HIV no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains | CTV British Columbia News

 (HIV no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains | CTV British Columbia News

I am not sure how many found the link to the video that CTV showed on the news one night - here is one http://www.bcwomensfoundation.org/news/videos-at-bc-womens/articles/314.php.

Notice, yet another helper on the back of the truck with the sculpture skeleton. yep, poor fellow was here to build me a better bathroom and - bingo - an opportunity for film footage that couldn't be missed.

I have had many messages saying how pleased others are that I am willing to talk out loud. We are now many who say it like it is - who are PLOPAs. It's enjoyable to talk about everything from the changes in medication since the early years - to the challenges of living a full life - the craziness around criminalizing the possible transmission of HIV.  As we tour across the country, I would love to talk about anything that is pertinent to my fellow Canadians.

PLOPAs is one of my favorite acronyms from Lesotho.  I met a man on the road who was also a Person Living Openly Positive to AIDS. May I say that it's a lot easier here than there.

Thanks to all the PLOPAs out there, and to those who are PLS, We love you too.

The beads are ready

I just received word that the beaded ribbons I ordered from Kenya are ready. I wanted to adorn the pill-bottle cocktail glass with red ribbons, but also wanted these to withstand the weather. The answer is simple when you have positive friends in Kenya.  I asked Mercy to find women to make the simple red ribbons and she founf - in her words - 'H. I. V, victims, single mothers who came up with this idea to stop depending on a local NGO - Osopet for school fees, uniforms and food.' Of course I wrote back to her aboutus being HIV victims.  We are survivors! Below is a picture of my beading Kenyan survivors!

They are strong and beautiful women who want to keep making money by beading intricate things like the ones they are wearing or holding in their hands. Please contact positively AFRICA (see the side bar) if you have need of something beautiful to wear, or want to host a party and sell African wearable artwork to your friends.

It means schooling, food and a future to amazing people far away and yet connected to us in a deep way. 

It seems slow but "Things are Happening"

Progress has many faces - I am so happy to report we received an anonymous donation for the road trip and another one from a friend who was here for a week when I was very busy cleaning bottles for the sculpture. So thank you for both the financial support and the belief that I can make this happen!

Cleaning plastic pill bottles just got a little easier.  It turned out the GooGone and another safer product call Citrasol, work to get that sticky stuff off the bottles. So at 50 bottles a day it will just take 2 months to wash all the bottles.  OK so I need help.  Calling on anyone who iswilling to scrub and doesn't mind getting their hands wet!! Come by anytime!!

And the most unexpected email brought the broadest smile to my face. One of the other competitors invited Cathy and I to stay with his family while rolling across the country. Bless them - we will try to stop in for tea at least!

Here's a smile shot -

Kai suggested that we have a prize for the person who guesses the number of bottles in the sculpture. Great thought but you'll have to wait for me to catch up with that idea to see the finished piece.

I suggest another contest - How many different sizes and shapes of pill bottles do you think there are?  Go ahead send me your best guess!! The prize will be a piece of my artwork. I'm also thinking I will sell artwork to pay for the trip.  Starting in March, I'll post a creation each week, and let people send in their bids for that piece of art. This is truly a 'village' project.

Cleaning Bottles for the Sculpture

Peggy - in her father's lab coat - scraping the first layer of label off a pill bottle.

This is one amazingly big job! Imagine washing 2000 small pill bottles so that the label goop is all gone. I think its time to move on to something than than water and elbow grease as I have worn my fingers to the bone and just wore down the skin on a visitors hands. I should have a warning sign out front - Watch out - Bottle Washing in Progress. No one is excluded!!

I started looking at the pill bottles and thought about all the different HIV/AIDS medications I've taken over the past 17 years. I know at one time I took 49 medications a day - there was AZT at one time and 3TC.  And those big horse pills DDI - the ones I convinced the Dr. B. to reduce my dose to a teenager's dosage.  But the one that makes me laugh is ritonavir. For a while the capsules couldn't be formulated and we had to drink the stuff. I put it in a shot glass and downed it gently - like a glass of sherry. So the idea of cocktail parties across the country isn't that far from my wacky reality.

I have had some help from friends on this project and really am impressed with the technical  support I am getting from local and international businesses.  I have to admit that I am scared. The next step is irreversible - gluing the bottles onto the form-work that you see in the background of the picture. Fear is a healthy thing sometimes - makes us think things out carefully.  Soon I'll post that I have started gluing - but at the moment I have house guests and want to keep the air fume free for them.

Thanks for following the post. A very special thanks to one of the other Kingsbrae artists who invited Cathy and I to stay with he and his family while traveling.  Thanks too to the anonymous donor who made a $25 donation for the Cross Canada Cocktail Tour to Vancouver Island PWA.

Pill Bottles

Hi

Part of the amazing adventure has been simply collecting pill bottles.  I am going to collect bottles until the middle of March, and then go with what I have.  I need more than enough because I want to make beautiful patterns with the various sizes and shapes as well as colours of bottles.

These bottles have been collected from other POZ people to use in the sculpture. I've removed any identifying labels for privacy,

Another part is connecting with ASOs (AIDS Service Organizations) and groups of people across the country with an interest in the project, HIV and womens' rights. So far I am overjoyed with very positive response from ANKORS in Nelson and from a group in Prince George.  Please pass this link along to others who might be interested in discussions about sexuality and HIV and the criminalization of HIV.  I have a wonderful film - made by our friends at the Legal Network - called "Positive Women Exposing Injustice". We can watch it and then discuss the Canadian reality around HIV.

A brand new base.

Hi

At times it seems that I am undoing as much as I do.  I just did not like the base that I had made - so sorry to all the helpers who assisted in option one.  "That's an ugly cocktail glass!" I said to myself.  "It's gotta go."  I took the chop saw to the old base - and saved what I could for the new.  It was not pretty - the mess of plastic left after the chop saw had its way with the piece.

I was not able to save a very tediously constructed central piece. So days later and several trips to the hardware and plumbing stores in town looking for new bits and the perfect hole cutting saw - I'm back in my own basement shop starting from scratch!

This error in planning meant more than just additional purchases, it required more help from exceedingly clever friends. Today I started working from the ground up.  Today I made progress.

See the three images.The description of each is below:

STEPS 1 AND 2: Using a drill-press. and blocking the white piece carefully, we drilled two different sized holes in the centre. It worked like a charm! 

STEP 3 AND 4: Glue in these strange double ’V’s using transition glue. Then cut PVC pieces that fit a circle the diameter of the base and glue those in place.

STEP 5: Cut the PVC base-cover the diameter of the support structure and screw it into place ready to receive the first rounds of bottles.  These will be arranges to give the base a lovely curve.I am happy now!

There are still things to consider - like keeping critters out of the PVC pipe that supports the structure - and also keeping the snow out of the enormous bowl on the top of the sculpture.  I am still very excited about this piece. Time now - though - to dance.  Perhaps tonight I'll dance a perfect cocktail glass.