Harder Than Necessary...

 

We knew yesterday was going to be a long day.  But it turned out to be lengthier than we expected.  We didn't accomplish everything we intended to.  

The appointment took longer than we thought.  We hit nearly every traffic light & traffic was annoying on the way there.  There were added issues as well.  We did our best to make this day go smoothly.  That didn't happen.  As usual, the complications were not of our doing or negligence.  Other people & things just like to pile on.

On the plus side, we did get 1 good light & it probably saved us 5 minutes.  The store had half of what I was looking for.  We actually ate at place we enjoyed & didn't price us out of it being at least a semi-regular thing.  

I'm trying to see to high points.  It's not easy when everything keeps knocking at you.

Take care.

Cya...

Another Appointment Tuesday...

 

My roomie has an appointment, so we'll head out in a bit.  At least it's not at some ridiculously early time.  We'll take another run at getting something different to eat again.  It didn't work out last time.  Between traffic, expense & places being closed; Fort Smith restaurants can be a pain.

This shouldn't be a long outing & we have some errands we may handle after.   It'll depend on how we feel.  It's either that or tomorrow.

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Seasonalish...

 

We're over halfway through the 2nd Brr month.  This weekend actually got chilly.  I don't like this at all, it's getting cold & dark.  In less than 2 weeks the time change will happen & it'll be even worse.  I'm already dealing with cooler weather issues; sleeping different, skin changing, foot swelling & soreness, etc...

The temps should level out for a bit.  We're still finishing up Winter prep.  There's some outdoor stuff, things in my room & finally really closing all the windows.  I hate this.  I hate closing the house up.  I really didn't want another Winter.  I'm already not doing well & this will just make everything worse.  

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Viral Blips & What?

 

The title of this piece says a lot...

"Viral blips during HIV therapy are common and rarely signal treatment failure, Swedish study finds"

This study followed a cohort of 4,000+ patients for 5 - 11+ years.  They found that on average a 1/5 of these patients would see at least 1 blip during that period.  A viral blip is defined as a patient with previously undetectable levels or suppressed HIV, suddenly being detectable, then being undetectable again after the next scheduled testing.  

The pathogenesis of blips isn't understood.  It could be a lot of things.  The most common finding was blips were more common among those having frequent, precise testing.   By this they mean being tested every 3 - 6 months & the test had a threshold of 50 copies per ml.  My blip came after the newer test lowered that number to 20.  IMO, the more precise & available testing becomes, the more common blips are going to be.  

As the title stated, blips are common & not necessarily a sign of treatment failure.   Read this piece.  It's a little lengthy, but informative.

Cya...

The Month Found It's Brrr...

 

October finally found some chill.  OK, now send it back.  This is supposed to last the weekend.  I have no use for it or the dark.  At least it's supposed to be a clear day.

We knew this week was going to be busy.  We didn't know it was going to be filled with so much tiresome, unnecessarily trying crap.  It's like someone said, here's a extra burden & random issue for every step we took.   This week should have been a bit tiring, not nerve wracking, infuriating & exhausting.  BTW, none of the add-ons were our doing.  That nonsense was provided by people who are supposed to know how to do their jobs, bystanders & Fort Smith in general.

Mini gripe & rant over.  Take care.

Cya...

1st Cool Weekend...

 

This weekend is supposed to be considerably colder.  Our highs will be in the 70°s tops, with our lows hitting in the 40°s.  It's windy today, but at least it looks to be brighter.  The good time of the year is ending & the dark is crashing in.  I hope all those standard time lovers freeze.  There are only 76 days left in the year.  I doubt any of them will be that great, 2026 deserves every bad review.  

That's it for now.  We need to go shopping & then home.  Take care.

Cya...

Dark & Wet October...

 

Yesterday didn't go as planned.  We intended on eating somewhere different yesterday.  Then it started raining & the place we wanted to eat was closed for some reason.  Most places on that street are difficult to access unless you're already on the right side of the ride.  We wound up at a typical stop for us.  It piddle rained all the way home.  

It's dark & could rain later.  I hope so, we're still about 3/4" to an inch short.  This weather front is supposed to significantly cool down this weekend.  The windows will be closed & fans will be off.  It's supposed to return more seasonal temps after that.

That's about it for now, take care.

Cya...

Afternoon Outing...

 

My roomie has an appointment this afternoon.  I hope everything actually lines up well.  Lately even our simplest of plans have gone up like a trash fire.   They were good plans.  We just didn't count on the stupidity & inadequacy of people.  

We were looking for somewhere to eat after the appointment.  Damn, the cost has gotten ridiculous.  We'll see where we wind up.  

That's about it for now.  I still have some morning & Wednesday stuff to handle before I shower.  Take care.

Cya...

HIV & Climate Change...

 

I don't normally find articles about how climate change impacts HIV.  This piece is the best I've seen so far.  At this point, I've seen nothing stating climate change directly alters the virus, that could change.  However, the change in temperature & other weather patterns could impact the ability to maintain the infrastructure needed to manage HIV treatment & outreach.  That's true for medical establishments & individuals.  

I'll leave most of the detail to the piece, give it a read.  Climate change is real, it has been happening for decades, it is altering everything in daily life & for some that includes their fight against HIV.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya... 

Less Than Before...

 

The holiday season is near.  It's Indigenous Peoples Day, aka Submuloc or Columbus day.  There will be no mail today.  Halloween is nearing & then the holiday season will be in full swing, except it won't.   It hasn't been for a few years & that isn't just me be weird about holidays.  They have diminished a lot.  I've seen no decorations, heard no mention of local events & the halloween stuff a the store has been relegated to a humble section, full of uninspired decorations, cheap costumes & repurposed candies. 

The other holidays fare no better.  Those same few aisles hold the other special day's wares as well.  The Christmas section is slightly larger, but only because there's bigger items to sell.  I think only heard 1 holiday song at the store last year.  There was no music, no decor, no bell-ringers, just nothing.

Our holiday plans are looking even more scant than the previous years.  I don't know what, if anything, we'll do for them.   There were so few lights twinkling last year, I wonder if there'll be any this year.

Last year, this time, so how I still had a little umph of hope left in me.  I thought things might get better.  I thought it was possible there might be a way to be somewhere better.  There were some possibilities.  I'm angry at myself for letting that be the case.  Now, once again I've had to accept that I let myself believe in a figment as substantial as a puff of smoke.  That's gone now, at best things might maintain as they are, but I doubt that.  They say, "Come what may."  I wish whatever was coming would just get here & turn off the house lights.  It should've been closing time a  long ways back.

Yay, look at me ushering in the holidays.  Take care.

Cya...

Cooling Off & Ndjuda...

 

Next week things could start getting cooler.  Some mornings could get chilly.  I'm just hoping we don't crash into frigid weather like we did the heat this Summer.  

The only articles I found were focused on funding cuts again.  That orange ass & his people are determined to make HIV a plague again.  I hope they all get it & it's resistant.  For the hell they've caused, let it come back their way.

I wanted to try something, Ndjuda.  It's a spreadable salami.  I thought it sounded interesting & my roomie likes salami, actually better than I do.   1st issue, it's made with 30+% calabrian peppers.  They're considerably warmer than a jalapeno.  My roomie isn't the biggest on hot foods.  2nd issue, Italian salami is fairly different than American.  It's fermented & has what they called a lactic funk or sourness.   I could handle he heat, but the sour was beyond me.  I was smelling that stuff hours after it had been put away.  It was very pungent.   We haven't figured out what we're going to do with it yet.  Oh well, another food experiment gone awry.  I should've done better research.

That's it for this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

Failures In The Fight...

 

There has been significant advancements in the fight against HIV, yet it's still failing.  It's easy to place the blame on whatever; the corporations, patients, governments, charities, etc...  But, this is a shared load.  

The fight against HIV is 45+ years old.  Test & meds became available in the 1980s & have improved ever since.  We've known how to prevent the spread of the virus.  We've known what groups were most apt to be infected.  We've understood stigma, lack of awareness, misinformation, & needing accessibility.  Still, the fight  lags.

Self test became available in 1996 with mail-in & as rapid, in-home test by 2012.  PrEP was offered in 2012 & has improved.  Single pill regimens have been around since 2006 & long acting meds began in 2021.  Yet HIV is still spreading.

Communities create shame & stigma.  Governments pass laws against Gays & those living with HIV.  Other governments use the meds or the withholding of them as a means of pressure & control.   

THe fight against HIV could've been nearing an end.  We've had the tools for decades.  But, social & administrative actions have limited & even threatened this fight.  We're no longer winning.  We're losing ground.  IMO, a single orange asshat is mainly responsible.  This man needs to die soon.

The battle against HIV was winnable.  Can it be now?  As things stand, I don't think so.  Maybe that's exactly what they wanted.

Cya...

Still A Bit Off...

 

I'm still getting over the attempt to handle some yard stuff yesterday.  We'll need someone else to handle some of it.  I just can't get to it.   It was not among my best decisions to try that.  Still, a little of it got done.  My reward was exhaustion, ache, blown sinuses, itchy eyes & a screwed up stomach from all the allergens. 

My computer glitched again yesterday.  It's going to have to be replaced soon.  I just wish PCs hadn't gotten so expensive.  The price is ridiculous.   These systems cost as much as my last 2 combined.

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

Cya...

My Mistake...

 

It's the time of year when seasonal prep comes into play.  There's some bushes in the yard that need trimmed.   It's still muggy & warm, so I had no plans on trying anything big.  I took the small clippers out with me to have a look.  I let myself think I could do a bit.  That was the mistake.  I did a little & it caught up with me almost instantly.  I was drenched, breathing hard, coughing, eyes blurring & my hands were starting to shake.  

I didn't do hardly anything.  Not near as much as I would've in the past, but that's gone.  I tossed what little I did cut into the pile, gathered myself & the clippers & went inside.  Of course there were damned ants.  Half an hour later & I'm still rattled, hands shaking & my breathing is rough.  I wrecked my sinuses for the day.   The only thing I did accomplish was figuring out I needed to call someone to do the job.  Besides me wiping out quickly, there are things I just can't reach & they're near wires.

That's done.  We'll look for someone to handle it.  I need a shower.   Maybe I'll feel better by noon.  That's all.  Take care.

Cya...

A Normal Morning...

 

Not much going on here this morning.  I overslept.  After 2 mornings of crap for power pole replacement, I'm not surprised.  All we have today is handling trash & some errands.  That should be it.  

That's all for this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

Another Short Electric Post...

 

I don't have a lot of time left this morning to do much of a post.  The electric company replacing our power pole decided to make it a 2-day job.  They seemed surprised there were rocks in the ground.  That's all this place is; red dirt & rock.  A hole that should've taken them 30 - 40 minutes, took several hours & then they decided to come back to finish up this morning.   They brought things to dig & bore, but nothing to break rock.

It should all be done soon.  I had to put off things for this & I'm still running late.  More tomorrow. take care.

Cya...

Short Post Electric...

 

The electric company is going to replace our power pole this morning, so this will be short.  They'll be cutting the power for a bit.  I'll post more tomorrow.

Take care.

Cya...

Maybe Not Odd Bedfellows...

 

By now most of us have heard of Grindr.  This article is about the "social networking" site & how it has acquired telehealth provider, Freddie.  Freddie specializes is providing PrEP.   They will merge this company with their own, Woodwork.  Woodwork also provides PrEP & DoxyPEP.  Besides STI prevention, Woodwork mostly focuses on; ED, muscle growth, hair restoration, weight loss & supplements.  

Maybe this makes sense.  These people are already on the app, it might be enough of a convenience to make a difference.  Still Grindr is not without a rocky history, read their wiki page.  I guess this is no different than 90s gay bars having fundraisers, awareness drives & bowls of condoms.  

It could be, this makes sense.  I wish it well.  Anything to get people to protect themselves is probably a step in the right direction.  I guess, we'll see how it goes.

Take care.

Cya...

Dark 1st Of The Month...

 

We're 3 dark days into October.  So far this month is not going that great.  I'm glad we got some rain, but this gloom is doing me in.  It's so overcast my room is dark even with lights on.  The clouds have hidden the moon.  Clouds have sucked so hard these last few months.  At least are actually bringing some precipitation.  Still, there's no sunshine, stars or the moon; it's just dark, wet & muggy.

This is the beginning of the month, that means bill stuff is underway.  We'll handle it as we can.  Starting the month like this, throws things off just a bit. But, it'll get done.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

1st Dark...

 

October certainly got the memo about the dark of the year.  It drizzled all day & stayed gloomy.  It was cooler, but also cloudy & moist.  Not a great combo.  It looks like we got about 2.5" of the 4.5" of rain this month calls average.  We missed it last month by 3".  Despite a rainy, late Spring & early Summer, this has been a really dry year.  

That's about all I have this morning.  It's dark & looks to stay that way until Monday.  I didn't handle the sudden dark well yesterday.  It sucked.

Take care.

Cya...

Hello October 2026...

 

It's October, but September didn't leave without a couple of slaps.   The piece we needed to replace on the kitchen faucet isn't being as easy to find as we'd hoped.  It's still a process.   We got home to test the new aerators & they weren't great.  We went & to get another kind.  In between the trips, the trash was shredded.   The culprit, a pig.  Yes, the neighbors have a pig.  I got the trash gathered & went to get a trash can.  By the time I got back, the pig was back at it.  I called animal control.  I'm not sure what will be done about it.  True to form, it was Sucktember.

This 1st day of October we get notified there will be a planned power outage Monday for several hours in the morning.  Great, there goes my morning routine & It's going to make shopping questionable.  The pole situation had been ongoing since August.  There's been a pole in the side yard for over a month.

Wow, October's starting off just great.

Take care.

Cya...