A Day In The Life – Scott Bilodeau

Where did you grow up? A suburb of Omaha, NE

Where do you live? In Minneapolis, dangerously close to Sebastian Joe’s ice cream.

Who do you live with? I live alone.

What is your occupation? Public Health – HIV care and prevention quality management

When did you come out? Officially right after I graduated from college in the early 1990s, although it had been on my mind for a couple years before that.

How’d that go? About as well as it could for someone coming out in Nebraska at that time. This was before Ellen DeGeneres and before Will and Grace. There was no gay marriage. Not even on the horizon. Very few celebrities dared to be open about their orientation because it ended many people’s careers. HIV/AIDS was still a death sentence for most as effective meds had not yet been introduced. My friends were all great. One friend’s response after I finally built up the courage to tell him was, “That’s cool. Wanna go get a beer?” My family was not as accepting. We ultimately landed on a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” stance. My grandmother was cool with it and told me she suspected when she saw my senior picture in which I was dressed as a Solid Gold Santa dancer.

When do you wake up? Between 7:00 and 7:30

Phone alarm or old school alarm? Phone.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Open all my blinds.

Breakfast? Either a piece of toast with cream cheese or a protein bar. Sometimes a scone.

Coffee? Iced Americano (even in winter)

Cream or no? No

How do you spend your commute? Mostly work at home but when I go in it’s just a 10-12 minute drive. I oftentimes turn up my music and during those 10-12 minutes play out my rock star fantasies as I sing along. Never sounds as good singing into a karaoke mike for some reason…

What do you nerd out for (gaming, music, history, etc.)? International travel, languages, public transit systems, reading/writing, local tap rooms.

What music have you been digging lately? Old school alternative and classic rock. I always return to those.

Is your work space tidy or a hot mess? Is there such a thing as a tidy hot mess? I organize things into neat piles and then have to go through the piles to remember what is in them.

What’s been your favorite job? Sitting with people who have just been diagnosed with HIV, providing education, and creating a space for them to process and figure out what to do next. I also co-facilitated a couple of support groups for people living with HIV in that job that I also loved doing.

Favorite weeknight meal: Go out, take out, or cook in? Definitely go out. I love exploring new foreign, dive-y, and/or quirky restaurants with friends.

On a usual weeknight, you are doing what? Reading, watching PBS Newshour, going for a walk, sometimes meeting friends as part of a beer group I’m in.

Bedtime? Midnight-ish

Favorite weekend activity? Exploring local and regional parks I’ve not yet been to, hiking, and taking pictures.

What are you most proud of, and why? Rebounding from adverse events in my life and using that knowledge and experience to help others. In my experience, when I have appropriately shared overcoming a major life challenge with another who is also going through the same or a similar thing, there is a recognition that often occurs. It’s like a perceived “Oh you understand me in a way that these other people who may be very qualified and well-intentioned but who have not had this experience don’t and can’t fully.”

Words of wisdom to share: You don’t have to be hamstrung by other people’s limiting beliefs about you. I sometimes need to remember that, myself. I think sometimes others can’t even imagine the possibilities that you can. And that’s fine. They’re just different. I would also say to really pay attention to your likes and dislikes (and not things you think /others/ might like or dislike or things that you feel you /should/ like or dislike) and never lose sight of those. Let them guide you.