DeterminedJuliet
The Stone Lady of HAF
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whaddya at, b'y?
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« Reply #6585 on: April 22, 2012, 12:40:03 PM » |
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Earlier, I was looking at HAF in a crowded coffee shop - the place was packed, so the patrons were in very close proximity to each other. I was surfing and writing and HAFing when these two older ladies sat down next to me. I couldn't help but notice that one of them was wearing a rather large crucifix around her neck. She settled in next to me while her friend placed their order.
Well, she started STARING at my laptop. Like, just blatantly reading everything that I was reading about our atheist heathen ways. I really thought she might say something and for a second I considered closing the browser and looking at something a little more "innocuous". But then I thought, "you know what? I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm minding my own business. This is MY laptop and I like the Happy Atheist Forum." So I ignored her and kept scrolling. And she kept staring. But she didn't say anything.
A year or two ago, I think I would have caved.
Small victories.
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"We’ve thought of life by analogy with a journey, with pilgrimage which had a serious purpose at the end, and the THING was to get to that end; success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you’re dead. But, we missed the point the whole way along; It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing, or dance, while the music was being played." - Alan Watts
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xSilverPhinx
Venturis ventis
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Pawns be pawns...
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« Reply #6586 on: April 22, 2012, 12:50:28 PM » |
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Earlier, I was looking at HAF in a crowded coffee shop - the place was packed, so the patrons were in very close proximity to each other. I was surfing and writing and HAFing when these two older ladies sat down next to me. I couldn't help but notice that one of them was wearing a rather large crucifix around her neck. She settled in next to me while her friend placed their order.
Well, she started STARING at my laptop. Like, just blatantly reading everything that I was reading about our atheist heathen ways. I really thought she might say something and for a second I considered closing the browser and looking at something a little more "innocuous". But then I thought, "you know what? I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm minding my own business. This is MY laptop and I like the Happy Atheist Forum." So I ignored her and kept scrolling. And she kept staring. But she didn't say anything.
A year or two ago, I think I would have caved.
Small victories.
LOL She propbaly checked out this site herself after going home  |
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"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."- Seneca the Younger
iGnostic - "It begins with a small i, like everything else cool these days. Needs to have a big G though. iGnostic. See? The coolometer rising... Falling... Just like that. Going to sub-zero, that is. - Asmodean
- forged by The Magic Pudding
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance… it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
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Crow
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« Reply #6587 on: April 22, 2012, 12:56:05 PM » |
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Brilliant stuff. That was a quick turnaround!
Keep it up and you too can learn to pity smokers instead of envying them!
Congrats!
Thanks. I kind of already do, prior to reading the book I thought it was almost impossible to stop however as you said originally it is "a state of mind", similarly to the short story 'Flatland' and it is so easy to see the difference between the two once it has been pointed out. I was about half way to what the book was trying achieve with its readers before I picked it up as I wasn't under any illusions about it being any more than a drug addiction, my main problem was breaking the illusion that smoking is actually enjoyable when it is actually far from enjoyable. Sure its only been two days since I finished the book but apart from the occasional pang and slight sensation of hunger I haven't really noticed not smoking and when I do it is quickly dealt with, while the day before hand I was like a crackhead craving for a fix (and every other attempt being the same). |
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 “I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” |
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Amicale
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« Reply #6588 on: April 22, 2012, 12:57:32 PM » |
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Earlier, I was looking at HAF in a crowded coffee shop - the place was packed, so the patrons were in very close proximity to each other. I was surfing and writing and HAFing when these two older ladies sat down next to me. I couldn't help but notice that one of them was wearing a rather large crucifix around her neck. She settled in next to me while her friend placed their order.
Well, she started STARING at my laptop. Like, just blatantly reading everything that I was reading about our atheist heathen ways. I really thought she might say something and for a second I considered closing the browser and looking at something a little more "innocuous". But then I thought, "you know what? I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm minding my own business. This is MY laptop and I like the Happy Atheist Forum." So I ignored her and kept scrolling. And she kept staring. But she didn't say anything.
A year or two ago, I think I would have caved.
Small victories.
Awesome! She was probably thinking "happy atheist?? What's that?? I didn't think those folks could be happy!" I'd like to think or hope that in a crowded cafe, I'd also keep my laptop open when browsing HAF. I do unfortunately have to switch to a different site if an elderly family member is visiting. Sigh. Small victories are wonderful, but sometimes they're not worth the huge battles.  |
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 "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others. By every crime and act of kindness we birth our future." - Cloud Atlas "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die." -Carl Sagan |
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Crow
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« Reply #6589 on: April 22, 2012, 01:02:49 PM » |
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Hey, I was just wondering. Does this book focus on smoking the cigarettes themselves, or on the nicotine addiction? Some people have a nicotine dependency even if they don't get it via cigarettes, so I was curious if this book would be of any use to those folks.
A bit of both it focuses primarily on the actual smoking of the cigarette and the perception that we associate with it but does touch on being addicted to substitutes. I would totally recommend it even if you don't plan to give up, just give it a read as its not long and you don't have anything to lose by doing so. |
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“I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” |
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Amicale
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« Reply #6590 on: April 22, 2012, 01:04:06 PM » |
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Hey, I was just wondering. Does this book focus on smoking the cigarettes themselves, or on the nicotine addiction? Some people have a nicotine dependency even if they don't get it via cigarettes, so I was curious if this book would be of any use to those folks.
A bit of both it focuses primarily on the actual smoking of the cigarette and the perception that we associate with it but does touch on being addicted to substitutes. I would totally recommend it even if you don't plan to give up, just give it a read as its not long and you don't have anything to lose by doing so. Thanks! I think it's $6.99 for Kindle. Worth it, it looks like.  |
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"Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others. By every crime and act of kindness we birth our future." - Cloud Atlas "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die." -Carl Sagan |
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xSilverPhinx
Venturis ventis
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Pawns be pawns...
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« Reply #6591 on: April 22, 2012, 01:12:46 PM » |
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Sounds like a cool book Crow, certainly got me curious...want to take a look.
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"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."- Seneca the Younger
iGnostic - "It begins with a small i, like everything else cool these days. Needs to have a big G though. iGnostic. See? The coolometer rising... Falling... Just like that. Going to sub-zero, that is. - Asmodean
- forged by The Magic Pudding
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance… it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
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Tank
Forum Janitor
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Never forget, you're 40% Banana!
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« Reply #6592 on: April 22, 2012, 01:15:39 PM » |
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Earlier, I was looking at HAF in a crowded coffee shop - the place was packed, so the patrons were in very close proximity to each other. I was surfing and writing and HAFing when these two older ladies sat down next to me. I couldn't help but notice that one of them was wearing a rather large crucifix around her neck. She settled in next to me while her friend placed their order.
Well, she started STARING at my laptop. Like, just blatantly reading everything that I was reading about our atheist heathen ways. I really thought she might say something and for a second I considered closing the browser and looking at something a little more "innocuous". But then I thought, "you know what? I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm minding my own business. This is MY laptop and I like the Happy Atheist Forum." So I ignored her and kept scrolling. And she kept staring. But she didn't say anything.
A year or two ago, I think I would have caved.
Small victories.
YOU GO GIRL!!!! You never know she might log in and have a look herself. |
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"Something is true because it matches reality, not because some well-regarded person said it." - The Black Jester.
"Don't let someone else's bullshit ruin your day." - Will
"quoting the Bible doesn't convince atheists, as the Bible is not a holy book to us." - fester30
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Crow
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« Reply #6593 on: April 22, 2012, 01:33:00 PM » |
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Sounds like a cool book Crow, certainly got me curious...want to take a look.
Do! its basically hypnosis and says as much in the beginning. |
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“I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” |
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Scissorlegs
Après moi, le déluge
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Siz-Hulud
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« Reply #6594 on: April 22, 2012, 02:11:52 PM » |
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Sounds like a cool book Crow, certainly got me curious...want to take a look.
Do! its basically hypnosis and says as much in the beginning. Yeah. I didnt actually agree with some of the stuff he said, but decided to suspend my disbelief for the greater good... and was glad I did. Most of it, however, was sane, rational and obvious once you understand it. It's fascinating how he illuminates the whole psychology of our belief in our 'addiction' which - as it turns out - isn't that hard to overcome once you understand what's actually going on. I loved the bit about taking a cigarette NOT to make you feel better, but to actually normalise so we're not tackling our withdrawals as well as whatever else is bothering us. Feeling better after a ciggy is a fallacy, you're actually just returning to a state of reduced anxiety that a non-smoker feels all the time. Good luck all... |
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If god had meant us to believe in him, he would've existed - Linda Smith   When one sleeps on the floor one need not worry about falling out of bed - Anton LaVey |
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Crow
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« Reply #6595 on: April 23, 2012, 05:17:43 AM » |
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 United just drew with Everton. Come on City! With Tevez back in the fold, I fancy their chances. United have not been convincing all season but willpower and benevolent refereeing seemed to have won the day for them. So do I, the game this weekend will be interesting either way as the Manchester derbys are always good regardless. However even though United haven't been on form this season they are still the top of the league after trailing behind for a good half a season, they seem to be able to pull a win out or at least a draw even if they are playing bad. I just hope City comes out of this with a similar result to the 6-1 game at the start of the season. |
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“I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” |
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Ali
The Great Priestess Of Grayness
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Lovingly Blended
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« Reply #6596 on: April 23, 2012, 06:30:21 AM » |
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Hi All, I'm back from Miami. Had an okay-ish time. Rained buckets during our day when we were supposed to go to the Everglades and South Beach, so Hubby and I spent most of the day in our hotel room not talking to each other because we'd gotten into a stupid fight and were both feeling surly and peckish.  But, also had some fun at the gala dinner and reception on the other two days, so not bad over all I suppose. Here are pictures. The entrance to the resort:  Views from our balconey (that is the golf course)   Some turtles by the front entrance that I fell in love with:   Some...duck like creatures...that we found just walking down the side walk. They're duck shaped and duck sized, but not like any ducks I've ever seen before.   Good to be home. I missed T something fierce! |
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As anyone who has read my signature can tell you, you are wrong, and I am right.  |
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Jimmy
Doesn't Believe in Mother Goose
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Spoon!!
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« Reply #6597 on: April 23, 2012, 06:30:56 AM » |
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Snow!!!
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 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, ~Robert Frost~ For if there be no Prospect beyond the Grave, the inference is certainly right, Let us eat and drink, les us enjoy what we delight in, for to morrow we shall die. ~John Locke~ |
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Budhorse4
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« Reply #6598 on: April 23, 2012, 06:32:45 AM » |
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Snow!!!
Wow. That sucks. There was frost on my truck this morning.  |
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Wait, what?  |
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Jimmy
Doesn't Believe in Mother Goose
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Spoon!!
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« Reply #6599 on: April 23, 2012, 06:42:24 AM » |
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Some...duck like creatures...that we found just walking down the side walk. They're duck shaped and duck sized, but not like any ducks I've ever seen before. Got the bird book out, I think it's a Muscovy Duck Glad you had a nice time, Nice pictures |
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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, ~Robert Frost~ For if there be no Prospect beyond the Grave, the inference is certainly right, Let us eat and drink, les us enjoy what we delight in, for to morrow we shall die. ~John Locke~ |
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