Joe

OK, here's my dilemma:

I'm an Atheist. Not a militant atheist, mind you, I begrudge no one their personal beliefs. My only problems with religion (any religion) arise when it's used to circumvent scientific fact or theory, or when people hide behind it to justify their own warped sense of morality (i.e. gays are evil, evolution is a hoax, abortion is evil even in the cases of rape or incest, etc.)

Again, no problems with religion whatsoever. Worship whomever or whatever you like, just don't pass off falsehoods as pure scientific fact, and don't treat people as lesser than you because they're different. Simple, right?

Well, my girlfriend happens to be a conservative Christian girl. She's not particularly bright though; I mean, of course, that she's definitely intelligent when it comes to academics. She's a smart girl. But the moment her beliefs are questioned or looked at objectively, she goes on the defensive, no matter how much evidence or contradiction you expose that opposes her world view. I'm not entirely sure if she believes the theory of evolution is false or not, she's flip flopped on the issue a few times. She definitely thinks being gay is immoral and a choice, but doesn't think we (as people) have the right to judge them; only god should. I'm OK with that position of hers (politically) because she's keeping her beliefs to herself.

My predicament is that we have fights over it sometimes. I guess that's to be expected, but I'm over here in the camp that doesn't care as long as everyone is treated like a human being and not force fed misinformation, and she's in the other camp trying to indoctrinate me all the time. And while I can put up with it (I know it sounds arrogant, but I'm pretty firm in the belief that I'm correct, so I've never found a reason to argue my point of view unprovoked) I fear that it's going to escalate to proportions I can't handle if we end up having children. For example, if she teaches my kid that being gay is a choice, I won't stand for it, because it simply has no basis in scientific fact, and it justifies the mistreatment of gays for some people. Not to mention that, if I somehow foster a gay or lesbian child, they're going to think they're evil or some bullshit, and that's simply not true at all. Same goes for intelligent design, etc.

Is there any possible way this can be averted while remaining together? I really do love her, and I don't want this to turn bad because of something so unbelievably trivial, but I'm at the end of my rope. Is there a way to compromise with her?

OK, here's my dilemma:

I'm an Atheist. Not a militant atheist, mind you, I begrudge no one their personal beliefs. My only problems with religion (any religion) arise when it's used to circumvent scientific fact or theory, or when people hide behind it to justify their own warped sense of morality (i.e. gays are evil, evolution is a hoax, abortion is evil even in the cases of rape or incest, etc.)

Again, no problems with religion whatsoever. Worship whomever or whatever you like, just don't pass off falsehoods as pure scientific fact, and don't treat people as lesser than you because they're different. Simple, right?

Well, my girlfriend happens to be a conservative Christian girl. She's not particularly bright though; I mean, of course, that she's definitely intelligent when it comes to academics. She's a smart girl. But the moment her beliefs are questioned or looked at objectively, she goes on the defensive, no matter how much evidence or contradiction you expose that opposes her world view. I'm not entirely sure if she believes the theory of evolution is false or not, she's flip flopped on the issue a few times. She definitely thinks being gay is immoral and a choice, but doesn't think we (as people) have the right to judge them; only god should. I'm OK with that position of hers (politically) because she's keeping her beliefs to herself.

My predicament is that we have fights over it sometimes. I guess that's to be expected, but I'm over here in the camp that doesn't care as long as everyone is treated like a human being and not force fed misinformation, and she's in the other camp trying to indoctrinate me all the time. And while I can put up with it (I know it sounds arrogant, but I'm pretty firm in the belief that I'm correct, so I've never found a reason to argue my point of view unprovoked) I fear that it's going to escalate to proportions I can't handle if we end up having children. For example, if she teaches my kid that being gay is a choice, I won't stand for it, because it simply has no basis in scientific fact, and it justifies the mistreatment of gays for some people. Not to mention that, if I somehow foster a gay or lesbian child, they're going to think they're evil or some bullshit, and that's simply not true at all. Same goes for intelligent design, etc.

Is there any possible way this can be averted while remaining together? I really do love her, and I don't want this to turn bad because of something so unbelievably trivial, but I'm at the end of my rope. Is there a way to compromise with her?

I live in Des Plaines, Illinois and I'm looking for an animal shelter who wont charge me an arm and a leg to adopt a puppy. Anybody know of a place remotely near where I live that has cheap puppies?

"Im starting a website that has comedy content on it, what are some good domain names for it?

Whenever someone tells me that God has a hand in the everyday lives of people, or that he answers prayers, or that he's so loving etc etc, I pose this question: Where was your god during the Crusades, or the spanish inquisiton? Where was he in the Dark Ages, when people were being put to death by the thousands because they were "witches"? Where was he at wounded knee, when the systematic destruction of the Native americans began? Where was he during the slave trade; 400 yearsof people being dragged from there homes and taken to a far away land to be sold like cattle? Where was he during the holocaust? Where was he when we dropped the first nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands instantly, and destroying generations to come through loitering radiation? Where was he during the Rwandan genocide? And where is he now, when Darfur is experiencing something as terrible as any of the aforementioned events? Tell me how many people.... SCREAMING, crying, and praying to your god that they may live another day; that they may not have to see their mother be beaten to death; that they may not suffer the sight of everyone they know lined up on a wall and shot; that they may not have to work their fingers to the bone digging their own grave, all day and night just to be shot the next morning simply because they were Hutu, or Jewish, or Muslim, or Native American, etc. Tell me how your God could POSSIBLY be intervening in the lives of ANYONE, let alone yourselves, yet let these atrocities happen. And do NOT give me "Well the devil did it". God vanquished the Devil and banished him to Hell once already, dont tell me he couldnt do it again in a heartbeat. Also don't give me the answer that people can be evil because of free will. If God loves all his creations as much as the bible stresses, he would never let suffering on this scale befall any man. Especially someone who reveres the Bible. And if your answer is that it was "a test to see if people would still believe in him" then i AGAIN cry bullshit, because that would just prove that God of the bible didn't know what he was doing, as i've read many, many accounts of holocaust survivors who claim that, after living through something like that, there simply is "no god."

the first time I ever made out with a girl, we were both drunk (this was like last year im 14) and because of that, im assuming neither of us gave a very memorable performance... but this happened to have screwed me up aparently because i am NOT a good kisser... i have almost no idea what im doing. Help me out? idk, tips, what to do...?

the first time I ever made out with a girl, we were both drunk (this was like last year im 14) and because of that, im assuming neither of us gave a very memorable performance... but this happened to have screwed me up aparently because i am NOT a good kisser... i have almost no idea what im doing. Help me out? idk, tips, what to do...?

I have a body fat percentage somewhere in the 8-9% range, and I recently (about a month ago) began a program intended to build mass. My arms and chest are noticeably bigger than before, but my six pack is also noticeably less defined... Is this a result of the increased intake and less cardio? (football just ended last friday, so id normally have 3 hours of football practice a day, whereas now all i do is lift and run a few miles occasionally). I also came down with the flu this past weekend... would that have an effect on how cut I am? (its been like 5 days)

Sooooo here's my story. Back in sophomore year of highschool, I met this kid in my chem class. We ended up bein really good friends, and I had him in another period that was free. Well his little sister was int that period as well, and was a freshman at the time. Right off the bat I liked her. Her eyes are absolutely amazing, her smile makes any and every worry I have go away, and making her laugh is quite literally my favorite thing to do in the entire world. So we start talking and over the course of that year we got to know eachother... and I never stopped thinking about her. This continued over the last summer, and I ended up bein her friend on facebook. This led to online conversations with her that had me checking my computer almost every minute to see if she was online so I could talk to her... Football season came and went, and i STILL was thinking about her every day, and by this time I had her number and was texting her, not nonstop creepy, but at least once a day. Seeing how she was doing, etc. So eventually this all culminates in the two of us going out. Happy ending? I think not. This only went on for about a month before she broke it off. I was torn apart. Had the only shitty christmas i've ever had (she broke it off in december). So then, she and my best friend sgart up this little fling... and i went into massive, massive depression. I don't think I talked to anybody for weeks. Not family, not friends... eventually my parents sent me to therapy to figure out what the problem was, and I didn't even tell the THERAPIST the entire story. So I basically thought life couldn't get any worse... in a couple of months though, she decided she no longer liked my friend, and for good reason actually; he treated her as a piece of property, taunted her, I couldn't understand for the life of me WHY she would be with him (but they never "officially" were going out). So she stops it with my friend, and basically just flirts like crazy for a couple of months... this whole time, i've gotten into lifting weights. And not like lifitng/bodybuilding get buff lifting, effective strength/combat training... I joined a local MMA gym and used that to get my aggression out. So eventually, while STILL thinking about her every day (its almost 2 years now) I find happiness. Im still thinkin about her yes, but im enjoying life again. But then one night as im about to go running (totally into the fitness thing now...) her friend texts me... and we get into this convo... and she tells me that this girl who i havent stopped thinking about since i met her is thinking about ME again. Obviously that was the easiest 5 miles I ever ran. So im told she likes me one week... and the next im told she doesnt anymore. This didn't really phase me, as I knew it would be too good to be true. So then a couple more months go by, school ends (end of junior year now) summer football camp starts, and Im still thinking about her... and ive got this friend helping me from the inside... and one day surprises me with telling me that she DOES in fact like me, but is afraid to tell me. So one night im talkin to her on the phone, and she asks me if I wrote her a love letter. I say "no I didn't", and she thinks im just tryin to be funny. Well as it turns out, someone wrote her a love letter as a prank, and she thought it was me because it said something about getting back together. Well when I told her it wasn't me she started crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said "I got my hopes up..." and when I asked her "what about?", she spilled that she liked me, but she didn't know where it was gonna go, and that she didn't wanna hurt me again... and she thought the note was from me and was all excited. So i told her EVERYTHING. How i felt about her. That she means the world to me, that I think about her every day, that I was even thinking of not joining the marines because it would mean i wouldnt see her... and she was so glad, she was still crying. We probably stayed on the phone for another couple hours or so just talking about how much we cared about eachother and how "oh no i bet i could wierd you out with this one..." and I realized how absolutely in love with her I am. Like this is the real-deal, story book stuff. It's been 2 weeks since that night, and we're still not in a relationship again, and I don't know what to do to put get her into one. She doesn't like being tied down I think... but what could keep a girl who tells me all that from being with me? I have no idea what to do... and every day without her being mine hurts... please help me.

So my ex gf broke it off with me back in december, and I really, truly am in love with this girl. She basically gave me the "lets be friends" speech. Well, after a miserable couple of months where i ended up in therapy and watching her kind of be "with" my best friend, I finally got my life back on track. Football's offseason workout program started, so i lost bout 20 pounds and have gotten totally ripped. I talk to her all the time now, almost as much as when we were dating. And its not awkward at all, whereas before, I have to admit it was a lttle awkward. I know her and her family better now; I just need a way to sweep her off her feet. How do I tell her how much she means to me w/o coming off like a stalker or a needy jerk?

So back in December, this girl I am really truly in love with, basically gave me the "lets be friend speech." I was crushed. i would'nt talk about it for awhile, and I just wasnt myself for a long, long time. Things got better, but i never let go of her. Im still in love with her, and I really can't think of anyone i'd rather spend my time with. So it's been almost 6 moths since the break-up, and all of a sudden her friends are telling me that shes started thinking about me again... this went on for about 2 or 3 weeks, and then this morning im told that she doesnt like me anymore, but feelings do ocassionally come up.... what should I do? What do I say to her about this? And if shes still having feelings somehow, how do I get her to open up about it?

alright... Ive been clocked at between 80-84 mph throwin a baseball, but lately it seems like whenever I step on the mound, im not throwing as hard. during warmups ill throw bullets, then when it comes time to start pitching i drop off. is there possibly something wrong with my mechanics making me do this? any and all help would be appreciated... varsity ball just started and im not doin too great as of right now =[

I need 3200 calories per day. I got a little bit over that, BUT i burned 918 calories today... am i supposed to get those calories back by eating more, or does the total number of calories i need include those burned?

Im a 16 year old boy. As such, i should be taking in a certain amount of calories. Now factor in that im a wrestler, and 6 days a week im doin intense strength and cardiovascular training. Ive done the math, ive looked up plenty of resources, and im apparently supposed to be taking in somewhere around 3800 calories a day.

I take in nowhere NEAR 3800 calories. id give myself 2600-2700 at best. does the eating late thing (it all turns to fat) apply to me if im not eating ENOUGH? i mean i guess it still turns to fat, but how much am i being affected?

my friends and my parents all tell me that i exercise WAY too much, and that it may be getting un-healthy. heres what i do on a daily basis:

2 mile run (sprint from 1.5 mile mark)

10 pullups

clinch workout, 6 sets (curls, hang cleans, etc.)

slow pushups/stabilization (4)

abs

-leg lifts: 10

-reverse crunches: 10

-Bicycles: 50 reps

-flutter kicks: 75

-side crunches: 25 each side

-Hanging abs/pullup (crunch abs, count to 10, do a pullup): 5

I do this once or twice everyday, in addition to weight training 4-5 times a week. is this too much??

So I know that when you eat late at night, your body stores almost all of it as fat. BUT, can your body store foods that have NO fat as fat? Foods such as fruits and vegetables, Wheat farina etc. and other items that have no fat in them whatsoever? (according to the nutrition label)

I currently have a 2.5 cumulative GPA, but I scored a 28 on the ACT. Obviously, im not an idiot. I just have a natural aversion to homework lol. If I apply early, would I be able to get into Ball State University with these numbers? Im also on the football and baseball teams at my high school, so ive got the well rounded part down lol.

alright... my GF gives me the "lets be friends speech"... terrific. life spirals out of control, **** happens, move on with it. BUT, she ends up going for my best friend... who happens to like her too. Dont get me wrong, i love the guy to death, but i have no idea what she sees in him. Im not gonna sit here and build myself up, but hes vulgar, hes rude, he treats her like ****, and i cant stand it. I can honestly say i wouldve been happy to spend the rest of my life with this girl, i am so unbelievably in love with her... and he goes and takes her for granted at every turn. Am i insane here?? maybe so, but hey, true love prevails right? (still sounding like a crazy person here lmao)

heres me, im the dude in the white and blue baseball tshirt (dont mind the pic with me and the other dude with out shirts off lmao, thats my best bud/teamate in the whole world!!!):

Heres me (dude in the white and blue baseball T) dont mind the pic where me and that other guy have our shirts off... thats my best bud/teamate in the whole world (go warrior football...):

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano... (on the right)

ok, now heres him (the asian dude)

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/jcatalano...

Im the dude on the left... howm I gettin rid of those cotton balls?? lmao any ideas/exercises you know? any foods I can cut out (i already cut out soda, candy, and fast food.... anything more that will help?)