Baby seals!

Image

Reply
image

During a quick trip to Bandon today, we were pleasantly surprised to find, as we walked back to our car, that several seals had taken up short-term residence on some rocks. As Heather said, they were "so freaking adorable." We've not been this close to them in the wild.

55 degrees for New Year’s

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a new year. But it doesn’t feel like it. This is probably the biggest difference about living on the coast. Even when I lived in Southern California, we had something of a winter.

Take last weekend for instance — Heather and I went to the beach. Sure, we wore some warm outerwear, but it sure wasn’t the snow-blown cold we experienced in Utah, or Washington, or New York. It was very pleasant.

The leaves on the trees are still green and it was about 55 degrees today. It just doesn’t seem like winter.

But we like it. And so do our dogs, apparently …

Look, I’m on camera!

Posted on by
1

After my presentation in April, I had a chance to do an encore presentation to a group of atheists about what it was like to grow up as a Mormon in Utah and to tell my story of leaving the LDS church and eventually becoming an atheist. This time, the whole thing was caught on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRHZf9rUoeY&list=PL51A7C4D0693D5B03 Continue reading →

Going public

Posted on by
1

The adventure of life continues. As much as I plan and dream and try to anticipate outcomes, I will never know what lies around the next corner or down whatever road I choose to take. That’s the exciting and frightening reality of life. I wouldn’t want it any other way, however. As a Mormon, life was forced to fit into a master plan. Everything had a reason and a purpose. Screw that! Give me chaos and uncertainty. It’s much more fun. (Written by idiot brother, Trevor Bowen, in a rare moment of lucidity.)

Some months ago, Heather and I started meeting up with a group of atheists in Rochester. It’s led us to meet some great people and we’ve come to be more active in the freethinking community. Last weekend, we went to Syracuse, where I gave a speech on growing up Mormon and later we attended a debate at SUNY Binghamton.

We attended a debate on “Does God exists?” at SUNY Binghamton featuring Matt Dillahunty and Jay Lucas.

It is through the Rochester Atheists that I was invited to speak at the Freethinkers of Upstate New York in the Syracuse area. Prior to my speech on April 21, the group viewed the BBC documentary “The Mormon Candidate.” If you haven’t seen it, you should. Watch it. You’re better off spending an hour watching it than half the other crap that qualifies for entertainment these days. Continue reading →

Lego Space Shuttle

Posted on by
Reply

I recently read about a Romanian man who decided to send a Lego model of a U.S. space shuttle into space. The video is stunning — particularly when you consider that this was done by an amateur, using stuff that pretty much any civilian can purchase. The Brooklyn Space Program has made similar efforts, but I am biased toward the work of Raul Oaida.

I so want to send something into space now. Too bad the FAA doesn’t like us to do that. Hmmm … what are the rules in Canada?

Shameless plug for This American Life

Posted on by
Reply

This is seriously one of thr best episodes of TAL I ever listened to. Even if you aren’t a podcast or radio listener, this is worth your time.

This American Life
#461: Take the Money and Run for Office (mp3)
Description:
For anyone who has ever heard the term “Washington insider” and felt outside — we are with you. So this week, we go inside the rooms where the deals get made, to the actual moment that the checks change hands — and we ask the people writing and receiving the checks what, exactly, is the money buying? Continue reading →