Happy New Year 2018!

Happy New Year 2018!


My New Year's Eve was pretty low key and for the most part uneventful, mostly.

I am no longer young *Shocker* and I've learned over the years that I don't need to be roaring drunk to enjoy New Year's Eve!

So of course, I started my evening at one of my favorite watering holes "CC's".

The drinks at this place are known to be STRONG. I had two, one at a time.

Hey, I needed to drink something while I was waiting for my boyfriend Drew to show up!

I would be breaking some kinda sin not to have an alcoholic drink at this place!

I ran into a friend and hanged out with him, eventually my boyfriend Drew showed up with our friend and neighbor, Jeff.

We were later joined by the last member of our group, Patrick.

After an appropriate amount of time, we left the bar and headed to Patrick's condo to ring in the new year.

We were given a nice bottle of bubbly by some nice ladies, while we were walking. Apparently we were doing something right!

We ended up playing two new board games Drew acquired through Kickstarter, "Conspiracy Theory" and "Dan Ariely's Irrational Game".

Patrick appears to be a master of conspiracies! He knew the answer to practically all the questions!

Can this be considered a super power!

Presenting "The Amazing Patrick" master of all conspiracies that confound mere mortals! Patrick was also the perfect host, providing yummy nibbles and my saving grace, sparkling water!

Yes, I ended the night by drinking sparkling water and I felt great in the morning!

During the drive home, the car in front of us had its tires blow up! The hubcaps actually flew up and bounced over the car!

We weren't drunk, thanks to Patrick!

Hope you all had a wonderful healthy Happy New Year 2018!

It’s pre-New Year ‘s Eve.

Is that even a real holiday?

I’m not sure, but whenever a holiday falls on the weekend, people tend to celebrate or start celebrating on the Friday and Saturday that preceded it!

So Happy Pre-New Year’s Eve!

Today, I started thinking back on some of this years events.

Several staff changes happened at work, that allowed me to take one step further in providing much needed services to the LGBT community. Mainly bringing PrEP services to the bathhouse!

I’ve always wanted to do this, or something like this back in the 90’s! Where I would go into client’s home to provide counseling. This is just one more step towards that goal I’ve had for over 20 years!

So, work-wise, I’m super happy! Now it’s a matter of making sure that my work doesn’t make my personal life suffer!

Prior to working at GayCity, I was a volunteer. So my weekends were often taking up by my volunteer duties!

So Drew, my boyfriend has been extremely supportive and understanding of my lack of availability!

With the coming year, I hope to have more free-time! So we can spend more time together and do anything or nothing! It’s all about just being together you know!

Of course, the MeToo movement is important! This highlights the horrible acts where people, mainly men in a position of power, sexually assaults or harass women (and sometimes even men).

I applaud these brave women and men for standing up and speaking their truth!

The world is now ready to listen and respond with respect!

OMG this is still alive... or is it?

I haven’t posted in practically forever!

I mean, I’ve thought of stuff to post, but then another thought pops up and I decide not to actually post anything!

So, too much has happened since the last time I posted to do any kind of synopsis of any kind.

But of course there are some things that have happened that are really important (at least to me)!

Gay Marriage, otherwise known as “Marriage”, was made legal here in the United States, and all the whole world didn’t go crazy or blow up or any of the other things that all the conservative folks say would happen.

Just that folks can now marry the love of their life no matter if they are the same gender!

So raise a glass of bubbly (alcoholic or non, your choice), and let’s get into the issue of folks not baking cakes for them!

If you have a bakery and don’t want to marry someone of the same gender, then don’t! But don’t tell me you can’t because you don’t agree with it!

Suck it up and bake the fucking cake!

I hope businesses that discriminate like this lose their business license and go under!

World AIDS Day 2012

It's Dec 1st, the international day to focus our collective attention to AIDS, the terminal disease caused by the H.I.V. (human immunodeficiency virus).

To celebrate this day, I am wearing a t-shirt from my past when I started doing AIDS prevention presentations in high school. Yes, I was in high school and the shirt was from my group, the Peer Resource Center, where teens educated each other! I'm glad the shirt still fit!

On this day, I think of this disease and all the friends I have lost over the years. As well as my friends (new and old) still living with it.

I'm glad that technology has advanced to the point where people are not dropping like flies, covered in purple sores and such, but the truth of the matter is that people are still getting infected!

We know where the virus is in the body. We know how it can be passed from one person to to the next. The question is why are people still putting themselves at risk for contracting it?

Please please please practice harm reduction. If you're HIV negative and are sexually active, use a freaking barrier, and get tested regularly for HIV and other STI (sexually transmitted infections).

If you're HIV positive, do everything you can to stay healthy. I love you and want you around as long as possibly!

Friends may come and go
leaving memories to stay
Happy World AIDS Day!

Love,
AiYahh!

It's always SHOPPING TIME

Today was a crazy day. It's only Wednesday and it is crazy! There was a gun scare at the hospital a few days ago and today, there was a bomb scare! Thankfully, nobody was harmed in both situations, but I'm wondering if this is the new "normal" around town.

So as I'm winding down having dinner with my friend Scott at 611 Supreme and I realized that I needed something more. I needed retail therapy!!!

We finished dinner and headed off in search of a dress! Why do I need a dress you may ask? I mean, it's November 7. Halloween is over. Did Howie forget his sanity pills again?

No, it's for the Red Dress Party!!! The annual event held here in Seattle (and Portland) where everyone wears a red dress to raise money for deserving organizations that do HIV education, prevention, etc. It's happening next year in February 16 and if I don't start looking for a dress now, I might never find a dress that fits me (and of course looks fabulous!)

This is not the time to procrastinate! I am on a mission and I WILL SUCCEED!!! I head off to my favorite thrift store and happily found several dresses that I think would be perfect for the event. Of course, I won't be showing any pictures of me in it, until the day of the event :)

Retail therapy,
May make your wallet lighter,
But is SO WORTH IT!

AiYahh!

Election Night 2012 Jitters

It has been FOREVER since I last posted anything in my blog! I know, it's horrible, but the reason I keep this blog, is to make room for the random big thoughts that pop up in my head and for no other reason. I keep active in other avenues such as GetGlue, Twitter, FaceBook and my current favorite... Google+. to stay connected with the outside world. Ever since my last post, I've had many thoughts that I wanted to post about. Those usually pop up right as I'm about to go to bed, just as I am about to go to bed, so I'm running through all the day's events and clearing them out, to make room for the new day. I call this "Meditation". I usually puts me to sleep. Tonight is different. Barack Obama has just be re-elected to another four year term as President of the United States of America. I personally hate politics, but this gave me hope and I saw a future which wasn't completely bleak. Another thing that passed were that some American States passed Gay marriage, including the state I live in, Washington. Marriage has been such loaded topic for me. I mean... I saw my parent's marriage and it wasn't pretty. I was the first person that told my mom to divorce my dad, which she never did. My parents eventually divorced, but I had no say in it at all. I'm the eternal romantic, I believe in love at first sight, in soul mates, in THE ONE. What really hurt was that I would never be able to marry because I was gay. I know that I could go elsewhere, to places where gay marriage was legal, but I would not be able to bring it back home, so it was a moot point. I wouldn't be able to live out my dreams or a house, white picket fence, a dog 2.3 kids and electric car. Back in 2004, I was one of the crazy couples that got married at San Francisco City Hall and it was wonderful! To have my marriage later made "invalid" was equally heartbreaking. Once bitten and twice shy. Now that Ref 74 has passed in the State of Washington, I have a glimmer of hope again. I want to do this right this time. My previous marriage was an act of protest, against the injustice of society. The next time, it's going to be for me. The next time I get married, it's to show the world that I love one man and I have the ring to prove it!!! Super Sandee leaves, History is made again, Equality NOW! AiYahh!

Am I Crazy?

Definition of Crazy
Ok, Webster’s definition of being crazy is this Crazy and judging from one of those definitions, I may have been crazy for a bit.

I had just finished my lunch, a spaghetti with mushroom sauce and grilled asparagus. It was pretty good and decided to watch some TV and do some knitting before I had to get back to work. About 20 minutes later, I started itching near my neck and head and was starting to feel flushed. Then my hands, more specifically, the tips of all my fingers started to hurt. Really hurt. My hands were starting to blow up and it was probably due to my fingernails being attached that it stopped growing, which probably explains why I was in so much pain.

I told my co-worker about how I feel and she could see something was happening to me. I took some Benedryl figuring that I was most likely having an allergic reaction to my lunch. I told her that I’ll wait to see if the Benedryl takes effect. I might go into the ER if it gets worse. It wasn’t, so I went upstairs to see my supervisor, but she wasn’t there, having left for the day. So I saw the Lead Tech and told her what was happening and that I had to go to the ER.

The ER is actually very close and only took me seconds to get to. I guess that’s one advantage for working at my job, walking distance for emergency situations. I was accepted and shortly saw a doctor. She agreed that I was having an allergic reaction and we discussed what medicines to use and how it’s administered. I went with the IV over oral, because I didn’t want to have to wait for it to go through my stomach and needles do not scare me.

Once the IV was put in, there was nothing for me to do, so I looked up at the blank TV screen. I really wished I have telekinesis so I could turn it on, but I didn’t, so i just started at a blank screen. i looked down at my hand with the IV and noticed the tube was red. How strange, that shouldn’t be red, I wondered. I was bleeding to death and it was kinda cool. when did I get so emo all of a sudden? The nurse saw the blood. Actually, what she saw was my bloody clothes. I didn’t notice it, because it was covered by my arm. I only notice what looked like a crime scene, when I raised my arm so she could put a lock onto my IV and my hospital gown was changed. I’m really glad I didn’t have to clean that bloody mess!

Now with the lock on my IV, I was given my medication. So I waited...

and waited...

and waited...

and waited...

We were waiting for my body to respond to the medication. If I didn’t get better (Hi Dan Savage, LOVE you and your Podcast!), I would have to be given another medicine that was more aggressive.

So I waited...

My body finally showed some reaction, by hurting less. That’s a good sign right? That if feeling hurt was bad, feeling that same pain less (it’s all relative) means that I’m getting better right?

So I waited...

The nurses and doctor checked in on me several times and I was able to tell them how I felt. About the third check in, the effects were starting to show on my face. Sheesh, I always thought I was transparent. Now it’s certified in a hospital!

I eventually got better and had the IV taken out. I was given a prescription for more medicine to continue my healing, but because of the timing, everything was closed. Seattle really can be a small town sometimes, where everything closes after 7PM! So I’ll have to get my medication tomorrow.

I go back to work and try to do as much as possible with what little time I had left before having to clock out.

At home, I spoke with my boyfriend and he’s going to see what medicines he can get from Costco. I know it’s overkill, but half the medicines I need, were over the counter and it will be better for me to have extra during the allergy season.

What really surprises me, is that while I was at times scared and freaked out, I was remarkably calm. I was able to detach a part of me. It was that separate part of me, that assessd the situation, that walked me through the halls, to talk to the necessary people, tell them what I was going through in a manner and tone of voice that helped these people help me! When I was bleeding out, I didn’t freak out for this same reason. Maybe this is like being bipolar, it just wasn’t hurting others, but in fact, was able to help the situation to a better outcome.

So yeah, I was crazy today.

Now, good night.