Paul's Blog

Facts about your family:

Two older brothers who are married, widowed mom.

Why did you choose to attend The University of Texas at Austin?

Because of the diversity of the school, the size and scope of the school itself, the great vibe and music scene in Austin, and the great opportunities for internships and great career connections possible through professors and acquaintances.

What do you want to do when you graduate from the university?

I want to write music and do sound for video games, film, television or other media.

If you had to choose one thing about yourself to share with the university’s Web audience, what would it be?

I am an openly gay male, and Austin is tolerant and welcoming of any lifestyle, regardless of religious affiliation or political creed. It’s a fantastic climate to come of age in, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Who are your heroes?

Martin Luther King Jr. and Johann Sebastian Bach.

If you could travel to one spot anywhere in the world, where would you want to visit?

I would visit London because the British culture fascinates me, and it seems like an amazing place to visit.

What are your current favorite books? What books would you recommend to someone you just met?

My favorite book of all time is “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, but I would recommend you pick up any book by David Sedaris, assuming you don’t mind dirty language. A brilliant comedic writer who will have you rolling on the floor.

What pushes your buttons? What are your pet peeves?

I can’t stand when someone says, “That’s so gay,” when they clearly don’t mean what they’re saying. Really, being inconsiderate, in general, to anyone pushes my buttons.

What are your favorite Web sites? Why?

Facebook, so I can keep in touch with my friends; the Huffington Post, cuz I’m a wee bit liberal; and Yahoo Sports cuz I’m obsessed with my fantasy football league.

What are your favorite foods?

I make a mean kung-pao chicken, and I also like Tex-Mex a whooooole lot (being from San Antonio and all).

What music are you listening to?

As in, right this instant? Death Cab For Cutie, “You Can Play These Songs With Chords.”

What are your all-time favorite movies? Why?

“Citizen Kane” (masterful performance by Orson Wells and a brilliant script with flawless character development), “The Triplets of Belleville” (for use of great music and beautiful animation to eliminate the need for language at all) and “Bottle Rocket” (because I love Wes Anderson and it’s hilarious).

Who are your favorite artists?

Visual art: Monet; Music: Claude Debussy and Aaron Copland; Film: Wes Anderson and Alfred Hitchcock; Literature: Margaret Atwood.

What are your favorite academic subjects? What are you interested in studying in the future?

I love the study of music, especially theory and electronic music. I also really enjoyed queer literature when I took it. I would love to study more about queer theory and on how computer programming works.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

The courtyard of the architecture building at night is almost like a secret garden that you can escape to, and it’s only open every once in a while. Also, there’s a beautiful colonnade and just a bunch of great architecture in the Six Pack (the six buildings along the Main Mall that frame the Tower and the Capitol building).

Where are your favorite places to go in Austin? What are your favorite things to do in Austin?

I love 4th Street for the GLBTQ nightlife, I love Stubb’s for the live music, I love Lamar Boulevard because of its integration into the natural landscape, and I love all the cool restaurants and places to go off of MoPac (one of the major expressways) to the west that no one ever gets out to, leaving less traffic for me!

What are your favorite free-time activities?

Hanging out at my apartment with my roommates, going downtown with friends, cooking for friends and having them cook for me, singing ALL the time in various ensembles and forms, doing community service and going to queer events on campus. Oh, and Facebooking.

Other interesting facts about you:

I’m in an a cappella group on campus called the Ransom Notes. I’m vice president for the UT Chapter of Circle K International (college Key Club, essentially), and community relations director for the Queer Students Alliance. Basically, I’ve got a whole lot on my plate, but I love it all, so I juggle constantly between everything I’m doing, my class workload, my church choir job and all the other things I want to do for fun. It’s a mess, but it’s my life and I love it.