Labor Pains

Tonight began five weeks of absolute torture.

We began our prebirth classes at the hospital tonight. Suffice it to say they waste no time in pulling out the videos fit for a seedy, after hours truck stop.
They were awful. The breathing was fine, though I need work, but the videos are too much. Hence, ten things I would rather do than watch the disgusting prebirth videos at the hospital:

--Be beaten soundly by male cheerleaders during a parade
--Land a lead role in the Vonologues
--Eat pickles or watermelon off the bathroom floor of said truck stop
--Shop with my mother and sister in the front right corner of Babies R Us
--Watch Super Bowl XXXVI
--Spot dad on a deep sea fishing trip, cookie bag in hand
--Write a dissertation on the history of cheese
--Drink motor oil
--Ask David for advice
--Read

Readying For Baby

Anna's parents came up this weekend. The plan was to paint the baby's room, which we did Saturday. But before we could get started, Anna and I got a visit from D-Gladd and his girlfriend.





The three of us (Anna can't be around paint, conveniently enough) put down one coat of white and two of blue. The white is still stuck to my skin.







As Anna's parents probably have come to expect, we got an unexpected project Sunday. And no, not the busted waste disposal. The baby crib and furniture came in, so Harrison went with us to pick it up and we put it together. Everything is in place now. Bring on the chair!

A New Day

So here goes. Everything in the world is about to change for our little family, so why not make a change here too? From here on out, this page is for baby. More correctly, it's for people to catch up and find out about our family as it grows. I'm just amazed nobody ever thought of this use for a blog before now.

Hopefully posts will come more frequently. Hopefully Anna will be a trooper and post a picture every now and then. I can't promise anything enlightening or even entertaining any more than before, but here goes.

Living Forever

A television program last night caught my attention. Scientists and researchers around the world, evidently, believe the human aging process can be significantly slowed if not eliminated entirely. A baby born today, they say, could live to 150 years or even 1,000. Science says so, they say.

So I wonder. Say they are right. Say there is some pill one could take or some man made vital organs one could use interchangeably with the originals. Say the choice to live ten times longer than parents or grandparents could have dreamed came conveniently in a tiny plastic bottle or a simple surgery.

Would you do it? The overwhelming mass of humanity no doubt screams that it would, save perhaps that conveniently forgettable portion for which daily life is somewhat less than appealing. But this question is for people who never endure poverty, starvation or any of the other human plagues. This question is for the believer who smiles every Sunday morning from the center section of a Christian church.

Would you do it? Does the Christian faith coexist with such a desire for longevity? Or would prolonging this temporal life necessarily reveal a lack of faith so celebrated by the believer? Does one who believes fervently in the message of Christ have any desire to endure on earth?

Would you do it?