Thank you so much for sharing all this Amy. So much of your experience reminds me of my own--and of my own difficulty with feeling out of step with my Christian community. It was so hard not to just assume I was the one that was wrong! And the messages about the importance of marriage got harder and harder to take for so many reasons, not the least of which was the ridiculously high standards single women were expected to live up to to be acceptable. In my community, there was an undercurrent of "if no one's pursuing you, it's your fault." Today, I'm relieved that I didn't meet anyone to marry then because I probably would have ended up in a more complementarian relationship than I could have lived with. And now it doesn't matter much to me whether I get married or not. But when I was in my 20s especially it hurt so much and so constantly.

And rest assured that there are fully egalitarian Christian communities out there. I was lucky to find a progressive Baptist church that embraced me as I was and didn't put single members on the fringes at all. (Our head of deacons at one point was a single woman!) Of course, as you know, I've now made my way to the Episcopal church, which is known for its embracing of feminism--and is probably way out of your comfort zone as far as worship style :) It is hard to find a place that fits. I'll be praying for you as you sort all this out.

I wish you could get wish #2 as well. It would be great to see you again! We could play tourist during the day together, since I don't think I'm going to BEA itself.

I found the post! It was a series of quotes from famous writers about how they're addicted to reading: http://inkyfoot.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/friday-f...

I *just* read a post or article somewhere recently about reading as an addiction. I wish I could remember where. If I think of it, I'll come back and share the link.

I read for escapism and for illumination, and both have value for me. There are times I'm sure when I've used books to avoid dealing with things I need to deal with, to put those things out of my mind when I ought to be thinking and praying about them, but there are times when I need to escape and distract myself from problems that are bothering me, especially when I can't do anything about them. And sometimes I read books that help me work out my problems or think about them differently, so it's a mix.

I've seen the movie and remember that I liked it so much that I watched it twice before returning it to the video store. However, it was years ago, and I don't remember any details. I don't recall there being a fake love story, unless people assumed the couple dancing was an actual real-life couple. I could be wrong, though.

I have a Tumblr at http://beyondmybooks.tumblr.com/ but I hardly ever use it. My initial thought was to use it to jot down quick notes on movies, TV shows, plays, music, etc., but I tend to forget about it--and I find it almost congenitally impossible to jot down quick notes about anything.

I'm excited about the possibility of interaction over these topics, but I'm like you in that I like a schedule. I worry that the schedule-making on the day will just stress me out and keep me from putting forward my ideas as eloquently as I might online. But we'll see--I think most of the things I'd like to talk about are of interest to a lot of people, and I'm liking the other ideas I've seen, including yours.

Your Fragmentation and Factions idea overlaps quite a lot with my Blogging Tribe idea; it's just looking at the same thing from a different angle, I think, or focusing on a specific aspect of it. Perhaps we could combine those ideas, if needed?
My recent post Dark Lord of Derkholm

I think you're right on about your predictions, but I hope we don't see more factions springing up. As the community grows and grows, none of us will be able to be equally close to everyone, so some sub-groups are inevitable and probably healthy, but I wouldn't want some subgroups to be deemed superior to others, just different.

The potential for factions is the thing that troubles me about the BEA/Uncon conflict. I understand that the goal of the Uncon is to provide an alternative, not to compete--and the alternative happens to appeal to me more than the BEA--but I do wish people interested in both didn't have to choose, or that choosing one wouldn't be seen as having a problem with the other. So no, you're not the only one who doesn't want to take sides.
My recent post Mariana

You're right about the power of words, but I like to think of all the positive words out there and focus on those. When I'm feeling crummy, it's nice to go reread really nice comments people have left me or nice e-mails I've received. Alas, it sometimes takes dozens and dozens of affirming words to make up for a single even vaguely critical one. I guess that's all the more reason to take time to share affirming words and compliments when we get a chance.

And I want you to know that your blog and your openness and honesty and warmth here do make a contribution to the world. It might not be the one you want to make, but it has value. Just remember that :)

Wow! Seven years is so impressive. Congratulations! And thank you for being you :)