Dave's Birthday

On Wednesday night Dave and I drove up to Salt Lake to go to karaoke night at the Trap, one of the gay clubs in Salt Lake. I love going there on Sunday nights because they play Latin music, but tonight we were just going to sing songs and get drunk. And we did, thanks to drinks beforehand at CJ's and vodka Jello made by Dave's friend Saia. Dave and I sang "I'll Cover You" and "The Boy is Mine" and were backup singers for a lot of the other people doing karaoke. We had lots of fun and brought Dave's birthday in with a bash. We slept over at CJ's house, and when I got home I got lectured by my dad for not telling them that I was not coming home.

On Thursday night for Dave's birthday he wanted me to take him grocery shopping at Walmart since he doesn't have a car. Then we went to the gym for three hours, working out for two hours and sitting in the hot tub/pool for an hour.

We also went out Friday night to the Sound. It opened since I moved away, but I've been there once for New Year's Eve last year. It was a fun night. There was a drag show and the music is really fun there, a nice change from Axis' music. It was fun to dance and get crazy with Dave again. He smuggled in a bottle of Smirnoff in his sock and we bought some Sobe at the club so we could mix it in the bathroom. We are so cheap, I love it. I'm so glad Dave and I are still best friends even though I live so far away and that I got to be here for the start and end of his birthday.

Home for the Holidays

I arrived in Salt Lake at around 10:00 PM last Saturday. I could definitely tell I was flying to Salt Lake because half of the plane was filled with hot young guys. The disturbing part was that it seemed like they all had their Books of Mormon with them. The guy next to me read his the whole way from Phoenix to Salt Lake.

My sister picked me up from the airport. She brought her boyfriend with her so I got to meet him. They're planning on getting married next May. They just met last July. Mormons typically move really fast. He seems nice. She seems happy though so that's good. Pretty soon I'll be the only non-married one of all my siblings. Looks like I'll be taking another trip back here in May. I got home and said hi to my parents before going to bed.

My dad made waffles on Sunday morning and asked me to go to church with them. I told him I would go next week on Christmas, but I wasn't going today. While they were at church I went to the store and visited my best friend Dave. It was good to see him again. I was glad I didn't have to go to church when I didn't want to like I had done for so long.

Things are going well with my whole family. It seems pretty normal, like before I came out to them. I'm glad they've had time to get used to the idea. My nieces and nephews are totally cute. I went shopping with my sister-in-law which was a lot of fun. I got to talk about my life in Ohio, which my other family members don't really ask me about. I think they kind of block out the fact that I'm gay, which is how they deal. But Sage told me some family secrets that were pretty surprising. Just goes to show we're not the perfect Mormon family like everyone tries to portray. Although things seem back to normal with my family I don't really like hanging out with them for too long. I'll be excited to go back to Ohio. It makes me not very excited for Christmas this year.

Last night I went with my parents and my sister and her boyfriend to Salt Lake to eat at Crown Burger and see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. Dinner was fun but I didn't like walking around the temple because it reminded me of all the things I don't like about the church. For example, I won't get to see my sister get married because it will be in the temple, and only Mormons who follow all the rules of the church are allowed to go in. Everyone was coupled up and I couldn't help but think how I wouldn't be able to hold hands with a boy there. Utah can be fun but I haven't been able to go out yet. Hopefully tonight Dave and I will go out with some of his friends up in Salt Lake.

Update on the Provo High GSA

The Provo High School Gay-Straight Alliance that I talked about here
and here is in the newspaper again. This time a state senator wants to introduce a bill in the next Legislative session to ban the club. One of his arguments is this:

In my mind, if you are in the chess club, what do you talk about? Chess. If you are in the dance club, what do you talk about? Dance. If you are in a gay club, what do you talk about? I just don't believe members of sexual orientation clubs should be sanctioned by the public schools — what they are talking about even a part of the public schools. They should not be allowed to have that on school property at all. It's just wrong.

You can read the rest of the article for all the arguments for and against this proposed bill. I don't think it will stand up in court and that the club will still be able to meet. Just goes to show you how messed up some people's(i.e. Mormons) view of sexual orientation is.

On Saturday I'm heading home to Utah for Christmas. I'll be there for ten days. I hope I survive. And although I love my family, I can't wait until I'm back in Ohio.

[Update]
The governor of Utah gives his opinion on the proposed bill.

Survivor: Guatemala finale

Last night was the Survivor finale. The final three were Danni, Rafe and Stephenie. Rafe and Steph should have taken Lydia with them to the final three so that either of them would have won the last immunity challenge, then taken the other to the final two. Rafe went behind Steph's back and made a promise to Danni that he would take her to the final three, so Lydia was voted out. At the challenge Rafe was the first out and it came down to Steph and Danni and the way the challenge was set up Danni won because she was so tall, she had no problem leaning against the pole. It was heartbreaking to see Steph give it her all but finally fall down. Rafe was a good sport and told Danni she didn't have to take him to the final two even though she promised him she would. I was so close to having my dream finale of Rafe and Steph. Danni decided to take Steph with her to the final two because she thought she had a better chance of winning against Steph because Steph had backstabbed so many people. I had mixed feelings about Steph being in the final two over Rafe but I have loved Steph ever since Palau, so to see her make it to the final two was awesome. I just wish she could have gone with the gay Mormon that played an amazing game. But it is Rafe's fault that Danni won the last immunity challenge and he was the first one out of the challenge, so I think Steph deserved to be in the final two. Unfortunately, the jury voted Danni the winner. What a disappointing end to my favorite season of Survivor. Steph deserved to win. Maybe she'll be back for another season.

SSA should not mean Same-Sex Attraction

I take a pause from posting about my personal life to bring you this article from my home state's newspaper.

Gives you some insight into the way the Mormon church works. I'm so glad this didn't happen to me as much, but my heart goes out to others out there who are struggling as Matis did. I hate how the Mormon Church labels being gay as SSA to make it sound like a disease that can be cured. Also check out the part that says,

After a sacred experience Fred says he had in the temple in the hours following their conversation with Stuart, he and his wife prayed together there and "turned Stuart over to Heavenly Father." The details are too personal to recount, but a certain peace came to them, they said.

Basically this poor man's parents let him commit suicide after receiving inspiration in the temple that it was ok to let him go. How scary is that! I personally don't think God was behind that.

I bet I know what a favorite gift among my family will be this year for Christmas.

SSA really stands for sulfosalicylic acid and is used to test for protein in the urine. (I'm studying for my Renal exam.)

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

Survivor fans will recognize the title of this post from that reality show. I am a huge Survivor fan. This season the players are in the Guatemalan jungle. There're two characters in particular that I like-Rafe, a gay Mormon and Steph, who I fell in love with when she was on Survivor:Palau(they brought her back this season). I will be happy if either wins. For those who don't remember the premise of Survivor, 16 people are put in a remote location, they learn how to cope with little food and water, going through a series of competitions and voting off one person each show until the last two people remain. At that point it's up to the jury composed of the last seven players voted off to choose the Survivor who is most deserving to win a million dollars. We are now down to five players, Judd being voted off at the last tribal council.

Lately I can't help but feel like I'm playing my own version of Survivor. The winner earns the chance to be with Kip, a prize I'd much rather have than a million dollars. There are only two players in this version of Survivor. We both have different factors working in our favor. I happen to live in the same state as Kip, for example. The other player got the advantage this week, but it's far from over.

It's getting down to the nitty gritty and I'm trying to keep myself from getting paranoid like so many Survivor players do. I have no idea how this will ultimately end and it's tearing me apart. I wish the other player would realize that he needs to step away from the game. Everyone has their first love that they feel like they want to be with forever, but he needs to move on and let Kip be happy. In the meantime I'm giving Kip the space he wants, hoping the time we shared was enough to help him see I'm the one he should choose.

Many of you probably think I shouldn't wait around for Kip while he decides who he wants to be with. But this week apart has shown me even more that I don't want to be without Kip, I like him too much. He makes me so happy when we're together. I know he's going through a rough time right now and I need to give him the time he needs to work through it all.

I prefer watching Survivor on TV where my own feelings aren't involved. The winner of Survivor:Guatemala will be decided mid-December. I think I'm gonna have to wait longer than that to see who wins Survivor:Ohio.

Still dealing

Ok maybe I'm being too emotional about this whole thing, but I still can't stop thinking about him and crying. I'm trying to figure out how to get over the man of my dreams dumping me for no good reason.

Julie has to keep demanding that I not contact him until Day 3...which is tomorrow. But I already slipped up yesterday and texted him a few times. Maybe there's hope in the future for us, but how do I get through this time when I'm still dealing with the breakup? I miss him.

Goodbye, Love

Getting your heart broken really sucks. The thought of not being with him makes my stomach hurt and my eyes water. I've never really had this happen to me before. Usually I'm the one to break up with the other person. I've never felt so strongly for anyone in my life. He was as close to the perfect guy as I could have hoped for. I knew I wanted to be with him for a long, long time. We had so much fun together.

I wish I was an amazing enough person for him get over all of his issues and decide to be happy with me, but I'm not. Maybe some day if I keep working, I'll be that kind of a person. Until then it's back to being single. I don't know how I can ever be happy in a relationship with someone else.

We're talking again today after class, but I know it's going to be our last conversation as a couple. It's so painful to know how much this person cares for me, yet not want to be in a relationship with me. I wish he could have realized what he's giving up. Maybe one day he'll come around and we'll be able to be together. Excuse me while I go throw up.

Four Years Since My Mission

Being allhookedup's number one outgoing link is a lot of pressure for such a novice blogger as myself. But it is exciting knowing that people are reading my blog. So to not keep my readers waiting I decided it was time for my next post.

Monday, Nov. 21st, marked four years since I returned from my two-year mission from Spain. It made me think a bit about my experience and how much I miss Spain and the people I met while I was there. It also made me feel really old that I've been home twice as long as I was gone for. The mission represented a huge obstacle in my life that I had learing in front of me all through my teenage years. I knew that as soon as I got that part of my life over with I could finally start being the person I wanted to be. And slowly but surely I have made a lot of progress since getting back.

Reflecting on my mission always makes me think about whether or not I regret my decision to go. I went to keep my family proud of me and now, four years later the illusion that I created is now destroyed anyways. Was it really worth six more years of my family's approval? Definitely not worth it if that was the only thing I gained. I realize now that after leaving high school I should have been myself and not worry about what my family thought of me. But I don't think I was ready for that. I was really only ready to tell my family the truth after living in Ohio for a year. So I don't think it was worth making my family happy, but I did learn a lot about myself while I was out there. I learned how strong I was and that I could overcome anything that came my way. I mean who would have thought I'd be able to live without my family for two years just so that they would still love me? But two years passed miraculously and I was left with the good experiences that I had, while the bad experiences have largely faded from my memory. I loved seeing the sites and becoming fluent in Spanish. I also probably wouldn't think Shakira was so amazing. Living out of the U.S. gave me a whole different perspective on the world than I had before I left. So I don't really like to say whether or not I regret going, I just say that it happened and think about all the good things that came out of it.

I still keep in touch with several of my Spanish friends and have been back twice since I got home to visit them. After living there for two years it felt like my home away from home. I always miss Spain and know that I will return as often as I can throughout my life. My dream is to have own a house on the Cadiz coastline. We'll see what happens. Here's a picture of me in my mission clothes in a national park in Cadiz:



Someone asked for an update on Kip. I don't really want to talk too much about my relationship with him, but I will say that after a shaky weekend things are now really good between us again. We saw Rent on Monday and The Rocky Horror Show yesterday. We're going our separate ways for Thanksgiving but I hope that some day in the future we'll be spending the holidays together. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with.

Trip to DC

Since we had Friday off of school and we just finished our Cardio division, Julie and I decided to head down to DC for the long weekend. She had friends from college down there and my brother and his family had just moved there for the Air Force. I hadn't seen him or his two children for two years so I was excited to spend time with them, though a little nervous since I hadn't seen them since I had come out to my family.


On Friday morning I went sightseeing around the Mall with them and Julie and her friend Sarah. My brother was acting very stern the whole time and didn't iniciate one piece of conversation with me. It was so uncomfortable. Luckily the kids were cute and my sister-in-law was nice, but it hurt that my brother acted that way towards me when we had always gotten along well together in the past. Well my sister-in-law told me that I could come down for Thanksgiving but I told her I didn't think I'd be able to.

I was glad to see Julie get plenty of action. It was weird watching someone else hook up while I pined away for Kip back home. He forgot his phone charger in Ohio while he was in Pennsylvania visiting a friend. So not only did I not get any sex, I couldn't even talk to my boy on the phone. At least I don't have to hide anything from him so that feels good.

On Saturday we went to Charlottesville to see UVa where Julie went to undergrad. It's pretty down there. I had a good time hearing about Julie's college life, eating at some of her favorite places and learning about the history.

Nothing else too exciting really happened. I just had a fun time bonding with Julie and meeting her friends that I hear so much about. I'm glad I was able to go with her. It's gonna be hard to leave Kip for ten days though when I go to Utah for Christmas, besides having to be around my whole family for that long.

Elections

I'm proud to say that I voted yesterday, so I'm 3 for 3 in elections since I moved to Ohio. Things didn't go my way with Issues 2-5 which didn't pass but a lot of the Democrats won their races such as Lori Tyack(my friend Erik's roommate ran her campaign), Mary Jo Hudson(big lesbian) and Mary O'Shaughnessy(handed me Panera sandwiches after my triathlon this summer) plus Democrat governors won in Virginia and New Jersey so that's good.

Also yesterday the Provo District School Board passed a policy that will allow the Gay-Straight Alliance at Provo High School to continue meeting. What a pleasant surprise that the Board reacted this way instead of banning all noncurricular clubs.

Everything's coming up Dave

So my life has been going really well lately. I have lots of reasons to be happy. I reconnected with my sister-in-law Sage. She sent me a Halloween package with this funny note(which talks about giving blow jobs and stuff):

So I called her this week to thank her and we ended up talking for an hour. It was a great conversation and Sage filled me in on the family gossip and what they all think about me. The big topic of conversation was whether I drink or not since I was "such a big health nut". Well I informed her that I did, indeed, drink.

My other sister-in-law Darla finally wrote me back about me visiting them this weekend in DC. I haven't seen my brother or his family in over two years since they moved to Korea. I'm excited to go sightseeing with them on Friday.

But I guess the main reason why I'm so happy is because I finally met a guy that's worth settling down with and who wants to do the same with me. I could go on and on about how much I like Kip, but I think I'll spare you all and just say that I'm very lucky. Here's us with the pumpkins we carved on Halloween.

Happy Birthday, Julie!

Monday was Julie's 25th birthday. To celebrate a group of us from med school and Chris went to Martini's for yummy Italian food and martinis.



We love you, Julie!

Shakira's new album cover

Sony realeased the cover art for Shakira's new album:



Shakira looks hot as Eve.

This all-English album will be released on November 29th.

Shakira rocks!!

So I came across this article on shakiramedia.com:

To break the record or not to break the record -- that is the question on
Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, and it won't be answered until next week.
For now, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz have to be content with holding the
No. 1 osition on this chart for the 19th non-consecutive week with "La Tortura".

Since the all-time record for longest stay at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs tally
is the 20-week reign of "A Puro Dolor" by Son by Four in 2000, Shakira and
Alejandro could tie the record next week and surpass it in two weeks.

"La Tortura" is Shakira's fifth Latin chart-topper. "Ciega, Sordomuda" spent
three weeks on top, starting in November 1998. The follow-up, "Tu," led the
list for one week in February 1999. "Suerte" held sway for seven weeks,
starting in October 2001. "Que Me Quedes Tu" also had a lone week in pole
position, in March 2003.

I hope she does break the record because that song is amazing.

[UPDATE]

She did it! 21 non-consecutive weeks at Number 1!

Columbus Marathon

Yesterday I ran the Columbus Marathon. Today I'm trying to move as little as possible. My legs are killing me right now.

My mom came into town to watch me run. I made her stay in a hotel. I'm glad she did. I can only stand her in low doses. Not that she's not a nice person, she's just annoying at times. But I guess it was nice to have her support.

I woke up at 6:00 AM on race morning, got ready and headed over to my mom's hotel to pick her up. Julie was good to wake up bright and early and meet my mom and I at the finish line to drive us to the starting line. We arrived at around 7:00 AM. We stayed warm inside Starbucks until I went to find a bathroom. The line for the port-o-potties was way too long so I wandered down to the YMCA and thankfully was able to use the bathroom there. On the way back to Julie and my mom I saw Jared, Lindsay and Jen, Jared's sister. Jared, in my class, was also running the marathon. We had a joint carbo-loading party the night before. I left them to find my mom and Julie, which I did after a brief panic since they had moved outside. I gave them my warm clothes and went to the starting line right around the 7:00 minute/mile people.

I was a little bit rusty at the start, but after a couple of miles I was feeling really good and staying under my 3 hour target time pace. I found a group of three guys that I ran with until about mile 14. At the half marathon point I was at 1:27, three minutes under my target time, so I was really happy. Julie handed me a Gu packet and I continued on my way.

Coming up High Street, after I saw Mathiew, Jonathan, Ryan, Alison, Aaron, Chris, Chris, Zack, John and Beth, I started slowing down. After Lane Avenue there was an uphill until Dodridge. I didn't really pay attention to my pace, but right before Dodridge I saw that I was a minute or two over pace. I was upset, but by that time I was starting to feel tired. I tried to pick up the pace but I couldn't. Erika handed me a cup of my favorite Gatorade at the corner of Dodridge and High. Lindsay and Jen handed me Gu and an orange on Ackerman. Kip was waiting at around mile 20, then Julie and Mom were right before I turned down Lane. I continued to slow down, going 8-minute miles. It was discouraging when the 3:10 pace group passed me and I couldn't keep up with them. I saw Erik, Kristi and Alison on Neil, then Chris, Zack and John on Park. Don was right near the finish. By the end I was at 9-minute miles. I ended up going 3:15.44. I guess I needed to train more so I could keep up my pace for the whole marathon. I needed a 3:10 to qualify for Boston, which i did last marathon.

It was fun to give everyone a hug at the finish and have my mom meet all my friends. As I was finishing I was so happy. I knew I hadn't got my best time but I had finished another marathon, in my new hometown, with my new family helping me along the way. It was an amazing experience. Thanks to everyone who came to watch. I always had such a big smile on my face whenever I saw one of my friends. You helped me make it 26.2 miles. Next time I will break 3 hours and I hope you're all there to watch.

Forming a GSA in a Utah County high school

Oh no, what will those conservative Mormons in Happy Valley do now? Here's an article in the Deseret News about a student trying to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at Provo High School(one of my high school rivals).

Days update

So now that my test is over I've been able to start catching up on all my shows that I have DVRed.

Wednesday's Days of Our Lives was a great one. Austin is back looking hot as always and giving eveyone advice. Lucas got a cute haircut and was visiting his new niece in the hospital. He suggested they name the baby Kiki. Philip said that if it was a boy they were going to name him Luke after Lucas, so that was cute. Sami pulled all of her old wedding dresses out of her closet. There were three from failed Austin marriages, one from Franco, one from Brandon and one from Lucas, plus the one she was wearing. It was hilarious.

This is a great quote and the reason I love Sami so much: “I’m telling you Austin if that crazy bitch[Nicole] isn’t gone when I get out, I’m gonna tear her bloodshot eyes out.”

Mean Girl

I love this movie, and it's one of the few I happen to own. I don't think I'm really too much like Regina though, but oh well.


Regina George


Which Mean Girl are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sorry for not posting something substantial, but I'm going crazy right now with school. Hopefully I'll be better next week.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Citizenship test

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on blogging, I had a week of practically no Internet in Minneapolis. I had an amazing week, and now I have to catch up on pulmonary for my test on Friday.

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Me as a blog component

After getting blasted for a recent post, here's something on the lighter side so I don't strike any nerves:

If I Were a Blog Component, I would be the DATE / TIME STAMP.
I love activities and I revel in day-to-day life.Which Blog Component Are You?
Take This Blog Quiz at About Web Logs!

Something good about BYU in the media

I recently bashed BYU for their anti-gay stance, but today I found out that BYU was named the nation's fittest college campus, so that makes me a little prouder that I graduated from there.

That is one good thing about my Mormon upringing-I was taught to always take care of my body. As I train for the Columbus Marathon, I thank my parents for teaching me that.

Letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger

A touching letter to Governor Schwarzenegger that I completely agree with.

California lawmakers legalize gay marriage

I happily read this in my daily New York Times email:

"California lawmakers on Tuesday became the first in the country to legalize same-sex marriage, with the State Assembly narrowly approving a bill that defines marriage as between "two persons" instead of between a man and a woman.

The 41-to-35 vote in the 80-member Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, was along party lines, with no Republicans supporting the bill."

For those gay people who vote Republican because they "don't let their sexuality decide who [they] can vote for" (I heard this Saturday night) this is proof that Republicans do not support gay rights. How can you be gay and continue to support that party when they refuse to support gay marriage? It doesn't make sense to me, unless you hope we will never have the same rights as our heterosexual friends.

Let's hope Arnold will sign this bill into law. As for me, I'm California Dreamin' all over again.

So with this post I finally did one of the things that I set out to do last November.

[Update]

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto the bill permitting same-sex marriages, his press secretary said this afternoon.

Schwarzenegger had hinted that he would veto the bill. Even if he had signed it, it would have faced an uncertain legal future because of Proposition 22 in 2000, approved by 61% of voters. That ballot measure said: 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.'"

That's upsetting, especially when I think of the millions of dollars the LDS Church put into the campaign to get Proposition 22 passed.

Embarrassed for BYU

Two lists from The Princeton Review of the nation's best colleges that have come out in the past week have made me again embarrassed that I went to undergrad at Brigham Young University. BYU was again named as the country's most stone cold sober school. Drinking does go on at BYU but you have to be really sneaky about it. I usually went up to Salt Lake to enjoy my non-sober nights.

The other list which is the more important issue is that according to the Princeton Review, BYU is in the Bottom 10 among universities' acceptance of the LGBT community. I completely agree with that ranking. I had a few friends that were kicked out of BYU when it was found out that they had participated in homosexual activities. I was very careful about not revealing my sexuality all through college for fear of being kicked out and losing my scholarship. I lived in a sort of constant fear of someone telling on me. I never signed on to gay.com while at BYU because I often heard that people working for the university would put up fake profiles on the site, search for BYU students and turn them into the Honor Code office when the students were discovered. I also heard that people would go up to the gay clubs in Salt Lake and search out the cars in the parking lots with BYU parking stickers and turn the drivers into the Honor Code office for discipline. Besides the threat of being kicked out of school, there is the issue that the student body is close-minded and does not understand what it means to be gay, although there are a lot of closeted Mormons at the school. If I had the chance to do it all again I would have gone somewhere where I could have gotten the same high quality education I received there, but also be appreciated for who I am. It's been amazing to come to Ohio State where nobody cares that I'm gay even among such a conservative profession. Now my friends love me for the person I really am, not some lie I created to fit in.

Long Days Update

Last night Chris and I saw Four Brothers. I liked it a lot. I sat by Erik and Kristi today. It was good to be back down near the front, paying attention and taking notes. After class I went with Julie and friends to W.G. Grinders. It's fun to eat lunch with med students now. I went to the pool today and swam and studied. I hope my legs get to feeling better so I can run the half-marathon on Sunday. The last two times I have gone running they have killed.

On Today's Show:
Sami visited Bonnie Lockhart to see if see could have her wedding reception at Bonnie's country bar Alice's. I love that place because whenever a scene takes place there they play country music. Trick Pony even did a performance on an episode last month. Bonnie agrees to have Sami's reception there. Before Sami leaves she has a run in with Mimi who came to tell her mom that she almost slept with Shawn D. Sami gave her a hard time over that before leaving.

Shawn helps Belle and Phillip get to the hospital so Phillip can be fitted for a prosthesis for his amputated leg. Shawn is finally accepting that he's lost Belle. Now Belle needs to get over Shawn. It's kind of backwards because it's Belle who's decided she can't be with Shawn. They talk about Shawn and Mimi's relationship and he says they are just friends. Shawn goes to use the pay phone. Sami sees Belle looking longingly at Shawn and they have a heart to heart. It was cute to see them talking again. Sami told Belle to get over Shawn. But Belle says she can't. Oh Belle is finally starting to show so that's fun.

Shawn calls Bonnie who offers him a job as a bartender. Mimi just asked for a job as a waitress so now the two of them will be working together. So I've often wondered why the characters always use the pay phone at the hospital instead of their cell phones. Shawn said that he'd call Bonnie on the pay phone since you're not allowed to use cell phones in the hospital. So that was interesting.

Hope arrives at the hospital and starts saying what a problem child Chelsea is. Billie defends Chelsea and Hope and Billie get into an argument. Billie lets it slip that Chelsea is their daughter. Bo says that they're at the hospital to confirm that. Hope apologizes. Billie and Bo receive the DNA test results. Billie opens the envelope and says, "I don't believe it."

Amnesia patients: 1 (Marlena, but I'm glad she wasn't on the show today)
Dimera hostage count: 0 (All the hostages were freed and now Tony is in jail)

Back to school

Well I've started my second year of med school. Hard to believe I'm already here. We are studying our fourth division of neural science. Yesterday we had the clinic orientation for the first years. We divided them into nine groups and went over what they'd be doing at the clinic. I'm having a little problem figuring out where to sit this year. I wanted Erik and Kristi(who I sat with all last year) to move up to where Julie and her friends sit, but Erik said it would be too distracting. So I've sat with Julie the past three days, but I'm having separation anxiety form Erik and Kristi. But now someone has stolen my seat by them. So tomorrow I have to get there early and steal my seat back. I think I'm gonna try to swithc back and forth between the two groups. I just love Kristi too much to not sit by her ever. Erik is in my PCM small group this year so I'm excited about that.

On Today's Show:
Chelsea went on today about how Billie could never be her mother. Meanwhile Billie and Bo are at the hospital awaiting DNA confirmation that Chelsea is their daughter. It was funny because they are just gonna use the test results from thei previous blood transfusion. Sorry but that blood is long gone, they would have to draw new blood to run the DNA test. Kate went to see Tony. She let him use her cell phone so he called Sami to come see him. Sami arrives in a funny disguise-black wig and a slimming black business suit. She pretends to be Tony's lawyer. Kate and the police don't recognize her lol. So Tony gets Sami to help him with his plan to escape. I can't believe Sami is digging gherself deeper and deeper. Kate goes into use Roman's computer to look up dirt on Sami. Lucas catches her in there and pulls her away from the screen as Kate wheels back and they go back in forth a few times. That was hilarious. As Sami leaves Tony's cell Kate does recognize her. She yells out to Lucas, "Luuucas com here, Luuucas come see this" but of course Sami is gone by the time Lucas appears. Jack continues to hook Jen and Frankie up. So Jen and Frankie end up slow dancing in front of Abby, Chelsea and Jack. So annoying. Chloe continues to whine about her scars. Why can't Brady understand she doesn't want to have the scars at her wedding?

Amnesia patients: 1 (Marlena, but I'm glad she wasn't on the show today)
Dimera hostage count: 0 (All the hostages were freed and now Tony is in jail)

Orientation

Last night was an orientation party at Lodge Bar. It's hard to believe I'm a Med 2 now and that one year ago I was just moving to Columbus, still going to church and caring what the other Mormons thought of me. It was a fun time with country music and free beer. I hung out with Erik and Kristi and Julie and her group. I ran into a guy from BYU who I had a class with. I felt a little silly drinking a beer, but he didn't say anything. I always thought he was a loser anyways. Erik rode the mechanical bull which was fun to watch. I had fun checking out the Med 1's seeing if there were any new prospects. There are a bunch of hotties but probably all straight. After the Lodge Bar a bunch of us went to Skully's. Alison made sure I made it there safely. I ran into Chris there so that was fun. It was fun to dance with the Skully's med school crowd.

I ran today for 54 minutes so I'm feeling a lot better about my training. I hope I can keep it up.

On Today's Show:
The dramatic irony is killing me. We(the audience) all know that Chelsea is really Georgia. Finally today Patrick suggested this theory to Billie. Billie's not too smart but I've liked her character ever since she first came on the show, though it was a different actress at the time. She should have figured out the true identity of Chelsea when she was the only match in Salem for Chelsea's rare blood type. She needs to do a DNA test. It was sad to see Billie cry after getting ripped apart by Chelsea who told Billie she should stop looking for Georgia because she would be an awful mother. Chelsea had a hot sex scene with Max but they didn't seal the deal maybe because she mentioned how much she loved Patrick. Victor is back in Salem and confronted Nicole about her trying to kill him. Brady and him kicked Nicole out. Shawn D and Mimi are trying to comfort each other for the loss of their loved ones. They were doing fine until Shawn heard through the air vent Phillip and Belle having sex. Dr. North and Marlena continued their creepy get away in the romantic mountain cabin.

Amnesia patients: 1 (Marlena)
Coma patients:1 (Jan was mentioned today)
Dimera hostage count: 0 (All the hostages were freed and now Tony is in jail)

Fun weekend

I had a good weekend. Last night Zack, Jamie, Robert and I went to Virginia West's drag show. We had a table on the front row so that was fun to be in all the action. It was a slumber party massacre, and by audience vote my favorite drag queen, Monique Devoreaux, was named the killer. Afterwards we went to Union for the cast party and had a few drinks.

Saturday Zack and I went to a party at Pete's house where we got to hang out with our law school friends for a bit. Then we went to Havana to hang out with Jimmy and friends. It was a nice change of pace to hang out with the older crowd.

On Friday night we went to a party on the Scioto River and then went to Axis. It was a fun night at Axis. Zack and I got our groove on. We ran into Aaron, Donny, Rob and Steve. Don was also there with his friends.

I talked to Natalie on Saturday night for two hours on the phone. It was great to catch up with her again. I'm flying out to go to her wedding in Minnesota in September. She is my ex-girlfriend and the first non-gay person I came out to, so we are really close even though we live far away.

Yesterday I went running for 45 minutes. I have a renewed desire to train for the marathon. I need to get a training plan and stick to it. I just hope I have the discipline I need to train. I signed up for a half marathon in two weeks. That's my favorite distance so it should be a good time.

My newest nephew Asa Baugh

I felt much better today after my nap. I went for a thirty minute run. I love my Ipod shuffle that I got for my birthday (*smooch*). I used to be one of those that said I'll never listen to music when I run, but now I enjoy it. I hope my motivation is back up to run the marathon in October.

I went to Betty's for dinner. It was pretty good, just a little too salty for me. Then I went to see March of the Penguins. It was an interesting movie because I like animals and such but I was tired and almost fell asleep. It reminded me of my choice many years ago to not pursue the career in biology that I had wanted to do since I was a kid but to instead become a doctor. I still think I made the right choice even though one of the main reasons I chose to become a doctor now doesn't apply to me(providing for a family).

I called Andy to wish him a happy birthday and he happened to be at the hospital visiting my other brother's new baby. I found out his name is Asa. I talked to Matt for a little bit to congratulate him. This was the first I had spoken to them since my trip to Utah.

On Today's Show:
Not too memorable of an episode. Billie is off to help Bo rescue Hope. She ran into Kate at the hospital and it was nice to see her comfort her mom. Caroline spat on Tony. Mimi reminisced about her high school crush on Shawn. She still hates Belle.

Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 0
Amnesia patients: 1
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 3 (Caroline and Victor, who were actually on the show today, and Hope)

Fun at Blondie's

Blondie's is just two blocks from my house, but last night was the first time I went since I went almost a year ago on one of my first nights in Columbus. It was a fun time. I had a nice buzz going when I got there that turned into full-fledged drunkenness by the time I left. Though I live only two blocks away, Dan and I managed to stumble around for 30 minutes in the wrong direction (east on Hudson, for example) before he called his roommate to come pick us up. I sang Whenever, Wherever karaoke for everyone at the bar. I didn't do Shakira well in the singing category unfortunately, but I thought I made a fine ass shaker. Next time I'll have to sing a song that showcases my vocal abilities.

Before Blondie's I played a nice game of Monopoly with Zack, Jamie and Robert. Zack and I made a great alliance since between the both of us we owned all but four properties. Well people got tired and we declared Zack the winner, and though they refused to say it, I was clearly in second place. Zack and I have been getting along really well these past couple of weeks since I've been home so I'm really happy about that.

I went to dinner with Jim, who is a radiologist. I've been talking to him for a while, but this was the first time we had met. I think knowing him will help me get the radiology residency I so desperately want. I need to get my act in gear and shadow him in my free time. Talking to him made me excited again to be a radiologist. Maybe I will be able to handle going back to school in less than two weeks.

On Today's Show:
On Days yesterday Marlena continued to annoy me with her amnesia. John was being ridiculous in defending Kate for her actions. Roman is right for not wanting to be with Kate anymore after what she did. I absolutely hate Belle for what she's doing to Shawn. It was great final scene when she told him she never wanted to see him again and they grasped hands. The camera zoomed in on their hands and as their hands came apart in the background was the S & B that was carved into the wall on the roof.

Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 0
Amnesia patients: 1 (Marlena is being so annoying)
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 3 (Caroline and Victor, though they are hardly ever shown and now Hope)

In other news I got a call from Matt yesterday saying that I'm an uncle for the 15th time. Sage had an as yet unnamed baby boy yesterday. I'm glad they're both doing fine.

Drama-filled weekend

So I guess I'm not dating anyone again. I love when it ends by the other person ignoring you for two days. Can you not be civil and talk to me about things? I really can't be too upset about this though because it's not like he was my dream guy to begin with. But I did have fun while I was with him. I had so much fun at Aaron's and at Axis with my friends. I'm glad I dragged Zack along.

Lucas proposed to Sami today which made me happy. I'm starting to feel bad for Kate but she does deserve everything she's getting. Marlena is just being ridiculous. Not only does she have amnesia, she forgot how to act like a normal person. She's so bitchy to John. Lexie ripped the buttons off Tek's shirt while they were having sex. I don't know how he made it out of the hospital without someone wondering what happened to his shirt.

On Today's Show:
Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 0 (here's to hoping Sami gets her hooks back in Lucas-looks like she has for the moment)
Amnesia patients: 1 (Marlena is being so annoying)
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 3 (Caroline and Victor, though they are hardly ever shown and now Hope)

My "Saved By the Bell" personality

Pretty close to my personality:


Which "Saved By The Bell" Character Are You?

Mathiew and Ruben came over to watch Days with me. The show was amazing today. Definitely one of my top ten episodes ever. It's always hard to believe when something actually happens that you've been wanting to happen for so long. Lucas finally heard the proof that Kate set up Sami. Now Lucas and Roman have to decide what to do about Kate. I don't think Lucas and Sami will be happily ever after just yet. It was great seeing Sami on fire, finally getting her revenge on Kate. I was so happy for her. Kate looked like the biggest fool.

On Today's Show:
Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 0 (here's to hoping Sami gets her hooks back in Lucas)
Amnesia patients: 0 (Marlena wasn't on this show)
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 3 (Caroline and Victor, though they are hardly ever shown and now Hope)

Last night was a fun time at Skully's for 80's night with Mathiew, Nicole and Ruben. They played a lot of really fun songs. Went to Barcelona, finally, which was so amazing. I had yummy gazpacho that made me miss Spain. Then saw fireworks at the state fair and visited Mathiew at Cup O' Joe. He looked so cute in his yellow worker shirt.

Sami gives Lucas his birthday present

Today I finally got to see Sanjida after almost two months. We ate Quizno's and watched Days of Our Lives, as she is an old fan of the soap. It was fun getting her up to speed on what's been happening lately and then watching today's episode with her. The suspense is killing me of Sami finally getting her revenge on Kate. She's built it up so much at Lucas' birthday party. She finally gave Lucas the tapes at the end of today's show while Roman, Kate, Belle and Phillip look on. Patrick seems to be up to no good. Billie catches him holding Max in a headlock. Max overheard Patrick on the phone with someone talking about something secretive.

Last night we went out to Wall Street. I had a fun night. I stayed up until 4 AM to take Chris G. to the airport.


On Today's Show:
Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 1 (thanks Kate)
Amnesia patients: 0 (Marlena wasn't on this show)
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 2 (Caroline and Victor, though they are hardly ever shown)

Sami surprises Lucas

On today's episode Sami gets help from Julie and Maggie with planning Lucas a surprise party. She gets him a huge birthday cake and jumps out of it in a spaghetti-strap dress. Lucas and Sami start making out as Kate looks on in horror.

On Today's Episode:
Amnesia patients: 1
Car accidents: 1 (Abby and Chelsea appear to have gotten in an accident)
Dimera hostage count: 2
Comas: 0
Use of the word "hooks": 0

Blogging About Days

So tonight while eating my delicious Cold Stone ice cream my friends mentioned how they were trying to find my blog now that they know I have one. I thought that was funny since it's really not that complicated-it's my OIC or most of my AIM name. They suggested that I should blog about my favorite summer show-Days of Our Lives.

I decided to take their advice and write something about what is going on in Salem these days. My favorite story line is Sami and her desire to win Lucas back. She is searching in the sewer for the tapes she knows will prove that Kate set her and Brandon up the night before her wedding with Lucas. I can't wait until Kate goes down for that. I want Sami to be happy but I'm sure it won't be happily ever after for her just yet. Sami is working with Nicole to get back at Kate. It's a hilarious pairing because they hate each other. Nicole is drunk and says some funny things to Sami. Besides the Sami storyline the whole Roman/Kate/John/Marlena situation is very fun to watch. I wonder who will end up with who when everything is said and done.

On Today's Show:
Use of the word "hooks" as in "getting your hooks into someone": 0
Amnesia patients: 1
Comas: 0
Car accidents: 0
Dimera hostage count: 2

My Trip Home 2

I also spent my birthday in Utah. On Sunday night, my birthday eve, I went up to Salt Lake to Dave's apartment. We had a few drinks with some friends and Dave's boyfriend. Then we all went to the Trap Door for Latin night. I was happy that Dave came because lately he's not been very excited about clubbing but he agreed to go because it was my birthday. It wasn't quite like the old days, but I still had a great night. They let me in the club free because it was my birthday. Then I ran into Todd. He has sort of a monopoly on the gay clubs in Salt Lake. Well he likes me so he got a shot for all my friends and I got drinks all night long. The music was great, they played a lot of my favorites including Shakira. I ran into an old friend Derrick who turned out to be my birthday makeout, so that was fun. The next day which was my birthday I went to lunch at Taco Bell(I had been craving it for a month while I was in Peru) and the Fantastic Four with my newest fag hag Marie. We stopped for a free Slurpee at 7/11. For dinner I had a BBQ at my house with my family. We had lots of good food with a few of my favorite salads that I had missed. It was a fun time with my family, though in the back of my mind I knew things would never be the same between us.

Sure enough, later in the week I came out to my family. I knew I was ready for them to know. I wish I would have had the courage to do it when I was younger but I wasn't living on my own or confident enough to do it earlier. I almost lost the courage this time. I decided to tell Katie first, since we are the closest. I thought she would be fine with it, or more accepting than anyone else. Boy was I wrong. She was the most preachy of all my family. Let's just say that apparently she thinks very highly of the Church and doesn't want me to live in sin. All this while she was crying. It was awful causing her so much pain. I wish I could make her understand that everything she believes is a lie but I guess that's for her to discover. I went up to Salt Lake to stay with Dave and let Katie have some time to digest it. The next morning I came home and she wanted to talk more. She had skipped work the night before because she was so upset. She wanted me to tell my parents right away. They were on there way to California to visit my uncle. I told her I would call them when they got to California. I went to lunch with Marie and Katie called me to say she had told my parents and they were driving home tonight to talk to me. I called my parents and tried to get them to turn around and go back to California, but they insisted on talking to me in person. Before they arrived my brother came over and I told him what was going on so he wouldn't be surprised when my parents came home. He told me I was too intelligent to think being gay was right. I told him exactly I am intelligent. I know who I am. He left because he didn't want to be around when my parents came home. My parents arrived and we sat in the living room and talked about my decision to leave the Church. My mom cried, but my dad was calm, asking me questions about why I believed the way I did. It wasn't too painful. I talked to them for about an hour then had my friend come pick me up and take me to Salt Lake. I stayed with Dave until I left Utah on Sunday. I suppose by now all my family knows. Everyone has said they still love me but will never understand why I "decided" to be gay. I can only hope in time they will see things from my point of view. I guess I'm glad they know now. At least I won't be living a lie anymore. I just feel like I've given up my family. Things will never be the same between us. I don't want to have much to do with them anymore. Even Katie seems like a stranger to me now. Oh well, I'm in Ohio now and they don't matter right now. I'll give them time.

I have to thank Dave for all he did for me. He was great. I'm so glad I met him almost two years ago now when I was first going out in Utah. He helped me so much this trip when I needed support and encouragement. I know we will always be friends no matter how far apart we live or who we're dating. When we were together on this trip it felt like we hadn't been apart for 6 months. We just picked up right where we left off. We'll always be Dave and Dave.

My Trip Home

I arrived in Utah on July 2nd, just in time to go to Stadium of Fire with Katie, her friend Stacey, Andy and Kayli. I had to cry big tears in order to get on a flight early enough to make the patriotic celebration after my flight from Lima was delayed 3 hours. I was happy to be there with my brother and sister after not having been with family in 6 months. The celebration was fun with Mandy Moore and Lonestar performing and lots of fireworks.

I had a great 4th of July. I woke up early and met Katie and Stacey at Kiwanis Park to pick up our race packets for the 10K we were running. I started this tradition a couple of years ago to run in the race on the 4th, so I'm happy that many of my siblings and their spouses were able to participate this year. Matt, Brian and Emily ran the 5K, and Amy, Andy and Kayli did the mile walk. I ran the 10K in 40 minutes, which was a good time for me, although I felt like I was going really slow. After the race was the parade. I sat with Matt and Sage in prime shade along the parade route. Then it was time to go home and get ready for the Baugh Family reunion at Scera Park. This is a yearly tradition for my Dad's family. My grandpa cooks hamburgers and hot dogs and everyone brings their favorite salads to share. Then there are games such as volleyball and bocce. After spending all day in the park, Matt and I had some bonding time going up to the Real Salt Lake soccer game. It was a fun game. Our team came back from a 2 goal deficit to tie the game in the last 12 minutes.

Family Fun

My second oldest brother Tom, his wife and four kids are visiting my parents in Utah. They have lived in Guam for the past year so I haven't seen much of them during that time. I was excited to get to talk to them while they are staying at my parents.

So today I decided to call my sister Katie on her cell phone so I can talk to everyone. Katie is nice, she tells me about going to Star Wars and eveything, then she puts Madison, my 10-year-old niece, on the phone. Madison is so cute and told me a little about Guam. Then she says, here's Katie. Katie says that basically Tom's too busy to let me talk to anyone, so I told Katie I'd talk to her later and hung up.

So basically the point is that I feel left out of my family. No one except for Katie calls me, supposedly because they don't have cell phones. I always have to call them and that hasn't happened too frequently in the past few months. The last time i was home was for Christmas break.

Well this just makes me only want to visit home for two weeks or less this summer.

[Update]

I called home today in between classes to tell my dad that I didn't have his Star Wars DVD's (Katie had told me he was wondering if I had them). My brother Tom aswered so I got to talk to him for a minute before my dad got on the other phone and my brother hung up. I told my dad I'd call back later to talk to Tom.