They Have to be Out There

Ok, so my blog is often a way for me to get some ideas out there for me and possibly other people to think about. I always really enjoy receiving comments and feedback, but I don't often specifically ask questions. I actually wish I was better at that like fellow blogger Jay who always leaves something to think about and respond to.

In this case, I'd love to hear from people because I'm a bit at a loss. Since moving home from college, I've been missing the social aspect of college a lot. Not many of my friends from high school are back in the area and most of my friends from college live an hour to two thirds of the way across the country from here. Some actually don't live in this country at all at the moment. So needless to say, I'm missing having a solid social circle. More than that, I'm missing having other gay guys to hang out with. So my question is, as a single gay guy, how do I find other gay folks to hang out with? What do other people do? I live in a suburban area so I don't have a corner gay club to go to- not that I would want to go to one alone. While I can be as easily amused as the next guy by gay.com or MySpace, I generally find that method of meeting people to be a little creepy. Does it work for other people though? Is my best bet to try and find some kind of gay social or political group? How do you, especially those of you not in school, find other gay guys.

My other little rant. I wish life was easy enough that I and all other gay guys could be "out." I'm tired of meeting or knowing other guys that make my gaydar go haywire but who are not out or don't know I'm gay or some combination. Case in point. I know a really good guy who graduated from my high school a couple of years ahead of me and now works there. He's a great guy and not bad to look at either. And he's definitely gay. It would be great to have the facts out in the open even for friendship purposes. But, of course, no such luck.

The Good, the Bad, and the...ok, there wasn't any ugly...yet...

So today at work was the absolute perfect example of everything I love about my job and what I hate about it (which is really rather minor so far).

The part I love...My schedule today involved a few hours of paperwork. I then visited a client before going home for lunch. I ate lunch and took a 20 minute nap at home before going straight to a worksite to visit a client. I wrapped up the day with some emailing and a staff meeting. I love the way I get to plan out my own day and don't have to spend all of my time at a desk.

The bad part...Much of my paperwork was the result of a crisis situation in which we had to deal with an irrate client and her parents. The state is now conducting a review of both their handling and our handling of the case. I can honestly say that we did everything we were supposed to and then some on our end. From what I can tell, it also looks like the state did what they were supposed to. It's very frustrating to be a non-profit dedicated to helping people but to have to put up with those who need and request the help but do not appreciate our effort. Furthermore, we're now forced to take up valuable time that could be spent on other clients to deal with the ridiculousness.

Oh well, such is life in social services. Overall, I still love what I'm doing and it's going very well. I'm now really starting to do work on my own and that too is proving to be a fun adventure.

The Answer is No

So my third week is going as well as the last two weeks. I'm still really enjoying the work and will start to be operating on my own more in the near future. The work is definitely very tiring, but no one said social services would be easy and it's nice to see that the work matters.

Today I did get one of those questions I hate. A co-worker (who I really do like) asked me if there was a significant woman in my life. Not significant other, but significant woman. Now the fact is that I am single right now and so the answer is no to either question, but I wish people would leave the door open by asking if there was any special person. This is definitely not the first time I've received this question. Assuming I wanted to be out to my co-workers and did have a significant other, the only way to honestly answer would involve making them pretty uncomfortable. Well, I do have a boyfriend...The amusing thing is that I'm working in a social services position, a field largely dominated in my experience by women and gay men. Oh well. It'll take time I guess.

Week 2

So I've now finished my second week in the real world, and the most notable aspect of this, is that I'm tired. I have a sudden new found appreciation for weekends. But, while it was a tiring week, it was generally a good a week. Yesterday also happened to be the first pay day and so it has really started to feel like I've entered the working world. I'm still really exciting to be working at this particular place and my co-workers have been fantastic in helping me to learn the ropes.

On a completely different note, I saw the movie Across the Universe last night. This is the one that's essentially a musical with Beatles songs. Two of the main characters are named Jude and Lucy, so that should give you a big clue of what at least two of the songs were. While hearing that many Beatles songs was fantastic, the movie was very strange and at many points, I am sure those involved with making it had to have been on some illicit substance(s). I don't think I'll be running to the store when it comes out on DVD, but it was interesting nonetheless.

One Week Down

So as of yesterday aternoon, I have survived my first week of the real world. Not only that, but I actually enjoyed it. I'm super excited about the job and feel very lucky to have found a position that I enjoy. It actually makes the 3 1/2 or more months I spent on the job search seem worth it.

Along with starting this new job, I have made a few other interesting discoveries.

1) I am pretty sure that one of my co-workers is gay. I can't really ask, but the gaydar alerts like crazy.

2) I am pretty sure that one, possibly two, of my younger female co-workers have an interest in me...this should be interesting...

3) I really want to learn American Sign Language. I'm working with people with physical disabilities and one of my first clients will be a woman who is deaf. I took several years of Spanish in high school, but never got very good. I'm wondering if this might be a better fit.

4) Money is more important to my mom than I had liked to think. My job is in social services. It is not a get rich quick scheme. But it is a job I think I'm going to love. And if I can wake up on a Monday morning and actually want to go to my job, and as an added bonus my job actually accomplishes something meaningful for people, this to me is more important than the size of the paycheck. While my pay isn't amazing, it's definitely adequate and the benefits that come with the job are very solid. My mom has made more than one remark about the job and its pay. I'm trying to nicely tell her to back off, but it's getting a little annoying. I find it ironic too, since my mom is a teacher.

So I have to admit, although it's only been three days, I'm very excited about the job. I really like everyone I've met there so far. Everyone is very friendly and very dedicated as well as very willing to teach. A bonus of course, is that I actually like what I'll be doing as well. I'd love to write more, but I'm still getting used to this waking up early thing, and actually need to be asleep very shorty. My thanks to all those who have posted recently. As soon as my life becomes a little bit less hectic I promise to catch up on all of your blogs as well and leave a comment here and there.

Day One

So I have successfully survived my first day of real-world employment. It was a whirlwind day, and I only spent about an hour in the actual office. Most of the day I was out in the field learning some of the ropes. Overall, the office is full of very nice people who seem excited to help out the new guy. It looks like it's gonna be a good deal. I can't complain about the commute either. It was also kinda cool to actually have my own desk somewhere with my own computer, key to the office, etc. It all made me feel like I'm taking on a real job.

The slightly bad news, is that I'm still sick. The good news is that I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday, and I generally felt pretty good at work until about 3ish, when I started feeling a little bit out of it. The job is generally 8-4, so I was already pretty much through the day by that point anyway. I just need to make sure I get enough sleep tonight.

So, day one is done, more updates to come.