Living with HIV/AIDS has provided many valuable lessons in my life.

              You might be thinking that I am referring to the life I’ve had since that day in April 1997 w… Read full post »

              Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.”

              I suppose I could simply publish that quote if I wanted to express… Read full post »

Alcoholic or not, drug addict or not, a resentment, especially a long-term resentment, serves no productive purpose.  The only task this bitter bastard child of hatred and fear ever accomplishes is to blacken hearts and erode souls.

I’ve been told time and again by those who have walked t… Read full post »

              During one of my visits home when I lived in San Francisco in the 1990s, it was decided by my mother, my uncle and me that I should be the one to tell her that we were going to take action to have her driver’s… Read full post »

              I’m not quite sure when in my life that it happened, but I remember when the public was urged to start using the phrase “differently-abled” in lieu of “disabled” when referring to a person living with one or more phys… Read full post »

              During a chemically-induced psychosis, I was convinced people were trying to kill me.  I was convinced because throughout the three-day respite from reality, my mind convinced me the weapon-wielding wannabe-wrongdoers were not hallucinations.… Read full post »

  According to a (very attractive) volunteer at the Castro Country Club, I, my friends am a “hottie!”

              My thought to that declaration is, “Duh!&… Read full post »

              Several months back, my doctor and my friends suggested that I take a break from theater production – at least the physically taxing elements such as producing, directing, marketing and especially the combination of those three.  I agre… Read full post »

              Insanity to the insane is sanity.

              When I was active in my addiction, particularly when using crystal-meth, my life was pure insanity.  Of course, I can say that n… Read full post »

              Should a man who has led an otherwise exemplary life of service to others and who has been an inspiration to tens of thousands of people have his legacy condemned for one serious error in judgment?

        … Read full post »

              Until today, the only person who has known the full details of the incident I am about to relate has been my sponsor.

              The reason for my not sharing this before now is… Read full post »

              The Los Angeles City Council yesterday passed legislation by a vote of 9-1 to require the mandatory usage of condoms in porn films.  The law for which the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation had been leading the lobbying efforts for… Read full post »

              I recently attended a 12-step meeting during which the main speaker gave partial attribution to the culture of his ethnicity for his initial attraction to the physical and social effects of alcohol.  That one throw-away statement triggered a… Read full post »

              Several postings ago in “Confessions, Fears & Kindness” I listed a number of my fears.  That list was only a partial inventory of the things that frighten me.

          &… Read full post »

              Procrastination has been my companion for as long as I can remember.

              Unfortunately, rarely in all the years we have been together has any good come my way from our rel… Read full post »

              For the sake of simplicity, I’m just going to say that the following story takes place when I was 10years old.  In reality, I was somewhere between 9 & 13, but 10 is a nice round number, and I like round numbers.  Not to mentio… Read full post »

              One of the first things told to me when I came into recovery was, “when in doubt as to what to do next, just do the next right thing.”

              The trouble was, as… Read full post »

              Within this past week, I attended a 12-step meeting in which the main speaker shared his inability while in active addiction to honor any promises he made to himself in regards to preventing his evenings out from becoming insane.  He would pr… Read full post »

I enlisted in the United States Navy several years prior to the implementation of President Bill Clinton’s policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

I was eighteen years old when I began my service and, though I had been having sex with men for several years by t… Read full post »

              I confess.

              I do not have a reputation for being the kindest person in the world.

              When I… Read full post »

              Last night, after my Tuesday night writer’s group, I was asked by one of the members if I would be willing to have him take my portrait for a project he is doing.

          &nb… Read full post »

              It has been a long time since I have viewed the start of a new year as an extraordinary event.

Once I learned that time is merely a concept created by and perceived only by man (after all, how many months have been… Read full post »

            Today I learned of a sad event that happened this past August 8.

              Ruth Brinker, founder of Project Open Hand “passed away peacefully at Eden Villa Assiste… Read full post »

                It has filled me with an indescribable level of pride and joy to have shared that I have had 100% compliance with my new HIV-med regimen which I began January 26.  However, due to that little pesky little… Read full post »

                For a guy who vowed to take the first half of 2011 in order to focus purely on his healthcare – I sure got very busy very quickly!

            … Read full post »