Welcome to the birth of my blog. And my “About Me” page. Everyone has to do it. No one enjoys it.

Just a moment ago my roommate mentioned the idea of wanting a blog and, of course, I felt an instantaneous need to create a blog and share with everyone the experience of a 27-year old “gayguy” bumming around in Chicago. Oh, and I’m an actor. That’s alright. I enjoy writing.

So my name is Eric M Chicago.

My roommate is going to write her blog about home decorating, and I think that is commendable. Me? I’m going to write about myself as if you don’t know me. For this post, anyway. Why? I don’t know. I suppose because I’m saving the really good stuff for later. I’m sure one day this blog will turn into something incredibly interesting and useful. But not today. And this will NOT be another stereotypical gay man’s blog that are a dime a dozen. You know, the ones that read like a Sex and the City episode. This will be my life and soul poured out onto the computer screen for public consumption and you may come along for the ride. So let’s get started.

First, the basics. I tend to keep these things short and they go all over the place:

Light brown hair, blue eyes, 6″0′, 180 lbs., fit, trim, attractive, and single for the first time in 8 years. Yes, I know. This is beginning to sound like a Sex in the City episode to me too. Can’t you just hear that description as a voiceover with a fly-over of Chicago? I promised I wouldn’t do that.

I go in and out of various phases all the time. And by “phases” I mean obsessive addiction-like behavior.

Phase #1: Bookworm Guy. I love books. I read constantly. I read too fast sometimes and I have to re-read whole pages, or I’ll start daydreaming WHILE I’m reading and then have to go back and read it again. That equals a very slow reader. That’s me. My favorite book? The Assassination of Marilyn Monroe by Donald H. Wolfe. I’ve read it probably 4 times. My favorite poet? Pablo Neruda – 100 Love Sonnets. I’ve read it probably 200 times. Number 72 is my favorite but I no longer claim that publicly since it was in “Patch Adams” and I don’t want to be “that person.” Oh, and while I’m thinking of it – Don’t worry, I’m not one of those people who writes poetry in their blog. I think that’s ridiculous, personally.

Phase #2: Computer Geek Guy. I love computers. I am a Mac FREAK and I love Windows Vista. I run both on my Mac at home. I daydream about working at Apple. I once spent a Saturday night watching the MacWorld Keynote Speech podcast and eating an entire bowl of baked beans. And I was incredibly happy. I spend my days watching various programming videos by Lee Brimelow. I program from the time I wake up in the morning until the time I go to bed. And I don’t take any breaks. I know the exact specifications of a MacBook Air and the iMac. I have MacWorld Magazine programmed as a speed-dial weblink on my iPhone menu.

Phase #3: Alcoholic Guy. As you would probably expect, a super-addictive personality makes plenty use of the phrase “Everything in moderation. Including moderation.” I love to drink. I blacked out on Valentine’s Day. ‘Nuff said. But I had a great time, I love to party and to make new friends, I love spending time with the friends I have, and I can talk about absolutely anything with absolutely anyone. I’m easygoing and charming. I’m always having fun. I can do more shots than anyone I know, falling in the snow, injuring myself, saying everything at the top of my lungs, blackout, and when I wake up in the mornings I sometimes can’t remember a thing but I’ve somehow managed to take my contact lenses out and put them in their case, hang my coat up, fold my pants, put my iPhone neatly on my nightstand, and lay my socks neatly on my folded pants. I’ve never understood it.

Phase #4: Workaholic Guy. You want to play hard? That means you better work hard, too. There are 500 things to get done by 4:00pm today and I don’t have time to do anything else so I’ll be over there at noon, alright? And you, do you want to meet for drinks later? Great. You – yes, you – we have a meeting at 2 so pick me up at 1:35 and DON’T BE LATE. Then after the meeting I’ve got to drop this off at the Post Office and – wait, I have another call. No, I have to take it. Mom? Yes. No. No. Yes. Alright. Um. But, well. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Alright. Love you too. Bye. Bye. Bye. Mmkay. Bye. *CLICK* You get the idea. Busy busy busy and I can micromanage like no one’s business.

So, those are the 4 main phases of Eric M Chicago. I fluxuate in and out of all of them, all the time. And I mix and match. So that’s most of me. Here’s the rest of me:

Romance Situation: I have been in so many “serious, long term” relationships that I cannot for the life of me remember “romance.” I’ve moved in with 3 guys. All 3 experiences did NOT end well. The first one I moved in with was an abusive, drug-induced nightmare. I came home one night when I lived with the second one to find out he’d moved to New York. And the most recent one I lived with was an abusive, alcoholic nightmare. 2 out of 3 of them left me in the middle of a lease. I almost moved in with another one. That one probably would have worked out better, but I couldn’t stand him. I tried my damndest to make that one work, but there were too many differences. His friends didn’t like me. I didn’t like his friends. We didn’t share the same sense of humor (DING DING DING). He did EVERYTHING in moderation. He was a vegetarian. He was a know-it-all. He liked to make dull jokes about dull things. Yep. 2 years, folks. My typical relationship half-life: 2 years. That’s pretty much exactly how long they have lasted. Well, after years of trial and error I managed to find my one true love: The fairy-tale connection. Love at first sight. All the feelings that hopeless romantics search for their entire lives. And then his husband found out, so we had to end it.

The result of my Romance Situation: I am now single for the first time in 8 years, and instead of enjoying my freedom… I have CLOSED UP SHOP. I have recently discovered that, while I maintain that I am an attractive guy, I have completely lost the ability to be sexy, flirtatious, debonair, smooth, smoldering, or mysterious. I am, however, actually enjoying this period of (as Brothers & Sisters called it) “Man-Fasting.” There’s no pressure, no obligations, no strings, it’s… nice. I should have tried this 8 years ago.

Man, I need to update this page. Anyway the result is after 2 years of Man-Fasting I dated a very nice guy for almost a year and, while it was very good for me at the time, it just wasn’t working.

So? Single and counting.

That’s me in a nutshell. Hmm… I seem to have neither kept this short nor strayed all over the place, as I had promised. Well I suppose I feel a bit freer when it’s not a Facebook profile or a MySpace “about me” section. Tah-Dah.

SO, now that the painful process of The Obligatory Introduction is over, maybe we can get to the good stuff.

Cheers!

Update: I need to update this. A lot has happened in 3ish years and I need to redo this page. Soon, my pets. Soon.