Back to Canada!

Tomorrow I’ll be leaving for Kamloops, British Columbia to speak at the Imagine No Religion Conference. It should be a lot of fun! It’s a smaller group than a big national conference, but still has awesome speakers like PZ, Mr. Deity, and Nate Phelps. And some blogger chick who’s going to rant about misogyny in religion, or something like that.

I’m not sure if I have any Canadian tradition I forgot to check out when I spoke in Vancouver. I mean, I ate poutine and learned about Canadian politics – what more is there do to? Though I hear I probably shouldn’t bring up Canadian politics right now, ahem… Hey, at least your conservatives aren’t as bad as ours, right?

Anyway, I apologize that I haven’t been producing as many substantial posts lately. The end of the quarter is approaching, which means things are a little crazy on my end. Have a presentation next week, need to finish my research, then make a presentation for that, then choose a lab that I’ll be in for the next four years… Just a tad bit busy. But fear not, my real posts will return soon!

Speaking of speaking…

One of the new speaking events I’ve added recently is Mensa’s Annual Gathering in Portland, OR. I was invited by the Mensa Atheists, who apparently have at least one of my blog readers as a member (hello!).

I’m pretty excited to give my Creation Museum talk to an audience that isn’t explicitly atheistic or skeptical. They’ll probably have heard less about it than a room full of atheists, and I’m curious to see how they’ll react.

But I’m also excited to poke around a non-godless conference for a change. It looks so wonderfully eclectic. My talk is at the same time as “How to Create a Successful YouTube Channel,” “Ireland and the Grail, or: Yes, Sophie, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is Wrong!,” “Near Death Experiences 101,” and “Space Vanguard: How Some of Us Are Preparing for a Brighter Future.” And that’s not even the oddest stuff – you should really skim the program if you have the time.

Maybe I’ll be able to get some good ideas on how to improve our atheist conferences. I was told that Mensa AG has a 24 hour game room and that speakers can get free booze all day in a hospitality room. Are you listening, TAM and Skepticon?!

I’m now on the Center for Inquiry’s speaker’s bureau!

Which means…well, it doesn’t really mean anything new – I still probably would have spoken to your group if you asked. But now I’m in a database that people can skim for new speakers, so maybe some new people will find me!

Because, you know, I’m not already busy with a bunch of speaking events. There are five more future events that aren’t on that schedule yet because the details haven’t been completely worked out. Oi.

People ask me how I can do this while being in grad school. Answer: I have no freaking clue.

Upcoming speaking schedule

…Yes, PZ’s post reminded me that I should do this. I’m not nearly as busy as he is, but I’m still pretty sure I overbooked myself for this quarter. Yikes.

4/22/2011
Eugene, OR
Alliance of Happy Atheists at the University of Oregon
God’s Lady Problem: Breaking up with abusive supernatural beings
7pm in Lawrence Hall room 177
Facebook event

5/7/2011
Kamloops, BC
Imagine No Religion Conference
Kamloops Centre for Rational Thought & CFI Okanagan
Registration required
Also featuring PZ Myers & Mr. Deity!
5/21/2011
Oakland, CA
American Atheists Rapture Regional Atheist Meet
Registration required
Also featuring Greta Christina, Mr. Deity, Matt Dillahunty & Rebecca Watson!

I’m not going to lie… the last one is a win-win situation. Most likely the rapture won’t happen, and we get to go neener neener at the people who predict the end of the world. But on the minuscule chance that we do get left behind, at least I’m stuck there with a bunch of awesome people. You know the party will be great!

And then I get to frantically finish up the quarter and have a relaxing, atheist-conference free June. I love doing this, but it’s hard juggling it with grad school. To celebrate, I’m seeing Tim Minchin…twice. Wooooooo!

Now, to figure out how I’m getting to Eugene since I’m currently still sans-car keys. This may be interesting.

EDIT: OMG OMG I FOUND MY SPARE CAR KEY! IT WAS…in my car. WTF. I literally screamed “WHY WOULD I PUT YOU THERE?!?!?!” when I found it in the valet key compartment. The locksmith is my new favorite person for unlocking my car for free. Plus he was quick to unlock my apartment on Saturday. Seattle people, I highly recommend Ballard Lock & Key.

Off to Boston tomorrow!

Though I’m technically not arriving until Friday. Yay cross country flights! I leave at 2:30pm and land at 1:10am. I’ll make sure to wake up my roommates as obnoxiously as possible as I bumble around our hotel room in the dark.

More importantly, why am I going to Boston? For the American Humanist Association annual conference! Wooooo!

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this conference from people who’ve attended in the past, so I’m super excited. I get to see my godless activist friends like Greta Christina, Debbie Goddard, Chris Stedman, Sharon Moss, Darrel Ray, and of course everyone from the SSA (August, Lyz, Jesse, JT, John, Shelley, and Leslie – phew, it’s like we have a miniature army!). I’m also looking forward to finally meeting people I’ve somehow missed so far, like Margaret Downey, Elisabeth Cornwell, Greg Epstein, and Roy Zimmerman.

Oh, and I heard something about student leaders getting a special breakfast with Richard Dawkins.
What am I doing there? The SSA is having a student leadership tract, and I’m going to be on a panel about increasing diversity in the secular movement along with Greta and Debbie. Yes, we get to tell everyone how not to fail when it comes to race, gender, and sexuality. Hopefully the in-person response to suggestions isn’t like the online response, or else I may be running from some pitchforks and torches.

Though I’m not going to lie…most exciting thing about this trip? I think JT and Greta and I are hunting down a place to do karaoke, and Chris Stedman promises me some gay bar birthday shenanigans.

My life is kind of awesome.

I survived Minnesota! …barely

Man, do those Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists know how to party. My talk went really well and had around 80-90 people show up – and about 30 of those joined us for the pub. Then, proving that CASH knows their guest speaker very well, we headed to The Gay 90s in downtown Minneapolis for a drag show and dancing.

The upside of being the guest speaker is that alcohol continuously appears in front of you out of nowhere. Unfortunately, that’s also the downside. Sweet Jesus, I haven’t had that much to drink since my 21st birthday. I also haven’t been that sick since my 21st birthday. Augh, my liver. Why did someone bring me tequila shots? Why?!?

Even though the night didn’t end well for me, it still was a good time. I got to meet a bunch of my “internet friends” (Hi, Biodork, Ruby Leigh, and Jafsica!) and hang out with student leaders I hadn’t seen since the last SSA conference. Oh, and throw dollar bills at CASH officers as they pole danced.

…Again, they know how to party.

Oh, and JT? I am so not getting drunk with you at AHA in a couple of weeks. …At least that’s what I’m saying right now, while I’m still in “I’m never drinking again” mode. Give me a couple of days. Though after you speak there next week, you may be feeling the same way.

Alright, time to go be comatose for a while.

So, tell me again why I’m going to Minnesota?

Well, drat.
You know, there’s a reason why I moved out of the Midwest. And no, it’s not so I would miss the snow and cold even more when I returned. Oh well. All these times I’ve watched PZ tweet about getting stuck driving in blizzards… it’s only appropriate that I get to experience it myself. At least this was a good reminder that yes, I should actually pack a winter coat, and gloves, and a scarf, and layers…

…I’m still banking on a group from Hawaii inviting me for next spring break. Anyone down there listening?

Upcoming Minnesota speaking schedule

If you’re near Minnesota, make sure to check my talk God’s Lady Problem: Breaking up with abusive supernatural beings next week!

Tuesday, 3/22
St. Cloud, MN
7:00pm in Atwood, Cascade Room

720 Fourth Ave South
Host: Secular Student Alliance at St. Cloud State University
Facebook event

Wednesday, 3/23
Morris, MN
Host: UM Morris Freethinkers
Part of Pride Week programming, woo!
6:30pm in HFA 6

Thursday, 3/24
Minneapolis, MN
7pm in Murphy Hall 130
206 Church Street SE
Host: Campus Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists (CASH) at UM
Facebook event

Unofficial pub nights will likely follow (at least Thursday for sure). Nothing is set in stone, but I’ll let people at the event know and I’ll tweet where we’re going.

I hope PZ’s ready for our slumber party. I’m sooooo excited to paint each other’s nails while plotting atheist world domination.

Haha, I’m just kidding. Like I paint my nails, pfft.

I'm going to Vegas, baby

…because I’ll be speaking at The Amaz!ng Meeting 9!

I’ve been dying to announce this since I found out, since it’s an honor to be invited to speak at such a large and truly amazing skeptical event. And it’s even more of an honor now that the speaker’s list has been announced, and I see what awesome people I’m listed with (and I made it in before the “And many more” cut!):

Elyse Anders
Greta Christina
Rachel Dunlop
Pamela Gay
DJ Grothe
Harriet Hall
Jennifer Michael Hecht
PZ Myers
Steve Novella
Bill Nye
Jennifer Ouellette
Penn & Teller
Phil Plait
James Randi
Adam Savage
Eugenie Scott
Michael Shermer
Karen Stollznow
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Rebecca Watson

…Just to name a few. Go check out the whole list here. The weird thing about my life is that I’ve actually met or even befriended most of that list already – I’m mostly excited because I know it means it’ll be an excellent conference. …Well, and I’m still flailing about meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye. BILL NYE! *swoon*

Oh, and I should add that 24 out of 49 speakers are women. Way to go, TAM! See, who says these amazing skeptical women don’t exist? And no, I’m not just going to be speaking on the panel on diversity (though it’s great they’re having that discussion). Isn’t that awesome?! EDIT: Sadie Crabtree, Communications Director of the JREF, just informed me that the women actually outnumber the men as solo presenters this year. I think that’s a first for a skeptical conference! Go TAM9!

TAM9 Goal: Get Phil in the hot tub again, along with as many other speakers as possible.

I hope I’ll see you there this summer!

I’m going to Vegas, baby

…because I’ll be speaking at The Amaz!ng Meeting 9!

I’ve been dying to announce this since I found out, since it’s an honor to be invited to speak at such a large and truly amazing skeptical event. And it’s even more of an honor now that the speaker’s list has been announced, and I see what awesome people I’m listed with (and I made it in before the “And many more” cut!):

Elyse Anders
Greta Christina
Rachel Dunlop
Pamela Gay
DJ Grothe
Harriet Hall
Jennifer Michael Hecht
PZ Myers
Steve Novella
Bill Nye
Jennifer Ouellette
Penn & Teller
Phil Plait
James Randi
Adam Savage
Eugenie Scott
Michael Shermer
Karen Stollznow
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Rebecca Watson

…Just to name a few. Go check out the whole list here. The weird thing about my life is that I’ve actually met or even befriended most of that list already – I’m mostly excited because I know it means it’ll be an excellent conference. …Well, and I’m still flailing about meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye. BILL NYE! *swoon*

Oh, and I should add that 24 out of 49 speakers are women. Way to go, TAM! See, who says these amazing skeptical women don’t exist? And no, I’m not just going to be speaking on the panel on diversity (though it’s great they’re having that discussion). Isn’t that awesome?! EDIT: Sadie Crabtree, Communications Director of the JREF, just informed me that the women actually outnumber the men as solo presenters this year. I think that’s a first for a skeptical conference! Go TAM9!

TAM9 Goal: Get Phil in the hot tub again, along with as many other speakers as possible.

I hope I’ll see you there this summer!