Geek Crafts and Urge Magazine
January 30, 2009
Check out a very cool web site called Geek Crafts, which features links and comments on totally geektastic homemade items, like this little guy, Brad the Crochet Vampire.
I was honored to be interviewed by Renee for Geek Crafts, answering questions about what it’s like to speak about my personal/medical life at colleges, be a thinblood and why I decided a vampire book would be a good idea for a follow-up to My Pet Virus.
Could it be… the blood?
Also, a local magazine called Urge did a cover story on me and Gwenn. Click over if you want to read the story and check out a great new publication that focuses on all things artistic as they pertain to the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Find out where to get a copy of Urge here.)
Oh, and I’m the back-up quarterback for the Steelers if Big Ben goes down on Sunday. Wish me luck!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Cello Scrotum: 1974-2009
January 29, 2009
Scratch another one of my dream campus speaking programs- “Cello Scrotum & You”. It just came out that the condition is a hoax. Read more about Cello Scrotum and it’s magical origin on the BBC’s news site. For now, let’s all share a moment of silence for “Cello Scrotum”: 1974-2009.
“Anyone who has ever watched a cello being played
would realize the physical impossibility of our claim.”
- Baroness Murphy,
Godmother of “Cello Scrotum” and, ultimately, it’s Angel of Death
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Blocked by a Boner
January 28, 2009
The Medicaid Family Planning State Option was dropped from the stimulus package after a public outcry from House Minority Leader, John Boehner (pronounced “BAY-ner”).
This would have either: a) provided health care coverage for 2.3 million women while generating savings for states and the federal government or b) funded the pro-abortion business. That’s depending on whether you side with Planned Parenthood or John Boehner.
My thinking is that contraceptives and condoms are secretly viewed as abortions by many lawmakers. As a sex educator, I support the Medicaid Family Planning State Option as part of the stimulus package, because I do think that unwanted pregnancies (which are usually followed by unwanted marriages, unwanted families, unwanted in-laws and unloved children) are quite costly on so many levels. And I don’t think income level should dictate whether someone has the right to have access to the pill. Guys like Boehner feel differently.
Now, I know what it’s like to live with HIV, it hasn’t always been easy and yes, it’s probably shaped the way I feel about about promoting condom usage. I imagine Boehner had a rough adolescence, too. Can you imagine being a boy, and being called “boner” by your friends in the presence of girls as you went through puberty?*
That would suck.
Former Miss America Judge (2006) and current Hardball host, Chris Matthews, got in on the act, too, applauding President Obama for removing Family Planning from the package, claiming that the United States is not like China and shouldn’t dictate how we procreate. Comparing this to China’s two-child mandate was buffoonery of the highest order.
I know the abortion issue is touchy. But my thought on the matter is that, if abortion is the ultimate evil, then support of contraceptives and family planning to prevent the likelihood of an abortion ever taking place is an obvious conclusion… am I wrong here?
If you think Family Planning should be part of the stimulus package, call the White House at (202) 456-1111, or email them here.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
*NOTE:Shawn Decker has no proof that John Boehner was, is or has ever been referred to as “boner” by his friends or colleagues in the House and Senate. If that is not the case, and Decker is wrong, he apologizes for the error and thinks Boehner’s friends are nimrods for missing such an obvious way to ridicule their buddy.
Photos from Vegas
January 28, 2009
Finally! Pictures from the glitz and glory of Miss America! Click on any of the pictures to go to the entire photo album on Facebook.
Tara Wheeler, Miss Virginia 2008!
Tara did a great job at Miss America representing the Commonwealth. Her evening gown was the best on her preliminary night, and with her background in hockey as well her training with the Army, she could have kicked everyone’s butt at the pageant!
But she didn’t. Why? Because she’s classy: she’s Miss Virginia.
Took this picture after the final night of competition. I mentioned to Tara that one of my other favorites of the week was Miss Kansas, Emily Deaver, and she said that they were roommates (every contestant gets one) and that Kansas was as cool as she came across to the audience.
Another cool person is Tara’s mom. She gave me a big hug and told me she reads the blog… (hi! Tara did a great job!) She also said, “Tell Gwenn we haven’t forgotten about the dress she loaned Tara for Miss Virginia!”
Miss New York, Leigh-Taylor Smith!
Leigh-Taylor is another Virginia girl. In pageants, you have to win a local to go to state, then win state to compete at Miss America. What was interesting about this year was that Leigh-Taylor moved to New York, won Miss Brooklyn and then Miss New York! In Virginia, she was Miss Arlington, and when her year was over she crowned the new titleholder… Tara Wheeler!
So many people traveled to Las Vegas to cheer on both girls. It was a pretty rare opportunity for the Commonwealth to seize the crown, and rule the world of pageantry…
As it turned out, the pageant Gods selected Miss Indiana. But Tara and Leigh-Taylor did themselves and their homestate proud. LT was able to snag 3rd Runner-Up, and got $15,000 in scholarship money, which is the big difference between Donald Trump’s Miss USA (more exposure, less for the contestants- including clothing) and the Miss America Organization.
Speaking of clothing, it wouldn’t be a trip to Las Vegas without some shopping. And Gwenn snagged this Betsy Johnson sweater… was it for the fashion, or was this a sign to all the ladies of the night swirling around her man in Vegas? Or a none-too-subtle sign to Miss Virginia that she wants that dress back?
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Back Home
January 26, 2009
That’s where Gwenn and I spent the last 6 nights… it’s where 52 title holders (the big 50 states, as well as Miss DC and Miss Virgin Islands) battled for the right to become the next Miss America…
Am finally home now, and in the next couple of days I’ll be posting pictures and stories from Las Vegas, including surprise cameos from a few of the stars of the cult classic memoir, My Pet Virus. (No, the cameo isn’t by me, Gwenn or Ric Flair. Or Depeche Mode.)
All in all, it was a great vacation for us. And, aside from going to see the pageant and hang out with friends, we were there to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. A fitting backdrop, since Gwenn and I shared our first kiss on a night when she was supposed to go watch a pageant (Miss Apple Blossom 1999), but instead made a surprise trip to see me in Charlottesville.
The rest, is, well history! And I’m so looking forward to the next decade, as well as sleeping in our own bed, which is where I’m heading now.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Bush’s Last Day
January 19, 2009
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the historical value of this fine day: Bush’s last on the job as the most powerful man in the universe. (Sorry, He-Man.)
I just hope we all learned our lesson on this one. And that next time we elect a “Washington outsider”, we make damn sure he isn’t secretly the son of a former president. (Who knew?!) And also, if we elect someone because they’d be cool to have a beer with, let’s make sure they didn’t swear off alcohol due to a lack of self-control.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
PS… I voted for Obama because I’d like to shoot pool with him… does he even shoot pool???
Survey Says
January 18, 2009
Poz magazine and NAPWA (National Association of People With AIDS) have teamed up with the American Psychological Association to make sure that mental health issues for positoids are not overlooked.
There’s a brief, anonymous survey here, if you are HIV positive, or a “positoid”, as I say, consider filling this out. I did- it was quick and easy. This is not an aspect of our health that we think about as much as we should, and in filling out the survey I recalled an instance shortly after I’d been on HIV meds, where I felt like I was depressed, mainly because of the confusion I was feeling as a result of certain side effects.
“APA and NAPWA want to ensure that important mental health services are well funded when the CARE Act is again reviewed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in 2009.” That’s how it’s worded on the survey page, and I couldn’t agree more.
Sharing your experiences could help the people holding the purse strings realize that people with HIV deal with psychological hurdles that go unnoticed/untreated because so much attention is focused on the virus, and not on the patient.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Miss America and the Recession
January 18, 2009
As millions of people descend on D.C., Gwenn are I are escaping to witness a coronation of a different kind: the crowning of a new Miss America in Las Vegas!
Of course, I’ll be watching all the Obama highlights on television, but we can’t lose sight of how important Miss America is going to be once we hit the full depths of the “deprecession.” We’re going to need a symbolic figure who is somewhat aloof to distract us while the administration is doing all the heavy-lifting behind the scenes.
Oh, and that’s a photo of Miss America 1998, Kate Shindle. My favorite of all-time. She wasn’t aloof- she supported clean needle exchange programs and condom use as means to prevent the spread of HIV… Kate, can you come of retirement and compete again? Pretty please?
Of course I’m kind of rooting for Miss Virginia, but my heart is with Miss New York, Leigh-Taylor Smith. She joined Team Supersnack, the AIDS Walk NY Team, last year and helped raise money for positoids. She’d be a great beacon of awesomeness.
Gwenn and Leigh-Taylor representin’ at the AIDS Walk last May.
Now, about the deprecession… that’s really why I’m heading to Vegas: I am putting everything I own on the color Red in roulette. Blood red. Let it ride, I say. A couple of years ago, a guy hired a publicist and did the same thing.
Of course, with Obama and Miss America stealing all the headlines, money for PR is wasted- nobody would cover me so I couldn’t count on a sympathetic boost in book sales to put Spam on the dinner table if the roulette table turns out to be a cruel mistress.
So the PR money would be better off sitting up there on Red for the doublin’.
Why Red? Because I’m a thinblood. I might just punch myself in the nose for good luck as the roulette wheel spins around, my financial fate hopping from number to number, color to color. If there’s not a bragadocious blog posted in the next week or so, you’ll know things didn’t go my way and I couldn’t afford internet access or no longer own a computer.
Maybe I’ll hold the computer back.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
life in photos
I am frightened by ceilings. A terrible phobia to have.
Today's assortment of treats: tea for Gwenn, a mocha for me and a cookie to share.
My buddy Sharanya preparing my mocha with just an extra dash of love.
Hanging on wall in our guest bedroom. Couldn't agree more!
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.
Check out Shawn's music and buy his book, My Pet Virus, which is now available on Kindle!
It will be the funniest book you've ever read about someone having AIDS... guaranteed!