I left work early so I could have something to eat before proceeding to the appointment as it is strongly recommended that one does get vaccinated on an empty stomach let alone dehydrated.
When I arrived at the clinic I made the mistake of walking through the front door and saw someone about to get their vaccination. The nurse told me she would be with me in a moment. A couple of minutes later she opened the door and told me to come in and have a seat. She was about to inject me. I knew something was amiss and asked her if she needed my identification.
"Weren't you sent here by the registration desk?" she asked. When I replied in the negative she told me to go to the rear of the building where I could register at a volunteer table. It would have helped to have had a sign warning people not to enter. But at this point I wasn't in any mood to make waves.
After filling out the appropriate paperwork, I waited in line. My anxiety was going into overdrive. I don't care for needles too much. So I did a little tai chi to calm myself. One of the volunteers looked at me funny, but I was undeterred. I did this when I got my flu shot last September when I was still in New York City. It did the trick back then and worked its charm today.
While I waited a photographer from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution approached me and asked if he could take pictures of me getting the vaccine. I readily agreed. If I'm going to get my picture in the paper it should be for some kind of good deed. It should appear in tomorrow's edition. Hopefully they spell my name right.
I then went into the clinic to get processed at the registration desk and then went back out to be escorted to the front door. But there was one problem. I wasn't given a vaccination card at the registration desk nor did any of the volunteers have one. After some hesitation, one of the volunteers figured there would be one in the vaccination area and she was correct.
I actually enjoyed having my picture taken during the vaccination. It made me feel like a celebrity with my own personal paparazzi. I just hope I don't look goofy in these pictures.
From there I went into the waiting room, turned in my paperwork and sat for 15 minutes before I was free to go.
Aside from some mild soreness in my left arm and feeling a little warmer than I would like I don't have any significant ill-effects. I'll take a little soreness and a little excess warmth over getting COVID, being hospitalized and put into morgue any day of the week.
My second Moderna shot is scheduled for May 13th - four weeks from today. Barring any unforeseen circumstances (such as a pause in the administration of the Moderna vaccine) this means I will be fully vaccinated just in time for Memorial Day Weekend. Yay!!!
Come Memorial Day Weekend, I plan to resume bowling more regularly and getting out beyond Midtown Atlanta. I've been here almost six months and have yet to step foot in Downtown Atlanta. I'll probably use the MARTA a little more frequently. The only time I used it was when I took the train up to Buckhead to get my COVID test back in December. I hope to soon use the MARTA for more pleasant things like a jaunt to Decatur.
Mind you, even when fully vaccinated, I still plan to wear my mask in public until Dr. Fauci or Dr. Walensky say there is no further need to do so. Most folks in Georgia don't wear a mask outdoors. But I've never shaken the habit I acquired in New York of not going out in public without my mask.
COVID-19 isn't done with us, but for the most part Americans are better off now than we were six months ago. As for me, I'm certainly better off today than I was yesterday. One down, one to go.
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