Why have pride?

I have been asked by a number of people in my life recently why we need Gay Pride Month.  This is relevant because June is the official month of gay pride in the United States.  The past few weekends have been accompanied by elaborate parades and festivities lasting for days on end.  I have actually yet to participate, myself, which does not imply that I am not proud, per se.  It's simply that the weekend of Portland Pride, I was at the Tim McGraw concert (how ironic), and last weekend I really didn't feel like driving all the way up to Seattle to celebrate there.

Basically it is a huge gay party, where people really let their flags fly, tie-dye and rainbows are everywhere, and some guys don't wear a whole lot of anything (I know right, now you are wondering how I could've passed that up!)

As obnoxious and over-the-top as this all may seem to a lot of people, and I'm not saying it isn't, gay pride is still very important.  A common argument (who's arguing?) tends to be, "You don't see straight people marching down the streets in a Straight Pride parade, so why do they feel they need to?"

I will say that this is similar to the Black History Month argument of "Why is there no White History Month?" The answer is also the same.  LIFE is straight, white culture.  Every single day, straight norms are present, straight freedoms are recognized, and straights can walk the streets of anywhere without being judged or ridiculed for their sexual orientation.  That might come across as petty and trivial, but here is where it becomes important to me:
• When straight people dance together at a night club.
• When straight people make out in front of me at a concert.
• When straight people go to dinner with their significant other without drawing any attention.
• When straight people hold hands walking down the street.

First of all, you want to talk to me about GAYS being in your face? Second, despite living in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, I cannot comfortably do any of those things with my significant other in a public, non-gay oriented setting.  Some places are different than others; I am very lucky to be living in the laid-back, liberal-minded Pacific Northwest as opposed to a rural area or the South.  But what about all of the people who do live there?

This is where Gay Pride comes in.  It is one weekend out of the entire year where gays and lesbians are out and about being as blatantly gay as possible.  Over-the-top? Oh yes.  But these are people who often suppressed their true selves for the first 15-20, and often 40+ years of their lives.  There are a lot of pent-up feelings and self-expression.  Suddenly you have a Gays Gone Wild video that is the amalgamation of homosexual energy culminating in one big parade.  For one weekend, YOU are the norm and the crazier, the better.  Life is a party and you're invited.  A few more clichés like that.

I would also like to point out an instance last year at Washington State University, where the College Republicans attempted to counter the concept of gay pride by selling "Straight Pride" t-shirts.

A picture I took of the t-shirts

I spoke with them as an objective observer and found their message was very negative and hostile, saying that the gays at WSU (I'm sorry, "gays at WSU" is kind of an oxymoron, as there is about a thimbleful of gay culture in Pullman, Washington) have been shoving their lifestyle down everyone's throats in a sea of political correctness.  I have zero inkling as to what they were referring, and I would digress to recap all of the instances in which "straight culture" and "straight lifestyles" are shoved down everyone's throats.  Straight culture is lived, experienced, and expressed every single day, everywhere you look.  Gay culture is lived and expressed on a very minimal basis and only in certain circles.  Straight people do not face hardship, rejection, and ridicule growing up based on their sexual orientation.  The word "straight" is not a popular slang word synonymous with "stupid," "lame," "unfortunate," or "undesirable."

I am not trying to whine; I am simply explaining why people need gay pride, why it is important, and why there is no such thing as straight pride.  To be honest, sometimes I forget that I am gay.  Or rather, I forget that there is an issue.  That is, until a scenario arises where I feel the ugly nudge of what it means to be different and living outside of the norm.  Examples:
• Being asked by a future employer why I moved to Eugene.  My boyfriend lives here, and I made a life-changing commitment to be with him.  My former water aerobics students were extremely adamant about this question.
• Being asked by a child if I'm married.  No, honey.. No.
• Having women mistake my friendliness for coming on to them.  Haha!
• Wanting to take a dance class with Greg, before realizing that two men obviously can't be paired together.
• Being introduced as Greg's friend.
• Greg and I being allowed to get married in 6 out of 50 states.  I guess I'm golden if I want to live in New England or Iowa... But I kind of like Oregon.

Despite all the bullshit, I'd still rather be gay.

Postal joys

I received so many goodies in the mail yesterday! All in one go, too.

There was a letter from Katy Roe in Arizona, which was very nice.  I love her stationary lined with fleurs-de-lis (one of my favorite symbols, as I am a total québécois/français wannabe).  It's very good of her to stay in touch with me this way.

That was followed by a letter from Otto, my 3rd cousin, twice removed, in Illkirch, France.  It is proving fairly arduous to maintain contact with our Swiss relatives, and, aside from my great uncle Ken, I am the only one holding the torch.  Therefore, I wrote to Otto to inquire about other parties within the family interested in keeping in touch, particularly those closer in age to me.  Otto is very old now (92), hence my feeling of urgency in acquiring contact information for some of the other cousins.  His English is a bit rusty, even though I wrote a lot in French too, so there was a lot of confusion as to the intention of my letter.  He seemed to think I was looking for an exchange family, when all I had mentioned about that was the time I had visited them while on my foreign exchange, back in 2006.  Anyway, it was not very helpful, other than he did give me my cousin Christiane's address, so I repeated my inquiry to her.  She just tends to be a lousy correspondant.

I then received a packet from my Australian love, Katie Day, who lives in Brisbane.  It contained a lengthy and charming letter from Katie, along with two short stories she has written, which I am reading here this morning.  Very exciting! She is a lovely person altogether.

This may seem odd, but I can get really jealous of letters.  For example, I will write a nice, long letter and mail it off to Australia.  I look at the words on the paper and think, "You're going to be in Australia soon." Halfway around the world in a place I have fervently longed to go.  Then I walk into my kitchen with an envelope from France sitting on the counter, with its Lady Liberty stamps that say la poste across the bottom.  This piece of paper has just come from France.  Would that it was me.  It definitely costs a lot more to send yourself across the sea.

Up 'til now

I have been keeping fairly busy lately, so I apologize for the updates becoming more spread out.  This morning I taught my first class at the Downtown Athletic Club.  Everyone I spoke with, the Director of Operations, the Aquatics Director, and even the water aerobics instructor whom my class likes described them as very difficult, very picky, complainers, stone-faced, etc.  I have a blast with them! They were all very sympathetic to me being new, they smiled, and they said they loved the class.  I really feel that my abilities have been underestimated by the DAC, and this will really reflect that.

In the meantime, I have decided to accept the job at Echo Hollow Pool.  During the summer, I can get 40 hrs/week, and then up to 20 hrs/week in the fall.  I imagine that by then I will have a lot more going for me at the DAC anyway, so this might work out perfectly.  The only downside is that I will still need my car, because Echo Hollow is not along a bus route.  I was hoping to give it back to my dad in order to avoid the expenses of gas, insurance, and repairs.

Seemingly insignificant, but big for me, is that I am taking out my earrings for good.  I've had them for over a year, but while I am busy finding a job and getting older, they just don't seem to fit my life anymore.  I really enjoyed having them while I did, and the idea was that I wanted to get them while I was an undergrad, before I had to impress anybody.  I would say it was a success and now time to move on.  Plus they looked better when I had long, shaggy hair.  They tend to look silly with my short hair at times.

Tonight I am meeting up with a few of my close friends from the high school days in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  Rosie Lee lives here in Eugene now, as she was a student at the university.  She just got married, so a lot of our other friends were just in town for that.  Heather Andersen is the other one, with whom I have actually kept in contact with and actually seen multiple times since moving away.  I am meeting them for dinner shortly, and then they'll be coming to Greg & my apartment for games and a movie.  Sounds like old times!

Pictures from Tim McGraw concert

You can click to enlarge any of them, if you like.

Greg & I the first night we got there, after setting up camp.  The nights got a little colder than I had anticipated.

Amanda & I during the pre-show festivities.

The whole gang at the amphitheater, waiting for the show to start.

The Gorge herself.  It's really the best possible backdrop you could have for a good show.

Mr. McGraw, when they bothered showing him on the big screen.

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw

Successful return from the Gorge yesterday.  It's about a 6.5-7 hr drive from Eugene, which could be worse.  Just a real good group of friends to go with, too.  I hope I get to see them again before Labor Day, but every Labor Day we have a tradition of going to Pat's lake cabin in Hayden, Idaho, and having ourselves a real good weekend together.

The concert itself was Saturday night, but as per usual with events at the Gorge, Friday & Saturday were jam-packed with a drunken fever, with which the entire campground was afflicted.  Unlike my previous experience there, which was for a Jack Johnson concert, country music brings in, en masse, the hottest cowboy-types the West has ever seen.  With them came a fair share of beer-gutted rednecks, but the disproportionately high number of horrendously ripped, shirtless men outweighed any possible downside.  I mean, they were literally all over the place, and we are talking thick muscles with boulder-breaking 6-packs.  Thank you, Tim McGraw! Fortunately I had been running and doing a lot of ab workouts, myself, in preparation for the weekend, so I was nary a blight amongst the sea of hotness.

Anyway, enough about that.  All in all, a hot weekend that got me the long-awaited suntan I'd been needing, and a great time with some terrific friends.

It turns out I have no positive news regarding the job front, but I am interviewing somewhere tomorrow.  I hate to leave you hanging, but I'd rather report when there is something worth reporting.

Pictures from the weekend soon to come, I hope.

Last post of the week

Just an update on my job situation: I have my 2nd interview with the Director of Operations (Paula) at the Downtown Athletic Club tomorrow morning.  I also heard back from the Aquatics Director, who is really eager to get me teaching water fitness classes Monday & Friday mornings, so she mentioned she would put some pressure on Paula with regard to getting the ball rolling as soon as possible.  All good news for me.  I am really looking forward to having a big kid job.  I feel like I will be one of the youngest people working there; it's nothing like the other fitness centers at which I've worked.

Brief fitness blog: I have taken to mixing up workouts I develop myself with the workouts in the Insanity DVDs Greg and I use.  My favorite thing to do more recently has been a sequence of regular push-ups, triceps push-ups, and other arm work using a 30 lb dumbbell, then doing one of the abdominal workout DVDs, and then repeating the upper body workout.  Today I did Insane Abs, which is about 35 minutes of pain.  I felt it necessary preluding this weekend, however.

Tomorrow afternoon, Greg and I are driving up to the Gorge Amphitheater to camp out with some of our good friends.  Saturday night is the Tim McGraw concert, with Luke Bryan and the Band Perry opening! It's going to be such an awesome time.  If it's not apparent, I've been really into country music the past few months.  Plus, any time at the Gorge is super fun.  I love the friends we're going with too.  I went to see Jack Johnson with them at the Gorge back in October.

We'll be gone until Sunday, so I look forward updating about the concert then.  Good times ahead.

See you space cowboy...

Don't write me off

Passed the ACE Personal Trainer certification exam.  You're reading the blog of a certified personal trainer.  Now if only the DAC would get back to me about a career.  I pestered them again today.  I'm a patient man, but I need to begin generating a living here.

It was a beautiful day today.  I took a couple of pictures that bring a summery feeling to mind.

One of my favorite beers, Fat Tire.  My parents brought me a whole case of them when they came by to visit last.  Look at the label; the bike has pedaled right off in the left one! I've never seen that before.

It must be a really spectacular place to live! This is just a few (okay, maybe ten or so) blocks down from my street.  I couldn't resist.  They look like a happy lot of people living there.  I'll bet it's quite the party.

Sunny Monday

It amazes me how easily we keep ourselves busy here in Eugene.  Saturday, Greg & I drove down to Winston, Oregon, to a Wildlife Safari.  You drive through the place with your car, and there are no fences, so you're right up there with these incredible animals.  Africa, North America, and Asia were all represented in the exotic array of wildlife.  Definitely a cool day well-spent.  Then yesterday, we played tennis together & went for a run.  Came home for a bit of studying and good food.  I made chicken potstickers with rice for lunch, then hot wings for dinner : )

Today is my big study day.  My ACE Personal Trainer exam is tomorrow morning, so I really need to bone up on everything this time.  It is a bit grueling, but really informative at the same time.  There are a lot of things I definitely needed refreshers on.  It is a shame to be stuck inside studying all day, when it's about 70˚ F (21˚ C) outside...

I have yet to hear back from the Director of Operations at the Downtown Athletic Club vis-à-vis my 2nd interview.  After I PASS my exam tomorrow morning, I shall shoot her a message, checking up on my status with that.  The two I interviewed with indicated they wanted and needed my services, particularly my experience with water aerobics and with training older adults who have arthritis.  I am reluctant to aggressively pursue other career outlets, because this one would be the most prestigious and high-paying.  I just need to give it a little more time.  My initial interviews were only on Friday, after all.

Things that make me happy pt. 2

- Having my mom come visit
- Quality time with Greg
- Having a job!!!

Mama Kamolz came to visit yesterday for some long overdue bonding time.  We are really close friends.  I particularly enjoyed showing off my new town a little bit, as well as driving around the University with her.  We did some shopping to boot, picking up a few bottles of wine, a block of cheese (naturally), and a few new pairs of shorts for the summer.  There have really been several really hot days here so far, I am pleased to say.

On the job front, I interviewed with two representatives from the Downtown Athletic Club.  One was regarding working as a personal trainer, and the other had to do with taking on the deep water aerobics classes two mornings per week.  Both went as well as could be! They passed my resumé on to the Director of Operations, and have even suggested that I work as a Manager on Duty to help supplement hours and build my client-base for personal training.  All-in-all it should be a very promising opportunity, and I really hope to hear from the Director soon.  This athletic club is extremely nice and very high-end.  It is also only a block away from Greg's office! As Greg said, "Now we both work in the two nicest buildings in Eugene."

Please let this job come through for me.

the bads news first

I have both good news and bad news.  This summer I have been studying ahead in my Chinese texts so that I can simply test into Chinese 103 without having to take 102, as there would be so much overlap with what I already learned in 101 on a semester system, where there only are 101 & 102 (as opposed to the shorter quarters where they have 101, 102, and 103).  I am confident I would have been able to do it, no problem, and, in fact, relish the challenge.

I got an offer from the Aquatics manager at the Downtown Athletic Club to teach a deep water aerobics class there 8:30-9:30 AM, three days per week.  I knew that this was going to conflict with the Chinese 103 course in August, so I went onto Duckweb to confirm that.  What I found is that in the fall, Chinese 201 is completely full, which would have been the next class in the sequence... only offered in the fall... thus rendering taking 103 in August unjustified.

The Bad News:
• I won't be able to begin the 200-level Chinese track this year after all.

The Good News:
• I have a job offer! Minimal though it may be, three classes per week is a pretty good jumping off point.  Once I have an "in" at the DAC, I feel it will be easier to acquire more and more employment there.
• I don't have to come up with $1,000 in tuition by August, and then again in September.  Although, I think I will try to get into Linguistics 301 in the fall instead, as that is a really important class to get out of the way.

Things that make me happy

- tea
- using languages other than English
- wine
- having a job
- sunglasses that look good on me
- H&M
- finishing a solid run
- the Oregon coast
- a really good hair day
- Grace
- thunder
- the smell of rain after a hot day
- foreign movies
- cheese and crackers
- going to bed at 10 and waking up at 6 without an alarm

je suis arrivé à Eugene

I have finally moved to Eugene, Oregon, and have been here for a little over one week.  I really like the town so far, vis-à-vis the beauty and there is an awful lot to do.  It's a big place, actually, so one will encounter the full spectrum of individuals from not so friendly to extremely jovial, and from super liberal vegans with tie-dye and dreadlocks to cowboy hat-wearing rednecks.  I like the diversity.

Thus far, I have:
 • accidentally taken my dog, Grace (she used to be mine, before my parents seized her, and now I am petsitting her for them while they travel), for a 5 mile walk.
• volunteered at the Steve Prefontaine Classic track & field meet, which got me free admission & a sweet dry-fit t-shirt, but I ended up cutting out early because nobody gave me anything to do.  Cool to see all of those incredible athletes, however.
• gone out to a country bar called Whiskey River, where I was tactlessly hit on by what had to be the only gay redneck there.
• worn myself out after just a 4 mile run, because my running stamina is embarrassing right now, which I do NOT understand.
• not gotten a job.

I feel like I am waiting for everything to start, which I am sure will come once I finally get my own job.  I'll be really strapped financially until then.  How the hell did this happen? I've had a good job for the past two years, and now I'm back in square 1.