Time flu by

I don't watch much TV news and even with that limited exposure I've seen endless stories about getting the much-hyped flu shot.. ohhhhh, yes the H1N1 (otherwise known as Hiney) shot. My Dr has asked me if I wanted one and you see ads for them in all the major drug stores. I was just in there the other day and felt a urge to bow to the hype but I didn't..

I have to admit I HATE seeing news reports of people getting shots. The camera always zooms in on the point of puncture (POP) and you have to watch some poor 7-year-old start screaming while his parent comforts him. I can recall the one time I took my son in for shots he didn't make a sound..(I guess I was proud - what a HE man?).. I've had hundreds of shots including those dreaded air gun injections in the military. They warn you -- "DON'T FLINCH"... I did once and it tore a very nice one inch slice in my upper arm. The worst experience was a bicillin shot in the hip to give you immunity against everything in the US Navy's universe. Everything except a sore ass/hip. That needle must have gone in 3 inches and hurt like hell. Our squad was supposed to go to the rec area and work off the stiffness.. I didn't go because I had "duty".. I was almost crippled for a week after that.. Did some serious limping through the obstacle course that next day..

As far as the flu, the last time I had anything close to that was during the 1976 Winter Olympics. I can remember this experience. I was a newlywed going to college on the GI Bill and stuck in my 3rd-floor walk up apartment sick as a dog. I recall the Olympics being on our crackling TV with a green haze on the screen. It was hosted by Jim McKay and he was wearing one of those dickie turtlenecks. He was on the screen all the time and my wife and I used to race each other to the bathroom which should have been an Olympic event on its own. We called it the McKay flu..There were no flu shots back in that time period..Doubt it would have made a difference...

My throat is scratchy.. Hide the turtlenecks...