January 14, 2012 Saturday

I hardly know where to begin the story of yesterday. Sit back and enjoy the tail, this might take a while.

We got up Friday morning at 5 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Got the dogs food ready for tonights feeding just in case we are not back from Chicago. Since it snowed all night, Tony went out to shovel the back sidewalk and drive and I shoveled the front sidewalks. We showered and left the house on schedule at 8:30 AM. Our friend came at 8 AM to be with the dogs. He felt more comfortable being here when we left rather than arriving after we left. Stopped off at McDonald's for some breakfast to eat on the drive down. The drive down was not so bad considering the weather. I did have to keep telling Tony to slow the hell down the entire drive down to Chicago since I think going over 80 miles an hour is too damn fast. Traffic was OK and we finally arrived and parked at 10:45 AM. It was hard to find the bar and parking because all the street name signs were covered in snow and you could not tell what street name you were on or looking for. As we walked up to the bar Tonja Walker pulled up in her limo and we saw her walk in the bar. Stood in line in the cold for a minute before they called for all the VIP people. Thats us! They took all 20 of us in through a side door, through the bar, and after coat check, to a special room. In this side room with an open bar were all the stars from One Life To Live there to talk to and meet. At first we just stood there in awe and then I grabbed Tony and said 'come on, lets meet them'. Of course the first person was my David Gregory who played Robert Ford. He was so handsome and I let him know it. I later in the day asked him if he wanted to go back to Milwaukee with us after the event. He smiled politely and said he couldn't. Of course I had to ask. Got some pictures with him and got him to sign a photo of him and my OLTL 30th Anniversary Book. Tony and I gushed as we talked with him for quite some time. Here are the pictures of Tony and I with David Gregory.

We then went around the room talking with each and every one of the soap stars that were at the event and had our picture taken with them and had them sign photos and my OLTL book. Here are more pictures of me with the soap stars.

After we made sure we got everyone's autograph we then took some random pictures as we continued to work the room. Here are two of my favorite pictures. One is of David Gregory signing my book, the other is David Gregory with his TV brother Lenny Platt.

From about 11:45 to 12:00 we sat next to the main stars giving a TV interview. Tony and I were 5 feet next to them and I am sure we got on the Channel 7 Chicago news. I recorded most of it in between taking pictures. Here is a picture of the four stars giving the interview.

Around 12:15 PM we were asked to go into the bar where reserved seats were waiting for us in front of a row of the stars on stage. For the next 45 minutes we drank and listened to stories as the stars spoke one by one about their characters and what it was like to be on the show. It was soon 1 PM and the final show began. We all watched it together on the numerous big screen TV's throughout the bar. Of course we got to watch the show less then 10 feet from the stars, the rest of the general admission people had to stay behind the ropes and bar.

During the commercials other stars from the show called in on cell phones to the stars and they were put on speaker as they talked. It was really cool. We teared up many times. The show soon ended at 2 PM.

After the show ended there was a raffle and auction of some items. Tony did go up to $100 on the Asa Buchanan hat, but it went for $350.00. It was then question and answer time with the stars again until a little after 3 PM. At about 3 PM the general admission people were asked to line up so they could now meet the stars and get autographs. We sat around for a bit and then decided to say our goodbyes and start the drive back to Milwaukee. We figured the stars were now too busy for us VIP people with the over 100 other people who now wanted to meet them. We drove home which was not fun in Chicago rush hour traffic. We got home around 5:15 PM with Wendy's food in hand. Spent the night downloading the photos and going to web sights about the event.

The dogs were very happy to see us. I called the friend on his cell on the way home. He had stayed at our house until about 3 PM and then went home, to return at 5 PM. I told him he did not need to return, thanked him and told him I would call him tomorrow after he gave me a brief low down on the day with the dogs. If I knew we were going to be home this early I would have just had him come around noon to just let them outside for a bit. Went to bed around 10 PM. I could not sleep last night since I was still so excited from the day. I took over 60 pictures and about 10 videos of the event so I will be looking back for a long time. I am so glad Tony talked me into the VIP tickets, it would not have been the same otherwise. Of course on the way home Tony did bring this up. I am so happy we went and would do it all over again. So sad now my show is all over, 35 years of watching OLTL.

January 12, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7 AM. Around 7:30 AM Tony calls me from work asking me what I think he should do with the two dogs he has in his car. I guess on the way to work he saw two Australian Shepherds running in the street and he turned his car around to try to get them. Pulled up next to them as he watched them in traffic and yelled for them to come to him. When they got to his car he asked the two dogs if they wanted to go for a ride and they jumped in his car. I told Tony I would be at the shop soon with the cage enclosure, leashes and food. Got to the shop and Tony had already pulled his car into the shop and the dogs were in his office happy as can be. Very pretty, very well trained dogs. I made a call to the local vet and then to Animal Control. Animal Control said they would be over soon, I told them not to hurry they were fine and being well attended to. Tony was at this point cutting burs out of their fur. If I did not have five dogs already I would have brought them home. Tony called around 10 AM to tell me Animal Control picked up the dogs. Soon after I got this idea to have Tony print out some pictures of the stars we will see tomorrow so I can have them autograph the pictures. Downloaded and sent him pictures to the shop so he can print them out on his color printer. Tony just called to say we should have checked Craigslist. Guess the owner of the dogs called Tony after Tony found his ad on Craigslist about his missing dogs. Tony replied to the ad and they got in contact with each other. The owner Thanked tony up and down for finding his dogs safe and said he would be going to Animal Control to get them. Wish we would have waited a bit and found the ad before Animal Control had to get them. It will cost the owner some money to get them back. But maybe that will teach him a lesson. The dogs had no collars or tags. It is snowing today in Milwaukee, of course it is, we go on a road trip tomorrow. Been snowing since about 10 AM. Suppose to snow until late tonight and total about 5 - 7 inches. I honestly can not believe the one time I schedule a trip and plan an event a snow storm has to hit Milwaukee and Chicago. Hopefully by tomorrow morning the roads will be clear and it will not be as bad as I am imagining. Going to sit back and listen to some music as I watch the snow fall. All packed and ready for tomorrow as long as Tony prints out the pictures and doesn't forget to bring them home from work. Will spend the night with the dogs, most likely be out shoveling late so we have little clean up tomorrow morning before we leave. Our friend is going to be here at 8 AM so he is here when we leave. He is recovering from surgery so he is looking forward to just watching TV with the dogs all day. Tomorrow we will be up before 6 AM in order to be on the road by 8:30 AM at the latest. I am so excited about tomorrow, yet very sad. There will most likely not be a post tomorrow unless we get home early. Will post pictures as soon as I can.

January 11, 2012 Wednesday Dinner Time

The first major snow storm is a day away, don't it just figure?

Last night we spent the night watching TV on the DVR from the week. Also watched today's episode of OLTL and had tears watching Robert Ford die. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before I showered and started the day. Since a major snow storm is coming tomorrow I thought I better fill the car up with gas today for Friday's trip to Chicago. Got gas and then stopped at Little Caesar's for two $5 pizzas. Took them to the shop for Tony and the guys. Had a couple pieces myself. Came home and spent the afternoon with the dogs watching TV. I can not believe the one time we plan a trip out of the state and spend a lot of money a major snow storm is about to hit the day before and day of the trip. Suppose to get 5 - 7 inches of snow. What is more unbelievable is the fact it was close to 50 degrees today in Milwaukee. Only in Milwaukee can you go from 50 degrees to 7 inches of snow in 24 hours. Come hell or high snow we will be traveling to Chicago on Friday to see my soap stars. My fear is they are not able to fly in for the event because of the snow in Chicago. We will just have to see. I am sure it will be a nail bitter all the way down to Chicago in the snow. Will most likely spend tonight watching TV from the DVR again. Seems so much easier to just DVR everything and then watch it fast forwarding through the commercials. Tomorrow I will stay home all day and shovel the snow around the house as it falls trying to get as much done as possible before we leave for the day on Friday. I am sure Friday morning we will have to shovel one last time before we leave. I can't expect the dog sitter to do all the shoveling of snow when we are gone. At least Tony will be able to try out his new snow plow finally. Will post again tomorrow and let you know how the snow storm is doing before we leave for the day on Friday.

January 10, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Spent last night catching up on all the episodes of OLTL. Looks like the heaven episodes are coming to an end and hopefully most of the people in Llanview will survive. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Got showered after reading a little of the morning newspaper and then headed out the door to go to McDonald's for some breakfast and then to the grocery store. Got home from shopping and took a longer walk than normal today due to the warm weather. We are about to break a record in Milwaukee today it is so warm. Suppose to get to 52 today in Milwaukee which is unheard of in January. Spent some time listening to music before I started watching today's episode live on TV of OLTL. I just couldn't wait until tonight but will watch it again with Tony. I am SO upset. I can not believe it. They let all the people live but one. My favorite character Robert Ford played by David Gregory died today on the show. Yes, the guy we are most excited to see this Friday in Chicago died today on One Life To Live. I honestly was in tears. I can not believe the show could not just let Ford and Jessica finish the show happy together. I am so upset I can hardly type. I posted on his Facebook page along with all the other people very unhappy about today's show. This is just wrong! I had to call Tony at work and tell him.

Will spend tonight watching today's episode of OLTL and other shows we have on the DVR tonight. Not sure if I am making dinner tonight. The friend taking care of the dogs Friday might come over and have us leave to go out to dinner so he can be with the dogs alone and see how they act. I have a back up plan for dinner just in case he doesn't come over tonight. Not much else to write at this time since I am so upset about my soap and the way it is ending. ABC and OLTL should be ashamed of themselves.

January 9, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Tony and I had a great time with the nephew all weekend. Friday night we ordered a pizza and spent the night watching the movies Zookeeper and Predators before going to bed around 10 PM.

Saturday morning Tony and I got up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. The nephew got up around 8 AM. We spent the morning playing his Wii and watching the Disney Channel. Around noon we left the house to go to lunch at Hamburger Mary's. I little gay hamburger restaurant on the south side. After lunch we headed back to the Eastside and went bowling, two games each. Had a drink while bowling and had a great time. The nephew got mostly gutter balls since we could not get a lane with a gutter guard, but he had fun anyway. Came home and spent the night watching the movies Paul and Toothfairy. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Sunday morning was much the same as Saturday. The kid finally got up when Bo had had enough of him sleeping and started bringing him his dog toys to play with him. Around 10 AM we went out for breakfast at Baker's Square. After breakfast we bought lottery tickets and headed home to wait for his brother to be dropped off at our house around noon. After the other nephew got here we left for Grandma's house so she could say Hi to the boys and started the drive down to Illinois to meet Tony's sister. Met the sister at 2 PM and delivered the kids safe and sound. Drove back home and spent the rest of the day resting from the long weekend watching TV. Tony was sleeping on the couch by 7 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After Tony went to work I spent some time on the computer typing out some instructions for when we are gone on Friday for the day and the friend is taking care of the dogs. Went back to bed around 11 AM for an hour and then got up and showered figuring I had to get some things done around the house. As I type this my soap One Life To Live is playing in the back ground. It is in the final week before it is being cancelled. Last week all the characters from the past that were ever sent to prison or mental centers escaped in a blackout and were terrorizing the people of Llandview. Was nice to see all this characters come back. Looks like this week most of the cast is in heaven and they are meeting all the people that have died throughout the years on the show. I know it sounds weird, but it is a soap. I am almost in tears watching it and will most likely not remove the last episodes from the DVR for a long time. I have to take Stella to the vet at 3:30 PM to get her nails cut. They are so long and thick I can not cut them. Will make spaghetti and salad for supper tonight. Tony will come home tired and we will watch a little TV before going to bed. Tomorrow I will have to go grocery shopping in the morning for produce and milk. Counting down the days until Friday, although it will be bitter sweet and very sad in the end.

January 6, 2012 Friday Morning

Tony and I decided it would be fun to have the nephew for the weekend so we agreed to have him dropped off at the house today and we would drive to the Illinois border on Sunday to return him. It will add some excitement to the weekend. We spent the night watching TV and went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM, fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went back to bed for an hour after Tony left for work. Got up again around 9 AM and showered. Just got back from a long walk around the neighborhood since it is so nice outside here in Milwaukee. The heat wave continues. As I was walking I came across a stray dog. I tried to get him but he kept running away from me. So sad. Came home and thought I better post for the day before I get the kid later and have no time. He is bringing his Wii so it should be a fun weekend. I have only tried a Wii once and look forward to playing some games with Tony and the kid all weekend.

As I mentioned yesterday, this week is three years since I found out I was HIV+. A lot has changed and I must say for the better. The three months or so after finding out were horrible. I remember just wanting to cry and sleep. I even considered killing myself many times so I would not have to live with this disease. Three years later I have to say I am so glad I did not go through with it because I have so much to live for and would have missed so much in the last three years. Thanks to Tony, friends, this blog, and family, I have found a way to continue living with this disease and live every day to it's fullest. Bottom line is, it does get better. I have been so lucky to have all the support I have had the last three years. Thank you everyone. Have a great weekend.

January 5, 2012 Thursday Dinner Time

Last night we saw The Blue Man Group at the PAC. I was not sure what to expect but had seen clips and heard stories about the show. It was very entertaining. We have great season tickets first row balcony and you could see everything perfectly. The best part of the show was towards the end when the big lighted balls bounced around the audience below us. I would not pay the money to see them again, but I would recommend the show if it comes your way. Seeing it once was enough for the price they charged for tickets. Got home around 10 PM and after the news we went to bed. I could not believe when we walked in the door from the show, my brand new slippers I just got for Christmas were chewed up and had to be thrown away. Bo got a spanking and a yelling at. Guess the slippers don't go on the floor anymore unless they are on our feet. The have a house full of dog toys, guess my slippers were more fun to chew on?

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Looked in Stella's ear and could not believe how bad her ear infection had gotten. Cleaned out her ears as she cried. Was not pretty all the brown that came out of them. Put some ear drops in them when I was done cleaning and will do it again tomorrow. She had scratched her ears also so they really looked bad. In a little while she was happy again and now I will just have to keep Bo away from her so he does not lick the ear drop out of her ears. Read a little of the morning newspaper before I started some major dusting and cleaning. Tony has a toy car collection on the open gas fireplace top, about 50 cars. The dust had been building up which made it look more like a junk yard than a display area. Took all the cars down, cleaned and washed them in the sink and rearranged them all back looking great. Also cleaned the cabinet under the TV with all my dog figurines. Lots of dust, lots. I would be embarrassed for someone to see how much there was. Made a microwave pizza slice for lunch and took a nap on the couch with the dogs listening to music. I never really nap while listening to music which is why I feel so tired now. Took down the Christmas tree and the last of the decorations and took them into the basement. Put a beef roast on the stove with potatoes and carrots earlier today. The house smells so good from it boiling all day. Will spend the night watching the weeks TV that we DVR'd. Got an email from Tony's sister saying she was dropping off one kid at his fathers house. She lives in Illinois and drives the couple hours to Milwaukee for him to see his biological father. She wants to know if we want one of her other kids, our nephew, for the weekend. The catch is we would then have to meet her half way at the Illinois boarder on Sunday. Wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't making that drive next week Friday to watch the last episode with the cast of One Life To Live. Not sure what we will do, will talk to Tony when he gets home and call the sister later with our decision. Tomorrow is lunch with the guys.

This week is the third year anniversary of finding out I am HIV+. Always makes me reflect on the year at this point. I will write more on this tomorrow.

January 4, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Tony got home from work around 5:30 PM after I had fed the dogs. After we ate dinner we watched a little TV before he went and took a shower. On his way to the shower he mentioned to me that he could use a little lovin after the shower if I was needing. After his shower we watched a movie and did the lovin thing. The movie, or should I say porn, does make it more exciting and last longer since Tony has to hold out until the guys in the movie are ready. Gave him a kiss when we were done and returned to the living room for the night to watch real TV. LOL. I never really liked porn in the past, but after 23 years together it is nice here and there to spice things up a bit. Spent the night watching the Monday CBS TV lineup and went to bed around 10 PM. I let Vito sleep on a pillow at the top of the bed in between Tony and my pillow, just for tonight. Kali must have had a stomach ache or something because she snuggled next to me all night like she has not done before, maybe she was just cold.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After Tony left for work I read a little of the morning newspaper, made myself a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal, and showered to start the day. Left the house around 10 AM to go to Walmart to get two more viles of Insulin for Vito to last him the next two months after this month. Got two boxes of needles also. I was going to do a little shopping but they are remodeling this Walmart and the place is in total disarray and nothing is in it's place. Just got the Insulin and needles and left. Drove past Tony's shop and noticed his front overhead doors are all banged up again. Called him on my cell phone to find out someone slammed into them again right before Christmas and he forgot to tell me. How can you forget to tell me something like this? Hell, there are nights we sit here and hardly say a word, I tell him my entire day, when I ask how his day was, he says 'fine, how was yours'. I never get any details about his day unless I hear it from someone else. After Walmart, as I talked to Tony on my cell phone, I drove to Walgreen's to have my pain pills refilled, stopped at the drive up window to give them my new insurance information and told them I would be back in a few minutes to pick up the prescription. Drove a mile to a coffee shop gay bookstore here on the Eastside because I was hoping them might have the new book by Patrick Swayze's wife. It sounds interesting. The clerk was actually a little rude and looked at me and said 'this is a GAY bookstore, why would we have that book'. I told him I was just hoping they would to keep the money in the family so to speak. Left the bookstore empty handed and back to Walgreen's to get the prescription. Came home and did a little cleaning before I loaded up the music on the computer and spent and hour or so just laying on the couch with the dogs listening to music. After I post this I have to start making supper. Just making a salad and left overs since we go to the show Blue Man Group tonight. I hope it is good. Was a little warmer today in Milwaukee and in the 20s, not so windy which helped make it seem warmer.

January 3, 2012 Tuesday Dinner Time

Tony came home a little early from work last night as I had thought. We fed the dogs and ate dinner, spent the night watching TV on the DVR. The DVR is almost empty which is good since the new TV season and no reruns have begun and the DVR will start filling again. Went to bed around 9 PM and watched the final hour of TV in bed before going to sleep.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper and figured since I felt pretty good I would shower and try to get some things done today. Made a vet appointment to have Barley's nails cut for 11:30 AM. Spent and hour or more transferring my blog to a word document so I have all the posts if the blog should ever fail. I only had to transfer October to December since I had done the prior months already. Left the house around 10 AM to go to the bank and do a little grocery shopping. Did not buy much except for produce and milk. Came home and in a little bit loaded Barkley in the car and took him to the vet. After his nails were cut I stopped off at McDonald's, which is right next door to the vet, and bought a hamburger and french fries and drove home with Barkley. Came home and after eating the food with the dogs I called to see if my meds were ready to pick up at the pharmacy with my new insurance and ADAP. Was told they were ready so I got back in the car and drove to ARCW to get my prescriptions. Only had to pay for 2 out of 5 prescriptions because ADAP picked up the cost on the other three. Figured I might as well pick up my monthly food at the pantry and drove home food in trunk. Unpacked all the food and went across the alley to talk with the neighbor and how her New Year's was. Spent an hour at her house and came back home around 2 PM. Took the dogs to the bed and took a nap. Making salads and hamburger helper for supper tonight. Tony loves hamburger helper and he could eat it daily. He must have had it as a kid a lot. Will most likely spend the night watching TV with the dogs, snuggling because of the cold. It is cold again today in Milwaukee. The pond is frozen over except for the heater hole in the middle of the pond. Thankfully the heater seems to be working again this year. It was in the teens again today with a wind chill of 2 degrees, pretty cold considering the Winter we have had lately. Since I got so much done today I hope to spend tomorrow catching up on emails and such. Will hopefully spend the day indoors and not have to go out for anything.

January 2, 2012 Monday Morning

Saturday night, New Years Eve, we went to a play at the PAC that was a comedy. It was very funny and we both had a great time. Had a drink at the play. The show ended around 10 PM so we stopped off on the way home for a drink. Had a double at a local bar and watched the people arrive for the big New Year's Eve celebration. We finished our drink and went home. Got home a little after 11 PM and watched the ball fall in New York. Went to bed around 12:30 PM after a little lovin.

Sunday morning, New Year's Day, we were both up by 7 AM. Before I could even feed the dogs I was throwing up. Just a lot of bile and spit, hell, there was nothing in my stomach but two drinks from last night. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before I showered so we could go take Tony's mom out for breakfast. Tony took a shower and just as we were about to walk out the door he ran to the bathroom and he threw up also. Are we light weights when it comes to drinking or what? Two drinks! We used to drink the night away in the 'old days'. Had a nice breakfast with his mother and bought lottery tickets and gas on the way home. Spent the day at home. Took a nap in the afternoon and spent the night watching the final two episodes of American Horror Story. I never saw a show where they kill off everyone by the end of the first season, but this is a horror story. Watched two movies also. Watched the movie Eban and Charley and the movie No Strings Attached. Both were good movies. We went to bed around 10 PM after another round of loving.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Stella must be leaking again from the wet spot on the bed so all the bedding was taken off and today will be a laundry day. Will need to put her back on her meds for the leaking. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Been spending the morning cleaning and doing laundry, I'm on my third load of laundry and will most likely do two more today. Vacuumed and did a little dusting around the house. Tony is back at work today and I had him take some paperwork to fax to HIRSP and ADAP. Called ARCW to get my meds filled for the month with my new insurance. Will most likely pick them up tomorrow if they are ready. One needed my doctor to refill which could take a day or two. Will be interesting to see if it all goes through ok with the new insurance and what my new copays will be. The sun is out today but it is Winter in Milwaukee. In the teens today, windy, light snow on the ground and very cold outside. Good news it is suppose to be back into the 40s this weekend, unheard of in January in Milwaukee. Will most likely continue with the laundry and take a short nap with the dogs this afternoon. Tonight we will watch a movie or two. Tony will most likely come home tired being back at work and being a Monday, so we will go to bed early.

December 31, 2011 Saturday Morning

Spent the rest of Thursday nursing the sore knee from the fall. We went to bed Thursday night around 10 PM after we watched the movies Eating Out: Drama Camp and The Tunnel. Both were OK movies. Eating Out was a little over the top and after it was over Tony looked at me and said 'Cam would hate that movie'. LOL.

Friday morning I was up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house before lunch with the guys. Tony went to work again to get some things done and said he might not be at lunch. I took a shower around 10 AM and could not believe when I went to wash my foot how my big toe and behind it was black and blue. I knew I hurt my foot also, but the knee was where the most pain was. Guess I did quite a job on the foot also in the fall. Showered, got dressed, and met the guys for lunch. Had a great lunch as usual. Stopped off at Big Lot to see if I could find some telephone covers for the phones I bought Tony for Christmas for the shop. I know the guys will drop them and break them in the first week so I thought some sort of cover would help then not shatter when they hit the concrete. No luck and came home. By the time I got home Tony was home also. He took the employees out for lunch and ate with them. He is too good to them. Spent the afternoon watching TV. Made some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with a salad for dinner. We then spent the night watching the movies Shark Night and Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. They both were OK and I would give them a C. They were entertaining enough and better than watching a rerun on TV. Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin.

This morning I got up at 7:30 AM. Tony was up and reading the morning newspaper. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before I made a quick breakfast for the two of us. My knee is feeling a little better but I still am walking with a little limp from the pain, but it is getting better. Got Tony working on his bathroom project that is going on 3 years now after a little arguing about the fact he has done nothing around the house this week considering he was suppose to be on vacation. I then went outside and took down the rest of the Christmas decorations and changed out the colored path lights I had put in for Christmas. Figure since it is so nice outside I might as well do it. Can this unseasonable warm weather last forever? Will most likely stay home all day today and take a nap this afternoon. We have theater tickets tonight to see a play for New Years. The show is a comedy and should be very good. We know the actor and have seen many of his plays in the past. Will make some steaks for dinner and a salad and might find ourselves out for a drink after the play. We are old you know and being home by midnight would not be such a bad thing.

Happy New Year to all my followers. Thank you for all your support throughout the year. I honestly depend on you guys some days when I am feeling down. I am glad I started this blog three years ago and look forward to continuing to let you know my daily life living with HIV.

December 29, 2011 Thursday Morning

Tony got home yesterday from work around 12:30 PM. After he took a shower we left the house and went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the south side. Had a great lunch and a margarita with lunch. Came home and spent the afternoon doing things around the house with the dogs as we watched TV. Made soup and and English muffin for supper since we were not that hungry from lunch. Spent last night watching the movie The Help. It was a good movie. Went to bed around 10 PM, or at least I tried. For some reason my dog Shadow was on my mind last night as I lied in bed. After some tears and getting up to walk around the living room I went back to bed. Finally fell asleep around 1 AM. I have to say if I had one thing, one day, to do over again in my life it would be the day I euthanized my dog Shadow. I still hate myself for all that happened around that time. It was a tense time in our lives and I wish I would have been nicer to her in her last days. Plus the minute our normal vet was not there that day we should have waited and not just let the old doctor put her down without more thought. I would change that day, not to say the next day wouldn't have been her last, but not that day and I would have spent the night with her giving her a last night of love. It still haunts me all these years later and I still can not forgive myself for all that.

This morning I was up at 7:30 AM. Tony was already up and reading the morning newspaper since he had to have a car safety inspected at 9 AM. I fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. I then went outside to pick up the dog poop before Barkley could get to it. Last night we had a light drizzle that turned to ice. I got five feet from the landing and slipped, falling hard on my knees. Crawled into the house with my knees bleeding. Called for Tony and as he got to me I yelled out 'don't touch me I'm bleeding'. My knees were bleeding from the gravel and the fall. Tony got me a cold cloth and and ice pack. It was painful and still is. It is something us HIV+ people always have to consider, blood, when we get hurt. It is sad that after a fall and such you have to say 'don't touch me'. After an hour of ice I took a shower to clean up the blood and stuff. Took a pain pill and and anti inflammatory before my shower. After I got dressed I figured I still better go light grocery shopping before the pain comes back. I then drove to Pick N Save and bought less than $50 in fresh produce and milk, as I limped down the food aisles. Tony called to see how I am and told me he did not pass the inspection because he needs an air bag receipt. After he finds the receipt from last February he will have to go back to the safety inspection sight. I figure he will be home around 1 PM, but you never know. Since I plan on resting and being on the couch all day from the fall it is not so important as to when he gets home. He was suppose to be on vacation this week but has worked a half day almost every day this week. Will most likely spend the day resting watching TV, taking pain pills for the pain. I am sure my back will soon start hurting also from the fall. I have at least one fall each Winter to I guess wake me up and make me be safer and more careful for the rest of the Winter. Will watch more movies tonight since not much is on TV. I am getting sad about my soap soon coming to an end. Each day when we watch an episode I just am sad and want to cry. I know that sounds stupid but I have watched OLTL for 35 years. Only two weeks left of the show until it is over from cancellation. Tomorrow is lunch with the guys. The sun is now out which should melt the ice since it is above 32 degrees outside. The heat wave continues in Milwaukee.

December 28, 2011 Wednesday Morning

Yesterday Tony went to work in the morning to make sure the guys were actually working and getting something done for their pay. I spent the morning putting some of the Christmas decorations away, cleaning up the house. I did leave half of the decorations up and will until after the new year. The friend that is going to take care of the dogs while we are in Chicago for the day in January came over and spent and hour with us and the dogs. He was able to walk in and there were no problems. I even went through the feeding routine and shot for Vito with him just in case we stay late and he has to feed them dinner. Doesn't appear to be a problem and I was happy. He will come over a couple more times before the big day. Made the last of the Christmas left overs for dinner. Spent the night watching Glee The Concert Movie and Dolphin Tale. Both were good movies. Glee was a guilty pleasure. Dolphin Tale was really good and I would recommend it. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning we got up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. I made us a skillet breakfast and soon Tony left again to take care of some business at work. I cut and colored my hair while he was gone. I had been growing my hair out but it just is not looking good anymore. Time to go back to the short hair. I even cut off my goatee and mustache so I have a different look. I think it is much easier to take care of this look and the long hair was just looking greasy by the end of the day, much less I was not pretty to look at in the morning. Got my first bill for Aetna part D of my Medicare yesterday. Called ADAP to find out if they cover it and got a call back this morning telling me to fax them the bill. Also was told I can fill my prescriptions for all my medications at ARCW rather than mail order because I have the Aetna insurance policy that ADAP pays. This is a big relief and I am feeling better about all the insurance changes that take place as of the first of the year. Tony should hopefully be home soon and we will most likely, hopefully, go to lunch, or just get out of the house. It has been nice having Tony work a couple hours a day and being home the rest of the time. He doesn't help much around the house, but it is nice to have him home. The weather in Milwaukee has still been warmer than usual. It got to 40 yesterday which is unheard of this time of year in Milwaukee. Guess global warming is really a fact since this has already been the one of the top ten warmest December's in Wisconsin. I am not complaining. In ten years from now Wisconsin will be a great place to live in the Winter.

December 26, 2011 Monday Afternoon

Tony and I had a very nice Christmas. Christmas Eve we went to his brother's house. Stayed for a couple hours and played a charade type word game. It really was one of the better Christmas's at his families house. Got home around 10:30 PM and watched a little TV as we opened some presents here at the house. Watched Final Destination 2 and went to bed around 1:30 AM, which is very late for us.

Christmas Day we got up around 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning reading the newspaper and opening the last of our gifts to each other, that I bought. Around noon we left with Bo to go to my parents house. Had a nice afternoon with the folks and brother and sister. Bo was a perfect angel the entire time at my parents house. My Dad even commented on what a good dog he is. For only his second time out of the house, other to the vet, he really was so good. He did cry almost the entire 45 minute trip to their home. It was cute. We need to take him out of the house more. Got home around 5 PM and fed the dogs and gave Vito his second shot for the day. Spent last night watching Final Destination 1 and 3. I really do like this movie series. Went to bed around 11 PM.

This morning we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning reading the newspaper. Around 10 AM Tony went to work to see how the guys were doing and if they were actually even working for their pay. Tony is not happy with 2 of 3 employees and they might not have jobs after the 1st of the year. One being his brother which is really taking a toll on Tony. He knows his brother has no other skills and will be lost without working for Tony, but he is just costing Tony too much money having to redo jobs over and over again that he does. I went for a long walk around the neighborhood since I have not for about a week. It felt good to get out and get some exercise. Tony should be home around 1 PM, so he said. We will most likely take a nap or settle in for the day watching more movies and such with the dogs. I will not go out and shop the day after Christmas like the other fools. LOL. We also have enough left overs from both house to eat all day today and most likely through the week.

Regarding Cam. I started this blog for myself and for others living with HIV. I write as a daily blog or diary. If I would not say things like 'I fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot' each day rather than say 'I did my morning routine', new people to the blog would not know what my 'morning routine' is. I could say I do cut 3 of the 5 dogs toe nails myself, rather than pay a vet to do it because they are small dogs, and I can not cut Stella or Barkley's because their nails are too thick and they hurt and cry when I try, but is just not worth it. As for all the other crap, it just is not worth it. I honestly thought about stopping the blog and stop putting my life out there anymore after all the Cam crap, but that would not be right. This really did take a toll on me over Christmas. It would not be fair for me or my followers, or anyone in the future I might be able to help. My goal was to show life does go on after an HIV diagnosis, and it has. I wish Cam the best in life and hope he starts his own blog, his own words, and his own way. My blog is what it is. It is my daily life living with HIV / AIDS.

December 24, 2011 Saturday Morning

I came on line to post and first looked to see if I had any comments. I soon read the comment by Cam on December 21st post. WOW! What a way to ruin someones day. More on this later.

Last night we watched two good movies. We watched Contagion and Final Destination 5. Both were great movies, or I should say, we thought they were very enjoyable and entertaining. Went to bed a little after 11 PM.

This morning we slept in until about 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning reading the newspaper and made some bagels for breakfast. Tony left around 10 AM to go buy some hard rolls to take to Christmas Eve at his brother's house tonight. We were told to bring good hard rolls so Tony went to the local bakery to buy some. After Tony got back he said he was leaving again to take my car to the shop to wash it and fill it with gas. I did a little around the house and started on today's post reading comments from past posts first.

I honestly can not believe the post by Cam on December 21st and want to address it. First off I would like you to know how your comment has ruined my day. You are so negative and mean. Lets go through this point by point. First off I do know that not every gay man likes dance music. Everyone has there own taste in music. Mine happens to be dance music. Even though I do occasionally listen to older rock music like Pink Floyd and Queen, I do prefer dance music. I have to say I must not be the only one since when I go to my account where my music is I can see how many times each mix has been listened to. Some have been played over 600 times. So I am not the only one that likes the mixes I make. Why would I make lets say a Country mix when I do not like Country music? How do you make a rock dance mix when you don't like hard rock? I listen to my music in my car and during the day when I am cleaning. I might not mention every move in my day and one of them might be listening to an hour of music during the day. But if I watched more TV than listened to music I will most likely post about the TV rather than the hour of music I listened to. We did go to night clubs and I love dancing to music. Of course a 50 year old looks out of place on the dance floor at the clubs so making the mixes and listening to them in my own home or car is my way to still enjoy the music. Hell, I might even dance a little as I listen to the mix in my living room as I am cleaning or working out. I read two newspapers a day, the Milwaukee Journal and USA today, so how do I not read. I get Entertainment Weekly and 3 gay magazines monthly. Now lets move on to the flowers bullshit. Why is getting flowers considered a bad or gay thing? Just because you do not like getting them and obviously giving them, does not make them something someone else might want to get. I guess it is kinda like some people like Country music, some like Opera. Some people like flowers some do not. When did any of that turn into a housewife thing or gay thing. I just would love to receive flowers once in a while. To say one man giving another flowers is 'beyond a sick embarrassing joke' is just unbelievable. I can tell you are not a very giving person. What do you consider a 'man' gift? Tools? We have all the tools and such to repair the house already. Hell, are you even in a relationship? Do you realize not all relationships are the same and people have different needs and wants? Honestly Cam, I don't need you reading my blog and making me feel I am less then someone in your eyes due to what music I like to listen to or how we express our love to each other. I did not create this blog to get criticized about what I do, it was to help others living with HIV and AIDS in any way I can and show them on a daily basis what my life is like living with this disease. I have never read such a mean spirited comment on my blog in the three years of doing this, and I hope to never again. I will continue with my blog because of all the people I have helped and contacted me with questions and needing support. I will not let a person like yourself make someone like me feel less because of what music I listen to and like and what gifts I like to receive. This is MY BLOG. MY LIFE. I AM A MAN. If you don't like it, don't read about it.

With that said, Have a Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Last night we watched a horrible movie called Christmas Evil. It was the worst B horror movie I ever saw and such a waste of the night. We finally went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house before I showered and got dressed up to go to Christmas Friday lunch with the guys. Had a great lunch like always. Exchanged some gifts and had a long lunch. Came home and after doing a little around the house I laid down with the dogs. I could not sleep because I was waiting for a return call from the ARCW pharmacy regarding a letter I received today telling me my ADAP was approved but I would need to get my meds through Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy rather than ARCW like I had planned. Called the ARCW pharmacy to talk with them and find out if they can fill my meds rather than through a mail order. I have called them a few time and got the message machine and they have yet to return my call. This makes me a little uneasy because what if I was having a reaction to my meds and needed to talk to the pharmacy and for an entire afternoon I can not get through to them or get them to return my call. I will have to address this concern when they finally call me back. Making a frozen pizza for dinner tonight. Will most likely watch a movie or two before going to bed. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day. Christmas Eve we will go to Tony's family and Christmas Day we will go see my family. Should be a good Christmas all around. If I do not post before Monday, have a great Christmas everyone.

December 21, 2011 Thursday Afternoon

I am very excited about an up coming event, I have to share. As you all know I am a fan of the TV soap One Life To Live and have been watching it for 35 years. As most know the show is going off the air on January 13th, 2012. I know, very sad. This week I found a web sight telling of a special event in Chicago to celebrate the final show called Celebrate Llanview, A Tribute Party Honoring The Network Broadcast Finale of ABC's One Life To Live Benefiting SoC. Sounds interesting. I then looked into it to find the event is being held at a bar called Sidetrack Video Bar in Chicago. As I looked for more information and went to the Sidetrack Video Bar web sight I found that this is a gay bar in Chicago. What? As I looked into the event further I found that almost every one of the male heart throbs will be at the event not to mention most of the cast. This is just to good to be true. All my favorite soap hunks in a gay bar. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $125 for VIP tickets which include many extras as well as meet and greet all the stars. When I told Tony Monday night about this event he said to get him a VIP ticket. Well this is very expensive for us plus who the heck is going to take care of the dogs if we go to Chicago for the day. Also the web sight said only 20 VIP tickets are available. Driving from Milwaukee to Chicago sucks any day or season, but in January could be a nightmare if a snow storm came. Plus the tickets are nonrefundable. We talked about this every night and last night after Tony got home from work he says to me his good buddy Brian can watch the dogs for the day. Could this really happen? I called Brian and he assured me he could stay here at the house with the dogs. The dogs do know him. Stella knows him best from when Tony used to take her to his shop daily. He has even been to the house and no problems. So now I have no excuses? I got on line and put two VIP tickets on my credit card. I guess we are going to the event come hell or high water, or should I say snow are sleet. I will hate leaving the dogs for the day, but could the stars have been any more aligned? My favorite studs in a gay bar and I can meet them all! As you can tell I am excited about this since we really have boring lives and go nowhere. It will be an expensive day but I have already invested 35 years in this show. Anyone interested can check it out at the following web sight: http://www.seasonofconcern.org/CDA5240F87574D8387EBDE8FEC733210/news/news.asp?item=116013

After I bought the tickets and printed out all the information I spent the night in a panic over the whole thing. What a nut case hey? We then watched the movie Straw Dogs that I downloaded. It was a very good movie. I recommend it highly. Went to bed around 10 PM. I had a hard time falling asleep. Finally took a pill and fell asleep by midnight.

This morning I was up at 7 AM, a little later than usual from the sleeping pill. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Watched a little TV and read the morning newspaper before showering and headed out the door. Went to Walgreen's to drop off a clerk a copy of my music mix. She loves my music mixes. Then stopped off at a candy store to spend a $20 gift certificate Tony got from a customer. Then went to Big Lot and bought a couple last minute Christmas gifts. Then went to McDonald's for a burger and fries, which I took to Tony's shop on the way home to eat with him. Gave the employees some happy wishes and Merry Christmas, and came home. I am done Christmas shopping. DONE! Wrapped some of the gifts and now I type this post. Making sloppy joe's for dinner with mac and cheese and a salad. Nothing special, just the basics. Will most likely watch another movie tonight. If you can rent or watch on Demand the movie Straw Dogs it is a good movie.

December 21, 2011 Wednesday Afternoon

Last night after we ate dinner and watched a little TV I turned the sound on the TV down and sat at the dining room table and asked Tony to join me to fill out his HIRSP Health Insurance paperwork. Of course he was not happy. I had most of it filled out but I did need a lot of copies of various thing which he did bring home from work. Had him sign all the copies and we went through the checklist. It honestly took us almost an hour and a half to make sure we had everything they wanted and needed for the application. Tony only need to go to work this morning and print out a termination of Health Insurance letter and give it all to our insurance agent for him to fill out his part, there is a section. Tony then got in the shower, we watched a little more TV and soon went to bed and had a little loving.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper and then took a shower so I could go grocery shopping. Had very little to buy and I actually got out of the store spending less than $21.00. Only got milk, salad, cucumbers, grapes, butter and a bottle of Sprite. Came home and did a little on the Internet before I played my newest music mix a couple of times laying on the couch with the dogs. I have to say it did turn out very good. You never know because once you have the songs picked and ready and start mixing them in real time, you get what you get. Sometimes the beats don't match as good and the mix is not to my standards. If you haven't listened to my new music mix, it is at the top of my blog page. If you don't like dance music ..... Oh well, you might not like it. Some feedback on the mix would be nice. Even just let me know someone listened to it. Do I sound like I am begging? Making left over spaghetti tonight for dinner. I will fry it on the stove with butter for Tony. He likes the left over spaghetti fried to a burnt crisp like a pancake. Then smothers it with Parmesan cheese. I will end up just having a TV dinner since I don't usually eat leftovers. I actually hate frying the spaghetti because afterwards the entire house smells of ... well.... burnt spaghetti. It's as bad as when you broil a steak in the oven. The house fills with all the smoke and smell. Since we didn't watch Dolphin Tale last night we will most likely watch it tonight. Nothing else on but reruns on TV. I did DVR and watch last night the latest Fear Factor that has returned to TV. How gross can they get. Where is the outrage from PETA over them mixing bugs and worms and such in a blender. They are living creatures after all just being killed for enjoyment. It really was hard to watch them drink the stuff and I almost pucked in my mouth once. Tomorrow I will go to Walgreen's and Big Lot one last time for a last minute gift or two for Tony. I could say I am done, but it is Christmas and what else do I have to do. I know for a fact Tony has yet to buy me even ONE present yet, I know because I asked and he gave me 'that look' and a big 'no'. Like I have said before, I don't need anything, but for him to just make the effort and buy flowers or my favorite candy bar would show he is at least thinking of me at that moment, or ever during his work day. My music mix is still playing, it really is good. Then again, my favorite songs makes it favorable to me.

December 20, 2011 Tuesday Afternoon

Last night we watched a movie called Shelter from 2008. It was a very very good movie and I recommend it highly. It was a coming out love story. Very true to life and sweet and nice. Went to bed around 10 PM after a little loving.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before showering and getting ready for my 9 AM dental cleaning appointment. Got my teeth cleaned and picked up my monthly food at the pantry at ARCW. Came home and put all the food away, packing up some items we won't eat for my brother. I then started working on a new music mix. At this point, as I type my blog, I am listening to the final cut. If it sounds good I will try to get it posted here on my blog today. Also working on filling out Tony's paperwork for HIRSP health care. It is just easier for me to fill it out and have him sign it all when it is done. That, or it will never get done. Jeez, the questions and paperwork they need is unbelievable. Tony is going to hit the roof when I tell him what he all needs copies of and a check for the first quarter premium needs to be sent with the paperwork. Making spaghetti and salad for dinner tonight. Will most likely watch another movie tonight. Hopefully Dolphin Tale will be the movie since I downloaded it the other day and hear it is a good movie. Tomorrow I have to do some light grocery shopping of produce and fruit items only. It was in the 30s today in Milwaukee. So far we have not been hit by the big snow storm hitting the lower Midwest. It looks like it might go below us here in Milwaukee and we will be spared.

December 19, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Saturday I got Tony and I out of the house and we went to Menard's around noon. I had a $48 credit to use at the store. Of course we doubled the amount we wanted to spend and ended up spending another $50 on top of the credit. Got a few Christmas items and stuff for around the house. Came home and spent the afternoon watching TV. Fed the dogs dinner and went to an open bar party at The ArtBar around 6 PM. My partner before Tony owns the bar. Had a nice buffet dinner and drinks and we were home by 8:30 PM. Spent the night watching TV before going to bed around 10:30 PM.

Sunday we slept in until about 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Around noon we went to Best Buy to use the $20 in Best Buy Cash I had to use by the end of the year. Bought an adaptor to use my old key board rather than the one that came with the computer. I have never liked my new key board and my old key board does not come with an USB connector. Of course the little adaptor was $25 so I had to put in more money than just the Best Buy cash. Stopped off at a shoe store on the way home to look for boots for myself. I still am not happy with the fit of the boots I bought at Kohl's last week. Came home and spent the rest of the day watching movies. Over the weekend we watched the movies Fright Night, A River made To Drown In, Beethoven's Big Break and Beverly Hills Chihuahua Part 2. All were OK. We watched the last two last night which made it kinda of a dog themed movie night. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After Tony left for work I showered so I could start my day of shopping at Southridge Mall. I go to the mall one time before Christmas by myself to do shopping. Just one day of the mall is all I can take. My main goal was to either find a new or bigger boot than the one I currently bought last week. Parked near Sears and found nothing of interest at that store. Next was Kohl's and they had the boots I bought last week in a 9 1/2 rather than the 9 I currently have. I thought they fit much better so I had the clerk put them behind the counter and I ran to my car to grab the other boots and exchange them. Exchanged the boots with no problem. Still I am not sure if these ARE the boots for me. Walked around Southridge Mall. Bought some slippers and then found a pair of half cowboy boots at a little shoe store in the mall. Of course these boots were $100, twice as much as the ones I just got or had. It had to be the kids hardest sale of the day. Thankfully I was the only customer in the store because it took me about a half hour of walking around and debating if I should get them or not and return the Kohl's boots. I finally told myself to stop being cheap and buy the boots you want. Bought the $100 boots and returned the old pair at Kohl's. By this point I had enough shopping and got some food at the food court before buying one last present for Tony and went to the car. Stopped off at Office Depot to buy Tony a magnifier so he can read the newspaper. I actually am looking for a magnifier he can put on his computer screen at work. He is so blind lately and no pair of glasses is good enough for him to read with any more. They did not have a computer screen magnifier but had one you hold in your hand, the size of a peice of paper. It was less than $10 so I got it for Tony. Drove home the long way so I wouldn't have to go through the airport detour and construction. Unpacked all the gifts and wrapped the ones for Tony. I then took a short nap with the dogs since I was exhausted from all the walking, talking and decisions. LOL. Making a salad to go with the Sweet and Sour Chicken I am making for dinner tonight. I know I make Sweet and Sour Chicken weekly but I bought about 5 bags of the stuff on sale weeks ago. Will most likely spend the night watching a movie or something on the DVR before going to bed. Tomorrow I have a dental cleaning at ARCW scheduled. Usually they call to remind me of the appointment and so far no call, that is not a good sign and hope I don't run into problems tomorrow. I will take my appointment card with me since the appointment was scheduled about 6 months ago. It was a nice weekend weather wise in Milwaukee. In the 40s over the weekend and today, but the now it is getting a little colder with the sun setting. We got a little snow over the weekend and some is still covering the ground. I can't believe this is Christmas week. Time goes so fast doesn't it?

December 16, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Last night Tony was to show up at the house at 5:30 PM with pizza in hand to then go to his mother's house for dinner, for her Birthday. I watched Tony get out of the car, no pizza's, walk half way to the house and then turn around. I knew he forget to get the pizza's. I ran outside and told him lets just go together and get them and then drive to your moms house, since the dogs were all fed and locked up. Drove to get the pizza and then to his mother's house. A couple other family members were there and we ate the pizza and spent some time with Tony's mom. Came home and watched The Mentalist before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After Tony left for work I went back to bed for an hour. Got up and had a bowl of cereal with raspberries on it. Showered, vacuumed the house and soon it was time to meet the guys for lunch. Had a great lunch with the guys. One of the guys gave me his $10 Kohl's cash at lunch that expires this Sunday. After lunch I stopped at Big Lot and bought some slippers for Christmas for Tony and I and some other items. Came home and after I let the dogs out I left again to go to Kohl's. Since I had a $10 Kohl's cash coupon I figured I might as well go spend the $20 before they both expire on Sunday. Ended up buying a pair of jeans on clearance and after all was said and done, cost me $2.10. Not bad hey? Came home and wrapped the slippers and started making dinner. Making soup and salad for supper tonight. Will most likely spend the night watching TV before going to bed. Most likely a movie I downloaded. I download Fright Night today, so we will probably watch it tonight. We have a party to go to Saturday night and some Christmas shopping to do at Menard's this weekend. Other than that it will be a weekend with the TV and dogs. Have a great weekend everyone.

December 15, 2011 Thursday Afternoon

Spent last night watching TV. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Spent the morning reading the newspaper. Went quickly to Walgreen's to exchange the nasal strips I bought yesterday since I bought the wrong size. Came home and did a little around the house before taking the dogs to the bed for a nap. I am so tired today. It has to be because it is cloudy again in Milwaukee. I can tell the effects cloudy days have on me. They also effect Vito. Yesterday and today he is having a harder time than usual finding his way around the house and in from outside. He must be totally blind on cloudy days. Thankfully he still is a happy dog and between me and the other dogs, we take good care of him. He really has become very needy on days like this. He needs to be by my side or know where I am every minute of the day. Not making dinner tonight since we are bringing a pizza to Tony's mom's house for her birthday today. We wanted to take her out for lunch or dinner but she just wanted a pizza from her favorite east side restaurant brought to her instead. Of well, saves us some money but we wanted to do more. It is getting colder in Milwaukee. It was in the 40s yesterday and today, but the temperature is falling fast. I am surprised my pond is still not frozen over. It won't be for long. Usually by now it would be frozen over. Tomorrow is Friday which means lunch with the guys. We do have a couple things planned this weekend, a couple parties we were invited to. I am sure we will go to at least two of them.

December 14, 2011 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching Part 1 and 2 of Stephen King's Bag Of Bones that was on A&E last Sunday and Monday night. It was OK, but could have been better. Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before I showered and started the day. Left the house around 9 AM and first went to McDonald's for a bacon egg and cheese bagel. Then went to Walgreen's to buy some sale items and then to Pick N Save to do the weekly grocery shopping. Came home and unpacked everything. Watched a little TV before taking a long nap with the dogs. It is raining and in the 40s today in Milwaukee. If it were not for the rain it would be a exceptionally nice day in Milwaukee for December. Woke up from my nap around 3 PM in a great erotic dream. I was in the middle of a dream where I was at an army base. I don't make this stuff up, well, I do, but when I am sleeping. The army base was in the middle of a drill of some kind and I was told to stay still on the ground. As I did this an army man came down by me and started moving around me kind of sexually. He then started getting closer and closer like he wanted to kiss me. He then asked me if I was uncomfortable and I told him 'no', 'but your making me hard'. He then grabbed me and said 'It's OK, there is no more don't ask don't tell'. That is when I woke up. I never even got to see his face in the dream. I had to lay there in bed for a while just process the whole dream. It was very exciting and erotic. Kinda made me want to fall back asleep and continue the dream. LOL. Wish I had more dreams like this. I then started making supper. Making some chicken breasts and baked potatoes along with a big salad. Will spend the night watching TV. Most likely will watch the Barbara Walter's special on TV later tonight.

December 13, 2011 Tuesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching a bunch of CSI episodes on the DVR. Woke Tony from the couch around 9:30 PM and had my way with him before going to bed.

Got up this morning at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing more cleaning of the hallway closet and the basement. Took a walk around the neighborhood around noon. Spent the afternoon cruising the Internet. Making spaghetti and salad for dinner tonight. Not much else going on. The weather is warmer than usual in Milwaukee but it is still Winter. Will spend the night watching Glee, and the rest of the FOX lineup before going to bed. Tomorrow I will have to do some light grocery shopping. Waiting until next week to go to Southridge Mall and spend the day shopping by myself. I almost wish we would get a little snow just to put me in the Christmas spirit.

December 12, 2011 Monday Afternoon

Nothing. We did nothing all weekend. With that said, nothing, means I cooked and cleaned all weekend while Tony napped or watched TV resting from his long work week. We did watch a bunch of movies during the weekend. We watched 3 Day Weekend, 24 Nights, Easier With Practice, Edge of Seventeen and Just Say Love. Of the movies Edge of Seventeen and Just Say Love were the best and actually very good. I recommend them both. One thing that happened over the weekend was worth telling. Sunday afternoon Tony and I were in the living room watching TV when Bo started barking non stop in the kitchen. I yelled to him to stop the barking which of course he did not. When I finally got up to find out what the heck he was calling me about I saw him sitting in front of Barkley, looking at Barkley, barking. I asked him what he wanted and he just kept barking. Barkley just was laying on the floor in front of him. When I then went to see if a toy was under Barkley's cone I noticed that Barkley had his dew claw caught in an air hole of his cone and could not move or walk. Bo was calling me to come help his brother. Is that sweet or what? Guess Bo was just looking out for his brother and alerting me of the fact Barkley needed help. After I got Barkley's nail uncaught in the cone he jumped up and thanked me and Bo. What a family. It really was one of those moments you take note of. I did get Tony out of the house in the middle of Sunday afternoon to go to Pick N Save with me to buy lottery tickets and some hot ham and rolls. That was about it all weekend.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Spend the day cleaning out closets and drawers. Listening to some old Kool And The Gang as I cleaned them out and straightened thing out in them. Made a ham sandwich for lunch from the hot ham and rolls we bought yesterday at Pick N Save. Went for a walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise. Making some pork chops and baked potato's with a salad for dinner tonight. Will spend the night watching TV snuggling with the dogs.

December 10, 2011 Dave and Dogs Singing

Since I promised a video, here you go. This is me and the dogs singing this morning.

December 9, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Sorry, no video blog today. The afternoon got away from me.

Spent last night watching the Monday night CBS TV line up on the DVR. Finished off the night with The Mentalist and went to bed a little after the headline news.

Got up this morning at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house and soon it was time for lunch with the guys. Had Tony pick me up so the car would be warm and I would not have to get into a cold car. It is very cold in Milwaukee, in the 20s again today. Had a great lunch with the guys. Lunch was paid for by the Birthday boy. I love a free lunch. I brought some cupcakes to celebrate the event. We even sang Happy Birthday to the Birthday boy. Tony dropped me off at home after lunch and I spent the afternoon on the couch with the TV on, under a blanket. I soon woke up and it was after 4 PM. Since I still have to vacuum the house and get dinner ready I thought it faster to just post this way today. Will most likely spend the night watching movies. No plans this weekend. Might talk Tony into going to Target or KMart to do some Christmas shopping. To cold outside to do anything else. Have a great weekend everyone and sorry no video blog. I will try to do one next week.

December 8, 2011 Thursday Afternoon

Got up this morning at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Read a little of the morning newspaper and made myself a bowl of peanut butter captain crunch cereal. Took a shower and left the house around 10:30 AM on my way to Bayshore Mall to have Tony's necklace fixed. There was a different kid working the jewelry repair desk and he looked at me and told me to come back on Saturday. I explained to him that this was my second time here and pleaded with him to just fix it while I shopped. Got him to do the job for $32 which I thought was very high for just a small soddering job, but I was not going to come back again. Went to Boston Store and a couple other stores before picking up the finished necklace. Had some bread sticks at Rocky's Pizza. Did not find anything at the mall but that is because it is all women's stores at Bayshore Mall. Not much for a guy but Sears and Boston Store. The outside stores have more to offer, but they are not IN the mall. Stopped off at Kohl's Department Store and as I was trying on a pair of dress boots I tore the crotch of my pants. Figured it was then a good time to buy a new pair of jeans on sale. Tried on at least 10 pairs of jeans. I could not believe the size 32s fit me in all the brands. I figured I had that size already at home on the 'doesn't fit' pile. So I then was not sure if I should wait on buy a pair. Ended up buying a cheap pair of jeans just in case I get home and the ones do not in fact still fit me. Bought the boots and jeans on sale and also got another 20% off by getting a charge card. I hate shoe shopping but have wanted a pair of short boots for a long time. Shoes are hard to find that fit so when I find a pair I buy them. Found this swade leather pair of short boots that not only fit good, but I liked and were on sale. Got the boots and jeans for $72 after all the sale and discounts. I figured I will give them to myself from Tony as a Christmas gift. Since Tony does not shop for Christmas, if I don't buy myself some presents, I get nothing and have a disappointing Christmas. I am actually wearing them now to break them in and make sure they will be what I want. They feel a little tight so I hope they stretch out a little. Came home and after doing a little around the house and time with the dogs I pulled out the pile of 'don't fit' pants. Of course only one pair did fit so I was glad I bought a pair at Kohl's. Why did they all fit in the size 32 at the store, but the exact same Levis I have here at home size 32, don't fit me? I should have just bought more pairs just to make myself feel skinny and better. LOL. Making Sweet And Sour Chicken and rice tonight for dinner with a salad. Will spend the night watching TV or the DVR. Tomorrow is lunch with the guys and I will try to post another video blog with the dogs.

December 7, 2011 Wednesday Dinner Time

Spent the night watching TV. Went to bed a little before 9 PM and watched Body Of Proof in bed with the dogs. Went to sleep a little after the headline news at 10:15 PM.

This morning I got up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After Tony left for work I read a little of the newspaper before taking a shower and getting on with the day. Left the house a little before 10 AM and went to McDonald's for two $1 sausage burritos on my way to Pick N Save. Did the weekly grocery shopping avoiding anything freezer related. I am so overwhelmed with freezer items and I knew a package from my brother is arriving today filled with Omaha steaks. The steaks did arrive today. Had to really do some shuffling around of the freezer. Omaha steaks does do a good job with gift packages. Got the free knife set and cutting board also. So much meat I hardly know what to do with it all. We could eat steak or meat for a month every day we have so much right now. My brother does this every year as his Christmas gift since he lives down south and will not be here for Christmas with his partner. So can you guess what I am making for dinner tonight? If you said 'steaks', your right. Made some salads and will make some frozen twice bake potatoes that came in the package to round out the dinner. Spent the afternoon laying on the couch watching TV with the dogs. The sun was not out and that does not help my energy level. Will spend the night watching TV with the dogs. There is a lot on TV tonight and at one point three shows are taping as we watch a fourth all at 8 PM. Tomorrow I should go to the mall near us and try to have Tony's necklace fixed. I have nothing scheduled for tomorrow so it would be a good thing to get done. The mall I speak of is very small and I will not really be shopping at it, just there for the necklace fixing. Made it to 32 degrees today in Milwaukee. Getting pretty cold outside. I hate waiting for the car to warm up. I don't go far so by the time I get anywhere it is finally just starting to heat up. I do hate the cold of winter.

December 6, 2011 Tuesday Afternoon

Had Chili and salad last night for supper. The neighbor made some great Chili. Spent last night watching a few shows on the DVR before Castle on TV. Tony came home from work very tired. I think he started falling asleep on the couch a little after his shower, around 8 PM. By 8:30 PM I woke him and we went into the bedroom to watch TV. Went to bed around 10 PM last night.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Read a little of the morning newspaper before taking a shower and getting on with the day. Stopped off at McDonald's before I went to Walgreen's in the morning to get a prescription and some other sale items. Bought the prescription out right and not with insurance. Had to pay full price for it, but it is still a better deal then paying a full months health insurance. Came home and spent the rest of the morning wrapping some Christmas presents and paying some bills online. Made myself a sandwich for lunch and laid down on the couch listening to music for an hour. Not much else got accomplished around the house again today besides a load of laundry. The house does need a good dusting, but I just can't get into the mood today. Did a little internet search on Jonah Mowry from yesterday's video I posted. I guess he has been getting some good and bad from the video. Some are even saying it is a fake. I don't think a kid can fake that kind of pain you can see in his face. Making the left over Chili and some noodles to go with it tonight for supper, along with a salad. Will watch Glee and the other Fox network shows on TV along with Body of Proof tonight, before going to bed. Tomorrow I have to go grocery shopping. Hopefully I won't have to get much since we need very little but fresh produce and such.

December 5, 2011 Must See Video

The video below is must see and will break your heart. I sure hope this kid got some help. This video should be shown in every school around the globe. Cut and paste the web page below or watch the embedded video below the web page.

http://youtu.be/TdkNn3Ei-Lg

December 5, 2011 Monday Afternoon

Read the comments from last Friday's video blog. I think I will make it a 'Friday video blog' weekly, if possible. I will also try to write something for those video impaired. Friday night we spent the night watching a couple movies. Watched the movies The Green and Make The Yuletide Gay. Both movies were great. The second was so funny. I recommend both movies. Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

Saturday we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony went to the shop for a couple hours in the morning while I did a little cleaning. After he got home we went to Sam's club to do some Christmas Shopping. About half way through the store I had to look at Tony and say 'that is enough'. He just kept putting things in the cart. He got a lot of Christmas presents this time shopping. Total came to $518 which was a big surprise to both of us. Put it on the credit card. There were some big ticket items he will get for the shop, not now, they are Christmas presents. Came home and spent the rest of the day watching TV or movies. Watched the movies All Over The Guy and Bear City. Both were good but not as good as the movies the prior night. Went to bed around 11 PM.

Sunday we again up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Half way through Vito's shot he started growling and startled me and I wasn't sure if I even got any Insulin in him. Gave him 2 more units just to be safe. Figured it was not too much if he got the regular dose, and enough if he didn't. Worked in my mind. Thankfully he was fine. I made breakfast. Spent the day just watching TV and laying around the house. Around 4PM we showered and a little after 5 PM, after feeding the dogs and giving Vito his shot, we left for a fund raiser event in our suits and ties. The fund raiser was a great time. About 25 restaurants of food to sample and then a play called Next To Normal. The play was great. We even stayed for the whole thing. Got home a little after 10 PM and went to bed shortly thereafter.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the day doing a little around the house in between sleeping and watching TV. It snowed all day today in Milwaukee. The snow did not stick to the ground but was pretty to watch falling to it. The neighbor across the alley called and asked me if she made Chili would I want some for Tony and I tonight for dinner. Of course I do, anything to get out of cooking. I have made a dinner salad to go with the Chili I get from her. Going over to her house after I post this blog. Will spend the night watching TV. I have an easy week this week. Not much on my plate, no appointments. I did wrap a couple of Tony's Christmas presents this morning and filed about 3 months of paperwork in the organizer, other than that, not much today. Thanks for the comments from last Friday's blog. I hated watching it to be honest. I look like I talk out of the side of my mouth and am not even looking at the camera. Will work on that for future video posts.

December 2, 2011 Friday Afternoon

Thought I would try something different. Today's blog is in video format.
This is me! Hope you enjoy it.

December 1, 2011 Thursday Morning

Today is World AIDS Day. I know the day is to bring awareness to AIDS, but I have mixed feelings about it. Actually it makes me very sad. I have seen things on the news this morning about World AIDS Day and I cry every time I watch them. Which comes to a dilemma. I noticed in today's newspaper there is a showing of the movie We Were Here at the Milwaukee Art Museum tonight at 6:15 PM. The movie is about AIDS in San Francisco back when the AIDS epidemic started. It sounds very sad, but something I feel compelled to go see. I know the movie will be heart breaking and I will cry during the entire movie thinking of all the friends that have not been as fortunate as myself to get this disease while there are drugs to keep us alive. There was a time when it was just a waiting game to see how fast AIDS would kill you. Funny, sometimes I still feel that way. So why would I want to go to a movie that is just going to make me sad and cry? I kind of feel it is my duty to see this movie and see what the people before me went through and sacrificed in order for things to be what they are today. I will have to call Tony at work and see if he can get out of work early and have the employees close the shop for the day. If the play is at 6:15 PM, we will have to leave the house by 5:30 PM at the latest. Of course that means feeding the dogs and Tony, and Tony taking a shower before we can walk out the door. Much less I am not sure how Tony will feel about seeing this movie. Will let the day progress and see how I feel as it unfolds as to how I feel about seeing the movie.

I am car less today. My ex before Tony is using my car today while Tony works on his car for an auto repair. So I am stuck at home all day today, not that I had any plans to go anywhere anyway. Yesterday morning I had my appointment with my advisor at ARCW to help me fill out all my paperwork for ADAP and HIRSP. HIRSP is a secondary insurance, ADAP is the agency that helps pay for my premiums and medicines. Got all the paperwork filled out and the advisor will mail it all in ASAP. Went grocery shopping after the appointment and was home by noon. Spent the rest of the day listening to music and doing things around the house. Spent the night watching TV and we were in bed by 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. I have no plans today because I have no car to go anywhere anyway as I mentioned above. Will just lay low all day and watch TV and clean as the day goes forward. Since today is December 1st, it is the first day of the month and only 30 more days to go until I can see a doctor or fill a prescription. I guess we are going to try to play the system and hope I don't need a doctor. I do have enough drugs to make it to January when my Medicare kicks in so to pay for the December premium would set us back $1296, which we could really use. So my hope is to not need anything medical and not have to pay for the month of December. Lets cross our fingers since my Prostate still does hurt and I am not sure I can make it to January. Much less the doctor still has not called me back. Guess they just forgot about me. Just talked to my mom on the phone. Also just called Tony and he agreed to come home early so we could see the movie tonight. I will bring a lot of Kleenex.