Goodbye February, you haven't been an easy month in a long time. Hopefully March will be a little better for us. I guess we'll see.
My appointment with my primary went fine. I have a telemedicine appointment on Wednesday. For now the phone situation seems to be handled. We won't known entirely for sure until next month. That'll knock another thing off our to-do list that's been lingering for a while.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
I have to get to an early appointment. Right now, the sun is at best a suggestion. I need this drear to move on. It's really starting to be too much. Combine that with the wind, pollen, tree cutting, noise & city burning crap, I feel like hell this morning.
That's about it. I have a few other things to do. Then it'll be back to go shopping.
Cya...
This is going to be a busy week. I have a appointments twice this week. Tomorrow is my primary & Wednesday is telemedicine. There's also shopping, 1st of the month stuff, dealing with the phones & any other errands we may have.
Unfortunately, my SAD is still an issue. Constantly changing weather & light levels aren't helping any. There's a lot tree pollen, wind blown crap & people chopping at trees. That along with the heaters is drying me out & giving me nosebleeds.
February hasn't been an easy month for me in a while. Looks like March is trying to follow down that road. I hope not, I need a break from the crap & drama.
Cya...
There were articles over the HIV stigma today. It's important to educate people about the virus & those living with it. Attempting to directly confront stigma is a lost cause. The discrimination against those with HIV has been here since the beginning, it's not going anywhere. Those links go to Wiki pages with a lot of information about both topics.
Many misunderstand the concept of stigma. It's not something that can educated away. Nothing stigmatized is ever completely free of it. There will always be those holding to them. There's always been the other. This is an Us vs Them thing.
In a Seussian manner this is a Sneetches fight over stars. Stigmas aren't rational & can't be reasoned away. They're like energy; they can altered, lessened or redirected. But, stigmas will never be completely eradicated. Doubtful, ask someone who's Jewish, left-handed or a owner of black cats.
Focus your fight on what can be done. The crusade against stigma is a thief. It steals resources, time & hope. It's the mountain you can't change. So go over, around or through it. But, don't give it any more of yourself than you have to.
Cya...
It's another cold, grey morning. The forecast calls for drear for some time to come. Between tree pollen & heaters, I'm having nose bleeds again. I'm not waking well. It's not full on cortisol issues yet, but I'm shaky & anxious in the mornings. It's supposed to rain more this evening. We're already almost 5" over our monthly rainfall average.
That's about it for now. I hope the sun's shining wherever you are.
Cya...
We're into the last of February, yesterday was the last Wednesday of the month. Bills are paid, the phone thing is still unclear & there's an appointment. Of course the month decided to get colder again. But, it is still Winter.
There isn't much else going on here. We'll hopefully finish the month without any more drama. Then slowly the Spring things will start & bring all that stuff to handle.
Take care.
Cya...
Just a quick post in case the power goes out. It's storming here & has been most the night. It's supposed to end soon. But, until then, the internet & power could go out.
Nothing much in the articles except what I posted about yesterday, OpEds & rehash. My SAD is fairly at it this morning. Maybe I'll feel better in a bit. For now, I'm just not in the best place. I hate drear.
That's all, take care.
Cya..
According to these article A & B, another person has been cured of HIV. The articles are well written & stand on their own. While the pieces can't agree on whether it's the 3rd or 5th, I'm thinking 5th. The process again involved replacing bone marrow with that from a donor that was HIV resistant. Even, though this is another occurrence, that doesn't mean that this method is a viable cure for the masses.
On the me front. I'm still not doing that great with the lack of light. The temps are jumping up & down. The tree pollen is soaring & while the electric company is chopping at trees. My breathing & eyes are shot. Hopefully, this will get better in a little while.
That's it for now, take care.
Cya...
Whatever reserves I have for getting through Winter's BS have been mostly depleted. I wonder if some animals hibernate just to avoid the season's drear. According to meteorologist, Spring begins at March,. The Spring Equinox isn't until the March 20. I like the weather people's day more, but I bet the other date is more accurate. By then, the warmer weather should be more stable & the time change would've happened. Maybe then, I won't be so drained by SAD issues. That's a month. It doesn't sound long, but when you're dealing with SAD, it can feel like forever.
It's shopping day. We can't deal with mail since it's yet another mail holiday with President's Day. There isn't much going on other than that. I'm trying to confirm my appointment next week. So far, I'm getting no reply.
Take care.
Cya...
I'm feeling a little better. I probably won't be over this until the phone drama is settled. I'd like the sun to be shining, but it's fairly dim. In a few weeks the time change happens. I'll be glad for more light, but I never really handled the last time change. February has become a difficult month for me. March wasn't any better last year. I'm really over being tired, anxious & strung out. It'd be great for things to just work like they're supposed to. It'd be nice if I still had good months or least times of the year.
That's all for now. Tomorrow is President's Day, so mail will be off. The following Monday I have an appointment with my primary care.
Cya...
I don't feel well enough for this to be a long post. There was a lot more phone drama yesterday. I don't know if it's sorted or not. We won't until the bills made available. This was undue stress. I let it work me up a lot & it trashed me & my stomach. I felt twitchy, nauseous & exhausted by the time we were home. Later my stomach was achy & causing a lot of trips to the bathroom. I feel better so far, but not great. My stomach's still weird & the bathroom's calling.
Take care.
Cya...
We got new phones. It's been something alright. I'm sure I'll get used to them, but for now, ugh. I've got to get around, so this will be short. We have to handle shopping this morning. It's cold, but at least it's brighter.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
This article is about PEP or post exposure prophylaxis. Another service offered by Planned Parenthood. It's a good piece & not jargon ridden. Give it a read.
We ordered new phones yesterday. They should be here the beginning of next week. Goodbye old frustrating phones. It's a step in part of what we wanted to get done. We're whiddling the list down as we can.
That's about it for now. Unfortunately, we're in another round of cold, drear for a few days. Hopefully, it won't last long. I'm tired of them & all the storms piling through the area during February.
Take care.
Cya...
This article is about ViiV's study of their long acting injected HIV medication, Cabenuva vs the daily Biktarvy. The injected med is a dual & the other is a daily, oral, triple ingredient medication. While I think this should've been done before going to market, at least it's being done now.
A point of concern is how much this research will include women in the study. The article uses the word, "women," multiple times. Most of the references are directly & actively referring to transgender women. Only the most indirect statement just used "women". HIV pharmaceutical research has been notably horrible about it's lack of inclusion of women in the studies.
We'll have to wait for the outcome.
Take care.
Cya...
This will be short. We have things to do. I need to get some shopping handled. I also need to see about getting labs drawn. We have other things we'd like to get handled this week, maybe they'll actually happen. I hate when all my appointments collide.
As I said yesterday, today today is the 4th anniversary of my stroke. Yay me.
That's it for now. Take care.
Cya...
The month is nearly halfway over & it's sunny for the moment. It's supposed to warmer today, yay! It'll get cold again, but for today it's brighter & warmer. This was my mother's birthday & when I was younger, the calendar's marked it as Lincoln's birthday. Washington & him used to get their own days, now they have to share on President's day. That'll happen next week & screw up the mail.
Tomorrow will be an anniversary as well. I might not remember in the morning, so I'll mention it now. On February 13, 2019 I was admitted to the hospital for a stroke. 2019 was not a good year for me. Later that year, I was admitted again for either a weird pneumonia or an early case of COVID. I'm still not sure on that matter. As painful as it was, I'm thinking COVID.
We're 2+ months into meteorological Winter & 1.5 months into seasonal Winter. Either way, I just want it gone. It's too cold & staying too dark for me.
That's it for now, take care.
Cya...
It's sunny this morning after getting more rain yesterday. We're 2+" over our average. This wet cold is hard to handle. I'm trying to just enjoy the bright morning. The forecast doesn't show many sunny days. It does show a lot of cloudy crap & more chances for rain. This could be a rough month for me. Nothing serious for me if I can help it, I won't need the extra nerves. Sometimes stuff can't be avoided but if I can, I will.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
It's gray again & I hate it. It could rain more & we don't need it. At 4.5" already, we're 1.5" of rain over our average. There could still be more rain coming.
I'm trying to handle the grey this year. So far, I'm doing mostly alright. Still, the nerves kicked in when I saw the grey skies this morning. I have a normal lab appointment & regular primary this month. Due to this grey crap, the idea of both is nerving me out a bit. There's no reason for this, other than SAD. I know there's nothing to worry about, yet I'm still twitchy about the matter. I will be until it's over.
I hate Winter. It's grey, cold & dismal. Even with this weather, the bugs are still going & the yard's still fairly green. Past that, it didn't even do in allergy season. Winter is a foul season with no pay off for me.
That's all for now, take care.
Cya...
Our monthly rainfall average is a little over 3". With a little sprinkling that happened earlier in the month, this rain has us just +/- that amount. That's happened in less than a day. There are flood warnings all around us. I'm not sure who's going to get where today. It's likely a lot of roads are impassable. They'll probably stay that way for a day or so. I know we can use the rain, but does it always have to fall in such a short time? It's OK to spread it out over the whole month.
That's all for now. It's just dark & wet here. Take care.
Cya...
We had been making some tentative plans & found out we need more info. We're planning on that this week. However, I'm not sure what the weather's going to be like. I already have to handle some other things & it could be raining. I'd rather not add this & try to handle it soaked. We'll see. It'll happen, I'm just sure of a timeline yet.
That's about it for now, take care. Hopefull it's bright there. It's not here.
Cya...
Just getting around this morning. We have to go shopping & handle the remainder of the monthly bills. It's the 1st Monday of the month & it feels like it. Just a little sluggish getting around.
I'll get labs drawn this month for a telemedicine appointment in March. I'll also have an appointment with my primary care at the end of the month. So far, just regular stuff.
It's a little warmer today & reasonably bright. Trying to get some online shopping handled & it's being a bit dodgy. I'm just in the looking phase at the moment, but the buying should be handled soon. Some things are still in a funk due the last few years.
That's about it for now, take care.
Cya...
Not much on my mind this morning. It is however, a much nicer morning. It's far brighter & warmer. There will still be cold days. The season isn't over yet, but today is nice.
Sometimes posts, like mine yesterday, aren't a sign of anything but frustration. There are a lot of things in our lives, we have little control over. No one asked for our input in the crappy things affecting us. They say, "This too shall pass." OK, maybe it will, but what's going to be left then? What condition is it going to leave me in after whatever storm passes over? Which time shall it also pass & leave nothing behind? Being nonchalant or stoic about people's suffering is pretty bastardly.
It's alright if you can't do anything to help, but don't feed people fortune cookie proverbs or mottos from a bumper sticker. People deserve better. If you can't help, that's alright. If you can't set with people in the hard times, then maybe you are part of the problem.
There are still cold days ahead, but it's warmer today. The last 2 winter fronts that went through could've been much worse if they'd hit us directly. Fortunately, they didn't.
I saw a couple of interesting sounding articles this morning. I'll never know if they were. They were both behind paywalls. That may have been useful information that I could've put in the blog. I'll never know.
So much of life is setting on the coin's edge. It could've been this or that depending on the tilt. Sometimes, more annoyingly the coin keeps standing & never falls. A decision or action, even if not what you wanted can be handled. That wavering limbo crap is nerve wracking. You know it can't last forever. The shoe is going to drop.
Too much of my live has been lived this way. As much as I'd like it not to be. My life has always been too greatly impacted by the actions of others. Often those not even near me. It's a chaos I have no kindness for, but still it's better than the waiting.
My life, this country, the future, all of it could've been better if not for the decisions of some people. I'm not trying to shirk responsibility, but existentialism is a load of crap. No one, no entity, has that much control over its life, well being or future. The best we can do is roll with it & play our cards to our best advantage. Even if it pisses other people off.
Cya...
To start, the state of Tennessee is as conservative & backwards AF. According to this article the decision to cut federal HIV monies caught those who were HIV+ or those needing testing, but they weren't the direct target. Not that the "fine" people of that state minded that them gays got what they deserved.
This piece states the actual targets were Vanderbilt University's transgender health program & Planned Parenthood. That would've been a loss of just under a quarter million. The easiest way to do that was to reject the entire allotment. That makes the rejected monies come to over 8 million. Those just needing help with HIV matters are going to face a much harder time now.
HIV isn't a gay disease. Yet even if it was, that has nothing directly to do with being trans or needing Planned Parenthood. This is just some hideous group of politicians means to attack people they despise. Face it, Republicans are a hate group. They don't care who they hurt in the long run.
Cya...
At 32°, we're warmer than we got yesterday. The ground is melting a lot of this from underneath. What was on the van is melting due to the air & what little sun is shining. The trash didn't run this week, but they probably got worse in surrounding areas. That may have made it too risky to drive those trucks. They're doing more road work today. The state agency is coming to handle the main road.
We lucked out twice, both rounds of this just skirted by us. We got some, but nothing compared places nearby. It's the little things.
That's all for now. Take care.
Cya...
January left us with a layer of crunchy ice. Other than some other foul weather, it wasn't a bad month. Winter weather does come with the season. Goodbye January 2023.
Hello February. You just had to open with with ice didn't you? This has been a rough month for us for the last few years. I'd like to break the cycle. No major weather would be nice.
That's about it for now. Take care.
Cya...
