Good Bye July...

This is the last day of July. It wasn't a bad month.  We had a couple of really hot days & more really humid days.  This is weird, normally I'm OK with July ending.  But, this year, it's bothering me.  

This has been a weak Summer.  I didn't get near what I needed out of it.  Maybe some of that was my doing.   Neither did my yard plants.   None of them, other than mint, are doing as well as they should be.  The largest of the elephant ears are half the size they should be.  This has been a much darker, cooler Summer.

There are still some mid 90's in the forecast, not many. Summer is ending.  August is the last meteorological month of the season.  Even though the September equinox, Mabon, isn't until September 21st.   

It's taken me a long time to get to where I could deal with all the baggage that comes with my Birthday at the 1st of September.  Now, I'm having problems dealing with the entire dark half of the year.   I could let go of Halloween & Christmas.  I can get candy year round & Santa should've came earlier.  I'd gladly sleep through these months.

This morning was a bit brighter.  That helped a lot.  It got hazy soon after.   At least I got to wake up better than I have for days.  I do not appreciate this upcoming season.  I'm moving from sad, anxiousness to just being pissed off about it.  I'd gladly give up all that happens in those months just to stay in the light.

Good By July, this year you will be missed.  

Cya...

New Test & Day 4...

This article details a new test for detecting viral loads.  With the old test, it could take several days or more to get results.  This test can return them in an hour.  That would be a great help for everyone, especially those being treated at telemedicine & rural clinics.  This means quicker reactions to tests & better viral maintenance.   It's not here in the US yet, but this could really be beneficial.

It's day 4 of the morning glum.  Tomorrow is supposed to be better.   This hurts.  It's not just a matter of emotion or anxiety.  My body aches, my pulse is fast, blood pressure's higher, eyes feel swollen & my head is thudding.  I hate this weather.  

I knew it was coming last night.  I woke to go to the bathroom & my body was already reacting to it.    I fell back asleep & had a serious stress dream.  It was the 1st stress dream I've had in a while.  It wasn't even about anything stressful.  Still, I was anxious & twitchy when I  woke.

This is still July.  I'm really worried about mid-Winter.  I resent losing my bright days.  I hate the time changes.  It never makes my mornings brighter.  It just shortens the hours I have decent light.  Soon, it'll be dark by 4:30.  This drear makes me feel almost as bad as HIV ever did just in a different way.

Cya...

3rd Day Of Dismal...

For the last 3 mornings I've woke up around 6ish & it looked normal.  But, by 7:30, these damnable clouds have rolled in & gloomed up my day.  There hasn't been nearly enough rain for the amount of drear I've been forced to endure already.  

In only 3 days, all I had left of Summer light has been used up & I'm trying hard not to get into a funk.  I lay in bed & tell myself, it's just in my head.  By the time I'm up & around, I know that isn't true.  This damned drear makes me feel like crap.  I hate this. 

If the research I've been doing on light therapy doesn't pan out, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do.  I can't deal with another Winter like last year.  I just can't.  I barely made it through that & this Summer has been a weak season at best.  Most of the things I look forward about Summer failed to materialize to any decent level.  Soon, my fliers will leave & I wish I could just go with them.  

I'm just tired of all this.  I keep trying for nothing.  If the rest of this life is just going to be a downhill ride, then let the bottom drop out now.  I refuse to invest any more of myself into a life I never wanted.

Cya...

Trying...

I've been doing research into dawn simulators.  I thought I'd found a possible option.  It had a reasonable price & seemed simple enough.  But, when I looked at reviews, a lot of people mentioned mechanical issues.  This would be an online purchase for me & I'd have little way of recouping my lose if it broke.  On to more research.

I tried a new eye allergy med.  It was something my optometrist recommended.  I had a bit of reaction to it.  It may have just been it was new & there were a ton of fans blowing.  I wound up with dry, puffy, red eyes after the 2nd use.   My eyes are sensitive to meds, so I'll back off for now.  Maybe I'll try them again later.

2 tries, 2 fails, but at least I'm trying.

Cya...

Fading Out...

Yesterday, I talked about light boxes & dawn simulators.  Things to help with SAD.  I've found some options.  I don't know if they'll work.  I hope so.  

I woke up this morning & it was hazy.  But at 7 something, it looked dreary.  I felt a familiar twinge in me.  It was a brief bit of anxiety, bordering on panic.  All I could think was, "Not yet, not so soon."

It's supposed to rain today, but it's not just that.  The highest temp in the half month forecast is 94 F.   This is for now until August 10th.  How can 94 be our high?  August used to be our hottest month.  Now August is just a gateway to Fall.

All I could think was soon all the leaves will fade & my amazing flyers will be gone.  It will be dark & dreary.  My roomie will be back to her other schedule & I'll be alone more.  I'm a little anxious just typing about it.  

Summer temps are hard & the bigs drive can be awful.  Then there's the mowing.  But, at least I feel alive.  I really hope light therapy will help me.   I can't do another Winter like the last round.  I just really don't think I can.

I'm trying not to waste the rest of Summer in dread.  I'm ready to move somewhere with better light year round. I just don't know where that is or how to get there.   

Hopefully, you're in a better place than me.

Cya...

Dread & Preparation...

Why would someone my age notice school supplies being pushed at Walmart? It means school starts back in less than a month.  It's the end of Summer & the beginning of Fall.  The light will fade.  

I don't think I can handle a repeat of last year.  It was dark & dreary from mid-September to early May.   It was dry & allergy ridden.   It was very hard on me.

This Summer has been odd.  I've had a reasonable amount of Dragons, but very few Hummers.  I miss the Hummers.  The flowers & shrubs are strange too, they just don't quite look right.   I have had a lot lightning bugs.  That's been great, little blips of childhood joy in the night that make me smile.  

I've done pretty well this Summer.  I've been awake.  I've felt more alive.  I haven't been waking in a panic or spending the day stressed & anxious over nothing in particular.  I was considering meds last Winter to help with my mood, but it seems that what I really need is light. I'm seriously looking into light boxes, but they suggested trying a dawn simulator before investing in a light box.   

I really hope this works.  I don't think I can go through another drear-fest Winter.   Most resources promote light therapy over other forms.  I've not read to many good reactions from people who went on meds just for Seasonal issues.  They also promoted more interaction.  For now, light therapy seems like my best option. We'll see.

I hope so.

Cya....

New Pill On The Block...

Gilead's leading HIV med Biktarvy is about to be challenged by a new 2-drug regimen GlaxoSmithKline has in final stages of development.  The once daily pill hasn't been named yet but is similar to ViiV's Juulca.  Juluca is a combo of dolutegravir & rilpivirine.  While GSK's new med is basically Triumeq minus the Abacavir.  That'd mean the patient wouldn't need an Abacavir sensitivity test.

Juluca came out last year & GSK's med could be approved later this year or 2019. The best things about 2-drug regimens are that they should have lower cost, less potential reactions/interactions & any problems with the med should be easier to decipher.  2-drug regimens may not be the answer for every situation.  But, every bit helps & keeps the science moving forward. 

I appreciate GSK & ViiV more than Gilead.   Gilead has allowed it's drive for profits to push PrEP over other avenues.  The majority of Gilead's recent HIV meds are variations on Truvada.  Most of their meds contain the same 2 primary meds at varying dosages plus 1 or 2 differents drugs.  It's all basically varying degrees of PrEP.  IMO, GSK's singular approach & mentality is a problem.

Take care.

Cya...

Yesterday...

The new cat is showing her roots.  Once in a while, she reminds she wasn't raised indoors.  She & I have are  warring over her decision to imitate an alarm clock way too early in the morning.  Now, when she sounds off, I swat at her like hitting the snooze button.  

She made a it of a mess yesterday & we had to go to Fort Smith to get the means to fix it.   Luckily, it was a cooler day & the trip went well.  We got there, got what we needed & got home.  The trip was easy & didn't exhaust me.  I wish more trips were like this.

It's supposed to heat up again tomorrow.  Luckily not too much.  Then it's supposed to be relatively cool for Summer over the following week or so.   We'll see if the forecast holds up.

Take care.

Cya...

Disconnected...

I feel disconnected with the people around me.  Even though we're in the same place, we aren't really.  I will always be that kid swinging out synch with everyone else.  While they're up, I'm down. While they're high to the front, I'm high to the rear.  I'm almost where they are.  I can hear them, see them, but the connection is tenuous.

Right now, it's HOT!.  I get that & it's getting to me a lot.  But, it's also bright in the mornings, so I can wake up & feel like my world isn't falling apart at the edges.   I can get around & have far less anxiety to chase away.  That's all due to the light & I know it won't last.  Soon, it will darken & I'll be in that place again. I should be able to really enjoy this time while I have it.

But, I can't.  Like I said, I'm out of touch with people.  Apparently, most people want the dark & dismal.  They hate the time of year when I can finally feel better.  I can't even enjoy this, because they're feeling bad about the Summer.   They hate the light & warmth. The thing that lets me wake up, be a little happier, enjoy my flowers, Hummers & Dragons, makes them miserable.  

As hot as it is, I'm a Summer child.  The light can be overwhelming, but it's what lets me be me for a least a little while.  The rest of the time, I'm miserable.  I'm tired of thinking that I have the seasonal issues, maybe it's everyone else whose screwed up.  Maybe it's just their turn on the wheel.  This season may make it hard on me at times, but at least there are moments I feel alive.  I don't feel like that the rest of the time.  I wish I could just sleep through the rest of the year.  It's not like I'd be missed, except by the people who want me to do stuff.

For while I have these moments, I'm going to enjoy these things of Summer that make me smile.  To hell with the rest of it.  I can't change a season.

Cya...

Recovering...

It's weird to think of the month's remainder of mid-90's temps to be cooler, but they will be.   The highest in the 10-day forecast is 97 F.  That's still 10 degrees cooler than Friday was. Yesterday was about that.  It made, the day  much more tolerable.   For now, that blast of heat seems to be our highest in sight.  I hope so.

My roomie, the cats & myself are struggling to recuperate from those 2 overheated days.  It's not been easy.  I'm still tired, achy & struggling to hydrate.  Being poor always sucks.  But when the times get hard, like weather extremes, it sucks every ass there ever was.

Stay as safe & comfortable as you can.

Cya...

Too *%&$@ HOT...

The day before yesterday was over 100 F.  Yesterday hit at 107.  It stayed that way until almost 7 PM.   By almost 9 PM it had dropped to 86 & doubled the humidity levels.  

I hadn't slept well the night before & was achy.   Before that, I'd had issues with eating & feeling queasy.   I was low on salt & dehydrated.  Yesterday's temps were more than most could handle.  My meds make me sensitive to heat.   Being chronically ill weakened me even more.  I slept poorly last night.  It was the 1st night I'd had to  use a big fan all night.  It dried me out & screwed with my sinuses, ears & eyes.  

I feel to spent to do much of anything today.  I'm glad we have some food already made.  I'm not sure what I could've put together feeling like this.  Take care & stay safe in these temps.  We're supposed to have a couple more days be warmer than usual & then return to more seasonal Summer temps of mid 90's.

Stay hydrated.

Cya...

Complacency...

This article discusses complacency towards HIV.  In this 4th decade of fighting the virus, we've got reasonably good at testing & developing regimens.   We're still lacking affordability & distribution.   Worse, we're barely passing at testing & utterly failing at prevention.   This treatment as prevention plan is failing.

There are so many places where we could reach out & teach people about HIV prevention.  There are just as many where we could push testing & safer sex options.  But we don't.  We allow the stigma of the illness, our fear of change & our almost lackadaisical attitudes about HIV  to rule our approach to fighting this virus.  

This is how you lose the fight against AIDS.  This is how the plague comes back bigger, badder or more unstoppable than before.  So many early activists have been talking about this recently.  Discussing  how people today are just accepting HIV & getting comfortable with it.  Most of these people weren't young when they 1st started fighting in the early 80's, that's over 35 years ago.  This is no longer their fight.  They did their due.

What will the rest of us do?

Cya...

Achy & Drama...

Humidity & sleep positions have left me with a sore back.  I've been taking ibuprofen, it's helping.  Still, the muscles are sore & will be for a bit.  I'm going shopping, maybe the walking will stretch out my lower back.

To drama.  I try to avoid it, I have enough agita, thank you very much. Some people thrive on it.  They're addicted to the aggravation, irritation, fakeness of it all.  They like living their lives with a hornet's next buzzing.  It gives them something to gripe about, focus on.  They want to look down on & condemn everything.  They aren't happy unless they're criticizing something. Tearing something down, not build themselves up, but just to be, oh so superior.  

All the current day peity of identity & ideology is based in this need to have drama.  To be a star, even if only in a tabloid of their own making.   I think this need for drama, may be the biggest cause of stigma against people for any reason.  It's just, "Stars on thars," & Sneetchdom.    They want to judge everyone else, before they get judged. They want to divert  the attention away from their own issues, shortcomings & ugliness.  

If these people can keep their lives full of drama, agitation & scapegoats, they never have to look at what hollow, rancid, painful mess their life has become.

Cya...

Gloomy Summer Morning...

It's a gloomy morning.  It was supposed to rain last night, so some windows were completely closed.  The house is  incredibly humid.  It's early morning & setting at 75 F & 95% humidity.  It's sprinkling a little.  Sadly, that's probably all we'll get.   My body hates this.  I need to shower in a bit.  Getting dry afterwards in this humidity is going to be a feat.

For the next 3 or 4 days, it's supposed to be at or over a 100.  If so, it'll be our 1st for the year.  That's something I could've lived without.  At least after that it's supposed to drop back down to the lower 90's.  I hope if we do get that hot, it at least burns off the humidity.  I doubt it will, but I can hope.

Take care & try to stay comfortable.

Cya...

Honeysuckle & Highways...

If you had a childhood like mine, it's hard to have solid ground to stand on & find peace.   Life was always in flux, full of stress, anger & motion.   Some of the few times any of my family seemed less agitated was on the road.   Sailing down the road with the windows down, radio playing & the scent of Summer flowers in the night air.    

I remember the wind whipping across my arm hanging out the window.  I can hear Janis Ian, Seals & Croft, Joni Mitchell, Carol King, Carly...  Strumming guitars & hollow drums, wood flutes & I'm back sailing down a black river.  If the driver was in a funny mood, they might make the car jump over a hilltop.  I loved that feeling as a kid. Sometimes, if I try really hard, I can actually remember them smiling, singing & laughing.  That was so rare.  

They hated stopping.  Even though they knew eventually they'd have to.  It's like they knew the moment they stopped life would catch up with them.  The honeysuckle, sandalwood & jasmine would fade away.  The cool air would grow heavy with heat & humidity.  Life would be all too real again.  The smiles & laughter would melt away & the hard lines would reappear.  

My happier thoughts are cruising down the road to wherever in the middle of the night listening to music on the radio.  If you're lucky flowers would be in bloom.   You can car dance, sing, drum, drive, anything you want, at least until the car comes to a stop.

My advice.  Never stop.  Keep driving.  Sometimes I really wish my feet had never touched the ground.  Bad things happen when you linger too long.    There's nothing where you are that you can't find down the road.  At least nothing that's really going to last.   Like the Grass Roots said, "Live for today..."

Cya...

Swollen Feet & The Unknown...

The humidity has been a nightmare lately.  It's often over  95% all night long.  It's staying high during the heat of the day.  I don't feel like being that active, so my feet are swelling.  This swelling is making the skin on my feet peel & crack.  It's been a constant effort to maintain my feet this Summer.   Humidity can kill you, it can also just make your life fairly miserable.

As for the unknown, I'm talking about all the things we don't know about HIV & how it affects people.  That includes the meds used to fight it.   I'm not going to give citations here, they'd be abundant, Google the matter.  There have been ongoing conversations about how the meds/virus affect people's cognitive abilities, especially in children born with the illness.  There are ongoing studies concerning HIV + people & matters such as bone density, dementia, increased cancer susceptibility, etc...

The point being, don't get comfortable with idea of HIV.  We barely know anything about the virus.  There could be a host of issues that fall out in the next generation of people whose parents were +.  The virus could mutate tomorrow rendering our meds useless & return us to the plague years.  We don't know enough about HIV/AIDS to realize what we don't know.  Be cautious, be vigilant.  This is your life we're talking about.

Cya...

Morning Yuck...

This morning & I are not getting along.  The overnight humidity kicked my butt.  I'm tired & achy.  I'm very happy I don't have to go anywhere this morning. I don't think I could have handled it.  

I keep reading about that asshat cheeto Trump taking funds from Ryan White to pay for his crap.  I don't know what all this mean or how it will impact me.  It could cause a lot of problems for a number of people.  Thank you to all the jackasses who voted for the piece of filth.

I'm done trying to be pleasant to people who have goals that would harm me & my means of living.  There's no point in talking to them.  It's their religion to be hateful & cruel. They embrace a level of indulgent stupidity I just can't handle.   If you feel this might include you, I have no interest in discussing it.  I won't waste what little energy I have on you.

This is not a good morning.

Cya...

And Yet Again...

According to this article, another medical institution has failed to meet safety measures & possibly exposed their patients to HIV.  This time it was a nursing home in Memphis.  I'm sure they had plenty of excuses.

• You mean, I was clean things everytime?
• It takes too long
• It's not profitable
• They're just old people

The bottom line was, they didn't make the well being of their patients a priority on any level.  These places rarely do.  That's terrifying.  When you're in a place like this keep your eyes open & ask questions.  If it pisses them off, go somewhere else if at all possible.  If not, report them immediately.  Better to be wrong than contract who knows what illness due to someone else's negligence.

Cya...

Tiring & Weird...

We got up & went to the Department of Human Services yesterday morning to apply for Summer Cooling Assistance.   We got there as the doors opened.  I had been told to expect long lines & a significant wait.  The previous 2 days had been a hell-zone for this office.  I'm not sure if it got worse later, but I was the 2nd person there & they had 2 slots for taking the applications.  I got out reasonably quick.  Maybe it got crowded later.  I'm glad I didn't have to deal with a crowd, but the early rise & going down there wrecked my day.

 We got rain yesterday.  We weren't supposed to have any.  This last round puts us to just halfway to the average rain amount for the month.  Every rain we've had in July has been weird & unpredicted.  We had windows open in the car that I had to hurry out to close.  One moment it was hot, humid & still.  Then there were some loud claps of thunder that started a blast of wind & rain.  We got off easy.  Downtown, less than 2 miles away, got winds so hard it tore off roofs & knocked out a transformer.  We were lucky.

Between the unwanted trip & the storm, yesterday was odd & exhausting.  Hope you had a better day.

Cya..

Doing This Early...

I have to run down to DHS in the morning about the Summer cooling assistance program.  I have no idea how long this will take.  I tried to do it online, but their system is down.  Hopefully, this won't be a massive thing.  But, you never know.

Cya...

Slow Update Morning...

I hate Windows updates.  I don't understand why a finished program always needs so much tweaking.  Add to that, the updates are often problematic & always slow.  They bog down my system.  Sometimes to where it's barely capable of doing any thing else.  So much for updating in the background.  There's an update going on now & it's dragging my system down.  I'll post more tomorrow.

Cya...

Waking Up Worn Out...

I love the light I get during Summer mornings.  It makes it easier to function.  But, because I'm poorer, I can't afford to run the AC like most people.  So, I often wake up dehydrated & tired.  It can take me hours to rehydrate & feel somewhat normal.  

The last several mornings, I've woke up dried out & feeling hungover.   The humid nights play havoc with my body.  I'm too old to live in Oklahoma anymore.  I'm just not sure where'd be a good place to live.  I can't handle too much cold & definitely not gloom.  So, here I am.

This is exhausting.

Cya...

Dry Mornings...

Summer is here.  Even with the cooler temps the last few days, I'm waking dehydrated.  Dehydration is a concern for anyone.  It can cause a host of health issues from dry skin, anxiety, tiredness, fainting, confusion, low-blood pressure, affected heart rate, etc...  It is a serious matter.

Even more serious for anyone with a chronic illness.  HIV is prone to cause HIV, most often due to gastrointestinal issues.  It can also impact the bodies ability to deal with liquids & electrolytes. HIV is a compounding illness, the more it affects, the more it can affect.  Each new reaction to the virus weakens your system & makes you more prone to other conditions. HIV & it's meds can lead to diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration, which can lead to tiredness, which can lead to stress, which can lead to anxiety & so on. 

With the Summer heat, HIV meds, the virus, fans & everything else, I'm waking up dehydrated.  I start my more with an assortment of liquids in abundance.  It still takes a couple of hours before I start to feel better.  That's even after trying to hydrate the day before & having water to drink throughout the night.  Dealing with dehydration is an ongoing process.  It never really stops, it only gets easier when the temps go back down in the Fall.

Take care, stay hydrated.

Cya..

A Quiet Morning...

The last couple of days have been oddly cooler for July.  I won't say comfortable, due to humidity, but they were cooler.  It's let me sleep better.  That always puts me in a better place healthwise.  Too many people, especially those with chronic illnesses, are prone to forget how important quality sleep really is to their well being.  

I may be down to 0 porch cats again.  Hazel passed recently & the couple from across the street seemed to have disappeared.   I don't know what happened.  I see a couple of others darting in the shadows at night, but none friendly enough to come near.   I put a little food out for them, but I think it's mostly going to birds.  This area is  rough on cats.   Not having cats on the porch is weird.

Take care.

Cya...

More Talk & A Little Tired...

Happy 1st Saturday of July, hurrah.  It could be a holiday somewhere, for something.  It's definitely someone's unbirthday, even mine.    The weather has been seriously odd lately.  From really hot & humid, to far less warm, but still humid.  It's not been a fun ride.

There's more talk of an HIV vaccine.  I'm not going into detail about it yet.  It's a topic that's been in the articles numerous times before & never panned out so far.  Let's see where this gets to before we discuss it again.   At least they're trying.

Yesterday was a busy day for me.  I ran over to Fort Smith to pick up my roomie & some food.  Then we got home & it was hot.  Then the weather did another shift down.  It cooled some, but not enough to deal with the humidity.  

A pretty much, life-long friend of my roomie's came over & hung out.  I'm really not used to this much commotion.   Apparently, I'm out of practice.  I didn't do much & I'm still tired this morning.  Who know you had a social muscle that had to be exercised?   There was pizza, people & laughing at this house.  It probably thought someone had converted it to an asylum.  

Take care.

Cya...

More Boohoos...

I read articles about dating apps & people being rejected or pre-excluded.  They get their "feels" hurt & go on twitter rampages.  Everyone pre-excludes.  It's just on these apps, it's right there in your face.    There are tons of things I would pre-exclude.  I have no interest in people who are religious, overly political, overly ideological.  I prefer more grounded people, but not so much they have no imagination or appreciation of such things.  

Some people have no interest in dating a variety of people.  Some just want to date people pretty much like them.  That's OK.  It's their life & they get to choose who they date.   They don't have to date anyone they don't want to. Forcing them to date someone would be akin to social rape. 

Today's article on this matter was regarding HIV+ people.  A lot of people don't want to date people with illnesses, especially a virus like HIV.  That's their right.  Accept they didn't choose you & move on. You do not have the right to force yourself on them just because you don't want your feelings hurt.

Got an idea.  Get off the dating apps.  Try meeting people in real life & maybe they might get to know you past the HIV issue.  Then they might find a reason to invest their time in you.  This is on you, not them.

Cya...

Losing To Summer Already Or Something...

The 4th has passed for another year.  We saw fireworks  from home.   There's always plenty of folks setting them off.  We can set back & enjoy the show.   I'm not sure how much pleasure the cats or myself got out of it.

I spent a lot of yesterday somewhat nauseous.  I'm not sure if it was the heat, smoke, grass cutting, something else or all the above.  It wasn't pleasant.   I feel better this morning.  I hope it lasts.  

This morning will round out the bills.  We could've handled it yesterday if not for the holiday.    It's always nice to have this part of the month handled.

Cya..

Happy July 4th...

My roomie & I are super into the 4th of July.  No, not really.  Neither of us into fireworks, or the smoke & noise.   I can understand people's desire to have them.  To go watch displays.  They're beautiful, even if loud & smelly.   

For some, this is the main release of the Summer.  They might get together with friends & family for a small cook-out.   Our town doesn't have an operating pool right now & the city park is a pretty awful.  There isn't much for the poorer people to do or ways to socialize.  There's only so much time anyone can spend at Walmart.

I might not get much out of this holiday, but for those that do, enjoy.  Get lost in the lights.  Laugh with your friends.  Forget about it all, at least for a few moments.  Try to not set yourself or anything else on fire.  Happy 4th of July.

Cya...

Begin Again...

It's the 1st of the month, it's time to get bills handled.   This morning will be a little busy.  I'll type this now in case I don't feel like writing later.   It got fairly hot again here yesterday.  It's supposed to do the same today.  I'm betting, later I'll feel to blah to care about posting.

Cya...

The Wave Is Growing...

For over a year, I've posted about rising transmission rates of HIV around the world.   I've recently talked about how lack of HIV awareness/education is leading to the spread of the virus.  There are other factors as well.

There is always stigma.  This article is about the surge of HIV amongst gay/bi men in Indonesia.  In the past decade the HIV rate for this group has gone from 5% to 25%.   This is mostly due to this group's treatment within because of the anti-gay stance of their government.  

I don't support PrEP, but some do.  This article details how the cost has soared to an average  of $2,000/month.   Insurers have raised their co-pays/deductibles & many have stopped allowing pharmaceutical companies coupons to be applied.  Some  insurers have deductibles of nearly $3,000 before the plan kicks in & even then the co-pays are high  The coupons were to negate out-of-pocket expenses for the individual.  Apparently, that pissed off the insurers & they stopped accepting the discounts.  Now those on PrEP will have to pay the full amount until their deductible is met.  Most can't.

It feels like there is a concerted effort to reestablish HIV as a world-killing, death virus.  It's being pushed by governments, political parties, religions & corporations.  They'd rather let you die, than offend their sensibilities or lose a cent in profit.

OK, Gen Y & Z, this is your fight now.   Gen X has done what it could & as usual, most of you just blew us off.   Told us to take our scary truths & go home.  OK, maybe that's exactly what we'll do.  Then what?

Cya...

Hello July...

July is back for another round.  July, I hope you aren't blazing.  You already start with disrupting my schedule with the 4th.  It screws up handling bills & we have reschedule a lot of stuff.  Then there's an abundance of noisy, smelly fireworks.   I don't hate them, just the smell & smoke.

Past that, maybe this can be a relatively nice Summer month.  You don't have to prove you're hotter than August.   Let's just be as calm & chill as possible.

Here's hoping for a good month.   Hello July.

Cya...