Hello from Red Deer

Hey there.
I am new here and just wanted to say “hi” to the group. My likes are science and reason, my pet peeves are homeopathy and essential oils.
I like long walks in the mountains, horse back riding and warm sunny days on my Vstrom.
Travel is fun - I just got back from Peru- elongated sculls, Nazca lines, aqueducts, temples mummies and human sacrifice …participants?
My religious preferences are “none” although my girlfriend says my religion is “atheism”, and that I am going to see my cult leader next week in Calgary.
Well in her defence, I can be a bit evangelical about it.

Wow…we’re practically neighbours!
I went to RDC back in the early 90’s and lived in Oriole Park just down from the Montana’s restaurant.
Red Deer was always ‘the city’ when I was growing up because we lived on a farm about an hour from Red Deer and it was by far the largest town we went to. I still remember the first McDonald’s they got (we got fast-food once or twice a year on vacation in BC, so having a McDonald’s that close meant we could get a Big Mac twice as often!)
Due to my work and personal life, I participate on here in phases, and I am currently in a non-participation phase. Hopefully I can be on here more often in the near future.
Welcome!

Howdy neighbour, nice to meet you.
I think you meant the Mohave grill there, or I have my Red deer neighbourhoods mixed up a bit.
Wow to the first Mc. D’s! I grew up in Olds - I remember when the first DQ came right across from the high school and what a treat that was!

Welcome aboard. We’ve always had a good number of Canadians around here, and we can certainly make room for one more.
My home town had twoDairy Queens when I was a kid.

Hey there. I am new here and just wanted to say "hi" to the group. My likes are science and reason, my pet peeves are homeopathy and essential oils. I like long walks in the mountains, horse back riding and warm sunny days on my Vstrom. Travel is fun - I just got back from Peru- elongated sculls, Nazca lines, aqueducts, temples mummies and human sacrifice ....participants? My religious preferences are "none" although my girlfriend says my religion is "atheism", and that I am going to see my cult leader next week in Calgary. Well in her defence, I can be a bit evangelical about it.
You're allowed to be "evangelical" about your atheism (though I would use a different word to describe it). It doesn't make atheism a religion. Atheism is a single statement about one's lack of belief in god(s). Atheism offers no doctrineand no other standards. It is a simple statement about one thing. That's all it is. Anything that springs from that lack of belief is a separate issue, unconnected to atheism. Set your girlfriend straight. She has a completely skewed view of what atheiism is and what it represents. But realize that you have a very hard row to hoe. Her views most likely have been contaminated by theistic religion, and, as such, they are extremely hard to correct. They may well have become hopelessly entrenched. Some unasked for advice. Don't even think of getting married or moving in together. until she can accept your position without the animosity and false premises about it that she is displaying, even if she differs with it. Nothing good will come of it otherwise and you will both be miserable.

Oh don’t worry about me - I don’t have to justify my nonbeliefs.
But, I am quite capable of doing so.
She is pretty cool - just would like me to tone down around her friends.

Now my ex wife on the other hand - she brought me Behee’s video on “intelligent” design and didn’t understand when I corrected the mistakes.
Our last fight ended with “well you believe in evolution!” - as if that were some kind of insult.
Ah well she gets credit for pushing me over the edge. I went from theistic evolutionist to atheist by virtue of correcting her bad arguments and considering my own beliefs and their justifications.
She also introduced me to homeopathy, quackropractors and reiki. The arm trick always drove me nuts- where they push down on your arm and it is suppose to mean something.
But honestly it is hard to meet women that don’t have a little woo in their lives. Ah the stories I have!
My favorite was the vet who believed in psychics. I went to a psychic party she hosted and tried to explain cold reading to the group. The guys there were mostly on the sceptical side - except for the one who told anecdotes about horse psychics. “I am seeing that your horse is emberassed by the red blanket and that’s why he bucks on you”
It’s not my job to teach people how to think - but I’m not afraid to call bullshit.

Howdy neighbour, nice to meet you. I think you meant the Mohave grill there, or I have my Red deer neighbourhoods mixed up a bit. Wow to the first Mc. D's! I grew up in Olds - I remember when the first DQ came right across from the high school and what a treat that was!
Yes, you're right. It's a Mojave grill. It's been a long time since I've been down 67th Street. Coming from Didsbury means I'm always doing things on the south end or cruising past on the QEII. My wife worked at that DQ in Olds when we first moved to Didsbury 13 years ago. She makes the best ice cream treats ever. In fact, when we go to any DQ she has very specific instructions on how to make my Blizzard and her banana split (and she critiques everything!)