Ry and Coop Dot Com

I just returned from a very fun Adirondack hike where I braved ice cliffs, forded rivers and suffered through odors no man should suffer (thanks in large part to the New Way Lunch in Queensbury.)  A quick side note on the New Way .  As the Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa so eloquently shared, “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey,” so to describes the New Way.  These delicious hot dogs with special “meat sauce” served as a heaven-like experience and yet hours later sent grown men to their knees as they were easily crippled by swollen colons and explosive gas that lingered throughout the weekend.  I digress.

Friday night, seven men took to the secluded town of Newcomb, New York to establish our base camp  where we’d plan our hike the next day.  When we all arrived, we quickly unloaded our gear and food and took to our sub-goal, drinking.  We each had a cold beverage or two, careful not to over indulge for fear we’d pay the price the next day.

The hike itself was challenging but fun.  There was great conversation to be had by all and the hike seemed to go by fairly fast.  I spent a good portion of the time over exaggerating about how difficult a child Ryan is and highlighting all of the negatives about parenthood.  Upon further reflection, I realize that I often highlight the negatives of parenthood, mainly because I think people find humor in the misery of others and because a lot of what Ryan does is both difficult and funny (e.g., projectile vomiting, waking up at 2am saying “uh oh”, etc.)  I also realized that I missed him terribly.

When we returned from the hike, we took to the cabin for some delicious chicken casserole courtesy of Dr. Dinolfo.  In the back of my mind was a promise I had made to the good Doctor on Friday afternoon where I said if we weren’t hiking again on Sunday I would get wasted.  We decided not to hike on Sunday.  Funny enough, as we sat around the table nursing our cold beers and playing cards, I looked around at the faces of my comrades and the familiar gleam of a person about to get annihilated was missing.  Instead, I saw the faces of men…old men, scared at the realization that they’re no longer young men who can tackle the Adirondack Mountains and the Lake Placid IPA in the same day.  Men who, disappointingly admitted they’d conquered the same challenging mountains they’d conquered a decade ago but at a much greater price.  The truth, as I saw it around 10:30 last night, was that I wasn’t going to get drunk. I didn’t have the energy.

The Austin family spent this morning with Ryan at Albany Medical Center while he had a double hurnia repaired.  I had the unique opportunity to stand next to my little ballbuster while he was put under by the anesthesiologist.  That was a wild experience watching them administer this magical gas which quickly put our sleepless roomate into a very deep sleep.  So, that was amazing (and something I’d like to have handy around the house at 2am) but what’s more amazing is how fast the patient seems to have recovered!   When they say babies recover faster than adults this is what they mean…

So okay, I’ve said this before but now I’m serious.  No more toys for Ryan.    This is an official message from this parent to all friends and relatives who read this blog.  I’m serious!  Collectively the human race has spent enough money to feed a small Ozark Mountain town and yet our little giant finds them entertaining for only a moment.  What does he really like?  Well take a look but this is NOT an invitation to collect all of your trash.  We have enough of our own! Oh and yeah, I don’t want to hear any comments about my high pitched “Hi” in this video or the lower “Hi” I gave immediately after to compensate…. 🙂

Incidentally, several people have emailed asking about various songs playing in the background of these videos.  One of the happy side effects of having a music teacher for a mom and an old fart for a dad is that Ryan can experience a wide range of music.  On the day we shot this video it was Mississippi John Hurt, an artist who was introduced to me by an old friend a few years back.  If you don’t know his music, you should check it out.  If it’s good enough for Ryan, it’s good enough for you 🙂

I have had writer’s block the last week or so.  That’s a lie, Ryan had a terrible sinus infection that simply drained all of the energy out of his mother and I.  Now that he’s better and sleeping through the night (at least last night) I’m ready to pick up where I left off.  So, where was I?

 It’s a question that usually starts to get answered around age three or four I suspect but Ryan has really started thinking about it.  It’s true I may be reading too far into things but he really enjoyed the fire truck at our neighborhood firehouse and Mel’s pumpkins were a huge hit!

I know it’s way too early to think about what it is he’ll be when he gets bigger and perhaps, if he’s like his father, that answer may change a million times.

I’m somewhat curious as to where children get their initiative to choose a career later in life.  My sister followed my mother’s path and became a nurse, Jenn followed her mother’s path and became a teacher and George Bush followed his father and became President.  Following that logic, Ryan will be a teacher or a techie but if you saw him on that fire truck you’d swear we already knew the answer.

Technology is amazing!  Growing up I remember constantly playing an old 8 track of me singing “fee fye foe fum” and then, realizing my parents were recording me, asked “what’s that record?”  It’s hard to know for sure but I think that was the beginning of my love affair with anything that turns on.  Years later, my parents saved up enough money to buy Casey the Talking Robot, a pretty amazing toy (for its time) that would sing songs and carry a conversation with you, albeit very one-sided.  I took it apart within weeks of receiving the little robot and was able to put it mostly back together.  This was the first time I had taken something apart but wouldn’t be the last.  30 years later, I’ve taken many things apart and put them mostly back together (though I’m not sure I’ve ever not had “extra parts.”)

So why all the back story about me?  Because this morning, thanks to the blessings of technology, we can share with the world Ryan’s first steps!  Pretty cool that my cousins in California, my Aunt in Arizona and family and friends all around the country can share in the occasion.  It also makes me think toward the future and what Ryan’s blog will look like.  I can see it now as he proudly shares with his friends a link where you can be teleported back in time to view the event.  It’ll be amazing! I can’t wait 🙂

I’ve taken a lot of enjoyment from this blog.  Obviously, most of my thoughts have grown from watching Ryan who’s provided endless amounts of content.  Tonight, however, I was struck by a virtual birthday wish that was sent from Jim Moshier to Matt Clement on Facebook.  It read:

The tide is right, the moon is in the house, party till you puke, young Matthew, the shadow of old age is on the horizon. And its coming your way…

How profound, and appropriate 🙂  Mr. Clement continues to live life in Boston with as much vigor as a man can muster and I’m proud of him for that.  These days, for me, puking is more likely a result of too many daycare viruses rather than an over-indulgence of the spirits.  Of course, Jim Moshier

Jim, thanks for the laugh.

We spent Sunday afternoon with some good friends, gallivanting throughout the woods near our house at the Schenectady County Plotter Kill Preserve.  This large park offers miles of hiking trails that meander through various valleys along the Plotter Kill and offer breathtaking views of high cliffs and waterfalls.  It was a great opportunity for us to see the changing foliage and to think about the dooming Winter on its way.

Maddie had no problem leading the way for us all through the various ponds and puddles. Our biggest surprise was our little hiker who, having forgone his afternoon nap, was full of energy ready to take on the hike.  Strapped to mom, we took off through the woods and on to the first waterfall where we stopped to rest.  18 pounds has never felt so heavy!

After a few miles of hiking we decided it was best to call it a day and we turned back.  At this point Jenn had taken a break and the heavy load was shifted to my back.  After a few minutes of hiking I felt a big thump on my shoulder followed by heavy snoring.  Unbelievably, the little guy fell asleep.  Now, I’ve never been accused of being overly graceful in the woods (or anywhere else for that matter) but no worries, Ryan could care less.  I spent the last mile and a half walking as if someone had kicked me in the groin.  It turns out, it feels more like someone kicked me in the lower back.  But really the pain of a sleepless baby remains significantly more painful than any lower back pain.  

We had a great time and we built some confidence with our little tyke.  I could see the Adirondacks in our future….though I think we might rent a Sherpa.

New York State has taken a lot from me over the last few years.  I could start with the sales, school and property taxes we pay or the increased fees we pay for everything from fishing licenses to DMV renewals.  I could highlight the nice trooper who caught me speeding on I-90 this past Summer, a mistake that cost me close to $300 when everything is said and done.  But the worst was this morning when I was called to sacrifice something more valuable, my time.  Every six years the residents of New York State are asked to set aside a week of their life in the service of their community in the form of Jury Duty.  This is a dreadful experience made only worse by the fact that this morning’s call to duty forced me to miss Ryan’s appointment with Dr. Nichter, the man charged with the task of analyzing his brain and helping to control his seizures.

It turns out that Ryan’s appointment was a success! The medication that Dr. Nichter has prescribed has seemed to control the seizure activity and we’ll begin the long process of waiting a year from now to do further tests to see if Ryan has developed beyond this disorder.  That is all very good news.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Nichter mentioned he’d caught wind of an earlier post on this blog where I mentioned his bow-tie was “clown-like” and he’d like noted that the bow tie he was wearing today was much more subdued.  Had New York State not taken the opportunity away, I would have told him that Ryan seems to be doing much better because of his expertise.  If that level of expertise requires a clown-like bow tie, well so be it.  In fact, the bow tie seems to exude a level of confidence seldom seen.  It’s as if the tie says, “Back off, I know what I’m doing.”  That’s a really refreshing feeling to have.  Perhaps more people should be wearing bow-ties?  I’d like to see a politician or two with one.  Doubtful they’d have the confidence to pull it off.