I got my flu shot yesterday, and I feel kind of blah today, which I had planned on. I scheduled the shot when I had a couple of days with nothing going on. I’m never entirely sure if the blah I feel the day or so after the shot is psychosomatic — I expect to feel that way, so I do — if I’m just ascribing ordinary tiredness to the shot, or if it really does make me feel a bit icky. Last night, in spite of all my sleep preparations, I didn’t sleep well, and I woke up during the night feeling a very mild form of the kind of aches I tend to get with the flu. Today I just feel like I could fall asleep at any moment. So I’m taking it easy today. I’d already planned to mostly do some work-related reading.

I know of people who resist getting flu shots because they believe the shot will make them sick. I’ve had the flu, and it’s hundreds of times worse than the mild ick from the shot. Plus, I look at that mild ick as a feature, not a bug. It’s an excuse to have a lazy day or two. Is there something you’d really rather not do? “I just got my flu shot, so I’m not really feeling up to it today.” It’s permission to spend a day or so lying on the sofa and reading.

And this is supposedly going to be a pretty brutal flu season.

I just wish today were going to be more the kind of day when it would be ideal to lie on the sofa with a book. It’s hot and sunny. Fall is supposedly on the way, and I hope I didn’t jinx it by buying supplies for fall baking and cooking yesterday. I have ingredients for a couple of different soups and some breads and muffins. I may even declare the first somewhat chilly day a holiday.