The Thursday Night Weekly Health Care Series is published every Thursday. It is meant to provide a forum and encouragement for people organizing for positive health care change.

While trying to draw my blood for the clinical trial I was enrolled in, the research site's head physician looked at me and remarked:

You know, I am not so sure that enrolling you into a study that would require an infusion every two weeks is such a good idea.

I had to agree.

Not having very good veins to begin with, I am used to difficult moments with phlebotomists.  But at first, the pronouncement from the doctor really shocked me.  After all, one of the reasons I was even a trial subject at this site was expressly to get me into the new clinical trial that was an infusion of HIV-meds every two weeks.  Since my current regimen of HIV meds had not worked for the previous two years, this gateway into a new regimen was one of the only promising possibilities for me.

After the last vial had been drawn, the doctor then walked out of the room.  All of the sudden, though, he returned.

More after the fold, ok?

Yesterday, at 5:01 p.m. PST, lesbian rights pioneers Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin became the first same sex couple to be legally wed in San Francisco following the May 2008 ruling by the California State Supreme Court.  Lyon and Martin have been together for 55 years.  

Lyon and Martin were also the first same sex couple to be married in San Francisco four years ago when Mayor Gavin Newsom directed the County Clerks Office to accept fees from and issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.

Yesterday outside of City Hall, crowds gathered, in some part, to witness history being made.  Not all the crowd, however, was happy with history being made.  Not by a long shot.

I took some photos.  Here they are (that is, after the fold):

this diary was originally published january 10, 2005.  given that today marks the 40th anniversary of rfk being gunned down at point-blank range after winning the california democratic party primary, i thought the historical time frame also offers another perspective to the murder of rfk, namely by showing just how chaotic the world was at that time.  

in just 143 days, the entire world changed.  

at least, for most americans in 1968 it did.  

over the course of just 143 days, between january 16, 1968 and june 6, 1968 not only was the nation turned upside down, but it was then turned on its ear, inside-out, and then turned every which way it could be turned.

it begins on january 16th, when the YIPPIES are formed...  [snip]... 142 days later, bobby kennedy was declared dead after being gunned down on june 5th in los angeles.

there's more after the fold:

The Thursday Night Weekly Health Care Series is published every Thursday. It is meant to provide a forum and encouragement for people organizing for positive health care change.

So, today marked the half-way point of me successfully completing my first real HIV Clinical Trial.  

7 days down, 7 more to go.

I would be a liar if I did not own up to the fact that while in part my being enrolled in this clinical trial is because of altruism, part of it is pure selfishness.  I want to remain healthy.

More after the fold including pictures!

In Ulysses, the protagonist, Leopold Bloom, makes the often-quoted comment "In the midst of death we are in life.  Both ends meet."   One of my closest friends and I had fallen out of touch with each other, primarily because of my interferon regimen and overall mental wellness.  When he saw the announcement that I was one of the 12 artists chosen to have my work shown at a local studio, that news catalyzed his getting back in touch with me and reestablishing a very powerful and important relationship in my life.  

My friend was a brilliant photographer. Full stop.  His work was collected.  His work was exquisite.  His portrait of me hangs in my hallway.  Like many of my friends and family, he found the fact that I was actually devoting time and energy to my art very discombobulating.

[more after the fold]

OK, so I actually volunteered for this, the graveyard shift, the 2a.m. - 4 a.m. or so slot.  If pressed for a good reason, I can come up with only one -- the US Senate will be a much better place when we no longer have John E. Sununu representing the great state of New Hampshire but instead have someone of the caliber and talent and decency as one Mr. Steve Marchand.

So, dig deep, find a few extra dollars and donate, ok?  Our goal has almost been met, so, what do you say?  We know that a Senate absent Sununu is a better legislative body.  So, let a Lincoln or a few Washingtons help us help Steve Marchand relieve Mr. Sununu of the burden of having to pretend to represent the Granite State.

BTW, did you know that:

As leaders in the revolutionary cause, New Hampshire delegates received the honor of being the first to vote for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

source:  here

Not only more after the fold, but an actual cartoon or two!

Make the jump and make a donation.

Wasn't intending to do a diary today, but when I was opening up my e-mail program a few minutes ago, I came across this A.P. story that is just now making its way across the wires:

UNICEF: U.S., British Children Worst Off

BERLIN - The United States and Britain ranked at the bottom of a U.N. survey released Wednesday evaluating the well-being of children in wealthy countries.

The Netherlands topped the report issued by UNICEF, followed by other European countries with strong social welfare systems - Sweden, Denmark and Finland.[snip]

When my first reaction was one of indifference to the story, when I found myself shrugging this news item off thinking "Basically we tied for last place with the UK? Hmmm. Not  really surprised by that..." THAT'S when I knew there was a problem.  

I have grown so accustomed to the deleterious impact of the Bush Administration across so many macro-issues (credibility, respect, global partnerships, etc.) that I almost glazed over the meaning of this story -- we are not just being shortchanged our present, we are being shortchanged in our future.

more after the fold

Since it is only Sunday and still January 2007, this can only mean that it is time we had another installation of dadanation's penultimate haiku diary day.  

Last month I posted only my second diary of 2006. it was about the year I taught creative writing to 3rd through 8th graders at an inner-city catholic grade school in West Oakland, CA.  Mind you, I did write some haiku for the diary.  My November diary looked at my experiences during 2006's Open Studios weekend and even included a picture of one of my paintings.

Today's diary is about suicide.  

Last month I was reminded how much I love haiku; inevitably the road of haiku leads me back to May of 1982.  Memorial Day 1982 is pretty much responsible for my first poem ever written totally in haiku.  And why that Memorial Day?  That is when my father killed himself.

I was the one who found him.

There is more after the jump.

but since this diary has absolutely nothing to do with grapes, tampons, or any intentional or unintentional combination of those two words I’ll just by-pass the title thing.

Oh but first, props to KateCrashes, another kossmopolitan, who came up with the title grape tampons for a post of hers in an April 2006 diary written by righteousbabe.

So, we're clear now.  No grapes.  No grape tampons.  No tampons.  I just thought it made for one hell of a great title.

With that addressed, let's move on to the business at hand.  Since today is Wednesday, I thought it was as good as any day to be dadanation's penultimate haiku diary day.

Penultimate?  There were others?  

No.  

I just like that word.  And it has four syllables.  Almost enough for a first or third line of a haiku.

Yes, haiku!  Well, in-between remembering the year I taught 3rd graders how to write haiku.  The year changed my life.  

5 - 7 - 5

Below the fold please...  

--My apologies to Garry Trudeau for both liberating the title to one of his Doonesbury cartoon collections as well as for appropriating Zonker's comment as my first diary in over 18 months' title --

That being said, as Zonker aptly remarked, we all need a few chocolate chip cookies (and not necessarily the kind that result from troll-recipe posts).  So, given how crazed and crazy and amazing the past two+ weeks have been, I thought it might be a great opportunity to take a moment and let you in on a very cool thing that happened to me just the other day.  

Note, this diary involves some art, a little bit of Medicare, and lot of ramblings by me.

So, if you need a little pre-holiday cheer or are an art fan, or are just jonesing for a cookie, this might be a good diary for you.  

More after the fold, including a piece of art...

Novak should follow his own counsel from 2001 and name his sources, especially those officials who stated Plame was an analyst.  He should reveal his source(s) now since his credibility is on the line, the same way it was on the line with the 1997/2001 Hanssen case.

Let's get to the story, below the fold, shall we?

Can't do it?  Neither can I and I've been trying for quite a while now.  The truth is that I can not say "I oppose abortion."  But since this diary is more focused on some of the very dangerous mythical assumptions and misconceptions (pardon the pun) that a few more than none have been espousing,  I'll stay more to the topic and be honest - I can't say "I oppose abortion except in the case of ...." because it makes no sense.  

It will all become evident right below the fold.

I even have a little (albeit rather unexciting) commentary below the fold.

Feel free to liberate the image.

Then it began to become clear -- my anger was not so much at the trolling behavior, but the fact that someone was trying to pull a fast one over on me.  And I hate being duped.

More below the fold

(excerpted from diary below the fold:
For those Catholics, who had been operating under the optimism of the previous two Pontiffs, their hope was decimated that Halloween when the Ratzinger-penned and John Paul II-approved "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons" had made its debut.

so much more below the fold...

i have still not stopped reading along with the transcript and listening to the sound file of this actual sheriff's department dispatch phone call.

one choice exchange between the caller and the sheriff's department operator:

hat tip to crooks and liars for this incredible story.  i am still laughing.  anyway, i thought a moment of levity might be well deserved at this point of this very intense week.  

more below the fold.

Not to be seen solely as a haughty and obstinate bully in matters of diplomacy and military efforts, it seems that the US is dedicated to exercising this arrogance everywhere it can, even if it means they have to trample on the rights of women globally.

Or, if in exercising our presumptive role as Global-Know-It-All, it means we just might embarrass ourselves publicly - no matter.  Whatever it takes, we seem o be willing to go the extra year to be the best brat on the block.  Here is a tease pull-quote from the article:

So, there is more and more below the fold....

this diary was originally published january 10, 2005.  given that today marks the 40th anniversary of rfk being gunned down at point-blank range after winning the california democratic party primary, i thought the historical time frame also offers another perspective to the murder of rfk, namely by showing just how chaotic the world was at that time.  

in just 143 days, the entire world changed.  

at least, for most americans in 1968 it did.  

over the course of just 143 days, between january 16, 1968 and june 6, 1968 not only was the nation turned upside down, but it was then turned on its ear, inside-out, and then turned every which way it could be turned.

it begins on january 16th, when the YIPPIES are formed...  [snip]... 142 days later, bobby kennedy was declared dead after being gunned down on june 5th in los angeles.

there's more after the fold: