Wistful Wednesday

I made sure to get up nice and early and make myself a terrific breakfast today. I was showered up and scrubbed my left arm to a high sheen. There were reports of more people fainting because they didn’t eat before and the recent heatwave so I wanted to make sure I was fed and watered and ready to rock. I had the route all mapped out but found some bonus construction, maybe I should be using Waze like my phone keeps suggesting. The instructions were very explicit that you should not be early for the appointment, that was going to be a challenge for me. I ended up being seven minutes early but waited in my truck until I was only two minutes early and then made the walk to the door in the rain. I confirmed my name and appointment time with the two security guards and then answered the COVID screening questions asked by a woman in a very small kiosk. After her barrage of questions, that I’d reviewed before leaving, I was directed to another girl in a box. This one had a computer. She asked for my health card and my demographic card. She asked me what exemption I booked with. That is only relevant because everyone I talked to who was encouraging me to book early said they don’t ask such questions, just honour system. Luckily my exemption was valid and I was allowed to proceed. This time the plucky young girl wasn’t in a box, she led me down an aisle with a number of booths (6 on either side) to the first one on the left. There was a chair and three walls. The back wall was about four feet across and featured a large digital clock. The side walls were about eighteen inches, just enough to give some privacy if you needed it. I took a seat as directed and found a young paramedic rolling up in an office chair dragging a cart loaded with medical supplies. I was asked which arm I’d like it in. I have been told that your arm hurts for a day or two after, as if you’d been punched in the same spot repeatedly. Just like that nameless game we used to play in grade school. I chose the left and as such I had to spin my chair around the other way to face the rest of the room. Before I knew what happened I was being handed a sticker with my release time on it. I didn’t feel any pick but did look in time to see him depress the plunger. There was no blood and there was no mark. If I hadn’t stolen that glance I’d have questioned if I got it or not. He confirmed my email for the receipt and then rolled on to the next person. It was very efficient. When my fifteen minutes were up I followed the arrows on the floor to another girl in a kiosk who asked me to confirm I got my receipt email and then wished me a good day. I was out of there twenty minutes after I went in. Very efficient, as I said. I rushed home in the rain to in my seat for the start of day two of the meeting.

It wasn’t all roses and vaccinations though. I had a slew of questions again from customers looking for their last item. I really can’t wait until this stuff arrives and I don’t have to deal with it anymore. My patience is wearing very thin. That measured email got a response and I had to deal with that situation and the border was not letting my corn go. It’s already a week late and really pissing me off now. That put a bit of a damper on my morning. Luckily lunch often cheers me up. I like to eat! Today was very similar to yesterday. It was a can of Campbell’s Chunky Potato and Bacon soup, which tasted saltier somehow, and a pizza bun. Quick, easy, filling. The afternoon was more of the same as the meeting continued. We got some interesting updates and speculation in one session. That will cause some thinking on behalf of the team. The rest was fairly mundane as meetings go. I fielded a couple calls at the end of the day and powered off around six. I was supposed to make cardboard pizza, as per D&D night tradition but it was uncertain if we’d get to play so I decided to clean up some leftovers that have been hanging around for too long. I warmed up some wedges, vegetables and leftover pasta sauce in one dish and then warmed up the leftover salmon. I didn’t notice that I had too much seasoning on the salmon when it was originally cooked but this time it wasn’t blackened enough or something, I could tell there was a thick layer on there. It was a tasty and quick meal that was just the perfect amount of filling.

We logged on for the game but due to family engagements we didn’t get everyone. We decided to postpone until the following night. Most of us just hung out and chatted anyways for a couple hours. The three of us who did are all fairly new boat owners, the other guys having got boats that day, so we chatted about that. We complained about work and generally laughed it up. The GM joined later on and joined in the fun. We went our separate ways around half nine and I didn’t dawdle. My arm was starting to hurt a bit and I wanted to carefully nestle into my bed to sleep it off. I was asleep around half ten.