Weekend with Brandon

I had SUCH a wonderful weekend with Brandon!!! He is this guy I met through connexion. His profile appealed to me because he is also into the outdoors. Little did I know he also grew up Mormon and went to BYU and served a mission! It is great to have that common base, but he is also incredibly sweet and funny and cute. He is a good balance to my own energy because he is the kind of nerdy engineer with surprising edge whereas I am the artsy guy with surprising conventions.

We have been on a few dates at this point and it has been a really refreshing, new experience for me. In general, my relationships have been born in one of two ways: 1) we meet, have instant fireworks and fall head over heels at a head rushing pace or 2) we are friends for a while and then we realize our friendship has some serious romance going on. Conventional dating has never worked for me. But Brandon and I had a first date. That went well, we wanted get to know each other some more, we went on a second date and so on. Wow. A natural, slow, easy progression! How remarkably sane. And nice!! I really like it. If nothing else, this experience I think will help me to develop a new pattern of dating.

Anyway, so we had planned to go camping this past weekend in Big Sur with two of his friends. The morning we were supposed to leave, both of his friends had to cancel. Brandon was anxious to spend some time on Sunday with his dad anyway, so we decided to nix the camping and just spend a weekend in the city. Perfect idea.

We went on an 8 mile hike in the Marin Headlands. It was beautiful and totally transportive. I was also incredibly charmed by the little towns on the way. These great old-fashioned coastal towns. I will post some pics on facebook shortly.

We came back to SF exhausted and dirty. We picked up some supplies at Safeway on the way home and prepared a simple dinner at Brandon's. We were stuffed and pleasantly surprised by the Pinot Grigio we had with dinner. We then proceeded to the jacuzzi with what was left of the Pinot and had a great relaxing soak before collapsing from exhaustion.

The next morning we were greeted by one of those perfect San Francisco summer days where the weather is cold enough that you need a sweater, but the sun is out and washing everything in a perfect golden light.

We went to brunch at this really great modern restaurant in the SOMA. Very industrial chic decor. Yummy blueberry ricotta pancakes and Croque Monsieur. And then one of my favoritest parts: we went to the new Frida Khalo retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art!!!! I can't believe we got to go opening weekend.

It's a good thing I went with Brandon, because my Academy hook ups would have apparently left us waiting in line for about an hour to get in. Brandon flashed his corporate VIP creds and we got in toute suite. The exhibit was wonderful. I have long loved and admired Frida, having connected with her work as a child. Seeing her work in person, I feel an even stronger connection with her work. I think had we known each other person we totally would have gotten each other. LIke I understand why she was painting the way she was, what she yearned for, and I understand her brushstroke. It was a really great experience.

What was really great, though, was Brandon. I just so enjoy spending time with him. For some reason I find him so incredibly endearing and adorable. What was really great too was being able to hold hands with him. Just walking down the street. Hiking up the mountain. To brunch. To the museum. It felt so nice to hold his hand. To be with him.

I realized that even though I have dated a few men, I have never held hands in public like a regular couple. It makes me happy, but also makes me wish the same for others. I wish that all of my brothers and sisters could hold hands with the person they care about in public without facing judgment, recrimination, or even violence. When one is filled with happiness, one wishes the same happiness for others. This is what I was taught was the meaning of being filled with the Sprit of God and the love of Christ, to wish they same peace and happiness for everyone around you. I am saddened that some of my brothers and sisters wield their professed religiosity as a weapon of assault.

So the weekend with Brandon ended with a simple kiss pressed close to him on a crowded subway. I walked away exuberant.

He will be out of town next weekend, but I hope we get to see each other before he goes. Either way, we have a film festival to attend and a Pride festival to party at.