Giveaway: $25 gift card.

by

I had the second COVID-19 shot on April Fool’s Day, two days after my most recent post. Felt okay for a while, meh by the end of the day, and uncomfortable enough to spend  the next two days mostly lying down, either napping or reading.

Was better on Sunday, took care of business Monday through Wednesday (even started writing a post), and on Thursday felt myself sliding back into mehville: fatigue, slightly sore throat, mild headache. Got one of those nice arm rashes, too. 

Now, one day later, I’m feeling a bit better. Well enough to put up a post, anyway. But when I sat down to finish the post I started writing on Wednesday, the crummy feeling returned. This could be my body telling me to stop staring at the screen for a while. Or it could be just plain old work avoidance.

Thus I decided on a giveaway, even though I’d done one fairly recently. Completely playing the COVID card: I just don’t feel like writing. Besides, most people are pretty cheerful about the chance to win some retail scrip.

What kind? That’s up to the winner. Any retailer that will let me send an e-gift card is fair game.

 

I’d planned to do another Alaska-themed giveaway, given how well the Denali Dreams one went. Maybe some more of those Chugach Chocolates, I thought. But then my daughter mentioned that the temperature broke 100* in Phoenix recently. While hers is an extreme clime, it’s been in the 80s (or higher) in quite a few places lately. When I pictured those lovely chocolates melting in a hot delivery van, it makes me very sad.

Gift cards, on the other hand, don’t melt. Not easily, anyway.

 

How to enter this giveaway

As usual, it’s fairly simple to throw your hat into the virtual ring:

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry (e.g., “Subscribed via e-mail” or “Follow you on Twitter”).

The deadline to enter this giveaway is 7 p.m. PDT Friday, April 16. If I haven’t heard back from the winner by 7 p.m. PDT Saturday, April 17, I’ll send the random number generator out in search of a new recipient.

Note: Although I griped a bit about the shot at the beginning of this post, I’m begging everyone to get vaccinated. The side effects weren’t that bad. And even if they had been, I’d still be recommending the shot anyway. After all, I have a very personal reason for wanting to get the world protected from this awful virus.

*The weather here has gone a bit squirrelly. For the past few mornings the temperature has been anywhere from 2.7 to 5 degrees when I get up in the morning. And it’s April! And we’re at sea level! As my niece pointed out, we know this sort of thing is possible. Having it happen is like a slap in the face, though. #ColdSlap

Please follow and like us:

120 thoughts on “Giveaway: $25 gift card.”

  4. Sorry to hear you didn’t feel too great after the shot. I’ve heard so many different descriptions of after effects from absolutely none to shaking with a fever so I’m a bit concerned about the possible reaction I may get when I receive my second shot the week after next. However like you, I feel the discomfort is well worth the alternative. My husband, by the way, had a moderate reaction of fatigue with the first shot and nothing with the second. He had been very sick in January of 2020 and after hearing the symptoms of the virus swore up and down he had had it. Maybe. An interesting note…the nurse who administered his second shot told him people who already had Covid experienced more side effects with the first shot than the second.

    Reply

  5. P.S. Whenever I get my hands on our local newspaper I always look to see what the weather is up in Anchorage ( My life long fascination with all things Alaska is to blame. I even subscribe to Alaska Magazine although I swore off subscriptions years ago). Today I was at my friend’s Indy bookstore where there is always a newspaper laying around and I noticed how cold it is up your way. Bundle up my friend…Spring is on it’s way, hopefully soon.

    Reply

  6. I also lost a loved one to Covid – my brother – and also advocate strongly for everyone to get the vaccine. We’ve had both of our shots and are very grateful for modern science.

    Reply

  8. Please put my name down. I get your emails.

    Hubby was laying around for 3 days with all the symptoms that people get after the 2nd one. He has other health problems, one of which is diabetes. He is also 73. It was strange for me. One day, I only got the chills for about an hour, then the same thing the next day and that was it. I am usually cold for a period each day, so don’t know if it might have been that magnified or from the shot. Anyhow, we are both great now. I really worry about all the variants going around now. It is picking up here again in PA.

    Hope you are feeling much better by now! I have heard that they don’t know if it lasts (immunity) more than 6 months, but don’t know if that is true. Seems like this will never be over!

    Reply

  9. Rest assured that your description of side effects will not deter me from my 2nd shot later this month. I follow via email. Thank you for the uplifting giveaway.

    Reply

  12. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway, & I join with others in sending good wishes & blessings for you to feel better. Sorry you were thrown under the bus of sorts.

    Reply

  17. So glad you were able to get vaccinated. It looks like it’ll be a couple more months where I am before appointments are able to be had. Would love to win the gift card. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  27. I follow you by email. I had my 2nd dose of the vax on Wed. 04/07 and my arm is STILL a little sore and slightly red but no big deal. Yesterday, bought my ticket to the country of my heart and look forward to traveling in May. I would love to win a gift card to buy food and supplies for the extremely needy folks of that country. Hope your malaise lifts so you can write again soon.

    Reply

  29. I hope you are feeling better soon. I got my first vaccine a week ago and yesterday woke up with Covid Arm (I didn’t know it was a thing until I googled it). As much as it hurts and itches, I can’t wait to get my second dose in three weeks.

    Reply

  41. April 16th is when I get my first shot! My family was able to get appointments at the same time and the same place, the megasite at the Atlantic City Convention Center. We must have hit the website right after they posted a bunch of appointments.

    Reply

  42. I had reactions to both shots. For the first shot, lasted about a day. For the second shot, I felt much worse and it was about 3 days.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    Reply

  46. I follow you on e mail.
    I’m curious as to which vaccine you got. I got the Moderna and had arm soreness and with the second shot an added headache. That is all.

    Reply

  52. Hope you feel better soon. Sorry to hear it’s so cold this spring. Reminds me of my Anchorage days in high school (West), in the 1980’s – standing at my school bus stop in the early morning, freezing, wearing a short skirt and flats. Ugh, how dumb. I think I at least wore hose back then.
    Love seeing your posts pop up in my email inbox. Thank you.

    Reply

  58. Hope you feel better soon! I just got my first shop 4 days ago. So far, so good, with just swelling and tenderness at the injection site. Hoping the second will go the same.

    Reply

  59. Thanks for the chance to win. I assume you heard Fairbanks got 18 inches of snow (at our house anyway) last weekend. It is hard to stay motivated to start seeds when our five foot fence is totally buried…

    Reply

  63. Glad you got your shots – I had no discernable reaction to either of mine ( I’m 86, and finally realized my children and grandchildren were much more worried about how I would fare than I was) so today my daughter who lives 4 hours away is having her second shot and its MY turn to worry.. I lost my husband of 66 years in February, but somehow the fact that it was not covid related makes it a bit easier. I just re-read your letter to your brother. Donna, your writing is always spot-on. Best wishes.

    Reply

  84. I just reached day 14 following my 2nd shot! I’m so grateful to the medical researchers who made it possible and the Army and FEMA personnel who staffed the mega-site where I got it. The worst could be past. I had considerable fatigue the next day and nothing else. Hope you’re feeling better, Donna!

    Reply

  85. I’m in for the gift card. I have won exactly three things in my entire life and I’m 72 years old. They were steak knives when I was 16, ballet tickets when I was in my late 40s and earrings about ten years ago. Pretty sure all of my wins were from a pool of only about five people. What the heck, my luck might change. 😀

    Reply

  86. I’m with you about the importance of getting vaccinated. It’s encouraging to see how many readers have gotten their shots already. Good-bye COVID-19!

    Reply

  91. I am an email subscriber. Hope this finds ya feeling better from vac. symptoms. Much appreciation for the gift card giveaway. A good week be yours!

    Reply

  92. Sweet! I’m still in time!

    MrH and I (and one of our sons) got our first shots last Thursday, April 8. MrH and I both came home and fell asleep that afternoon, and I was tired and out of sorts Friday and slept more than usual over the weekend. The three of us are due for our second round on April 29. I’m not looking forward to potential side effects, but very much looking forward to being fully vaccinated!

    Thanks very much for the giveaway, and best of luck to all who enter.

    Reply

  94. I follow you on Twitter, and send my best wishes for a successful outcome on the bone graft and implant (both of which sound horribly unpleasant). In my case, an Amazon card is always acceptable.

    Reply

  113. Throwing one more entry in the ring, as it were, & am grateful for the prize gift card giveaway, says an email subscriber. 😉

    Reply

  114. I am getting my second shot tomorrow. I hope it goes as smoothly as the first one with no symptoms. Thank you for the giveaway.

    Reply

  115. I’m soon to get my first vaccine, hoping it goes smoothly/uneventful. I thank you for the gift card giveaway & have a restful weekend.

    Reply

Leave a Comment