Chicago atheist meetup was a blast

Just wanted to say thanks to all the cool people who came to the Chicagoland atheist meetup last night! We had 18 people total, and it was great talking to everyone.

Complete this joke: 18 atheist walk into a pub…

I think it’s a proven fact that dinner conversations with atheists are always more interesting. We decided that GodlessGirl, who claimed to have a “fever,” couldn’t show up because she’s actually Hemant – totally explains her mysterious nature and why they can’t be in the same room at the same time. We also developed a new show to pitch to the Food Network that is a total winner – Kinky Gourmet. Who wouldn’t watch an after hours show on romantic food, aphrodesiacs, and creative uses of whipped cream?

It was also pretty humorous when I first arrived with Mark and Bryan.

Waitress: Table for three?
Me: Um, well, we’re meeting some people here, I don’t know if they’re here yet *looks around for Hemant*
Waitress: Is it that guy over there? *points to guy I don’t recognize at a big empty table* What’s their names?
Me: Uh…well actually I don’t know. It’s sort of like…a club, so I don’t know everyone coming.
Waitress: What’s it for?
Me: Uhhh, atheists.
Waitress: Okay, I’ll go ask! *goes over to the guy*
Me: I really hope that guy is in our group.
Guy: *waves us over*
Me: Phew
Hemant: *appears, lip bleeding profusely, was apparently mauled by a bear on the way to the restaurant* Huwwo!

Oh atheist awkwardness. But the waitress and the restaurant were great; they let us take over the upstairs room so it was like we had a little private party. Definitely need to do a meetup again in the future!

Who was the most influential female atheist of 2009?

I’ve seen various end of the year polls floating around concerning atheism, but they seem to miss a huge part of the atheist movement: the ladies! So here’s a poll focusing just on the female voices of atheism. Who do you think was the most influential female atheist of 2009? Here’s some super short bios, in case you aren’t familiar with some of them (this is a great way to learn about new awesome atheist women, too!)

I could go on and on listing awesome godless women, but I tried to focus on those who were active with their book writing/blogging/podcasting/various activities throughout 2009. That being said, my opinion could be flawed, and your favorite skeptic in 2009 may be missing from my list. That’s why I’ve included an “Other” choice in the poll – feel free to comment with your write-in response!

So, what do you think?

Who was the most influential female atheist of 2009?(survey software)

*People using Google Reader or other RSS feed aggregators may not be able to see the poll. Please visit the original post to voice your opinion!

EDIT: For those of you asking where other awesome female atheists are, I’ve created a longer reference list.

Need a new year’s resolution? Support Foundation Beyond Belief

I know I don’t have to explain why volunteering and charity are important and worthwhile. But if you need a little extra motivation to help others, consider Foundation Beyond Belief, a “a non-profit charitable and educational foundation created (1) to focus, encourage and demonstrate the generosity and compassion of atheists and humanists, and (2) to provide a comprehensive education and support program for nontheistic parents.” If you’re sick and tired of hearing people claim that atheists don’t volunteer or care about others, here’s your chance to show them wrong.

Happy New Year!

My night:

  • Went to Mark’s house. It was just us and another old high school friend, since everyone else had either left for vacation in Florida or was partying it up in Chicago.
  • Beat his 8 year old brother in Mario Kart. Barely. Parents whisked him away before I could be embarrassed.
  • Ate way too much spinach and artichoke dip, yet didn’t imbibe a single drop of alcohol. Mono, I shake my fist at you. Ah well.
  • Roommate (who was in another town) texted me asking me what dead baby jokes I could remember. I love my roommate. I also love that she would turn to me for help in such an area.
  • Watched three hours of The Next Food Network Star. Developed an idea for a new show, Bobby Flay Goes Apeshit. All you have to do is use the outtakes from one of his billion shows, add some explosions and lasers shooting out of his eyes, and you have a fucking masterpiece. Seriously, were we the only people who noticed how he looks like he’s about to absolutely flip out in disappointment before the camera cuts away? I can fill in the gaps. “Capers? Where…are…the CAPERS?! ARHRFHGHG!! *rips of shirt and grills the failing contestant*”
  • Tuned into Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper right before the ball dropped in New York. Oh my god, I wish we would have tuned in sooner. I love both of them separate, but together it’s just pure genius. I’m amazed at Kathy’s sheer willpower to not swear for all of those hours, but she was still being horrendously inappropriate for the program, and watching Anderson squirm awkwardly was amazing. “I just did some blow!” “No, no she did not. *frantic look*” Or when she asked Anderson what his safe word was? Also, Anderson Cooper getting hit on by a drag queen made my year (the 45 minutes left of it at the time). And the fact that Lance Bass was randomly reporting too – Could CNN get any gayer? Win.
  • Then we tuned into to the local Chicago news for our count down. Good god, Chicagoans look like the saddest bunch of people compared to New Yorkers. New York was a huge party, Chicago was a bunch of middle aged people sitting at tables eating, listening to crappy bands, and falling asleep. Every year the highlight is watching ABC 7’s Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies announce as they get progressively tipsier and tipsier. It always ends with Mark constantly making off color jokes and vaguely hitting on Janet. I was not disappointed.
  • It turned midnight. Yay. 2010.
  • We watched the South Park movie. Mark’s parents and 8 year old brother decided to come home right when Kenny was going to heaven and seeing a bunch of boobs, and then going to hell and seeing blood and gore. Oh, and don’t forget the constant swearing. It amuses me how things can become awkward so quickly given the audience.
  • Watched the same Girls Gone Wild commercial probably 20 times. Was it really necessary to include that one commercial during every break, sometimes two times per break? Could they have at least mixed it up a little so we could see a different drunk girl’s boobs jiggling across the screen?
  • Drove home, put on pajamas, and wrote this blog post because I can’t fall asleep. …Wait, now I’m getting meta. Time to stop.

How’d you spend your New Years Eve?