This has been one of the snowiest and coldest winters we’ve experienced to date here in Saratoga Springs. This morning is just a bit absurd in terms of the cold factor. The temperature is anywhere from -16 °F to -27 °F (-34 °F with wind chill). I just walked the dogs around the block and can confirm that any way you look at it, that’s just a tad below unreasonably cold. At least the sun is shining. It’s mostly the wind that bites — your face, your nose hairs, your dogs’ feet.
Despite the cold, I’ve been making an effort to get back into my running routine, and yesterday braved the snow and cold for an awesome 10-miler, my longest since October’s Mohawk-Hudson Marathon. It felt really good, and I loved running in the snow with my YakTrax. I’ve been averaging about 24 miles per week in the first three weeks of the year.
In baby news, today marks the beginning of Week 27 of Jen’s pregnancy, and the start of the third and final trimester! The pregnancy’s been great so far, and is going by really quickly. Last night we had our first of five child birth education classes.
In house news, we’ve been looking to move to Albany — to be closer to Jen’s work and parents once baby arrives — and actually put in an offer last week on a house we loved. We were really disappointed that our offer lost out to another without contingency to sell another house (as we have to sell ours first). We’re coming to terms with the disappointment, and on the bright side, we still have a house we love in a town we love, so if we’re here through the summer, then oh darn, we’ll just have to enjoy another summer in Saratoga, which people come from all over the world to do!
We rocked in the New Year in Niagara Falls, where we witnessed the wedding of Richard and Melanie. We had an awesome time.
Last but far from least, we enjoyed an awesome and truly memorable Christmas 2010 here in Saratoga. My mom flew in from California, and my bro and Sierra came to rock in the New Year (and ’staches) from NYC. Jen’s parents joined us from Kinderhook on Christmas Day, as did Justin, Alexis, and Buzz.
I went to New York City last night to rendezvous with my bro and see in person what his blog claimed he was sporting: A Chestache. There was some truth to the Chestache. I was impressed. We celebrated by watching Hot Tub Time Machine, one of the greatest movies ever.
But I digress.
Fast-forward to Christmas Eve evening. Anticipation was high. Our ladies were enamored (as always; how could two ladies be so lucky?). The chilly December air in Saratoga was a little warmer thanks to the warmth brought on by the glorious lip follicles.
Everyone knew this year would be good, but just how good? There was talk of ugly Christmas sweaters, so how could we go wrong, really?
Enough prose, let’s get to the point… initiate ABMGC IV: Christmas Eve Showdown 2010:
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you: The bear I wear has a mustache (and Santa hat) that matches mine.
And clearly the ladies were delighted:
Oh, and the bear has a mustachioed friend, the mouse:
May the mustache be with you. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good mustache!
Yesterday marked Mustache Independence Day, the day the Anderson Brother mustaches would stand on their own, without help from their furry facial friends. Both Anderson Brothers complied.
Pete came out swinging with this post, featuring a before and a glorious, Puerto Rico LFT-sporting after:
Well done, chap!
Not to be outdone, my mustache was freed from its chin-based follicular neighbors, left to shine in all its sketchy, dirt-bag pride:
I think my expression says it all: Could a mustache that awesome really exist in the wild?
’Tis the season to be jolly, and my mustache is jolly indeed. It’s at that stage of growth where it’s beginning to take on a life of its own: It tickles my lips, it blows in the wind, and it knows when you’ve been naughty, and when you’ve been nice.
It’s the final stretch — 8 days to the Christmas Eve ‘stache-off — and we’re well into the 12 days of ’Stachemas 2010. So in that spirit — and that of the December 11 drunken Santa day, for which I apparently did not get the memo, I present to you… the Santa ‘Stache:
As for the third-party Anderson Brothers competitors, they’re shaping up to be… well, not very competitive. I have to squint to see those ‘staches, Pipes and Matey. Maybe you should ask Santa for some expedited growth for Christmas?
Though Pete’s week 2 update was admirable, we’ve yet to see his update this week… so my ‘stache and I will wait with bated breath.
Yesterday marked Day 7 of my fabulous 2010 mustache growth (and temporary partner, chin hair). So last night I was faced with the admittedly ridiculous (yet awesome) task of trying to capture myself looking like a mustachioed bad-ass in front of the mirror (inspired by this guy, of course). During one of those attempts, I accidentally had my iPhone on video mode:
Defeated, I decided to take my mustache and myself over to Justin’s place, where I spotted Yoda and his Mardi Gras beads, clearly eager to power my ‘stache with a shot of the Force:
Happy birthday to my best friend and wife, who brings so much happiness and joy not just to my life, but to the world at large. Jen makes the world a brighter place for the rest of us! Happy birthday, Jen! I’m lucky to have you in my life.
For those of you not distracted by the baby news in my last post, you may have noticed that another kind of being is also growing right under our noses — the kind that only a mother could love. Or at least only those with appreciation for the finer things in life.
Yes, the 4th Annual Anderson Brothers Mustache Growing Competition is now underway, and Pete is already putting me to shame, at least in terms of the quantity and quality of dedicated blog entries. To date, he’s racked up an impressive collection of ABMGC IV-related entries:
This is my attempt to make up for that, or at least to demonstrate my commitment to the competition.
First, it should be stated that due to extenuating circumstances, the ‘stache I began growing on Thanksgiving Day, per the rules of ABMGC IV, needed to be shaved on December 1. Pete and some fellow participants had already begun to grow, so I let them keep the 11/25/2010 start date to my 12/1/2010 date. After all, my competitors will need all the help they can get.
For those of you just joining us, here’s a highlight from last year’s competition to whet your appetite for the kind of awesomeness you’re in for:
And here’s an earlier rendition of one of my 2009 stages of growth:
I can only hope that this year’s ‘stache will be as awesome as The Kip.
So there you go. The groundwork has been laid, the air is thick with anticipation (and upper-lip hair growth), and the 2010 Anderson Brothers mustache showdown is set for Christmas Eve right here in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Finally, I leave you with my official 12/1/2010 evidence of shaving photo:
OK, this is getting ridiculous. It’s time to freakin’ blog something already (and there’s big news herein for those of you who read to the end). In the 10 years since I started blogging, this has probably been the longest dry stretch of not blogging (3.5 months since the last post), so it’s time to get my ass back in gear a bit. People are starting to wonder if I even still have a blog, and some have asked if I’ve moved it to another secret location. Nope, things have just been nuts and the blogging fell out of my routine. So here I am.
A lot’s happened since my last post in the summer — more than any single blog post could ever do justice, but some highlights… another banner summer, including a great Travers weekend with lots of friends in town, a Tom Petty concert, and a party we hosted. My bro and his girlfriend also moved cross-country to NYC from Sacramento, so we’ve had some awesome times since the summer, including at the track with Mini Hulk and at some swank New York City parties. Of course, it’s also ABMGC season — the 4th annual Anderson Brothers Mustache Growing Competition is now underway — so stay tuned for some updates on that front, too.
Where running is concerned, I’ve been taking it easy the past month-and-a-half since running my last marathon, the 2010 Mohawk-Hudson Marathon on 10.10.10 (my 5th), after which I developed Achilles tendinitis again. I did manage to run a record number of monthly miles during our crazy August (216.22) and set a number of PRs this year at just about every distance, but I had a disappointing marathon time because I happened to be sick the day of the marathon, and spent the whole race coughing, missing my Boston qualifying dreams by a lot. But there are always other marathons, and Team FG and I had a great time training this year.
The past 4 months have brought sadness — we attended two funerals, first for Jen’s great aunt Liz and yesterday for aunt Carolyn in Poughkeepsie — but mostly joy.
We’ve been to California, where we attended Ben and Lyndsey’s wedding in San Francisco and caught up with family and friends. We had another wedding — Dan and Margarita’s — the week after. Both were tons of fun, and we wish both couples the best!
We’ve been doing lots of research on buying (building) a new (bigger) home here in Saratoga Springs and selling our current home. Why? Drum roll, please…
We were ecstatic to learn on Friday, August 13 (yes, shortly before this photo was taken) that we’re having a baby! The due date is April 25, 2011, and we can’t wait to meet Baby Anderson. This coming Monday we learn the baby’s gender, and we couldn’t be happier.
Amidst all this, I’m also wrapping up my second term of MBA classes, which I started taking over the summer, so that’s my last excuse for falling out of the blog routine.
Happy Thanksgiving, happy holidays, and hope not to be such a slacker around here!
