Church separate from State vs Church "versus" State

Just thinking about something someone in the ward here said (not in any official capacity or anything) and finally remembered/re-found the reference of which I was trying to think.

"4 We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.

9 We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government..."

- Joseph Smith, D&C 134:4, 9

Basically, governments should protect the free exercise of ALL religions so long as laws concerning life/property are not broken. Religions should not seek to create laws based on their particular dogmas (although individual members should be engaged in the political processes of their nation as much as possible, according to their conscience and without malice towards those who disagree).

It's been... a while...

Life, as a whole, has been going rather stupendously of late:

The beard is huge and getting styled for charity at the end of November (info and donation stuff here: http://www.gofundme.com/GSIBeardBattle)

I got the last Diancie from the local GameStop yesterday which I guess is pretty great

My girlfriend is pretty fantastic, particularly with supporting me through my own challenges.

We've also been able to read scriptures together every day for the past 2 weeks or so, which is a new thing for me but it's been really great.

And we've been marathon-watching Parks & Recreation so that's pretty stellar as well...

Don't wanna turn this into a "hey my gf is super awesome" type of post but a) she kinda is & b) it's been a big contributing factor in how well life has been going the past few months.

There are an awful lot of other things going wrong in the world, but I wanted to write something down to at least remind myself in the future that some things are going right.

Divine potential is universal

"I think if all men knew and understood who they are, and were aware of the divine source from whence they came, and of the infinite potential that is part of their inheritance, they would have feelings of kindness and kinship for each other that would change their whole way of living and bring peace on earth."

-- Joseph Fielding Smith

"No Girls Allowed!" or General Conference Priesthood Session

My thoughts are much less about tradition. I personally think that (aside from the speakers) the women's meeting should just be for women, and I'd like to see a sister speak at a PH session someday. But I don't think they should be combined (yet) because we as men (& young men in particular) in general aren't ready for it.

We have loads of research of the effects of the male gaze on women and in the LGBTQ community. Essentially, men are conditioned by society to affect the space around them in a way that establishes/secures their masculine identity; which in turn puts pressure on others (particularly women) to adapt to that presence. By keeping men out of the women's meeting, we allow our sisters one brief moment where they can be assured that no men will be asserting their socialized dominance - even if that assertion is entirely unintentional. No arms around a spouse/significant other to make single sisters feel insecure/inadequate in a church already very emphatic about families, no single guys "window shopping", no pressure from men to look, react, behave, etc in any particular way. Studies have shown that having a socialized male presence influences the behavior of women, and I believe the inverse is also true.

On the flip side - and where I'd like to do more graduate research myself because there really isn't much - there is also a change among men's behavior in the presence of women. We are less likely to express emotion, more concerned with appearances, and (having been taught by our culture this way) very easily distracted by any source of potential female attention. In my opinion, women are not barred from PH session attendance because we don't want them to crash the party; men (still speaking generally) are still so bound to social conditioning that having a place free from a majority of those hyper-masculine societal pressures liberates us.

We first need to come closer, if not fully realize, the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Then we can shatter the glass ceiling from both sides, root out rape/objectification culture from our collective subconscious, and allow men to feel a full range of emotions without the fear of stigmatization. Until men - ESPECIALLY young men - no longer have to live in fear of being perceived as feminine (aka vulnerable, weak, sensitive, and every other trait that patriarchal society has deemed inferior), we will not be able to open ourselves to the full spiritual potential of our meetings. We need a place to feel the spirit free from those pressures, which will hopefully spill over into a realization of how EVERY meeting could be if we eliminated the pressures altogether.

Sorry if that got wordy. TLDR: Patriarchal socialization has made men prisoners of their own oppressive social structures (on top of the cavernous disparity faced by women every day). Until we get rid of those for both men and women, we all need a place where we can experience a life without the male gaze or rigid masculine "ideal"... Even if it only lasts for 2 hours. In my opinion, I think we could 1) Tell guys not to attend the women's general meeting - and encourage them to do everything in their power to facilitate attendance for the sisters in their lives, 2) have a sister speak at Priesthood sessions, and 3) work to change society so that my kids will one day not have to worry about the social pressures that make the division seem necessary/reasonable in the first place.

Don't know if I've said this before but...

I love The Good Men Project. A lot. In fact, I'm surprised that more of this isn't just links to their articles.

Here's a great one. If nothing else, I'll just drop it here so that I can reread it later.

http://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/10-ways-to-deal-with-your-partners-sexual-past-because-you-have-to/

I should definitely be sleeping

What is this mysterious sleep schedule of which you speak? I know of no such thing...

What's keeping me up:

- Emma Watson's absolutely brilliant UN address announcing the HeForShe campaign. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, you should check it out before reading whatever nonsense I'm about to ramble off: http://youtu.be/-yopcw45WMw

- Metacognition (and thinking about metacognition, which is an Inception-esque rabbit hole in and of itself)

- I don't know if I believe in a capitol-T "The One" but rather maybe multiple "ones" corresponding with different points in life - each with their own inherent likelihood of producing varying degrees of lasting happiness/contentment. I don't know how my history of "ones" breaks down on the spectrum of just-befriended to broke-up-with to give-it-time, but I'm grateful for extenuating circumstances putting me places and what I've learned from all of the relationships of which I've been a part: platonic, failed, or otherwise... And maybe this would make more sense if it wasn't 6 in the morning, but if you're reading this then you already should have read the stream-of-consciousness warning :)

- And finally, I really have no idea how dating works in LDS culture - ESPECIALLY Provo culture (not that I have any interest in conforming to that particular batch of norms). Out of all the girls I've dated, none have ever been LDS... Some sort of mix between never really having any LDS people around to date once I started dating & not being the kind of person an LDS girl would probably want to date for a while. Either way, it's particularly odd in Provo because there seems to be all this stress of only dating someone to whom you will (or at least very likely could) end up engaged. Not that I'm a fan of break ups or that I haven't already had enough of them... Maybe I'll just draw this out at some point.

I kinda lost track of that particular cognitive train, but I guess the cliffnotes version is as follows: I'd be totally cool with the next person I date being the (lowercase) one beside whom I tiptoe into eternity, but I'd like the relationship to be free of all the pressure of Provo's dating pipeline subculture.

And now that I'm hopefully going to sleep soon, here's something completely different! This picture encapsulates how I feel the entire #NotAllMen reaction to the #YesAllWomen thing a little while back. It's funnier if you've seen Game of Thrones (and if you haven't I'd love to watch it with you and have long, intellectual conversations about the societal correlations & non-traditional means of character development). Stay nerdy, my friends.

What I learned today: Beethoven was black.

Or at least mixed...

http://uncle-baconface.tumblr.com/post/97202338422/im-confused-about-what-beethoven-was-doing-in-the

Thank you, Tumblr, for helping me learn things and for providing another example in an already long list of history being whitewashed.

I would just post the comments but, alas, I don't know how. Sorry.

September 11... A little differently

The United States was attacked 13 years ago. We learned that not everyone likes us, that our government agencies fail at communicating with each other, and that mortality is fleeting. 

However, apparently we did not learn that there are consequences for our own terrorist, subversive, and destabilizing actions in the Middle East for the nearly 50 years leading up to 9/11. We did not learn that destroying a democracy we don't like makes it difficult to use "establishing democracy" as a valid excuse to expand military action beyond those responsible for 9/11. And we did not learn the big lesson from the aftermath of WWI: that love, compassion, and help will prevent future violence better than violence, intimidation, and fear.

What happened that morning was tragic. Thousands lost their lives in the space of a few hours. Looking back at the journal entry I wrote as a middle school kid, there was a lot of anger and fear - even though I was just a kid. But with a more global (and still ridiculously limited) perspective, I can't imagine how kids in the Middle East must have been feeling when some white people from across the world spent 48 years inciting rebellion, arming/training terrorists to fight for them, using world-ending weapons as threats, being abandoned, and then being condemned for not having stable governments . How like an abusive father we must have seemed to them - sometimes showing up to wail on them, sometimes their friends/neighbors, sometimes the central location for their entire religion... How hopeless, how terrifying, how entirely powerless would that make me feel? How eager would I be to listen to someone who said they could make me feel safe again? If I thought that there was even a slight chance that my children would grow up in a world free from what I had seen growing up...

What happened that morning 13 years ago was wrong and unconscionable... But even though I disagree with the use of violence in almost any imaginable scenario, I can at least understand what those responsible might have been thinking/feeling. I guess what I'm trying to say now that the years have calmed the initial sea of grief and anger is that instead of saying "we're coming for you", I wish we would have learned how to say "we're sorry".

An open letter

To the man who jokingly said "I don't see how anyone can be a Christian and a Democrat":

Allow me to first say that I agree with you, but not in the way that you think.

See, at the end of the day a Democrat and Republican are not all that different.

They bicker and argue, one side saying we're right & they're wrong.

The other saying everyone is right, unless they disagree with us.

And either way, they are both capitalists profiting off of the common man being stirred up in anger against his fellow man.

I don't think the Jesus in whom I believe would be either of those.

But if the Savior of the World were forced into one of these broken, corrupted organizations let's see if we can figure out where he'd be...

1) Jesus was Middle Eastern, not white. So there's that...

2) He spoke against slut-shaming, insisting that only the sinless could cast stones and commanding that we, with our limited circumstantial understanding, "judge not lest we be judged".

3) He provided miraculously efficient health care at no cost whatsoever to those in need regardless of their social standing.

4) Despite having access to more than enough heavenly firepower to do so, when confronted with violence he turned the other cheek instead of standing His ground.

5) He said that everyone should pay taxes, with no mention of exceptions for tax havens, offshore banking, or ranching in Nevada.

6) The Christ in whom I believe commanded us to love others as ourselves; not just the straight, white, heterosexual, cisgender, property-owning, educated, married males.

7) He commanded the rich man to give EVERYTHING he had to the poor, and may have been homeless Himself.

8) Christ encouraged women to take ownership of their own spirituality and spent one of His last breaths tending to the financial/social security of His mother.

9) Some of the most powerful, important experiences of His life happened out in nature... and didn't destroy any of it in the process.

10) His only act of aggression was flipping a table and clearing merchants from the temple: this act was non-lethal, did not cause any recorded harm, and amounts to pushing a door-to-door salesman outside after he forced himself into your home.

So to sum it all up, he was a socialist and a pacifist who supported universal healthcare, the distribution of wealth, and human rights.

But none of those things matter. Both major political parties amongst the Jews at the time fought against Him, and I don't see how the Democrats or Republicans are all that different from the Pharisees and Sadducees. So you're right, I don't think Jesus would consider himself a Democrat; but that doesn't make your position as a Republican any less precarious.

Apologies in advance

A) I try to generally be more concerned with social causes than political parties (although obviously there is overlap)

B) I fully realize that the article's title is deliberately political and intended to get attention by being divisive (and generalizes the entire conservative political spectrum). I do not agree that "everything Republicans believe is wrong"; I just think this article does something that too few articles outside of academia try to do, which is...

C) Despite the emotionally-charged approach to journalism, I still appreciate an article citing plenty credible sources for each point it makes.

D) If you don't want to read about climate change, the reinforcement of economic disparity, socialized health care, etc. then just skip this particular entry.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/six-studies-that-show-everything-republicans-believe-is-wrong-20140423?utm_source=mic&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=partner

Been way too long since my last post. Oops?

I really want a nap... But I have work in a couple hours. And I need food between now and then. And internet exists. And my sister is here. Denny's it is.

New life goal

Or at least a reaffirmation of pre-existing life goals... To more like the latter.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/nancy-yan/2014/07/5-differences-between-the-guy-you-date-and-the-guy-you-marry/

Relationship philosophy

"You should be with somebody who treats you the way Kanye West treats Kanye West."

Slam Poetry reminds me why I love life so much

Heads up, lots of foul language (which is to be expected from a piece titled "Fuck you, old people") but if this isn't the most true thing you've heard about the stigma of our generation then I don't know what is. I'm going to listen to this when I get up for work in the morning. Maybe every day for a week. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's really good...

http://youtu.be/yfeAwXOufJY

In other, non-profane news: something else that reminds me that life is beautiful is 2 hour phone calls where a solid part of the conversation is about how life is great, even when some people deserve to be punched in the junk and face by a speeding locomotive.

Goodnight world! Here's something I hope gets you to smile :)

Sex vs Intimacy

TMI? Maybe, but I don't see much validity in puritanical avoidance of or discomfort towards the whole subject.

Contrary to what media socialization would have me believe, I don't miss sex. Or at least sex is not the thing I miss about being in a relationship. 

I miss the intimacy: Being okay with vulnerability because someone else has you in their arms, sleeping with someone in the most literal and uncomplicated sense without any "strings attached", talking to someone while inches away, eye contact, hand squeezing, and the feeling of someone smiling with their head on your shoulder... Maybe a part of my baggage from past relationships was losing sight of that, but for the first time in a long time I feel like I've been getting it back. And it does hurt sometimes to recognize that longing resurfacing but not nearly as much as it thrills me to be doing so much better.

For clarification, I don't see sex and intimacy as diametrically opposed because that would either be ridiculous or terribly cynical. I just think (meaning "had the thought just now and will probably focus/clarify in my own mind as I think more about it") that maybe a big part of the Law of Chastity is so that we short-sighted mortal beings will have time and experiences to discover genuine, love-based intimacy which will then make every aspect, yes including sex, that much more meaningful, enriching, and even sustaining. Just thinking...

Sometimes the internet is great

Saw an explanation of feminism using the Great Mouse Detective and I love it. "If I create a fan club for mice, are you going to chastise me for not simultaneously creating a fan club for cats? If it doesn't exist, too bad for the cats, but that really doesn't reflect at all on the validity of a mouse fan club."

Thanks, Tumblr.

Getting rid of a toxic patriarchy is not about tearing men down. It's about lifting women up and liberating men from that which limits, hurts, and punishes them too.

This. Just this. Read it. It's nigh unto perfect.

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2014/06/20/young-men-sex-and-urge-ownership-and-why-its-not-the-girls-problem/

I agree so completely with everything this guy says. For lack of having more time, I will just say "ditto" and be done with it for now.

Getting an education vs Getting a spouse/family

Personally I fail to see why we tend to think of the two as mutually exclusive. I also think it's rather telling that  our society operates under the assumption that  this is a "women's issue" - which a different train of thought entirely that I will hold onto for some other time. But even though women are the ones biologically saddled with the entire burden of bearing children, men (or at least the ones who don't want to be awful husbands/fathers) face this apparent dichotomy too, albeit in very different ways.

However, there's a whole lot going on in that last bit I just wrote and I don't think I have that kind of time cuz I want to go ask more questions about potential graduate work. So here's my two cents on the whole idea of getting an education vs starting a family.

If someone is going to be a parent (stay-at-home or not), I think their own education should be monumentally important because their knowledge will impact how future generations are raised. Psychology/sociology helps understand human/social development; pedagogy is THE STUDY OF HOW TO TEACH and if you don't see how that connects then you're probably an infant gnawing on a smartphone; history gives one an awareness of the world in which the kids will grow up; the arts instill creativity and an ability to express oneself, etc. If you spend time spouse hunting that should be dedicated to learning you're doing a massive disservice to your future children. If it's important to you, I have absolutely no problem with someone spending most available free time doing so but not time that is set aside for self-improvement (and costing waaaaaay to much to justify being squandered).

I will admit that I am a little skeptical of people getting married in the first year or two of college (I know people for whom it has worked out wonderfully but part of me still screams "you don't even know who YOU are yet!"). But I'm not saying it's stupid to get married while getting an education or to start a family while getting an education. It was a different time but my parents started their family while my dad was going to college and working more than full-time. One of my earlier memories is him taking me outside and building a snowman/making snow angels with me - and looking back I'm sure he had homework he could have been doing instead. He graduated from Harvard with 3 kids and is an amazing, attentive father who  happily helps with housework and gives mom time to herself when she needs/wants it. (Edit: a mom who also worked while having 3 kids, and has since worked whenever circumstances permit with total support from my dad.)

That was probably off-track. Insert shrug here. I guess my thinking is as follows: I want to be with someone smart, with whom I can have mentally, spiritually, and emotionally engaging conversation and who will EVENTUALLY allow me to take an equal responsibility in raising children to be socially conscious, thoroughly encouraged, unconditionally loved, and hopefully kind. If I get married while either my wife or myself is pursuing an education that'd be awesome but I would not want that relationship to happen at the expense of that education. Maybe that means not popping kids out as soon as possible; maybe that means spending some nights helping her study; and MAYBE that could even mean not living together until that degree is earned elsewhere. I don't know how it will look, and no two relationships will - or even should - look the same. But I'd like it to look smart.

Death for my birthday

A) an excellent song by Say Anything about taking life for granted while we have it. Definitely worth a listen.

B) not my birthday "wish" but pondering mortality is, I feel, a natural consequence of contemplating one's life

C) I don't know when I will go or how, but if I had my druthers I'd opt for the "simultaneous passing with my wife in arm at a ripe, old age with great-grandchildren" because why wouldn't I?

D) I like the idea of a three-part funeral: first  the actual funeral, LDS style. Then the service in the back of the Delta Upsilon cornerstone, because I think it's beautiful. And finally a big old party with stupid stories and food and jokes and all that nonsense... Or being implanted into a cyborg with super powers, but barring science fiction of that magnitude being made available to someone with no plans for monumental wealth I will content myself with the already lofty idea mentioned previously.

All that aside, life is pretty excellent at the moment. I'm budgeting rather well (which is an accomplishment brought about by the constant reminder of needing to buy a car and wanting to be able to drive up to Logan again soon). Food is great and I'm able to eat it with incredible ease unlike far too many people in the world. I was able to realize that the "This is what a feminist looks like" sticker on my bag is more than just a conversation-starter & chance to engage in meaningful conversations; it's a reminder to myself to actually live up to what I want to be. And it's my birthday, which means I've survived quite a few revolutions around the sun thus far, which is nice (despite all the problems going on around the world and inside my own head).

Maybe most of all, I am incredibly blessed with the ability to think and to - on occasion - express those thoughts. I am able to feel and recognize pain in myself and others, empathize, fall in love, write, stub my toes, kiss, embrace, bleed, cry, read, and watch internet videos for hours. All of those things, even the crappy ones, are astonishing. Stuff may not always go well, and at times go horribly wrong, but in the overall expansive landscape of eternal progression all of it is beautiful. Even if I completely disagree with what I just said at the moment said crappy stuff is happening.

Happy birthday, self! Here's a reminder of your former bearded glory :)

Finally watched The Wedding Singer

I'd still like to see the musical... But I like the old lady talking about love in terms of (paraphrasing): not being about how you feel about *insert correct gender pronoun here*, but about how *gender pronoun* makes you feel about yourself.

Not a long post, but I really liked that idea...

Also, ever realize suddenly that it's your birthday and you'd totally forgotten about it? Cuz that was me today... Woohoo?

Thank you, George R R Martin, for Tyrion Lannister

I have spent the occasional bit of thought about the idea that we are all, to quote The Halfman, "cripples, bastards, and broken things" in our own individual ways.

That might sound a bit pessimistic but I think it's beautiful. I can only speak to my own experiential lens since I have never been another person, but I know that I am at times weak-willed, frail, insecure, anxious, and beset by the futility of the daily human struggle in the face of insurmountable & global social injustices... But that's okay because everyone else has some unique measure of their own suckiness. Some of us are addicts. Other people have cognitive challenges, deal with social stigmatization, or think that being a rich, educated, white guy in a robe with a gavel somehow gives them the right to restrict women's access to healthcare while demanding that insurance cover boner pills, penis implants, and vasectomies... But I digress :)

Syndrome (yes I'm referencing The Incredibles; the movie was great, sorrynotsorry) submitted the idea that when everyone is super, no one will be. But if we accept that premise, then the inverse is also true: when we realize that everyone is horribly flawed, no one will be. Not that I agree entirely with the premise of the argument, but the thought is enough to give pause and I rather enjoy entertaining the idea... Which I now realize could make me sound awfully pretentious. I have the ability to reword or change it to avoid that but, in the interest of genuine stream-of-consciousness, I shan't (which is less about me using pretentious language and more about how "shan't" is just so much fun to say).

Long story made short (too late), we are all "cripples, bastards, and broken things." So maybe we could all (myself included) try and be a little more open to the idea that there are plenty of burdens being carried around by everyone around the world and maybe we could spend just a little more time decreasing world-suck instead of adding the the already daunting piles of negativity. Just thinking "out loud".

Existential Comics wins the day

http://existentialcomics.com/comic/19

Boy Meets World is one of the best things ever to be a thing

"I do my thing and you do your thing. You are you and I am I. And if, in the end, we end up together it's beautiful."

Thanks Topanga.

Brief update? Why not...

Been up visiting my sister/friends this weekend and it was pretty darn spectacular. Some thoughts from over this weekend:

-Life is made up of our eternal thread interacting with the threads of others, sometimes crossing or wrapping around and eventually entwining with another.

-God operates on His own scientific laws.

-Dominion is fun, especially when Jessica still has so much fun getting stomped to itty bitty bits :)

-It's been a long time since I've been this sincerely happy and felt so good about the direction my life is headed... Lots of awesome stargazing and conversation that was as spiritually fascinating as it was intellectually thrilling.

-Long story, short: this weekend was pretty stellar

Feminism is not what Fox News says it is

This will probably be more explanatory than the random string of questions I answered earlier...

I'm a white, middle-ish class, cisgender, heterosexual, Christian, college-educated male in America who is a member of the only international non-secret fraternity. So basically, aside from wealth, I have been granted one of the most privileged positions in all of human history without having done a single thing to deserve the advantages that have just been handed to me.

That being said, I will probably never be able to REALLY understand what it's like to be disenfranchised, discriminated against, etc. But what I can do is try to use all this unearned privilege to make things better for those who are. Consider this your warning that, from time to time when the fancy strikes me, I will talk about (maybe even rant on occasion) social issues that bother me. You've been forewarned and now I'll be on my merry way to continue.

Here's a brief, non-comprehensive list of reasons I consider myself to be a feminist:

1) There are women in my life about whom I care very deeply, and I know the statistics aren't good.

2) I have sisters and I shudder to think of the things boys say about them just for the sake of keeping up appearances and trying to posture in order to avoid being teased by their male peers.

3) As a man, I recognize the desperate need I had growing up to be encouraged to be emotionally healthy, socially conscious, and able to express what I was feeling. 

4) I am incredibly lucky to have been a part of a family, church, and fraternity where it was not stigmatized or all that unusual for men to cry. Most men aren't nearly that fortunate.

5) The way I see it, feminism is basically humanism rebranded by a patriarchal society so that men will have an excuse to segregate the concerns of social equality as "women's issues", thereby giving them an excuse not to care or get involved.

6) I need feminism because one friend who has been a victim of rape is one too many, and I have far more than one friend who has been a victim of rape.

7) I realize that, despite the remarkable example of my father defying gender roles/stereotypes, I have still been brainwashed by my culture and it is a constant, daily challenge to throw off my own shackles of inherited sexism and misogyny.

8) A woman who has sex with 10 guys in a year is a slut. A man who has sex with half as many in a weekend is praised and celebrated. That's fucked up (pun intended).

9) I want my daughters to be able to choose the course of their future without being pigeon-holed into maternity OR a profession when they can very well be both a mother and run a country. Heck, maybe if we had more women in American politics there would be less dick-measuring and more problem-solving. I want my daughters to be able to have great sex, at the right time, with someone who respects them.

10) I want my sons to grow up without being told that they are destined to be sex-driven rapists-in-waiting. I want my sons to be aware that they are responsible for how they use their own bodies. I want my sons to realize that the sexiest thing their partner can do is give consent. I want my sons to be able to have great sex, at the right time, with someone who respects them.

There's another bit that could go here about how feminism is not rabid man-hating but how that kind of thinking is totally justified considering the history of the world... But it's late and I'm moving into a new apartment tomorrow morning so I'll pocket that one.

You know what makes me smile? Face muscles.

Obligatory "get to know me" nonsense...

Totally stole these from the internet because if I left myself to my own devices I'd end up on about 19 million different trains of thought and never actually finish the original intent... Which I guess would probably say a decent bit about how my mind works. Spoiler alert: it's a constant stream of consciousness that usually consists of several lines of thought simultaneously, whether I want it at the time or not. 

That intro ended up being me just catching myself proving my point of how easily off track I get. Hooray. On to trying to answer incredibly blasé questions with my own personal flair!

Were you named after anyone? 

-Yep. That was easy.

When was the last time you cried? 

-Watching The Fault in Our Stars, and I would (will) do it again.
Have you ever cheated on anyone? 

-No, but that seems awfully random to ask this early on...
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? 

-Magic Brownie or Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream
What is your favorite song? 

- I don't see how people can have just one favorite song... Walk Through Hell by Say Anything is phenomenal but not when I wanna write or if I'm irked. What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie is hauntingly gorgeous but bad make-out background music... Hypothetically...
When was the last time you did something for the first time? 

-About 47 seconds ago when I started answering these stupid questions and decided that I have to finish now that I've already begun.
What is the worst pick up line that you've heard? 

-Dunno if I've ever really heard someone use one in earnest, but in jest? Probably either "Can you feel my eyeballs lickin' you?" or "I'd take my tongue to your clitoris like a boxer to a speed bag." Don't ask questions to which you aren't prepared to hear the answer.
What is the first thing you notice about people? 

-The fact that they are alive probably.
What is craziest thing you've ever done?

-Crazy is subjective, so I could say rolling three crits in a single D&D session... Yup.
Who is person you miss the most?

-Currently a tie between my best friend/pseudo brother and a girl who shall remain unnamed.
If you could be an animal, which one would you like to be?

-Komodo Dragon, obviously.
Do you believe in the institution of marriage?

-I can't tell if you mean believing in its existence or in it as an ideal... Yes to both.
Who is your latest crush? What are you going to do about it?

-None of your business, imaginary person I just met! And probably kiss her on the face the next time I see her...
If you were stranded on an island, what would you do?

-Die, eventually.
What is your favorite food?

-So many good choices. Pizza, mac'n'cheese, sushi, dried mangoes, French toast...
Are you a morning or a night person?

-Night. No question.

Do you think God exists? What are your views on idol worship?

-These two questions together seems a little contrived... Yes I believe in God, and I think idol worship extends to people whose concept of God is one that doesn't require them to act any differently than they would on their own. So if an idol is just a non-speaking, ineffectual, deaf diety to whom prayers are directed once a week and then is forgotten, then many Christians would just be worshipping an idol who happens to share a name with Jesus Christ.
What are your views on gays and lesbians?

-Separation of church and state. Legally, there are no grounds to forbid them from marrying and I'm so sick of hearing politicians like Newt Gingrich use the phrase "protecting marriage" when they have cheated on their wives. Let churches marry whomever they will and the government marry everyone who wants to be married. Any religious ideology has just as much right to speak their mind about what they consider a sin or transgression as others do to say otherwise. 
Tell me about your first kiss.

-It happened. More kisses followed over the years.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

-My clothes in the morning, which is fortunately not only possible but plausible.
If you fall in love with your best friend's girlfriend, what would you do?

-The whole concept of falling in love has been so badly bastardized in contemporary culture. You can have affection for someone, like someone, lust after someone, etc but falling in love carries with it an implicit mutuality and growth over the course of shared experiences. I totally believe in the potential for attraction, interest, and connection to happen quickly/instantly but to fall in love takes work on both sides of the equation.
Are you a talker or a listener?

-I talk an awful lot should I be permitted to do so, but I try and restrain it and listen as well.
What is your favorite drink?

-Blue Gatorade mixed with Mountain Dew (aka bootleg Baja Blast)
When was the last time you got sloshed?

-Never, and I plan on continuing the trend of not obliterating my liver

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

-Teleportation
What is the best advice you've received or given anyone?

-Wedding advice: A) if you're gonna fight, fight naked cuz it'll never last as long. B) remember that what this morning was a sin, tonight is a commandment :)
If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?

-Teleportation
If you could have a room full of one thing, what would you want?

-Wish-granting genies
What would you want to be famous for?

-Setting in motion the series of events that would lead to the peaceful social revolution that will finally tear down the oppressive, oligarchical patriarchy.
If you were to be the President for a day, what would you do?

-Be hella stressed out...
Have you ever thought of serving the nation? In what ways?

-Yeah, but more in reference back to the whole "peaceful revolution" thing... I doubt I'd be much good in the military.
Are you a religious person or a spiritual person?

-Manufacturing a large distinction between the two seems rather pedantic, much like nondenominational churches are, in and of themselves, a denomination. Being religious and being spiritual are not mutually exclusive. In my experience, people tend to use the term spiritual most often to distance themselves from the connotation of organized religion. And organized religion as a concept is not bad... Some organized religions are bad but that doesn't mean the whole idea is bad. And this happens a lot more than just in religion. Stalin's socialism became communism and was bad, but that doesn't mean that socialism itself is inherently bad (Unless of course you are a white, heterosexual, cisgender, educated, property owning male who doesn't want to give up any of their insane amounts privilege in order to help the world as a whole become a less awful place, in which case - pardon my language - but you're a meany jerkface with poo for brains).

Would you look at that, I managed to end on a stream of consciousness rant anyways... Go me!

Questions from the audience (all one of you lol):

Spirit animal? 

-Michael Cera... Or something chill like a panda...

First thing I do when I wake up? 

-Look at my phone for messages & hit snooze if there aren't any.

If I could live anywhere right now where would it be?

-Under the current circumstances Logan, Utah would be pretty great. In more general terms? Seattle, England, or Charlotte

Favorite breakfast food?

-If I feel like preparing something, French toast. If I just want something quick, eggs over medium with toast.

Advice to give grandchildren someday?

-Give others the same benefit of the doubt you hope they'll give you.

That's all for now, here's a picture of Deception Pass from Whidbey Island, Washington. Just one more reason to go visit ;)

First thing about me... More to follow at some point I'm sure

I love The Good Men Project. 

I love the social awareness it promotes, the surge it gives to my occasionally dwindling faith in humanity, and articles like this that remind me of the kind of person I want to be for someone else someday... Even when I don't know exactly when that someday will be.

http://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/a-letter-you-deserve-kt/

Plus this picture sums up my own feminist realizations pretty darn well :)

Obligatory first post... Minus the getting to know me nonsense

I've had one of these before and only kept it up sporadically (to say the least). Guess I'll try to stick to this one and use it like a journal or something...

As for today, it was great. Stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking to someone (I think it's fair to say that at this point I'm in deep smit with her), then slept in, church was great, meeting stuff went well (a topic to which I'll probably circle back some time in the future), had leftover Philly cheesesteak pizza, and watched the season finale of Game of Thrones which was exceptional (and I can't wait to see the non-readers' reaction next season).

And that's all for tonight methinks. Gonna go snag some pb&j and talk to a lady until one or both of us fall asleep.