site were fantastic.

The person who gave me my shot told me that site would probably be closing soon. Numbers have been steadily dropping. I don't view that as necessarily negative. The big sites were great for people with mobility and flexibility, but I think we'll need to think smaller to make sure the people who want a vaxx but couldn't make it to the big sites can get one.

I keep thinking about the luxury of being able to clear my schedule for a day or two after the second dose. That's not possible for a lot of people. I'm guessing that employers/governments offering two days paid leave and some help with babysitting/childcare costs would make it easier for people to get a shot. I'm not a policy guy by any means, but you get the point.

I'll get back to posting regularly soon. There might be a period of less activity for a while. Need to figure out some next steps in a lot of areas, and I should probably do that far away from a laptop, the internet, and all sorts of distractions. But the blog's not going anywhere.

Still here? I'm hooked on Mare of Easttown. Holy cow the acting is good. Kate Winslet is an amazing actor. There's a downside to it, one that almost kept me away. It involves violent crimes, which in our society, in real life and on the screen, often involves violence against women. At what point are we, the viewers, glamorizing it? If aliens showed up and studied our culture, they might wonder what we would have done for 30% of our movie/TV watching without the prevalence of violence against women?