Long Time No Type

So I took an unplanned break from blogging, as I'm sure you've noticed. I have no real reason for this, just the lame excuse of being busy. I don't want to dwell on that topic very long since I'm working overnights still and really don't have much time to type a good post. So, without further ado, look at the photo of Alicia! We're at eighteen weeks now, if I'm remembering right, and she is seriously showing. Let's go through a fun list of what has changed during my blogging hiatus!

Alicia's tummy is noticeably larger, as previously mentioned. It's starting to really firm up and look like a preggers belly. Unlike my belly which is looking much like a flesh bag full of marshmallow cream.

That whole "pregnancy mood" I keep hearing about? Dear FSM, no warning was quite enough to prepare me. That said, I've likely signed my death warrant, or in any case got dinner, laundry, and dishes duty from now on. In all seriousness, she was remained quite patient with my whining (WINNING!) butt, so I shouldn't complain.

It's almost time to start filling our child's developing brain with music through the womb! That said, I haven't added any songs to the playlist since I last mentioned it. My brain fails at multitasking interests. I should really fix that.

The sabotage and absolute takeover of my body by Alicia's hormones. Or at least that is the excuse I'm using in order to watch America's Next Top Model. And buy Vogue magazine. In all fairness, I could develop (!) a lot as a photographer by learning from high fashion photographers. Just saying. Stop laughing at me!

Speaking of photography, I'm back into photo mode full swing. My Flickr has been bombarded lately with a ton of new photos from me, so be sure to swing by there and check it out.

We are still planning on moving down to Collierville, TN. It's a matter of jobs at this point, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. We recently visited down there for Alicia's sister's wedding shower. It was great, as always, to see family and relax. I went to mass for the first time in a long time and it wasn't bad. I cringed at some mentions of Genesis, but overall it was nice. Certainly more bearable than any Baptist service I've ever been to.

OH! I almost forgot, we heard the heartbeat recently! Maybe it's just my love for electronic music, but that is such a magical sound. Like a washing machine. Or some saying "SKOWSKOWSKOWSKOWSKOW" through a microphone and then distorted. No? Maybe just a little? Anyway, I have an audio file of it on my phone that I need to upload. For great justice.

Oh yeah, ultrasound in a matter of a couple weeks. Alicia has agreed to find out the sex of the baby. I has a happy now.

Writer's Block

It seems that I've hit somewhat of a wall with my blogging lately. Not for lack of topics, more of a reaction to being mentally exhausted. A lot has been going on lately, everything from looking for a place to live towards Collierville, to job hunting in that area. I'm nervous about doing the whole 'new job' thing again. The endless 'what if' scenarios, the fact I'm twenty-six and don't have a future proof career and yet I'm going to be a father before the year is over. It's just frightening!

Anyway, the above photo is what Alicia has been craving a lot. This and the occasional milk shake or salsa. Not together, that would be brutal. I've been craving beer. Tall, cold, refreshing beer. I get her ice cream sometimes, and sometimes she lets me get a beverage. Score! Ohhh, a minor distraction from an overwhelming situation. I need to be mentally stimulated, give me your ideas that you would like me to write about! Requests!

Stand up, Sit Down, Stand Up, Kneel

Anyone that has attended a Catholic mass is undoubtedly familiar with the blood moving activity described by this post's subject. I myself never kneel in a mass service. Something about not being in that faith but still going through the motions didn't seem right. And that was when I still claimed Christianity as my faith. I did enjoy mass for the most part. Depending on the priest, it could actually be a quite interesting homily. For those that know Father Dennis from Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It obviously wasn't enough to make me convert to Catholicism. The obvious problems are still there, just as all religions. I wanted to hold true to my own beliefs or non-beliefs, regardless of my wife's faith. I've heard all the doom sayers claiming that our marriage will fail, that a shared faith is necessary for a marriage to work. I listened to your words, stored them away for future reference, and wiped the BS off my shoes. The assumption was made that I don't care about my wife's beliefs. True, at times I get wrapped up ranting about how someone made a religious comment that was absolutely ignorant and it's all peachy until I make the mistake of generalizing. That's when I get the wife glare. It happens, but it's certainly not a threat to our marriage, we decide that.

Anyway, before I dive way off the planned topic for this post, I would like to bring up our plan for this child. We have talked about it extensively, finally deciding that for the first portion of the child's life we will raise it Catholic. Atheist/Agnostics will groan (I will), Christians will say "oh boy, there is hope for this kid," and hardcore protestants will spout on about worshiping Mary or some other crap they're uneducated about. I don't want him or her to be a Catholic baby, Christian baby, Jewish baby, Muslim baby, or any other ridiculous labeling children get before they even know what the hell is going on around them. Although, I can rightly gloat that the child will be born agnostic. Literally, he or she won't know! Score!

When the child is old enough to start making decisions and realize more about what is going on in life, I can present my non-beliefs. It's true though, my beliefs without a fun youth group or beautiful church will seem shallow. It's a start though, a step that I was never offered. Ultimately the child's religion will be his or her own choice. My hope is that we can clearly represent these options in a manner that never shuts anyone else out for their beliefs. I want nothing more than to instill a sense of humanity, a passion for learning, and to respect life above all.

Am I excited about him or her going to a Catholic church for a while? I'm not bouncing up and down at the concept, but I know the church that we will be closest to hopefully and I trust it. Looking at my wife and her acceptance of evolution as a tool of her God, that alone gives me more faith, if you'll pardon the term. With Alicia, she doesn't shoot down science because of what she believes. She doesn't point her finger at any person and claim they are going to hell. She doesn't judge others according to their faith, obviously, and she isn't homophobic. She is as free thinking as me, and still maintains a faith in her God without limiting herself from learning about the universe. That is why I trust her church. Hopefully soon we will be moving down closer to her family and closer to that church. I may attend now and then, but I will not be giving a false sense of church presence for the sake of the child. If my child tells me some day that he or she wishes to be Catholic, I will accept and love them just as much as if he or she had told me they want to be the next Richard Dawkins.

Though maybe that was a skewed comparison. You know what I mean.