Three months in.

So, I have been doing the vow now for two full months and am halfway through my third month. It has been a crazy experience, but also very interesting. Not drinking is a little tougher than I accounted for. The first month was the hardest because at parties I seemed to be the only one not drinking. I am so used to having a drink at social gatherings that I felt like I was being awkward by being sober. It was a weird head-space to be in  when you are trying to have a good time with people you enjoy being with. I think Super Bowl was my big mile stone. It was the first big gathering heavily centered around mass consumption of alcohol. I had a great time and was able to be social without feeling awkward about it. I must give much credit to my friends, because I was very worried there was going to be a lot of mock temptation aimed at me or belittling of my life choices or something stupid like that. They were awesome. I felt very comfortable and had a moment of clarity and saw how much I was really loved by some really amazing people.

Also, during this time I've been re-reading the Bible, linearly. Starting with Genesis and moving through to Revelations. I have only done this one other time, but it was before I had chosen to truly be a follower of Christ and I did it by myself. What I read changed my perception of how I understood God, and Jesus, and eventually led to my choice to follow Christ. This time, I'll be going back and re-experiencing the story with the knowledge of how it all ends. I think that was my favorite part about reading it for the first time. I had absolutely no real understanding of the Jews or their history. I also had no real idea of how Jesus played in, I had always just thought he was a cool guy that said some cool stuff. Now I know all that stuff and I can look at some of the minor details and get a clearer understanding of what the Book really is all about. Another fun thing is that this time through I am part of a small group of people from different backgrounds and worldviews doing a read through of the Bible over the next year or so. I'm not sure who is going to last or even if I'm going to last (I think I will), but I really am interested in getting into some of the ideas and stories and seeing the different perspectives that emerge.

The beard is starting to get a little crazy. I started it back in November or December so it had a little bit of a head start, but I think this is the most I have ever let it grow. I keep the mustache trimmed a little so I don't look insane, and I will snip off the the occasional stray hairs, but for the most part I leave it alone. Thankfully Ezra pointed me in the direction of this wondrous ointment called 'beard balm'. Its great for keeping the beard in a socially acceptable shape during the week and it smells good, too.

I've been following the news and things seem to be heating up on the world stage. I thought that Israel would wait until at least after the next American presidential election before making any military strikes on Iran. However, there has been a lot of loud whispers on the wind that Israel is seriously considering major action sometime this Spring. That's not all that may explode this coming spring, I also am waiting to see what the revolution is going to look like coming out of this past winter. Not just over in the middle east or Africa, but also here. Is the Occupy movement going to reemerge, or evolve into something else? Is the Tea Party going to start up their craziness? I don't know. Its going to be interesting, though.