World AIDS Day

I find it incredibly odd — not odd in a disturbing way, but odd in an unexpected way — that I am 40 years old and do not personally know anyone who has AIDS. Nor do I even know anyone who is HIV-positive.

That I know of, that is.

I consider myself extremely lucky for this ... and strangely grateful, for the fact that, at least regarding this hideous disease, my friends and loved ones are healthy.

I was in college when I first heard of AIDS, back in the early 1980s. Heard of it in terms of hearing it mentioned, and I am not even certain of the context. I do remember that, by the end of my college term (1987), AIDS was an occasional topic of conversation, especially amongst the gay crowd, but also in casual discussions everywhere.

If there were ever a time that I or any of my friends could have become infected, it would have been then: Before we knew, exactly, how the disease was transmitted, and when we were too stupid to care.

My own future best friend had a blood transfusion during this time but also managed to avoid receiving any tainted blood.

Random Soft Cell reference: Ohhhh! Tainted blood ... tainted blood ...

I suppose that is what I mean by my friends and loved ones — and myself — being lucky.

I did not do anything out of the ordinary today in observance of World AIDS Day; however, tonight, I did watch the last 90 minutes of Philadelphia — one of those films that I actually had the soundtrack for before I saw the movie. (Bruce won an Oscar for his song, which I adore, but my actual favorites from the album are the title song by Neil Young and one called “Dreams Come True” by a group whose name I cannot recall. [All I know is I used to blast it of a morning and dance around my living room.])

I was reminded, somehow, of Rain Man. Not in terms of similarities in themes, of course, but in a comparison of the characters played by Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise in their respective films: How they start out harboring lifelong beliefs and feelings about certain topics but have their lives — and their minds — changed when they allow themselves to care for another person.

: )

Changing the subject:

I have been on a technological tangent here lately as we head full force into the Christmas season. As previously mentioned, I finally took the plunge and installed DSL (LOVE it!), and I also ordered me a Treo 650 — something I had been obsessing about over the past couple of months. Merry Christmas to me!

Also, I have also managed to prepare the living room for the addition of my holiday decor — and yes, I believe I truly am going to have two (2) Christmas trees this year. Both very small, and unless the Norfolk pine can handle the weight of the mini lights I found yesterday, at least one of them will be without lights.

(As I mentioned in my column, I envision myself as someone with one of those huge Victorian homes with a fully trimmed Christmas tree in every room ... even though I live in a single-level house, and both of my trees will be right here with me in my own personal living space. Ah, well, at least I will not have to be giving any tours or anything like that!)

: )

OK, I have a couple of presents to wrap — and no, they are not for me! And Mannheim Steamroller CDs to drag out!