Oct 1

So the birthday countdown has begun. I am one of the very lucky people to have a Halloween birthday. That's not so good during an election year, which seems to be every year because of the inability for people to party for my birthday. Since I don't drink, partying just means whip cream and chocolate cake. But getting folks to do anything fun has to be at the end of the election.

It is also a time of great sadness for me. My friend, Gary McMillin and I used to share the same birthday, same day, same year. October 31, 1954. He died of AIDS in 2001. I never got a chance to say goodbye.

I hope to be able to write more about him as the month progresses but sometimes I am so overwhelmed with sadness I am almost paralyzed. So I will try in bits and pieces to describe what a jewel he was in my life. And to see if I can describe the profound loss that AIDS has inflicted on me.