My Journey with AIDS

Post-Christmas pictures from Perth, Ontario, Canada

1000 words (probably less for a smaller picture)

One of the very first outward signs of HIV I bore was seborrheic dermatitis. It was more like a reaction to being told that I had HIV. This has not been a consistent problem with me – or else I ignore it equally as consistently – but it has become problematic...

Published Wed, Mar 03 2010 12:54 AM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: AIDS and HIV, health-care, hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone valerate, seborrheic dermatitis, ketoconazole

Retirement wishes for Andy Barrie – and memories of the Montréal days

It’s only right, I suppose, that someone – even Andy Barrie – who is fifteen years older than me and fifteen years younger than my mother would be retirement age. When he made it official today, however, it reminded me how ageless the...

Published Mon, Feb 01 2010 2:35 PM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: media, youth, autobiography, Québec, Montréal, CBC, Toronto, Neil McKenty, Gaorge Balcan

Premier McGuinty, this is not leadership!

I’ve had a difficult time sleeping this week which I think I can safely attribute to hypomania which, in turn, has kept me busy following the news here in Ontario of promising changes to the province’s sex education curriculum. Alas the promise was dropped...

Published Fri, Apr 23 2010 4:07 PM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: politics, public health, evangelicals, social conservatives, Christianism, Ontario sex ed curriculum

Coronation Street – Barlows visit an alcoholics’ recovery meeting

When I used to deliver the long-defunct Montreal Star through the late afternoon streets in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield there was an elderly customer on East Park, who shall remain nameless lest her great-great-grandchildren read this, who would meet me...

Published Sun, Mar 14 2010 9:14 AM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: youth, autobiography, YouTube, Montréal

A call-out for stories (yes you!) – World AIDS Day 2010

First of all, this is not a contest. Every story will be published on my blog (and re-posted to Facebook & Twitter via links) in the order in which I receive them. You may send them to me within the body of an email, or by attaching a document, and...

Published Thu, Nov 25 2010 7:17 PM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: writing, AIDS and HIV, World AIDS Day, HIV/AIDS stories, biography/autobiography, World AIDS Day 2010

‘The Fear’ Factor

During a lunch meeting with friends today someone spoke of past states of generalized anxiety which professionals often tried, unsuccessfully, to pin down – fear of flying, fear of social situations, “What are you afraid of?” That didn’t work. Then, my...

Published Fri, Dec 03 2010 11:39 AM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: autobiography, AIDS and HIV, spirituality, mental health, bipolar, faith

To the Pride Toronto brain-trust

I shall not be returning the calls of your volunteer recruitment team, at least one of which I’ve already received. Even if you don’t agree with Desmond Tutu or Jimmy Carter, both of whom use the term “Israeli apartheid”, doesn’t the...

Published Mon, May 24 2010 6:25 PM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: activism, politics, social justice, corporations, Israel-Palestine, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA), Pride Toronto

Vive les piétons, Montréal!

My biases in favour of Montréal - over the place that serves as my home, Toronto – are longstanding and pretty well-known. For one thing it has always been, for me, a more walkable city – with much more to see in terms of historic architecture...

Published Wed, May 05 2010 8:39 PM by My journey with AIDS

Filed under: Montréal, pedestrian-friendly

Kodak moments or scenes

View Full Album I am sticking my neck out and entering a photo contest. Actually I’ve already sent my entry in. Would I be jinxing my chances if I told you which of these five finalists, from my extensive collection, I...

Published Thu, Oct 28 2010 4:25 AM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Drop-kicking HIV/AIDS stigma to the curb

“This December I found a mass the size of a cantaloupe in my lung…I used social media to express my feelings without having to burden my family and friends. I’d like to write a feature…that explores the way the Internet has changed...

Published Tue, Apr 22 2014 10:55 PM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: Uncategorized

My neighbourhood’s horror

Not to cast a pall over my birthday today, which I’ve already kept low-key-to-dull, but I wanted to share this item from the Toronto Star which summarizes what has transpired in my Cabbagetown neighbourhood since Tuesday morning. I awoke to the...

Published Fri, Oct 26 2012 10:20 AM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: Toronto, Cabbagetown murder

MacPherson tartans

If I had my druthers, I think I’d go for the “hunting” version of my maternal tartan in a kilt. MacPherson tartan MacPherson – hunting MacPherson – dress Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 20 2012 8:09 AM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: family, autobiography, genealogy, Chaplin, Sangster, MacPherson, Glengarry (Upper Canada), McGinnis, MacDonald

Clint “I-like-it-when-gays-die” McCance speaks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper: brain farts maybe?

Thursday night AC360’s Anderson Cooper interviewed the Vice-President of Midland School District in Arkansas whose Facebook rants against gays, “fags”, “queers”, the recent rash of publicized gay suicides of five young men and boys, and his mocking of...

Published Thu, Oct 28 2010 11:32 PM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: youth, activism, YouTube, sexual orientation, gender, homosexuality, social conservatives, homophobia, youth suicide, restorative justice

Clint McCance is a man who should be run out of Arkansas

This idiot’s 15 minutes (I don’t expect he’d know what that means) will, hopefully, soon be over but surely not before he loses his elected job on the Midland, Arkansas school board. Anderson Cooper set the story up this way last evening: It turns out...

Published Thu, Oct 28 2010 12:04 AM by My journey with AIDS...and more!

Filed under: youth, child abuse, politics, YouTube, mental health, sexual orientation, homosexuality, queer, social conservatives, bullying, homophobia, youth suicide, Clint McCance, Midland Arkansas

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