True Blood Work
September 10, 2008
In all of my blustering about politics, I’ve realized that I kind of pulled a Bush recently, when I declared I’d finished writing my 2nd book…
Mission not accomplished on that front. And there will be no time tables for completion, either.
On the plus side, I won’t be blogging about the writing process, because that is boring. I won’t even mention “it” on here until I have a word on whether it’s going to be published. All I can say is that after a summer break from the book, I was very happy to pick it up today and I liked what I read.
Or at least the parts that didn’t, er, suck.
The timing of returning to the bloody book was perfect- today I went to the hospital to get labwork done in anticipation of Thursday’s appointment with Dr. Greg. They drained four small tubes worth of plasma, then I went to a coffee shop to refuel with an iced mocha before reading about vampires.
All in all, a really good day for a thinblood like me.
It’s after 3 a.m., and as the creatures of the night stir outside my home, I am about to add the final point to today’s vampire trifecta: I’m going to watch True Blood on Tivo. It’s the new vampire series by Alan Ball, the creator of Six Feet Under, one of my favorite TV shows… I gotta admit, I’m nervous because the previews looked cheesy. I hope it rocks like American Teen did.
I will report back soon with lab results. And whether or not True Blood tested positive or negative on the Suck-o-meter.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Check out my memoir, My Pet Virus, and click to read a sample. Video of reviews.
Give a listen to "Sign", one of my songs from Synthetic Division’s Get with the Programs (co-written with Kyle Wiggins):
Get the song here on iTunes! Or watch Synthetic Division discuss Rory Gilmore.
Be sure to visit ShawnandGwenn.com, where you can see clips of our educational work at colleges and universities, as well as media clips from MTV safe sex programming and a Dr. Drew talk show. 2006 video of me and Gwenn, when I was finishing up My Pet Virus.
Haven’t seen a real blog in a day or so? Follow my cellphone micro-blogging at Twitter.com.
Cool Cats Weigh In On Palin
September 5, 2008
I decided to take a break from writing about politics, but fortunately two brave females have stepped up to the forefront to discuss late-breaking matters regarding Vice Presidential pick Sarah Palin.
You may remember the greatest cat on Earth, pawsitoid River (living with FIV, aka “CRID”(Cat-Related Immune Deficiency)), whom I wrote lovingly about and who is still in foster care in Connecticut looking for a good home. Nudge nudge.
In response to the Palin pick, My Pet Virus’s feline reporter wrote this to me: “Meeeoooowww! She wants to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Way to come up with alternative energy sources! Oh, wait, if your husband works for an oil company, why would you cut into your personal profits to save the planet? People, I have fur… are you kidding me? What’s a cat to do?”
River isn’t the only cool cat weighing in.
Regan Hofmann, fellow Poz blogger, wrote. “The issue is not whether or not abstinence works to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies (it does), but whether or not it’s possible to keep people, particularly teens with raging hormones, from having sex (apparently, we can’t). Bristol is proof-positive of our nation’s failure to realize that abstinence is a farce.” Read the whole blog here.
Regan posted this alleged photo of Palin on her blog. I think it’s a fake, but I’m quite sure that if she and McCain are elected, her annual Vice Presidential Hunting Trip will draw far more interest and enthusiam than the current, hair-triggered Vice Prez.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Live in or around Charlottesville? Then come see me rock my balls off at Gravity Lounge on Saturday. First set is at 8, second is at 9. Will post video on the blog for out-of-staters next week.
Give a listen to "Sign", one of Synthetic Division’s songs from Get with the Programs (co-written with Kyle Wiggins):
Get the song here on iTunes!
Check out The Hook’s write-up of the show online.
On Behalf of the Thinbloods…
September 1, 2008
The Republican National Convention is starting today… could politicians- of both blue and red stripes- please cool it with all the talk of breaking glass ceilings? It’s making people with bleeding disorders a bit nervous.
Thanks,
Shawn
McCain’s Shocking V.P. Pick
August 30, 2008
In a shocking development, John McCain chose Tina Fey as his running mate. Hey, it could have been worse- he could have chosen Dennis Miller.
Actually, that’s Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska… see, I called it! I mentioned Alaska in my last blog. But even I can’t steal McCain’s thunder on this one. Is the maverick back, or did he just concede one of his biggest arguments- the one on experience?
A lot of attention has been paid to the youthful Palin and the thought of her assuming the White House should the worst case scenario occur. McCain is the oldest guy to run for the office, but I’m not worried about his mortality. That’s because I’m convinced that Cheney has died at least five times while serving as Vice President, revived back to life each time by a contraption that probably looks like this…
Positively Yours,
Shawn
“Vital signs are up… Cheney is going to be alright.”
Obama Accepts Nomination
August 29, 2008
In a stunning development, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic party’s nomination of him for president last night in Denver.
OK, so it wasn’t stunning. As he walked out, what was stunning was a producer/event coordinator’s decision to wash out the cheers of over 80,000 people with some seriously cheesy inspirational music… I mean, the tune was bad. And loud. If Obama loses, it’s because that song caused millions of independent voters to turn the channel.
The blunder, as bad is it was, still didn’t compare to the infamous “Balloons” moment of the 2004 convention. How can you trust a man to lead if his team can’t even release the balloons properly?
Fortunately, Barack Obama took to the mic and pulled this particular moment out of the shit basket, refusing to allow the Democratic instinct to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to prevail. As the terrible, terrible song faded, you could hear the cheers of the people just before Obama began.
Next week- and beyond- the Republican party will say don’t vote for Obama because he is popular, in an attempt to discredit their opponent. It’s a strategy that could only come from a party with a sitting President with a less than 20% approval rating.
To make an analogy to the cause that has defined my own life, sex education and condoms, the only way I can sum up how I feel about this election is this: Barack Obama is fresh. The air bubble has not been punctured, and he hasn’t been carried in the wallet of special interests long after his expiration date has passed. McCain, on the other hand, is the equivilent of taking the old ideas of the current administration, turning them inside and giving them a shake- then expecting everything to turn out OK.
As I wrote that somewhat tasteless line, Chris Matthews just said on TV: “That was what we call, in politics, “a lowball”.
In terms of McCain, his moment to lead the country came and went in 2000. Back when he was too independent for the Republican party to back him and his campaign was derailed in South Carolina by rumors that he’d fathered a child whose skintone resembles that of Barack Obama’s.
So, all things considered, as those kinds of forces begin to line up behind John McCain instead of in front of him, I think a little hardball, or lowball, is warranted.
Someone else who gave a great speech tonight was Vietnam war vet Al Gore. Which makes me even more worried than I was earlier this week about Obama’s chances. I really don’t want to be blogging like this in eight years, writing about how well the 2008 Democratic losing candidate Barack Obama did in introducing some upstart Albino senator from Alaska.
I say it’s time to buy a big box of condoms- er, ideas, at a deeply discounted rate.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
The Democratic Convention
August 27, 2008
I’ll admit, I’m having a hard time keeping up as of late. International AIDS Conferences, the Olympics, the CAMPUSPORT drama and now the Democratic National Convention.
Last night, Hillary delivered her highly anticipated whopper of a speech while Michelle Obama looked tight-jawed and pensive. Was she upset, unable to control her real feelings for the Clintons? Or could it just be her Default Face?
I have a friend who constantly bemoans the fact that her own Default Face, the expression your face naturally takes, is one of Disgust and Disapproval. This pal can be listening to you talk, feeling great things and in harmony with the universe, but if she isn’t focused on how she appears feelings are usually hurt.She has the advantage of having friends who understand, and is also lucky that her unfortunate Default Face isn’t being broadcast to billions of people around the world. Of course, if it wasn’t a Default Face situation for Michelle, then she needs to at least act happy to see a Clinton from here on out.
Now, I’m not suggesting that Michelle Obama go Simple Jack everytime one enters the room. But the primary drama means these moments of reconciliation- no matter how staged or forced- need to seem genuine. Giving anyone ammunition not to buy into these mind-felt sentiments seems like a bad idea…
But who knows? Maybe she’s just saving the good stuff for that charmer, Bill Clinton, who speaks tomorrow night.
I guess I’m just nervous. The country is deeply divided, but I couldn’t feel more comfortable supporting Obama, who has a real shot in November. In terms of the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic, he’d be much better than McCain, who isn’t sure if condoms prevent the spread of HIV.
That’s kind of a big issue for me.
One of the interesting nuggets about this election year is that McCain’s honorable service to this country in uniform is being touted as an advantage, when in the last four elections War vets have gone 0-4. This string of bad luck started I 1992 with George Sr., then befell Dole in 1996 followed by Gore (Yes, he went to Vietnam) and John Kerry. Hell, Dukakis probably lost in 1988 because people mistakenly thought he was an actual soldier when those shots of him in the tank got out.
What do these men have in common? They were losers. (Of elections.)
With Hillary’s rousing speech resonating in my thinblooded heart, I really won’t feel any better about Obama’s chances until I talk to my Mom: a proud Hillraiser. Or, as Hillary said, a member of “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Suit”.
It’s all very interesting.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
McCain’s Cone of Silence
August 18, 2008
I haven’t written about politics in a bit, but I had lunch with my parents this weekend and the topic came up.
See, I like Obama. And my parents were/are big “HillCats”, as Mom says. Or “HillRaisers”, as she screams. They love ‘em some Clintons, and I can respect that. What kind of stinks is that they really are having a hard time warming up to Obama, even though they are lifelong Democrats.
And really, they aren’t alone. To many people, the “It takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush” slogan really struck a chord. My problem with it is that I really didn’t want to hear, “It takes a Bush to clean up after a Clinton” in eight years. And also believe that, in America, there’s gotta more than two families capable of running the entire friggin’ world.
Now, I’m not adding the Deckers to that mix. We can barely run a family reunion.
I missed the Obama/McCain chat with Rick Warren, who promised that he would ask both candidates the same questions. Obama lost a coin toss that wasn’t televised or recorded, so he had to go first. Can you imagine a football game where the viewer didn’t see the coin toss?
Anyway, McCain was supposed to be in a “Cone of Silence”, as not to get an unfair advantage. Obama’s camp agreed, unaware of the fact that the “Cone of Silence” would be McCain’s motorcade. I guess he was running late.
Not Rick Warren’s “Cone of Silence”
Naturally, when McCain knocked every question out of the ballpark, eyebrows were raised. Now I’m not suggesting a politician would cheat. I just think that you’d want to avoid that kind of speculation and arrive at such an important event on time.
And who knows what they were watching on the ride over? My guess is that McCain’s camp was glued to Olympic badminton just like the rest of us. Either way, if McCain does pull out this election by convincing folks like my parents to vote for him, let’s hope he doesn’t belatedly take Rick Warren up on that Cone of Silence offer when it comes to the topic of HIV/AIDS in America.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Check out my memoir, My Pet Virus, and click to read a sample. Video of reviews.
Give a listen to "Sign", one of my songs from Synthetic Division’s Get with the Programs (co-written with Kyle Wiggins):
Get the song here on iTunes!
Be sure to visit ShawnandGwenn.com, where you can see clips of our educational work at colleges and universities, as well as media clips from MTV safe sex programming and a Dr. Drew talk show. 2006 video of me and Gwenn, when I was finishing up My Pet Virus.
Haven’t seen a real blog in a day or so? Follow my cellphone micro-blogging at Twitter.com.
Sean Strub on Jesse Helms
July 18, 2008
Sean Strub, founder of Poz Magazine and overall badass, has written about the passing of Jesse Helms over at the Huffington Post. Check it out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-strub/condomizing-jesse-helms-h_b_113329.html
Sean shares an incredible story about an early 1990’s caper, involving himself, Peter Staley and a handful of renegade positoids placing an enormous condom over the home of Jesse Helms in Arlington, Virginia. A giant condom for a giant dick.
A “fitting” tribute.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Remembering Jesse Helms
July 6, 2008
Jesse Helms died on July 4th, and I only know of him through his anti-gay statements pertaining to people with AIDS.
His solution to the epidemic in the 1990’s? It was simple: gay people should stop having sex. The AIDS crisis wasn’t the first-time that Americans got to see the machinations of the forwarding-thinking mind protected within Mr. Helm’s skullcap.
In 1950, while working on a political campaign, he helped to create an ad attacking a rival, which read: “White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, in your mills and factories?”
Helms was rewarded with five terms in the U.S. Senate. Deemed to sharp a mind to keep to ourselves, he was also selected to chair the Foreign Relations Committee. Most importantly, however, was his 2002 visit from Bono, which occurred a year before Helms retired. On his political deathbed he admitted he had not done enough in the battle against AIDS.
It’s always touching when an 80 year-old man admits the follies and youthful indescretions of his 60’s.
The latter really irks me, because Jesse Helms probably got his copy of Achtung, Baby, signed before he died. I doubt I’ll ever get the same.
One of my dearly departed positoid pals, Stephen Gendin, wrote an article voicing his own frustrations back in 1996, the year I posted my first blog entry and began my journey living with HIV publicly. Gendin was among the vast number of incredible positoids who took me under their wing. In fact, his Poz column, “Jesse Helms Must Die”, was the first time I’d heard about Helms.
I know everyone who dies is angelic, but I’m saddened that Stephen wasn’t around to point out that one of the gay community’s most vocal opponents died on the 4th of July.
What a drama queen.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
This blog is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Gendin.
Obama Needs Some Ink
June 5, 2008
No word yet from Dunkin’ Donuts about being their spokesperson. God knows I’ve eaten enough donuts to earn the gig.
I can’t say that my intent to be their spokesperson is solely to show that people with HIV love to eat donuts. The truth is, I really need it to increase my public profile- taking nothing away from Synthetic Division and My Pet Virus, respectively. It’s just that I need more if I want to gain access to the new Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.
Come to think of it, maybe the silence from Dunkin’ Donuts is a blessing. Obama’s people would probably keep him away from a Jihad-scarf wearer, even if it meant gaining access to the coveted Donut-eater demographic. What would give them pause is that many people, including some Hillary democrats, think that Barack is Muslim.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being Muslim. It’s just that many of those frightened folks think being Muslim means you are a terrorist. And if he’s going to win in November, it’s going to take more than an American flag lapel pin to prove he’s not packing bombs under that suit.
Which is why I think he needs to be packing something else under the suit: a tattoo.
Here are my top contenders: 
1. Eagle with Flag: This shoulder tat really shows pride, and a knack for kicking ass.
2. Cross With Flag: This one should go on his hand. Every time he gestures, people would be able to rest assured that Barack drinks the Jesus Juice.
3. Made in U.S.A.: Barack comes from a bi-racial family with a weird name. This is very unsettling to some Americans. This chest tattoo would comfort those people, and could be the last image that runs through their minds in the voting booth.
Now I’m hungry for a donut.
Positively Yours,
Shawn