This town is a workshop for wordsmiths and grifters

AIDS Walk is TOMORROW!

without_me — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 22:30:03 GMT

I'm close to my goal, but I'm not there yet. Can you help, with a donation of $25 or more via my fundraising page--or a smaller donation via PayPal? Remember, my employer will match every dollar you give. If you can't afford to spare even a small amount right now, of course, I'll appreciate your good thoughts as well.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has sponsored me. I really appreciate your support.

One more week

without_me — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 03:00:06 GMT

Again, MANY THANKS to everyone who's sponsored me already. If you haven't, please go to my fundraising page and donate if you can.

If you want to give a smaller amount, you can PayPal me at my LJ address. It's cliche, but can you pack a lunch one day this week instead of going out, to help me reach my goal? With my employer's dollar-for-dollar match, your money goes twice as far. I know some people can't afford to spare even a small amount right now, and I respect that. But if you can, please do.

And as always, thank you for your time and for your support. I couldn't do this without you.

Two weeks to go

without_me — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:01:14 GMT

THANK YOU to everyone who's sponsored me so far. If you haven't--and you can--please go to my fundraising page and donate.

According to APLA:

$25 = two HIV tests and counseling to link those who are HIV positive into care.
$50 = 14 bags of groceries from APLA's Necessities of Life Program food pantries.
$100 = 1 hour of one-on-one counseling, support groups, or addictive behaviors counseling to increase an APLA client's overall quality of life.

If you want to help and you can't afford the $25 online minimum, please contact me--I'll gladly take checks, cash, PayPal, etc. If everyone reading this gave just $5, I'd reach my goal and then some. Again this year, my employer is matching what I raise, so your money goes twice as far.

As always, thank you for your time and for your support. I couldn't do this without you.

Another year, another few thousand dollars

without_me — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:33:36 GMT

aproposofnothin says I'm too Eeyoreish in my fundraising. She says "begging for dollars" gives the wrong impression, and that I should talk more about the amounts you all have helped raise to fight AIDS over the past decade.

I don't have the exact figures, but I think together we've accounted for almost $40,000 in fundraising over the past 13 years. That's a lot of meals; a lot of dental care; a lot of educational outreach and research and a lot of lives touched . . . but it's not enough. According to APLA, seven people are infected with HIV every day in Los Angeles, and we need to make that stop.

Again this year, my employer is matching what I raise--so please, if you can, go to my fundraising page and donate. If you want to help and you can't afford the $25 online minimum, please contact me--I'll gladly take checks, cash, PayPal, etc. Or maybe you could pass the link to my fundraising page along to your friends, family, or co-workers. As always, thank you for your time and for your support. I'm just the conduit; you're the ones who make the fundraising happen.

One more week.

without_me — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:23:11 GMT

Seven days from now I'll be getting ready to leave for the walk. I'm still a ways away from my goal, and from last year's total. Part of that is due to the economy, I know, and partly due to my laziness in beating the bushes for donors.

Yesterday, appropriately enough, I was at a matinee of RENT, and as the performers sang, "Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?" I thought about how much things have changed since the story was written--and how much they haven't. AIDS is no longer the death sentence it was then, but people living with AIDS still need assistance. Proper health care, proper nutrition, housing and legal help... the list remains long.

As always, I want to thank everyone who's donated so far. If you haven't given yet, would you consider doing so, please? My fundraising page is here, and any amounts you donate there will be matched dollar for dollar by my employer. This is a great opportunity for your money to go twice as far.

If you can't afford to sponsor me, please pass the link to my fundraising page along to your friends, family, or co-workers. As always, thank you for your time and for your support. One day soon, I hope, I'll be able to stop asking you to support me in this, and move on to something else similarly important. But for now, please help if you can.

It's that time again.

without_me — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:45:34 GMT

You probably read this story last year. It hasn't changed. Neil and Corey are still dead, and we still don't have a cure for AIDS. Please, read it again and give if you can.

In 1991, my first year after law school, while I was working as a judicial clerk in Olympia, Washington, my friend Sylvia in the Bay Area mentioned that a mutual friend of ours had suddenly gone blind. Corey was a fabulous gay man with biting wit who worked on the costuming team for Beach Blanket Babylon, and he was the partner of another friend, Neil, with whom Sylvia and I had gone to college. This eye problem was very strange, Sylvia said, but he was young and surely this was only temporary...

I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I had a sinking feeling she was wrong.

Corey had CMV retinitis, caused by full-blown AIDS. His vision never came back. Within the next year we saw him decline, this young, vibrant man, into the muttered paranoia of AIDS dementia.

Neil nursed him through the end of his life. Neil seemed physically okay at the time, but we lost him to AIDS complications a few years later.

I'm so very lucky. Neil and Corey are my only real-life friends (that I know of) who've died from AIDS. I have at least one other friend living with HIV, but as far as I know he's doing well thanks to treatment advances and access to good medical care.

Not everyone has those advantages. We're all tired of hearing about AIDS; we'd all like to be able to focus on something else--cancer or heart disease or global warming or so many other important issues! And yet, every year I think about Neil and Corey and the people still living with HIV who are struggling to get medicine or dental care or enough food, and I fire up my e-mail and I ask you to please sponsor me for AIDS Walk LA.

My fundraising page is here, and any amounts you donate there will be matched dollar for dollar by my employer. This is a great opportunity for your money to go twice as far.

Please think about whether you might be able to spare a few (or more than a few) dollars. If you can't afford to sponsor me, maybe you could pass the link to my fundraising page along to your friends, family, or co-workers. As always, thank you for your time and for your support.

Apropos of little...

without_me — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:51:38 GMT

So, enkeli and I are going to the Rome SPN con next year (what?), and today we were able to upgrade our passes. This means we now have two Demon passes (basically the equivalent of Silver passes to the cons I'm more used to) up for grabs. If any of y'all would be interested in going, please let me know. I'd like to recoup what we paid for the passes if possible, but I can probably be somewhat flexible if necessary.

I know most folks in the States would have bought already if they wanted to go, but there are a few of you for whom the trip wouldn't be such a long one, so--I thought I'd put it out there. Please feel free to pass along the offer to people off my flist (just have people contact me at my LJ e-mail).

Whee! Rome!

Let me tell you a story...

without_me — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:07:28 GMT

In 1991, my first year after law school, while I was working as a judicial clerk in Olympia, Washington, my friend Sylvia in the Bay Area mentioned that a mutual friend of ours had suddenly gone blind. Corey was a fabulous gay man with biting wit who worked on the costuming team for Beach Blanket Babylon, and he was the partner of another friend, Neil, with whom Sylvia and I had gone to college. This eye problem was very strange, Sylvia said, but he was young and surely this was only temporary...

I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I had a sinking feeling she was wrong.

Corey had CMV retinitis, caused by full-blown AIDS. His vision never came back. Within the next year we saw him decline, this young, vibrant man, into the muttered paranoia of AIDS dementia.

Neil nursed him through the end of his life. Neil seemed physically okay at the time, but we lost him to AIDS complications a few years later.

I'm so very lucky. Neil and Corey are my only real-life friends (that I know of) who've died from AIDS. I have at least one other friend living with HIV, but as far as I know he's doing well thanks to treatment advances and access to good medical care.

Not everyone has those advantages. We're all tired of hearing about AIDS; we'd all like to be able to focus on something else--cancer or heart disease or global warming or so many other important issues! And yet, every year I think about Neil and Corey and the people still living with HIV who are struggling to get medicine or dental care or enough food, and I fire up my e-mail and I ask you to please sponsor me for AIDS Walk LA.

My fundraising page is here, and any amounts you donate there will be matched dollar for dollar by my employer. This is a great opportunity for your money to go twice as far.

Some of you have sponsored me already, and I'm so very grateful. If you haven't pledged yet, please think about whether you might be able to spare a few (or more than a few) dollars. As always, thank you for your time and for your support.

Four weeks... and a lot of fundraising... to go.

without_me — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:46:45 GMT

I'll cut to the chase: Have you sponsored me for the AIDS Walk yet? If not, would you, please? You can click here to sponsor me via credit card, or drop me a note if you'd like to contribute by cash, check, or PayPal. I appreciate contributions large and small, and if you can't spare any money this year would you consider asking your friends or co-workers to sponsor me? Every dollar I raise will be doubled, so it's a great opportunity to make a bigger impact than you might be able to on your own.

If you're telling other people, you can send them straight to my donation link (above), or point them to the long version of this year's begging-for-dollars post here.

Many thanks to everyone who has already made a donation. I appreciate it more than you know.

One-tenth of the way there...

without_me — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:28:19 GMT

... and THANK YOU to the ladies who chipped in right off the bat. But I haven't heard from a lot of you yet. Please, sponsor me--and, more importantly, help people who really need it--if you can.

The long, wordy post is here; I won't rehash all that... yet...

As madame_d pointed out, if you're sending money via Paypal you now need to select "Personal" to avoid being charged a fee (but then, you wouldn't have marked this as a "Purchase" anyway, right?).

I want to keep my begging posts to a minimum, but the only way that works is if you folks help me reach my goal. Again, I know that this is a tough year for many people, and by no means do I want you to sponsor me if you really can't afford it. But if you can, please do. (And if you can't, maybe you know someone else who could? I'm leaving these posts public so you are free to point people here, or you can just pass along the link to my fundraising page: http://aidswalklosangeles2009.kintera.org/alicia)

Again, thank you for the support you've given me for years. I don't believe in a deity, but I do believe in the kindness and generosity of online friends. I know that--even this year--we can achieve this, together.

Is it really begging-for-dollars time again already?

without_me — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:36:35 GMT

Yes. Yes it is.

I have to admit, I toyed with the idea of not walking this year. This will be my 11th year doing AIDS Walk LA, and if you're tired of reading my fundraising posts, let me tell you, I'm tired of writing them as well.

At the same time, the need continues--and, in this economy, with governmental and non-governmental grants being cut, it's greater than ever. And people living with HIV don't have the option of taking a year off just because they feel like it.

Moreover, to my delight, despite the economy, my employer has once again committed to matching the funds raised by our company's team, so any amount you pledge through me will be doubled. That's a pretty good deal.

This year, a lot of people are out of work, and we're all watching our budgets. I don't want or expect anyone to donate if you honestly can't afford it. If you can give a little, though, I hope you will. And if you're lucky enough not to have had your earnings go down this year, would you please consider donating a little extra to cover someone else who simply doesn't have the money to spare right now?

The money raised by AIDS Walk LA benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles and other AIDS service organizations across Los Angeles County, to provide services for thousands of people living with AIDS/HIV, promote HIV-prevention activities, and support AIDS education and policy activism on the local, state, and national level. For more details on the projects AIDS Walk LA funds, click here.

If even half of the people on my flist make small contributions, I'll easily reach my goal. You can pledge by credit card ($25 and up) here, or if you want to send me a check (any amount, payable to AIDS Walk LA), please leave a comment or email me at without_me at LJ and let me know how to get you my contact information. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can also Paypal me cash (not credit card payments) to contribute on your behalf, using the without_me at LJ addy. (Naturally, I don't encourage people to do this if they have any concern or doubt that I will make the donation.)

No matter how you contribute, if you pledge through me your contribution will be matched by my employer, so please don't think your $5 or $10 isn't important! (And if you can give more, of course, that would be wonderful.) If you'd like to help without making a donation, or in addition to whatever donation you do make, please feel free to spread the word, pointing people to this post and/or to my AIDS Walk fundraising page.

Thanks to you (and my employer's match) I was AWLA's 21st-highest fundraiser last year--no, really!), and I would love to exceed that total this year. (I don't get anything beyond bragging rights for being in the top 100, but I'll take those!) With your support, I can easily reach my goal and help a lot of people who really need it. THANK YOU.

Please sponsor me for AIDS Walk LA!

without_me — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:44:27 GMT

This will be my 10th year doing AIDS Walk LA. In 1999, I think I raised around $500. Since then, this has become my one major fundraising effort each year, assisted in large part by the fact that my employer matches every dollar I raise in pledges.

I walk in memory of two friends, Corey Ford and Neil Rabin, in honor of other friends living with HIV, and on behalf of millions of other people's loved ones. If you have your own losses, you understand. If you're lucky enough not to have lost a friend to AIDS, give thanks... and either way, please give money, if you can.

The money raised by AIDS Walk LA benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles and other AIDS service organizations across Los Angeles County, to provide services for thousands of people living with AIDS/HIV, promote HIV-prevention activities, and support AIDS education and policy activism on the local, state, and national level. For more details on the projects AIDS Walk LA funds, click here.

My friends have been very generous in the past (thanks to you I was OMG the 35th-highest fundraiser last year--no, really!), and I appreciate it more than I can say. (I don't get anything special for being in the top 100, but it was a very nice surprise when they told me.)

I know times are tight, and we're all watching our budgets, and that means that to meet my goal this year I will probably have to get smaller pledges from more people than in past years. Still, I am confident I can do it. If you can contribute--even a little bit--I hope you will. My fundraising goal this year is $2,500 ($5,000 after the employer match!). You can pledge by credit card ($25 and up) here, or if you want to send me a check (any amount, payable to AIDS Walk LA), please leave a comment or email me at without_me at LJ and let me know how to get you my contact information. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can also Paypal me cash (not credit card payments) to contribute on your behalf, using the without_me at LJ addy. (Naturally, I don't encourage people to do this if they have any concern or doubt that I will make the donation.)

No matter how you contribute, if you pledge through me your dollars will be matched by my employer, so your donations will go twice as far. Every $5 or $10 helps! (And if you can give more, of course, that would be wonderful.)

If you'd like to help without making a donation, or in addition to whatever donation you do make, please feel free to spread the word, pointing people to this post and/or to my AIDS Walk fundraising page. With your support, I can easily reach my goal and help further this important cause. THANK YOU.

Oh, c'mon, we can beat those Germans, can't we?

without_me — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:14:43 GMT

By which I mean: If you haven't participated in stellamira's LJ-use poll yet, please click here and do. If you don't know stellamira (as presumably you don't, if you haven't seen this request already), I'm glad to vouch for her as a responsible person.

Note: This is a public post.

Rec!

without_me — Fri, 11 May 2007 22:45:07 GMT

I was lucky enough to win brynwulf in Sweet Charity, and the result was posted today. An interlude in sundownverse, it's sweet and painful and hot and (this is the best part) asks more questions than it answers. Plus there's a little somethin'-somethin' on the end that just made me squee, but I'm not going to spoil it for you. Go, read, love!

Luck, Don't Fail Me Now.

without_me — Fri, 11 May 2007 20:35:08 GMT

Thank you, anonymous rose-gifter! Is there anything I can do for you?

Oh, I may get in trouble for this, but I think it bears repeating.

without_me — Tue, 01 May 2007 22:22:09 GMT

apetslife said it first and best, but I figured it was worth getting up on my high horse about, too.

For all of us (yes, of course "us"; did anyone really think I wouldn't be going?) headed for Fort Worth in June: BEHAVE.

Whether Jensen is a frail flower or not, whether you'll ever get to see him in person again or not, whether your mama raised you right or not: show a little courtesy. To Jensen, to the other theatergoers, to your fellow fans. By all means, be excited and enthusiastic at the performance--but remember, this is not a pop concert. Screaming is not appropriate. If you want to try to get an autograph or a photo with Jensen, wait by the stage door, again, with respect. There's absolutely a place and time for wild squeeing; that place and time is NOT anywhere Jensen (or most mundanes*--with the possible exception of waitstaff in all-night restaurants, who kind of have to take what comes with the territory) might see or hear. Scaring the talent is never a good idea. And--this should go without saying--NO GRABBY-HANDS!

We all love Jensen, and we want him to know it. That's fine. Just please, for your sake and everyone else's, remember that while he may look like he was created in a lab (or by a technician very close to God), he's a human being, and we don't own him, or any part of him.

*You never know who might be standing/sitting a few feet away from you. Do you really want Jensen's mother, or cousin, or best friend from high school to hear you talking about what he does in your fantasies? Let me answer that for you, in case there's any doubt: You do not.

Baruch dayan emet.

without_me — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:15:04 GMT

Molly Ivins, 1944-2007. She will be sorely missed.

From what I think was her last column, a call to action:

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. . . . We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

Check back here for a tribute (with thanks to dailykos, where I found the link).

Tomorrow Begins Today

without_me — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 22:51:29 GMT

First and foremost for wearemany, but for the rest of y'all as well (with credit to dailykos, through whom I get most of my political information): Edwards Declares War On Hope (and it's about time).

Feel free to comment if you're so inclined; please note that this is a public post.

A rare public post.

without_me — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 02:11:48 GMT

If you're doing holiday shopping, please consider doing some of it here (and help keep some children from being sold):

(~~I'm sure I should know how to make the graphic a link, but I'm stoopid that way.~~ Thanks, clumsygyrl!)

Speak up for Supernatural (and your other fave CW shows).

without_me — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 03:00:45 GMT

Click over here and put in your two cents' worth. It may be meaningless, or it may not... but it doesn't cost anything to try.

Don't just stand there; do something.

without_me — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:32:20 GMT

Election day (in the U.S.) is a little over a week away. We have a chance at taking back Congress this year, but to do it we've got to get out the vote. Please, click here and pick a way to make a difference. Phone calls, emails, on-the-ground volunteering--it all helps.

In political news...

without_me — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 22:19:51 GMT

Who supports the troops?

And

--AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl

--AZ-01: Rick Renzi

--AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth

--CA-04: John Doolittle

--CA-11: Richard Pombo

--CA-50: Brian Bilbray

--CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave

--CO-05: Doug Lamborn

--CO-07: Rick O'Donnell

--CT-04: Christopher Shays

--FL-13: Vernon Buchanan

--FL-16: Joe Negron

--FL-22: Clay Shaw

--ID-01: Bill Sali

--IL-06: Peter Roskam

--IL-10: Mark Kirk

--IL-14: Dennis Hastert

--IN-02: Chris Chocola

--IN-08: John Hostettler

--IA-01: Mike Whalen

--KS-02: Jim Ryun

--KY-03: Anne Northup

--KY-04: Geoff Davis

--MD-Sen: Michael Steele

--MN-01: Gil Gutknecht

--MN-06: Michele Bachmann

--MO-Sen: Jim Talent

--MT-Sen: Conrad Burns

--NV-03: Jon Porter

--NH-02: Charlie Bass

--NJ-07: Mike Ferguson

--NM-01: Heather Wilson

--NY-03: Peter King

--NY-20: John Sweeney

--NY-26: Tom Reynolds

--NY-29: Randy Kuhl

--NC-08: Robin Hayes

--NC-11: Charles Taylor

--OH-01: Steve Chabot

--OH-02: Jean Schmidt

--OH-15: Deborah Pryce

--OH-18: Joy Padgett

--PA-04: Melissa Hart

--PA-07: Curt Weldon

--PA-08: Mike Fitzpatrick

--PA-10: Don Sherwood

--RI-Sen: Lincoln Chafee

--TN-Sen: Bob Corker

--VA-Sen: George Allen

--VA-10: Frank Wolf

--WA-Sen: Mike McGavick

--WA-08: Dave Reichert

(Pass it on.)

I'm looking at you. Yes, you!

without_me — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:57:24 GMT

Okay, someone needs to make this ad (found via metaquotes). Seriously, a bunch of y'all make vids, or animated icons...

Y'all read plaidder already, right?

without_me — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:02:45 GMT

Well, just in case you don't: Don't miss this, on Foley announcing he's gay.

Waterboarding: "coercive interrogation" or torture?

without_me — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:31:19 GMT

Judge for yourself. Go here; then, under "Sample Current TV," click the thumbnail with the guy in the orange jumpsuit.

The video is of a former servicemember who volunteered to undergo waterboarding on camera, not of an actual prisoner. It's still pretty disturbing stuff.