a peek inside the fishbowl

Is it just me, or is getting your flu shot is a heck of a lot easier now that you can get it done at your local pharmacy? No more calling and booking appointments, no more driving to the doctor’s, no more bad music in the waiting room. All I need to do is walk down the street to Shopper’s Drug Mart, fill out a form, flash my health card, wait until the pharmacist is free (it’s never been more than five minutes), and roll up my sleeve. Plus, there’s this:

Does it hurt to get the flu shot?

No more than any other vaccination! In other words, it hurts a tiny bit but it’s over quickly. I hate getting shots but I do it because I know it’s a smart thing to do, not just for my own health, but to protect those around me (including a few senior citizens.) This part of the deal is nothing to sneeze at. It’s your call if you don’t care about being knocked out by the flu, but there are other people to think about. If you grocery shop, take the bus, work outside the home, eat in restaurants, go to the library…. basically, SEE PEOPLE, TOUCH THINGS, or BREATHE, you can infect anyone around you.

According to the CBC, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says the following people are at high-risk of influenza-related complications or hospitalization:

• Pregnant women;
• Adults and children with chronic health conditions;
• Residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities;
• People 65 years of age and older;
• Children younger than 60 months of age;
• Indigenous peoples.

That’s not exactly a short list. Getting the flu isn’t just an extended rest on the couch and a Netflix binge. According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, approximately 3,500 people die of influenza-related issues each year in Canada. In Ontario, there are approximately 1,365 influenza-associated deaths per year in Ontario.

If you want to take a deep dive into the numbers, you can. Ottawa Public Health publishes up to date reports that highlight all kinds of information, including the number of laboratory-confirmed cases, flu shots delivered year-over-year, dominant strains and their peak “activity periods,” and more. (Go to this page and scroll down for the reports.)

Did you get your flu shot this year? Will you? Why or why not? I’d love to hear about your experience.

A couple weeks ago I was the lucky winner of an Instagram contest hosted by Ottawa photographer, Roland Bast. The prize was a charcuterie board and cocktails for two at Zoe’s Lounge, which is located inside the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

I was so thrilled to win. I’ve been dying to check this place out for YEARS and somehow never got around to it. And when I learned that Zoe’s had been renovated, I was even more keen to experience this sophisticated downtown destination.

I made a reservation and planned it all out with Mark. He works downtown, so we were going to meet up after work for a long-overdue date night.

It turned out that our date night was a particularly bitter and cold evening, but the sight of the old Chateau warmed me right up. It’s a gorgeous building, with so much history. We were itching to kickstart our evening and we scampered inside and made a beeline to Zoe’s.

Zoe’s is pretty much the perfect place to people watch, but it’s also a good place to simply let the world go by. We chose seats near the big window facing Rideau Street. Mark faced outward, and as it got darker and the street lights came on he watched buses pass by full of commuters and passers-by hurry to escape the chill. I was on a comfy couch and faced inward, toward the room. I watched well-heeled couples deep in conversation, and dark-suited young men watching the game. A mother and her young son ate dinner together. Girlfriends met for cocktails after a day of shopping.

We had plenty of time to defrost and disconnect from the wider world as we made our way through a delicious charcuterie board (the server had very good cheese know how!) and excellent cocktails.

My photos don’t do it justice, but a good charcuterie board is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the stomach. This was both! Unfortunately the lighting was dim and it made for a challenging photo op! (No complaints here though.)

Our food was great. The ambiance was pleasant and unhurried. We could have sat there longer but we had to get home and feed the dog. Sigh.

Is it weird to say that our short visit has stayed with me? It was bitterly cold that evening but, somehow, it was the perfect night to go out. It is such a nice treat to take a few moments to slow down during the busiest time of year. It was a gift, really. To have a few quiet moments to ourselves is something I’d like to do more often. To reconnect over a shared plate of great food and drink was, of course, a bonus. :)

A note: if you’re worried about parking, don’t be. We met up right after work, around 5 p.m., and there was plenty of street parking in the Byward Market at that time. (In fact, where I parked it’s free after 5:30!)

Thank you Roland and Zoe’s for a great night out! We will be back.

Ladies, if he:

– Isn’t that into you but seems pretty hung up on his mother
– Talks to dead people
– Has three dogs, names them all Pat
– Keeps a meticulous diary

He’s not your man. He’s the 10th PM of Canada, W.L. Mackenzie King.https://t.co/MsNoJuOoIN

— LibraryArchivesCanada (@LibraryArchives) November 28, 2018

• My beautiful death, torontolife.com
• Canadian Tire Pushes Back Against Gender Stereotypes With New Toy Ad, huffingtonpost.ca
• You’re raw meat for a food industry that knows how to get you to spend more to feed your family, theglobeandmail.com
• What I Learned From Tracking My Spending for a Month, nytimes.com
• How Restaurants Got So Loud, theatlantic.com

On the nightstand: The Rules of Magic: A Novel