A little help, please

Dear Friends,
Recently, I became involved with a local non-profit organization that you might have heard of.  I somehow ended up on the steering committee for the Utah AIDS Foundation Walk for Life.  Please take a moment and follow the link to my donation page.  I have set a goal to reach $500.  Every little bit will help.


Thank you
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kylemantas/walkforlife

Wet, Hot Mess

Hello all!!!

I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated you on my Quest for Kyle. To be honest, I haven't made much headway. I gave up soda there for a minute, then I realized that I was replacing the carbonated void with beer. Imagine my shock when I failed to lose any weight.

Never fear!!! Bikram is here!

A dear friend of mine has been raving about the benefits of doing Bikram yoga. For those of you who don't know what this is, allow me to explain. Bikram is basic yoga - done in a 120 degree room with an incredible amount of humidity. I had my first class a couple days ago and I loved it.

On the way to the yoga studio, my friend was giving me all sorts of tips and best practices.

"Keep your eyes open and focus on yourself in the mirror."

"Breathe through your nose."

"If you think you're going to fart, stand in the back."

She had prepped me the day before by warning that I need to be completely hydrated in order to survive. I drank at least 14 bottles of water throughout the day.

When we walked into the studio, it wasn't the heat or humidity that startled me. It was the overwhelming smell of curry. "Great," I thought to myself... "I get to work out while being constantly reminded of my love for Indian cuisine."

My friend instructed me to lay my newly purchased yoga mat on the line behind her. I let the mat unroll, hitting the ground with a thud - apparently disrupting the pre-meditative state of my fellow classmates.

I hushedly finished setting up and laid on the mat, waiting for class to begin.

Only three long minutes after class was scheduled to begin, a short, perky lady walked in with a Britney Spears microphone around her ear.

"Welcome friends. I hear we have some new friends among us. Raise your hands."

I followed the instruction.

"Hello new friends. What are your names?"

My fellow greenie was named Peter. It took all the energy I had left from laying in the extreme climate to audibly pronounce my name for the instructor.

"Your name is Ky?"

"Ye..."

Great. Class has been going for all of three minutes, and I've already lost my ability to articulate - that's all I had going for me up until this point.

And so we began...

My entire day before class was spent researching Bikram. I knew for damn sure that I wasn't about to wear the standard tiny shorts worn by my fellow yogies. I showed up in compression shorts, some gym shorts, and a dry-fit tennis shirt. Apparently I was overdressed...

During one of the starting poses the teacher looked at me and said "Maybe some shorter shorts next time? The shorter the better..."

Easy for her to say. Perky little thing.

Class continued, and I was feeling silly. That is, or course, up until the point where I almost passed out. I had been told before class that I shouldn't feel bad about needing to sit down during the class. Unfortunately, I am driven by competition and being a bad-ass (surprised?) and felt like sitting down would be unacceptable. My mind quickly changed when I felt the contents of my stomach attempt to cross my esophageal sphincter.

So I sat.

In sweaty shame.

The class continued around me, as I watched all of these super-humans fold and twist their bodies into previously unimaginable poses.

When I finally felt well enough to not vomit, I stood up and dove right back into the class. I only had to sit down two or three more times throughout the rest of the class.

Don't let what sounds like a miserable experience fool you. I loved it. I walked out of the room feeling a sense of accomplishment that I haven't felt since I lost my first tennis match. Though I was unable to complete all of the poses, I still felt incredible. I had found this previously untapped source of energy somewhere inside me. I knew I had accomplished something when I stared down the Taco Bell on the way home from class and had no desire for a bean n cheese burrito (with no onions).

The next morning, I practically jumped out of bed. Feeling renewed and amazing. I didn't need my usual morning RockStar (sugar-free, taurine-full, of course).

Needless to say (?)... I can't wait to go back.

Quest for Kyle

Announcing... The summer of change...

I'm calling it the Quest for Kyle, and here's what needs to happen.

August 23rd will be what I'm calling my "Golden Birthday." I am turning 23, on the 23rd... it'll only happen once.

So... to celebrate the occasion, I will be traveling with my besties to the happiest place on earth - Disneyworld! During our trip, we will be seeing my favorite artist (Andrew McMahon) perform. It's going to be amazing.

But, before I can celebrate, I need to make some changes...

I currently weigh more than I ever have. Ever.

My goal is to lose 30 pounds by August 15th.

I have successfully eliminated soda from my diet, and now it's time to step it up.

In order for the Quest for Kyle to be successful - I'm going to need the help of my friends. That being said, I have one simple request:

Don't let me go to dinner with you. I mean it.

The Year in Review

I realize that this post is pretty vague and not entirely entertaining. The thing of it is, though, that I don't really care. This year was pretty much the best year of my life. It was the kind of year where I could literally feel myself growing (both physically and emotionally.) While not free of tragedy, there is nothing about 2010 that I would change.

Here's the low-down of what happened in 2010:

January:

• New Year's Day - Told brothers that I'm gay.
• Moved in with my new best buddy, Richie.
  
• January 31st - Threw a sweet substitute party in lieu of my brother's wedding. I'm the best best-man there ever was at a wedding that didn't happen.

February:

• Valentine's Day - Told my parents that I'm gay, received Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits album.

March:

• My little sister turned twelve.
• I went on a road trip to Disneyland/Something Corporate with my buds Richie and Melissa.

April-May:

• First hangover?

June:

• First experience at the Pride festival, see previous blog.
• Solo road trip to Wyoming/Idaho.

July:

• 4th of July: first time introducing a boy to my parents and grandma. Quote from grandma - "Your friend is nice."

August:

• Turned 22.
  

September:

• Grandpa Wood passed away. He had a huge impact on the lives of many, all for the better.

October:

• Started new position at the bank. Love it.

November:

• Worked hard.

December:

• Worked harder.
• Reprised my role as "Santa Clause" at a friend's family Christmas Eve party, still hated Christmas.

2011 will be just as good, if not better.

Day 366

Yesterday I received a beautiful text from one of my best friends.

"I'm proud of you. This year was amazing for you. I'm so honored to be friends with you and witness your growth. I love you. A lot."

The person who sent me this text is the first person that I came out to. A year ago, yesterday.

A lot has happened since that day. A couple days later, I went on my first date with a man. I wore the gayest outfit I had (argyle sweater, jeans, and nice shoes). We went to Brewvies (my first time at a bar) and saw "Where the Wild Things Are."

Irrelevant? Yes. Insignificant? Not to me.

I have learned a lot over the last year. Here are a couple highlights that I would like to share with the world:

• Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I get to be a bitch.
• Being out of the closet is not the equivalent of a degree in design.
• Not everything matches.
• I am not shaped by stereotypes.
• People are usually ready for more than you'd think.

I guess, on the whole, I am one of the luckiest guys I know. Over the past year, I have met a lot of interesting people. Most of the guys I have met have not had the most supportive coming out experience. Sometimes I feel spoiled. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life, but I have no complaints.

Thanks for being great.

A Trio of Thought and Inspiration.

• First off, I love my mother. She's what I like to call " The Shit." Pardon the language, but mother wouldn't have it said any other way :) Hence, the awesomeness.

• Secondly, I love this group with one-fourth of my heart. One of the greatest albums ever made, here is one of the highlight songs of the album. The album is "Lungs" by Florence and the Machine.

• Thirdly, I caved and bought a Katy Perry album. If I wasn't out of the closet before, I certainly am now. Check out this video and welcome the inspirational thoughts.

An update

I have been meaning to post something for quite some time now. Here is a list of topics that I have been wanting to blog about:

• People who suck at driving.
• Friends being awesome.
• Family being awesome.
• People who shouldn't be driving anymore.
• Road construction.
• Starting a new job (promotion!).
• Honking my car horn.
• Florence + The Machine.
• Katy Perry (spelling?).
• Thai food.
• Angels in America.
• Still being gay.
• Political discussions with Grandma.
• Crappy drivers almost killing me.
• The Crazy Corn Maze.
• Halloween [don't ask ;) ... ].
• Honesty.
• Dishonesty.
• Night drives (when the crazies are off the road).
• Scissor Sisters.
• My first parking ticket (having nothing to do with me being a better driver than everyone else).
• The pursuit of _______.

Obviously, I cannot be expected to write posts dedicated to each topic. Use your imagine, if you're really wondering how my life is going :)

Thank you and good night!