Almost November
I am so happy to see the NaBloPoMo sign-ups trickling in. We have 13 participants as of right now and part of me hopes it stays this way – because it’s a manageable number, haha – but I remember that in previous years, the start was kind of slow and then more and more people committed to it in the first few days. So, we’ll see how it goes this year, but I want you all to know I am excited that you’re doing this with me again!
do not recommend
Listen to me carefully when I say: I do not recommend getting six vaccinations all at once, especially if it includes the vaccine against Shingles.
Jon and I went in for our annual flu/Covid shots last Saturday at our local pharmacy and upon signing in were informed that we were also due for other vaccinations. When they rattled off mine, I thought they were going to ask me to come back for some of them, but nope, they said that I could get them all at the same time. I was a bit skeptical, but since I usually haven’t had any bad reactions to vaccines and after they reassured me twice that it was okay, I plopped own on the chair and said ‘let’s get it over with’.
Friends, I was expecting some tenderness in my upper arms and maybe a little fatigue, but the pharmacist gave me NO warning. I was knocked out for three days (did not go to work and had to completely stop my training) and I am just barely recovered now (and we’re going on day 6). My right arm – the one with the hepatitis B, Shingles, and Pneumonia shots – is still red, hot and swollen, although I can finally lift it normally again. This has not been fun, is what I am saying. Do not recommend.
VOTE
If you’re in the US, here’s your reminder to vote! Election Day is on Tuesday, but there is still time to drop off your ballot and vote early! Jon and I had planned to drop off our ballots last week already, but things got busy and we didn’t get around to it, but we’re planning to drop them off tomorrow! I know that working through the voter guide and familiarizing yourself with the propositions takes time and not all of it is easy to understand, but only an informed citizenry is a powerful citizenry. Please take this duty seriously and get your voice heard!
Time to change the clocks
Don’t forget it’s time to “fall back” this weekend! Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, so we’ll change our clocks back one hour and gain an extra hour of sleep. It’ll also be light earlier again in the morning (at least for a little while). Germany already changed their clocks last weekend, so I already got an early reminder that the time change was coming.
Halloween
I have previously mentioned that I am not the biggest fan of Halloween. I don’t decorate and I will be skipping the Halloween Chili-Cook-off and Costume Contest at work today (pssst!). I do enjoy the Halloween decorations in the neighborhood – the whimsical skeleton displays, not the gory scenes – and I will be putting out candy for the kids tomorrow. I am also planning to watch a Halloween movie (I’ve had Hocus Pocus 2 on my to-watch list for a couple of years now), but that will be the extent of my Halloween participation.
However, I wanted to share this cute recipe for “Halloween Amerikaner” (Halloween Americans). An “Amerikaner” is a classic German bakery pastry (don’t ask me why they were named that). It has a soft, dome-shaped spongy crumb with a flat bottom, which is iced after baking and served upside down. It is traditionally topped with a white lemon glaze, and in this case, decorated for Halloween. Don’t they look pretty?!
Have a great weekend, and don’t get spooked tomorrow!
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