Goodbye November...

 

November's ending & none too soon.  The holiday season is progressing, but it still doesn't feel like that time of year.   I've already heard more holiday music in stores than I had all of last year.  I don't expect any big decor on houses this year.  There wasn't much for Halloween.  I"ve only seen the bell ringers at Walmart last Friday.  Usually those people are there clanging from start to finish.  

We handled appointments yesterday & the van is allegedly fixed.  We'll see.  There are some errands to handle today.  There's a lot of trash to take out, since it didn't run last week.  That's us winding down November.

Goodbye November.

Cya...

Appointments...

 

My appointment went as expected.  We have to be out of here shortly, my roomie has an appointment.  After that, the van has an appointment.  

So many short posts, but it can't be helped.  Take care.

Cya...

Early Appointment....

 

This will be short.  I have to be out of here pretty soon.  I have a regular check in with my primary in just a bit.  I wish they weren't every 3 months.  Oh well, that'll be my morning.  First I'll go to a doctor's appointment & then shopping.   This isn't going to be a fun week.

Cya...

Nice, But...

 

There's a renewed call for global equity regarding the matter of HIV.  It's good idea.   It may be the only the only way to end the virus, if that's even possible.  

However there is still the matter of the how-to's.   There never seems to be a realistic explanation of the logistics or finances for this move towards equity.  Mostly it's just rhetoric.  If they place all the burden on the West, it simply won't happen.  

Nice visions without the means to back them are just sales pitches for nothing.  These calls come off  as a n attempt to bolster those calling & denigration for everyone not readily complying.   It's a nice thing to hope for.  As they say, hope isn't a plan. 

On another matter, this week's going to be busy.  November's winding down & both of us have doctor's appointments.  The van has to go into the shop.  Then the 1st of the month stuff starts.  This isn't going to be a fun week.

Cya...

Dreary Ending...

 

It seems November has every intent of going out as dreary as possible.  There might be another sunny day in the month, but I doubt it.  I really don't care for this weather but there isn't much I can do about it.   

We'll put up our scant holiday decor.  It won't lighten the drear, but maybe it'll brighten us up some. I'm glad the month is ending, but I don't have much hope for the remainder of the year.  The entirety of this decade so far seems bent on being obstinatetly contrary.

That's it for me this morning.   Take care.

Cya...

Grey Day After...

 

The holiday went well, at our level of the event.  I'm sure some people would've wanted more.  Thanksgiving is just another holiday & I've always had a weird relationship with those times.  Anyway, ours went well & I hope everyone else's did as well.  Holidays aren't easy.

We'll head out in a bit to  go shopping.  I'll see if  there's any Black Friday stuff we'd like.   There usually isn't, but I'll look.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Thanksgiving...

 

US Thanksgiving is here.  It's pretty dismal, grey & wet.  There are just 31 days until Christmas & 37 days left in 2022.  Hope everyone is ready for this year to  wind down. 

Happy Thanksgiving.  

Cya...

And Again With It...

 

There is a constant flow of articles over how certain populations in this country are less apt to get HIV treatment.  These are usually based on gender, age & race/ethnicity.  These statements may be genuine & even accurate, but aiming the responsibility for this  phenomenon on the medical community is completely unjustified.  

Information regarding HIV/AIDS has been readily available in the US for decades.  If there is need for more outreach, that's a matter of public health & welfare.  It's not the job of most medical professionals to reach out to people, especially those who don't want contact.  That's for social workers, community leaders, case managers, etc...

I saw an article today about having more equity in HIV treatment.  Yes there should be equity.  If you're talking about matters of access due to location, disability or finances then by all means do what you can.  If you're talking about HIV stigma among certain groups of people, then that's another matter.  

Professionals have tried for decades to make inroads into various racial/ethnic communities.  Most often with limited success.  This is now a matter for those communities to handle.  It's fairly blatant that help from outside the community isn't trusted/wanted.  It will have to be an internal matter.  I'd rather medical professionals focus on people who actually want medical aide than chasing those who don't.

Cya...

Slight Change Of Issue...

 

The issues continue.  The gas company is still doing things outside.  We're watching to make sure they don't mess up our lines.   There's a sewer line where they want to dig.  It's old & prone to break.  We don't have the funds to fix it.  The people doing the work are contractors hired by the gas company.  If something goes wrong, the contractors & gas company will point fingers at each other.  We'd probably have to pay for the fix ourselves.  Not to mention be without water for who knows how long.

We were supposed to take the van into the shop today.  They called last night & had to reschedule.  The mechanic who was going to do the work won't be in until next week.  So now the fix begins a week later.  

Everything keeps getting drug out.   When something does finally wind up, there's whole damn Pez dispenser of issues waiting to replace them.   This is exhausting & frustrating.  Add to all of this, it's a holiday week & that screws up everything even more.

Cya...

And Again...

 

I thought I could get by with a decent morning.  I was  wrong.  The gas company is out there messing with things.  We thought this was settled, but we won't know until they're gone.  I didn't need more crap.  I don't need them messing with the house's gas lines.  They're fine & rather newish.  I need to go shopping, but I'm not sure I trust them enough to not fuck shit up.  Tomorrow, we deal with the van & my roomie is supposed to have a friend over.  Then it's the holidays.  I don't need more on my plate.  I hate waking up, there's almost always something crappy lurking.

Cya...

Trying To More...

 

There isn't much going on & the articles were absent again.  It's still cold.  The van is still an issue.  I've not been feeling the best.   I can't do much about most of that.  I am trying to make myself get more sleep.  It isn't easy.  I've gotten some more the last couple of nights.  Maybe I can keep this up & get some energy back.  Might not work, but it's the plan I've got at the moment.  

Having some TV endings this week.  The Great British Baking Show, Annika & Magpie Murders all close out this weekend.  We'll have to find something else to watch.

That's all for now.   It's supposed to warm up a little this week.  Take care.

Cya...

More Van Issues...

 

So much for any plans I had to make my day a little easier.  The van decided to pitch a fit & nearly stranded me on the road.  They can't see it until Wednesday, right before the holiday.  We'll drop it off Tuesday night.  It may be Friday before we know anything.  I just hope the issue is findable, fixable & affordable.   

Until then, the best I can do is try to recover from the stress of the situation .  I didn't need this.  I slept a lot last night & I'm still exhausted.   This is part of why I hate the dark of the year.  There's always a good chance if something screws up, it'll be freezing & near a holiday.  Fall & Winter bring me nothing & I'm already over the cold. 

Cya...

Worn Out...

 

My health, the stress levels, the changing light levels; something or everything is wearing me down.  Lately, I've been seriously dragging.  It doesn't help that  everything keeps dumping more crap into my life & expecting more out of me.  I'm passed tired again.

Some people look at mornings as a promise.  To me, they are a promise.  It's another chance for life to screw something up.

Cya...

More Yuck...

 

Not in the best of moods this morning.  We mostly had our stuff together for the moment.  It was at least a sunny day.  Then something else stressful had to land in our laps.  It was just out of nowhere & so damn arbitrary.   It was handled badly by the initiators.  We think we have a plan, but it still sucked.

So much for ending November in relative peace.  2022 has sucked.  I'm tired of everything taking potshots this year.  

Mini-rants over, take care.

Cya...

Sunny Wednesday...

 

After today, only 6 Wednesdays remain in 2022.  This has not been a pleasant time & I'm not sure when we'll get another nice year.   Those seem to be a thing of the past.  

At least it's a sunny day.   It's still cold, but at it's bright.  I've haven't seen many Winter birds yet.  They can lighten my mood sometimes when I watch them from my window.  It'd be nice to be a better place for a bit.  Maybe if that happened, I'd just worry about when it would end.

This whole thing is a ride I should've never rode.  But, I didn't buy the ticket.  I will always be be pro-choice.  Too many of us would've preferred not to have been on the ride in the 1st place.

At least it's sunny today.

Cya...

Not So Soon...

 

It's been cold lately.  We didn't have to leave the taps dripping last night, but we will until at least Monday.  I guess the slightly warmer temps gave way to the surprise snow we had last night.  It came down fairly hard for a while, but it was also raining.  The rain & ground temps melted the snow almost instantly.  Still, it was cold & wet. 

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Meh Morning...

 

I know some people love this time of year & think it's  the best.  Simply put, they're wrong.  This time of year is dismal, cold & off putting.  

We need to deal with shopping & that's about it.  There's a chance for wintry weather this afternoon.   Here's hoping we don't get any of it.  As far as I'm concerned, I'd tell you festivity has left the building, except I wasn't that festive to begin with.  

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

A Certain Level...

 

There's a certain level of ongoing stress I can function with on a daily basis.  I becomes like static in the background.  The problem is for most of this year, the stress levels have been right up to my tolerable levels.  So, when anything else happens, I'm strung out, frazzled & exhausted.  I'm dealing with that at  the moment with the light change.  It might not have been that big a deal in years past, but 2022 has sucked.  Every time, an irritant gets dealt with, another shows up.  A lot of our issues had been caught  up with, then some of our plans for furniture  crumbled.  New plans were made, then the van screwed up.  Van issue gets mostly resolved & the gas company wants to screw with the pipes during the cold months.  On & On...

I"m just trying to clear my plate a bit.  At this rate, I'm just going to let it all drop & say to hell with it.  Very little in my life at the moment isn't a stressor.  On top of all that, it's  getting darker.  

Cya...

1st, Last & Ongoing...

 

Last night was the 1st time the kitchen stove was left on overnight.  It got chilly & there are no signs of a  warming out of the 40's for a week.  At least it's a sunny morning.

I had to jump the van again yesterday.  That lasted 14 days.  It'll be hard to tell what's going on with the cold setting in on the area.  If it keeps happening, either the battery is dying or there's something draining it.  Either way, it'll mean another trip to the mechanic.

There's an ongoing thing with the gas company.  They want to move the meter up against the house.  We don't want that. There other pipes in the way they want to go.  We have zip faith in their ability not to take out our water/sewer pipes.  Then they'd probably drop the entire fixing of the situation on us.  They seem happy with an alternative they offered.  They'll leave it where it is & just put some guards near it.   Funny, it's been in the spot for decades, now they're worried about the meter.

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Lag...

 

This piece was interesting.  The article details a study over the "jet lag" experienced by HIV+ people over 40.  The research is limited at this time, but the gist of it is mature, HIV+ people are temporally off.  They don't fall asleep as early or sleep as long as HIV negative people.   People in this state often feel tired & out of synch.  This could contribute to other health issues.  The next step is to find out if younger people living with HIV also endure this "lagging."

Cya...

Still Not Used To It...

 

Not much in the way of anything this morning.  This week hasn't been easy on me.  I'm still trying to adjust to the light change.  I hate the early dark.  I also had to move my thyroid med by an hour.  That med  always messes with me if I'm late taking it.  My stomach/digestion always takes ahit when I'm not prompt with the thyroid med.  I'll be adjusted soon, for the med, no the dark.  I most likely won't adjust  for the dark.   

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Not Surprised....

 

Irritated, but not surprised.  Yesterday, a majority of the people showed how disgustingly predictable they were.   Americans & Oklahomans, both choose to dig deeper into the mire instead of looking for a way out.  A lot of voters were party zealots.  Probably more,  were just impatient brats that didn't get what they wanted out of the Biden administration on Day 1.  I'd love to blame it on voting being a scam.  But, I think it's just the sheer hateful, indulgent stupidity of voters.  This is why I can't stand most people.

Cya...

Election Day...

 

It's election day.  Most articles are focusing on safe rehash or zooming in on the election.  Either way, not much for my blog today.  That's all for now.

Take care & go vote.

Cya...

Tomorrow...

 

Tomorrow is the midterm election.  How will this go?  Who knows?  I've done what I can.  Now, it's up to  Oklahomans & Americans to remind us how awful they can be.  Midterms are always stupid pendulum swings by impatient, impractical people who didn't get their way day 1.  Elections always show us how willing people are to vote against their own best interest, just so they can scream at someone else.  The American political system only serves to show the indulgence, ignorance, hate & greed of the people living here.

I don't have high hopes.  I never do when people are involved.  I'd love it if they surprised  me, but let's be realistic.  

Cya... 

Fall Back...

 

The clock rolled back last night.  It's alright at the  moment, but I'm going to hate this come 5PM.  For all  those who like this time of the year, I hope you enjoy it.  The rest of us will be dealing with the crap darkness for the next several months.  But, by all means, you do you.  Then gripe at us for not liking your dreary side of the year.  No holidays are worth the BS of Fall & Winter.

Cya...

A Little...

 

We had storms throughout last evening.  They poured  2"+ on us.  November's rain totals are already over halfway met.  I felt like crap during the storms, but I think they cleared the air some.  My breathing seems a bit better this morning. 

Tonight we set the clocks back.  Great more darkness.  We finished house bills yesterday.  Tuesday is the election.  Later in the month I have an appointment with my primary care.  Of course there's the holiday.  That's the month so far.

Take care.

Cya...

1st November Friday...

 

It's the 1st of the month, we'll finish house bills today.  I've not been feeling that well.  The weather & such has left me with constant sinus issues.  They're giving  me low grade fevers which are tiring.  I slept weird last night & got too hot, probably a fever.  Going to have to shower early this morning.  I'm feeling grimy from sleeping.  

We have some errands & shopping to do.   Then it'll be in for the day.  There are supposed to be storms.  I  hope we don't get hit hard.  We don't need that.

Take care.

Cya...

Changes In...

 

There have been a lot of changes in the treatment of HIV.   In the beginning, there wasn't even a test, let alone  treatment.  Slowly meds were introduced, some like AZT came from previous research for conditions such as cancer.  Some like AZT, also proved to be   problematic & toxic.  Early on, doctors thought holding off on meds was the best approach.  Given the issues with the meds, maybe it was.  Unfortunately this allowed the virus to advance & cause damage.

Slowly, with better testing & medications, treatment  shifted forward.  Eventually, it was deemed best to start treatment at diagnosis.  With better timing & meds, people with HIV today will have a chance to live a much healthier life than their predecessors.  

That doesn't mean this is resolved.  HIV meds are still hard on a body.  Even more so, they're outrageously expensive.   The Triumeq I take cost ranges from 3 - 4.5K depending on the seller.  Yes, there are discounts, but that only drops the price to the low 3K range.  That's not counting cost for other meds, appointments with doctors/specialist, lab work, etc... All of that is easily putting the monthly bill for HIV treatment over 4K.  While no longer a death sentence  for most people, their lives will never be the same in any fashion.   HIV is still all consuming.

Cya...

Oh Well...

 

I didn't have high hopes for anything, but I thought maybe I could get a single good day to start the month.  I'm not sure why I had such expectations, I don't get those things anymore.  November started off with carry over BS, things breaking, needs for my attention to do things & people in poor, snappy moods.  

I just needed a day without crap, especially new crap, even if it was potentially a good thing.  I just needed a day.  I'm back to dreading mornings.  I have no idea what's lurking out there.  What's going to break, need something or snap.  This has been going on for a long time now.  I'm just about to retreat to my room, close the door & not come out.  Let everything & everyone else fix their own shit.  I can barely handle mine, some times, not even that. 

My rant is over for a bit, but the crap will keep coming.  Oh well, a good month would've been nice.  I guess that's why I didn't get it.

Cya...

Hello November...

 

Hello November, you've finally got here, the penultimate month.  All I need is a month not full of  stress, issues, expenses & drama.  There's already an election going  on, so that's issue #1 & the holiday is the next on the list.  Still, maybe this can be a decent  month.  I don't need fireworks, just some simple pleasantries.  No month gets to stay.   But try not to be yet another month we slam the door behind.

Cya...