Of Pageants and Plasma
January 15, 2008
Last Saturday Gwenn and I went to the Miss Apple Blossom Pageant in Winchester for the crowning of a new queen.
This particular pageant holds special meaning for us, as it marks the first time we kissed, which was nine years ago. I was having a couple of friends over, and Gwenn had plans to go to the Miss Apple Blossom pageant… well, she changed her plans, and my mojo must have been working that night and the rest is history!
This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of the crowning of Kate Shindle as Miss America. She advocated for people with HIV and AIDS, and even championed needle exchange programs, which she initially opposed until she researched the data on prevention.
In short: she ruled. And Kate was a huge inspiration to Gwenn when she competed in pageants from age 22 to 24.
So I’ve been watching the Miss America Reality Check show on TLC, and I’m shocked at how narrow-minded a lot of the girls are. I don’t see a Shindle being crowned this time around. As for my state’s contender, Hannah Kiefer, I had the privilege of meeting her two weekends ago. She’s a nice girl, but is also an advocate for abstinence-only education.
Oh Shindle, wherefore art thou?
I emailed my hematologist about getting that ultrasound to see if there’s any residual weirdness going on with the bleeding. Overall, I’ve felt good, just very tired over the last week.
For instance, in Winchester after the pageant Gwenn and I were hanging out with friends at the hotel, and I just crashed out on one of the beds for over 3 hours while they gossiped.
Today I got lab results back from my appointment with Dr. Greg, and the results were somewhat of a mixed bag. The good news first: my t-cells were 674! That’s the highest they’ve ever been, at least since the early days of my diagnosis. At last check back in September they were in the low 500′s.
The sketchy news is that my viral load was 124. Which isn’t bad, but it shows that there is some viral activity going on with my pet virus. The labs were taken after I was on my HIV meds for two days (remember, I do a week on/week off treatment regimen). So next month I’m going in after 7 days on meds.
So we’ll see. In the meantime I’ll busy myself with pageants and the crowning of a new Miss America, as I sit back and dream of the day when another Kate Shindle graces us with her presence.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Synthetic Division in Graphic Novel
January 13, 2008
I’m am beyond honored that Synthetic Division, my synth-duo alter ego, is on a t-shirt in Ross Campbell’s new graphic novel, Wet Moon 3.
Two of his characters are cuddling on a bed, and share a kiss- one is wearing a Synthetic Division t-shirt. It’s the coolest thing ever. You can get Ross’s book at Amazon.com, and can also learn more about him at over at MySpace. If you’d like to order the Synthetic Division CD, it’s at CD Baby, iTunes and www.adifferentdrum.com. To hear the songs, just go HERE.
Or click this little do-dad.
Take a listen to “Sign” from Synthetic Division‘s Get with the Programs:
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Vampira is Dead
January 11, 2008
She died yesterday. Watch Ed Wood and pay your respects. She predated Elivira, whom she unsuccessfully sued for gimmick infringement.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Yesterday’s Doctor’s Appointment
January 11, 2008
Woke up bright and early on Thursday and spoke to a class of nursing students at UVa, then Gwenn and I had lunch with our friend, Kristi, Miss Virginia 2005 and future nurse extraordinaire.
Kristi mentioned that a lot of our pageant friends were worried about me, they thought I looked pale. “You did look a little pastey,” Gwenn offered. But that has more to do with my aversion to direct sunlight and less to do with HIV. Still, it reminded me that people I know have concerns about my health, and strangers get the details of how well I’m doing more than friends because of the speaking thing.
It’s not that I’m less than forthcoming with friends, the topic of my health just doesn’t come up. And in that case, with an HIV diagnosis people sometimes take that as a sign that something’s wrong.
After lunch, it was off to see Dr. Greg about the most recent health concern: the bloody wee from a few weeks ago. One of my meds can cause kidney stones, but there’s no way I passed a kidney stone, unless it was a very small one. Since there’s been no sign of blood since, it seems I’m literally and figuratively in the clear.
Which is great; I have no desire to switch meds. From here, the next step is an ultrasound at hematology, just to make sure nothing funky is happening on the inside.
Today’s appointment was interesting because Gwenn was present. It reminded me of the early days, just after we started dating and shortly after I was diagnosed with AIDS. She came to a lot of those early appointments, because she asks more questions than I do; I just crack jokes.
It was a nice reunion. And the appointments these days are more of an ego-stroke- the receptionists love the book, they put me on the phone with a fellow positoid who reads this blog- than a nail-biting review of last visit’s labwork.
Dr. Greg mentioned that one of his son’s friends is doing a book report on me for his English class, and I’m still getting messages from people who are discovering the book, and probably will for many years to come since they are still billions of people whose lives have not been enriched by My Pet Virus.
And this week, I’ve re-sunk my teeth into the vampire book and diving into fictional bloodletting is much better than the reality of dealing with my own blood.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Synthetic Division Reviews
January 9, 2008
Check out some cool Synthetic Division reviews, over at ReGen Magazine.com and Subculture Shock on MySpace. New tunes up on MySpace, btw. Too lazy to click? I understand. But ReGen noted that Synthetic Division is “like a bastard child of Erasure and DEVO; it has the quirkiness of the latter, yet the sentimental grace of the former.”
Back to Write, Back to Reality
January 7, 2008
I’m not sure why I can’t HTML tag on this Poz Blog anymore. I’m going to contact the Committee of Ten Thousand (the hemophilia community’s ass-kicking machine!) to make sure there isn’t any hemophobia going on behind the scenes.
(Actually, I’m lazy and slow on the tech learning curve.)
Well, I fulfilled my co-hosting duties with Kristi Glakas, Miss Virginia 2005, and it really was a lot of fun. I wasn’t too stressed, as I’ve been to local pageants and they aren’t really known for dynamic hosting. Our friend, Nathalie, was giving up her crown.
As for the now, I’m back to my local haunt to get to work on the next book, the vampire story. It’s been nice to have a break- with the holidays, gatherings, the bloody wee, the Wii action, a Synthetic Division show, the New Year and my best impression of Bert Parks. But now I get to settle back into a routine.
Hopefully some good fiction will have been inspired by the last few weeks of real life.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Obama, the Huck
January 4, 2008
Last night Barack Obama rode the endorsement of future Vice President Dennis Kucinich to a victory in Iowa, and The Huck brought out the anti-Mormon vote to crush Mitt Romney.
An oversimplification or gross irrationalization? You betcha! I love politics.
What’s interesting is that you have a candidate on one side who publicly got tested for HIV Kenya to reduce stigma. And on the other side, you have a candidate who refused to clarify a fifteen year old statement in which he suggested that Madonna and Liz Taylor pay for the AIDS epidemic out of their own pockets.
One thing I do like about Huckabee is that he seems to take into consideration that poverty does exist in this country. And he seems determined to distinguish himself from the current president. What’s funny, is that I’m watching the news right now, and Obama <I>just mentioned </I>HIV/AIDS.
This is all very exciting. I long for a president who respects the need for and understands the importance of sexual health education and the stigma that continues to surround AIDS. Plus, it would be cool to have a president with worse initials than me. (His “B.O.” to my “S.T.D.”)
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In personal news, I meet with Dr. Greg, my ID doc, next week to discuss the potential role my HIV meds played in my bloody wee episodes over the holidays. And this weekend, I’m co-hosting a pageant with a former Miss Virginia. I’m one gaffe away from YouTube stardom!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
The AIDS Song
January 3, 2008
Got an add over on MySpace from a band named Fumilayo, and really enjoyed a tune called “The AIDS Song”. Give a listen by visiting them on MySpace: Fumilayo.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
LIFE IN PHOTOS
Face Time fun with my Goddaughter. She was digging our phone chat- even though we were about three feet away from one another.
Making the enemy quit out with @squirrel_munky and @vaineos :)
Closing out the Joe with @gwennbarringer this afternoon.
Caught in full Mocha Mode...
Speaking About Sexual Health
Since 2000, Shawn and Gwenn have been speaking about sexual health together, sharing their personal story and empowering others to be safe. If you are interested in having them speak at your event, fill out the Contact Us form.
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