a good deal, April 9, 2010

These are the same batteries the audiologist sells us for a much greater price. They last a long time and I shall order often.

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Good product/fair price, September 30, 2010

These are the same batteries that came with my hearing aids. They are difficult to find locally and are expensive when found. Internet shopping is hard to beat.

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Heraring Aid Batteries, September 17, 2010

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Jim D. Marler “Foxfire” (Baltimore, MD USA) – See all my reviews

  

Rayovac is the top of the line. Longer lasting than other batteries I have purchased at drug stores and groceries. Johns Hopkins uses this brand and recommended them to me for their longer lasting ability.

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Andrew Holleran At His Best, July 10, 2008

By 

H. F. Corbin “Foster Corbin” (ATLANTA, GA USA) – See all my reviews

  

  

  

When Andrew Holleran burst on the gay literary scene with DANCER FROM THE DANCE we knew we had never read anything quite this wonderful before that was about us. He has consistently written fine novels since that time and continues to fill a needed niche in gay literature, whatever that term means. I have read and own every book he has written, and always looked forward to reading his columns in the gay literary magazine “Christopher Street.” Now twenty years after the collection of essays dealing with AIDS was published as GROUND ZERO, he has revisited that volume, make some deletions, some additions and has written a thoughtful new introduction. These essays are still painful to reread, calling to mind things I had forgotten: the four hour buzzer to remind patients to take AZT, the friends who would not drink from the same glass as another, the treatment that Rock Hudson went to France for, the euphemistic use of the word “exposure” rather than saying someone had been exposed to AIDS, Patient Zero. The list goes on and on.

In his introduction Mr. Holleran says that he wrote these essays out of a great feeling of fear and impotence– when writing fiction seemed useless– something he captures with awful eloquence in what perhaps is his very best writing. Although he lived in the center of the storm in New York, his experiences were mirrored, sad to say, in every major city in this country during the awful 1980’s. His Emmanuels, Eddies and Cosmos et al were my Pierces and Ralphs and Kens and Judds. AIDS in large cities with ACT-UP and support groups and creative funerals was very different than what people experienced in small towns, a dilemma that Abraham Verghesse, a brilliant and most humane physician, captures so poignantly in MY OWN COUNTRY, an account of his experience in caring for people with AIDS in Johnson City, Tennessee in the 1980’s. Holleran reminds us that some of us acted badly– he tells of the man who infected someone he knew but denied that he had AIDS– but that many of us rose to the occasion and took care of the dying when our government for the most part in those awful Reagan years looked the other way.

By far the best essay in this collection is “Bobby’s Grave” which is not about AIDS in New York but about the death, funeral and burial of a friend of Holleran’s from Florida, so beautifully written but so sadly familiar.

I am not sure who will read these essays. Many of those who lived through this dreadful time and are still standing probably will not want to revisit the 1980’s. Our address books with names crossed out or every time we pass the apartment building that housed people with AIDS where a friend lived and died are sober reminders that our friends are forever gone. On the other hand, nothing captures better than these essays the utter horror of that time. We can only hope that a day will come when the events of CHRONICLE OF A PLAGUE REVISITED will be just a part of ancient history.

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Holleran’s words are still a vivid truth now 20 years later…, May 8, 2008

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Shannon L. Yarbrough “Shannon L. Yarbrough” (St. Louis, MO USA) – See all my reviews

  

  

Andrew Holleran’s book, Dancer From the Dance, was the first piece of gay fiction I ever read back in college. After reading it twice, I immediately sought out his other books. He still remains my all time favorite writer to this day.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a used copy of Ground Zero here on Amazon many years ago. In the introduction of his new book, Chronicle of a Plague, Holleran mentions that he had to find a copy of the out of print book at the library. Over the course of 20 years, it had only been checked out about 12 times, a strange metaphor for how society sometimes views AIDS. It’s a subject which comes and goes from our attention sporadically, but is still there and still is a harsh truth we have to face.

When I found out about this new book being an updated version of Ground Zero with new stories, a refocus on the “plague,” I decided to go back and reread the original. Holleran’s bath house conversations and tales of the “ole days” on Fire Island were like reading history for me, a history I didn’t experience because I was too young then or not even born. The AIDS I know is very different from the one Holleran writes about. And yet, it is still the same. Some of us have just forgotten about it, or have chosen to forget.

And so, Holleran demands that we refocus on it here in this revamped collection. He has removed some of the stories which were more about the sexual freedom that quickly became a thing of the past, and turned our eyes more toward the personal effects the disease had, and still has, on his friends and acquaintances. How has it changed us in twenty years, how has it changed gay culture, and how has it changed America?

Whether this is your first time reading these stories, or if you had the pleasure of reading the original from 1988, those who know Holleran’s writing will be pleased. His dreamy methodic style of writing is captivating and definitely holds your attention. It’s something you can relate to and will want to question and ponder. The new additions to the book are a fresh look at how things have changed in twenty years for the writer, for all of us.

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One of the most moving books I have ever read., September 16, 2010

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A. Ali “arabboricua” (Brooklyn, NY United States) – See all my reviews

  

By chance I saw this book in a friend’s collection and I asked to borrow it. I could not put it down. It is one of the most compelling, moving books I have ever read on the meaning of friendship, human connection, loss and suffering. The writing is elegant, exquisite and very evocative of a particular time in New York City. Though the culture it travels through to some extent seemed (and seems) like another planet to me, the human story shines above and beyond the particulars. Even though I lived in the same neighborhood as the author during some of the the same years, our worlds rarely met, as he is a gay man and I am a minority woman. As I reflect on this now, it seems so strange and sad, but not surprising. One gets a very realistic sense of New York and the author’s love for the city, and how the city represents the fulfillment of dreams to so many diverse people with different lifestyles and ambitions. The focus is on the early onset of the AIDS epidemic and how it affected the gay community, and the personal toll it took on one individual. You would have to have ice water running through your veins to not be touched by this book. I am now a fan of the author and am seeking out his other work.

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Very good sleep mask, but could use a couple improvements, February 14, 2010

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J. Morris “photo_jeff” (Englewood, CO United States) – See all my reviews

  

This sleep mask is very comfortable and would be perfect for travel, when you’re sleeping in an upright position. However, there are a couple things that make this less than perfect:

1. The velcro attached to the straps is thick. This creates a bump (1/8″ or so) on the back of your head that makes sleeping on your back unlikely. There really isn’t a good position in which to place the strap to make this more comfortable. However, sleeping on your side is perfectly comfortable.

2. On my face, light leaks in on either side of the nostrils. If only there was an extra bit of fabric to gently close off that gap without putting pressure on the nostrils, this mask would be greatly improved.

Both of the above cons are minimized if you are using these on a train or plane, which is probably the intended use of this mask anyway. I just wanted to point them out in case you intend to use them in bed.

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Cute but nose area does not lay flat on skin, letting some light in., February 27, 2010

I got this in “mums” and black (for me and my husband). My husband has taken a liking to it and I see him use it pretty much every night. I use it occasionally… the mums print is so cute!!! But I like it primarily for the unique print and SOMEWHAT ergonomic, contoured shape. The shape looked great in photo, but it doesn’t lay flat on the sides of my nose… the inverted “V” shape part is a tad too wide/big for me. Perhaps if you had a bigger nose or the entire nose area were sticking out more, this would fit perfectly. I almost wish that they just cut a slit for the nose instead of a “V”, so the flaps will lay over the sides of the nose.. I would imagine that will fit more people’s facial shape and will keep lights out more effectively. I wonder if I should’ve tried the “Lights out” one also available on Amazon… but they just weren’t as stylish : P

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bucky 40 blinks, April 6, 2009

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Linda Thompson (St. Peters, MO) – See all my reviews

  

I love my bucky 40 blinks eye mask. I rode to Florida from Missouri and took long naps with my face mask. It blocks out all the light and lets you zone out, nap and relax. The mask is so soft and comfortable with the bulging eye pockets, letting you blink. I would recommend this to everyone.

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Absolutely Riveting, February 17, 2004

By 

J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) – See all my reviews

  

  

  

Noted documentarian Peter Adair’s award-winning 1991 film chronicles the thoughts and lives of 11 disparate persons living with HIV disease. Alternately touching, sobering, and sometimes even heartbreaking, the interviewees are nonetheless always enlightening, and ultimately inspirational, as they discuss the challenges facing them with hard-won wisdom, insight, and courage. A very effective testament to the resiliency of humanity, the original film is leant added poignancy through a "where are they now in 2003?" follow-up segment that discloses not only the fates of the 11 participants, but the film’s director as well. The DVD also includes a short biographical segment on Adair, and features excellent video and sound quality throughout. Highly recommended to general audiences, and a particular "must see" for people affected by and infected with HIV, as well as those who care for and serve them.

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A dose of reality and a lesson in hope, August 7, 2007

By 

Kyle Tolle (Phoenix, Arizona USA) – See all my reviews

  

  

`Absolutely Positive’ examines the lives of 11 different men and women from all walks of life. They are heterosexual and homosexual, of diverse races and ages, and they all have the HIV virus. It doesn’t make them different or threatening or any less important than you or I and their stories are all meaningful, sometimes heartbreaking, and ultimately inspirational.

In a world today where there is still far too much reluctance to openly discuss HIV and AIDS issues, these individuals courageously reveal private aspects of their lives regarding how they contracted this disease to include unprotected sex, intravenous drug use, multiple partners, and medical errors. From an emotional point of view, their feelings run from anger to fear to shame to guilt to denial but instead of making excuses or placing blame, they instead hold their heads high and retain an optimistic outlook no matter what the odds against them. An integral part of everyday life, relationships and families, are also affected when loved ones have HIV and these perspectives are shared also.

This diverse group of people each understands the uncertainties in their future but they also exhibit an infectious desire to conquer any obstacles they face and to make the most out of every new day. I found this attitude very admirable and appealing especially considering what they are all living with.

Nothing but 5 stars for this well produced and presented documentary. It has quite a few nice extras to compliment the main body of work and I recommend this fine program to everyone. For a thorough and outstanding look at the AIDS crisis over the last 25 years, I highly suggest watching `Frontline: The Age of AIDS’ as a companion to this feature.

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Fabluous with one flaw, October 25, 2010

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Matthew Rider “The Hobbyist” (Bowie, MD) – See all my reviews

  

This movie, although dated, is incredible. Real stories from real people living with HIV. The director/narrator does a great job of weaving the stories together. The people are believable and their stories are compelling. The only flaw to this is that it is not closed captioned for the hearing impaired, which was the only reason I wasn’t able to use this in my class on HIV/AIDS at Gallaudet University.

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