Goodbye August & No More 52...

This is the last day of August & my last few hours of being 52.  I'd love to say August was nice, but it wasn't. There was sickness, stress, house agitation, humidity & it was hot.    Try better next year August.

I can't say being 52 was any easier.  From early Fall throughout July, there was sickness or dealing with sickness.  I had a weird fall in January & the a stroke in February.  There were some house issues, personal problems & too many trips to Tulsa.  Not to mention the money spent on those things & car repairs.  Being 52 brought me a lot of agitation.  I made it through it.  I'd rather not chance that again.  My luck only holds so long. Here's hoping September & being 53 agree with me more.  

We're going out later, a pre-birthday thing.  We're going to see a movie & get something to eat.  Nothing big, just something to mark the end of things.   Recognition is important, even if it is the fact you're no longer the age you were.

Good bye August & so long 52.

Cya...

PS - Wouldn't you know it, August had to end with Windows updates.

Foul Morning...

I hate this area.  If I got to move & this town was set ablaze, I'd roast marshmallows on it's burning carcass.  I don't even like marshmallows, but I'd do it just for spite.

At 6:45 this morning a crack of thunder woke me.  Then almost instantly the power dies.  To add considerable insult to the matter.  I look out the window & every house not on my immediate block has power.  OG&E SUCKS MAJOR ASS!!! At least once a year (sometimes more) this happens.  Our power dies while everyone else chugs merrily along.

Sorry for the rant, I'll  try to do better tomorrow. (No promises)  Take care.

Cya...

Errands & Allergens...

The tailend of August has not been friendly.  Even though the temps have dropped, the humidity hasn't.  We ran over to Ft. Smith & it went alright.  A run to that Walmart was a bust, but everything else went well.  

The devil weed is back.  The allergen levels are in the red & hellish ragweed leads the way.  There are other allergens as well, but ragweed gets to me the most.  

There are a couple of young toms hanging out in the yard.  I've watched them for a while.  They're not afraid of me, but not very interested either.  I've put some food out here & there.  Toms usually don't stay long in an area.  Haven't seen any hummers in over a week.  I only saw 1 this last few weeks.  Most the dragons are gone.  This was a dud Summer.  I hope Fall & Winter aren't horrible.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Seasonal Shift...

It's shifting from Summer to Fall.  Meteorologically, Summer ends in 3 days, for others it lasts until Equinox.   Mabon is the last third of September, the actual Equinox is the 23rd.   I prefer 3 weeks to 3 days.  Either way, the change is on us.

The shifting is always problematic for me.  It's not just the emotional impact.  The change in light, temperature, pressure, humidity all puts me in a spin.  It never just changes, it churns back & forth. For moments in the day, I feel great.  Then, an hour later, I feel awful.  I never like seasonal shifts, especially not those leading into darker days.

It's trash day, I need a shower & we have errands.  This is it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Division...

Many articles detail stigma & the inability of certain populations to deal with HIV due to their cultural issues with the virus or being gay.  I saw a title today that read the fight against HIV can only be won if Black America leads.   This isn't a racist thing, nor am I arguing with the points made in the piece.  

My issue is that division has become too prevalent in this society.  There are very few who just identify themselves as a Americans.  They're hyphenated people, with divided loyalties & agendas.  Most typically the word, American, is in the rear & treated accordingly.  Being American is treated more like a geographic indicator than a point of culture. 

I'm a gay man over 50 with HIV.  I vote moderate & democrat.  My bloodlines are Cherokee, French & Greek (probably others).  I'm of lower income living in rural Oklahoma.  I'm a disabled Gen X'er.  I recognize I'm all of those, but they're just part of me, not my definition.

I could use any or all of these to define me & isolate myself.  This would only lead to division.  You can call it diversity, but often it's just a justification.  If we don't all get on the same page about somethings, then this nation is screwed.  If we can't do it about HIV, then when can we.  HIV doesn't care who or what you are.  Why should you, when you're fighting it?

Cya...  

Lasts...

Yesterday was the last Sunday in August 2019.  It was also the last Sunday in my year.  Next Sunday will be my birthday.  We'll try to do something for it that prior Friday or following Tuesday.  I'm not fighting Labor Day people to see a movie or go eat.   I can wait.  It'll be less stress.

Yesterday was rough on us.  The weather wasn't pleasant.  It went from gloomy to hot, but stayed muggy.  Today is supposed to be hot.  The current forecast shows this to be the last day in the 90s for a while.  That could change at any moment.  That'd make my roomie happy.

My roomie has an appointment today.  She'll be leaving soon.   If all goes well, this could be her last regular appointment in Tulsa (fingers crossed).  She's anxious.  

Sometimes all we want is an ending, preferably a good 1.  Conclusions are important.  They're the line in the sand that lets us know past here, we're in a different place or situation.  It may even be us that's changed.  But, it's a point in time where we can begin again.

Cya...

LIttle Much...

This month has been a little much for me.  It started off OK & then got pretty hot.  The last few days have been dismal, rainy hell.   There's been a lot of thickness in the air.  I'm worn out.  Having the hell of Summer weather immediately followed by dismal Fall-like light, has been more than I'm capable of at the moment.   It feels like everything is being more demanding & I have less ability to handle it all.  I'm tired.

Some things need to be dealt with in the next few days.  After that, everything needs to settle.  If not, someone else is going to have to handle it.  I'm getting to the point, I just can't. I'm already hating Fall, the sun didn't rise until almost 7 this morning.  So much for waking up well. 

Cya...

Battery Life & Summer...

Summer heat & humidity is a beast.  We don't like it, the cat's retreat, even the appliances complain.   When you can use your car for an oven, it's past unpleasant.  It also takes a toll on our phones.  Too much cold can zap a battery, but not as fast as high temps & humidity.  It's easier to heat something up than cool it down.  Right now, phone battery life is unpredictable.

This seems unrelated to HIV.  When you're + & on a restricted income, everything impacts your situation.  Every detail can become a stressor.    There's no such thing as stress-free.   Life doesn't work that way, especially not for the ill or poor. 

A constant challenge in our life is keeping things running.  I'm not a hoarder, we have most of what we need.  There are things that could make life easier, but mostly it just comes down to funds to maintain where we're at & not sliding backwards.

Cya...

Rain...

It's been raining since yesterday afternoon.  It's nearing an inch.  There are flood watches in local areas.  Of course it's been loud, crashing thunderstorms & not just rain.   At least it knocked the heat down.  We'll still have some 90s, but it looks like most the major heat will be gone for a bit.

This piece is an update on ViiV's HIV injections.  The monthly could start rolling out in December.  The new injection would be for 2 months instead of just 1.  It's still being researched, but could go up for approval soon.

Cya...

Telemed Mishaps...

My telemed appointment took way longer than it should've.   I get to the place & there was no bus.  I park & call. I was told, they no longer use the bus.   The appointment is now inside a building, but the receptionist only has a vague description.   I  finally find it & thought I was late.  Not to fret.  I had to wait in the lobby for over 20 minutes.  Not like telemedicine at all.

I finally get in & it's all new people (utter newbies).  The new nurse was only notified she'd be doing telemedicine the day before & was unfamiliar with the system.  She was winging it & it was going alright.  Then the whole system shut down.  Windows forced an update on the computers & forcibly restarted.  The process took over 25 minutes.  

Finally we went over my labs, which were fine.  We scheduled my next appointment.  I got out of there at almost 10:20 from an 9:15 appointment.  Normally, I'd had been out by 9:30.   I hope the next time goes smoother & quicker.

Take care.

Cya...

Telemedicine...

Brief post this morning, I have a telemedicine appointment shortly.   It shouldn't take long & I'm just expecting to go over labs.   I should be back by 10.

This piece is about HIV in the South.  It's informative on the issues with the virus in states like Alabama & Georgia.  It's an interesting read.

It's supposed to be hot again today & then drop off considerably.  We'll see.  Oh, I believe the hot part, just not the cool down.   Maybe it'll happen.

Cya...

Deserved....

This piece is about a Florida man who was convicted on counts of failing to disclose his HIV status to others before having sex.   The article goes into the specifics.  He deserves more than he'll probably get.  Read the piece.

For those of you that don't get the issue.  What if someone offered you a ride home.  Shouldn't be a big deal, right?  What if the person offering you the ride knew there was a snake in their car & you got bit?   Still think it's no big deal?  Would it really matter in the moment that the snake wasn't poisonous?  Or would it just be about the fact, that someone let you get into their car knowing a loose snake was in it & you got bit?

Add to it, the guy in the article is proverbial, he's Florida Man.

Cya...

Not Much Monday...

Another Monday & it's time to go shopping.   I don't have much for Tuesday.  I have more than I'd like on Wednesday.  I have telemedicine, trash, possibly errands & running to get my roomie.  So much for my Wednesday.

I'm not in the best mood about Summer ending.  It's not that Fall is looming.  It's that a lot of things conspired to make this the least enjoyable  Summer I've had in a long time.  Thanks a lot to all those people for ruining my best season.  I'll be sure to return the favor & I have every intent on being petty.

Oh well, that's that.  My labs for my telemedicine look fairly good.  It should just be a run to see them & leave, but you never know.  Everything else has had bad news this year.

Cya...

Seriously Hot Now...

It's been hot,  nothing out of the ordinary for August.  At least it was hot enough to burn off some of the humidity during the day.  It was getting really hard for me to do anything in the kitchen.  It's still not pleasant, but I'm not drenched just walking in the room.   I woke to the warmest the house has been this year.  The humidity was high, but nowhere near what it's been in the mornings.  

The cats aren't doing much.  My roomie is in the grumps. My body isn't particularly happy with the heat.  It looks like it's here for at bit.  There's nothing I can do, except ride it out.  

Take care & stay cool.

Cya...

Clusters....

The pic above was from this article.  It goes over HIV clusters, their regions & dangers to the reduction efforts in those areas.  This information is focused on HIV transmitted  by needle use.   The areas in orange accounted for 50% or more of all new viral transmissions in recent years.  It's certain other blood born agents would spread as well, like hepatitis.  

The scary thing is the majority of those places are in the South.  To be specific, Oklahoma & 2 adjoining states are highlighted.  Well, at least Oklahoma's at the top of some list.

Take care & be safe.

Cya...

More Irk & Some Finished...

August is being somewhat contrary.  Nothing major has happened, just a series of little jabs.  I was hoping some things could handle themselves, guess I was wrong.  I'm having to play tag with my local lab & specialist in Tulsa.  For some reason they're not communicating about my lab work.  If this isn't handled, I'll have to go there & get them myself.

The door issue is repaired.  It cost a bit, but it's done & the handyman seemed decent.   I hope he stays in business.  Handymen come & go.   Even if they stay, a lot of them look like they failed out of rehab.  

We need to go shopping & I need to get some appliance paint.  The washing machine has a rust spot on it.  Hopefully, these errands will go well.  I'm over house drama.

Take care.

Cya...

Maybe Today...

Any chance for a cool down seems to have evaporated.   I didn't want cold, it was just hoping for a little less heat & humidity.  I guess that isn't happening.  

The handyman came by yesterday & took a look at the door.  He's supposed to be back this morning to fix it. I hoe it's an easy fix.  I need things to be less of pain my ass for a bit.  

I'm tired.  Everything seems very demanding right now & I just don't have the energy to deal with much of it.  I need stuff to be  a bit more low key for the rest of the month.  I'm running on fumes.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Irksome...

I'm waiting for a handyman.  The backdoor needs fixed.  The  screen door mounting cracked.  I hope it's an easy fix.   I'm tired of everything breaking.  It's making me anxious. 

I'm not happy with the weather.  It was supposed to cool down.  That got pushed back a ways.  I wouldn't care about the heat, but this isn't our normal hot, Summer air.  This is muggy.

We need to go out later.  I ordered a new litter box.  I couldn't find any hinged kind locally.  It's supposed to in be today.  Hopefully, the old box can go out with the trash later.

Cya..

Semi-Anniversary...

6 months ago, the day before Valentine's (AKA 2 days before cheap chocolate day), I developed a brain bleed & was taken to the ER.   They did a  CT scan, I had a hemorrhagic stroke.  I was life-flighted to St. John's Hospital in Tulsa.  I was there until the 15th.  I had more tests; MRI's, CT scans, echocardiogram & constant monitoring as they watched how I responded to the meds.  My blood pressure had spiked & they got it down.  I was sent home a follow-up appointment. 

During this time, I've tried & been taken off a statin.  It was more of a precaution than need, my cholesterol numbers are usually good.   There have been more tests, imaging & trips to Tulsa.  They say they can no long see the bleed on my MRI's.  There was some irritation from the event, but they felt it would diminish.  I go back in December.

I still have some stiffness in my left shoulder blade area & ankle.  It's not as bad & doesn't tend to hurt.   It can get much worse with high humidity.  It can also be very tiring.  Holding a position for long periods isn't comfortable.  So, I'm fidgeting even more than normal.   For now that's it.  I'm taking my meds & checking in with my doctors.   We'll see in December.

My labs for my telemedicine seemed fine.  Take care.

Cya...

Almost Oklahoma August...

We hit 100 F for the 1st time this year.  I don't think we did at all last year.  I could've lived without it.  It'd almost be like August here, except this tropical crap that's blown in is hellishly humid.  Our August should be bone dry.  The grass should be brown & the bugs dead.  Everything, including people, should be wilted.   Fire bans are the norm, but not in this wet mess.  

Today is supposed to be the same & then back down to the lower 90s.  Then we'll have lower overnight temps for sleeping.  This is not good sleeping weather.  

Stay cool & take care.

Cya...

Yesterday Was A Thing...

Yesterday morning was hellish.  I was happy.   I'd dealt with an issue & it'd save us some time & effort.  Then I took a shower & all it all went to hell.  Everything in the house went wrong, decided not to work or actually broke.   It led to an afternoon of annoying errands & trying to resolve the new issues.  They're mostly handled now, but we're still exhausted.   

Here's hoping today is better.  Take care.

Cya...

Might Have To...

We may have to go out later.  We need a new litter box,  the old 1 cracked.    I think I may have found a solution online, if not out we go.  I'd hope not, it's going to get hot.

I posted a few days ago about a woman  ranting on Facebook about she intended to infect as many men as possible.  She felt she'd been wronged by men.  Turns out, she isn't HIV+.  She should still be charged for terroristic threatening.  I haven't seen what will happen to her yet.   Thanks for making life HIV even more difficult.

Take care.

Cya...

Where...

It was supposed to storm last night, but didn't.  I woke in a  dismal, muggy pit.  My room was dark & wet.  I hate humidity.   It finally started to drizzle.  I doubt much will come of it.  I could be wrong.  

My roomie is out today.  She had to leave early.  It's always weird when she's gone in the morning.  The cats aren't happy with it.    Then tend to come tell me about it.  In the Winter, it's not so bad.  They just dive deeper into whatever warm place they were in & go back to sleep.

Hopefully, it doesn't storm badly on her way back.  I'll probably head out later.  Yesterday's shopping was about useless.  Walmart was barely stocked.  We'll see.

Cya...

Hot...

August remember it's supposed to be hot.  Too bad it forgot, it's also supposed to bright & dry.  So far, most of the month, has been overcast & very humid.    It looks like we will have a fairly hot weekend & then back to more seasonable Summer temps in the low to mid 90s.  Ok weather, brighten up or rain, pick 1.

We're heading out shopping in a bit.  It's a day early, our schedule got changed.  It'll be fine, but my roomie's going to have a long couple of days.  My labs should be back by Monday & I'll be ready for my telemedicine appointment.  

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Intentful...

You really need to be careful when having unprotected sex.  This article details some points of a Georgia woman's Facebook rant about how she was getting revenge on men.  She was doing this by infecting them with HIV.  She also mentioned any significant others they might have. 

Is this true?  I don't know.  There are multiple sources for the information & the police are looking into the matter.  If it is true, this woman is a criminal & should be locked up.  If she is + & revenge on men is her intent, it's unlikely she'll ever change her mind.   Knowingly exposing people to HIV without their consent should always be illegal.

In other matters, the heat has returned.  It looks like August will be hotter than last year.   Maybe, the grass will finally die.  Kill the bugs too please.

Cya...

The Rural Problem...

This article is about addressing rural issues in the fight against HIV.  It used to be an issue of location & availability.  But over the last decade, there has been a shift.  A high risk group has emerged in the heartland & backroads, IV drug users.  A high risk group previously associated with urban areas.

This piece tries to detail the issue.  It says how they think the problem should be addressed.  But, mostly they're dealing with symptoms.  Yes, at this point HIV is just a symptom.  The drug use was a reaction to the loss of these areas' financial viability.  These people are living in dying towns, cities, counties & even states.   HIV regimens aren't going to fix that, nor will they stop the IV drug use.  The viral spread in these areas will continue.   Stop just treating symptoms.

Cya...

Retry...

Tried to get labs drawn on Friday, but there was an issue with outpatient services.  I'll try again this morning.  I have a telemedicine appointment mid month.   

Yesterday was hotter, but a lot easier to handle than the last couple of days.  The next week is supposed to be seasonably hot.  I just hope it's bright.  August shouldn't be gloomy. 

We're off to pay some lingering bills, get labs drawn & do some shopping.  That should wrap up our day.  Take care.

Cya...

1st August Sunday...

The beginning of the month has been off.  It's been hellishly humid & dreary.  Even in the 70s, the house was ridiculously muggy.   It's a little brighter this morning.  The temps are  supposed to head back up.  Maybe they'll burn off some of this humidity.   It finally rained some yesterday, but it didn't help.  It only made things stickier.  

This week will be busier.  We still have some bills to handle & I'll need to have labs drawn for telemedicine.  There will be shopping & my roomie has to handle some last minute thing on Thursday.  Bad planning on other people's parts, as usual.  

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Rain Lies...

For a of couple of days, the forecast was for high chances for thunderstorms.  They issued a flash flood watch.  What came of it?  Drizzle.   There were no storms.  We have 80% of those same storms today.  I hope some rain shows.   It's currently in the 70s with 95% humidity.  Yesterday was hellish.  We were in the 80's with 80+% humidity.  

The temps are fine, it's the wetness.  This is hideous weather.  I had  issues with humidity before.  But, since the stroke, they're  much worse.  It makes my left leg, halfway up to the knee, feel like I'm walking on a padded club.   It gets  tiring very quickly.    We really need it to rain or dry out.

Take care.

Cya...

August Gloom...

The 2nd day of August is more dreary than the 1st.  I hope this isn't a trend.   We'll need to get bill stuff started tomorrow.  Then sometime next week, I'll need to get blood drawn for my telemedicine appointment.   We'll be heading out in a bit to go shopping.  

There wasn't much in the way of articles.  Most everything else, is the same old, same old.  That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

August....

Not happy this morning.  The 1st day of the last month of Summer is overcast.   This hasn't been a bad season for me, but I really needed it to be better.  It seems a lot of things aligned to screw over my good time of the year.  I"ve had all I can take of that crap.  It's Summer people, go to north if you can't handle it.   I'd love to go somewhere for every damn day of Winter.  I'm going to be such a shit to everyone enjoying Winter.  Then there are those people who whine no matter the temp, I'm cold, now I'm hot...

August is here & this last month of Summer had best be better.

Cya...