One Last Time

As a way to send the Eagles out for the 2007 season, I give you one fan's (ok, I guess really two fans) tribute to their favorite team......

Silent Night

I have to hand it to Riley - he was a trooper. His schedule around Christmas would have given Barack Obama a run. Going on only one nap, he made the 30 minute trip to and from our church for Christmas eve service (being sure to entertain and amuse the nursery workers in his "Lamb's" class in the meantime). He then worked a MARATHON (for him) Christmas eve party at our friend's parents house until after 9:30. His normal bedtime is 8:00. He then spent the night at my parents house, Christmas morning with my family and the afternoon and evening with my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins - stopping only to nap in the bathroom. All the while smiling, laughing, crawling and smacking TV screens. He was amazing.

With this crazy 36 hours, his sleep schedule was thrown WAY off. He went to bed Christmas eve around 10:00. He woke up at 3:00 and didn't fall back asleep until an hour of Missy rocking him had gone by.

He then woke up at 6:00. And it was my turn. I quietly sat with him in the dark (except for the radiant blue light from the Vick's medicine vaporizer/nightlight thing) and rocked him. I usually sing "Jesus Loves Me" 100 times in a row but this being Christmas morning, I thought it appropriate to sing Christmas songs. Every once in a while, he would look up at me. Not to smile. Not to play. But, I think, to just look at his dad and know that everything was ok.

It was at this moment that I realized that life had come full circle. I was sitting in my old room - the place I slept for nearly 20 years of my life - rocking my son to sleep. Though, this being his first Christmas morning, he somehow knew to wake up early and not go back to sleep. He must have picked that up from his friends. It was a very surreal moment for me to once again realize that I am a father. It has been 9 months and still it strikes me with amazement and awe that I'm a dad.

And I couldn't ask for a better son. Or a better mom for my son.

Thanks for being the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for.

The Best and Worst Of.....

OK, so it is the end of the year and this is the time when people roll out their lists of the best of 2007 and the worst of 2007. This isn't one of those lists. This is basically a list of stuff that I have seen in the media over the past year that I either like or don't like. If you have any things you would like to add, please feel free to do so. I think my natural tendency would be to just run down a list of things that annoy me. However, Missy has been a good influence and helped me to look at the positives in life as well.

So on to the annoying things:

-Anything Britney Spears. I used to really not like her. Now I just feel bad for her. The poor thing. She can't brush her teeth without making it an international event. The tabloids go after her so hard, she should have her own reality show......oh wait, she did.

-Reality shows - Other than the Amazing Race (which has won best reality show every year this decade), these things are out of control. I honestly feel myself getting dumber when I watch them. And with the writer's strike, there are only going to be more of them because it takes no talent to make one (Right, Paris Hilton?). You know it is out of control when one reality show (The Surreal Life) brings back from the dead Flava Flav - a guy I haven't even thought about since Reagan was President - where he starts a relationship with Brigette Nielsen (another 80's resurrection) which spun off into a reality show (Strange Love) but they didn't stay together so Flav had to find a new girlfriend which spun off into another show (Flavor of Love) and one of the cast offs from that show needed an extra 15 minutes of fame so THAT spun off into TWO seasons of a show (I Love New York and I Love New York2). The saddest part is that I have a college degree and I know this stuff.

-Baseball fans that wave to the camera while on their cell phones telling their buddy that they are on TV just over Derek Jeter's right shoulder - I watched a lot of baseball games this year and this drove me CRAZY. It happened in EVERY game. It is why I would be in favor of snipers at sporting events.

-NBA players congratulating/consoling each other when a teammate makes/misses a free throw. You make more than the Gross National Product of any country south of Texas and you need to be congratulated when you make a free throw?????? If they make free throw no one should say anything, it is expected that they make it. If they miss, they should take away one of their Escalades.

-Any celebrity news show - Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Extra - I lose brain cells just watching the commercials for these shows

-Negative Political Ads - we are in a great location in this country because when an election comes up (which I thought was every four years but apparently they happen twice every year), we don't just get negative ads from one state. We get them from THREE. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. These ads are ridiculous. I am waiting for the one that says, "Joe Nelson. He Hates Puppies!" or "This November, say NO to Michelle Johnson, because she burns down schools." I am at the point where if someone says ANYTHING positive, I will vote for them. I don't care if they are running under the Fraternity Party, if their ad shows them smiling and walking in slow motion with some kids, I'll vote for them.


OK, onto the positives:

-Lost - oh man, this show is the best. Two summers ago, Missy and I made a decision to allow ourselves to get hooked on this show (we started watching the DVD's for Season 1 and 2 before Season 3 started) and it took about 4 minutes to get us. If you have never watched the show, don't start now. Unless you take about 3 straight weekends and watch the first three seasons until your eyes start to bleed. Which I recommend.

-24 - another one that is great to marathon watch - not as good as Lost but it has enough twists and turns to keep you interested.

-The Office - this show kills me. I have watched every episode about 10 times and they still crack me up.

-Sportscenter - Missy makes fun of me because Sportscenter repeats every hour but I still watch it 3 times in a row. Just like in college.

-Any commercial that has slapstick humor - if someone gets hit in the face or the groin or runs into a wall, I love it because Missy has a special slapstick humor laugh that gets me every time.

-That new "Dude" commercial for Miller Lite. That's a guy's commercial

-The Discovery Channel - smart enough TV that I can convince myself I am not lowering my IQ by watching it - favorite shows: Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, Deadliest Catch and Man vs. Wild.

GUILTY PLEASURES THAT I BLAME ON MY WIFE:

-Project Runway - yes, I know it is a reality show but the fact that Heidi Klum is on it negates everything I said earlier.

-Makeover/Renovation shows - I have seen more bathrooms and kitchens unveiled in the last 5 months than I can even begin to count. And still I find myself saying things like, "Wow, I really like the color of that trim." Welcome to married life.


There are a few other guilty pleasures that I think I will take with me to my grave but if you have anything you would like to share, please don't hesitate to do so. I would be curious to hear what things you like and don't like in the media.

One thing that I already knew but this post has certainly reminded me of is that I watch A LOT of TV. Since Riley was born, we wanted to make a concerted effort to watch less TV. Sometimes I think we do a good job of that, other times we don't.

The last thing I would want for him is to grow up to be able to list what reality shows spun off of other reality shows. Anyone who can do that, well, they need to read a book.

Another Christmas First

Speaking of firsts, I discovered that our town's annual Christmas parade goes right past our house. So we bundled up, put some hot chocolate in our travel mugs and headed out for the parade. Riley seemed to like the trucks and people as they walked by. By the end, he was exhausted. Even the sirens from the fire trucks weren't enough to keep him awake. Here are a few pictures from Riley's first Christmas parade.

My First Christmas Ornament

I will be the first to admit that I am a nostalgic sap when it comes to Christmas. I watch that cheesy animatronic Rudolph special every year (I actually own a copy of it). I play the same Christmas CD as the FIRST Christmas music of the season (Tony Bennett Christmas) AND I always always ALWAYS put the first ornament I ever got up on the tree first.

This ornament is a ten inch fabric doll with brown hair, red cheeks and suspenders. Across the front of the little boy's outfit are the letters "R Y A N". I love this ornament. Even in the box of ornaments that I have accumulated over the years, this one lies on top (because it is usually the last one taken off the tree). It reminds me of my childhood even though I don't remember getting this ornament because I was only about 9 months old when I had my first Christmas.

Missy has allowed me to continue this tradition even since we got married. The first few years in our little apartment, we had a tiny little fake tree and this ornament took up half the front of the tree because it HAD to be front and center.

This year, because we are in a house, we were able to get a real tree that is about 6 feet high. Of course, the first ornament I put up was my Ryan doll. Missy and I continued to put up ornaments (while listening to Tony Bennett) as Riley slept. Then later after he woke up I held him and showed him our Christmas tree with the pretty lights. The first thing he leaned in to touch? My first Christmas ornament. That was when it hit me. I have come full circle. Here I was, a father holding his son who was about to have his first Christmas, holding an ornament I got before my first Christmas ornament 30 years before. On Christmas, Riley will be 9 months old-just like his dad was on his first Christmas.

I don't know what my first Christmas was like. I know that Riley's first will be FULL of gifts (thanks Mom). I also hope that he too will get a first Christmas ornament and that he will cherish it the way I have cherished mine for the past 30 years. And one day, he can hold his son and show him the first ormanent he ever got for the Christmas of 2007.

Merry Christmas, bud.

God & Caffeine

As I had mentioned in my last post, Missy and I decided it would be best for Riley if we drove through the night to Michigan for Thanksgiving. We left at around 6:00 pm on Tuesday night. We promptly ran into a wall of traffice 10 minutes from our house. We were 25 minutes behind schedule before we paid our first toll. HOwever, from that point forward, it was pretty clear sailing. I had nervously anticipated this trip for several weeks. I was excited at the prospect of roadtripping with Missy, drinking bad coffee and 24 hour gas stations, and seeing the sun rise. The anticipation of seeing family that we had not seen for a few months also helped. I was also nervous as to how Riley would do with riding in a car..........for 12 hours..........backwards..........strapped in.

As it turned out, the trip went very well. I drove the first 9 hours or so with little problem. Missy jumped in and promptly drove for 3 hours in the rain. But she did great. And I think the big reasons for our great trip are listed in the title of this blog.......in that order.

We had a lot of people praying for us (including us) that our trip would go smoothly and we would stay awake. And we did. I could feel the prayers as we went. I could also feel the 32 oz. Coke I drank along the way. That kept me awake without any problems.

The problems came when we decided to take the same strategy home. We determined that to keep Riley's schedule as normal as possible (and thus keep us as sane as possible), we would drive through the night again on Saturday evening.

This time Riley had contracted what sounded like emphysema. I was sick (a lack of sleep on Tuesday night combined with sharing a room with a sick child did me in). The anticipation of seeing Missy's family was gone. No part of us wanted to leave on Saturday night. But still we left. And once again we relied on God and caffeine....in that order. I honestly had a bad feeling about going back. We stopped at a rest stop somewhere in Ohio to sleep for an hour. At which point, I was convinced we would become a CSI case. But we didn't. Riley had one coughing fit at around 4 am. This prompted us to roll down the windows to get him some cold air which was great for him but the frost on my hands just thawed yesterday. But other than that, the trip was even smoother than our trip out. We even stopped at Bob Evans for breakfast. And I got to see the sun rise.

I hope we won't have to make a trip like that again for while. I am looking forward to this weekend to finally catch up on sleep (though with a child that may have to wait a few years to actually happen). However, when we do have to roadtrip it again through the night, I know that we will be able to make it through because of God and caffeine.....in that order.

Two Worlds.....

I met Josh the first weekend of my freshman year at college. We had our adventures from dodging trains to dodging trucks to dodging class. I made a trip, along with a few other friends, to Korea to see Josh and watch a few World Cup soccer matches. He and his wife now live in Boston and have made a few trips down to see us. Just as we have made a few up to see them.

Josh was the first college friend I told that Missy and I were pregnant. I did so mainly because only a few weeks earlier he asked flat out if we were pregnant and I had to lie and tell him no. We hadn't reached the magic time threshold when we could tell people. I called him back because I felt guilty. Nonetheless, he was the first.

And this past Monday, he was the first college friend to meet Riley in person. Josh was passing through for a day or so on his way to (eventually) the West Coast and he wanted to see our little guy. Riley was a little shy at first. Then after about 45 seconds of shyness he warmed up to Josh. Well, actually, he just kind of stared at him. Then he would smile. Then he would stare. Then smile again. (I think I had the same reaction when I met Josh) Eventually he would warm up to him enough to play with him (see pictures below). By the end, they were old friends.

For me, it was a somewhat surreal experience. It was sort of like my wedding day when people that are near and dear to me from all different times of my life all of a sudden were together at the same place and at the same time. For the past (almost) 8 months, Riley has been our world. He has changed our lives in ways I cannot begin to describe. He is our life. And all of a sudden he was playing with a guy that I've known for over 10 years and have shared many great memories and conversations with.

I loved it. I hope that he will be able to meet some of my other friends as he gets older. And hopefully he can laugh with them and have fun with them the same way I did (and continue to do).

Just maybe this time without the trains.......

Road Tripping.....

First, just to throw it out there:

The Delps are taking their first real road trip next week with young Riley. We are driving to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with Missy's family. To help keep Riley's schedule as normal as possible, we are driving through the night so that he can sleep and we can (hopefully) stay sane. Actually, as I write this (at 10:14 pm), one week from now, we will hopefully be approaching the PA/Ohio border.

Part of me has this excitement of doing the old road trip, stopping at gas stations and getting bad coffee at 3 in the morning. I love doing road trips with Missy. We have a blast together. However, another part of me is worried because I have NO idea what to expect. 11 hours in a car with a crying child could send me to the mental institute. Also, I have visions of driving with the gas light on and seeing a sign that says "Next gas station: 50 miles".

So if you think of it, pray for the Delp family as we embark on a new exciting journey (twice actually because I think we are coming home at some point). It could fun. It could be a disaster. I am confident that it will be a time to remember.

Let's just hope it is for the right reasons.

College Flashback

no not that kind. sorry.

Last week, I took my first step to get letters after my name. One of the designations you can get in the insurance industry is that of a C.I.C. Quite frankly, I am not sure what C.I.C. stands for - Certified Insurance C...something, I think. But to get it, you must take five - three day courses and pass a 20 question essay test. It is miserable. I mean it is terrible. Someone described it to me as "torture" and that was pretty much what it was. And really, the worst part was not the fact that I had to sit through 20 hours of lecture on commercial property coverage and what endorsement to a policy will provide additional coverage if you must build to meet updated building codes - Ordinance and Law. It wasn't the 100 or so notecards I had stacked up to help me review the mountain of information. It wasn't even the two hour essay exam. The worst part of the whole time I was gone actually surprised me.

I was lonely. Obviously, I missed my family. I broke the land speed record coming home on Saturday. However, it wasn't JUST that I missed my family. I missed social interaction. That may sound weird from someone who spent 20+ hours in a room with 100 other people. But the thing was no one talked to anyone else. Many of the people there were taking the exam and so whenever they weren't in class, they were in their hotel room studying. During breaks, everyone would go out and call people on their cell phones. People didn't really talk to each other. I sat in class, then had lunch by myself, then went back to class, then had dinner by myself, then studied.....by myself.

I was very surprised by how much I longed for social interaction. I found myself chatting up the waitresses at the restaurants and front desk people at the hotel and the cashier at Starbucks just to have SOMEONE to talk to. It was very odd. I have always considered myself an introvert (my Meyers Briggs test confirms that). However, as I get older, maybe I am getting a little more extraverted. I must be because this conference was a wall flower's dream and I was bouncing off the walls.

So while this weekend brought back memories of finals week except in this case, the class started AND ended in the course of less than a week (and there were no runs to late night showings of Braveheart or The Matrix), the one major thing that was different was the time in between class. Where I used to spend it with friends, here I spent it alone.

I hope and pray that I passed that test and will only have to endure four more of those things. Not because I would hate studying and taking the test again (which I would) but I don't want to spend three more days feeling like I am on a desert island. I need to have some human interaction.

Well, I have to go. I'm going to go see what Missy is doing.......

That was easy.....

Last weekend during my Saturday morning errands (an odd favorite activity of mine), I went to Staples to buy a much needed filing cabinet as our current ones are overflowing. While waiting in line, a little boy was standing with his father behind me. The little boy said to his dad, "Hey Dad, this is the 'easy' place!" The boy, of course, was referring to Staples marketing campaign that includes the "Easy Button" and how if you hit the button (i.e. go to Staples and buy their products) things will get done quickly and easily and the slogan at the end of the commercial is, "That was easy". My parents actually have one of these buttons in their house. It serves no other purpose than to sit there and utter Staples slogan when pressed.

A couple of things hit me when this kid made this statement. My first comment to the person behind me after he said this was, "That's good marketing". I (very naievely) for a very long time felt that commercials and marketing campaigns and slogans were ineffective. At least to me. However, I now believe that those things absorb themselves into our culture and our subconcious without us even being aware. We associate certain products and certain companies with certain lines of thinking. The one that hits me first is Geico. Immediately when I say that name, people probably think of that little green reptile with the British accent. Being in insurance myself, I have had many conversations with reps from other insurance companies who speak positively about their company as opposed to "that gecko". Everyone in the room knows who they are referring to. Geico has flooded the market. They are everywhere. They are in print ads, radio ads, tv ads, billboards - the cavemen ads have even been spun off onto their own show. I am just waiting for the gecko to get his own late night talk show. The thing is, it works. The ads are funny. They have catchy music. And lots of people are switching to Geico for car insurance. They may not have the best prices or service but it doesn't matter.

As much as we may think that ad campaigns don't have an impact on us. They do. Going back to my first post where I talk about what "dry in rain" means. Thinking that we can exist in this world and not be affected by ads is like saying that we can stand in the rain and not get wet. They are everywhere. And they are relentless. I would be shocked if not one person who reads this blog does not either have Geico or hasn't at least checked out Geico's website.

Secondly, and this is the scary part now that I am a parent, kids minds are like sponges. If they see something, hear something, read something, they are going to absorb it. That kid in line didn't just come up with the fact that Staples was the "easy" place because he and his father found what they were looking for in an efficient way. He heard it or saw it somewhere. Or maybe both. He probably saw a funny ad with a stressed out office worker who hits the Easy button and Staples comes to the rescue. And while having a kid say various slogans from national companies is not a bad thing, there are implications that go a little bit further. The ad campaign that scares me a little bit is for the spray Tag (Axe is another one). It is used by guys (from my experience teenage boys) as sort of a cologne. In the ads, the guys who put it on are promptly attacked by women. The ads are about as subtle as 2x4 to the face. The message: use this spray, girls will flock like the salmon of Capostrano (thank you Dumb and Dumber). The hormones of teenage boys are crazy enough, do we really need an ad to push them even further? And the thing is, have you ever smelled Tag??? It reminds me of one of Riley's diapers after he has eaten butternut squash. But obviously Tag is doing something right. If they can sell something that smells THAT bad, their ads are working.

This isn't supposed to be a monologue on the state of children and media in the 21st century. I think that subject has been touched on ad nauseum. I think I just have gotten so used to hearing the conversation about kids and media, I had grown numb to it. That is until I heard a slogan come out of a little boy's mouth.

Thanks kid. Hey did you know 15 minutes could save you 15% on car insurance???

Another late tribute

This is not quite as overdue but it is late all the same.

Last Saturday night, we celebrated my beautiful wife's 30th birthday. What better way to celebrate than with friends, food and CASH BINGO! That's right. We had a blast playing bingo for $25-$30 pots (a dollar a card with a max of two cards per person). It was a great night of loving on a great girl.

Missy turned 30 on October 15th. It was also just about this time 10 years ago that we first met. That means she has known me for a third of her life. How she doesn't have gray hair or no hair at all, I am not sure. Each day of knowing her and better yet calling her my wife is a privileged day for me. I know I have received a gift. I know I got away with this one. As the saying goes here in football crazed Philadelphia, I outpunted my coverage. In other words, I don't deserve the woman that I got. God was EXTRA nice to me when He put us together. And now, I get to see her in a new and amazing role. She is the mother of my child. Now I can not only say that I couldn't ask for a better wife but I couldn't ask for a better mom to my child. She is amazing to watch. I think Riley has an idea that he is a lucky kid too. That's why he is (almost) always all smile and laughs. He got lucky too.

So Miss, thanks for laughing, loving and living for 30 years. And thanks for being just crazy enough to choose me as your husband (twice!) I thank God that I get to have you as my partner in crime and in life. You put up with a lot dealing with me every day and yet somehow are able to smile and roll your eyes and tell me you love me.

Here's to another 10 years and more of tomato soup and grilled cheese, Friday night movies, walks with Riley around the neighborhood, Lost/24/The Office, ongoing games of Sorry and a lifetime of memories. I love you, Missy. Happy Birthday.

A Thank You Long Overdue

This may set a record for longest delay in commenting on a prior event but it has been on my heart for months. Back in July, I got together with a group of my dearest friends in Colorado. We all went to college together and by God's grace, despite living (well some of us, myself included) hundreds or thousands of miles apart and beginning new lives beyond college, still maintain some semblence of contact with each other whether it be through blogs, fantasy sports, email, phone calls and the occasional fast. From my informal surveys, this connection, particularly with this large a number of guys (it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 guys) is unusual. What is even more unusual is that on a pretty much yearly basis, we try and make a point to meet somewhere for a long weekend. And while most of the weekend consists of reliving old college memories, playing poker and Halo (yes the original one - we're old), there are still precious times of connecting on that deep level. It is like we are sitting in someone's dorm room, it is a Tuesday morning, 2 a.m., and we have an exam in 6 hours but haven't started studying because we are engaged in a great conversation about how girls can break our hearts. The difference, of course, is that we now have jobs, families, less hair, more weight and more bills.

But for one weekend, you would never know (other than the steady stream of guys walking around outside on their cell phones talking to their wives). For the years I am able to go, like this year, it is one my most treasured times. For me, a communications major, I cannot put into words what this time means to me. I wish I could bottle those moments and take them with me. Perhaps that is the beauty of it, though. I can't. Those moments are self contained reminders that God loved me so much that he gave me friends that I would die for though I only see them once a year if I am lucky.

So for you guys, I thank you - way late. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for challenging me. Thank you for making me feel like I am half good at Halo. Thank you for loving me and allowing me to be your friend. It is one of the greatest gifts I could ever have.

And where are we getting together next year??

A Proud Papa

Alright, off to a good start with the year 2 resolutions!

I make no secret that I love the Philadelphia Eagles. Though this year is off to a brutal start, my loyalty and love still lies with this team. My dream is to have that passion and devotion be handed down to my son. Here is how I did it:

Of course, like a true player, while beautiful women (ok, they weren't that great, it must have been the Eagles JV cheerleaders) swooned over him, he blew them off. He was more interested in the little shiny pieces of plastic in their pom poms (as the pictures displays) than the actual cheerleaders. I couldn't have been more proud. And Missy couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Hey, whatever I have to do to make this kid an Eagles fan, that is the sacrifice I am willing to make. Go Birds!!!

1 year.....and change

After looking at past blog posts, I noticed that I made my first contribution to this blog on September 20th, 2006. I remember the moment very vividly. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know how to add fancy links and show the world what my favorite books were. Hence the rather bland look of this blog, which I have never bothered to fix. Maybe one day. I just wanted to let the world (who am I kidding, I know like three people read this but even those three make me excited to post) read my thoughts both humorous and serious.

In looking over the past year, the one thing that stands out is the irregularity in which I wrote. I had dreams of posting every day or at worst every week. However, I would go weeks and in some cases months in between posts. Granted, in there I became a father and for one long painful stretch we were without internet. However, if my goal is to post my thoughts, going a month or two just isn't acceptable.

So I guess my 1 year anniversary resolution is to post more often. Now that Riley and the computer don't share a room, hopefully that will make it easier. So as a reader, please keep me accountable. If I haven't written in a while, please feel free to post (I do check for posts pretty much every day) and tell me to get off my not so fat butt and type a line or two.

Also, after one year, I am very proud to announce that I am no longer the only blogger in the Delp family. Missy and I talked about starting a blog that keeps people updated on what is going on with our family. Many of our friends have family blogs and we LOVE checking them and keeping up to date on what is going on in their lives.

So (drumroll please) ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce

delppartyofthree.blogspot.com

to the world of blogging. Missy will be posting regularly (with possible special guest contributions from world renowned blogger: me) and keeping the world apprised of the goings on of the Delp clan. She took the time to make the blog look cool so I could probably take a page out of her book to make mine look the slightest bit interesting. We'll see.

So for all of you who have read my blog at some point over the past year, thank you. I love the fact that I have friends all over the country who read and post on my blog. Please continue to do so.

So here's to Year 2 of dryinrain. May it be full of honesty, humor and most importantly pictures of Riley.

Riley's first Eagles game

So ever since Riley was born, I was counting the days until he could experience his first Eagles game. The highs, the lows - usually more lows than highs. My cousin Kyle even bought him a Donovan McNabb jersey to wear. The thought of he and I sitting in front of the TV (I know babies are not supposed to watch TV but this was educational and cultural and could be chalked up to family bonding) with our McNabb jerseys got me so excited. I felt like it was MY first Eagles game again.

So two Sundays ago, we got up and drove back to PA after a great weekend at our house on the Chesapeake Bay. We had just enough time to stop home and get our jersey and then head over to Granmom and Pop's (my parents') house to watch the Eagles kick off their season against the Green Bay Packers. I mean, if you are going to experience your first Eagles game, you might as well see in High Def, right? Uncle Tracy and aunt Jenna joined the fun to make the first game a true family experience.

So as the ball was kicked to start the Eagles regular season, Riley sat on my lap, transfixed by the beauty and wonder that is an Eagles game (or maybe it was just the bright colors). And the team, to their credit did not disappoint. Four of their first six plays involved penalties. One that didn't was a missed punt that the Packers jumped on in the end zone for a touchdown. Another was an interception by the Packers leading to a field goal. Five minutes into the game and the Eagles were down 10-0. Welcome to your first Eagles game, bud. After watching only a few minutes of the game and his dad, Riley officially became an Eagles fan. He was yelling and screaming and demanding that McNabb be traded and Andy Reid, the coach, be fired. That moment was captured in the picture below.

After several painful minutes, Riley lost interest and spent his time playing, drooling and watching his dad grow angrier and angrier.

In the end, the Eagles didn't disappoint. Two dropped punts led to enough points to lose the first game. So now that Riley has the sweet taste of underachievement, disappointment and pessimism towards a 16 week season, he is ready to be a true Eagles fan. And his daddy couldn't be any prouder,

.

The Drought is Over

Six weeks and one day. That is how long it took to get internet in our house. People have decided murder trials in less time. People have met, fallen in love and gotten married in less time. WARS have begun and ended in less time. Somehow, someway, we managed to go six weeks in our new house without internet. 25% of Riley's life has passed since the last time we had internet. As you may be able to tell, I have not been too thrilled over some of the developments of the last, oh I don't know, SIX WEEKS AND ONE DAY!

However, despite all of that, we are so happy to be in our new place. We (specifically Missy, I watch Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel) has been busy organzing, sorting, painting and just generally settling in. There is still lots to do, of which I am mostly responsible for, but for the most part we have settled in. Riley seems to love his new pad. We have a pretty busy road out in front of our place and he loves watching the cars go by. That has been our new sedative for when he starts to get fussy. We just step out on our porch and watch the cars.

Once we officially own the house in early 2008, we will start some major work on the place. Between ourselves and my contractor father, we have plenty of thoughts of things we want to work on. By the time we are done all of them, Riley will be putting us in the retirement home and/or the poor house.

So anyway, we are in and are once again part of the 21st century. More blogs to come. If you are reading this, thank you for not assuming that I was never going to post again. For awhile I wasn't so sure. And now that Riley and the computer don't share the same room, more blogs should be coming. I just hope I am more diligent at blogging than I have been about hanging pictures.......

And here is a recent picture of Riley enjoying his new digs.

The Delps Have Moved......Into the Stone Age!

hi everyone. for those of you who may have checked this blog from time and time and wondered why nothing has been posted, the reason is simple. the delps have no internet. still. after a month. with no end in sight.

the list of follies that have led to this are too long to list. the point is: Verizon is made up of a bunch of idiots. so we are switching carriers and they say we can't get internet for 15 to 20 business days or the end of the world whichever comes first (my money is on Armageddon). so once that is up and running IF that is ever up and running, i will be able to post more often but until then, you will have to wait.

So much has happened over the past month. I can't wait to share it all (or at least the highlights) but for now the world will have to wait.......

stay tuned......

The Delps Are Moving!!!!

That's right! Our dream for the past few years is finally becoming an reality. With our changing priorities (see: new baby), it was becoming more and more apparent that we needed to find something bigger and a little more permanent. So on July 4th, we signed into a Lease Purchase. We will be moving into our new place on August 1 (or so) and we will buy the property officially either in December or January. This month is a whirlwind of packing and ripping up carpet and trying to figure out how the heck we are going to pull this off. The house needs work. Actually it could use quite a bit of work. However, it has a ton more space and is a project that Missy and I can finally sink our teeth into, which we love.

This move should also help with the blogging as the computer will no longer be in the same room as where young Riley sleeps. It WILL, however, be in the room that the last tenants used to smoke pot in so if my posts seem more laid back and reference "the munchies", you will know why.

If you think of it, please pray. We have taken a big leap of faith in so many ways and are trusting God will be there for us. Please pray that we will keep trusting Him even when things may look and get a little (or alot) crazy.

We are so pumped and hope that all of you who read this will be able to come by and visit with us some time in your travels.

One very positive sign is that Riley seems to like the house already. When we are over there ripping up carpet or staples or whatever, he just sits in his bouncer seat and talks and laughs and kicks. Then after a while, he simply falls asleep. I guess the place feels like home to him already.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone. I was watching TV this morning and they had a reporter in Afghanistan with the troops that are over there. It hit me then that while I sat in the comfort of my own house, holding my healthy happy son, there were thousands of people who could not have that privilege. They are in a foreign place risking their lives so I could watch TV, drink coffee, enjoy my family and not worry about a car exploding where I am working or having lunch.

Most of you will probably not read this on July 4th (which might be even better, it's easy to be patriotic on this day). If you read this, please take one minute to thank God that we have incredible men and women, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives living in places of the world we would never want to go, spending each day including the days we all have off of work, defending this great country so that we could go to BBQ's, watch fireworks and spend time with our family and friends.

So once again, Happy 4th of July everyone. We live in a great country. On behalf of myself and my family, I thank those who are fighting to keep it that way.

Father's Day on a park bench....

Yes, this is a little late but like any father of a young child, I have had little time for anything but watching baby Riley. The phrase that I have come up with to describe parenthood is (in addition to my last phrase):

Beautifully unproductive.

To do lists be darned. Our schedule has one thing on it. Anything else that happens is a bonus. But it is time well spent. These days will never happen again. Everything on the to-do list will need to be done again next week or next month. But this day with Riley will never happen again. We are trying to savor every single moment.

Father's Day began down at our house in Maryland. I got to go fishing with my dad. A regular event each summer that I cherish. We only catch 5 inch perch - 8 inch if we get lucky - but we prepare each time out like we are going out for blue marlin. And you can't beat the company and the scenery. The rest of the day was spent like any good weekend at the Bay. Wiffle ball. Crab feast for lunch. Then we made our way back to a favorite local restaurant in PA to celebrate Father's Day with my dad. As soon as we sat down, Riley got fussy. Actually, truth be told, he was fussy for the 15 minutes leading up to sitting down as well. So to spare everyone in the restaurant from his ear-splitting cry, I took Riley outside for a little fresh air.

So we walked around and stopped in a little courtyard outside of the restaurant. Together, we looked at the flowers (he has discovered colors) and listened to the XM radio station playing the best of the 70's, 80's and 90's. All of a sudden, Riley started to smile. He not only smiled, he laughed. He was having a BALL. And it hit me. Maybe he just wanted a little time alone with his dad on Father's day. Of course, he may have just had gas or something but it was clear he was having a great time. So we sat outside, Riley with a smile on his face, me with tears in my eyes, savoring our first Father's Day together, just me and him.

It must have been obvious that I was a first time dad. As we sat there and as we went back into the restaurant (even dads have to eat some time), a number of people smiled at me and wished me a happy Father's Day. It WAS a happy Father's Day.

Thank you Riley. I love you buddy. Wanna go fishing?

A First Look at First Cousins

Can you tell I am a little behind in my blogging???

About a month ago, Missy's brother, his wife and their two kids, Luke and Abby came out to visit us. They also came to see Riley for the first time. It was the first time Riley had met his first cousins. Two days after they left, Missy's two sisters came in, one of them with her son Scout. Scout is the closest to Riley's age - they are about 3 months apart. As it stands right now, Riley has five first cousins. In a span of one week, he got to meet three of them.

While Riley didn't seem overly moved by the experience (other than being hungry and sleepy not too much gets this kid excited yet), I thought it was great to see him with his cousins. I have six first cousins. I have countless memories of playing with them as kids. Whether it be at holidays, during the summer or at family reunions, I loved the times I had with my first cousins. Now they are all (at least legally) adults. I have enjoyed great conversations with all of them about kids, marriage, jobs and life in general.

Those memories get me excited to see how Riley will connect with his cousins a few years down the road. I have visions of Riley being required to play house with Jamie, football with Charlie, trains with Luke, something that involves the color pink with Abby and with Scout - he is a little young yet but in seeing him so far, knowing his father and knowing Riley's father, I could see them getting involved in some sort of criminal activity. Look out Family Reunion 2016!!

Small Victories

Before I was a parent, I heard people with kids say things like, "Billy is eating solid foods now" or "Susie smiled at me yesterday". My ignorant thought was, "So?" What was the big deal? I cleaned out my closet yesterday. No one is giving me an award. However, now I know what they are talking about.

We made the decision recently to move Riley from his very comfortable (though awkward looking at times) position of sleeping in his car seat to sleeping in a crib. Pre-parent Ryan would have listed this about as significant a move as finding an M & M under the couch cushion (why is it always an M&M or a piece of popcorn? Why can't it be a $100 bill?). However, Ryan the dad (and his wonderful partner in crime Missy the mom) devoted an ENTIRE WEEKEND to this endeavor. We approached this adventure with the fear and trepidation. We developed a shift schedule - one of us would be on call while the other slept then we would rotate. We prayed. We stressed. We begged Riley to adjust quickly to his new sleeping environment. Once again, we felt like we were on the eve of D-Day.

And you know what? We survived. Riley had a few cries here and there but he slept for the most part right through the night. A small victory in the Delp household. Now, while I deem this to be worth mention to the entire world wide web community, those of you reading probably wish you had the last 3 minutes of your life back. But once you have kids you realize - those small victories are enormous triumphs in the world of parenting. The fact that I have heard my son LAUGH for the first time is huge. The fact that he can hold his head up and not look like Stevie Wonder all the time is incredible (though if he had put on some sunglasses and a braided wig - that might be worth regressing his development for a little while).

So our son now sleeps in a crib. Now that that hurdle has been crossed, I can only see one more in front of him - getting a job.

A Trek to his Namesake

This past Memorial Day weekend was one that I had been looking forward to for almost a year. Not because we were gettting a three day weekend (which was nice by the way) but because Riley was going, for the first time, to the place for which he was named.


Our family has had a house in Grasonville, MD since before I was born. I have spent countless summer (and some spring and fall) days down there fishing, crabbing, playing wiffle ball, enjoying messy crab feasts and just hanging out with family. Some of my earliest and fondest memories occurred while down "at the Bay". To this day, one of the highlights of my year is arriving at the Bay house on Friday night ready to enjoy the first Bay weekend of the summer. Conversely, even as an adult, leaving the Bay for the last time that year brings about tremendous emotions. In short, this place means the world to me.


Over the past few years as a married man, this place has brought even more meaning to my life. It is here that I proposed to Missy (for the second and last time). And more recently, it is here that we first learned that we were going to be parents. These moments, in combination with the many memories that we have collected over the years at the Bay house brought us to the decision to name our son after the town where our house resides - Grason. We knew that we were not cool or artsy enough to pull off Grason as a first name so we decided to use it as his middle name. We may be the first parents in history to have the middle name set before the first name.


And so it was with great anticipation that we took Riley Grason down to our Bay house. True to form, he slept through most of the "firsts" of the weekend. First time inside the house - out. First time on the boat - gone. The one time he was not asleep was when we walked on the dock for the first time. The brutal sun pretty much prevented that. We feebly attempted to cover his face but because he squirms more than a morey eel, it was pretty much impossible. Though, Missy humored me by taking several dozen pictures of this momentous, if not short lived, event.


So now that Riley has his first trip to the Bay under his elastic diaper band, I look forward to many more for him. My hope is that he can experience beautiful and life changing memories at the Bay house the way his father and mother (and grandparents and great grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins) have. He already has the boat ride down. He has made a mess while eating - though his was formula, not crabmeat. And he has learned the important rule that it is ok to burp out loud. Why? Because it's the Bay! We will have to wait to experience fishing and wiffle ball. Maybe next weekend......

Mother's Day

When I think about Mother's Day, my first thought is of a video I made for my mom back in 1985 or so. I had this brilliant poem that I had just penned and I needed it to be immortalized forever. So I asked my grandfather to videotape me whilest I read this piece of literary brilliance aloud. There I stood, nappy Harry Potter hair, gap toothed (or maybe in that awkward adult front teeth/baby rest of the teeth stage) looking at the camera. Then I began to read in my falceto-like voice. I think I heard a dog howling in the background:

Roses are Red
A Dove is White
My Mom is Sweet
And so is her Love

Now, while that melted my mom's heart, I'm sure, I cannot help but look back on that poem and wonder why I inserted Line 2. My thought is that I was looking for something to rhyme with "love", however, I had yet to learn that the rhyming words come at the END of each line. So instead, I interjected with a sort of geology lesson - though I think doves are gray......I cannot remember the poem I wrote for Father's Day but I'm sure it started off something like:

I love My Dad
The Chinchilla is a Herbivore.....

Fortunately, that video has long since been lost. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have a cult following on YouTube.

This year, Mother's Day took on a whole new meaning for me. That's because Missy celebrated her first Mother's Day as a mom. In years past, I thought Mother's Day was a nice sweet day to make corny poems and give money to Hallmark. However, now I am strong proponent of having a Mother's Week. Or even Month. Watching Missy take care of Riley day (and night) in and day (and night) out. I have a new and tremendous appreciation for what moms do (and what my mom did). No amount of words or gifts or luncheons could express the appreciation and sincere awe I have for Missy as well as other moms who love and take care of their kids. Raising a child is a full time job where you take "breaks" in between their naps (like I am doing now). Not to take anything away from dads (heck, I'M a dad now) but a mother's job cannot be overappreciated, overpraised and overthanked. So to all the moms out there and specifically to the one who raised me and the one who is mom to my child, Happy Mother's Day. Oh and dolphins are mammals.

Like Father Like Son

Here is one of my new favorite pictures of Riley. It gets me every time. The word is that Missy was holding Riley in her lap and said, "Riley, here is your inspiration: I want you to make a face that reflects your assessment of your daddy's intelligence level. GO!" Here is his interpretation:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Riley is going through, let's call it, an interesting stage. He is certainly more interactive. He is starting to smile which is awesome. He makes cute sounds. He looks at us. He looks FOR us. But he also freaks. Alot. He cries to the point where he has no air left to push out and he just sits there with a red contorted face, mouth open and nothing coming out. Then he catches his breath and winds up again. The amazing thing is that these two sides of him crash together within seconds of each other. You can watch as the transformation happens. His smile melts into the face of fury in a matter of moments. And then we are in for an extended period of shushing, swaddling, swaying and the other two S's that I don't remember - I think they are Swearing and Screaming. That transformation has led me to my summarization (thus far) of parenting. It just came to me after one of his episodes:

Parenting is a minute of bliss and an hour of misery with a second of rest.

I have found parenting to be the most humbling, maddening, selfless thing I have ever done. And I am a selfish person. When I got married, I knew that I was going to give some things up. I was going to sacrifice. However even in that, I could be selfish. It was called "compromising" or "negotiating".

Ryan: Missy, can I go golfing?
Missy: Only if I can get a new purse.
Ryan: Done.

(Later that day)

Ryan: Missy, can I go fishing?
Missy: Only if I can get blonde highlights.
Ryan: See you in two hours.

It has worked beautifully for the past (almost) four years. However, with parenting, there is no negotiation. There is no compromise. There is no reasoning. You can't promise to do something in exchange for this child to stop screaming. If so, I would have promised to be a junior high cheerleading coach (my idea of the fourth stage of hell) if he would just stop crying. But it doesn't work that way. He cries. You spend hours calming him down. Then the phone rings or a car drives by or a fly runs into the window and the scream returns. Begging, pleading, cajoling, offering every penny in your bank account - it doesn't work - believe me I've tried. You just have to take it. With a calm smile on your face. Because if you don't, Mr. Hyde will emerge and you won't remember what Dr. Jekyl looked like.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Thank God for showers

Right up there with Columbus' finding of the New World, the discovery of penicilin and the uncovering of the Dead Sea Scrolls was our discovery of an invaluable treasure over the weekend. We learned simply by dumb luck that the sound of a running shower INSTANTANEOUSLY transforms our son from a screaming, hysterical, inconsolable wreck to a quiet angel whose face resembles the look I had every time I sat through an 8:00 am lecture in college. It looks something like this:

I'm pretty sure that half the Delaware River has run through our shower head over the past 4 days but I don't care. I wouldn't care if nuclear waste was pouring out of there, if it makes him quiet, I'll take it.

Actually, it looks like we may need to have an visit to the shower very soon.

Finally.....

I have thought about this blog every day for the past 2 1/2 weeks. A number of my friends have recently had babies and within a day or two there are pictures galore up on their blogs of the baby and their trip home and their first bath, etc. I had EVERY intention to do that. Then parenthood set in. Two weeks of long nights, dirty diapers, blood curdling screams and most importantly intimate stares and quiet kisses - all of a sudden we are a day away from Easter.

As most (or all) of you know, Missy and I had our son on March 22nd. His name is Riley Grason. Riley is a name that we both liked plus it sounded like "Ryan" without being "Ryan". The earth would explode if there were two Ryan Delp's on the planet. Grason comes from the name of the town where our family has had a summer home for over 30 years. I spent most of my summers there growing up. It is a place I hold very dear to my heart. It is also where I proposed to my wife and where we found out we were pregnant. We had the middle name picked out before the first name.

Missy went into labor at around midnight and by 3:41 pm, our son was here. I was positive that I would be a blubbering mess when he came out. I was ready to bawl my eyes out. But I didn't. I couldn't. I couldn't do ANYTHING. I just stared at him, all beat up and slimy, with nothing but an awed look on my face and perhaps a gasp of amazement and excitement. No words could describe what I had just seen. It wasn't horrible, it wasn't disgusting. It was the kind of event that renders a communication major speechless. I have seen the Grand Canyon. I have seen the Atlantic Ocean at sunset. I have seen the coral reefs of the Caribbean. But I have never seen anything more incredible in my life than this. We had a son.

Since that day, I have had enough experiences and thoughts to fill 100 blogs. From the humorous - a six day streak of being peed on - to the beautiful - lying Riley on my chest and watching him stare at me until he fell asleep. I could spend a year writing about the experiences of the past two weeks. However, I don't have that kind of time (and I hope you don't either) and actually I (obviously) have less time now than I did pre-child. My hope is to write shorter and more frequent looks inside the phenomenal world of being a parent. I have already been hit with lessons of patience, love, teamwork (NASCAR teams would envy Missy and my efficiency at changing Riley's diaper - all we need are pneumatic wrenches) and most poignantly the relationship I have with my heavenly Father.

So here is an early favorite picture of our son. I probably won't have tons of pictures (unless requested) and give weekly updates of how much he has grown (1 lb. 2oz. since leaving the hopital - he was 8lb. 8oz. by the way). This blog is my take on life and all that goes with it. My life has changed forever. My hope is that I can communicate this life change not only so you can read it but that I can always remember it.

The Delp Luck - a case of the Mondays

Quick update on the NCAA tournament. Remember when I said I had prepared like I was invading Normandy. Unfortunately, I am not having the same result. I am in third last place in one pool and only slightly better in my other pool. A high school who is in one of my pools made her picks while watching Real World/Road Rules is in third place. I am going to close my eyes and pick next year.......


Ihave known this for a long time and many people that know me have confirmed this: I have bad luck. I seem to have a black cloud hovering over me quite a bit. I had mentioned in blog #1 that I got the nickname Chief Rain in the Face for all of the bad luck that I have had. The family calls it "Delp luck". I have enough stories to fill a book. Perhaps I should start a Volume 2.....

Missy is due pretty much any minute. Our due date is actually tomorrow, March 21st. We were pretty sure that this baby was going to come early. However, unless she goes into labor in the next 3 hours, that won't happen. Anyway, we have tried to do everything within our power to make sure EVERYTHING is ready for when this baby arrives. We have even organized our vast CD collection - why, I'm really not sure. I guess if the baby really needs to hear something from an artist whose last name starts with L, we can find it quickly and efficiently. We have done our best to dot all of our i's and cross all of our t's to be fully ready when the little one arrives. Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough.

I play volleyball on Monday nights. I have played with pretty much the same guys for the last several years. Last Monday - the 12th - I was playing and we were one point away from winning the match. I went for a ball and ran into one of my teammates. All of a sudden, I felt a pop and couldn't stand on my right foot. I have hurt myself before and usually just walk it off. This time, it didn't happen. I, stupidly, kept playing and limped through the end of the game. After the game was over, I could barely walk to my car. After some prodding from Missy and putting aside my male ego, I went to the doctor. His thought - go directly to the hospital and get x-rays - your foot might be broken. Perfect. The x-rays have since come back and my foot is ok but I might have a fracture in my ankle. I will be headed to an orthopedic doctor tomorrow morning. So potentially I could be hobbling around with crutches and a cast when my son is being born. Not much we can do to prepare for that. I just hope someone videotapes the pathetic Delp family as they try and make their way up a flight of stairs when they bring their son home for the first time. It will be one sad display. Welcome home, son!

This past Monday - the 19th - I made my way out to our little old '94 Honda Accord to go to work like I do every day. I had to navigate the snow and (mostly) ice that came from the nasty storm we had on Friday. We had something like 6 inches of sleet alone. When I got to the Honda, I noticed something out of place in the back seat of the car. Snow. And glass. I then moved my line of sight to the back windshield of the car. Only one problem - it wasn't there. It was completely obliterated. Glass and snow and ice were everywhere. Using my CSI skills, I came to the conclusion that the melting snow and ice that had been on the roof of the house next to where I parked had slid off, turned into a ballistic missle and destroyed the back of our poor Honda. The car sitting six feet to the left of our car was untouched, by the way. Not only was the windshield gone but there were big dents along either side of where the windshield used to be and the roof was dented in. Being an insurance agent, I knew just what to do. I called my dad. In one stroke of actual good luck, a body shop shares the parking lot where this missle attack occurred. So my dad and I walked over and they took the car right away. I spoke with the body shop later that day and the cost of the damage totalled over $3000. That means that the insurance company will probably total the car. THAT means that there is a decent chance that I will have to drive our newborn son home in the ONE car that we still have while wearing a cast on my driving foot.

So I have been 0-2 on the last two Mondays. What I would love to have happen is a reversal of fortunes this Monday. Maybe with the birth of a son. A welcome member to the family. I just hope he doesn't inherit the Delp luck.

March Madness

I printed off probably 30 pages of statistical breakdowns, analysis and pontifications from three different sports sites for this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. I also looked at a forth site that gave head to head comparisons. I wish I were kidding.

I am in three different pools. One is for a little trophy that I BOUGHT. One is for fun through church (and a gift certificate I think). And one is against several middle-aged women and their families through work (which I organized).

I am preparing for this thing like I'm invading Normandy.

I love March Madness......

30 Trips Around the Sun

Well, I figured I would wait two weeks to post again since that is probably how long it took everyone to read my Oscars diary. Sorry about that. Holy War and Peace!

Well, last Saturday I turned 30. I haven't really had too strong a feeling about turning 30 until recently. Actually until about 3:00 am on Saturday morning, I think. I woke up in pretty much a panic. Then I proceeded to wake up with the same feeling at 4, 5 and 6. It could have been the sushi I had the night before, it could have been the pending birth of our child, it could have been the realization that my 20's were just about over or it could have been a combination of all three. Either way I woke up feeling panicky. Only God knows why. I sure don't.

As I look back on my first 30 years, I have lived quite a life. I have been to 3 different continents, I have seen almost corner of this country, I have found the love of my life, I have made lifelong friends, I have felt both pain and joy that were beyond description and now I am standing on edge of the cliff called parenthood. However with each of those experiences, I experienced them through the lens of me, myself and I.

The thing that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around is the fact that other people care about me and see me in a positive way. The fact that people would take up part of their day to go go-karting with me and eat lunch with me; the fact that a decent number of people would get together, get me gifts and celebrate me (I think having free food there helped too but I will try not to think about that part); the fact that someone would drive 7+ hours round trip just to say happy birthday; the fact that someone would put together a photo montage on the computer that encompassed the moments of my life - the cute, embarrassing, momentous and downright awkward. As I reflected on the day, those things were tremendously humbling to me. It was at those moments that I realized that my life has had some meaning. It has had some impact. Since I exist only from the perspective of what I see from behind my two eyes, it is (and was) a moving experience to have people put so much effort and love into celebrating someone who I don't think deserves it - me.

All of that to say, thank you. To those of you who love me and call me friend and think that I am not a bad person to spend a part of your life with, whether it be 5 minutes for a talk about the Eagles or a lifetime til death do us part, thank you. Know that you have had an impact on a newly turned 30 year old.

So as I make my 31st trip around the sun and look back on my first 30, I hope that I can humble you and make a small part of your trip as beautiful and fulfilling as you have made mine.

My Oscar Diary

OK, I confess - I am an Oscar nerd. I like watching the Oscars and seeing the movies and actors/actresses in roles that I have no interest in seeing. Actually, I usually end up seeing a few of the films before they are nominated and then watch a few others that were nominated. I thought this year, it might be interesting to do a running diary of my Oscars experience. Also, Missy and I each made our picks of who we thought would win in each category. Most of the time, like in horse racing, we picked the ones with the best name since we had no idea what they were. I will reveal the final results at the end.

In my experiences of watching the Oscars, I have discovered a few trends. First of all, the Academy loves a few sets of people. If you are in a role as one of these sets of people, chances are you will win an Oscar. They are: mentally disabled people (Rainman, Forrest Gump, Slingblade, I am Sam), homosexuals (Philadelphia, Capote, Brokeback Mountain, the one with the lady from Desperate Housewives as a dude) and famous historical people (Ali, Capote, Ghandi, William Wallace, the lady that Salma Hayek played who had a unibrow). Tom Hanks made history by winning back to back Oscars. One year, he played a homosexual, the next a person with mental disabilities. That's why Tom Cruise has never won an Oscar. He has never played a homosexual or someone with mental disabilities - at least not in a movie. That's why I will GUARANTEE that one day a movie will come out where someone plays a homosexual who is mentally disabled. That year, there will be no other nominees. They will just hand that person the Oscar once the movie wraps.

So with that in mind, I had a few favorites - Best Actor - Forest Whitaker - only one playing a historical figure - though no one knows who he is, Best Actress - Helen Mirren - she plays the Queen of England - though this was tough. Judi Dench played a homosexual and then there is the Meryl Streep factor. If she walked into a screen door, she would be nominated for an Oscar. Also, my guess was that this was the year to celebrate Martin Scorcese. I saw the Departed. It was just like every other Scorcese film - violent, profane, filled with great actors and 6 hours long. But he has been nominated so many times, they were going to give it to him. OK, enough analysis, onto the show:

8:36 - Here comes the host Ellen Degeneres wearing a suit that Pee Wee Herman rejected. She is talking about various people in the audience. There's Best Actor nominee, Peter O' Toole. He has had so much surgery done to his face, he looks like he is permanently surprised. And the biggest applause goes to.....Al Gore. Am I watching the right show???

8:46 - OK, first award - make it a good one.......alright, my favorite - Best Art Direction - the Oscars are off to a big start!

8:53 - A song with Will Ferrell and his killer afro. Here comes Jack Black! They're hitting on the Queen! That song almost made up for the lame first award. Almost........Nevermind, they are reading the nominees for Best Makeup. The winner is......Joan Rivers! No! Pan's Labrynth - wow, they are 2-2 and I've never heard of this movie.

9:00 - Little Miss Sunshine and Will Smith's kid present TWO awards and Will Smith's kid apparently can't read teleprompters OR envelopes. At least he has cool hair and is name Jaden.

9:11 - A group that is a mixture of a gospel choir and that guy that does all of those sounds from Police Academy does montage of sound effects acapella. I guarantee that these people all got into this group because it promised to get them to the Oscars. Why else would you spend a year perfecting your impression of squealing tires?

9:20 - With the Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories out of the way, the first semi-major award - Best Supporting Actor. I thought Eddie Murphy had this in the bag. The Academy loves washed up actors who make a comeback (see Travolta in Pulp Fiction) but NO! An upset! Alan Arkin wins for playing the most profane grandfather in history in Little Miss Sunshine. If he was not in that movie, it would have easily been rated PG but with him - very R. I heard Eddie Murphy left right after that.

9:25 - Dancers behind a screen rolling around and.......they made a silouehette of the Oscar Statue! I bet those were the same people who did the sound effect thing.

9:31 - Music Time! James Taylor does the song from Cars and Melissa Etheridge does the song about Global Warming.

9:36 - Here comes Al Gore and Leo DiCaprio. Al Gore reminds me of the guy who graduated valedictorian from high school (or should I say salutorian thanks to a few hanging chads), goes off to college, grows out his hair (and gains 100 pounds), starts a band and now all of the popular kids act like they were always his friend. This documentary he did made him the coolest guy in school. Leo is practically proposing marriage to him. Al is loving it. Also, this is the first "Green" Oscars which means......

9:44 - Happy Feet wins best Animated Picture - the story of a tap dancing penguin who saves the penguin species from greenhouse gases or something

9:50 - Hey Ben Affleck! - fast forwarding.....

-Hey backstage cam! Stars blowing off host Chis Connelly! Good times!

10:00 - Ellen now looking like Evil Kenevel - Best Costume Design - the winner (a woman from Eastern Europe, I think) looks like she is wearing a costume from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Clint Eastwood is smiling.

10:05 - Hey, THERE'S Tom Cruise - tribute to someone, more fast forwarding......

10:11 - Gwenyth Paltrow comes out of hiding to announce best Cinematography - Pan's Labrynth again. Has anyone heard of this movie????

more silouette people

10:20 - Naomi Watts and Robert Downey Jr. present for Best Visual Effects. Robert Downey Jr. makes fun of his decade of drug use in the 90's - always good for a laugh. The obligatory Oscar for the highest grossing movie of the year (Pirates of the Caribbean). Note to all winners, don't give a speech without notes - I was waiting for this guy to start yelling, "Yo Adrian!!!!!"

10:22 - Ken Watanabe (the guy who out acted Tom Cruise in Last Samurai) and....it looks like Zsa Zsa Gabor in her 40's presenting for Best Foreign Film....I think. What are they saying??? I can't understand them. There's a shot of Borat! He is probably thinking that his character spoke better English than these people. The winner.....oooh, not Pan's Labrynth! Some German film won. The guy is thanking David Hasselhoff AND Arnold Schwarzenegger! Ok, he only thanked the Governator. No, seriously, he did.

more silouette dancers - this time making the poster for Snakes on a Plane

10:34 - George Clooney looking like he just got done hanging out with the Rat Pack. Best Supporting Actress. Please be Little Miss Sunshine, please.......NO! American Idol castoff Jennifer Hudson wins and looks sincerely shocked to be on stage. She is defining "deer in the headlights". So let's keep score of Oscars here - American Idol reject: 1, Martin Scorcese: 0

10:42 - Best Short Film, guess how much I care.

1045 - Jerry Seinfeld comes on. He is introduced with, "You've been wondering where he was, here he is!" He's been waiting backstage at the Kodak Theatre for the last 10 years! Or has he been in hiding ever since Michael Richards started doing stand up.....OK, Best Documentary, hmmmm, I wonder who will win.....Al Gore's movie! I can't believe it! My money was on Jesus Camp.....

10:50 - Here comes Clint Eastwood.....honoring a composer.....who comes out for his Oscar.....and doesn't speak English.....is speaking in Spanish.....Clint is looking lost.....oh no, now Clint is trying to translate......this is uncomfortable.....and this guy keeps talking......and Clint is smiling through his teeth......and the audience claps long enough to get the guy off stage, wow, I'm glad that's over. As they cut to commercial, you hear Clint utter, "I should've worn my glasses". I love Clint.

11:00 - There are still 8 awards left. Why was I born?

11:05 - Best Original Score - NEXT!

11:10 - Speech by Academy of Motion Picture President - NEXT!

11:11 - Toby McGuire and Kirsten Dunst come out to the old "Spiderman" TV show theme - classic. Best Original Screenplay - the winner......Little Miss Sunshine (which guarantees they don't win Best Picture). Whenever the winner is announced, the movie trailer guy gives the audience a little factoid about the winner. For this guy, he quit being the assistant to Matthew Broderick to write Little Miss Sunshine. I would say it is a good year when you start it by getting Ferris Bueller his Double Latte and end it by winning more Oscars than Martin Scorcese.

I'm getting tired of the silouette people

11:20 - The Dreamgirls songs. They have three songs (out of five) nominated for Best Song. They HAVE to win. Right?

11:28 - Best Song - Melissa Etheridge for the Global Warming song. So let me get this right, Dreamgirls has 60% of the nominees in the category. They are performed by a multi-Grammy winner (Beyonce) and a Golden Globe and Oscar winner (Jennifer Hudson). And they lose. This really is a "Green" Oscar awards show.

11:35 - Here comes Will Smith - please do better than your son - who I think was on 18 hours ago. A tribute to America. Actually pretty good. But taking up time. My Coke from 4 hours ago has worn off.

11:41 - Kate Winslett presents for Best Editing. The Departed wins and there is a shot of a BALD Jack Nicholson backstage looking like he just put a whoopie cushion on someones' seat and is waiting for them to sit down.

11:45 - Jodie Foster intros the obligatory "Who Died in 2006" montage. I always listen for who gets the biggest applause. The winner is......Director (or Producer - what's the difference) Robert Altman who barely beats out Don Knotts. Must have been a slow year.

11:51 - Phillip Seymour Hoffman comes out doing his Jack Nicholson in the 90's look. Best Actress - let's see if my theory holds up.....yup - Helen Mirren for "The Queen". She should have won, I mean the movie WAS named for her. The movie trailer guy just said that a palm reader predicted she would. Only in Hollywood.

It's midnight and Ellen is vacuuming, I'm leaving. NO! I must stay!

12:01 - Here comes Reese Witherspoon - wow, I bet Ryan Phillipe is kicking himself now. What award is this? Oh! Best Actor - let's see if my theory keeps going - two for two - Forest Whitaker wins. He actually gives a pretty touching speech. His wife looks like she has been peeling onions for the last 6 hours.

12:06 - The heavyweights of directing come out - Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg - I wonder what they are out here to present.....oh! Best Director. Scorcese looks like a little kid on the first day of school. And he finally wins. He gets a big standing ovation and a kiss from Leo! Bonus! He looks like the little kid brother of the other directors. And another hug from Nicholson as he walks offstage. I think Jack just tripped an old woman just for a laugh.

And finally, the last award: Best Movie. The winner......Al Gore. No! The Departed. Scorcese, of course, doesn't hear the announcement from backstage. Steven Spielberg just told him he won. His mouth just hit the floor. More hugs. And he is bouncing back on stage.

And I'm done. I can't see straight. I think I'm starting to hallucinate. What's my name? Where am I?


Oh, and the final count on correct picks:

Ryan: 5 (including Best Film Editing)
Missy: 11 (Including both Sound categories, Visual Effects and Short Film - Live Action)


I love the Oscars.

A Father-to-be Reflects Part II

Holy crap it's been a month since I've posted! Chalk up another New Year's resolution down the tubes......

Well, our due date is four weeks from TOMORROW. We have had all of our showers (baby showers, I mean - we are still bathing......occasionally) which means we have enough little outfits to clothe every resident of Munchkinland. We've got the "big stuff" - a crib, a changing table, a stroller, a car seat, a SWEET rocker/ottoman and a pack and play - which is a diabolical concoction of crib/changing table/self contained storage unit/missle silo and karoke machine. Today we even got a bassinet. Our former guest room/office has been converted to a nursery/office. And there isn't much room for the office anymore.

Despite having all of these things taking over this room, the thing that grabs my attention the most (maybe because it is facing me as I type), is a collage of pictures that Missy put up on the wall. I think the intention is to "introduce" our little guy to his family. There are pictures of Missy's family as well as my family. There are also several pictures of us when we were younger. Those are the ones that get me. I look at those and think, holy crap that's me! I was once the same age as this little baby. My parents had the same conversations about diapers that Missy and I are having now. The pictures of me sitting with my mom, eating ice cream with my dad, walking hand in hand with my grandfather, my son is going to have those pictures too except I will be the one feeding him ice cream. Then the thought hit me: I am going to have a little ME.

First of all, that seems impossible. I still feel sometimes like I am 10 years old, or 17 years old or heck, even 22 years old. I am a goofy kid who plays video games, makes fun of people and spends too much money on movies. I still remember my first day of elementary school. The fact that I am going to be responsible for another human being - that he will be completely reliant on me to provide for him is beyond my comprehension (Note: I am fully aware that Missy will share in this responsibility - hopefully she will have more influence than I will for our son's sake - I am just reflecting on my own journey and my own thoughts right now - so all of you women reading, put your claws away). I don't know if I will say that I am scared (though I'm sure when we make that trip to the hospital, I might need to bring my own set of diapers), I just can't wrap my mind around ME being a dad.

Secondly, me having a son should be illegal. I have always been a proponent of people being required to have a license to have a child. However, since that is not mandatory (yet), jokers like me can warp the minds of America's future. I am waiting for Child Services to get notice that I am having a son and come take him away and send him to live with wolves because he will be better off.

However, I look around this room and I know that in four weeks give or take (hopefully more take than give for Missy's sake), this room will be very different. It will ring with the sounds of youth. It will smell of diapers, wet wipes and baby powder. It will look "lived in" rather than its current state of "prepared to be lived in". I will see this room not just at 8:00 at night when I get on the computer to email or play Minesweeper. I will see it at 2:00 am, 4:00 am, 6:00 am........

I look at these pictures of my parents holding me as a baby and think, "How in the world can I be a dad?" Then, I see one picture up in the top corner. It is a picture of my parents and myself about 3 years ago. We have our arms around each other and are smiling. To me that is a picture of accomplishment, of success. I know that I am at the beginning of another journey. My journey has now come full circle. My hope is that one day my son can blog (0r whatever they will be doing by then - telepathically communicating with aliens or something) about his fear of being a dad and realize that he can do it too just like his crazy old man did.