Rantical

Test 2

I was talking tonight with some people that I work with and I we were sharing why we call Good Friday "Good." And were kinda kidding around with the fact that it wasn't all that great for Jesus. We should probably call it "Glad I'm not Jesus Day." It might be a little sacrilegious, but it is true. I am glad that I am not Jesus. I would have been begging the Roman soldiers to let me go, making up an excuse that there was probably a misunderstanding. "When I said that I was God, you mistook what I was trying to say." But that is exactly why I need Jesus. He is the only one that could do what He did and have it mean something. No one else could have died for the sins of humanity and changed the order of the universe. When He died something happened far beyond what people saw. Jesus opened a door, nay created a door that never existed before. A door that allows us access to a world that should be forbidden to us. When Christ died on our behalf we got far more than we deserve. So Good Friday is a good day and I am glad that Jesus died to show me He is God, and I am glad that he rose to prove it.
Ryan D
Check out Trina and my new website www.rickyloveslulu.squarespace.com

I was talking to my wife the other day, and I was wondering what is deal with Christmas?. The Bible doesn't mandate us celebrating Christ's birth. I understand the Last (Lord's) Supper and Communion and why we celebrate that. But has Christmas always been celebrated in one form or another since the first church. I don't know the answer to that I and I am too lazy to find out, so if you want to know look it up yourself. Here is a hint, I am sure there is an article on Wikipedia.
Anyways, I was saying this and the song "Come thou fount of every blessing" sung by Sufjan Stevens came on in the car and I started to have a change of heart. I think that we need to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World and Creator of the Universe a little more. I think that He deserves it. I think that we need to recognize what it meant for humanity when God humbled Himself and came to earth to show us first hand how much He loves us. Here are the some of the words to that song and you decide for yourself.

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I’ve come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let that grace now, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Merry Christmas!!!
Blessings,
Ryan D

I like Thanksgiving! I'm glad that we do it, it never hurts to think and remember what it is we are thankful for.
1. God, A God that loves me despite all my mistakes and sins. I was listening to the song Drummer Boy, and lyrics say, "Little Baby, I am a poor boy too, I have no gift to bring, That's fit to give the King, Shall I play for you?" That is how I feel. I have nothing to offer except me!
2. My wife, Trina has been with me through thick and thin. It has been a tough few years and quite honestly if the roles were reversed I'm not sure I could do it.
3. My kids, they continue to grow and mature and it is amazing to watch. It is shocking at times, like when your four year old tells you, "I think tomatoes taste like crap."
There is numerous other things that I could mention, but I keep it to three. I know everyone does these "Thanksgiving" posts, so I'll keep it short.
In closing I would like to quote Matt Lauer during the broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, "Without dreams, dreams just simply can't come true." Thank you Matt for that inspirational message. How long did you work on that little gem? Did you practice in front of a mirror?
Blessings,
Ryan D

My kids are special. I mean that in the good sense, not special ed, although sometimes I wonder if my youngest may need tranquilizers (see picture). Don't let those eyes deceive you!!! They are great kids, I have spent the evening playing with them. We played Candy Land and Operation. The thing is nothing stays the same. Candy Land is now "Dora the Explorer Candy Land' and it is in Spanish and English. I don't know how I feel about that, but this not the place. Operation is now "The Hulk Operation" I'm cool with that. I just was wondering what was wrong with old school games. It's not like the fun was lost in the last twenty years and we had to reinvent the games. It not like with car when new technology and advances in safety force companies to change. Candy Land and Operation are freaking Candy Land and Operation. What the heck. It is the exact same game and same board, but now with pictures of Dora the annoying Explorer on it. Nothing is good enough for crazy Americans. 

I am super excited! I am back down to one job. I was working two jobs for about a month and was able to quit my second job. I really had fun working at Herbie's Auto Sales. I worked actually for their lending company, YKS Acceptance. I was a quasi repo man. What that means is I went with their real repo man to get cars and although I did repo one car, it was pretty non-dramatic. The guy gave us the keys and we drove away with the car, it wasn't really like the TV show. It involved hours of driving and about 15 minutes of interaction with customers. 

I had to take my wedding ring to the jeweler to get re-sized. For over a couple of months is has been super tight and I don't why I haven't gained any weight. My wife would probably say I needed to change my diet. Anyways, I hadn't been wearing it much, but I had it there to put on when I wanted to. When I took it to the jeweler, a couple of weeks ago, I didn't really think anything of it. But after a couple of days I was really starting to miss having it. And no not because I am in to bling, but because I realized how much it meant to me because of what it represented. I am a very cynical person and whenever I go to a wedding I have always rolled my eyes when they talked about the rings, because I thought that they were just making a big deal about some gold and diamonds, but now I see the significance. I really missed my ring, not because it is a piece of gold and diamonds, but because of who bought it for me and that it represents a love and commitment for a lifetime.

I have the fortunate opportunity to go see Governor Palin speak tomorrow. I was telling my wife that we have been especially political this election season. We went to see Sen. Obama awhile ago and now we get to see the other side. Even though I have already voted, and no I am not going to announce who I voted for. I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing our potential next to next president and SNL superstar. 

As some of you know I started a new job. I was recently in a neighboring town picking up a car that we repoed a couple of days earlier. And I wished I would have had my camera. As I watched the news every morning and listen to whenever Palin makes a speech, I keep hearing terms like predatory in reference to mortgage companies.   While I was driving I saw a mortgage company name "Aggressive Mortgage." I am willing to bet that the company really wished that they would have had that one more brain storming session when they were trying to come up with a name. Really? Aggression is what I look for in a lender, I want to be pushed around and coerced when I buy a house. 

Why do things that are supposed to make our lives easier often cause more problems. I love technology and love new gadgets. I watch vidcasts every week about what is new in the land Teklovania, but when my stuff doesn't work I want to punch a "tree". I spent the better part of my day trying to figure out why I haven't been receiving emails at work and why my phone mysteriously stopped syncing to my work computer. The only up side was that I got to yell at my computer with my best friend Jeff, thanks Jeff!!! I don't get how this crap works. I think that when I was a child I had a high powered magnet implanted into me, and anytime I get around a computer the hard drive crashes. In the words of Sarah Palin, "Gosh darn it."
I don't know why one day things work and the next... Ta dah CRAP! I wouldn't be so worked up over this, but the network and server at work has been giving me crap forever, forever, forever, (think Sandlot). It just so happens that I am the executive director of a non-profit which by default makes me the IT guy too.
Whenever I think of machines and electronics going crazy I think of the classic Stephen King movie Maximum Overdrive, so if you haven't seen it check out the trailer below and then rent it. (FYI It's rated R for good reason.)
I am at a loss for words.
Blessings,
Ryan D

Here is something I saw when my son and I were driving to the store. I can sympathize with the owner of this house. This election seems to be particularly confusing. I wish I knew the answer to this homeowners dilemma.

I had some weird dreams last night, but what was even more disturbing was the flashback I had. I don't know if you have ever been lying in bed and had a memory of an experience from the past. It's strange because in hindsight I'm not sure if I was sleeping or awake. The flashback was of the first time I saw a woman naked. I remember it must have been in 1987 or 88. My older sister had a friend over to spend the night. I don't remember her name I just remember that she lived one street over from us. It was a Saturday morning and I got up at the butt crack of dawn to watch Transformers, like any 10 or 11 year old boy would do in the eighties. After awhile I needed to go pee, so I went to my sisters bathroom. I opened the door and getting out of the shower was a naked woman. I was shocked and she was shocked, probably for totally different reasons. Looking back I am really glad that it wasn't my sister. I love my sister, but braagh. (Just threw up in my mouth a little, seriously). Not to suggest that my sis isn't beautiful, but that is just wrong.
Well there you have it, that was last nights flashback as I remember. I am I the only one that has these, please say no!
Blessings,
Ryan D

You know what makes me mad? I don't really like how if someone who is a Christian believes something political you must believe it or you are not a Christian, well maybe that is taking it too far, you're just a sucky Christian. When I think of Jesus and politics, the only thing that comes to my mind is taxes. That's right taxes. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's. Now Jesus was probably much more political then that one story, but I don't think of him as worrying about who's agenda was most right. (Because, frankly, no candidate is all right).
I got some heat for going to the Democratic National Convention by some of my Christian friends. I went because it was an opportunity of lifetime. Hundreds of thousands of people were trying to get tickets to this event and I was fortunate enough to get a ticket. The DNC was history in the making. I was impressed to say the least! Obama is an amazing public speaker and has the most charisma I seen from a person, probably in my entire life. I happened to like alot of what he had to say and I'm not ashamed to say that.
Here is my list of favorite things about the DNC.

1. Spending the day with my wife (something that doesn't happen enough).
2. Hearing Obama
3. Seeing Stevie Wonder
4. Hearing John Legend and Will.i.am.
5. Seeing everyone leaving while Nancy Polosi was speaking.
6. Pizza for a midnight snack
7. Seeing everyone united for a change.

What I didn't like

1. The "Christian" protesters with the sign that says, "Turn to Jesus, you're headed for Hell."
2. Walking like 10 miles.
3. Having to wait for over an hour to get on the train.
4. The price of food at Invesco.
5. Long lines.

All in all it was an amazing day and I am so glad I could go! Thanks for the tickets, T.

Here are some pictures...

I went to church this weekend and the sermon was about selfishness. And it got me thinking about consumerism. We buy into this lie that the world revolves around us. Everyday we are bombarded with companies telling us that we are the most important person and we deserve to have x,y or z. I'm learning, painfully, that there are more important people in the world, namely everyone. Scripture says, to put other first. That is a tall order when we are told everyday that we are number one.
Here is a sampling of the company slogans.
"Have it your way" Burger King
"Where do you want to go today?" Microsoft
"When you got it, flaunt it." Braniff Airlines
"Because I'm worth it." L'Oreal
I am going to go try to live for others, how about you?
Blessings,
Ryan

I am sitting here eagerly awaiting the email that I hope my wife will get. She signed up to receive tickets to see Obama. I am not an Obama supporter nor am I a McCain supporter, but I would love to go see Obama make his historic acceptance speech. Thankfuly, my wife used her whole name including her hispanic surname. I figure we have a better chance of getting tickets by playing the ethnic card. Works for me.
I heard today that Rosie O'Donnell is going to quit blogging for at least a month. She claims that she is addicted to it. What the crap is up with all these celebrities and their crazy freaking addictions. Rosie you are crazier than a stink house rat, that is your problem you are not addicted to bloging. Quit huffing paint and try to be a normal human being for month.
More celeb addictions... Alainis Morrisette says she is swearing off dating. She claims that she is addicted to love. Give me a break. And the craziest thing about this story, she is combating her addiction by have promiscuous sex. I wonder where does she take these guys... the movie theater perhaps. My only prayer is that she doesn't get pregnant, the world doesn't need another crazy, bitter freak show named Orange or Tuesday. Which I think is another celeb addiction... Crazy baby names.
Blessings,
Ryan D

Sorry it has been almost a month, but then who cares! I don't delude myself in thinking that anyone reads this tripe.
I like having friends, I have never liked doing anything alone. I have always lived with someone. My brother and I pretty much shared a room our entire growing up and then we moved out together and shared a house with somewhere between 5 and 7 other guys. (Bad idea!) Anyway, I don't like being alone and friends are great to fill in the gaps between work and driving. I even like working with friends.
All this to say I don't like losing contact with friends. And I was shocked to get a phone call from a friend named Fat Joey T that I hadn't talked to in years. To top it off he was calling from Germany. He was calling to tell me that he was going to be in Greeley and wanted to get together. I love when lost friends do that, don't you hate it when you find out that someone that you thought of as a friend was a ten minute drive away and didn't bother to call?
Well, Joey was an amazing freestyle rapper when he was in college, and we asked him if he still did it and he told us that he hadn't rapped since college, what a let down. He was amazing.
Well he went to a friend's wedding and dusted off the ol' mic and had the goodness to send me the video, so although you may not know Fat Joey T, maybe you'll feel like you know him better now.
(Joe is the second one rapping)

I love dreams, you can do anything and be anyone in your dreams. But sometimes that can lead you down a road that you may not have wanted to go. Have you ever had a dream and woken up and wondered if what happened in your dream actually happened? Last night I had a dream that I was picking my nose and eating it. This is not normal behavior for me. Don't get me wrong I pick my nose, but I tend to be more of flicker than an eater. So anyways, I woke up and it dawned on me that I may have been doing more than dreaming of pickin'!
Blessings,
Ryan D

Here are my rants, observations and concessions about the Greeley Stampede this year.

1. Rant: The Spin Doctors are a two hit wonder, barely. I didn't realize it until I saw them that they had two, count'em two, radio hits. Nonetheless, they are washed up, but the question that I have is... At what point do you realize that you are washed up? Before you get to Greeley, or does it occur upon arrival? I'm just wondering if Greeley is a turning point in a persons career. The thing is this year they had a lot of amazing bands, some that I don't particularly like, but are A-list musicians. That was not the case for the Spin Doctors.
2. Rant: I am not in the best shape! No one is going to argue that point, but at least I realize it. I know what is OK for me to wear in public. Unfortunately for innocent by-standers, many of the attendees of the Stampede have not made that realization. I don't want to be mean, but somebody has to be honest here. If a supermodel wears it, and you weigh more than twice that supermodel's weight, you shouldn't be wearing it. I'm talking about guys and girls here people. I saw things last night that I think a Guantanamo detainee should not be exposed to.
3. Observation: The carnival is much more white trash in daylight.
4. Observation: The food court is a prophesy of Vegetarian Hell. There literally is enough meat there to feed an African country for a year. And apparently it is the duty of the attendees to make sure none of it goes to waste (see #2).
5. Concession: Maybe the Stampede is bigger than I give it credit for. This year it was chosen as one of the "Best Places to Fly Your Patriotic Colors." by USA Today.

Over all the Stampede was a good time. I had fun taking kids from work over to the carnival and seeing some normally melancholy faces smile for a change. I had fun spending time with my beautiful wife at the Poison show. And I had fun hanging out with my oldest son at the parade and the fireworks.
Blessings,
Ryan D

I have some more fireworks pictures, just a couple. God bless America! I just want to say one thing about those idiots that made fireworks illegal in Colorado. You people are as bad as the terrorist that we are trying to defeat, maybe worse. It is our God given American right to blow stuff up... Take that Anti-Fireworks Legislators, Osama Bin Laden and Jemimah Wright!!! Really, it is a God given right, I'm pretty sure it's in the Bible. Look it up!

Blessings,
Ryan D
P.S. I promise this the last of the fireworks pictures... until next year!

As you may have read I love fireworks, just like any red blooded American male, but not on the third of July. Especially when they are exploding right out my freakin' window! I want to watch a movie, is that too much to ask?