I got my first Covid 19 shot

Friday March 19th is the day the Covid 19 pandemic has started to end for me. About a week or so ago the governor of the state of New York declares that it is time for everyone who is sixty and above to finally get their Covid 19 shot. Sometime a little while later Teri is on line finding times for her and I to go. Teri will later ripe Nastia a little for not showing any ambition finding out if her job will allow her to get one. I quietly think that if it wasn't for Teri lining up the shots for her and I, I might have never gotten one. So I guess there is a little of me in Nastia. Teri got her shot on March 4th at nie in the morning. She went to the Pomona Health Center, building A and it was over very quickly she said. Friday morning I get up a little early and I'm ready to leave by 8:00 for my 9-9:15 appointment. I want to be early, so I don't miss the time I'm supposed to be there. I don't know if they let late people get in line past their appointment. I get to building A in Pomona at about 8:20. The Sheriff's patrol is there and they have their lights flashing and they are ready for action. The parking lot is empty, maybe a dozen cars are in it. I pull around to the far end of the lot, near the police cars before pulling into the parking lot. The Sheriff waves me to stop and tells me the building opens at 9AM. I look over to the doors and there is no one there, I park. A little while later someon else parks next to me. In these Covid time I'm a little irritated that they have parked near me in an empty parking lot. I look up to the doors and see one person in a red jacket standing there. I get out of thecar. The people next to me do the same and they walk a little quicker then I do. They pass a women with a clip board who tells them it is still early and they should wait in their car. They tell me what she said. Yesterday it poured rain and today it is very windy, gusting up to at least 40 mph, so I turn around and go back to my car.I sit down and notice the line has gone from one to almost nine people. Frig this I think and get back out of my car. I get on line, the wind blows and I grab my hat before I have to chase it across the lawn of Robert Yeager Health center. I'm warm, except for my neck and ears. I got a hair cut about a week ago and of course the temperature falls and my neck hasw no hair on it, so it's cold. I have a vest on under my jacket, hands in pocket, so mostly I'm good. This women infront of me, jacket open, I hear her say she is freezing and has never been this cold before. I look at her open loose, light spring jacket and wonder what she was dressing for. I feel bad for her, but I'm warm so mostly my concern is a distant unexpressed thing, I'm a cold bastard some times, except this time I'm really not cold, I'm toasty. The door open about 9:19. I'd been standing on the line for about forty minutes. A women comes outside and says, "Everyone with a nine o'clock appointment step to the right. I raise my hand, then quickly put it down and move to the right like everyone else. Everyone moves to the right infront of me except for the girl who was freezing. I walk past her, she doesn't move, I think maybe she has frozen in place. I go inside, show my page Teri printed out for me with my appointment on it.(Thank you again, Teri) I get my temperture taken and I'm told to follow the signs. I stop at a second station where an idoit is saying she is a critical worker and she should get the shot, she has no proof. I'm cleared and I think the no proof girl is also cleared. I don't care either way as long as this pandamic will come to

an end. I swing around in a big loop and I'm back at the front doors. I don't look to see if chilly girl is still standing out there. I'm shown into a large room I bye passed on my first trip around. I wait for a moment until the women in the pancho shows me where to get my shot. I step behind curtin number six and sit down. Some quick paper work and some questions are asked. I take off all of that warm clothing. The cold antiseptic is rubbed on my arm and a very light, very small, I almost didn't feel it prick of my skin and it's over. I look at the Indian women giving me the shot and ask, "that's it?" she says yes and I proceed to gather up all of the paperwork and my clothing I tookm off to move on as quickly as possible so the next person can get there shot. Hopefuly chilly girl is inside by now. I'm told to take a seat and wait for fifteen minutes to see if I have a bad reaction to the shot. I'm very into my

head at this point. I'm thinking, gee, I was light headed before I sat down, wait light headed is not one of the after affects. I check to see how I feel, my head, my stomach, legs and I'm checking for the slightest odd feeling. I'm so caught up in this that I think obsessive thinking could be a side affect. I calm down and decide to read and pull out my phone. Fifteen minutes later I get up and put my vest and jacket on. As I'm walking out of the building my zipper splits and I start to wonder if chilly girl and karma just evened the score. /

Wednesday and COVID shots and St Patty's Day and Matt coming over for dinner

Wednesday, Teri got her first COVID 19 shot. She said later in the day her arm hurt. Her second shot is April 4th.I go for my first on Friday. Wednesday is also St Patrick's day and Teri is making corned beef in the crock pot.It's amazing how good it comes out cooked like that.

A few days ago, I had a talk with Nastia about Brandon needing to come over. Afterwards as I passed Elena's room, on my way to bed, I told Elena that she and Matt had been dating longer then Nastia and Brandon and Matt needed to come over for dinner too. Well she invites him over for dinner on St.Patrick's day. Before dinner Nastia, Elena and I go bowling. We are in the hunt, trying to move up in the standing. In December we were in last place, in an eight team league. We have managed to move up to sixth. For the last few weeks we have been chasing the fifth place team and I thought this week was going to be the week we move ahead of them.We bowled good enough to beat the other team in the first game. In the second Nastia and aElena bowled better than they did in the first, but I didn'tand we lost the second game by twenty-three pins. So maybe next week.

Nastia and I head home in my car. Elena takes her car and drives home. Matt shows up about seven-thirty with dessert, a box of canollis and a bag of Lindt chocolates. A nice touch by him. I immediately declare him my favorite future son in law.Yes, I'd been drinking a little.Nastia had decided to join me in drinking. She made herself a raspberry vodka and lemonade. When it came time for serving dinner, we serve it in a very relaxed fashion, from the kitchen. I tell Elena to serve herself first and then Matt to go figuring that it might make Matt a little more comfortable. Teri over rules this and he goes first. I saw him standing there with his arms acrossed in a bit of a defensive posture. I wanted him to feel comfortable as soon as possible. I hate this awkward stage in getting to know someone. I remember it well with my fist girlfriend and also with Teri's parents. With Teri's parents I was a little older and still didn't handled it was well as I could have. I kept whispering dirty jokes to Teri. We all sit down to dinner and the conversation is fun and everyone is having a good time. There were a few good laughs and I wish I remembered what they were. At dinner, Nastia has a large glass of raspberry vodka and lemonade. I have my beer. I don't drink as much as I used to so now alot of times I'll buy the beer with the highest alcohol content, less beer, same buzz. So Nastia and I are most likely drunk as we sit down to dinner. The difference is I've been doing this for decades and have learned to

mostly keep the thoughts that shouldn't come out from coming out. Nastia not so much. I don't remember what she said but by the end of dinner I'd taken her drink and asked her to come into the kitchen. I don't think it was outragous what she said, it might have just been too much. After dinner Elena askes me to take out the pictures like I did for Nastia and Brandon. Matt and Elena sit on the living room side of the table, Elena is leaning into him, you know the way new young couples do when it is all new and exciting. They click through the pictures and videos I've taken over the last eleven years. The one after dinner conversation I do remmeber is Matt talked about how he was adopted at, I think 18 months, from a jewish adoption service from Ukraine. He did a DNA test and his backround turned out to have some asian in it. He couldn't remember what else there was in it. He did say he was surprised there is no Russian in it. Inspired, I took out the DNA tests I'd gotten for the girls two years ago and they didn't want to take because they didn't know what would be done with their DNA and I got them both to spit into the tubes. I sealed them up and sent them out. I hope I didn't confuse the tests..... Matt bought over canollis, so we had them for dessert. Around ten or so Matt is walked out to his car by Elena. The night is a total success. I've never seen Elena display such open affection towards someone in all the years I've known her. The mysterious book of Elena has cracked open again this evening and I am very pleased to see that. Later in the evening I'm heading up to bed, I lean into Elena's room and tell her that tonight was a very nice night. I figure she is talking to Matt and he'd hear. On my way to bed, Elena says, "good night" a moment later she says, "and Matt says good night". So he heard and that is a good thing. He's maybe the one for her and she for him and that would be OK. /