I cannot tell you how excited I am to be joining Freethought Blogs. Interestingly enough, I was asked to join FtB exactly 2 years after I started blogging about skepticism and atheism. I am a relatively new voice in this atheist/skeptic/oh-my-god-don’t-conflate-the-two blogosphere, though I have been blogging for 14 years.
Many of you know me, but some of you do not. So hello! I’m Ashley, there’s a bio over there that basically says I know too much about movies and talk a lot. The thing that most people seem to find shocking about me is that I worked on Toddlers & Tiaras. What else? They should be bringing my archives over eventually, but my old site is http://ashleyfmiller.wordpress.com
Here is a list of things I love:
- The World Cup
- Karaoke
- Baby Sea Turtles
- Rainbows, Sparkles, Sparkly Rainbows, Rainbow Sparkles
- Drag queens
- Otters
- Alan Rickman
- Great White Sharks
Here is a list of things I hate:
- Perfume
- Allergies
- Ron Paulians
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
- Everything
- Dark Harbor
- Kevin Costner
In summation:
Ashley's co-blogger is a third year student at Northwestern University who runs on coffee and snark. . At some point, she'd like to make people sit on couches and tell her about their feelings, but right now she writes in different places around the internet and makes silly faces when she doesn't know what to say. She's the president of her local Secular Student Alliance affiliate, and she is on the Secular Woman speakers bureau. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Secular Student Alliance
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LeftSidePositive
June 7, 2012 at 11:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Congratulations and welcome!
Xanthe
June 7, 2012 at 11:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome to FtB, Ashley! I hope you enjoy the new digs.
Gordon
June 7, 2012 at 11:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hi!
Jason Thibeault
June 7, 2012 at 11:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I LOVE TURTLES!!!
Cunning Pam
June 7, 2012 at 11:44 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Otters AND great white sharks?!?!
(Welcome!)
Marie the Bookwyrm
June 7, 2012 at 11:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hello, hello! Welcome to FtB, the Hive-Mind filled with Deep Rifts. I hope Ed gave you your copy of the Mission Statement.
Thomas Lawson
June 7, 2012 at 11:52 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hello. Costner fan.
Stacy
June 8, 2012 at 12:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What’s wrong with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter?
Also, welcome.
Chris Hallquist
June 8, 2012 at 12:50 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh my god, that’s longer than Andrew Sullivan. Welcome to FtB, Ashley!
Brianne Bilyeu
June 8, 2012 at 2:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I love Drag Queens! And Alan Rickman! ZOMG someone needs to combine these two in a movie!!! Welcome to the network, Ashley
Konradius
June 11, 2012 at 2:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They have been combined, though very briefly.
In one of the Harry Potter movies (nr3, Prisoner of Azkeban) the students must face their fears in the form of a monster called the Boggart. They must cast the ‘Rediculous’ spell that makes that fear harmless.
So in comes Neville who’s fear is prof. Snape, played by Alan Rickman. He casts the spell and prof Snape is made harmless by wearing his grandmother’s dress.
Damn, been reading these blogs too much. I now realize how sexist that is…
Sheesh
June 11, 2012 at 9:49 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You can rationalize this away! Presume Neville was not acting on subconscious sexism and instead relying on the authentic harmlessness of his grandmother to himself in particular. Now it’s just essentializing one woman instead!
Harry Potter series is full of “default cultural sexism” though if you look for it; doesn’t make me hate it.
Baby sea turtles are super cute.
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
He was terrified of his grandmother, so the harmless thing makes no sense. I think in the books it comes off less as haha boy in dress and more that if he combined the two things he feared the most they would have less power. But the humor, other people laughing at it, definitely problematic.
Sheesh
June 11, 2012 at 2:49 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Now that you mention it, I am pretty embarrassed about forgetting that! (I.e.,his home life.) Neville is sort of the unsung hero of the series to me, the Wedge Antilles of the Potterverse.
Brianne Bilyeu
June 11, 2012 at 10:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Awesome! I can’t believe you found an Alan Rickman-cross-dress reference. Not quite drag queen, but well done, nevertheless!
Daniel Fincke
June 9, 2012 at 11:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome aboard, Ashley!
chantalyacavone
June 10, 2012 at 12:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Congratulations Ashley. I know you will continue to find success in your work no matter where you are located
Simon
June 10, 2012 at 12:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome! I propose you add Euro 2012 to the list since its almost as good as the World Cup.
PS Go Greece!
Hank Fox
June 10, 2012 at 12:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That’s the WEIRDEST goddam coincidence. I’m writing a movie script right now in which Alan Rickman, menaced by great white sharks while rescuing baby sea turtles and sea otters, moves to the city and becomes a karaoke-singing drag queen who goes on to make the winning shot in the World Cup, at the instant the sun breaks through the clouds and forms a perfect rainbow over the goal line.
I was hoping to write Chuck Norris into it, too, as a motorcycle rowdy who comes into town and seduces the youth away from use of the Oxford comma. But that would be just too implausible.
Anyway: Welcome, Ashley!
Kevin
June 11, 2012 at 10:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You have to add vampires in. If you add vampires in, it’ll get a green light in a millisecond.
No vampires, no green light.
Tony... therefore God
June 11, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ah, but let’s complicate things.
Add ZOMBIES and you get a yellow light (if you need some extras, just visit The Zombie Thread on Pharyngula.
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 11:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Neither zombies or vampires are on the list because they each have to be qualified. I do not have a universal love of them, there are bad vampires and bad zombies. I do, however, love them when used as tools of exploring love, death, and the other. Werewolves, which are for exploring man’s primal violence, are not interesting to me. I worked on a short film called Prombies! which was awesome, and have a treatment for a zombie movie. Horror is very progressive, I’m a fan of the genre.
I can offer unqualified love for Buffy.
'Tis Himself
June 11, 2012 at 5:42 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What about Weedon’s other kickass woman, River Tam?
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 6:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m not a River Tam fan, I thought her character was underdeveloped and not that interesting. Kaylee, on the other hand…
Drolfe
June 11, 2012 at 6:48 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
All Firefly characters I would consider underdeveloped. Mid-season cancelation will do that. (ancillary material notwithstanding.)
Forbidden Snowflake
June 11, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Will the vampires SPARKLE?
Sheesh
June 11, 2012 at 3:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Speaking of sparkles, let me promote this since those present might appreciate it: http://reasoningwithvampires.tumblr.com/
Kristjan Wager
June 11, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Congratulations on your move to ftb. Looking forward to seeing your posts here.
Planning on bringing the raving ronbots along?
Cafeeine
June 11, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome to the collective. Resistance was futile
David
June 11, 2012 at 8:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hi, which world cup?
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Footy, boys and girls
David
June 11, 2012 at 11:29 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Correct, England v France shortly in the Euros, which are also quite good.
mark-anthonyfaiva
June 11, 2012 at 9:05 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Since you like Drag Queens, do you like RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 10:14 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes. RuPaul in To Wong Foo is why I wanted to be a drag queen when I grew up. Luvhuh
samoanbiscuit
June 11, 2012 at 11:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
(Name changed to protect real name)Was she Ms Rachel Tension in that movie? Awesomeness. I’m new to your bloggerdom, but I was wondering if you plan on doing scathing articles about PhiPhi O’Hara?
I’m a lurker from Pharyngula who was directed here by PZ’s post, just realized who you are w.r.t the whole TAM thing. Thanks for fighting the good fight, and also thank you for replying to me and what seems like everyone’s questions. Wow you have energy!
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 12:07 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes, she was Rachel Tensions and wore a tight, sequined, confederate flag gown.
I blog about anything I find interesting. If you want me to write about phi phi, by all means point me to what you hate about her.
samoanbiscuit
June 12, 2012 at 3:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Well, if you reeeeeally want to know (big breath in): I think her treatment of Sharon Needles (for being goth/punk) and Willam (for being more successful and talented) was horrifying. Especially how she used her privilege as a more “mainstream drag queen” (those words sounds like oxymorons anywhere else but in RuPaul’s world) to shovel shit on Sharon Needles. You’d think as a non-white, effeminate, gay man working as a drag queen, he/she’d have more empathy about someone being an outsider, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
And I was disgusted how the judges and Chad Michaels wrote all this venom off saying “Well, she’s been through a lot!” and “She had a rough childhood!”. I think that’s ultimately a stupid sentiment, because the whole point of advocating for gay rights and feminism is trying to teach people to think beyond the opinions and morals they were raised on and try to be better people. That should apply just as much to an angry drag queen as it does to some sub-literate redneck who thinks the word “fag” is a perfectly fine description of a group of people.
Soren
June 11, 2012 at 9:07 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I love your blog, which I only recently discovered, so congratulations on making the big league
I’ll be the first to bring up the topic, so I might jinx it, but i foresee some rumbling about how convenient it is that one of the combattants in the recent discussion about sexism in skepticism is now joining FTB.
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 9:57 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It was in the works before that, if it makes anyone feel better.
Jason Thibeault
June 11, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It won’t, of course. We’re a HIVE MIND BORG ZERG yadda yadda
'Tis Himself
June 11, 2012 at 5:44 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Jason tries to forget about the Deep Rifts. He thinks if he ignores them they’ll go away. Many of the rest of us have argued with Jason about Deep Rifts.
Kaoru Negisa
June 11, 2012 at 9:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Glad to have you on FtB. I’ve never read your stuff, but I look forward to seeing it. In the meantime, may I offer the following advice? http://cutestuff.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cute_baby_otter.png
Alyson Miers
June 11, 2012 at 9:30 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome! That animated GIF is awesome.
eric
June 11, 2012 at 9:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sparkle is my wife’s favorite color.
Gregory in Seattle
June 11, 2012 at 9:42 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
As someone else who hates everything, I welcome a fellow curmudgeon.
Brian Gregory
June 11, 2012 at 9:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome! Here’s some baby otters and mom:
http://www.sea-way.org/blog/otter2.jpg
Greg Laden
June 11, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome, Ashley!
Nicole
June 11, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ve not read your blog before, but from your introduction… I have a feeling I may end up an avid reader. Welcome!
Perfume is the worst. I regularly shoot off passive aggressive emails to the office about it.
Greg Laden
June 11, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“You are so great at finding bargains, I’ll bet you paid almost nothing for that perfume!”
Ed Brayton
June 11, 2012 at 11:24 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
LOL. That’s pitch perfect.
Tony... therefore God
June 11, 2012 at 11:07 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ll take perfume over patchouli any day (not that the former is particularly delightful).
Blueaussi
June 11, 2012 at 10:37 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Howdy from the basement of the Graduate Science Research Center. Nice to see more rational voices in South Carolina, even if yours is only here temporarily.
Melody
June 11, 2012 at 10:57 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m so glad you are here, Ashley!
Tony... therefore God
June 11, 2012 at 11:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ashley:
Welcome to FtB.
I do hope you Kevin Costner is not on the “Hate” list because of Waterworld. It wasn’t as bad as Battlefield Earth; which means it was good (and yes, I’m aware of the ridiculous argument I just made).
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Waterworld’s more entertaining than not, I hate Costner for ruining Robin Hood.
nichrome
June 11, 2012 at 11:14 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Do you like Benedict Cumberbatch? You might after these comparisons:
http://redscharlach.tumblr.com/post/19565284869/otters-who-look-like-benedict-cumberbatch-a
Welcome!
Ashley F. Miller
June 11, 2012 at 11:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Love him, love sherlock. If you’ve not seen it, I highly recommend Martin Freeman is a hedgehog.
Timothy Brannan
June 11, 2012 at 11:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Glad to see you here!
Looking forward to seeing what you post.
I’ll admit, I didn’t know of your blog at WordPress, so I hope you get a lot more readers here.
The Lorax
June 11, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome welcome! *mooshes Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle together to make a Rainbow Sparkle*
New England Bob
June 11, 2012 at 1:38 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
My likes and dislikes don’t overlap with yours (except ‘everything’), but lets give this a try on my part.
Brony
June 11, 2012 at 2:47 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
But does she like the Rainbow Dashes or the Twilight Sparkles Lorax? We will see…
carpenterman
June 11, 2012 at 5:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome to FTB, Miss Miller. I will confess… the love of karaoke thing has me concerned; but you totally make up for it by playing the ukulele. Oh, and the whole insightful voice in the atheist movement thing… that’s good too.
Enjoy.
Nurse Ingrid
June 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ashley, I am so happy for you! And happy for me, because it’ll be that much easier to keep up with your blog now that you’re here at FTB.
Oh, and the fact that they brought on you AND Zinnia on the same day? That rawks.
Tamika Musemeche
June 11, 2012 at 7:24 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Amazing article, you’ve created a bunch of great factors, When i also believe it is a extremely outstanding web page.
Setár, self-appointed Elf-Sheriff of the Pharyngula Star Chamber
June 12, 2012 at 12:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You have a series thrashing Ron Paul. Awesome. The skeptical community has way, way, way too many people in it who subscribe to that sort of fact-free libertarianism (see also Penn Jillette) and we need more skeptics who are willing to apply that skepticism to politics.
StevoR
June 12, 2012 at 5:37 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Welcome to FTB – thanks for your blog here. Looking forward to reading more of it. Best regards.
F
June 12, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
o hai! I’m not sure how I missed your blog over the last several days, so I offer a belated “welcome!”
Jong Podell
August 24, 2012 at 11:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
My favorite Best Actor For All Times.He is true star.I Watches almost all movies with Kevin.
FreethoughtBlogs Just Got That Much More Awesome | En Tequila Es Verdad
June 12, 2012 at 5:48 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] awesome people. And we’ve just added two kickass atheists to the bunch: Zinnia Jones and Ashley Miller. They’re the vanguard for our videoblogging horde. Not only do they vlog, they blog, and they [...]