Entry by
Coltara Cady
Attention Duelists! I am in control of your computer monitor. I control the horizontal, the vertical, and possibly have the power to create a din of white noise so fantastic you'll roll around under your computer desk like a weasel on ecstasy. It is most fortunate for you that I now have your attention and won't have to do such a dreadfully villainous thing.
Greetings! My name is
Coltara and as JT mentioned, I am indeed a current resident of Arkansas. Fayetteville of Northwest Arkansas, to be precise! I'll note that I'm originally from Tahoe-Truckee, California and my (fantastic freethinking) family is spread from California up through Oregon (if you've ever seen the show Green Acres, general store owner
Sam Drucker is my grandpa) and Washington, so moving was a dramatic culture shock.
NWA is the Wal-Mart headquarters of the world (my would-be father-in-law actually works in the home office), is part of the bible belt, and does tend to be rather conservative as the red district of the state. Yes, I am brutally out of my element. Unfortunately, one of the higher areas of red concentration is Bentonville, where I both work and attend community college. I'm going to have a fascinating experience this fall trying to get my club up and running – that's reporting for another time, though!
If you're wondering how I ended up here in the first place, the abridged version of the story is that my girlfriend came and saved me from a dysfunctional life. Now, three years later, we still live with her family – generous people whom I love and consider my family too, but woefully ignorant and incapable of critical thinking. They are victims of indoctrination and are now so steeped in religion and conservatism that they struggle with concepts outside of their narrow box of comfort. While they are slightly more “liberal” than many Christians and are respectful enough of the three atheists living in their guest house, it has been an educational and trying experience to live with them. I believe the details of this family are also posts for another time, however.
I've agreed to guest blog for JT while he's busy with juggling organization for Skepticon like the delightful magician he is. Honestly, I'm really excited to be able to provide content for him and continue to grow more active in the skeptic community. However, I'm fairly new to this gig (how I mine for blog?) and not all that used to being reliable or adhering to a concept as strange as a time frame, so bear with me! It'll be a learning process for us both.
I also like to post late at night 'cause I work from morning to afternoon, get home and relax, and then set to tasks when the sky begins darkening. A secondary warning might be that I like to drop all sorts of nerdy reference jokes, some of which you may or may not have already picked up on. You will soon learn that I am blunt, I hate being politically correct, I ramble and rant, and am all around a raging free spirit. I love to write both fiction and non-fiction, I love to read, I adore characters, and I have an arguably unhealthy habit of both gaming and debate.
As an aspiring journalist this should be an excellent experience for me. I have a very diverse range of interests, but as far as science and skepticism goes and what I'll be writing about, my focus directs on transhumanism, genetic engineering, biotechnology, civil rights, and taking apart religious absurdities piece by piece. I am extremely passionate about speaking my mind and adore reason to the extent where I will mercilessly tear even [intentionally] fictional works to shreds for a lack of realism.
I plan to begin posting regularly starting tomorrow evening when I get back from work. Until then, I offer you some badass science by the name of spider goats. I'm diggin' the idea of
goat silk, my friends!
Post a Comment