World AIDS Day and the first night of Hanukah
How's that for a pairing?
You know that Holiday Wish List Meme that happens every year? The one where you make a wish of ten lists for the holidays/the next year/whatever, and they don't have to be tangible or realistic or anything? They can be whatever you want them to be? Yeah, well, I think I've done it for something like four years now, and I figure the first night of Hanukah isn't such a bad night to do it on.
1. Like the subject heading says: today is World AIDS Day. I haven't talked about this much in years, but my uncle died of what was then called ARC (AIDS Related Complications), on January 18, 1992. At the time, in Kansas, that was-- Well, let me put it this way: I was ten years old when my parents told me he had HIV and I literally said, aloud, "That doesn't happen to people like us." (I don't even know what I meant by that. White people? People in the suburbs? Jewish people? Kansas people? No idea, I just knew that HIV wasn't something that happened to my family. Only, except, how it did.) I spent that year at my uncle's house, watching him deteriorate. Although sometimes I don't like knowing this about myself, I suspect that year shaped me as few others in my life ever have. And I spent the next ten being a vigilante-like AIDS activist. I calmed down around the time I was twenty, left the community for a time to figure out who I was outside of educating people about AIDS. Now I sort of moonlight, occasionally. But every December 1st, I give money to an AIDS organization of my choosing. This is a long way of saying, wish number one is, if you have $5 or $10 (and believe me guys, I know it's a rough time of the year in a rough economy) and can pick out an AIDS org in your community, or a inter/national one that you like, please give. (My favorite big one is International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, but there are lots of good ones.) Alternatively, if you don't have money but have a few hours that you can give volunteering at an AIDS charity in your community, that's awesome-blossom as well.
2. I really, really wish to do okay this semester in law school. It's not looking good, all things told. I don't need to do spectacularly, I just need to not get a C in anything. That's all.
3. I realize I already sort of hit everyone up for charitable donations to AIDS orgs with my first wish, but in general, I wish people would donate more in a casual way throughout the year. There are a ton of charities--animal rights, environmental, health causes, the arts, education, you name it--that could use $5 every now and then. I know it feels really minimal, but at the very least, it helps them buy stamps for fundraising drives. Everything helps, seriously. Again, alternatively, there are a lot of charities that need people's time. Big Brothers Big Sisters is awesome, if you actually have the time. It IS a time commitment, which is why I'm not doing it right now, but oh man, I had SUCH a great time when I was doing it in Boston, and the kids are SO thrilled when they get to hang out with you. If you have neither time nor money, but you have the ability to donate blood, that's also a really, really necessary thing. I realize that the Red Cross' policies are problematic at best, hateful at worst, but not donating blood doesn't hurt the Red Cross--it hurts the person who needs a transfusion. Just, you know, find some time or some money to do something. I know I sound all preachy, but it honestly makes me feel so much better, and I think it probably makes other people feel that way, too.
4. I wish this job with EFF would come through. Realizing that's not going to happen, I wish that A job that could lead to a job I don't hate after graduation comes through.
5. I wish to find someone who makes sense with me and who I make sense with in return. Someone who makes me laugh, and doesn't mind that I get stuck inside myself a lot, and doesn't judge me. Someone who can see me even when I'm having trouble seeing myself. Someone I want to touch who wants to touch me back.
6. I wish to take more pride in my accomplishments, particularly writing and school, to not let all the mean, negative things people say or do effect how I feel, to not let the the mean, negative things I tell myself rip everything away from me.
7. I wish this shirt weren't offensively priced and I could get it to match with the sailor pants I managed to acquire for swing dancing after YEARS of looking. (Or, really, ANY shirt that I've found and thought would work well with them.)
8. As per normal, really, more hookerfic, slavefic and orphanfic about characters I love. This year, the top contenders are Neal Caffrey (WC), Eliot or Parker (Leverage), Ryan Ross or Mikey Way (bandom), Dean or Castiel (SPN, no Wincest), and Kirk (altho, not so much Kirk/Spock) (ST:AOS). Believe you me, tho, the list goes on.
9. I were a faster writer and could finish the hc_bingo blackout on time. Or, y'know, not basing part of my self-worth on my contribution to h/c in fandom. That would be nice, too.
10. That I were better at painting my nails. And could buy about ten OPI colors. Minimum. (Or hire my own personal nail-grooming person. Mmmm.)
You know that Holiday Wish List Meme that happens every year? The one where you make a wish of ten lists for the holidays/the next year/whatever, and they don't have to be tangible or realistic or anything? They can be whatever you want them to be? Yeah, well, I think I've done it for something like four years now, and I figure the first night of Hanukah isn't such a bad night to do it on.
1. Like the subject heading says: today is World AIDS Day. I haven't talked about this much in years, but my uncle died of what was then called ARC (AIDS Related Complications), on January 18, 1992. At the time, in Kansas, that was-- Well, let me put it this way: I was ten years old when my parents told me he had HIV and I literally said, aloud, "That doesn't happen to people like us." (I don't even know what I meant by that. White people? People in the suburbs? Jewish people? Kansas people? No idea, I just knew that HIV wasn't something that happened to my family. Only, except, how it did.) I spent that year at my uncle's house, watching him deteriorate. Although sometimes I don't like knowing this about myself, I suspect that year shaped me as few others in my life ever have. And I spent the next ten being a vigilante-like AIDS activist. I calmed down around the time I was twenty, left the community for a time to figure out who I was outside of educating people about AIDS. Now I sort of moonlight, occasionally. But every December 1st, I give money to an AIDS organization of my choosing. This is a long way of saying, wish number one is, if you have $5 or $10 (and believe me guys, I know it's a rough time of the year in a rough economy) and can pick out an AIDS org in your community, or a inter/national one that you like, please give. (My favorite big one is International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, but there are lots of good ones.) Alternatively, if you don't have money but have a few hours that you can give volunteering at an AIDS charity in your community, that's awesome-blossom as well.
2. I really, really wish to do okay this semester in law school. It's not looking good, all things told. I don't need to do spectacularly, I just need to not get a C in anything. That's all.
3. I realize I already sort of hit everyone up for charitable donations to AIDS orgs with my first wish, but in general, I wish people would donate more in a casual way throughout the year. There are a ton of charities--animal rights, environmental, health causes, the arts, education, you name it--that could use $5 every now and then. I know it feels really minimal, but at the very least, it helps them buy stamps for fundraising drives. Everything helps, seriously. Again, alternatively, there are a lot of charities that need people's time. Big Brothers Big Sisters is awesome, if you actually have the time. It IS a time commitment, which is why I'm not doing it right now, but oh man, I had SUCH a great time when I was doing it in Boston, and the kids are SO thrilled when they get to hang out with you. If you have neither time nor money, but you have the ability to donate blood, that's also a really, really necessary thing. I realize that the Red Cross' policies are problematic at best, hateful at worst, but not donating blood doesn't hurt the Red Cross--it hurts the person who needs a transfusion. Just, you know, find some time or some money to do something. I know I sound all preachy, but it honestly makes me feel so much better, and I think it probably makes other people feel that way, too.
4. I wish this job with EFF would come through. Realizing that's not going to happen, I wish that A job that could lead to a job I don't hate after graduation comes through.
5. I wish to find someone who makes sense with me and who I make sense with in return. Someone who makes me laugh, and doesn't mind that I get stuck inside myself a lot, and doesn't judge me. Someone who can see me even when I'm having trouble seeing myself. Someone I want to touch who wants to touch me back.
6. I wish to take more pride in my accomplishments, particularly writing and school, to not let all the mean, negative things people say or do effect how I feel, to not let the the mean, negative things I tell myself rip everything away from me.
7. I wish this shirt weren't offensively priced and I could get it to match with the sailor pants I managed to acquire for swing dancing after YEARS of looking. (Or, really, ANY shirt that I've found and thought would work well with them.)
8. As per normal, really, more hookerfic, slavefic and orphanfic about characters I love. This year, the top contenders are Neal Caffrey (WC), Eliot or Parker (Leverage), Ryan Ross or Mikey Way (bandom), Dean or Castiel (SPN, no Wincest), and Kirk (altho, not so much Kirk/Spock) (ST:AOS). Believe you me, tho, the list goes on.
9. I were a faster writer and could finish the hc_bingo blackout on time. Or, y'know, not basing part of my self-worth on my contribution to h/c in fandom. That would be nice, too.
10. That I were better at painting my nails. And could buy about ten OPI colors. Minimum. (Or hire my own personal nail-grooming person. Mmmm.)