"I'll Take A Pumpkin Spice Latte & An H1N1 Shot."

Coming from the U.S., I am always amazed by the easy and free access to health care up here in Canada. It was never so easy to get seen and checked out in the states, at least in my experience.

There were always referrals that needed to be gotten, which usually required calling doctor's and leaving messages in the hopes that they would get it and mail it to you. E.R. visits for a simple UTI would take HOURS. Then, after having booked appointments WEEKS in advance, I always loved having to sit around and wait an hour to see a doctor. Oh, and prescriptions... Who doesn't love paying $120 of your own money for an acne cream?

Good times. Good times.

That's why whenever "flu shot season" came around wherever I worked, I would always get the shot. It was free. Work would pay for it. And even though I always get sick from flu shots, I would still get it.

Something medical-related that was free? I was all over that! And I still haven't broken free of that mentality...

At about 1:45pm yesterday, I decided to pop out to Starbucks for my 50th Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. (Side note: My rule is that when I hit #50, I am not allowed anymore for the season.) I got my sweet concoction and walked back to my office building.

Once in the lobby, I noticed a sign that read:

H1N1 Vaccines

Suite 501

8am-5pm

I decided to go check it out.

I walked into the doctor's office and was in shock by how beautiful it was. Clean, white and modern. There was a flat screen TV on the wall playing Friends. The latest issue of fashion glossies in tidy piles. I went up to the desk...

"You're giving H1N1 shots here?" I inquired.

"Yep," said the receptionist. "If you give me your health card, I can take you back to the doctor to get one."

I took out the green card with my picture on it, filled out a form, and then was taken back to a beautiful room with lounge chairs. A handsome British-accented doctor smiled at me.

"Are you here for the 'white magic'?" he asked.

I laughed.

"Is that, like, um, Botox?" I asked. "Or did you mean the H1N1 shot?"

He held up a syringe, and I assumed it was an H1N1 vaccine. But it could have been Botox. So I let him tell me what to do.

"Are you left-handed or right-handed?" he asked.

I raised my right hand. So he came at me from the left.

A few seconds later I was pricked by the handsome British-accented doctor (with the needle). I was told to sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes to make sure I didn't have any kind of a reaction to the shot.

In total, I was out of the office for about 25 minutes. The length of an extended coffee break.

Now, let's see if I get sick...