April 2010 Archives

I know I've been pushing my music a lot recently- and I appreciate your patience if you're not a music person or not a my-music person.  I'll get back to regular life bloggin' again soon but, right now, this is kind of what's happening in my life and I'm kind of diggin' it.

One Condoms are one of my co-sponsors for the upcoming tour, along with Poz and MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, and they are on board to provide free condoms for the entire tour!  (Or as long as supplies last.)  I included the One/Synthetic Division condoms in the pre-orders for Symptom of Life so everyone who isn't in the touring cities can get one.  Fortunately if you just want regular One Condoms, they are now as close as your nearest Target.

Why the One love? 

Well, because I've tried to find condom sponsors before for my work with Gwenn, and in doing so I found out- no matter how many folks I speak to- I am a tough sell because I have HIV.  Condom companies- I've been told by friends in the know- don't want to be associated with "the infected", whether it's HIV or any of the other lifelong viruses that some of us carry.  To be fair, I was hitting some condom companies up for a lot of money, but mainly because I wanted to be able to speak at every school, event and barbecue that I'm invited to. 

One are not only supportive of my tour, they are also supportive of the idea behind it: to tie the music with HIV awareness and the need to promote safer sex practices.

So swing on over to One's site.  Give them some love.  You can also check out their Synthetic Division music page, where you can hear my cover of Love and Rockets' "So Alive"- a song that I thought appropriate for commemorating 20 years of surviving a dying wish.  If you need a refresher on the song before hearing my take, check out the ultra-cool Love & Rockets music video below by the legends themselves.

I hope everyone is feeling So Alive and has a great weekend ahead.

Positively Yours,

Shawn

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People in the United States are dying on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP).  We need to urge the president to continue to fund these, and he must hear from you to make it happen.  If you have a moment, follow one of these two easy steps (thanks to Dab "the AIDS Bear" Garner for posting this on Facebook!).

1. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and leave the following message:

"My name is _________ and I am calling today to urge President Obama to provide $126 million in emergency funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. These programs provide life-saving medications to HIV-positive individuals who have no other access to care. However, nearly 1,000 HIV-positive individuals are on waiting lists to receive their medications. Please take action to address the crisis."

2. Or email AIDSpolicy@who.eop.gov the same to the Office of National AIDS Policy.

I bookended my email with some personal information, beginning with: "My name is Shawn Decker, and I am a happily married, 34 year old man living with HIV.  I'm alive because, after living with HIV since age 11, I was able to have access to HIV drugs when I needed them in 1999.  In most other countries, I would have died from AIDS-related causes at the age of 23."  After including the info above, I ended with: "It saddens me that we have lost people on these waiting lists. Those waiting today need your help, Mr. President, and they need it now."

If you've been the beneficiary of receiving timely HIV treatment that helped you, definitely mention that.  Even if you haven't, those on the waiting lists will be extremely grateful if you take action today.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

PS... it's important that they hear from us by Friday!  Also check out the ADAP Advocacy Association

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So now that pre-order prescriptions have dried up, I turn my wide eyes to the road ahead.  I have been mapping out the route, and the cool thing is that I have a bed to sleep in every night: a major plus!  I'm cashing in some of me and Gwenn's Hilton Honors points, accrued from our HIV/AIDS educational travels, for "free" stays on two nights.

When staying with friends, I have to be diligent about getting at least 5 hours of sleep a day.  The tour is about two weeks, with a couple days near the end that open up once I get back to Virginia.  I've done crazy travel before for World AIDS Week, like flying to California in the morning, speaking, and then taking the red-eye back to the East Coast two hours after the talk, so I can go for a few days on less without dealing with anything other than exhaustion.
All in all I'm happy with my tour plan. 

But, yesterday, I had a thought: What about my HIV meds?

As has been well-documented on this blog as well as in Poz magazine, I do a week-on/week-off regimen with my medication.  It's worked great for me... so I was bummed to see that my week on starts the day I leave town.  Taking meds isn't hard for me, because I take them with a little snack right before bed and then I'm out.  Usually at the same time every night.  The tour schedule is a little zanier than my usual travels... so my plan is to be on meds as usual this week, and just continue to take them next week as well.  Basically I'll be on for two weeks straight, then resume the usual regimen.  This just shifts my week off to begin when I hit the road, which will prevent the rather high likelihood of missing a dose or two due to the erratic schedule ahead. 

It's funny, in jotting down everything (shirts, buttons, messenger bags, cds, etc) I have to prepare for this odyssey, my HIV meds were the last thing to be considered on the list.  In a tour that is all about survival, I kind of blocked out one of the key components of my survival: those little, HIV-ass (and sometimes my own) kicking pills of mine.  I give 'em a hard time, but I do love the life they've afforded me.

Which will continue on long after those tour dates have ended.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

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The number of pre-orders for my CD and the other fun items has really surprised me- thanks to all who have ordered. It really means a lot to have my very limited expectations far surpassed, and my already very high excitement levels about the tour rising higher still.

It's completely cheesy, but it's so cool to think about the two weeks of touring ahead and feel the same butterflies I felt when I was in a van with my best friend, my aunt and my parents on the way to see Depeche Mode in concert for the first time, forcing them all to listen to the cassette tapes over and over again as I clutched my Personal Jesus album, which would soon be signed.

When I think about clutching the steering and driving at 3 am to get to the next city on this upcoming tour, I get that same feeling: just unabashed, boyish joy.  I'm making a mix CD of my favorite Depeche Mode songs, which I'll be torturing my bandmate with on the drives. (Liking the Mode is a requirement to be associated with Synthetic Division.)
 
Having been an active patient most of my life, I gotta say that filling these pre-orders for the new CD, which has included writing these fake prescriptions, has been fun too.  It's nice to be on the other end of that doctor/patient dynamic, even if the only thing that I am prescribing are a few buttons and perhaps a laugh.  Oh- if your doctor ever enters the room wearing a Miami Vice blazer, be very scared. (The items will ship on May 8 unless there's an unforeseen delay in manufacturing.)

The entire weekend was chock full of awesomeness, including the incredible Masquerade on the Mall Gala for the Whitman-Walker Clinic, of which I'll be writing more about in a couple of days when all the cool pictures are available.  Till then, I hope to fill more prescriptions, and if you live in the Philadelphia area, make sure that Saturday, May 15th (late afternoon, 5-ish) stays open...

Details to come!

Positively Yours,
Dr. Shawn T. Decker

Shawn on:  
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*UPDATE- 5-24-10: no more pre-orders! If you'd like a copy of the CD, go here: Synthetic Division on CD Baby If you want a shirt or messenger bag, just send me an email at shawn at synthetic-division dot com

*UPDATE- 5-5-10: The CDs arrived today! Am mailing out first pre-orders at midnight tonight, next batch will go out on Saturday, then I leave for tour on Sunday. Will be taking last few prescription bottles with me, so if you want a personalized Symptom prescription bottle, there are only 7 left!... Wish me luck on the road! -SD

I know I spent a lot of my political capital last week with my big Decker's Daily push for iced mochas on World Hemophilia Day, but now I have to turn my attention back to music and the upcoming tour in May to support my new CD, A Symptom of Life.

As of May 9, I hit the road to play shows spanning from Providence to Ithaca and back to Brooklyn, before a couple of homecoming shows in Lynchburg and Charlottesville.  To get full tour details, make sure you are reading this info on my Poz blog.  Before I leave, I'd love nothing more than to pop some of these CDs in the mail for some of you who aren't able to make it out to see the live shows.  For those of you who support this dream come true- which is just simply being here to even do music at all- I wanted do something special, and with Gwenn's help, I've come up with some fun items.

Between now, Friday April 23 and Friday, May 8, I'm taking pre-orders with a few different options, all of which include shipping costs...

Option 1: "The Safety Dance" ($15): a hand-numbered copy of the CD, A Symptom of Life (8 songs). Only 300 are being pressed, and I'm numbering the first 50 25 copies only.  Included in this option is a One Condoms/Synthetic Division case that contains two condoms.

Option 2: "Just What the Patient Ordered" ($25): hand-numbered CD, the condom case and a limited edition (only 20 will be made), personalized prescription bottle containing 3 Synthetic Division buttons.

Option 3: "Bag Me, Baby" ($50): hand-numbered CD, the condom case, the prescription bottle/buttons and a Synthetic Division messenger bag containing an embroidered rendering of the cover art (by Barton Benes) of A Symptom of Life.

To order any of these options, PayPal the amount, your name and shipping address to: shawn@mypetvirus.com  Unfortunately I am not set up to take orders any other way at this time, and I apologize for that!

Positively Yours,
Shawn Decker
President & CEO of Synthetic Division, Inc.
a for-losses venture L
seriously, I'm losing my ass on this, please buy something.



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The Whitman-Walker Clinic's 17th Annual Spring Gala is this Friday in DC, and it's called the Masquerade on the Mall.  Tickets and more information are available here. 

At the event Poz magazine and Miss America, Caressa Cameron are being honored with super-positoid extraordinaire Jack Mackenroth hosting the event... if you can swing it, you should bring to the Masquerade!

I'm pretty excited about Friday night.  Gwenn and I will be joining the festivities, helping to raise some money for one of the most positoid-friendly facilities in the world.  And yes, that's me behind the devil mask- I plan to get my money's worth out of it by spooking friends, using it for playing cards and for a Halloween and Thanksgiving costumes.

So, if you can, come out and support the fabulous Whitman-Walker Clinic, who are doing their best to stem the tide in Washington D.C., an area that needs all the help it can get in treating people with HIV and preventing new infections.  If you can help out and you don't, well... you may be getting a visit in the middle of the night from...

Positively Yours,
El Diablood

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Poz recently posted an article online, Obama Extends Hospital Visitation Rights to Same-Sex Couples, that is worth checking out.  It's about how the prez is extending a helping hand to a community that is not yet able to legally wed, which can cause problems in the current system should one partner fall ill.

This issue came to my awareness right after I disclosed my status at age 20, a time when I started reading Poz magazine religiously, which replaced my longtime magazine of choice, Pro Wrestling Illustrated.  Back then I was a huge fan of The Real World, particularly the infamous season that introduced us all to Pedro Zamora- whom we watched fall in love with fellow positoid, Sean Sasser.

Before I spoke out about being positive, I had yet to meet an openly gay, young couple.  Pedro and Sean were my first gay friends- and I desperately wanted to be their pal, having connected to them through the TV screen like any fawning TV addict.  But their relationship really resonated; I hoped that I would find an accepting partner just as they had.  That I could be as open about my status as each of them had been with the other.

Pedro and Sean gave me hope.

A couple of years after Pedro passed, I opened up about my status and my life changed forever.  I always wondered what happened to Sean Sasser, and Poz magazine delivered the answer in my mailbox with a cover story on Sasser's life post-Pedro.  He was smiling on the cover, he looked healthy- I was thrilled.  I kicked back in my bedroom at my parents house, and was horrified to read what Sean went through as Pedro got sick after the the Real World had finished filming their season.

Sean wasn't allowed to see Pedro.  The family closed rank and kept him out.  And they could. The commitment ceremony that was so genuine it made me tear up had as much legal weight as a Bachelor passing of the rose.  In the eyes of the law, there was nothing Sean could do to see his partner, who was too ill to vocalize his desire to see his loving partner.

It tore me up to read that... to realize that the same scenario had happened to unfortunate couples many times over.

I'm so thankful that Obama is confronting this issue.  Sure, getting shut out during end-of-life matters can happen to straight, unmarried couples as well, but this safeguard really is long overdue and much needed for a community that has too often been bullied.  No one should have to stare down death without the ability- the right- to look into a loved ones eyes one last time, just because of a toxic combination of ignorance and legal loopholes.

Thanks to the president for offering up an antidote.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Last year when MTV's biopic, Pedro, came out I blogged about having the privilege of meeting Sean Sasser just as I was dipping my toes into HIV education.
 
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Saturday was World Hemophilia Day.  And I was determined to squeeze as much fun out of it as possible. Especially when Decker's Daily sponsor, Nina, asked me on Twitter if anyone was going to sponsor me for an iced mocha on the big day.

I hadn't really thought about it- sponsorships had dried up, so I used the day of recognition to breath new life into my waning, mooch franchise.  Using Twitter and Facebook status updates, I began an increasingly aggressive campaign for an iced mocha that, by Friday night, had reduced me to threats; if I didn't wake up to a sponsorship, I warned no one in particular, then I'd take to kicking thickbloods in the balls all throughout the day on World Hemophilia Day.

That wouldn't be good.  Especially since Gwenn and I were speaking that evening at the University of Wisconsin-Madision...

Fortunately, I woke up to three sponsorships from two former Decker's Daily mocha friends, Bob G. and Scott K.  Thanks, guys!  By day's end, one of Nina's- responsible for starting my obnoxious ranting for mochas- friends had also sent a mocha my way. (Thanks, Alex!)

It's all in good fun, made extremely obvious by what I found at a coffeeshop that Gwenn and I dutifully hunted down on the East side of Milwaukee called Rochambo Coffeehouse.  "Why is that written on the dollar?"  "I don't know, it's been there forever."  After I had one of the best iced mochas I've ever had on the road, I got a good picture of the blood clot dollar.

Too cool, right?  When we left, another sign aside from the dollar and the great taste of the drinks was the fact that there was an STD Clinic right across the street called the B.E.S.T.D. Clinic.



Riding high on a mocha buzz and the love getting sponsored, I was stunned to see Gwenn's status update on Facebook: "If Shawn thinks that an iced mocha is the best thing he's getting on World Hemophilia Day, then he's going to be pleasantly surprised later."  It really was coming up Decker on this Saturday afternoon- I was beginning to wonder why everyday can't be Hemophilia Day...

Gwenn and I had work to do, our last talk on the road fell on the evening of World Hemophilia Day, so after coffee we drove from Milwaukee to Madison.  On the drive Gwenn asked a question I knew was comin'.  "What is THIS?"  "What?"  I asked sheepishly, knowing full well that I'd hijacked her status update by commandeering her cell phone when she went to the bathroom at the coffee shop.

Yes, I posted the sexy message to myself.

The talk at UW-Madison went well, it was a dinner event in which about 40 students turned up.  Since it's on my brain, I mentioned during my introduction that I'd met my favorite band as my dying wish during my freshman year in high school, but didn't mention Depeche Mode by name.  Afterward, a group of the students asked who I met- they were dying to know.  The table broke out in smiles and envy when I said it was the Mode.

"You guys know Depeche Mode?"  I asked curiously.

It was a day of pleasant surprises, and I owe even more thanks to Brittney and Alex for organizing such a great way to end the semester.  At the beginning of the talk I acknowledged World Hemophilia Day, and at the end I encouraged students to donate blood for all of us thinblooded mooches out there looking to bum some clotting factor or iced mocha sponsorships.

No matter what you got yourself into on Saturday, I hope that your World Hemophilia Day, regardless of your ability to clot, was as rewarding as mine.  363 days until World Hemophilia Day 2011!  And no, in case you are wondering, I didn't get lucky that night.  Gwenn and I had a few hours to sleep before our flight at 5 am, and on-the-road hotel sex isn't really our thing.  But, after the talk, she did take me for a second iced mocha.

Life is good.

Positively Yours,
Shawn
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One of my friends, Katie, had surgery this week for problems she'd been having as a result of Crohn's, mainly recurring and consistent pain.  I was so happy that the procedure went well, and hope this is the beginning of a pain free existence for her.  One that is long overdue.


   
She'd been hoping that it wouldn't come to this.  They tried experimental treatment strategies, all kinds of attempts were made, but each one fell short of it's intended goal.  She was fearful that something would go wrong if she had surgery, and just kind of accepted the discomfort as par for the course...

I'm typing this fresh off a talk that Gwenn and I just gave at Virginia Wesleyan College.  I only mention this because each time we speak, I relive the worst moments of my medical existence, but in 1999 when my t-cells dropped below 50 and my viral load was pushing a million copies.  It was the culmination of years of fatigue, years of accepting less and just being thankful for life in and of itself.  Though Katie knows the feeling of fatigue well, she didn't have the attitude that got me in trouble- I thought I had HIV whipped.

It was a tough pill to swallow when I realized that wasn't the case.  My "surgery", metaphorically speaking, was having to go on HIV meds- which I feared because of all the complaining I heard from friends about side effects at my support group.  But, after getting used to it, and also after getting my first lab work back and seeing the dramatic change in my medical misfortunes, I felt something I hadn't felt in quite some time: energy.

Once I got my weight back up to normal, I couldn't believe what it felt like to sleep three less hours a day.  It was only after feeling healthy that I realized how much my pet virus had bullied me without me even knowing it.

The day after her surgery, Gwenn and I visited Katie in the hospital.  She was sitting up, chatting with us and her parents who came to town to be with her.  I was relieved to see her in such good spirits.  Maybe it was the high quality pain meds, or maybe it was just her own sense of relief and hearing the doctor say, against her worst fears, that everything went according to plan.

I love all my negatoid and positoid friends, and wish only the best for them health-wise.  And as Katie returns home this weekend, just up the street from me, I'm certain that this is her moment of turning the tide against her own medical bully.  It's a life-changing moment...

So, Katietron, I can't wait till your guts fully heal.  When they do, your first iced mocha is on me, buddy.

Positively Yours,
Shawn
 
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No, not a tour of duty- the military hasn't lowered standards enough to accept a soldier like me. Instead, I'm taking my music on the road to promote the release of A Symptom of Life... check out the tour schedule below!  Follow the red line- that will be me starting on Tuesday, May 11 and going through Saturday, May 22.

 

Synthetic Division will be on the road supporting the new album and opening up for our friends in Bella Morte. Then we do a few shows on our own before reuniting with Bella Morte for a big homecoming show in Charlottesville on Saturday, May 22nd at the Southern Music Hall and Cafe.  I'm unofficially calling this tour "And the Bands Played On".

I can't tell you how excited I am about this. I've wanted to go on tour with Bella Morte for years, but always put off the idea, instead choosing to just play shows locally once in a while (which is cool!) or do whatever else comes up. But now is the right time, and I'm kind of glad I didn't pursue the idea before. 

I've spent a lot of 2010 writing new music about this journey- the big picture stuff.  I also revisited older songs that needed a fine tuning, and am so excited about the 8 tracks that comprise the LP.  Aside from having a sound that I am proud of, I'm glad I'll be surrounded by friends on the road. 

Not only that, I'm very thrilled about my partners for this venture: Poz and MTV Staying Alive!  Both are just as enthusiastic as I am about the inspiration behind the new music and my desire to just get out there and share the songs live.  Poz and Staying Alive are going to help to spread the word as I bounce from city to city on a wave of synthpop, iced mochas and anti-retrovirals, and I really can't thank them enough for supporting this.  It means a lot to have folks so invested in HIV prevention- as well as the support of those already living with HIV- behind this tour.

And speaking of prevention- One Condoms are also on board, providing free condoms which I'll be handing out at the clubs.  How friggin' cool is that? 

Wait- you're bummed because you want free condoms and synthpop, and that red line above isn't rolling through your neck of the woods?  Well, the good news is that I'll be posting videos from the road with the help of Poz TV- so look for some zany misadventures once I hit the road. In the meantime, I've uploaded the title track from Symptom below- just click on the album cover to hear the song.

I hope you enjoy it- and I hope to see some of you on this journey.

Positively Yours,

Shawn

 

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My positoid buddy, Dab, named me his AIDS Bear Angel for April 2010. So instead of blogging about myself today, I'm going to let Dab take it away!  Click on me and the little bear, who helped raise funds at a Synthetic Division show last July, to read Dab's very kind words.



Okay, I'll write about myself a little... :)

Dab didn't know it, but over the weekend I was the source of discontent among friends here in town due to how I handle myself during boardgames. I get really competitive.  I use every opportunity to psychological weaken my opponents; it's probably the mental equivalent of how a boxer deals with having a bout against someone they like outside of the ring.  Well, due to hemophilia, I can't get the satisfaction of bludgeoning someone with my fists, so I instead unleash my cunning in the controlled environment presented by boardgaming.

So, politically, this designation of Angel of April couldn't have come at a better time.  Thanks so much, Dab!  Hope everyone's week is starting off as good as mine has.

Positively Yours,
Shawn
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In the midst of recognizing the passing of Ryan White, the HIV/AIDS community lost one of its brightest lights, Clint Walters, this week.  Walters, an HIV educator who was diagnosed at age 17, was unable to survive a heart attack he suffered in his home.  (Check out his Poz profile by James Wortman in the March 2009 issue.)

In describing why he decided to dedicate his life to helping UK teens, he said: "My aim has been to give the children something I never had - a young outspoken face of HIV to which they can relate."

You and your work will be missed, Clint...

In the AIDS community, the last three decades has seen more than enough examples of young people being taken away from us in the prime- or well before the prime- of their lives.  But senseless passings happen all around us everyday, and it's only when those events happen within our community of family, friends and even acquaintances, that we are reminded of this sobering fact of life.

Earlier this week, there were reports of a shooting up on the mountain that divides where I live now from where I grew up.  It was Monday night, I was at pool league.  A member of the opposing team was reading updates about a bizarre incident that was unfolding on his phone.  Little did I know it at the time, but someone I have spoken to several times over the last few years was beginning an uphill fight for his life, severely wounded by the random act of violence of a deranged man with a gun.

Tim Davis, a DJ at the local radio station WNRN, was an easy-going guy.  Whenever I went into the station to pimp my music on the local underground music show, Subculture Shock, he was usually there.  And whenever I said something particularly random or goofy, he'd walk in and give me a supportive smile.  I loved that my humor impressed him, and always felt comfortable in his presence.  I didn't see Tim often, but each time I did it was a pure joy; a room full of nerds who like music and sophomoronic humor.

This morning, Tim passed to spirit in the same hospital I go to for my routine lab work, in the same small town that we both call home.  I know that today his family, friends and radio colleagues are mourning the loss of someone they knew much better than I did.  My hope is that somewhere, Tim is surrounded by his favorite musicians who preceded him on the journey to wherever we go from here.  And my hope is that he's lighting up that room with the same bright smile that lit up that small room at the radio station. 

Charlottesville sure is going to miss the sound of your voice, Tim.

Positively Yours,
Shawn
 

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Today marks the 20-year anniversary of the passing of Ryan White.  I never like to say someone "lost their battle with AIDS" simply because they were HIV positive when they passed to spirit, and to use that phrase in the case of White would be an especially gross injustice considering the ass-whoopin' he put on the epidemic.

In terms of raising awareness and declawing a beast which needed it's nails clipped, Ryan's own misfortunes became a blessing for a community that needed someone to break down the walls of stigma.  Back in 1985 when Ryan went public as a kid after not being allowed in public school for the crime of having HIV, he just wanted to be a normal kid in a time when having HIV was deemed unacceptable.

Last month, Gwenn and I spoke at Purdue in Indiana, and had the great pleasure of visiting the Ryan White display at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.  Here's a video I took of Ryan's bedroom, which was preserved by his mother and donated to the exhibit.



Today, when I was having my daily iced mocha fix, Ryan was in my thoughts.  If you're unfamiliar with his work to raise awareness, click on the photo below.

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Last month marked the 20-year anniversary of Depeche Mode's Violator, which just so happened to mark the 20-year anniversary of my dying wish to meet the band.  Next month I'm releasing some new Synthetic Division (that's my music monicker) music to commemorate surviving all these years.

It's going to be called A Symptom of Life.  Here's the cover of the album...

That's actually HIV positive blood coming out of that flower, though not my own.  The blood belongs to the artist responsible for this powerful image: Barton Benes.  It has traveled the world, and it presents a pretty heavy visual.  I'm so lucky that Barton has let me use it for what is a deeply meaningful piece of art of my own. 

I'd mentioned in my Violator blog entry that I was up to something and this is it: I've been holed away writing and recording new songs, inspired by the simplest joy of being alive and surviving that dying wish.  Though I'm a very happy and content person, writing music has always been a great outlet for those darker feelings that we all have, usually indulged in our most private moments.  Listening to my favorite bands was my outlet after my diagnosis- I couldn't or wouldn't talk about my status, but when I jammed out in my room with the door closed, my favorite musicians were singing my feelings for me.

The cool thing about getting older has been developing the ability to write my own feelings into music.  Though I still turn to influences (and enjoy being part of a thriving music scene in Charlottesville), it is nice to put on the headphones and write a tune.  For two decades, music has been my purest form of meditation.

At the end of last year, when for a very few brief moments I thought I was checking out of this wonderful world, I realized that it was time to write some more music, which I'd been putting off for quite a while.  When it dawned on me that the 20-year anniversary of my Make-A-Wish encounter with Depeche Mode was this year, that sealed the deal.

I'll be posting more about the May release soon, and how I hope to raise awareness about HIV prevention while also helping to shake a few booties along the way with music that would make Depeche Mode proud.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

My thoughts go out to Tim Davis from the local radio station, WNRN.  Am pulling for you survival... hang in there.

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Today was great- Gwenn and I got to help surprise our good friend, Riki, who turned 40 on April Fool's Day.  He's an incredible guy, one of many folks I am lucky to know as well as I do.  For instance, somehow, at his birthday party the renowned local chef gave me these Easter-inspired treats he'd made.

Yum!

The cookie on top was mocha-flavored.  Nom nom nom...  to further indulge I got an iced mocha on the way home from the surprise party, got out my favorite Easter picture and enjoyed the goodness.  If you're wondering, that's me and Poz founder, Sean Strub, not to be confused with the Easter Bunny seated between us.  I believe this classic photo was taken in 2006, based on my hair color of blood red.

Not only did I get a surprise cookie today, I also got this greeting from the Labtest Contest winner, Charles, who was sporting his winning Screw Smarter t-shirt.  He looks like he's comfortable in the shirt, as well as being in the position of being the champ.  It will be interesting to see if he defends in July!

In the meantime, I'm going to keep doing what I gotta do to keep these t-cells up.  For me, that's sleeping well, eating decently, taking my meds and enjoying this life I've been so privileged to have for as long as I have.  Hope everyone had a good day, regardless of their beliefs in religion or giant bunnies that sit in chairs at the mall and make people like me happy.

Positively Yours,
Shawn
Shawn on:  
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Share the Blog.  Not the Virus. 

Last fall I had the privilege of speaking at Stuarts Draft High School, which I lovingly blogged about in August. It was a rare opportunity to speak to high school students, and was facilitated thanks to one of my friends, Allison, who now teaches English there.

Well, a very cool thing happened afterward. The Leadership class I spoke to, roughly 25 students, didn't want the education to end with them. For the next few months, they discussed the need for the rest of the student body to hear what I had to say. And they all wanted to meet Gwenn, too! So an assembly was arranged and I headed over the mountain again, this time with my life partner at my side.

Before going, I asked my contact whether there were any restrictions as to what we could speak about.  No sex and no condoms. On the ride over, Gwenn and I discussed our strategy- I'm not into getting people with good intentions in trouble, but at the same time part of my job description is doing the best I can to prevent anyone else from having to deal with the pet virus I've lived with for most of my life.

When we arrived, we were asked whether we were going to do question and answer. I gave a preview of the questions we normally get asked. "Oh, you can talk about anything if a student initiates with a question..." "Then yes, we're doing question and answer!"  I had faith we'd get a sex question, and about four questions in, a student in the middle of the 700-plus students raised his hand.

"Uh, yeah, do you guys... like, engage in sexual intercourse?"

The auditorium broke out in an initial good-spirited laugh- which turned into applause.  Students clapped because, I assume, it was probably the question at the top of everyone's mind.  I joined in the applause, too, then Gwenn and I answered: yes, we have sex, and we explained how we do it safely by using protection correctly.  From there, the hands kept going up until we ran out of time, and afterward teachers and students thanked us for coming, and the principal gave me a hug. 

By the end of the week I had a ton of new Facebook friends from Stuarts Draft High School, just several miles down the road from where I got the news at age 11- that I was HIV positive- news that would alter the rest of my life. The whole experience at Stuarts Draft, from last fall to last week, is the manifestation of my greatest hope: that when I speak, the word will pass on from friend to friend, and the information will be applied by those who receive it, and that needless infections, risk-taking and ignorance about those who are living with HIV will slowly erode.

Thank you for this experience, Stuarts Draft High School. Thank you to the Leadership class, especially, for living up to that class' ideals, and for looking after your student body. It was an honor to come speak to your school- and for someone with a spotty memory, this is a visit that I will never forget.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Shawn on:  
ShawnandGwenn.com    Shawn's Poz columns   Shawn's Sick Days in 2010: 6  Shawn's book    Decker's Daily Coffee


 
Share the Blog.  Not the Virus. 

One of my proudest accomplishments as an HIV edu-tainer has been my work with Steve Schalchlin as the Hemo2Homo Connection, the AIDS community's answer to Ebert & Mr. Roeper. 

We've been laying low recently, after an excellent 2009 that saw us review such stellar films as Wolverine, Star Trek and Watchmen.  By "review", I mean watch the movies and turn everything we see into an excuse to talk about our HIV positive status. Or make fun of one another.  My dream is to have some intelligent publisher turn all of our reviews into a coffee table book.  But I regress- this update is about what Steve has been up to and how you can support him in his current artistic endeavor. 

Steve's partner, Jim Brochu, (pictured here looking awesome) is starring in their off-Broadway play, Zero Hour, which is about the great Broadway and film actor, Zero Mostel, also known as "the fat guy in The Producers." It's receiving rave reviews, here's a video of Robert Osborne from Turner Classic Movies talking about Zero Hour:
 
Steve's been so kind to pass along this discounted offer to readers of my blog.  You are so welcome!  I love Steve, he's been such an influence in my life- if you like theater take him up on this offer, and say hi to him for me.

Holiday Discount code. Limited time only! ZHGEN29 On-sale NOW thru 4/11/10 for all performances thru 4/25/10. Only $29.50. Call NOW and give the code: 212-239- 6200. (Zero Hour is playing at the DR2 in Union Square.)

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Check out Steve Schalchlin at:
http://bonusroundblog.blogspot.com
or on YouTube
 Shawn on:  
ShawnandGwenn.com    Shawn's Poz columns   Shawn's Sick Days in 2010: 6  Shawn's book    Decker's Daily Coffee


 
Share the Blog.  Not the Virus.