Joey and the dragons

So every once in a while, Joey becomes obsessed with the dragons in the downstairs half bathroom (especially at night) and needs daddy to clear them out.

So the other day I said, "I've got an idea, why don't we use Joey Dinosaur to get rid of those dragons?"

Needless to say, he was all for it.

He climbs on my back and we stomp through the house. As we draw nearer to the bathroom, Joey yells out, "OK you dragons, here comes Joey Dinosaur and Daddy! You better watch it!" I nearly fell down laughing.

So we vanquished the dragons and all was well at our corner of the Davis kindgom.

The most random list you'll ever read

I'm not ashamed to say I got the idea for this post from a fellow blogger. To me, that's a compliment when fellow bloggers borrow each other's ideas. Disagree? Well, it's my blog, so there.

The following is a completely random list about ... me.

1. I was born July 22, 1969 … the story goes that my mom went into labor as Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon. She wanted to go to the hospital but my dad couldn’t take his eyes off of the TV. She won.
   
2. My son, Joey, is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Seeing the world through his eyes is indescribable.
   
3. When I worked in Boston, I used to commute 20 hours a week. Fun.
   
4. I’ve never been sued.
   
5. If there's one person in my life that I trust more than anyone else, it's my mom. She absolutely would never BS me.
   
6. I am a huge golf nut and love playing. Well, if you call having a handicap over 20 "playing".
   
7. My favorite color is navy blue.
   
8. One of my most favorite things in the world is the way Joey prefaces almost every sentence he says to me with, "Dah-dee".
   
9. Nothing beats walking in the door and Joey comes running up to me saying, "Dah-dee, Dah-dee, you're home! I missed you!" I fall in love with him every day.
   
10. I’m not a fan of sodas like Coke or Pepsi … I can’t stand the way it feels like your teeth are covered in sugar after you drink them.
    
11. If I drink soda, it’s soda water (lemon and orange are the favorite flavors).
12. That being said, Jack + Coke = always good.
    
13. I’m proud to be a Jack Daniel’s Squire.
    
14. My favorite beer is Cape Ann Brewery's "Boston Tea Part Ale", followed closely by Boddington's and just about anything Sam Adams makes, especially Sammy Light.
    
15. I have one sibling, a younger sister, Beckie.
    
16. My all-time favorite book is “To Kill A Mockingbird” … I’ve read it over a dozen times.
    
17. I try not to use the word "hate", but I have to say that I really hate being late for anything. As far as I'm concerned, if you're ten mintues early for something, that's being on time.
    
18. I’ve only owned five cars in my life (in order): metallic blue 1980 Pontiac Sunbird, black 1991 Nissan NX 1600, 2001 green Dodge Stratus coupe (man, I loved that car), a 2004 Subaru Impreza RS sedan, and my current car, a 2010 Subaru Impreza.
    
19. I graduated from Fitchburg State College in 1993 with a degree in Journalism and a double minor of Political Science and U.S. History. I had a GPA of 3.1.
    
20. My first job out of college was as a newspaper reporter for the Concord (MA) Journal.
    
21. I worked in the Public Affairs office of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and then at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
    
22. My two favorite expressions (and I use them all of the time) are: "Not for nothing, but ..." and "It'll look good from my house!"
    
23. To put myself through college, I was a chef at a restaurant.
    
24. All told, between high school, college and post-college (when I had to work two jobs to support myself), I was a chef for almost 16 years.
    
25. My favorite type of food is steak, followed closely by Italian cuisine.
    
26. I am a great cook and can make almost anything, but I’ve never tried making soup.
    
27. I used to own and wear a black leather motorcycle jacket. I thought I was cool. I was wrong.
    
28. I'm so not a fan of gore in movies. I like being scared as much as the next person, but I don't like being grossed out. And no, the sight of blood doesn't bother me. There's just no need to see people's entrails in movies.
    
29. I hate seafood. Lobsters look like giant cockroaches and I just can't see how anyone can eat them. Nasty .... just, nasty.
    
30. When it comes to creamy vs. super chunk, I'd have to go with super chunk.
    
31. I think the greatest condiment ever created is Frank's Red Hot sauce.
    
32. I like white wine and red wine (although red doesn’t like me as much … it’s the nitrates).
    
33. I’m a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation and a hard-core fan of the New England Patriots.
    
34. I love watching baseball and football in HD.
    
35. I’ve known my best friend for 26 years and I’ve known he’s gay for 20 of those years.
    
36. I'm very good at figuring out who the actor is doing voice overs for commercials and movies. If I can't figure it out, it drives me nuts.
    
37. When I was a pre-teen, Star Wars was my life. I’m still a tremendous fan and have loads of collectibles in the attic to prove it.
    
38. I used to collect and read comic books, but can't really afford the 12+ titles I used to regularly read a month now that I'm an adult (sort of). If I could afford it, I'd still read them.
    
39. I don’t believe in god.
    
40. I absolutely bombed my SATs but was accepted to all five colleges to which I applied.
    
41. I’m an editor by profession but am one of the worst spellers you’ll ever meet.
    
42. I used to smoke cigarettes but quit after a few years. Nasty.
    
43. I love smoking a good cigar now and then, especially in the summer.
    
44. I used to speed, but since my son was born, not so much.
    
45. I could give up cigars and Jack Daniel’s in a heart beat … but never coffee … especially Starbucks.
    
46. I finally have all speeding tickets off of my record and am paying the lowest insurance rates available.
    
47. It doesn't bother me to chew on tin foil.
    
48. My favorite place to take a summer vacation is Martha's Vineyard, MA.
    
49. To me, driving in Boston is fun, not scary.
    
50. I absolutely abhor roller coasters.
    
51. Almost as much as roller coasters, I hate being in the water, like a pool, lake or ocean.
    
52. I can drive a manual transmission car (my Subaru is 5 on the floor).
    
53. I’m a registered Democrat.
    
54. I’m pro-choice.
    
55. I can’t cross my eyes.
    
56. For me, the "Big Three" was Larry, Kevin and The Chief.
    
57. I have little to no patience for people who cannot drive. The idiotic things people do on the road never ceases to amaze me.
    
58. I’m obsessed with getting achievements on Xbox 360 games.
    
59. I believe gay people have as much right to marry as straight couples do.
    
60. I’m not a fan of country music.
    
61. I love hard rock/heavy metal music … the harder, the better (if I can air guitar to it, I’m in!)
    
62. Sometimes I get the heebies and the geebies.
    
63. I played Little League baseball as a kid (short stop).
    
64. I'm a very sarcastic person.
    
65. I’m an amateur photographer … digital photography is great.
    
66. I once had a photo published in USA Today.
    
67. I had a hernia operation when I was 11 years old.
    
68. I’ve only ever broken one bone in my body … a bone in my left foot in karate class.
    
69. Speaking of which, I studied Kempo karate for a few years and was three belts away from black when I stopped (I had to get a job to make money and it left me with no time for anything else). I was even an instructor for a while.
    
70. My favorite number is 7.
    
71. I have a pair of "hospital green" scrub pants that are one of, if not the, most comfortable pieces of clothing I own. If I could, I'd wear them every day, all day.
    
72. My driver’s license says I’m 6 feet tall, but I’m more in the 5’ 11” and ½ to ¾ range.
    
73. I've never flown in a helicopter but would really like to some day.
    
74. I can see why women think Tom Brady is good looking ... not that there's anything wrong with that.
    
75. I can’t swim and have absolutely no desire to learn.
    
76. I can whistle … not well, but I can.
    
77. I've never skydived before and have absolutely no plans of ever doing so.
    
78. I’ve never traveled outside of the US.
    
79. I love gmail and wish I could have bought Google stock when it was first offered.
    
80. If I could vote again for Bill Clinton, I would.
    
81. The farthest west I’ve ever been was Anaheim, CA for my ex-brother-in-law’s wedding in 2005. Awesome time.
    
82. My blood type is O+ and I try to donate whenever I'm eligible (every eight weeks).
    
83. I've never been arrested and I've never been in the back of a police car. (Front of the car, yes, but not in the back).
    
84. Aside from Fenway Park, the only other MLB ballparks I’ve ever been to are Wrigley Field in Chicago and Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
    
85. I think George Dubbya did more harm to this country than any other president in our nation's history.
    
86. I don’t gamble, but I’ve been to Mohegan Sun just to see it … bizarre, but fun.
    
87. I have used a laser radar gun to clock people speeding on a highway.
    
88. In 1986, I was the only person I knew that had a CD player.
    
89. Mean people suck. I agree.
    
90. I don't care who beats the NY Yankees, the Indianapolis Colts or the NY Jets ... as long as they lose.
    
91. If I could, I would live in the Back Bay area of Boston.
    
92. My favorite Harry Potter book is the last one, “The Deathly Hallows”.
    
93. I listen to a tremendous amount of music, but if I had to pick one all-time favorite band, it would have to be Van Halen (David Lee Roth era).
    
94. I like Jazz and Classical music.
    
95. I have met John Glenn and actually declined to have my picture taken with him. I really regret that decision.
    
96. I listen to Howard Stern every morning on Sirius Satellite Radio.
    
97. Since I installed Sirius in my car in November, 2005, I haven’t listened to broadcast radio.
    
98. My all-time favorite TV show is The Sopranos.
    
99. I’m lactose intolerant.
    
100. My favorite ice cream flavor is Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
     
101. I’ve never stolen something from a store.
     
102. My current favorite show is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart...brilliant!.
     
103. Best Buy is my favorite store.
     
104. I used to be on MySpace and Facebook but deleted my accounts because the whole thing just got too obnoxious.
     
105. For as much as I love playing first-person-shooter games on Xbox like Call of Duty, I really suck at them.
     
106. I’m anal retentive about a lot of things.
     
107. I love Eddie Bauer clothes.
     
108. My favorite sneakers are Under Armour.
     
109. I used to be painfully shy.
     
110. I have acid reflux disease and can’t eat roughage (iceberg lettuce and popcorn are the worst for me).
     
111. I love Gulden’s spicy brown mustard.
     
112. I think OJ is guilty.
     
113. Aside from medical procedures, I’ve only been unconscious once … when I was 12, I tripped at the top of a flight of stairs and landed on my chin on the concrete platform at the bottom of the stairs. I still have the scar underneath my chin.
     
114. I have a birthmark on my left bicep.
     
115. The most I’ve even bench pressed is 190 pounds.
     
116. If I could do it all over again, I’d get a degree in something that has to do with fixing/building things, like an electrician or construction.
     
117. My favorite adult cereal is Wheaties … kid’s cereal is Capt’n Crunch.
     
118. I never missed an episode of Pee Wee’s Playhouse on Saturday mornings.
     
119. I think Dane Cook is way overrated.
     
120. When I vote, I try not to vote party lines, but I just can’t bring myself to vote for a Republican given the GOP’s intolerant, ultra-Christian conservative platform.
     
121. I’ve never listened to an entire “book-on-tape”.
     
122. I’m not much of an amusement park person … they just don’t amuse me.
     
123. I’ve been to Disney World twice and Disney Land once.
     
124. Edward Hopper is my favorite American artist.
     
125. I think full-figured women are more attractive than thinner women.
     
126. I once cut off the tip of my left index finger. It grew back.
     
127. I can recite word-for-word many skits from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Joey Dinosaur

So Joey and I have this new thing we do called "Joey Dinosaur".

Joey climbs on my back and puts his arms around my neck. I hold onto his wrists and hunch over so he's on my back and walk slowly around the house growling. Every once in a while I'll stop and wave his hands and roar as I stand up a little straighter. Joey gets into it and pretends he's a dinosaur. Sometimes we go looking for lunch or dinner and eat "leaves" or "berries".

The best part is how he lowers his little voice and says, "Grrrrr" and "Growl!!"

Just too cute.

Two Years

I know it's a cliche, but there are things that happen in your life that when they happen, you never forget where you were or what you were doing when they occur.

I was in my office two years ago and the phone rang. I saw on the display that it was my mom. I picked up the phone and as soon as she said my name, I knew something was wrong.

"Liz passed away this morning," she said. I literally almost dropped the phone.

All I could say was, "What?!? WHAT?!?"

I'll never forget driving home, trying to figure out how I was going to tell Kell, who had grown close to Liz. I walked into the house and Kell was in a great mood, playing with Joey. I stood there and just blurted out what had happened. It was awful.

My cousin, Elizabeth (D'Agostino) Schermerhorn, was diagnosed with leukemia in October, 2004, just days after my son was born. She apparently hadn't been feeling well for some time and when she went to her doctor, she got the news everyone dreads to hear.

I'm sitting here looking at the screen and I'm at a loss what to type next.

The family was devastated. She was only 42 years old when she passed away, having just celebrated her birthday on Dec. 18. She left behind her husband and son (who will turn 14 this year).

Two years later and I still can't wrap my brain around this.

After being diagnosed, Liz went through chemo and other treatments and was up and down for a while. But, not long before she passed away, she received a bone marrow transplant and seemed to be getting much better. But within a matter of hours on Jan. 5, she deteriorated rapidly and lost her fight early the next morning. Just like that, she went from showing so much improvement to ... losing the fight.

My mom told me that Liz had said she just wanted 10 more years to see her son turn 21.

Again, I'm trying to make sense of this ... trying to put this into words and I feel like I'm failing miserably. I know this post is random, but bear with me.

I just can't imagine what it's like to lose a child, regardless of their age. This hits me especially hard now that I have Joey in my life. I look at him and can't begin to fathom what it would be like if something happened to him.

I loved my cousin so much. She was such an amazing person and had the greatest sense of humor and her laugh was infectious. I used to like to listen to her talk because at times a soft New York accent would creep in, like "talk" would be "tawk" ... it wasn't a strong accent, but it was there.

And yeah, she was a Yankees fan, but nobody's perfect, right?

Whenever my mom and her sister (Liz's mother), my sister, Kell and Liz would get together, literally the laughter never stopped. And they would all laugh a certain way only when they were together. Growing up, I could always tell when my mom was talking to "Auntie" or Liz on the phone because of the way she laughed.

Liz played the piano and was a huge Beatles fan. Anytime I hear the Beatles or Billy Joel (Liz played him a lot), I think of Liz immediately.

Her funeral was ... I don't know ... what is there to say? We were all in the funeral home and people were saying things and the priest was there and then as part of the service, the Beatles' "In My Life" started playing. My heart broke, that's the only way I can describe it. My sister and I just held each other, crying.

After the funeral, I was talking to my cousin, Chris, and he said, "Man, this really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

I agreed. But I also said that the trick is to keep that perspective. It's too easy when you get back to your life to lose that perspective. You start answering email, playing bills, living your life again and you forget.

I haven't. If there's one good thing to come from Liz being taken from us is that whenever I start to get stressed out about something, I stop and think of her. Think about the fact that her son won't have her at his high school graduation, his wedding, all of those significant events coming in his life. I think about how lucky I am to be there for Joey and Kell, how amazing it is to be a dad and husband, how I can never take that for granted ... and I try not to let small things bother me. It's just not worth it.

I'm so glad Liz got to meet Joey and frankly, I'm still angry at the fact that she's not going to be around to see him because I know he would have absolutely loved her. She had such a way with kids and was always a lot of fun to hang out with ... no doubt Joey would've called her "Auntie Liz" or something like that.

Liz is always on my mind, whether I realize it or not. Like I said, her birthday is Dec. 18 and I had totally forgotten about it last month. But the night of the 17th, I had dreamt about Liz several times. In the last dream, we were on a boardwalk of some kind and were visiting the booths and playing games and talking about the fact that she was going to die. Even in the dream, I realized I was dreaming and I kept telling her that I didn't want her to die ... it wasn't fair to her son, to us ... but most of all, it wasn't fair to her. I kept telling her how awful this is and how angry I am that she wasn't going to be around.

I remember this part of the dream as though it happened is real life ... She turned to me, looked me square in the eye and said, "Bryan, there's nothing I can do about it ... things like this happen and they happen for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but they happen and those people who are still here need to move on and help one another. I'm not really going to be gone, I just won't be here."

That's when I woke up for the last time that night because I couldn't sleep after that. "I'm not really going to be gone, I just won't be here." I guess she's right because I will never forget her and I'm so grateful for the time we had together.

Two years ... it can't be ... it just can't be.

Happy New Year

So here we are, four days into 2008 ... hmmm, wonder what this year is going to bring.

In many way, I'd like to leave 2007 behind. Started off with the Patriots losing to the Colts in the AFC Championship ... man, that was harsh. I mean, the Patriots were up by 18 points at the half!!! (I know, I know ... it's just football, but still ... )

The year just seemed to be kind of a bummer on a lot of fronts. Kell and I have been trying to get pregnant and for one reason or another, Mother Nature's not having it. That and Kell had two major carpel tunnel syndrome surgeries (one on each wrist) and that was really tough on her. The fun part is that one wrist is getting bad again ... oh joy.

Joey had surgery for a double hernia and that was in absolutely no way any kinds of fun. I will never, ever forget the feeling of helplessness in the hospital as the doctors whisked him away and then Kell and I waiting and waiting and waiting while our little boy was being operated on. But, everything turned out OK ... still, I hope I never have to go through that again.

On the plus side, Joey turned three years old and is just getting more and more amazing. The world continues to open up to him and it's so much fun seeing things through his untainted and unbiased eyes (especially Christmas ... that was a lot of fun).

Oh yeah, the Red Sox won the World Series <- slaps forehead -> ...

I've never been one to really make new years' resolutions, but there are things I want to work on, to which:

• I've got to stop swearing. I've heard plenty of people swear much more than me, but I just need to stop ... I keep telling myself that I don't need swears to express myself.
  
• Of course, losing an inch or two off of the waist line would be great and is a definite priority this year.
  
• Speaking of which, I've got to get a physical ... no doubt the doc is going to tell me the BP is too high, and the cholesterol level undoubtedly needs to be lowered.
  
• I also am going to work really hard at not using the word "hate" ... I don't know why, but I've been thinking about this for a while. The word "hate" is a very powerful word that carries a lot of meaning. Unfortunately in this day and age, it's overuse has, in my opinion, diminished its impact. I don't really hate things, I just don't like them ... sometimes I don't something a lot.
  
• I'm also going to work really hard on not prefacing virtually everything I say. I have this habit of seemingly prefacing anything I say with something and it's annoying even to me ... I can't imagine what it's like for someone who has the misfortune of listening to me babble (truly, Kell is a saint ... almost).

Not sure about anything else.

If nothing else, here's hoping 2008 brings more peace to this world. The next president (lord help us if it's four more years of Republican dictatorship) will be inheriting many problems but will have an amazing opportunity to change the direction of this country for the better on many fronts.

Stay tuned ...

The Day After

Well, it's the day after Santa's big day and man, what a crazy time it was.

Joey's just getting the idea of Santa this year, so he was very excited knowing that Santa was coming. He seems to understand who Santa is but doesn't quite get the connection that Santa brings good kids presents. Still, when I got him out of bed on the 24th, he said, "Daddy ... Santa's coming and his reindeer and the chimney and presents and the tree and, and and ..." it went on from there.

So Christmas Eve we spent at my sister-in-law's house with Kell's family and had a great time, as always. Kell's brother, Paul, looks disturbingly like Jesus with his long hair and beard, so the jokes abounded all night because Paul couldn't be more opposite of what Jesus was reported to be ... LOL. The highlight for Joey was the Thomas the Tank Engine phone game he got from his Auntie Suzie and Austin which he has taken everywhere so far.

Anyway, we got home and got 44 Marion ready for the Big Guy. We wrote Santa a note that Joey signed and we put cookies and milk out for Santa to snack on. We also left some reindeer food (oatmeal and carrots) in a tin pie plate out on the porch. Joey was really excited doing that. He kept looking up at the sky and talked about the stars and how bright the full moon was that night.

The next morning, Joey came downstairs and couldn't believe his eyes ... Santa had come! He left a Little Tikes Cook & Learn Kitchen which was a huge hit. It talks to you and knows when you have the correct food in the pan or on the cutting board. Joey absolutely loves this thing and makes all kinds of creations for Mama and Daddy to try.

He also received a Little People Airport set and he likes using the helicopter and airplane to zoom around the living room. He also got a few Thomas the Tank Engine "take along" pieces for his collection and Hi, Ho Cherry-O! game, and lots of other stuff.

I gave Kell a pair of earrings from Silpada jewelry, an autographed Red Sox scorecard from Jerry Remy and Joey gave her a hard-sided glasses case for her new reading glasses.

Kell gave me a gorgeous Star Wars pop-up book which is really amazing, a Reebok knitted New England Patriots hat and a Patriots t-shirt ... very cool.

We went to my parent's house for Christmas day with Asha (my mom) and Papa (my dad) and my sister and her family. As always, everyone was very generous and Joey got a very cool racetrack/garage from Asha and Papa and a set of finger puppets, some Thomas stuff and train books from Auntie Beckie, Uncle John and his cousins Max and Jack ... among other stuff.

All in all a great day and another holiday spent with family. A lot of laughing and a lot of love to go around. Only 363 more days to go ... LOL.

The coolest thing ... EVER

So our son Joey turned three in September and more and more he's into his letters and reading. Well, he doesn't "read" per se, but recently he's been trying.

We were sitting at the dinner table last night and Joey has these bug flashcards that have a picture of a bug on one side and information about them on the other. Kell and I will usually tell him about the bug and show him how to pronounce and sound out the bug's name.

So last night, without provocation, he takes out the cards, and pointing with his finger, he says each letter in the bug name, then he tries to sound out the word. To our amazement, he actually did pretty well. It was the most amazing thing to see him try to read a word and sound it out the way he has seen on the reading shows he watches and the way Kell and I teach him.

A very cool parenting moment.