I've been asked by some of you to occasionally post about my personal life. While most of those people are family members that live far away from Milwaukee I decided that some of my other readers might also want to get a VH1 behind-the-music type view of my goings-ons as well.

So, I give to you the very first edition of "BEHIND THE SCENES." Don't get too attached to BTS though - they will be posted very infrequently. But when they are I'll try to load them up nice and juicy for you.

I didn't want to start this post off all hokey but I'm really at a loss for ideas right now so hokey is what you get. It's October in Milwaukee and with that we welcome deal with the passing of summer and the coming of fall. I personally enjoy fall. The colors, the smell in the air, the brisk breeze nipping at your nose and most of all the change. The colors, the temperature, the food, the outfits....

I've been going through a great deal of change recently in both my personal and professional life and I feel like I have been adjusting to that quite well. At least mostly...

I left my job as the Director of Youth Services at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center on August 31, 2007. I was with the Center for eight years and through that time came to love it, hate it, and love it again. I was quite nervous to leave the organization that I invested so much of myself into and simultaneously excited to get out and find new challenges. Project Q was so wrapped up into my identity that I was unsure I would even be able to let it go. My entire professional career was right there. What was I going to do that would top that??

I knew for several years that 2007 would see my departure from the agency. By the end there were many things happening at the agency that I didn't agree with so the decision to leave became a little bit easier for me.

Without knowing where my next paycheck was coming from I started September looking forward to taking some time off to relax, work on my house, and "recharge my battery".

I continued for a second year my involvement with the Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival as their Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator. We saw record breaking crowds and audiences seemed very pleased with the programming. I have also kept my other-other part-time job as an Administrative Assistant for the National Program Director of the Partnership for Working Families.

During the first week of September I was offered a position at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin which I started on October 1st.

I am now an Associate Director in Prevention Services at ARCW for SE Wisconsin with an emphasis on our MSM programs (that's men who have sex with men) and Social Networks Testing project. The job is a perfect match for me with my previous experience and it will allow me to use my creativity to develop programs that should ultimately reduce the rates of HIV in Wisconsin. Keep your fingers crossed...

I took my first major vacation this year when Patrick and I went to Sri Lanka for a month in February. I posted many pictures from that trip right here on DyerTimes.com so check them out if you haven't seen them. That trip was truly amazing. We swam in crystal-clear water and enjoyed miles of beautiful beaches, visited ancient Buddhist temples, surrounded ourselves with the beauty of Hindu temples, and filled ourselves with some of the best tasting food I've ever had. My favorite part of that trip was being able to eat with my fingers. If you haven't had that opportunity to be in a country that eats with their fingers you are missing out. It was an amazing, sensual experience. We saw monkeys, sea turtles, mountains, elephants, decimated ancient temples, and a lot of poverty. It is very clear that Sri Lanka could use a boost in their tourism industry.

Going back a little farther - into 2006 - I went back to Maine to sell my father's house. It wasn't a very enjoyable experience. The story is quite long so I'll consolidate. I saved the house from being taken by the town of Casco for back taxes. My father - who hasn't worked in years - was in and out of prison tried to sell the house to provide his kids a form of early inheritance. After some twist of events I was loading my car with home improvement supplies and driving to Maine. I spent 10 days in Maine fixing the house which consisted of putting on a new roof and removing the mounds of garbage, old tires, refrigerators, and other junk that cluttered the lot. I met with a real estate agent and got it listed. The house didn't even have locked doors and large parts of the upstairs were heavily damaged from water when my father first tried to replace the roof himself - only to be taken away by the police partially through.

A few weeks after that I got a reasonable offer and began the closing procedures. I had to spend weeks trying to get lien releases on the tens-of-thousands of dollars of liens that were on the house. I also found out that IRS Tax Liens expire after 7 years! How exciting, right?

The house looked terrible. It was nothing like I remember as a kid. My father got out of jail half-way through my visit and was doing pretty bad. His alcoholism has really taken a toll on him. I had the misfortune of having to kick him off the property each night and pleaded with him to get into a rehab program. I left Maine feeling pretty depressed....

A year later I haven't heard from my father since around Christmas 2006. He was hanging around in Portland and might even be working again.

My latest pet-project is starting a LGBT co-ed soccer league here in Milwaukee. It will be the first LGBT indoor soccer league in Wisconsin! I'm SO SO SO SO very excited for this and can't wait for the league to begin in February 2008. I'm terribly scared that I'll fail miserably. There is a ton to do for the league. Every night when I get home from work I do several hours of soccer work. I guess time will tell....

On the horizon I've got lots of projects and little time to do them. I'd like to take another trip - like my trip to Sri Lanka - this year. Some places I'm pondering are Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa, Australia, India, Brazil, and Goa.

Patrick and I have discussed having children. It is something that both of us want but I have no idea when or how it will happen. If you've got suggestions please send me your thoughts. I'd love to have kids before I'm 30 but I also want to keep upward momentum on my career.

When I find the time I am also going to start work on my first book. I have always enjoyed writing and I'd love to write for a living so I'm hopeful that I'll get a book finished in the next few years. (I do have some ideas but I'm not telling.) Keep tuned for more information on that.

I should also be entering Graduate School soon. After a lot of flip-flopping I believe I am set on getting my Masters in Business Adminstration (MBA). I switched from Non-Profit Administration because I felt an MBA gave me more options and would help my marketability.

Patrick almost ran for 3rd District Alderman which he was quite excited for. Unfortunately - well at least for Patrick - Alderman D'Amato decided not to run for County Executive and is running for re-election. Since D'Amato has been a HUGE ally to the LGBT community while in office Patrick decided not to run against him.

Well, that's about it from me. My two dogs, Comet & Pork Chop, are also doing well. As is Patrick. They (the dogs and not Patrick) love to chew things to pieces when I'm not home and Pork Chop loves to pee on the floor to spite us but in total they are good boys.

Until next time! Keep checking out this site for new content. If you are lucky I'll figure out my posting schedule and adhere to it. Thanks for stopping.

-kurt