So far today, I’ve been focusing on little things: cleaning the apartment, scanning and shredding documents, doing laundry. Some days, I need this a lot more than I need to get the big stuff done, for my own sanity. I’ve been carrying about 20 items over from one daily todo list to the next, and it often feels like I’m not getting anything accomplished. On days like this, I need to spend a couple hours just doing the little stuff, to make some progress and knock some stuff off the list and get me started.

And for that reason, it’s been a pretty satisfying day already.

The war that’s coming between the fundamentalist Christians and the hard-core Atheists probably won't be the most violent of the holy wars. But it has the potential to be the most annoying. Well, I’m going to try to stop it.

…So how about this: I’m going to throw out a few of these statements – things I think we have to agree on if we want to avoid disaster – and you can read until you see something you disagree with. We’ll see how long we can make it last.

19. Take care of yourself. If you are sick, visit a doctor. If you are sad, visit a shrink or talk to a friend. If you are unhappy in love, break up. If you are fed up with how you look, buy a new shirt or stop eating cheese. If you have a problem, try to fix it. Many problems are knotty and need a lot of talking through, or time to resolve, but after a few months of all complaining and no fixing, those around you will begin to wonder if you don't enjoy the problems for the attention they bring you. Venting is fine; inertia coupled with pouting is not. Bored? Read a magazine. Mad at someone? Say so — to them. Change is hard; that's too bad. Effort counts. Make one. Your mommy's shift is over.

25 And Over « Tomato Nation

In a lot of ways, I think the atheist movement today is very much where the queer movement was in the early ’70s — newly visible, newly vocal, pissed off as hell, still finding its voice, just beginning to gain real strength. I think the two communities could learn an enormous amount from each other, and I think that they’re natural allies.

And yet, I’m having a realization that I’m finding extremely unsettling.

I’ve been an out queer, and an active participant in the queer community, for over 20 years now. I’ve felt for years like the LGBT community was my home base. I’ve only identified as an atheist for less than two years.

And yet I’m finding that I feel more at home — more welcomed, more valued, more truly understood — as a queer in the atheist community than I do as an atheist in the queer community.

Like, a lot more.

Part 2: How To Be An Ally with Atheists.

And a postscript: Greta consistently writes great posts about atheism and other stuff – including sex, so viewer beware.

Maybe you’ve read it. 10 Myths — and 10 Truths — About Atheism. Sam Harris’s famous op-ed piece for the L.A. Times. An attempt to clear up the most common misunderstandings about atheists.

The piece is a good idea. But something about it bugs me. Specifically, it bugs me how much time Harris spent dissing religion. Don’t get me wrong — I think religion deserves criticism. But here, I think it’s inappropriate. If you’re writing a piece saying, “Here’s who we are, and why the myths about us are incorrect,” IMO you shouldn’t go off on a “Here’s why the rest of you are losers” tangent. It’s not persuasive… and it’s seriously off-topic.

Read the rest on Greta Christina’s Blog.

Now, it’s like a game. Tonight, I got 34%. Not bad, and I saved about $21, but my high score is 44%.

Seriously, what am I turning into?

It was a good day.

1. Stop buying stuff you don’t need
2. Pay off all your credit cards
3. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in your house/apartment storage lockers, etc.
4. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit on the first floor of your house attic, garage, etc.
5. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in one room of your house
6. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in a suitcase
7. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in a backpack
8. Get rid of the backpack

I’m working on step 4.