Have you guys gotten your flu shot yet this year? My DF read an article about how someone our age passed away in the bay area from it within a week of getting sick and immediately demanded that we both go down to the nearest pharmacy and get our flu shots. After arguing back and forth trying to convince him that I didn’t need it, we ended up in his car on our way to CVS.

I know my line of work is pretty much the worst thing ever when it comes to getting sick. Being stuck inside of a long metal tube with recycled air for x amount of hours isn’t exactly the best environment for staying healthy. I mean, who knows what you can catch from all of those passengers!?

Apparently, there have already been 95 reported deaths from the flu this year as opposed to 5 last year. That’s insane.

Side note: I’ve never gotten a flu shot before. Like… ever.

Back to the story. We’re at CVS and there’s one older lady in front of us waiting to get her flu shot as well. I’m looking around wondering if there’s another room that they take people to give shots to, but I see no such thing. Who gives you the shot, anyways? I’ve never been one to be scared of shots or needles. I used to donate my blood every couple of months at UCLA.

As I’m sitting in what I thought to be a waiting chair, a man in a white lab coat comes out and asks if I mind and that he’s going to be giving the older lady a shot first. “Of course I don’t mind,” I tell him. He’s lingering over me longer than normal, until I finally put the pieces together. The chair that I’m sitting in is not a “waiting chair.” That’s where they give the shots! Right out in the open, just like that.

I get up and let the guy do his thing. He’s trying to explain to her that they’re out of the normal flu shot and the one that he’ll be injecting is the intradermal one. I’m standing to the side, eavesdropping on their conversation since I’ll be next. Instead of just injecting a part of the dead virus, they’ll be giving us the entire virus. If you’ve never had the flu shot before or are older, you’ll be more prone to getting the symptoms right after the shot.

The older lady freaks out a bit and ultimately decides that she doesn’t want the shot. She tells the guy that she needs to discuss this with her doctor before taking further action. She basically bolts out of the door without getting the flu shot. The guy then looks at us and goes, “Okay, who’s next?”

My DF is now hesitant in getting the shot after seeing the first lady decline it. My DF keeps looking back at me asking me, “Do YOU want it? What do YOU think? I don’t know anymore… I don’t want to get symptoms…”

In the end, I’m the one that sits in the chair first to get it over with. My DF finally follows suit and gets his shot as well. Days after, neither of us have any symptoms. The only downside is that neither of us can feel our left arms. The lightest touch sends us falling to the floor, crying out in pain.

Bottom Line? Getting your flu shot isn’t that bad. Just be mindful that you’ll have a dead arm for the next couple of days.

As long as I have my blog, you can bet your bottom dollar on endless banana bread recipes. Every recipe is slightly different from the next and seems so promising. Plus, there are always brown spotted bananas to get rid of. This recipe has to be one of my favorite banana bread recipes (top 5) and the chocolate chips add a nice touch.

I received some nuts from SunRidge Farms and thought that the walnuts would be perfect for the streusel. These nuts from SunRidge farms are organic, natural, and non-GMO. I find the resealable bags extremely convenient since I hardly ever use an entire bag of nuts at once. I don’t need to use any clips or ziploc bags to keep the nuts fresh.

Not only that, but their packaging is BPA-free! Their snacks are produced in a solar-powered manufacturing facility, so they’re also environmentally friendly. Delicious tasting snacks that are good for the environment and your body– now that’s a win-win situation.

This recipe comes from Annie’s City Kitchen.