World AIDS Day
1. Today (well, technically yesterday for me now, but December 1st) is World AIDS Day. We live in a world where this disease still afflicts millions of people all around the globe, and as I--and many writers in fandom--write and read about relationships between men, I think we should all take a moment to at least think about a disease that still disproportionately affects the queer community. From the World AIDS Day site, here are quotes from people living with HIV/AIDS about what change and action they would like to see taken:
"I would like everyone to think seriously about HIV and what it means to live with HIV - and therefore be realistic, aware and practical when it comes to safer sex" - Maurice, London
"I would like people to realise that HIV and AIDS is a pandemic that can potentially affect everyone and is not confined to the gay community and drug users. It's unfair for people to categorise the huge problem in this way" - Sean
"I would like to see people with or without HIV embrace the issue and talk more openly about it. It is no longer the death sentence it used to be. By being open, it promotes awareness and can only help us all understand that the stigma is not the only thing that counts! We are human too and have feelings like anyone else... a better understanding can only help, not hinder!" - Carlosboi
"I'd like society to remember that no matter what "risk group" I belong to, no matter where I am from, no matter who I love, that I live with hopes, fears and desires like anyone else. I'd like to be thought of as the person I was before diagnosis and the person I have become - do not only think of me as a diagnosis" - Kris
If you are sexually active, please get tested regularly. If you would like more information about HIV/AIDS, including how it works, facts and statistics, please check out the site here.
2. On a related, but less heavy note, sorrynotsorry is offering up a tailor-made fic of at least 1000 words to the highest bidder at her journal here. All donations will go to a charity: either amFar (which does AIDS research) or Child's Play, which gathers donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals. On the Child's Play site, you can even do a super easy text message based $5 donation (wherein they tack it onto your phone bill at the end of the month).
3. holiday_heist has begun posting. It will be posting all throughout the month, Advent Calendar style, with one fic/art per day until December 25. My fics don't post until the very end (Dec 24 & 25) when, incidentally, I will be out of the country. So I likely won't be able to reply to comments until a week after, when I return--unless I get some kind of access to internet. We shall see.
4. I finished my mininanowrimo yesterday. I managed to report in 29 days out of the month, and meet my modest wordcount minimum of 100 words per day. Most days I sat down to write I far exceeded that wordcount min, but on the days that were devoted to editing, I counted the words I rewrote and changed towards the wordcount. Anyway, good exercise, and I'm glad I did it. Maybe I will do the real Nano next year, though I will have to plan ahead and clear out my calendar for that.
5. My second and last story for spn_reversebang is up, and the first round of posting itself has come to a close. Please stop by if you want to see some fantastic SPN/RPS art and fic.
"I would like everyone to think seriously about HIV and what it means to live with HIV - and therefore be realistic, aware and practical when it comes to safer sex" - Maurice, London
"I would like people to realise that HIV and AIDS is a pandemic that can potentially affect everyone and is not confined to the gay community and drug users. It's unfair for people to categorise the huge problem in this way" - Sean
"I would like to see people with or without HIV embrace the issue and talk more openly about it. It is no longer the death sentence it used to be. By being open, it promotes awareness and can only help us all understand that the stigma is not the only thing that counts! We are human too and have feelings like anyone else... a better understanding can only help, not hinder!" - Carlosboi
"I'd like society to remember that no matter what "risk group" I belong to, no matter where I am from, no matter who I love, that I live with hopes, fears and desires like anyone else. I'd like to be thought of as the person I was before diagnosis and the person I have become - do not only think of me as a diagnosis" - Kris
If you are sexually active, please get tested regularly. If you would like more information about HIV/AIDS, including how it works, facts and statistics, please check out the site here.
2. On a related, but less heavy note, sorrynotsorry is offering up a tailor-made fic of at least 1000 words to the highest bidder at her journal here. All donations will go to a charity: either amFar (which does AIDS research) or Child's Play, which gathers donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals. On the Child's Play site, you can even do a super easy text message based $5 donation (wherein they tack it onto your phone bill at the end of the month).
3. holiday_heist has begun posting. It will be posting all throughout the month, Advent Calendar style, with one fic/art per day until December 25. My fics don't post until the very end (Dec 24 & 25) when, incidentally, I will be out of the country. So I likely won't be able to reply to comments until a week after, when I return--unless I get some kind of access to internet. We shall see.
4. I finished my mininanowrimo yesterday. I managed to report in 29 days out of the month, and meet my modest wordcount minimum of 100 words per day. Most days I sat down to write I far exceeded that wordcount min, but on the days that were devoted to editing, I counted the words I rewrote and changed towards the wordcount. Anyway, good exercise, and I'm glad I did it. Maybe I will do the real Nano next year, though I will have to plan ahead and clear out my calendar for that.
5. My second and last story for spn_reversebang is up, and the first round of posting itself has come to a close. Please stop by if you want to see some fantastic SPN/RPS art and fic.