An Addendum

Before you read this post, be sure to read the previous one. I'll wait...........
















OK, so remember the whole thing I mentioned about lady luck? Well, I would have had more pictures from INSIDE the concer that I took with the camera on my phone. Except that four days after the concert, my water bottle leaked into my backpack, frying my cell phone which was sitting inside. So all of my phone numbers and pictures are gone. Thanks Lady Luck!

Margaritaville and a rusty muffler

Now most of you who know me, know that I do not have lady luck on my side. I am usually on the wrong side of luck and this past weekend was no different.

So like most white Americans, my dad LOVES Jimmy Buffet. I mean, how can you not? Margaritaville? Cheeseburger in Paradise? Fins? They are classics. And on those songs, Mr. Buffet has created a culture unlike anything I have ever seen. And A LOT of money.

My dad's dream has also been to go to a Jimmy Buffet concert. It's sort of like Richie Molinaro, it is more like an event. A MUCH bigger event. So as a thank you for spending months of his life working on our house, I picked up two tickets for he and I to go see Jimmy Buffet this past weekend.

We packed up our supplies - suncreen, Hawaiian shirts, and a cooler FULL of beverages and headed to Citizens Bank Park - yes the place where the Phillies play. Jimmy was performing in center field - our seats were at second base.

We got down to the sports complex to try and meet up with Steve and Val and a few other people. While we were sitting in a long line of traffic among 30,000 drinking, partying Parrotheads, we heard a very loud thud and something that sounded like one of those ghetto cars with no muffler. I originally looked around for the punk with the loud car. Then I hit the gas on my car and realized who the punk was. Combined with the LOUD exhaust coming out from under my little Civic was a painful grinding sound. That would have been my muffler which has just fallen off.

About the same time, we discovered that our friends were about a mile away in the opposite direction in another parking lot. So we made the trek across four lanes of traffic, through one illegal u-turn and past the previously mentioned 30,000 Buffet fans. We obnoxiously cruised, grinding muffler in tow, around the parking lot which was closed off at every entrance only to finally find the ONE entrance that wasn't locked. However, the parking attendant refused to let us in. I couldn't really blame him. We were a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing fire ball waiting to happen.

So we made the same trek around the same parking area, grinding and bellowing the whole way back to the SAME entrance. This time, we snuck into a line (as much as we could sneak) that was going in to the lot (there was a Rush concert right next door - I guess my car made us look more like a Rush fan than a Buffet fan) and we got in no problem.

Once we parked, and after a few beers and a cheeseburger.....we rigged up a makeshift support of string that kept the pipe off the ground by about 3 inches. From that point, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We had a blast tailgating. Two minutes before the concert, the heavens opened and we got SOAKED but didn't really care. It was all part of the experience. Jimmy was great. There was even a ten minute fireworks show after he was done.

Then the moment of truth. We got in the car and headed home. Somewhere around 60 miles an hour (which on I-95 is the equivalent of sitting still) the sound wasn't too offensive. However, about 10 miles down the road, we heard a thump and an all too familiar grinding sound. The string had broke. So we pulled off on the shoulder and tried to figure out a way to hold up the muffler. We even tried to cut our losses and rip off the muffler but to no avail. So Dad cut the string and wrapped it around the pipe. He then pulled on it and jumped into the car and closed the door and yelled "Go!" - like we had just robbed a bank. I punched it and we were (loudly) back on the highway.

Until another 10 miles or so when we heard that same familiar thump and grinding sound. By this point I was ready to just blow up the car and walk home. So once again we pulled over. And once again, there we were, in our Hawaiian shirts and leighs, lying under our car. I was absolutely convinced that this was how my life would end. Someone would see a couple of Parrotheads lying on the side of the road, get to close and that would be it.

However, it wasn't. With a look of sheer determination, I watched my dad whip off his belt and wrap it around the rusted pipe. He once again jumped in the car, closed the door and instructed me to go. Which I did.

We spent the first several minutes of Father's Day 2008 in silence, in a bellowing car, holding a rusted muffler with a now destroyed leather belt. Happy Father's Day.

Needless to say, it was a concert experience that I will not soon forget. Dad, I hope you had fun. Wanna go next year? If so, let's take your car.

Over the Rhine

I have always enjoyed Missy's taste in music. She likes Pearl Jam. She is a borderline expert of 80's music. However, her best call and the one that has affected me the most is her PASSIONATE love for a band called Over the Rhine. She has followed this husband and wife duo from Cincinnati since high school - or a decade and a half ago. She got me hooked on them when we started dating in college.

It is hard to describe their sound. Soulful. Passionate. At times quirky. Raw. The kind of music you would want to hear in a smoky bar while partaking of the drink of your choice. Preferably something strong.

Over the last few years, we have made converts of our good friends Steve and Val. We started them with a taste and they haven't been the same since.

So a few months ago, Steve, while scouring the Internet discovered much to our amazement, that Over the Rhine decided to perform in a little refurbished theater 10 minutes from our house. They had never been closer than Philly (30 miles of traffic and poorly lit parking lots) before. So we snatched up tickets as soon as we could. The cabaret seats. (I had heard of the show Cabaret so I was a little nervous until I learned that that just means we get a table and chair and get to sit in front of the front row.)

In keeping with the Delp/Cap tradition - we went to the concert only to find out it had been rescheduled until June 5th. It worked out fine. We went to a local bar and kicked butt in Trivia night. I think someone won a t-shirt.

Fast forward (and now rewind) to last Thursday. Finally, we got to see Over the Rhine. In a gorgeous little theater. From a table and chairs. With wine. And a microbrew. Did I mention it was 10 minutes from our house?

Well, this was the first concert where after an hour or so, I wasn't checking my watch. I was hoping they would keep going. Usually, it is a great concert if the artist can sound sort of like their album. This time, the artist(s) sounded BETTER than their album(s). It was incredible. I seriously contemplated packing up Missy and Riley and going on the road with them.

If you have not heard of them, I HIGHLY recommend you check them out. They play great background music for work. They play great sitting around on a rainy day music. They play great get up on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and a newspaper music. And for those of you who may one day consider parenthood, to quote someone from the concert who shall remain nameless, they play great "baby making" music.

Quickly and awkwardly sequeing, their website features a "record player" that will play their current album for free. It is called "Trumpet Child".

Grab a bottle of Merlot and enjoy.

http://www.overtherhine.com/

The other picture

Thanks to fellow fan club member (and fellow person in the picture - which was taken with an iphone!) Josh Rigstad for sending the picture that I referenced in the last post.

Richie, this is for you!

I parred that hole, by the way.

Richie

Have you ever been to another country and after being there for about 10 minutes you realize that you are in a completely different culture? Well, every year a few friends of mine and I, along with about 80 other guys get to experience this feeling in a little place called Hazleton, Pennsylvania. You see, we make the trek to this little place every year to play in a three day golf outing. We look forward to this event every year almost like it is Christmas. We start emailing each other somewhere around the first of the year with messages of anticipation and trash talk. The emails intensify the closer we get to the outing.

The golf is great. Don't get me wrong. It is a great chance to play with friends, drink some beers and even make some money. However, along with the golf is the town of Hazleton and the people who reside there all year long. Hazleton sits in a beautiful area of Eastern Central PA. However, it seems like a place that time forgot. The dress, the haircuts, the culture seem stuck somewhere between the Reagan and Clinton administrations.

And there, at the center, is Richie. I call him Richie because a last name is not needed in Hazleton. Richie, is Richie Molinaro. He is, I guess, a local celebrity of Hazleton. The Ryan Seacreast if you will. He does a little of everything. He has a TV show. He is big within the local Chamber of Commerce. He works at a local car dealership. However, what he may be best known for, and how he crossed our path, is that Richie is a singer. No, Richie is a "performer". He performs regularly at the Timbers Lounge in the hotel that we stay in for this outing.

Here is a link to his myspace page or maybe someone devoted to promoting him. Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=104942521

A "concert" of Richie's is more like an experience. He sings the best of Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra and a host of other well known lounge tunes. He sings like he is performing at Radio City Music Hall. However, in actuality, he is in a dark lounge about the size of a football endzone. However, the people come out for him like he is U2. The place is PACKED and people dance the night away. Since the first time we saw him a few years ago, the legend of Richie has grown. The last two years he hasn't performed while we were there (though I make my annual call to the Comfort Inn a few weeks before to see if he is going to be there). So some guys have never had the Richie experience. But those that have will never be the same.

So this year, we sponsored a hole, like we have the last few years. It is a way to bring money into the event and keep it going. None of us own businesses (yet) and we didn't want to be boring so we decided to come up with an interesting faux name. The choice: The Richie Molinaro Fan Club. We felt very proud of ourselves for coming up with a clever name that probably many people wouldn't get.

However, one of the guys who DID get it was one of the people who ran the event, Mr. Terry George - who looks JUST like Puddy from Seinfeld. And he pulled a move on us that I still can't believe. To keep it short - he called us up in front of everyone on Saturday night to recognize us and our fake organization. However, as a way to express our appreciation - he had something for us. I give you, an actual signature from Mr. Hazleton, Richie Molinaro.

It turns out that Terry did a little, no ALOT of, research and found out all of this stuff about Richie. And he called him. And he told Richie about us. And Richie loved it. So he swung by the Comfort Inn on Friday and signed a bunch of autographs for the Fan Club. That doesn't really exist.

It was incredible. Mine is going to be framed.

So overall, the weekend was somewhat of a wash out. It POURED on Friday. Was OK on Saturday and then rained again on Sunday. However, my most cherished keepsakes from the weekend are a picture next to our "Richie Molinaro Fan Club" sign and personally autographed picture of Richie Molinaro.

For bookings - 570-455-7369. Trust me. You will never be the same.

The Epicenter of Nerdville

Two posts in two days. What am I doing? I have a reputation to live up to.

So Missy's brother Greg and his wife Katy and their kids Luke(y) and Abby flew in from Chicago this past weekend to visit. We always have a great time with them. It was very cool to watch Riley interact - more than just lay there and stare - with his cousins. He sort of played with them. He wrestled with them. He stole their toys. Good times.

Anyway, we went down to the Franklin Institute on Sunday because A. it was a gorgeous day, B. there were lots of fun and interactive things for the kids to do and C. all the kids were free.

Like most museum type places, there is usually a featured attraction or theme that runs for a few weeks and then is replaced by another attraction or theme. We happened to come on the last day of their most recent attraction - Star Wars - Where Science Meets Imagination. We walked around the corner and this is what we saw.

Boba Fett lining up overweight Storm Troopers, overweight Jawas, underage Princess Leia's. All the while a photographer on a crate was trying to get museum staff out of the picture.

Then a group of pirates rolled up and reviewed the rows of overweight Star Wars characters. Then Darth Vader and the head pirate (I assume) exchanged swords/light sabers and a new banner came down. The next attraction would be Pirates-Where History Meets Imagination.

Inside, they had some awesome exhibits (excluding the Star Wars one which was like $10 more a person). We had a great time watching the kids go from exhibit to exhibit. Riley basically wandered aimlessly and found the most satisfaction with pushing his stroller. However, what stood out to me, other than the price of lunch, was the number of Star Wars fans that were in attendance.

Now I am a Star Wars fan. When I was a young lad, I would spend nights watching all three of the originals back to back to back. I know most of the characters and can recite most of the lines. I stood in line to watch the midnight showing of every episode when they were released (or re-released for the old ones). However, after seeing some of the people who were in the Franklin Institute, I don't even come close to being able to label myself a fan.

I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that was supposed to look like Darth Vader's suit. I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that was supposed to look like Darth Vader's suit with matching pants. Basically, if you were 40 years old, living in your parents basement and worked at Game Stop in the mall, you were at the Franklin Institute on Sunday. While privacy laws prevent me from showing you any pictures of the specific people who attended Sunday's festivities, I can tell you they all looked very similar to this person.

But really who can blame them? When else would you be able to walk around with your light saber, interact with Storm Troopers and get your picture taken with Princess Leia? It was a Star Wars nerd's real life fantasy.

I admit, it was kind of cool to see Riley interact with Storm Troopers. They all seemed to love him (I hope he isn't turning to the Dark Side!). And I even got my picture taken with a few characters (the line was too long for Darth Vader). Note Riley's expression. That was pretty much the face he had for much of the day.

The guy who got his picture taken before me (he was wearing a "Revenge of the Sith" t-shirt and was desperately in need of a shower and some sunlight) bent down and flashed a peace sign while the Storm Troopers pointed their blasters at the camera. It was classic.

Overall, we had a really great time. Below are a few pictures to help give you a sense of our trip to the Franklin Institute - Where Nerds Meet Reality.

My Super Bowl

As most of you know, I have played volleyball for over 15 years. It started at the good old family picnics and specifically Nace Family Camp. In 9th grade, I wanted to try out for the high school team. I convinced a few friends to try out as well. As it turned out, our high school had been (and still is) one of the best teams in the state with a coach who is considered a volleyball legend in PA.

After four years of high school volleyball, I played club ball at Taylor. Our club team had a blast traveling to different colleges and playing in tournaments. We even won a few. I also played intramural volleyball. I have two championship t-shirts (both won after I graduated but worked at TU) and a permanently dislocated finger to show for that.

After college, all that was left for me was a local volleyball league. I don't remember when I started playing in the league and I don't remember how I got hooked up with my team but I do know that I have been playing with this team (with a few changes here and there) for several years. We get along great. We have a lot of fun but Team USA we are not.

Our setter is approaching 60. Our middle hitter (who looks eerily like the killer from "Fargo") is more oak tree than athlete. The rest of the guys are younger (35 and under) but they can be inconsistent and that DEFINITELY includes me.

We approached these playoffs like we have every other year. As the 4th seed. We are better than most of the teams in our league. However, there are a few teams - two in particular - who are better than us. They are younger, more athletic, taller, everything. In short, we usually qualify for the playoffs but are gone by the end of the semis.

So last night were the semis and for those who won, the finals. My parents came but I told them to keep the car running because we would be done pretty quickly. The first game made me look like a prophet. We lost 15-7 to the #1 seed - the dreaded team "Duck or Bleed". Then it was as if a ray of light from heaven shone down on us. All of sudden, we were playing at a level that I had never seen before. We won the second game 15-1. The third game was rough be we prevailed. We were going to the finals!

Now, I am very aware that this is just a local volleyball league. There were no reporters there. Heck, there were no fans there. Our cheering section, which consisted of my parents and my teammate's fiancee and her mom, left after the first match. But to me, this was my Super Bowl. The only thing waiting for me at the end of this if we won was a lousy T-shirt. But if we won, it would become my favorite T-shirt if only because we had never won it before.

So the finals came and I was giddy. It may have been the Lemon/Lime Gatorade I had before the match. We had never been this far before. However, we were playing the OTHER team we could never beat - the juggernaut that is "Big Dawgs". We won the first game 15-10. We were one game away from the coveted T-shirt. They came back in game 2. We didn't play well - our typical playoff performance - and lost 15-8.

The third game came and everyone was exhausted. It was more of a grind than a game. We went back and forth. Both teams led by a few at some point in the match. Finally, they wore out and put three consecutive shots in the net. We were victorious 15-13.

Sure it was 10:15 at night but I was on cloud 9. We had gone further than we ever had before. Not only did we get past the semis but we WON the finals against the two teams we could never beat (we went 1-5 against them during the regular season). And now I had my coveted T-shirt.

I got home and proudly displayed my champion T-shirt to Missy. She shared in my excitement for a little bit then went to bed. I decided that, after a shower, I would celebrate myself. So I poured myself a vodka tonic (4 ice cubes, 40%-60% vodka-tonic, stirred with the knife I used to cut the lime - just like I have right now) and watched the Phillies.

Sure it wasn't the Super Bowl but for me it might as well have been.

Congratulations Team "All In", you are the champions of the Souderton Community Volleyball Mens BB-B League.

I'm going to Disney World!

The Greatest Privilege

I have known Steve for close to 20 years. We have been through a lot together. Ups and downs. He was the best man in my wedding. I was the best man in his. Our friendship has survived over time and distance. He is the person who, next to Missy, probably knows me the best.

I have prayed with Steve and for Steve. Over the past few years, our friendship has grown spiritually as well. We have had numerous talks about God, the Bible, who Jesus was and is. I have seen Steve grow spiritually by leaps and bounds. I have been amazed at the spiritual maturity he has shown already. Quite honestly, it has surpassed the spiritual maturity of some "lifelong" Christians that I know.

So when Steve asked me to baptize him a few weeks ago, my initial reaction was to get choked up. After I got off the phone with Steve, I cried. For me, this was one of the greatest privileges I could ever have. To baptize my closest friend.

So this past Sunday, I had that privilege. Aside from getting married and having a child, this was the most incredible thing I have been able to be a part of. I know that sounds heavy and deep. But I mean every word of it. To me, this was the culmination of a lifelong friendship. To play a part in this very important and life-changing event with someone I consider like a brother is something I will cherish the rest of my life.

First Time Long Time

I know I'm getting older. My body hurts more than it used to. I go to bed earlier than I used to(though not by that much). I like spending my weekend nights watching the Food Network. But the big thing that finally moved me into the "older" class actually occured a few years ago. I started listening to sports talk radio.

Now I had some motivation. My favorite radio station - a modern rock station - went off the air and was replaced by all rap all the time. So out of desperation, I started listening to sports talk radio. I am a huge Philadelphia sports fan (I just watched the Sixers upset the Pistons in Game 1 of the playoffs) and I thought it might be interesting to listen to. Now I listen to it all the time.

So I was on my way out to Harrisburg for a three day training for work and I was listening to Jody Mac on 950ESPN (http://sr950.com/Roster/JodyMac/Bio/tabid/70/Default.aspx). They were talking about the Eagles schedule and how many wins they would have this year. I, like any true Eagles fan, had an opinion on this and I, like any person driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, had nothing but time to kill and no great scenery to look at. So I called into the station.

Now, I have never really done this before. I have heard countless people call in and voice their opinions. Several (I think they are all old, retired and have nothing else to do with themselves) call in everyday. I didn't want to come off sounding like an idiot. I also didn't want to have my call drop which tends to happen if you have Verizon and are on the phone more than 3 minutes.

So I waited on hold. And waited and waited. Finally, Jody told "Mike and Ryan to hold on and he would get to them (us) after the break". So finally Mike gave his two cents on everything Philly sports and I heard Jody say, "Ryan, what'cha got?" and then a violent CLICK. And I was on the air; ready to share my opinions with everyone listening within a 75 mile radius of Philadelphia.

My key insight was that the Eagles ALWAYS lose their first game of the year AND the game before the bye week. I then shared my thoughts on whether I agreed with Jody's picks or not. Most of them I agreed with. We talked briefly about whether the Eagles would win back to back games against the Bengals and Ravens. (we both agreed that they would split). Then I said something about the Eagles ending 7-9 or 8-8 and that would be the end of the McNabb era and the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era. I then heard another loud CLICK and realized that my time speaking to the greater Philadelphia area was over.

I quickly turned up the radio and heard the last part of what I was saying -they ask that you keep your radio turned down so you don't kill the host with feedback and you are on a delay so they can bleep out any profanity that may come up- and then Jody said something about it being too early to talk about Kevin Kolb (I disagree) and that he wanted some OPTIMISTIC Eagles fans to call in. Personally, I think the term "optimistic Eagles fans" is an oxymoron but what do I know?

I'm just a caller.

Perspective

Once again, it have been three weeks since I posted. And once again I wish it were less. But now, once again with adult beverage in hand, I am posting on my blog.

We have begun work on our house. Serious work on our house. (pictures to follow) We are replacing our porch. It is - or should I say, it WAS - rotten. Termites had come and gone (even THEY couldn't handle how nasty it had gotten). Good solid wood had been reduced to literal powder. It was a desperate situation. But thanks to a lot of work and the legend that is J.D. Delp Carpenty (my dad), things are starting to turn around.

However, that takes times, hard work, commitment and specifically WEEKENDS. So while our weeks are crazy as usual, now our weekends are crazy too. Missy and I looked at our schedules yesterday and we have "stuff" (for lack of a better word) from now until the middle of June. Straight. And then I think we only have A weekend open. Then I think we are busy until sometime in 2019.

All of that to say, our lives have been nuts (hence the gap in posting). And will be nuts (hence the likelihood of another gap). However, amid the tempest that is our lives is one beautiful innocent child. Riley.

Right now he is teething (again). And he is getting over a cold (again). And he is living HIS life oblivious to the stress and busy-ness of our lives. And unintentionally, he is constantly reminding us that our lives are more than meetings, projects and porches.

All of this came to light for me in a pure moment three weeks ago. Missy and I were spending our nights (after Riley went to bed) staining the floor boards in preparation for the big day when we were ripping out the old and putting in the new. Riley was in the midst of his teething/cold. That meant Riley (and consequentlythe whole family) wasn't sleeping well. Riley had started to cry pretty hard and so Missy went up to comfort him. I, of course, needed to keep staining because D-day was fast approaching. However, Riley's cries didn't subside after Missy got up there. I kept waiting for them to go away. I kept staining. He continued to cry. I continued to stain.

Finally, I reached one of those small moments where a decision needed to be made. Work or family. Porch or child. This wasn't a life or death moment. But I had to make a decision between continuing to stain or joining the rest of my family and leaving the project and delaying its completion.

I joined Missy and Riley in his room. We all held each other and sang "Jesus Loves Me" about 20 times in a row. It was a Delp family moment.

Eventually Riley fell back asleep and we went back to staining. However, I think we had a renewed perspective. If the porch didn't get done this weekend, it wasn't the end of the world. We bought this house in large part because we wanted a place for our son, and our family, to grow. We (or at least I) lost sight that the reason we were doing all of this work didn't care if the porch got done or not. He just needed to be held and comforted and loved.

So Riley, once again, thanks for giving me perspective. Thanks for reminding me that a porch is temporary but memories of marathon sessions of "Jesus Loves Me" will last forever. Thanks for reminding me. Now please get the rest of your teeth ASAP.

Happy Birthday Riley

March 22nd, 2008.

One year ago, you changed my life forever.


Even after a year, I sometimes still can't believe that I have a son.


But I couldn't ask for a better son than you.


Happy Birthday, bud.

Happy Birthday to Mii

So what do you get a (now) 31 year old husband, homeowner and father of one? A Nintendo Wii, of course! I have been asking for one since this summer when I played one with my college friends in Colorado. They are a blast and the nice thing is that it is actually "fun for all ages". To prove my point, I got my Wii (which are harder to find than the Ark of the Covenant) last Saturday. We promptly hooked it up and my parents - neither of which are video game people - battled in both tennis and bowling and had a blast. Missy and I have had a few battles this week. So far, I have been the master of tennis. We have split (no pun intended) in bowling. She had about 12 strikes in the last game. I had no chance.




One other cool thing is that you can create characters that sort of resemble you. Here is me (at my Saturday morning best) next to my Mii (the name of the Wii character).



If you are ever in the area, please come on by. I will gladly accept your challenge in Wii. I must warn you. I am deadly with my tennis serve......

Oscars Diary

I think I should rename this blog "Better Late than Never". It would certainly fit here.

Yes, once again this year, I sat down with day old Chinese takeout, a list of the Oscar nominees and a notepad and watched and commented on this year's Oscars.

And once again this year, I had Missy make her choices for each category and I made mine. The winner would receive bragging rights until about 9:30 Monday morning.

A couple of notes about my choices:

-If "Atonement" was nominated, I picked it. I haven't seen it but every Oscar conversation I ever heard said that it was the best thing since whatever last year's best movie was.

-No real clear cut actor/actress favorites - no really mentally challenged characters (Forrest Gump, Rain Man, etc.) and no real impressions of famous people (Ray Charles, June Carter Cash). So when in doubt, vote for Cate Blanchett!

-In the categories that we didn't know ANYTHING about (any category with the words "foreign", "documentary" or "editing") - we picked ones with funny names: "The Tonto Woman, I Met the Walrus, Even Pigeons Go to Heaven"

Let's see how the strategy worked:

8:30 - A computer animated montage to open the show - The UPS man is driving through Hollywood dodging movie characters. How nice. The driver - the Governator himself. He is delivering Oscars. And right on time. Jon Stewart does his opening monologue. The over/under on George Bush jokes is 8.......he only does one! I would have lost money on that one. He makes fun of Dennis Hopper though. Good times.


8:32 - Missy asks the obvious question, why is it called the Oscars? We are off to a good start.


8:41 - Best costume category - Ryan goes with Cate Blanchett - i.e. "Elizabeth" and WINS!

Ryan - 1, Missy - 0


8:51 - Steve Carell comes out and does his Michael Scott character. I love Steve Carell. Best animated feature - I go with Persepolis. Then I see a clip and see it is French and terrible. Definitely going to lose this one. The winner: Ratatouille. Ryan-1, Missy-1


8:55 - Katherine Heigl comes out looking like she might throw up into the orchestra pit. Then admits she is really nervous. No kidding. Best make up: La Vie en Rose. One of the other choices was Norbit. How is that even possible? Ryan - 2, Missy - 1.


8:58 - First nominee for Best Song performed - it is Jim's girlfriend Katie from Season 1 and 2 of the Office doing her best Mary Poppins impression with "Working Song".


9:06 - The Rock, excuse me, Dwayne Johnson comes out to give out the award for Best Visual effects. They must have been running low in the presenter pool. The winner: The Golden Compass. New score: Ryan - 2, Missy - 1, Atheists - 1. Congratulations.

9:09 - Cate Blanchett is out to present best Art Direction.....and her water just broke. To paraphrase Juno (the only movie nominated that I actually saw), she is a planet. Winner: Sweeny Todd - something about a singing barber who kills people (?) Good old Tim Burton, always good for a laugh. Ryan - 2, Missy - 2, Atheists - 1


9:15 - Last year's Best Supporting Actress Jennifer Hudson comes out to present Best Supporting Actor. Somewhere Beyonce and Eddie Murphy are cutting their wrists. Question: who would be most likely to win an Oscar from the movie Dreamgirls? A pop music juggernaut with a movie or two under her belt, a comedic genius with over 20 years of movie experience, THREE of the five Best Song nominees or a reject from American Idol? Only in America. The winner: Javier Baowierjdlakdhgsomething. The first time a haircut ever won an Oscar. Historic.


9:24 - Next Best Song nominee - There is a gospel choir and an amazing 11 year old soloist - I should have picked this one. My choice has no chance.


9:28 - A very near sighted Owen Wilson presents Best Short Film - he is squinting like I do when I'm at the eye doctor reading the stupid charts. Then Jerry Seinfeld's bee character from "The Bee Movie" flies in and announces the best Animated Short Film. They just won't stop plugging this movie. And I didn't see it anywhere on the Oscar ballot. Winners: The Mozart of Pickpockets and Peter and the Wolf. A dejected Owen Wilson (I would be too if I was partnered up with a cartoon bee) hands everyone their awards and then gets lost because he can't see the exit.


9:35 - Last year's Best Supporting Actor Alan Arkin (the dirty drug addict grandfather from Little Miss Sunshine) comes out to present the Best Supporting Actress. Don't swear, Alan. Do not swear! The winner: Conan O'Brien??? I didn't know he was nominated. No! It is Tilda Swinton. My Cate Blanchett strategy is 1 for 2. Her speech makes fun of George Clooney. I really think that might be Conan....


9:44 - The announcer is now showing favoritism. She introduces preggers Jessica Alba as "Always Fantastic Jessica Alba". She comes out to talk about an awards ceremony she hosted weeks ago. They must have really wanted her on the show. "You can present whatever you want. The announcer will compliment you. Just please be on the Oscars!"


9:45 - The best joke of the night: Jon Stewart comments about all the pregnant woman that are at the Oscars (Jessica Alba, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman) and then says "But Jack (Nicholson) is here and the night is young. We will re-tally at the end of the night." I love Jack. He knows he's the man.


Another montage - NEXT


9:52 - The reason I know they were desperate for presenters: here comes Miley Cyrus i.e. Hannah Montana. The person that I was introduced to by my six year old niece. The only "movie" she has been in is a 3-D showing of one of her concerts. She shouldn't even be allowed in the building. But here she is. At least she did better than Katherine Heigl. She intros the third Best Song nominee. A random group of people in a park. Definitely won't win.

10:01 - Two guys try unsuccessfully to be funny - Bourne Identity wins best Sound Editing AND Sound Mixing. Who knew that movie sounded so good? I just like when he jumps off the roof and through the open window. Updated score - Ryan - 5, Missy - 3.

10:09 - Forrest Whitaker comes out to announce the Best Actress winner - Cate Blanchett, Cate Blanchett, Cate Blanchett......nope - Marion Cotiwealkerairfjdsglksda - she impersonated a famous spanish person, I should have known! Cate Blanchett seemed more excited than anyone else.

10:18 - Colin Farrell stumbles out to the podium - insert drunk Irish joke here - don't swear Colin, DO NOT SWEAR! He intros the fourth Best Song nominee. Two Irish people and the most beat up guitar I have ever seen. It looks like someone took a hammer to the areas just above and below the strings. This song is my choice to win and it has put me to sleep. Not a good sign.

10:22 - Jack comes out to intro a montage of the Best Picture winners for the past 80 years. Jack always looks like he just lit a firecracker under someone seat and he can't wait for it to go off. OK, so which picture won the year I was born - 1977 - be something good....be something good.....Annie Hall! A Woody Allen movie? I never had a chance....

10:27 - Renee Zellweger or however you spell it comes out and is obviously insecure about her hair. It is about as long as mine and she keeps doing that thing where she puts it behind her ear. She announces the winner for best Film Editing. The Oscar juggernaut Bourne Ultimatum wins again! Ryan - 5, Missy - 4.

10:31 - Nicole Kidman gives a tribute to an old guy - this must be the Lifetime Oscar. She helps him to the podium. Wow, I think he was friends with Moses growing up. Everyone stop clapping! He is on borrowed time here. Will the orchestra cut him off?? Nope, he rambles and is now being escorted off by Nicole. Backstage, he will die.

10:42 - Penelope Cruz announces the Best Foreign Picture award. They don't associate the movie with a director, they associate it with a country. And the winner is......Austria! A Holocaust movie - no one else had a chance. Wow, this is the second nomination for Austria. Way to go!

10:44 - The announcer is getting frisky again - "The versatile and handsome Patrick Dempsey" intros the last Best Song nominee. It is Clay Aiken singing at Cinderella's Ball. I'm glad I didn't pick this one. My snoozer has a chance!

10:48 - John Travolta dances out. His hair scares me. Is it sprayed on? Is it ch-ch-ch-chia? Is it some sort of black fungus that he has manipulated? He announces the Best Song winner. Well, three of the nominees were from Enchanted. That happened last year with Dreamgirls and they were snubbed. Will it be two years in a row? YES! My Irish snoozer wins! Do you believe in miracles? The guy gets up and thanks everyone in his sweet Irish accent. His cowriter/performer walks to the mike and......oh the orchestra cuts her off. The highlight of your career and you are denied but the string section.

10:57 - After the commercial, she gets a second chance. John Stewart brings her back out and she thanks everyone the guy did and more. I would take advantage of that airtime too.

10:58 - Cameron Diaz with the Best Cinemetography winner. One quick observation: the mike shoots out of the floor and goes right to the level that is appropriate for the presenter. Do they have preset settings for each person. Like Cameron Diaz is on setting 8 and Ben Stiller would be on setting 2? What if they got them confused? Would the mike go up Woody Allen's nose or stop at Denzel's knee? Winner - There Will Be Blood - Ryan - 7, Missy - 5.

11:01 - Hillary Swank - it is time to roll out the montage of all the dead people. Let's go to the applause-o-meter for the winners and losers. Barry Lee Brown....no one applauds. Well, it is actually a tie. About half the people who have died no one in the audience has ever heard of apparently. The winner, of course, is Heath Ledger.

11:08 - Katie from the Office is back with Best Score - My strategy pays off - Atonement wins. Ryan - 8, Missy - 5. Look who is pulling away!

11:11 - Here comes Tom Hanks to hand out the documentary awards - Best Short Doc winners - a gay couple - did they just say that she is a part time auto mechanic? I wish I had TiVo! Best regular sized Doc - Taxi to the Dark Side. I wonder if Star Wars would have been different if that option had been given to Luke. Darth Vader: "Luke, I am your father. Join me and we will rule the universe as father and son." Luke: "I'll never join you!" Darth Vader: "What I could get you a taxi to the dark side?" Luke: "Would you pick up the cab fare?" Darth Vader: "Um, I guess. But you leave the tip!" Luke: "Let's get coffee, dad. Tell me about your childhood."

11:24 - Harrison Ford comes out and gives the worst intro in history for Best Screenplay. "Movies are made up of words, pictures, images......" I'm surprised someone didn't stop him because he was giving away all the industry secrets. Really? Movies are made up off words AND images? The winner - Diablo Cody for Juno. Normally, I would think that would be a pretty sweet name. But earlier in the show John Stewart made us all aware that she used to be a stripper. Now that names seems to make more sense. She thanks her family and then storms off. Harrison Ford tries to congratulate her but is stuck walking with the obligatory model that serves no purpose. Ryan - 9, Missy - 6.

11:30 - Helen Mirren tops Harrison Ford's speech by just saying adjectives - "passionate, evil, devious......" Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis doing his best Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York in a movie about oil. I guess if it ain't broke........When I am so used to him with that voice, it is weird to hear a soft british accent come out of his mouth. Who cares - Ryan - 10, Missy - 6. If this were match play in golf, I would be crowned the winner - up four with two to play.

11:39 - the 34923480328028309480th montage of the night. Ryan want sleepy.

11:41 - Martin Scorcese who has been partying since he won last year announces the Best Director winner. This year, it is the Coen Brothers. I get them confused with the Farrelly Brothers (Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself and Irene). I guess these are the TALENTED brothers. But they are just as odd. Oh well - Ryan - 11, Missy - 6.

11:44 - And finally - is there any other way to end a show than with Denzel? He is the mayor. And the winner of the Best Picture is......No Country for Old Men - the Coen Brothers. I have no idea what this movie is about and I don't think the title helps me at all. But if it is anything like the only other movie I saw done by the Coen Brothers (Fargo) - I will steer clear of that one. Well, since this is old hat and they have already been up a few times, the Coen brothers let another guy talk. That guy promptly thanks his "partner" and calls him "honey". Well, I am ruined until next year. Good night everybody!

Final Tally:
Ryan - 11
Missy - 6
Atheists - 1
Bourne Ultimatum - 3
One bad haircut - like 4, I think.
Hours of my life I can't get back - 4.

Hooray for Hollywood!

Riley's Greatest Hits

Over the past week, Riley has really started to walk. He took his first steps a few weeks ago and has slowly gained confidence in walking from point A to point B. Now, he cruises all over the place. And he falls. A lot.

So in honor of our son's newest form of transportation, I thought I would make a Top 5 list of his best crashes, falls and injuries thus far. These are made up of the one's I witnessed AND remember. He has bumped his head more times than I can count but these stuck out to me. So far, his injuries have been very minor and his pain tolerance is pretty impressive. And after a minute or two of watching traffic go by outside our house, he is back to his old self. That is why I am making this list. I am not making light of his falls - though some are quite humorous. I just thought I would honor him as he makes the transition from crawling baby to "toddler". And now the list:

5. His first "official" injury on record. He was standing in between Missy and I and he made a move toward our glider ottoman and missed. He crunched his head on the corner of the wooden ottoman creating the first "ouchie" on his head.

4. This was not a specific instance but the #4 spot is given to our coffee table. He has hit it from every angle and every corner. We have rubber guards on the corners but he pulls them off with his teeth.

3. This happened last week. We were at his friend Carter's house. Not two minutes after we got there, he cruised up beside their stone hearth and cracked his head on the corner. I saw the whole thing unfold. Within two minutes, he was back to playing.

2. This happened tonight. He was walking around our room and wanted to play peekaboo behind one of our curtains. Then made the mistake of combining the two. He walked into the curtain and kept going. As he kept walking blindly through the curtain, he tripped and faceplanted into the side of our dresser. I have a feeling we will see that one tomorrow.

1. This one doesn't have to do with walking but was impressive none the less. I had the brilliant idea of putting him on our bed while I got something out of my dresser (The one he collided with tonight). Two seconds after I turned my back, I heard Missy gasp. I turned and saw two little legs go over the side of the bed. Missy sprinted across the room and caught his head but the rest of him crashed to the floor.

So those are the best falls thus far that I can remember. In the future, we will continue to do our best to protect him and he will do his best to make that job difficult. We hope and pray that these little bumps and bruises are the worst of his injuries. We have put him in God's hands and that is all we can do. So far, we have been able to laugh at (most of) his falls. Now we can look forward to when he learns how to ride a bike......

A Beacon of Light....

What better way to get back at it after a month than with a little post about a ray of hope in a dark place. With this writer's strike, we have entered into a cest pool of TV. However, through the vast wasteland of reality crap is a ray of light - a beacon - a little show I like to call, "Lost".

This show came back on this past week after what I thought was a year but was actually about 6 months. I looked forward to it like a kid waiting for Christmas. I realize that this sounds kind of pathetic and maybe in the grand scheme of things it is but this show is unlike any other I have ever seen before. I didn't start watching this show when it came out. I actually got interested after seeing promos on TV (yes, I fell victim to the marketing machine) and discussions I heard on morning radio shows. I willfully got myself addicted and roped Missy in as well - after season 2 wrapped up. Missy and I (this was BR - Before Riley) borrowed Season 1 from a friend (and fellow addict) and shotgunned the shows 3 or 4 at a shot. Within a week or two, we had Season 1 down and were official addicts of the show. We watched Season 2 at our friends house once a week (usually a few episodes at a time) until Season 3 kicked off. When Season 3 ended last May, we painfully waited 6+ months for Season 4 to start.

And apparently we weren't alone. In the last week, I have talked to no less than 15 people about the show - at church, at work, at a Super Bowl party, over email, in a public restroom. Yes, the show is THAT good. It is also ridiculously complicated.

If you are ever in a conversation with someone about the show and there is another person there who has never seen the show, they have an expression on their face that is similar to how my grandmother would look if I tried explaining TiVo to her. It is sort of a pained/confused/overwhelmed look. If you watch the show, try it. Talk to someone else about the show and make sure someone else who doesn't watch it is in on the conversation. Say something like, "If the people on the freighter weren't sent by Penny then who are they and how did they find the island and how does Ben know that they are bad? Do you think they were part of the Others and broke off or do you think they might be a new group from the Dharma Initiative?" That should do the trick.

If you watch the show, please feel free to post anytime about the show. I would love to talk about it with you and find new addic.......I mean fan. If you don't watch the show and have several hours to kill - uninterupted - this is not the kind of show you can watch with distractions - we have a no talking rule when we watch it - rent or borrow Seasons 1 - 3 and take a few weeks and watch them. Once you are finished go onto ABC.com and watch the episodes from this season online. I promise you will not regret it.

There is NOTHING on TV right now and it doesn't look like the writer's strike is close to over. This is the best thing on. I promise once you start watching, you too will get Lost.......

And finally....

On Sunday, we started a series at church called "Mad Money". It talked about the dangers of getting into debt and how we need to be good stewards of our money. Perhaps not coincidentally, two days prior we settled on our house and went into all kinds of debt. Of course, the debt they were talking about and the debt we are in are different. But still, isn't it amazing how God works sometimes.

So, yeah, we are now officially card carrying homeowners. We have talked and prayed about this for years. I was pretty much convinced that we would be stuck in our 18 sq. ft. apartment for life. However, God opened up an amazing door for us through the blessing of some friends of ours. And now here we sit in a home that we can call our own.

This place is and will be a work in progress. It takes a lot of work to change a place that was rented out to people from all stages of life (most recently a group of kids who preferred to spend their money less on rent and more on "herbal supplements" - the room I am sitting in now used to smell like a Grateful Dead concert) into a home for a family of three. However, we have made great strides and will continue to do so, with the help of J.D. Delp Carpentry of course.

You can take a tour of our house (at least how it looked a few months ago) with Missy and Riley at our family blog - http://delppartyofthree.blogspot.com.

Thank you God for making what we thought would never happen finally a reality......

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.