I start up a blog, post a few times a week, get my friends involve -- and I abandon it. I'm sorry.
You know what, though? It's been an insane couple months for me. But I'm back, and I promise to keep up the posts because there's just so much to talk about.
So where have I been?
Well, in late July, I went to St. Louis to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday and my uncle's 75th, and it was nice being with my family to celebrate the occasion. I'm also proud of my dad - he's in better health in body and spirit than I've seen him in a long time. Way to go, Dad!
During our St. Louis trip, my Dad, my sister Cathy and her son Robbie, my cousin David, and my best friend Alex and I went to Six Flags St. Louis and had a fabulous time. I brought my backpack with me, and it had all of my electronic gear - a digital camera, a cell phone, and an iPod (which I didn't even realize was in there) and to the last one they all got fried because I got DRENCHED in a whitewater raft ride. Foolishly, I didn't put my backpack in a locker.
I ended up replacing my cell phone in St. Louis, and I just recently bought a new camera - a digital SLR that I had been eyeing for a long time, thanks to Alex.
The first week of August took me to Boise, Idaho where I gave a presentation with my best friend Danny on the impacts of big-box retail at a regional planning conference. Our presentation was reasonably well-received and, more importantly, we had fun doing it. Danny, ever the frat boy, made me party harder than I ever did in College. All these months later, I'm still recovering. He introduced me to my first cigar, which tasted good...but I'm not sure it was worth the trouble: Afterward I felt like a dog. had to take a shower and I brushed, rinsed, and flossed TWICE.
When I returned, a friend of mine was in a difficult domestic situation at home and he needed a change, so Rob and I invited him to stay with us until such a time as he could get on his feet and on his own. For the month of August, he joined our little family of two and we ultimately got him secured into a very nice basement apartment (with a garden, natch!) near the University of Utah.
Also in August, a man resigned from the at-large seat on the South Salt Lake City Council. State statute provides for the council to select a replacement, so I applied and threw my heart and energies into running. I knew I faced challenges as a gay non-Mormon man, but I also knew that I had some advantages - my work on the planning commission has been quite an education and I have some friends in the city who were willing to stake their names to my campaign. It was a wonderful experience, having talked with so many people and having learned a lot about myself in the process.
Despite my efforts, I was unsuccessful. In the end, a loquacious grandfater got the seat, and a lot of us challengers were left shaking our heads. But I felt like I did everything I could in order to gain the seat. While I didn't win, I feel I gained a lot of respect. I may try again in an election in the future, but for now I'll keep working on the commission and assisting the political campaigns of others, such as my state senator, Scott McCoy. He's smart, dignified, competent, and capable. He's also openly-gay. He's an inspiration for me and for the community.
In my free time, I've been reading a couple magnificent books, including Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here and Austen Tappan Wright's Islandia. I'm also enjoying reviewing the second season of Battlestar Galactica (television's best show currently) before I start the third season.
So that brings me to now. I'm back, and I'm sorry I went silent for a while.
The view from my window at work.
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