Supposed To Be a Good Thing, But....

 

There have been a lot of articles like this piece that detail how Gilead's lenacapavir  will be sold for as little as $40 a year in up to 120 low income countries around the world.  Awesome for them.  But it sucks for the destitute people barely scraping by in other parts of the world, including the US.  

When this med was 1st mentioned, it's going price was $40 - 50K.  Brand name Sunlenca came along & dropped it to $39K.  Now we have Yeztugo going for just under S30K.  Some countries like South Africa negotiated with for a $60 per year price tag.  Now this generic version is going for $40K, but can't be sold in the US.

They won't allow the generic in the US & the version available costs over 700 times what will be available elsewhere.  Yes, the US has money, but a lot of its people don't.  This is why people get upset about helping others before they help their own.

While a lot of the world get's charitable grace, we're left holding the bag & paying the bill.  That's my rant for this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

The Lasts Of September 2026...

 

Yesterday was the last Thursday of the month.  A couple of more shopping trips & another round of trash to the curb & this month's have-to's will be handled.  As usual, this hasn't been an easy month for me.  The heat & humidity nearly did me in.  There's almost 2 hours less light & the dark days are nearly here.  

I'm hoping September takes the heat with it.   August gave us our highest electric usage bill ever.  September's wasn't far behind.  But last night I only had the table fan near me.  Not the small window fan, the box fan & the giant metal beast going.  The metal fan hasn't been on in a 2 days now.  Last night was the time in months I've only needed the side fan.  Maybe this month's bill will be closer to normal.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Cooling A Bit...

 

It was actually in the low 60°s overnight.  We're not supposed to see the 90°s today.  There are still some 90°+ days in the long range forecast, but most are in the 80°s.  There could even be some overnights in the high 50°s this week.  We don't need to drop too quickly, but the cooler nights are appreciated.  This is still going to be another high electric use month, but maybe October will drop back to normal for us.

The problem with finally getting a little good sleep after not having much for a long time is that you start to realize just how depleted you really were.  It's going to take quite a few nights of decent sleep to even start to undo this level of drain.  I've been running on fumes for too long.  

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

I Knew It, But Wow...

 

The 1st part of Summer was dark & rainy.  The beginning of July was pleasant & acting like June.  Then it hit.  The end of July brought the heat & humidity.  This sweltering crap hasn't left.  It's been the hottest end of Summer we've had in years.  

There have been a couple of years in the past 5 that we never hit the century mark.  We hit 100° a couple of times the other years, but not for long.  The night's weren't staying near 80°.  But, that's been the case for over a month here.   There's only been 1 day we didn't need the AC & a few we started it a little later.  Other than that, the AC was on, followed at night by a barrage of fans.  

This will be the most electricity we've used in over a decade during a single billing cycle.  It's not just the AC.  The frig & freezer are working harder.  I have a big fan, that I hadn't used overnight in years.  It sucks power & it's been on every night for over a month, just trying to keep me dry.  Normally I just use a normal box & small oscillating fan by my bed.  All that together isn't making the room cooler, it's barely keeping me dry.

None of this has been good for sleep or staying healthy.  Both of us have been sick & struggling with this crap.  The cat looks melted half the time.  Every plant outside is dying & the animals have mostly moved off.  We need rain & cooler temps.

This has been a miserable Summer & there's a lot of hot weather still in the forecast.  That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Chance of Meh...

 

Even though rainfall averages have been passed, the weather feels the need for more storms.  There's chances for them all day.  The skies will be dark & there may be thunder, but there's not supposed to be much rain, just a lot of meh.

A lot of articles for months now have been about a single topic, funding.  The US's $ stunt has jeopardized the entire world's fight against HIV.  I hope the rest of the world figures out a way to operate completely  independent of US cash.   Maybe then, this country could be treated like it should be & left in a corner like a bad child.  For the sake of egos, wealth & politics, this administration is willing to let the world burn.  To hell with every MAGA, orange asshat & conservative. 

Cya...

Not Optimum & The Stupid Orange...

 

I was actually having a decent day yesterday & then it rained & we had to go shopping.  Walmart's parking lot was mostly fenced off so they could repave.  The open part was packed.  For some reason, with the parking lot, twice the shoppers seemed to be there.  

It was not fun.  But still, I was having an OK day.  I guess that was just too much for things.  About 5:30, the internet went down & stayed out until this morning.  Something just had to keep pulling at the threads & my decent day unraveled.  Maybe I'm just not supposed to have those.

I found an article that continues to show monstrous nature of the orange bastard & his ilk.  tRump has signed an executive order to end all AIDS funding to South Africa.  In this country where a rich, white minority created apartheid, a situation that's impact is still felt today, the orange feels white people are being treated badly.  There is no evidence of this.  White people are no longer being treated like nobility.  This is the country where some of the richest, white people come from like Elon Musk.

tRump also says it's because they opposed Israel's war, that they country shouldn't be helped.  The promise of US AIDS funds has been broken.  The administration may single-handedly bring back the HIV epidemic of the 80s.  Way to go MAGA.

Cya...

PS - It's the last day of Spring 2026 & it might find some sunlight sometime today, maybe not.  Spring was not a great season for me.

Article Annoyance...

 

I saw a few articles that could have been interesting.  They were about amping up a person's immunity systems to control HIV.   Might've been good reads, if they weren't all behind paywalls.  Maybe in a bit, the info will be more accessible.  

I don't know why these people think the average lay person would pay for these sites.  These sites are numerous & pricey.  I'm not a doctor, but I am trained in research.  Beyond that, being HIV+, I'm invested in the topic.  Still I wouldn't pay for these sites if I could, there are too many of them.  Eventually, most of the info hits the web for free.

I get sites need revenue, but paywalls are annoying.  Take care.

Cya...

It's Back...

 

Fix-It February is in full swing.  So much has broken then needed repaired or replaced.  This has been an expensive month for us.  The month is almost over.  The van's back, but that cost us a lot.  Hopefully, nothing else major will happen to it, before we can afford something newer.

So far, there's zip on our plate for today.  It needs to stay that way.  Both of us have had & still have too much going on.  We need a day of nothing.  This month has been tiring, expensive & frustrating.

That's it for today, take care.

Cya...

Updates, Mention & Happy V-Day...

The car is back, but that was expensive.  Still, we need it functional.   We'll take the van in late, next week.  I'll need to get labs drawn next Wednesday or so.

I forgot to mention that yesterday was my strokeversary.  It's been 7 years since the event.  So far, things seem to be doing alright for that matter.

Happy Valentine's.  I hope it's everything you need it to be.  Take care.

Cya...

Hard To Focus...

 

I'm not doing well this morning.  It was announced yesterday, unless this government shutdown is handled soon, many could lose access to their benefits.  These programs are generally referred to as SNAP, but there are other programs being hit as well.  If this happens, it will be a serious issue for me & I don't see a work around.

Sorry for the limited post, but I'm trying to deal with this.  Every time I have things working, something beyond me happens & my actions sinks the ship.  I can't do anything about this.  Yet, I'll be caught in it's wake, where the congress people won't be.

Cya...

Call Back...

 

The mechanic called about the car this morning.  The car throw codes for 2 things; an O² sensor & a crankshaft sensor.   Both of which came up in our searches for possible problems with the car.  Apparently you need a better scanner to read an older car.  There goes $360+.  Hopefully this will do it.

The car should be back to us this afternoon or tomorrow.  That's all for today.  Take care.

Cya...

Cars & Labs

 

The car should be fixed today.  There's a lot more money spent.  My labs should be here today or tomorrow.  Either way, that will get done.  This has been a busy, hot & costly August.  

Between the orange stain & his fug clown show, there hasn't been a lot of articles.  No one asked for or benefits from their intrusion.   Hopefully, this is just a blip.

That's about it for this morning, take care.

Cya...

Pro Fluff...

 

At 1st glance, there would appear to have been a lot of articles published over the last few days.  There have & have not been.  Most of these pieces are rehashed bits that they dressed up to have net appeal.  Not that the info isn't important or relative, but it's not new or nationally newsworthy.  

A piece from Yale touted a new, changing approach to how HIV is treated.  It lightly detailed the history of the virus & the need for community involvement.  Not breaking new info by any means.

These works are redressed, retooled & gussied up to look new, professional & promising.   They repackaged & rebranded old information.  Again, the info is important, but the presentation is questionable.  In these hard times, sites are trying to at least appear relevant.  When they really don't anything new to offer.  

They've run out of steam, funds, nerve...   These venues are trying to stay afloat.  Visit the sites you read the most.  Even if they don't have anything new.  They might be to the point of depending on ad revenue for operational cost.   If they lose that as well, it could be their end.  This is siege war on pertinent HIV information & discussion.

Take care.

Cya...

Please Educate...

 

Please help raise awareness concerning HIV & its prevention.  Educate yourself to be as safe as possible.  The US government & others around the world have limited funds used to fight HIV & other illnesses.  The orange stain & his ilk have cut cash & information concerning HIV, other ailments & vaccines.  Russia has cut back on testing due to financial matters involving their war with Ukraine.  Many countries, especially in Africa, have experienced fund cuts & shortages.  

The only reason seems to be the-powers-that-be want the world to die of preventable, treatable illnesses.  These people aren't here to help you do anything else other than die.  Those cutting medical aid are vile, expect nothing but horrid actions from them.

The only thing I can say is, please educate yourself & be as safe as you can.   I know that's not enough.  But that's best some of us can do at this time.  Take care.

Cya...

Less Please...

 

From before it began until it ended, July was busy, hot & expensive.  It flew by in a steamy, cost ridden blur.  I'm hoping August will slow down a bit & have less expenses.  

For the moment, we have nothing planned for today.  We'll finish bills & run errands tomorrow.  This is a labs month for a telemed appointment in September.

A few years back, we had a really great August.  It'd be nice if this month was a repeat or at least close.  We need a break from the whizzing around & ending up with less.

Take care.

Cya...

Goodbye July...

 

This is the end of the month, it's been busy.  There's been a lot not normally on our plate.  My roomie has an appointment this afternoon.  Tuesday we took the car it had heat issues on Monday while we were running errands.  We got it back yesterday.   They had to replace the radiator.  There's another $550+ adding to an already expensive Summer.   Tomorrow will be shopping.   It's a busy week for us.

Goodbye July.   A couple of weather sites say we hit 100°.  Some others weren't quite to the century mark.  Either way it was hot.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Car Drama...

 

The car is still at the mechanic's. It needs a new radiator.  This won't be cheap.  It's been an expensive Summer.  Today is the last trash haul of July.  Other than that, we're just waiting to hear from the mechanic.

Take care.

Cya...

Car Again...

 

We have to take the car in again.  It was getting hot & this was the soonest we could get it in.  This is probably going to get pricey.  Anyone who tells money can't buy happiness, has never been seriously poor.

That's it for now.  Have to get around.  Take care.

Cya...

Last, Best Choice...

 

The way things are with global funding for HIV, long acting medications may be necessary.  These  monthly to bi-annual injections from Gilead, ViiV, Merck, etc...  may be the only real option.   Even with the extreme costs, these meds won't need as much infrastructure.  Patients won't need daily doses, so that overhead will be less.

Long acting meds aren't cures.  But, if enough people were treated, it could buy time.  Time to either come up with a vaccine/cure or to starve the virus out of existence. 

Even if this is the best option, it may still not be a choice.  These things are very costly & the funds may not be available.  The orange stain declared war on the fight against HIV.  He & his could cost the world decades of advancements.  They are evil & disgusting.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Tiring Tuesday...

 

Yesterday sucked.  I had to get up early & try to call DHS about Summer energy assistance.   I didn't have to call in the past, it just happened for me because of disability.  I called at 7 AM when the lines opened.  For 2 hours they played horrid, on-hold music.  Periodically, it'd say the estimated wait time.  It started at & stayed at 0 minutes.  At 9 AM it cut me off.  When I called back, the message said it was congested & couldn't take my call.  I tried this morning & it was the same.  I did the application online, but that can weird.  I prefer over the phone.   I guess we'll see how this goes.

We took Millie, our cat, to the vet.  She's been a bit off.  They charged a lot to tell us she seems fine.  I hope she is.

We get home & it's hot & humid.  Just walking inside covered my face in sweat.  Then I saw bees have returned.  It's time to get them to move on again.  It takes a bit to get them to leave.

Yesterday was  exhausting.  That's it for now.   Take care.

Cya...