HEARTTHROBS

Sometimes Cupid shoots an arrow straight to our hearts and other times he kicks us right in the ass. Either way, we all need a plan for handling the 14th. Want advice? We stole some sought-after numbers and asked a few Positive All-Stars, “What are you doing Valentine’s Day?”

Moisés Agosto, director of treatment advocacy, National Minority AIDS Council: “I would like to spend the day with a sweet, beautiful, smart man. We could go out in the city and then I would bring him home and spend the night cooking, then eating and then playing. Or—we could take a plane to Puerto Rico, lie down on the beach and look up at the stars.”

Bill Bagwell, writer: “My novel, Dressing for the Widow, will debut on Valentine’s Day. I should also buy something special for my Doberman, Muggs, that day. He was with me during my illness, when I almost died. He never left me, and I owe him so much.”

Barton Benes, artist: “If he stays home with his girlfriend, it will be a lonely Valentine’s night for me.”

Louise Binder, activist: “My husband and I always spend the evening alone with each other. I like to get him a little gift, and I like to convince him that he should get me a gift. Last year I got red silk pajamas, so I’m hoping to use that as a benchmark.”

Dennis deLeón, executive director, Latino Commission on AIDS: “Given that last year we had a fire in my building on Valentine’s Day, I want a flame-proof, cozy dinner with my loved one—no trauma, no problems and no nonsense. My Valentine’s Day is always cursed. Maybe I’ll light some candles.”

Piper Hyland, youth advocate and activist: “Me and my boyfriend are going to go up to the mountains and stay in a cabin that has a wood-burning fireplace. It will be so nice to get away.”

Michael Shernoff, therapist: “I would cook a romantic dinner and have a private evening. I would have already sent flowers to his office to help him get in the mood. When he got there, I’d be wearing some sexy new attire and have a similar present waiting for him…on the bed.”


TASTEFUL TIPS

Our November 1998 issue had helpful hints from HIVers on how to stomach the foul-tasting sips of liquid Norvir—the protease formerly available in more-palatable capsules. Tips included the Skippy Honey Nut Superchunk swish and the old chocolate-milk chaser. Several HIV positive Martha Stewart fans sent in more recipes for adherence.

Ted Newton from Augusta, Georgia, swears by his Baxter Interlink Blunt Cannula. It’s not a curvy pasta but a short plastic-tipped syringe that allows you to shoot the liquid past the taste buds and down the throat.

Michael Onstott (whose family is profiled in this month’s “Love Stories”) eschews the peanut butter and Hershey’s syrup route for the healthier approach of coating his mouth with yogurt before downing his dose. “It helps neutralize the bad taste,” he swears.

Sacramento, California’s pride, Robert Nelson dashed off a note to tell us that he got  empty gelatin capsules from the health-food store, and “found that I could pour the liquid into them one at a time and swallow an entire dose, without getting the taste of the drug on my teeth, tongue or down my throat.”

Consult your doc before trying any funky methods for swigging your Norvir.


REBEKKA ARMSTRONG’S RX FOR ROMANCE

We asked the gorgeous September 1986 Playboy Playmate and our own Miss June 1998 how to light the fire of an HIVer this Valentine’s Day. Check this list twice and you won’t be a stupid cupid.

Be absolutely honest with me. It makes everything else fall into place.
Make me feel beautiful inside and out—especially when I’m sick.
Show no fear in making love to me.
It’s not “jump in bed and get it over with just to show you can.”
Don’t get terrified at the sight of my blood.
Talk to me when I’m feeling anxious,
even if it’s just to distract me.
Make it a point to see that I have taken my meds.
Gently wake me just to make sure.
Add lovemaking and cuddling when necessary (according to taste).


HEY, LADIES

Ya gotta Dentata—the hot, new and sexy mag from Susan Forrest, an HIVer who’s sick of the sexless-victim depiction of sisters with “the package” (HIV, for those not in the know). “The title is a bastardization of the Freudian concept vagina dentata—the vagina with teeth,” Forrest says. “Sex doesn’t just equal disclosure and latex—there are fun parts, too. Dentata is about women who are doing it and the people they’re doing it with.” Forrest is always on the lookout for a few good women writers. And don’t be fooled by the glam Hollywood address—she’s also looking for cash. “We don’t want to use pharmaceutical money,” she says. “I’m hoping for liquor ads. Booze, cigarettes and sex go together, don’t you think?”

Send submissions to:

Dentata
P.O. Box 3214
Hollywood, CA 90078-3214
e-mail: dentatamag@aol.com


FREE STUFF!

Patrick Scully, of Gov. Jesse “The Body” Ventura’s chilly home state of Minnesota, is offering posiT.V., his hip and funny how-to film for gay men new to HIV (reviewed in November’s POZ Picks), free to HIVers. Beat the crowd and fire off a self-addressed, $1.93 stamped envelope large enough for a videotape today. Send your request (and a thank you) to the adorable do-gooder at:

posiT.V.
c/o Patrick’s Cabaret
506 E. 24th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55404