Thursday July 17, 2008

Ryan Update / The Economy

Ryan Update 7-16
Please forgive me for yesterday. A week or so ago I did not write a blog because we were so busy with Ryan and doctors, therapist and nurse. That day came and went so fast on that day that I really had no opportunity as we were planning for Ryan. Yesterday was a completely different story, however. Yesterday was a day when Ryan was so entertaining that I could not pull myself away from him. He entertained us for hours. Ryan was putting on a show with his talking as his personality was showing with his words. Late yesterday morning Ryan said, "Hey Mickey, I want you to listen very carefully." I said OK and he said, "Please don't leave me again today." How in the world could I have broken away from that. He is so awesome! His speech is much slower and it takes time for him to respond but it is so fulfilling to hear his voice and his personality.

He is even closer to his mom and sister and really can't stand it when they leave.

Ryan's sense of humor was a riot yesterday. Stef was feeding him a smoothie when a nurse walked in so she put it away. When the nurse was finished Ryan asked, "Hey Stef, you still have that smoothie?" She said yeah. He then said, "Hook me up!"

This morning I was showing Ryan my bald spot that has grown lately and I told him how much he used to make fun of it. I also told reminded him how much he made fun of me being fat but I told him I lost 15 pounds. I pulled up my shirt and showed him my waist line and Ryan responded, "Oh Snap!"

Early in the afternoon Ryan asked, "Hey Mickey, do you love me?" I hope he understands but my vocabulary is too limited to explain how much I do love him.

His physical therapist was helping him take a few steps. He is up to 15 steps. Ryan works very hard all day and by the end of each day he is exhausted. However, each passing day brings more stamina.

Ryan is starting to eat more each day. Yesterday he had three meals for the first time and was able to finish most of them. If he eats at least half of each meal then he does not have to do any tube feeding each day. He is also able to drink liquids but he has to do it with a spoon instead of a straw.

Yesterday he had a cast put on his left wrist in order to straighten it. He had Botox to help relax the muscle and seems to be working well.

Ryan is now able to tell us when he has to go the bathroom which was a big step. He will be able to start wearing boxers soon.

All of these steps are coming at us so fast. Ryan's recovery has been amazing. We used to look at week-by-week, then he started to progress day-by-day and now he improves hour-by-hour. I am sorry about not writing yesterday but there was so much happening that I could not break away from the excitement.

The Economy
Doom and gloom! Everything sucks. Gas prices are rising and the sky is the only thing that is falling. Poor pitiful us.

I was reading an article today in the Orlando Sentinel about tickets sales dropping at FSU because of gas prices. The University of Florida has even dropped their minimum required for season tickets because of the economy.

I did not realize it until a caller came on my show and detailed the awful times in the Sunshine State from an economic standpoint. He said tourism is down because of gas prices. He also said the mortgage crunch and the insurance mess has killed real estate in Florida as well. Plus people in other markets are not able to sell their homes so they can't move to South because the economy has gone South. All of this on top of the hurricane scares and scars. Times are bad in many places in Florida and sports are being effective. There is talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars moving also.

This week I asked a Clemson athletic director about the effect gas prices may have on attendance this season and they have some slight concerns but for the most part they seem to optimistic.

While I understand the economy is in a downturn and I understand gas prices have a big effect on so many part of our country, I hope it won't effect Clemson football drastically.

I have friends who are having a hard time financially and I have compassion for some I know who have despair in their businesses. But for most of us I don't think much can get in the way of the highly anticipated football season.

If nothing else, then Clemson football and the best tailgating atmosphere may be able to cheer you up. If everything is so bad and doom has set in then a good Saturday tailgating with your best friends is a good remedy to cheer you up.

While I get that the discretionary dollar is harder to come by, I also take a less drastic look at the news than others. So here is my case:

Let's say you live in Columbia. That is 120 miles from Clemson. If your car gets 20 mpg then that is 12 gallons of gas roundtrip for a game. Because of heavy traffic I may even say 15 gallons total for the trip. If gas skyrockets up to $2 more per gallon than last year then that is $30 more dollars for gas per game this year.

I just can't see $30 dollars difference making people two hours away stay at home and miss a great time. That is $30 more dollars from Charlotte and Atlanta Tiger fans and maybe $50 from Charleston area Tigers.

Let's assume the pre-season magazines are right and Clemson is a top ten football team. Let's assume the Tigers are the best team in the ACC and they win the title. Let's say Clemson heads to the BCS. In 10 years when you are asked were you at the games that year? Are you really going to admit that gas prices or the economy kept you away?

If things got tight I would consider giving up a lot of things before I gave up Clemson football. Heck I saw 250 people standing in line for iPhones the other day. I see long lines at Starbucks all of the time. I am in the minority but, somehow cell phones and coffee have slipped way down my list of priorities and they still reside below Clemson football.

Life is too short and good times feel too good to let opportunities like this slip away. I have mentioned this in the past but I am 40 years old now and if I live a full life then I may have 30-40 good years left. If the Lord lets me live that long, then I get 30-40 more football seasons at Clemson and that should average out to seven home games each year. So I only have 210-280 more times to see the Tigers touch the Rock and run down the Hill.

No one forward this blog to Exxon or BP but they can't raise gas prices high enough to make me miss this Clemson football season. Things might have been different in the Hatfield era but I have waited a long to time to see Clemson this good in football and your stinkin' gas prices can't keep me away.

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