What would you say about having a third?

Friday night saw many things that kinda shocked me. The campus pride organization planned to a trip to go out clubbing that night which I happily joined in to. About a dozen of us hung out beforehand at one of the houses and had a few beers. A freshman who I met last semester that kinda had a thing for me was also there and did a creepy "stare from across the room" thing during our time there. No mas. Around 11:30 we head out in a cab armada. Friday night is 18+ night which means there were plenty of college students along with a few older guys who were creeping around a bit.

I danced with the group of people from my school for a while until one of the guys, a junior, started getting really touchy-feely. He claims he was drunk but I think he was just saying that; he's a bad liar. He asked me to go to the bar with him so I agreed. He ended up spilling the entire drink on the way back to the dance floor so we went to the ATM to get some more money. In the line he kept trying to get with me, nudging and grabbing until eventually I gave in. We ended up dancing/hooking up on the dance floor for the rest of the night. He's shorter than me and cute enough but wasn't a really good kisser or dancer for the matter. A little while later he asked me what I would say to going back to his place with one of the other guys from my school. First, my experience with guys still isn't anything to write home about so any 3-way/group thing still freaks me out. I tried to say that it would be a bit out of my comfort zone and put the question to rest but he kept trying to convince me it was a good idea. I didn't agree.

Around 2:30 we couldn't find where everyone else was so we left the club. During the cab ride he kept trying to grab me everywhere which made me uncomfortable and I think the cab driver as well; I tipped him extra for that reason. We went back to his place where I had planned to just get him to bed or mess around a little before heading out. Well, that didn't happen, and my mind, with it's knowledge of my long dry spell, took over. Unfortunately, it was rather sloppy to say the least. He wasn't terribly packing either. I ended up spending the night and woke up to a trash truck making a ruckus outside around 10. I ended up heading out back to my dorm soon after. I can only imagine what would have happened if I didn't say no to his suggestion. Honestly, the idea of having another guy there is intimidating to me.

So yeah, it was a fun, albeit awkward night. I don't know if I'll be going clubbing without close friends again though, it's so much better with them.

All the best,

JP

Politics: A Proper Time, Place, and Way

A prominent politician is coming to visit my school tomorrow and is taking time to speak to an assembly of students. While it's a pretty common occurrence at my school, we'll say this politician is a bit more controversial and noteworthy.

While most speakers draw crowds to hear them speak, this occasion is different. Recently, what has really been bothering me is that there is a large and growing number of students here who have organized a protest to having the politician come speak on campus. In addition to that, there has been talk (and I'm hoping it stays that, just talk) for some people to even heckle this politician during their speech. This really hit a nerve for me since beyond just being unnecessary, it's absolutely ludicrous in my mind that people would even do such a thing. I'm all for exercising one's right to assemble and also for free speech but this raises a different issue. I've worked on a newspaper and been involved in my fair share of causes so I'm more than familiar with that kind of stuff, but it's the whole time, place, and way that's bothering me. À mon avis, if you're really so opposed to what someone stands for or believes, express your reasons it in a thoughtful, respectful, and proper way and give that person a chance to respond.

A message to my fellow students: just because a visiting politician's beliefs don't necessarily reflect your own doesn't mean that you should heckle him during his speech, protest, or disrespect his taking time to speak to an audience. If you want to express your grievances, there's a proper time, place, and way to do so. If you were saying something that other's didn't agree with and they decided to rally and jeer, snap at, and attack you, how would you feel? What you're doing is unnecessary, and more importantly reflects poorly on our school, student population, and the values of equality, acceptance, being respectful, and diversity we stand for, including diversity in viewpoints and opinions.

Keep it classy my friends.

Friendcest

Is it ever a good idea to get romantically involved with someone in your close circle of friends? I've always been of the opinion that it would only lead to drama once things inevitably go sour. I'm not a pessimist if that's the impression you're ,but from what I've seen too often, people who know each other really well as friends are often too similar which oddly is a bad thing when it comes to love. Things either get boring and the couple splits, the silly little things that the pair do actually disagree on get blown out of proportion, or the couple ends up alienating themselves from the rest of the group which leads to all sorts of other social problems. What's worst is the severe awkwardness that follows after a breakup which not only affects the couple, but also the entire group of friends and ends up messing with the group dynamic.

I've always been a semi-believer in the whole opposites-attract thing when it comes to liking someone else. Almost all the guys I've liked have had more than a handful of qualities I think were vastly different from my own. This might be a fun time to also spill my not-so-secret love of bros, which is probably one of the farthest things you can get away from who I am. Nevertheless, something about them, which I think is just how different and almost foreign they are to me despite living on a college campus attracts me to them. The difference is what makes things interesting and the attraction between two people stronger in the long run. Yes, disagreements will inevitably happen, but that's a part of life.

Back to the topic of this post though, friendcest, which is what I've heard it called, seems like just a giant confusing mess of things all molded into one. Last year, one of my friends started dating another guy in the same circle and since then they've both disappeared off the radar. The guy I don't particularly care for so that isn't too much of a loss for me personally, but the girl, though we aren't the closest of friends, is really sweet and nice to have around. Nowadays, I only see them in passing and the only interaction we have is a brief "hi" every few weeks. It's troubling not only for me, but also for the other people in my group.

I'm not going to say that getting romantically involved with a close friend is an end-all, but love and friendship should be kept separately at least when it comes to close friends.

What's your opinion?

Mellow

You are very good looking; therefore, I shall cast occasional awkward glances in your general direction which may or may not be directed at you.

But seriously, there is an entire row of really good looking guys in my finance class and it's actually getting borderline distracting, especially since stock valuation and determining whether a capital investment decision is a good one or not can be rather dull.

Anyways, I've been in a mellow mood lately. It's the kind of mood where you would like to hang out with other people but also really just enjoy time alone and simply let your mind wander and reflect on whatever comes up.

Basically, the Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles Pandora Stations have been the soundtrack to my life lately, and hey, it's actually very nice and relaxing.

Anyways, enjoy:



Bon nuit mes amis.

JP

ASCHENPUTTEL!!!

And that's when I learned Romance languages ≠ Germanic ones

Awkward...

Realizing a girl hitting on you doesn't know you are gay = awkward, but flattering

Getting hit on my your roommate's ex girlfriend = awkward

Not realizing she was still hitting on you until long after you realize the "friendly" conversation you were having should have naturally come to an end = really, really awkward

Said girl leaving because she finally realized you're not interested = really, really, really awkward

Happy Saint Patrick's Day?

Call Me Maybe

I feel like my taste in music is getting gayer with each passing day.

BUT, for full disclosure, my hot soccer player neighbors have been blasting this song for the past week which is hilarious, especially when they are both belting out the song at the top of their lungs.

School Update

Sweet baby Jesus! I got a freaking 100% on my Finance midterm, not a 100 with the curve, a solid 100. This may be the first non-homework 100 I've ever received in college and it's in a class that's important and that I care about. Holy crap this is making me so happy right now.

In other news, I've come to a realization which is kind of awkward. I realized on Wednesday that if I were straight, I'd totally have the hots for my German professor. She's a PhD student and is really cute. She's also bubbly without being annoying which is a rare, but desirable feature in my view. I'm one of only four guys in my class and I can only imagine what their opinion would be. I realized this because she came in with glasses for what I think was the first time or at least in a long time and the first thing I thought of was "damn, she's looking hot". I've mentioned my love for glasses on my blog before. I just find them really sexy, especially on athletic guys since you don't expect it as much.

Great example: Matt Bomer

Hotness factor 50x

Well, school is running along. The weather has taken a turn for the fantastic. I broke out my shorts for the first time today since it hit 80-something in freakin March. D.C. weather is paranoid but sometimes it gets something right. Grilling club has started back up and it's awesome to have something to look forward to on Fridays again. Theatre has also come back into my life after a really brief break. I've been doing publicity for a production of Macbeth which is going well. The cast is pretty awesome and the rest of the production staff and crew are all really cool people. I'm looking forward to this much more than the last show I worked on.

Alright, I need to get more work done. Enjoy your St. Patty's day weekend. Get drunk and kiss some Irish guys; I intend to ;)

All the best,

JP

The Rest of the Semester

It's been proven that writing down one's goals and sharing your goals with others greatly increases one's chances of working towards them so here we go:

My goals for the rest of the semester:

-Maintain forward momentum in my classes, especially my business ones
-Gym 3-5 times a week and doing more focused workouts
-Get my 4K split under 2 minutes
-Do more topical and current events related posts
-Make sure to have "me time" regularly, especially since the weather is getting nicer
-Try to be in bed by 2AM every night
-Try and get more involved with the campus Pride organization, even if it is a bit "meh" at the moment
-Scope out where the non-theatre gay guys are hiding on this campus
-Eat less snack and junk food
-Start work the day it's assigned and not waiting until the night before

There's probably more that are escaping me right now but that's a good start I think.

Anyways, class starts again tomorrow. I did pretty much nothing exciting all break. I ate. I slept. I went outlet shopping with mom for winter clothes to bring to Denmark. I hung out with friends (usually with eating involved) and caught up. Overall, it was simple but good. Everyone is posting pictures of themselves in Cancun or Punta Cana on Facebook now, but honestly, for the one week I have, I'd spend it in Northern Virginia any day. Now over the summer that's a different story....

Judas Kiss

Apart from Netflix being one of the few reasons I haven't gone insane at school/why I end up staying up until 3AM working every night, it also has the added bonus of having a decent LGBT movie section. One of my favorite movies, Latter Days, is available to stream on Netflix but recently another movie popped up: Judas Kiss.



I remember watching the trailer for Judas Kiss a few months back and ended really wanting to see it, but as it wasn't out yet/was going to be DVD only, I let it drift into the recesses of my mind. Well, last night I stumbled across it while mindless browsing for something to watch before bed. The movie stars Charlie David, Richard Harmon, and Sean Paul Lockhart (aka Brent Corrigan which 99% of gay guys know for other reasons). It's a small independent film so I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular but by the end, I was pleasantly surprised. The tag line of the movie is "If you had a second chance, would you grab it?" which is what the main story of the film revolves around. Not giving away too much of the plot, Zach, played by Charlie David, is a 30-something filmmaker who is asked to judge a student film-festival where he meets Danny Reyes, played by Richard Harmon, a student who submitted the film "Judas Kiss". The twist is, Zach's real name is Danny Reyes who also submitted the film "Judas Kiss" 15 years prior and won; it's implied that the two are the same person at two different points in life. Zach's goal is then to try and stop his college self from winning the festival as his life went to crap after the win.



I know my summary might sound very messy and unappealing, but the film contains too many details to encapsulate in a short paragraph. What you need to know is that while not quite the spectacular-level achievement of Shelter, my favorite LGBT movie and one that is also in full on Youtube, it's still very good. Harmon does a great job in this movie, showing a great ability to portray the dark as well as light, sympathy-tugging sides of Danny. Corrigan also does a good job as he convincingly plays the likable and adorable Chris who has a crush on Danny. It is kind of funny to see him in this kind of role but from my non-expert view, he could and should branch out into mainstream media more. So, the good actors, surprisingly smooth integration of storylines, enjoyably hot selection of scenes, and not at all overwhelming drama make this a movie I would definitely recommend watching if you're looking for a LGBT themed film. As I said, it's on Netflix if you have an account and I wouldn't be surprised if it's also elsewhere on the web.

You can find more information on www.judaskissmovie.com

JP

Ben: Revisited

So back in the summer of 2009 I went on vacation with my family on a cruise where I met a guy named Ben. During this period I had yet to come out, but being the 16 year old self I was, I found Ben to be quite attractive and we spent a healthy amount of time together. We hung out, ice skated together and the fun stuff 16 year olds do while on vacation and then we went our separate ways. I had a small crush on him and after coming home I added him on Facebook. In the years since, I'd occasionally see what he's been up to via FB updates but not much more than that. If you want to read more, he has a brief bio on the sidebar.

Anyways, I made a few predictions back in 2009 about where we would be headed and some ended up coming true. He ended up going to an Ivy League school and appears to be doing well for himself. What recently caught my attention however was that he went to an LGBT event for Ivy-League schools. I should recap that back in 2009 I got the feeling that he was indeed gay despite the actual uselessness of my gaydar. Something tipped me off during that one-week span but ultimately I was left in the dark for these past few years. Well, after some light Facebook stalking I think that he is in fact gay or at least bi. The reason I found this funny for so many reasons is that now I want to know if some of my other hunches during high school were also true, people like Matt, my high school crush, and Southern Charm, my crew teammate crush. It really has me thinking. I hope that my gaydar isn't set on some permanent 3-year delay which will put a serious damper on my already crappy love life.

I haven't spoken to Ben in the years since but nevertheless, I'm glad to see that things seem to be working out well for him. That was actually one of the best weeks of my life reflecting on the experience. It was the summer before my senior year of high school and things were really going well at that point. It was fun and simple and feels so far away from where I am now. I think I'm going to browse around some of my old posts now and see what things I have since forgotten. This is why I love blogging, it's like a time capsule into my life.

Anyways, I'm headed back in to DC tomorrow with Ms. X and a few other friends for a day of restaurant hopping, museum visiting, and general wandering about. It looks like it might snow or rain tomorrow which I hope won't mess with our plans too much.

All the best,

JP

Copenhagen Fall 2012

I got accepted to my study abroad program for the coming fall!!!

I'll be studying in Copenhagen, Denmark! Fuck Yeah!



Life's Good :)

JP

(Almost) Spring Break

Only a German midterm stands between me and freedom for a week and a half. I just have to crank it for one last night in the library. It's so close I can taste it.

In other news, the weather in DC today was absolutely beautiful so I decided to go for a run down to the National Mall with brief stops at the Lincoln, WWII and Vietnam memorials. Yeah, I love going to school in DC. After coming back to my dorm, my legs were completely shot and I was exhausted but it was completely worth it.

I don't really have any plans for spring break, mostly just hanging out with friends and maybe going on a road trip or two if something pops up on a whim. Mom took a week off so we'll probably do some bonding too. Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to escaping the city for a little while.

All the best,

JP