Ok, so it's late, and I'm getting tired, so I'm just going to copy a
message I sent to Bryan in L.A. about myself:

"Well, about me: I just turned 30 in June, born and
raised in the Provo, Utah area. I moved to Salt Lake
when I was 18 to attend the University of Utah, where
I studied Political Science, and did extensive work
with the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center,
mostly on poverty issues like homelessness and hunger,
as well as being an active student leader.
Unfortunately though, I did not graduate--I loved the
experience of college, but not the bureaucracy of
college. I've been working at a department store
since 1993, in a wide variety of positions.

I started coming out in 1995, and was pretty reserved
for the first few years. Went through my first few
relationships, which the less is said about, the
better. I got pretty wild by 98 and 99 (sex, drugs,
you know the drill), and got infected in January of
2000. I tested positive on March 20, 2000.

My adjustment to HIV has been mostly a struggle. I
really retreated from the world--dumped a whole lot of
friends, mostly stopped going out, stopped doing
drugs, almost stopped drinking, and stayed celibate
for two years (yikes!). I was concerned about my
physical health, but was neglecting my mental and
emotional health. I had support groups and a really
good friend who was going through the same adjustment,
but otherwise, felt very outcast and isolated from the
gay world.

The last couple years, I've been trying to put my life
back together. I bought a house for me and my two
cats. I took a demotion at work, after deciding that
I didn't want to climb the corporate ladder any
further. And I've tackled my long-standing issues
with depression, anxiety and self-esteem. I've got a
lot farther to go, but I believe I'm making progress
in my life again.

My hobbies and interests: I am a voracious reader; I
love photography; architecture; history; politics;
film and movies; I enjoy working on my house and yard,
although I'm not as handy as I'd like to be;
traveling; the outdoors; and my family, friends and
cats (Dodger and Swisher). I'm 5'8", 135lbs, and I
have brown hair and eyes. But that's enough about me..."


So that's a bit about me. If you've got any questions about me, feel
free to ask! Now it's you guys' turn--tell us about yourselves!!
I'll also post a couple other things on here in the next few days,
that will maybe help to break the ice a bit more.

Jon