Have you ever made a change to your environment that made a noticeable improvement to your sense of ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I grow a garden every year. Pretty soon I'll germinate my seedlings indoors and set them out after the last frost. That's just good therapy!

Is Valentine's Day here yet?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

Be who you are! I'm an educated, terminally degreed farm boy, who is an introvert. It seems like I'm living in the extrovert's world but I wouldn't trade places with them:):) That's my two cents. And I know what it's like to be single. I was 30 years old when I married. Now, 25 years later, I'm single again and doing just fine. But it does get a tad lonely at times.

Hello I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I think it would be refreshing.

Richard Dawkins: religion should be offended at every opportunity

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

Maybe the religious people should understand that they offend us? Every time, those people will reserve rights for themselves and in the next breath deny us those very same rights. Interesting.

Just joined the site and wanted to say wassup. And, how many of my Texas heretics are here with me?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

Me.

If you start talking to a potential love interest online, do you get upset if you realize they are ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

No. That's what we're here for; to talk. Talk about a lot of stuff not just dating. That's how it works.

What do you know that most others don’t?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

That I'm not going to answer this post! Oh...dangit....:)

Night owl

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

Farmboy is up with the chickens. You can't soar with the eagles during the day if you're up hootin' with the owls all night, my grandpa would say.

Personal space. Yah? Nah?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I work in a place where we have to do stuff in very close quarters sometimes. Some of it is sweaty work and very close with both genders. Then we have to go to the suit and tie committee meetings all nasty. So, I get some of everything at work. At the store, it's different. BTFO and stay outta my space!!!

11 Mormon employees quit after first female mayor elected in Utah town - --

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

Now, maybe the city clerks in Kentucky will quit.

White Evangelicals, This is Why People Are Through With You

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I know these people very, very well. John is right on target. Sadly...

Have you ever been skinny dipping?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I have my own pool way out in the country on my land.

Standards

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 12, 2018:

I've never been interested in anyone I've not been interested in. So, no. And I've had quite a few opportunities (when I was younger) and a couple of those were gorgeous, but I want the relationship. I want 'her'. If that makes sense.

@Benthoven Your post 'I wish Honda made men' reminded me of this. [youtube.com]

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I'm buying!!! OK, just kidding so don't kick me out.

What matters more? Character vs. Personality

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

Character. Personality gets you elected regardless of the lack of character. Just look around and you'll see it everywhere. It's not just an issue in the White House! The Good 'ol Boys' are everywhere.

How important is it to the average athiest or agnostic to debunk religious beliefs?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I'd like to have a live and let live philosophy. But how can we really think that an approach of don't cram your religion down my throat and I won't cram my disbelief down yours, will really work? No matter where you look, religion pervades our government, law, social spaces, and school systems. Religion has been woven into the fabric of our lives. Ignoring it isn't the answer.

Is this the smartest thing Trump has ever said?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

The closest thing to saying anything smart is the sound he makes when he snores.

Racist Bullying? Religious School In Texas Argues Courts Can't Intervene.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I'm from Texas and all I can say is that it's a beautiful state but the people and the politics are pathetic. Just look who we have- 2 Bushes, 1 Perry, and 1 Cruz. That's frightening!!

A lot of people have mentioned reading in the posts, so let's get a discussion going.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry. But I don't subscribe to the religious stuff.

Agnostic/atheist music

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I want the album!

Do any of you have the list of achievements by President Trump that serves the interests of the ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

He has achievements??????????????????????????

How Stratification Impacts Relationships and Society

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

In my design class, I teach how rectilinear architecture is predominant in societies with social hierarchies and curvilinear buildings are representative of an egalitarian society. Those are tendencies, not absolutes.

Legalize it?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

Legalize it. I'm not a smoker of anything but just quit toying around with it. We have bigger fish to fry.

Anyone else have a psychotic parent or close family member?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

My dad was a fall down drunken drug addict. He abused OTC and Rx painkillers and booze all of his life and my mother was his enabler. He died in June. People ask me if I miss him. "No, I do not" I can mourn for what should have been but not for what 'was'. He was definitely a psychopath and the substance abuse worsened it. The psychopathology wasn't because of the addictions. I could tell you stories...

About the Artist Jessica “Jess” Luer is originally from Wisconsin Dells, WI.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

Hoooray (or is it hoorah?) for fellow artists. I hope there's a lot of us on this site.

Coffee or tea?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

If coffee tasted as good as it smells I'd do it. But it's nasty. Tastes like burned wood! I should know, I eat burned wood all the time ha ha! No. I drink tea. And why anyone would put sugar in their tea...I have no understanding of that!:)

Marriage

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I probably won't do it again. I'd like to have a great relationship but marriage....No, you end up serving the idea of marriage and take a back seat to that stuff. You're better off just having someone decent in your life and telling the rest of the world to go to that special place they always talk about.

My love or their love?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I've been in both positions and I wouldn't pick either one!

What song would you want played for your funeral?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 9, 2018:

Black Sabbath War Pigs

Any people here recovering from extreme christian fundamentalism?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 9, 2018:

I'm trying to recover from other people's extreme fundamentalism, Ha!

Do you have a nerdy side?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 9, 2018:

I watched Lord of the Rings and liked it.

2018 Winter Olympics, who's watching?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 9, 2018:

If they all oiled down and performed naked, I'd watch, ha ha. But this crap about twirling a ribbon on a stick and dancing around is just that...a load of crap.

Anime

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 9, 2018:

I can't stand anime. It's all a formula, made for consumption. Kinda like Taylor Swift and boy bands. And current so-called country music, reality TV,....stop me now!

Does the doctor in the public hospital have the right to refuse life saving treatment due to ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

No.

I have said this to my kids - When I get older, I am NOT going into a nursing home.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

I want to either get struck by lightning, just not wake up, or simply walk out into the wilderness and never come/go back.

Trickle Down Economics

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

My income seems to be on the trend of trickling down to nothing, ha ha!

How successful are people on this site at finding a new partner? I would love to hear stories.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

I didn't sign up to look for a partner. But if that happens, then OK. I came looking for intelligent and reasonable colleagues and it appears that I'm in the right place!

Christian author who said atheists ‘exacerbate evil’ was cheating on his wife with two women –...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

Now he can write some self help books for the next ones in his line of work to read when they get caught. I wonder if Jimmy Swaggert wrote one??

I am a believer in Ancient Aliens.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

There's no evidence whatsoever to support the idea that ancient aliens exist, anymore than there is any evidence for the existence of any god.

What is the best and worst thing someone has said about you?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

I've been told that I have no feelings. I'm a farmer, a teacher, a gardener and an artist. I'm one big seething hormone, ha! But I don't 'react', rather, I respond and that's where people mistake me for having no feelings. They tend to look for immediate reactions rather than thoughtful responses.

So, I live in Southeast Texas (Beaumont area).

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

I'm building a tiny house! It's on 96 acres. I'll take land over an object anyday. Houses are just boxes. I can pick up a box just about anywhere:)

Who are your favorite classical artists?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 8, 2018:

If we're talking about psiners my vote is for Caravaggio.

Stephen Hawking Says Humanity Won't Survive Without Leaving Earth

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

But, what gives us the 'right' to colonize Mars. Humankind has a horrible relationship to colonialization. Think about it. Something(s) or someone(s) will be suppressed and oppressed for the sake of human survival. We all cheer when we watch Independence Day and see Will Smith punch the alien and say "Welcome to Earth" and then in the next breath we celebrate the idea of doing to Mars what that alien intended to Earth. Very interesting creatures, are we not? No, we have no right to colonize another planet. We'll destroy the Moon, using it's oxygen, in launching vehicles from there to Mars, making it a wasteland. And inevitably do to Mars what we have done to Earth. I recommend that everyone watch The Planet of the Apes.

Who are your favorite classical artists?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

Franz Liszt!! The rest are hacks, ha ha. The man was mad, absolutely mad on the piano.

Have you ever been the discoverer of false news.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

False News is as old as news itself.

Reason-and-religion atheism agnosticism nonreligious church-state

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

Martin Luther was also killing Jews. Now, some people (apologists) like to claim he didn't actually, literally, kill them. Neither did Hitler. His policies and writings were his instrument of death. So check out Martin Luther. You may be very surprised at what you discover. They don't teach that stuff in Sunday School!!

Why is the Bible so poorly written?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

It was written by ancient people, for ancient people in many languages over the course of, perhaps, several thousand years. One problem is transliteration. For example, my name might be John. A Spanish speaker might suggest that my name is Juan. No, my name is John, no matter what language an interpreter might try to translate it into. Not the best explanation, I know. Then there's the intentional mis-translations meant to serve biases. For example, go back to the Hebrew Bible (old testament) in its original language. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's a mis-translation. A better interpretation of the text is "When God began to create..." Those two statements mean two very different things. And there's latter people trying to project their own values upon writings that have absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with them-current believers. That's just a very short list of how the thing we know as the Bible came to be so very poorly written. Now, as a work of literature, it can be a great read! Just don't take it any more seriously than Days of Our Lives.

Does having a friend with benefits hinder you from finding the relationship that you truly want?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

It's definitely not for me.

How comfortable are you with the word "Atheist" ?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

Totally. Put the letter 'A' in front of a word and it means 'without'. For example asymmetrical means without symmetry. Afocal means without a focus. Atheist means without a deity. Doesn't mean you don't believe in one, it just means you don't have one. That's how I would describe it. I think most people, including a lot of this group, tend to believe it means you don't believe (and I don't). Again, that's my own description. Your mileage may vary:)

Incest: Immoral or Moral?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I think you'd first have to define what moral can mean.

Why all or nothing

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I like to think of what agent K said on Men in Black when he revealed (no pun intended) aliens were living on Earth and Will Smith's character said people were smart. K said people thought 'they had a firm grasp of reality' and didn't need to know it. The all or nothing thing is their firm grasp of reality so they don't have to think too much.

Was anyone else raised by strict, right-wing conservative, christian parents?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

Yup. My dad was a whack job. Tried to align himself with the Trinity with crap like "The son shall honor the Father". I'd tell him that he was missing the point. The assumption was that the father was honorable and so should be the son. I'd call him a snot slinging fall down drunken drug addict and he wasn't honorable and I wasn't bending a knee to him. He died last June. No, I don't mourn him. I might mourn what should have been...but not him.

Religion is like a penis.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

That's too funny!

Does anyone here still like "religious" type music. ie; "Amazing Grace" or "When the Saints?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I'd rather shave my head with a hacksaw blade...

How Has Your Sexual Libido Changed As You Have Aged?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I'm as interested as I ever was but I'm really selective, maybe too much so. Only 3 partners in 54 years and none for the past 8 or so years. But that doesn't mean I'm dead or dying. Just means I'm looking for someone special.

To sext or not to sext?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I guess I'd have to try it before I could give an objective answer. Maybe there's a reason(s) why I've never tried it. Maybe that's my answer?

Homesteading

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I'm building a tiny house. I should be off grid (at the house, only) by the summer. Just keep it simple and ease your way into it. The thing I've had to do is realize there's more than one way to do something and figuring out that different way has been the main problem. Like refrigeration. How will I get along with out it. Simple. Just don't buy stuff that needs to be refrigerated! Amend your diet! The idea is simple but actually doing it is the hard part. But it's totally doable! Be resourceful and look at what others are doing. Maybe join a permaculture group or homesteading today dot com type of forum.

It looks like the new in thing is the Kindle--representing someone being classy and knowledgeable.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I have 2 of them. I drag 'em out once in a while and charge 'em. It's just another distraction. Get the real book. Live a real life. That's my opinion. For what it's worth...

Is it easy for you to adapt to change?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 7, 2018:

I'm a farmer. Change happens so often in my world that it seems natural and not a big deal, just part of the whole process of the circle of life! Yes, life is circular...not linear. Linear is religion speak.

I have basically written that I cannot not grasp the kind of mentality do trophy hunters have that ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

It's a surrogate for his lack of 'manhood'. Or womanhood. That door swings both ways. Blood thirsty is what they are. I own a piece of land in the country and one day a pickup with Kansas plates pulled up and two guys in their military gear get out and ask to hunt crow. Then they just had to ask if I had 'served', trying to establish an affinity with me. I said "No". Then they show me photos of 400 crow they had killed and arranged in a gigantic grid pattern. That was their trophy. I told them to get their sorry carcasses off my land and go back to Kansas (no offense to Kansas) and that they were a disgrace to their uniforms and their service. Some people are just blood thirsty.

"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike" Delos B. McKown Happy Tuesday all!

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

Beautiful!

Let's celebrate the efforts and sacrifices of the Suffragettes who gained women the vote in Britain ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

It's interesting that we celebrate Susan B. Anthony, here in America, as being this famous suffragette. But did they teach us in school that she only wanted white women to get the vote and she was vehemently opposed to women of color having that same right extended to them?????

Welsh people: Why should you dig English graves 12 feet deep?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

To avoid 'frost heave', ha ha!

Conservatives: What is your most liberal view? Liberals: What is your most conservative view?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I'm not in either camp. I may be conservative about some things and liberal about other things but I don't identify with either camps.

I was watching the news and a report of "fans" of the winning team celebrating on the streets ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

Shallow people living vicariously through the accomplishments of others. Kinda like soccer moms. Brain dead and clueless. But, if you vandalized them, they'd cry out about the injustice...

Got behind this guy yesterday. Welcome to the Bible Belt!

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I see this kind of stuff on an electrician's truck in my town..."Higher Power Electrical" or some such thing.

Do men ever find women with short hair attractive?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 6, 2018:

Sure!!

What is your favorite Star Wars movie?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

The first 3 released were the best. The subsequent ones are simply an exercise in the attempt to remain relevant. Put simply...they suck eggs. Star Wars just needs to go away. So do the Rolling Stones...

Stupid religious Archaeologists.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

Reminds me of Planet of the Apes where Dr. Zais is the Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith.

Alone or with friends?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

My ex would run her hands across every item in the store and take all day doing it and come home with a load of crap and empty the bank account doing it. It was comfort spending! I don't understand it. I go alone.

Valentines day.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

I always hated it because someone else dreamed up these ridiculous days and imposed them upon everyone and when you don't conform, somehow you're the one with the problem!!

Lost Relationships

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

My ex just texted me about 15 minutes ago to tell me that one of her colleague's father had died. All I said was 'Thanks'. We share a daughter who is out on her own and a couple of granddaughters but I'm not at all chummy. If it weren't for offspring, I'd never acknowledge her existence. Why would I? She's the one who cheated so she's the one who actually made the choice!

What do men want in a woman?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

I'm staying out of this one.

How proud are you of your state?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

I'm from Texas. Can you believe Rick Perry actually ran for POTUS??? And then he tried a second time!!! Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez. Sad part is that he represents the common mentality in Texas. Sad.....

What was your favorite toy growing up?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

Scrap lumber, a hammer, saw, and nails. We had (and I still own it) about 5 acres of trees and another 10 acres of land where I could dig holes and build stuff including tree houses!

What’s your longest dry spell?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

10 years, now.

Most ridiculous and baseless superstitious beliefs you've ever encountered?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

God.

Are you afraid of heights?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

I'm not. I respect heights but I don't fear it. Kinda like electricity and water. If you fear it, it'll get ya. Understand it and respect it and you'll be fine.

Are you good at small talk?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

Small talk is shallow talk.

Am I the only person who cares nothing for football?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 5, 2018:

It's a child's game. Leave it to adults to pervert it into an insane business and contrive the means to addict people to it. No, I can't stand any professional sport. Even college sports has reached a point of being delusional in its real and tangible importance to society. It's an outgrowth of Pop Culture. And then there's all the 'made for consumption' stars like Justin Timberlake they trot out. Don't get me started on that crap!!

Who's ready to watch the super bowl commercials??

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

I'd rather eat cold dog vomit. But that's just me. All the men in my family were gonzo for sports. I'm an artist.

PLATITUDES Sometimes I think it better to say nothing but too often folks have to fill the silence ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

To me, platitudes are like small talk. Useless and I'm no good at it, either. Life sucks, sometimes. Deal with it and try to move on is my best answer.

I don't understand this: How is it I have been single for 1 year and 9 months, and have not been ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

I wish I knew, then I'd have the answer to my own dating scene.

Has anyone watched Altered Carbon, on Netflix?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

I'd have to get Netflix. But, then again, I'd have to actually get the free cable at my apartment hooked up. Been there over 2 years but I somehow can't seem to give a damn about it. Maybe that's a good idea for a discussion post:)

Football, Kneeling and Respect

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

Just because someone else wants to play the national anthem, does NOT mean that I have to acknowledge it. They want to, OK. If I want to ignore it and keep on doing whatever I'm doing, I'm equally entitled to do so. Those zealots can cram the anthem up their own backsides.

Superbowl Sunday question

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

I could go the rest of my life without hearing the word 'football'. They've taken a child's sport and made a business out of it. Let Rome keep her Colosseum.

Being Completely Honest, Is There A Bible Or Cross Anywhere In Your Home Right Now?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

Only in my Art History books.

It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do ...

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 4, 2018:

I wonder if most people even have the vaguest clue as to where the Bible even came from?? I cringe when I hear the students at my school say 'I'm going to Bible Study'. I want to say "No you're not. You're going to evangelical indoctrinational activities". There isn't a bit of scholarship that happens at Bible study. If there was, people would freak out!!

Best ever lover, did you have one?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 3, 2018:

I loved her dearly.

Finding agnostic or atheist partners

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 3, 2018:

I have no idea how anything works...

Do you have a (relationship with your) car?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 3, 2018:

My ex wanted to name all of my vehicles. Maybe that's why she's my ex, ha ha. No, those are just tools. Like a hammer. They don't need to be personified.

What wildlife do you commonly see where you live?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 3, 2018:

I own 96 acres in Texas. 72 are enrolled in a permanent conservation easement so no one can come along and plow it up for exploitation. I have deer, coons, coyote, all kinds of snakes, horned lizard (horny toads) possum, rabbits, barn owls, hawks, all kinds of birds. I have the best ecosystem in the county and I pursue and prosecute poachers!! It's a wild life refuge, of sorts. I have some university students doing research on my land. I'm not in charge of them but I volunteer the site. I ought to try and make an actual count of the species on the place as is straddles 3 eco-systems. I bet I could count two hundred animal species if I did a legit study.

Are you going to be single for Valentine's Day?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

Yes and I don't have to deal with all the garbage people dream up! Funny story: My favorite café is having a drawing for one free night at the Holiday Inn on Valentine's. So, the waitress handed me two tickets to write my name and number on for the drawing and I asked if it included a date. So, I said "That's great! Who is she?" I got the stink eye look from her. That's what us single men have to deal with. I thought it was kinda funny.....

People say that Christmas is a depressing time of year; I think it's valentines. What do you think?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

They're both silly, made up days. One is the same as the next. That's the way I look at it.

Do you let your emotions get in the way of rational thinking?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

I respond first and then react, later. A lot of people think that I have no feelings and they couldn't be more wrong. I'm a farmer, an artist, a teacher, and a gardener. I nurture. What 'those' people mistake for having feelings is them wanting to get some kind of knee jerk reaction out of me and I don't give it to them.

How many of you have thought of relocating due to your beliefs?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

I won't let anybody drive me out of my own hometown regardless of who they think they are. I won't 'run' from them but I might 'run' to something/someone down the road.

I don't see anyone here from Phoenix, which is a pretty populous place.

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

I'm from the middle of nowhere and everything is red, ugh! But I'm not much on blue, either...

What did you think of the Twilight saga novels?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

It's a snooze fest.

Ground Hog Day - Why is this still a thing?

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 2, 2018:

I'm still trying to figure out July 4 and fireworks.

The German Churches and the Nazi State

farmboy2017 comments on Feb 1, 2018:

I think we're headed in that direction...