Lords Of The New Church - Open Your Eyes

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This song came out more then thirty years ago and the words ring eerily true.

Very Funny - The Oversharer

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To some degree, we all know a person like this.  These videos are hilarious and well acted.  I've enjoyed each and every single one of them.

"The Normal Heart" Stirs up Images of the Past

.....I recently watched "The Normal Heart," the HBO movie recounting the early days of the AIDS epidemic in New York City.  As I don't have cable and HBO isn't available here anyways, I had to order the DVD.

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.....I've seen an array of films on AIDS in the past.  Once again, I found myself feeling a gamut of emotions.  I've written previously of music's ability to transport me, like a time machine, to a specific time and place.   When I heard Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, I was there; the long, extended golden sunsets of summer and nights at the alternative dance club.  But I remember something else---the phone call from my friend Brenda, in which she recounted the news article  her mother had handed her.  It was about a gay cancer.  I dismissed  it as some scare tactic because, after all, cancer can't discriminate.  Even though most of my friends were LGBT before that term was even coined, nobody gave the story any thought.

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.....It soon became apparent that the party was over.   Years later, I met David, who was a long time survivor of the disease.  Unfortunately, the cocktail had yet to be discovered.  When I watched "The Normal Heart," I was reminded of him, as he, like a character in the film, had been in the military.  This was obviously at a time when not only did a person not ask and not tell, but their ass would justifiably (according to the government)  be out the door.  No recourse, no appeal.  His trade had been construction.

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.....There are snippets of things that flash back to me more then others.  When he reached a certain point, he had to give up his apartment and was granted housing in an AIDS apartment/ complex.   He still maintained a very positive outlook.  This was a man who had great talent in decorating and we had talks about how he was going to fix it up.  He wanted to convert the ordinary windows to a stained glass motif.  We were going to hit  the largest fabric store to purchase items to transform the place.  He never again had the strength to walk that distance.

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.....This complex had a roof top deck that allowed residents to sit outside.  It wasn't the patios of  his favoured restaurants and bars, but it was something.  The sunshine was warm up there.  One of the other residents was on the patio---sitting by himself.  I could tell he was listening to us as we joked and we managed to get him to join in.   I ran into him a few times as I walked around the city after my friend died.  This  very good looking guy who was only in his twenties was always alone.  Such was the nature of the disease for some people.

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.....I remember the time, when he was still living in his own place, that David felt well enough to go out on the town.  He took one glance at me and decided that I needed more make up and a different look.  Despite my protests, he proceeded to give me a make-over.  He had everything in the apartment for the job.  He perked up, like a man jolted with a Red Bull infusion, when he received a wolf whistle as we walked down the street.  As they say, God is in the details.  Likewise, happiness truly is found in the little things.

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.....The hospital he ended up in was a good one, and the ward with AIDS patients had great staff, but when we were in the cafeteria, I recall still the looks we got one day.  One of the problems with the disease is a reduction in appetite, and when David suddenly expressed a desire for a banana split, Scott and myself went with him to see what we could do.  They had ice-cream, bananas and some nuts.  David and I set about slicing and dicing and making this thing work.  He took a bite and it wasn't quite right.  He handed me a sample and I tried it.   I looked up and saw a nurse---a NURSE---looking at me aghast.  Back then, the people with AIDS had a very definite look.  It wasn't just a weight loss in the same manor that people with cancer might get.  There was a certain look in their eyes and a muscle wasting in the face.  The nurse obviously saw that he was such a patient and was shocked that I'd taste anything from his plate.  I couldn't believe her ignorance; it wasn't going to jump from one end of his plate to the other.  I was angry and glad that David had not witnessed  this exchange, but it made me realize the extent of what people had to deal with.

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.....It was because of this sort of thing  that people in the area took action.  At Christmas, the festive  displays included pink lit  triangles on the balconies.  The red ribbons represented more then pretty wrap when they were hung.

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.....I think of David often, and how his mother is doing.   I had met her at the hospital and at the Celebration of his Life.  I felt her discomfort as she tried to come to terms with it all.  She loved her son more then anything, yet she came from a small town and was a devout Catholic.  It grieved me that his children were not there, as he had several.  He never spoke ill of his ex-wife, but after he had come out, she had kept the children away from him.  What years they had missed with this talented, giving and loving man who cared for them immensely.  He had their picture on display.

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.....I think of David when I read that HIV is again on the increase amongst some age demographics.  How needless, when not only do we have condoms but there is Truvada.  Should a condom break, or a person not use one due to drunkenness, people can ask for the post exposure prophylactic.  Yes, the cocktail exists today, but the drugs don't work on everybody and there are side effects.  As to the medication, the earlier one takes it, the better the outcome.  People should get tested if they think they've engaged in high risk activity.  Trust me, it isn't a big deal.  I had an accidental work exposure and had to get tested a while back.  I live in a small town and there's still more stigma on women.  Nobody at the blood clinic gave me a second glance.  We lost so many valuable voices that never got the chance to make their statements.  We don't need to have it happen again.

Book Review: The Young Adult Series

This is the final book in the trilogy of young adult books I've opted to review.  As I mentioned, I picked them up for my niece, who just turned thirteen.  I am going to leave them in my old bedroom, as she often stays with my mother.  Maybe she'll read them and bring up the topics.

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"Letting Ana Go" is another of the Anonymous series.  This book covers eating disorders and recounts the journalist's quest to drop weight.  It is a mission that very quickly  gets out of hand.  My earlier book reviews looked at teenage drug usage and having a friend with mental illness.   Frankly, I have detected a definite pattern at this point, as this novel follows practically the same format as one of the books I previously reviewed (Lucy in the Sky).  That novel  seemed to mirror the classic "Go Ask Alice."  Both books feature a diary format, a hot boyfriend,  and using either food or drugs to cope with issues.  Both have a scene which forces the supposed writer of the journal into therapy.  There is the inevitable relapse and both have the same ending.

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I have read the reviews on various sites  and the younger readers give it good marks.   It seems to be this generation's "Best Little Girl in the World."  For those unfamiliar with that book, it was the first mass market release to address anorexia and was written by a therapist.  It was subsequently made into a television movie starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.  It continues to sell very well.
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There are some very good insights offered  in this book.  There are a few sentences that sum up exactly what drives eating disorders.  In a scene with her therapist, the professional makes the point that people with eating disorders use their body to tell the world that something is wrong.    Professional help  can offer an alternative mechanism  and give actual voice to those feelings.  The therapist then goes on to state the following:

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"Remember, not eating, starving yourself, over exercise, those things aren't the problem.  Those things are a symptom of the real problem.  That's what you're here to figure out.  What is the real problem?  Once you know, we'll find other ways for you to deal with it that don't involve hurting yourself."

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This book is easy to read and makes its point in a way that people in that age group can pick up the important, pertinent details without a problem.   It underscores why early help is important without being lecturing about it. Even though this novel doesn't have the flow of language that a work such as "Wasted" may hold, this is what's appreciated at this grade level.   I can still recall reading "Go Ask Alice" in elementary school and grasping its message. That book also contained sexual content and despite the fact that it is a work that often found itself on the banned books list, it never warped me or any of my friends.  Teens of this age can handle it.   Some parents might not like the brief sexual talk, but that is the reality of life today.  I've got no problem at all with allowing a teenager to read this.  I want to allow for any segue at all for introducing talk and sometimes, it's easiest if it's in the realm of "I know somebody like the person in the book."
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So, onto my old book shelf it goes.

Scene / Seen ( Huh?)

I was scanning old photos.  I'm talking film, not digital, when I came upon this anomaly.   I went back and pulled up the original photo and sure enough, it was on the print.  It wasn't some odd mix up that occurred when I uploaded the file.  Do you see it?
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It's the David Copperfield of buildings.
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The building in the centre---the second row.  It is split in half!  The roof is dislodged and suspended in midair.  The font of the building isn't there.  I know things like this can happen with digital images, but it shouldn't take place with print.  But there it is, folks.
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To Quote Sinatra....

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I've given up making New Year's Resolutions because, frankly, it's just embarrassing.  I could just save myself the trouble and recycle the list.  It's an albatross that sits in my notebook of things I mean to do...of things I NEED to do and don't get done.  There's many activities I've wanted to do which I've given up on, thanks to my migraines.  I've lost touch with people, and for that I have tons of guilt.  I know I'll never get to Europe.  Why put out that money if I might throw up the entire time?
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Two years ago I challenged myself and did something called "The Edge Walk."  I had taken the train across the country with a friend and he had proposed it.    They strap you into orange prison jump suits, a harness and put you atop  the world.  You then walk outside of the CN Tower in Toronto.  At one point you lean over backwards and moon the city (sort of).
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In case you're thinking about artificial means of confidence, forget having a few drinks before you do it.  They run a scanner over you to ensure there's no alcohol or drugs on your person.  They don't mess around.  In the elevator ride up I kept hoping I wouldn't be the fool that had to take the ride of shame back down.  Oddly enough, as soon as I stepped out on that metal walkway, I let go of the guide rope and enjoyed the view.
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This last September, we went to the East Coast to visit a friend.   There had been talk of sky diving.  That's something that had never crossed my mind as a venture  I'd do.  Trust me on that one.  However, when we got there, the date had been set and I wasn't about the wimp out, especially since there were two current co-workers and one ex-coworker  present.  I had a reputation to maintain!
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Yes, jumping like that makes for a nice shot of ones nose.  

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The day was perfect and the scene on that late September day could not be beat.  As the plane went up I was given a bit of a geography lesson by the instructor from the Atlantic School of Sky Diving.  It was a tandem jump, as I had never done it previously.  The trees were changing colour and all around was the sea.  As I said, I never thought it was anything I'd do, but even if a person doesn't like heights, it's just too gorgeous not to look.
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The jump was from 10,000 feet and Dave had given me very easy instructions to follow.   I have to admit that it had crossed my mind that fear could wipe it clean, but there wasn't an issue.  I still remember the steps to this day.  I even had my feet in the proper position and I landed on them...not on my ass (although there's enough padding that it probably wouldn't have hurt, but that's another story).   Dave is one of the most well thought of instructors and jumpers out there---any where, in fact, ---so I was honoured to have him.   If I recall correctly he has been jumping since l975.
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(Here's a shot of my co-worker doing the jump)
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What I really enjoyed is that it wasn't  just a sudden drop with the chute opening up.  There's a tumble at first and a free fall before it actually deploys.   I loved that.  I never have falling or flying dreams anymore; I've not had them since I was a teenager and I miss them.  Dave then manipulated the chute so that it swirled around in circles and I felt like the ballerina dancer atop the music box.  We caught the draft and went from side to side---it was magical.

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Which brings me back to today.  I am thinking that this year, when the weather gets nice,  I am going to enquire about going para-gliding with somebody or asking if  there is a place near here that offers tandem ultra light flying.  Both options allow one to be aloft for a longer period.   When I was in high school I used to read Aviation Magazine because I wanted to fly.  That came to a halt when I realized I didn't like driving a stick shift vehicle.  Bungy jumping is not an option as the jarring would be too hard on my neck and migraines, but I want something that challenges me.  And hey, since I've posted it here, I can't wimp out, can I?
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http://www.atlanticschoolofskydiving.com/
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If you're ever in Nova Scotia and you want to try something different, or want to add that something extra to your trip, here's their  site.  I can't recommend them enough.

How Many Twin Peaks References Can You Find?

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I've written of my love of "Twin Peaks" before and this upcoming series looks like it's giving a sly wink to the fans.  In watching this trailer I caught many a reference.  The thumbs up and A-Ok a character gives?  Remember the old guy when special agent Dale was shot at the Great Northern Lodge?  And for those of you who actually watched "Fire Walk with Me," the annoying civil servant from hell is brought back to life here.  Instead of having the cherry pie so divinely made by Norma, we now have rum raison ice-cream.  There's a woman with a quirky voice, a shot of a river and the omnipresent rotating blades of the sinister ceiling fan.  This needs to be a drinking game.  I do believe the geeks (like myself) will like this one.
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I've posted one of these photos before, but here is the town of Wayward Pines, in the flesh.
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For Horror Fans....

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Although this is the second book in a series by author Mark Fuson, the novel can stand on its own.  I've enclosed a link to Mark's blog so that people can explore for themselves the theme of the book.  It is put out by Damnation Books.

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http://markfusonhorror.com/

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It is smart horror, with wry wit and caustic cruelty.
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Here is the link to Damnation's website, which sells the e-version of his book.  For old school types (like myself), who like an actual page turner to turn, it can be bought on Amazon.
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http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781629291758