How do you take care of yourself? Chocolate? Sleeping in? Working out? Maybe a bit of retail therapy? Whatever you do, hopefully it helps you cope when things get hard and you start feeling down or tired. Taking care of yourself is supposed to make you feel better, feel rejuvenated, be able to face challenges with calm and confidence.

Depressed people are used to being told to take care of…

Hello, everyone! This week and last week I’ve spent some time reading for pleasure as a release from my normal “everything is work” type of reading style. So this time on “Tide’s Out” I’m showing you what I read for fun!

H.P. Lovecraft Goes to the Movies

I love science fiction, but I’m not a huge fan of horror. I am, however, a fan of the history of science fiction and you can’t have a complete…

So I’m still reading this book Radical by David Platt and I’m preparing to review it and possibly look deeper into some of the questions it raises. I am fascinated by this iteration of American evangelical Christianity. I was not raised in it and I have an outsiders view of it, so reading what someone from inside this belief system says and how he wants to change it is instructive for me and…

I liked what I was doing before. Learning the fundamentals, feeling kickass after a workout, sweating and bumping fists with people who were doing the same thing I was. Now at the end of week 2 with Crossfit, I’m starting to really fall in love.

It’s like we met, we talked, we went on a few dates and now we’re starting to have those first awkward, heavy make-out sessions. Crossfit and I are…

I’m reading a book right now called Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. I’ll have more to say about it later, but as I read this book by pastor David Platt, I find myself being inexplicably angry. Very angry. So angry that my hands clench into fists and my face turns into a frown. I can’t control this anger and I’m trying to understand it, but all my brain can come up with…

There have been a few times over the past couple of weeks that I’ve been tempted to blog about current events. I’ve studiously kept away from it, partly because the news is heavy and partly because I haven’t been sure of my own thoughts. But the news from Charleston, South Carolina, has created a deep sadness in me that I cannot help but address.

I am sad because people who believed they were in…

Last week was my first week being a crossfitter. The fundamentals are done, I did my first WOD and now I’m heading into week 2. But being me, I’m spending some time this Sunday looking back at my week before I look forward, trying to find the areas I really need to work on and the obstacles that tripped me up. Before I can look forward, I need to see what I’m taking with me into the future.

I finished reading a book called On Evil by Terry Eagleton this week. It was fascinating. I don’t often contemplate evil. Why would I? It is simply not an enjoyable thing to do. But I enjoyed reading this book. It made me think about things in a different way. So how can I explain what it said? I think a superhero analogy is in order.

Have you ever considered Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the…

Last week was great. I went to the gym (almost) every day. I pushed myself. I exceeded my expectations. I also lost three pounds.

Then there’s this week.

It’s Wednesday and tonight I have things to look forward to. The Origin series Game 2 is on tonight. It’s a pivotal game. If the New South Wales Blues don’t win, then they lose the series to Queensland. I don’t want them to lose. Like any…

Last week was great. I went to the gym (almost) every day. I pushed myself. I exceeded my expectations. I also lost three pounds.

Then there’s this week.

It’s Wednesday and tonight I have things to look forward to. The Origin series Game 2 is on tonight. It’s a pivotal game. If the New South Wales Blues don’t win, then they lose the series to Queensland. I don’t want them to lose. Like any…

April DeConick’s book Holy Misogyny: Why Sex and Gender Conflicts in the Early Church Still Matter is probably one of the most earth-shaking books I’ve read all year. That is a big claim, but I think the book backs it up completely. In this book, DeConick looks at the history of the early Christian church and how the role of women as leaders was erased over time. In fact, this book arguably…

When the Atheist Wife and I have kids, there are a lot of things I want to teach them. To be kind, to be honest, to love unconditionally, to lift others up instead of beat them down. I also want to teach them that they can do anything, that nothing is beyond their abilities and that all it takes is hard work and dedication. I want to teach them that, but first I have to learn it myself.

I’m not…

Two classes in to my crossfit training and I have come to one conclusion: there are a lot of squats. We started out with squats in the intro and yesterday at fundamentals there were more squats, except this time they were deadlifts. I didn’t do the WOD yesterday because I’m still struggling with the manflu, but I did plenty of practice deadlifts and presses, cleans and split jerks and wall…

I am not a fan of Richard Dawkins. Personally, I find him condescendingly, intellectually arrogant and a bit shrill. As far as atheism goes, I think he is the worst representative of its ideas. Still, he deserves some credit for the role he has played in bringing atheism into the mainstream consciousness and giving it some talking points. Still, I am not a fan, nor have I read any of his books.…

Hi, guys! It’s Monday and we have a three day weekend here in Australia! So the Atheist Wife and I made her delicious lasagna last night. I advised a few tweeks and so we have an almost paleo lasagna. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• A lot of Zucchini (will depend on the size of the zucchini
• 1 sweet potato
• Mushrooms
• 1 onion
• P…

I share quite a few qualities with Homer Simpson. Overweight, inclined to eat a lot, a wife who is too hot for me, I once rode a skateboard over Springfield Gorge… okay, I didn’t do that last one, that was Homer. But there are a lot of times when my wife and I are watching The Simpsons and we share the look that says, “That’s totally you.” I freely admit that it happens and that it is all true.

I Did It!

I went to the gym! I looked at the crossfit box and decided, this is where I want to be. Revolute Movement Academy in Sydney is awesome! The people I met there were welcoming and put me at ease. I am excited to go tomorrow morning for an intro class and a 10 minute workout. I’m so excited I can’t sit still!

After yesterday where I talked about failing at this week, I decided that there…