Think of it as a quest
Think of it as a quest. When trying to find something put in place by a government agency, the final destination must (it’s the law) be hidden from the hunter.
We took the time to find out where the flu shot clinic for 2012 would be held. The newspaper suggested the local mall. The security guard at the mall suggested trying upstairs, at the medical clinic. The receptionist at the clinic suggested coming back in a week or two, when shots would be available from one of the physicians, for $20. Another security guard suggested a medical clinic, across town. And I, based on the experience from last year, decided to try an obscure long term care hospital with clinic space in the basement. And there it was.
We arrived in time to join an outdoor queue, which moved quickly. A long meander down a ramp, around a curve with some minor paperwork, an interview with a nurse who confirmed that we fit the “eligible group” and a final dash to the finish line. Bare the arm, breathe deeply, ignore the quick puncture and wait for a final fifteen minutes (to see if we would collapse in anaphylactic shock). No need to be resuscitated: we could leave.
In a perfect world, the government would simply blitz the media with a schedule and location. In our world, you try to figure out where things might be this time around. I sympathize with organizers. Where is the cheapest, least accesible place you could hide the neeedle squad? Good. Keeps the clientele on task.
