July 2023 is over & it won't be missed. It's been a rough month in a year of them. This actually was the coolest morning we've had for a bit. But, it's still too hot.
This will be a busy week. It's the start of the month & there are bills to handle. We'll head out in a bit for shopping. Other than that, there's not much else besides sweltering.
Take care.
Cya...
It's hot & will be for the week. As expected, there were no articles to speak of this morning. I think this will be pretty much the way of things for a bit.
Oh well, stay cool & take care.
Cya...
Not much going on here or in the way of articles. It's hot & will stay like that through the week. Then it's supposed to cool down about 10°. That'll be nice if it happens.
That's about all I've got for today, take care.
Cya...
Unless something changes, I doubt the remainder of the month's post will be much of anything. Articles tend to slow down during this time. All I'll have to post about is hazy mornings & BS heat. It's going to be hot this week, that's the forecast.
At least I'm fairly sure about my phone situation. They posted a pay date on their site. AT&T is weird. If this goes as planned, then things might be back to "normal" with them.
Take care.
Cya...
I don't understand how companies turn answering a simple question into a nightmare quest. I wanted to know a date, not defeat a dragon, save the villagers & get the treasure. I called AT&T to find out my new auto pay date. They gave you a choice, stick with your credit card & pay $5 more a month or switch to a bank account/debit card. Apparently, AT&T is fighting with credit card companies over pennies.
You have to call them & face the AT&T automated, AI customer service dragon. Which is an annoying, incompetent & persistent pain in the ass. If you can get passed that beast, then there's wading through the maze known as being, "On hold." Finally, you get to an agent that's only slightly more competent than the AI.
All I wanted to know was my new auto pay date. When I 1st called they couldn't tell me because my bill hadn't posted. Then I called & there was over an hour wait time. This morning I finally got through. I think I have an answer. We'll see it's right. I hate calling customer service. I guess that's sort of the point, isn't it?
Cya...
This piece discusses something I hadn't realized was a specific issue. The article states it's safe for HIV+ patients to undergo hip replacement surgery. I didn't know this was a concern. The writing was straight forward & stated there were no additional concerns or complications for HIV+ patients undergoing the procedure. I guess that's good to know.
Cya...
July's on the downhill run, this is the last Tuesday of the month. I had wanted more from this Summer, not a lot. I just wanted more sun, less drear. It would've been nice if everything hadn't seemed to have tried so hard to be contrary just for the sake of it. So far, 2023 has been a bust for me. It's mostly been be dark, cold, wet, dreary, hot or hazy. The nice sunny days have been so scarce. This year has left me apprehensive. stressed & spent. The problem is, I don't know if anything past this will be any better. That door marked, "2000's," was a bad choice to take.
Cya...
This piece is about the monumental efforts Sydney, Australia took to start controlling HIV in an area with historically, high HIV transmissions. It's a good article & shows HIV can be combated without a vaccine. Not saying a vaccine wouldn't be helpful, but this was done with a community based & targeted approach. They focused on prevention, awareness, testing & treatment. By doing so, in a decade they lowered this area of Sydney's transmission rates by over 80%.
This is a good read. It shows things can be handled. The main thing it takes is willing to access the situation & act accordingly. I'm glad I found this article.
Take care.
Cya...
This is a well crafted piece, The risk of sexual transmission of HIV in individuals with low-level HIV viraemia: a systematic review." It comes from The Lancet & deals with with transmissions of HIV between serodiscordant partners. Including the idea U=U.
I've always had a problem with the undetectable equals untransmittable concept. HIV levels can change quickly in certain circumstances. The non + partner could be more prone to illness. There are a lot of factors impacting U=U. It's not that simple.
The study found while transmission among those with low to undetectable viral levels were infrequent, they did happen rarely. A major point they made was about definitions. What is considered a low viral count, under 1000, under 200? What does it mean to actually be undetectable?
The long & short of it is, even though low viral counts or even undetectable means sex is safer, it doesn't mean it's absolutely safe. Thus safer sex, not safe sex. And this discussion has only been about HIV, not other STI's.
Be as safe as possible. Use a condom, get tested, know your status, take care of yourself. No one else is going to do this for you.
Cya...
Yesterday was cooler. This won't last, but you take what you can. This morning is slightly brighter, but still hazy. This humidity isn't dying down. Oklahoma Summer's used to be a dry, roast. Now, they're a steam pit. Dry heat is so much easier to handle.
There might have been articles. However, every piece I tried to look at was behind a paywall. They strike again. Maybe the info will surface in a bit elsewhere.
That's all, take care.
Cya...
Woke to a dark, muggy morning. It might rain later. Or it could just be dismal all day. At least it's a little cooler. This is definitely the Summer of suck. But, that's been all of 2023 so far. It's been a good part of the 2000's.
We have to go shopping in a bit & that's about it for the day. This could've been a good Summer. But instead it was either dark & dreary or hot & hazy.
That's all for now. Take care.
Cya...
According to this article there might be another patient cured of HIV via the use of stem cells. He's nearing 2 years with no signs of the virus. This time was slightly different than the others, give it a read. The cells weren't carrying the specific genes that made them combative to HIV. This may not be a cure, but it could point the way.
It was hot again yesterday & will be again today. We're supposed to get a bit of a reprieve this weekend. That'll be nice. Even with the heat, it's hazy this morning. It's 2023, the year that hated sunshine in Oklahoma.
Take care.
Cya...
The heat found us. At least it wasn't excessively humid during the day. I don't think it will be today either. You have to be careful with the weather sites, their info varies greatly. Even if they're reporting the same temp, there can be a huge range in heat indices. Even though Weather Channel & Accuweather had the same temp yesterday afternoon, WC reported a heat index almost 13 degrees higher than Accuweather. If it had be the higher index I think I would've fared much worse yesterday.
Yesterday's trip went well. Now, that I know where it is, it won't be a problem. The hardest part, was that the place is down an amazingly nondescript street.
It's another day & it'll be hot again. Hopefully tonight will be a little cooler. Tomorrow is supposed to cool down a bit. That'll be good. At least it's been bright.
Take care.
Cya...
I'm trying to get things handled this morning. We have to be out early this afternoon. It's going to be for a bit & it's going to be hot. Hopefully, it will go smoothly.
This is it for today. Take care.
Cya...
There's not much going this morning. It was bright for a minute & then the damned haze rolled in. This is being a serious, suck ass Summer. It's supposed to be hot this week, probably still hazy. We also have a few days of errands in a row. Figures, we'll be busy when it's the hottest.
After seeing the 2000's, I wonder how many people wished they'd just jumped off the ride before 99 ended. Prince wasn't kidding when he sang, "Parties weren't meant to last." The 2000's have been like being in a bar where it's perpetually closing time & the house lights are letting you see the real ugly of it all.
Cya...
There is this drive to end AIDS by 2030. It's good to have goals, but I doubt this is obtainable. I'm not even sure what the definition of being rid of AIDS is for them. Is it that there are no more actual occurrences of HIV so severe as to be termed AIDS? Or is it, there are no further transmissions of HIV?
Either way, I don't think it's something that will happen. They still won't demand standard testing for HIV & other STI during routine doctor visits. Without testing, you can't know a person's status or treat those with HIV. There's still not enough education & awareness. The trend to lean on PrEP over condoms is failing. It's failing so hard, that other STI are soaring & becoming drug resistant.
Beyond that, only some of the world seems to care about ending HIV. The rest doesn't care, thinks HIV is a culling, supports crap science or just won't culturally engage in the fight against HIV. For whatever reasons, part of the world can't fight for the whole world against this virus. It will take all of us & that's not going to happen.
It'd be great if no one else ever contracted HIV. I doubt I'll live to see that. Stop reaching for straws of hope & grab hold of things we know work in this fight.
Cya...
Mornings & I have never been on good terms. They only bring fuckery. Even when I was little with Saturday morning cartoons, I dreaded mornings. They could lead to finding something wrong; a pissy sibling, a drunk parent, something broken, etc...
As I got older, some of those things were no longer problems, but other things came. Other sources of stress & anxiety. Now, I have to deal with SAD as well.
Most mornings something is off. When it isn't, I get more worried. The longer it takes for the shoe to drop, the bigger the shoe. The only way I can see to fix this would be for the to be no mornings. There's nothing that can make that happen. So this is my existence. I won't call it a life. It hasn't felt like that in a long time. I go through the days & that's it.
I dread & despise mornings.
Cya...
Woke up to haze & heat. It rained a little last night. The humidity levels are stupidly high. Had to deal with yard stuff yesterday. The lawn guy showed on the hottest day of the year so far. Nothing about July has been pleasant for me.
That's all for now. Take care.
Cya...
2023 may not turn out to be the worst year of my life, but it's certainly been trying. I woke to yet another damn dark morning. What's the point of Summer if you can't even get some sunny days? Sure it might get bright for a couple of hours later in the afternoon, but the mornings have been dark AF. It would surprise me if you could take all the bright mornings so far this year & make more than half a month out of them. Even when it's been hot, it's been hazy.
Over half of the year has passed. So far, it's getting a failing grade. Even if everything here out was great, which it won't be, it'd barely break even. I'm tired of hard years. It'd just be nice to wake up to bright mornings not full of crap.
Cya...
We're a ⅓ of the way through July & it's another dark morning. It's been a while since I've woke up well in the morning. I hate these dreary damn mornings. If this year is the new normal, I guess there aren't going to be many bright mornings left for me. I don't know how I'm going to handle that, if I even can. It's been a hard year for me with this drear. I've stayed tired, spent & mostly uninvolved with anything. Not that I'm ever that involved with things. At least it's not supposed to rain today.
Cya...
It rained over 2.25" yesterday. There are probably floods in the area. It never got really hot, but the hellish made up for it. It wasn't a pleasant day & we more than made our monthly rainfall for July. Yet still it's been raining since last night. We've had about another inch. It could be more before today's rains are over. There's more rain in the forecast. It's going to be a wet July. Strange after such a dry June.
Oh well, it' still dark & not very conducive to waking. It's not been a fun morning so far. At least it's just raining for now, not storming.
That's it for now, take care.
Cya...
Short post. I woke to it being extremely dark & crashing. Thunderstorms were underway. I'll post this now, in case the net or power crap out later. I'd say more tomorrow, but it could still be doing this all weekend.
Take care.
Cya...
I don't know why, but for sometime, the locals have decided Thursday morning is the time to make noise. There's been so much racket on these mornings that I'm waking somewhere around 6:30 & then finally falling back asleep. Of course, then I oversleep.
This morning was no different. There were crashing thunderstorms, someone left there puppy out under a tarped pin, the neighbors were getting about, etc... It was a lot of noise. I got woken a lot & then finally did sleep longer than I planned. Now, I'm a little out of it as I try to wake up.
Thursday mornings have turned into a bit of hell. Hope your day goes well.
Cya...
The 4th has passed. I'm sure we'll hear some more fireworks, but the bulk of it should be over. It was pretty, but I'm glad it's over, the smoke was getting to be a lot.
I found this article dealing with Native Americans & Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). It's a series of videos on the matter hosted by HIV.gov. It was interesting.
Hope everyone's holiday went well. Take care.
Cya...
The 4th is here & so is the noise & smoke. While the fireworks can be fun to look at. They're also really loud & smelly. Some of the smoke off them, just stinks. I know they have some sulfur components, but this is worse than the bad egg smell of sulfur.
While they're here, we'll try to enjoy them. It'd be nice have a kind with less smoke & stink. Still, they are pretty & make fun memories.
Whatever you're doing today, take care & have fun.
Cya..
The 1st of the month stuff starts today. We'll handle what bills we can & this finish them later in the week. Things will be a little off with a midweek mail holiday for the 4th. Other than that, it should be a normal start of the month.
Take care.
Cya...
Well July is here & since the 4th is midweek, some people have started with the fireworks early. There've some pops here & there over the last couple of weeks, but nothing big. That changed last night. The neighbors had people over & celebrated. They had people over & had a small, yet loud, celebration.
Fireworks are loud, but they bring people joy for a moment. I'm not going to bring down their party. I was that kid, running with fireworks & having a blast. It was a small happiness I had as a kid. I'm sure plenty of adults wanted to take it away from me back then. I'm sure plenty of people want to stop it now. Too many people delight in crapping on other people's moments of joy. I wish the most tedious life on that kind.
Try not to be a Karen or a Bruce & don't bring people down. Everyone deserves their moments. Hell, we need them just to survive.
Take care, Happy 4th.
Cya...
Last night wasn't as hot at the night before, but it was more humid. I woke to a just a hot & even muggier morning. It's not been the start I wanted for July, but here we are.
Instead of a shining face. July decided to start off as a sweaty armpit. Thanks, nobody needed that. It's about as hot as it's supposed today. It might rain. Our luck is it won't & we'll be stuck with the hellish humidity. The weather should have to remain within 60 - 90 with reasonable humidity. All other weather events would be by petition only.
Well that's it. Hello July.
Cya...
