Flu Shot

Flu shot 9.30am. Flu shot 9.30am. Flu shot 9.30am. Mustn’t forget. Flu shot 9.30am.

7:45am. I make Vegemite toast. Sam makes coffee.

What time do I have to leave? It has to be goldilocks time, as I want to get there right on 9.30am, so I can get in and get out without anyone knowing I was there. That is the aim.

Oh, you know, if I can get into the office willingly to have a fly shot, I can get into the office to work. That is my thinking about the sneaking about, rightly, or wrongly. The last few years of getting flu shots through work I have pulled off the stealthy in and out.

Of course, the meeting rooms where the flu shots are held are just outside my department’s doors, in fact between my department and the kitchen. Difficult, you might say? I have managed a stealthy like operation every year up until this year. So, I don’t see why this year should be any different.

I do some mental arithmetic to work out my times.

8:20am. I have a shower.

8:47am. I leave for the city.

The sun is shining. It’s a lovely day.

It’s noisy from some big truck digging out a drain, or something, as soon as I get walking.

I’m listening to Allan Alanis Morissette Under Rugged Swept. I’m still not sure that I even like her. I bet you lesbians like her.

I walk to St Vincent’s Plaza.

I catch a pretty 109 at 8:50am.

I’m sweating from that short walk up Brunswick Street, and of course that tram is heated and now I’m sweating as Alanis sings on. In fact, I think I might get off at Spring Street, or 101 Collins Street, just to get some fresh air. I am going to be early, at this rate. I might as well spend the extra time walking rather than hanging around my building. Maybe, I’ll try to get back on an old tram, as they tend to be draftier.

Swanston Street I get off.

If I’ll be too early, I might as well walk and get some exercise.

Boris called, as I cross Elizabeth Street, grrrr! It was noisy as we chatted. We’re having issues with the change over from company based storage to cloud based storage. She eventually said call her back when I can, so I felt I had to tell her I’d be in the office soon, so I’d come and see her when I get there. So much for a stealthy flu shot recognisance. Er? You know what I mean.

9:15am. I’m in the lift.

Some chick gets in after me holding the left up. I feel my fists screw into balls. Oh, I still have lift rage from all the years spend in skyscraper buildings, with idiots and lifts. Good to know.

Three guys get in really late, one holds the door open for someone else, OH MY GOD, my head says, but I can’t complain because of how cute he is. My favourite look, dark hair, bright eyes and smiley and full of confidence. And a very nice beefy toosh in his blue suit pants. I forget about everything as I gaze upon his arse handsome face, true.

Shake of the head as the lift opens on my floor.

I go see Boris, but she’s not in her office.

I head to the flu shot room, 9.20am. I guess it doesn’t matter now if I wait around. I see Boris and The PonyTail coming out of the kitchen. Oh, I always get a slight chill when I see The PonyTail, and now in a good way. She asks me if I’m having a flu shot, not exactly sure why.

I get my flu shot straight away. No one is waiting, like previous years. They say vaccination rates are down, I wonder if I am seeing it first hand? The flu shot giver seems pleased that I am there, as if business has been slow.

“Sign here,” she says.

I see The PonyTail is the previous person to me to get the jab.

Have I had flu shots before.

Yes.

Am I allergic to…

No.

All the usual questions.

Do I prefer either arm.

No.

Then there is a short, sharp prick. Like some unfortunate boys I have known in the past.

I go chat to Boris. Where trying to sort out this new cloud based storage drive. The instructions have been poor, the training no so much better. Everyone seems to be struggling. But, you know, there is one thing Boris is good at, problem solving. She’s tenacious. Me? Not so much, because I just don’t give a shit. Good that one of us is.

She’s really pissed off at Chip Swell yelling at her when she was floundering and asked for help with this file drive change over.

She tells me that not so long ago there were some old historical journal entries which she wanted to sort out, and she asked The Midget for some details on them and The Midget screamed at her too.

She rolled her eyes and said, “You can scream all you like, but after you have stopped screaming, there is still going to be a problem with which I need some help.”

“Are they under stress?”

“Maybe they are, well, Chip Swell was overseeing our departments training and drive change over, and maybe they are not, but it’s just not good enough, being screamed at.”

I got the impression that, maybe, Boris wasn’t going to put up with such treatment going forward.

We looked at Boris’s computer set up, as she has the new drives up and running.

“I should have bought my laptop with me.”

“Oh, well, we’ll get it sorted, we have to now.”

“The deadline was shift from April 30th, I think until May 15th.”

“Oh, was it,” she said. “I didn’t see that email.”

“Yeah, we have a couple of more weeks.”

“Is that why the panic seems to have died down out there,” she said. She indicted to the open plane department beyond her office.

9:40am. I’m walking home. The sun is shining. I’m feeling really relaxed. You know that feeling when you are out in the fresh air on a gorgeous sunny day and you aren’t hurried to do anything beyond just walk in it and enjoy it? You know that feeling? Sauntering along in the sunshine, not a care.

9:44am. I walk to Elizabeth Street and get on a number 11 when it comes along. I should keep walking but with free public transport I am enjoying claiming my home tram stop of Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street off the number 11 tram.

9:56am. I’m at St Vincent Plaza and the sun is shining in the tram windows beautifully.

9:58am. I get off the tram at my tram stop. Lovely, isn’t it, I think. Home again.

I run across Brunswick Street in front of the tram, actually two, one coming from each direction, in the sun.

I buy a muffin at the bakery.

10.05am. I am home.

Boris calls me. We get onto teams. I share my screen. 

“If you just go to the drive teams.”

“Okay.”

“Click on that file.”

“Okay.”

“And that file.”

“Okay.”

“I think you just have to setup a second short cut.”

“There are two shortcuts to be setup?”

“Yes, I know, noting in the training mentions a second short cut.”

“Okay. Done.”

“Now go to your computer drive.”

“Okay.”

“There. Yay!” says Boris. “It’s loading.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“It’s just good to get it sorted.”

“We have a meeting with The Midget about the US office,” I say.

“Oh yes,” says Boris. “I’m not sure what she wants now, really I am not.”

I swapped over files, now that my new cloud based drive worked. Really, just in time for the April 30th deadline, even if it has been extended for two weeks.

I was behind all day. I was behind at the end of the day. It appears that taking a sick day Monday has had an effect.

Nyr! So, what? Who cares? I’ll catch up Monday. I’ll worry about it then.