My mom often tells a story about my childhood and getting shots: I went with a family friend when we were both 6 years ago living in Chicago to get immunized for the common childhood diseases (mumps, tetanus, measles, etc.). My friend who was a little older than me went to get into the doctor's office to get his shot first, and he came out crying and screaming because the shot hurt so bad and he didn't like them. Despite seeing my friend in this dire situation, I went into get my shot as my parents watched on helplessly, expecting that I would succumb to the same fight and come out of the office very upset, but I came out after a few minutes with such a calm and expressionless face that my parents wondered if I had even gotten a shot at all. I apparently had acted nonchalant and showed aplomb in the face of the needle. (I just wanted to use big SAT Words "nonchalant" and "aplomb" in a sentence because I am usually scared of things, like roller coasters, going through airport security, and going shopping. Certainly major events cause major tension for me just thinking about it ad magnifies the actual event in my head so feels worse that it actually is (kind of like the acrophobia/fear of heights described in Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie Vertigo), so I don't know how I was able to stay so relaxed as a 6-year-old seeing those big needles going into my arm. Maybe I had a good nurse who talked me through the process (MJ has shown me the skill that nurses have to calm down their patients before doing something painful or traumatic like staritng an IV or sticking someone with a needle), maybe I just didn't know what the needle would do until it went in, and by then it was too late to react, so I just went with it. Maybe I was just having a distracted day and thinking about Transfomers back then.
MJ got her second shot for the Covid vaccine today, so she's all done with the shots! Yay. I commend her and everyone else getting the vaccine for being brave and going through the vaccine process and not getting too psyched out about it. MJ was a little nervous leading up to it, but not at all about the shot itself, more about the aftereffects, as other vaccine receivers have reported feeling sick up to 48 hours after getting the shot. Who knows, next time she might be giving out the vaccine to me or others when more become available, reportedly as soon as May or June for the general population. As Cramer put it, "they'll have so many vaccines they'll be looking for arms to stick the vaccines in."
In addition to the ceremonial occasion of MJ being vaccinated for Covid, it's also Happy Lunar New Year and Happy Valentine's Day weekend! And also Washington's birthday on Monday? A multicultural holiday weekend. I'm happy MJ is not that demanding when it comes to Valentine's Day gifts (Or is she just secretly holding them against me) and this year the pandemic is causing everyone to stay home instead of going out to fancy restaurants for a special dinner. And I don't even need to worry about chocolates, which I always thought was a bit of a scam anyway and should be updated for a more nutritious and health-conscious snack. I just remember in elementary school for Valentine everybody in class giving each other Valentine's day chocolates, which seemed excessive with Halloween already taking up the "give out lots of unnecessary sweet things that might eventually lead to diabetes" role, especially for little kids when our brains, appetites, and eating habits haven't been fully developed yet. Now we're trapped in the addition by the sugar, chocolate, and candy industries. Great. How bout giving an avocado for Valentine's day? A warm, tasty substance that symbolizes the richness that long-lasting relationships can engender, and contain the "good fat" healthy kind of nutritious support that a strong relationship needs, not just a sugar high of emotions on one day that fades into memory banks until the next consumer-driven Valentine's day holiday.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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