Mormon Pundit

So my plans for this week went completely kerflooey, and I think that might be happening more and more this year. Here’s what my day was like today:

7:00 Wake up
7:45 Bus comes for Atti
8:00 Get Boo fed and tended to
8:15 Call Stacey begging her to watch Atti this afternoon
8:30 Shoot video for tomorrow’s craft project
9:30 Take Boo to the vet for last round of vaccinations and well puppy visit
10:30 Return emails
11:30 Wait for bus to bring Atti home
12:00 Lunch for Atti
12:30 Appointment with head therapy doctor man to discuss Atti’s treatment
1:30 Race to Stacey’s house to drop off Atti
1:45 Race to radio station for interview
2:00 Talk to the BBC about Mormonism and explain that you can be rational and believe in religion
2:30 Pick up Atti
2:45 Go to the bathroom for the first time today.

As soon as I post this I’m going to go collapse in a heap.

Through a bizarre confluence of events, I seem to have found myself in the position of being a Mormon pundit. Last week I was in Salon, twice, and did a Bloggingheads interview. This week I did the BBC interview and had to turn down an independent radio show in Florida who wanted to record at the same time. None of this I get paid for at all. I do it because I have been desperate to see my own experience with my faith reflected somehow. I love this religion and I don’t want it to only look like there’s only one way to practice it.

And as a democrat, gay rights advocating, feminist Mormon, I’m a total novelty act as far as the press is concerned. When I walked into my local radio station the producer said, “So the BBC, that’s a really big deal! What do they want to talk to you for? Do you have the answer for world peace?”

I said, “Nope, something even more elusive. A Democrat feminist Mormon.”

Now that Romney is all but officially the Republican nominee, everyone is interested in learning about Mormons. And what says “I’m interesting” more than the big juxtaposition of Mormonism, progressive politics, and feminism. I’m like a sparkly unicorn.

Don’t worry, my conservative friends, I don’t plan on making this a political place. I’ll share links when I show up other places, but I won’t be bringing any arguments here. With the way things are going, before we even begin the official campaign, I think I will be more than sick of these conversations and will be grateful for a politics free zone.