A shot in the arm.

That is what I unexpectedly received this afternoon.
Last year, I went for a physical and ended up receiving a littany of vaccinations after my doctor found out that I hadn't had any shots for about seventeen years. I ended up getting shots for polio, tetanus, and hepatitis.
The hepatitis vaccination is a three-parter. You get one shot, wait one month, get another shot, wait six months, and then get the third shot. Being that I had the second shot on March 22, 2004, I guess I was due for the third one in September. Naturally, I never got around to it...that is, until this afternoon.
This afternoon I stopped by Praxis Reinacherhof to make an appointment for my third hepatitis vaccination. I was totally expecting them to tell that they'd be able to take me in about nineteen weeks. So, imagine my surprise when they told me that they'd give me the shot right away. Although, I think they were a little alarmed that I didn't have my World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination book on me (do people actually carry those around with them?). Actually, they weren't quite as alarmed as when they asked me for it a year ago when I received my first vaccinations, and I told them that I had never even heard of this book. I'm sure this episode reinforced their belief that America's health care program is second rate.
The final outcome is: I'm unofficially up to date on my vaccinations. It won't be official until I go back to the doctor's office with my little W.H.O. booklet for the doctor's stamp and signature.