User Profile

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm a 37-year old gay man in Portland, Oregon, who loves my husband Matt, scuba diving, a good whiskey, romantic walks, strenuous hikes, wrestling with my dogs (Ripley and Coda), great conversations with friends that last until dawn, and just about anything that comes from the designers at IKEA. I'm also the founding member of Music Addicts Anonymous after a photo was leaked to the local Portland media of me proposing marriage to my iPod.

I'm a writer, lover, photographer, dreamer, teacher, activist, scientist, believer, critic, giver, slackass, brother, struggler, musicholic, fun-loving, counselor, survivor, and friend. Some days just a few of those, some days all, but every day I'm a bit of a smartass.

What I not only do for a living but am in love with doing at the same time: I'm a program director of an after-school/summer program for elementary school kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. I'm currently being groomed to be the director of my own program, but for right now I feel ecstatic and blessed to be part of an incredible team and working with a phenomenal mentor.

In May 2005, my partner (Matt) and I uprooted ourselves from Denver and moved to Portland so Matt could attend OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University) to become a Physician Assistant. On August 12th, 2007 he finally graduated and we're ready to begin the next chapter of our lives together.

What else?

I was raised a Catholic, but consider myself more spiritual than religious. I find much to love in so many of the world's faith traditions - each of which I find to be a beautiful expression of God's love.

Politically I'm half-democrat, half-libertarian, and rather outspoken when I get riled up. I do admit to having some fiscally Republican ideas every now and then. I guess my political philosophy is, "You can swing your bat as hard and as wide as you want, but the moment it smashes my face or someone else’s, then we've got ourselves a problem."

I’m also a musicholic. I can’t think of a better word that would explain having close to (if not more than now), 5,500 CDs in my collection. (Obsessed might a good choice of words.) Life’s one huge soundtrack to me, so you’ll rarely find me with nothing playing in the background. I can get carried away creating mix CDs for various moods, events, memories, times of day, days of the week, so iTunes ‘playlists’ and my iPod are nothing short of gifts from the heavens. (Honestly, how did I live before these?!)

I can get too serious at times (like this profile), but I’m equally silly as shit. (And occasionally I even shock myself with how shallow I can be when I enter ‘pig mode.’ Or is that just self-absorbed? Or is that just hornier than hell?)

My life’s pretty much an open book, so if you want to know something, ask…I don’t bite. Well, not most of the time.

“It may just be that a friend is the masterpiece of Nature.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson




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