Today while at work, another coworker looked at our clearly and openly gay student worker and said:
"S, you need a girl."
Which of course was followed by some chuckling after she walked away. Apparently her gaydar needs a little tuning.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Out at Work?-Part II
I am officially out to the student worker.
Why did I lay my cards on the table?
I'm with this kid a lot. He works almost as much in a given week as our full time staff...30 hours or sometimes more. When you're around a person so much, and in such close proximity, you talk a lot. And this guy asks lots of questions...about my family, friends, social activities, blogs...you name it.
Yes, I could just refuse to discuss my personal life. But this is not just a student off the street...he's as much a coworker and friend as anything. And he'd likely have put the pieces together by now anyway. So, for better or worse, I told him.
And you know what? It felt good.
Why did I lay my cards on the table?
I'm with this kid a lot. He works almost as much in a given week as our full time staff...30 hours or sometimes more. When you're around a person so much, and in such close proximity, you talk a lot. And this guy asks lots of questions...about my family, friends, social activities, blogs...you name it.
Yes, I could just refuse to discuss my personal life. But this is not just a student off the street...he's as much a coworker and friend as anything. And he'd likely have put the pieces together by now anyway. So, for better or worse, I told him.
And you know what? It felt good.
Spring Break
Or lack thereof. Welcome to the real world, even when you work at a school.
But...best wishes to K, Troy, and the whole CA blogger crew for a wonderful time together!
But...best wishes to K, Troy, and the whole CA blogger crew for a wonderful time together!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Where's B?
Some of you may be asking that question.
I've been a bit MIA from the blog lately. I've been busy with work, and distracted by other things. But, I assure you, dear readers, that I haven't disappeared and everything is fine. Those of you I talk to regularly know this.
Hopefully, I will have time to catch up with reading, writing and commenting in the next few days. I definitely have a few things I would like to talk about here.
For now, I'm preparing to leave for a quick, last minute jaunt to Grandma's with Mom...down today, back tomorrow...lots of time in the car for us.
Have a good weekend out there!
I've been a bit MIA from the blog lately. I've been busy with work, and distracted by other things. But, I assure you, dear readers, that I haven't disappeared and everything is fine. Those of you I talk to regularly know this.
Hopefully, I will have time to catch up with reading, writing and commenting in the next few days. I definitely have a few things I would like to talk about here.
For now, I'm preparing to leave for a quick, last minute jaunt to Grandma's with Mom...down today, back tomorrow...lots of time in the car for us.
Have a good weekend out there!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Dems Battle it Out
Well, it looks like half the 2008 presidential race is figured out. McCain clinched the Republican nod...no major surprise there.
On the Democratic side, it appears Hillary has a slight bump in momentum, but Obama is still ahead in delegates and neither is yet close to the number needed to secure their nomination.
My opinion? A McCain-Clinton match up would be far less interesting than McCain-Obama. Clinton and McCain are two "old pols" it seems...Obama may provide more contrast. It's time for a new generation in the "upper level" of American Politics.
It'll be interesting to see the rest of this race play out.
For More...
CNN Politics
And some other bloggers talking about politics frequently:
Troystopher
Josh and Josh
Argyle Lounge
InnerJoeJoe
On the Democratic side, it appears Hillary has a slight bump in momentum, but Obama is still ahead in delegates and neither is yet close to the number needed to secure their nomination.
My opinion? A McCain-Clinton match up would be far less interesting than McCain-Obama. Clinton and McCain are two "old pols" it seems...Obama may provide more contrast. It's time for a new generation in the "upper level" of American Politics.
It'll be interesting to see the rest of this race play out.
For More...
CNN Politics
And some other bloggers talking about politics frequently:
Troystopher
Josh and Josh
Argyle Lounge
InnerJoeJoe
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Story From Last Weekend
Last weekend I was asked to attend and help out with a diversity conference the student association I used to be involved in was putting on, Of course, I gladly did.
One of the activities was watching a dramatic dialogue performance. There were three scenes acted out, and each was followed by discussion with the audience. One was about homosexuality and a guy coming out to his college roommate. Basically, the roommate in the scene had a hard time dealing with the fact that his friend of two years was gay and he did not know it.
In the discussion that followed, one person noted that she understood the frustration of the straight roommate because two years is a long time to hide. All I could think was "Two years is nothing"
Later, the moderator of the discussion asked if anyone was willing to share a coming out story. An openly gay member of the group did.
I was extremely tempted at that moment to just say it....to raise my hand and address the group, and tell them that I'm gay...that stereotypes don't fit and even a respected and well known association alum like me can be...and it can be hidden for a long time (I've known some of these folks over 5 years now)
But alas, I did not. The time was not right and I did not want to become the talk of the weekend . The public venue was inappropriate. But the very fact I thought of doing it shows that my comfort level with it is increasing.
One of the activities was watching a dramatic dialogue performance. There were three scenes acted out, and each was followed by discussion with the audience. One was about homosexuality and a guy coming out to his college roommate. Basically, the roommate in the scene had a hard time dealing with the fact that his friend of two years was gay and he did not know it.
In the discussion that followed, one person noted that she understood the frustration of the straight roommate because two years is a long time to hide. All I could think was "Two years is nothing"
Later, the moderator of the discussion asked if anyone was willing to share a coming out story. An openly gay member of the group did.
I was extremely tempted at that moment to just say it....to raise my hand and address the group, and tell them that I'm gay...that stereotypes don't fit and even a respected and well known association alum like me can be...and it can be hidden for a long time (I've known some of these folks over 5 years now)
But alas, I did not. The time was not right and I did not want to become the talk of the weekend . The public venue was inappropriate. But the very fact I thought of doing it shows that my comfort level with it is increasing.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Out at Work?
On Monday, I got a surprise call at my office from MBA Man. He wanted to briefly chat about a couple of things. Some of the conversation was clearly "gay" themed...or at least it may have sounded so to anyone who paid attention.
I used as much discretion as I could with my choice of words, etc. You see, I do not have a private office. In fact, I sit at a front desk. And right next to me, within easy earshot of every word I said was the student worker assigned to my area.
Now, this particular student is a confirmed homo...and I would be beyond shocked if he did not draw certain conclusions based on what he heard.
But I've realized something...I don't care much. While I'm not going to start acting more obvious or send memos announcing it, I am more at ease about people knowing I'm gay. If they figure it out, so be it. After all, the area I work in is a branch of the diversity office, and the diversity office also includes GLBTA programs. It seems only logical that the office ought to at the very least be tolerant...if not there are larger issues afoot.
I also took another small step this week by stopping to speak with the representative of the GLBTA office at the information fair held as part of my employee orientation and signing up for their email lists.
Little by little...
I used as much discretion as I could with my choice of words, etc. You see, I do not have a private office. In fact, I sit at a front desk. And right next to me, within easy earshot of every word I said was the student worker assigned to my area.
Now, this particular student is a confirmed homo...and I would be beyond shocked if he did not draw certain conclusions based on what he heard.
But I've realized something...I don't care much. While I'm not going to start acting more obvious or send memos announcing it, I am more at ease about people knowing I'm gay. If they figure it out, so be it. After all, the area I work in is a branch of the diversity office, and the diversity office also includes GLBTA programs. It seems only logical that the office ought to at the very least be tolerant...if not there are larger issues afoot.
I also took another small step this week by stopping to speak with the representative of the GLBTA office at the information fair held as part of my employee orientation and signing up for their email lists.
Little by little...
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