Sunday, April 06, 2008

Okay then, a diary!

Today I cleaned the kitchen. The hard part of the kitchen. I mean the – all those papers and pens and old sticky-notes-with-some-piece-of-important-information-on-it kind of stuff. It was awesome. I am totally into organizing. I love to organize and I can’t keep it up. I completely go through some area and set it up for optimal organization and then let it all slide for six months.

Mulan went through all her old school papers and we reduced it down to 20% of it’s original size. YES!

Now that the Jill and Julia Show is done for the time being, (we think we'll open the show for real in later August or September) I am concentrating on writing my pilot and working on wedding plans. That’s it until the end of May when I am traveling. I am going to this Science Festival in New York at the end of May, just before I do Letting Go of God in Connecticut. I would post what I’m doing there, but it’s a bit up in the air. I should find out the dates for the Seattle Film Festival soon too.

Tonight I’m going to a friend’s house who has a screening room and occasionally has parties. We are going to eat pizza and watch “Bonnie and Clyde” which I haven’t seen since college.

Wow. Charlton Heston died. I didn’t know that until just now. He hosted SNL while I was there and he and Al Franken had the most wonderfully enjoyable contentious relationship. I think they truly enjoyed it too. I really liked Charlton Heston after that.

Things are looking up for the radio show on NPR. Of course most things fall apart, so we will see. But I am feeling pretty good about it. Stars are aligning in this regard!

I loved the comment on my last post about the baptism for a conversion to atheism. The poster asked if salt might be used. That made me laugh. Yes, it’s so funny how we pre-spin the conversation with the way we word things. When Ken Star referred to my lack of belief as a “conversion to atheism” it sets the tone immediately. I think other people have said that to me to and I let it slide. I don’t think I will the next time. I don’t mind the term “de-conversion.” People have said that too. But when you grow up in a religion, there isn’t really a conversion moment like there is described in religious literature or amongst fundamentalists. But I probably spin the conversation revealing my opinion too by how I describe things. I often toss around “critical-thinking-skills” when talking to religious people. And I suppose you could say that by using that particular set of words I am pre-setting my view that the religious abandon their critical thinking skills when it comes to God. I mean, I admit it, I do use that phrase deliberately and pointedly. But I probably wouldn’t use that phrase if I were moderating a panel about religion. I think I would try to use the most neutral words I could. Although I am not complaining. It was really more interesting to me. Curious phrase: Julia’s conversion to atheism.

I am reading “Cool It” right now – Bjorn Lomborg’s book. He also wrote "The Skeptical Environmentalist." The jury is still out in my own mind about his view, but I agree with him that the environmental movement is getting promoted with a lot of misinformation. And while global warming due to human activity appears to be real and accepted by everyone, including Bjorn, (although he didn’t admit this in his previous book) what we do about it is clearly up for debate.

I listened to R.E.M. all day today. I don’t have the new album yet, but I’m getting ready for it by listening to all the old ones. I am still not finished loading all my music on the computer, but I think by the end of the week. I also listened to NPR and “The Splendid Table” about making pasta in Bologna and the show was so delightful I wanted to drop everything and go to Italy.

Mulan has been listening to “Letting Go of God” – the song – the one that Jill Sobule sings (and you can download it from my homepage) and she asked me, “When she sings “Mary looked up yearning” what does that mean, like she looked up “yearning” like she looked up that word in the dictionary?” Absolutely serious, straight faced. Oh! That is awesome.

70 comments:

Fargofan1 said...

You've been listening to REM all day? And I'm guessing your favorite is..."Losing My Religion"? Oh! See what I did there? Yeah. That's why you write comedy and I don't.

Jay McHue said...

That was a nice comment about Charlton Heston. I think a lot of people who disagreed with him on issues still liked him as a person because he was so genuine and a class act all the way.

Lunamor said...

Ah, this was a delightful entry. I am so glad I found your blog and your discussion forum (I intro'd myself in the Letting Go of God section). You are truly a delightful person!

Way to go on the organization ... I'm having to do that trying to sell a house...ay yi yi!

Good luck with all your endeavors - you are such a talent!

Anonymous said...

Hmm, did you mean to say "Dr. Kevin Starr," the moderator you referred to in your last post, or Ken Starr? I hate to think you're going to be investigated by the Office of the Independent Council for being an atheist.

Mohan Kumar D said...

Nice Blog and Post.
Please visit my blog as i am new to this eblog.

Arbogast said...

That SNL episode (did you call them "episodes") with Charlton Heston was a f***ing riot. The False Prophet lives!

Peter Anthony Holder said...

Julia,

I would love to have you as a guest on our late night radio show in Canada.

Drop me an email when you have a chance.

Peter Anthony Holder
CJAD 800 AM, Montreal
CFRB 1010 AM, Toronto
www.peteranthonyholder.com
peter@peteranthonyholder.com
peteranthonyholder.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Ahh hello, and I am guessing you are not a teen haha! ...Heh, okay that was weird. Umm..I do need an older persons opinion on this and you were the first that caught my attention, congrats.

I guess? Hah, anyways I was wondering, are you Twenties or your Teen years the best of your life? If you don't get it, read my blog.. yes I am new so please. I'm not some old...weird internet person, I'm actually a curious, confused, and mature(ish) teen that needs answers.

Thank You. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh sorry, heres my URL

floppydisk_007 said...

WOW! This is awsome... and I see you actually read these. Well, I swear to god... oops, that i saw you not too long ago on Runyon Canyon. I'm not sure but I saw a pretty bouque of silver hair walkin up and the first thing I thought was that's julia sweeney. I was gonna go up to you but thought maybe you wouldn't like me intruding on your nice walk. But, i wanted to tell you that I'm good friends with John Hora who shot God said ha! And he told me about Letting go of God and it has been one of the best things that I could've ever listened to. Changed my life! I've always been the paranoid type who thought everything i did was somehow being added up in heaven and this and Carl Sagan's cosmos made me think in a completely free and even more spiritual way.... thank you very very much! hope you get the movie edited and out to us ASAP.

Anonymous said...

R.E.M ...it seems so long ago.

I sound like a centenarian.

:)

Lisa said...

i love that last paragraph... it made me laugh out loud!

Anonymous said...

Who's Mulan? Do you have a Disney cartoon character living with you? I don't see a Mulan mentioned in your IMDB entry.

Rare Todd said...

Splendid Table?
Is that anything like The Delicious Dish? Or Get Ready, Get Set Spaghetti?

High Power Rocketry said...

: )

Unknown said...

Well....I use to be a very messy person.I guess getting organized made me concentate on my school work that I started to get better grades.Its also a better idea to get organized because you can find everything ou need.At leassst i can find my homework now =]

Unknown said...

In reference to your organizational fetish: We have a catch all room that is also my creative space and I am forever trying to get it into order so that I can have a week of explosive creativity. It takes me another 6 weeks to clean it up and start all over again. I must say, I rarely suffer from an artistic block with this insane method of housekeeping.

K. said...

Hi, Julia--

You can download the new REM from Amazon for $8.99. This includes five bonus tracks. For my review and a brief tribute to Charlton Heston, go to

www.killiansaid.blogspot.com

You will not be disappointed by Accelerate.

Arbogast said...

I forbid anyone to visit my blog.

Unknown said...

I have the same problem when it comes to writing my blog. My friends often pick on my english. But, at least I am trying. Please check out my blog. I am trying to spread awareness for my daughter's syndrome and I can use all the help I can get.

Anabella

Holly said...

Hi Julia,

I'm new to blogging and just found your blog yesterday. I was (and am) sad about your letting go of God, but you're right: Christians should never check their brains at the door of the church. It bugs me when we say things like, "It's true because I believe it's true." That's bunk. If it's not true, I don't want to believe in it. In spite of what a lot of us say, the Bible doesn't say to make a blind leap, it says to be "ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) If you've thought what's necessary is to work up some "faithy" feelings in spite of all the evidence in front of your face, no wonder. I wouldn't believe either. I hope you'll keep weighing the evidence and come back to Him someday.

Anonymous said...

wow, your daughter's name is mulan? thats spiffy

nice blog you got here, nice and easy to read and look at

Anonymous said...

I wanted to see if I could subscribe to your blog (I am new to blogdom). So I clicked on the flag at the top of the page thinking it would falg it for me! How handy! (the sad thing is I am 15, I'm expected to know these things...). I clicked it and it told me that I had alerted google to objectioable content on your page.
First of all, isn't that kind of in violation of freedom of speech? Secondly, I don't think it's going to cause any harm but I think i undid it anyway. In case something goes wrong, I'm sorry because that's really not what i intended!

Ryann Renee said...

hey cool blog. its awesome.

check out mine, tell your friends, i need some help promoting it.
check out my blog. www.toptensfromdriedoutpens.com

Anonymous said...

Instead of conversion, how about a "liberation to atheism" ?

VAMP said...

Organizing? What's that?

I call myself an atheist to myself. To others, outloud, I call myself a secular humanist. I'm still afraid of the negativism with the word atheist. Secular humanist sounds "prettier", lol.

Sooo cool you have a blog like "normal" people, Julia.

Tootles.

Sara Williams said...

Wow...So many people are @@@ here,ahh...Howdy,guys!

Anonymous said...

REM ? two thumbs up

Sheldon said...

Oh, ShellyD beat me to the punch on the "Losing My Religion" comment! Good job, Shelly! LOL

Personally, I've never been offended or affected in any way by people saying that I "converted" to atheism. Since I don't think of it as a religion, I took them to be using the word "conversion" in its more general way:

Latin convertere to turn around, transform, convert. From com- + vertere to turn.

In other words, I transformed...and it DID happen through critical thinking.

At the Atheists Alliance Int'l conference in Washington last year, I asked Richard Dawkins what he thinks is so different about us compared to those people "out there" who believe in god. I also reminded him that he'd undergone Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation recently and that there'd been no effect. (Look up Michael Persinger's work at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario).

Dawkins' response was "I believe we're better educated." He went on to explain that it's simply a matter of educating them, and they'll begin to think like us.

I don't know how long it's been since Dawkins was in a classroom full of diverse students (rather than the all-white, upperclass British prep-school kids he teaches at Oxford who follow his ever command), but that ain't how it works. When people lack critical thinking skills, it's not just about educating them. In fact, it's almost impossible to do so until they develop those skills...and teaching critical thinking is a LOT harder than teaching Evolution.

halfpear said...

speaking of R.E.M.... hi Julia

this is the first time in years I've been excited about hearing a new album by them

I just found your blog. Very cool.

P

AudreyO said...

Really nice blog. I love days when I clean up all the papers and condense those papers. Going to go check the forum.

Eaton said...

I'm new here and just stumbled across your blog. Nice mix of stuff. As for religion, check out Taoism. It's a great way to avoid the stigma of atheism while staying on the cutting edge of western physics, all without needing to believe in God. Of course, with your penchant for organization, you might prefer Confucianism, but be warned, the parties are duller.

Dwacon said...

I'm busy trying to grab hold of God.

Lanie said...

Unitarian Universalist promotes believing whatever you want to believe, and continuing your individual search for your own Truth. I think you'd feel at home there, if you are looking for a community. Also, beliefnet.com and their religion quiz are pretty interested.

I also love to listen to "Splendid Table" and tons of other interesting NPR programs. "This American Life" and "Wait-Wait" are favorites as well.

Today is my first visit to your blog, but it's going in my faves. I like the way you think and I'll be back lots!

Anonymous said...

Julia - this is kind of a random place to post this, but my friend Sarah was telling you at Largo tonight about how she got engaged in zero gravity and I thought you might like to see the totally awesome photos that capture the event moment by moment! (I'm not sharing anything private here; they've passed these around publicly and even had them featured on the BoingBoing blog and they're just such joyful pics that everybody should take a look at 'em!)

randomboy said...

Oh, hi, I'm just here to test how Open ID works by leaving a random comment on your blog.

Anonymous said...

Your blog is a breath of fresh air. Something genuinly honest flows through your run on sentences- I like it!

Lori Haynes said...

I enjoyed 'Letting Go of God'. We listened to it during our move from Houston to Seattle in December. I think it really affected my husband because he still frequently references it.

I enjoy your work and will keep reading. Thank you.

Film Scholar said...

I'll be at the film festival reviewing some movies. Hope to see you there!

Whit said...

Your spelling "Ken Star" threw me momentarily but then I realized you knew his last name is identical to Ringo's. If Ken Starr had been Ringo, the world may have been better off but music would've been fucked.

The Writer said...

You rounded up all the sticky-notes? How sad. I like my sticky-notes to be free. Years later I find them under my couch with lint balls attached to the adhesive.

Paul said...

Julia
I really enjoyed watching God said Ha. My wife and I watched it years ago back when I was just out of Pediatric residency. I worked quite a bit with children who had cancer (mainly leukemia and neuroblastomas) back then and I never thought of some of the stupid comments we physicians make. My wife and I still laugh over how much your brother "loved" his broviac. We reference it whenever someone says something espicially stupid in the hospital.

Moby Dick said...

You know all the atheists that cannot stop talking about their atheism are just as annoying as the evangelicals who cannot stop talking about Jesus, and as bad as the Muslims tossing hand-grenades.

While you may think that your lack of any spiritual values is very fulfilling, so what? Like I tell the Jehovah's Witnesses when they come knocking on the door, "Who wants to know?"

Chip Burkitt said...

I don't know why you can't be converted to atheism. Conversion occurs when you are persuaded to believe as true something you had not thought was true before. What was it that persuaded you to atheism?

Mike said...

You make me smile. Your blog is so charming

13909 Antiques said...

Say Hey Julia

Just discovered your blog ... Will have to add it to my reading list ...

Here's a post I did on my blog, The Garlic, on Heston

Sunday, April 06, 2008
Heston Dead; Coroner Can't Pry Gun From Cold Dead Hands
http://puregarlic.blogspot.com/2008/04/heston-dead-coroner-cant-pry-gun-from.html

Check it out as you have time

Peace
JTD

*~miSa-miSa~* said...

nice post! i'm a newbie here.
please do visit my blog, too.
falseofheart.blogspot.com
thanks!

Your Blogger is Stephanie said...

You know, a friend of mine's tagline for myspace was "don't be too open-minded, your brain might fall out". I had to chuckle at this. Her being a small town relgious fanatic and I being a agnostic world citizen. I hope I don't lose my brain on the way home today...

Tyler said...

Haha I laughed at that last paragraph. Kids...

Petra said...

After listening to Jill Sobule's hauntingly lovely voice sing "Letting Go of God" probably thirty times, I finally you-tubed her and found all kinds of equally wonderful songs.

Do you have a recommendation for which CD a new fan would most appreciate. I would love to get them all, but dh is a realtor, so I guess you can figure we're pinching pennies just now! LOL

TIA,
: ) P

tiku said...

enjoyed reading it ..very delightful..keep sharing ..thanks and God Bless

chen ji said...

Your Blog is very nice...... ^_^

Anonymous said...

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Letera said...

I came across your blog and I hope its okay I read it. I enjoyed reading it. It was sad to see Charleston died. I thought he was older. But still the same, sad.

Anonymous said...

Dear Julia,

My name is Alan Jasie and I am the program producer for News Talk Online @paltalk.com.

I would like to get you on our show to discuss Letting Go Of God and the forum it's inspired.

If interested, please contact me at alan@corp.paltalk.com.

Paltalk has over 4 million unique users. NTO is also broadcast on the CRN digital radio network into 12 million households.

Thank you,
AJ

batteredham said...

Hi Julia,

I was giving REM's Accelerate a first listen when I stumbled upon this post mentioning...REM's Accelerate. A serendipitous moment. So I thought I'd just let you know that I'm liking it...a lot. Hope you do too.

D

Mary Ellen Ipiotis 'BrunodeLaRoza' said...

Howdy Julia,

I was parousing (spelling ?) and came across your superb Blog. Wow, you are a communicator, very cool.
I've enjoyed your work, gutsy, narly or is knarly? You strike me as a balanced-type person. After checking out your profile, your Libra so it figures you'd be balanced.

Anyway, on the matter of organization: "Eee gadz" what a feeling of satisfaction when organizing is done, what a b**ch to get to the getting tho', always worthwhile. Such an enigmatic proposition due to the daunting tasking envolved with purging one's life of the stuff that occupy those nooks and crannies of our spaces.

Hope to see you somewhere in tv land or the big screen soon?

Peace and love,
From me in
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Lilly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lilly said...

Strange, I have been listening to REM all week trying to relive happier moments in time AND I just bought a book on Tuscany yesterday to inspire me to return there AND I'm writing a post on my blog about how I think I'm really Italian under the Aussie padding. Great blog! from a supposedly old -weird internet person.....

PS one more thing, as for converting to atheism why not just say, you saw the light, woke up to yourself, comonsense kicked in or you discovered the truth....I find it's easier to tatoo your forehead though that way you don't have to say anything at all....I have victim on mine and there is no shortage of sociopaths lined up...seriously. I would never explain myself to anyone.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I love your blog.
Please keep on blogging; the more the better, cuz you're a very fine writer. I enjoy reading your blog.
I'm not quite sure how I happened upon it, but am very glad I did!
I live in Toronto - interesting city.
That's all I have to say.
Best to you, funny, thoughtful person that you are, Julia.
Carol

Jann said...

Hi Julia! I'm fairly new to blogging and was going to post this evening when I saw your blog on the blogger homepage. I didn't know you had one--I saw the piece that CBS Sunday morning featuring you, and found it very interesting. My husband and I have watched Saturday Night Live since its inception--we're baby boomers who are having a hard time believing we're in our 50s now. Anyway, I think you're immensely talented and smart. I am sorry you lost your faith, though. That is such a personal thing, I know, but as someone who was raised Catholic and went through a couple of phases where I "lost my religion" I feel sad you lost yours. I have to admit that although I came back to the church, I don't attend Mass every Sunday, but I do pray each day and will keep you in my prayers, whatever you believe or don't. Take good care, and I will visit your blog again!

Jann said...

Talk about using poor English--I meant to say a minute ago, "I saw the piece that Sunday Morning DID featuring you . . ." Sorry about that!

Scott Lackey said...

Accelerate is fabuous. Can't get Supernatural Superserious out of my head. Take a look at the video, lyrics and a short commentary on my blog. Good work here by the way.

K.C. said...

Completely new to your blog. Assuming that you, yourself, read the comments. What you went through starting, I guess, 5 years ago, and continuing on through the present, I started last year. I had an amazing revelation throughout my "Realization". I am going to be slowly reading through your blog from the earliest on through and commenting. It is so refreshing when people actually really think about their life and what EVERYTHING is all about vs. what they have been told to believe. I was astonished when I really sat back and took the time to see what it was that I actually believed. Again, Julia, I hope it is you reading the comments, I would love to have this dialogue, for I truly was awakened throughout this year on my own. K.C.

Fenst said...

123

B.D. said...

Found your blog via the blogger dashboard today. I didn't know that you had one. My wife and I attended the Jill and Julia show in November. We were in Hollywood for a conference. I found out via Jill that you were doing the show. It made a terrific birthday night for me. It was so fun and your rapport on stage was really nice. It was my wife's first time seeing Jill perform. She was very sweet to indulge me by taking me to see a show on my birthday.

I'm happy to read that your film is opening in Seattle. Will you attend the viewing?

Trafford R. Cole said...

A fascinating combination of subjects from REM to Heston to Religion.
Come visit me at my blog

milkchaser said...

Concerning how monogamy protects men, that point applies as well in China where preference of boy babies over girls (via abortion of girls) has led to many men who will never get married and have kids.

joecat said...

I will be playing something from the new REM on my show Sunday morning..radio free phoenix.com.
6am-10am mst...
Congrats on the marriage...some male human is very lucky!

cleananglingpledge said...

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