Seasonal Wrap...

 

The solstice is near.  Weathermen started Summer at the beginning of the month.  Spring is leaving for the year.   I think it's time to take a bit of an assessment.  I'll try to be honest.  This Spring was not fun, good or helpful.  It was dark, & trying.  

The weather last year was no better, but we seemed to be in a better place.  There were plans, ambitions, goals...  But all that's pretty much gone.  It was always a possibility that would be the way of things, but for a while things had traction.  Not trying to point blame here.  I'm certainly not helping much.  But, I don't see things making a come back.  

Things started fading late last Fall.  There were reasons.   A different tactic was tried & seemed to help for a bit.  Then that was gone too.  By deep Winter things had fizzled.  I didn't say anything for a bit, then later I did & there were acknowledgements.  By February, as far I could tell, it was all gone.  Spring brought more issues, challenges & not much else.

Things could change, but I think that chapter's closed.  Again, it's not like I was doing much.  Maybe The Sundays had it right, "Here's where the story ends."  I don't know what this Summer holds.  I doubt it'll anything good for me.   The season will start with no real plans on my part, just a fair certainty things will only get worse.

Cya...

Brighter, Warmer & Steamier...

 

It finally got brighter yesterday, but after all that rain, it's a steam pit.  It'll take a bit for all that moisture to burn off.  It won't help if we get a lot more rain.  

It's bright again this morning.  That made it easier to wake up.   It's still very muggy.

I tried a different kind of store bought chili.  I usually make ours at home.  This stuff was awful.  I tossed the leftovers out in the yard.  It's still there this morning.   Usually with an hour or so, whatever I toss out is gone.  It's almost gone by the next day.  That means, no animal traipsing through my yard wanted anything to do with that stuff.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

PS - Keep forgetting to say that the rose of sharon bushes & tiger lilies have been blooming for about a week.

Dreary, Wet & Muggy...

 

The area monthly rainfall averages were met & surpassed by the 1st week of June.  There's some local flooding, but I haven't seen any postings about anything serious.   That could change with more rain still in the forecast.  

It's still dreary & muggy.  This isn't fun to wake up too.  It makes getting around hard.  This time of year, putting clothes on after a shower is a sticky process.  

There were articles, mostly over things I've posted about a lot.  Some posts seemed too in the "proof-of-concept" phase to be worth it.  At least there was something.

I'm trying to do better this morning.  These skies aren't helping any.  It's nearly Summer Solstice & it's still this dark.  Summer used to be my reprieve, now there's nothing.  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

It's Trying...

 

2026 is turning out to be a bad year for me.  2025 was hard & it crashed into this year.  The expenses kept coming.  It's stayed dark & dreary.  Very little is moving along like it should.  Everything is just trying.

It's June & it's still dark.  Things that should've been settled months, perhaps years ago, are still ongoing.  New crap keeps popping up.  I can only juggle so much.

The 1st week of June has been rough.  I've been in panicky, anxious & mad.  It's looking like another dark Summer.  I've spent a couple of days so wound up, I thought was going to be sick.  I never was, but the queasiness & nerves just wouldn't settle down.  

I've been diagnosed with HIV, had pneumonia, COVID, a stroke, etc...  But so far this year has feels like it belongs in the top 3 of my worst years of the 2000s.  What's bad is, I know it could get worse.  I'm just trying to get through this & I'm not doing that very well.

Take care.

Cya...

Healthspan & Flu Meds...

 

There's a continuum between quality & quantity.   Most opt for the most over the best.   I want the most candy over a single bite of the best.  But that shouldn't be the case when it comes to a person's life.  Lifespan is how long someone will live.  But another concept healthspan or healthy life expectancy, is how long the individual will life in a mostly healthy state absent of chronic illness or injury.  

When it comes to HIV, new meds have led to a near normal lifespan.  That isn't always the case for healthspan.  Many with HIV+ age faster than normal & face health issues earlier or more intensely; cognitive decline or increased susceptibility to some cancers.  

According to this piece, this is due to the inflammation caused by HIV even when suppressed.  HIV impacts the bodies ability to fight.  The research reported a sugar molecule in the body called glycans help control inflammation.  While glycans dip as we age, it can be worse for women as the enter menopause.  But in HIV+ people these glycans levels lessen & with that their ability to control inflammation.

Research is studying a medication to inhibit this effect.  A group of meds referred to as sialidase or neuraminidase inhibitors can lessen degradation of glycan levels.  These compounds are found in common anti-flu meds such as Tamiflu.  

This research is in the very beginning, but could prove very useful.  They aren't promoting flu meds as a treatment for HIV related inflammation.  They're saying the chemicals in these meds could be lead to new treatments for the condition.  Which could impact a host of inflammation induced ailments.

Give it a read.  Take care.

Cya...

Not a Good Friday...

 

This isn't a good morning.  There's a more talk of HIV funding getting further cut.  There's also the chance they could require HIV+ work requirements to get medicaid.   I'm not sure what this will mean for me.  Of course they aren't giving the choice to end it all.  I think with the way things are, a lot of people might choose that option.  

It's a crappy dark morning & it's like I feel every miserable cloud.  I don't think I'm getting over SAD ever.  I hate waking up so damned much.  It's in the top worst things I ever do.   It takes me hours just to be functional & then more time to feel normal.  By then, it's getting dark again.  Things aren't & probably won't ever get better.

There's errands & bills to handle.  Take care.

Cya...

Some Done & Finally...

 

The beginning of bills & some errands were handled yesterday.   I picked up my meds & by the time we got home, the lawn guy was mowing.  We're happy about that.  It'd been over a month since the yard got handled.  It was a shaggy mess.  But, it took that long for the rain to stop & grass to dry enough to be cut. 

We don't have much on for today.  We'll finish the bills tomorrow.  That's it for now.

Take care.

Cya...