A refuge of love & peace during the debate (for AIDS Walk Austin)

Hi. This morning, when I thought about that debate, my heart just wanted to curl up & hide in a corner. I can’t stand all the awful things that will be said, the horrible ideas, etc. So I used to be a preschool teacher & was raised by a preschool teacher — I can’t deal with meanness & petulance. I need to start raising money for the AIDS Walk, so I thought I’d create a diary filled with niceness — happy music & stuff like that. And links where you can donate to my AIDS Walk page

If you donate, here’s some examples of what your money does:

$35 covers one rapid HIV rest – we know that 40% of HIV+ people don’t know it yet. Through testing, we can get them into life saving care, and further reduce the spread of the virus. And there has been a really alarming rise in diagnoses of young people — this is really needed.

$60 pays for a one month supply of medical prescriptions. Medications can reduce the virus so much that it keeps someone healthy and also reduces the risk of passing it along. And did you know that only 1/3 of all HIV-infected people get anti-retroviral therapy?? I think we can do better than that, so here’s where you can donate to my AIDS Walk page

$120 provides education for 440 people. Education is one of the most important tools in reducing new infections.

$250 provides 3 family counseling sessions. It can be devastating for a family when a member is diagnosed, and we know that an intact family unit promotes health and provides a built in support.

$500 provides a month of rent for one family in supportive housing. Assistance with food, daily chores, trips to medical appointments and social support create a foundation for continued health and a step toward independence.

$1,000 gives 450 home cooked meals for hospice patients. When in hospice, there are often unique food needs. You can make sure that final days are spent with delicious food that doesn’t upset someone’s stomach.

So if we’ve met, you know the thing that makes me happiest is U2. I promise, not all the songs will be them, but here’s one I love, California (No End To Love) and this one has good shots of my gorgeous Adam, so I like it:

another song that makes me happy is Hozier’s Someone New, and this fan-made video done as a gift for his 25th birthday is, as they say, totes adorbs:

and here is an oldie but a super-positive song – Shambala by 3 Dog Night

So if you want a happy, positive place to hide from the debate, here it is. What makes you happy?