Half the country has returned lockdown purgatory, there was like a week there we were allowed out and it was… Well, the mere thought of going outside fills me with dread, which is always a ride but never one I want to be on.

To a certain extent I worry that it’s a setback in terms of my ability to leave the house and socialise. While I’m quite content to stay in lockdown indefinitely, we nevertheless live in a society built of expectations I have consistently failed to meet.

There was a small victory in securing a dose of AstraZeneca a couple of weeks ago, rather than being forced to continue waiting around for Pfizer (though I do know a handful of people who have gotten ahold of it now).
Had initially been barred from AZ on account of age and heart condition and blood clot risks, but there’s a list of high risk conditions now and mine isn’t on there, so it was just a matter of informed consent. Apparently the blood clots can take up to two months to form. Fingers crossed, eh?

_{People who want to   F I G H T   the federal government: It’s me. I do.}

“Why not just get COVID if death is the ultimate goal?”
Because I don’t want to kill anybody else in the process, what kind of a monster do you take me for?

Not to be catastrophic on main or anything, but it very much is a situation of: “I genuinely would not be able to gauge the symptoms of blood-clots if they did happen.” Like?

• Are you fatigued?

Yes.

• Are you experiencing chest pain and/or shortness of breath?

Also yes.

• Do your legs hurt?

Constantly.

• Are you experiencing a headache that doesn’t ease with painkillers?

Painkillers have never once helped me; at best they do nothing and at worst I am dangerously allergic to them. Either way I haven’t taken one since 2010 and am, quite frankly, offended you would even suggest it.

• Do you have a rash that is not near the injection site?

I- it’s eczema, I swear! It is fine and normal!

• What about the abdominal pain?

L i s t e n . . .

Literally every symptom on the list is something I experience on the daily and let’s not forget that one time I threw up blood but didn’t seek medical attention because I straight up did not know that vomiting a bunch of “dirt” probably means you’re haemorrhaging internally and as soon as I figure out which one of you fucking necromancers is tethering me here rest assured I will   e n d   you.

In any case, the second dose of AZ is booked in for November. The booking system was actually really straightforward, I went through a Terry White Chemmart for whatever it’s worth.

Down at the supermarket, scanning the QR to check in, there was a second QR saying “Book Now” to which I asked myself: “Book what now?” And I fucking love QR codes (hello, yes, I’ve been known to hand draw them point-by-point with vector editing software) so gave it a scan and was rewarded a calendar of available appointments for vaccines. Booking the first appointment automatically booked the second for 12 weeks out and that was that.

_{Going to die of hayfever, but the blossoms were super nice on the walk to the pharmacy.}

The vaccine was free (is free across Australia) and there were complimentary Chupa Chups- apparently some places don’t have snacks or drinks and I need you to understand that you’re being scammed if that is the case.

Thanks for stopping by.