Amirul B Ruslan’s Neighborhood

So I'm sure we all remember the whole drama of earlier this year or last year where I was about to lose stuff like Comedy Central because Time Warner and the networks were in a battle.   The networks were even like fine we'll block your customers from accessing our websites since they get net through you too.  Since they're greedy bastards.  Wouldn't want us looking at their free video clips! 

It's happening again.  Not for any networks I care about.  Ones like the Food Network, E!, some others.  Yeah, ditched HBO because our bill was so high.  It's still ridiculous.  At least HBO didn't have ads.  Now they bastards who have advertising are like hey we don't make enough money from ads and from what we already charge you.  MORE MORE MORE.  Screw you.  

TW is asking should we get tough or roll over.  Seriously.  They set up rolloverorgettough.com for a vote from the masses.  Get tough.  I don't care if we lose the Food network.  Let them lose Los Angeles.  If they think they don't make enough money now, imagine when they lose one of the bigger markets in the country. 

Now take my news channels, network tv, and a few others... then we'll have to have a chat.  But c'mon.  You shouldn't have to charge us an arm and a leg.  In fact channels like HBO should be the only ones who need to charge at all, they don't make ad revenue.   Unless you're an utter and complete failure you should be making enough money.  If you can't  get ad dollars, your shows suck and that's your fault not mine.  I shouldn't have to make up for it when I don't even watch your useless channels.  I'm not your own personal bailout.

December 1st is World AIDS day.  The day we're supposed to remember to tell people to be smart.  You know -- don't share needles.  Do use condoms.  For me?  It makes me think of Steve.  Steve who was one of the kindest men my family knew.  Relatively speaking he wasn't in our lives for long.   He was there for my marriage.  For my divorce.  For some laughs before both.  For some tears after.  A man who lost his son way too soon.  Not to AIDS.  No, Steve was the one with HIV and then AIDS.   He went out on his own terms.   He fought and fought.  But after he lost his son, I suppose it was easier to stop fighting for everyone else.  Or maybe he was fighting for them more.  I don't know.  I still have this story saved about him.  And the url I stole it from, for reference.  The actual site is long gone now.   I'm leaving it in my paste job, to credit them properly.    May Steve RIP, even after all of these years it's just so sad to know he's gone.  The good should be the ones to make it to 100.  Though he would have been exhausted by then, he helped everyone.   And not just in the dinky little town we lived in, no, the whole darn state.  Everyone with HIV/AIDS back then -- in all of OR, they knew him.  May the rest of you never know the kind of pain he did.  And if you do, may you find the kind of strength he had. 

Found at http://www.healthforum.org/currentissue/2001_archive/feb_01.html

Name reporting of HIV patients takes its toll

An HIV activist, Steve Henson, 49, is prepared to die for the cause. He's protesting a decision by the Oregon Health Division that requires people who test positive for the HIV virus to share their names with health authorities.

On Dec. 21, when this rule was promulgated, Henson stopped taking his anti-retro-viral medication. For the past three years, Henson had been doing fine. There were no traces of the virus in his bloodstream. But in early January, he was diagnosed with full blown AIDS. His viral load had gone up to 200,000 (200 is normal), and symptoms started appearing -- headaches, lethargy, chronic diarrhea, low grade fevers, night sweats.

" It's not my intent to become a martyr, " said the North Bend resident who builds cabinets and boats. " But this is the only avenue I have left. People look to me as their representative. This is the most devastating decision the Oregon Health Division has made in 16 years."

Obama is screwing up health care.  Dunno what he'll do with these stupid wars.  But at least he's smarter than the Bush administration was.  I am 99.9999999999999999999% sure that had 9/11 happened during the Obama  administration and had they been stupid enough to declare a war against terrorism (which by itself was the stupidest thing ever as you cannot  win such a war as there will always be criminals and therefore terrorists) they'd still at least never have said this:

So Ft. Hood = terrorism, not to be political or anything.  But 9/11 wasn't, not to be political.  She was the mouth piece for the Bush administration.  Utter fail.  Either she's saying that 9/11 wasn't terrorism and therefore their whole war on terror was a joke.  Or she just forgot.  Or... well who knows.  I mean 9/11 really wasn't that big of a deal I suppose -- just a bunch of people dying, a couple of buildings crumbling, and  it was just their entire administration pretty much.  Good thing we didn't have a terrorist attack during Bush's term. 

So my trip to the dentist was for three things really -- I was SURE this ancient filling was going bad as that tooth tends to be sensitive / feels almost like there is pressure on it.  Nope, it's good.   Then there was a tooth last year that had discoloration but wasn't a cavity, wanted it checked as it occasionally gets sensitive too, so was worried that it turned to a cavity.  It had.  And third, I had a bump on the floor of my mouth.  Before the appointment, my mom was like so you think you have an abscess?  I didn't think so.  Those are pus, right?  Softer?  And usually a toothache goes with those, right?  None of that applies.  This is a hard lump.  Just noticed it in the last few weeks.  Feels almost like bone, it's that tough.  Mom had thought oh, umm yeah that doesn't sound good but could still be just an abscess.  Don't need the toothache and if they get infected or whatever, they can get hard too.  Wrong to abscess but also wrong to it sounding not good.  It's fine.  Think that was my dentist's exact words.  Or maybe it's normal.  Something like that.  She said people get them all of the time, including her brother.  They can even grow and be normal still.  Some kind of tissue build up or something.  Whatever, I lost track at it's normal.  But in a few months if I'm still concerned she can have them cut it out of my mouth to biopsy it.  Umm.  let's see - doesn't hurt, doctor says it's normal, isn't an abscess, isn't something worse like cancer, but if I'd like I can have it cut out.  Nope.  Think I'll trust the doctor for now.  Otherwise there's no reason to do that unless the appearance changes, starts to hurt, etc.    Now I am done with the dentist for a few months.  Still have those extractions I was supposed to get done last year.  Oopsie.  No insurance sucks.    That could be why that one tooth feels funky actually.  The broken tooth is affecting others.   Like, they're fine -- but it's funkiness is radiating to them.  Or whatever.

X-rays = worst part of the dentist, I swear.  Even they say I seem to handle it the worst.  Or when they've been digging around in my mouth for awhile.   Like both the dentist and assistant at the same time.  But I can calm down pretty quickly during that.  X-rays though, I just gag like mad when they stick those full x-ray things in the back of my mouth, then tell me to bite down slowly.  I wanna gag now just thinking of it, actually.   The only thing that makes me wanna gag worse is thinking of that time I had the bite tube put in before they medicated me enough, for the scope procedure.  *shiver* 

Otherwise it was okay news.   Last time I needed gum treatment.  This time that's good though she warned me to be sure I'm brushing in circles not across as my gums did seem sensitive and she says everyone brushes across which is a no no for gums apparently.

Tiger Woods does not owe us an answer as to why he was awake at 2 am.  He doesn't have to tell us why he was in his car at 2 am.  News people keep doing this OMFG has anyone found out why he was out in his car at such an hour?  Um, who cares?  Cops already said it wasn't an alcohol related crash, which is what you'd be implying by saying such things, right?  Sooooo, wtf?  People can be awake whenever the fuck they want to be.  They can drive whenever the fuck they want to drive.  They don't owe you jack shit. 

I have all kinds of sleep issues.  So?  Last I checked there are no laws about when we have to sleep.  If there were I'd sure as hell be in a world of hurt.  The media is acting like he's killed someone because he was awake at 2 am.  He killed a fire hydrant perhaps.   Beyond that, the hospital and the cops both feel he's safe enough to be on the streets, so clearly it was just a minor accident. 

Way to turn a minor story into a big all day, OMG WTF DID THE MAN DO?  dramafest.

At least you're sort of covering the drama whores who snuck into the White House dinner... except even that you're covering that wrong.  You're focusing on what drama whores they are, instead of what crap security the president has.

Finished reading Beautiful Creatures.  4/5 stars. Even though it's not about vampires nor wizards, the best way that I can describe it is if you liked Twilight and Harry Potter, then it's the book for you.  And even if you didn't, it's a good book.  Basically a boy in a small town starts having nightmares that he's trying to save a girl, but she always slips away.  Then a new girl shows up in town.  He realizes she's the girl of these nightmares and is also having the same dreams.  Oh, and of course she isn't just a normal girl.  And his boring little town isn't just a normal town for that matter.  In fact they'll believe that before his dream girl's sixteenth birthday  they need to figure out all of the mysteries of the town and themselves or neither of them will have future -- together or alone for that matter.

Now onto Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1), since I have the four books in the series waiting for me. 

Watched Bruno.   Gotta say, nowhere near as good as Borat was.  The cage fighting scene and the guys trying to convert gays was hilarious though. 

Had a chicken sandwich and fruit.  Talked to mom for a few.  Still feel like hell.  Will probably sleep much of Friday away.  We don't do Black Friday.  Don't have many gifts to buy this year.  All online.  And making a few, when I start feeling less crappy / lazy.

I'm thankful for my family, Brian, my kitties, friends (yes, including those of you I only know from here), having a decent place to live, books.

I'm not thankful for my current state of dizziness and this darned cold that started last night.  How rude of it.  I have to go see the dentist Saturday.  Between my semi-pema dizziness and a cold then the dentist, could I be more tortured?  Really.  I already know the news on Saturday will be bad, though Brian thinks I'm preparing for worse than it really is.  Either way, going to be tortured while dizzy and ill is just blech. 

Brian didn't want his traditional Thanksgiving pizza.  So he's off in search of burgers for him (or just chili cheese fries for me -- I can't stand the idea of a burger right now, too ill) or if Fat Burger is closed then a chicken sandwich and fruit from Norm's for me.  We're very *cough* traditional.