November Ends...

 

This is the last day of November 2020.  It was a weird, stressful month.  Most of which had nothing to with the month itself or even our goings-on.   

The issues with this month were firmly in the hands of others; the election, holiday stupidity, COVID idiocy & just assholery in general.  People took an already nerved out month, that was overwhelmed by an election & a pandemic, then added their own special kind of stupid to it.

I'd love to say I'm hoping for a quiter, more sedate December, but I'm not.  I know that's not going to happen.  I know in a few days to weeks the COVID numbers will soar even higher thanks to the holiday idiots.  

To all those people out there that made the election bad theater, treated COVID like a hoax or in general just made 2020 worse, I have a wish for you.  My holiday wish for you is simple.  I sincerely hope there is no new year for you.  You've done quite enough damage already.  Just sign out already & be done with it.

Goodbye November, sorry you got hijacked by asshats. Better luck next year.

Cya...

The Cold Is Here...

 

For the next 10 days of so, the overnight temps are supposed to range from just below freezing down to the mid 20s.  It's nearly December, so I guess I can't complain.  I still might, but I shouldn't be surprised.  I'll never be a fan of the cold, dreary months.

There was a little rain last night & that will only chill things down.  The sky's overcast by the lingering clouds.   I hope everyone who likes this weather is enjoying it.  Someone should be, it just won't be me.

Take care.

Cya...

Specials & Cold...

 

There's not much happening this morning.  We saw our 1st Christmas special of the season last night.   Starting tomorrow night & for the foreseeable forecast,  the overnight temps will be under freezing.  Maybe it'll at least kill off some of the bugs & grass.  It's time to add more blankets.

That's about it for now. Be kind & be safe.

Cya...

Day After...

 

Thanksgiving went alright.  But, the energy was off & it didn't feel like a holiday.  My roomie didn't get to go see her people.  She doesn't see them that often & holidays were usually when they'd manage it.  We're not that social.  So, it wasn't as bad for us as compared to people who were used to interacting with the friends & family daily.  

I overdid it some yesterday.  I don't know why, but I waited to cook every at once.  Normally, I do prep over a few days.  I didn't this time & I can tell.  I'm not used to standing that long & cooking.  I still feel it this  morning.  My endurance is shot.

That's all for now. Take care.

Cya...

Turkey Day...

 

Thanksgiving is here. It doesn't really feel like it, but the holiday is here & the season has officially begun.  It's been a while since the holidays have felt like they were special.  I don't really dread them like I used to, but still, they don't mean that much to me.  I can appreciate they're special to people & for that reason I hope they go well.

No dismal reports about the weather or griping about the lack of articles.   This morning the sun is shining & the trash men have come & gone.   The cats are fine & for the most part we're doing OK.

Have a great Thanksgiving, be safe & kind.

Cya...

Awkward Starts...

 

The new system is operational.  It's still weird & there are things that need altering.  The mouse & keyboard that came with it may not stay.  They're weirdly thin & cheap.  I have replacements of those if I need them.   Mostly, it's a go.

We have to move a lot to the curb for trash day.  It's part of the annual box-odus.  We hoard boxes all year thinking we might need them.  What isn't used by the holidays is sent away.  In that manner is the house is in better order for the new year.

Besides watching some fat squirrels & foraging birds, that's all for me.  Take care.

Cya...

Another Foggy Morning...

 

The weather is getting colder.    We're not frozen yet, but it's on the way.  This morning was foggy again & it's supposed to rain.   We need the it, but I'm sick of the wet air & drear.  

There were some articles concerning HIV, but most were still too abstract to discuss here.  Too many people are talking about projects in their infancy & giving people hope for things that may never be.   It'd be nice if they waited until  the testing phase before making research public.

That's about it for now.  Luckily the orange tyrant seems to be accepting his defeat finally.  It'd be nice for him to be less than a bad memory.  Maybe someday.

Cya...

Foggy...

 

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  The cold weather is back again & this time it looks like it intends to stay.    It was bright for a bit when I woke, then the fog rolled in.  Crappy is stealing my sunshine.

I need to get around.  We have to go shopping in a bit & I still need to get cleaned up.  Had to do a little impromptu closet cleaning yesterday.  It was full of electronics that needed to be elsewhere.

That's about it for now.  Take care & be safe.

Cya...

Numbers...

 

The numbers outside are scary. It'd be nice if people would just stop doing things to drive the COVID cases up by the 1,000's daily.  Those numbers are just in my state.   My stupidly, stubborn county is having 25 - 40+ new cases a day.

Erratic school practices, sports gatherings, church going, random public events & even voting have drove these numbers up.  Here comes the holidays.  I'm sure the cases will sky rocket.  It's not like they could be safe for a year so everyone they know would have a next year.  My final opinion on this is; if you're a competent adult & too stupid or belligerent to follow safety protocol then you deserve what comes your way.  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Almost Finished...

 

I didn't do anything with the new system yesterday.  After not sleeping well, I didn't want to deal with anything potentially frustrating.   I think all that's left is moving some files & setting up email.  Then it should be done & I can swap them.  I'll get there. I'm not in a hurry.

That's about it for now.  Articles are still running dry.  We don't have anything planned for today.  It's supposed to rain or storm.  We need rain, not storms.  I think we're caught up.

Cya...

Just Off...

 

Nothing wants to settle.  The election, COVID, weather, allergens & none of it wants to calm down or end. I didn't sleep well last night because it got so warm.  I woke & when I sat up my nose began to bleed.  It wasn't bad, but I was so dehydrated that it took a bit to get it to stop.  By then I was awake & never really got back to sleep.  

We'll go shopping in a bit.  I'll probably finish the new PC tomorrow.  I just don't feel like much today.  Maybe, I'll feel better later.  Just take it a step at a time & I'll get through this.  At least, that's the plan.

Cya...

Still Not Much...

 

I was hoping the articles would increase.  They haven't.  People are focused on the election & COVID.   There's talk of vaccines & lockdowns.  

I'm in a  hateful mood right now.  All of this should've & very easily could've been handled by now, both COVID & the election.  Both of which were sabotaged by the same groups; the indulgent, belligerent & idiotic.  AKA  the super conservatives & hyper denialists.  I'm doing my best not wish bad things on people, I'm not succeeding. 

Take care, be safe.

Cya...

Slow Start...

 

I have next to nothing this morning.  Articles were scarce & I'm still trying to set up this new PC.  I hate new systems.  Adding any program always take forever longer than it should.  I don't want all the bells & whistles.  No, I don't want to run it at this moment.  Oh joy, you gave me bells & whistles to kill off.  Oh, you also need to run now.  Just great.  I hate setting up new machines.

Take care & be safe.

Cya...

Countdown...

 

The end is nigh.  At least of 2020. The countdowns are underway.

There are:

• 9 days until Thanksgiving
• 38 days until Christmas
• 44 days until New Years
• 45 days until the 1st day of 2021
• 64 days until inauguration

Unfortunately due to the idiocy of many, there's no way to know when we'll get passed COVID.  Supposedly, Georgia has to finish it's recount by midnight tomorrow.  So far, there's no change in the count.

I haven't made any more progress on the new system.  I'll try to do some today.   It's been weird & no one in the house is feeling their best at the moment.  It will get done.  

Take care.

Cya... 

Wow & Progress...

 

The other day I wrote about a long acting PrEP being studied in Africa.  The research focused on women.  Today, I found another piece about a different med being developed for the same reasons in the same region.  I'm not going to talk about that piece's medical advancements.  They're functionally the same as the other piece, but the article stated this.

More than half of new HIV infections globally occur in sub-Saharan Africa, with women accounting for nearly 60% of new infections in this region.

Let that sink in.   50%+ of all new HIV cases are in Africa.  Of those 60% are in women.   It tells us that even though this isn't male with male transmissions, it's likely being spread primarily by men.   Many of these women had no choice in these sexual encounters.  Others survive as sex workers.  For a huge part of HIV cases, men have been the primary source of infection.

Onto progress.  I'm still setting up the new system.  I got sidetracked this weekend with yard stuff.  But, at least it's handled.  Now I can focus on the PC.

Cya...

Stupid, Lazy & Dangerous...

 

I lived through the early AIDS years & now the COVID era & I have something to say.  People are lazy, stupid & dangerous.  Even if you follow every protocol you can still contract either virus.  If you just can't be bothered to follow any of them you're playing Russian Roulette. 

Just like people refused to use condoms, they're refusing to wear masks.  Whining about comfort & their rights.  I don't care if people who refuse to wear masks die.  I care about all the people they may infect.  If you refuse to protect yourself from COVID & then infect someone, you're responsible.  If they die, you killed them.  All because you didn't want to wear a mask, social distance, limit exposure, use sanitizer, etc...

A lot of people are stupidly & stubbornly dangerous.  It's on you more, to protect yourself.  Even in if it means telling some people to leave.  Even if you don't die from COVID, you could be affected by it for a very long time or forever.   Protect yourself, protect those you care about & those that can't. 

Be safe, be kind, take care.

Cya...

Really Tired...

 

We've handled a lot over the past couple of days.  Well, at least it was a lot for us.  I'm in the process of setting up the new PC.  I hate this. Absolutely nothing ever goes as simply & straightforward as it should when setting up a new system.

I was stressed & tired, but still up late for me.  I'm spent this morning.  I'll wait until later to do more on the new PC.  We might be getting yard work done today.  If not, I'll probably have to handle it.

That's about it for now, take care.

Cya...

OMG WTF $$$

 

I bought the new PC yesterday.  What happened to computer prices?  I've never paid over 500 for any PC.   I can usually shop, look at open boxed items, refurbs or something & get a good price.  The last system I bought was for my roomie & it was good for the time, only cost in the 400 range.  

My system is 7 years old & came with 4GB ram.  It did what I needed.   I thought in that long & with all the newer programs 16 would be the new base.  I was wrong.  That put me into gaming PC's at Best Buy.  I finally found an open box 12GB Dell that was still 890 something.   Tacking on an open box, on-sale monitor & tax left the total was well past the 1000 mark.  If I hadn't found the sales & open-boxed items, it'd been several hundred more.

Yet another strike COVID has had at the economy.  I expected the prices to go up.  But I hadn't factored in enough the level of demand driving the prices.  A year ago, maybe a year from now, this PC would've been considerably cheaper. But, with everyone working from home or doing classes, computers are in the biggest demand ever.

Oh well, that's handled.  Now to start the cross over. Take care.

Cya...

PS - Labs didn't happen.  They had the wrong tests & I'm not going back with these COVID numbers.

Gotta Run...

 

In a hurry this morning.  I need to go have labs done.  Pay a water bill.  Then I need to see about getting a new computer.  At some point, I get to eat & take my other meds. 

Hopefully, the water department will be open.  I'm really hoping this computer buy goes well.  I'm amazing at buyer's remorse.  I need some things to go well for a bit.  Too much has been in red column lately.

That's about it, take care.

Cya...

Not Great...

 

I'm not having a great morning.  I generally don't anymore.   Ever since I began recovering from being out of the hospital at the beginning of the year I've been dealing with other people's BS.  Some of it's mine, but mostly others.  People have been stressed, fraxious & difficult.  I'm done with it.  I can't even have a moment to tend to my own needs without being exposed to other peoples'.  

My computer is still a mess & will have to be replaced.  I hate that process.  The tool I ordered for the yard is still lost in limbo & no one's certain about it.  I wish they'd just give up & refund it.  The yard help "may" be happening.  The weather is weird.  The light's not great.  I need to get labs drawn.

Add to this, the lingering election crap.  I'm done.  I can't care about any more of it.  I haven't been able to come down since March.   Between COVID & this election, people have used up my last bits of strength.   I can't handle any more of anyone else's BS.  Not when no one's really helping with mine.  COVID is here & the election will be what it is.  Done.

Cya...

Better For Women...

 

Finally some good news for women about HIV meds.  This piece covers research into Cabotegravir from ViiV.  After much medical research excluding women, this was actually aimed at their needs.  

Cabotegravir was developed as a maintenance med for those with well controlled HIV.  However, instead of a daily pill, it's an injection given every 2 months.  This led to it's use as a PrEP drug.

I normally oppose PrEP,  But, this med has shown to be effective.  It also means people have to see medical professional.  

The primary seller here is this research was done in Africa.  This medication means these women can take the drug without anyone else knowing.  They don't have to fear stigma as much.  It helps lessen exposure if their partner isn't cooperative or they're assaulted.

In these instances, this med has proven to be 80% more effective than Truvada.  That's staggering.  Between that & its discreet nature, I can't oppose it.  Especially under these circumstances.   If this article doesn't work for you, this info is easily found on the net.

Cya...

Not Much New...

 

There wasn't much in the way of articles.  I think after the election,  a lot of people felt so much tension leave them & realized how exhausted they were.  For a bit, I think many of them won't be as productive because they're trying to recuperate.   We all need it.

We'll head out shopping in a bit.  It's a bit weird.  This weekend our state's COVID monitoring system basically cracked under the pressure.  We had over 4,500 new cases reported on Saturday.  They didn't even get to Sunday's numbers. I need to see about some bloodwork, but I don't know how I feel about that.  I'll wait & see how the numbers go.

Take care & be safe.

Cya...

Finally, An Answer...

 

We have an answer, Biden won.  Now, let the tantrum drama begin.  The orange asshat is sure to pull every nasty trick he can.  That's just his character.  He used every disgusting method he could to get to the top.  It's time to let all those horrid gambits come back to him as he falls.  I betting a lot of the rungs he stood on to climb up are no longer there.  It's time for trump to get the Disney girl experience.  He soared high, now he gets to crash on the rocks.

Good riddance you orange monster.

Cya...

Ongoing Nerve-fest...

 

I can't believe this election isn't settled.  It's Saturday. Nearly everything is focused on this, articles are all but non-existent.  I saw an interesting topic, but all the sites had paywalls or really annoying sign-ups.  

The title of these pieces stated the UK is experiencing a 20 year low in HIV transmissions among Gay & Bi men.   If I could have read the piece, I'd have more info.  I hope the lead in was accurate.  It'd be amazing to have a historic low like that.  Maybe I'll find the piece later.

That's about it, take care.

Cya...

Uggh...

 

Sorry, but this election has me distracted. It's been days.  I'm hoping for the best, but it keeps lingering.  I think people are going to lose it if this doesn't end soon.  Hopefully, I'll be more able to focus once this is resolved.

Take care.

Cya...

Hanging On...

 

I'm sorry but there wasn't much to post about this  morning.  With COVID & the other insanities of 2020, articles had slowed down to a trickle.  With this stalled election, everything is basically trapped in amber.

Hopefully, we'll have a result today & things can begin trodding along again.  We'll see.  This has been the weirdest election.  It's also been very telling of the people in this country.  It's not pretty.

Take care.

Cya...

Not Sure...

 

The election is still undecided.  This is making things tense.  What I do know is that Oklahoma can F' off.  Kissing orange ass won't get you anywhere.  If I could move I would.  This place is just a hateful embarrassment. 

We have to finish bill stuff today.  The water bill is on  hold until the place opens again.  Apparently, it's closed for another week due to COVID.  But trump is doing such a great job with corona.  

That's all for now, take care & be kind.

Cya...

Today...

 

It's election day.  Either winner will have an impact on me & mine.  I have no idea which way this will land.  I'm trying not to look.  I did last time & was very disappointed.  I'll save that for later.

No matter which this goes, it won't be pleasant. It might be exciting, aggravating, tiresome...  But, it won't be nice.  It will tell a lot about us as a people though.   Will we hold on to yesterday's fears, hate & hucksters?  Or will step in the unknown of the future? Going backwards never bodes well.

Go vote.  Be kind. Take care.

Cya...

1st Dark Day...

 

Yesterday was the 1st day after the time change & it was rough on me.   Only a 132 more days to go.  I hate this time change.

Didn't see much in the way of articles this morning.  Everyone's probably too strung out over the election. Maybe once this is over.

It's chilly this morning.  We have to go shopping & then run over to Fort Smith.  My roomie needed to run something over & I'm hoping something I ordered will be in.  

That's about it for now, take care.

Cya...

November...

 

It's the 1st day of November & the 1st morning after the time change.  I'll hate it come this afternoon, when it gets dark ridiculously early.   This season is hard enough as it is without making most of the day darker.  

This will be a busier week for us.  I need to pick up something I ordered in Fort Smith, probably on Monday.  Then it'll be time to handle bills.  A couple of bouts of shopping & whatever else needs handling.  Luckily, we've already voted.

I was nice last time & let most people hang around on my Facebook page after the election.  I'm not sure I can do that again.  These people have too much hate & rage to tolerate. You put rabid animals down.

Here's to a good November.  Don't engage the crazies, you can't reason with them. Take care.

Cya...