John Koch

GWM, Jewish, 43, Seattle, Washington USA I would consider myself quite left of center, both politically and socially. I vote Democrat, only because there are never any viable candidates further to the left. I was raised Roman Catholic by default (my mother's Irish, my father Jewish) but I converted to Judaism (Reform) in 2000. However, lately I've been having problems reconciling my spiritual beliefs and belief in god with my interest and knowledge in the sciences and astronomy. Also, after having AIDS for the past 15 years and having just survived stage IV throat cancer, my religious foundations and beliefs have been shaken quite vigorously. Right now, I skeptical about the existence of god, but I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised. I'm no Christopher Hitchens (though I loved his "god is not Great"), but let's just say god hasn't been around my neighborhood lately. I'm originally from the US Midwest (Wisconsin), but moved to the west coast back in the late 80's. As an out gay man, I found the conservative midwestern attitudes contrary to my own and most disagreeable. I quite quickly realized that I needed to be somewhere else. Seattle was a good fit for me. The beauty of the place was a bonus. And no, the rain doesn't bother me one bit. I attended (sometimes) college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and hoped to major in Architecture and Urban Planning, but never graduated, mostly due to Wisconsin's then 18-year-old drinking age and my love of drinking. I am a recovering alcoholic and still love studying architecture and urban planning. I have many interests and I read the NY Times cover-to-cover every day to keep myself informed. I read a good deal (mostly non-fiction - politics, sociology, astronomy, science, architecture), but find it frustrating that I don't have the time to read everything out there that I want. Too much information and not enough time. My musical tastes run from older R&B (think late 70's -Angela Bofill, Anita Baker, Thelma Houston, Gwen Guthrie, Sharon Redd) to the female opera grande voce (Marilyn Horne and Stephanie Blythe are my favorite "divas"). I like David Daniels too. Go figure. Thanks, Marilyn. Obviously, my health is of major concern these days, and admittedly, I feel much much older than my age on most days. I'm no longer am able to work full time (my latest job was driving a city Metro bus in Seattle) - loved it! This bout with cancer really kicked the shit out of me physically - but I'm grateful to be alive and can still exercise my mind with youthful vigor. Presently, I'm supporting Mrs. Clinton for President - though I like Mr. Obama as well and could easily switch sides. I just think it's long overdue that we elect a woman to our top office. I think they make better politicians anyway and I ought to know... both our Washington State senators are women (Murray, Cantwell) as is our Madame Governor (Gregoire). I voted for them all and I'm mostly pleased with their performances. Men have too much testosterone to deal with politics. Too often it turns into a pissing contest. I have one sibling - an older sister who lives in western Massachusetts. I have two Moms (just like Heather), 'cept they're not lesbian. Both straight, I assure you. The woman who adopted me as a baby and raised me (my Mom) is retired and lives in Naples, Florida. My biological mother, whom I reunited with in 1995 is also retired (recently) and lives with her husband in Port Angleles, Washington. And yes, they've met and get along perfectly.