Umm Why Isn't There a Cure for AIDS?

Sometimes, well actually all the time, I have very random thoughts. Recently, I was thinking why isn't there a cure for AIDS?

Everyone remembers when Earvin "Magic" Johnson was interviewed by Linda Ellerbee back in the early 1990s and announced he had contracted HIV. That was such a different day and age. I remember watching movies like Philadelphia where Denzel Washington's character was afraid to shake Tom Hanks' hand because at that time no one knew how the virus was spread. There was such a huge stigma attached to those who had HIV and AIDS.

Fast forward to 2009, and Magic says that he no longer has HIV. Well, I guess it's not that he doesn't have HIV but because of the medication he takes, his HIV hasn't progressed and when he takes tests they come up as Negative.
What I want to know is, how many people really live with HIV for 15-20 years? I know he's rich but how could he be the only one who's been able to keep the virus from turning into full-blown AIDS after all these years. Does anyone else think this is strange?

Another thing...When women with HIV/AIDS have babies doctors give them certain medications which help to prevent them from transferring the virus to their newborns. (http://www.avert.org/motherchild.htm) If this concept help lessen the spread of the virus from mother-to-child through vaginal birth, why hasn't a drug been invented that these same women could take to keep them from infecting their partners?

I'm not a doctor nor do I claim to be knowledgeable about infectious diseases. I just want to know why it seems like the spread of AIDS is getting worse. It's scary to think Washington, D.C., the Nation's Capital, has more people infected with HIV/AIDS than some West African countries, according to the results of a 2008 study that were announced in March of 2009, click here to read more. Some things just don't make sense and the fact that we don't seem any closer to finding a cure for AIDS is one of those things. Just my thoughts.

Life of a Nonprofit Diva

So those who know me know that I can be a bit of a diva, depending on how well you know me. It's not so much a diva in a bitchy kind of way but I know what I want and how to get it. I used this ability in everyday life and while working in Corporate America.

I worked for two Fortune 500 companies after grad school but after a while I realized it wasn't for me. Nearly two years ago, I made the switch to nonprofit. Although, I'd volunteered for every type of charity you could imagine since I was young, I had never worked for a nonprofit. Let me tell you it was not only a culture shock but a shock to my bank account.

Working in Corporate America, if I wanted to go out and buy the hottest bag or jewelry, as long as my bills were paid I could do it. I've always had expensive tastes, that's just how I was raised and what I've grown accustomed to. When I bought my new car, my old one was dying and I decided I needed to step my game up so I decided to invest in a nicer but starter, luxury car. (People seem to think it cost more than it did but that's on them.) Hey, I was in B2B sales and we were expected to have an air about us to be able to successfully negotiate with CEOs and decision makers within companies we were trying to win business from. In my line of work having a nice car only added to your credibility.

One day, I realized the life of wheeling and dealing really wasn't for me so I started looking for other opportunities. During this time, I was determined to make the switch from Corporate America to nonprofit. I knew that I would never find a nonprofit that would pay me what I was making in sales so I began to cut back on my spending. I found a roommate who was also interested in saving some money each month. It's been a great partnership having someone to help me out with the mortgage and also having someone else there for safety.

And anyone who knows me knows that I love to shop. Fortunately, the company that I worked part time (PT) with through grad school, then went on to work in their corporate offices in NY, has allowed me to have a very flexible PT schedule over the years. Having a PT job allows me to not only have a fabulous discount on the things I love most but it allows me to buy the things I want, whereas the full-time pays for the things I need.

Working for a nonprofit has definitely humbled me. While I'm not getting the salary I think I deserve compared to my counterparts with similar positions in Corporate America, the experience, growth opportunities, benefits, far outweigh that of a salary. I think, well no I know, I've learned more in the last few years in nonprofit than I probably would have in 5-7 years working in Corporate America. My boss is extremely supportive of me and my career and is always encouraging me to attend various events and go to trainings.

True, I've had to make a lot of sacrifices whether it's not being able to travel on a whim due to working the PT one day on the weekend, or not being able to spend lots of money on entertainment and going out. Those sacrifices are minimal to what I've been able to learn. Working for a nonprofit, has given me the opportunity to see that money is not and should not be my only motivation behind having a job. Instead, this nonprofit diva has a passion for being able to make a difference in the lives of others.

Restaurant Review: Ketchup

As a self proclaimed foodie, I'm going to try to get back into doing restaurant reviews. I like to venture out to new restaurants but before going I usually check the reviews of others before I try it out for myself. So when I try out new places, I'm going to start posting reviews.

Last week I went to Ketchup, a new restaurant that opened a few weeks ago at the National Harbor (Oxon Hill, MD). Apparently, there are two other Ketchup locations one in Huntsville, AL (random) and the other in LA. It's also owned by a larger restaurant group that has restaurants all over the country.

Atmosphere: When you enter the restaurant there is a bar to the left. To the right, they have a nice set-up of trendy, low to the group, kind of futuristic red pod-shaped seats that can accommodate I'd say 15-20 people. The restaurant is very uniquely designed and the color scheme is red, black and white. It's a fairly small place because of the set-up. They also have some interesting art pieces/floating walls coming from the ceiling that kept my attention throughout dinner.

Service: We arrived around 7:45, a little early for our 8:15 reservation but the hostess seated us right away. As soon as we sat down the people next to us started receiving their appetizers, which looked very tasty. The waitress came over about 5 minutes after we were seated to take our drink orders. Definitely took a good 10 minutes for our strawberry mojitos to come out. As the waitress handed me my mojito, I looked at the glass and thought you have to be kidding me. There was a fresh, pink lipstick stain on my glass, like the glass hadn't even touched any water. She immediately apologized and came back like 5 minutes later with another one. However, I wasn't impressed with it, definitely was not a good mojito. The lipstick left a sour taste in my mouth and so did the mojito but I tried to get past it.

Food: So we ordered a dish called the Threesome for our appetizer which was three different types of fries with which was supposed to be served with 5 different types of ketchup. I say supposed to because they ran out of one of the flavors so we ended up having 2 of the regular or "original" ketchup. The fries were good and they gave us a nice size portion. I ordered the grouper topped with crab meat with green beans instead of the asparagus and my date at the Grilled Shrimp with a side of Lobster Mac & Cheese. My fish was nicely seasoned, but lukewarm when I received it. My date thoroughly enjoyed his Lobster Mac & Cheese. I had some of the grilled shrimp which was also good but wasn't very hot. All in all the food was good.

Overall, I thought Ketchup was nice, the food was good. I was attracted to the colors and the eclectic decorations. I'd go back for happy hour, but I definitely would not get their strawberry mojito. I would order the Threesome again as it seemed to be very popular because everyone around us ordered it too. On a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give Ketchup a 6.

Here's the link to their Dinner Menu

Don't Tase Me Bro

To this day the words "Don't tase me bro" still make me laugh. If you haven't seen the video, it's from a few years ago when a student from the University of Florida gets tasered for being disruptive at an event where John Kerry was speaking. For the video, click here.

So as I was waking up this morning, I sat there and was watched The Today Show as I do every morning. One of the segments was about a 72 year-old woman who was tasered by the police. At first, I was outraged and was like who would do that to a woman that age? Then I saw the dashboard video, click here.

All the woman had to do was sign the ticket and she would have gone about her business, but no. When she refused the police officer told her that he would have to arrest her. He told her several times to move back from the street to prevent her from getting hit, but she continued to disobey and shouted obscenities at him. Definitely not your sweet, little old lady. When he warned her that she was going to get tasered, the last thing she said was "I dare you". At that point, I was like did she really just say that. Ole ride or die granny. She asked for it and she got it.

From what I've read so far there seems to be differing opinions on whether the officer was justified in tasering her. I feel as though he was because she clearly disobeyed his commands time after time. Sure she's an older woman but from the video she appeared to be very spry and was clearly in her right mind. I'm an advocate for the elderly and have been volunteering with them for over 10 years. You can tell when they are losing it or when they are just being mean and nasty. In my opinion, Granny got what she deserved. What do you think?

Things Not To Do or Wear At Work

Ok so I work for a pretty conservative company as are many of the companies/agencies located near where I work in downtown Washington, D.C. Let's just say I work for one of the largest and oldest professional associations there is in the US.

As I sit in my office or walk down the halls I'm constantly reminded that some people just don't seem to get it when it comes to working in a conservative, professional environment. I've compiled a list of what shouldn't be done in the office. Most of the things I've listed are common sense. Other things, although they sound a little crazy I've seen them. These are just want I came up with when thinking about the last week or so of work. If you read my tweets you've heard all about my experiences at work.

What Not To Do At Work (at your desk)
1. Clipping of the nails (finger nails and especially not toe nails)
2. Sucking on a lollipop (especially if you don't have an office and are out in the public, actually just don't do it.)
3. Brushing your teeth, flossing, or gargling mouthwash
4. Singing out loud while listening to music
5. Chewing anything with your mouth open so others can hear you chew
6. Cooking anything that will stink up the office (i.e burning popcorn, curry, most types of fish)
7. Spraying anything that will stink up the office
8. Taking off your socks and picking at or between your toes
9. Bashing your boss or your co-workers, you never know who's listening or who's friends with
who
10. Leaving your cell phone ringer on. Unless you're a doctor or on-call, you can put it on vibrate or have people call you at your desk. No one wants to hear your phone ringing while you've stepped out to go to the bathroom or a meeting.

What Not To Wear At Work
1. Tank tops or strapless clothing (unless under a suit jacket)
2. Flip flops of any kind (unless you work at the Beach)
3. Anything where your back is out
4. Anything that exposes your bra straps, butt crack or love handles (no one should see these parts of your body)
5. Sweats, velour, or track suits, even on casual Fridays
6. Pants so tight you have a camel toe (If you can feel it, everyone else can see it)
7. Too small cardigan or blouse. You know when you see some and the buttons are holding on for dear life or there's that one button that won't stay closed and reveals the person's bra.
8. Anything so low-cut that has the potential of exposing your arreolas
9. Cullottes (don't know where people are finding theses, haven't seen them since like '87. They are nothing but long, loose fitting shorts think Golden Girls. But who wears shorts to work unless you're a camp counselor or a P.E. Teacher?
10. Anything satin or velvet. Some materials aren't meant for daytime so just don't do it.

Can't Take Life For Granted

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have quite a few different circles of friends. One of my friends is my girl because she's always the life of the party, she's always down for the cause whether it's going to happy hour, checking out the latest hot spot, or to just hang out with only a moments notice.

I hadn't heard from her all week so I emailed her on Friday with a list of things to do this weekend. A few hours ago I checked my email and saw the following message.

I might have ms girl, thank God everyday for health.

My first reaction was WHAT? What do you mean you might have MS as in Multiple Sclerosis? Secondly who puts that in an email? I immediately picked up the phone to call her. When she finally answered I asked her where was all of this coming from. She explained how she'd been showing symptoms of MS like her legs feeling weak, having tremors, and constantly rocking. She said she went to the doctor earlier in the week and he explained to her the symptoms were there but she'd have to have an MRI to find out for sure if she had it or not.

Our entire conversation was crazy because in the 2 years that I've known her, I've never seen her this vulnerable. She's always so upbeat and full of life. She started talking about how we must not take life for granted and how she may never get married or have kids. I tried to sound positive and told her not to think like that because her diagnosis wasn't final and even if she does find out she has MS her life isn't over. Then she attempted some humor saying something like, I'm glad all of my friends like to volunteer so when I'm crippled and in a wheelchair you all will accept me as I am. Although I kind of smirked when she made the comment, I couldn't help but picture her that way and had to shake the image from my head. I told her to stop talking like that and to stay positive and reassured her that she would be fine.

It's hard to hear that your 29 year-old friend could possibly have a debilitating disease like that of MS. It's one of those diseases you hear about "other" people having like the late-comedian Richard Pryor or singer Tamia, not something that could affect your friend who hasn't even reached 30.

It just reminds me that life is so precious and that I should never take it for granted. I'm so thankful that I'm healthy, have family and friends who love me, have use of my limbs and the ability to hear and to see, have a job that I enjoy. I've been blessed in so many ways I could never list everything. When things like this happen, it makes you realize how trivial, insignificant things cannot even compare to how someone who is diagnosed with something like MS, cancer, HIV could really feel.

It's so easy to take life for granted but when I think of all of the challenges I could be facing, it makes it easy to remain humble. I constantly have to remind myself that I only have one life to live so I need to make the most of it.