I'm like a toddler when it comes to needles. I use needles and syringes on a daily basis at the lab, to measure out liquids and inject them into my reactions. They never come in contact with me and I freak out when I think I've poked through my glove with one (mostly because I don't work with the most friendly of chemicals). The flu shot comes in a needle and this is why I avoid getting them.
There are two reasons why I have decided that this is the year I get a flu shot. I spent the last seven years working in an academic lab. This meant seeing the same five people day in and day out. I was rarely in contact with anyone from the outside world. I lived in a safe, little, germ-free lab. Suffice it to say, my immune system is low from not being exposed to lots of worldly germs.
The second reason that I need a flu shot is simple. I am a commuter now and there seem to be lots of sick people on the train. Every mornin an night, there are people coughing and sneezing, looking all miserable and sick. Aside from not touching anything on the train, I think the flu shot is a good line of defense against sickness this winter.
The posters around the office, telling me to SIGN UP! are making me feel like I really should. Does this mean that summer is over? Sad day.